If you’re Calabrese, you likely know, or have heard the word angulèja which is dialect for “craving”. This is a word I often use in reference to the craving I have for Calabrian cuisine every year that I don’t get to travel to the toe of the peninsula. Thanks to the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario (ICCO), Regione Calabria and Unione Camere Calabria my angulèja was recently satisfied at a Taste of Calabria dinner.
Taste of Calabria was a prelude to the events that will form part of the fourth annual CENTItalia festival that will be recognizing this southern region of Italy. The four-course dinner was designed to celebrate regional excellencies from Calabria, whetting our appetites if you will, for the feast of flavours that lie ahead.
At Oretta restaurant in Toronto, guests were transported to Magna Grecia through the divine flavours of Italy’s south. Our Calabrese dinner began with Baccala alla Ghiotta, a comforting dish of salted cod, tomato sauce, potato, olives and capers served up with crusty bread to sop up that wonderful sugo or fare la scarpetta as they say in Italian.
The second dish was what I consider an embodiment of the region encompassing the flavors of mare e campagna (land and sea), Paccheri al Pesce Spada (paccheri pasta with swordfish, eggplant, tomato, capers, mint and breadcrumbs.
Next, the marriage of two foods that I love but would’ve never thought to plate together, Tonno all’ nduja, seared albacore tuna loin topped with nduja and served with escarole and sweet and sour onion.
Last, but not least, the sweet finish, Pitta Mpigliata, a very traditional holiday dessert of pastry filled with walnut, almond, raisin and fig jam served with vanilla ice-cream and fresh figs a.k.a Calabrian confectionary bliss.
Accompanying dinner were two Calabrese wines provided by the Mani Agency; a 2017 Tenuta Iuzzolini Madre Goccia Bianco (a blend of White Greco and Chardonnay with a pleasantly fruity taste) and a 2017 Tenuta Iuzzolini Ciro Rosso Classico (a bright ruby wine with a delicate an intense flavor).
An incredible evening that allowed me to sip and savour the tastes of home along with creating a greater angulèja for what is yet to come as the celebration of Calabrisity continues. Buon Appetito!
For more information on the upcoming Taste of Calabria events visit the ICCO website
