Sunny...and snowing

Looking out the window just now it seems like one of those javascript programs that enable you to have floating snowflakes randomly cascading down your webpage. It is snowing — but not in the way that much of southern Italy and Sicily has had to succumb to. These flakes are so light and fluffy, I thought for a moment that they might be some renegade plant spores....willingly taken on a joyride in this light breeze. The sun is shining through high clouds and it reminds me of those days in Hawaii when it can be so bright and sunny, but then it drizzles ever so lightly from a source unseen, someplace high in the sky.

Would be nice to go for a walk but I'm betting that 3°C will feel like minus something degrees with this soft wind that's blowing! Brrrrr.... better to just think about being on a tropical island with a nice cold beer in hand, some food grilling on the barbecue, and me with my rubber slippers. ;-)

Sweet Simplicity

When I cook during the week, I like something simple — not necessarily quick, but simple in ingredients and preparation since we save the weekends for exploring the restaurant scene. Within the past two weeks I have enjoyed easy, yet delicious recipes from all of the mothers (and moms-to-be!) who take the time to write about food. These women NEED to keep things simple because time is always of an essence when having to raise a family as well.

The crushed pineapple cake in the foreground is simple enough, just toss everything into the food processor, blend it, pour it in a pan, sprinkle with some chopped nuts, and bake it. The green things in the background are spinach-potato gnocchi. And this is where simplicity rings true because I tend to cook in the style of italian mammas: A big handful of cooked spinach (squeezed and finely chopped), one large, boiled potato (peeled and put through a ricer), a handful of flour, and a good pinch of salt. Proceed as with any other gnocchi recipe and serve with a sauce made with a little bit of fragrant olive oil, super-ripe tomatoes, garlic, porcini mushrooms, and seasonings. My husband really loved it (and also the cake!), and I can trust in the simple fact that if he announces it good enough to be put on a menu, then so it is.

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Pineapple Crush Cake
Makes one 9x13
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
6-7 pineapple rings (canned, not fresh), drained
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350F or 175C. With the machine running, add sugars, oil, and eggs to food processor; blend to a smooth consistency. Stop machine and add the remaining ingredients (except nuts) in the order that they are listed. Blend/pulse until thoroughly mixed, taking care not to turn the pineapples into pineapple juice! Pour into oiled or buttered 9x13-inch baking pan, sprinkle with the chopped nuts, and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Bar Donizetti

This is the first enoteca (wine bar) we've gone to that is listed in the italian Slow Food guidebook. Situated within the walls of Bergamo's Città Alta, Bar Donizetti is the kind of place that a person should make a beeline for when in search of an easy evening of great wine and cheese. The dark interior is softly lit, and simple wooden tables and chairs make you feel right at ease in this comfy place. The menu may come off as a little price-y, but a restaurant they are not, as you won't find primi or secondi on the menu. What you will find, are the house specials and fresh salads, in addition to the degustazioni, or tastings. The immediate thought that came to mind was a restaurant slang term that I haven't used in ages - "Optimum Grazing".

Keeping with the Slow Food way of thinking....
The establishment prides itself in offering quality food items produced by artigianale suppliers and page one on the menu holds a descriptive list of tastings for an assortment of cheeses, salumi, lardo (cured pork fat), prosciutti, and foie gras. Now I can’t put into words how wonderful such a thing as foie gras. It’s just something that should be enjoyed atleast once in a lifetime! Since there was a degustazione of 3 different types, it’s no surprise at what we opted to share...
Degustazioni di tre foie gras

The house specialties that were listed in the guide suggested this dish — Testina di maiale con cipollotti e purea di funghi (Testina of pork with onions and mushroom pureè). Now testina refers to the head of a young animal, but don't be alarmed(!), you won't be presented with anything visually disagreeable. It is actually a very tender cut of meat and more commonly found at the market in the form of veal than pork. The photo below doesn't show much of the mushroom pureè in the background, but a nice, creamy polenta was served along with it. Absolutely delicious...

I chose to order the Tortino di patate ai branzi con speck e zucchine. A small 'torte' of whipped potatoes and branzi cheese, broiled to a crisp golden brown, and served atop grilled zucchini and slivers of speck (a cured bacon from the Alto Adige region). Fantastic flavor!

