From My Italian Kitchen, Fresh Ricotta

Cheese making is an Italian artform.  Parmigiano Reggiano, Mozzarella, Burrata, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, Gorgonzola …. the list goes on and on.  Italian cheeses include aged ones (Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano for example) and fresh ones (like mozzarella, burrata, and ricotta).  The flavors and textures vary by region, aging process, and with the type of milk used. Cow, goat, sheep, and water buffalo milks are all used in Italian cheese making.

I have been interested in the cheese making process since my first visit to an Italian artisanal dairy (an excursion arranged by Lucca Italian School).  Up in the Garfagnana, the small Bertagni dairy made a few cheeses, including a fresh ricotta.  Growing up in an Italian American family, where the word for this cheese was pronounced “riggot” and where sometimes my mother would – gasp – substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta in lasagna, the introduction to real Italian fresh Ricotta was a revelation.

There is a distinctive perfume to a caseificio (dairy) as the milk is heated and the curds form.  Observing the master cheese makers at work is fascinating as they judge the process by some sixth sense to know when the milk is just the right temperature and when the curds are formed just enough to be scooped out. Seeing the soft curds of ricotta transferred to baskets to drain is quite a tease because the fresh cheese just begs to tasted.

Ricotta is a bit of a trickster in the world of cheeses.  It is soft, creamy, and mild but able to adapt its flavor to a variety of dishes. It lends itself to foods both sweet and savory or stands alone with perhaps just a touch of honey, jam, or fruit. It fills sweet delicacies like necci (a type of chestnut flour pancake) and is an essential ingredient in gnudi (a ricotta spinach dumpling).  It can top bruschetta or make a wonderful addition to pastas and lasagnas. And a sweet ricotta torta makes a wonderful dessert. (Below: Chef Giuseppe teaching gnudi making in a class at The Olive Press Kitchen)

The traditional way of making ricotta (the name translates to re-cooked) uses the whey leftover from making other cheeses.  The whey is reheated, perhaps with a little milk added in, along with an acid to encourage the formation of curds from the proteins and fats left behind in the whey. 

The large cheese being lifted here will become a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. Left behind is the whey which will be reheated to make ricotta.

I admit that I am very spoiled by the quality of fresh from the dairy ricotta that is available in Italy.  The commercially produced ricotta that I find when I am in the US just can’t compare.  Since I am currently in the US for my annual summer visit with my kids, I decided to try my hand at making homemade ricotta to see if I could come close to the authentic taste of the fresh cheese.

4 ingredients is all that is needed to make a batch of home made ricotta.

Most recipes for homemade ricotta vary from the traditional method in that they use milk rather than whey (after all, getting a supply of whey available to the home cook is not so easy).  I searched the internet for recipes and found that all had some common elements – whole milk and the use of either vinegar or lemon juice as the acid.  Some added a bit of cream. I settled on one from the website Delish.com with just a few minor tweaks. Following their recipe, I combined 3 ¾ cups whole milk, ¼ cup heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. I then heated the mixture to 185 degrees (it should not boil but will have bubbles simmering at the pan edge and lots of steam rising).  This step took about 20 minutes.

The addition of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (a touch more than the original recipe called for), and a stir, quickly led to the formation of the curds just like magic.  The heat was then turned down to the lowest setting and the mixture simmered for an additional 15 minutes without stirring.

Next step was to pour the mixture into a cheesecloth lined colander set over a large bowl and let it drain for 5 minutes or so.  And that’s it!  Fresh ricotta. 

Penne with spinach and ricotta

Warm from the strainer it tasted lovely. Into the fridge it went where it is best eaten within 3 or 4 days.  From the total of 4 cups of milk/cream used the yield was about 1 cup of ricotta.  There was still a lot of whey left over – next time I will try using that and see how much more ricotta I can get.  Was this identical to the flavor I get in Italy?  Not quite.  After all the cow’s here are different, their grazing habitat is not the same, and so the milk will never be quite the same.  But was it better than the commercial ricotta available to me?  Definitely. Will I make this when I return to Italy ? No way! In Italy the authentic product is easy to find.

