January 25 , 2019

I haven’t had the sensation of hunger in days.  That doesn’t mean I’m not eating.  Everything must be tasted.  Raw ingredients are tasted before being used.  Food being prepared is tasted frequently during preparation.  The final product must be tasted before being served.  Food prepared by one of the Chefs is always tasted (or sometimes actually eaten in larger quantities) because it’s being prepared to demonstrate a particular dish or food product.

Weight gain is the side effect.  If one is eating when one is not hungry there is no alternative but to gain weight.

It’s that sacrifice one makes to achieve a goal.  In this instance, the goal is understanding and being able to prepare traditional Italian Regional Cuisine and then to be able to riff on that same cuisine to create new dishes.

One really can’t focus on the weight gain.  It goes with the territory.  Just like medical students, interns, and residents can’t focus on the excessive caffeine consumption needed to counteract the effects of not getting enough sleep.  It goes with the territory, or at least it used to.  (Don’t get me started about the negative educational consequences of substantially reduced work hours for medical professionals in training!  The change was meant to address a perceived problem and created unintended consequences.)

Yesterday we went to Sicily for the day, to see another part of Italy and to taste different food.  We left the hotel at 6:00 AM.  At 6:15 we were at Soverato Dolci for an Italian breakfast: coffee and pastry.  Chef John recommended the Cornetti (croissants) because they were made in house which, he said, was often not the case.  He told me I should have “several.”  I heeded part of his advice and had a Cornetto, but just one.  I chose a Cornetto ai Noci (with walnuts).  I thought it might have ground walnuts on the inside but instead it had a luscious warm creamy walnut filling that started running down my chin.  Someone else had a pistachio cornetto and it had the same type of filling.  A doppio caffè (double espresso) rounded out my breakfast.

We were back on the bus at 6:45 bound for Reggio Calabria and the ferry to Sicily.  The bus pulled onto the ferry at 9:55 AM.  It was a short ride on a beautiful new ferry.  We got off the bus and headed to the café on the ferry.  At 10:05 we were chowing down on Arancini the size of my fist.  They probably provided enough calories for an entire day.

We were back on the bus at 10:20 and at 10:30 the bus drove off the ferry in Messina.  We headed for Taormina, reaching there at 11:15.  There is also a train to Taormina.  The train drives from Calabria right onto a special ferry (one with train tracks, of course) and drives off after reaching Sicily continuing on its way!  One never gets off the train.

After a couple of group pictures in Taormina we were on our own until 12:50 (theoretically), at which time we were to meet for lunch.  Seven of us headed for the Amphitheater.  It was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BCE and subsequently expanded by the Romans.

We headed back to our meeting place a little late but before we got there, we saw another part of our group sitting outside a bar with a round of Aperol Spritzes at 1:00 PM.  Mariana, Chef Juan’s wife, was with the group.  Already late for lunch, Mariana managed to massage lunch plans and we all got a round of Aperol Spritzes before making it to the restaurant (some of us with Aperol Spritzes in styrofoam cups) at 1:30.  Here we were, in one of the most heavily touristed (and therefore expensive) towns in Italy, a town that has been a tourist destination since Roman times, and an Aperol Spritz cost only €6.50!  Bowls of nibbles came to the table free of charge.

Lunch started with individual antipasto plates of three cured meats, three cheeses, caponata, fried eggplant, and olives.  The first course was Pasta alla Norma.  The second course consisted of veal rolls stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, rolled in bread crumbs and gently sautéed.  These were served with mashed potatoes.  Desert was tiramisu and gelato.  An amaro and coffee followed.

We rolled out of the restaurant at 3:30 and had another hour to explore the town before boarding the bus for the return trip.  Siesta wasn’t quite over, typically lasting from 1:00 to 4:00 (or 5:00 – hey, this is Southern Italy, after all!) so many of the shops were still closed.

Taormina is known for ceramics and I wanted to purchase something.  The one shop that I was able to get into had many items that were unpriced making it difficult to shop.  As I was about to ask prices, I spied a platter that was priced at €1500.00.  Based on this, I decided there was no need to ask pricing for items that, at best, would have been totally unnecessary impulse purchases.  Besides, I suspect I’ll head back to Sicily in the near future, at a time when I won’t be bringing a steamer trunk full of kitchen equipment home with me!

We were back on the bus at 4:30 heading for the port in Messina.  Before reaching the ferry dock though, the bus made a stop.  Juan disappeared and then reappeared with bags full of cannoli!!!  It was the first food I’ve refused since the program began.  Once on the ferry, nobody got off the bus except one smoker who needed his fix.

Back at the school, not one of us wanted dinner.  We all headed to our rooms.  Exams were scheduled to start the next day and 1/3 of the class had to take a practical exam, the contents of which were not divulged.  I was scheduled in the second group, with my exam a day later.

As you may recall, I promised in my last post to describe what we did in the Pastry Lab the day before we went to Sicily.  Here’s the rundown of what Chef Juan demonstrated:

1. Strawberry Coulis
2. Pan di Spagna (subsequently cut into Savoiardi)
3. Masa Chabon (chocolate coating)
4. Mascarpone Cream (for Tiramisu) starting with the preparation of Pâte à Bombe
5. Salsa al Caffè (coffee sauce)
6. Tempered Chocolate
7. White Chocolate Lace
8. Tiramisu
9. Strawberry Spumone

Chef John kept feeding us during the day we spent in the Pastry Lab with Chef Juan.  At 10:30 AM small plates of bagna cauda and a bread roll flavored with cuttlefish ink appeared.  At 11:50 he sent in seared swordfish with caponata, capers, and a roasted black olive crumble.  At 1:30 we got bollito di maiale with polenta and little cubes of aspic made from a chicken demi.  There was to be one more dish arriving that somehow didn’t.  There were no complaints when it didn’t arrive.

We finished in the Pastry Lab at 4:00 I managed to get in a good walk before pizza making (and the next round of eating) started at 6:00 PM.

Thursday was the first of two exam days.  It was, mercifully, a free day until 4:30 for those of us who were not scheduled for exams.  At 4:30 we had a lecture by Dr. Bill Schindler, an anthropologist and fascinating speaker.  He spoke about our dietary history.  He plans on being here for two more days.  It will be very interesting to see what he presents us.