While surfing food blogs one day, I came across Nuts About Food by Fiona who lives in Milan. I immediately started following her blog. I love how she offers authentic Italian recipes and has the Italian sensibility for putting ingredients together.
In one of her posts, she told her readers that she was interviewed for a podcast on the blog Disgraces on the Menu written by the Paolo Rigiroli. I listened to the podcast so that I could hear her voice when I read her words. I finished listening to the interview liking her all the more. I also started reading Paolo's blog, and listening to his podcasts.
I could tell from perusing his blog that he and I were of one mind. His posts on regional Italian cuisine are a great resource, his instructions extremely clear, and the results are delicious.
Born in Italy near Milan, Paolo is passionate about authentic Italian food, and is a "collector" of poor grammatical representations of Italian food as written in English, and outrageous distortions of traditional Italian recipes. Thus, "Disgraces on the Menu."
In addition to providing us with great recipes and humorous - if embarrassing - misspellings and incorrect usages, he has carved himself a niche in the podcast world. His series, Thoughts on the Table, includes interviews with food bloggers, writers, chefs, and other food professionals on my favorite subject: Italian Food.
Only recently did I comment for the first time on one of his posts; my comment spurred him to look at Cocoa & Lavender.
An e-friendship began. We posted comments on one another's blogs. We emailed. He awarded me the Cannolo Award, a wonderful honor given to those keeping Italian traditions alive and authentic. He asked if I would be interested in being interviewed for a podcast and, as much as I can't stand hearing my own voice, I said yes, because I knew it would be fun.
His writing and interviews are filled with detailed information, good humor, and easygoing charm. Please head over to this week's episode on Thoughts on the Table for my chat with Paolo. While you are there, you can subscribe to both his blog and his podcasts on iTunes, and you’ll enjoy his essays too.
Today's recipe is one of his that we discussed while Skyping prior to the taping. It is a traditional dish from the region in which he was raised, and a wonderful bowl of comfort for a winter's night.
Tutti a tavola!
~ David
Pizzoccheri della Valtellina
from Paolo Rigiroli/Disgraces on the Menu
200 grams/7 ounces dried Pizzoccheri noodles *
250 grams/9 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, diced
150 grams/6 ounces Savoy cabbage, sliced
100 grams/3 1/2 ounces Valtellina Casera or Fontina cheese, thinly sliced
20 grams/1 ounce Parmigiano cheese, grated
50 grams/4 tablespoons unsalted butter.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed (I used shallots, halved)
2 or 3 leaves of fresh sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (using ½ tablespoon of salt per liter/quart of water).
Add the potatoes and the cabbage to the boiling water. Let the vegetables cook for 5 minutes then add the pizzoccheri into the boiling water. Continue cooking for another 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter with the garlic (or halved shallots) and the sage. Cook until the garlic (shallot) is golden, then discard both.
Drain the pasta and vegetables.
Assemble the dish directly in individual bowls. Start layering the ingredients with some of the pasta and vegetables, sprinkle with some of the Parmigiano, a few cheese slices and some melted butter. Repeat 2 or 3 times using up all of the ingredients, ending with a layer of pasta and vegetables and a sprinkle of Parmigiano.
Sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately without stirring.
Serves 2-3.
* These are short flat buckwheat noodles. Paolo's post includes the recipe for making the pizzoccheri noodles from scratch, as well as some more cheese options. I plan to try this eventually but, for today, used the box of noodles given to me by our friends from Venice.
Labels: buckwheat noodles, disgraces on the menu, fontina, paolo rigiroli, pizzoccheri, pizzoccheri della valtellina, potato, savoy cabbage, thoughts on the menu
