LARD HAT
Check out the sleek elegance of this rabbit. I’m making Coniglio alla Cacciatora, an Italian dish with white wine, tomato, fresh herbs, garlic, and this friendly little fellow, all chopped up. They sold it to me with most of the organs still inside; since I didn’t know what to do with them, I threw them out.
With the way things are going, we’ll be eating anything we can get around here before too long.
Greetings from the collapse of the euro! And have a nice Tuesday.
Ciausculo (also spelled ciabusculo, ciausculu, etc) is the pride of Italy’s least glamorous corner: a sausage from the Sibillini mountains on the border between the central Italian regions of Le Marche and Umbria. In August of 2009 it was given Protected Geographical Indication, protecting it, like Champagne and Sherry, from imitators in other regions.
Photo by Eneida Sosa
The fat content is high (about 50%) which makes it great for paleolithic dieters. Its texture is soft, it can even be spread on bread. The flavor comes from spices (pepper, garlic and even orange peel) and the process of cold-smoking over juniper branches.
For 9 euros you can bring one back from your next trip to San Severino, the happiest place on earth! (I brought two last week.)
Documenting the Barbaric Eating Habits of Italians in Italy’s Least Glamorous Region: Italian food is incredible in quality and quantity. This is a lunch I had during Holy Week in Le Marche, a region of Central Italy that nobody has ever heard of. It was six enormous courses: hot and cold shellfish to start, then pasta, roast fish, fried fish, vegetables and salad. I don’t know how I survived: for me, big lunches are just an excuse to drink more wine than usual. I usually don’t feel the urge to stuff myself till I can barely move. But when in Rome…
