culatello

Photos for sale

2011-12-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

All photos in the right hand column are for sale:

$45 5x7 (image size)

$60 8x10 (image size)

Larger sizes are available as well.

Includes matting but not shipping.

Payment via Paypal to adrianreynoldsphotography@gmail.com

Grazie!

Spigaroli, the culatello master. Video | Fine Dining Lovers

2011-11-27T15:01:00.000-08:00

Spigaroli, the culatello master. Video | Fine Dining Lovers

PDC

2011-10-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

Terre di Balbia Magliocco a Sotto LA

2011-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Background: Dottore Jeremy Parzen on vino duty

Foreground: Anxious dude waiting for his date

With great pleasure, I dined last night at Sotto, near Beverly Hills. An iconic and perfect margherita, hitting all the right notes, and the pork meatballs made with pecorino and mint, on a bed of bitter greens, roasted lemon leaf, and ricotta.

Jeremy Parzen, aka Do Bianchi, wrote the wine list for Sotto, whose owner is a study abroad pal from Italy. The list is tidy and dominated by Southern Italian wines, and there are a few boutique Cali wines, like Donkey and Goat's "Sluicebox". I had the Magliocco from Terre di Balbia, the Calabrese project of Venica & Venica...it's a rare variety, earthy and high medium to full bodied, stainless steel vinification. I then had a chance to taste the Cerasuolo from Gulfi...I'd say it slots in between the lightness and rusticity of Arianna Occhipinti and the more interesting and powerful version by my favorite Italian producer, COS. As Dottore Parzen said quite aptly, it is a "pretty" wine. Lots of pure cherry fruit, clean, uncomplicated and balanced.

Every now and then, Jeremy flies out to CA from his ATX home base to pour at Sotto. If you are in LA and he's in town, make it a point to dine at Sotto. And if you're not reading Do Bianchi (www.dobianchi.com), then you should...it is more than a wine blog.

Buona bevuta a tutti!

Team Culatello (a team of one)

Favorite trattoria in Italia

2011-01-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

Matrimonio, Pugliese style

2011-01-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Another Wednesday in Monopoli...

Breakfast in L.A.

2011-01-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Speaks for itself

@gnoccofritto on Twitter

2011-01-09T22:59:00.001-08:00

Follow me or...I dunno. :-)

Adrian Reynolds Photography

2011-01-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of shutting down my stand alone photo website, www.adrianreynoldsphotography.com. I started the site 7 years ago, when I was living in Washington, D.C., and selling at the Georgetown flea market. I am more known for Culatello and want to take advantage and start selling and marketing my photos here.

Any photos on Culatello or Adrian Reynolds Photography blog (adrianreynoldsphotography.blogspot.com) are for sale, and I now have a photo stream on Picasa, http://picasaweb.google.com/culatelloblog/AdrianReynoldsPhotography# .

I also have a selection of my photos framed and on exhibit at Café International in Washington, D.C., close to the National Zoo and the famous giant pandas. The cafe is located at 2633 Connecticut Ave. between Woodley Rd. and Calvert St. and is directly across the street from the Woodley Park Metro entrance. The turkey club is quite good, paired with the Nectar of the Gods, Diet Coke.

Any questions regarding my photos can be directed to areynoldsphoto@aol.com

Below is some pertinent info for purchasing and shipping:

All photos are sold according to their matted size...the image is always smaller.

8x10 (5x7 image): $45

11x14 (8x10 or 8x12 image): $60

Photos can be purchased securely with a credit or debit card via Paypal, and will be shipped within one week of receiving the order. I can ship sooner if I have the supplies and purchased image already printed. If there is any delay due to image processing or supply procurement, I will give notification by e-mail. All photos are matted and signed, and sizes below indicate the matted size. 8x10 and 11x14 are standard size mattes and will fit standard size frames.

Custom sized images with custom mats can be done, cost depending on exact dimensions desired. Payment for a custom size can be sent directly to my Paypal account.

Please e-mail me if you are interested in making a purchase and I will reply with my Paypal address.

Thanks,

Adrian Reynolds Photography

Coppa di Mozza

2010-12-23T14:00:00.001-08:00

photo courtesy of Axel Koester, New York Times

Culatello Monday lunch adventure

2010-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

I chat up cute girl in line at deli, after we both tasted the latke samples. Cute girl says she wants to get a latke and a little sour cream/applesauce to go w/it. The classic pairing, like the Jewish Port and Stilton.

My number is a long wait, but her number is about to be called and lets me order when her number is called. I offer to buy her lunch b/c a) she's cute and b) she saved me 15 minutes of waiting. After I offered to buy her lunch, she also decided to get a nice serving of lasagna in addition to the latkes. We enjoyed a nice lunch on a bench outside the deli. I'm amused but feel a little wtf-ish about buying her lunch. Unsure about calling/e-mailing her for a follow up lunch swindle and maybe I'll dine solo tomorrow.

Enoteca Molinari

2010-12-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

It's a new day over at Culatello HQ...I just finished three months consulting for a new wine bar/restaurant in Oakland's Rockridge District, Enoteca Molinari. My role was to help Enoteca Molinari build a 100% Italian wine list and offer wine service recommendations for staff. I'm incredibly proud of the wines...all are delicious and have something to say, and at a great value, whether by the bottle or by the glass. Here is the wine list PDF:

http://www.enoteca-molinari.com/Enoteca_Molinari_wine_list.pdf

I've been selling Italian wine for 3.5 years, when I was an assistant wine buyer at Bar Stuzzichini in New York City, a shop slave at Biondivino in San Francisco, a couple of waiter jobs, and my first big break as Assistant Sommelier at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Being a stubborn Aries, even in the worst of times between jobs I kept focus on what I wanted to do...sell Italian wine and build a great wine list and share my wine service expertise. One area where I helped Enoteca Molinari was wine education and staff tasting. I recommended opening a random bottle of wine before each service, in order to keep taste memory firmly implanted and to detect a potentially flawed wine before it reaches a customer.

