September 10, 2019

More than a week has passed since I drove from Tuscany to Calabria.  It was an uneventful drive.  I only missed one turn, very early on.  Google Maps was indicating an upcoming right turn on the outskirts of Lucca.  I began to slow down as the GPS system indicated I was nearing the turn but it seemed to me that the positioning was not quite right on the GPS system (as happens sometimes) and I didn’t slow down enough.  Just when the map indicated I should turn right, there appeared a narrow two-lane road cut through a field that was not visible until I was on top of it.  It was too late to turn.

The disembodied and calming voice of my Google Assistant said I should make the next right turn (which was visible from a distance).  Less than a minute later, I was back where I needed to be.

Nine hundred sixty-nine kilometers.  That’s how far Google said the drive was.  It took 9 hours 45 minutes, including a few quick stops.  There was no traffic as I drove from north to south.  The bumper-to-bumper traffic was from south to north as many Italians end their summer holidays at the beaches of southern Italy on August 31st, the day I was traveling south to Calabria.

I never did manage to get lunch that day.  I stopped at an AutoGrill, just over 50% of which is owned by the Benetton family.  I looked over the offerings in the display case, some of which were labeled but many of which were not.  There was a flock of Italians all talking to the staff behind the counter to determine what was on offer among all the unlabeled items.  (Everything in Italy involves interaction and negotiation, including driving, where drivers subtly…or not so subtly…negotiate with you how you and they will occupy the road.  Lane markers are viewed as decoration or, at best (from an American standpoint), as are mere suggestions of where cars should be.)

But back to the AutoGrill.  I decided that I would order a panino, many of which were labeled, as opposed to the calzone and other dough-encased items, none of which was labeled.  The next step is to go to the cashier to pay, after which one returns to the display case to turn in the receipt and get one’s food.

There are several issues with this system.  For non-Italian speakers, it means negotiating with the cashier what one wants to purchase.  There is no list at the cashier so it requires remembering the item from perusing the display case and being able to describe it sufficiently that the cashier will understand and ring up the correct item.

After negotiating the second flock of Italians circling the cashier, I realized I couldn’t remember any of the specific panini on offer so I couldn’t actually pay for anything as I couldn’t tell him what I wanted.  Had my grasp of Italian been better, I could have engaged in a lengthy (always lengthy!) conversation with him about what panini were available that day before making a purchase.

Rather than fighting my way through the now growing crowd at the display case to actually commit the contents of a panino to memory before returning to the cashier, I left without eating.

Another issue with this system, however, is that one might pay for an item that is no longer on offer when one gets back to the display case to turn in one’s receipt.  On an average day, this might not be a big risk but on one of the busiest travel days of the year it seemed otherwise, as many panini were represented by only one specimen which could easily have been scooped up by a previous customer.

I have no idea how to negotiate a situation where one has paid for an item that is no longer available.  My general experience tells me it wouldn’t be easy, especially for someone with limited Italian proficiency.  Luckily, I had been eating so well at Zia Fidalma’s that I wasn’t really hungry…that, and the bagful of taralli that I brought with me!

As the biggest drama of my drive to Calabria, this wasn’t bad at all!

I arrived at the Italian Culinary Institute at 4:45 to find Chef Juan and Mariana in the kitchen.  I was about to start the second month of my cooking adventure in Italy but first, let me recap what happened during my last few days in Tuscany or, more accurately, what I ate during my last few days in Tuscany.

Monday, August 26th had been my first day alone with Zia Fidalma without the intercession of a translator.  As noted previously, it went pretty well.

On Tuesday, I got to Zia Fidalma’s shortly before lunch.  For lunch we made crunchy crostini slathered in olive oil that sat on top of a bowl of her Minestra di Fagioli.  I made a salad of radicchio, tomato and onion.  We finished the meal with Formaggio Fresco and Mortadella.

The previous week, friends brought goodies from Germany, where Zia Fidalma lived for many years.  Dinner started with pasta, sedanini specifically, with a sauce of eggplant and tomatoes.  The second course was sauerkraut cooked with apples and spices, served with German wurst and mustard.

Zia was really looking like she needed a rest so I decided to come to the house late on Wednesday so she could have most of the day to herself.  I had my default lunch at the apartment then got to Zia’s about 3:00 to assist with (well, really to watch) dinner preparation.

Our first course was Pappa al Pomodoro.  Pappa al Pomodoro starts with Pomarola, a classic sauce of fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil that Zia made frequently during the month.  When the sauce is cooked, large chunks of day-old bread (whole-grain at Zia’s house) and a good dose of olive oil are added.  The whole thing is cooked until it resembles a thick porridge.  Given the humble ingredients it has a truly amazing flavor.  Because Massimo, Zia’s son, and I both like spicy food, she added peperoncino to her Pappa al Pomodoro and left out the basil.  This was followed with Spezzatini di Maiale and Polenta.  Spezzatini are small cubes of meat, pork in this instance, browned in olive oil then braised.  The polenta was made from blue corn that I had brought from New Mexico.

Thursday I had lunch at the apartment, deviating from my default lunch for the first time.  I had a panino of sfogliata (admittedly a flat bread a lot like piadina) with speck, scamorza, and the ever-present peperoncini sott’olio.  For dinner we went to Ristorante Piazzangelio in the town of Barga.  We each made different choices but the meal was truly wonderful.  The restaurant is on the Piazza (hence the name) and quite serene.

We were served an amuse bouche of mozzarella with a thin slice of truffle.  Following this I had Sedanini con Ragu di Funghi.  Sedanini (literally, little celery) are like Penne but slightly longer and without diagonally cut ends.  The next course was Rosticciana e Patate Arrostite, another version of what Zia Fidalma had made a few weeks earlier.  Dessert was a wonderful traditional Piemontese dessert, Il Bonet Cioccolato e Rum, which tasted like a cross between chocolate flan, chocolate pudding, and molten chocolate cake (with a hit of rum).

After dinner we stopped in Fornoli so that Massimo and I could get our hair cut.  We had appointments at 10:30 PM!  One night per week, the shop stays open until midnight.  Probably predictably, all the customers that night were men who might otherwise find it difficult to get to the shop during the workday.  I was very pleased with my haircut and surprised that the wash, cut, re-wash, and blow-dry cost only €18!

Friday, August 30th was packing day.  I repeated my lunch from Thursday then went to Zia Fidalma’s for my “Last Supper.”

Massimo picked me up in Bagni di Lucca so that I could eat and drink without concern and so that I wouldn’t have a self-imposed curfew based on darkness.  Zia was at a funeral mass when we got to the house around 5:30 PM but she had left us an antipasto of Grissini wrapped in Bresaola.  Massimo and I polished off the last of the bourbon before sitting down to a dinner of Farfalline con Pomarola (little butterfly pasta in tomato sauce) followed by Pollo e Piselli (chicken breasts cooked with abundant peas and herbs), whole-grain bread, a tomato and onion salad, and Pecorino.  Massimo and I finished off the last of a bottle of Passito that I had bought early in the trip.

After we finished dinner, cousin Francesca came to wish me good-bye.  She offered to drive me home since she had to drive by the front door of my apartment on her way home.  With packing done, I made it an early night.  The next morning, I got up at 6 AM and was on the road by 7 AM:  destination Calabria and the Istituto Culinario Italiano.

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.

August 24, 2019

Just to be clear, Zia Ida is still alive.

She did, however, have her “Last Supper” (of this trip to Italy) on Wednesday August 21, 2019.  And a fine supper it was; a fitting end to a day with personal satisfaction sixty years in the making.  But more on that in a moment.

Monday is laundry day at Zia Fidalma’s (though she often does loads of laundry as the week progresses, too!).  I made a point of getting to Benabbio a little later than usual to give Zia some time to start laundry.

For lunch we had pasta (Mezze Maniche: “half sleeves” or “short sleeves” which are pretty much the same as Mezzi Rigatoni) with a sauce of Onion, Eggplant, Bell Pepper, Capers, Olives, and Anchovies that Zia Fidalma had whipped up a few days earlier, along with a salad and Pecorino Cheese from Garfagnana.  There’s almost always some sort of sauce to use with pasta, if not more than one, in Zia’s refrigerator at any given time.

