RAGAZZI, she has returned!!!! Yes, Annalena has made her triumphant return negli stati uniti, after two weeks in Italy. What can she say, bambini, other than, GO! NOW! Seriously, Annalena has been kicking herself (she is flexible you know), every single day for having waited so long to do this. Oh, what a time was had by both she and the Guyman, who took in excess of 2000 photos. Kudo to our tour leader, the lovely, gracious and talented Florence, who made what was wonderful even moreso. There is so much that Annalena learned, so much that was confirmed, challenged, and so on. Oh, she is gushing, yes she is. Abbastanza. We must return to cooking for, to paraphrase "Uncle Vanya": "We must eat Uncle Vanya, we must eat."
There were so many dishes that we ate in Italy, that one is hard pressed to pick a favorite. Annalena shall not soon forget the pizzas. The "simple" tomato sauces. The lemon sorbet, made with Sorrento lemons that was transcendent. Oxtails in Rome. Spider crab in Venice. Trippa in Florence. Piccione in Umbria. Squid so tiny that she fit three of them on her fingernail. Anchovies so fresh that she could eat four plates herself.
The single dish we ate more than once, was spezzatino, and that was a matter of chance. Sitting in a Roman trattoria, the Guyman ordered it. The next day, at a planned lunch it was served again. Like Patty Duke and Cathy Lane "as different as night and day."
And of course, as the faithful readers know, when two dishes bear the same name, but turn out differently, Annalena is intrigued. And that started a bit of research which culminated in the dish presented here.
"Spezzatino" is, essentially , a stew. And its name comes from "spezzare," which is to break up, in the sense of something crumbling or dissolving, and so forth, because that is what is supposed to happen in the cooking of the dish: chunks of meat are supposed to dissolve into the liquids. So, too, with the vegetables.
But what is "spezzatino?" Well, as Annalena learned, it is not so much a dish, as a technique, like guazetto, or even cassoulet. In doing her research, Annalena found scores of recipes, and isolated the commonalities: chunks of a tougher cut of meat. Onions. Tomato puree. Vegetables. And that was all that was common.
When in Italy, the Guyman and Ananlena had it both times, with veal. And here is a bit of information for you all, ragazzi. As Annalena has said before, if you can be sure that your provider is treating the animals humanely, please do not refrain from veal. Let us look at the numbers: half of all calves are male. One needs one male calf to raise to steerhood, for every twenty females. What, pray tell, do you think happens to the other nineteen? For one answer, please check the catfood section of your supermarket. This recipe calls for veal, but as Annalena learned, one may use beef , pork , or lamb in its stead. Indeed, as we go through this recipe, Annalena will tell you where you may change things, or leave them out, etc.
COMINCIAMO! Get yourself three pounds of cubes of shoulder meat, of some kind. Now, inspect it. Sometimes, the cubes are small enough, that they are in fact bite sized, for one who takes HUMAN bites. If you do not have meat as such, cut it into smaller cubes. Annalena, as mentioned, used veal. Salt it with a good teaspoon of salt, and let it rest in your refrigerator, overnight.
The next day, gather your ingredients. For 3 pounds of meat, you will need 3 cups of tomato puree. If you change the quantity of meat, change the liquid accordingly. You will also need 3-4 cups of a vegetable of some kind. Think about what vegetables you enjoy with the kind of meat you are preparing. Annalena loves the combination of peas with veal, and peas are the Guyman's favorite vegetable. It is perhaps a not well known fact that fresh peas stand up to long cooking very well. They also release a starch that helps thicken liquids, and they are in season now. If you care not for peas, then think about artichokes, or carrots, or green beans, fava beans, etc. You will also need about 3/4 cup of chopped onions. The onions available from the market right now are the wonderful spring onions, so use those if you can get them, or use the usual storage onions. Optionally, if you have some dried mushrooms at home, use them liberally. Soak them under hot water until they reconstitute, drain them, and chop them fine. Then, strain the liquid. You may wish to use this in your spezzatino, as it would be a shame to dispose of it.
Finally, if you are so inclined (and Annalena was), get some flour to coat the meat. Annalena does this to ensure a nice dark sear and also, the flour acts as a thickener in the stew as well.
Now we can begin. Put about a quarter cup of olive oil in a big pan. As it heats, if you are using the flour, shake portions of the meat in a large bag, with flour. You want to get the meat covered, so make sure there's enough flour in the bag. Only do as much meat as can fit comfortably in your pan at a time, and when the oil is hot, add the meat at medium high heat, and let it brown on all sides. Take your time here. This is the only point at which you will be adding color to the dish. Keep on doing this, until you have browned all the meat. Pour off about half of the fat, and add the onions. Lower the heat to medium, and saute' them, just until they go translucent.
Another optional step here, is to add a half cup of white wine. Move your face away, add the wine, and stir, so as to get up the brown bits and add another layer of flavor to the dish. Add the meat back, and then add the tomatoes, the mushroom water if you are using it, and the mushrooms. Bring this to a boil, then lower the heat to the lowest level you can. If you happen to have a heat disperser, put the pot on top of that. Cover it, and let it cook, gently, for about an hour. It should barely bubble. After an hour, add your vegetables. Taste the liquid, and if it needs salt (it probably will), add it. Cover the pot again, and cook for at least another 90 minutes. At the end of 2.5 hours of cooking, check the tenderness of the meat. If you find it soft enough, you may taste it and season as you like. If it needs more time, let it stew a bit longer.
You will notice, if you use the flour, the mushrooms, and the peas, that the liquid will have tightened and thickened substantially, but this dish is going to remain a stew. It will be better if you let it sit for a day before reheating it and eating it, but if exigency calls for you to eat it the same night, make yourself some polenta (ideal), or risotto, or even pasta. This will make you about 9-10 cups, which is more than sufficient for six good sized appetites, with some left over.
Spezzatino. Yes, it breaks up in the pan, but Annalena would not break up with her ragazzi. Yes, it is warm, but look at this recipe and ask yourself: will I sweat more than if I barbecue a steak? You will not. Go to your kitchen and cook.
Coming up, another Italian one that may skeev some of you out: crostini neri, or Tuscan chicken liver canapes, and then, an all American favorite: rhubarb caramel ice cream, with a primer on how to read a recipe and how to react when it is clear that the instructions are wrong.
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