Last month I took you on a virtual tour of France’s culinary
gems. I also touched on my dilemma when
asked about my preferred food ethnicity, how I find myself toggling back and
forth between French and Italian. The
result will be this month’s flavor of the month feature centering on the
delectable delights of Italy.
I am going to do something a little different this time,
which will enable me to conquer two article projects in one. Instead of a dissertation on the ingredients
of Italian cuisine or a culinary virtual jaunt through Italy, we are going on a
virtual pilgrimage to Long Island’s mecca of Italian cooking. Before abandoning this post, those of you who
do not reside on Long Island will be inspired as well. There are similar havens to shop for
authentic Italian ingredients and prepared foods in most metropolitan
areas. Once you finish reading this, I
just know that your fingers will be typing ‘Italian markets’ into your search
engine directories in a hunger-driven quest.
One of my favorite places to shop for my kitchen inventory
is Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace. Come
on now, every good Italian has to have either an Uncle Tony or an Uncle
Giuseppe! When I check my pantry
shelves and announce to Brian that we have to go visit Uncle Giuseppe, he
jumps at the delicious opportunity. A
visit to this market is not just another grocery shopping chore, it is an
experience where all of your senses are indulged. The enticing aromas of Italian cooking
emanate from every corner, Italian music fills the air, colorful displays of
fresh produce and baked creations provide visual stimulation, and the samples for
the shopper to taste … oh the samples!
As we stride through the parking lot, moving closer and
closer to the doors that beckon, tantalizing aromas waft into the outside
air. Like dogs that have picked up on a
scent, we excitedly follow our noses, press on and enter. Immediately those fragrances are amplified;
the initial experience is instant aromatherapy for anyone who savors good
food. A result of wise marketing
strategy, the scents are lofting from the departments nearest to the entrance,
a pizzeria and essentially a super-super sized Italian deli and pork store
combination. For those of you who are
unfamiliar with the concept of the pork store, it is an Italian vendor that
sells, well, pork. The offerings come in
the form of all the traditional Italian cold cuts, like salami, mortadella,
capicola, prosciutto and pancetta.
Characteristically, whole salamis and sopresatas seductively dangle from
the ceiling. At Uncle Giuseppe’s,
sopresata is made right in this department and there are often samples of it
available to try. The deli prepares fresh meals daily, from pasta salads to
eggplant rollatini; from chicken parmigiana to lasagna; chicken Milanese to
fried calamari. Every possible Italian
appetizer, first course or entrée can be purchased here. If you are going to opt for takeout some
night, do it right. This take out food
is top quality. The pizzeria offers
several varieties of freshly made pizzas, paninis, calzones, pinwheels and
strombolis.
As we move along we come to pasta headquarters. Through a large window you can view fresh
pasta being made and packaged for selling.
From traditional fettuccine to lobster-filled ravioli, fresh gnocchi and
exotic tortellinis, you will be hard pressed to choose solely one or two pastas
to add to your shopping basket. Within
view of the pasta section is another glass-encased kitchen where fresh
mozzarella is being crafted. When
selecting a ball of the soft cheese for purchase from the display, you’ll note
that it is still warm. That warmth
radiates into comfort in your hand as you realize just how fresh it is. Ricotta is made fresh here as well.
On the subject of cheese, we round the corner and arrive at
an impressive cheese department that offers a vast array of cheeses from all
over the world. If you love blues, they
have gorgonzola from Italy, Rockford and bleu d’Auvergne from France and
Cabrales from Spain. Imported provolone,
aged gouda, asagio, pecorino Romano, Comte, triple cream cheeses, they can all
be found here … don’t forget to taste the samples!
The next section displays prepared ingredients for arranging
on traditional antipasta platters, including such delicacies as stuffed roasted
peppers, marinated mushrooms, prepared artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes,
caponata, etc. The olive bar has over a
dozen different olives to pick from.