How did I use the ricotta?  It made a wonderful breakfast the next morning with a drizzle of honey and some berries.  A day later, it was wonderful in Marcella Hazan’s recipe for penne with ricotta and spinach. 

I was pleased to find out how easy this process was and what a treat to have fresh ricotta!

Good Memories of Traditional Italian Cuisine - Part Two

The chef at Osteria La Techie designed this plate which was then hand-painted and boxed as a memory for those who ordered the special menu.

Last week I began writing about my first experience with the Ristoranti del Buon Ricordo – the group of Italian restaurants dedicated to traditional, local, and authentic foods. Each restaurant makes a signature dish that is represented in a unique hand painted plate. Order the dish and the collect a plate as a memory.

After dining at Osteria La Tecchia in Pietrasanta last winter, and taking home my first plate, I knew I had found a new hobby – searching out the Buon Ricordo restaurants and building my plate collection.

Since I was planning a spring-time vacation in Emilia-Romagna and Umbria, I searched for places belonging to the Unione Ristoranti del Buon Ricordo in the cities I planned to visit. From the list of participating places, I chose two to visit on my trip. The first was in Parma (Emilia-Romagna region) and the other in Assisi (Umbria). 

In Parma, traditional ingredients include Proscuitto di Parma (and heaven help the person that calls it simply “prosciutto”) and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Both were featured in the dishes at La Forchetta, an upscale restaurant, where they use classic flavors, sometimes in non-traditional ways.

Earning a take-home plate from La Forchetta required ordering the full Buon Ricordo menu - an antipasto (starter), a primi (first course), a secondo (main dish) and a dolci (dessert). That’s a big meal so my travel companion and I decided (after discussing it with the server) to share the primi. One problem - at the end of the meal we were told that we should have ordered two of them if we wanted to each take home a plate and that since we shared we could only have one plate! Definitely not ok since we specifically requested the Buon Ricordo menu so we’d each earn a plate and it was the server’s suggestion to share the starter. It took a little negotiating, thank goodness I’ve learned to argue in Italian, but in the end, we did each take home a plate (because of course I’ve now hooked my friend on collecting them too). Lesson learned - clarify ahead of time exactly what needs to be ordered to get the plate!

The meal started with an “amuse bouche” (if there is an Italian word for this little pre-meal tease I do not know it). Almost too pretty to eat, it was a small dab of Parmigiano Reggiano mousse on a crisp wafer, served on a chilled stone block (left photo below).  Pretty fancy!

Our shared primi was a rich yet delicate soufflè with a parmigiano-reggiano cream topping. Plenty to share, but good enough to eat the whole thing. This dish was swoon-worthy; I may have to make a trip back to Parma just to taste it again.

Next came the specialty dish, a risotto with radicchio, Prosciutto di Parma dust, and gel di ribes (current jelly) topped with a Parmigiano-Reggiano cream. The flavors were unexpected and each bite was just a little different, savory with the cream, a bit sweet with the currents, slightly bitter with the radicchio. Wonderful! We were given a choice of secondi. I had guanciale di vitello (veal cheek) in a red wine reduction with creamy potatoes. Tender, deeply flavorful, and delicious. My friend opted for lamb chops crusted with pistachio, another great choice. Desert was a classic tiramisu.  Are you getting hungry yet? I am hungry just remembering this meal.

Plate #3 !

A few days later, it was on to Assisi and the Ristorante Buca di San Francesco. This family-run restaurant, set in a Medieval building near the Basilica, has a warm and cozy interior and a charming outdoor patio. The staff were warm, friendly, and helpful in explaining the dishes. Somehow they made it feel like we were dining in their home. Here you only need to order the Buon Ricordo specialty dish (not an entire menu) to earn a take-home plate. The specialty depicted on the plate is a soup typical of this part of Umbria, a type of cucina povera, the food of peasants.

