An extra virgin pressing.., p.24
An Extra Virgin Pressing Murder,
p.24
Colin was not going to give up so easily. "But you have worked another case, haven't you?" I hesitated, which was enough of an answer for Colin. "I knew it!"
"Bert? You never told me that! When was this?"
"My last vacation, Laura, but there's plenty of time for that later," I hesitated, hoping to add drama to my surprise announcement, "since I've decided to extend my stay."
"You have?" Laura asked eagerly.
"Franco was very convincing when he explained how easy it would be to arrange everything necessary for an extended stay."
A look of gratitude passed from Laura to Franco.
"I won't overstay my welcome. The minute I'm in your way, I'm leaving!"
Laura hurried to assure me, "How could you be in my way? You're my family, my chosen family. Cecilio's already started working on changes to your cottage, and Giusi already has half a wardrobe planned for you, including a costume for the Ballo di Maschera at Capodanno! Oops, I mean the—what do you call it?"
"Costume ball?" I suggested.
Everyone stared at me in surprise.
"Giusi taught me. And Capodanno is New Years, and a 'happucino' is Florentine for a cappuccino," I said proudly. "What's wrong?" I asked with indignation at the laughter that met my first attempts at speaking Italian.
"You might want to stick to English with Giusi." Laura looked over her shoulder to make sure the woman was not nearby. "She only speaks the local dialect. I know some good schools in Florence, if you're interested."
Guests came from the kitchen with platters of food and headed for the orchard where Donatella had ordered the men to set up a table in the shade of the trees.
"I'm going to change into something cooler before lunch. I'll meet you in the orchard!" Laura hurried into the house.
Franco watched Laura leave and then said to Colin, "About those spy gadgets, Colin, be sure to check with me before you order them. They could be illegal here."
"Spy gadgets?" I asked suspiciously.
Franco gave me a discrete wink and let an eager Colin explain. "I'm ordering them from a spy store in London. Franco suggested some things they sell might come in handy to fight off Michela's rivals at the charity. Don't tell Michela. I want to surprise her! I'll see you in the orchard."
After Colin left, I chided Franco, "Do you really think you ought to be encouraging him?"
"I finally got his police record from England. Colin can take care of himself. Why not let him take care of his wife? As long as he keeps it legal, there's no harm." Franco confided, "I like Colin. Actually, I like all Laura's friends, especially her pretend mother."
*****
"Before Laura gets here, I'd like to say something."
Pina sat between Beatrice and Leo and watched her father with pride.
"Over the course of this week, I was very pleased to learn that all of you care about Laura's well-being. I'm glad she has such good friends who'll look out for her, who'll never hurt her or take advantage of her goodness. I want to assure you that you have no need to worry about me. I've had Laura's best interests at heart since meeting her over a year ago. Nothing will change that."
Giovanna was right about Franco not being shy. I was convinced this was exactly the assurance Laura's friends needed after the Tomaso debacle.
Michela took a silent poll of everyone present and gave the result to Franco. "We think Laura is very lucky to have you as a friend, Franco. Whatever happens in the future, we want you to know that we appreciate all you've done for her." She whispered, "Here's Laura, now."
Donatella said loudly, "I have trips planned for you and Laura to some wineries, country estates with famous chefs, and growers of classic fruit and vegetables."
"All our trips!" Laura sat down next to Franco. "Maybe we'll just lay by the pool for a few days and then head to Venice. After that, we can play it by ear. What do you say, Bert?"
The breeze blew gently over us. The scents from the few remaining blossoms on the trees drifted into the shade below. The food on the table tempted my eyes and my palette. The pool? Venice? "Why not?" I said.
Donatella issued two orders before we started our meal. "There are crostate for dessert, so don't over eat, and Buon'appetito!"
Recipes
Le Ricette
Appetizers
Gli antipasti
Fett'unta
Ingredients:
Bread slices, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, salt and pepper
Instructions:
Toast the bread slices. Rub the garlic cloves over the toasted bread. They will dissolve into the bread. Put the bread slices on a plate and season them with salt and pepper. Then pour the olive oil over them. Eat while the slices are still crisp and warm.
Variations:
Prepare the Fett'unta as described above, and then cover them with one or more of the following toppings. Place the bread slices in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the toppings are melted or cooked. They need less cooking time if you place the slices under a grill.
Grated or thinly sliced cheese of any kind
Capers
Thinly sliced onion rounds
Bits or slices of meat of any kind
Sliced or minced mushrooms
Fresh or dried oregano, sage or rosemary
Tomato paste or sauce
Cooked beans in a sauce
Thinly sliced or diced vegetables
Pasta
La pasta asciutta
Le Penne
Ingredients:
Penne are thick tubes of pasta about as long as your thumb. They hold up well to strong flavors and retain their chewy texture even when not served immediately. Cook them according to the instructions on the package, which should indicate the number of minutes they should be boiled in salted water.
Variations:
Cream and Ham Sauce: Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a pot over a medium heat; then add fresh cream and let it evaporate a bit on a high heat for at least 5 minutes. Add diced cooked ham, the cooked Penne, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Let it cook just a few minutes more, stirring continually. Adjust the amounts of cream and ham to suit your personal tastes and the amount of pasta the sauce is to cover.