We finished with selected cheese tastings that were paired with a wine which best complimented it. I'm no expert, but I love italian cheeses. The pairings were excellent; truly an experience to be savored! When I think back to all of those imported french and italian cheeses purchased through iGourmet.com (when I was living in the islands), how ironic that I should end up in a country that excels in producing them! Total cost including cover charge, water, wine (½ bottle), and coffee: 68 euros

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Bar Donizetti — Bergamo Città Alta
via Gombito, 17a
Tel. 035 242661
web: Menu
web: www.donizetti.it

Making gnocchi

My husband is always willing to lend a hand in the kitchen, especially when it comes to making risotto or his favorite pasta, spaghetti alla carbonara. Sometimes however, helping with the cooking will also bring back nostalgic memories of when he was a young boy, and I enjoy that feeling of being transported back in time whenever he shares something from his childhood. While making potato gnocchi over the weekend, he told me about the days when his mother would sit him down at the kitchen table and teach him how to impress le righe, or the lines onto the pieces of soft gnocchi dough. Those identations help to 'catch' the sauce when taking each flavorful bite.


Now I have seen gnocchi rolled onto the backside tines of a fork, but he rolled his on the front. Other modes of marking gnocchi include pushing them along the small holes of a cheese grater or to use a tool such as the one shown below. It's called a rigagnocchi (I couldn't resist buying it!). Okay if you like skinny, faint, lines but I think the good old fork is the best way to go. In any case, I couldn't keep up when it came to making the impressions; I guess my husband must have made hundreds of them in his youth, because he was really quite adept at rolling the dough!

Mostarda

Mostarda is probably one of the first unique italian foods that I took an immediate liking to - they're preserved fruits, typically served as a condiment with cheese or bollito misto, a dish of mixed boiled meats. Sticky and heavy from syrup, they have a spicy-sweet flavor due to the addition of mustard spice, and a variety of fruits are used in the making - apples, oranges, pears, melons, quinces, figs, cherries. It is easy to get caught up in the displays of wooden crates holding an assortment of brightly-colored gems, and I've been told that the best come from Cremona. My husband put it this way, "Mostarda is to Cremona like pizza is to Napoli, or panettone is to Milano."

It was interesting then, to discover a recipe for tortelli di zucca made in the style of those in Cremona or Mantova, for not only do they have crushed amaretti added in the filling, but minced mostarda as well. Using some already cooked pumpkin puree from a few nights ago, I mixed together a filling, and using freshly made pasta squares, assembled the 'ravioli' in a free-style sort of way. Any good italian cookbook should have a recipe for pumpkin ravioli; the only extra step (for a serving of 4) is to add 3 tbsp. of crushed amaretti and perhaps 3-4 tbsp. of minced mostarda to the filling.

One evening in January

Yesterday we received our first snow of the season! Just a shallow blanketing of the entire valley, but enough to cover the grayness with that unique shade of 'winter white' that only snow can do. After dinner we took a late-night stroll on the outskirts of town, haven't done that in awhile. It was peaceful and quiet....and so incredibly beautiful.

A young italian couple walk by, talking and laughing to themselves. After having gone not more than 10 meters past us, the man begins to sing out loud, I'm singing in the rain! I'm singing in the rain! It is the only two sentences that he knows of that song, and his thick italian accent makes it even more comical as he continues to sing happily at the top of his lungs while his female companion giggles hysterically. We begin to laugh ourselves as we continue to walk along, when out of the corner of my eye I see a bright green sign. We walk toward it. VENDESI. "Look! It's for sale!" Beyond the snow-covered gate and up the dark mountainside, the lone figure of a villa stands against the night sky. I've never seen this property before. My husband brushes off the snow that is blocking part of the sign to reveal a phone number from Monza. The owners(?) do not live far from here.

I begin laughing to myself. Wait a minute...this looks like a scene right out of a motion picture. Bella Italia, virgin snow, la passeggiata, romantic lovers, abandoned villa for sale... But instead of saying "Let's buy it!", my thoughts turn to my wardrobe. Where is my long, expensive italian merlino wool coat? My cashmere/pashmere/silk/whatever scarf? My 500-euro boots??? I am suppose to be dressed to the nines and making it look as if I am not freezing.

My head is wrapped in an orange and brown wool scarf and I'm wearing a bulky red coat with a rabbit fur collar. My boots are worth only 1/10th of the estimated wardrobe budget. I look like a goofy version of Little Red Riding Hood, decked in a babushka, going on a north pole expedition. And my god, the cold air is beginning to make my nose drip! I should fire the costume director. Subito!

I tell my husband, "Wouldn't it be weird if we ended up staying here in this little town?" He doesn't say much, and my guess is that he's thinking, "First she wants a purebred dog. Now she wants a villa. Women!!!!"

Polenta con quattro funghi

Funghi, mushrooms, edible fungus, woodland homes for blue magical creatures! Whatever you want to call them, I see these earthy ingredients frequently used in the italian kitchen: in ragu and risotto, with pasta and gnocchi, preserved in oil or dried, on crostini and pizza! When I'm out walking in the park or woods, my eyes are subconsciously searching the ground for mushrooms. It must be the hunter-gatherer instinct in me.

