This is not intended to be a comprehensive glossary, but to provide information on certain specific ingredients which we use in our cooking. For more information on ingredients, see the glossary in The River Cafe Cook Book.
Anchovies The best salted anchovies come from Spain, from the fishing ports of Omdarroa and Zumai on the Bay of Biscay. The season lasts from April to June. The fish are caught, sold, graded, salted and packed all on the same day. First the anchovies are graded by size, the largest and most perfect being called ‘Bar 1’. These are always packed in 10 kg tins. 16 kg of fresh anchovies are carefully layered with coarse sea salt in and on top of the tins, using a collar, then pressed with cement blocks over a period of three months until they fit into the tin. Anchovies graded ‘bar 2’ are salted and packed in the same way in 10 kg and 5 kg tins. Anchovies graded ‘bar 3’ and ‘bar 4’ are the smaller fish. They are selected, salted and packed into large barrels and pressed in the same way for three months, then washed, filleted and preserved in olive oil. Spanish salted anchovies from 10 kg tins are sold all over Italy, usually by the gram. Stalls selling just salted fish can be found in many markets. Ortiz, the finest brand, can be found in specialist shops in the UK. We buy ‘Ortiz Bar 1’ anchovies for the restaurant whenever possible.
To prepare salted anchovies taken dry from the tin, rinse under a slow-running cold tap to wash off any salt and carefully pull each fillet off the bone. Pat dry and use immediately or cover with extra virgin olive oil.
Borlotti and Cannellini Beans To prepare dried borlotti and cannellini beans, first soak overnight in a bowl of cold water to which you have added 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda. To cook (for 250 g /9 oz dried beans), first drain the beans, rinse well and put in a saucepan with 1 large fresh tomato, a handful of fresh sage and 1/2 bulb of garlic, unpeeled. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1–1.1/2 hours. Remove any froth or scum that comes to the surface. When the beans are tender, remove the tomato, sage and garlic but keep the beans in the cooking water until ready to use.
Brandy Vecchio Romagna ‘Etichetta Nera’ is a rich-flavoured Italian brandy made from a blend of wine spirits from Trebbiano di Romagna grapes. It is matured in small oak casks and aged for three years.
Capers Capers are the small flower buds of a shrub that grows wild throughout the Mediterranean. The smallest capers, considered the best, come from the island of Pantelleria. After picking, the buds are dried in the sun then salted.
To prepare salted capers, rinse thoroughly under a running cold tap for 1 minute. Taste to check if they are still salty. Leave to soak in a bowl of cold water for half an hour. Rinse again and use immediately or cover with red wine vinegar.
Chickpeas To skin drained chickpeas after cooking, lay them out on a clean tea towel, cover and rub with a circular motion to loosen the skins. Place the rubbed chickpeas in a bowl of cold water – the loose skins should rise to the top. Skim off the skins, drain the chickpeas and use.
Eggs Organic eggs with a dated laying stamp are the best to use, especially for ice cream. They also carry a stamp showing that they are approved by an organic certifying body. If eggs are not date-stamped, test by breaking an egg open on to a flat plate. The yolk should remain ovoid and the white should be thick, jelly-like and hold its shape. We buy eggs from Martin Pitt (see here).
Farro This is a type of hard wheat known as ‘spelt’ in English. It has been grown and used in Italy since Roman times and is now mostly grown in Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo. A famous wedding soup of these regions is called ‘Confarrotio’.
Honey Raw honey is from bees which have not been fed sugar and which has not been heat-treated or filtered during extraction.
Lentils Castellucio lentils are grown only in Norcia, an arid plain specifically designated by the Italian government as a lentil-growing area. The totally organic production by a farmers’ co-operative is obliged to conform to very high standards. Castellucio lentils are available from specialist shops (see here).
To cook lentils, put them in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then skim. Add 1 clove of garlic and a celery stalk, turn the heat down, and simmer gently for 35 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Drain and season. Remove and discard the garlic and celery.
Mustard fruits Mostarda di cremona is a piquant preserve traditionally served with Bollito Misto. It is made of candied fruits such as peaches, apricots, pears, figs and cherries, which are preserved in a honey, white wine and mustard syrup.
Olive oil The kind of extra virgin olive oil we use for cooking is different to the estate-bottled oils we use for pouring over bruschetta and adding to soups. The cooking oil is a blend of several extra virgin olive oils from all over Italy, produced from olives that are pressed when they are fully ripe and have dropped from the trees. Ripe olives produce more oil when pressed and have a higher acidity. The resulting oil has little flavour or aroma but is much cheaper and is fine for general cooking.
Estate-bottled cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils have very distinctive characteristics and flavours. We go to Italy every November to coincide with the olive harvest and choose oils to use in the restaurant in the coming year. Tuscan oils, which are thick, green and fruity, have always been our favourite. We choose two that complement each other from different estates and our current extra virgin olive oils are from Selvapiana and Felsina.
The oil from the Selvapiana estate is pressed from the ‘Frantoio’ variety. The olive trees grow alongside the famous vineyards in the cooler Chianti Ruffina zone north-east of Florence. The olives are picked early, when green, and pressed in a modern cold press, producing the greenest and most intensely spicy oil. The new oil is bottled immediately and arrives in the restaurant by December, where our customers enjoy Bruschetta al’olio nuovo – a joy that excites us all.
At the Felsina estate in Castelnuovo Baradenga, on the southernmost borders of Chianti Classico, the olives are pressed in the old traditional way. The estate’s mill at Farnetella has been run by the same man for the last 45 years. A manual process results in 15 litres of oil from 100 kg of olives. The olives are the ‘Corriegiolo’ variety, the greenest of all olives. They are hand-picked and crushed the same day, producing an incredibly fresh, green smooth oil that we have chosen for its long life, low acidity and subtle pepperiness. We use this oil for salads and blanched vegetables throughout the year.
Salt Maldon sea salt is pure flaky crystals free from all additives, a completely natural product with a better flavour than table salt and rich in natural minerals. Because of its intense flavour, you use less.
Natural coarse sea salt comes mostly from Spain and France. The grains are slightly smaller than young peas and contain desirable trace elements and minerals. The salt is unrefined and is sometimes grey in colour. Use this for salting fish, chicken and pasta water.
Sourdough starter The starter is the essential element in a sourdough loaf. Sourdough is basically flour and water which have fermented at 27° C (80° F) over 6–10 days, developing the wild yeasts and organisms present in the flour. A sourdough loaf has a distinctive open texture and a strong, slightly tangy taste. It keeps well and is more digestible than many other breads.
As it takes time and patience to develop a starter, we suggest you ask any baker who makes sourdough to sell you a piece of theirs (see also here).
Vinegar The estate of Castello di Volpaia at Radda, in Chianti, makes wonderful wine vinegars – ‘Erbe’, with herbs, ‘Orto’, with vegetables, and ‘Spezie’, with spice. We use all three flavours in salads and wood-roasted vegetables. They are available from specialist shops (see here).