The ingredients of the sauce are so characteristic of Southern Italy that I started calling it La Salsa del Sud.  It’s a winner!  Though not Tuscan, it represents the reality of Zia Fidalma’s cooking today which, while focused on the traditional foods of Tuscany, contains ingredients and recipes from all of Italy and beyond.

Interesting (for me, at least) is that this recipe is from a beloved and dog-eared copy of a cooking magazine from 2001 that is devoted to pasta.  Zia Fidalma keeps it on the shelf with her modest collection of cookbooks and refers to it often.  After looking through the magazine I decided that so many of the recipes were worth trying that I scanned the entire periodical to cook from when I get back to the States.

On the subject of cookbooks, though, Zia Fidalma has a favorite, one that she pulls out multiple times per week and not just for historical value.  She still cooks from it!  It’s a 1960 reprint of Pellegrino Artusi’s La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene (“Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well”) originally published in 1891.

Mid-afternoon we had a showing of the house that sits next to Zia Fidalma’s.  It’s been for sale for seven years and, although the price has dropped, it hasn’t dropped enough (in my estimation) to generate a sale any time soon.

In the late afternoon, Zia Ida and I drove down to my apartment in Bagni di Lucca.  Relatives were picking us up to take us to dinner, an al fresco affair at Bar Marina in the charming town of Casoli.  Casoli is up in the mountains, on a road not unlike that to Benabbio, and the temperature was quite cool! There were nine of us and someone took responsibility for ordering family style which was a good idea.

We started with three Antipasti: a large platter of Salumi, an array of Bruschette, and a big platter of Pasta Fritta (fried dough).  The consensus was that we would double down on Primi Piatti (First Courses), getting LARGE BOWLS, and not order Secondi.  We had Tortelli (like small ravioli) al Ragu (classically Tuscan), Farfalle with Speck, and Risotto with Mushrooms.  After we finished the Primi Piatti, someone decided that we needed food to fill the interstices in our stomachs so pizza came to the table: one Margarita and one with Anchovies and Capers.  For dessert most of us selected a slice of one of the restaurant’s Torte.  Several of us had Caffè Corretto, corrected coffee, meaning that some sort of alcoholic beverage was added, in this case rum.  Departing in separate cars, I was deposited in Bagni di Lucca by one set of relatives and Zia Ida was deposited in Benabbio by another.

On Tuesday, after she did a bit of prep work, Zia Fidalma turned the preparation of lunch over tom me.  It was really quite simple, Spaghetti con Pomarola, a simple sauce of tomatoes [from the garden] cooked with garlic and basil and pureed, and Melanzane Fritte (sliced eggplant dusted with flour and fried).  Zia Ida also had some of Gemma’s braised rabbit from Sunday.

After lunch I made pasta for the next day’s “Last Supper” using one of Zia Fidalma’s recipes.   It’s a pretty traditional Southern Italian pasta dough, which often mixes regular flour and semolina and adds oil and water to the eggs, EXCEPT that the water was replaced by beer.  I don’t know the provenance of the recipe but it was contained in an email from a friend in Germany.

That evening the four of us (Zia Fidalma, Zia Ida, Massimo and myself) were meeting another set of relatives (Paola and Abramo and their daughter and son-in-law) for dinner.  We were bringing Pizze so everyone could focus on having a fun time.  The pizzeria, from which we planned to get pizza (Es Vedra in Fornoli) was closed for a one-week break.  We drove to La Lanterina, also in Fornoli that, despite the “Siamo Aperti” sign was most definitely not “Aperto.”  That brought us to the new, and untested, Da Lino in Piandigioviano (or Piano di Gioviano, depending on whether one believes the road sign or the map).

Corsagna is another charming Tuscan hill town (aren’t they all?) but the road to Corsagna makes the roads to Benabbio and Casoli seem like child’s play.  Upon arrival in the piazza, there was a van from which someone was selling cheese.  After a quick taste, Zia Fidalma bought a big hunk of Formaggio Fresco and a basket of Ricotta.  Both were excellent.

Abramo is a sculptor, though now retired.  His and Paola’s home is adorned with numerous built ins that he has sculpted.  It is a cozy and utterly personal home.

In addition to the pizza, we had Funghi sott’Olio (mushrooms in oil) that Paola put-up (does anyone even use that term anymore?) using mushrooms that she foraged and cured olives from their own trees.  Dessert was Cialde rolled into cones filled with Gelato.  Cialde, rolled or not, are what Americans would recognize as Pizzelle.  Paola flavors hers with ground anise seeds and Sambucca.

She offered the recipe but we forgot to ask for it before leaving.  Massimo will follow-up!  Paola cooked the Cialde a little more than usual before rolling them into cones so that they were nice and crispy and would stand up to Gelato.

Massimo dropped me off at the apartment before heading home to Benabbio with Zia Fidalma and Zia Ida.

On Wednesday August 21st we went to the market in Bagni di Lucca, then to the butcher at Simply, then to Conad (but not the big Conad in Gallicano).  We also made a stop at the pharmacy…the one that uses beautiful paper to wrap medicines.  This time, however, I got my meds in a bag…disappointment!

We headed to Fornoli and got Cappuccini and Cornetti at a bar, ran a few errands, then went to view the house in which my father-in-law and Zia Ida grew up.  It’s up for sale.  Zia Ida hasn’t been inside for about 60 years, since leaving Italy as a young teen.  Zia Fidalma and Massimo have dubbed the house “Casa Pieri.”

It has two bedrooms, one bath, an eat-in kitchen and a living room as well as a terrace overlooking the river and a small front porch.  It’s along the banks of the River Lima next to the chain bridge, a foot bridge that connects Fornoli to Chifenti.  It’s surrounded by a park so it’s quiet as there are no roads close by.

It needs some updating and a few additions (like heating) and the landscaping needs to be vastly improved but it’s a sweet property.  Unfortunately, it’s way overpriced.  One would need to get it for something far, far less than the current asking price to make it a worthwhile investment.  I doubt that’s likely to happen though I think the property would get a lot of use from friends and family visiting Italy.

We got home at 1 PM and quickly made lunch which consisted of Panini of Piadina, Prosciutto, Formaggio Fresco (from the piazza in Corsagna) and an array of condiments including Peperoncini sott’Olio, Peperoni sott’Olio, and Cetrioli (which means both gerkins and fresh cucumbers… gerkins in this case).  There was some of that luscious Ricotta on the side.  In common Italian usage, peperoncini are hot and peperoni are sweet.

«L’Ultima Cena» di Zia Ida started about 7 PM.  It consisted of Tagliatelle al Ragu (using the beer-based pasta made the previous day) after that there was a Filet Mignon, Purè di Patate (mashed potatoes but with the addition of nutmeg) and Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio (green beans with garlic and oil).

The night was not a late one as Zia Ida and Massimo planned to leave the house at 4:00 AM so she could make her 6:30 flight to Rome.

August 20, 2019

Wednesday, August 14th was a major shopping and food prep day.  August 15th is Ferragosto, a national holiday.  This being Italy, over-eating is de rigueur.

We started at the Wednesday market in Bagni di Lucca then went to the “big” Conad supermarket in Gallicano.  Zia Fidalma, Zia Ida, and I each took a shopping cart and shopped independently for things we needed for the various dishes we were preparing…OK, so Zia Ida mostly shopped for foodstuffs she is planning on taking back to the States.

Upon returning from marketing we made sandwiches of fresh focaccia and cured meats (Mortadella and Prosciutto) and cheese (Mozzarella Fresca), tomatoes, and (for me) Peperoncino sott’Olio (hot peppers preserved in oil).

I set about making Torta di Riso (Rice Tort) using a recipe from Zia Mery that I’ve adapted just a tiny bit over the years.  Torta di Riso is essentially rice pudding baked in a crust (Pasta Frolla).  Traditionally in Tuscany, the rice is flavored (and colored) with Alkermes.  I could not find the brand I traditionally use (Nardini).  The one I bought (R. Guiducci e Fgli.) is milder in flavor and softer in color.

