Radicchio © Denzil Green Radicchio is a leafy salad vegetable with dark red leaves. It is a variety of chicory, making it a member of the endive family. It is generally about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long. Much of our Radicchio is imported from Italy, not because it won’t grow elsewhere,…
Italian Food
Ragoût
Ragoût is a stew or sauce that can be made of fish, poultry or meat (the meat can be game.) It may or may not have vegetables. The French version is called “Ragoût” and is a stew. The Italian version is called “Ragù” and is a sauce. French Ragoût The meat is cut into even…
Rapini
Rapini © Denzil Green Rapini is green, leafy vegetable that is a variety of broccoli. It differs from regular broccoli in that the florets are small, there are more leaves, and it has a slightly bitter bite to the taste. The stems and skin on them are also much thinner, making them tender enough to…
Ravioli Day
The 20th of March is Ravioli Day! If it’s a weekend, see if you can talk a group of friends into coming round in the afternoon and making the ravioli for dinner from scratch.
Red Wine Vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar is made from red wine, as the name would hint. There are red wine vinegars that are made more quickly, using so-so wine, that are sold cheaper, and there are more expensive ones, aged for a few years in oak barrels, etc. In general, red wine vinegars require longer aging than white…
Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese is a soft fresh cheese. It is frequently used as an ingredient in dishes, for instance savoury pies, or when stuffing pasta.
Risotto
Lobster Risotto © Paula Trites Risotto is a rice dish that is a staple recipe in Northern Italy. It is different from many rice dishes where the rice is cooked separately; in Risotto, all the ingredients are cooked along with the rice, making a risotto a good way to use up leftover ingredients. There are…
Risotto Rice
Risotto rice refers to a category of rices well-suited because of their properties to be used in the Italian dish known as “risotto.” All risotto rices are a short-grain rice or medium-grain rice that is quite fat and very starchy, so that the grains can absorb lots of moisture and make the mixture quite creamy….
Romano Beans
Romano Beans grow in flat green or yellow pods. The yellow-podded varieties are often called “Gold Romano Beans.” Though related to string beans, the pods are wider and stringless, and longer – they can be between 6 to 8 inches long (15 to 20 cm.) When very young, the whole pod can be eaten. You…
Rosolio
Rosolio (aka Rosoli) used to made from the herb called “sundew” (Drosera rotundifolia), aka “Rosa Solis.” It used to be made entirely from juice from this herb. Now, it is a generic name for sweet, aromatic, syrupy cordials or liqueurs with low alcohol content, often homemade, even orange and lemon ones. When a Rosolio is…
Rugosa Butternut Squash
Rugosa Butternut Squash is a large-sized butternut squash, ridged from top to bottom. It has a good butternut squash taste. 100 days from seed. Language Notes An Italian name for Rugosa Butternut Squash, “Rogosa Violina Gioia”, alludes to the way some people try to describe its shape by comparing it to a violin. Most people,…
Sambuca
Sambuca is an anise-flavoured liqueur. Popular brands are Galliano, Luxardo, Molinari, Opal Nera, Romana, and Sambuca di Amore. The alcohol content varies from 38 to 42% alcohol, depending on the brand and variety. The main ingredients are oil and blossoms from the Witch Elder (aka ‘Sambuca Nigra’) bush, and anise seeds. Some brands, such as…
Scamorza Cheese
Scamorza cheese is a semi-soft white cheese that is like a firm, drier mozzarella. There are fresh and aged versions of it, as well as smoked and unsmoked.
Scucuzun
Scucuzun are small, round “grains” of pasta made from durum wheat. At one point, the use of Scucuzun was traditional in making Genoa-style minestrone. Language Notes The name may come from “couscous.”
Sea Urchin
A Sea Urchin is a small creature that lives on the sea floor. It grows a hard shell with purple-black quills on it. The quills act both as a defence (it is preyed on by Lobsters, Crabs and sea otters), as a means of propulsion, and for trapping algae. Sea Urchins eat algae, barnacles, mussels…
Semifreddo
Semifreddo is a term used to group a general category of Italian desserts that are served frozen or cold, ranging from various cakes to custards and creams. Authentic spumoni (not the North American ice cream called spumoni) is an example of a Semifreddo. The dessert can be based on a custard made with milk, or…
Sicilian Food
Sicily is known for its simple cooking and good street food. Some say the national dish is pasta with sardines (“Pasta con le Sarde.”) It is also known for its desserts, particularly its frozen desserts, made possible earlier than in most of the rest of Europe by the Arab introduction of sugar cane rather than…
Slow Food
Slow Food is a political and cultural food movement that claims to have 85,000 members in 132 countries (as of 2009.) The movement was founded by people who felt that traditional foods were disappearing. It aims to be an international organization, though the values, language and even the syntax is European-centric. For instance, it promotes…
Soffritto
Soffritto © Denzil Green In Italian cooking, a “soffritto” is a finely chopped, lightly sautéed mixture of food used as a flavourful base to a dish. It will usually be sautéed in olive oil. It’s close to, but not the same, as what is called a “sofrito” (with one “f” and one “t”) in Spanish….
Speck dell’Alto Adige
Speck dell’Alto Adige © Denzil Green Speck dell’Alto Adige is a piece of meat and lard from a pig, processed to become a charcuterie that is served raw in thin slices. It is made in South Tyrol [Südtirol], Italy. The overall ratio of the piece of meat should be ½ meat, ½ lard. Outside, the…
Spuma di Zabaione
Spuma di Zabaione is zabaglione with whipped cream stirred into it after cooking.
Spumoni
Spumoni is a dessert, but there are two quite different types: Italian, and American.
Strega
Strega is a yellow-coloured digestif liqueur made from 70 herbs and spices. Ingredients include mint, fennel and saffron, which gives it its colour. It is distilled by steam in small stills, and fermented in oak vats. It is made in Benevento, Italy. Two people know the recipe. 42.5% alcohol. Cooking Tips Serve Strega straight up,…
Stuffed Pasta
Unlike Pasta for Stuffing, in which you put your own stuffing, Stuffed Pasta comes already stuffed with a filling. Fillings can be made of meat, cheese, vegetables, or any combination of those. You can buy them fresh or frozen. Or, you can make your own.