The concept of the wine program at Enoteca Molinari is to showcase wines that emphasize traditional over international 'big' Parker-ized modern wines, and above all, typicity and terroir. There is a good selection of wines by the glass and as a special on a particular night, a wine from the bottle list will be offered by the glass. The idea is to make the best wines on the list accessible and not have the customer spring for an entire bottle in order to try. The wine program at Enoteca Molinari is about serving great wines at a good value, realizing this is Oakland and not Manhattan, and despite the relative wealth of the nabe, the economy is still down. Price points on bottles and wines by the glass will be posted soon at enoteca-molinari.com.

The list is 100% Italian at the moment but will eventually include some wines from Slovenia and perhaps France.

Not every region is represented...nothing from Puglia or Sardegna at the moment, but a whole lot of goodies from throughout the Peninsula.

The list, almost by accident, celebrates certain producers, especially Mastroberardino from Campania and COS from Sicilia. They are traditional, elegant and delicious, which is all you need from wine. Eventually, as some of you know well, I'm a major Lambrusco hound and I'd like to pilot a Lambrusco program that rivals Via Emilia and Osteria Morini in NYC. You can take the boy out of Modena...

One area of pride are the bollicine (bubbles, y'all)...for now it's one Lambrusco, the Barbolini 'Lancilotto', from the Grasparossa clone. It's a personal favorite and my go to wine with any meal. There's also a very unusual red frizzante from Le Marche, a Vernaccia di Serrapetrona secco. Where Lambrusco has the bright cherry fruit, smokiness, lovely acidity, the Vernaccia di Serrapetrona has darker fruit, tobacco leaf and volcanic ash on the nose...very unusual flavor profile for a fizzy red. There's a single vineyard Prosecco di Valdobbiadene-Conegliano from Sorelle Bronca, the 'Particella 68'; a yummy Champagne-y Franciacorta Brut from Quadra.

I'm excited most of all about the vini bianchi...COS 'Rami' organically farmed Inzolia/Grecanico from Sicily; Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex...a beautiful saline/citrus alpine fresh white from Val d'Aosta; a classic Roero Arneis from Vietti; a single vineyard Vernaccia di San Gimignano that literally smells like the Tuscan countryside...aromas of "macchia" or what the French call "garrigue", that wild meditteranean coastal aroma; a minerally, angular and malo free Falanghina from La Sibilla in the Campi Flegrei, an appellation slightly northwest of Napoli.

Love, love, love the two vini rosati...the 'Lacrimarosa' from Mastroberardino, which is 100% Aglianico, and the 'Maioli' from Tenuta Sella, a Nebbiolo. The latter blew my mind...it reminded me of sunshine and tropical fruit...totally not the usual Nebbiolo profile and definitely not a classic Piemontese wine.

For vini rossi, some of my faves are an elegant and complex 100% Nero d'Avola from COS; a terra cotta amphora aged Cerasuolo di Vittoria blend of Nero d'Avola/Frappato from COS that is beguilingly earthy and complex; a Bardolino from Le Fraghe which is a lighter, elegant Valpolicella style blend of Corvina/Rondinella, from the Veneto; Marzemino, a variety indigenous to Trentino that makes a light bodied red that is very floral and beautiful w/a bright raspberry light jam nose; an Aglianico from the Falerno del Massico appellation in northeastern Campania, that is dark fruity and tarry and unbelievably delicious; a single varietal Canaiolo from Toscana that is pure forest and meat; a Lagrein from Thurnhof in Alto Adige that is out of this world...piney, spicy and a nice weight on the palate.

For dessert wines, there's a Port style passito of Lacrima Morro d'Alba, from Luciano Landi in Le Marche; a Malvasia delle Lipari from Barone Villagrande...honey, sesame, richness, Sicilian island vacations; and natch, a Moscato d'Asti from Giacomo Bologna (Jim Baloney) that is yeasty and dry on the nose and quite balanced, not cloying at all.

The food is seasonal, local and sustainable meat and produce within the framework of traditional recipes from Liguria, Piemonte, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Sardinia...you get the point! Steve Jaramillo is the chef and he makes delicious food, is a veteran, well respected and well known, a consummate professional, a hard worker, and a great guy. His Tagliatelle al Ragù transports me to an osteria or a nonna's kitchen in the back streets of Bologna...it is that good.

I'm incredibly excited about the three months I spent helping Enoteca Molinari build a 100% Italian list, and sharing with them my knowledge, passion and love of Italian wine and traditional regional Italian cuisine.

Buona bevuta!!!

The Culatello Team

December 2nd, 2010

Cemitas Poblanas Don Adrian

2010-03-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

A cemita is a Mexican sandwich similar to a torta. Where a torta is served on a French roll that can be crunchy or soft, a Cemita Poblana is served on a round sesame roll, and grilled to a perfect crunch that balances the lush lamb barbacoa, avocado, panela cheese, onion, cilantro and chipotle. Cemitas Poblana Don Adrian in Van Nuys is a tiny storefront in a typically seedy Van Nuys strip mall, but aren't those the best places to eat? Three tables, a line of people out the door, families, a carniceria/abattoir next door grilling impressive mastodon size ribs and carne asada out front, it was quite a scene.

Eat up!

14902 Victory Blvd...very close to the 405.

Van Nuys

Langer's Hot Pastrami

2010-02-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

The best hot pastrami you'll ever have. Mind you, I haven't had Katz's version, even after living for a year on the Lower East Side.

