Italia Fresca

Perhaps you’ve noticed the colorful signs that dot the intersection of High Ridge and Cedar Heights roads. The ones that offer fresh mozzarella, homemade pasta, even catering services. A destination for both the discerning gourmet in search of exceptional olive oil, and the hungry appetite looking for a warm panini, offers high-quality Italian imports, a selection of salads and meats, and yes, their famous ravioli.

Enter the market and you’ll be surprised by the abundance of imported dried pastas and cans of tomatoes that line the walls. In the freezer are the hundreds of ravioli.  Choose from lobster, mushroom, meat and cheese.  In the fall, butternut squash ravioli is available, but year-round Fratelli offers their pumpkin ravioli, made with pumpkin dough and a pumpkin and cheese filling. A wide selection of vegan and gluten-free varieties are available, as are cuts such as gnocchi, fettuccini and rigatoni, to name a few.

Owner David Squibb, originally of Brooklyn, opened Fratelli Market in Stamford 10 years ago after many of his clients moved up here. Most of the items in the deli cases and freezers are made in Fratelli’s Brooklyn facility. The rest are imported directly from Italy with only a few items, such as Boar’s Heads meats, from the U.S.

At least twice a day, you’ll find Isabelle behind the counter making fresh mozzarella, sometimes as much as 50 pounds a day. Beginning with a large block of curd, she presses it through a stainless steel sieve to break up the curds into smaller pieces.  To the curds she adds almost-boiling water (she wears three pairs of latex gloves to protect her hands from the heat), and starts mixing and stirring away.

Eventually she brings out the paddle to press and stretch the cheese. Next, using her experienced hands, she creates the large, pillowy balls of mozzarella. The end result?  A delightful texture – both soft and firm – and a taste that is rich, moist, and ultra-fresh.

When asked why Fratelli Market’s mozzarella is considered the finest in all of Stamford, Squib replied, “It’s made with love!”

Along with sausages, prosciuttos and other hams, Fratelli carries imported anchovies, tuna, olive oils and sauces.  In the deli case, you’ll find treats such as grilled artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and flavorful rice balls. And of course, panini are made fresh to order.

Recipes

Two of my favorite pasta dishes come to mind when I shop at Fratelli Market.  One is from a friend in Providence, who makes her spaghetti with tuna sauce on a weekly basis.

San Marzano tomatoes are a must, but more important is the quality of the tuna.  She uses only the highest-quality imported tuna, packed in oil. It is available in both a jar and a can. The olive oil in the dish is rich and fruity, while the cured olives add strength and zest. All of the ingredients are available at Fratelli.

I recently found my new favorite dish, Pork Shoulder Ragu, from this website. Beginning with a boneless shoulder of pork (ask your butcher not to trim too much of the fat), the meat is seared and then slow-roasted for 3-4 hours. What comes out of the oven is a rich and flavorful sauce, almost a stew, that works well with pappardelle, a broad, flat pasta, similar too what we call egg noodles.

Lara’s Spaghetti With Tuna

Serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 fat garlic bulb, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large can imported San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cured black olives
1 can or jar imported tuna in oil
1 pound spaghetti

In a sturdy pot, heat the oil over medium and gently sauté the onions until translucent. Stir in garlic and red pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and give the pot a good stir. Turn down heat to very low so that the sauce simmers gently for about 1 hour. 

Stir in the tuna and olives, breaking apart the tuna to distribute it throughout the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper.

Just before the sauce is done, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Drain, and add to the sauce, coating well. Serve.

Pork Shoulder Ragu
(reprinted with permission from Dinner: A Love Story)

Serves 6

2 to 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
Salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
1 small pat butter
1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice
1 cup red wine
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh oregano
Small handful of fennel seeds
1 T hot sauce, for smokiness*
Pappardelle
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325°F. Liberally salt and pepper the pork roast. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts, but does not burn. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes in all.

Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel seeds and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Cover, and put in oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.)

Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Put on a cutting board and pull it apart with two forks, then add back to pot and stir. Cook 1 to 2 pounds pasta according to package directions. When it is ready, put into individual bowls and top with ragu and lots of Parm.

* I only use a few dashes of Tabasco, as I don’t like my sauce too spicy (and neither does my three year-old)