pisa-lucca---day 2 {travelogue}

saturday in florence

is like saturday in any city

locals pouring into town to do their weekend shopping

tourists milling about in large groups

staring upwards

just an all around

crowded situation

which is why

we got out of town

pisa and lucca the destination

turns out
it wasn't such a bad idea
the weather had turned runny
just as we took our seats on the excursion bus
rain began pouring down
(that really isn't its name...i don't know what the name was, except that it was one of those total tourist deals...which turn out to be a pretty good thing, actually)

i never think i am a fan of the organized tourist train/bus/walk
but i nearly always give them a try
i am hardly disappointed
except when it  includes food
which is a big bad bust
most of the time

those, i avoid
because
as you know
i am all about the food

speaking of which
we had steak and eggs for breakfast
but there are no photos
because i forgot
and by the time i remembered
it didn't look so appetizing
just trust me
leftover bistecca fiorentina
with a couple of fried eggs
and hunk of bread
is money

in Pisa
we did a tour of the church
which is beautiful
but dark
which is why i don't have any good photos
because in churches
you can't wear a hat
and
you can't use a flash

the real draw in Pisa
is the tower
a leaning tower
i love all the great photos that people fashion
holding the tower up
grimacing under the supposed weight
they never cease to humor me
but you rarely see this maneuver

someone kicking the darn thing over
but it is funny
right?
that is my husband
who enjoys a good laugh as much as i
we hooted over this one for hours

time for lunch
but in a tourist town
where restaurants actually name themselves
restaurant tourista
getting a good meal is a bit dubious
but we found one
just outside the main tourist area
called
trattoria bruno

(no identity crisis here)

the pasta outstanding
truly
hubs had

penne with rabbit and boar sauce
and i enjoyed

pasta with porcini mushrooms
the pasta was handmade
and so thin
you could almost see yourself through the sheets

simple yet delicious

from Pisa
we got back on the bus and headed to Lucca
a medieval city
that is usually quite lovely
but on a rainy saturday
with many of the venues closed for the afternoon
there was little to see

after getting a bit drenched in the rain
we stopped for a hot chocolate
which in this part of italy
is more like
warm chocolate pudding
than chocolate water
you decide if it sounds better or not

e poi
(which means and then
not the poi you eat in hawaii
which is not italian by any means
despite having the same name)

we visited a winery just outside of lucca
where
it turns out
they make the house wine
for one of my favorite places in New York City
Sant. Ambroeus
when i was getting married
my dress came from vera wang
and before my first appointment
and subsequently
my fittings
i would go have
coffee and a little something
at
sant ambroeus
 so when the proprietor of this winery in lucca
off-handedly mentioned the restaurant
i perked up with
on madison avenue!?!
she and i had a bonding moment
it is her brother's place
and all the "house wine" comes from here

 it is pretty good
a tasty drinkable wine
i was set to buy quite a bit
but then my new friend
(the owner)
gave me the name of their american distributor
so i wouldn't have to pay for shipping
which now means
i'll probably buy a whole case
ahh
those italians
so crafty!

after the wine and the food and the travel by bus
we were pretty wiped out
without plans for dinner

we grabbed a quick porchetta sandwich
and called it a night
actually
a night and half a day
since jet lag reared its ugly head
and we slept
about 12 hours
waking up just in time
to search out lunch....

Firenze--day one {travelogue}

i should really keep a food journal

not in the way that you think

i don't want it to scold myself

but to

extol the pleasures of each and every bite

lovely lines filled with prose

explanations of the blissful moment

that fork meets mouth

i would show it to my internist

as i step on the scale

so he might be so wrapped in envy

he'd forget to scold

fat chance

literally

today was our first full day in italy

we rented an apartment

both for economy and luxury

i like to fill a fridge

beverages

fresh fruit

yogurt

and other simple provisions

so each meal isn't eaten out

and

we can enjoy lazy mornings reading the local paper

or catching up on email

those gorgeous hotel breakfasts served in europe are mostly lost on me

i like to ease into my day

and an apartment in the heart of the city 

affords me that luxury

and

as luck would have it

for longer stays the cost savings can be quite extraordinary

we dropped in to the local market last evening and stocked the fridge

this morning, i popped down to our local bakery and fruit stand to pick up a couple of things for breakfast

