Cacciucco: An Italian Fisherman's Stew

One of the things that most surprised me when I first started visiting Lucca is that, while we are only about 30 minutes from the sea, the traditional cuisine here is very meat-based. There is not a seafood market to be found within the centro storico (the historic center of town) and restaurants serve far more meat than fish. I’m not complaining, the meats are fabulous - porchetta (spit roasted pork), tender tagliata (slices) of beef, huge grilled Tuscan steaks, thin but oh-so-flavorful lamb chops, perfectly roasted chicken, cinghiale (wild boar). Even the traditional pasta of Lucca, Tordelli Lucchese, is a meat filled pasta topped with a meat sauce.

A shellfish carbonara at Osteria Via San Giorgio, Lucca

There are some fish dishes to be found. The seafood carbonara at one local osteria is a particular favorite of mine, but these dishes are definitely in the minority.

I’ve searched for why this meat preference is so strong and the only answer I’ve found is that in times past wealthy people ate meat and poor people fished, cooking with whatever they caught. Lucca was historically a very wealthy town, so meat was plentiful and nobody fished.

That fish is less common here made it all the better when, on a recent chilly and windy March day, I walked past a restaurant take-out window advertising a daily special of cacciucco. Cacciucco is a fisherman’s stew with origins in the areas along the coastline of Tuscany which includes the port towns of Viareggio and Livorno. It is a bit like cioppino, the fish stew brought to San Francisco by Italian immigrants. However, cacciucco’s ingredients are more of a poor fisherman’s mix compared to the more expensive ingredients found in cioppino (crab, shrimp, scallops).

Cacciucco - thick with seafood and covered in a fragrant broth

Of course there are legends surrounding the beginnings of cacciucco. It is said that the widow of a drowned fisherman made the first cacciucco from odds and ends of fish collected by her children from local fisherman. They took the mix of fish home and the mother cooked them (the fish, not the children) in a broth which she then spooned over day old bread. The neighbors caught the delicious scent and before long the dish became a local favorite. One whiff of a good cacciucco made me a believer in this legend! Another legend about cacciucco is that, to be authentic, it must contain 5 different types of fish - one for each C in the word cacciucco.

The recipe begins with a broth made from fish parts and white wine. To that base are added spices, tomatoes, and a mix of fish. The fish can include white fish along with octopus, mussels, cuttlefish, calamari, red fish, and scampi (or whatever else is available).

A mix of local seafood makes cacciucco a type of cucina povera (poor man’s food)

The ingredients vary from city to city and there is of course disagreement about which city makes the best version. According to one article I read (La Repubblica, 2010) the differences between a cacciucco in Viareggio versus one made in Livorno is that the Viareggio version is lighter and a bit more refined. There is no garlic and the fish is boned and filleted. In Livorno the dish is more rustic, including garlic and a soffritto (a sauté of onion, celery, carrot). Also, in the Livornese version, the fish is in chunks, including some pieces with bones.

If the sight of tentacles, scampi with heads, and fish bones bothers you then this may not be the dish for you. As for me, those little tentacles are tender and tasty and all the bits of fish are wonderful. Even better is mopping up the broth with a good piece of rustic bread.

If you’ve been watching the CNN program “Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy”, you may have seen him eating a cacciucco in Livorno during the Tuscany episode. That was definitely an upscale version, with the addition of lobster. Rather than mopping up the sauce with bread they tossed the leftover sauce with some pasta. Something to try!

This is not a dish I’d ever attempt to make at home. But I think I am going to have to make a pilgrimage to both Livorno and Viareggio as soon as possible to compare the two versions, all in the name of culinary research of course.

With restaurants closed to seating due to COVID restrictions, these take out windows are becoming more popular. This one is in front of the restaurant Nonna Clara in Lucca. Along with the street food some items from the regular menu are available to go, including this day’s special of cacciucco .

The Many Meanings of "Orange" in Italy

It’s funny how the meaning of a word can change depending on language and context.

In English, the word orange can mean either the color or the fruit. In Italian it is a little more complicated. The fruit is arancia, the orange tree is arancio, and the color is arancione.

Winter is the season for arance (oranges, plural) in this part of northern Italy. They grow bright and juicy on big trees or on smaller trees in large terra-cotta pots.. There is even one growing in a small piazza in Lucca, appropriately named the Piazza dell’Arancio (top photo).

This large orange tree grows a few steps from my house. In the background is the Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower).

More interesting, and with deeper meaning, is what the word arancione has come to mean in terms of risk throughout Italy. Again, it has more than one meaning, both of which carry a warning.

Stormy weather ahead !

