The blog of San Lorenzo

Tuna fillets in olive oil

Sara - Piperita — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:28:26 +0000

Whole non-compressed tuna fillets, of a high quality, boiled in salted water, dried and then draped with olive oil, for maintaining all the organolectic qualities of the fish. Tuna fillets are used in various ways in Italian cooking. As a simple addition to salads, in pasta sauces, both hot and cold, blended into a mousse, or as an integral part of the Vitel tonnè, a typical dish of the culinary traditions of the North of Italy.

Liguria: the region

A region sheltered by mountains yet facing the Mediterranean, its identity is split between the rugged mountain area with its tiny villages, still unchanged after centuries, and the urban, touristy, jet-setting strip of coastline.
This dichotomy can also be seen in traditional Ligurian cuisine, characterised by fresh produce but also preserves. The hills planted with olive trees, basil, and flowers, are a feature of the descent towards the rocky coastline. Basil and olives are the principal products of a land which is forgiving of having been exploited down to the last vertical centimetre. Basil for the famous pesto and olives for the equally famous extra-virgin olive oil (PDO) from the Ligurian Riviera.

Each year, Genoa, in Italy, hosts the World Championship of Pesto Making! In 2008, the event will be held on 19 April at the Palazzo Ducale!

Have you tried San Lorenzo Tuna Fillets ? Write to us with your thoughts in comments!

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Peperonata (Stewed peppers)

Sara - Piperita — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:37:27 +0000

La peperonata is one of those typical Italian dishes that all mothers and grandmothers know how to make, or rather did. To make a good peperonata you need time and patience, but above all good peppers! The basic ingredients of the dish (although it varies from family to family) are peppers, onions, a little garlic and tomatoes. Some like to add potatoes too. A good peperonata needs long slow cooking over a low flame… San Lorenzo can offer this to you ready made, with the best ingredients: sweet mature peppers, flavoursome tomatoes, onions, oil (the good sort) and some aromatic herbs. A delicacy that can be enjoyed cold in the summer and hot in the winter, as a side dish.

The Territory: the Langhe, Piedmont
Famous for its fine wines, Barolo and Barbaresco to name two of the most famous, and its cheeses, the Langhe is a hilly region divided into three main areas:
- Upper Langa, including all the land above 600 m, used for grazing sheep and cultivating chestnut trees;
- Middle Langa, at an altitude of between 500-600 m, famous for its fruit production but especially the PGI Piedmont Hazelnut;
- the Lower Langa, which includes the valleys and lands stretching towards the Tanaro, known for its intensive cultivation of “DOC” wines (appelation controlée) including Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, and Dolcetto…
Dating back as far as the Romans, who built the first roads along the high mountain peaks, even today “andar per Langa” (walking through the Langa) is synonymous with the special feature of this region, whose roads run the length of the hills rather than crossing them.
Isolated for centuries and left unspoilt by tourism, the local food and wine has led to a rediscovery of this region, as well as its protection and development.
As you explore its twisting mountain roads, you will discover a huge number of castles, ranging from modest buildings to palatial noblemen’s residences, converted into council offices or still inhabited by the descendents of noble families.
Each year, many of them are open to the public during the spring: for more information.

Have you tried San Lorenzo Peperonata? Write to us with your thoughts in comments!

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Hazelnut and cocoa cream

Sara - Piperita — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:23:15 +0000

Piemonte hazelnuts, sugar and plain cocoa: these are the only three ingredients of the San Lorenzo hazelnut and cocoa cream . Nothing else.
A slice of thick fresh bread, a generous spread of nut and cocoa cream and the perfect Italian-style breakfast/snack is ready!
Why Piemonte hazelnuts? They are the best and tastiest, perfect for any sweet dish and much sought-after.
Why only sugar and cocoa and nothing else? Because San Lorenzo commits itself to aiming exclusively at the quality and genuineness of the products that it offers. You may open the jar and find a film of oil (natural, from the hazelnuts). You just need to stir it with a spoon and it is completely reabsorbed. This is the only price to pay for having a product that will make you completely forget all the others on sale! And that will make you, alas, completely addicted and you won’t be able to do without them.

Have you tried San Lorenzo hazelnut and cocoa cream ? What do you think? Write about your thoughts in comments!