Langer's Delicatessen

www.langersdeli.com

704 South Alvarado Street
Los Angeles, C.A. 90057
(213) 483-8050

Open letter to McDonald's from Carlo Petrini

2010-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Here is my translation of Carlo's article in La Repubblica (http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2010/02/03/lettera-al-panino-mcitaly.html) :

If there has ever been a sign of the moral bankruptcy of Silvio Berlusconi's government, it can be seen on the apron draped on the slim figure of Italy's agricultural minister, Luca Zaia, who has partnered with McDonald's to launch the McItaly line. The goal of this partnership is to "globalize Italian flavor" by putting typical Italian ingredients into the McItaly sandwiches. Matthew Fort of the Guardian newspaper has commented that this official sponsorship is a "monstrous act of national treason", as bad as other acts committed by Berlusconi's government that Fort also listed in detail. It's true that Zaia's promotional blitz took place at the very same McDonald's where Slow Food was born, in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, yet I want to rise above the other skeptics and at least keep an open mind to this "McItaly" project. So let's open a debate.

The ad campaign claims that the McItaly is better than the usual burger McDonald's sells because it caters to the country's tastes for its own products (setting aside all the regional ingredients). There is a dissonance between the typical taste of a McDonald's hamburger and the typical products being proposed to top this new McItaly sandwich (Asiago, pancetta, for example). But let me ask this of the McDonald's brass: how do you guarantee the quality of the Italian products you will be using, setting aside your marketing slogans for a moment? I'm talking about the particular taste characteristics that have nothing to do with how a McDonald's hamburger actually tastes, especially how are you going to treat/store/ship these products so they resemble these typical Italian products as nature intended? To be blunt, how much did you pay the farmers and producers of these products? These Italian products are widely distributed nationally, to supermarkets and such, but what I'm getting at is whether the producers and farmers are getting reimbursed fairly for their labor or are getting the shaft, and not being paid enough. The smaller producers have historically been paid little and most of the time can't even recoup the cost of production, while the large multinationals (Barilla for example) are the only entities who are able to take advantage of this new channel of commerce that McDonald's and the Italian government have opened. They have the economies of scale, in other words. McItaly seems to be just another way to exploit farmers, diminish good taste and gastronomic tradition, and it could very well succeed if that is the actual goal.

What I'd like to see from McDonald's and Minister Zaia is some transparency. I don't want to hear about aggregate earnings, the flow of capital ending up in which person's pockets. What I want to know is when McDonald's buys the raw ingredients, these typical Italian ones, how much per kilo? That's a way we can find out if this partnership is in fact helping Italian agriculture and the producers and farmers.

Now, Minister Zaia, I have some bones to pick with you. You spoke of how grateful you are to McDonald's for partnering in this "great cultural operation", and that sales of the new McItaly sandwich will help move millions of tons of Italian produce and can earn 3.5 million euros per month. Where do those numbers come from? Don't you see the danger in marrying a multinational brand like McDonald's to the Made in Italy trademark? But let's take Zaia's goal seriously for a moment, the idea of "globalizing Italian flavor in order for new generations to have a gustatory memory of Italian products". Globalizing how? To globalize a flavor is to homogenize it, impoverish it, and for its uniqueness to vanish. Taste, like identity, has value when there exists differences, not standardization. In fact, we can suppose that an Italian national "flavor" doesn't exist at all, that there are hundreds and thousands of regional and local Italian flavors. It is this culinary and gustatory diversity that sustains Italy's agricultural richness. I'm afraid that Zaia's declaration that this McItaly partnership is a turning point for Italian agriculture is really a Trojan horse that will bring homogenization, standardization, and the identity of a single supernational brand known to everybody, that taste the same in Paris and Tokyo as in New York and Shanghai. What about a McHuevo, or a McGreek, a McLobster, when does it stop? Let's not forget the multinational pizza chains, who produce and sell a nominally Italian product that has nothing to do with Italy. The strategy with McDonald's, and these pizza chains, is to reach the youth demographic who frequent the shopping malls, but that is a strategy of impotence and striving for the lowest common denominator when the issue of nutrition and food choices is complex and doesn't call for a slick marketing campaign.

The fact is that McItaly will allow McDonald's to grossly underpay farmers and producers for their raw materials, because of the scale of its operations. Because it can get away with it. Zaia is running for governor of the Veneto region in the regional elections, so will we also see a McVenice?

- Carlo Petrini

Culatello King Spigaroli in San Francisco Friday January 22nd

2010-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Culatello master from Polesine Parmense makes an unprecedented appearance, for a Whole Hog and Dungeness crab dinner. What this has to with Culatello, which is not allowed to be imported to the U.S., I have no idea....but forza Massimo!!!

Here below is the news brief in the SF Chronicle:

Ham impresario Massimo Spigaroli, a master producer of culatello, a traditional Italian cured meat made from a special breed of pig, will be at Hotel Vitale's Americano Restaurant in San Francisco (8 Mission St.) on Friday for an $85 Crab and Whole Hog Dinner. Spigaroli is obviously in charge of the whole-hog part. The crab segment of the program is to celebrate Dungeness season. And did we mention it's an all-you-can-eat affair?

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/21/DDQ01BKBEU.DTL#ixzz0dHDty8GE

Roma salumi porn

2009-09-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

@Di per Di supermercato, Via IV Novembre, Roma: not a glamorous display of salumi like in Bologna or Parma, but a great selection nonetheless.

@Enoteca Cul de Sac: the menu w/all the salumi and cheese selections, with a glass of Mionetto Rosato frizzante (Raboso Piave/Lagrein).

@Enoteca Cul de Sac, clockwise from lower left: Finocchiana Toscana- sweet, peppery, fennel; Salsiccia di Cinghiale (wild boar); Caciocavallo Ragusano from Sicilia; Pecorino Pepato from Toscana; Tomino w/Paprika...soft, almost gelatinous, very sharp; 'nduja from Spilinga in Calabria, an unctuous spreadable pork sausage with a kick in the mouth from hot chili peppers and a vinegar-y finish.

