Here we are with the second American issue of La Cucina Italiana print magazine. Every three months we share the best of the best from our home edition. This time the cover features risotto, which represents us with strength and discretion since the beloved rice dish has tough competition like spaghetti and mezze maniche yet remains a great classic.
Cooking it to perfection is what makes it so particular: stirring in the butter and adding the Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano calls for a magic touch to ensure just the right amount of creaminess and its specific consistency – always complete this step after removing the risotto from the heat, mind you, and always stir in some diced butter taken straight out of the freezer, for softness. I learned this trick from an exceptional Italian chef who is also a man of rare kindness: the great Giancarlo Morelli whose namesake restaurant is at the Hotel VIU Milan.
When the texture achieved is sublime, we call it risotto all’onda, indicating that when cooking is complete, it should move “like a wave” in the pan. I remember my grandpa Giovanni making risotto for me as though it were yesterday, with saffron, bright yellow, Milanese-style (we’ve proposed a novel recipe with pecorino and nettle cream, but anything goes) in the kitchen at his home in Milan. He would stir-fry any risotto left in the pan into a delicious tortina salata with a heart of soft, gooey cheese. I know, we Italians have a weakness for grandparents, but how can I help it if I ate the best meals with him at his place (Sorry, Mamma!) or if the Petronilla apple cake prepared by Milena (one of the grandmothers in this issue) is simply exquisite?
We also sat around a table with Giorgio Guidotti, who told us about how he entertains at his New York home. The head of global communications for Max Mara, he’s one of the most joyfully chic men I know, and his Manhattan apartment mixes Italianity with the Big Apple.
Also in the United States, we discovered a wonderful tribe of chefs cooking Italian cuisine (but not only) in Philadelphia, a UNESCO World Heritage City since 2015. The occasion for visiting was the opening of the new Four Seasons Hotel designed by Norman Foster, but our Jaclyn DeGiorgio enjoyed several impeccable meals. One of them was at Vetri Cucina, where Marc Vetri’s Swiss chard gnocchi with brown butter and ricotta salata was worthy of a standing ovation.
In any case, if I began by discussing risotto I certainly can’t go without mentioning pasta. We tried making it in the microwave, frying it in hot oil, cooking it with the acqua pazza method… all in defiance of prominent taboos, because in Italy anything other than boiling and draining pasta seems like sacrilege. Nevertheless, the result of each different cooking technique tasted every bit as delightful as what we sampled in Parma, a 2020 Italian Capital of Culture, or in Bormio, a mountain destination in Valtellina with a strong food & wine tradition. In the central Italian region of Umbria we were quiet, for the most part, at the luxury hermitage where we stayed. Visitors there are asked to maintain silence (which for us Italians is no small feat), but at least we managed to open our mouths to enjoy risotto (yes, again – this time with leeks), freshly baked bread, vegetables straight from the garden…
And then, two wonderful family stories: one about Francesco Panella, whom some of you will already know, given that he has two restaurants in New York – one in Manhattan called Feroce (where both Madonna and Russel Crowe are regulars) and Antica Pesa in Brooklyn. The other is about the Lunellis, who bring us Ferrari’s sparkling wines and shared an exceptional recipe for strangolapreti alla trentina, a pasta preparation typical of Trento.
If you’d like to hold these 146 pages of pure paper in your hands, they’re waiting for you at all the Eataly shops in the U.S. (eataly.com) and at Barnes & Noble (barnesandnobleinc.com).
Buon appetito!
