Foodie Friday!

Hello!

Today's version of Foodie Friday is a primer on my favorite Italian food!

Buon Appetito'!

GNOCCHI:



Gnocchi is the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle. They can be made from semolina flour, ordinary wheat flour, or potato. (I prefer to use potatoes)

The word gnocchi means "lumps", and is derived from nocca (knuckle). It has been a traditional Italian pasta since Roman times.

Gnocchi are eaten as entrees (primi piatti) in Italy or as an alternative to soup.

My favorite way to eat and serve gnocchi is Romano style. In a saute' pan put in your tomato sauce and heat, add summer fresh, unsalted butter and stir until butter is melted. Toss in the gnocchi and serve with parmesan cheese! YUMMY!

"Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast."
-Epictetus


OLIVE OIL:



Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive. It is a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean. The wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor and spread from there as far as Africa, Australia, Japan and China.

It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for oil lamps. Olive oil is used throughout the world, but especially in the Mediterranean.

I use olive oil for everything - even some baking! A good extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is hard to beat in terms of taste, flavor and texture!

"Italian restaurants with more than 120 entrees are always disappointing.”
-Miss Piggy


Parmigiano-Reggiano:




Parmigiano-Reggiano, known outside Italy as Parmesan, is a hard, grainy cheese. It is named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, and Mantova, in Lombardy, Italy.

Legend has it, that Parmigiano was created in the course of the Middle Ages in Bibbiano, in the province of Reggio Emilia. Its production spread to the Parma and Modena areas. Historical documents show that in the 13th-14th century Parmigiano was already very similar to that produced today.

In the European Union, "Parmesan" is a protected designation of origin; legally, it refers exclusively to the Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese manufactured in a limited area in Northern Italy. Outside Europe, most notably in the United States, similar cheeses may be sold under the name Parmesan, considered generic. When they are sold in Europe, they must use another name.

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again."
-George Miller


Prosciutto:



Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham.

In English, the term prosciutto is almost always used for a dry-cured ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked; this is called prosciutto crudo (raw ham) in Italian and is distinguished from prosciutto cotto (cooked ham).

The most renowned and expensive legs of "prosciutto" come from central and northern Italy (Tuscany and Emilia in particular), such as Prosciutto di Parma.

I love my prosciutto wrapped around melon as an appetizer or chopped up in an omelet.
It has such a wonderful flavor - it cannot be beat.

“It it had been an Italian who codified the world of cuisine, it would be thought of as Italian.”
-Escoffier


Have a great day and until tomorrow:

Go Ahead and Indulge!