Some Enchanted Evening

Wake me if you must, but it's been nearly three days and I'm still dreaming about Saturday night's dinner with "The Glorious Friends of Abruzzo," prepared in my kitchen by Joe Cicala, chef at Philadelphia's Le Virtù restaurant -- the same restaurant named yesterday by Zagat one of the "hottest Italian restaurants in the U.S." 

"How did this happen?" people have been asking. "Can I be one of the "Glorious Friends?"  

Well, it all started when Francis Cratil Cretarola and Catherine Lee, owers of Le Virtù, and ardent promoters and supporters of this too-little known, mountainous region of Italy, held a fund-raiser for a project there -- maintenance of the tratturi, the centuries-old trails used by shepherds to transport herds during the seasonal migration.

My friend Helen Free, co-founder of "Italy, In Other Words," the workshop in Abruzzo that I now co-teach with Kathryn Abajian, suggested we get a group of friends together and place a bid. So we did. And we won!

l. to r. Chef Joe Cicala, Ciao Chow Linda, Francis Cratil, Cathy Lee, Doug and Helen Free

 Fifteen of us were seated around my dining room table, including our special guest -- Domenica Marchetti, author of many cookbooks, including "The Glorious Pasta of Italy." Domenica's mother hails from Abruzzo and travels there frequently for research and to visit family and friends.

The meal exceeded our expectations, beginning with the stuzzichini, or appetizers that were served before we were seated. Stay with me because this was a meal with many courses, and there's a recipe at the end for you too. Let's start with crostini topped with sheep's milk ricotta that was blended with saffron (Navelli is the town in Abruzzo noted for its production of the much prized pungent spice). Sprinkle with toasted almonds, drizzle with honey and you've got something you can't stop eating.

Have some potato croquettes too, oozing with cheese and tantalizingly hot.

What about arancini, crackly and crispy on the outside, giving way to soft and luscious nuggets of rice, small peas and cheese on the inside?  I got carried away with munching and forgot to take a photo, so the one below is courtesy of Stacey Snacks, a fellow blogger, friend and guest at Saturday's dinner. 

Do you know about arrosticcini, one of Abruzzo's iconic dishes? They're kebobs of uniformly cubed lamb grilled over an open fire. Traditionally, the meat is not marinated in Abruzzo, where the quality of the lamb is far different from what's available here. To compensate, chef Joe marinates his arrosticcini in olive oil, minced rosemary, peperoncino, garlic and lemon zest. 

I could have eaten a dozen, but I knew these were just the opening act so I restrained myself - barely.

We took our seats at the table, as Joe brought forth wooden boards laden with affettati, house-cured salumi made at Le Virtù - pancetta, guanciale, salame nostrano (a simple pork salame), capocollo,
cacciatorini (small pork salame), lamb salame, sweet and sour carrots
and onions and roasted peppers. I felt like I had been transported back to Italy, where many meals start with plates of similar cured meats.

Next came a soup so delicious it could warm the body and soul of any shepherd tending his flock in mid-winter. I'm not the only one at the table who was wishing for the recipe, and Joe graciously gave it to me. Its monochromatic color may not win any beauty contests, but let me assure you it could take first prize for flavor with its arresting combination of chickpeas, chestnuts and farro.  

Before I go any further, let me mention that Joe stepped aside from the stove long enough to describe each course as it was served. Meanwhile Francis, seen in the photo below toasting Domenica (seated next to him), talked about the different wines -- all from Abruzzo -- as they were being poured. 

Are you ready for the primi piatti? That's primi not primo, and piatti not piatto, because there were two of them. The first was a dish of gnocchi made not with the predictable potato, but with flour and water only, dressed in a creamy sauce of sheep's milk ricotta from Abruzzo and sautéed bits of lamb sausage. A dusting of pecorino topped the dish. 

Nothing says Abruzzo like maccheroni alla chitarra, a pasta made with a wooden, multi-stringed traditional implement called a chitarra. The pasta was tossed with a lamb ragù. If you weren't an aficionado of lamb, an animal that's been crucial to Abruzzo's economy since the Middle Ages, you might have struggled with Saturday night's lamb-centric menu. But as each plate was cleared from the table, I detected no lingering bits of food from unhappy diners. Had I been eating in private, I would have licked the plate clean -- or at least sopped up any remaining sauce with bread, "scarpetta" style.

How could you not when the food was so delicious? The main course followed the night's theme -- juniper smoked lamb loin, served with roasted potatoes and broccoli rape. It was succulent and tender enough to cut with a butter knife or even a sturdy fork -- and cooked to the perfect temperature.

Like any respectable Italian meal, there has to be a cheese course, and this was no exception. This was, in fact, a tour de force with cheeses imported from Abruzzo by Bob Marcelli, who was also a dinner guest and who explained each cheese and its characteristics. He should know what he's talking about since he owns Marcelli Formaggi, importers of products from Abruzzo including cheeses made on his family's farm. They were served with a selection of artisanal honeys from the region.

At this point you might be wondering if dessert was served and whether any one had room for it. The answer is yes, and yes. As with many special occasion meals in Italy, there is no rush to the process and the portions are not super sized as they are in the U.S. We started the evening around 7:30 and were still seated at close to midnight. So there was no need to move my belt by even one notch when dessert was served -- a creamy semifreddo made with fragrant star anise and pine nuts, served with pears poached in Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine and drizzled with mosto cotto. 

But wait, there was still more to come -- a platter filled with Italian cookies - biscotti, ferratelle (Abruzzo's version of pizzelle), jam-filled cookies and struffoli -- all made in-house at Le Virtù. P.S. Joe's wife Angela is the pastry chef there.

As much as I didn't want the night to end, all good things, as they say must ...... what? they must? No they mustn't, dang it. Not if you live anywhere near Philadelphia they don't. You can get yourself to Le Virtù and experience these delights for yourself at the restaurant at 1927 E. Passyunk Ave. Want an even more authentic experience? Francis and Cathy are taking a small group to Abruzzo in April on a culinary tour. I can't imagine a better way to visit the region, unless you have relatives there. And if you've been thinking about writing a personal memoir, a food or travel memoir, join me and Kathryn in June for a week in the magical Abruzzo village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio for the Italy In Other Words workshop.

OK, I hear you. You don't live near Philly and you can't get to Italy this year. So here's something for you too -- Joe's recipe for that unforgettable soup is below so you can cook up a bit of Abruzzo right in your own kitchen.

It may not be as complete as Saturday's dinner with "The Glorious Friends of Abruzzo" but it sure beats frozen pizza or Chef Boyardee.  

Thank you Joe, Francis and Cathy for a night I'll be remembering for years to come and thank you "Amici Gloriosi d'Abruzzo" for your participation.

****************************************

La zuppa di farro, ceci e castagne

Farro, chickpea and chestnut soup

From Chef Joe Cicala of Le Virtù

printable recipe here



1/2 cup mirepoix (minced celery, carrots and onions)
1 tablespoon diced pancetta (or any other salame scrap)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz peeled chestnuts
6 oz chickpeas (that have been soaked over night)
4 oz farro
1 gallon chicken stock (we also use rabbit stock)(I used about 6 cups when I made this - one gallon seemed like too much).
1 tablespoon minced rosemary



Sweat the mirepoix, pancetta, olive oil and chestnuts until the nuts are soft/tender, add chickpeas and chicken stock.
cook until the chickpeas are almost tender.
add farro and rosemary
cook until tender.
serve with pecorino cheese and drizzled olive oil