Zia Fidalma made a non-traditional but very delicious Torta Philadelphia, made with cream cheese (called, simply, Philadelphia in Italy) and whipped cream on a pastry base and topped with cooked raspberries.

Dinner was Matuffi and Ragu.  I had only had Matuffi made by Nonni (the family jargon for Grandmother, which is Nonna in proper Italian).  Nonni is Zia Fidalma’s sister, Zia Ida’s mother, and my husband’s grandmother.  When she made it, she put the Ragu in the bottom of a baking dish and topped it with dollops of Polenta, showered it with Parmigiano Reggiano and baked it.  Zia Fidalma makes it that way as well but for dinner on this night she made a version that consisted of polenta cooked a little looser than usual and topped with Ragu and cheese.  While the polenta cooked, we munched on grissini (breadsticks) wrapped with prosciutto and some chunks of Gorgonzola Dolce cheese.

Thursday, August 15th was Ferragosto.  Originating during the Roman Empire, apparently in 18 BCE by Emperor Augustus, Ferragosto was originally held on August 1st.  Ultimately, the Catholic Church moved the date to August 15th to coincide with the Assumption, a “holy day of obligation,” thus imposing a secular holiday on a religious holy day.  Ferragosto is a day to feast.

Because there were just four of us, we did not go completely overboard.

Zia Ida and Massimo stuffed snail-shaped pasta (lumache) with Zia Fidalma’s meat stuffing.  These were cooked in broth and served as our first course (Primo Piatto).

The second course (Secondo Piatto) was a boneless, butterflied, stuffed, rolled, tied and roasted turkey breast with potatotes.  After butterflying the turkey, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and garlic.  On top was laid a layer of Mortadella, then a layer of Frittata, then more Mortadella.  After rolling and tying, it was roasted with potatoes and plenty of additional garlic, rosemary, sage and oil.  Sformato di Zucchini was our side dish (Contorno).

Dessert consisted of the Torta di Riso and Torta Philadelphia that were made the day before.

After a very quiet afternoon spent digesting and napping (the other thing to do on Ferragosto is hit the road which did not sound like a good idea to any of us), we sat down to Panini of Bresaola, cheese, tomatoes and hot peppers in oil sandwiched between Focaccia that had been sliced open.  The sandwiches were heated in the oven.

Somehow, we managed to finish off several slices of torte from Emiliana (Massimo’s cousin on his father’s side who lives next door).  We had Torta di Cioccolata (with a dark chocolate filling) Torta di Amaretti e Mandorle (filled with crushed Amaretti soaked in rum and almonds), and Torta di Semolino e Foglie di Pesco (filled with semolina flavored with finely minced peach leaves, rum, vanilla, and almond extract).  Every one of these is on my short list of recipes to perfect immediately upon returning to the States.

Massimo drove me to the apartment so that I could “eat and drink” according to Zia Fidalma.  He had to work just a few hours the next morning so he picked me up around 10:30 on his way home from the office on Friday morning.

At the house, Zia Ida was sitting on the terrace cleaning squash blossoms.  Zia Fidalma had already prepped the ingredients for pasta with a sauce of zucchini and (a whole other batch of) squash blossoms flavored with saffron.  I was tasked with executing the dish for lunch while Zia set about stuffing the neck of a young rooster (Galletto Livornese) and cleaning the feet and giblets to make broth.  Fruit salad (Macedonia di Frutta) and Torta Philadelphia ended the meal.

After lunch we cooked.  Zia Fidalma started the broth and gently poached the stuffed neck for at least three hours.  She made Fagiolini Lunghi in Umido (long beans stewed with tomatoes and sausage).  I cut the rest of the rooster into serving pieces and we made Galletto in Umido (stewed with tomato and olives).  “In Umido” basically means “stewed” though when using the term for meat, “braised” is probably a better approximation of the process.  In Tuscany foods cooked in umido usually contain a small amount of tomato in addition to herbs and aromatics.

For dinner I made Salsa Besciamella (white sauce) flavored with sautéed Pancetta and garlic.  I sliced the leftover rolled stuffed turkey breast from the day before and warmed it in the sauce.  We ate that with slices of polenta (from the Matuffi) fried until crispy and the long beans and sausage.

August 17th was a major shopping day: the market in Bagni di Lucca, the “big” Conad supermarket in Gallicano, an Agraria (garden supply) and a nursery.  We were hungry, though I don’t know how, when we got home around 1 PM.  We had the Galletto in Umido (which always tastes better the day after it’s made) and a cold salad of cooked green beans dressed with oil, salt, and pepper.  Unfortunately, the garlic was forgotten.  Torta Philadelphia appeared for dessert.

After we all took a nap, Zia Fidalma and I cooked.  (This is beginning to sound repetitive, isn’t it?).  I made fresh pasta for the next day’s dinner and Zia started a fruit tort for dessert.  She also made a sauce of eggplant, bell pepper, onion, capers, olives, and anchovies to serve with pasta in the coming days.

Dinner was simple.  We started with broth (from the rooster parts) and small pasta.  The next course consisted of the stuffed rooster neck which had been poached in the broth.  It was basically a sausage.  By the time it was served, the head had been removed so there really wasn’t any “Yuk!” factor despite what my husband said.  We also had sliced tomatoes from the garden.  Some boiled beef, from beef broth, also appeared on the table.  A salsa verde (green sauce of fresh herbs, garlic, and anchovy pureed with olive oil) would have been a nice accompaniment to the boiled meats but I didn’t think of it in time.

Cousin Ivo and his wife Gemma came for Il Pranzo (Lunch) on Sunday the 18th.  We sat down to lunch at 12:30.  In addition to the tagliatelle I made the day before, which were served with Zia Fidalma’s Ragu, we had Gemma’s Coniglio (rabbit) in Umido with olives, spinach with garlic and butter, and bread.  Pecorino cheese from Garfagnana appeared followed by Zia’s pineapple, raspberry and blueberry fruit tort.  Gemma, who likes dessert returned from the kitchen with a piece of Torta Philadelphia for a sort of dessert double-header.

Gemma explained to me how to clean and prep the rabbit then how to cook it in Umido.  Ivo wanted to know how we could be sure she hadn’t served us cat.  This launched us into a conversation about how Gemma will only buy the rabbit from the farmer and not from a butcher or grocery store.  She believes it tastes better.

Zia Fidalma asked my permission to give the remainder of the tagliatelle that I had made to Gemma and Ivo as we had not cooked all of what I had made.  At 5:30 I excused myself from the table (note starting time above) to return to my apartment.  I actually had some work to do that was unrelated to cooking!

Gemma thanked me for the tagliatelle.  I thanked her for cooking the cat, and I was off.

August 15, 2019

I took my time heading for Benabbio on Sunday August 11th, getting there shortly after 10 AM.  Zia Fidalma and Zia Ida had been out in the garden and harvested a beautiful basket of vegetables before my arrival.

Sitting on the counter waiting for me was a container of zucchini that Zia Fidalma had sautéed a few days earlier and the leftover Friggitelli peppers from the previous dinner.  My task was to make Frittata for lunch.  We were trying to have a light lunch as we were going out to dinner in the courtyard of the church in Benabbio.

The occasion was a dinner hosted by Lucchesi nel Mondo (Luccans of the World), an organization to which my father-in-law and Zia Ida both belong.  The branch of Lucchesi nel Mondo in Chicago (where we once lived) hosts regular dinners for members.  The objectives of the overall association, with representation on “every continent” according to their website (though I tend to question the presence of a branch on Antarctica), is to make visits to communities around the world where there are many Lucchesi and to welcome Lucchesi who live abroad when they return to Italy.  The dinner on the 11th was precisely one of these events to welcome returnees.

There were about 200 people in attendance.  Several small exhibitions were set up in Benabbio, including one on key families put together by cousin Massimo that was housed in the local theater that is being restored.  Another was in the former gelateria and focused on the family who ran the gelateria and on the many Lucchesi who were involved in setting up gelaterie around the world.  One of the pictures of the gelateria in Benabbio shows an old gelato machine that I believe is an Effe, a company that is still in existence and that makes excellent gelato batch freezers (as the machines that freeze gelato are called).

