Baking from northern italy, by richard sax - 4

1 servings

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SOURCE: GOURMET MAGAZINE, 02

FROM: SALLIE KREBS

Is there anything more Viennese than strudel? Yet strucolo, its name changed but the delicious flaky pastry intact, is one of Trieste's most typical desserts. (One sixteenth-century Italian recipe refers to strudel as "torta alla tedesca," or German torte.) Strucolo di ricotta (ricotta strudel) is one of the best examples of a dish of Jewish origin that has become assimilated into the larger Italian culinary culture. Ernesto Illy, director of the esteemed company Illycaffe, based in Trieste, points out that, as exemplified by this strudel, the Jewish influence in Trieste is difficult to isolate, for Jews have long been thoroughly integrated into the city's cultural life. Strudel is made in Trieste with either this ricotta filling or with apples (strucolo di mele). Many recipes call for lining the dough with dried bread crumbs to absorb the filling's moisture.

Strudels are also made with a dough based on mashed potatoes, similar to gnocchi dough. And strucolo can also be wrapped in a cloth and steamed or simmered in water, instead of being baked. This cheese filling is scented with lemon and raisins, a flavor combination typical of the region, and the recipe, simplified by using phyllo instead of hand-stretched strudel dough, specifies ending with a simple sprinkling of confectioners' sugar. Strudels are also, however, frequently served drizzled with a mixture of bread crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; non-sweet versions are topped with melted butter and grated cheese or with meat sauce. (Strucolo recipe here) "Of indubitable Austrian origin," says one Trieste source about the various desserts called coch. These souffle-like puddings can be made with semolina, rice, almonds, or bread crumbs. In German, the following semolina version of coch is called Griesskoch and is related to the category of Italian budino, or pudding, desserts that includes budino di ricotta. In his monumental La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene, first published in 1890 (and still in print), Pellegrino Artusi calls this general category of desserts dolci al cucchiaio ("sweets with a spoon"), among which are all sorts of creams, zabaglione, and the currently ubiquitous tiramisu. Many of these desserts are served unmolded. This simple, comforting semolina pudding can be inverted and unmolded after baking, but I think its golden surface looks so good that I prefer to serve it right from the baking dish. If you like, add a handful of grappa- or brandy-soaked raisins to the semolina mixture before folding in the beaten egg whites. (Coch recipe here)

Submitted By SALLIE KREBS On 12-07-94

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