| Dear friends, Today I want to do three things:Telling you a personal storyExplaining you what exactly what I am going to startSharing a recipe with you |
| 1 – One of the biggest culinary effort in my long career has been to cook for my family. My father appreciated a lot everything: for him everything I cooked was good. As I was sure to be appreciated, I wanted to surprise him any time and this was a little challenge. …Also because my mon always said that she liked simple things and I was too estravagant. Cooking for both required a certain culinary compromise. |
| Marta, my daughter, just let her taste buds to judge as she didn’t – and she still doesn’t – care about “simple” or “estravagant”. She was, and still is , the easiest and at the same time the hardest to make happy: she likes every flavor but all the ingredients have to be good and in perfect balance: she has super-trained taste buds. My son Matteo was – still is – the easiest and most difficult at the same time: he didn’t mix flavors. Bread by itself, not dipped in the sauce together with the meat or fish. Fish – or meat – alone; bread alone. Sauce left in the dish. Pasta only with tomato sauce, or meat red sauce or with sausage sauce. Little sauce. Most of the sauce left in the dish. No vegetables, no fruits. Only potatoes, a slice of apple every two months. He was the most challenging as I had to prepare every day, twice a day, two different meals: one for Marta and for us parents, one for Matteo. I had to do this if I wanted to eat and serve to my family, everyday different foods – I have always been a fan of good and various nutrition – : Matteo would eat pretty much the same every day although my efforts. |
| My parents were with us only on special occasions. But, whatever day it was, a feast with the family reunion, or the daily meal when children were back from school, the kitchen was anyways a challenge and lots of work. For sure cooking different dishes every day, according to the produce at the market, to the leftovers, to “what is in the fridge”, is part of the Italian heritage. In my case it was also a need. Reason for which I have accumulated in my home-cooking maybe as many recipes – if not more – I have accumulated during my career as chef. The recipe at the bottom is one of them. |
| 2 – I’ m starting a membership site. How does the membership site work? For an affordable monthly fee, you can have access to our entire library of detailed cooking classes at your convenience and literally you can become a professional Italian chef right from the comfort of your own home. These lessons follow our school’s proven cooking program that we have been teaching for over 10 years. The goal is for you to be confident in your own Italian kitchen. We will start the course with lessons focused on techniques. Each video, lasting 20 to 25 minutes, will be accompanied by a podcast and a downloadable pdf. The lessons within our membership site will include: |
| – In-depth focus on making fresh pasta as the base for all pasta dishes – Theory and practice of traditional Italian sauces – Perfect ways to cook and prepare rice and risotto dishes – Focaccia, one of the most asked recipes – Elegant and flavorful antipasti and other small portion hors d’oeuvres – Secrets to the best way of cutting, prepping and cooking meats – Everything you’ve wanted to know about selecting and cooking fish – Famous and beautiful Italian desserts |
| 3 – Sorry if this Newsletter took so long. It’s time to cook. I hope to meet you in my next LIVE appointment “Meat Rolls” on Facebook Wednesday April 21st at 12:00 pm EST / 9:00 am PST https://www.facebook.com/gigliocooking.school.florence/videos/299286088441766 In the meanwhile, please enjoy this recipe Sincerely, Marcella PORK ROLLS WITH APRICOT |
| Ingredients for 4: 8 thin slices of pork loin 100 gr (3 oz) dry apricots (or 200 gr of fresh apricots) 100 gr (3 oz) pancetta 30 gr (1 oz) extra virgin olive oil a splash of Brandy salt and pepper |
| Soak the apricots in warm water. Drain, squeeze and chop them. Cut the Pancetta into strips. Pound the slices of meat. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Line them with some strips of pancetta and spread half tbsp of apricots. Roll them and fix with a toothpick. In a saucepan heat the extra virgin olive. Cook the meat rolls until golden-brown. Regulate salt and pepper. Splash with Brandy, let it evaporate. Or, alternatively, set the sauce on fire without setting the kitchen on fire. Serve with vegetables like turnip tops, cabbage, kale, broccoli. |
Marcella Ansaldo ©