@Enoteca Cul de Sac, clockwise from lower left: Salame del Cinghiale from Toscana;Pecorino di Fossa; a sharp crumbly cow's milk cheese w/black truffles...a-mazing but forgot name; Gorgonzola Piccante; 'nduja; Lonza Calabrese

@Enoteca Cul de Sac: Prosciutto San Daniele .

@Enoteca Cul de Sac, clockwise from lower left: Ciausculo from Le Marche, a garlicky savory and spreadable salumi; 'nduja; Prosciutto San Daniele from Friuli; then Pugliese burrata, Conciato Romano- a mixed sheep/cow's milk cheese and quite sharp, from Lazio, ricotta infornata- a baked and smoked ricotta.

The King of Culatello...Spigaroli.

2009-08-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Prince Charles gettin' his piggy kicks at Spigaroli

Armani, Armani, Ar Ar Armani!!! (a Pet Shop Boys reference for you geeks). Spigaroli custom ages Culatello for Armani's restaurant in Paris.

The breakfast and cooking demo room...not a bad place for a cappuccino and some eggs n' pancetta, eh?

The grounds outside Antica Corte Pallavicina's newly built agriturismo...special events are held in the courtyard, including a dinner last month honoring Lidia Bastianich.

Tagliolini al Culatello, sounded better than it actually was. I mean, it was tasty, but check out the miserly portion. I didn't want a big pasta dish after the Culatello degustation, but I didn't want my noodles in a thimble either. Wahhh.

A selection of salumi from Antica Corte Pallavicina, Spigaroli's farm (on land once owned by Giuseppe Verdi). From bottom, Strolghino di Culatello, which is a very soft and flavorful sausage made from the upper thigh of the rear leg of the pig; then Cresponata, a salami made from shoulder meat; Mariola, also from the shoulder; and pancetta, aka baconnn!

From left, 20 month aged Culatello and 30 month aged Culatello. Unbelievably buttery and silky texture with the 20 month, more pronounced nuttiness with the 30 month. Si scioglie in bocca...melts in the mouth.

A little stuzzichino of polpettine with a sformatino of ricotta and parmigiano

A visit to Massimo Spigaroli's restaurant, Al Cavallino Bianco, starts off with a Fortana Rosato aperitivo.

Bologna...Kestè

2009-07-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

Some pigs gave a little, some pigs gave all, some pigs ended up on Salumeria Simoni's salumi wall.

Speck-tacular salumi at Salumeria Simoni

Culatello from Salumeria Simoni. Mmmm, hello piggy.

Tamburini Wine Bar: super dry Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro from Corte Manzini. Bone dry and best with salumi, not without as I had.

Trattoria Rosso: great prices, true trattoria atmosphere w/nonna at cash register, food is o.k., not a-mazing. I've had better in Bologna and elsewhere in Emilia-Romagna.

Crescentine, Prosciutto di Parma, nub of squacquerone

Squacquerone cheese, similar to stracchino (derived from "stracca", meaning lazy or runny), to spread on crescentine.

Crescentine: hot and waiting for me. At least someone/something is, LOL.

Bad lighting and a hungry and impatient photog but a nice antipasto. Crescentine, Bologna's answer to gnocco fritto (hi!) and some pedestrian, easily found at the supermercato salumi. Meh.

From Gelatauro, the gela- being gelato, of course, and tauro b/c two cones can be bull horns. Geddit? Owner gets ingredients from his farm in rural Calabria. I got my usual cannela zucchero (cinnamon sugar), then added fig with amaretto crumbles, and peach. Me being me, I asked the nice gelato girl to not mop the floor with ammonia near my feet, b/c the smell was interfering with my gelato pleasure. She looked perplexed but shuffled off to another chore, while her colleague giggled at her confusion.

p.s., could I use "with" more in this post? geez

Jamon Iberico de Bellota porn. You're welcome.

2009-07-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

What Mark Bittman calls the "best sandwich in the world" in a NY Times article, from Cafe Viena on La Rambla. It was definitely tasty, crispy and narrow tomato rubbed baguette, and Jamon Iberico de Bellota (couldn't discern if it was Riserva level). But this type of sandwich can be had all over Barcelona and most of Spain (especially Salamanca).

Jamon Iberico de Bellota snackety snacks at El Xampanyet.

Pre-gaming before a breakfast of Xocolat amb Xurros in the Mercat Boqueria.

The chef (el chefe?) at Set de Born was kind enough to add some shreds of Jamon Iberico de Bellota to the salad.

I hate it when Jamon Iberico de Bellota is sliced by a machine...it's got to be done by hand! Rough life, indeed;-). From Set de Born, in La Ribera, BCN.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota chips in the Mercat Boqueria, scooped into a carry away pouch for your snacking pleasure.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota Gran Riserva, Mercat Boqueria. We're talking 165 euros/kg. The Tony Montana of Jamon.

Rimini is Porktopolis, not Gomorrah

2009-06-03T13:39:00.001-07:00

Trattoria dallo Zio, a must visit if going to Rimini.

Pork spiedone from the Mora Romagnola pig, aka the source of Culatello di Zibello D.O.P.

Strozzapreti with sausage from Mora Romagnola

And doesn't hurt to eat well in beautiful surroundings.

Enjoy.

3 yr aged acorn fed Prosciutto di Parma: the riposte to Pata Negra

2009-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's unreal, gorgeous and silken, with an initial salty hit and sweet floral finish. It's less tannic than the Pata Negra. Goes for around 38 euro/kg.

Main producer is Lupini and Salumeria Grisenti (http://www.salumeriagrisenti.com/) on Via Tommasini in Parma sells it.

Enjoy the Prosciutto di Parma porn pics!

Spicy pork gelato in Calabria?

2009-03-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Pretty crazy, but in Tropea on the Calabrese coast, I sampled 'nduja three ways: in an arancino di riso, on a pizza, and as a gelato flavor. Lemon gelato worked nicely with the 'nduja.

