Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 6: Castrovillari to Matera.
Today was as much about art as it was food. The last time I ventured down this treacherous and questionable path was when I did my last Oscars-themed dinner. I had nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing in mind for Joker. I guess I could’ve done a mock tv-dinner, reflecting back on it now. But, I didn’t like the movie, at.all., and I think I let that cloud my “artistic process”...see for yourself...I mean, it is kind of funny. However, let’s get back to today’s footage that aired on Flo Sports, which I purchased so I could watch the race and get beautiful scenery of Italy. That’s one thing I love about these major road races. It’s almost like a mini-travel documentary and you can learn alot about the different regions of the countries the riders are traversing through. Not to mention: it’s like I’m eating there, too. The race websites also provide some good nuggets on their pages, which is how I start developing meal ideas for my Instagram #culinaryridealong entries.
Today was breathtaking as the riders came upon towns which were magnificently carved into towering limestone mountains. Additionally, Matera is home to famous caves which people once used as their homes. So, I attempted to mimic that scenery of the rolling hills with some very tender meatballs which were cooked in a reduced tomato sauce, employing reduced balsamic vinegar to provide the dolce in my agrodolce sauce. That was a first for me, and definitely not the last time. I then slammed the meatballs against some oven-roasted romanesco topped with seasoned breadcrumbs that, along with the almonds dotting the meatballs, represented the limestone. The tasty charred bits of the romanesco represent the caves within the hills of Matera. I was happy with my “installation” and think I did a pretty cool job with the representation. The food was comfortingly flavorful and nearly as impactful as the beautifully jarring images of the day.
Calabrian Meatballs in Balsamic Tomato Sauce
Adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris
Bread
Milk
Extra-virgin olive oil
Onion
Garlic clove
Passata or tomato purée
1 lb meatloaf mix
2 eggs
Parsley
Pecorino Cheese
Balsamic vinegar
Blanched, sliced almonds
Rip the end of a loaf of bread into pieces and place in a large bowl with a ¼ cup of milk, stir to combine and let the bread soak up the milk. Heat a ¼ cup of evoo in a large pot over medium heat. Mince the onion and add to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes, then add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add 2 cups of passata, season with salt and pepper and adjust heat to simmer.
While the sauce simmers, add the meat to the bowl with the soaking bread, along with the lightly beaten eggs. Rip a handful of parsley leaves, chop and add to the bowl along with ½ cup of grated cheese, some kosher salt and black pepper. Gently mix with your hands, incorporating everything but not over-working the meat. Then form small meatballs and set aside. Preheat a large skillet, with 4 tbsp evoo, over medium-hight heat. Add in half of the balls and brown all over. If the balls start flattening, losing their ball shape, use a cooking spoon and gently push the balls toward the side of the pan to gently adjust the shape of the meatball. When the meatballs are browned, add them to the sauce to finish cooking and to soak up some of the sauce, for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, pour in ⅓ cup of vinegar and reduce by boiling down rapidly to about half the original amount. Then, pour the reduced balsamic vinegar over the meatballs and sauce in the pot, stirring gently to incorporate. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with a garnish of cheese and almonds.
Oven-roasted Romanesco
1 or 2 heads of romanesco (roughly 1 lb each)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Bread
Garlic
Parsley
Pecorino cheese (Parmesan or Grana Padono will work too)
Preheat the oven to 420. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the romanosco on the prepared pan. Generously drizzle olive oil over the romanesco rubbing into the florets with your hands or a brush. Place in the oven and roast for an hour, or slightly longer, until roast-charred to your liking.
Meanwhile, using the end of a bread loaf (or a regular piece), tear it into bite-size pieces and pulse in a mini-food processor until you reach coarse crumbs. In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of evoo and a minced clove of garlic for a minute over medium heat. Add in the bread crumbs along with some chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Stir frequently monitoring the crumbs until toasted. Set aside to cool, then stir in ¼ cup of grated cheese.
When the romanesco is done, drizzle with more evoo and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture pressing into the florets.
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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