#2 La Cucina Italiana print magazine is available also at the following addresses in California and Canada:
Book Soup 8818 Sunset Blvd West Hollywood
Al's Newsstand 216 S. Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills
Sheltam Newsstand 6333 W. 3rd Street Los Angeles
Canyon News 12100 1/2 Ventura Blvd Studio City
Kosher News 370 N. Fairfax Los Angeles
Centerfold Newsstand 716 N. Fairfax Ave Los Angeles
Current Events Newsstand 1140 Highland Ave Manhattan Beach
Century World News 10597 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles
Malibu Newsstand 23717 1/2 Malibu Cyn Malibu
Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Pasadena
Larchmont Above the Fold 226 N. Larchmont Los Angeles
Valencia News 23164 Valencia Blvd Valencia
National News 11203 National Blvd Los Angeles
Basha Newsstand 1652 N. Cahuenga Blvd Hollywood
All American News 18001 Ventura Blvd Encino
What's News 21900 Ventura Blvd Woodland Hills
Hennessey & Ingalls 300 S. Santa Fe Ave Los Angeles
Skylight Books 1814 N. Vermont Los Angeles
Owl Bookstore 5634 N. Figueroa Los Angeles
MCNEWS- 1460 LONSDALE AVE N. VANCOUVER
BOLEN BOOKS- 111 - 1644 HILLSIDE AVENUE VICTORIA
PAGES BOOK EMPORIUM 1011 BAKER STREET CRANBROOK
MAYFAIR NEWS GEORGIA 10-1055 W GEORGIA VANCOUVER
NEWSROOM 2256 WEST 41ST AVE VANCOUVER
DAILY GLOBE NEWSHOP 101-1013 17TH AVE S.W. CALGARY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BKSL GRANT 1120 GRANT AVE #4000 WINNIPEG
MCNALLY ROBINSON BKSL SASK. 3130 8TH ST. EAST SASKATOON
NEWS WEST 1346833 ONTARIO LTD 3603 LANGSTAFF RD # 12 WOODBRIDGE
WESTGATE NEWS 1309 CARLING AVE OTTAWA
VARIETY SMOKE & GIFT 140 WOODBRIDGE AVE. UNIT #5 WOODBRIDGE
PRESSE INTERNATIONALE-BLOOR 537 BLO0R W TORONTO
PRESSE INTERNATIONAL-QUEEN 2068 QUEEN ST E TORONTO
NARDINI SPECIALTIES 184 HIGHWAY 8 STONEY CREEK
READS - RIVERVIEW UNIT 2 620 COVERDALE RD RIVERVIEW
ATLANTIC NEWS- 5560 MORRIS STREET HALIFAX
MESSAGERIE DYNAMIQUE 12800 RUE BRAULT MIRABEL
INDIGO-YONGE & EGLINTON PO BOX 2466-2300 YONGE STREET TORONTO
INDIGO #279 SIGNAL HILL 5570 SIGNAL HILL CTR S.W. CALGARY
INDIGO-BAY & BLOOR MANULIFE CTR 55 BLOOR ST. WEST TORONTO
INDIGO-PLACE MONTREAL TRUST 1500 MCGILL COLLEGE AVENUE MONTREAL
INDIGO-EATON CENTRE EATON CENTRE-220 YONGE ST. TORONTO
INDIGO-SOUTH EDMONTON S.EDMONTON COM-1837-99 ST.N.W. EDMONTON
INDIGO-STONEY CREEK 1783 STONE CHURCH RD E #1 STONEY CREEK
INDIGO-ERIN MILLS 5015 GLENN ERIN DRIVE MISSISSAUGA
INDIGO-EDMONTON UNIT 186, 9450-127 AVE NW EDMONTON
