Sagre #5 - Expo Milano

Final post of Sagre month! Though this week what we’re looking at isn’t so much a food festival as a food exhibition. Since May 1^st, and until the end of October, Milan is being taken over by Expo Milano, the Universal Exhibition, and the theme is FOOD.

Well, technically the theme is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, but that takes longer to type. The exhibition will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and solutions on the theme of food, and the opportunity to discover how the participating cultures grow and prepare food. It will examine both the traditional cultural values of food and how new technologies are and can be used in food production. Fascinating stuff!

The Universal Exhibition has long been famous for its ground-breaking exhibits. The first was held at Crystal Palace in London in 1851 and has been going ever since. Without it, Brussels might not have the Atomium or Paris the Eiffel Tower! The Exhibition is a stage to show off technological successes and gain insight into great inventions and discoveries across the world. This year over 120 countries are participating and the Expo is expected to welcome over 20 million visitors through its gates.

The site for the Exhibition is vast, and covers over 1.1km². There are four main themed areas: Pavillion Zero (which traces humankind’s historical relationship with food), the Future Food District (which explains how technology will change food storage, distribution, purchase, and consumption), the Biodiversity Park (full of ecosystems all over the world) and Arts & Foods (which explores the ever-changing relationship between art and food).

Many of the participating countries have their own pavilions where there are videos, installations, photo exhibitions, cooking demonstrations and tastings. (The UK pavilion is built to look like a gianthive and centres on bees and their importance in producing food.) The Italian pavilion lies right at the heart of the exhibition and promises to present all sides of Italian food culture – the places of production, culture, regions, landscape, and Italian hospitality. Definitely not one to miss.

So there you have it folks, it started here and it has made its way all around the world and stopped off in Italy. Much like me in reverse! Anyway, if you find yourself in Italy before the end of October, head to Milan and grab yourself a ticket for the Expo to learn all you ever needed to know about FOOD. 

Sagre #4 - Cantine Aperte

This week we’ve got the very finest of festivals for you, celebrating one of Italy’s very finest products: WINE. We thought we’d post this one a bit in advance of the sagra itself, just in case anyone felt the overwhelming urge to hop on a plane and find their way to Italia for Cantine Aperte on May 30^th-31^st.

Cantine Aperte means “open cellars” and this Italian festival of wine really does do what it says on the metaphorical tin. All across the country, some of Italy’s finest wineries open their cellars to the public. It is organised by the Movimento Turismo del Vino or “Wine Tourism Movement” (yes, it is a real thing…) and has been happening every year since 1993.

What happens during Cantine Aperte will vary from region to region, but almost always involves a tour of the vineyards and wineries, a peek at the cellars, with an explanation of how everything works, and the opportunity to taste and buy some of the finest wines in the world. Some places also offer special admissions where you can eat as well and even enjoy al fresco entertainment. It has become a key time for local communities, who organise a variety of cultural, artistic, and folklore-based events along the wine festivities.

One of the joys of Cantine Aperte is that it is just as popular with locals as it is with tourists. According to the Movimento Turismo del Vino’s website, “Cantine Aperte” has evolved over the years to be far more than just a wine festival, it has become a philosophy, denoting a way of travelling and discovering more of Italy and its wine territories. Year on year it attracts more tourists and wine-lovers from all over the globe. Unlike Vinitaly in Verona, this is not an event aimed at sommeliers and wine professionals, but at wine enthusiasts – a chance for winemakers to share their lives’ work with others.

 

Cantine Aperte is generally free and there is no need to reserve so if any of you decide to call in sick on Friday 29^th and get yourself over Tuscany, we won’t judge… 

Sagre #3- Marta Lattarino Festival

Another week, another delicious food festival to celebrate in good ol’ Italia. This week we’re giving you a glimpse into the Sagra del Lattarino – which isn’t a million miles away from Camogli’s fish festival.

Lattarino – or “atherina boyeri” if you insist on calling them by their biological name – are tiny silver fish which live in a number of the lakes in central Italy. The festival celebrating them takes place in Marta, a little town on the shores of Lake Bolsena, in Latium, northwest of Rome. Marta has had a thriving fish industry for centuries, as well as producing olive oil and a wine called Cannaiola, which means “warbler”. Sweet. This very specific sagra came into being in the 1980s, when a group of locals decided it would be appropriate to have a festival marking their appreciation for their environment and the gastronomic delights offered by the lake.

