Have you ever had a nice Italian stew? Whether we’re talking about minestrone or a really saucy version of chicken cacciatore, Italian food can be very hearty. It really all depends on how you prepare it.
This is especially true if you are preparing beef stews. Italian beef stews are just heaven sent. Seriously, there is no other way to describe it. Imagine, nice cuts of beef stewed in red wine as well as some herbs and tomato sauce for hours. It’s so great that you would forget that it took a lot of love and attention to detail, as well as a lot of time to come up with that culinary masterpiece.
In fact, it’s a lot of people are simply clueless regarding how awesome Italian cuisine is. Believe it or not, Italian food is more than just pasta. I know that’s kind of hard to believe, but it’s true. Similarly, Italian food goes beyond pizza from a pizza oven. I know, shocking right? Well, you have to understand that Italy is actually composed of many different countries. If you define country as a place or geographic region that has its own distinct culture, then Italy would really qualify as a continent.
The last time I visited Italy was 13 years ago and let me tell you, the culture of northern Italy is very different from the culture in Sicily, which is the heart of southern Italy. Similarly, even when you are traveling in the same region for example Tuscany, where Florence is located, each town and each city has its own distinct identity.
In fact, when I took the train from Florence to Venice Italy, it’s like going to a different country. Sure, they’re governed by the same institutions and political infrastructure, but everything else is really different. This is the essence of Italy. It’s like going to a different continent all of its own. When you go from town to town, city to city, you are treated to an amazing array of breads, stews, food, and everything else.
And this is why the typical American conception of Italian and food really do no justice to Italian cuisine. It really doesn’t. It shortchanges it by a mile. Do yourself a big favor and travel to Italy. Make it a once in a lifetime trip but do it. It really will open your mind to culture, history, and everything else. And one of the things that I walked away with from my two week trip to Italy, which took me from the north of the country all the way to the south, was an appreciation for the many different flavors and shades and colors of Italian food.
When I got back, it seemed like all the Italian feasts that I used to look forward to simply pale in comparison. It’s like being treated to caviar and then going home to eat some saltine crackers. Talk about a letdown. Talk about a disappointment. Well, thankfully, I got my hand on some authentic Italian recipe books and I started cooking some great Italian feasts. I even grew my own fresh rosemary and basil. That’s how hardcore I was into Italian cuisine.
One thing that I noticed, however, is that the stews, especially from the Tuscany region of Italy, needs some nice cream and most importantly, nice crusty bread to go with it. Your Italian meal just won’t be complete without these three essential ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, a fine bottle of wine, and fresh baked crusty Italian bread made in a bread machine. (Here’s some olive oil dispensers you may like)
This is how I go turned on to baking. While I love myself a nice and crusty loaf of bread every once in a while, it was really my desire to pair the amazing Italian stews that I was preparing with fresh home grown ingredients with crusty bread. It’s the crusty bread that really just blows up the flavor in your mouth. I know that sounds crazy. I know it may seem like a counter intuitive because flavor is flavor and texture is texture. But you have to understand that your mind is always putting together its overall impression of the food that you’re eating.
Texture plays a big role in this. It has to have the right texture otherwise it’s not going to be as awesome as it could be. It’s still good, mind you, but it’s not going to be as awesome as it could be. It’s not going to hit the ball out of the park. It’s not going to be extra memorable. That’s why I decided to bake my own bread, but to take it to a much higher level of old world charm, I bought myself the best bread cloche.
These are porcelain bake ware where I put fresh dough in. I then put a lid on it and I put it in the oven. Once the bread cloche cools down, I put it right in the middle of the dining table. It looks really authentic because it’s got some burn marks on its surface. There’s even some charcoal stains but when I take off the lid, everybody’s jaw just drop because out comes some amazing old world Italian style bread complete with a thick hard crust.
When you break it open, out comes this glorious steam and you know you’re in for an amazing Italian feast. Do yourself a big favor and add a little old world charm to whatever Italian food you’re enjoying. Get yourself some bread cloches. They will definitely do the trick each and every time.
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