INDIGO-LAVAL 900 LE CORBUSIER, BLVD LAVAL
CHAPTERS-WOODBRIDGE #1 3900 HWY #7 WEST WOODBRIDGE
CHAPTERS-NORTH LONDON 86 FANSHAWE PARK RD. EAST LONDON
INDIGO-METROTOWN BC #1174 - 4700 KINSWAY BURNABY
CHAPTERS-MARKHAM WOODSIDE CTR-3175 HWY #7 MARKHAM
CHAPTERS-RIDEAU BYWARD MARKET 47 RIDEAU STREET OTTAWA
CHAPTERS-DALHOUSIE 5005 DALHOUSIE DR. N.W. CALGARY
INDIGO - ANCASTER #1-737 GOLF LINKS ROAD. ANCASTER
CHAPTERS-VEGA BLVD ERIN MILLS CTR-3050 VEGA BLVD MISSISSAUGA
CHAPTERS-WEST SIDE 9952-170TH STREET EDMONTON
CHAPTERS-NEWMARKET YONGE CTR - 17440 YONGE ST. NEWMARKET
CHAPTERS-AJAX DURHAM CTR-90 KINGSTON R.E. AJAX
INDIGO-LANGLEY BC #115-20015 LANGLEY BY-PASS LANGLEY
INDIGO - GRANVILLE 2505 GRANVILLE ST. VANCOUVER
CHAPTERS-POINTE CLAIRE 141-6321, AUT TRANSCANADIENNE POINTE-CLAIRE
INDIGO-SHERWOOD PARK UNIT 104 - 2020 SHERWOOD DRIVE SHERWOOD PARK
CHAPTERS #906 CROWFOOT 66 CROWFOOT TERRACE N.W. CALGARY
CHAPTERS #909 GATEWAY BLVD.CTR-16061 MACLEOD TR.S.E. CALGARY
CHAPTERS-POLO FESTIVAL POLO FESTIVAL 695 EMPRESS ST. WINNIPEG
INDIGO - OSHAWA OSHAWA CTR #1135-419 KING ST.W OSHAWA
CHAPTERS-MONCTON CRYSTAL PALACE 499 PAUL ST. DIEPPE
INDIGO - KELOWNA #1240-2271 HARVEY AVE. KELOWNA
CHAPTERS-ST. ALBERT UNIT 30 445 ST. ALBERT TRAIL ST. ALBERT
CHAPTERS-WEST EDMONTON #1384 8882-170TH STREET EDMONTON
CHAPTERS-BRAMPTON MARKET MALL 52 QUARRY EDGE DR. BRAMPTON
CHAPTERS-SCARBOROUGH 20 WILLIAM KITCHEN RD. SCARBOROUGH
CHAPTERS-BELLEVILLE QUINTE CTR 390 N.FRONT ST. BELLEVILLE
CHAPTERS-SUDBURY 1425 KINGSWAY ROAD SUDBURY
INDIGO-KINGSTON 945 GARDINERS ROAD, UNIT Y011 KINGSTON
INDIGO - CONESTOGA 550 KING ST N #N10 (CON.MALL) WATERLOO
CHAPTERS-ST. JOHN'S 70 KENMOUNT ROAD ST. JOHN'S
INDIGO-HILLCREST 9350 YONGE STREET RICHMOND HILL
INDIGO - BARRIE 33 MAPLEVIEW DR.W. UNIT C0001 BARRIE
CHAPTERS-NANAIMO 6670 MARY ELLEN DRIVE NANAIMO
INDIGO-CAMBRIDGE UNIT 8, 355 HESPELER ROAD CAMBRIDGE
INDIGO MAYFAIR UNIT N116, 3147 DOUGLAS ST. VICTORIA
INDIGO-SHERWAY 25 THE WEST MALL, UNIT #3038 TORONTO
INDIGO - ROBSON 1033 ROBSON STREET VANCOUVER
INDIGO-SQUARE ONE 100 CITY CENTRE DR. UNIT 1-706 MISSISSAUGA
INDIGO - BURLINGTON MALL 777 GUELPH LINE, UNIT M30 BURLINGTON
GATEWAY NEWSTANDS 181 BAY STREET ST BCE PLACE TORONTO
MULTIMAGS #10 - LAURIER 370 LAURIER W MONTREAL
MULTIMAGS 04 - MONKLAND 5508 AVENUE DE MONKLAND MONTREAL
MULTIMAGS-19 ST LAURENT 6889 BLVD ST. LAURENT MONTREAL
RENAUD-BRAY (C-D-N) 5252 DE LA COTE-DES-NEIGES CH MONTREAL
RENAUD-BRAY FLEURY 1691 FLEURY RUE MONTREAL