Get a little ass--an ode to Culatello by guest blogger Brita

2008-12-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

Did I hear that right? Did that mustached man from Parma just profess his love for pear-shaped rumps? Ah, before you get any wild ideas you should know that he was likely referring to the “king” of Parma’s prestigious cured meat traditions, Culatello di Zibello. Culatello, which means “little butt” in Italian, is a pear-shaped, air-cured salume which is rarer and more precious than even the famous Prosciutto di Parma. Salty, meaty, with just the right amont of fat that literally (and wonderfully) melts on your tongue, it's worth a trip to the villages of the Po Valley to taste the real thing.

Culatello is often described as “the heart of prosciutto,” but there are actually less similarities between these two cured meats than one would imagine. Although both cured meats are made from the hind legs of local Po River pigs, the size and breed of the pigs used for Culatello di Zibello are quite different than those used for Prosciutto di Parma . Whereas a pig used for Prosciutto di Parma will weigh approximately 150-160 kg when slaughtered, the pigs used for Culatello di Zibello (Mora Romagnola, Nera Parmigiana and Borghigiana) should weigh a whopping 250-300 kg. Using such enormous pigs results in a thigh that is much larger and fattier than would otherwise be, which is necessary for preparing a traditional culatello.

The legs used for culatello are larger and fattier, but since producers trim away the outer fat and only use a portion of the muscle, the end product is leaner than full-leg of proscuitto. Adding to its unique form, the intricate stitches and knots made before curing create an elegant rosette pattern when the meat is sliced. It should be no surprise that numerous Italian poets, artists and writers have celebrated this rose-colored salume since the early 14th century.

Beyond differences in product, the production and marketing strategies of Culatello di Zibello (especially those produced by the Consorzio ) and Prosciutto di Parma could not be more different. And while Prosciutto di Parma struggles to deal with issues such as oversupply and declining prices at odds with increasing raw material costs, the Consorzio focuses on steady growth by maintaining its high status and value by regulating supply, distribution and product quality.

HIERARCHIES OF HAM - CULATELLO'S CASTE SYSTEM

Just like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Proscuitto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product, and was given such status in 1996. Terroir is considered to be just as important as the strict production criteria designated by the PDO guidelines. Whereas a product simply called “culatello” can be produced in any part of Italy and use a range of processing and preparing techniques, Culatello di Zibello must be processed and prepared according to specific guidelines, exclusively within eight villages in the foggy lowlands of the Po River Valley, approximately 30 minutes outside of Parma in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.

Beyond the PDO designation, there was a group of Culatello di Zibello producers that wanted to establish even stricter regulations regarding the production of this revered salume. These producers created Il Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello, which adheres to the PDO standards, but further dictates specific rules regarding curing and aging. Although it is quite esteemed, the PDO product is said to be outshined by the highly artisanal salume produced by the Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello.

The production of Culatello di Zibello from the Consorzio is relatively low; largely because of the small number of Consorzio producers (currently 14), and the heavier limits surrounding the Consorzio’s artisanal production. The Consorzio limits production to only the cold months (October to February) and the salume must be cured for a minimum of 12 months (PDO producers can make culatello year round, and have a curing minimum of 10 months). Further, the Consorzio prohibits the use of any refrigerators, dehumidifiers, radiators, etc. during the curing process. This is an important distinction in that it requires the producers to use their years (often decades) of knowledge on a daily basis in deciding when and how much to open the windows of the curing house, depending on the weather and time of year. (Further contrast this practice with "culatello" production in the US, where refrigeration ismandated and you can see why the products differ so drastically.)

And by the way, what does “Zibello” have to do with all of this? Well, out of the eight village names, it was the catchiest! With his cute, lively Italian accent Luciano Spigaroli said to me, “Culatello di Zibello, Culatello di Zibello, it just rolls off of your tongue!”

WHAT MAKES CULATELLO SO DELICIOUS?

Producing quality culatello is an art, as there are many variables which affect the final product. Luciano Spigarolo, co-producer (along with his brother Massimo) of Antica Corte Pallavicina was able to break the drivers of quality into three main categories. "Above all, you must begin with a healthy, happy and large pig. You must have a proper curing cellar which is able to effectively maintain both a cool and humid climate. But what truly divides the average from the exceptional is the many layers and years of deep knowledge that are incorporated into making an artisanally-produced culatello."

L. Spigarolo continues, "Among many things, this includes the skilled hands of the head chef and other butchers who cut, massage, wrap, cure, season and sew; the secret recipe of salt and seasonings; the trial and error in using different elements to create the perfect environment of the cellar; and the decades of daily and seasonal insight regarding adjustment of windows, temperature and length of curing." At Antica Corte Pallavicina their historic curing cellar, which is filled with musty rooms and timeworn walls, is credited as being a secret ingredient in the making of their culatello. The damp cellar air carries not only the essence of past and present culatelli, but also includes the dense scent of ancient dust particles and crumbled grape must scattered on the ground.

USING LUXURY POSITIONING TO INVIGORATE A LOCAL ECONOMY AND SAVE A WAY OF LIFE

Luciano and Massimo Spigaroli, the brothers behind one of the Consorzio’s producers, Antica Corte Pallavicina(Massimo is also the Consorzio’s current president), share a familial bond to the region as well as their culatello. Their great grandfather was a sharecropper on a farm own by Giuseppe Verdi, but was fired when he offered Mr. Verdi a hare that he had killed while cutting the grass that day (“nobody had the right to kill the animals on his land!”). So in looking for a new farm to sharecrop, he ended up in Polesine, right next to the Po river. It was there that he learned the tradition of producing culatello, a tradition that has endured and flourished with each generation. Yet, although this area’s history and traditions reflect hundreds of years of culatello production, it has only recently enjoyed the economic benefits and worldwide acclaim surrounding its culatello. Even as recently as 30 years ago this was a poor area which many of the locals abandoned rather than flocked to. Reason enough, as the Spigaroli brothers see it to try a limited distribution strategy to help turn around the local economy.

