AUNTIE PASTA: Going Nudi in the Summertime

CHIAVARI, Italy – With the temperatures in the 90’s and not looking to drop any time soon, this is a good time to take a little vacation. The goal this summer is to try and stay cool, finish up some writing projects that have been hanging around far too long and kick back and enjoy the company of friends and family.  

 Hanging Out on the Passeggiata in Chiavari 

If you were all here in Chiavari with me, I would invite you to pull up a chair and share the ravioli nudi I’m making for lunch today. But since you are not, the least I can do is leave you with the recipe. Italy has such wonderful summer food, and this is one of my favorites. I hope you’ll try it.

Ravioli nudi is a Tuscan dish from the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Nudi or gnudi, as they say in Tuscany, means something naked or bare, and in fact these ravioli are exposed in all their glory.   

This isn’t the type of dish that you’ll find in a restaurant or even a trattoria in Italy. Ravioli nudi are part of the rural food tradition of Tuscany, a home cooked dish, easy to make and delicious. Each family has its own recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation. The traditional recipe calls for a butter and sage sauce, but you can also use butter and extra virgin oil in equal measure, and sage of course, and also get good results.

 Ravioli Nudi with Spinach and Big Shards of Parmesan Cheese 

RAVIOLI NUDI CON SPINACI 

(Naked Ravioli with Spinach)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

2kg/4lbs fresh spinach

500g/1lb ricotta

2 eggs

150g/1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp flour

Salt

Pinch of nutmeg

Butter

Dried sage

Before you start this recipe, put your ricotta in a strainer (over a bowl of course) and put it in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight to remove the excess liquid.

Clean and wash the spinach. Cook for ten minutes in a saucepan with just a small amount of boiling, salted water. When the spinach is cool enough   to handle, squeeze out all of the excess water and finely chop.

Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, eggs, grated Parmesan, flour and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Form the mixture into small balls, smaller than a meatball, or small croquette-shaped cylinders.  

In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil to adequately cook the nudi.   Add the salt and drop in the "naked" ravioli. They are cooked when they rise to the surface. Remove with a strainer and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Melt the butter in small saucepan, add dried sage. Pour over the ravioli nudi, sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and serve.

Small nudi are best and less likely to fall apart during cooking.  

You can create another version of nudi using just ricotta and cheese. It’s probably better to use sheep’s milk ricotta if you can find it, as it has a sharper taste and will make your nudi more flavorful.

Hope you all have a great summer. See you in September.

AUNTIE PASTA: Italians Do It Whey Better

SARONNO, Italy - Any cook worth his or her salt will tell you that in the culinary world you don’t throw anything away. Take ricotta for example. Ricotta is made from what is left over after making other cheeses. In truth, ricotta isn’t a cheese at all but a latticino, a dairy by-product. Cow and buffalo milk mozzarellas are also considered latticini.

Creamy Ricotta

Ricotta is made from whey, the same stuff Little Miss Muffet was eating as she sat on her tuffet. Simply speaking whey is the watery liquid that is left after cow, sheep or goat cheese is made. Italians love ricotta and while you may look at it and say, 'what's the big deal?' there's a lot of story behind ricotta. It's   been part of the Italian cucina for centuries.

During the days of the Roman empire ricotta production was regulated by Cato the Elder (234 to 149 BC). He introduced laws regarding sheep farming and agriculture. In those days, sheep’s milk was used for many things: as part of sacrificial rites, as a beverage, for the production of pecorino cheese – and ricotta. Even back then they used the whey instead of throwing it out.

Variations on a Ricotta Theme

It is fairly easy to make ricotta. The name ricotta means “recooked” in Italian and recooking is the basic idea behind this product. What happens is whey is allowed to ferment for one or two days in tepid temperatures until it becomes more acidic. After the fermentation is complete the whey is cooked to almost boiling; then the left over proteins solidify into curds which are then filtered through a cloth. The result is a product that is a lot like cottage cheese but with a sweeter taste.

There are many forms of ricotta but the most common types are: ricotta di mucca (cow milk ricotta), ricotta di pecora (sheep milk ricotta) and ricotta di bufala, (buffalo milk ricotta). The best ricotta is that which comes straight from the farm, but even here in Italy, at least in the towns around Milan, it can be hard to find.

I’ve heard that in some areas of Italy you can also find ricotta di mucca e pecora, a mix of cow and sheep milk and ricotta di capra, goat milk ricotta. And more recently they have started selling buffalo milk ricotta in the southern regions of Campania and Puglia where buffalo mozzarella is produced.

For ravioli, tortelloni, agnolotti, stuffed crepes and cakes and pastries, the most common ricotta to use is cow milk ricotta. But in areas where sheep herding is more widespread, like Tuscany, Lazio, Abruzzi, Campania, Puglia and Sardinia, sheep milk ricotta is the most popular, particularly for regional specialties. Each region produces a slightly different tasting milk and cheese, but generally speaking sheep milk ricotta is a little richer than cow milk ricotta.

Zucchini and Ricotta Quiche

Ricotta di pecora is most often used in sauces and pasta recipes, particularly those that include eggplant, peppers, zucchini and spinach. It is also very good for pasta al forno, baked pasta, especially the type prepared in the central southern regions of Italy, and deserts like Sicilian cannoli and cassata.

Ricotta Romana DOP is one of the better known ricottas in Italy. The DOP designation says that it is produced in the region of Lazio and classic production methods have been followed. One of the most renowned ricotta in Italy is the sheep milk Ricotta Romana (D.O.P.), which has a protected designation of origin. This certifies that it is produced only in the region of Lazio and that strict requirements regarding its method of production are followed.

Sicilian Cannoli

Ricotta producers in Campania recently applied for a DOP designation for their ricotta di buffalo and there is every indication that they will get it. There are a few other special types of ricotta too, like ricotta salata, a hard, seasoned cheese that is often used in place of pecorino and grated over pasta. Ricotta al forno or infornato, is a baked ricotta that can be eaten as in or added to pasta dishes. Ricotta affumicata, or smoked ricotta has a delicious taste of charred oak and chestnut. But the most unique ricotta is ricotta scanta which you will only find in Puglia. It is a pungent, aromatic, beige-colored and creamy ricotta that the Pugliese spread on bread or on vegetables. 

And for a change of pace, and a lighter calorie count, you might want to try using ricotta the next time you make a vegetable (maybe zucchini) quiche.
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