Serafina and Cicchetti » Cicchetti

Whoa Nellie!

Zach — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:47:54 +0000

Last week, our very own(er) Susan Kaufman was named the 2010 Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year. The award was announced at a gala awards banquet on October 14, and Susan is both proud and honored to have received this prestigious award. As usual, she brought her own style and sensibility to the proceedings, delivering a moving and entertaining speech before the award was given. Her acceptance speech featured a few more tears, but was no less special.

The purpose of the Nellie Cashman award is to recognize and honor women who, through their business endeavors, enhance and improve the standing of female entrepreneurs. I’m just one guy, but I can’t think of many businesswomen in the Seattle area who have done as much as Susan has: creating a pair of successful restaurants which are much more than just a place to eat for their devoted regulars and much more than a workplace for those of us who have been fortunate to work at Serafina and Cicchetti over the years. I know we all share in congratulating Susan on a most well-deserved honor.

If you’d like to learn more about the Nellie Cashman Award, check out their website.

Getting Started

Zach — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:44:04 +0000

I want to throw in a plug here for a custom that seems to be fading away: the pre-meal cocktail. Once, it was almost unthinkable to sit down to dinner until the appetite had been properly been stimulated, hence the whole existence of aperitifs. Traditionally, the aperitif balances a slight sweetness with a mild but noticeable bitterness: the gin and tonic is perhaps the most commonly ordered, while a martini is also a frequent choice. To whet the appetite, I’d recommend a slightly sweet variant like the Perfect Martini (equal parts dry and sweet vermouth) or the Martinez (bitters, vermouth, and a hint of maraschino liqueur.

Abroad, the French commonly start a meal with an anise-flavored drink, like Pastis or Pernod, or even absinthe for the more adventurous. The Kir (a mixture of cassis and white wine) is another popular choice, as is the more indulgent Kir Royale (substituting champagne for the white wine). In Italy, Campari reigns supreme. Many consider the preeminent Campari drink to be the Negroni (gin, Campari, and vermouth). I myself have a fondness for a Campari and soda with an orange twist as a starter, while those with a slightly more delicate palate might want to try the Susanna Frizzante, Campari and prosecco. In fact, Serafina has an entire page of aperitif cocktails that I strongly recommend you check out. Properly constructed, an aperitif can stimulate the palate, enhancing the enjoyment of the treats that will shortly grace your table. They can range from stiff (the martini) to fairly mild (a Kir Royale), but they all serve the purpose of enhancing your experience.

Give one a try the next time you come in, you’ll see why the aperitif was once considered an indispensable part of any civilized dinner out.

The Fall

Zach — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:11:59 +0000

While we seem to have a few more days of sun and warmth ahead of us, with the calendar turning to October my mind (and stomach) have started turning toward fall. While the Pacific Northwest offers a bounty every season, autumn offers some sublime joys perhaps unmatched the rest of the year. From hard-shelled squash to dark-leafed greens, heartier sauces to richer cuts of meat, nuts and deep, rich, earthy mushrooms. Fall is a time of harvest, of long walks in the woods as the leaves change colors, and of bringing those joys to the table.

Fortuitously, fall is also a season that Italy does well, in particular in the northern parts of the country. It’s the time of wine harvests, and thus seemingly endless festivals tied up in wine, food, and Catholic hagiography. In the upcoming weeks, you’ll be able to see how we bring the sensibility of Italian fall fare to bear on what the Northwest provides for us to play with. Stay tuned!

Getting Class

Zach — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:33:58 +0000

One of the cool things about Serafina and Cicchetti head chef Dylan Giordan is just how willing he is to help us less-talented folks with our cooking. I’ve seen him help waiters, bussers, customers, and probably random people on the street with recipes, techniques, and basic approaches to Italian cuisine. While he’s done some cooking demos and classes over the years, I think it’s great that now, you can take classes from him right at Cicchetti! Each class will revolve around an event on the Italian calendar, with the first one being tied to the wine grape harvest in Umbria.

Located in the center of Italy (southeast of Tuscany), Umbria is home to hearty mountain fare, the legendary Chianina beef, and especially black truffles, with the hunt centering in Norcia, which lends its name to the classic dish spaghetti alla Norcina, a black truffle, anchovy, garlic, and olive oil sauce on the traditional pasta. Like many central Italian regions, it has its own preparation of porchetta (suckling pig), with fennel being one of the local ingredients used to great effect. Wine in Umbria is dominated by two grapes: trebbiano, which is the main grape in Orvieto(white) and sangiovese (red), though international varietals can be found throughout the region.

