Naples Brick Oven Pizza

This is the eighth of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Fruit such as tomatoes, eggplant, string beans and squash are often mistaken for vegetables because they are used in savory cooking. Grocery stores and cookbooks only add to the confusion by labeling and organizing produce according to culinary usage, rather than botanical classification. A basic rule of thumb: if the edible plant in question has seeds in it, it’s probably a fruit.

Fresh, fresh, fresh is the only way to go. Italians use many fruits and vegetables in their cooking, making Italian food not only flavorful, but one of the healthiest types of cuisines. The types of fruits and veggies used are what characterizes the regional differences in Italian food.

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“That kitchen illuminated in light for it’s its presence on the Italian table – to that wonderful product of nature, made in the form of a bulb.”

~Luciano De Crescenzo

This is the seventh of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Is it the color? The flavor? The versatility? What is it about the tomato that makes it a staple of every Italian kitchen? Let’s start with a little history lesson.

According to Wikipedia, the recorded history of tomatoes in Italy dates back to October 31, 1548.

It was said, on that date, the grand duke of Tuscany wrote to the Medici private secretary informing him that the basket of tomatoes sent from the duke’s Florentine estate at Torre del Gallo “had arrived safely.”

Soon after their arrival in Italy, tomatoes were primarily grown as ornamental plants and “were to be sought only for their beauty”, according to the Florentine aristocrat Giovanvettorio Soderini.

At this time, they were grown only in gardens or flower beds. What a shame! Because tomatoes have an ability to mutate and create new, different varieties, they successfully spread throughout Italy.

So many kinds. So many styles. Which to use or how to use them, that is the question. Here are just a few of our favorite ways to enjoy the almighty tomato at Rosedale Brick Oven:

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This is the sixth of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Vino! Don’t limit this nectar of the gods by only sipping it from a glass. Fine Italian wine also has many other wonderful uses in the kitchen…such as flavoring your favorite Italian dish!

Cooking with wine has recently become even more popular, as many have discovered its ability to add unique flavor and bring out the best in food.

There are endless recipes which incorporate all different types of wine into your cuisine, and put a unique spin on your favorite, classic dishes.

Not all alcohol evaporates from cooking wine

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This is the fifth of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Sharp Provolone Cheese

Provolone originally comes from the south of Italy, but is currently produced in several regions of North Italy. No Italian kitchen is complete without it!

Provolone is produced in various shapes such as long pear, sausage, or cone shapes. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk that is cooked, shaped, salted in brine, and hung up to dry.

True Provolone continues to be produced in Casilli, Italy (near Vesuvius) and Northern Italy. However, a variant of Provolone is also produced in North America and Japan.

Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a taste that can vary greatly, depending on the type. For example, Provolone Piccante (piquant) is aged for a minimum of four months, and has a very sharp taste.

This distinctive piquant taste is produced with a lipase (enzyme) derived from goat. Provolone Dolce (sweet), on the other hand, has a very mild taste. This version of Provolone uses calf’s lipase instead of goat’s.

Some cheeses are sold as young as two months, but six months is the typical aging period. The longer the Provolone is aged, the sharper, more distinct its flavor becomes.

You can enjoy sharp provolone at Rosedale Brick Oven on our antipasti plate, cut in wedges, and joined by other delicious ingredients.

Fresh Ricotta

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This is the fourth of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Yes, we realize that there are plenty of Italian recipes that do not call for mozzarella cheese. But for the one’s that do, it’s so important to ensure that it’s FRESH!

As they say in Italy…“C’è mozzarella … e mozzarella!” (”There’s mozzarella … and then there’s mozzarella!”)

Not to be confused with the shredded mozzarella imitation you see on grocery store shelves, imported fresh mozzarella cheese is something quite different.

Fresh mozzarella is a semi-soft, white cheese stored fresh in water to give a velvety, creamy taste.

Once you’ve tasted authentic fresh mozzarella, you’ll know what the Italians mean by “…and then there’s mozzarella!”

