Unassigned
July is a month of memories, sandwiched between June when the current season is just dawning and August when cool nights begin to creep back in. A lot of Chicagoans find this month’s heat unbearable, but I welcome the remembrances it sparks of my fondest summer moments, everything from recent vacations with my family to childhood days.
I’ve rummaged through memories to find inspiration for recipe preparations at Quartino. I have adapted some of my favorite childhood dishes and those my own family has enjoyed over the years.
Among my childhood memories are I Rotoli di Mozzarella which are pinwheels of mozzarella filled with various fillings. I have prepared five options for our customers at Quartino which are Rotolo with Roasted Mushrooms and Wild Arugula, Rotolo with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil, Rotolo with Pears and Walnuts, Rotolo with Bresaola and Spinach and Rotolo with Prosciutto and Basil. One taste of these Rotoli simply sum up the spirit of summer to me, which are relatively light but packed with potent flavor, a combination I find very appealing in the sweltering heat.
At Quartino, we use cows milk produced mozzarella for this preparation since Buffalo milk is not available. In Italy, this is known as Fior di Latte, mozzarella refers to the usage of Buffalo milk to produce this preparation. Since the market place is familiar with mozzarella I have elected to continue with it’s adopted name sake. However, with do purchase and offer directly from Italy, in fact from Campania, Mozzarella di Bufala for our Caprese, which we serve an embellished variation of vine ripened tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garden basil and aged balsamic vinegar. The intention being to allow you to enjoy as you would any fireworks show, with a bang!!
