What We Eat
I love friarielli (free-ah-ree-EH-lee). In fact, I've just learned (after 3 and a half years) that friarielli is the Neapolitan word for the Italian frigiarelli. I think that they deserve more than a mere post, but I have a feeling that you might abandon me if dedicated my entire blog to my affection for friarielli. (I would need another blog just for prosciutto, lest it be jealous.)
I've heard that they're grown, sold, and consumed only in Campania which is good news 'cause that means there's more for me. These greens have the unfortunate effect of making you question the need for the existence of spinach, because if spinach is the Michael Bolton of greens, a pan of friarielli is better than James Brown.
heyHeyHAY!
Anyway, I don't know of anything that is so damn inherently tasty. They're rich and have a spicy cinnamon/nutmeg kick. Just a quick saute in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and peperoncino will have you shoutin' for Maceo.
Are there any greens in America that compare? I'm afraid not. You'll just have to come to my house for dinner.
"UNGH! Jump back, wanna kiss m'self..."
posted by Tracie P. at 12/18/2006 01:30:00 AM
19 Comments:
I bet a little cornbread would compliment those tasty greens! Yum Yum.
12/18/2006 6:20 AM
wow - tracie those look really yummy. yeah I'm interested in knowing where else it grows... or what the name in english is...
by the way, you can only see northern lights way up. We can't see them in vancouver because well we aren't exactly way up! More like alaska or Yukon is where you see them.
12/18/2006 9:06 AM
Tracie b. I am laughing so hard right now. When I have greens on the island later this week I will be thinking, "where is Maceo and his saxphone?".
12/18/2006 10:39 AM
You've just described how I feel about chicory..throw in some cannellini beans and I'll be wantin' to kiss m'self too.
12/18/2006 11:56 AM
Oh now c'mon, you can't do this to me! Only in Campania? I'd never even heard of this before and now I'm really envious. Nutmeg-cinnamon greens? Wow.
12/18/2006 5:14 PM
Wine? Green leaves? Texans aren't known for either of these things... Shouldn't you be wrestling with some future prosciutto? Them is jokes - lovely post on the free-ah-ree-EH-lee & please keep the insight into the Naples area coming. Best Wishes.
12/18/2006 9:19 PM
mom (jane)--aahhh...cornbread!
expat--hey expat, you can't even find them outside of campania as far as i know, so i wouldn't start looking in canada! english? i doubt there's a word
sognatrice--have you ever made chickory risotto? it's SO good
susan--you'll have to head south!
justjealous--thanks :) i mouth wrestle with that legaham every day
12/19/2006 1:58 AM
Salsiccia e friarielli...yuuuummm! Delina
12/19/2006 3:36 AM
dalina--i should have added, as you mentioned, that friarielli are frequently served with sausage.
that's enough to put the curl back james brown's hair.
12/19/2006 4:18 AM
I have never heard of this stuff! I wonder where I can find it around here. Maybe it would be better if I just head over to your house, I would just burn the stuff anyway.
Hey, I have a better idea. Why do you come over and we will fix it together. Then we can eat a big plate of it while watching Sky tv! Do I know how to bribe a girl or what?
Cyn
12/19/2006 10:09 AM
when! WHEN?!
12/19/2006 11:24 AM
OMG.....my dad loves that stuff or something similar. His cousin grows it here in Australia...they call it something else.. Couliciedi (don't know how to spell it, but I have always thought my parents were feeding me wild weeds. lol
12/19/2006 4:52 PM
Tracie... why did you do this to me?
I was surfing the net, checking blogs, taking time, waiting for the inspiration of what to cook for dinner... and BANG!
Here they are: i friarielli. Ma comm' t' ven' a chest'ora...
That's exactly what I want. Right now.
Last time I went to Italy I even (illegaly) brought some seeds with me in Maui. I gave them to Sharon (I'm too busy surfing to grow vegetables), but they never grew.
The fact that they are only grown, known and eaten in Campania remain a mistery for me. But it's not the only one. Try ask for puntarelle at the market in Ischia. They won't know what it is. They only eat them in Rome and they are delicious...
Oh no... why did I think about that?
Puntarelle con la salsa di acciuge e carciofi alla Giudea, that's what I want now...
12/19/2006 11:36 PM
mad--i bet they're not the same, bt probably just as good!
cammar--i will have you know that the first time i ate puntarelle was in ischia :)
12/20/2006 1:49 AM
in my section of campania "friarielli" are those small, narrow green peppers.
12/20/2006 9:08 AM
Same at Positano, they're little green sweet peppers.
12/21/2006 8:08 AM
here those peppers are just called peperoncini verde. with these crazy regional (and sub-regional) tendencies, you just never know!
1/30/2007 6:09 AM
yo!
well, if you get down to pembrokeshire in wales you can get sum of these luverly veggies! they grow a treat here and the farmers markets customers have been lapping them up.. i tink we got em hooked!!
http://tomtombean.squarespace.com/journal/2007/1/7/free-free-friarielli.html
2/13/2007 3:27 PM
gotta love that Maceo, man... what time should I be over for dinner?
7/29/2008 6:56 PM
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