Al fresco: summer pizza, pasta dining
The Italians love of outdoor entertaining has inspired the world. In fact, we use the Italian term al fresco as a catchall phrase to describe outdoor eating. With the promise of consistently warm days ahead, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the weather.
In lean times like now, what better culinary traditions to follow than Italians? Italians are known for their frugal nature and ability to turn a little flour, water and a minimum of other ingredients into delicious pizza and pasta dishes. I for one could eat both all year round, and thanks to my new PC propane-powered pizza oven from the Atlantic Superstore, I can make pizza without stepping inside.
large bowl. Add flour mixture; stir just until ragged dough forms. Turn out onto work surface and knead about 15 times until a soft but not sticky dough ball forms. Add flour sparingly if needed to prevent sticking. Wipe out one of the bowls and brush bowl generously with oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until puffed and doubled in size, about one and a half hours. To bake pizza: Preheat pizza oven to medium-low. When ready to use, baking stone inside oven should read 425ºF to 450ºF on infrared thermometer. Dust pizza peel generously with flour; set aside. Divide dough in half; gently stretch one half from underneath, using hands (or roll using rolling pin) into nine- to 10-inch round, leaving thicker one-inch border for crust. (Let dough rest one minute if it’s not stretching easily.) Transfer to prepared pizza peel. Gently shuffle peel from side to side to ensure dough slides easily on peel; if it sticks, carefully remove dough and dust peel with more flour. Add desired toppings. Slide pizza off the peel and onto the stone in pizza oven. Bake, using peel to rotate pizza every 30 seconds until crust is evenly golden and crisp, about two to four minutes. Remove from oven by sliding
onto peel. Transfer to cutting board. Stretch or roll out remaining half of dough and top as desired. Bake as directed. Serve immediately.
Tip: No pizza oven? Bake on flour-dusted pizza pan, pizza stone or baking sheet on bottom rack of 450 F oven until crust is golden and toppings are bubbly, 12 to 14 minutes.
Spaghettini Aglio e Olio
Recipe provided by Barilla 2 Servings
1/2 box Barilla Spaghettini 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pasta cooking water
Salt
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Directions: In a pan over low heat, add the olive oil, chopped garlic and a pinch of the salt flower. Sauté the garlic very gently for about 10 minutes until soft. To prevent the garlic from browning and crystallizing, the heat should be set to low, and the oil should be simmering slightly. While the garlic is being prepared, cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Do not overcook the pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oil. When the pasta is ready, using tongs and without draining the pasta, transfer the pasta to the oil and stir. Add the parsley and about 1/4 cup of the cooking water to allow the starch in the water to form into a sauce. Once the pasta is cooked and has absorbed the flavours of the oil and garlic, remove and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
SUMMER PASTA AND ITALIAN WINE PAIRINGS Pesto pasta and vermentino
The best pesto: the delicious combination of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese is best from Liguria in Northwestern Italy. Not surprisingly, Vermentino, a grape grown in the region along with other coastal and island regions of Italy, is responsible for making some zippy, fragrant white wines that are natural matches to pesto-laden pasta dishes.
Aglio E Olio (Garlic And Oil) And Pinot Grigio
Spaghetti tossed in a sauce comprised of olive oil and garlic, perhaps with a few chilies added in, is about as simple as Italian pasta can get. What better pairing choice than the simplicity of Pinot Grigio? Raise your Pinot Grigio game by selecting Italian Pinot Grigio from the high vineyards of Alto Adige. The alpine versions tend to have a little more freshness and acidity compared to their Venetian brethren.
Mushroom Pasta and Soave Classico
Good Soave, typically labelled as Classico or Classico Superiore, delivers a mix of almond-like and citrus aromas and flavours and nice cleansing acidity. A great wine style to cut through the earthy richness of a mushroom pasta.
Tomato-based and Chianti
A golden rule of food and wine pairing is to match acidity with acidity. The soft acidity of a tomato sauce is perfect when paired with tanginess of Chianti.
Mark DeWolf is currently the creative director of food and drink at the SaltWire Network, director of marketing and communications of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) and pastpresident of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS). He enjoys drinking, eating, writing and talking about wine, beer and food.