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Caputo are famous the world over for producing high quality flour. This family-run company is based in Naples Italy, and they have been in operation since 1924.
Caputo flour is superb in quality because of the way in which they produce their flour. They are big believers in the traditional art of milling and famously use a slow grinding process to produce their flour. This slow grinding method helps to preserve the natural flavours and aromas of the wheat itself – which is why it’s so delicious!
Caputo flour is also unbleached and it is free from impurities, preservatives and chemicals.
Elastic gluten and soft starch help doughs to get a great hydration. Light, with a perfect rising, satisfy the best maestri pizzaioli's needs. Ideal for neapolitan classic pizza.
SAN MARZANO
TOMATOES
Solania San Marzano tomatoes are chosen by traditional methods and selected from the fields of the fertile plain of San Marzano, at the foot of the Vesuvius and the hills of the Latteri Mountains. The tomatoes are ripened and harvested when they are plump, succulent and fragrant, they are processed for preservation by the most natural ways to maintain the freshness and flavour of the fruit.
The Solania San Marzano tomatoes are harvested "when the Sun goes down" which accounts this to its delicious and superior flavour.
The tomato itself does seem to have some unique properties leading to it's flavour which include an unusual and often described distinctive sweet flavour, high density and pectin (which causes the sauce to be thicker), very few seeds (less than other tomatoes), a bright red colour and easiness to peel.
Every sauce made with Solania San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes becomes thick, full bodied and smooth. A fantastic flavour that will make your sauces come alive.
Meaning “flower of the milk,” fior di latte mozzarella is your classic, traditional mozzarella. It’s made with fresh whole cow’s milk and has a sweet, light, and delicate flavour with an elastic texture.
What is the Fior di Latte vs Mozzarella?
While they both find their roots in the Campania region of southern Italy, they differ in one very important manner. Fior di Latte is traditionally made using exclusively cow's milk whereas Mozzarella is traditionally made with buffalo milk. Hence, the locals call the latter Mozzarella di Bufala.
Fontina Val D’Aosta DOP is a creamy, semi-soft cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Val D'Aosta (Aosta Valley). With a recipe that finds its origins cheesemaking traditions that date back to the 12th century, the cheese is aged for at least 90 days and boasts a mild, rich flavor and smooth, creamy texture. Extremely versatile, enjoy melted in traditional mountain dishes like fonduta (Italian-style fondue), or pair with a glass of Nebbiolo for an elegant aperitivo.
Brie is an off-white, soft-ripened cheese, usually made from cow's milk. It has a bloomy rind of white mold, which is considered to be a delicacy. Brie originated in Seine-et-Marne, France, and is a soft farmhouse cheese. The flavour of brie is rich, buttery, fruity, and increasingly earthy with age. It has a runny, creamy texture and a strong earthy aroma.
Gorgonzola Dolce DOP is soft, mild, and sweet with characteristic blue veins running throughout. To produce their award-winning sweet gorgonzola, Arrigoni uses raw, whole cow’s milk from local Bergamo cows and ages each wheel for at least 50 days in their temperature controlled rooms. It has a clean, lactic tang with notes of sour cream and butter.
Stracchino (pronounced stra-kee-no) is a term used to indicate different cheeses in some regions, such as quartirolo or crescenza. The name may be derived from the fact that these cheeses were primarily made when the animals returned from the alpine pastures and were tired (stracco) from the journey. Today, this term indicates a fresh cheese made with whole cow’s milk, with a raw curd, a soft and buttery texture and a characteristic flavor of milk, eaten fresh or after aging briefly for two weeks.
A fabulous truffle pecorino cheese, aromatic Pecorino al Tartufo is an Italian sheep's milk cheese studded with pieces of black and white Italian truffles. Firm and flavorful, this exquisite Italian truffle cheese is perfect to eat on its own or as part of a cheese board, and incredible when grated or shaved over warm pasta or risottos.