It’s a good thing that we went light on lunch.  The dinner was very well prepared by Benabbio locals.  It consisted of:

Aperitivo
Asti accompanied by potato chips (seriously!)

Antipasto
An assortment including crostini, cheese and apple, olives, and a rolled and sliced frittata

Primo #1
Tortelli al Ragu

Primo #2
Risotto ai Funghi Porcini

Secondo
Arrosto di Maiale
Cipolle Agrodolce
Sformato di Zucchini e Fagiolini

Dolce
Gelato
Caffè

I decided to leave my car in Benabbio so that I could drink freely.  Massimo drove me to the apartment and then returned home.  It was disco night:  the LOUDEST and LARGEST disco night yet.  Streets were closed.  Massimo dropped me off several streets away from my apartment due to street closures.  Disco night ended at 3 AM but, since the DJ and lights were set up on the terrace of the adjacent apartment, there was the din of equipment being hauled out of the building from 3 AM to 4 AM.

Zia had scheduled Roberto, Il Tassista, to pick me up in Bagni di Lucca on Monday morning and bring me to Benabbio.  We met at the taxi stand about 45 minutes after the scheduled time (not my fault), he seemed a bit surprised but we set off.  Roberto speaks Italian and, I gather from his repeated questioning about my language ability, passable French.  We were limited to Italian but since I wasn’t planning on a long conversation with him it seemed OK as I knew I was able to negotiate the basics of our transaction adequately.

Part way up the mountain Roberto decided to pull over to show me the language app on his phone.  He pulled across the road and just slightly out of the lane of oncoming traffic.  Mind you, my side of the car was jutting out into the “lane” of the oncoming traffic.  I use the word “lane” lightly as the road, in most places is not more than 1½ car widths’ wide.  Unconcerned about our precarious position, he took quite a few minutes to demonstrate his app.  It was pretty cool, but not cool enough to risk a head-on collision.  Mercifully we set off again.

Not much later, he started to talk about a historic war between, I believe, Lucca and Pisa, pointing out the mountain occupied by the Pisans.  The Luccans occupied the one we were navigating.  The story of the war was told in a word salad of Italian and English.  A few words of Italian, a word or two of English, a few words of Italian, a word or two of English.  It was almost impossible for me to follow as I never knew when he was going to change languages (which was almost always).  In addition, since words were not enough, Roberto frequently illustrated his story with his hands—both of them.  This caused the car to veer across the road into oncoming traffic or in the other direction towards the sheer drop-off.

Once in the town of Benabbio, the adjacent peak was not easily visible, so the discussion of the war ended.  Roberto then veered onto a side road, under a stone overpass to show me a stone carved with a date in the Tenth Century, a testament to the age of the town.  He backed into the “gauntlet” and continued into the piazza of Benabbio where he introduced me to his wife who was carrying a load of empty boxes.  We continued towards Zia’s house, stopping briefly so he could point out his garage, a proud possession (see below).  Roberto safely deposited me near Zia’s house and was on his way.

The rhythm at Zia’s house is that most of the cooking and prep work that can be done in advance is done in the morning.  Monday morning was no different and we set about cooking.

Before getting seriously into prep, however, we went to view a home in Benabbio that has recently been put up for sale. It is a large property with two kitchens, a living room, a sitting room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two cantine (storage cellars, one for wine and one for cured meats and other foods) and an upstairs storage room (with gorgeous views) used to store things like potatoes and apples through the winter.  That’s the main house.

There is a two-story stone barn that opens to a massive garden on the edge of the mountain.  There is also a building that houses the wood-burning oven.  Originally all the supplies that were needed to make bread were kept in this building.  Attached to the front is a greenhouse that serves as a limonaia (a place to winter-over lemon trees).  There is also a GARAGE, a very rare occurrence in Benabbio.  It is being sold completely furnished.  We’d only need to bring toothbrushes.

The second kitchen would be a great place for me to teach summer cooking classes in Tuscany.  The upstairs sitting room would make a perfect dining room for the students when we’re not dining al fresco in the garden area overlooking the entire valley and the distant tall mountain peaks.  Unfortunately, the biggest problem is bringing our dogs to Italy each summer.  There are definitely airlines that allow pets in the cabin on international flights but it would be challenging for them given the length of the trip.

With the real estate excursion completed we set about assembling Spiedini for dinner.  We filled little bowls with thinly sliced Pancetta Tesa, cubes of lean pork loin, sliced sausage, chunks of sweet red and yellow peppers, and pieces of red and white onion.  We threaded them on skewers, seasoned them and refrigerated them till it was time to cook them.

Cousin Francesca joined us for dinner.  Zia whipped up a Risotto al Zafferano as a first course.  That was followed by the Spiedini and a salad.  Macedonia di Frutta was offered for dessert.  I left before dessert, wanting to get down the road before it got dark.  No doubt I will make the nighttime passage at some point but no need to do it more often than absolutely necessary.

By the time I got to Zia’s the next morning, and mind you it wasn’t late, she had already harvested the garden and then started the Minestra di Fagioli (bean soup) for dinner, cooked the potatoes for the Torta di Patate slated to be our lunch, and cut up the Finocchio that would serve as the contorno (side dish) at dinner.

Torta di Patate is a wonderful dish for potato and carbohydrate lovers.  It consists of boiled, riced potatoes seasoned with garlic and parsley.  A little butter is mixed in and the whole mass is spread out in a buttered baking dish and baked until brown.  An egg can be added if desired for a firmer texture.  Accompanied by sliced tomatoes from the garden and a little Strachino cheese, it made a satisfying lunch.

Zia’s Minestra di Fagioli is legendary.  I had it when I visited in March and I made it for the first big dinner party I had after returning to the States after my three months at the Italian Culinary Institute earlier this year.  After the soup, we had a secondo that consisted of some of the beans that had been cooked but not pureed into the soup accompanied by cooked Finocchio dressed with oil, salt and pepper and the leftover Torta di Patate.

Once again, I headed down the mountain before dark, sated as always and wondering what cooking adventures the next day would bring.

August 12, 2019

Italian is a difficult language.  It doesn’t help that the endings of some words multiply like, well… zucchini blossoms.

Take the humble zucchina, er, zucchino.  You know, that pile of zucchine…zucchini!!!  There are both masculine (zucchino [singular] and zucchini [plural]) and feminine (zucchina [singular] and zucchine [plural]) words for what the British call courgettes and we, in the States, call zucchini.  The different usages are both regional (masculine preferred in Tuscany and Southern Italy) and temporal (the feminine form first being documented a few years after the masculine).

The investigation of this whole situation started after Zia Ida and Zia Fidalma corrected my original writing of Sformato di Zucchine for the first blog of this “Cooking in Tuscany” series.  Both said it was Sformato di Zucchini.  Nancy Burkey, a friend and follower of the blog who is studying Italian, asked why I used Zucchini instead of Zucchine.  This question escalated and got Nancy’s Italian coach involved.

Although I had never heard the word zucchino until a few days ago, I’ll be sticking with the zucchino/zucchini form going forward if for no other reason than that’s what the seed packet says!

The night of August 7th was blissfully quiet at the apartment.  Upon awakening on the 8th, I packed an overnight bag as the plan was for me to spend the night at Zia Fidalma’s in Benabbio but more on that in a minute.

I arrived at Zia Fidalma’s to find her mixing a meat filling for squash blossoms that had been promised by a friend the previous evening.  Just when we thought the blossoms weren’t going to appear, they arrived.  Zia Ida removed the stamens while Zia Fidalma stuffed them.  There were about 18.

Into a baking dish they went with a healthy dose of oil and they headed for the oven.

The remainder of the meat filling was going to be turned into a polpettone (a giant meatball) to be put in the broth and poached.  As we were cleaning up the kitchen, the next batch of squash blossoms arrived which resulted in a groan from both Zie (Aunts).  The flowers were so beautiful, however, that they had to be processed.

The production line was reconstituted.  Several dozen blossoms were stuffed and stood up like little soldiers.  They were put in the fridge for another day.

