Spice it Up! Add Crushed Red Pepper to Italian Food

/in

Found table-side, crushed red pepper flakes give every guest at Rosedale’s the chance to “spice it up”. Although crushed cherry peppers are also available with our dishes, red pepper flakes are always a most popular.

A dash of red pepper flakes in our Amatriciana sauce gives it the kick that makes it stand out. It can also add a delicious spice to the marinara served with your calamari or a fra diavolo sauce for your seafood pescatore dish.

Many a pizza has been dashed with red pepper flakes to add a little extra spice. However, if you really want to tingle the lips and look for your beverage, try adding a little red pepper while sauteing. The heat and oil will release all the punch these little flakes have to offer.

This is another classic Italian ingredient that’s both good and good for you! There are many health benefits you can gain from crushed red pepper.

It’s been proven that these little flakes of spicy goodness have:

  • Antioxidant effects
  • Anti-inflammation properties
  • Metabolism boosters
  • Ability to reduce the risk of stroke
  • Immunity boosters

Eating something spicy is also a great way to relieve congestion. So, the next time you’re enjoying your favorite Italian dish, turn up the heat!

What Would Italian Food be Without Fresh Garlic!

/in

Heaven forbid we ever experienced the loss of garlic. This treasure is found in every Italian kitchen, sometimes next to their vitamins…and rightfully so. Not only is garlic delicious, but it’s also good for you. Garlic has been proven to be good for your heart, and has other medicinal qualities which have been used for centuries to cure ailments. Recent studies have shown that garlic can boost your immune system and lower cholesterol. Isn’t it wonderful when great tasting food turns out to be good for you? Don’t be afraid to consume as much as you like of this delicious herb!

Contrary to some beliefs, when used properly garlic does not have to overpower your dish. For amazing Italian food, fresh garlic cloves are the only way to go.

There are many ways to prepare fresh garlic.

Dry roasting – This is a quick, easy way to mellow garlic. Place the whole, unpeeled cloves into a dry skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Toast until the skins are golden brown. The skins will now come off easily, and the garlic is soft and ready to be chopped or minced.

Blanching – To prepare raw garlic this way, put the whole, peeled cloves in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, then immediately take them off. Pour off the water and add fresh, cold water, bring to a boil again and remove. You can continue to repeat the process until the cloves are as soft and mellow as you would like them.

Roasting – Roasting garlic gives it sweet, wonderful flavor (and fills the kitchen with delicious aromas.) You get a wonderful golden, creamy garlic paste, which can be used for so many things!

Mincing – You typically want to leave this to someone with excellent knife skills. (Such as our proficient chefs at Rosedale!) Most chefs can cut, mince and make garlic paste all with a chef’s knife, but for those who are not trained, you may want to use a garlic press for raw cloves.

Garlic is a delicious addition to any Italian meal, and surpasses even the onion as the most used ingredient in our dishes. What would else could you expect at Rosedale…we’re cucina Italiano! It would be easier to have you look at our menu than list all our dishes where garlic is present. Let’s just say it would be high on our list of things we thank at an awards ceremony….(behind Momma and Nonna, of course!)

The Power of Onions in Italian Food

/in

So good, they’ll make you cry!

When it comes to an Italian kitchen, onions are used in so many dishes, we don’t know where to start. Whether they are standing out on a salad, adding flavor and texture to a pizza, or combined with other ingredients, many of our dishes would lose their touch without the presence of onions.

The Onion Origin

Since the beginning of civilization, onions have been an important part of our diet. However, it was once believed to be a lowly vegetable because of its pungent taste. But, as we all know, over the centuries the onion has prevailed! It is now one of the most commonly consumed vegetables, and has emerged as a favorite ingredient in many recipes. Onions have the amazing ability to add flavor to an otherwise bland dish, can turn an average meal into an elegant dinner, and fill the kitchen with delicious aromas.

What Are Onions?

Practically everyone is familiar with onions, but there are probably a number of things you don’t know about this amazing vegetable.

Onions actually belong to the lily plant family. They are grown for the edible bulb, which is what you find in the produce section. Onions are typically put into two categories, “green” or “dry”.

Green onions are smaller onions, harvested before the bulb has matured. Because of early harvesting, the tops are still green.

Dry onions are also known as “mature onions”. These are harvested when the shoot has died and layers of papery thin skin cover a firm juicy flesh. There are two types of dry onions: Fresh (Spring/Summer), also called “sweet onions”, and Storage (Fall/Winter) onions.

Sweet onions have higher water content and may be served either raw or cooked. Storage onions contain less moisture and have a higher sulfur content, so they can be kept in storage for longer periods of time. The storage onion is used in cooking, providing a sharper and more flavorful taste than sweet onions.

A traditional Italian onion is the Cippoline onion. It has a flat oval shape, a brown papery skin, and ranges from 1-3 inches in size. Cippoline onions are a dry onion, with a delicately sweet flavor. They’re wonderful for roasting whole – caramelized and delicious.

So how does Rosedale Brick Oven use onions in our Italian ?

Our famous marinara sauce also gets a nice assist from the onion which in turn, compliments most of our red sauce dishes.

Joined by garlic and other herbs, and cooked with our marinated chicken wings in our wood fired oven, onions help to give our “Wings Italiano” their name.

Flavorful onions are also used in some of our delicious seafood dishes, such as mussels marinara in white wine sauce.

