Italian Grill - Mario Batali [13]
PORCINI POWDER Porcini powder imparts a deep, earthy fragrance to meats, stews, and other dishes. You can buy porcini powder at some gourmet markets and online, but we make our own at the restaurants by grinding dried porcini mushrooms very fine in a spice or coffee grinder. An ounce of dried porcini will yield about ¼ cup powder. Stored in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dark place, porcini powder keeps almost indefinitely.
PROSCIUTTO Prosciutto is salt-cured, air-dried aged Italian ham. Until fairly recently, prosciutto di Parma, sometimes called Parma ham, was the only kind known here, but now several other excellent types are also imported. Prosciutto di Parma comes from Emilia-Romagna and is succulent and delicious. Prosciutto di San Daniele, from Friuli-Venezia, has a slightly sweeter taste. Prosciutto de Carpegna, from a small mountain town in Le Marche, is especially fragrant and delicate. Domestic prosciutto is an unacceptable substitute, so bite the bullet and splurge.
The most important tip is to buy your prosciutto from a shop that sells a lot of it—the less time that elapses after a ham is first cut into, the less chance it has to oxidize or dry out. The second most important tip is to have it sliced on a good machine and to have the butcher lay it carefully, not overlapping, on wax-coated paper, not parchment. Prosciutto does not hold well once it is sliced, even if done the right way, so buy just enough for a day or two—and return often to the shop, to help the prosciutto itself.
PROVOLONE Provolone, originally from southern Italy, is the Italian cheese with the greatest variety of shapes and weights, reflecting its ancient origins and deep roots. Each community that produces it has its own characteristic shape. The flavor becomes tangier and the texture flakier as the cheese ages. An excellent table cheese, provolone can be found in smoked versions as well. It is also a good cooking cheese because of its ability to stretch, melt, and flirt with other flavors in a dish. Be sure to buy Italian provolone, not the bland domestic version they slice at the deli.
RADICCHIO Radicchio, frisée, escarole, Belgian endive, and puntarelle, a favorite Italian green, are all members of the chicory (Chicorium) family. They all possess a somewhat bitter flavor that can be enjoyed raw or tamed with grilling or other cooking. There are two main types of radicchio. Radicchio rosso (red radicchio) includes the familiar round red heads found in most supermarkets, usually radicchio di Verona or radicchio di Chioggia. Radicchio di Treviso, which is increasingly available in gourmet markets and at farmers’ markets, has a more elongated head, looking something like romaine lettuce, with deep red leaves and white stems. Radicchio di Castelfranco, found in some specialty markets, looks more like a head of lettuce, with tender pale yellow leaves that are speckled with red.
RICOTTA Fresh ricotta is not really a cheese, but a product of the cheese-making process. Its name means “recooked,” and it refers to the fact that it is made from whey that is heated twice. The whey left over from the daily cheese making is heated until it forms curds that separate out and rise to the surface of the liquid. The curds are then drained, traditionally in rush baskets, and the result is ricotta. Italian ricotta is usually made from whey from sheep’s or water buffalo milk (most American ricotta is made from cow’s-milk whey). It has a mild, nutty, sweet flavor and a drier texture than typical American ricotta.
In Italy, fresh ricotta is sold by weight and comes wrapped in wax-coated paper. If possible, ask to taste fresh ricotta before purchasing it to make sure it’s still fresh. If it feels prickly on your tongue or tastes sharp and/or fruity, it’s not. For an easy way to make “homemade” ricotta, see page 44.
ROBIOLA There are two main types of robiola. Robiola di Piemonte