For lunch I sautéed a few Friggitelli (those Shishito-like peppers) that served as an antipasto as we assembled a simple but delicious lunch of Focaccette con Pancetta Rotolata e Strachino (Savory Flour and Cornmeal “Pancakes” with Pancetta [in the middle, encased by the batter] accompanied by Strachino cheese).  This is a dish that I had when I visited Benabbio in March.  I’ve ordered a set of the irons used to make focaccette which I will pick up during the week.

Around 2:30 we headed to Ponte a Serraglio to deposit Zia Fidalma at the beauty shop.  Zia Ida and I walked around Fornoli, the next town.  Fornoli is where Zia Ida and my father-in-law grew up.  The house they lived in still sits by the river and the pedestrian chain bridge that crosses the Lima River to the town of Chifenti.

We also visited a long-abandoned building that contained five houses, where Zia Ida’s grandparents and aunts and uncles had lived.  One of the five units has been rehabbed, but the two units on either side of it are full of rubble and have no windows.  We met the present occupant of the rehabbed unit, the one that Zia Ida’s grandparents lived in.  We chatted for a while and then he started his afternoon walk by walking with us to our car.

That evening we were invited to an event, in the “Borgo e Bellezza” series, celebrating a relative, the artist Francesco Zavattari.  After a simple dinner of Beef Broth and Little Pasta (Brodo di Carne con Pastina), oven-roasted stuffed squash blossoms, and melon and prosciutto, Zia Ida and I walked down the mule road from Zia Fidalma’s house to the piazza of Benabbio.  Francesco’s father, Pieralberto, had offered to pick us up and drive us to Diecimo, where the event was being held in the piazza.  However, he would only drive as far as the piazza of Benabbio.  The worst part of the road, containing what I call the gauntlet, is from the piazza to Zia Fidalma’s house.  That is a “no go” zone for him.

The event nominally started at 9 PM but, in fact, didn’t get underway until 9:35 when the local official arrived.  The event ended around midnight and was followed by al fresco snacks and beverages.  Pieralberto deposited us in the piazza of Benabbio shortly after 1:00 AM.  Zia and I hoofed it up the mule road getting to the house around 1:30.  Sleep came well after 2:00.

The 9th was not an early day.  We spent a leisurely (late) morning making food for lunch and dinner which seemed like a perfect way to spend the time.  First up, Zia Fidalma and I collaborated on Cavolfiore Grattinato (Cauliflower Gratin).  Zia cooked the cauliflower.  I made the besciamella and we jointly seasoned the cauliflower and assembled the dish.

For lunch, Zia Fidalma made a warm salad of giant Corona beans with onion and extra-virgin olive oil from her own olive trees.  Zia Ida made Insalata Caprese with tomatoes and basil from the garden.  I fried the squash blossoms that had been stuffed the day before.  Whole grain bread rounded out the meal (with a bit of wine, of course!).

After lunch, Zia Fidalma made rice salad for the next day’s lunch.  I made fresh pasta for the next day’s dinner, to be served with Zia’s ragu.

I know it sounds bacchanalian, but the only other thing we did on Friday the 9th was to make and eat dinner.  Just to be clear, that means we got up late, prepped for dinner, made lunch, ate lunch, prepped the next day’s lunch, napped, prepped the next day’s dinner, made dinner, ate dinner.  Basta!  Finito!  The End!

By the way, Friday’s dinner was Pasta al Ragu and Cavolfiore Grattinato after which I headed to my apartment in Bagni di Lucca and the promise of karaoke night in the piazza below.

Zia Ida and Zia Fidalma took a taxi from Benabbio to Bagni di Lucca on Saturday morning.  We did some marketing then Zia Ida and I set off for the airport in Pisa to pick up (cousin) Massimo (Zia Fidalma’s son) who was returning from vacation.  Back in Benabbio with Massimo we had a lunch of Insalata di Riso (rice salad), pecorino cheese from Garfagnana, and the last bit of the cauliflower gratin.

Three of us slept after lunch (Zia Ida and I from the wine and Massimo from the jetlag).  I don’t really know what Zia Fidalma did but she appeared in the living room at 4:15, just as I opened my eyes.  After telling me to go back to sleep, which I declined, she offered to make me coffee.  Fortified with caffeine, I made Macedonia di Frutta (fruit salad) for that evening’s dessert.

Massimo’s welcome home dinner was more elaborate than usual.  We had Friggitelli (those Shishito-like peppers) and Crostini con Tonno (crostini with tuna) as our antipasto.  I cooked my homemade tagliatelle with Zia Fidalma’s Ragu.  Zia Ida made a salad of arugula and tomatoes.  Macedonia provided a light ending to the meal.

Back at the apartment, I encountered cranky internet service that lasted about an hour until it completely shut down for the night by which time the usual Saturday crowd of rowdies was at the pizzeria below.  They wrapped up their revelry sometime just before 3 AM.

August 9, 2019

So far, my record for encountering vehicles on “The Road” is eight cars and one (very large) utility truck (the kind with a cherry picker for getting to the tops of poles).  This doesn’t count the motorcycle that I waved around me on the same journey.  Only once did I have to back up to enable both of us to get by.

The day after setting this record (August 5th) I nearly equaled it with another eight cars and a truck but the truck was smaller so it wasn’t quite a match.  On the 6th though, I was going downhill rather than uphill as I was on the 5th.  In theory down is the easier direction to be going as the unspoken rule is that cars coming up are supposed to be the ones to go into reverse, if necessary, to pass.  That hasn’t always been my experience, however.

Passing cars on the main part of the road though, is child’s play compared to incurring oncoming cars in the gauntlet, an experience that I knew was going to happen even as I dreaded it.  I really didn’t expect it to happen three times in one day as it did on the 7th!  Though I was going downhill, I was the one to back-up on two of the three encounters.  Not only does one need to negotiate the looming stone buildings in reverse.  One must be aware that there are multiple outcroppings of pipes, walls, directional signs, and other structures that are tall enough to hit one’s car but are not easily visible using any of the mirrors.  The car I’m driving doesn’t have a rear-view camera which would be a major asset!

The main point of yesterday’s jaunt into town was to go to the market in Fornoli, a market that is slightly bigger than the one in Bagni di Lucca and with a few different types of vendors.  As we approached the market, Zia Fidalma ran into Elvira, a friend from decades ago.  The two of them, along with Zia Ida chatted long enough that I walked the entire market before they said good-bye.

We came back with cauliflower, white peaches, Saturnia peaches, la gentilina (a type of lettuce), Friggitelli (little peppers that look like shishito peppers), and finocchio.  We stopped at the Coop near the market for a few other items then went to the Conad supermarket in Bagni di Lucca for even more items based on where Zia Fidalma wanted to get each item.

The Coop had Jack Daniels!! I won’t be bourbon-free after all!

We got a late start on the 6th because I spent eleven hours in bed after being sleep deprived from the happenings at the piazza in Bagni di Lucca on the previous nights.  That was mitigated somewhat by the fact that we had no water so we weren’t spending time taking showers!  Zia Fidalma was awake just as the water was ceasing its flow and she was able to fill up several large containers for essential uses.  Other than that, we used bottled water for brushing our teeth and moist towelettes for basic cleansing.

As we were leaving, there were three men and a backhoe listlessly digging a hole in the road.  None of us had much confidence that we would return to running water.

Knowing that we were going to be out for the morning, we planned a lunch of Peperonata (which we had made previously), melon and Prosciutto (from the market), whole grain bread and, for dessert, Torta di Frutta.

While in town, we made a stop at the pharmacy.  I bought some medicine that the pharmacist neatly wrapped in beautiful paper.  There was none of the clumsy bags, pages of warnings, and staples that accompany medication purchases in the States.  There’s such a sense of style to life in Italy that pervades everything.  (You may remember my amazement over the ritual surrounding my first haircut in Calabria earlier this year.)

We were all very pleasantly surprised to find running water on our return along with a neatly patched hole in the road.  Wine with lunch had a soporific effect and we all rested before reassembling in the kitchen to prepare dinner as well as to make Panzanella for the next day’s lunch.

