LA Mia Cucina Toscana A Tuscan Cooks in America

pane BREAD A Tuscan baby cries. He's hungry. So he cries. He shrieks. He screams. Then something finds its way into his mouth. Initially hard and dry, it grows soft and moist as he sucks on it. It feels good, and, though he hasn't swallowed a thing, his appetite is sated. He stops crying and focuses his full attention on the pleasure being unleashed on his new, rapidly developing palate. Our little friend has just had his first taste of pane, or bread, a piece of crust that his parents have given him as a pacifier. Tuscans get to know bread at the same time we get to know our own families, like this little boy sucking on his first crust. In a few months he will enjoy the most enviable baby foods in the world, panelatte (bread cubes soaked in warm milk and tossed with sugar, cinnamon, or powdered chocolate) and pappa al pomodoro (tomato and bread soup). When he becomes a teenager, he will discover more sophisticated pleasures, like a thick slice of country toast, lightly charred where it met the hot grates of a grill and spread with cool, creamy ricotta cheese as an accompaniment to his morning cappuccino. As an adult he will be eating dinner one night and realize that, as part of his maturation, bread has become his third hand, used to push food onto forks or soak up the last little puddle of soup in a bowl or the oily tomato sauce that clings to a plate after the pasta is gone. There are hundreds of varieties of bread throughout Italy, and the people of each region are very particular about theirs. In the South, where Tuscany is situated, peasant bread with a hefty dough and hard crust is the favorite. Most households bake theirs once a week, use it until it grows stale, then--in a miracle of pragmatism--resurrect it in soups and salads, where it absorbs broths and tangy, acidic dressings. Pasta gets more attention around the world, but to a Tuscan bread is just as important. Perhaps even more important. We love bread so much that, despite what the history books say, I like to think that we originally invented olive oil as a condiment for bread alone. Those two Tuscan staples are, when you stop to think about it, one of the most perfect dialogues between mankind and nature in all of gastronomy. crostino CROUTON IL CLASSICO A crostino is a slice of Tuscan bread spread with a topping such as chicken liver pate or pureed white beans. In most countries a crouton is a supporting element, something to be floated in a soup or served alongside a salad. While a crostino can also be used for this purpose, it is most likely to be employed as a stand-alone hors d'oeuvre when you sit down to a meal at a home or in a restaurant. LA MIA VERSIONE 1 CROSTINI DI CAVOLO NERO CON PANCETTA BLACK CABBAGE AND BACON CROUTON serves 4 as an appetizer Black cabbage is one of the classic crostini toppings, especially as a counterpoint to the freshest olive oil, which is available just after the November press. This first press, or cold press, harks back to ancient times, when hand-picking and stone-mashing kept the oil cool throughout production, maintaining its character and reflecting the personality of the land, geography, and soil from which it hailed. This recipe makes one major adjustment to the original: the addition of bacon. (We use American bacon here in place of the Italian pancetta; it works just as well in this context and is easier to find.) 1 Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the black cabbage leaves in the water for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Set aside the cabbage leaves and cooking liquid separately. 2 Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook until both are browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid. Season with black pepper andLuongo, Pino is the author of 'LA Mia Cucina Toscana A Tuscan Cooks in America' with ISBN 9780767911948 and ISBN 0767911946.