Umbria is known for growing a variety of legumes and grains and this soup brings them all together in a happy chorus of beans, lentils, chickpeas, barley, and spelt. The rich flavor comes from the “holy trinity” of veggies – onion, carrots, celery – along with some garlic, lardo, olive oil, and spices. The soup is called Imbrecciata Umbra (not a typo, it is Umbra not Umbria in this use). On the plate Saint Francis stirs a cauldron of it as a wolf keeps watch. This soup, simple but with complex flavors, was definitely memorable.

Imbrecciata Umbra

The soup was followed by agnello (lamb) scottadito (scotta = burned, dito = finger) for me. Thin, flavorful, and tender they were delicious (though I did use knife and fork rather than burn my fingers).  For my travel companion, another traditional dish, spezzatini di cinghiale  (stewed boar) with polenta.  Both were delicious, but it was hard to top the soup!

Each of my three dining experiences at Buon Ricordo restaurants (so far!) were different, which is really the point.  Every one reflected local ingredients and traditional, regional foods. The atmospheres ranged from simple to cozy to elegant, with the foods matching the setting. I would be hard pressed to name a favorite, but my memory is strongest of that soup !

And now I have 3 colorful plates to remind me of those culinary memories. I will have fun searching for my next “plate” restaurant and adding to my collection.  To find restaurant locations go to the website for the Union deli Ristorante del Buon Ricordo - www.buonricordo.it

The pretty potion at Buca di San Francesco, Assisi

Good Memories of Traditional Italian Cuisine

The flavors, tastes, colors, and the scents of food can make special memories, lingering in our subconscious to be recalled at later times. These memories may be associated with certain people (the scent of the butter my father always added as the last ingredient in pancake batter) or places (the aroma of an espresso on the shores of Lake Como) or events (the smell of mushrooms filling the kitchen in a cooking class at The Olive Press Kitchen).  Specific dishes also evoke memories, often of family or culture specific foods.  We remember where, when, and with whom we shared them. 

This 2025 book lists all of the restaurants in the Union del Buon Ricordo along with information about the specialty dishes.

The best taste memories reflect the traditional ways of preparing foods.  With this in mind, in 1964, a group of restauranteurs in Italy formed an association to recall classic food memories and to work to preserve them. Called the Unione Ristoranti del Buon Ricordo (the Union of Good Memory Restaurants) the group is headquartered in Parma and includes restaurants that feature local, authentic, and traditional dishes. Some of the restaurants are small and simple places while others are more upscale dining spots that use traditional ingredients in new ways. 

In addition to preparing traditional dishes, all have one other special thing in common – a unique ceramic plate that represents the restaurant’s special “buon ricordo” dish. Each plate is created and hand painted by artisans in the town of Vetri sul Mare. Order the dish (or the special Buon Ricordo menu) and you get to take the plate home with you. The plates make wonderful collections. Many of the restaurants display not only their own plate but also plates from other Buon Ricordo places. What a great way to make lasting memories!

Until recently, despite 30 years of travel in Italy, I had never heard of this association. Considering my interest in Italian regional cuisine, I fear that I’ve missed a great many culinary opportunities over the years. Fortunately for me, two friends from Santa Fe, travelers and collectors of plates and memories, introduced me to the idea of these “plate” restaurants. They took me for my first Buon Ricordo experience in Pietrasanta, a small town not far from Lucca. The restaurant, Osteria La Tecchia, was small and charming. The very personable chef and waitress were delighted when we requested the Buon Ricordo menu, which featured local seafood. They were happy to explain the origin of the local, traditional dishes of this part of Tuscany which lies close to the sea.

As an extra regalo (gift), they started us with a plate of fried anchovies – crisp, non-greasy, and delicious. The menu progressed with an antipasto of cozze (mussels) in a tomato broth. These were followed by a primi of Spaghetti with arselle (a tiny clam local to this area, the restaurants specialty dish and the one depicted on their plate). The secondi (second or main course) was a delicate white fish in a flavorful puttanesca broth fragrant with olives, capers and tomatoes. 

