Le Marche and Food

Have you ever smuggled delicious pancetta home from Italy? The ban on importing salumi, at least some of it, has been lifted.
According to The New York Times, this is not a simple free-for-all. It isn't quite clear what the requirements will be for cured meats brought to the United States from Italy. But one thing is certain. We food lovers here in the U.S.A. will see more variety on our antipasti plate, and I can't wait.
I can't wait to host a gathering to celebrate the arrival of more variety. Now I just need to choose the perfect dry rose wine and olives to complement the feast. Salute!

MAGIC ABC

Super-fun letters made using tender chicken breast, breaded and oven baked. For all occasions: enjoy as a snack, during a party with friends, or as a fun and healthy dinner.
Breaded chicken breast bites, a tasty and healthy meal ready in 8 minutes in a pan or 10 in the oven or 7 in the toaster.
To guarantee the pureness, taste and especially the delicacy of its products, Fileni has been developing new methods of preparation inspired by traditional techniques for some time now.
Today, Fileni is the first company to offer its customers chicken escalopes that have been oven baked rather than fried.
Baking (rather than frying at 180/190°C) makes the food easy to digest, while preserving its great smell, taste and look, as well its healthiness. The process results in a low fat, crispy and very tasty product.

Filotea egg pasta is made according to an ancient recipe from Marche and carefully following the same preparation methods that our ‘grandmas’ once used. Choosing only the best eggs and flour guarantees a genuine product. Furthermore, the pasta is dried very slowly at a low temperature. This special drying process gives the pasta the authentic flavour typical of homemade pasta. This patient, artisan preparation guarantees a unique product which is incredibly light and easy to digest while its textured surface helps absorb sauces thus exalting the flavour of all the ingredients.
Filotea produces traditional egg pasta, flavoured egg pasta and durum wheat semolina pasta in special formats.

There’s a saying in Italian: fritte son bone anche le scarpe, even shoes taste good when they’re fried. And it’s so true.
Fried vegetables are not at all hard to make, but they can be time consuming, as the various vegetables need to be peeled and cut up, then parboiled, and then fried. One way to cut down on this work is to use frozen vegetables, which respond very well to this treatment. And, in the US at least, the quality of frozen vegetables is often comparable, in some cases superior, to that of fresh ingredients (see below). Today we had artichoke hearts, cauliflower florets and asparagus, all of which come already parboiled and cut into pieces. All you need to do is let them defrost, then roll them in flour, dip them in a mixture of eggs beaten with finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper and just a bit of grated pecorino cheese. Shallow fry them gently in a mixture of olive and canola oils (or in a light olive oil) until they turn a light golden brown.

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Uova (or Frittata) in trippa, Eggs in "trippa" (tripe) style is a classic dish of Le Marche Cuisine
ingredients

• 6 eggs
• Parmesan or pecorino cheese

for the sauce

• 350 g. of past rustic tomato
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh marjoram
• grated rind of half a lemon
• a sprinkling of nutmeg
• half a glass of red wine
• salt 

In a lightly oiled pan make thin omelettes, let it cool and than cut into strips of half a centimeter.
In a pan put oil, saute the onion with marjoram and add the tomato and than wine. Add salt and lemon, nutmeg and cook for 15 minutes.
Season the eggs with the sauce and complete with some grated parmesan cheese or even better with grated pecorino cheese.

When temperatures soar, a cold coffee drink is a refreshing alternative to the usual hot black coffee. “Caffe’ Shakerato” is the most popular Italian coffee shake, a go-to cold coffee which is classically prepared by shaking together a few ice cubes, 3 teaspoons of sugar and one or more cups of espresso (to taste), preferably at room temperature.

Italian Summer Coffee Shake – The Shakerato
Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon soluble coffee
• 6 teaspoons unrefined cane sugar
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/3 cup milk (I used soy milk, any milk is fine)

Instructions

8 Servings

Ingredients for the Pasta:

2 lb asparagus
¼ cup extravirgin olive oil
¼ cup beef stock
1 lb of ¼ inch thick bacon
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
2 cups shredded emmentaler cheese
1.6 lb dried ziti pasta (1 ½ packs)
1 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
Salt
Pepper

Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce:

3 oz butter
½ cup flour
7 cups whole milk
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

Directions

With classic springtime ingredients arriving at grocery stores and farmer’s markets, it’s time to lighten up that suppertime standby, pasta. Spring’s produce not only brings a variety of fresh flavors to the table; it also gives you a broad range of nutritional benefits. Freshly harvested vegetables taste great in spring pasta recipes and they’re full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

There is no chance of finding sausage or other pork products here like those produced in Norcia, which is so synonymous with high quality that butchers throughout Italy call their shops norcinerie. Freshly made sweet Italian pork sausage is a good substitute.

Ingredients

• Penne
• 1 medium Spanish onion, sliced very thin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 sweet pork sausages (1 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon grated black truffle or 2 tablespoons prepared truffle paste or sauce
• 2 cups grated pecorino cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil penne in salted water until a little firmer than al dente and drain.

In a pan large enough to hold all of the cooked pasta, slowly cook the onion in the olive oil over low heat, stirring, for 15 minutes or until the onion is soft, translucent and slightly golden.

Remove the meat from the sausage casings, crumble into small pieces, and add to onion and oil. Turn heat up slightly. Cook, stirring, until meat is almost completely cooked through.

Add white wine, turn up heat to medium and cook until wine boils off.

Add cream and turn heat up to medium-high. Cook down cream for a few minutes, until it starts to thicken. Add cooked penne and combine.

