Tuscany and Sicily slow food pairing
Hand cut 24 months ripened Prociutto Toscano from Antica Macelleria Nutini (Lucca) who carefully selects the right pigs. These semi wild pigs live in the Garfagnana hills above Lucca and grow upto 250 kilograms before the hams are lightly seasons.
A great bite of meat, of pure meat where seasoning is added just for the ripening process, not for the overwhelming peppers covering up the true taste.
An extremely powerful combination when eaten together with the very milky organic black pepper sheep cheese Piccantino del Belice from Zootecnica Filippo Palazzolo in Sicily. It's pure and earthy creaminess is contrasting so well with the tuscan ham.
Did somebody say wine?
What you would need here is a light bodied and young Merlot o Sangiovese. The ham and cheese are powerful and need to be accompanied by a wine used to those tasting notes. Not washing them away, nor trying to make you want to drink more wine, but the perfect juicy wine that makes you want to eat more prosciutto and pecorino.
maandag 22 januari 2018
Where to buy good olive oil?
Posted on Jan 22, 2018
It has become a tricky business, the EVO business. Extra Vergine d'Oliva olive oil, once an Italian artisanal patrimony, now taken over by traders and industry. Or is there some positive news? Yes there is.
It has become a tricky business, the EVO business. Extra Vergine d'Oliva olive oil, once an Italian artisanal patrimony, now taken over by traders and industry. Or is there some positive news? Yes there is.
Where to buy good olive oil?
It has become a tricky business, the EVO business. Extra Vergine d'Oliva olive oil, once an Italian artisanal patrimony, now taken over by traders and industry. Or is there some positive news? Yes there is.
zondag 21 januari 2018
Italian hazelnut porter beer
Posted on Jan 18, 2018
Another great find of the 2018 Amsterdam Bellavita Expo was this craft beer from Milan.
Although this company, founded by a group of beer brewing enthousiasts, has grown to be a serious business, the craftmenship is still the same as back in 1996 when they were one of the first new style micro breweries of Italy. Way before this whole craftbeer trend.
zaterdag 13 januari 2018
Piccolini Zwolle
This Saturday I stumbled upon Piccolini's in Zwolle Overijssel. A very enthousiast Dutch owner told me that she runs this shop for four years now. As many she started by importing some fine Italian products on the backseat of the car after a summer holiday in Italy. But unlike many she has grown out to be a real well organised shop with lots of exclusive goodies.
You will find Bresca Dorada's marmelades from Sardinia, cheeses from Piedmont and some of the finest wines. I bought myself some treats for my own 'piccolini' who had a swimming competition nearby and could use some carbs and sugars. My kids just adore these Mulino Bianco cookies. Okay, they are industrial cookies made by this huge Barilla owned company, but their are good and they are almost as part of the Italian baking heritage as cookies made by your nonna. Also they banned palm oil and artificial ingredients completely and lowered their sugars on most of their vast cookie assortment.
Which Mulino Bianco cookies are your favorite?
You can buy different tipes of them at an honest retail price in Zwolle. I am sure you won't leave this fine shop just on the outer ring of the historical city center of Zwolle with only cookies.
Piccolini Zwolle, a shop for the whole family
This Saturday I stumbled upon Piccolini's in Zwolle Overijssel. A very enthousiast Dutch owner told me that she runs this shop for four years now. As many she started by importing some fine Italian products on the backseat of the car after a summer holiday in Italy. But unlike many she has grown out to be a real well organised shop with lots of exclusive goodies.
You will find Bresca Dorada's marmelades from Sardinia, cheeses from Piedmont and some of the finest wines. I bought myself some treats for my own 'piccolini' who had a swimming competition nearby and could use some carbs and sugars. My kids just adore these Mulino Bianco cookies. Okay, they are industrial cookies made by this huge Barilla owned company, but their are good and they are almost as part of the Italian baking heritage as cookies made by your nonna. Also they banned palm oil and artificial ingredients completely and lowered their sugars on most of their vast cookie assortment.
Which Mulino Bianco cookies are your favorite?
You can buy different tipes of them at an honest retail price in Zwolle. I am sure you won't leave this fine shop just on the outer ring of the historical city center of Zwolle with only cookies.