Since I didn’t have to drive down the road for the second evening in a row, I enjoyed some bourbon while we made dinner.  First up, though, I made an antipasto of Galetta Croccante con Peperoncino (large crisp crackers with hot pepper) broken into pieces, goat cheese, plum jam (made the day before) and hot pepper oil.

Dinner was a simple, but truly yummy, Pasta ‘Sciutta (literally “dry pasta”), a general term used for pasta that is not in broth.  The sauce consisted of sautéed onions and Speck (smoked ham from far northern Italy), Radicchio, Gorgonzola Dolce and a bit of Grana Padana cheese.  After a salad of lettuce and tomatoes, we had the ever-present Torta Di Frutta.  The torta reminds me of the loaves and fishes, it seems to never end.  Perhaps I’m partially to blame as I have only had two slivers over the entire past week, with Zia Ida and Zia Fidalma picking up the slack in the dessert-eating department.

The morning of August 7th we went to the “big” Conad supermarket in Gallicano.  In addition to a larger array of products due to the larger format of the store, they have local items from the Garfagnana that are not available at the store in Bagni di Lucca.  I found the W-180 flour that I needed to make pasta.  I also scored a bottle of Jack Daniels for €3 less than the price at the Co-op in Fornoli.

In the front entryway is a box of ever-changing vegetables: some from the garden, some from the open air markets, some from the supermarkets.  This box becomes a source of inspiration when planning meals.  We only occasionally have a specific purpose in mind when purchasing vegetables.  We usually just buy what looks good.

Zia Fidalma’s Panzanella, which we had for lunch on our return from Gallicano, is pretty amazing, if not entirely traditional.  But, hey, she’s Tuscan so if she makes it, I’m going to say it wins the seal of approval.  In addition to the usual several-day-old bread, which in this case was from a rustic whole grain loaf, tomatoes, olive oil and wine vinegar, she added onions, tuna, capers, and matchsticks of pickled celery and carrot.  Cubes of mozzarella were added at serving time.  White peaches made a light dessert.

Just before lunch we started the Osso Buco that was planned for dinner.  Mid-afternoon saw the preparation of Champignon al Funghetto (Champignon is used to refer to cultivated white mushrooms).  The name, which literally means mushrooms mushroom-style, might seem strange until you realize that many things can be cooked “mushroom-style” (like eggplant, for example).  Mushroom-style simply means sautéed with herbs and (usually) garlic.

Zia started Ragu for later in the week, to be served with my fresh pasta.  That meal hasn’t been scheduled yet and it’s possible the Ragu will get put in the freezer awaiting its appearance on the table.

As cocktail hour approached, I poured a very small glass of bourbon as I was planning on tackling the road and spending the night in my apartment.  With two good nights of sleep behind me, I felt able to brave the sounds of the Piazza!

For dinner we had the Osso Buco (which was amazing), Champignon al Funghetto (that tasted more like mushrooms than any mushrooms I have ever had) and a salad.  We forgot to sauté the Friggitelli, however.  The bottomless well of Torta di Frutta had ended with Zia’s breakfast that morning so we had fruit for dessert.

The road was kind, only one “reverse” and one screeching halt around a blind curve and I was home.  The piazza was quiet for the night with little more than muffled voices from the pizzeria.  The internet, however, lasted just about an hour.  After putting the second load of laundry in the longest-wash-cycle-ever washing machine around 11:30 I headed to bed at midnight.

August 6, 2019

The morning of Saturday, August third started early, …especially early for those of us who live around the piazza that, mere hours before, was vacated by the Friday-night-into-Saturday-morning karaoke/dance party.  Saturday is market day in the piazza and the vendors start setting up quite early.

Apparently, karaoke/dance party occurs every Friday.  I think this means there won’t be much sleep heading into Saturday mornings for the rest of this month!

Zia Fidalma and Zia Ida took a taxi from Benabbio to Bagni di Lucca and we met up at the market.  We stocked up on vegetables for the next few days’ worth of cooking: green beans, long beans, leeks, and tomatoes, among others.  After a stop a small grocery store/butcher for pork ribs and veal shanks and a few other items we stopped for coffee and chatted with one of Zia Fidalma’s nephews who had just come back from a fishing expedition that had started at 4 AM.  He must have gotten up just about the time I was falling asleep after the pulsating dance party.

After coffee we headed along the river walk to Conad (an Italian grocery chain) for more produce, cured meats, and general grocery items (including 18 liters of bottled water weighing 18 kilos or just under 40 pounds!).

We were passing the time until our lunch reservation sitting on a park bench when one of the staff from the local pharmacy walked by and reminded Zia Fidalma that there was a prescription waiting for her; one of the many charms of being in a small town.  After a quick stop at the very quaint pharmacy we were at Ristorante Circolo dei Forestieri, a wonderful restaurant in a refined space.  The rear terrace has a peaceful view of the River Lima which flows through the valley.

Zia Fidalma and I had a classic lunch of Tortelli al Ragu followed by Cotoletta alla Milanese and Finocchio Gratinato accompanied by wine and good bread.  Zia Ida passed on the Cotoletta and just had the Finocchio for her second course.  After some leisurely conversation (and a quick coffee) I went off to my apartment to pick up the items from the morning’s shopping, get the car, and head back to the restaurant to pick up Zia Fidalma and Zia Ida.

We dashed to the Conad which had held the groceries we bought there before lunch.  They kindly rebagged everything after we had left so they could put the perishable items in the cooler.  We then wound our way up the mountain to Benabbio.

I put a pot of broth on to be used for risotto the next day.  Since we had been out all day and had consumed a large lunch, we had a simple supper of fresh rustic whole grain bread, the most incredible mortadella, fragrant pecorino cheese from Garfagnana, and a salad (oh, and the odd piece of sformato di zucchini left over from the day before!).  The torta di frutta made what I believe will be its penultimate appearance.  I have, however, requested that we add it to the list of recipes for the coming weeks.

Zia Ida has taken charge of the list.  Despite efforts to be more prescriptive, the best the three of us can muster is to figure out at dinner what we are cooking the next day from the supplies at hand.  Truthfully, we start the conversation at lunch, make some initial decisions, then finalize the plan at dinner.  I’m all in favor of inviting friends and family for dinner because the more mouths to feed the more different dishes we can cook.

On Sunday, August 3rd, Zia Fidalma was in the garden by 6 AM planting cabbage and then doing prep work in the kitchen.  I got there a few minutes after 10 AM (not having gotten to sleep until after 3 AM when the last guests cleared out of the pizzeria/bar directly below my apartment).  Just as I walked in, she was cutting apart the spareribs that we had bought the previous day.  She arranged them in a baking dish with cut-up potatoes, halved garlic cloves and plenty of fresh rosemary and sage (good for upset stomachs, she says).  After being showered with salt and pepper and doused with a healthy amount of oil, the whole thing went into the oven at 11 AM.  It came out at 12:15, ready for a 12:30 lunch accompanied by boiled green beans served at room temperature dressed with large-ish chunks of chopped garlic and olive oil.  The garlic provided a really nice bite contrasting with the plush green beans.  Then came the fruit…and cheese…and coffee!

Zia Fidalma took a much-needed nap.  Zia Ida boned the chicken from the broth I had made the previous day to be turned into soup for the next day’s lunch with a bit of pasta and some of the broth.  We had decided that dinner would be Risotto ai Porri (risotto with leeks) that I would make and a salad of radicchio and tomatoes that Zia Ida would make.

Zia Fidalma was supposed to have the night off.  When I walked into the kitchen at 5 PM to start preparing the leeks, Zia Fidalma was sautéing thinly sliced turkey breast (fettine di tacchino) in butter to round out the meal!  The turkey was reheated at the last minute and deglazed with a bit of milk which was boiled away but added a hint of creaminess to what might otherwise have been dry turkey.

In a turn of events, Zia Fidalma took notes while I made the risotto!  We also had a bit of a contest about how much rice to cook.  Zia Fidalma pulled it out by the fistful.  When I weighted it it was exactly what I had planned to prepare!  That round was a draw.

Once again, sleep was elusive till well after 2 AM with several tables of revelers arrayed at outside tables at the pizzeria fronting on the piazza below me.