An “allerta meteo codice arancione” (code orange weather alert) is used when storms threaten with dangerous conditions (heavy rain, wind, hail, thunderstorms, floods, etc). We’ve seen a lot of that this winter. The area where I live has a system that automatically sends a text warning when orange weather conditions are predicted. There are also a less severe yellow (giallo) warnings and more severe red (rosso) alerts for weather. It definitely gets my attention when my phone beeps with one of these messages.

The newest meaning of arancione, and the one that gets the most reaction from me, relates to COVID restrictions.

The colors are the same as for weather - giallo (yellow, least restrictive), arancione (more restrictive including no indoor seating in bars and restaurants, closure of museums, and no travel outside of one’s home city), and rosso (red, most restrictive, stay home except for essential activities).

After about 5 weeks in the yellow zone, Tuscany was placed back into the orange zone on February 14th. The change was due to an increase in COVID cases and the threat associated with several COVID variants which have now arrived in Tuscany. The word arancione is definitely a trigger for me in this context, a less than happy color. But still preferable to the color red!

On a much happier orange note, I was delighted to receive a gift of some preserved orange slices just after the holidays. They went a long way towards restoring my appreciation for the word orange.

Dried oranges make a beautiful display at Gino Bistro in Lucca

In a clear gift bag, tied with a ribbon, were glistening rounds of blood oranges, glazed with sugar and slightly dried. Beautiful to look at, but I had no idea how to use them. The friend who gave them to me suggested they would be wonderful in a cup of tea. She was right and that has become a cold weather evening ritual for me. She also suggested using them in a hot toddy. A hot toddy! What a perfect way to warm up on a stormy winter evening. It is said that hot toddies might even have medicinal properties - perhaps one will scare away any lingering viral particles.

The search was on for a recipe and there were endless varieties. A true toddy starts with alcohol - bourbon, Irish whisky, rum or brandy. The common theme seems to be a dark colored liquor as opposed to clear ones like vodka or gin. Next comes a sweetener. Most often that is honey but some recipes use white or brown sugar, simple syrup, or (my personal favorite) maple syrup. Lemon is the next typical ingredient but here is where I substituted those beautiful rounds of preserved orange. I’ve tried it both ways and found that I like the orange slices even better than a fresh lemon slice. To my mind, using Italian preserved blood orange slices makes this it an Italian hot toddy, even if I could not find a translation for the word toddy in any of my Italian dictionaries.

To the above ingredients some boiling water or black tea is added - that’s what puts the hot in hot toddy. Those are the essential ingredients but there are many extra “add-ins” - cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger, even chile. The variations are endless.

I was happy with the following very easy recipe: In a small mug (a 6 ounce coffee mug works perfectly) combine: 2 tablespoons of dark rum and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Add 1 slice of dried, sugar glazed orange and muddle it a bit to release the flavor. Next, fill the mug with boiling water or hot black tea and add 1 cinnamon stick. Using water makes the rum flavor more prominent, using tea mellows the taste of the rum. I like it both ways. Simple, tasty, and guaranteed to warm you up on a cold evening, especially if you are in the orange COVID zone with an orange alert storm howling outside.

Orange spiced hot toddy - che buono !

Cooking in Italian

I love Italian cooking and, even better, I like cooking in Italian.  For me that may mean using a recipe written in Italian, listening to Italian music while I cook or - best of all - taking a cooking class presented entirely in Italian.  Over the past several years I have taken many classes that combine language learning and cooking at Lucca Italian School (LIS).  Some classes were held in the kitchen at LIS while others were held in a fattoria (farm) kitchen in the hills outside of Lucca. These were peak experiences for me, combining language, hands-on cooking lessons, learning about local dishes and ingredients, wine tasting, lots of laughter, and the opportunity to socialize with students from around the world.

A pre-COVID cooking class with Lucca Italian School

 And then, along came the pandemic and it became impossible for LIS to offer in-person classes.  In response to the mandatory restrictions, the staff at LIS began offering on-line language classes, both group and individual.  More recently, they have developed a variety of classes on special topics (art, music, history, local legends) which allow us to continue practicing the language while also learning about Italian culture. Last week they introduced an on-line cooking class, taught by LIS’s fantastic culinary star Eva Dal Porto. Sign me up!
I have to admit I had some reservations about on-line learning at first (having experienced some really dry continuing education classes in my prior professional life), but I have really enjoyed my weekly at-a-distance language classes with LIS, along with some of the specialty classes, and have found them to be both effective and fun.  And now that I’ve just completed my first on-line cooking class, along with 40+ other students from around the world, I can honestly say that I can’t wait to do this again!

