pane bianco

ate at pane bianco today.

this is what it http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/pane/contact.html

simple, clean flavors. nothing crazy fancy but very, very good.

i had the market sandwich - pretty much the daily sandwich special. it was made with:

bresaola, piave cheese and arugula

their mozzarella, tomato & basil is supposed to be excellent.

since i didn't know bresaola or piave cheese, here you go.

bresaola:
bresaola is air-dried salted beef eye of round that has been aged about 2-3 months until it becomes hard and a dark red, almost purple colour. it originated in the valtellina valley in northern italy's lombardy region, with pieces of beef being strung up to cure in the cool alpine air. it is lean, has a sweet, musty smell and is tender. its rich taste stems from a strict trimming process, where legs of beef are thoroughly defatted and seasoned with a dry rub of coarse salt and spices. It is then left to dry for a few days. afterwards a curing period follows, which lasts between one and three months depending on the particular bresaola's weight. Up to 40% of the meat's original weight is lost during aging.

as an antipasto bresaola is usually served at room temperature or slightly chilled, is sliced paper thin, and is drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, rocket salad (also known as rucola), a smattering of cracked black pepper and freshly shaved parmesan cheese. this recipe is often referred to as carpaccio, because of its similarities with this dish. however, the most common way to eat it is simply freshly cut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bresaola; http://italianfood.about.com/od/curedmeats/r/blr0801.htm http://www.babbonyc.com/in-bresaola.html http://www.buonitalia.com/index.cfm/act/Catalog.cfm/catalogid/235/description/Bresaola/browse/null/MenuGroup/Home/desc/Bresaola.htm

piave cheese - kind of tasted like parmigiano reggiano:
piave is a cow's milk cheese made only in the the piave river valley region of bellunao, italy. shaped as a wheel, it is made from pasteurized milk collected in two milkings, one of which is skimmed.

piave has a dense texture without holes that is straw-yellow in hue. the taste is often compared to that of montasio cheese -- which is to say, it imparts an intense, full-bodied flavor. piave is sold in the united states as a hard cheese (called piave vecchio or stravecchio, meaning "old" or "extra-old") at which point its taste resembles that of a young parmigiano reggiano.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piave_cheesehttp://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10404