May 30, 2007

A Linguistic Point (Cannelloni with salt and pepper)

Italian has two words for boiled—knowing this came in handy when opened my door to find Signora Regoli holding a little treat. She brought it into the kitchen, said something quickly about “…lessati con sale e pepe”, and—after she was sure I was molto contenta—went back down the stairs to feed her family. After she left, I peered into the pot to see cannelloni beans. These I ate while leafing through my dictionary to find out which cooking technique lessato implied.

Bollito – boiled (added to boiling water)
Lessato – boiled (added to cold water, brought to a boil)
For reference: pasta is bollito, potatoes are lessato.

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Cannelloni con sale e pepe:
Ingredients: cannelloni beans, sage, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic
Soak beans overnight. Discard soaking water. Add olive oil to pan and sauté garlic and sage lightly. Add fresh water until water level is about two inches above beans. Slowly bring water to a boil and simmer until beans are fork-mash-able. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

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