{"id":7109,"date":"2019-08-15T14:38:09","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T20:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?p=7109"},"modified":"2019-08-15T20:42:19","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T02:42:19","slug":"cooking-in-tuscany-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/15\/cooking-in-tuscany-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking in Tuscany #5: Il Tassista (Taxi Driver) with Apologies to Robert De Niro"},"content":{"rendered":"

August 15, 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I took my time heading for Benabbio on Sunday August 11th, getting there shortly after 10 AM.\u00a0 Zia Fidalma and Zia Ida had been out in the garden and harvested a beautiful basket of vegetables before my arrival.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A morning’s harvest from Zia Fidalma’s garden.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sitting on the counter waiting for me was a container of zucchini that Zia Fidalma had saut\u00e9ed a few days earlier and the leftover Friggitelli peppers from the previous dinner.\u00a0 My task was to make Frittata for lunch.\u00a0 We were trying to have a light lunch as we were going out to dinner in the courtyard of the church in Benabbio.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Frittata of zucchini and friggitelli.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The occasion was a dinner hosted by Lucchesi nel Mondo<\/a> (Luccans of the World), an organization to which my father-in-law and Zia Ida both belong.\u00a0 The branch of Lucchesi nel Mondo in Chicago (where we once lived) hosts regular dinners for members.\u00a0 The objectives of the overall association, with representation on \u201cevery continent\u201d 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.\u00a0 The dinner on the 11th was precisely one of these events to welcome returnees.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lucchesi nel Mondo dinner in the courtyard of the church in Benabbio.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were about 200 people in attendance.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Exhibit highlighting key families of Benabbio in the theater that is being restored.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a good thing that we went light on lunch.\u00a0 The dinner was very well prepared by Benabbio locals.\u00a0 It consisted of:<\/p>\n

Aperitivo<\/span>
\nAsti accompanied by potato chips (seriously!)<\/p>\n

Antipasto<\/span>
\nAn assortment including crostini, cheese and apple, olives, and a rolled and sliced frittata<\/p>\n

Primo #1<\/span>
\nTortelli al Ragu<\/p>\n

Primo #2<\/span>
\nRisotto ai Funghi Porcini<\/p>\n

Secondo<\/span>
\nArrosto di Maiale
\nCipolle Agrodolce
\nSformato di Zucchini e Fagiolini<\/p>\n

