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Ham And Cheese Rules In Northern ItalyBy Marian BetancourtSmall stucco farm houses with red tile roofs appear among the vineyards and cornfields that dominate the landscape of the fertile lake region of northern Italy in the foothills of the snow-capped Dolomites (the Italian Alps). The corn not only supplies the Italians with the polenta they love, it feeds the pigs and dairy cows that create the ham and cheese the region is known for. There is even an annual ham festival, but more on that later.
The big cheese wheels are stored in enormous ripening rooms, the way books are stored on library shelves. Periodically, each wheel gets washed and brushed by an automatic machine reminiscent of a window washer continuously moving from one skyscraper window to the next. Before the cheese is sold, a “cheese batterer” taps each wheel with a hammer to find possible cracks inside the cheese. Any suspicious sound means the cheese gets an x-ray to see if an interior crack shows up.
After any meal in Bassano, a town of steep and narrow streets, one should sip the grappa made here by the Nardini family since 1779 at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) over the Brenta River. It’s on this ancient bridge where the townspeople meet for a drink at the end of the work day. (In some legends it is a place to meet for a kiss.) (www.comunebassano.vi.it) Outside of Verona, in the Valpolicello area, Count Pieralvise Serego Alighieri, a direct descendant of the poet Dante Alighieri, produces Masi wines, jam, honey, and olive oil at the restored villa that has been in the family since 1353. Tasting rooms, apartments, conference rooms, and a restaurant all serve the region’s agriculture. (www.seregoalighieri.it) Farther east is San Daniele in the heart of Friuli region. This small hilly town is home to the prosciutto that has been famous since before Roman times. At a prosciutteria called Antico Caffe Toran, where hams proudly hang from racks as part of the décor, one can learn how to wrap the paper-thin slice of buttery ham around a skinny bread stick for a tasty antipasto. San Daniele hams are salted and air dried; then washed, and aged some more. The town is situated in a perfect micro-climate for air curing ham. Adriatic breezes merge with the gentler, fresher winds that blow off the Alps to create constant ventilation and low humidity, a kind of “natural air conditioning,” that enhances the flavor of the meat. (This pristine air is protected by strong environmental regulations.) Ironically, the microclimate that preserves more than three millions hams a year preserves old books as well. The 700-year-old manuscripts in the Guarneriana Library need no climate controlled rooms or special archival materials. The library is one of the oldest public libraries in Italy where one of the original manuscripts of Dante’s Divine Comedy can be read as if it were written just yesterday.
Leaving this beautiful area, a truck load of fat pigs passes by. Uh oh, they must be on their way to becoming hams. Guiseppina Zarpellon’s Risotto with Zucchini and Grana
Padano Cheese Method 1. In a frying pay, combine the olive oil, garlic and anchovy. Add the water and saute the anchovy, making sure to break it into pieces without overheating the oil. 2. Add zucchini and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes. It should remain somewhat hard. Add salt and pepper to taste. 3. In a small saucepan, heat the broth 4. Transfer the zucchini and anchovy mixture to a separate deep saucepan. Remove the garlic if desired. Whisk until creamy; then bring to a boil. 5. Add the rice to toast in the zucchini mixture, stirring quickly. When the rice becomes transparent in about 3 to 4 minutes, begin adding small amounts of hot broth, continuing to stir. Add the broth slowly never allowing it to fully evaporate or soak into the rice, until the rice is cooked al dente and the texture of the risotto is creamy. 6. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste. 7. Remove from the heat and mix in the Grana Padano cheese, sprinkling some extra cheese on top of the risotto. Let the risotto rest uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes before serving. Ham Festival photo courtesy San Daniele Consortium. Other photos by the author. |
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Lake
Garda, a resort area long known for its mineral baths, is the core of an area
about the size of Switzerland, that accounts for more than 200 dairy farms and
cheese making plants that make up the Grana Padano Consotrium, which produces,
regulates and markets the largest selling hard cheese in the world. (
Grana
Padano is a versatile cheese that can be grated, sliced, or melted for use in a
variety of dishes. Giuseppina Zarpellon operates a large Grana Padano cheese
plant with her sister in Bassano del Grappa. Her grandfather founded the plant
and her father built it. After his death, Zarpellon, who studied economics in
college in Venice, took over management of the operation. Over a traditional
lunch of baccala vicentino made with Grana Padano and sliced polenta, at a local
trattoria, Zarpellon said she also loves to cook and enjoys creating new ways to
enjoy her favorite cheese, such as in a risotto with zucchini or in quiche with
eggplant
The
entire town of San Daniele becomes a tasting room, as ham producers open their
factories for guided tours during the four-day annual ham festival at the end of
June. (