Lydia, Bert & Connie at Parmigiano Reggiano
My perception was accurate. On the first day it took me
almost 4 hours to get out of Italy and I questioned how I was going to see all
of what Spain, France, Great Britain, Portugal and many other countries...not to mention the good ole USA...had to offer.
Packed to the walls with an estimated 28,000 attendees and
over 2,700 exhibitors, the 2014 Fancy Food show at Jacob Javits Center in New
York City was the largest event in its history.
For me, and Chef David who came to the show with me on Tuesday,
the first stop is always Italy. There's always something new to find, however I
had something on my mind that I needed to discuss with people who make flour.
Recently, I stopped eating the dough that makes pizza in the USA because of the
bromated flour that most restaurants and bakeries use to bake bread and
pastries.
Away from the pizza restaurants and in the mainstream, Pepperidge
Farm is starting to bake many of their breads without bromated flour because of
their concern about the negative effects of bromated flour. I can taste
nothing different than bread baked with bromated flour, so why don't all bread producers remove this type of flour from the list of ingredients?
People who I speak with either know very little about
bromated flour or are not concerned because their attitude is it's just another
thing in our food the FDA permits...and if the FDA permits it, how bad can it
be?
Well, to them I say it's banned in all of Europe, Canada and
many other countries in the world today and California has jumped on the bandwagon by making sure warning labels are required for products containing these additives. In short, we all have a right to know what we are eating.
Educate yourself: Simply Google "Bromated Flour" or "Potassium Bromate" and then decide if you want to say something to your pizza restaurant
or favorite bakery.
Bottom line...did you ever hear anyone complain about
the pizza or pastries they had eaten it Italy or France?
Back to the show...
Since Italian food is held dear in my heart and taste buds,
I must stay on top of the new products that come out of this food capital of
the world country.
Let me first tell you about the Italian cheese that others strive to imitate, that has been in existence since the
1300's and where the taste has remained virtually the same since then.
Let me re-introduce my favorite cheese of all time...Parmigiano Reggiano!
Nancy of Parmigiano Reggiano Fame & Bert
Frisbee Sampler
At the Parmigiano Reggiano tasting, they hand you a Frisbee. On the inside of this Frisbee plate is
a cheese chart explaining the differences in the 15 month, 24 month and 36
month aging process for Parmigiano Reggiano.Cheeezus...can you beat that?
One interesting tidbit. The cheese curd used in the cheese
production process is passed onto the pig farms in Parma, Italy that are used
to make Prosciutto di Parma just a few proverbial blocks away in the same
neighborhood. Ahhhhhhhhh....Parma!
As you move down the aisles of not only Italy, but all the
countries, you are in literal food heaven.
New products that impressed us in Italy at Oliver Sapore Italiano was a
base tomato sauce made with 20% pureed peaches.Can you imagine?
Another one of their products was a slow bake process to create "semi-dried" tomatoes. It yielded the juiciest and sweetest cherry tomato you will ever
taste. Just Brilliant!
Oliver Semi-Dry Tomatoes
There was a sweet organic syrup in natural fruit flavors
that you could add to cocktails or wines, a line of so soft and flavorful
miniature marinated and grilled artichoke hearts. An Essence of Figs Puree and the best white balsamic vinegar I have
ever tasted was at the impressive Sid Wainer & Son Specialty Foods booth.
Need I say...sooooo many wonderful EVOO's.
Scott @ Partanna Brands
Tuscan EVOO by Pruneti & Tuscan Pasta by Fabbri
Figs Puree @ Sid Wainer Foods
Baby Artichokes by Gino's
"Summer Day In A Bottle" by Luca Imports
White Balsamic @ Sid Wainer Foods
Saving the best for last was a wonderful ginger balsamic
vinegar which, along with EVOO, will add another dimension to the traditional
Bistecca alla Fiorentina recipe.
Jacopo, Patrizia & Gary of Societa' Agricola Acetomodena
There are many variations to this 'traditional' recipe. Mine
uses a generous squeeze of lemon just after grilling and an application of
EVOO. This recipe from Patrizia, along with Gary & Jacopo, calls for the
EVOO and a drizzle of ginger balsamic from her company Societa' Agricola
Acetomodena in Modena, Italy.
A quick word about pasta that I feel must be emphasized and
was discussed with the many pasta experts we met. There is a flavor that comes
from Italian pasta produced for consumption in Italy that simply doesn't exist
to the same extent when exported.
Tuscan Pasta Maker Lisa @ Pastificio Artigiano Fabbri sas di Giovanni Fabbri
Many exported pastas are enriched based on the laws of the
country to which they are being exported.
"Enriched Macaroni Product" is what you will see on the packages of most brands of pasta. These enrichment's include niacin, ferrous lactate, thiamine mono nitrate (Vitamin B1), riboflavin and folic acid.
There is no doubt these additions can change the flavor of pasta and a reason we, in the USA, cover our pastas with way too much sauce. We're looking for flavor!
The
Italian tradition teaches from a very young age to enjoy the taste of pasta and it's the main reason you don't see heavy sauce applications in Italy.
Their ingredients: durum wheat semolina and water, or as it says on the packages of Fabbri and Di Martino, semolina di grano duro and acqua.
"Now that's Italian"!
Francesca @ Pastificio Di Martino
Semola Biologica di Grano Duro @ Pastificio Di Martino
These laws are now becoming a bit more relaxed, however if
you want the true taste packaged Italian pasta the way it was meant to be, you'll have to do some searching
for the products that don't say "enriched macaroni product" on the
box. According to some I spoke with at the show, they are coming.
We shall see!
When it comes to pasta, it's al dente or bust! While at the show, we happened upon Riccardo of
Pastaficio Felicetti.
Massimo, Chef David of BetsaPasta & Riccardo
They have developed a pasta for restaurants that when placed in water at an estimated 100 degrees and for up to one hour...it will still yield a firm al dente bite when being prepared. Praise be!
We have yet to test it. When we do, however, the results will be posted. Stay tuned...
Please don't be shy... feel free to comment below
.
Mangia Baby!
Chef Bert