Pour penne and sauce into a bowl. Add grated truffle and toss with 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese. Check and correct salt and pepper. Serve, providing additional grated pecorino cheese on the side

Quail don’t offer a lot of meat, but they have a wonderfully delicate taste. Quail braised in white wine with young spring peas and pancetta: the peas lend their sweetness and the pancetta it savoriness. Quail is a lean bird, but slow, moist heat keeps it nice and juicy. The peas are braised along with the bird, for enough time for them to cook and absorb the wonderful juices. There’s no real sauce, but if you take a bit of bird, pancetta and peas with each bite, and you won’t miss it.

Ingredients
For 6 persons

• 6 quail, split down the middle lengthwise
• 100g (3-1/2 oz) pancetta, cut into cubes
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
• Dry white wine
• 500g (16 oz) peas, frozen or fresh and shelled
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

The May 1 is Labor Day weekend and it is customary on this day of rest to make a trip out to the sea, in the countryside or in the mountains with friends and family.
During these small trips in the Marche, it is used to make a hearty lunch with seasonal fava beans, ciauscolo, pecorino cheese and for the most hungry even the fabulous Porchetta.

This olive oil is clear with a pleasant pale golden yellow colour. It has subtle aromas of artichoke and wild chicory along with notes of sage and medicinal herbs.

On the palate it is smooth and well rounded with hints of wild nettles and sweet almonds on the finish. It has distinct bitter and spicy flavours which are well balanced.

This extra virgin olive oil is perfect with many dishes such as chicken salad, marinated vegetables, mushroom risotto, steamed shellfish, grilled fish and baked rabbit.

Bottle of Lt 0.5

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig and is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC. Since the animals are now bred to be lean, the meat is higher in protein and about 30 percent lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than the pork produced in the 1970′s. [...]

Peas and pancetta! Enjoy the simple spring recipe

Ingredients - serves 4

• 12 oz or 330 gr of fresh shelled sweet peas, rinsed
• 4 oz or 100 gr pancetta, bacon or guanciale, cured pig’s cheek (omit if vegetarian)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2-3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• spoonful red wine vinegar
• small handful parsley, chopped
• tiny bit of mint, chopped (optional)
• salt & pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Around the Marche hills, that are like waves in the sea, a luxurious extra virgin olive oil is born, an exclusive selection that represents the best synthesis of a land In which man lives In harmony with nature.
A bottle in aluminium completely opaque to light is the packaging that represents one of the best solutions to preserve all the organolectic richness and its characteristic delightful taste.
The Cultivar Ogliarola and Coratina are the typologies of olives chosen to produce a blend of extra virgin olive oil with a characteristic fresh grass taste that pair fantasticly with Fish, white meats, salads, vegetables and mozzarella.
Bitter and spicy this is what the most demanding clients want today.

Adopt a cow is an initiative of the Tenuta di Rocca Priora to bring children, schools and people with disabilities to the agriculture and farmer's world by giving them the opportunity to interact directly with one of cows and have the opportunity to taste the cheese produced with the milk in the local laboratory.

To adopt one cow costs 50 €. 40€ are spent for the cow maintenance, for the birth of the calf and to ensure a supply of the same amount of cheese and fresh dairy products, 10 € are allocated to local charity projects.
You can visit your cow in a window period from mid-June to mid-September and you can get directly your products for a value of 40 €. You can choose between fresh cheeses like cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, soft cheese, Stracciatella, fresh butter and aged cheeses.

Ristorante Martinelli, Apecchio: See 58 unbiased reviews of Ristorante Martinelli, rated 5.0 of 5 on TripAdvisor and ranked #1 of 4 restaurants in Apecchio.

"We just happened onto this place when staying nearby it is a real jewel. The service was great and the food was excellent. The cinghale ragu was brilliant and the venison excellent, actually we went with 20 people once and about 16 the next time and everyone raved about the food, the wine and the total experience. If you our in this area it's a must!!"

The basic recipe for this ‘pudding’ calls for just ricotta, eggs and sugar, and it’s perfectly delicious at its simplest. But, if you like, you can add various the fillings and toppings according to the season and your whim. Let your creativity run wild!

Ingredients

Enough to make 6 individual servings or one large pudding

• 500g (1 lb.) ricotta cheese
• 100g (3-1/2 oz.) caster sugar
• 3 whole eggs plus one egg yolk
• 1 heaping spoonful of flour (optional)

Optional fillings and flavorings:

• A drizzle of rum, sambuca or other liqueur
• Candied fruit
• Chocolate chips
• Almonds, peeled and crushed in mortar

Optional toppings:

• Powdered sugar
• Chocolate shavings
• Ciliegie sciroppate (Cherries in brandy)
• Strawberry coulis

Directions

Following this week's World's Best Restaurants awards, Telegraph travel experts, and a trio of internationally renowned chefs, share their own guides to the world's best restaurants.

Trattoria Monti
Tiny, stylish and always full, Monti is a family-run establishment that serves Marche-influenced food. The homely atmosphere is another selling point, as is its excellent wine list.

Read Lee Marshall’s complete guide to Rome’s best restaurants, and his Rome city guide, here.

Involtini di Verza - Stuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 head of cabbage placed in the freezer overnight and then thawed (it's easier to roll wilted leaves and eliminates the boiling step)
• 1 cup finely diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine (we use Chablis)
• water
• 1 cup ground sausage raw
• 1 cup raw sirloin beef ground
• 1 cup rice raw long grain
• 1 teaspoon salt, oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder (all dry)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• grating cheese pecorino Romano
• 1 - 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes put through food processor or 2 pounds fresh plum put through food processor