The NEW YORK ITALIAN FOOD & WINE GUY Blog is dedicated to many things, but mainly to three very GREAT ONES being NEW YORK, ITALIAN FOOD, and ITALIAN WINE. What's greater than these?
Champagne has a lavish history dating back to the 16th century. Long before we started drinking bubbly to ring in the new year, European aristocrats were popping bottles at their royal parties.
Only the elite drank champagne at the time because it was so expensive, historian Kolleen Guy wrote in her book about the wine's history. It was even the drink of choice for Louis XIV.
Drinking champagne as celebratory tradition has endured for centuries, as New Year's evolved from a religious holiday to a secular one.
"After the French Revolution, it became a part of the secular rituals that replaced formerly religious rituals," Guy told LiveScience. "You could 'christen a ship' without a priest, for example, by using the 'holy water' of champagne."
"My Favorite Champagne"
KRUG
Eventually, winemakers started developing the technology to bottle carbonated wine. Dom Perignon added two safety features to its wines to avoid bottle explosions: thicker glass bottles to withstand the pressure and a rope snare to keep corks in place. The bottles became perfect for popping on New Year's Eve.
The price of champagne declined, and producers started marketing it to common folk in the 1800s. Since the wine was long associated with nobility, ads triumphed it as an aspirational drink.
Eventually, winemakers started developing the technology to bottle carbonated wine. Dom Perignon added two safety features to its wines to avoid bottle explosions: thicker glass bottles to withstand the pressure and a rope snare to keep corks in place. The bottles became perfect for popping on New Year's Eve.
The price of champagne declined, and producers started marketing it to common folk in the 1800s. Since the wine was long associated with nobility, ads triumphed it as an aspirational drink.
CHAMPAGNE
KRUG
GRANDE CUVEE
Krug Champagne is a Champagne house founded by Joseph Krug in 1843. It is based principally in Reims, the main city in France's Champagne region and is one of the famous Champagne houses that formed part of the Grandes marques.
• 4 - 28oz cans high quality tomato puree or whole tomatoes, crushed by hand⠀
• 1/2 can water⠀
• 1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)⠀
• ½ tsp black pepper⠀
• 1 ½ Tbsp dried oregano ⠀
• big handful fresh basil, whole or torn by hands⠀
⠀
⠀
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and the onions together on medium-high heat and sauté until the onions are soft and beginning to brown slightly.⠀
• Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the garlic is soft.⠀
• Add the next 3 ingredients and sauté for 2 minutes, to release the flavors of the herbs, while stirring.
⠀
• Add the next 5 ingredients and bring to a light boil, then immediately reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer for about 45-60 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.⠀
• Remove from heat and stir in the second amount of basil and the marinara is ready to go!
Grandma Bellino's Italian Cookbook, is based on Recipes from Giuseppina Salemi Bellino, who was born and raised in Lercara Friddi, Sicliy, the same town that Charles "Lucky" Luciano, and Martino Saverino Sinatra (Frank Sinatra 's father) were born.
Giuseppina immirgatedfrom Lercara Friddi to New York in 1904, with her husband Fillipo Bellino. A few years later they moved to Lodi, New Jersey, a few miles away from New York City. At the time, Lodi, was a town that was made up of Italian Immigrants 100%, mostly of Sicilian or Neapolitan origins.
Giuseppina's grandson Daniel Bellino grew to love food so much, he went to Culinary School, and worked his way up to become the Chef at Corrado Italian Restaurant, after working for a few years in French and Italian Restuarants. He open the 1st Venetian Wine Bar (Bacaro), Bar Cichetti, where he was the Chef, Wine Director and Managing Partner.
Daniel traveled extensively in Italy, learning about all regions of Italian Food, and gathering many great recipes. He published his first book La Tavola in 2012, followed by his Best Selling Italian Cookbook SUNDAY SAUCE in 2013.
Daniel's book Grandma Bellino's Cookbook is based on his Nonna Bellino's Recipes, and other recipes from Bellino family members (Mother Lucia, Aunt Fran, Aunt Helen, & Uncle Tony).
When I was a little one, each year at Christmas, my grandmother would make these wonderful fried cod or cauliflower delicacies wrapped in seasoned dough! Bowls of baccala (cod fish) and cauliflower fritters would be set out on the Christmas Eve table and we would eat our fill! My little sister would eat them until she literally got sick much to the dismay of my father who would warn her of the imminent danger of her over indulgence!
What can I say; these Christmas Baccala and Cauliflower Fritters are absolutely delicious; and though I am not that big on fried foods in my normal diet, the Holidays just beg to differ! Enjoy my Christmas Baccala and Cauliflower Fritters this month at Christmas or whatever Holiday you observe; these fritters don’t discriminate, they just taste good!
Fried Cauliflower
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
In a large bowl make the batter with
1&1/2 cups organic all purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup water
(Note if you need more batter, increase the flour to 2 cups and add another egg, adjust seasoning)
24 ounces grape seed oil for frying
For the Baccala
1 lb cod fish fillets, water, salt and pepper
Boil the fillets in the seasoned water until just cooked yet firm
Drain on paper towels, break up in chunks
For the Cauliflower
1 large head organic cauliflower, leaves trimmed, water, salt, pepper
Boil the whole cauliflower in the water until just cooked yet firm(5-7 minutes), drain in colander, break up in large chunks.
Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium high until fry ready.
Dip the cod chunks and cauliflower chunks in the batter.
Immerse the batter coated chunks in the hot oil, fry until golden brown .
Drain fritters on paper towel.
If not serving immediately, the fritters can be heated in a hot oven to crisp up!
One fine example of the connections that give me special inside entry to private tours, tastings, parties lunches and dinners with the winemakeror the proprietors of wine estates around the world would be a fabulously
memorable lunch I had with Conti Sebastiani Capponi and his brother
Conti Nicolo Capponi at their families estate Greve, Italy, the Villa Calcinaia
which was purchased by the noble Capponi family in 1524.
Villa Calcinaia was once a Florentine outpost on the medieval road of Greve.
The Capponi’s have been producing wonderful wine, olive oil, and vinegars
since the Renaissance. I will always remember the lunch I shared with Conti Sebastiani and Nicolo Capponi one beautiful Spring day a few years back. Nicolo gave us a whimsical tour of the vineyards and its cellars. We first started in the beautiful old kitchen of the villa which apart from the gas stove looks almost exactly as it has for over 500 years, incredible. Before we started on our sojourn of the cellars of Villa Calcinaia, Niccolo treated us to some the extraordinary Salami and Prosciutto that they make on the estate, soley for the Capponi family consumption, along with any guest who are lucky enough to partake as well. It was quite an especially unique treat, eating the private artisnal Capponi Family Salumi while sipping their superb Chianti in the medieval kitchen as the house cook was grilling veal in the ancient fireplace, the veal that would be the main-course of our glorious lunch.
Nicolo then took us through the labyrinth of the Calcinaia Cellars and into a room where the Capponi's have a 300 year old mother. Yes that's right, a "300 Year Old Mother."
A Mother is the starting process of making vinegar and it can be kept alive for hundreds of years, thus in this case, a 300 year old one, so they say. The vinegar it produces is exceptional.
Nicolo then led us into the adjacent room and proclaimed, "These are from Ali Baba."
What Nicolo was referring to, were large terra cotta vessels where the estates fine Tuscan Olive Oil are stored before bottling, and by the way, they do look as they may very well
come from the caves of Ali Baba himself.
The Count (Conti) then led the way to the fermentation room where the pressed Sangiovese grapes make the estates fine Chianti, as well as their amazing Vino Santo made from Trebbiano of Calcinaaia.
From the fermentation room we went into the cellars where Chianti was being aged in large Slovenian Oak Cask. We took barrel samples out of the 1994 Chianti Reserva and the Chianti Classico 1995 as well. And yes, they were quite tasty to say the least.
The Road to Calcinaia
After barrel-tasting the Chianti, Niccolo brought us into the room where
thousands of bunches of Trebbiano grapes were hanging from nails on beams
so they could dry out before being turned into the lush nectar of Tuscan
Vin Santo which we would be drinking later on to finish off our unforgettable lunch.
Conti Niccolo then led us outside to the Capponi vineyards and to their herb
and vegetable garden in back of the castle.
After seeing the garden and walking through the vines of Sangiovese we joined
up with Niccolo’s brother Conti Sebastiano Capponi in a beautiful little dining
room for our incredible lunch to come.
The dining room was decorated in the perfect combination of country elegance of
which was unchanged for some 500 years.
We started this wonderful meal with an antipasto misto of Crostini Toscano,
Prosciutto, and roast peppers. The antipasto was followed by a simple but tasty
Rigatoni Pomodoro.
We were served the Veal that we had observed being roasted by the cook previously,
along with some sautéed escarole from the garden.
We then followed the Veal with some Pecorino Toscano while enjoying the
Capponi’s great Chianti throughout the meal.
For desert we ate succulent Oranges while sipping on the extraordinary
Calcinaia Vin Santo which to me is the best expression of this famous Tuscan
dessert wine that I have ever tasted, ever better than the superb Avognesi Vin Santo
1990 which received the highest score possible for any wine, a 100 from the
Wine Spectator. The Vin Santo from Villa Calcinaia is perfectly balanced with
the sweetness of ripe Pears and Apricots, with hints of Wild Flowers and Walnuts
and at the finish, utterly Perfecto!
This meal was one of the most memorable of my life, dining with the
Capponi’s in a lovely dining room in the Castel
which dates back to the Renaissance, at the Villa Calcinaia in the
heart Chianti Classico, drinking their fabulous wine with our meal,
it was an experience that not many people ever get the chance to do,
simply extraordinary.
On the third day in Panzano we went to visit the stunning wine estate of
Vignamaggio.
This estate has quite a history behind it. La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) was
born at this stately villa, and the painting is believed to been painted by
DaVinci on the grounds of Vignamaggio.
The estate is absolutely beautiful. If you look at the background of
the painting Mona Lisa you will get an idea of the beauty of the estate and
the panoramas you see from its various vantage points, they are spectacular.
