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Toscana
| Lardo di Colonnata Rebuttal |
Posted by Barb Wong on 2/4/03; 9:51:34 PM
From the Toscana dept.
From Roland's news item on the revival of lard in Italian cooking, it sounds like I thoroughly enjoyed chowing on tubs of Italian lard on our honeymoon. Let me explain....
While in Tuscany, I had the pleasure of enjoying lardo di colonnata (rough English translation) on only one occasion. Lardo di colonnata is pork fatback that is cured with salt, spices and herbs such as rosemary. It is sparingly served in very thin slices on crostino (toasted bread). The delicate flavour of the spices, herbs and fat melt into the bread.
I don't think it's much worse than enjoying a slice or two of bacon and it's much tastier!!
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| Tuscan Bread |
Posted by Barb Wong on 10/25/01; 9:03:48 PM
From the Toscana dept.
One thing I particularly enjoyed in Tuscany is the bread. Unlike most breads, traditional Tuscan bread is made without salt. This makes for what some people describe as bland bread, but I like it because the lack of salt lets the yeast flavour shine through and forms a gentle backdrop for other ingredients that are served along with the bread. The omission of salt in this bread also allows it to go stale or dry out before it gets moldy.
Of course bread, nor other ingredients, rarely goes to waste. Stale bread is used in salads, soups and appetizers. One of my favourite ways of using day old bread is for crostini. The simplest of which is crostini with garlic: lightly toast 1 cm thick slices of day old Tuscan bread (on a grill or in the oven). Peel a clove of garlic and gently rub it on one side of the toast. Liberally drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
You can also top crostini with chicken liver pate
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