Unfortunately, I am no mycologist and I'll leave the mushroom-hunting to the pros. The ones that I know for certain are those that I grew up eating---the cultivated white button mushroom (blah)---so it's been fantastic to grocery shop and discover some fresh varieties like these: finferli (chanterelles), chiodini, and porcini (although not in season now), along with the usual hothouse types.

Now I have to confess, polenta isn't a food that I would normally eat. It's either rice or pasta. But I wanted to use up the polenta taragna (typical from the Valtellina area in Lombardia) in my pantry and the compliment of 4 different mushroom sautes seemed like a good idea. The recipe is a no-brainer. Polenta will come with instructions on the package. Preparing mushrooms is even easier, and I find myself cooking in a way that my mother-in-law does - just a little olive oil, some minced shallots, wine, chopped parsley, and salt & pepper q.b. (quanto basta or to taste).

Memories of the Hawaiian O’io

In a sort of nostalgic weekend for cooking and eating, the thai fishcake and korean bi bim bap recipes from Ruth's blog brought back cherished childhood memories. I was first introduced to Bi Bim Bap years ago when my mother took me to a newly-opened korean restaurant on Kauai. She suggested that I try it, and I was surprised to find out that korean food extended way beyond kimchee.

As for the fishcake, I have fun recollections of my father who would spend weekend mornings bringing in bonefish, or O'io as they are called in Hawaii. While I was fumbling in attempts to catch sand turtles between the ebb and flow of the surf, my dad would be checking his fishing nets along the shoreline, or using rod and reel to bait them. I remember the words I'd often say to him whenever he threw another o'io into the huge bucket of fish anchored sturdily in the sand.

“Only catching o'io dad? Yuck, those have so many bones! I don't like them.”

His reply would be, "That's why you make fishcakes out of them!" And fishcakes he made, because his catch would at times be so much, that some of the fish would inevitably end up in the freezer, while the others were prepared as fish paste. The method is time-consuming, as you need to scrape the soft flesh off of the very thin, almost hair-like bones. Sometimes, a few bones would be missed and ended up in the mixture. You had to be careful not to swallow any when biting into a fried morsel.

Borrowing a little from Ruth's recipe and also from what I can remember of my father's, here is my version of fishcake appetizers using merluzzo (fresh Italian cod).

O'io fishcakes
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) o'io paste (bonefish), merluzzo, or any whitefish fillet
1 1/2 tablespoon thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce) or 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped green onions
vegetable oil

1. Combine fish, curry paste, patis, cornstarch, egg, sugar, and lime juice in food processor. Process to a smooth pulp (2-3 minutes). Remove to a separate bowl and stir in the grated carrots and chopped green onions.
2. Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer or a large enough frying pan to a depth of atleast 3/4-inch. When oil is ready, scoop out bite-size portions and carefully drop into oil. Fry each side quickly to a golden brown. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Serve with any type of asian dipping sauce. Makes about 2 dozen.

Note: The consistency of the fish mixture is variable, as I have eaten some cakes that were either soft or very firm and almost rubbery (lots of cornstarch added). I prefer mine on the less firm side, so that I can also use them as a tender filling in fried wonton, steamed dimsum, or as dumplings in a soup. The important thing is that they hold together enough so they won't fall apart in the cooking oil.

la Maison Chaudenay

I recently got an email from la Maison Chaudenay. Anne and Bruce Leonard are two of the sweetest hosts that I have ever encountered in B & B adventures. They own and operate a GORGEOUS maison in the Bourgogne region of France and I thought it would be nice to put out a good word and mention them here. One of the points of interest that I admired about their property was an old, huge winepressing room. And I mean HUGE! I can imagine that room being converted into a unique country-style french restaurant if the original fixtures were kept as part of the decor.

The photo below (with the snow) was an attachment they had sent to show how different the courtyard looks now, compared to when we had visited them last Easter.

Now take a look at how it was last April.

I don't have enough photos to do this place justice. If you'd like to see more, view their website!

Riviera delle Palme

You know that it was time away well spent when 3 days seemed like three weeks - it was in low spirits that we arrived back home from Liguria. To be more specific, we stayed in a bed & breakfast in Celle Ligure (near to Savona), about 20 minutes drive from Genova. Now here's a little piece of information that I learned recently:
The Italian Riviera that runs along the ligurian coast is alluded to by two names. To the LEFT of Genova lies the Riviera di Ponente, to the RIGHT is the Riviera di Levante. My husband explained it to me like this: Ponente comes from the verb porre which means 'to put or to lay (down)'. Since the sun 'lays down' in the west, the area WEST, or left of Genova is referred to as Riviera Ponente. Levante on the other hand comes from the verb levare which means 'to raise'. Therefore, the area EAST, or right of Genova is referred to as Riviera Levante. It's pretty explanatory, but in any case, no matter where you might be located, any place along the italian riviera is beautiful and I'll write more on the b & b and Slow Food restaurants in the following posts.