Of course, there was a lovely local white wine and a dessert - a warm apple cake topped with gelato.  Each dish was delicious and the portions just the right size to allow us to enjoy them all.

This was a special day, thanks to my visiting friends.  I was happy to take home my very first plate along with a book detailing all of the Buon Ricordo restaurants. And I was hooked on the idea of beginning my own collection of plates.

Since that first experience, I have enjoyed two more Ristorante del Buon Ricordo adventures.  One in Parma and one in Assisi.  Look for more on those in next week’s post!

The start of my collection of plates and Buon Ricordi.

Sunday Lunch in the Tuscan Countryside

One of the many delights of living in Tuscany is having a pranzo di domenica (Sunday lunch) with friends.  Even better when one of those friends is a local chef who knows just where to find a special place in an out of the way little village.  Rule # 1: always let the chef pick the restaurant! I was lucky enough to enjoy such a lunch recently, in the tiny village of Colognora di Compito, a lovely drive of about 6 miles, 15-20 minutes through the countryside from Lucca.

 At first glance the restaurant, La Cantina di Alfredo, seems to have been dropped down in the middle of nowhere.  It sits in tiny village along a pretty stone lined stream.  The unassuming building that houses the restaurant (in business since 1965) barely hints at the lively atmosphere and wonderful flavors to be found within. 

The first thing to reach my senses, before even opening the door, was the smell of the wood ovens.  A very nice welcome and a hint of the flavors to come.

Next, the sound of Italian chatter reached my ears.  Families with children of all ages filled the restaurant, happily interacting and sharing a meal.  Not one cell phone or other device in sight.  Sharing a Sunday lunch with friends, surrounded by a roomful of Italian families, is always a treat.  La Cantina di Alfredo provided the perfect Sunday atmosphere.

There are house specialty antipasti that get the meal off to an abundant start.  I have to admit (with only a pinch of guilt) that between the three of us we shared several of them, almost a meal on its own.  I blame my chef friend, who ordered for us – cancel that – I meant to say that I THANK my chef friend - because each bite was delicious.  First, we shared a board of cured meats including prosciutto, salami, other cured meats, and lardo (a buttery soft cubed pork fat) served with thin wedges of herb-flecked wood fired oven baked focaccia. 

Alongside that came a platter of bruschetta featuring fegato (a liver paté) on bread or squares of fried polenta, “meatballs” made of chopped mushrooms, and a pile of pasta fritta.  Pasta fritta is addictive – small bites of hot, fried, salty dough. How bad could that be?   Topped with a slice of the prosciutto it was delicious.

Having eaten a very big antipasto course, we skipped the primi selections (first courses) and headed straight to the main dishes. 

The house specialties include meats grilled in the wood oven, especially Florentine steaks and other cuts of beef. And the big piles of meats waiting to be cooked in one of their two wood fired ovens looked amazing. 

 In addition to beef, other dishes are prepared on the grill as well, including as fish, pork, and chicken.  And a second, even hotter, wood fired oven is reserved for pizza. Both of my companions ordered the Baccalà alla Brace (alla brace means on the grill) while I opted for the Rosticianna alla Brace (grilled pork ribs). 

Alongside we shared a dish of fagioli al forno (oven roasted beans).  Cooking beans in a wood oven turns them from ordinary into something special.  Creamy on the inside but a touch crisp on the outside, drizzled with good olive oil, they were perfect with both the fish and the pork.

Much too full for a dolce (sweet), we finished our meal with coffee (and a doggie bag for me - those ribs were hefty).  Leaving the restaurant by way of a small stone bridge, it was worth the short detour to see the small church with its unique short bell tower and mosaic decoration.  And then it was back in the car for the short drive back to Lucca.  

Good friends + a drive in the Tuscan countryside + a fabulous lunch = a perfect Sunday in Tuscany.