Dolce<\/span>
\nGelato
\nCaff\u00e8<\/p>\n

\"\"
A poster in the exhibit in the former gelateria in Benabbio highlighting the contribution of Lucchesi to gelato “culture” around the world.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I decided to leave my car in Benabbio so that I could drink freely.\u00a0 Massimo drove me to the apartment and then returned home.\u00a0 It was disco night:\u00a0 the LOUDEST and LARGEST disco night yet.\u00a0 Streets were closed.\u00a0 Massimo dropped me off several streets away from my apartment due to street closures.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Disco night in the piazza in Bagni di Lucca.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zia had scheduled Roberto, Il Tassista, to pick me up in Bagni di Lucca on Monday morning and bring me to Benabbio.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Roberto speaks Italian and, I gather from his repeated questioning about my language ability, passable French.\u00a0 We were limited to Italian but since I wasn\u2019t planning on a long conversation with him it seemed OK as I knew I was able to negotiate the basics of our transaction adequately.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A fanciful rainspout in Benabbio.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Part way up the mountain Roberto decided to pull over to show me the language app on his phone.\u00a0 He pulled across the road and just slightly out of the lane of oncoming traffic.\u00a0 Mind you, my side of the car was jutting out into the \u201clane\u201d of the oncoming traffic.\u00a0 I use the word \u201clane\u201d lightly as the road, in most places is not more than 1\u00bd car widths\u2019 wide.\u00a0 Unconcerned about our precarious position, he took quite a few minutes to demonstrate his app.\u00a0 It was pretty cool, but not cool enough to risk a head-on collision.\u00a0 Mercifully we set off again.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Zia Fidalma’s wood burning oven, now used for the occasional pizza.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.\u00a0 The Luccans occupied the one we were navigating.\u00a0 The story of the war was told in a word salad of Italian and English.\u00a0 A few words of Italian, a word or two of English, a few words of Italian, a word or two of English.\u00a0 It was almost impossible for me to follow as I never knew when he was going to change languages (which was almost always).\u00a0 In addition, since words were not enough, Roberto frequently illustrated his story with his hands\u2014both of them.\u00a0 This caused the car to veer across the road into oncoming traffic or in the other direction towards the sheer drop-off.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Torta di Patate.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once in the town of Benabbio, the adjacent peak was not easily visible, so the discussion of the war ended.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He backed into the \u201cgauntlet\u201d and continued into the piazza of Benabbio where he introduced me to his wife who was carrying a load of empty boxes.\u00a0 We continued towards Zia\u2019s house, stopping briefly so he could point out his garage, a proud possession (see below).\u00a0 Roberto safely deposited me near Zia\u2019s house and was on his way.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The “street” into which Il Tassista pulled to show me an inscription from the tenth century.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rhythm at Zia\u2019s house is that most of the cooking and prep work that can be done in advance is done in the morning.\u00a0 Monday morning was no different and we set about cooking.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Zia Fidalma’s (justifiably famous) Minestra di Fagioli.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.\u00a0 That\u2019s the main house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
One of four bedrooms in the house for sale in Benabbio.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a two-story stone barn that opens to a massive garden on the edge of the mountain.\u00a0 There is also a building that houses the wood-burning oven.\u00a0 Originally all the supplies that were needed to make bread were kept in this building.\u00a0 Attached to the front is a greenhouse that serves as a limonaia (a place to winter-over lemon trees).\u00a0 There is also a GARAGE, a very rare occurrence in Benabbio.\u00a0 It is being sold completely furnished.\u00a0 We\u2019d only need to bring toothbrushes.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A view from the balcony of the sitting room of the house for sale in Benabbio. On the other side of the wall is the garden, two-story stone barn, a building with wood-burning oven, and limonaia.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second kitchen would be a great place for me to teach summer cooking classes in Tuscany.\u00a0 The upstairs sitting room would make a perfect dining room for the students when we\u2019re not dining al fresco in the garden area overlooking the entire valley and the distant tall mountain peaks.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the biggest problem is bringing our dogs to Italy each summer.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Spiedini ready for the oven.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the real estate excursion completed we set about assembling Spiedini for dinner.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We threaded them on skewers, seasoned them and refrigerated them till it was time to cook them.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Zucchini cut up and ready to be made into Zucchini in Umido.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cousin Francesca joined us for dinner.\u00a0 Zia whipped up a Risotto al Zafferano as a first course.\u00a0 That was followed by the Spiedini and a salad.\u00a0 Macedonia di Frutta was offered for dessert.\u00a0 I left before dessert, wanting to get down the road before it got dark.\u00a0 No doubt I will make the nighttime passage at some point but no need to do it more often than absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

\"\"
One of Zia Fidalma’s lemon trees grown in pots.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time I got to Zia\u2019s the next morning, and mind you it wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lemon trees at the house for sale in Benabbio. They spend the winter in the limonia, a lean-too greenhouse.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Torta di Patate is a wonderful dish for potato and carbohydrate lovers.\u00a0 It consists of boiled, riced potatoes seasoned with garlic and parsley.\u00a0 A little butter is mixed in and the whole mass is spread out in a buttered baking dish and baked until brown.\u00a0 An egg can be added if desired for a firmer texture.\u00a0 Accompanied by sliced tomatoes from the garden and a little Strachino cheese, it made a satisfying lunch.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Zia Fidalma spooning Torta di Patate into a baking dish.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zia\u2019s Minestra di Fagioli is legendary.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A secondo of Torta di Patate, Fagioli, and Finocchio.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once again, I headed down the mountain before dark, sated as always and wondering what cooking adventures the next day would bring.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sausage cut up to be skewered into spiedini.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

August 15, 2019 I took my time heading for Benabbio on Sunday August 11th, getting there shortly after 10 AM.\u00a0 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 … Continue reading Cooking in Tuscany #5: Il Tassista (Taxi Driver) with Apologies to Robert De Niro<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":["default"],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-and-places"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7109"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7145,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7109\/revisions\/7145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}