The Spigaroli brothers are inspired by their grandfather's story to use the Po Valley's unique agricultural products as anchors to make building a life in these villages a viable option for the region's young people. In fact, the economic rejuvenation of the Po river area can be credited in part to the groundwork and enthusiasm of those like the Spigaroli brothers.

"We [the Consorzio] prefer to have smaller productions because we don’t want culatello to resemble an industrialized production or be widely distributed," L. Spigaroli explains. "The Consorzio’s culatello should be enjoyed for special occasions, and should only be found in specialty shops and exclusive restaurants, mostly in our home region." So, rather than shipping the product far and wide, the Consorzio wants to help bolster the economy of the eight producing villages and encourage people to enjoy the Consorzio’s culatello at the source. Obviously by regulating supply, the producers are also able to support prices, which is highly important for the continued progress of such small producers.

The producers of culatello in the Po River Vally have worked very hard to lay the groundwork in order to bring Culatello di Zibello into the international gastronomic spotlight. To date, the group has been successful in their goals. While PDO Culatello di Zibello commands a high price, the Consorzio’s culatello drives an even higher premium, ranging from €50 to €55 per kilo. Additionally, 80% of the Consorzio’s culatello is bought or served within the eight villages along the Po. The villages are now flourishing, with many moving back to own homes and open shops. It is impressive and encouraging to see a small producing community not only successfully create a world-famous niche, but also create a production system which supports the continued quality and price of the product, and supports the surrounding community through tourism, commerce and the creation of jobs.

JUST ANOTHER REASON TO VISIT EMILIA ROMAGNA

Enough already! How can you get your hands on this artisanal treasure, you say? If you are in the U.S., and a trip to Italy isn’t in your future, then I have to say you are probably out of luck (barring a brave friend who is willing to risk a run-in with a customs agent). The traditional curing methods have not been (and it is unlikely they ever will be) approved by the U.S.D.A., and although there are American producers making new world culatello, it just isn’t the same.

In Europe, and even Japan, you can find small quantities here and there, so if you are wandering those streets and hear someone professing their love for pear-shaped rumps… you may have just hit the jack pot.

-Brita Rosenheim, University of Gastronomic Sciences '07, Colorno, Italy. Currently working in Manhattan for a boutique food publicist.

'Nduja: pork sausage and hot chili peppers a go go

2008-10-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

The first time I had the Calabrian pork sausage 'nduja was at an impromptu dinner party in Florence. The hostess was Calabrese and decided to prendemi in giro by putting a dollop or two of this explosive concoction in the sautee pan. Although I have a high tolerance for heat, this was a bit much to handle. Essentially, 'nduja is a fresh and spreadable pork sausage, sometimes with bits of offal. Sounds like andouille or andouillette, doesn't it? Not quite the same thing. The twist is that the sausage is stuffed with very spicy Calabrian chili peppers and should be eaten with caution.

'Nduja is typically used as a bruschetta condiment or a spicy addition to pasta. In Rome, I visited the mozzarella bar Obikà and it was served on toasted bread atop a bed of arugula. Best part was when the antipasto was finished and bits of 'nduja crumbled off into the arugula, then mixed with olive oil for a very spicy insalata. At Gastronomia Volpetti in the old butchers neighborhood of Testaccio in Southern Roma, I took home a jar of 'Nduja. Atop the counter was fresh 'nduja, which I would have gladly stuffed in my suitcase if I did not care about minor things like spoilage and stained clothes.

So enjoy the 'nduja pic from Obikà and stay tuned for another Calabrian themed post in my Piccolo Gastronomo blog involving 'nduja and the famed purple onions of Tropea, which I smuggled home unmolested by U.S. Customs.

Buon appetito!

Cosentino's Pig Head Salumi

2008-09-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Not for the faint of heart or stomach...piggy salty goodness. Eat up vegans!

This video is courtesy of Gourmet Magazine.

http://www.gourmet.com/food/video/2008/09/cosentino_pigshead

Has the Pata Negra spawned in the New World?

2007-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Jamòn Iberico de Bellota, aka Pata Negra, is rightly celebrated as the finest ham in the world, on a visual and a gustatory level. Jamòn Iberico comes from the Iberian pig, a free ranging swine that feeds on acorns. During the Age of Exploration, merchant explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Hernando de Soto transported Iberian pigs and their most prized attribute, the delicious cured jamon.

In order to have a portable and long lasting meat supply, Christopher Columbus had cured jamòn stored on his voyages of discovery to North America, plus brought Iberian pigs to the New World and let them roam around various islands in the Caribbean where he stopped, on Hispaniola in particular. Certainly, it can be assumed that Columbus and other merchant explorers ate jamòn, but since it was kept in storage, it served a larger purpose as protein and sustenance for the crew who had to do the most arduous work on the long voyages

How did it become so prized? The taste most likely but also for a very practical reason. Cured meat can be stored for long overseas trips and for flock migrations or “transumanza”, when shepherds need to eat quickly and deliciously and keep moving with the flock. The main ingredient in cured ham besides the pork is salt and salt’s historical role is as a preservative, aside from steering the meat away from blandness.

The Iberian pigs would not remain in storage when an explorer arrived at an island for a stop. They were allowed to roam and feed and breed, starting the spread of this pig breed beyond its native Iberia. On these tropical islands, such as Hispaniola in the Caribbean, the diet was not acorns or grass, but tropical plants and berries and fruits, a drastic change in diet.