i made a pot of coffee

set up breakfast on the veranda

and enjoyed our

beautiful view of the duomo

these incredible fragoline

(wild strawberries from sicily)

are tiny and pure white on the inside

and are sweet as they are small

with pure strawberry flavor

we are drying a few on the counter

so we can bring them back home to plant

hopefully they will germinate

post breakfast we walked, and walked, and walked some more

this town is crowded

people everywhere

i was in school here in the 1980s and for the last decade or so

i've tried to make it back every year

each time

there are larger crowds

the secret is definitely out

but

i do still feel the charm of a city i loved in my youth

speaking of the secret being out

we had lunch at one of my favorite spots

it used to be a sleepy little place

in a lesser known square on the oltroarno

partly by my own fault (telling anyone who would listen)

partly because of it hitting the guidebook circuit

it has become very, very popular

surprisingly

the prices remain low

and 

the quality high

osteria santo spirito

is a true gem

with simple yet delicious food

i always get the gnocchi tartufo

(small portion--still enough to share)

with a small salad

gnocchi

salad

the restaurant shared with me the ingredients for the gnocchi..but not the recipe.  i have successfully duplicated the sauce  both with pasta and potatoes. i may be persuaded to share!

mike went with the rabbit cacciatore

which was equally delicious

on our way back to the apartment

we stopped in at the gallileo museum

it is a relatively small space

filled with the most amazing instruments

used in applied sciences

like this early thermometer

which beautifully marries

form and function

it also houses

gallileo's mummified finger

if you are looking for a draw for your teenage son

or 

fully grown husband

the day progressed with more walking

an afternoon relax

and

this

ginormous steak

bistecca fiorentina

it is over 2lbs of dry aged beef

fired grilled

3 inches thick

medium rare on the exterior

and 

blood rare inside

juicy and tender

a must try

while just about everyone serves a version of this steak in florence

not everyone does it well

if you find a bargain

it may just taste like a bargain

it is a treat

so treat yourself

skimp tomorrow

we enjoyed ours at

buca mario

an old establishment

with cloth napkins

and attentive service

they are lovely

and the food is delicious

pair with a nice barolo

and

dig in

*be nice while you are there, and they may give you a restaurant apron...just like the one they gave me!

tomorrow we are off on a day trip to pisa and lucca

historic sights and olive oil

what more is there in life?

besides

meals

lots more meals

and i will share them all with you

but if you run into my doctor

just mention you heard i was doing a lot of walking

oh

and drinking lots of water

that's a good distraction

civediamo!

the original food trucks {travelogue}

i never understood

the why 

of

waiting in queues winding corners

for food

deemed 

"awesome"

by virtue of a great social media strategy

the food

usually expensive

often disappointing

always a lesson in compromise

i prefer

not 

finding my next great meal through a twitter feed

the next hot

rolling rip-off

can wait

artisanal

delicious

food

is handcuffed in that environment

when i am in italy

i follow the markets

freshly made porchetta each wednesday

salumi

made by the same hand i shook

as we exchanged pleasantries

arguably

they are food trucks

but 

without the 

frenzy

of a trend

that may already have seen

its best days

*these photos were taken at the weekly market of a small village in umbria

(apologies if i offend any food truck vendors. some of you may have amazing food..stop hiding your light under a bushel)

