A Little "Pick Me Up" for Valentine's Day

Clear the table—it’s time for dessert. In fact, the word “dessert” comes from the French word desservir, meaning “to clear the table.” But while the word was first used in the 1300s, the concept of special sweet foods had been around for well over 1500 years before that. Early civilizations offered honey and fruits to the gods, but by 600 BC sugarcane had been discovered and utilized to sweeten blander foods. As exploration grew, so did trade, and sugarcane became a hot commodity by the Middle Ages. Sugar remained pricey and was purchased and used mainly by the wealthy and on special occasions.

Fortunately, in Italy, religious feast days provided many opportunities throughout the year for regular folks to sample and savor the creations of bakers and nuns until the early 20th century and the beginnings of more affordable processed sugar and foods.

Cannoli (singular “cannolo”) is believed to be an Arabian dessert that began in Sicily during the Arab occupation. The word means “little tube,” and the first cannoli were filled with fruits and nuts. They are usually made from deep fried pastry dough, wrapped around a tube or dowel, then, after setting, are filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese mixture. Variations include adding chocolate chips, flavorings, nuts, fruits or candies to either end or to the filling itself. Another variation from the Lazio and Abruzzo regions in Italy is using a pizzelle as the tube, molding the hot, soft cookie around the dowel.

Since sugar became part of the food system in the first millennium, what we would call cookies have been here, too—well, starting with Persia. At first they were hard little disks, popular for taking on long journeys, but the recipes and variations spread with travel. They were easy and inexpensive to make, and so were accessible to all classes.

The word cookie is most likely derived from the Dutch koekje meaning “little cake,” and that word and pastry came to America with 17th century Dutch settlers. Popular Italian-American cookies are the colorful butter cookies found in bakeries and weddings. The recipes closer to authentic Italian cookies include almond paste and possibly fruit or jam, but those with sprinkles and dollops of icing are the Americanized versions. Biscotti is the Italian name for cookie, but in the United States it’s a specific type of flavored toasted cookie.

Need a pick-me-up? You need tiramisu, which means “pick me up” or “cheer me up.” And it will.

While it may be based on a dessert from the 1600s, researchers attribute today’s tiramisu recipe to Roberto Linguanotto, a bakery owner in Veneto during the 1960s. The traditional recipe calls for layers of coffee soaked finger biscuits alternated with a whipped cream of mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, and sugar, then dusted with cocoa powder. It was also originally a round dessert, but layering the cookies in square or rectangular pans makes it more consistent aesthetically.

Once again, there are many variations to the basic recipe. Today many include alcohol—rum, Kahlua, Irish cream or Tia Maria. People often add whipped cream to the cheese mixture to lighten the texture. Instead of coffee, some recipes use amaretto or pureed fruits like berries or bananas.

Click here if you feel like cheering up your honey by making a special tiramisu for two from Allrecipes.com. And check out this week's Wine Pick, Prosecco, Italian sparkling wine for your Valentine. 

Food Love/Love Food

Ahh, here we are again celebrating the love of food and, this week and next, the food of love. I recently read that Italy has taken top place as having the most romantic cuisine. Maybe it’s the beautiful pasta sauces, or the fragrant cheeses or the bold wines or liqueur-laced tiramisu. Or maybe it’s the spaghetti scene from “Lady and the Tramp.” No matter. Next week is Valentine’s Day, and I’d like you to consider the romantic aspects of antipasto.

The word antipasto comes from the Latin antus or “before” and pastus or “meal.” The plural is antipasti. Coined in the sixteenth century, it is the first course of traditional Italian meals. The fare is regional but usually includes olives, vegetables like artichoke hearts and peperoncini, cheeses, and cured meats. Variations include seafood, sausages, fruit, or pickled vegetables among other finger foods.

It is meant to be colorful and stimulate the appetite. If you’re making this a light meal for two, as I have, add two or three more slices of cheese and meat and some extra fruit. The one I’ve prepared for the photos has Fontanella and Romano cheeses, mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, soppressata, mixed olives, roasted almonds and fresh raspberries. There is fresh, crusty bread on the side and, of course, wine.

There is no set recipe for antipasti, so it is simple to prepare and to display on a plate or platter. You can choose ingredients according to taste or region. And since this is Valentine’s Day, there are certain foods said to enhance the romance, too. 

• Olives, for instance.  The Greeks believed they made men virile. They are full of antioxidants and good fats for healthy hearts, hormones and blood circulation, so that could very well be true.
• Red hot chili peppers even sound sexy, but they get the reputation from stepping up “feel good” endorphin production, the heart rate and sweating, similar to symptoms of arousal.
• The Aztecs thought of avocados as aphrodisiacs. They not only taste good, but the vitamin E keeps the body healthy.
• To set the mood for love mix marjoram, mint, thyme and/or violet—herbs of Venus-- with basil and/or broom—herbs of Mars.
• Apples were considered symbols of love by both the Greeks and Celts, in part because they keep so long after being picked from the tree.    
• Eating dark chocolate really creates a pleasurable feeling because it increases dopamine production. 

Preparing food with love reflects in the meal. Is there any nicer way to show you care than by nourishing family and friends with beautiful food?

Check tomorrow's "Wine Pick" for a romantic wine to drink with antipasti. Or pasta, or pork chops. 

Next week, dessert…

May 1--Time for Some Pecorino Romano

Pecorino Romano cheese is one of Italy’s oldest, feeding Roman soldiers 2,000 years ago and appearing in writings by Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder. Most of it is aged for 8 to 12 months and sold with a hard, flaky or grainy texture and a salty, sometimes smoky flavor that is used mainly as an addition to other dishes. But there is also a younger, softer version with a sweeter flavor used as a table cheese.

In other parts of the world, including Italy, May 1 is International Workers Day—like Labor Day in the US. In a celebration of spring, families traditionally take picnics of Pecorino Romano, fresh fava beans and a bottle of wine to the countryside on this day. Towns outside of Rome also host a sagra delle fave e pecorino—a local food festival (sagra) that, on May 1, features fava beans and Pecorino Romano. Pair this with Chianti Classico, Sangiovese or a white Orvieto.

Here are a few more facts about Pecorino Romano. Buon appetito!

• Pecorino cheese is made from 100 percent sheep’s (pecora) milk.
• But authentic Pecorino Romano is not just any sheep’s milk. As in the wine industry, some specialty foods receive Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. This Pecorino Romano milk must come from Lazio, Sardinia and Grosseto in southern Tuscany, and the cheese must be produced there as well.
• The aforementioned production of the cheese is the same as it was 2,000 years ago. Farmers drain and press the whey from the curds immediately after they’ve formed. The curds are heated and turned out into molds and pressed. The cheese is turned and rubbed with salt daily for the first few days, then every 3 to 4 days, then once a week for 3 to 5 months. The wheels are then aged on pine boards for 5 more months.
• Italy exports more than 20,000 tons of Pecorino Romano annually, 90 percent of it shipped to North America.
• The cheese is about 25 percent protein, one reason it was part of the soldiers’ rations. It’s also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
• Cheese products labeled "Romano" on store shelves are not the same as Pecorino Romano and have no connection with the real cheese.