I got to Zia Fidalma’s just after 10 AM, having made a much-needed run to the Enoteca (wine shop) for some wine (Sagiovese from Tuscany, to be exact).

The cooking plans from the night before were already upended as a neighbor had delivered a pile of extraordinarily sweet plums (susine) that Zia Fidalma had already washed and pitted, ready to be turned into jam (Marmellata di Susine) once I got there.

A few minutes later, the phone rang, Zia Fidalma briefly disappeared and reappeared with a bagful of beautiful squash blossoms (Fiori di Zucca) from another neighbor.  These were battered and fried for lunch, along with the previously planned chicken soup.  Zia fried the small amount of leftover batter into blini-sized pancakes that appeared on the lunch table, making a great foil for mortadella!

Before lunch, however we made Peperonata (sautéed sweet peppers, onions and tomato) to be served the next day.  We also assembled a tray of Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmesan).  Zia Fidalma floured the sliced and salted eggplant while I fried it.  It was layered with the Pomarola we had made two days earlier and Parmigiano.

At lunch, fortified with red Tuscan wine, we made the decision to go to the market in Fornoli (a nearby town) the following day rather than waiting till the day after for the second weekly market day in Bagni di Lucca.

When I had driven into Bagni di Lucca the previous night there were signs on the main street, around the park and in the piazza indicating that parking was not permitted from 7PM until Midnight on Tuesday, August 6th.  While sitting at Zia Fidalma’s late afternoon on the 5th, we were told the main street to Bagni di Lucca was blocked off for an event, though what it was was unknown.

We quickly made the decision that I should drive to the apartment and pick up what I needed to spend a night or two in Benabbio as it seemed that parking would be a challenge for two consecutive nights.  Zia Ida drove with me in case I needed to negotiate traffic instructions from the police.  Luckily, were were able to make it to my usual parking space near the park as the main street was blocked off just at my apartment.  There was a sound stage set up in the street immediately in front of my bedroom window.  The speakers were being tested.  Clearly this would have been another sleepless night.

After hastily packing a bag, we stopped in the bar to see if we could determine what was happening that night as well as the next night.  Monday night was to be the Signorina Toscana contest.  Tuesday, August 6th was Musica Ballo nella Piazza (Dance Music in the Piazza)…clearly another sleepless  night.

Safely back in Benabbio, with a bottle of bourbon in tow, and not having to brave “The Road” that night, I had a cocktail (well, two) and wine with dinner.

I slept for eleven hours and got up only because Zia Ida knocked on my door to tell me that we had no water and we were late in leaving for the market in Fornoli.

Another day’s adventure awaited.

August 4, 2019

I couldn’t stay away from Italy for very long.

I got home on April 14th after a three-month sojourn at the Italian Culinary Institute in Stalettì, Calabria.  On July 31st I was on a plane heading back to Italy.  [You can read about my time at the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria starting HERE.]

I met up with my aunt (by marriage), Zia Ida, at the airport in Rome.  We flew from there to Pisa.  After a brief stop at the automobile rental counter I was motoring us in a Fiat 500, with a quirky automatic transmission, towards the town of Bagni di Lucca, north of Lucca.  The apartment I rented is right in the center of town, overlooking the piazza on Viale Umberto I, the main street of Bagni di Lucca.

I met Elsa and her husband, from whom I rented the apartment, got a brief introduction to the apartment and was handed the keys.  After lugging my bags up a flight of stairs, Zia Ida and I were on a two-way road barely wider than a (small) car in some places to the village of Benabbio, about five kilometers from Bagni di Lucca up the side of a mountain.

The road to Benabbio is a place for faith or fatalism depending on one’s outlook.  It has scores of switchbacks and blind cures around which Italian drivers propel themselves at great speed with no apparent regard for the distinct probability that one is likely to encounter another driver coming the opposite way while occupying the center of the roadway just as is the first driver.

Beyond the piazza of Benabbio is a stretch of road that I call the gauntlet.  As it twists and turns up the mountain, it is hemmed in on both sides by stone buildings so close together that a full-size American car would not fit through.  This stretch of road is also two-way with the obvious reality that if one were to meet a car coming in the opposite direction, someone would have to back up on an incline turning curves between menacing buildings.

The whole reason for this trek, which I will likely make twice a day on average, is Zia Fidalma.  Zia Fidalma is Zia Ida’s aunt and my Great Aunt (prozia, in Italian).  She’s a wonderful cook and I’m here to learn Tuscan home cooking from her.  Sure, I could try to learn it from books (and I likely will continue to expand my knowledge that way after leaving) but there’s no substitute for cooking and tasting a cuisine on its home turf.

We had a late lunch at Zia Fidalma’s that consisted of “La Zuppa” (vegetable soup), Zucchini Ripieni (stuffed zucchini), Pane Integrale (whole-grain rustic bread) and Torta di Frutta (cake topped with raspberries, pears, and pineapple).  Everything was homemade except the bread which was baked locally.

In the late afternoon I headed back down the mountain to Bagni di Lucca intent on staying awake till at least 9 PM.  I managed this by unpacking, organizing the apartment, and doing some basic grocery shopping.  Feeling too tired to safely drive up the mountain for dinner, I made a really nice toasted panino with provisions from the market:  piadina (a flat bread from Emilia Romagna) and three Calabrian delicacies, schiachatta (a spicy salame) caciotto (a soft cheese) and peperoncino sott’olio (hot peppers packed in oil), which I ate on the terrace overlooking the piazza of Bagni di Lucca.  Why this little market in Bagni di Lucca had foods from Calabria I can’t imagine but I’ll gratefully accept the fact without question!

After a good night’s sleep, I motored back up the mountain to Zia Fidalma’s where I met her and Zia Ida in the garden harvesting vegetables.

We promptly set about cooking.

First up was Sformato di Zucchini, made with zucchini, zucchini flowers, and herbs from the garden, plus besciamella, Grana Padana and eggs.  There’s no precise translation for sformato.  It’s sort of a crustless savory tart that’s not anywhere near as “eggy” as a quiche.  Though the word is sometimes translated as quiche or flan, neither really fits.  If not calling it sformato, I prefer to just refer to it as a casserole which is not as constraining a term as quiche.

While the sformato baked, we made Arrosto di Maiale al Latte (pork roast cooked in milk).  We also started Pomarola, a simple sauce of fresh tomatoes (from the garden), garlic, and basil (also from the garden) simmered together and passed through a food mill.  Butter or olive oil is added afterwards.

Lunch was simple but delicious.  We had vegetable soup (from the day before but pureed) topped with Grana Padana cheese and accompanied by bread, and a salad of arugula and radicchio from the garden.

At dinner we had the sformato, pork roast, tomato salad (from the garden) and bread.  Torta di Frutta made another appearance, too!  The pomarola is in the fridge waiting to sauce something or other in the coming days.

With a full belly, and not too much wine, I headed down the luge-ride of a mountain road to my apartment.  Apparently, Friday night is karaoke night.  Karaoke night happens in the piazza…remember the piazza…the one that my terrace overlooks?

Karaoke turns into a dance party which causes the walls to vibrate and the strobe lights to flash through the wooden shutters.  It ends just before 1 AM after which time sleep is possible.  But not too much sleep, as you’ll discover next time!

April 14, 2019

The oven was turned on for the last time for the Master’s Program on April 9th.  As this blog is being posted, I am flying home from Italy.  The program officially ended on April 10th with a final dinner held in Catanzaro Lido.  There were about 36 of us counting students, family and friends, kitchen staff and faculty.

Tuesday, April 9th was our final menu execution.  We put on a dinner for about 30 guests.  On Sunday, the 7th we submitted our suggestions to Chef and he decided what we would make for the dinner.  Mostly we got to make what we requested.  We averaged about three dishes per student.

The dinner started with a cold antipasto buffet followed by primi (pasta and risotto dishes) that were plated in the kitchen and served to the guests.  We had two waiters to assist us.  There were a number of secondi (second plates…usually meat or fish) including Gerard’s insane Truffle Porchetta.  Slathered with pureed truffles before it was rolled and slowly roasted, Gerard figured the value of the Porchetta was more than his entire net worth!

