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Oldways
EMILIA ROMAGNA CULINARIA
with
Chef Barbara Lynch & Art Curator Ronni Baer
May 1–8, 2016
Parma, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Bologna & more!
Introducing Emilia Romagna
A
sk an Italian where to eat only one meal in
Italy and, after recommending his mother’s
house, it is more than likely he will send you to
the region of Emilia Romagna. Few foreigners
know the region by name, but even those people with only a passing interest in food recognize its products. By law, Parmesan (Parmigiano
Reggiano) cheese and Prosciutto di Parma can
be produced only in Emilia Romagna. And its
wealth of handmade pastas, including the famed
tortellini, are admired far beyond its borders.
Balsamic vinegar originated here over a thousand years ago. Even though imitations are
now made…the great balsamics—the ones that
are aged for decades and are luscious enough
to be sipped like liqueurs—are made in the region. The region’s cuisine is as complex as an
intricately woven tapestry. There is a peasant
kitchen, a thriving middle-class cuisine, and the
highly refined traditions of the region’s nobility.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
The Splendid Table (1992)
Emilia Romagna
Culinaria
with
Barbara Lynch
of
and
Ronni Baer
Senior Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe
May 1–8, 2016
Parma, Modena, Bologna, Langhirano, and more!
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The Splendid Table that is Emilia Romagna
The first time I visited Emilia Romagna, I had the enormous pleasure and
great honor of traveling with and learning from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, food
writer, cookbook author and radio host. Lynne spent a number of years traveling around the region, learning from home cooks, chefs, and producers
in order to document the culinary treasures of Emilia Romagna. The result
in 1992 was the groundbreaking book, The Splendid Table, which won the
Cookbook of the Year from both the International Association of Culinary
Professionals and the James Beard Foundation. The Splendid Table became
the name of Lynne’s award-winning food radio show.
While people from all over Italy, as well as chefs around the world, have
always known that Emilia Romagna is “Italy’s food region,” the rest of
the world has, most often, only known its signature products—traditional
balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and pasta.
But is it only these admittedly world-class food products that make Emilia
Romagna so special? I realize I love Parma and all of Emilia Romagna
more each time I visit. What is it?
Food writer David Rosengarten, writing in Forbes a few years ago, tallied
up his favorite meals on a trip visiting three regions in Italy, and five out of
six were in Emilia Romagna. David theorizes that “there is great food being
made all over Italy, but I can’t think of another place where food comes
to the table as proudly as it does in Emilia Romagna. And it’s not a noisy
bragadocio…it’s simply…‘this is what we do. This is what my grandmother
did.’ I know, I know, that’s not uncommon in Italy…but the scale of this attitude in Emilia Romagna, and the percentage of chefs and restaurants that
really do hit the sublime, traditional spot, consistently…in my mind, these
things set the whole region apart.”
In Conde Nast Traveler, Patrick Symes opined that “there are greater
things in Italy than in Parma alone. But for a first-time visitor like me, this
was more than enough. Parmese say you eat twice: first at the table, then
by talking about it. The food traditions here are among the oldest and most
continuous in Europe, giving people enough time to try and reject every
adornment, leaving a plateau of quality, a rare combination of inventiveness and simplicity.”
Award-winning travel bloggers, The Planet D, described the region
as, “Home to Pavarotti, Enzo Ferarri, Ferruccio Lamborghini, the Ducati
brothers and the artist Parmigianino. It’s the land of Parmesan cheese and
balsamic vinegar, it’s also the gastronomical capital of the country. There
are so many reasons to love Emilia Romagna, you may never want to
leave. It’s funny because before visiting this province in the North of Italy,
we didn’t even know it existed.”
We DO know it exists, and that’s why we are here to spend a week
exploring the culinary and cultural treasures of this remarkable region. It
makes me very happy that you are joining Oldways for our return to Emilia
Romagna with this week-long Culinaria. We look forward to sharing what
Oldways and our local friends love about the region. We hope you will embrace all that is special about Emilia Romagna, and take it back to your life
at home. You’ll be able to say you are in the know about the region Italians
say features the best food anywhere.
Sara Baer-Sinnott, President, Oldways
May 2016
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Stir with Passion
I did not grow up in a household where Nonna hand­rolled her pasta dough
on the kitchen table and hung strands of fettuccine over the backs of chairs
to dry. All of the noodles (we didn’t call it pasta then) that my Irish family
ate came out of a light blue Prince box, and I half believed the old commercial that made it look like spaghetti grew on trees. So it makes me especially proud that it’s my fresh pastas and gnocchi that have gotten me the
most attention as a professional chef.
It was during my first extended trip to Italy, where I cooked every day with
the wife of the farmer at whose home I stayed, that I realized the process
of making fresh pasta is something soulful and not simply the product of a
recipe. Making pasta and gnocchi with Mita in her rustic kitchen, I learned
to trust my instincts more than any recipe, to really feel the dough, and to
understand that every time I make a batch of dough, the amount of flour
added will be different (and that is how it should be). Most important, Mita
taught me not to be afraid. Before my visit, I handled pasta dough gingerly,
as if it might somehow dissolve right before my eyes. I practically held my
breath when I sent it through the rollers, and I was scared that I was going
to make the pasta tough if I dared to flour it during rolling. (The fear was
similar to how I felt about babies before I had one of my own).
I returned to Boston with a renewed passion for pasta. It was this passion that led me to open my first restaurant, No. 9 Park, and ultimately,
Sportello, my restaurant most­devoted to Italian cuisine and fresh pastas.
I make pasta all the time at home as well. I make batches of fresh pasta on
the weekends with my daughter, Marchesa, who loves to help roll it. And
if someone has a birthday party, I’m more likely to show up with a pan of
gnocchi than with a bottle of wine or flowers.
Thank you for joining me and Oldways on this culinary journey through
Italy. I hope you all eat well and are inspired by what you taste. Hopefully,
by the end of our time together you will also head home with a renewed
passion for Italian cuisine and colorful memories of my favorite region
in Italy.
­­
Barbara Lynch, Chef/Owner
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Program
Sunday, May 1: Benvenuto
All day
Arrival in Parma and check-in at Grand Hotel de la Ville
Take time to unpack, rest and perhaps take a quick walk down
Via della Republica into Piazza Garibaldi and the center of
Parma, or stroll around the Barilla Center, a collection of shops,
coffee bars and restaurants next to the hotel.
6:30 pm
Welcome with a Wine Tasting and Dinner of Local Specialties
We’ll gather in Ristorante Parmigianino off the hotel lobby for
an introduction to the week and a wine tasting of the wines of
Emilia Romagna. This will give you time to meet and talk with
your fellow travelers, and as the group gathers, we’ll have an
introductory session with Barbara Lynch and Sara Baer-Sinnott.
Paolo Tegoni, a wine expert and professor, will follow with a
tasting of five wines from the region. Our dinner will feature
classic dishes as an introduction to the region.
Monday, May 2: Parmigiano Reggiano
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
9:00 am
Parmigiano Reggiano, from Start to Finish
Meet in the hotel lobby for our
short drive to Valserena, one of
the few farmstead producers of
Parmigiano Reggiano. Giovanni
Serra and his family, the 5th generation to raise and milk the cows,
grow their feed, and make the
Parmigiano Reggiano wheels all on
site (nine wheels a day to be exact). They are also one of only four
certified Brown Cow (Vaca Bruna) Parmesan producers that
work solely with this ancient breed. You will see the process of
producing Parmigiano Reggiano and will learn how impeccable
care leads to happy cows and amazing milk.
Countryside Lunch at Valserena
The Serra family has kindly invited us to stay for lunch at
their home. Our lunch will include plenty of products from
Valserena—Parmigiano Reggiano and ricotta, plus Prosciutto di
Parma.
Afternoon Return to Grand Hotel de la Ville
You’ll have free time in the afternoon—to exercise, walk into
town or just rest and relax.
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8:00 pm
Dinner at Ristorante Cocchi
We’ll meet in the lobby for a short bus ride to enjoy dinner at
one of Parma’s best restaurants—a favorite of locals and tourists alike.
Tuesday, May 3: Parma
and
Cooking
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
9:00 am
Walking Tour of Parma
We’ll meet in the lobby for a walking guided tour of our host
city, Parma. Our guide, Alice Rossi, will take us on a walk
through the city, and visits to Farnese Theatre and the Reggio
Theatre, and conclude with a visit to the Duomo, including special commentary from Ronni Baer about the Correggio dome.