The Italian sausage is made from pork, often
noted for being seasoned with salt, pepper, wine. In Italy, however, a wide variety of sausages are made, many of which are quite different from the aforementioned product.
The main difference between hot and mild is the addition of hot red pepper flakes to the spice mix of the former.
In Australia, a variety of mild salsiccia fresca
(literally meaning "fresh sausage") seasoned primarily with fennel is sold as "Italian sausage".
The word prosciutto is derived from Latin
pro (before)+exsuctus (past participle of exsugere
"to suck out "the moisture")
the Portuguese presunto has the same etymology. It is similar to the modern Italian verb prosciugare"to dry thoroughly".
(from Latin pro+exsucare "to extract the juices from").
Prosciutto is made from either a pig's or a wild boar's hind leg or thigh, and the base term prosciutto specifically refers to this product.
An old Italian butcher who says:
"When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business. If it's too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it's too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that's when you make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages".
Ham out of the bon
You might have heard of prosciutto before: that rosy, delicate Italian specialty often served on panini, pizza, and more. But did you know that there are many varieties of prosciutto all'italiana?
In Italian, the word prosciutto simply means "ham". However, before you consider believing it's the same as regular deli ham, think again. Italians take their prosciutti very seriously and there are many different types and varieties, from premium prosciutto cotti to the prized Prosciutto di Parma DOP.
Equally delicious, there’s a world of difference between prosciutto cotto and prosciutto crudo. What makes them so different and how should you serve (and eat!) them?
Read on, prosciutto lovers.
Prosciutto cotto, or “cooked ham,” is bright pink in color and lighter in flavor than its crudo cousin. This prosciutto is slowly cooked at controlled temperatures, then cut into tender, moist slices. Sometimes prosciutto cotto is seasoned or brined with herbs, spices, and even truffles for an added flavor twist.
Bresaola is air-dried, salted beef (but it can also be made of horse, venison and pork) that has been aged two or three months until it becomes hard and turns a dark red, almost purple colour. It is made from top (inside) round, and it is lean and tender, with a sweet, musty smell.It originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of northern Italy's Lombardy region.
A strict trimming process is essential to give the unique flavour. Legs of beef are thoroughly defatted and seasoned with a dry rub of coarse salt and spices, such as juniper berries, cinnamon and nutmeg. They are then left to cure for a few days. A drying period of between one and three months follows, depending on the weight of the particular bresaola. The meat loses up to 40% of its original weight during ageing.
Speck is a type of cured, lightly smoked ham. It's typically made in South Tyrol, a province in northeast Italy known for its snow-capped Dolomite mountains and strong German-Austrian influence. Although a close cousin to prosciutto crudo, speck is worthy of its own distinction when it comes to cured hams.
One of the key contributors to speck's unique flavor is the smoking process. This is typically done outside, following a special technique that incorporates "a little smoke, and lots of fresh mountain air." The smoking temperature must not exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit – any higher than that and the smoke won't be able to penetrate the meat!
After smoking, it's off to the curing cellar. The hams are aged for about 22 weeks in cool, well-ventilated rooms. The spice rub layer creates a sort of protective mold, allowing the speck to maintain some moistness and cure evenly on the inside.
Porcini mushrooms, sold both fresh and dried, are prized in Italian and French cuisine. These popular mushrooms (also known as king bolete or cèpe in French) are cultivated in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, and grow naturally in pine forests at the base of trees. Fresh porcini are beloved by gourmet chefs and can be sautéed and eaten as a side dish or added to risottos and pasta, while the dried mushrooms add rich flavour to broths and stews.
Porcini mushrooms are brown-capped mushrooms with thick, white stalks. The caps can range in size from an inch to nearly a foot, but most collected specimens are no more than a few inches. The caps have a convex shape when young, giving them the ideal appearance for mushrooms, and require no prep other than a quick clean. Because of their status in fine cuisine, their short season, and how difficult they are to cultivate, porcini mushrooms can be pricey.