Italian Flavor
/Techniques for creating rich flavor are incorporated into everything we do at M’tucci’s. In Italy, these techniques are know as: battuto, soffritto and insaporire. These techniques and their ingredients are the base for pasta sauces, risotti, soups and stews.
A battuto traditionally consisted of lard and finely chopped onion and parsley. Depending on the dish; garlic, celery and carrot might be added. Recent cooking styles have replaced lard with olive oil or butter. A battuto is the beginning for most pasta sauces, risotti and countless meat and vegetable dishes such as our Five Pork Bolognese.
A battuto becomes a soffritto when it is sautéed until the onion becomes translucent, and the garlic (if you use it) turns a pale gold. This step is always completed before adding the main ingredients. If you add your battuto ingredients all at once, you won’t create the deeper flavors achieved by cooking in steps. Also, you must add the onion first and allow it to cook before adding fresh garlic. Cooking the two together means the onion will be undercooked or the garlic will brown (worse, it could turn black) and give the entire dish a bitter, burnt flavor. If you are using pancetta with or instead of olive oil, you would add the pancetta first. Below are photos showing the steps of a soffritto for sautéed greens.
Insaporire follows the soffritto step and means “bestowing taste” in Italian. It can apply to the vegetables or the meat for the recipe. Quite simply, the ingredient(s) are added to the soffritto at a high heat and cooked briskly until they have become completed infused with the flavor of the battuto.
According to the late Italian cookbook author, Marcella Hazan, “One can often trace the unsatisfying taste, the lameness of dishes purporting to be Italian in style, to the reluctance of some cooks to execute this step thoroughly, to their failure to give it enough time over sufficient heat, or to their skipping it altogether.”
You can bet your K-95 face mask that we don’t skip this step at M’tucci’s.
Kentucky Derby & Kentucky Bourbon Weekend
To celebrate Saturday’s running of the Kentucky Derby, all M’tucci’s locations will offer special Mint Juleps made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon from Friday through Sunday. A refreshing beverage for our unseasonal September weather. Read about some Derby traditions and some bourbon recipes by clicking here.
Dinner, Drinks and Dancing at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Friday night from 8:00 - 10:00.
All safety protocols will be enforced: masks, distancing and no drinks in the dance tent.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
8 oz Hand Cut Herb-Rubbed Filet Mignon - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Cherry Balsamic Reduction $29
Pan-Seared Ono - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $26
Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27
M’tucci’s Moderno
24 oz Hand Cut NY Strip, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $31
Pan-Seared Rockfish - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $21
Pork Picatta - Spaghettini, Arugula, Diced Tomatoes, Capers, Lemon Butter Sauce $19
Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Pan-Seared Amberjack, Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24
M’tucci’s @ Home
You will find our Artisan Bread and Ravioli Meals at your local Albertsons Market. Also, we have our Artisan Bread, Shrubs, cheese and cured meats in the deli counters at all M’tucci’s locations.
The deli case at M’tucci’s Italian holds Italian Salame and Parma Prosciutto, Imported Italian cheese, House Made Duck Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Mustard, and Pickles.
Missing Italy
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