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Organic Linguine, 100% Italian durum wheat

Sara - Piperita — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:54:46 +0000

Pasta, perhaps more so than rice, is the staple of Italian cooking. But when we say pasta, we don’t always know what goes into making a special, unforgettable variety like Pasta San Lorenzo .
Pasta San Lorenzo is made 100% from all-Italian durum wheat. Not only that: it’s a special type of durum wheat - a selection of varieties grown in Italy, the result of extensive testing and sampling, which gives it an unmistakeable consistency and aroma.
The other thing that’s important when making an unforgettable pasta, apart from the selection, is how the wheat is processed.
The most obvious choice for this type of wheat is the farming method – in this case exclusively organic.
The bronze-drawing process is obviously essential for quality pasta. Only bronze can give that roughness and porosity that distinguishes a top quality pasta from the run of the mill varieties. And only the roughness and porosity that comes from bronze allows the pasta to hold any kind of sauce without it sliding off. The shape of the draw plates is also the subject of constant research. Not the usual shapes and patters – something unique and different that you can recognise even without seeing the pack.
Once drawn, the pasta is dried, and even this simple operation can make the difference. Slow drying at low temperatures (max. 45° C, compared to 100° C for industrial processing) for 24-48 hours. A slow process – deliberately slow, to ensure a product with quality you can see.

The territory: The Marches
One of regions which has made the biggest contribution to the culture of Italy. A land of poets (including Leopardi), emperors (Frederick II), artists (Raffaello and Bramante) and composers (Rossini), it is also home to several famous specialities (such as porchetta and fish soup - brodetto) and fine wines (Rosso Conero and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ).
The Marches have a complete tourist offer: from cities of art such as Urbino, to the unspoilt beauty of the Conero, towns where you’re always looking upwards to admire the architecture such as Ancona, Jesi, Loreto and Pesaro, and plenty of gastronomic attractions …
With towns dating back over 10,000 years, The Marches bears witness to the changes Italy has gone through over the centuries. It is the land of the Piceni, an ancient people who settled in The Marches, while its capital Ancona has Greek origins. After years of war and insurrection, it officially became a Roman region during the age of Augustus, and alternated between Papal or imperial rule during the centuries that followed.
The Marches enjoyed their heyday during the Renaissance, thanks to the importance of Urbino and its court.

Have you tried Organic Penne Rigate by San Lorenzo? Tell us what you think in the comments section!

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Whole Porcini in Olive Oil

Sara - Piperita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:50:56 +0000

Porcini mushrooms are of the kind you don’t forget. They are wild mushrooms, found in the undergrowth in woods and cannot be cultivated on an industrial scale. They are found in various regions of Italy, like Liguria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Molise and Calabria. The aroma and flavour vary depending on where they are picked.
They can be preserved in various ways: dried (typical of mountain areas) or preserved in oil, whole or sliced.
The mushrooms are cleaned well, de-salted and boiled in vinegar and flavourings. Then they are packed and preserved in oil.

Liguria: the region

Each year, Genoa, in Italy, hosts the World Championship of Pesto Making! In 2008, the event will be held on 19 April at the Palazzo Ducale!

Have you triedWhole Porcini Mushrooms in Olive Oil? Tell us what you think in thecomments section!

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Organic Maltagliati

Sara - Piperita — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:12:11 +0000

Egg pasta is one of those specialities that’s normally eaten fresh. But the San Lorenzo version is different.
It is high-quality dried egg pasta, containing only durum wheat flour and fresh eggs (all organic). It cooks in the blink of an eye and is always “al dente”!
Piedmont is famous for its traditional egg pasta, like the famous Tajarin, very fine egg tagliatelle which are great with truffles!
Maltagliati have a very versatile shape and can be used in many recipes. They can be served with rich sauces or even just with butter and sage. You can even bake them without pre-cooking, straight in the dish, if the sauce is not too dry so it helps them to cook in the oven.

Have you tried Organic egg maltagliati? What did you think? Tell us in the comments section!

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Chilli peppers with anchovy and caper filling

Sara - Piperita — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:46:39 +0000

Cherry chilli peppers are a traditional speciality from Piedmont. They can be filled either with anchovies and capers or with tuna. Preparing them is easy, but time-consuming. Each pepper has to be stripped of its seeds, washed and dried. They are then blanched in water and vinegar and left to dry again, before being filled. This type of chilli pepper is spicy yet sweet – and the sweetness almost always overrides the spiciness. However, the piquancy varies significantly from pepper to pepper, so you might find hot ones and sweet ones in the same batch.
They are princely hors d’oeuvres and the perfect accompaniment to mature cheeses (hard or semi-hard), charcuterie and even fish.