through this window {travelogue}

this is a window

in 

florence italy

7 via de conti

to be exact

twenty five years ago

give or take a few months

i sat on the other side

looking out

watching merchants, tourists, students, neighbors

wander to and from

the san lorenzo market

occasionally

my friends would shout 

from the street below

an invite to the jolly cafe

pink floyd videos playing all day across the back wall

grande heinekens and great hot dogs

cheap

really cheap

tacked along the walls within that room 

behind the window

were

posters

photos

letters from home

beds shoved against 

3 of the 4 walls

and

3 strangers from california

became

memory makers

memories that swarm

and ooze like honey

into the creases of our lives

of days

that changed us

made us bold

gave us a bit more context

allowed us to shed our comfort

i visit this window each time i come to florence

and this year

the 25th anniversary

the shutters are flung wide

exposing

an

empty building

i asked the shop keep

across the way

about my surrogate home

he simply said

non c'e piu

it is no more

*i am currently traveling about italy...gathering more memories

Tuesday Night Supper Club--Paglia e Fieno

if firenze holds my heart

then

roma holds my mind

many years ago

on a warm afternoon

guidebook in hand

i found myself 

in rome

and

wandering

off the beaten track

and i was hungry

because

wandering can do that to a girl

i had been making my way towards the ghetto

because fried artichokes

are what dreams are made of

but i was silly

because it was saturday

and they honor the sabbath 

in the ghetto

so i explored a bit more

and found

a charming restaurant

built in the substructure of the old teatro di pompeo

where the roman senate met

and where caesar was killed

and where i tried my very first

paglia e fieno 

it means straw and hay

and it is a pasta dish

that makes my mind wander

and my heart sing

Paglia e Fieno
(printable recipe)

While this recipe is rich, I have made it a lot less rich by reducing the amount of dairy and substituting 1/2&1/2 for the cream

1/2 lb    fettucine

1/2 lb   spinach fettucine

olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, smashed but kept whole

2 Tbs    unsalted butter

1/4 cup  diced pancetta

3 Tbs    finely chopped shallots

1 1 /2 cups sliced crimini or porcini mushrooms

1/2 cup  frozen or fresh peas

3/4  cup dry white wine

1/2 cup half and half

finely grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

cook pasta in boiling salted water. meanwhile, make sauce.  heat a large skillet and pour in enough olive oil to make a very thin layer.  drop in the garlic and cook until the garlic browns.  remove the garlic and throw away.  put heat on low and toss in pancetta.  do not let the pancetta crisp up.  add the shallots and after a few minutes, pour in about 1/4 cup of the wine, and let it absorb. toss in the mushrooms. as they begin to soften and cook, drop in the peas.  add the remaining wine, the half and half, and the butter, and slowly simmer to thicken a bit.  Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat.  add as much parmesan as you like...but it doesn't need much. don't add salt and pepper until after you add the cheese.

EAT UP!

* the restaurant in Rome is called Da Pancrazio

Ribollita

i am in LOVE with this soup

when I visit Italy

well north of Rome

i order this just about every day

even if

they dare to have it on a

spring or summer menu

you have to appreciate

thick hearty soup

to enjoy ribollita

it is not light

it is not delicate

it is me

as an allegory

in a soup

and here is the best part

day two

is better than

day one

seriously

Ribollita
(printable recipe)

2 cans cannellini beans--drained

1 large bunch cavelo nero, kale, swiss chard, or other dark leafy green--chopped

3 stems fresh italian parsley--chopped

3 garlic cloves--peeled and chopped

4-5 celery stalks-chopped

3 carrots--chopped

1 onion--chopped

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 loaf (approx) stale ciabatta or other hearty bread, crusts removed--sliced or torn

olive oil

chicken or vegetable broth

parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

In a large stockpot, fry the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley in about 3 Tbs olive oil on low for about 30 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, cavelo nero (or other leafy green), the beans and enough broth to cover. Simmer for an additional 50-60 minutes. 

