August 28, 2019

Zia Ida departed for the States on Thursday August 21st.  I thought Zia Fidalma needed a day off.  After all, she had been “going” seven days a week since August 1st.

I suggested that I not come to Benabbio at all on the 22nd but I got invited to come for dinner.  That seemed like a good compromise to me and I planned to arrive around 5 PM.

When I got there, Zia Fidalma recounted her “day off” to me.  She got up early, weeded the garden, harvested vegetables, trimmed the plants on the terrace, swept the terrace, scrubbed the terrace, cooked at least three different dishes for the freezer, and did laundry.  Some day off!!!

For lunch on the 22nd I had what has become my default meal at the apartment (a Panino of:  Piadina, Schiachatta, Caciotta, and Peperoncini sott’Olio) before heading to Beabbio.

For dinner, we had a cultural mash-up starting with Zuppa di Verdure con Pasta (vegetable soup with pasta).  The second course was Leberkäse (brought back by friends from Germany) lightly browned in a pan and served with Bratkartoffeln (aka German Fries, American Fries, or Home Fries).  We ended with the final bit of that fabulous Ricotta that Zia bought in Corsagna topped with Maple Syrup from Vermont!

Massimo worked from home on Friday August 23rd so I had another reprieve from “Italian immersion.”  It actually turned out to be a pretty mellow day from a cooking perspective.  Who am I kidding, it was a pretty mellow day from all perspectives!

Zia whipped up Pomarola from garden tomatoes, something I think I can now do in my sleep, and we started lunch with Spaghetti con Pomarola.  Our second course was Sformato di Zucchini e Fagiolini (string beans) that Zia had made on her “day off,” Formaggio Fresco (young cheese), and Pane Integrale (whole wheat bread).  Zia offered us Cialde for dessert (those things that Italian-Americans call Pizzelle) but Massimo and I both declined.  Zia nibbled on hers, with a look of glee on her face.

Massimo and I made dinner.  It was definitely suited for carbohydrate lovers.  We started with simple bruschette with garlic and oil.  With Massimo’s instruction, I made Pici al Pane.  Pici are long pasta (more than twice the length of “regulation” spaghetti which is about 25 centimeters or 10 inches) and very thick; probably about 1/8 inch thick.

The sauce consisted of a hearty dose of olive oil infused with garlic and peperoncino.  The pasta was tossed in the oil with some pasta-cooking water.  To that was added a substantial quantity of large breadcrumbs (about ¼ inch) that had been browned in oil flavored with rosemary.  A few good handfuls of Pecorino and the pasta was ready.  A salad of tomato and basil rounded out the meal.

Saturday was market day but I wasn’t planning on meeting Zia Fidalma as she was going to the hairdresser in anticipation of a fiftieth anniversary party for her niece Emiliana and Emiliana’s husband Giulio the next day.  Nonetheless, I ran into Zia Fidalma and Emiliana shortly after the market opened.  Emiliana scored a braid of garlic but otherwise I think they left the market empty-handed.

Saturday was also Fiera di San Bartolomeo, a modest street fair that spilled out onto the main street in Bagni di Lucca, Viale Umberto I.  There were a few more vendors of clothing, housewares, and food but really not too much else.  A big attraction seemed to be the vendor selling Porchetta.

Massimo came to town about 10:30 and we did a bit of a walking tour of Bagni di Lucca before meeting Zia Fidalma for lunch at Circolo dei Forestieri where I had eaten several weeks before with Zia Ida and Zia Fidalma.  From the menu I ordered Linguine con Tonno e Olive (linguine with tuna and olives) as my first course followed by Petto di Pollo Impanato (breaded and fried thinly pounded chicken breast) and Peperonata.  The wine with lunch was counteracted by the coffee afterwards so I was able to remain awake for the afternoon.

That is a good thing as we drove to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana so that I could buy a present for Emiliana and Giulio as I had also been invited to their fiftieth anniversary celebration the next day.  After returning from Castelnuovo, I spent the rest of the day in Bagni di Lucca.  I made my default meal (see above) for dinner.  But first I had a wee bit of bourbon.

Massimo picked me up at noon the next day to go to the party.  He had Zia Fidalma as well as Emiliana and Giulio in the car.  We arrived at the restaurant about 12:35 with a planned start time of 1:00.  There were almost 40 of us in attendance.  We spend 3 ½ hours eating and drinking and talking.

The meal was over the top in in both variety and deliciousness.  With the exception of the Antipasto, which arrived on an array of platters at the same time, the rest of the meal was served dish by dish.  This was not a buffet.  It was designed for serious eating.  The order of service was:

On the table
Bread (Focaccia and Pane Toscano)
White wine
Sparkling white wine
Red wine
Acqua frizzante
Acqua naturale

Antipasto
Crostini con Due Salse
Capocollo
Salame Toscano
Prosciutto
Insalata di Farro con Salsicce
Bruschetta con Pomodori
Panzanella
Polenta Fritta con Ragù
Insalata di Mare

Pennette con Scampi, Pomodoro, e Panna

Tortelli al Ragù

Tagliata (Bistecca Grigliata) con Rucola
Patate Arrostite

Insalata

Fritto Misto di Mare e di Verdure

Millefoglie
Spumante
Caffè

I didn’t even bother to make my default meal at the apartment that evening.  I had a handful of grapes and a few Taralli for dinner.

I arrived at Zia Fidalma’s at 10 AM on Monday, ready for my first day of Italian immersion. Zia started by proposing lunch.  Food is always a good way to start.  After that was settled, we “discussed” dinner.  Well, mostly, I agreed with her suggestions.

For lunch we made Uova con Pomodoro which is similar to Shakshuka but the sauce is just tomatoes and onion (and possibly garlic).  Shakshuka, in my experience, usually has sweet peppers and possibly other vegetables as well.  Pane Integrale and Formaggio Fresco made their appearance (along with my jar of Peperoncino sott’Olio).

Dinner started with Zia’s “famous” Minestra di Fagioli con Pasta.  I’ve seen her make this several times and I’ve gotten more of an appreciation for the dish and the quantities of ingredients.  Before pureeing the soup, Zia removed a pile of cooked beans which were finished “in Umido” with sausage and a little tomato paste.  This was our second course.

In headed down the mountain to Bagni di Lucca pleased at having negotiated (however poorly) my first day with no translator.