Norcia, center of the Umbrian truffle hunt

So come on in, learn something about cooking and the cuisine of a lesser-known part of Italy, and have a blast! You can find more information about cooking classes right here.

Employee Profile: Seth Sexton

alissa — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:21:53 +0000

Sometimes there are people that you meet and instantly connect with. They radiate so much joy that they can change the energy in a room in a mere second. Meet Seth Sexton; a man with so much passion for life, art, and people that every once in a while, when you need it most, he can remind you that most things in the world are beautiful. We want to congratulate Seth on his most recent recognition and smART ventures award from the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs for his work with The Recovery Café and his development of The Glass House Project. smART ventures is a small awards program that encourages innovation and widens cultural participation, particularly by individuals, organizations and communities. The Glass House Project, led by Seth, offered two dozen members of The Recovery Café recuperating from addiction, homelessness and mental illness a path to healing through the process of creating and experiencing art. “Glass is the perfect metaphor for addiction and recovery – delicate, fragile and dangerous” states Seth about the use of glass as a tool to recover. IN the words of a Glass House Project participant, “I feel alive creating. This is the life. The Glass House Project has opened up a large opportunity for creative expression and learning and working side by side with others, letting go of control and expectation, seeing in new ways. I think the day has come that I can express myself and someone can celebrate it.”

Seth has been at Cicchetti since April, acting as a server and bartender. You probably already knew him from Licorous, Café Bizarro and the Garage, and perhaps, now from Luc. Seth greets everyone with a hug or a giant smile and is often seen dancing his way around Cicchetti. Thank you Seth for not just making our time at work better, but for making our entire community a better place. You are an inspiration!”

A Little Pinch

Zach — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:00:10 +0000

One of the beauties of Italian cuisine is how with a little bit of know-how, you can turn just a handful of ingredients into something beautiful, ethereal even. Such is the case with plin, one of the classic dishes of Piedmont. The name itself comes the Italian word “to pinch,” which is exactly what one does to form the agnolotti, which can be likened to small ravioli.

What we do is make a simple pasta dough and roll it out thin. Inside each little square of dough, we add in a bit of braised pork shoulder and cabbage, as well as some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This combination of braised or roasted meat and a cooked vegetable is the classic formula for plin throughout Piedmont. With so much flavor in the filling, all that’s needed to sauce the dish is some butter and chives (as well as a bit more Parmigiano-Reggiano on top).

It’s as simple a dish as there is on the menu, and yet it’s been a staple for the last few years, with its cadre of devoted fans. If you haven’t given it a try, do; it’s the ultimate Italian comfort food, and with the weather these days being so unpredictable, it’s a great way to salvage a rainy summer day.

The Blood of God

Zach — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:00:45 +0000

Ok, so that’s an awfully dramatic post title. But hey, when the most commonly given etymology for sangiovese is sangue (blood) di Giove (Jove, Jehovah, God), a blogger makes do with what he has. In any case, if you haven’t yet had a chance to try the (arguably) most famous grape from Italy, consider this a basic primer.

Grown throughout central Italy, sangiovese is most closely associated with the three major wines of Tuscany: Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino. While each of these three wines share the basic qualities of the grape (spiciness, earthiness, medium tannins), they can vary quite widely.

The Blood of God?

Chianti is the most well-known of the three, though in the past it might have been more accurate to call it infamous. Starting in the 1960s and continuing through the 1980s, most Chiantis were mass produced, with a sizable percentage of white grapes blended in to stretch production. Often sold in those straw covered “fiascos,” they mostly showed up in red sauce and red-checked tablecloth Italian joints. Fortunately, over the last twenty-five years many steps have been taken to ensure the quality of wine designated Chianti and especially Chianti Classico. Thanks to techniques from replanting vines to more modern pruning and bottling techniques, since the late 80s Chianti has emerged as a truly world-class production area. At Serafina, we carry a wide range of Chiantis, which are often at their best with a hearty tomato-based pasta (like the bucatini all’Amatricianna) or a nice cut of pork.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a personal favorite of mine. The region lies southeast of Siena, and the slightly warmer climate gives the wine a slightly more inviting quality, softer and gentler tannins than Brunello, and less acidity than Chianti. When well chosen, they are a breeze to pair with almost any dish, though the perfect dish for them is the Trofie dell’Estate, a simple dish of trofie pasta, sauteed summer squashes, and fresh cherry tomatoes.