The bread and broth are used to manage thickness of the soup.  I would start with 1/2 the bread and add more broth and let it sit on low heat for a bit, allowing the bread to break down.  Add more bread or broth to achieve the consistency you enjoy.  Season with salt and pepper.  When serving, top with some parmesan cheese and a glug or two of good olive oil.

our italian culinary holiday ends, but the culinary journey never will...part duex

We have had amazing weather during our holiday.  Amazingly warm weather. This afternoon the temperature began to cool, which was welcomed.  Marcello and Rafaella's home was a quick and welcomed  walk from our hotel.  They have a tidy flat on the 3rd floor of a lovely building just steps from the University of Bologna.  Their kitchen is very well appointed, and there was plenty of room for us to work.  Rafaella is a very accomplished home cook...and I was excited to learn from her.
Tortellini in Brodo is something I make. I ate it as a kid and it is real comfort food.  As it happens my husband's step-father (also Italian), made it as well...so we both share have good memories of the dish.
As you may recall, we made tortellini and stored it in the freezer. We would be using this pasta today for our Tortellini in Brodo.
I have to say, Rafaella's broth is the best broth I have ever had.  I have been making fresh chicken broth forever...but have always thought it was good, but lacking richness.  Today I learned the secret to making it amazing. And the secret is not chicken...it is beef.  Traditional broth for tortellini in brodo uses more than just chicken.  Furthermore, the meat is not tossed away, it is used in either bollito misto (boiled meat) or meatballs.

Rafaella's Brodo

1/2 stewing chicken

piece of cow's tongue--about 4" long

2-3 meaty short ribs--or flaken ribs with bones

nice piece of beef filet about 1/2lb

1 beef soup bone

2 small carrots-- peeled and kept whole

1 medium onion--peeled and kept whole

2 medium stalks celery--whole

salt and pepper

Place all meat in a large pot.  Cover with cold water.  Bring to a simmer on the stove, skimming foam off top as it forms.  Once it comes to a simmer, place top over, but not completely covering and let simmer for 3-4 hours.  Occasionally check and skim foam off top.  Once done, Strain, keeping meat for other use. Discard vegetables.  You may use immediately or store in refrigerator or freezer.

For Tortellini--bring enough broth to a boil to cook pasta.  Cook pasta until tender and about doubled in size.   Serve in shallow bowls and top with a bit of pepper and parmesan cheese.  The broth should not be treated like a soup, it is a condiment to the pasta.  But don't be too skimpy either...you will love this broth and want to sop up a bit with each bite!

tortellini in brodo

We made and ate so many amazing things, but there are a few I want to feature.  Things that are simple and delicious.

Rafaella had picked up some zucchini flowers at the marketplace.  They are not quite as dear in Italy as they are here.  I have found them at local farmer's markets and sometimes at whole foods--but they will pinch the pocketbook a bit.

It is essential to preserve the taste of the fiore as they are so precious.  Rafaella's recipe--does just that.  She also threw in fresh sage and basil leaves for a bit of a treat.  These zucchini flowers remained crunchy even after sitting for a bit...which was a nice surprise.

Batter for Flowers and Herbs

1/3 cup flour

1 egg

1/4 cup sparkling water or club soda or beer

pinch of salt

2-3 ice cubes

Gently mix the ingredients together to form a nice batter (a little thinner than pancake batter). Add the ice cubes to make mixture quite cold.

Dip the zucchini flowers and herbs in the batter, allow excess to drip off.  Drop into pan of very hot oil and cook until light brown.  Remove from oil and drain on kitchen paper.  Sprinkle with salt and serve

For our protein, we made involtini.  Involtini is a piece of meat with something wrapped inside. In our case we used mortadella, sage and parmesan cheese.  Here's the deal with these.  When you start out...they honestly don't really look like much. I was a bit skeptical.  We took small pieces of very thin veal, chicken and pork and placed very small bits of mortadella and parmesan cheese in the middle.  Each filling was topped with about 1/3 piece of sage and then rolled to cover all ingredients and kept closed with a toothpick.  We crammed them in a medium size saucepan, dropped a bit of olive oil and a couple bits of butter on top and let them cook away.  I have since made these at home and they were a big hit...and great for a crowd.  My addition to the recipe is that when I took the involtini out of the pan, I hit the bottom of the pan with a bit of white wine and then just a small knob of butter.  It pulled all the crunchy bits off the pan and made a nice sauce that I then poured over the meat.  You really should use mortadella in this, but if you don't like it substitute with prosciutto, but then watch the salt in the recipe.  Please do not buy mortadella from the grocery store. Get it from a good Italian or German deli...you will be glad you did. Oh...and have them slice it very thin...very, very thin.