1:00 pm
Lunch at Ristorante Angiol d’Or
We’ll lunch close to the Duomo at Ristorante Angiol d’Or—the
golden angel. After lunch we’ll walk back to the Grand Hotel de
la Ville to get ready for our cooking class.
3:30 pm
Hands-on Cooking Class and Dinner!
We’ll meet in the hotel lobby to walk across the piazza to
Academia Barilla for our hands-on cooking class. First, we’ll
visit the one-of-a-kind Gastronomic Library, and then we’ll be
divided into four teams for our Hands-on Cooking Class–
everyone cooks! When we finish, we’ll present our dishes to the
group in the Academia Barilla auditorium, and then head to the
Library for a dinner of the dishes each group prepared.
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Wednesday, May 4: Prosciutto
di
Parma
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
9:00 am
Visit to Pio Tosini—Prosciutto House
We’ll meet in the lobby to depart
for Langhirano, at the foothills of the Apennines outside
Parma. Our first stop will be Pio
Tosini, where we will learn from
Giovanni Bianchi, a third generation producer of Prosciutto
di Parma. Pio Tosini’s curing
room is one of the last traditional
curing houses still in existence today with hams hanging from
wooden racks that have been in use since the 1950s. They are
the last producer exporting to the U.S. that relies solely on the
traditional method of drying the legs by opening their windows.
Walking down the corridor of hams, you will experience the
aromas, and see and learn about the production of Prosciutto di
Parma from start to finish. After the tour, we’ll take a short bus
ride to Vineyard Carra di Casatico, for a tasting of Pio Tosini
Prosciutto di Parma and a glass of wine.
Winery Visit
To learn more about the wines of the region, we’ll travel a short
distance to the Lamoretti Vineyard, where we’ll have a tour and
tasting of two wines.
Lunch
Masticabrodo Trattoria
We’ll enjoy a lunch of fresh pastas at Masticabrodo Trattoria,
only a short distance from the winery. At the end of our lunch,
the chef will give a demonstration of fresh pasta making. And,
of course, we’ll have more wine!
Tour of Castle of Torrechiara
Our guide, Alice Rossi, will introduce us to Torrechiara, a massive castle built in the 15th century by a count. The building
was thought to be not only a defensive structure, but also a
mansion for the count’s lover.
Evening
Free time. Please see our suggestions on page 26 for restaurants in Parma to enjoy on your own.
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Thursday, May 5:
Barbara, Pasta &
7:00 am
the
Countryside
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
10:00 am Barbara Lynch’s Cooking Demonstration and Lunch
We’ll walk back across the piazza to Academia Barilla for the
great treat of Barbara’s cooking demonstration (see recipes
on Pages 27 to 33), followed by a lunch of the dishes Barbara
showed us in the demo.
Afternoon Visit to Barilla Pasta Factory
After lunch we’ll leave for a Barilla factory to learn how they
make the pasta in the blue box!
Evening
Visit and Gala Dinner at Massimo
Spigaroli’s Antica Corte Pallavicina
It’s a hotel, a restaurant that received
1 Michelin star in 2011, a farm, and a
14th-century castle with cheese, wine,
and salami caves. We’ll have a tour of
the farm, discover old varieties of vegetables, fruits, the Black Pig from Parma
and the white ox. Then back to the
Castle and tour of the old living rooms
and the Culatello historical aging cave,
followed by our 5-course Gala Dinner.
Friday, May 6: Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
9:30 am
Visit to Acetaia Malpighi
Depart for Modena for a visit to Acetaia Malpighi to learn about
the special secrets of making Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.
We’ll also have a tasting and the opportunity to buy (at a good
price) an array of different balsamic vinegars.
11:30
Depart for Modena Tour and Lunch
at Il Fantino
We’ll depart for the center of Modena,
and will have time to walk around
with our guide, Fabio Bergonzini.
Then at 1:00 pm we'll take over the
restaurant, Il Fantino, for a typical
Modenese lunch including Aceto
Balsamico.
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3:30 pm
Guided Tour of Modena and Free Time in Modena
Our Modena guide, Fabio Bergonzini, a doctor of archaeology,
will continue with our tour of the cultural highlights of the beautiful city of Modena.
6:00 pm
Return to Parma and Free Evening
Please see our suggestions on page 26 for restaurants in Parma
to enjoy on your own. Or, if you prefer, you can stay in Modena
and return to Parma on your own.
Saturday, May 7: Cars, Food & Art
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
9:00 am
Half-Day Tours!
Participants must attend the tour they previously selected.
Please check with Abby Sloane for your choice.
A. Half-day Walking Art/Mosaic
Tour in Ravenna
(this group leaves Parma at 8 am)
We will meet our guide, Giada
Rubinato, at 10 am in the city
center of Ravenna. We will visit the Church of Saint John the
Evangelist, the Church of Saint
Apollinaire Nuovo, the so-called
palace of Theodoric, Dante’s
grave and the fantastic crypt of Saint Francis, People Square,
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and finally, the masterpiece of
byzantine mosaic art, the Church of Saint Vitale. We’ll complete
the half day tour with lunch at Ristorante Cà de Ven in Ravenna
before returning to Parma.
B. Half-day Art and Food Tour in Bologna
Our guide, Fabio Bergonzini, wrote us that Bologna is known
as ‘the fat one,’ declared by Forbes as ‘the stomach of Europe’,
hosting an incredible number of DOP foodstuffs as well as being considered the cradle of Italian hand-made pasta. A foodie
walking tour is a great way to discover the many delicious food
treasures of Bologna. Fabio is arranging for tastings and visits
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to bakeries, shops and markets, as well as tours of some of
Bologna’s cultural sites. We’ll complete the tour with lunch at
Ristorante Cesarina in Bologna before returning to Parma.
C. Half-day Visit to the Ferrari Museums and (optional) Driving
We’ll meet our guide, Camilla Caló, at the first of two different
Ferrari museums, one located in Modena—the house where
Enzo Ferrari was born, with personal affects and memorabilia,
as well as a display of the most relevant Ferrari cars models—and another one, located in Maranello, where the Ferrari
headquarters are now located. The Maranello museum, located
close to theFerrari factory, as well as to the Ferrari racing track,
display the many awards won by the Ferrari racing team and
many, many models of Ferrari cars. At the end of the visit, a
driving simulator is at display, for everyone to enjoy. We’ll have
lunch at the Driver Bar next to the museum in Maranello.
Late afternoon Return to Parma
We’ll get back to Parma in time for you to rest, pack or shop
before our final dinner.
8:00 pm
Final Dinner at Trattoria del Ducato
We’ve chosen a very local and traditional restaurant for your
last dinner of the Emilia Romagna Culinaria. And, it is only a
very short walk from the hotel!
Sunday, May 8: Arrivederci!
7:00 am
Breakfast Buffet at Grand Hotel de la Ville
Departures
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Barbara Lynch
Founder & CEO, Barbara Lynch Gruppo
James Beard Award-winner and Relais & Châteaux
Grand Chef Barbara Lynch is regarded as one of
Boston’s—and the country’s—leading chefs and restaurateurs. While growing up in South Boston, Barbara, at
the age of 13, got her first kitchen job cooking at a local
rectory. It was in high school, however, that an influential
home economics teacher, and a job working with Chef
Mario Bonello at Boston’s esteemed St. Botolph Club,
piqued her interest in one day becoming a professional
chef. During her early twenties, Barbara worked under
some of Boston’s greatest culinary talents. After working with Todd English
for several years at Michaela’s and Olives, Barbara traveled to Italy where
she learned about the country’s cuisine firsthand from local women. She
returned to Boston and became the executive chef at Galleria Italiana,
bringing national acclaim to the tiny trattoria when she captured Food &
Wine’s “Ten Best New Chefs in America” award.
In 1998, Barbara opened a restaurant of her own, No. 9 Park, in Boston’s
Beacon Hill neighborhood. The restaurant immediately received rave
reviews from publications around the country and was named one of the
“Top 25 New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appétit and “Best New
Restaurant” by Food & Wine.
Barbara expanded her presence in Boston by opening two restaurants in
the South End in 2003: B&G Oysters, serving pristine oysters and New
England classics, and The Butcher Shop, a wine bar and full-service butcher shop. Barbara continued to grow her culinary empire by opening three
unique concepts in succession: in 2005, Niche Catour, a catering company; Plum Produce in September 2006; and next door, Stir, a demonstration
kitchen and cookbook store, in 2007.
In fall 2008, Barbara launched two concepts in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood: Drink, a bar dedicated to the craft of the cocktail, and Sportello
(Italian for counter service), her modern interpretation of a diner. Her catering company, 9 at Home (formerly Niche Catour), relocated to Fort Point in
2008 as well.
