Not familiar with it? Like many other days set aside to celebrate the rights of workers, its origins are American: At the turn of the last century women were entering the workforce in record numbers in the United States, and began to agitate for better working conditions and pay, as well as the vote. In 1908 the Socialist women of the US held demonstrations for improved working condition, better pay, and suffrage on February 28. On February 28 1909 several thousand women turned out in Manhattan, and during the same winter the women working in the sweatshops struck for better conditions and pay, with the support of the Woman's Trade Union, which provided bail money and food.
American women continued to observe February 28 as Woman's Day, while in 1910 the delegates of the Socialist International Meeting in Copenhagen voted unanimously to establish an International Women's Day, without setting a specific date.
So in 1911 the women of Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland demonstrated on March 19, and it is estimated that more than a million people participated. A week later, on March 25, in Manhattan the Triangle fire claimed the lives of more than 140 workers, mostly immigrant girls -- there was only one fire escape for the hundreds of people trapped in the burning floors -- and the newspaper accounts led to calls for reform, while tying the fire to the struggle for women's rights in popular imagery. (For more information, including heart-rending newspaper accounts, see http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/).
Yearly demonstrations continued, becoming associated with the peace movements that formed as a response to the gathering clouds of war in Europe; in particular, Russian women settled on February 28 as the day for their demonstrations. And continued to demonstrate during the war; despite opposition from other activists, on the last Sunday of February -- the 23rd -- 1917 they went on strike to protest conditions at home and the more than 2 million war dead. They called for "bread and peace," and four days later the Czar capitulated; one of the first things the provisional government did was grant women the right to vote. The date, February 23 on the Julian calendar then used in Russia, was March 8 in the Gregorian calendar used elsewhere, and that's why International Woman's Day is March 8.
In Italy it's an occasion for meetings, talks, and demonstrations, and men traditionally give women a sprig of mimosa, with its bright yellow blossoms, to mark the occasion.
Again, happy March 8 to all who celebrate it!
Returning to Cosa Bolle, the most recent addition to The Italian Wine Review is a look at Marsala, a wine that once launched ships, and was enjoyed by kings, but then fell into a long, agonizing decline from which it has never really emerged. But even within this depressing picture there are punti di eccellenza, points of excellence, and if you happen upon a bottle of Marsala made the way they used to make it, it will open your eyes to a world well worth exploring.
The most recent addition to Italian Cuisine is instead a look at "Italian Seasonings," those jars of seasoning mix one can find in supermarkets outside of Italy: A reader wrote asking me why I didn't give a recipe, and I replied because it had never occurred to me -- Italy is so regional that almost everyone here would find fault with something labeled "Italian Seasonings," either because it lacked lack an ingredient they considered absolutely essential, or because it contained something they considered superfluous. If you have a recipe, please share, I said, and so far three people have, one giving a mix that can be turned into a sauce for boiled meats, one a seasoned salt, and another a rub. You'll find them here, and if you have a recipe you'd like to share I'll be happy to add it.
Lamb For Easter
Winding down -- this is a short issue -- Easter comes unusually early this year, on March 23. In the Italian Easter dinner lamb plays the same role turkey holds in the American Thanksgiving dinner -- the celebrations wouldn't be quite the same without it. With this in mind, here are a couple of lamb recipes:
Agnello Con Finocchi e Patate - Lamb with Potatoes and Fennel
This is an old, and very simple recipe from the Abruzzo, and also quite delicate; fennel adds a delightful hint of anise freshness to the dish, while the oloves also contribute. To serve 6:
- 2 1/2 pounds (1.2 k) boned lamb, cut into pieces
- 2/5 cup olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 pound (225 g) bulb fennel, cubed
- A bay leaf
- 2 cloves, crushed
- 1/2 pound (225 g) pitted green olives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Liquid? Fennel gives off quite a bit of water as it cooks, but should the pot look to be drying out, add a little boiling water to keep things from sticking and burning.
A wine? Red, and I would go with a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo.
