Chef Alida Solomon, who owns Tutti Matti restaurant in Toronto, says she just can’t manage without Olio Extravergine di Oliva Toscano PGI: “I cannot live, cannot run the restaurant!”
Alida Solomon was a newly minted chef in 2004, having just graduated from culinary school, when she was given a piece of advice that would make an incredible impact on her career. If she wanted to pursue Italian cooking, said the chef she worked for, she must leave Toronto and spend time in Italy.
Solomon was no stranger to the country. She had visited Tuscany in high school, then spent two months in Montalcino (the Tuscan hilltop town famous for the robust red wine Brunello di Montalcino PDO) during her first year of university. The latter was one of those quintessential life changers, and it brought her back to Canada with a plan. "I told my parents I wasn't going back to university; instead, I was going to study Italian food."
Enter a love affair with Italian cuisine that's been at the crux of all that Solomon has done and accomplished over the years. It's why a summer trip to Montalcino, for example, turned into a seven-year stay. "I fell in love with the town and its people," she says. Her days were spent learning the history behind the local cuisine and soaking up the skills required to prepare genuine Italian dishes. "It would've been different if I'd been born into an Italian family and had all this knowledge at my fingertips," she explains. "But I had a bubby, not a nonna."
Solomon fondly recalls playing cards with the local older men, then ending up getting invited by their wives for meals. "I watched them and learned while they cooked."
Now back in Toronto, she spends most of her time at Tutti Matti, her truly authentic Tuscan restaurant in the city. After nearly 15 years, her inspiration still comes from using the most genuine Italian ingredients she can get her hands on.
Solomon ensures that many of the ingredients she brings into the restaurant's kitchen are labelled with the designations PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). To get these impressive European certifications – in Italian, DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta), respectively – these made-in-Italy products go through strict quality checks during production.
Solomon has a long list of favourite go-to Italian ingredients (see sidebar), including Tuscan olive oil [Olio Extravergine di Oliva Toscano PGI]. "I cannot live, cannot run the restaurant, without it. In fact, nothing leaves the kitchen without it. And that's what makes Italian food Italian – there are no shortcuts."
MUST-HAVES
If you love cooking Italian but you don't have a chef like Solomon to guide you through a shop full of authentic ingredients, seek out these favourites.
Pecorino Toscano PDO
This is a sheep's milk cheese that ranges from soft and buttery to firm and slightly tangy.
Salamini Italiani alla Cacciatora PDO
This gently cured "hunter's sausage" is mild and tender, and a popular snack throughout northern Italy.
Lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia PGI
Castelluccio lentils, collected and produced mainly by hand, are brownish, small and wonderfully tender.
SOLOMON GOES LOCAL
For advanced foodies, Solomon recommends trying these local Tuscan treasures, both of which can be ordered online.
She says of saba (also known as vin cotto or mosco cotto), a syrup made from cooked-down grape must, "I use it in salad dressings, venison and more."
Fennel pollen is another favourite. "It grows wild in Tuscany. I bring back as much as I can when I visit."
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's Globe Edge Content Studio, in consultation with an advertiser. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.