Spanish explorers also made their way north to the Georgia coast in the late 16th century, and dropped off a small stock of Iberian pigs on the island of Ossabaw. Today they are still on the island and are bred in very small numbers by individual breeders in the southeastern United States. These Ossawan Island swine are visually similar to the Iberian pig: pointy athletic legs, long snout, pointy ears, but with a more bristly coat than the Iberian pig roaming around today in the dehesa near Salamanca. The Ossawan swine are smaller than their Spanish forebears due to adaptation to a marine climate and a non-acorn diet. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the Ossabaw is classified as critical meaning it is at some risk of extinction. The total population is around 300 pigs according to ALBC estimates, comprising breeding programs on the mainland United States and Ossawa Island.

Despite the existence of the Ossawan pig, there is no clear link from the Iberian black pig, the Pata Negra, to any breed in the Americas that is consumed for meat. There are heirloom breeds like the Black Berkshire/Kurobuta and Red Wattle that are sold by niche meat companies and appear on the menus of a small handful of high-end restaurants, but they are descendants of pigs native to the British Isles and Japan, not the Iberian peninsula. Undaunted, tastemakers like Mario Batali, owner of Bar Jamòn in New York City, are chomping at the bit to put Pata Negra on the menu. Only last year imports were approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, and the first jamòn will place pata onshore in mid-2007.

Heirloom pork: the other red meat

2007-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

It is a cliché, courtesy of the National Pork Board, the U.S. Pork Producer’s Consortium, to hear the slogan “Pork-The Other White Meat”, and it promotes a stereotype of pork as an alternative to chicken. Increasingly there is a movement of producers and chefs to spotlight pork from unique and rare breeds of pig, known as heritage or heirloom pork. The difference maker in these various breeds versus Duroc or Large White that account for most of the pork consumed in the United States, is the diffusion of fat in the meat. That in turn makes it a gustatory pleasure as opposed to the relative blandness in an ordinary “white” pork chop. The two rarest and apparently tastiest and marketable are the “Kurobuta” and the “Red Wattle” pigs.

Kurobuta is Japanese for “black pig”, but the intrigue does not stop there. There is a debate among porkologists about the exact historical roots of the Japanese black pig. One school of pork contends that British merchants in the 19th Century brought heritage Black Berkshire pigs from the British Isles to Japan, as a diplomatic protocol gift to Japanese authorities. The other school firmly contends that the Kurobuta is native to Japan, and that some pigs were brought to the British Isles with the express purpose of breeding with native British Berkshire stock. After the breeding, a “super Berkshire” was brought back to Japan to interbreed with the original Japanese black. So the debate lingers.

In the United States, some producers like Snake River Farms sell what is essentially Berkshire heirloom pork under the Kurobuta rubric. It’s a smart move on their part because in- the- know foodies and restaurant owners like readily marketable names for the food items on the menus, where a name stands for excellence and high gustatory quality, for example Kobe beef. And that is exactly what Kurobuta has as a reputation, as the Kobe beef of pork. Kurobuta is not the dry lean white meat pork, but has a gamey flavor and when pan seared, oven roasted or grilled, the center is a rosy red like a good medium rare steak. According to Snake River farms, Kurobota has fifty percent less weight loss during cooking than ordinary pork which acts as a flavor retainer.

Now the Red Wattle is one strange looking pig, and genetically is considered a cousin of the Duroc, otherwise known as “Large White”, the all-star of pig breeds for the variety of cuts it provides and how easily it breeds. It is rusty red, can grow up to eight feet long and weigh around 800 pounds, and has “wattles” which look like cow teats dangling around the throat, and have no known biological function. Like the Kurobota, the Red Wattle has gamey, deep and flavorful taste, owing to the diffusion of marbled omega 3 rich fat in the meat.

The Red Wattle are native to New Caledonia in the South Pacific, and arrived in North America in the 1700’s thanks to French explorers. Today, the Red Wattle is predominantly bred in East Texas and parts of Louisiana, and somehow, in the Napa Valley, smack in the middle of California’s wine growing heartland, but it is considered a “critical” population with less than one hundred “scrofa” or breeding pigs left in the United States.

Recently, the Red Wattle revival bandwagon has been picking up steam under the careful aegis of the Slow Food Napa Valley Convivium, who sponsored a benefit in June 2006 at Silverado Resort in Napa Valley. At the special dinner, a variety of Red Wattle cuts were served, and like the music of Giuseppe Verdi, “niente di buttar via”, nothing to throw away. Everything from the offal, heart and strip loin were served. Even the pared down palace of chic that is Blackbird Restaurant in Chicago has joined the Red Wattle fest, with a benefit dinner held in early June to benefit the Terra Madre Project of Slow Food Chicago.

Heirloom pork breeds, from Kurobota to Red Wattle, to its European counterparts Black Nebrodi Pig (Sicily), Iberian Black and Iberian Celtic (Spain), have the same gustatory traits: deep fatty flavor, dark meat and so on. These breeds are generally kept by producers in smaller numbers than other breeds like the Large White, and for the most part in environmentally sustainable conditions, namely they are sold not a long distance from where they are bred. Further, being able to range about and feed freely, eating the fruits of the trees such as acorns and all natural grains, makes for a happier, healthier and ultimately tastier pig. Consuming an heirloom pig is the right thing to do, and the pork lover can strike two blows at once: for the palate and for the environment.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota-Ecstasy in the Key of Pig

2007-05-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

There is an ongoing debate about what constitutes Spanish cuisine and whether there really is such a thing. Spain itself is divided into regions that have varying degrees of autonomy and a strong culinary identity, such as Catalunya, Basque, Andalucia, and Galicia. Each region has its culinary specialties but there is one thing, not counting the protestations of animal rights activists and vegetarians, that unites normally fractious Spaniards: the worship of the pig and the sustenance it provides.