Cream, Ham and Pea Sauce: Cook the sauce as described above. When you add the cooked Penne, add cooked peas to the sauce as well.
Cream, Garlic and Mushroom Sauce: Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a pot over a low heat and add chopped garlic cloves to personal taste. Cook for a few minutes, then add fresh cream and let it evaporate a bit on a high heat for at least 5 minutes. Add chopped, sautéed mushrooms and the cooked Penne, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cook just a few minutes more, stirring continually. Adjust the ingredient amounts according to your personal tastes and the amount of pasta the sauce is to cover.
Breads
Il pane
Foccace
Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm milk, 1 package yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1tsp salt, 3 tbsp olive oil, approx. 2 1/2 cups flour
Instructions:
In a room temperature glass or crockery bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk, then mix in the sugar, salt, and oil with a wooden spoon. Add the flour until the dough forms a compact ball. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick and place on an olive-oiled oven tray. Press firmly with your fingertips to make indentations in the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and let it rise to double in height. This should take only 1 hour if you keep the tray in a warm, draft-free place. This is the basic Foccace dough. Below are various toppings to add to the risen bread before it is cooked in a hot oven for roughly 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
Toppings:
Olive Oil: Pour olive oil over the dough and spread it around with your fingers to cover the entire surface. Then sprinkle the dough lightly with salt. The fruitier the oil, the tastier the bread.
Olive Oil and Rosemary: Prepare the dough with the previous topping and then sprinkle it with chopped fresh or dried rosemary.
Onion and Cheese: Cover the dough with cooked onions and then sprinkle with grated cheese.
Tomato: Cover the dough with a tomato pasta sauce and then drizzle olive oil over the top.
Raisins: Add raisins to the dough just before you roll it out to rise. After the rising, cover the dough with olive oil and salt as described for the Olive Oil topping.
Meats
La carne
Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
Medium-sized pieces of chicken either on the bone or not, vinegar or lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, herbs
Instructions:
Marinate the chicken pieces several hours, preferably overnight, in the vinegar/lemon juice, garlic and herbs. The vinegar/lemon juice tenderizes the meat, and the meat takes the flavors of the garlic and various herbs. After marinating, dry the chicken pieces and then coat them with olive oil, and grill. Season with salt and pepper as it cooks. Italians often use large pieces of sage or rosemary dipped in olive oil to brush the meat as it grills to add flavor, and apply oil, which makes the meat crisp and brown nicely. The marinade should be used only to tenderize and flavor the raw chicken, not for basting or as a sauce.
Variations:
The variations are in the herbs that you use in the marinade, or the liquids you add for flavor. Try various combinations to find the ones that appeal to your personal tastes.
Fresh or dried sage
Fresh or dried rosemary
Fresh or dried thyme
Extra crushed garlic cloves
Orange juice
Whisky, vodka, or other strong liquor
Vegetables
Le verdure
Zucchini
Grilled:
Slice the zucchini into chunks or lengthwise into strips. Place them in an oven dish and add a few spoonfuls of olive oil. Mix the pieces until they are thinly coated with the oil. Set under a hot grill for roughly 10 minutes, turning the zucchini occasionally. Season with salt and pepper as it cooks.
Fried:
Slice the zucchini into chunks or lengthwise into strips. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and let them sit 30 minutes to remove excess water. Rinse and then dry the pieces. Dip them in a batter of egg yolks, flour, salt and pepper. Cook them in hot vegetable oil until golden, and then remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot.
Sautéed:
Dice the zucchini. Heat olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot, and add crushed garlic. Add the zucchini and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft, roughly 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as it cooks.
Salad:
Boil the zucchini whole for roughly 10 minutes, or until a fork enters it easily. Remove and cool. Dice the zucchini and mix it with cooked and diced potatoes and carrots. Season with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper, basil or oregano or mint, and anchovies if desired.
Desserts
I dolci
Crostate
Ingredients:
Crostate (tart) crust: 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, 1 tsp sweet dessert wine (such as Marsala or Vin Santo)
Instructions:
Mix the butter with the flour. Add the sugar, egg yolks, wine, and the lemon rind, and work it quickly into a dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in waxed paper, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove, roll out, and fit into the tart pan. Use all the dough, folding the sides in to make a thick edge to the thick crust.
Variations:
Jam Crostata: Spread the jam of your preference over the dough. For a richer flavor, you can mix into the jam 1 tbsp of cognac or another liquor. For this tart, reserve some of the dough and roll it into thin logs. Place these in a grid pattern over the jam. Brush them with beaten egg. Cook the crostata for approximately 15 minutes at a moderate temperature until the crust is golden. Cool.
Lemon Crostata: Mix together 2 eggs, 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 grated lemon rind, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbsp flour. Pour into the crust and bake approximately 15 minutes at a moderate temperature, or until the filling is firm. Cool.
Ricotta Crostata: Mix together until creamy 1 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp cream if needed to make a creamy texture. Then add two eggs (you can whip the whites and fold them in last, for a lighter texture), the juice and grated rind of one lemon, 1/2 tsp salt. Put in the crust and bake approximately 15 minutes at a moderate temperature, or until the filling is firm. Cool.
Unknown, An Extra Virgin Pressing Murder