Brunello di Montalcino is the broad-shouldered cousin of Chianti and Vino Nobile. Grown from a sangiovese clone named, shockingly, brunello, it packs a serious tannic punch, giving it the aging potential of the celebrated Barolo and Barbaresco from Piedmont. By law, true Brunello has to spend at least four years aging before being released to the market. As a consequence, many producers also carry a Rosso di Montalcino, a younger, lighter version of the grape suited for more immediate consumption. Brunello is at its best with game or rich meats like pork and beef. It’s also a great wine to savor on its own, allowing the rick dark fruit to roll over your tongue.

If you’re looking for a way to expand your knowledge of Italian grapes and wines, starting with sangiovese is a great idea. In Chianti and Vino Nobile, you can see the elegance, beauty, and aroma of the region, while in Brunello you can sense some of the history, and the power that Tuscany in general (and Florence in particular) once controlled. Like any great wine, they’ll transport you to another time and place if you let them.

From Rieti with Love

Zach — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:59:23 +0000

While it might languish a bit in the shadow of its more well-known Lazio cousin puttanesca, sugo all’amatriciana is one of the tastiest (and best, at least in my opinion) sauces in the Italian pantheon. In part, its beauty comes from the using a novel park of a pig, as well as the versatility of the sauce: go light on the guanciale and it’s a perfect summer pasta, while throwing a bit more in and having a lavish hand with the pecorino gives you delightful fall treat.

As in most Italian sauces, all’amatriciana starts with the meat, in this case guanciale (cured pork cheeks). At Serafina, we cure our own in house to give us the proper amount of spice, smokiness, and salinity. After sweating that down a bit, we ad in some onion, garlic, and chili for a base flavoring. This time of year, we get to add beautiful fresh tomatoes from Billy Alstott’s farm, a little oregano, and then toss in bucatini.

Our Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Bucatini has become the traditional pasta for this dish in Rome, in part because the narrow hole in the middle of the long, spaghetti-like bucatini allows for a bit more of the sauce to be absorbed into every bite. From there, we shave some fresh Pecorino Romano on top, and one of the classics of Italian cuisine is there for your enjoyment.

Guanciale has a wonderfully rich and complex taste; similar to pancetta, but with a slightly sweeter hint. It can be cubed and sauteed, as it is in this dish, or thinly sliced and laid on top of a pizza, where it functions like a meatier prosciutto.

Flour, Yeast, Water

Zach — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:37:49 +0000

Bread. It’s the staff of life, and in many ways it forms the backbone of a restaurant. From the bread basket you’ll get when you order your meal, to a variety of less obvious kitchen applications, you’ll find it throughout the menu at Serafina, and it even pops in occasionally at Cicchetti. As a result, where we get our bread from is a matter of significance.

For years, we’ve been buying our bread from Columbia City Bakery, one of the most highly regarded bakeries in the city. They’ve been featured in the New York Times, and you can find their bread in a number of the city’s best restaurants. This October will mark their fifth anniversary, and we’re so happy to have them as a part of our restaurants!

Agave, Perfected

Zach — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:41:34 +0000

In many minds (including my own, once upon a time) tequila gets a bad rap. Many of us have had an evening or two we regret that was in some way facilitated by that magical distillation of blue agave, and in some cases that’s enough to relegate it to the realm of “never again.” For others, the margarita is the only way we know a surprisingly versatile spirit. Well, I’m here to tell you that with summer out in full force, there’s never been a better time to experience the full breadth of that which tequila can offer to the adventurous drinker.

Let’s start with the basics. All tequila is a distillation of 100% blue agave. Native to the Mexican state of Jalisco, these succulents are grown for twelve years, at which point the leaves are stripped off and the sap is removed from the heart. Fermented and distilled, we have tequila.

From there, we have five basic categories of tequila, based on how long they’re aged. Blanco (white) or Plata (silver) tequilas are either bottled immediately after distillation, or aged for less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak. Oro (gold) tequila is simply silver tequila with coloring and/or flavoring added to imitate aging. Reposado (rested) is aged for at least two months, but less than a year in oak barrels, while Añejo (aged) gets one to three years in oak. The newest classification, Extra Añejo, requires at least three years aging.

Generally speaking, younger tequilas are harsher and simpler, but this often makes them a better fit for cocktails like the margarita, since you need that bite to cut through the sweet and sour elements of the drink. Aged tequilas can take on a rounded, smoky, caramel taste and texture, much like an aged whiskey. They’re wonderful on their own, or as the backbone of a more elegant cocktail.

While the Margarita is of course an excellent way to enjoy the pleasures of tequila, Cicchetti in particular offers a number of different ways to sample this versatile spirit. My personal favorite is the Durango, essentially a tequila Manhattan. It lends a nice edge to the classic complexity of that cocktail, and really illustrates the depth of flavor in a well-aged tequila. So stop on in and experience this under-appreciated gem from below the border.