In spring 2010, Barbara and her team opened an eagerly anticipated
third concept in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood, Menton, a fine dining restaurant. Menton has received numerous accolades since opening,
including being named one of Bon Appétit and Esquire magazine's best
new restaurants in 2010, being nominated as a James Beard Foundation
Awards 2011 finalist for “Best New Restaurant,” and a four-star review
from The Boston Globe. In 2012, Menton became the first and only Relais
& Châteaux property in Boston, and its reputation as a culinary destination
was further confirmed with the receipt of AAA’s “Five Diamond Award” and
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Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star Award. Barbara is currently the only female
in the United States to hold the distinguished title of “Grand Chef Relais &
Châteaux.”
Barbara’s talents have continued to garner praise over the years, both
locally and nationally. In 2003, the James Beard Foundation named her
“Best Chef Northeast” and Travel & Leisure proclaimed No. 9 Park one of
the “Top 50 Restaurants in America.” For two consecutive years, No. 9 Park
was named “Best Restaurant, General Excellence” by Boston Magazine, and
Gourmet included it as one of “America’s Top 50 Restaurants” in 2006. In
2007, Boston Magazine named Barbara “Best Chef.”
Barbara and her recipes have been featured in many publications including
Saveur, Boston Common, Bon Appétit, The New York Times, and Inc. magazine. She was one of a handful of Bostonians to be profiled in the ABC-TV
documentary series “Boston 24/7” and is the subject of a documentary
film entitled “Amuse Bouche—A Chef’s Tale.” Her television appearances
include Top Chef, Today, and as a judge on The Food Network.
Barbara’s first cookbook, Stir: Mixing It Up in
the Italian Tradition, was published by Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt in fall 2009. Stir was received enthusiastically by both the media and home cooks
and received a prestigious Gourmand award for
“Best Chef Cookbook” for the United States.
In 2009, Barbara was honored to join Doris
Kearns Goodwin and Julia Child as a recipient of
the Crittenton Women’s Union’s “Amelia Earhart
Award.” In 2011, she was named Distinguished
Chef by Johnson and Wales University. She is
also a member of notable industry organizations including Women Chefs
& Restaurateurs and Les Maîtres Cuisiniers, the international association
of Master Chefs. In 2011, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs presented her
with the “Barbara Tropp President’s Award.” As a member of the Bocuse
d’Or USA Culinary Council, Barbara judged the Bocuse d’Or Commis and
Finalist Competition in 2012. Because of her unique story and entrepreneurial insight, Barbara has had the privilege of participating as a panelist and speaker at events including The Ad Club’s Women in Leadership
Forum, the Massachusetts Conference for Women, and Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs’ National Conference. In 2013, Barbara was inducted into
the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in
America,” a prestigious group of the most accomplished food and beverage professionals in the country.
As CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Barbara oversees the operations of
eight concepts and employs over 200 people. In addition to running her
company, Barbara has always recognized the importance of giving back
to the community and has been involved in a number of philanthropic programs over the years. In 2012, in an effort to make a more direct impact,
she established the Barbara Lynch Foundation.
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Ronni Baer
Senior Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe
Ronni Baer was awarded a B.A. in French literature from Emory University and received her PhD
in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU.
She came to the Museum of Fine Arts in 2000 after
having worked in curatorial departments at the Frick
Collection, the National Gallery of Art, the CooperHewitt Museum, the High Museum of Art, and the
Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. She
also taught art history to undergraduate and graduate students at NYU, Emory, and the University of
Georgia.
Ronni has organized many exhibitions, among them: Gerrit Dou: Master
Painter in the Age of Rembrandt for the National Gallery of Art (2000)
and, for the MFA, The Poetry of Everyday Life: Dutch Painting in Boston
Collections (2002); Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher (in
collaboration with Cliff Ackley, Tom Rassieur, and Bill Robinson, 2003);
and El Greco to Velázquez: Art during the Reign of Philip III (2008).
For her work on the latter, Ronni was awarded the Encomienda de la Orden
de Isabel la Católica by King Juan Carlos of Spain. She was the lead curator for the installation of paintings in the recently renovated Koch, Dutch
and Flemish, and early Netherlandish galleries at the MFA. She is published
widely, most notably on the 17th-century Dutch artist Gerrit Dou, on whose
paintings she is an acknowledged authority.
Ronni worked on a major loan exhibition at the MFA in the fall of 2015,
devoted to examining how the social classes are depicted in 17thcentury Dutch portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes. Ronni was invited
to be a Getty Research Institute Guest Museum Scholar in 2013.
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Since 1990, Oldways has been inspiring good health through cultural food
traditions.
We began challenging conventional wisdom from the start, introducing the
Traditional Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993 (in partnership with the
Harvard School of Public Health) as a healthier, tradition–based alternative
to the USDA’s first food pyramid.
Throughout the ’90s we educated the public, health professionals, and the
media about “healthy fats” at a time when low fat diets were the standard
prescription; our work culminated in Scientific Consensus Statements on
Moderate Fat Diets in 1998 and 2000. The Oldways Whole Grains Council
has helped to increase whole grain consumption through creative educational programs and the Whole Grain Stamp, now found on more than
10,500 products in 55 countries.
At Oldways, nutrition, culture, and sustainability are built into our main
mission of preserving and promoting traditional foods in ways that are good
for people and good for the planet. To this end, we’ve organized a range
of conferences—from scientific ones focusing on the commonsense truth
around traditional diets to overseas symposia to introduce chefs, journalists
and everyday food lovers to the classic dishes of Morocco, Spain, Tunisia,
Italy, Greece, France and Turkey. We develop resources to help consumers and health professionals embrace traditional diets and use healthy
ingredients. We also founded the Chefs’ Collaborative to support local and
sustainable foods in America’s restaurants.
In 2016, as we’ve just celebrated our 25th anniversary, our work continues,
much of it carried out through our eight principal programs:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Oldways Whole Grains Council
Oldways African Health & Heritage / A Taste of African Heritage
A Taste of Latin American Heritage
Oldways Mediterranean Foods Alliance
Oldways Vegetarian Network
Oldways Nutrition Exchange (ONE)
Oldways Supermarket Dietitian Symposium
Oldways Cheese Coalition
Oldways Culinary Travels (Culinarias)
And, in November 2015, we organized the groundbreaking Finding
Common Ground conference, asking some of the world’s leading nutrition
experts—from Paleo to vegan—to reach consensus on what constitutes
a healthy diet. Their 11-point Common Ground Consensus statement
inspired our newest tool: the Oldways Cart, included in your program material for the Culinaria.
Learn more at www.oldwayspt.org.
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The Great Food of Emilia Romagna
Introduction
There is great food being made all over Italy, but I can’t think of another
place where food comes to the table as proudly as it does in Emilia
Romagna. And it’s not a noisy bragadocio…it’s simply… “this is what we
do. This is what my grandmother did.” I know, I know, that’s not uncommon in Italy…but the scale of this attitude in Emilia Romagna, and the
percentage of chefs and restaurants that really do hit the sublime, traditional spot, consistently…in my mind, these things set the whole region apart.
Sure, there’s lots of creative food in Emilia Romagna, as everywhere. They
have a top-ten-list molecular palace for chrissake, Osteria Francescana,
three Michelin stars and all. But even there, there’s tagliatelle Bolognese on
the menu. When you look behind most of the creative frou-frou in Emilia
Romagna, you find it’s the soul of the region that anchors many dishes. The
supremely powerful connection of chefs to their homeland can never be
abandoned or improved upon here.
David Rosengarten
Forbes, November 28, 2013
!$}
Prosciutto di Parma
The World’s Most Sought-After Ham
Fragrant and sweet, Prosciutto di Parma is one of the
world’s most sought-after hams. It can be produced
only in the hills of Parma province in an area designated by law. Cured solely with salt and aged 10
months to 2 years, each step of the process is dictated
by law and overseen by the Consorzio del Prosciutto
di Parma. To qualify as a true Parma ham, the meat
must have the brand of Parma’s five-pointed ducal
crown seared into its side.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
The Splendid Table (1992)
Pork, Salt, Air and Time: The Long Road to Prosciutto di Parma
The curing cellar at Pio Tosini unfolds in more directions than the eye can
see. Salted hams hang on floor-to-ceiling racks in long corridors, each
a mirror image of the next. It’s vast and eerily still, but undeniably alive;
I feel as though I’ve been swept into a current of silent, invisible activity.
