Cucina Fresca

28 Dec, 2009 in art pottery by admin

Cucina Fresca

Authentic Italian Restaurant Hermosa Beach

There is nothing more that I hate than the impression that the only thing there is to Italian cuisine is pizza and pasta with tomato sauce. Everywhere I go I get bombarded with people eating spaghetti that has very heavy sauce at some so called Italian restaurant, and they actually call those horrible remakes Italian. Just because you decided to open a can of marinara sauce does not mean you have the right to make your customers believe that they are eating authentic Italian dishes. So, for the love of all the other kinds of pasta that are generally unknown to the majority of the population, let me set the scoop on what authentic Italian cuisine is and how to tell that your favorite Italian restaurant is really Italian.

One thing to understand about Italian cuisine is that there is no general cuisine to represent the entire country of Italy. Before it was unified in 1861, Italy was composed of different regions. Each region holds specific ingredients as favorites and is often popular in their local dishes. But this is different from region to region. Each region also has a distinct way of preparing their food. There are some regions that prefer to experiment, others like Tuscany like their dishes done the traditional way. Regions like Bologna want bold flavors while others like to keep the dishes light. But no matter what the differences are, there is still that string that binds all these cuisines together and that is balance.

Italians are not a fan of adding too much garlic powder or what other seasonings you may have in mind. They only use the ingredients that are called for. They like to enhance the subtle flavors of their ingredients and not to have one ingredient overpower the other. That is why they make use of only the freshest ingredients, in that way the flavors are at its peak. And they are firm believers of cooking the dishes within the day that they will be served. If you order a traditional Italian pizza, you will notice that the crust is not greasy, or thick and hard. The pizza dough is made fresh by someone who kneads it by hand everyday. It’s not just some frozen pizza dough that is reheated in the oven by the time you order.

Now, how will you know that you are eating the traditional dishes and not just an American remake of one? You should take a cue from the local restaurants in Italy. Italian restaurants have only one recipe for making their dressing; the ingredients are olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper—just that! Remember, it’s about the salad and not the dressing. The crispiness of the lettuce and the other greens should still be distinguishable. In other local Italian restaurants, they may even leave the making of the dressing to the diners, serving them only with an oil and vinegar set. If the only thing you taste in your salad is the robust flavor of the garlic powder, drop your fork and leave.

Next, Italians are shy of using heavy cream in their sauces. They have a very long meal that could even last to hours so to allow them to finish the entire feast they like to keep dishes light yet still delicious which is hard if you’re trying to avoid the rich ingredients (everything tastes good with heavy cream) but the Italians have mastered this style of cooking very well. So, if you find that your spaghetti ala carbonara has a very thick and rich sauce to the point that you feel guilty in eating it, well maybe you should because you really aren’t eating Italian.

About the Author

David B. Moretti writes the Authentic Italian Cuisine Blog and recommends you visit his Authentic Italian Restaurant Hermosa Beach Lens to See il Boccaccio Cucina Italiana

Cucina Fresca product trials 2009