 La Cantina di Alfredo, Via di Colognora, 32.  Colognora di Compito Capannori

Phone: +39 058 3980192.     Cell phone: +39 331 3876800

Email: info@lacantinadialfredo.it

Closed Monday & Tuesday, open Wednesday – Sunday 12 – 2:30 NS 7 – 11 PM

Risotto with Pumpkin and Sausage

Rainy days are numerous in Lucca this month. But with an ombrello in hand we just go about our days.

After a few days of clear weather, just enough to tempt us to think about spring, we are back to cloudy wet weather here in Tuscany. My weather app has me prepared for several rainy days in a row this week. I hope the app is wrong (as it often is), but the rainy forecast has me in the mood for some Italian comfort food. For me, that means risotto.

Rice is not the first thing that pops into most people’s mind when thinking of Italian food. Rice may not have been native to Italy, but since arriving along ancient trade routes from the East it has become a staple. Northern Italy, especially the Po Valley, is an ideal setting for growing rice. Flat land and lots of water are key. And that is a good thing because rice, in the form of risotto, is a very popular dish in northern Italy.

The short, plump grains with a high starch content in Riso Nano Vialone make for a delicious creamy risotto with a “loose” consistency.

There are three main types of rice used in risotto - Carnaroli and Arborio are likely the ones most non-Italian cooks have heard of and they are the ones I first learned to use. But, In a recent cooking class at Extra Virgin Cooking, Chef Giuseppe introduced our group to a third type, Nano Vialone Veronese, which he explained resulted in an especially creamy texture. He wasn’t kidding! The risotto con fungi (risotto with mushrooms) we made in class that day was wonderful with great flavor and a perfect creamy texture. Since then, Nano Vialone Veronese has become my go to risotto rice.

Risotto has many variations, both regional and seasonal. In Lucca, at this time of year, pumpkin and sausage take center stage. I first tasted this combination at Trattoria Gigi and immediately set out to make a version at home. It is the perfect comfort food for a rainy February day. Here is my version of Risotto con Zucca e Salsiccia (Risotto with Pumpkin and Sausage). Here in Italy it is easy to find already peeled and cubed pumpkin in the markets which speeds the preparation of this dish. I sneak in a little French Calvados for a bit of a flavor twist, but white wine works just as well.

Ingredients are important. I first developed this recipe using Carnaroli rice, which works just fine. For a creamier texture, I now prefer Nano Vialone Veronese rice.

Ingredients:

Delicately sliced leeks add wonderful flavor to this risotto

2 cups raw pumpkin, in small cubes.

5 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided

1 leek cleaned, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

1 ¼ cups risotto rice ( Nano Vialone Veronese, Carnaroli, or Arborio)

3 Tablespoons Calvados or white wine

3 ½ cups vegetable broth

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Roasting the pumpkin is key to developing its flavor.

300 grams sausage, crumbled and cooked through.

2 Tablespoons butter

Toss the cubed pumpkin with 2 teaspoons EVOO and roast at 400 degrees F for ~ 20 - 25 minutes (until tender). The smaller the cubes the faster it will be done. Set aside.

Sautè sliced leek in 2 teaspoons EVOO until tender.  Add 1 teaspoon more of EVOO to the leeks, followed by the rice.  Toss the rice to coat with oil and then toast lightly for 3 or 4 minutes.

 Add the Calvados or wine and stir while it evaporates.

Pour 1 cup of hot vegetable broth into the rice, bring to a simmer.  At this point you can cover the pan and turn off the heat, allowing the rice and broth to sit for up to an hour or so.

When ready to finish the risotto, add a second cup of hot broth and bring the rice back to a simmer.   Over low heat, stir until the broth is absorbed.  Continue to add the rest of the broth (up to 1 ½ more cups) in ½ cup portions, stirring until each addition is absorbed and rice is tender.

With the last addition of broth, add the cooked sausage and small cubes of the roasted pumpkin to the risotto.  Cook and stir until the broth is absorbed and the risotto has a creamy texture.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons of butter.   Serve immediately.   A little sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano cheese is nice when added at the table. A crisp white wine pairs well with this risotto. Buon appetito!