A molecular ecosystem is hard at work here, a partnership of mountain
breezes, enzymatic reactions, and microorganisms that will, with time,
transform each leg of pork into coveted Prosciutto di Parma. The smell is
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overpowering, a riot of yeast and funk, and the air is saline-sweet, slightly
piney, and crisp. Light washes in from open windows, breaking into jagged
shadows on the floor. Pio Tosini is a cathedral, and its god is Ham.
Niki Achitoff-Gray
Seriouseats.com
How Prosciutto di Parma is Produced
Nearly a third of all Italian pigs’ legs are made into Prosciutto di Parma.
By law the pigs used must be a minimum of nine months old and weigh
in at between 340 and 420 pounds. More mature pigs, those that are
about a year old, are preferable and more costly—their meat is denser and
less likely to absorb too much salt. The diet of the animals is dictated by
Consorzio standards; they must spend their final four months in north-central Italy, where they eat corn, barley and whey left behind from the production of Parmigiano Reggiano. No drugs can be used at all in the weeks before slaughtering. All incoming fresh hams are tattooed with the province,
farm, and date of slaughter. The Consorzio inspects the hams for quality;
each leg that passes is riveted with a metal insignia proving official Parma
certification, then stamped with the date on which production began.
Ari Weinzweig
Zingerman’s Guide to Good
Eating (2003)
!$}
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano: A Symbol of Culture and Civilization
The respect and desire to protect a natural
environment—one which in many ways still
conserves intact a centuries-old equilibrium—
deserves encouragement. We must foster the
development of a natural cycle that will result
in a product with nutritional values that will be
increasingly appreciated not only in traditional cuisine, but in alimentation in general. We
must proceed with care so that the patrimony
of this antique civilization—safeguarded in the
day-to-day acts and gestures of Parmigiano
Reggiano producers—may endure as testimony to the civilized values of the world of
agriculture and to delight and satisfy future
generations.
Franco Bonilauri
Parmigiano Reggiano: A Symbol
of Culture and Civilization
(1993)
15
Buying Primo Parmigiano Reggiano
Although the Parmigiano Reggiano pin dots tell you that the cheese was
made according to Consorzio specifications, they don’t tell you whether
what you’re buying is great or just good. Here are a few other tips for the
taste-conscious consumer.
Buy Pieces Cut from Whole Wheels
Generally, shops that sell a relatively small volume are caught in a bind.
They want to keep their cheese fresh, so they buy in quarter wheels. In my
experience, however, the cheese that comes from these precut and vacuum-packed pieces is generally not the best. Even less desirable are the
precut one-pound wedges that are packed in Italy and shipped overseas in
plastic casings.
Soup Bones for Vegetarians: Reggiano Rinds
Rinds from Parmigiano Reggiano are the absolute best thing you’ll ever add
to soup stock, sauce, or broth. The rind on a wheel of Parmigiano is merely
dried cheese: no wax, no coloring, no additives. So when you throw it into
your stock, it’s essentially like adding a bit of cheese. The rind adds enormous flavor and richness to whatever you’re cooking. When the stock is
done, simply fish it out, and then with a sharp knife (carefully) cut off any
cheese that’s softened up enough to take off. Chop the cheese and add it
to whatever you’re cooking. If you like, you can even cool off the rest of the
rind, wrap in foil, and save it to use in a second batch of soup.
Look for the Special Seal
Each dairy has the option of asking (and paying for) the Consorzio inspectors to return and recheck what it feels are its best cheeses for certification
as “Extra Quality” (or, alternatively, “Export Quality”). The seal shows that
the cheese is completely free of physical defects that might damage aroma
or flavor. These cheeses do cost more, but they have no internal or external faults and are likely to contain more flavorful cheese. This seal won’t
guarantee incredible cheese every time because there are still significant
differences in flavor from one wheel to the next, but it will get you close
more often than not.
Check the Month and Year of Making
This date is stamped into the side of all wheels of Parmigiano so any
shop that buys whole wheels should be able to tell you. It’s in Italian: for
instance, GEN is Gennaio, or January; MAG is Maggio, or May; GIU is
Giugno, or June; LUG is Luglio, or July. Remember, you want cheese that’s
been aged through two summers. If it’s a spring or winter cheese, it should
be aged at least eighteen months. If it’s an autumn cheese, it should be
more than two years old.
Cheeses that have been aged for three or even four years are more intense
than younger cheeses, which are soft and gentle. By local standards, the
best Parmigiano Reggiano is sweet, mellow, and mild. As locals see it,
Parmigiano should always complement, never overwhelm. Most turn up
16
their noses at stronger cheeses, shipping them to the south of Italy, where
the preference is for Parmigiano with more piquancy.
Get a Taste
Taste is the key. Almost every piece of Parmigiano starts out tasting good.
But the best don’t stop there. They seem to have a fourth dimension, building until they fill every inch of your mouth with rich, complex, buttery, nutty, pleasantly sweet Parmigiano flavor. There’s a liveliness in these cheeses
that’s lacking in lesser versions. They’re crackly, crunchy, and creamy all
at the same time.
Ari Weinzweig
Zingerman’s Guide to Good
Eating (2003)
!$}
Pasta
Tradition
Pasta in Emilia Romagna speaks of many things—traditions of birth, marriage, and even death; centuries of Christmases, Easters and saints’ days,
each celebrated with its special dish. Pasta speaks of geographic origin
and even of a family’s social status. Pasta wittily expresses anticlerical
sentiments without a word being spoken. It is steeped in legend, sometimes
quite sensuous legend at that. And pasta often is so entrenched in tradition
that one misstep in its preparation or presentation can outrage the most
accommodating diners.
Those traditions have passed from hands to hands, through centuries of
daughters watching mothers make pasta. Pasta is the food of women. Until
very recently, while a woman in Emilia Romagna could command accolades for many achievements, making superb pasta headed the list.
Tortellini, Tortelli & Anolini
Although tortellini are eaten in other parts of
Italy, Bologna claims them as her own. An
old Bolognese legend tells of the days when
the gods walked the earth, and Venus and
Zeus paused for the night at a small inn near
Bologna. The innkeeper was so enchanted by
the goddess that just before dawn, he peeked
into her bedroom. There she lay on the bed,
with sheets tossed aside, sprawled in exquisite
disarray. The humble man wondered how he,
an illiterate, a mere cook and innkeeper, could
pay compliment to such beauty. He went into his kitchen, and shortly after
sunrise he emerged with a tribute to the goddess. He had modeled the little
tortellino after Venus’s navel. Even now in Bologna, the pasta’s nickname is
“sacred navels” (umbilichi sacri).
17
No matter what the local variations are, however, making tortellini or
cappelletti on Christmas Eve is a rite that has united women from Modena
to Rimini for at least 150 years. The ritual begins when the entire family gathers for an afternoon of stretching, filling, and shaping pasta. The
finished pastas are then spread on a cloth-covered table where they will
rest—as though on an altar, as one chronicler of regional folkways put it.
On Christmas afternoon they “die nobly” in capon broth. When the big
tureen of tortellini/cappelletti is brought forth from the kitchen, the feast of
Christmas officially begins.
Tortellini are not found north of Modena. In Parma rectangular tortelli have
some of the significance of Bologna’s tortellini. They can be filled with
sweet squash, cabbage, potato, spiced fruit or chestnuts, but Tortelli d’Erbette, rectangles of pasta stuffed with ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, and
mild greens, are the most popular.
Anolini are Parma’s other specialty. These small discs or half moons are
filled with the braising juices of a beef pot roast cooked up to three days,
butter-toasted bread crumbs, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Anolini are
always served in broth.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
The Splendid Table (1992)
Parma Dish
The Parma dish is Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmesan), but in
the four renditions I have found from Parma, only one calls for the area’s
famous cheese. Obviously the name means eggplant as cooked in Parma,
not eggplant with Parmesan cheese. Parma food historian Guglielmo
Capacchi dashes a local theory that eggplant made its debut in Parma
during the 1600s, when ducal cook Carlo Nascia brought it from southern Italy. According to Capacchi, old records tell of eggplant being eaten
in Emilia during the 13th century. But the proof gets even better, claims
Capacchi. It was recorded in the 14th century that a medical teacher in
Bologna, Master Taddeo, stated emphatically to his students the accepted
medical fact of the day: Eat eggplant for nine days straight and you will go
mad. (Some etymologists believe melanzane derives from “apple [mela] of
madness [insano].”) True to the spirit of inquiry, one student performed the experiment. At the end of the ninth
day, convinced Taddeo would be amazed, he announced
to his teacher and fellow students that he was not mad.