Somewhere, Beyond the Sea, Italian Seafood

/in

Italians love their seafood! And why wouldn’t they? Their country is a peninsula, completely surrounded by water. In fact, one of Italians’ favorite ways to celebrate the holidays is through a Southern Italian tradition called “Feast of the 7 Fishes”, celebrated on Christmas Eve. Today, this Italian tradition (also known as “La Vigilia”, is shared by families across the globe.

The Feast of the 7 Fishes includes a variety of fish and seafood, which is also popular in other Italian cuisine. Dishes such as calamari, baccala (codfish), oysters, scallops, whiting, clams, shrimp, and even eel are traditional favorites.

When it comes to the seafood you’ll find at Rosedale, there are so many different types, cooked in so many ways, it is hard to choose! We are pleased to have received so many rave reviews on our seafood dishes. Seafood is a nice way to enjoy a lighter meal, and can be so delicious when prepared with perfection.

One of our favorites is Seafood Pescatore, a mouth watering mixture of clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp, served over perfectly cooked pasta. Some other great dishes for shellfish lovers are Shrimp scampi or the delicious Mussels marinara.

As we leave the shellfish and go a little deeper to sea, we can’t leave out our much acclaimed calamari! This is a succulent, deep sea calamari, seasoned, lightly breaded, quick-fried and served with our signature marinara sauce. Our calamari comes from Rhode Island. We have found that domestic calamari is the best in texture and taste.

We serve many other seafood dishes as daily specials at Rosedale’s. They can be combined with either a pasta or medley of fresh vegetables and many different tantalizing sauces. We receive seafood fresh to assure you get the best possible meal. Fillets of choice are often bass, grouper, salmon, barramundi, lemon sole, and swordfish…just to name a few!

Getting to the Meat of It, Favorite Italian Meats

/in

As you’ve probably figured out…when it comes to Italians, food is a way of life. Special attention is given to each and every ingredient this is used in Italian cooking. The meat is no exception!

Italian meats are made with select ingredients and an array of savory spices. Although Italian cooking can incorporate many different types of meats, the most prevalent in Southern Italian cuisine are pork products. Nobody gets more out of pork than Italians!

Here are just a few of our favorite ways to use pork in Italian cooking:

Soppressata – This is is a dry, Italian salami, and is a specialty of southern Italy. It often includes hot pepper (though, as with all salami, seasonings vary), and is usually served sliced, alongside other meats and cheese or served with crackers. (You can enjoy soppressata in our delicious antipasti salad!)

Prosciutto – This is a dry-cured, Italian ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked. This style is called “prosciutto crudo” in Italian. It is distinguished from cooked ham, which is called “prosciutto cotto”.

Wikipedia quotes a writer on Italian food, Bill Buford, describing talking to an old Italian butcher, who says:

“When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business. If it’s too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it’s too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that’s when you make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages.“

At Rosedale, you can enjoy some of the best Prosciutto in our Toscano pizza, Pasta Faggioli soup and alla vodka sauce!

Pancetta – This is the Italian version of bacon. It is used in such dishes as our Amatriciana sauce or Italian bacon pizza. A little saltier than bacon, it adds the perfect touch to our foods.

Ground pork – Sometimes pork and ground beef are combined to create an unbelievable flavor. We use these two ingredients used in our bolognese as well as our famous meatballs.

Bracciole – Nothing flavors up a meat sauce better than “braciola” – a pork or beef fillet wrapped around a tasty mix of cheese and Italian herbs.

Pork chops – For those “pork purists” out there, you may prefer to enjoy a juicy, delicious pork chop on its own. This popular meat is used in some of our specials, cooked many different ways, but always delicious. Such as our double breasted stuffed pork chop.

Cooking Italian Food? Only Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Will Do!

/in

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.

Southern Italian – Because the South is much warmer, with a much longer growing season, southern Italians use fruits that thrive under warmer conditions (like tomatoes!) For this reason, many dishes with red sauces are more popular in Southern Italian cuisine than Northern. Some other popular Southern fruits and vegetables include eggplant and broccoli rabe.

Northern Italian – In the Northern regions of Italy, vegetables that thrive in cooler temperatures and less sunlight are more popular. Some of these include:

  • Head cabbages
  • Black leaf kale
  • Cardoons
  • Radicchio

In both Italy and America, there are many fruits and vegetables that are used in fine Italian cooking. For example:

Eggplant – This is a versatile fruit, used in a variety of Italian dishes, and is one of the most prominent staples of Southern Italian cooking. It can have a slightly bitter taste when raw, but when it is cooked, it becomes very tender with a rich, complex flavor.

Greens (spinach, kale, chard, endive, escarole, chicory, etc) – Italian cooking uses greens that are flavorful and loaded with nutrients. The many greens that are a part of the Italian diet are also a great way to incorporate flavor and nutrition into the American diet. Radicchio or endive are popular in Italian cooking, but are also served raw in salads for tasty side dish.

Sweet bell peppers – These delicious peppers are used throughout Italy and are popular in the United States as well. Sweet bell peppers are wonderful for adding color, flavor, and nutrition to any fine Italian dish.

Pasta primavera without fresh veggies? Unheard of. And what’s an Insalata without fresh veggies…well, not Insalata for one thing. Broccoli rabe, spinach, portobello mushrooms, zucchini, arugula, squash, escarole, cucumbers, tomatoes…the list goes on and on. Rest assured that you’re eating healthy when enjoying our fruit and veggie dishes.