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Italians eat a much more diversified range of meats than Americans do. Pork, veal, and lamb are the most common, but Italians also eat a lot of game, especially venison and wild boar. Kid, or baby goat, is popular in the south; the flavor is very much like lamb. In some regions, such as the Veneto and Puglia, horsemeat is eaten, and I was once offered stewed donkey in Piedmont. Organize all of your own recipes with the Cook'n Recipe Software. Watch and see how easy it is!
Italy does not have a lot of flat open land for large grazing animals like cattle, so it does not have a strong culinary tradition involving beef. The exception is Tuscany and parts of Umbria, where a variety of cattle known as Chianina is raised. This all-white breed is renowned for its flavorful meat, especially the bistecca fiorentina, a thick cut of porterhouse steak that is grilled over charcoal and served drizzled with the region's fine extra-virgin olive oil. Aside from the Chianina beef, and prime cuts like the tenderloin, beef in Italy tends to be chewy. It is best pot roasted, stewed, or braised, cooked in rag๙, or ground up for meatballs, loaves, or stuffings. Piedmont cooks are proud of their beef in Barolo, a large cut of meat marinated and slowly cooked in the region's most famous red wine. Neapolitans cook small beef steaks alla pizzaiola, braising the meat in a tomato sauce flavored with garlic and oregano. In Sicily, large thin slices of beef are stuffed, rolled, and cooked like a roast for farsumagru, meaning "false lean," because its plain appearance hides the filling inside. More commonly eaten in Italy than beef is veal, the meat of young male calves, usually no more than eight to sixteen weeks old. The best is milkfed, meaning that the animal is so young that it has never eaten grass or animal feed. The meat of milk-fed veal has a pale pink color and is very tender. Veal from older animals that feed on grain is darker red, more strongly flavored, and chewier, though it can be very good. Juicy sausages, tender roasts, and crisp ribs are just a few of the flavorful pork preparations eaten in Italy. A favorite sight in central Italy is the porchetta truck-a specially outfitted van that houses a whole roasted pig highly seasoned with garlic, fennel, herbs, and black pepper. The vans can be found at fairs and markets and parked on roadsides near beaches and parks. Everyone has her or his preferred source of porchetta, and you can order a few slices to take away for dinner or a sandwich to enjoy on the spot. Those in the know ask for extra sale, meaning not just salt but the whole mixture of seasonings that flavors the meat. When we visited the Majo di Norante winery in Abruzzo, we feasted on roast suckling pig cooked outdoors in a wood-burning oven. The skin was crisp and golden, and the pig was served with a lemon in its mouth and a wreath of rosemary branches around its neck. In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, we ate at Ristorante Blasut, where the owner told us all about his annual maialata. The hogs that have been fattening up all summer and fall are slaughtered, and a day-long festival ensues. The event takes place in January when the weather is cold, so that there is less chance of contamination. Every bit of the pig is used. In fact, many of Italy's flavorful cold cuts, including prosciutto, pancetta, salame, and mortadella, evolved as a way to preserve meat and make use of all of the scraps. When people ask me why the food in Italy tastes so different from the same foods prepared here, I always think of pork as an example. In Italy the meat is juicy and full of flavor because it is fatty, but in the United States pork has been bred to be very, very low in fat. With the reduction in fat, the meat also suffers from a lack of flavor and is very difficult to cook without it becoming dry and tough. In Italy, lamb is still mostly a seasonal dish, enjoyed in the spring when lambs are very young and the meat is extremely tender. Italians associate lamb with the end of winter and the rebirth and renewal that comes with Easter. It is an essential part of holiday celebrations. Most of Italy's lamb is raised in the central and southern regions, because the land there is hilly and rocky, better suited to grazing sheep than cattle. If you visit Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, and the Marches, you will see flocks of sheep grazing on the hillsides. From a distance they look like fluffy white cotton balls strewn over the grass. In the fall, the sheep are herded toward the south and Puglia. They return to central Italy in the spring in an annual rite called the trasumanza. This way, the animals can feed on the natural herbs and grasses that grow in those regions at different times of the year. Many of these sheep are raised for their milk, and central and southern Italy produce a wide variety of sheep's milk cheeses. Goats are raised for both their milk and meat, and there are numerous recipes that call for kid. Lamb and kid have a very similar flavor and texture, and either can be used in these recipes. Rabbit is a popular meat in Italy, and you will find recipes for preparing it in every