Taddeo remained unperturbed, simply commanding his
class to write down a new margin note: “The eggplant
theory has been tested and is not true.”
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
The Splendid Table (1992)
18
Majestically Modena
and Basically Balsamico
Fancy cars, fabulous opera singers, rich Lambrusco, sensational food, and
adorable people. What more can one say about Modena? Aceto balsamico, that’s what. Balsamic vinegar has been all the rage since it was first
introduced to the world. But like many great food products, it is little understood and badly misused. Calling aceto balsamico vinegar is like calling
Pavarotti a street singer. Aceto balsamico is an ambrosial liquid that is used
as a condiment to exalt almost anything it touches: Parmigiano Reggiano
cheese, potatoes, meat, poultry, even strawberries.
Fred Plotkin
Italy for the Gourmet Traveler
(1996)
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
The Truth About Balsamic Vinegar
There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never
had balsamic vinegar (or, as the Italians call
it, aceto balsamico). What?!? you exclaim. Of
course you have! You’ve had it on your panzanella, on your salade Niçoise, on your chef’s
salad. You’ve dribbled it on fish, on meat, on
chicken, on tofu. You use it every day. It’s the
Blue Nun of condiments. It goes with everything. You can’t imagine how you ever got along
without it…
But yet you did. What you’ve been using
is most probably a product called Aceto
Balsamico di Modena, which is usually just
commercially produced wine vinegar with a bit
more character than usual.
The real balsamic vinegar is, in its purest form, one of the great culinary
wonders of the world—rich, sweet, spicy, honeyed, nectarous (but with a
faint bite). As produced in the rural precincts of the province of Modena in
north-central Italy, it begins not with wine (like most vinegars) but with the
juice of local Trebbiano grapes, boiled down to a sweet syrup. Yeast converts the syrup first into alcohol, then into acetic acid (vinegar)—but much
of its sweetness is preserved along the way. Then the vinegar is aged, for
decades and even longer, in a succession of small barrels made from a
variety of woods.
Balsamic vinegar is a family treasure in Modena, and a national treasure
as well. The Italian government grants it the same sort of Denominazione
di Origine Controllata that it gives to wine, guaranteeing its authenticity. All
19
balsamic vinegar of this sort, which is called Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
di Modena (tradizionale is the important word), is bottled at a single consortium in the region, in flasks holding not quite three-and-a-half ounces.
Some of them cost as much as $100 each—more when they’re older.
Saveur magazine
January 23, 2007
The Real Thing: Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
Like the real thing, the subject of balsamic vinegar is complex, intricate,
and shrouded in intentional and unintentional mystery. Even for someone
as stubborn as I am, it’s not easy to penetrate the mysteries that emanate
from Modena.
Unlike most vinegars on the market
that are made from wine, Aceto
Balsamico Tradizionale never lives any
part of its life as a wine. Rather, it starts
with the must—the fresh juice—of the
local grapes, and hence it is not a “wine
vinegar.” Each maker uses his own
blend of grapes, but Trebbiano is the
most widely used variety, with Sperfola,
Trebiano di Spagna, Occhio di Gatto,
red Lambrusco, and/or Berzemino
sometimes added into the mix.
Once the grapes are gathered, they’re cleaned and carefully crushed. The
freshly-pressed juice is poured into open copper kettles (some producers now use stainless steel), then cooked down over wood fires until it is
noticeably thicker than wine but still thinner than maple syrup. The cooking
should be conducted the same day that the grapes are crushed in order
to sterilize the liquid and avoid any unplanned fermentation. The vinegar
maker takes care to cook the must slowly so that there is no caramelization
or burning of the natural sugars in the grape juice; burned must will lead to
bitter balsamic.
Depending on the flavor they’re looking for, the makers will vary the
cooking times. “We cook for twelve to twenty hours if we want a more acid
product, and thirty-six to forty hours if we want a sweeter one,” one producer told me. In the process the cooked must—known as mosto cotto—is
reduced to between a half and a third of its original volume. Different producers shoot for different levels of reduction, all a part of their master plan.
Although longer cooking would produce a denser vinegar, it is not desirable
to thicken the must in this way. If the must is too thick, it won’t successfully
seal the barrels, the vinegar will leak, and the flavor will be overly sweet.
The reduced must is then shifted into large wooden barrels or steel tanks,
where the next stage of production, the fermentation and acetification,
20
begins. Some producers hold the must here to acidify and mature for
two, three, or even four years. Others use it within a matter of months. At
whatever point the vinegar maker is ready, the must is allowed to enter the
batteria, the well-worn wooden barrels in which it will continue its transformation. A bit of old vinegar is blended with the new must, and the mixture
is put into the largest barrel in a series to continue development.
Aging of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
One key to the aging of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is that the maturing
rooms must never be artificially heated or cooled. Like the region’s exceptional Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and its exquisite Parma ham, part
of the vinegar’s character building comes from natural climatic swings. In
the cool winter months, bacteriological activity in the balsamic is almost
nonexistent. The vinegar rests, while moisture evaporates slowly. As the
weather warms in spring, the acetobacters in the vinegar gradually pick up
the pace. The activity approaches its height in July and August, the hottest
months of the year in Modena. The process gradually slows down again
through the autumn until the acetobacters reach near hibernation levels in
mid-winter. Attic spaces are optimal for this aging because they exaggerate
these natural temperature swings.
It’s important to understand that in the world of balsamic there is absolutely
no such thing as a vintage. While commercial balsamics almost always
claim some specific number of years of aging on their label, you’ll never
see one on a bottle of Tradizionale. At best the makers will tell you about
when the vinegar in question was started. In truth, no traditional balsamic
vinegar ever really gets a fresh start; any time newly-reduced grape must is
added to a barrel, there’s still a significant amount of the old vinegar inside.
So even the youngest Tradizionale has a bit of ancient, aristocratic blood in
its veins.
Ari Weinzweig
Zingerman’s Guide to Good
Eating (2003)
21
Great Places of Emilia Romagna
Castle of Torrechiara
Set on a high perch overlooking the Parma
valley, Torrechiara is one of the best preserved
fortifications in the whole region. It was built
between 1448 and 1460 by Pier Maria Rossi,
who had it girded with a triple wall and four
corner towers linked by battlemented parapets.
Two loggias on the east side were added later.
Inside, a fine square bailey abut on arcades and
windows trimmed with elaborate Lombard-style
terracotta moldings.
The most striking among the decorated rooms
is the Camera d’Oro (Golden Room), named
after the pure gold that once trimmed the
terracotta medallions set into the wall, whose
fresco cycle dating to 1462 and attributed to
Benedetto Bembo depicts a tale of courtly love
and chivalry, recounting the story of Pier Maria
Rossi’s passion for Bianca Pellegrini. It also carries two entwined hearts and
the initials of Bianca and Pier Maria joined by a ribbon bearing the motto
"Nunc et semper." The Camera d’Oro looks onto the deep loggia built in
late sixteenth century, when the castle lost its defensive purpose and was
transformed into a lordly manor.
Parma Tourism
Teatro Farnese
The Teatro Farnese (Farnese
Theatre) is one of the most breathtaking sites in all of Parma if not
of Italy. Built in 1618 by order of
Ranuccio I, Duke of Parma and
Piacenza, and designed by the
Ferrarese architect, Giovan Battista
Aleotti; the theatre was built to celebrate the passing of Cosimo II de’
Medici through Parma on his way
to Milan to visit the tomb of San
Carlo Borromeo and to confirm
the relationship between the two ducal families which had been sealed by
marriage in 1615.
However due to health problems, Cosimo II de’ Medici cancelled the proposed trip to Milan and therefore the theatre could only be inaugurated 10
years later in 1628 for the marriage between Margherita de’ Medici and
22
Duke Odoardo. For the occasion the theatre hosted the “Mercurio e Marte”
(Mercury and Mars) by Claudio Achillini and music by Claudio Monteverdi.
The climax of the spectacle came with a extraordinary “naumachia” (naval
battle) for which they flooded the platea of the theatre via a number of
pumps located underneath the stage. The theatre also featured a balcony
for the dukes, perhaps the the invention of what would become common
place in the greatest theatres around the world: the Royal Booth.
The Farnese Theatre was built entirely out of wood and plaster and then
painted so it seemed to be made of expensive marbles. Unfortunately the
Theatre was subject to bombing in May 1944 and was almost completely destroyed. However by 1956, the theatre was completely restructured
using the original design. The sections that were restructured were left bare
so as to highlight the extent of the damage.