The class was all about carciofi (artichokes) and was delivered via Zoom straight from Eva’s kitchen.  A few days before hand we received a link to the Zoom session along with 3 recipes – a marinated raw artichoke dish, a carciofi fritti (fried artichoke) appetizer, and an artichoke risotto.  

Also included was a shopping list for the ingredients.  Shopping for the ingredients was fun – especially picking out those beautiful purple Italian artichokes.  

And I learned some new words, like scalogno (shallot). With my ingredients on hand I was ready to start cooking. 

Ingredients ready to begin preparation of the risotto

Participants had the option to just watch the demonstration or to cook along with Eva.  I knew that my tiny Italian kitchen would not have enough prep space to manage all 3 dishes, so I only watched during the preparation of the salad and the fried artichokes.  But the risotto I cooked during the class.  What fun!  

The easy to follow lesson, in Italian, began with how to clean and trim the artichokes and then soak them in lemon water to prevent discoloration.  

Next came step by step instruction and demonstration of the preparation of each dish.

And if you aren’t confident using a mezzaluna, well Eva demonstrated that too. 

The on-line instructions and demonstration was easy to follow

 By the end of the lesson my kitchen smelled wonderful and I was hungry!  Luckily, my artichoke risotto was ready to eat.  A delicious ending to a fun lesson.

The finished risotto. The grains of rice remain separate and are never mushy

Artichoke Risotto  (In the class we used half of these amounts to make 2 servings)

 8 artichokes (the small purple ones are best)

1 lemon, juiced

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

320 grams of risotto rice (about 1 ¾ cups)

1 cup dry white wine

1 liter vegetable broth (about 4 ¼ cups)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons butter

Grated parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top of the finished risotto

 Clean and trim the artichokes (remove tough outer leaves, cut away top half of remaining bulb to leave the heart and tender inner leaves).

Cut each trimmed artichoke lengthwise into 8 pieces and remove the fuzzy “choke” (leaving the tender inner leaves just above it).

Immerse the cut artichokes into a bowl of lemon water until ready to cook.

Dice the garlic and the shallots and saute in the olive oil until softened.  Add the artichoke pieces, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. 

Add the wine and allow it to evaporate fairly quickly over moderately high heat.  Keep stirring!

 Lower the heat, add the salt, pepper, and about 1/3 of the broth.  Stir and cook until broth is absorbed.

 Continue to add broth 1 ladle full at a time, stirring until each is absorbed.  Rice should be cooked by the end but still a bit al dente and not sticky or mushy.

Add the butter and stir well.   Serve right away sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

From My Italian Kitchen: A Simple Dessert

It’s easy to find good (and decadent) desserts in Italy - it seems as though there is a pasticceria on every corner. Their windows and display cases are filled with tarts, cakes, sweet breads, and cookies - all of which are sure to taste delicious. Think rich ricotta, pastry cream, chocolate, and jam-filled delicacies (the ones pictured below are from the wonderful Pasticceria Sandra L’Angolo Dolce in Lucca)..

As wonderful as these are, sometimes I want to serve a dessert that is homemade and a little less rich. That was certainly true the first time I entertained friends after the hubbub (and feasting) of the holidays. The lunch I served was simple - a pasta with spinach and ricotta and oven-roasted chicken.  For dessert I wanted to continue the simplicity of the meal but also wanted something really tasty to brighten up the cold winter afternoon. I think berry desserts are perfect in any season and so that is what I made.

No fancy ingredients needed for this dessert, just berries, cream, mascarpone, powered sugar. and a balsamic glaze.

My first task was shopping for the ingredients - zucchero al velo (powdered sugar), panna fresca (not quite whipping cream, but a close substitute) and crema all’aceto balsamico (a thick glaze made of balsamic vinegar). I had to search for the powdered sugar as not every store carries it (and some comes flavored with added vanilla, which wasn’t what I needed). Grocery shopping here is still an adventure for me and part of the joy of learning to live in Italy. I didn’t even mind going to three grocery stores to gather the ingredients.

To prepare this dessert, start by making the topping. Once prepared it will hold in the fridge for about 12 hours (after that it begins to separate). It works best when made with a metal bowl and whisk (or beaters from an electric mixer) that are really cold - a couple of hours in the fridge is perfect. There are just three ingredients:

250 gms mascarpone (about 4.5 oz)

125 ml (1/2 cup) of panna fresca (whipping cream)

2 Tablespoons of zucchero al velo (powered sugar)

Let the mascarpone sit out for about 15 minutes and then soften with a spoon.

Place mascarpone in the chilled bowl along with the panna fresca and the powdered sugar.