We enjoyed so many delicious side dishes, but one that was a complete surprise was the eggplant dish. As I watched it come together, again I was skeptical.  I thought it looked dry and sad.  But it turned out to be absolutely delicious.

Melanzane

Take a large eggplant and slice it to max 1/8" slices.  Place in a colander and coat with salt, or let dry for a few hours on paper towels to reduce bitterness. If you use the salt, be sure to wash the eggplant off, otherwise you will have the equivalent of a salt-lick.  Make sure the eggplant is dry and then cook in a dry pan over medium heat.  When the eggplant starts to color and is soft, it is done.  Arrange in concentric layers on a serving plate.  Meanwhile finely chop 2 cloves garlic, about 2 Tbs italian parsley leaves and about 1 tsp of kosher salt.
Sprinkle on top of the eggplant and then top with good extra virgin olive oil.  Serve room temperature or cold.

And for dessert we had gelato.  Rafaella whipped it up like it was no big deal.  She didn't make a custard by cooking the eggs, which I always do from a food safety perspective, which made her process very quick.  None of us have compromised immune systems and frankly they just do it differently in Europe, so we obbled down every last bit.  And boy did it taste so good!  The recipe was pretty standard, so I won't post it here...but I will show you a photo...

vanilla gelato with blueberry sauce

So the food was great, naturally.  Rafaella knows her way around a kitchen and she is very choosy with her ingredients.  The night was spectacular.  As we sat in their dining room, eating this spectacular meal and talking about our adventure of the past week, it felt as if we were going down memory lane with dear old friends.  I couldn't believe that this would be our final evening together as Marcello had become part of our daily landscape--translating things he didn't need to, not translating things I desperately wanted to understand but didn't need to know...driving us through village and dale....showing us a side of Italy only few non-natives get to experience....getting impatient with us for forever being a few minutes late...shaking his head as we debated if we should smuggle home a full prosciutto (we did not)...introducing us to amazing chefs and cooks throughout the region....and sharing with us his family and his life.

In the end we had to say arrivaderci  to our new friends; Marcello, his wife Rafaella and their adorable daughter Francesca.  They are now and forever a part of my quilt...my quilt of experiences and adventures that I carry with me always.
Thank you dear readers for following me on this journey.

Just one more plug for them...Marcello and Rafaella of Bluone Cooking Tours.  You won't be disappointed!

our italian culinary holiday ends, but the culinary journey never will...

It is our final day in Bologna and we are getting a bit of a late start.  Marcello's wife, Rafaella is meets us at the local marketplace for exploration and some foraging of our own.  We are going to have a feast at her house, bringing together some of the skills we have honed during the week...and we need supplies.  We entered the market along with very serious shoppers. making choices for the evening meal.  There is no mulling about, touching every orange, or asking to smell the fish around here. It is all business.  It is a given that the produce, bread, fish, meat is fresh. If you want to question the age of something...head to the grocery store.  The women who fill the market are skilled shoppers and cooks, and they don't mess around.

When I was living in Florence, 23 years ago, I hardly ever ate red meat. I really subsisted on pasta, pizza, risotto, and the occasional roasted chicken. I was a marathon runner and needed to carbo-load.  Okay, so maybe the only running I did was for the train, and maybe I have never run a marathon, and maybe the only reference to a marathon in my life is a marathon candy bar...but I am telling the truth about the carbs.  One of the jokes we used to have, if the pensione we lived in served meat, was that it was probably horse.
I thought it was a joke, until I happened upon this little butcher shop, smack dab in the middle of the marketplace.