Due to the complicated nature and the extremely high expenses needed to
put on a show in the theatre it was only used nine times from its inauguration, mostly for ducal marriages or important state visits. The last show
dates back to 1732, after which it is left to ruin until the bombardment
of 1944. In between this time, many greats came to visit the theatre and
express their complete surprise at its beauty, among them Montesquieu, de
Brosses, and Dickens. All of them, however, also expressed displeasure at
the state of the wonderful theatre, Dickens actually writing about it in his
“Picture from Italy.”
The theatre is part of the incredible “Palazzo Pilotta” in Parma and is part of
the attractions in the “Galleria Nazionale”.
Bologna Magazine
Piazza Duomo Parma
The Cathedral of Parma is from 900 years a place of art, history, and
sacredness. Here are preserved the bas-reliefs by Benedetto Antelami, the
Romanesque art heritage and the grand frescoes by Antonio Allegri, known
as Correggio. Entering into this place means living the faith, opening up to
art and discovering one of the most precious treasures of the city.
Construction
Building of the Cathedral began in 1074 under Bishop-Count Guibodo, following the terrible fire that destroyed the previous early Christian basilica.
23
Since then it has always been a symbol of the lively religious tradition of
the city, but also a monumental work of art, which through the centuries
has been enriched with priceless treasures. Here the essential nature of
Romanesque sculpture coexists with the sumptuousness of Renaissance
painting, creating one of the most fascinating places of worship in the
Emilia region.
Cupola of Correggio
The Assumption of the Virgin by
Correggio is a grandiose work of
prospective, where light, composition and movement blend in
a masterpiece of visual illusionism. Somewhere between the
Renaissance pictorial language and
the audacity of Baroque art, this
cupola was soon pronounced to
be “scandalous” by some contemporary critics. What particularly
strikes the observer is the Assumption of Mary to heaven: a whirling tangle
of figures that accompany the Virgin towards the circle of the blessed. At
the centre of the cupola is Christ, who descends from the light in a pose
whose plasticity was incredibly innovative at the time.
Piazzaduomo.com
Ravenna
For mosaic lovers, Ravenna is an earthly paradise. Spread out over several
churches and baptisteries around town is one of the world’s most dazzling
collections of early Christian mosaic artwork, enshrined since 1996 on
UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Wandering through the unassuming town
centre today, you’d never imagine that for a three-century span beginning
in 402, Ravenna served as capital of the Western Roman Empire, chief
city of the Ostrogoth Kingdom of Italy and nexus of a powerful Byzantine
exarchate. During this
prolonged golden age,
while the rest of the Italian
peninsula flailed in the wake
of Barbarian invasions,
Ravenna became a fertile
art studio for skilled craftsmen, who covered the city’s
terracotta brick churches
in heart rendingly beautiful
mosaics.
Lonely Planet
24
Modena
This ancient town on the south side
of the Po Valley is home to the
mighty Ferrari, yet it boasts more
bikes than cars. A vibrant, walkable
town centre, with no end of cultural
highlights, makes it an ideal place
for a day trip. Modena is a little town
that punches well above its weight.
Located on the via Emilia, the
famous Roman road that stretches
from Piacenza to Rimini, it became
one of the most important principalities in Italy when the d’Este family
moved their powerful dukedom here from Ferrara in 1598. The streets,
some of which are named after the medieval canal system that once helped
strengthen Modena’s trade system, offer wonderfully circular routes around
the town’s treasures and, because there are more bikes than cars, the pace
of life is slow and relaxed.
The elegant porticoed arcades of the via Emilia house great window-shopping opportunities as you make your way to the town centre and the
cobbled piazza Grande, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A market was
held here from medieval times right up until 1931 in full view of the town’s
jewel, the 11th-century Duomo, dedicated to Modena’s patron saint, Saint
Geminianus, and one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture
in Europe. Although work started in 1099, the Duomo wasn’t consecrated
until 1184 by Pope Lucius III.
Jan Fuscoe
Bologna Magazine
Bologna
Scrappy, scruffy Bologna could easily coast on its history, if not just on its
culinary history. Home to one of the world’s oldest universities, this northern Italian city has contributed dozens of classic recipes and foods to the
repertory of Italian cooking, including tortellini, tagliatelle and mortadella—the cold cut whose imitation is known as “Bologna”—as well as ragù
Bolognese. As the capital of the region of, Bologna is one of the best places
to sample the cheeses, cured hams and vinegars that originate in the area,
many of which have been famous for centuries. But modern Bologna is not
just about the past. Dozens of cool new attractions have changed the face
of the city, from new ways of eating to new museums and new bars.
New York Times
September 30, 2015
!$}
25
Emilia Romagna Culinaria
Hotel and Restaurants
Parma Restaurant List
Grand Hotel de la Ville and
Ristorante Parmigiaino
Largo Piero Calamandrei, 11,
Parma
39 0521 0304
Trattoria Ai Due Platani
Via Budellungo 104a | loc.
39 0521 645626
A little bit out of town out in the
country, a warm and cozy favorite
of locals and travelers. Features
traditional dishes of Emilia
Romagna prepared with local,
seasonal ingredients (reservation
required a day in advance).
Ristorante Cocchi
Via Gramsci, 16/A, 43126 Parma
39 0521 98199
Angiol d’Or
Via Scutellari, 1, Parma
39 0521 282632
La Forchetta
Borgo San Biagio, 6/D
+39 0521 208 812
Known for seafood and traditional
cuisine of Parma. Very nice and
warm restaurant in the heart of
Parma (reservation required a day
in advance).
Academia Barilla, 3/A
Largo Piero Calamandrei,
43121 Parma
39 0521 26 40 60
Masticabrodo Trattoria
Strada Provinciale Torrechiara,
Pilastro di Langhirano
39 0521 639110
La Filoma
Borgo XX Marzo, 15
+39 0521 206 181
Formal traditional restaurant featuring the cuisine of Parma in the
historical narrow medieval roads.
Antica Corte Pallavicina
Strada Palazzo due Torri, 3,
Polesine Parmense PR
39 0524 936539
Trattoria del Tribunale
Vicolo Politi, 5
+39 0521 285 527
Local, cozy, traditional, lots of
fun. Here you can find locals and
tourists together to enjoy a typical
Emilian meal!
Il Fantino
Via Donzi, 7, Modena
39 059 223646
Trattoria del Ducato
Via N. Paganini, 5, Parma
39 0521 486730
Osteria dello Zingaro
Borgo del Correggio, 5B
39 0521 207483
Traditional trattoria for a casual
dinner well prepared and definitely
typical! Locals say the best here is
the raw horse meat, very special!
26
Barbara Lynch’s Recipes
Torta Fritta
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lard
1 1⁄3 oz fresh yeast
1¼ cups warm milk
Oil or lard for deep frying
Sift the flour and salt into a warm bowl and rub in the softened lard.
Dissolve the yeast in a little of the milk and work it into the flour, together
with enough of the remaining milk to make a firm, pliable dough, and vigorously unit the dough is smooth and leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly.
Roll it into a ball, cover the bowl and leave in a warm place to rise.
When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and knead it again
lightly. Roll it into a sheet about 1⁄8 inch thick and cut into diamond shapes
with a floured pastry cutter or a sharp knife. Arrange the shapes on a clean
cloth sprinkled with flour and leave it to rise again.
Heat the lard or oil—enough for fairly deep frying—and fry the fritters until
they are puffed and golden brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper.
Serve with thinly sliced lardo, fresh figs, and toasted pistachios.
Serves 4-6
Shrimp Scampi
4½ pounds shrimp
5 tablespoon breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3–4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
8 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Flour
Oil for deep frying
Clean and devein the shrimp, make the incision a little deeper than necessary as this will serve as our stuffing location. Mix the breadcrumbs, garlic,
parsley and olive oil into a paste; season with salt. Put a little of this mixture into the incisions in the shrimp. Dust them with flour and fry quickly in
deep oil (375°F). Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.
Serves 6
27
Lasagna Bolognesi
Fresh Pasta Dough rolled into sheets on the thinnest setting
(recipe below doubled)
Bolognese Sauce (recipe below doubled)
1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe below)
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Butter a 13x9" baking dish. Cover the bottom with a layer of pasta, spread
it thinly with béchamel sauce and Bolognese sauce, and sprinkle it with a
tablespoon of grated Parmesan. Continue building layers until all the ingredients are used up. The top layer should be one of pasta sprinkled with
grated cheese.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake covered for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another
20-30 minutes until a light golden crust has formed on top. Allow the lasagna to rest 30 to 40 minutes.