The territory: the Roero Valley
From a more recent geological formation than the Langa, the Roero is a land made up largely of woods and orchards, especially peach trees. The few towns and villages found in the area are precariously perched on narrow strips of land. Also a wine growing area, it produces sublime white wines like Arneis Roero d.o.c.g. and Moscato d’Asti d.o.c.g. , as well as fruit.
Scattered with Baroque churches and castles, like the Langa Valley, it has also been the subject of territorial disputes between neighbouring towns.

Have you tried Chilli peppers with Anchovies and Capers? Tell us what you think in the comments section!

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Whole Baby Artichokes in Olive Oil

Sara - Piperita — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:45:48 +0000

Baby artichokes are one of the finest of all Italian appetisers. Whole or sliced, they are always to be found alongside sliced hams and salami.
The artichokes should be small, fleshy and flavourful. They are thoroughly cleaned and cooked in vinegar before being preserved in oil with various flavourings.
There are other ways of preserving them, in vinegar or brine, but oil is one of the preferred methods.
The artichoke probably originated in North Africa (although some believe it came from Sicily). Its use in Mediterranean cuisine has ancient origins, although it was first mentioned in written records in the second half of the 15th century. The artichoke was a great favourite at European courts, and for several centuries it was also renowned as an aphrodisiac.

The territory: Puglia
One of Italy’s southernmost regions, Puglia is a tourist destination with a great coastline and natural beauty, and over the years has become renowned for its food and wine, attracting tourists with its regional specialities. Inhabited since ancient times, its glory days were during the Romanic period, as churches, monasteries and even castles sprang up all over the region.
Pugliese cuisine is still considered “humble” yet has an ancient tradition in which farming traditions have merged with seafaring customs. The food is closely linked to the terrain, luxuriant and gently rolling over almost the entire region. There are three key ingredients: wine, flour and olive oil. The various types of Pugliese pasta have broken free of their regional restrictions and spread throughout Italy, although the existence of homemade pasta makers has preserved the traditional varieties such as the very well-known orecchiette, but also strascinati, cavatelli, and fusilli…
Pugliese wine also has ancient origins. The best-known include Primitivo di Manduria, Moscato di Trani and Salice Salentino, although Puglia has a great many appellations controlees - the list is still growing and there are many treasures still waiting to be discovered.

Have you tried Whole Baby Artichokes in Olive Oil ? Tell us what you think in the comments section!

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Ingredients: artichokes 62%, olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, natural flavourings. Acidity corrector: citric acid. Antioxidant: ascorbic acid.

Organic Pesto alla Genovese

Sara - Piperita — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:14:23 +0000

Common throughout Liguria and with a few variations from the rest of Italy, pesto is one of the mainstays of Italian cuisine, both because it is so easy to use and because of its simple flavours and aromas.
With extremely ancient origins, its composition has changed over the centuries.
Starting with a sauce based on garlic, cacio cheese and green herbs (such as coriander or parsley), olive oil was soon introduced, with basil, Pecorino or Parmesan only being added later.
From Asia Minor, basil found that Liguria was the perfect place in which to thrive. All these ingredients: olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, basil and pine nuts, reduced to the ultimate green sauce with the aid of a pestle and mortar: a delicacy that San Lorenzo now brings to you in a convenient jar without losing any of the distinctive aroma, consistency or taste.
Liguria: the region

Each year, Genoa, in Italy, hosts the World Championship of Pesto Making! In 2008, the event will be held on 19 April at the Palazzo Ducale!

Have you tried Organic Pesto alla Genovese San Lorenzo? What do you think? Write to us and let us know!

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Anchovy fillets

Sara - Piperita — Mon, 26 May 2008 06:12:37 +0000

The king of all Mediterranean oily fish, the anchovy is wonderful served fresh, but Italians always have a little jar of anchovies in oil in their store cupboards!
Popular since ancient times (when the Romans used to prepare a paste similar to today’s anchovy paté, used to flavour many dishes), the anchovy has been preserved in salt for centuries. Nowadays, anchovies in oil, which preserves them for longer, are much more common.
Anchovies have to be very fresh, and processed quickly: they are cleaned, gutted, heads, tails, spine and golden part is removed, and they are then salted and preserved in oil.
They are widely used in the kitchen. Recipes include the gremolada lombarda, a condiment for ossobuco (chopped with garlic, parsley and lemon rind), orecchiette with Pugliese turnip tops, in a sauté of garlic and chilli pepper, and are common in all coastal villages of the Mediterranean and other warm seas.

Liguria: the region

Have you tried San Lorenzo anchovy fillets in olive oil ? Tell us what you think in the comments section!

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