Whip until thickened (thick, creamy, and very soft peaks).  I used a whisk, but an electric mixer works well too. Don’t over beat it though.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until just before serving.  This mixture would be plenty for six servings.

Next, prepare the berries, which are the base of this dessert.  You will need:

A mixture of berries ( any combination will work or use a single type of berry); adjust quantities as needed for the amount of servings you’d like to make, one half to three quarters of a cup per serving.

Crema all’aceto Balsamico (Balsamic Glaze)

Slice strawberries and combine with whole blackberries and raspberries (I used about 10 large strawberries, a large handful of blackberries, and a large handful of raspberries to make 3 servings).

Since off-season berries are not the most flavorful, about an hour before serving, put the berries in small serving bowls and drizzle them with the balsamic glaze. A little drizzle is all that is needed. Were I more ambitious, I would have made the glaze by reducing balsamic vinegar and adding a bit of sugar and lemon juice, but in the name of keeping things simple, I just picked up a store-bought ready-made glaze. Shh. Don’t tell Martha Stewart. The balsamic glaze really adds a flavor punch to less than perfect berries.

Berries drizzled with the balsamic glaze

Let the berries sit for an hour (either at room temperature or in the fridge) before topping them with a generous spoonful of the whipped topping. Serve right away after adding the topping.

This dessert is easy to make, looks pretty in clear glass bowls or wine glasses, and tastes delicious. My guests gave it a big thumbs up! - post by JMB

A Farewell Luncheon (and a Recipe for Farro Salad)

Moving to Italy is something that I daydream about all the time. I haven’t yet managed it, but that is not the case for my friends Jim and Rod. After many trips to Italy, and two recent trips to Lucca, they have decided to make the big move. On their latest trip, they rented an apartment just steps outside of Lucca’s walls in a quiet neighborhood (giving me a bad case of apartment envy, not to mention envy of their two gorgeous balconies). Then they came home to New Mexico, sold their house, gave up years of collected belongings, and packed their essentials. How exciting is that?

Recently, I had Rod and Jim over for a going-away lunch. It is quite hot in New Mexico at this time of year, so I fixed an Italian-inspired lunch that involved little actual cooking. On the menu was a cold farro salad with shrimp (more about farro in a minute), sliced tomatoes with burrata (topped with basil, salt, and olive oil), and a simple bruschetta of bread topped with olive oil and salt. The wine was a Gavi, my favorite light Italian white, perfect for a hot summer day. Dessert came from Whole Foods and wasn’t the least bit Italian – Key lime tartlets.

Whole grain farro

Are you familiar with farro? It’s an ancient form of wheat; some say it is the grain from which all modern wheats are descended.  Farro is an important part of the Lucchese culinary tradition, found mostly in soups that also feature beans or vegetables. 

Farro is high in fiber, has good protein and vitamin content, and is lower in gluten than modern wheat. Farro can be found in three forms: whole grain, semi-pearled (polished to remove some of the tougher outer husk) and pearled (all the husk polished away). The form influences both nutritional value (highest in the whole grain) and cooking time (quicker with pearled forms). I tend to use the semi-pearled variety when I can find it, but also like the whole grain, which maintains a chewier texture even after the longer cooking time.

The farro salad that I make uses a base of 1 ½ cups uncooked farro, covered in water (about 3 ½ cups but the exact amount isn’t critical – just cover the farro at least 1 inch deep and drain off any extra water at the end of cooking), and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to simmer, and cook until tender.  Cooking time varies depending on type of farro used and altitude. I live at about 5,000 feet; my whole grain farro took about an hour. Pearled farro can cook in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. If using whole grain, the cooking time is shorter if it is soaked overnight before cooking. When done, drain off any extra water and cool the farro before preparing the salad.

To make the salad, add the following to the cooked and cooled farro and toss:

½ of an English cucumber, seeded and cut into small cubes

1/3 c. finely diced red onion

4-5 oz. of crumbled feta cheese

¾ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

½ - 1 tsp sea salt (I use Penzey’s French Gray Sea Salt)

5 tbl. fresh lemon juice

5 tbl. good olive oil

Mix together and chill for an hour or two before serving.

The farro salad goes well with steamed shrimp, 1 to 1.5 pounds marinated several hours in 4 tbl olive oil, 4 tbl fresh lemon juice, 1 tbl chopped fresh mint leaves, and ½ tsp coarsely ground pepper. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

After a wonderful lunch, I'm sending Jim and Rod off on their Italian adventure with big hugs and a “Ci vediamo a Lucca in Settembre” (see you in Lucca in September).  

They've even promised to cook for me in their new kitchen.

-post by JMB