Gino DAcampo - A Taste of the Sun: Ginos Italian Escape

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First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Hodder & Stoughton

An Hachette UK company

Copyright ITV Ventures Ltd 2014

Recipes copyright Gino DAcampo Ltd 2014

Television series Ginos Italian Escape: A Taste of the Sun copyright ITV Studios Limited 2014. Licensed by ITV Ventures Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photography copyright Matt Russell 2014

Design by Georgia Vaux

The right of Gino DAcampo to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in Any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

ISBN 978 1 444 79739 8

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I want to dedicate this book to my beautiful children, Luciano, Rocco and Mia, for continuing to give me the strength and unconditional love that helps me through tough days.

A fter the huge success of Ginos Italian Escape I was so excited to be asked again to revisit more of my beautiful home country. This time I delved into the northern regions of Italy (although I say that loosely as some regions, such as Tuscany, are technically in central Italy!), where less familiar but just as wonderful cities and foods awaited me: Venice, Burano, Bologna, Modena, Parma, Florence, Siena, Genoa all are amazing places to visit and I got to enjoy each and every one on a fabulous three-week journey.

I often get asked what I think the main differences are between the north and the south of Italy and my answer would always be quite vague, as I truly believe that sometimes there are such vast differences that it is like being in different countries, rather than just regions. The north of Italy has been influenced more by the Germans and Celts who happen to inhabit neighbouring countries, while the south of Italy has been largely influenced by the Greeks. Economy-wise the two parts of the country have stark differences: the north is industrialised the three corners of the industrial triangle (Milan, Turin and Genoa) have become the wealthiest regions in the whole country while the south still remains more of a rural region with a warmer climate and a more natural agriculture.

The divide does not end there, as the inhabitants of both parts of the country consider themselves to have very different personalities some southerners believe the northerners to be cold and money-orientated while some northerners might argue that the southerners are the lower class of the country.

I personally think that today, most Italians would say that the main difference between the two areas is apparent in the food they serve. Because northern Italy is historically a much wealthier region, their cuisine is more affiliated with richer dishes they use a lot of butter and cream whereas those in the south grow olives in the warmer climate which they press for oil and live off the fresh vegetables they produce.

Meat is most popular amongst the northern Italians, who use a lot of it in their cooking; they keep excellent cattle and hog breeds and as a result beef, veal and pork are the meats of choice, with lamb playing a lesser role. The way meat is prepared ranges from frying to stewing and boiling, and it is often cooked in wine or broth flavoured with chopped herbs. Northern Italians also include a lot of rice and polenta in their meals, and in the winter they create rich hearty soups, while the southern Italians tend to use tomato-based sauces and eat cured meats and pulses and because they have a larger coastline than their northern neighbours, fish is definitely more popular than meat. Whichever region you are from, though, the Italian people are some of the healthiest in the world so both areas must be doing something right!

Cheese is a large part of all regional cuisines in Italy and the most commonly known Parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta and Gorgonzola only scratch the surface of Italian dairy. Because Italy makes cheeses using cow, goat, buffalo and sheep milks, the range of varieties and flavours is immense, with each region offering its own specialities and spins on the classics. If I had to choose three of my favourites from this part of Italy I would choose Marzolino del Chianti, a young soft cheese made with raw ewes milk in the Chianti region which has an intense flavour; Brillo di Treviso, a red-wine-washed soft, pasteurised cows milk cheese from Venice which has a fruity flavour of Italian red wine and can be easily melted so its great for cooking; and, of course, the famous Parmigiano Reggiano, which is produced within the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna. Italian law is very strict and the true Parmigiano Reggiano a popular cows milk cheese that boasts up to 36 months of ageing, can only be sold as such if it is produced in these areas.

One thing the north and south definitely have in common is their love for pasta. Today, both areas use all kinds of pasta in their cooking, but they will still each have different versions of the accompanying sauces. A very popular option in the north of Italy is egg pasta, which has a richer colour and flavour, and a regional favourite is farfalle, the bow-shaped pasta, which originated in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy and is used for lighter creamier sauces. Tortellini is also much enjoyed in the north, and while in Bologna I got a chance to make the real thing!

Another passion all Italians share wherever they are from is good wine. Italy offers a larger, more diverse array of wine styles than almost any other nation, so this paragraph had the potential to be huge. So instead I decided to mention here just three of my favourites from the north of Italy: Pinot Grigio typically a light-bodied, crisp, fresh white wine which originates from Venice; Chianti a dry red wine made from the Sangiovese grape in a blend that is hugely popular worldwide; and finally the very special Brunello di Montalcino. This wine is one of the more expensive in the region and is produced from a blend of grapes to create a complex flavour which ages very well. It is often drunk with meats and game, so it is a very popular choice when dining out. Of course, in the north wine is not only used for drinking but is also nearly always used in cooking too, so its production plays an important part in the lives of northern Italians!