Chef Raymond created this light cream sauce for a recent pasta-making class. It goes beautifully with handcut pappardelle or Spinosi Pappardelle.

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Olio Carli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup dried Asiago Food Dried Porcinis, soaked in 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Panna da Cucina or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped 
• 2 tablespoon Delitia Butter of Parma
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Italian flat parsley, chopped
• 1/2 recipe Fresh Pasta cut in Pappardelle, or 1 package (8 ounces) Spinosi Pappardelle
• 1/2 cup aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 1 tablespoon Black Truffle Oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Drain porcinis, reserving liquid. Strain through cheesecloth if necessary. Chop porcinis.  Heat a sauté pan, add olive oil and then porcinis, turning to coat. Add white wine, and chopped sage and let wine cook down slightly. Slowly add cream, keeping temperature low so that cream doesn’t boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add  butter,  hazelnuts and turn to coat, simmer 5 more minutes.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, add pasta. When fresh pasta rises to surface remove with a slotted spoon. Toss immediately in the sauce, adding a little pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.  Sprinkle with parsley and cheese, and drizzle each serving with a few drops of Black Truffle Oil if desired.

CityWine Tours brings a group through the North End every Saturday. After a few stops tasting wines, they're ready for something to eat and to pair with wines. Salumeria Italiana offers them tastes of cheeses, cured meats, and olive oils to add to the oenophile education. After all, one does not live by wine alone. Here's what two participants, who write a blog, said about the store and about Chef Raymond who told them all about cheeses, meats and EVOO. 

We love these tours and all of the visitors who come through -- Simmons College nutrition and nursing students who want to know about extra virgin olive oil and how to tell the good stuff, a tour from California curious about the store's history and its links to Italy, and the regulars at Saturday tastings who drop in to see what cheeses are especially wonderful that week. 

Almost everyone gets a taste of Rubio Aged Balsamic Vinegar before they go -- a delicious way to remember Salumeria Italiana.

Calling Salumeria Italiana one of his favorite stores in the world, Andrew Zimmern, star of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, swept through the store recently, accompanied by cameramen, light and audio technicians, producers, and a few curious fans. The congenial Zimmern who travels the world seeking out the unusual, the authentic, and the molto delicioso in foods sampled Coppa di Testa, or head cheese, pointing out its piggy parts and how our version was especially delicate. He tried Cinghiale, or wild boar, Cacciatorini. He marveled over Moliterno al Tartufo, the wonderfully aged Sardinian truffle cheese. And he smacked his lips at the Octopus Salad. With owner Gaetano Martignetti, (pictured above, Gaetano on left) he discussed regional Italian specialities, where to source the best cheeses, and all the little producers the two had discovered in remote towns in Italy.

Zimmern confessed he has been coming to the store since forever and remembers all the remodeling over the years. He could identify the olive oils, said he and his son love Rubio, and filled his arms with Setaro, Alce Nero, and other pastas to be sent to his home in Minnesota. After stopping for a photo with Gaetano, Zimmern made sure to have two packages of Bottarga di Mugine (mullet roe) wrapped in a cool pack to take on the plane with him. 

The segment featuring Salumeria Italiana as part of a tour of the North End is slated for February 2012. Stay tuned for an exact date and watch for the Salumeria staff on air.!!!

A recent New York Times Dining blog talks about San Marzano DOP tomatoes and how to tell the real from those that merely bear the name.  La Valle San Marzano DOP meet all the criteria proving their authenticity: The label reads Pomodoro San Marzano dell'agro Sarnese Nocerino DOP. The DOP and Cosorzio stamps are affixed as well as the number assigned by the Cosorzio. And these tomatoes are whole; chopped, pureed, or diced tomatoes are not given DOP status. 

Our customers can be sure that La Valle's wonderful San Marzano DOP tomatoes will consistently be among the best on the market!!!

Bloggers have become a force in the food world, and we embrace the enthusiasm and DIY spirit that so many put into explorations of food and cooking. Recently Salumeria Italiana greeted nine area food bloggers who toured the North End, under the sponsorship of Bertolli. With Chef Raymond guiding them, the nine heard about the history of the store, and tasted delicious imported Italy cheeses and meats. Raymond told them all about extra virgin olive oil, giving a virtual regional tour of Italy as he did. And the tasting finished with a round of tiny spoons -- Rubio, our exquisite aged balsamico, what Raymond calls "love on a spoon." They all fell under the spell!

Of course, what bloggers do best is write about their experiences, so read on to hear why Salumeria -- and Rubio -- won their foodie hearts.

http://carrotsncake.com/2011/07/culinary-tour-of-the-north-end.html

http://freefoodboston.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/a-tour-of-the-north-end-with-bertolli/

http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/2011/07/bertolli-culinary-tour-of-north-end.html

Professor Merry White's Food Anthropology class recently came into the store to learn about Italian foods. Chef Raymond told them about extra virgin olive oils, why it's worth buying artisanal pasta, and how to select cheeses. And tasting cheeses, meats, and olive oils made learning delicious.

Here's the story:

We've discovered that people are crazy about learning to make homemade pasta. In a Giornal-e recently, the announcement of a pasta-making class with Chef Raymond Gillespie generated so much response that it grew into a series. Salumeria Italiana's chef Raymond teaches students to make their own tagliatelle. As Raymond promises, you will get your hands dirty. The first two have been such fun as everyone joins in to mix, knead, roll out, and cut the tender pasta. Class members say they've not only learned about making pasta and sauces,  but love to eat it. No leftovers after these classes. Accardi Foods in Medford generously allow us to use the beautiful, fully-equipped kitchen with plenty of space to spread out.  

Like all Italian cooking, pasta making is simple but relies on good products -- Antimo Caputo 00 flour, Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Frantoia Extra Virgin Olive Oil, La Valle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese, and more. The recipes for Fresh Tagliatelle, and the sauces, Porcini Sauce, and Asparagus and Lemon Zest, plus a refreshing Simple Salad Greens with Rubio are in Recipes. Stay tuned -- we're planning to hold more classes in the future.