Coscia Prena - Stuffed Leg of Lamb
It's difficult to overstate the importance of shepherding in the Sardinian economy, even now that the island is a magnet for tourists who flock to the coastal towns -- inland it's just as dry and barren as it ever was, and the animals that thrive best are sheep. Hence Sardinia's renowned pecorino cheese (they make both pecorino sardo and the saltier pecorino romano), Sardinian wool (my father collected Sardinian rugs), and -- of course -- lamb. Here we have a leg, stuffed. To serve 6:
- A leg of lamb, weighing about 4 1/2 pounds (2 k)
- 1/2 pound (225 g) minced lamb
- 1/4 pound (110 g) fresh mild sausage, casing removed and crumbled
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup (50 g) dry bread crumbs
- 1 2/3 pounds (750 g) plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped -- canned tomatoes will also work
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- A medium onion, peeled and minced
- 2/5 cup (100 ml) olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Butcher's twine
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to contain the leg of lamb and sauté the minced garlic, parsley and onion until the onion is a translucent gold. Remove the mixture from the saucepan to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the pan drippings behind. When the onion mixture has cooled, work into it the minced lamb, sausage, eggs, and bread crumbs. Work the mixture until it is homogeneous and season it to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the inner side of the leg of lamb. Roll the leg up tightly and tie it with the twine lest the stuffing escape as the meat cooks.
Reheat the pan drippings in the saucepan and brown the meat, turning it to get all sides. Add the tomatoes, crumbling them between your fingers, add enough water to reach part-way up the sides of the pot, and simmer everything gently for at east an hour, until the meat is quite tender.
When the meat is done, remove it from the pot. Remove and discard the string, and slice the leg, arranging the pieces on a warmed platter. Spoon the sauce over it and serve at once. A wine? Red, and Canonau would be quite nice here.
Variations: Some people use cured lard instead of sausage, and you can also use coarsely ground semolina instead of bread crumbs.
Capretto alla Cacciatora - Kid Cacciatora Style
There are many recipes for things alla cacciatora, which refers to a seasoning mix containing garlic, rosemary, and (usually) vinegar. In this recipe from Trentino Alto Adige we have lemon juice instead. Though it calls for kid, you could also use lamb. To serve 6:
- 2 1/2 pounds (1.2 k ) kid or lamb, cubed
- 1/4 pound (110 g) cured lard, ground (you could also use fatty pancetta)
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 glasses (about 1 3/4 cups) dry white wine
- A bay leaf
- Several leaves fresh sage
- A 6-inch (15 cm) sprig fresh rosemary
- The grated zest of an organically grown lemon, and its juice too
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil and butter in a casserole large enough to hold the meat and brown the meat with the pancetta and the shallots. As soon as the meat has browned, sprinkle some of the wine over it and add the herbs. Mix well and transfer the casserole to the oven.
Cook the meat until it is fork-tender, at least an hour, turning the pieces occasionally and sprinkling more wine over them as what's in the pot evaporates; if you finish it all use water.
When the meat is just shy of being done, sprinkle the lemon zest and juice over it. Mix well, and serve.
A wine? Red, and I would be tempted by a Lagrein Riserva here.
One thing: The cooking times of these recipes may strike you as long, if you are used to rare lamb. Italians as a rule prefer their lamb well done -- my father-in-law would return it to the pot or oven if he saw blood -- and a couple of people have written to tell me that they had never liked lamb, until they had it well done.
This time's proverb is Ligurian: L'é megio ese invidiae che compatï - Better people envy you than feel sorry for you.
A presto,
Kyle Phillips
Editor, The Italian Wine Review
http://www.italianwinereview.com
Want to comment? Drop me a line at Kyle@cosabolle.com
PS -- Please forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it! If you would like to read past issues (nothing in them really gets stale), you'll find recent ones at Cosa Bolle.Com, http://www.cosabolle.com, and older ones at http://italianfood.about.com/blbol.htm.
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