First off, I am vehemently opposed to the eatting of organs/glands in almost all cases. I believe that dining on such animal parts is only acceptable as part of some sort of act of respect for the animal, like a Native American using every part of the buffalo. Though it is mostly due to the food's appearance that I feel this way, the texture and sometimes the taste are also offensive to me for the most part. I know that there is a gastronomic undercurrent nudging some restaurants towards dishes like sweetbreads, but I am most certainly not on board. My palette has managed to find an exception however, in Pate di fegatini. Pate di fegatini is a staple of Tuscan antipasti. Every meal I had at a restaurant during my time in Italy began with a plate of prosciutto, bruschetta, and this delicious appetizer. Pate di fegatini is a patte made from chicken livers, onion, celery, and marsala (in its simplest form), served on top of a crostini. It has the texture of traditional patte, not overly smooth but still so much that the crostini is a neccessary counterpoint. It is not quite as gamey in flavour as goose liver patte, but there is still a prominent smokiness to it. I recommend it to anyone who would like to try (or has already enjoyed) goose liver patte or foie gras. I found that when the crostini was buttered prior to grilling, the dish was significantly improved. It is an excellent starter dish, even for the uninitiated.
Cheers.
2 comments:
Great post can you expound more upon the foods you ate in Italy Im considering a trip
Alex,
Would you mind if I expose some of the tantalizing foods I sampled during my recent trips to the Old Country? During my most recent visit, Summer 2007, I spent most of my time outside of Naples in the small quaint town of Monte Di Procida. I did some traveling to the Isle of Capri, the Isle Procidia, Sorrento, and various towns along the "Amalfi Coast." I believe the famed rapper Shawn Corey Carter a.k.a "Jay-Z" references this magnificent coastline in his 2007 smash hit with Beyonce titled "UpgradeU (Remix)." Monte Di Procidia is surrounded by the Bay of Naples, which boasts an abundance of fresh pesce. For our non Italy savvy viewers "pesce" is the Italian word for fish. In Italy "pesce" does not solely refer to the scaled animal swimming in the ocean. Mussles, shrimp, clams, oysters, scallops, octopus, and squid are all plentiful in this region of Italy. To be quite honest I do not have a favorite dish. Everything I sampled was exploding with flavor. Even a dish as simple as mussles served in a white wine sauce over linguini pasta was simply superb. The broth was exquisite. It was sweet, but not the type of sweetness you expect out of a Hershey bar. It was more of a savory sweet, mixed with flavors of the sea. So fresh, so perfect.
Post a Comment