It says on the sign...Macelleria Equina.  I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know what that means...Horse Meat For Sale Here.  And it is quite popular.  Actually, I stood there for a very long time, staring down people who were going in and out of the place.  Apparently horse meat is extremely high in iron and is very good for children.  The meat was beautiful, but I just couldn't get the jingle out of my head "how much is that poney in the window?"
Thankfully, we moved on to other shops and I could get the memory of precious pets out of my head...
...but not here...

okay...enough with the fresh meat.  We eventually moved on to the yummy stuff...prosciutto.  I have always loved prosciutto. I grew up with it wrapped around bread sticks or sweet cantaloupe.  When my grandparents were alive, they would fill suitcases with wonderful cured meats from the best shops in New York and bring them to us.  Finding the good stuff in the 70's and 80's in Los Angeles was impossible, and the suitcase's arrival was as important to us as the people who packed it.  We actually had a commercial meat slicer in the kitchen...and come lunch time it would be fired up and ready for service. My mother stopped short of issuing little paper numbers...but once the whir of the steel blade filled the house, we hustled in for our afternoon meal.  What I failed to understand then, and only know now, after my visit with Rafaella, is that proper Prosciutto di Parma is diet food.

Yes, you heard me correctly, diet food.

Break out the side of pork ma, I'm going on a diet!

After our morning shopping expedition, we parted ways with Rafaella. We had some time before our evening cooking course with her and wanted to do a bit of non-food related shopping.

Which lasted all of 5 minutes when we happened upon the most delicious confection store in all of the land.

After a busy morning of food gathering and coveting, we had worked up a bit of a hunger.

Interestingly, the area of Bologna where we were didn't have a large number of eateries...but we stumbled upon this small restaurant tucked away off the main square, and settled in for a nice lunch.  The tables were quite close together which made eavesdropping  convenient.  As it is a favorite past time of mine, I instantly loved the atmosphere!

At the table next to us sat 2 women, who spoke to the waiter in Italian.  The younger of the two women lit a cigarette and began to puff away.  Now, I will tell you...smoking does not bother me. It doesn't bother me in a bar, in a restaurant, in a park or in a car.  A smoke filled room bothers me, but someone smoking...I quite like it, to be honest.

I think I murmured something of the sort out loud, which might have been mistaken for irony, and the woman said to me in a perfect British accent. Shall I put it out?

Startled, I told her I didn't have an issue with it.  We then started chatting.  The reason I am repeating this story is...after a few minutes of talking, we realized that we had lived just a block or two apart, in a small village outside of London.  She is still there, I obviously am not.  It was nice to catch up on my old stomping grounds.  Turns out she speaks several languages as she and her mother are Russian translators and were on assignment in Italy. Small world.

We ended the afternoon with a nice walk through town, happening upon an antique market in full swing.  There was plenty to look at, but I didn't find any treasures.  The afternoon passed swiftly and soon it was time to head to Marcello and Rafaella's house for the evening lesson and meal which I will tell you about in the next post....

adventures in truffle hunting

I've heard it said that golf is a good walk wasted.  That may be true, but truffle hunting is a great walk, enhanced.

Silvano and Marcello (our guide) 

I have said in a previous blog that I only discovered truffles as an adult. Before that I didn't know they existed, or that they were a precious commodity.  
Now I know both.  
And I think I know why.
Truffle hunting is a business.  Most hunters wouldn't allow anyone, let alone someone with a video camera along. The risk of another hunter discovering where truffles are hidden is great.  This is not a hobby, it is a livelihood, and I came to respect that as we took our wonderful and bit strenuous 3 hour walk through the woods. Due to this, I have chosen not to post the video of our adventure. Sorry. 


Silvano and his sons gather from the land what they can.  They hunt truffle, collect chestnuts and forage for porcini mushrooms. All of these things are available locally, essentially in their back yard.  Silvano has been a truffle hunter for 35+ years.  Every day, during the season, for 5 hours, he takes a walk with his dogs.  He directs them to areas that have been successful in the past, and he watches them closely.  An enthusiastic dog might swallow a truffle, if his master doesn't get there quickly enough.
Truffles are very expensive.  Fancy restaurants think nothing of charging $100 for a pasta starter with shaved truffle. A white truffle can cost you upwards of about $6000 a pound. So imagine my surprise, when we arrived at Silvano's home after our morning of truffle mania, to see a jar loaded with the stuff. 