region. I would guess that it is more popular than chicken, and certainly more highly regarded. Rabbit meat is mild-tasting and lends itself to many different preparations. Supermarket meat quality varies widely. Often, only a limited range of meats is available. Try to find a knowledgeable butcher who will cut meat to your specifications and advise you on the right cut of meat for your purpose. When you get the meat home, store it in the refrigerator and cook it, preferably, within 24 to 48 hours. For longer storage, wrap the meat tightly and freeze it. Thaw frozen meats overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse and pat the meat dry with paper towels just before cooking it. Moisture on the surface of the meat inhibits browning and creates steam that can toughen the meat. STEAKS Grilled Steak, Florentine Style Steak with Balsamic Glaze Shell Steak with Shallots, Pancetta, and Red Wine Sliced Steak with Arugula Tenderloin Steak with Gorgonzola BEEF STEWS AND BRAISES Stuffed Beef Rolls in Tomato Sauce Beef and Beer Beef and Onion Stew Peppery Beef Stew Friuli-Style Beef Stew Mixed Meat Stew, Hunter's Style Beef Goulash Oxtail Stew, Roman Style Braised Beef Shank MEATBALLS AND GROUND BEEF DISHES Beef-Stuffed Eggplant Neapolitan Meatballs Meatballs with Pine Nuts and Raisins Meatballs with Cabbage and Tomatoes Meatballs, Bologna Style Meatballs in Marsala Meatloaf, Old Naples Style BEEF ROASTS Pot Roast with Red Wine Pot Roast with Onion Sauce and Pasta Sicilian Stuffed Beef Roll Roast Tenderloin with Olive Sauce Mixed Boiled Meats Sardinian Saffron Meat Pies VEAL CUTLETS (SCALOPPINE) Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Sage Veal Cutlets with Truffles Veal with Marsala and Mushrooms Veal Rolls in White Wine Veal Rolls with Anchovies Veal Rolls with Spinach Veal Rolls with Prosciutto and Cheese Grilled Veal Rolls with Mozarella and Bread Crumbs VEAL CHOPS Skillet Veal Chops Veal Chops with Rosemary and White Wine Roasted Veal Chops Veal Chops with Sweet Peppers Stuffed Veal Chops with Ham and Fontina Veal Chops, Milan Style Braised Veal Chops VEAL STEWS Veal, Potato, and Green Bean Stew Veal Stew with Rosemary and Peas Veal and Pepper Stew Veal Stew with Red Wine Veal Goulash with Cream Veal, Sausage, and Mushroom Skewers VEAL SHANKS Veal Shanks, Milan Style Veal Shanks with Barbera Veal Shanks with Porcini Roasted Veal Shanks Veal Roast, Grandmother's Style VEAL ROASTS Veal Roast with Pancetta Veal in Tuna Sauce Braised Veal Shoulder OTHER VEAL DISHES Veal-Stuffed Cabbage Veal and Tuna Loaf Venetian Liver and Onions Stuffed Breast of Veal PORK SAUSAGES Sausage and Pepper Skillet Roasted Sausages and Potatoes Umbrian Sausage and Lentil Stew Sausages with Grapes Sausages with Olives and White Wine Sausages with Mushrooms Sausages with Broccoli Rabe Sausages with Lentils PORK RIBS AND CHOPS Pork Ribs and Cabbage Grilled Spareribs Grilled Marinated Pork Chops Spareribs, Friuli Style Spareribs with Tomato Sauce Spiced Ribs, Tuscan Style Spareribs and Beans Spicy Pork Chops with Pickled Peppers Pork Chops with Rosemary and Apples Pork Chops with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce Pork Chops with Porcini and Red Wine Pork Chops with Cabbage Pork Chops with Fennel and White Wine Pork Chops, Pizzamaker's Style Pork Chops, Molise Style PORK TENDERLOINS AND ROASTS Balsamic-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Arugula and Parmigiano Herbed Pork Tenderloin Calabrian-Style Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Chile Roast Pork with Potatoes and Rosemary Pork Loin with Lemon Pork Loin with Apples and Grappa Roast Pork with Hazelnuts and Cream Tuscan Pork Loin Roast Pork Shoulder with Fennel Roast Suckling Pig Boneless Spiced Pork Loin Roast Braised Pork Shoulder in Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Grapes Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder LAMB CHOPS Lamb Chops with White Wine Lamb Chops with Capers, Lemon, and Sage Lamb Chops in Crispy Coating Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Olives Lamb Chops with Tomato, Caper, and Anchovy Sauce Burn-the-Fingers Lamb Chops Grilled Lamb, Basilicata Style Grilled Lamb Skewers LAMB STEWS AND BRAISES Lamb Stew with Rosemary, Mint, and White Wine Umbrian Lamb Stew with Chickpea Puree Hunter's-Style Lamb Lamb, Potato, and Tomato Stew Lamb and Pepper Stew Lamb Casserole with Eggs Lamb or Kid with Potatoes, Sicilian Style Apulian Lamb and Potato Casserole LAMB SHANKS Lamb Shanks with Chickpeas Lamb Shanks with Peppers and Prosciutto Lamb Shanks with Capers and Olives Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce LAMB ROASTS Lamb Pot Roast with Cloves, Roman Style Braised Stuffed Lamb Shoulder Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes, Garlic, and Rosemary Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Herbs, and Garlic Braised Lamb-Stuffed Zucchini RABBIT Rabbit with White Wine and Herbs Rabbit with Olives Rabbit, Porchetta Style Rabbit with Tomatoes Sweet-and-Sour Braised Rabbit Roasted Rabbit with Potatoes From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for our free monthly newsletter, with recipes, cooking tips and more! |
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