Serves 6-8
Fresh Pasta Dough
Yields about 1 pound pasta; serves 4 to 6.
I’m always playing with my fresh pasta dough, so it’s tough to pin me
down on an actual recipe. I’d love to use all egg yolks, which makes the
pasta incredibly tender. But at the restaurant, that can get expensive. Plus,
for people who don’t make fresh pasta all of the time (which probably
includes most home cooks), an all-yolk dough can be trickier to work with.
This recipe, made with two whole eggs and four yolks, is a nice balance
between tenderness and ease of handling.
Unless you’re whiz a with a rolling pin, you’ll want to thin the dough in a
pasta machine (the kind that rolls dough, not the pasta extruder you see on
infomercials). A hand cranked one works fine (if tediously), while a motorized one gets the job done faster and more efficiently; if you already have a
Kitchen Aid, you might consider buying the pasta roller attachment.
2
1
2
4
cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more as needed
teaspoon kosher salt
whole eggs
egg yolks
Combine the flour and the salt on a clean work surface. If it’s not already
in a small mound, gather it into one. Use your fist and a circular motion to
transform the mound into a wide well. Crack the whole eggs into the center
of the well and add the yolks. Beat the eggs with a fork just as you would
to make scrambled eggs. Very gradually, incorporate some of the flour into
the eggs by bringing in a little at a time from the perimeter of the well. Be
28
careful not to break through the wall of the well or the egg will race out all
over the counter, a total bummer. When the dough becomes too stiff to
mix with a fork, use your fingers to work the eggs and flour together, only
adding enough of the flour to make a cohesive ball of dough. You may not
need to use all of the flour, and the actual amount you use will vary every
time you make fresh pasta depending on your eggs, flour, and even the
weather. To see if you have added enough flour, press a clean, dry finger
deep into the dough. If nothing sticks to your finger, your dough is in good
shape. If not, work in a little more flour now or, if it feels close, as you
knead the dough.
Move the dough over to one side and scrape your work area clean of any
excess flour, especially any hardened bits, and then clean your hands as
well. Lightly re-flour the surface and knead the dough by pushing it away
from you with the heel of your hand, folding it over, giving it a quarter turn,
and pushing it away again. Continue kneading, adding a sprinkling of flour
if the dough feels sticky, until it feels as soft and supple as your ear lobe;
this can take 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour, wrap it in
plastic or a cloth, and let it rest for a half hour before rolling it.
To thin the dough, set your pasta machine to its widest setting. Cut the
dough in half and keep the rest wrapped while you work. Roll the dough
lightly in flour and then flatten it into a rectangle that is roughly the width
of your pasta machine. Run the dough through the machine at this setting
twice to give the dough a final kneading.
Set the machine to its next thinnest setting and run the dough through.
Continue running the dough through the machine’s settings so that the
dough gets progressively thinner each time; you don’t have to hit every
setting on the dial as is so often insisted, but do thin the dough gradually.
If you run the dough through the machine and it shreds or tears or is too
thin, simply fold it over and run it through a wider setting to smooth it out.
If your dough sticks, you can flour it well without worry; the dough will not
incorporate too much flour at this point.
As the length of the dough increases, you may find it a little unwieldy. With
an electric (as opposed to hand cranked) pasta machine, you can stand
pretty far away and gather the dough as it comes out of the machine,
gently folding it over onto itself, so it looks like ribbon candy. Or you can
cut long shorter lengths with a sharp knife and run each piece through the
setting. Whatever works best for you.
For most pastas, you want to roll the dough until it’s very thin like a silk
scarf; if you hold it up to the light you can see your hand through it. On
some pasta machines this will mean the thinnest setting; on others it may
be the second thinnest.
29
Bolognese Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
5 ounces chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds ground meat, preferably ½ pound each of veal, pork, and lamb
1½ cups dry red wine
1½ cups chicken broth or beef broth
1 14½-ounce can (1½ cups) chopped canned tomatoes
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup heavy cream, or more to taste (optional)
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add
the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender,
8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken livers and sage, season with a little salt
and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the livers lose their red color, 2 to 3
minutes.
Add the ground meat in batches, letting it brown a little before adding
more. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook,
stirring, until no red or pink color remains. Pour off most of the fat. Add the
wine, increase the heat to high, and boil, stirring occasionally to break up
any clumps of meat, until the wine is almost gone, 10 to 15 minutes. Add
the broth, tomatoes, and basil. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a
gentle simmer; you should see an occasional bubble but not a boil. Cook,
uncovered, until the sauce is thick, dark, and rich, for at least 1 hour. (You
can keep cooking it longer over low heat, and it will only get better.) Stir in
the cream, if using, and simmer for at least another 10 minutes to heat it
through; longer is fine.
Béchamel Sauce
6
6
1
5
tablespoons unsalted butter
tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour flour
teaspoons salt
cups hot milk
Melt the butter over low heat in a pan. Whisk in the flour and salt to make a
roux. Cook gently for a few minutes without allowing it to color. Gradually
whisk in hot milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until
the sauce is thick and smooth, and the raw taste of the flour has completely
disappeared. Season to taste.
30
Braised Beef Ribs
Though this recipe is a pretty traditional take on classic braised short ribs,
I cook them longer and at a lower temperature than most recipes call for,
which makes them so tender the meat practically melts in your mouth.
The deeply flavored sauce is easy to make by simply simmering the braising liquid until it is very much reduced, which intensifies its flavor and
thickens it. A pat of butter and a little thyme swirled in just before serving
are all it needs. This is a great dish for company because you can make it
a day or two ahead and it only tasted the better for it. The trick to making
short ribs is not to take them out of the oven until you can easily pull the
meat away from the bone.
6–8 pounds meaty, bone in short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, plus more if needed
1 large spanish onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 head garlic, separated into individual cloves and peeled
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
6 fresh thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tomato, chopped
6 cups low-sodium beef broth or chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Heat the oven to 250°F. Sprinkle a good amount of salt and some pepper all over the ribs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown the rib in batches if necessary, on all sides. Be sure there is room
around the ribs so that they sear instead of steam, and be patient, turning
them only after they have browned on one side; the browning step should
take 10 to 12 minutes total.
As the ribs are browned, transfer them to a deep baking dish or Dutch oven
large enough to accommodate the meat and braising liquid. Leave about
2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the skillet and pour off any excess.
Return the pan to medium high heat and add the onion, celery, carrot, and
garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned,
about 8 minutes. Add the red wine, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns,
coriander, and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is
reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, and pour
the liquid over the ribs in the baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil
and cook in the oven until fork tender, 4 to 5 hours; some of the meat may
fall off the bones, which is okay, though the ribs look more dramatic on the
plate if still on the bone.
31
Let the meat cool in the braising liquid until it is almost room temperature.
Transfer the ribs, meat side down to another baking dish. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Ladle some
of the braising liquid over the ribs to keep moist; you want about ½ inch of
liquid in the dish. If serving the ribs immediately, spoon of any fat you can
see on the surface of the braising liquid. If not serving right away, refrigerate the ribs and the braising liquid separately, covered with plastic wrap,
until ready to serve. You can then remove the fat that has solidified on top
of the cooled liquid.
To serve, heat the oven to 300°F. Bring the defatted braising liquid to a
simmer over medium heat and cook, skimming occasionally, until reduced
to about 1 ½ cups, about 30 minutes. You don’t want the liquid to come to
a rolling boil, but you do want to see tiny bubbles coming to the surface.
Meanwhile, gently reheat the ribs in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Just before serving, whisk the butter and chopped thyme leaves into the reduced
liquid. Divide the ribs among six plates and top with the sauce.
Serves 6
Pepper en Sour
3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
3 hot peppers, such as jalapeño
2 cups balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Remove the seeds and ribs (white part inside) from the peppers. Julienne
the bell peppers, and cut the jalapeño into small dice. Saute peppers in
olive oil until tender. If your vinegar is on the thin side, the consistency of
water, reduce it by half. If it is a high quality aged vinegar and is already
concentrated, the consistency of maple syrup, use it as is. Add vinegar to
peppers and cook another 5 to 8 minutes until the peppers have taken up
the vinegar.
32
Creamy Semolina
4 cups milk
1 cup semolina
6 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup mascarpone
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer. Rain in the semolina
slowly, whisking all the while to prevent clumping. Reduce the heat to a
simmer, add 3 teaspoons of the butter, season with 2 teaspoons salt and a
few grinds of pepper, and let the semolina cook gently, stirring occasionally,
until it's thick and the semolina is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Stir
in the remaining butter and then the mascarpone and cook an additional
10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with more salt and
pepper if needed, and serve.