 I turned to my sister and said, "am I dead?"

The smell of the ground, where a truffle lay, is intoxicating.  It smells like a symphony of heaven and earth. I just couldn't believe my nose when one of the dogs unearthed one.  As I approached the scene, I could smell the truffle...as clear as day.  It was astounding.
After our beautiful walk in the woods, and our unearthing of 2 small truffle bits...we headed to Silvano's house for afternoon supper.

Our walk in the woods

sporti hanging out

What a beautiful place.  Can you imagine anything more beautiful?  Well, I can.  And it wasn't nature, it was nurture.  When we arrived at Silvano's house most of his family were there to greet us. He has 3 sons and two of them joined us for lunch, along with the most charming Beatrice--Silvano's granddaughter.  She was off school because of a strike.  Silvano's wife had been preparing all morning for our arrival.  The dining table was set with care and the kitchen was brimming with activity.  Everything Margherita put on the table was made either in her house, or in a house nearby.  She makes her own bread and her own pasta, by hand.

No machines.  There are chickens in the back for eggs.

Andrea, Silvano's son and Beatrice's father makes the family salami.  He gave us a great explanation on how-to and inspired us, for the time being. When reality set in...that we don't have a cantina or basement or any cool dark place to cure and dry it, we began to think of great places to buy salami.  So, one of the specialities of Bologna is the ragu bolognese.  I presented a recipe here.  Margherita served it with tagliatelle and truffles. She put a bit of fresh truffle in the sauce as it was near the end of cooking, and then Andrea shaved additional portions as it was served.  MY OH MY!

 And because everyone follows up pasta with potatoes...I know it is one of my favorite combinations.  We followed with a gratin of potatoes with truffle cooked in and more shaved truffle on top
What Margherita was trying to do was show us how to use the precious truffle.  When I told her that we have truffle ice cream, cookies, cheese, oil, honey, macaroni and cheese, etc, etc...it was if I was telling her that we par-boil kittens.  In this house, and in much of what I could ascertain in the region, truffles are meant to be eaten with only a few items.  Items that can stand up to the depth of the truffle, but will also allow the truffle to shine.  Putting it in macaroni and cheese is like taking a gold nugget and dipping it in silver.  I was schooled.  But I can't promise I will mend my ways completely.  I can honestly say I won't be making truffle ice cream or cookies, but I did make killer truffle potato chips the other night....

Andrea's handmade salami

the family gathered around the table

After a long lunch, with lots of laughter and stories being told, we were ready for dessert.  Again, Margherita came through with some delicious homemade delights.

She made a cookie called zuccherini.  My mom has been describing a cookie my grandma made when my mom was a little girl.  She had never been able to duplicate the taste or texture of that cookie.  Today, my mother was whisked back to her small kitchen in the Bronx.  The cookies were exactly as she remembered.  She was delighted when Margherita packed a bag of them for us to take back to our hotel with us!

zuccherini

This family was lovely.  They love food and they live life to the fullest.  They welcomed us into their home as if we were relatives. At one point in the afternoon, I just sat back and watched and listened. And I too was brought back to my childhood.  It felt as if it were Sunday afternoon on my Aunt Rose's summer porch.  The men and women breaking bread and celebrating life.  A memory brought back and revived.

an enchanted evening

I think the best way to discover a village, town, or country is to experience the people who live there.  This culinary journey I am on with my sister and mom provided that opportunity for us.  We are Italian and know what our American experience is as Italians. The food is always plentiful and good, the conversations always a decibel above what is necessary. But we have gotten lazy in some of our traditions, and it was nice to cook and break bread in Italian homes. It gave us perspective and renewed energy to cherish traditional recipes, to not waste anything, and to grow or find the freshest available ingredients.

I found a kindred spirit in Elena.  Elena owns an agriturismo in the hills of Romagna.  She lives among the olive trees in a 150 year old farmhouse with a very modern kitchen.  She is adorable and an amazing cook.  Shortly after we arrived, she had us working.  While her kitchen was modern, her utensils were not.  She doesn't own a whisk or a vegetable peeler.  I thought third degree burns were forming on my sister's hand while trying to whisk hot bechamel over a high flame with a salad fork.  She survived and so did the sauce.  We used it to make quite possibly the best lasagna verde al forno I will ever eat.