The secret to the unique taste of Jamòn Iberico or Pata Negra in food marketing parlance, starts with the acorns, or bellotas, that fall on the dehesa or grazing land between November and February. This three month period is known as the montanera, when the Iberian pigs eat mostly acorns from the holm oak due to the sweetness of the acorns and little else (blades of grass, occasionally herbs) the rest of the year. According to Real Iberico, acorns have great nutritional value due to the high content of glycides and oils, the latter playing a key role in the development of flavor during the curing process[1].

In order for the pigs to have enough acorns to eat, each pig has around four hectares of grazing room. This spaciousness means that pigs don’t have to fight over acorns, get to freely roam around and build the muscle mass in the hind legs that will eventually result in a sublime cured jamòn. From George Orwell’s The Animal Farm, we can in a humorous way guess that animals have thoughts and feelings, and that an animal that doesn’t have to fight over food and can roam at will is a happier, less stressed and ultimately tastier. If the animal is stressed or unhappy, it may not feed properly. But the good news is the pigs gain the majority of their final slaughter weight of 180-200 kilos during this period. They really do like acorns.

To the eye, a slice of properly cured jamòn is a deep red verging on light purple, with a stripe of fat on one end acting as a natural flavor seal, and longer thinner stripes of fat giving the meat a marbled appearance. To the touch, when rubbing a slice of jamòn between the index finger and thumb, a magic layer of liquid fat rises up: now is the time to place it on the tongue and begin to taste. Allow the fat to spread along the tongue to get a full, well-rounded appreciation of the jamòn’s unctuousness, then appreciate how it starts off pungent and salty and finishes deep and smooth, the palate redolent with barnyard and acorn oil notes. Justice is done only if the jamòn is tasted without the interference of bread or wine. If you must pair with a wine, a crianza or young Toro or Rioja is perfect, because the acidity of the wine cuts right through the fat and acorn flavors.

How does Jamòn Serrano compare with Jamòn Iberico?

Jamòn Serrano means literally “mountain ham”[2] and the taste is merely pleasant, an accompaniment to bread, manchego, and a glass of Rioja. It is not sensational enough to be tasted and appreciated on its own, and the flavor plateaus after initial contact with the mouth, unlike the opera in five acts that is Jamòn Iberico de Bellota. The appearance of Jamòn Serrano is a rosy red and is sliced in long elliptical strips like a French jambon. Ham world luminaries such as Andy Nusser, chef of Casa Mono and the adjacent Bar Jamòn in New York City[3], and overnight experts such as yours truly, will add one point in Jamòn Serrano’s favor: it is better than Prosciutto di Parma, even the longer aged version. The flavor is deeper, and reeks mellow of wine and spices and is extroverted where Prosciutto di Parma has a more salty versus sweet dynamic.

Demand for Jamòn Iberico

According to the Cambridge World History of Food, a census of Spanish pig production was taken around 1990, and one telling statistic is that the feral Iberian acorn eating pigs make up only 4% of the Spain’s pig population[4]. It does not take a math genius to figure out that the cured meat products from the hind legs of these pigs, generally the best for making cured ham due to fat deposits and tenderness, are the most valuable to connoisseurs and hence very expensive. As an example, let us imagine the area of the Iberian pig best suited for Jamòn Iberico de Bellota, the highest grade, represents 20% of the consumable meat on an Iberian pig. So 20% of that 4%, representing the percentage of Iberian pig in the overall population, is .80%, meaning that consumable Jamòn Iberico de Bellota is less than 1% of the consumable pork available in Spain. This is not scientific reasoning by any means, but simply to put in perspective one reason why Jamòn Iberico de Bellota is expensive.

The other reason is consumer demand. Currently there is a very high demand for Jamòn Iberico, but the demand started when Christopher Columbus stocked his ships with jamòn and today it is at a peak, with Jamòn Iberico de Bellota appearing on Ferran Adria’s menu at El Bulli near Barcelona, and at Joel Rubichon’s various Atelier casual restaurants throughout France. Additionally, starting in 2007, the first imports of Jamòn Iberico will arrive in the United States after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved imports that were not previously allowed due to fears over swine flu outbreak[5]. Additionally, there are events meant to increase awareness, such as the Jamòn Iberico tasting at Salone Del Gusto/Terra Madre 2006. The goal of these consumers is simple and noble, to present a food product of the highest gustatory and visual quality, together, this is wishful thinking perhaps, to educate the taster about the raising, processing and need to safeguard the particular breed of pig.

However, this is one of the vexing dilemmas facing those charged with the protection of biodiversity, mainly, how can you increase awareness of the need to protect habitat and increase breeding of races, without bowing too much to the rising demand of the palates of elite consumers, which would in turn contribute to higher prices? Too much demand on the part of consumers would increase pressure on the small scale producers of Jamòn Iberico, and they simply cannot keep pace if they want to produce it in the proper artisan way.

The riposte, to the biodiversity purists, is that there is little purpose in protecting and safeguarding races of animals solely by breeding for breeding’s sake. Certain animals, such as the Iberian pig, are raised with the express purpose to feed humans, as crude and blunt as it sounds, and production must be kept up to meet, at least reasonably and not exaggeratedly so, consumer demand. To speak briefly of another Spanish pig, a producer of Cerdo Celto Iberico whom I visited in Galicia only has about twenty five pigs grazing on his land. He is having trouble breeding the pigs and only sells them to three stores in Galicia. Why celebrate biodiversity if better efforts are not made to breed, produce and sell and market the product? Awareness cannot be created without clever and “Slow” marketing, and at the very least without educating the palates of consumers.

Why Jamon Iberico is the finest ham in the world

There is no cured ham or cured meat that can compete with Jamòn Iberico on many different levels: gustatory, visual, touch, and of course, price. It is expensive for very good reason, just like Beluga caviar that comes from the belly of a sturgeon fished out of the Caspian sea. But a balance must be struck between consumer demand and what the jamòn producers can reasonably provide, so the Iberian pig can continue to be raised, cured, marketed and consumed in a sustainable fashion.