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This is the third of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

The perfect compliment for EVOO is a quality balsamic vinegar. Italians refer to Traditional Balsamic Vinegar as “tradizionale”, in contrast to the “industriale” or industrial vinegar on supermarket shelves.

The traditional, real balsamic vinegar is called “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale”. It has a rich, deep, amber color, and is almost syrupy in texture. Its has a very intense flavor, and is a perfectly calibrated burst of sweet and sour.

“Balsamic vinegar starts as a tiny tingle at the tip of your tongue, and slowly expands into a mouth-filling, smooth, sensuous sweetness. The sourness is gentle, comforting; supportive yet never intrusive. Hints of plums, black grapes, wild currants, vanilla, a touch of oak.” ~Zingerman’s”

Traditional Balsamic vinegar is made with the “must” (freshly pressed juice of wine grapes – not wine) of the local Trebbiano and Spergola grapes. Because it is made from must, Aceto Balsamico is not strictly a “wine vinegar”.

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This is the second of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Everything tastes better with a fine coating of extra-virgin olive oil (“EVOO”). Olive oil’s distinctive taste goes perfectly with Italian cuisine.

At Rosedale Brick Oven, we use only the finest imported EVOO. All of our wood fired pizzas are finished with a drizzle. We also top off such dishes as our caprese salad, antipasti salad and some of our pasta specialties before they arrive at your table for the final touch.

What exactly is “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”?

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This is the first of 14 MUST HAVE Ingredients for Amazing Italian Food which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

What would Italian food be without pasta? Pasta is the most widely used ingredient in Italian cooking. It comes in different shapes and sizes and can be stuffed with tasty ingredients, layered in baked dishes, or served with succulent sauces.

It can be served as the main dish or as a side dish. Whatever the occasion, great Italian food calls for the perfect pasta! At our restaurant in Naples, FL, here are a few of our favorites:

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Is cooking at the top of your list of new hobbies to explore in the coming year? Are you currently a chef who’s looking to expand her culinary skills?

If you have an affinity for delicious food and you love to entertain, we are currently writing an eBook that lists common ingredients in Italian food that are sure to please your guests. Of course there are thousands of ingredients that you can choose from to include in your recipes.

However, we’ve found that there are some basic ingredients that Italian food is famous for and if you include them in your recipes, you stand an excellent chance of continuously pleasing the taste buds of your family, friends, and guests.

We could just list the ingredients for you, but what good would that do. Instead, we’re going to give you specific varieties of:

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Besides making you feel as though you’re part of our family when you come to dine with us at Rosedale Brick Oven, one of the things that we love to do most is to get you to try new wines….and it’s not just a “sales thing” either. You see, we are food connoisseurs (most notably of the Italian variety) and we love to experiment with different combinations.

By being adventurous at the dinner table, we have opened up our minds (and mouths) to completely new experiences on a consistent basis and we really want the same for you. It’s a great feeling in your mouth when your taste buds start dancing around isn’t it?

For example, have you ever eaten at a restaurant and tried their version of Lasagna that was made with a special blend of ingredients that you’ve never tried before? Just after the first bite when the aroma has had a chance to mix with your olfactories and your taste buds sample the mixture, your brain receives the message: “Holy Cow! This tastes awesome! I’m in heaven!”

Now most of us have tried lasagna…you know, it’s got the wide strips of pasta, the tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, etc. But this particular dish seems to use different combinations of tomatoes and other ingredients that just make you MELT!

That’s the point we’re getting at. Enjoying food is all about the combinations that you put together. Adding wine to the mix makes certain foods taste even better. We don’t necessarily subscribe to the age old rule that pairs red wines with red meat and white wines with seafood. Sometimes that works out but it’s really about the particular wine coupled with a particular dish.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been sharing with you some fantastic wines that we serve at Rosedale Brick Oven that we think are worth your consideration. We’ve even paired them with a couple of our dishes because we hope that they’ll make your taste buds dance like they do for us. You can get all of this information just by downloading the free eBook above or just read below. Either way, we truly hope that you find some value in the combinations that we’ve prepared for you.

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