The eye-popping produce department boasts colorful displays
of gorgeous crimson orbs of tomatoes, boldly hued vibrant peppers, fresh herbs
and luscious fruits. The butcher
department has all of the traditional meats as well as some hard-to find cuts
such as the pork shanks that I required recently for a pork shank and fennel
stew. Italian sausages, both sweet and
hot varieties, are freshly made on the premises. Prime cuts of beef, ruby toned and nicely
marbled, are arranged in perfect rows on display. The seafood market at Uncle Giuseppe’s is an
impressive layout that is reminiscent of an open-air seafood market in an
Italian harbor. Tubs filled with fresh
clams, mussels and shrimp are lined up with trays of perfectly laid out fishes
on their crushed ice blankets. The
seafood department also offers an extensive selection of prepared fish and seafood
dishes ready for you to take home and heat up for a quick weekday dinner.
The bakery department always seems to be the most crowded as
shoppers push their way to the front and center to take in the decadent cakes,
cannolis, and sinfully attractive pastries.
Yes, samples abound here too!
This department makes fresh and tasty donuts in several flavor varieties
including blueberry and pumpkin; as well as amazing apple fritters. An entire section of the bakery is dedicated
to aromatic freshly baked breads and rolls.
The central portion of Uncle Giuseppes is filled in with
shelves of nonperishable Italian ingredients, such as olive oils, balsamic
vinegars, jars of various anti-pasta ingredients, plenty of dry pastas in a
wide variety of shapes and flavors, cans upon cans of tomatoes and tomato paste
and other dry ingredients such as polenta, biscotti, grissini and Arborio rice.
Naturally, I have saved the crowning attraction for last:
the sweets department. As you make your
approach, your eyes, and you nose, will perceive the welcoming fountains of
chocolate cascading and flowing.
Chocolatier display windows showcase quality chocolates and a gelato bar
boasts several flavors of the creamy frozen treat.
This is not a shop to dash into for one or two items; such a
feat of limitation is simply not possible.
Expect to stock up on all of your Italian cooking needs, perhaps make
the plan to purchase one of the prepared entrees and stay for lunch in one of
the café tables located at the front of the store. Expecting company? Browse a few sections of Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace,
grab this and that for your shopping basket, and you can go home and put
together a perfect platter to pick on like the one pictured above. Oh, and did I mention the samples?
So what is the recipe to accompany this topic? There are so many Italian dishes to pick
from, and chances are I will share many of them in the future. I’ve decided to pass along recipes for two
basic pasta sauces that are staples in every Italian kitchen. These two sauces can be made in large batches
and then frozen for future use, enabling you to throw together a quick meal
after a harried day.
The first is for the traditional Italian red sauce, or gravy
as it is often referred, typically used for pastas as well as meats. There are as many recipes for this sauce as
there are Italian grandmothers. If you
don’t happen to have an Italian grandmother, this will at least get you
started.
Basic Red Tomato Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
½ onion, chopped
1 28 ounce can imported San Marzano plum tomatoes
¼ cup red wine
½ cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high
heat. Saute the garlic and onion for
about five minutes. Add the tomatoes,
wine, chopped basil and Italian seasoning.
Stir ingredients, breaking up the tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat to
low. Allow sauce to simmer for about an
hour, stirring occasionally. Check for
consistency; begin adding the tomato paste, a spoonful at a time, until desired
thickness is achieved. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Makes enough sauce
for about one pound of pasta.
The next recipe is for pesto, which I adore. You can read all about pesto in one of my
past blogs:
Pesto can be used with pasta, tossed with vegetables and
spread over fish, chicken or meat.
Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup (packed) parsley leaves
1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup pignoli nuts
2 large garlic cloves
½ teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until
thoroughly chopped and blended. Makes
about 1 ½ cups sauce.
Uncle Giuseppe’s is awesome, but I favor Fairway Market better by a hair. Each store has its strengths however and you cannot go wrong with either. For instance, I think Uncle Giuseppe’s wins hands down for prepared foods, but I like the cheese department and bakery better at Fairway.
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