As with Camogli’s festival, the Sagra del Lattarino is a great occasion for (mostly local) people to come together and celebrate food. Again there is an enormous pan involved, though not as big as Camogli’s – sorry Marta! The little silver fish are coated in flour then fried and handed out among all those present. The festival costs about 10 euros to attend and as well as the fish there are fried “pizzetta” or mini pizzas, lemon bread, cheese, pastries and wine. You can’t say the Italians don’t know how to live, eh? 

Sagre #2 - Camogli Fish Festival

Carrying on with Sagre month this week and we have the Camogli Fish Festival, or the Sagra del Pesce, also known as the “Fish Festival of Saint Fortunato” (patron saint of fishermen! Who knew?)

The festival started in 1952, born out of a WW2 tradition of local fishermen’s wives offering fish to the Holy Virgin as thanks for keeping them safe from the war. It takes place in Camogli, a small port town near Portofino in Liguria, which is a coastal (duh) region in North West Italy. Camogli is known as one of Liguria’s “best-kept secrets”, with its colourful houses and beautiful beaches. It has managed to stay reasonably free of mass tourism thanks to its lack of large carpark. How about that?! It is nicknamed the “City of a Thousand White Sailing Ships” due to its prestige as a large seaport in the Middle Ages which accommodated hundreds of Tall Ships in its heyday, and is a 20-minute train-ride away from Liguria’s capital of Genoa.

The festival consists, essentially, of locals, visitors, and tourists being graced with free helpings of fried fish. Over 30, 000 servings, or around 3 tonnes, of blue fish are fried up by the fishermen themselved, in the world’s largest frying pan, which measures 5 metres across and has a 7-metre-long handle.

The night before, there is a huge firework display, and Camogli’s two neighbourhoods (Porto and Pinetto) compete to see which can build a bigger bonfire. These bonfires – which are often up to 2 stories high - are then lit by a “fire-wire” which stretches down from the church’s highest steeple! (Don’t worry though, the fire brigade is always at hand, just in case!) 

An Italian Twist on your Sunday Roast

Nothing beats a good Sunday Roast. Fact. And we in the UK are masters. My favorite is chicken - not too rich, not too heavy (so you can eat twice as much!)  and super-easy to cook. The lemon and garlic in this will also work wonders for your health, keeping your arteries clear as can be.  This week's recipe is an Italian twist on an English classic and I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

2 Kg        whole chicken, with the excess fat removed

1              large lemon, juiced [keep the juice to add to the spinach, if wanted]

2              large lemons, not juiced 

1 tbsp       olive oil

6               garlic cloves, minced

     fresh herbes de Provence, finely chopped

     salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For a little extra iron...:

500 g       fresh baby spinach, rinsed

3             garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

    salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    lemon juice, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C  and prepare a large baking dish for the chicken, then set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and black pepper. Mix it well and taste, adding a little of whatever you think is missing.
3. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, making sure to get it into every nook and cranny. The more thoroughly you do this, the better it will taste, so don't be squeamish!
4. Don't forget the cavity while you're rubbing in that herb mix! A great way of adding extra flavour to your roasted chicken is by gently separating the skin away from the meat, then using your hand or a spoon rub the spices and/or herbs directly under the skin.
5. Slice your two lemons in half and stuff them inside the chicken for added zing.
6. Next, place the chicken onto the baking dish, and roast in centre of oven for 2 hours or until the juices run clear and the meat is tender and falls easily off the bone.
7. During the roasting time, baste the chicken regularly (spoon the juices over the top of the chicken a few times) and never allow it to dry out. If it begins drying out, cover with aluminium foil and continue to cook.

For your iron-rich vegetable addition:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and, once warm, add the garlic and sauté until soft.
2. Add the rinsed baby spinach to the pan and cook until wilted.
3. Sprinkle in some salt and black pepper to taste. If you like,  you can also add a little bit of lemon juice to the spinach for an extra kick.

Once the chicken is cooked through allow it to sit for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with spinach and all the trimmings. Yum.

And the best thing about chicken is that you can do so many excellent things with the leftovers - bung the carcass in a slow cooker with some veg and turn it into stock, have it in sandwiches for the next week, make it into a delicious stew or spice it up and have it with guacamole and salsa in a fajita. Ole!

Puglia Seafood

By now, everyone should know that Stefano Francioso, restauranteur extraordinaire, hails from Puglia (or "Apulia", as we British philistines call it). But you would be forgiven for knowing absolutely nothing about the region itself. It is the Italians' summer escape of choice, and not a hotspot for tourists from further afield.