My job was to make the lasagna sheets.  It took me about 20 minutes of kneading and another 20 minutes of rolling before Elena gave me the thumbs up.  She was impressed with my technique, but not so impressed that I exerted myself so much, I looked as if I had just run a 10k.  It was very warm in the kitchen....that's my story and I am sticking to it!
Making and rolling dough by hand is not child's play.



We cooked for about 3 hours making a wonderful bolognese sauce, bechamel, pasta dough, chicken cacciatore and a tomato bruschetta appetizer.

I am a huge fan of Mario Batali and use his recipes quite often.  But I will tell you...his lasagna al forno does not hold a candle, not even a birthday candle, to Elena's.  She is a master.  Her lasagna is a minimum of 5 layers.  She likes 7, but we were a bit too heavy handed with the bolognese in the first 2 layers. We were unchapeoned and assumed the lasagna would only be 2 or 3 layers max.  What a mistake.  I loved this dish so much that I am almost afraid to make it again. Afraid I will taint the perfect memory.

Seriously...A-Mazing.

We cooked, we laughed, and laughed a lot more. Elena is so charming. But what was enchanting about the evening was our meal.
Elena's farmhouse dining room looks like what is portrayed in old movies.  A man rides his horse up to the local tavern, it's raining outside and the dark doorway opens up to a dimly-lit but  inviting room with large tables topped with lanterns.  Wine and bread sit on the table and all around it seem genuinely happy.   Joining us for dinner was Elena's daughter.  She helped her mom set the table and serve the amazing dinner we enjoyed.

Our evening was not only pleasant but a great deal of fun. The conversation was lively and the food was perfect.  The wine was simple.  It didn't have to be an expensive bottle or the perfect match to the food, it just trailed along with our meal and that was fine with me.  The chicken cacciatore was delicious.  Chicken cacciatore was the very first meal I made on my own when I was a little girl. I never make it anymore and I know my husband would enjoy it.  I am putting it back in the rotation.  She also used all the parts I never use. The wings, the legs, the thighs. What a bore I am.  Those are going back in the rotation too.  And let's be honest, they are nice on the pocketbook.
After the food portion of dinner, we had dessert and digestives.  Dessert was a meringue semi-freddo.  My mom and sister passed on the dessert, big mistake. But I am not that rude, so I indulged freely.

Semi-freddo is a really simple dessert.  Using meringue simplifies it a bit more.

Then came the digestives.  Again, as in all households and restaurants we visited before it, out came the limoncello and nocino.

 And, a new favorite, and something that I am definitely going to make...brandied cherries.  The only sadness I have is that they take 3 years to soak. So, 3 years from now, I will be enjoying brandied cherries.  Maybe I will make a vintage version and a non-vintage version.  At any rate, I will have to wait until next year to obtain the fresh cherries.  I will worry about the aging process then.

This lesson and meal were very meaningful to me.  It showed me another way.  I made new friends, and I was sad to leave.  I intend on nurturing a relationship with Elena, as she is someone I want to know better.

Elena's Ragu alla Bolognese

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1 medium onion

1/2 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

1 cup red wine

1 cup tomato sauce

1-2 cups vegetable or meat broth

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mince onion, carrot and celery rather finely.  Put them in a pot with enough olive oil to cover the base of the pot.  Add a pinch of salt.  Fry lightly for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You do not want the vegetables to brown.  Add the minced meat and mix well until the meat browns a little.  Stir occasionally.  When the meat if cooked, add the red wine and let it cook into the meat and excess evaporate.  Add the tomato sauce to color the sauce and then flavor with a bit of pepper.  Cook the sauce very slowly for 2-3 hours, covered.  Stir occasionally and add hot broth if the meat begins to look dry.  Use this sauce for pasta or lasagna.