Serves 4-6
Ravioli di San Giuseppe
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons potato flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 whole eggs, beaten separately
Zest of one lemon
Pinch cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2½ tablespoons whole milk
½ cup powdered sugar
Strawberry jam
Lemon custard
Butter for baking sheet
Sift the flours into to a bowl and cut in the butter. Add the sugar, salt, 1
beaten egg, lemon zest, cream of tartar and baking soda dissolved in milk.
Mix to a firm dough and knead well. Cover the bowl and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll the dough out very thinly and cut into circle about 2 inches in diameter. Put a teaspoon of jam (or custard) on each circle and fold in half. Seal
the edges well. Arrange the ravioli on a buttered baking sheet, brush with
the remaining egg, and bake in 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. Cool and
serve, dusted with powdered sugar
Serves 4–6
33
Participants
Timothy Barberich (Boston, MA)
Robert Barnes (West Newton, MA)
Priscilla Beadle (Hull, MA)
Judith Berg (Visalia, CA)
Lisa Blizard (Dover, MA)
Diane Bodman (North Palm Beach,
FL)
Marlys Boehm (Santa Barbara, CA)
John Bondur (University Park, FL)
Kathy Bondur (University Park, FL)
Thomas Bondur (Fremont, CA)
Eugene Briskman (Brookline, MA)
Susan Briskman (Brookline, MA)
M. Laurie Cammisa (Bethesda, MD)
Joyce Easter (Kittery Point, ME)
Jennifer Egener (Dover, MA)
Steven Elmets (Brookline, MA)
Margot Flouton (West Newton, MA)
Eileen Gebrian (Boston, MA)
Audrey Giannattasio (Chelsea, MA)
Sandra King (Sudbury, MA)
Marilyn Koblan (Brookline, MA)
Tali Kwatcher (Dover, MA)
Alex Laffy (Salem, MA)
Cynthia Luckoski (Fremont, CA)
David Macaulay (Hull, MA)
Virginia Macaulay (Hull, MA)
Barbara Marotto (Clarence Center,
NY)
Helen Mehrkens (Auke Bay, AK)
Max Morrow (Somerville, MA)
Sandra Morrow (Somerville, MA)
Maryanne Muller (Needham, MA)
Rodney Ono (Hilo, HI)
Ardis Ono (Hilo, HI)
Patricia Parham (Camarillo, CA)
Mary Piltch (Needham, MA)
Elizabeth Reilinger (Boston, MA)
Ariella Rosengard (Chestnut Hill,
MA)
Robert Ruppel (Jackson, NH)
Alshamsha Samji (Jackson, NH)
Charles Schoendorf (Rowayton, CT)
Laura Schroeder (Sherborn, MA)
Robert Tunis (Sudbury, MA)
George Webber (Kittery Point, ME)
Nancy Wheatley (Boston, MA)
Hosts, Culinary Experts, Art Expert & Guides
Oldways
Sara Baer-Sinnott, President, Oldways (Boston, MA)
Abby Sloane, Program and Financial Manager, Oldways (Boston, MA)
Sara Fetbroth, General Manager, Oleana (Cambridge, MA)
Barbara Lynch Gruppo
Barbara Lynch, Chef/Owner, Barbara Lynch Gruppo (Boston, MA)
Michele Carter, Executive Chef, Barbara Lynch Gruppo (Boston, MA)
Abby Gregory, Director of Business Analysis, Barbara Lynch Gruppo
(Boston, MA)
Art Expert
Ronni Baer, Senior Curator of Paintings, European Art, Museum of Fine
Arts (Boston, MA)
In Italy
Alice Rossi, Tour Guide (Parma, Italy)
Fabio Bergonzini, Tour Guide (Modena and Bologna, Italy)
Giada Rubinato, Tour Guide (Bologna, Italy)
Camilla Calò, Tour Guide (Bologna, Italy)
34
Acknowledgements
Our work has many mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and we are
thankful to more than a few people for their help in organizing Oldways’
Emilia Romagna Culinaria.
Oldways is very grateful to Barbara Lynch for sharing her passion for
Italian food, and especially the foods of Emilia Romagna, her skills and
knowledge, and for letting all of us travel and learn with her. Many thanks
also to the Barbara Lynch Gruppo team: Michele Carter and Abby Gregory.
We feel very fortunate that we have the great pleasure of traveling and
learning from Ronni Baer, Senior Curator of Paintings, European Art at
the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She will be giving two lectures, and we
know she will have a lot to say as we make our way through Emilia.
Thank you so very much to our friends in Emilia Romagna—both old and
new.
Many thanks to Alice Rossi, our guide in Parma, has been such a consistent and wonderful help as we’ve put our program together. In addition,
Fabio Bergonzini, a guide from Modena and Bologna, has been of great
assistance, for which we thank him. Similarly, Martina Sibioli at Academia
Barilla has been a steady and creative help, particularly with our two
cooking classes, assisted by Chef Luca Zanga, and for arranging the tour
at Barilla. Two other guides—Giada Rubinato and Camilla Calò—have been
equally helpful.
Many thanks to Karl Berthold of Casa Italiana in Reggio Emilia and Carrie
Davenport of The Rogers Collection in Portland, Maine for introducing us to
two important producers in Emilia Romagna. Both Karl and Carrie were full
of information and ideas, for which we are grateful.
These two producers—Giovanni Serra and the Serra family of Valserena,
producers of Parmigiano Reggiano and Giovanni Bianchi, of Pio Tosini
Prosciutto di Parma—welcomed us so very warmly. We thank them for
their hospitality and for the great care that they make for these products so
essential to Emilia Romagna, Italy and all over the world.
We’ve had similar experience at Acetaia Malpighi in Modena, and we thank
Monica Righi and everyone at Acetaia Malpighi for introducing us to Aceto
Balsamico Tradizionale.
Many thanks also to Franca Ferrari, Daniela Scita, Francesca Sarti,
and everyone at the Grand Hotel de la Ville, our home away from home.
They’ve been very helpful as we’ve worked on the program over the last
year. We are also grateful to Paolo Tegoni of the University of Parma for
introducing us to the wines of Emilia Romagna on our first night in the
region.
continued
35
Thank you also to all the chefs and others at the restaurants and wineries
we have the pleasure of enjoying:
In Polesine Parmense : Massimo Spigaroli of Antica Corte Pallavicina
In Parma: Ristorante Parmigianino at the Grand Hotel de la Ville;
Ristorante Cocchi in Parma; Ristorante Angiol d’Or; and Trattoria del
Ducato
In Langhirano: Vineyard Carra di Casatico; Lamoretti Vineyard; and
Masticabrodo Trattoria
In Modena: Il Fantino and Driver Bar
In Ravenna: Ristorante Cà de Ven
In Bologna: Ristorante Cesarina
Finally, thank you very much to everyone at Oldways for making this
Culinaria possible, especially Joan Kelley, who has made everything look
beautiful, and to Sara Fetbroth of Oleana Restaurant, who always provides
a steadying hand, and most of all, without question, to Abby Sloane, who
keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently—and always with a
smile and boatloads of enthusiasm.
Sara Baer-Sinnott
President, Oldways
May 2016
CREDITS: As a nonprofit educational organization, Oldways expresses sincere
appreciation to the sources of selections that appear in this Program Book. These
works make valuable contributions to this educational program, and to our understanding of Emilia Romagna, and the foods and wines that make it so special.
36
Parma & Bologna
U
NESCO officially declared Parma a “creative
city for gastronomy.” Parma thus becomes
the first Italian city to obtain the prestigious title,
that UNESCO awards cities with unique capabilities in the field of food and agriculture.
UNESCO
New York
December 11, 2015
!$}
B
ologna has three titles in Italy. She is called
Bologna the Wise for her fame as a seat of
learning. Bologna the Red for her red tiled roofs,
russet-colored buildings and, some say, her
years of Communist government. Finally, the
title every Italian knows is Bologna the Fat, for
the wealth of her land and table since the days
of the Romans.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper
The Splendid Table
(1992)
!$}
T
he people of Emilia-Romagna eat more,
care more and talk more about food than
anyone else in Italy.
Claudia Roden
The Food of Italy
(1989 and 1999)
Organized by
266 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116, USA
Tel: 617-421-5500 • Fax: 617-421-5511
oldways@oldwayspt.org
© 2016 Oldways Preservation Trust