I made three cheeses for the antipasto buffet as well as Lasagna Bolognese made in individual ramekins.  The cheeses I made were all Tomini, but flavored differently.  My request to also make Pecorino was not approved.  Probably because there wasn’t time to age it sufficiently.

The Tomini were made from raw cow’s milk though in the future I would definitely pasteurize the milk.  There are few cheeses that really benefit from being made of raw milk otherwise the risk just isn’t worth it.  Tomini can be made from sheep’s milk as well.  Finding sheep’s milk in New Mexico is difficult so my Tomini will likely be made with cow’s milk.  I’m also going to try a combination of cow’s and goat’s milk, though, as soon as I can find a source of non-homogenized milk.  Homogenized milk is not ideal for cheese-making.

Tomini are usually small cheeses, made in molds that hold 80-100 grams (about 3 ounces) when finished.  One style contains a fuzzy (penicillum mold) exterior, like brie and camembert, but most, in my limited experience, do not.  I opted for the latter.  They can, and often are, aged briefly (just a few days) to create a mellow cheese.  Longer aging is possible but given their small size two weeks is about the maximum.

To make Tomini, the milk is heated and inoculated with yogurt to begin to acidify it.  Subsequently rennet is added.  After the curds are cut, the proto-cheese is heated to firm up the curds before they are put into molds.  After draining and salting, they are aged for a few days at 10°C-12°C (50°F-53.6°F), just a little cooler than a wine cellar.  I am committed to having Tomini in our Santa Fe wine cellar soon!

Some of the Tomini were rolled in coarsely ground black pepper before aging.  Others were rolled in a mixture of sweet and hot peperoncino powder.  For others, the curds were mixed with minced fresh garlic and dried Calabrian oregano before being put into molds.  Tomini can also be aged in flavored oil such as garlic, rosemary or peperoncino oil.

As I was coating the cheese with black pepper and peperoncino, Adriana, the dishwasher who is filling in for Maria who recently had surgery, indicated that she rubbed her cheese with olive oil before coating them with spices.  I might give that a try.  I have no idea what it might do to the cheese but since these aren’t cheeses that age long, there’s no risk that the oil will go rancid as could happen with a long-aged cheese.

I made cheese for menu execution because Chef John, a week or so before, told me he wanted to see me make cheese (“and not ricotta”… his words) for menu execution.  It’s similar to his comment earlier in the course about wanting to see me make pasta ai frutti di mare or pasta allo scoglio (or a similar a la minute pasta made with seafood).  I think these are items that he’s using to gauge skill level or techniques that he thinks I need to know if I’m going to teach cooking (which I plan on doing on my return).

In any case, without his urging, I probably would not have made cheese.  Now I’m hooked!  The variety of cheeses that can be made without extensive aging times is incredible.  I can use the wine cellar.  If I start getting into aging for more than a month or so I suspect I’ll have to buy a refrigerated wine cave which will sit next to my gelato batch freezer… wherever that ends up!

I got a big compliment from Chef Juan’s mom, who’s visiting from Venezuela, regarding my cheese.  I also got lots of compliments about my Lasagna Bolognese (which is going to appear on the table at Easter this year!).

Step one was making the Ragu Bolognese which Chef John pares down to the absolute essentials compared to many published recipes (though I added a bit of garlic which he doesn’t do).  It’s packed with flavor from very few ingredients.  Step two was making fresh pasta and cutting it into circles that just fit inside the individual ramekins.  The pasta air-dried for a day.  Step three was making the besciamella and refrigerating it overnight so that I could squeeze it out of a pastry bag.  All of those steps happened on April 7th and 8th.

The morning of April 9th, menu execution day, was pretty mellow for me.  My cheeses were aging without need of attention until it was time to cut them and plate them for the buffet.  I layered 29 ramekins (the total that we had) with lasagna hoping that one of our 30 guests didn’t want lasagna!

It was a Zen-like meditative experience:  A thin layer of ragu, a sheet of pasta, another thin layer of ragu, then besciamella piped in to cover, then Parmigiano Reggiano cheese then pasta, followed by more ragu, besciamella, and Parmigiano followed by pasta, then ragu, Parmigiano and a drizzle of melted butter.  This brought each ramekin to just below the top.

I put them on a sheet tray, inverted another sheet try on top, and put them in the walk-in.  My work was done.  I spent the rest of my time in the kitchen helping others who had more last-minute work to do.

The lasagne were served as the first primo of the evening and therefore the first plated dish after the serve-yourself antipasto buffet.  I baked them and drizzled them with a tiny bit of house-made rosemary oil just before serving them.

Before we got to the primi, however, Chef John made a little speech and then gave us our certificates.  A few hours earlier we had gotten our official Italian Culinary Institute Chef’s Jackets which we were all wearing.  It was an emotional moment:  the culmination of three months of hard work and weight gain in the service of researching the flavors of Italy.  (It sounds facetious but it’s really true.)

I’m starting to draft this post on Thursday.  All the students left today, except me.  When planning my flights, I decided that I didn’t want to be rushed with packing during the last days of the course so I planned my departure for Saturday.

Today, Chef Juan and I spent a couple of leisurely hours inspecting all the salumi we made back in January and “maintaining” the large cuts, like prosciuttino and capocollo.  Maintaining means checking weight loss.  Each type of cured meat product has an ideal percentage of weight loss as part of the curing process.  Maintaining also means cleaning off any mold with white wine vinegar.

Mold is a natural part of Italian salumi.  Mold doesn’t really penetrate the surface of the meat.  As it appears, one just cleans it off.  Ideally the meat is checked every few days.  Sometimes one reapplies another coating of whatever seasoning was on the exterior.  The seasoning doesn’t really penetrate the meat any longer as the surface is dry but it acts as another protective layer on the meat.  Some of the cured meats that we made in January won’t be ready till October.

On Friday, the staff was reorganizing the kitchen after our three-month marathon and taking inventory.  I “maintained” all the salami and then vacuum-packed everything that didn’t need more aging.  My afternoon was spent packing for my departure.

Once I get home on April 14th I’ll be in full-cooking mode getting ready for Easter dinner.  I’ve taken my lessons to heart and plan on making the following assuming I can get all the ingredients:

Antipasto (served on individual plates while having cocktails)

Ricotta Fresca Fatto in Casa, Condita con Olio d’Olivo

Melanzane sott’olio

Tonno del Chianti

Fraguni

Salame con Pane di Formaggio alla Romana

Arancini con ‘Nduja

Fave con Pecorino

 

Primi (served in sequence on individual plates)

Risotto con Piselli, Crema di Piselli, Olio di Menta

Minestra di Fagioli Borlotti di Zia Fidalma

Lasagna Bolognese

 

Secondo

Abbacchio alla Romana

Carciofi e Patate

Focaccia

 

Dolci

Torta di Agnello di Sanguinamento (Rich DePippo’s Bleeding Lamb Cake)

Babà con Sciroppo di Rum

Gelato di Crema di Arancia, Scorza d’Arancia Candita, Cioccolato Bianco Caramellato Sbriciolato

My plan for the summer is to go through my notes from the course and cook, cook, cook.  I feel like I need to do that to integrate the information and truly make it mine.

I plan on making my way back to Italy at the beginning of August for about two months for guided independent study in regional Italian cuisine both at the Italian Culinary Institute and at venues in north and south Italy.  Until then, I’ll try to get back to a regular schedule of posting blogs with recipes and stories.

Bene, allora, arrivederci a tutti!

Last minute update:  I’m spending the night before my trans-Atlantic flight at Il Picolo Bed and Breakfast that is, quite literally, a five minute drive from Leonardo da Vinci airport in Fiumicino.  The owners suggested I have dinner at BioAgriola Traiano, about a five-minute walk from the B&B.

The food was wonderful.  The owner speaks five languages and, when she heard I was a chef, she brought out the kitchen staff (both in their 20s) to meet me.  The food was superb!  I have to make visits to the B&B and the Agriturismo a regular part of my trips back to Italy.  It won’t be difficult given how close they are to the airport.