Puglia is the heel to Italy's boot. The region lies in the South-East and has the longest coastline in the country. It has been invaded by just about every nearby country you can think of - the Spanish, the French, the Turks, the Greeks, etc etc. Luckily for Puglia, although the invaders may have left, many of their culinary traditions decided to stay, enriching regional cuisine indisputably. This cuisine is what makes the region special, pure and simple. And it is incredibly varied - Pugliese cuisine can change from town to town, even if they are only a mile apart.

The Pugliese terrain is not best suited to farming and tends to nurture legumes and vegetables such as peppers, aubergines, artichokes, and courgettes. However, there is something to be said for being surrounded by so much ocean - it sure does provide a lot of seafood.

Because it's seafood month here at Oregano, we're going to take you through a few of Puglia's best-loved fruits of the sea, as well as a couple of other Pugliese specialities.

Big juicy prawns, baked in a sea salt crust then drizzled with olive oil

Most likely to find in: Gallipoli

Tubetti in brodo di pesce - little tubes of pasta in a fishy, tomato broth, often made by fishermen out of their unsold fish

Most likely to find in: Otranto

Ricci, sea urchins, golden orange star-shaped flesh in a spiky black shell. You can scoop the flesh out with bread or go native and just lick it out, being wary of the spikes!

Most likely to find in: the Southern Adriatic Coast

Purpu alla pignata - Octopus in a spicy tomato sauce with potatoes

Most likely to find in: Salento - the southeastern peninsula which makes up the most southern part of Puglia

Orichiette con le cime di rapa - Puglia's famous "ear-shaped" pasta (made from durum wheat and without eggs) with turnip tops

Most likely to find in: Bari

Meat-lovers should try Zampina - a sausage made with pork or veal - or Bombinette - pork meatballs stuffed with salt, pepper, and cheese

Most likely to find in: Locorotondo

OR Capocollo di Martina Franca, a D.O.P-certified salama, a bit like pancetta

Most likely to find in: ...Martina Franca

Cheese-lovers can indulge in Caciocavallo - or "cheese on horseback", (which, incidentally, is made with cow's milk...not horse's...) which gets its name from the fact it is tied up with rope and left to hang over a wooden board to age

Most likely to find in: The Gargagno

Or, even better, get your chops round some Burrata, strips of mozzarella and cream encased in a mozarella shell.

Most likely to find in: Andria.

And to accompany all of this, Pane di Altamura, delicious D.O.P-certified bread from a locale where everyone has their own bakery. Living the dream.

Most likely to find in: Altamura

So that's it for this week friends. Pop in to see us at Oregano to sample our stunning March seafood menu, and stay tuned for more Pugliese joys next week!

Sweet Treat: Panettone Recipe

Now, I'm sure the more fastidious among you are about to point out that Panettone is traditionally a Christmas thing. And to you I say... you're absolutely right! This sweet bread is usually a Christmas treat in Italy and parts of France, Spain, Italy, and further afield. However, we are rapidly approaching the sweetest month of the year and what could be more romantic than surprising your beloved with a delicious home-made gift on Valentine's Day? Because why should we keep all the good stuff for just one part of the year?

Ingredients:

500g strong white flour
7g salt
50g caster sugar
2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
140ml/5fl oz warm milk
5 free-range eggs, at room temperature, plus extra for egg wash
250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
120g/4½oz dried cherries
120g/4½oz dried sultanas
120g/4½oz dried currants
100g/3½oz whole blanched almonds

Method:

1. Place the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk and the eggs into the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.
2. Mix slowly for two minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix for a further 6-8 minutes until you have a soft dough.
3. Add the softened butter and mix for another 5-8 minutes. Remember to scrape down the bowl periodically to ensure that the dough mixes well. It will be very soft.
4. Add the dried fruit and nuts. Mix until all is incorporated.
5. Tip the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill overnight until the dough has firmed up enough for you to able to shape it.
6. Prepare a 18cm/7in panettone tin by brushing the inside generously with melted butter.
7. Remove the panettone dough from the fridge.
8. Knock back the dough, shape into a ball and place into the tin.
9. Leave to prove at room temperature for a further 2-3 hours, until the dough just starts to dome over the top of the tin.
10. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
11. Brush the top of the panettone with egg wash and bake for about 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and bake for a further 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Check the panettone periodically in case of oven hot spots. Bear in mind that the sugar and butter in the dough could brown too much before it is actually fully baked.
12. Remove the panettone from the tin immediately and allow to cool.