So where does Riviera delle Palme come from? It was written on the cover of a travel brochure; even D. had never heard of the term. The coastal area of the map that is colored a neon green is considered to be the title of this post because (and I am just surmising), there are a lot of palm trees that line the promenades. Riviera? Palm trees? No wonder they named it so, who wouldn't want to go there?!

La Natta di Monte Tabor

I have to say one thing first---forgive me if it sounds like I'm glorifying this place, but I believe that anyone could fall easily for the charms of this delightful b & b (and the woman that runs it!). Paolo and Miriam Boero are the husband and wife team that operate this ligurian agriturismo/bed and breakfast. There are 4 individual rooms, three of which make up a wooden cottage that faces out onto the sea, and one which adjoins to the main house and is located next to the pool.

Paolo, a quiet man, is a fisherman by trade. Miriam on the other hand, is an energetic and vivacious hostess that welcomes you warmly into her home and takes you on a tour of the property before showing you to your room. We stayed in the 'Gialla' or yellow room which is fine for an overnighter or brief sojourn. It sort of reminded me of a country schoolroom; old illustrations of the italian alphabet decorate the walls. There is no kitchen (there are two rooms that do) but it has a little refrigerator to keep drinks cold. What 'hooked' me however, were the chocolates and personal note welcoming us to enjoy our visit. I hope she never abandons the gesture. It is special touches like these that sets a b & b apart from the rest.

Just outside, a young olive tree graces your own little terrace with a table and a few chairs. But the best part? The breathtaking view of the coast. Especially so in the late evenings when the illuminated Riviera Levante sparkles far away in the distance.
Visit the link: La Natta di Monte Tabor

Osteria dell'Acquasanta

The road that leads to this unpretentious trattoria ascends gently toward the mountains from the main highway, but to find the place can be a little bit tricky. On a previous visit, we had to stop and ask for directions. "Cross the short bridge to the right, it's just around the corner from the parking area." To tell the truth, it was an unpaved path that branched downward to what looked like grandma's cottage in the woods. It is a quiet, and as I said before, unpretentious location. Looking at the little chapel that sits next to the river and the warning signs for migrating frogs, one would never know that people from miles around come here for the wonderfully delicious lasagnette al pesto. We've been to this place twice, and I can't ever get enough of this simple dish. And judging from the other diners around me, neither could they.

D. had the Ravioli alla genovese

The Slow Food guide describes the cooking as homestyle with a few creative touches, but mainly dishes that are tied to the traditions of the land. Just to mention a part of the menu (it changes according to season), the items in bold were especially suggested in the guidebook.
Primi (first plates):
Tagliolini con sugo di funghi
Ravioli alla genovese
Lasagnette al pesto
Gnocchetti di Crudo di Parma con burro e salvia
Sformato di trevigiana con fonduta di gorgonzola naturale

For the second plates I opted for Carciofi in umido ripieni (stuffed artichokes) and he decided on a dish called Battuta di razza Piemontese. Served with nothing but olive oil, fresh lemon wedges, and hazelnut cheese, we had no idea that it would actually be a RAW piece of steak that was beaten to look something like steak tartare. D. seemed a little surprised but ate it anyway. When he offered me a taste (and this is where my passion for italian food shows), I nearly gobbled that steak down. It was like eating a deluxe carpaccio! Other offerings for the secondi included mainly beef, veal, and pork, along with rabbit w/thyme and mustard and stuffed squid. Desserts, I believe, change according to the whim of the pastry chef. We finished the meal with a slice of sacher torte and Budino alla cannella con pere martine al vino (cinnamon pudding & baked pears in a wine sauce). Incredibly and sinfully delicious. Total cost including cover charge, water, wine, and coffee: 53 euros

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Osteria dell'Acquasanta — Acquasanta (frazione di Mele)
via Acquasanta, 281
Tel. 010 638035
21 km from Genova
web: www.osteriadellacquasanta.it

Da Casetta

From the parking area, you walk through old cobbled streets that lead to a slanting piazza fronting the chiesa di Borgio. Da Casetta sits at the bottom of the steps with a small terrace fronting the restaurant. The cooking here is of traditional Ligurian, which (surprisingly) means mainly of 'the land' and not as you would think, 'the sea'. When I read about this restaurant in the Slow Food restaurant guide, my reaction was immediately grateful for having read so many issues of Italian Cooking and Living, and also for having my scant collection of italian cookbooks. It was from these sources that I was made aware of corzetti, testaroli, and cappon magro, and they were the only words I needed to read in the menu listing before I excitedly told my husband, "We just HAVE to eat there!"

The interior as you enter the establishment is warm and inviting. Arched ceilings lined in brick cast a glow to the surroundings, giving one the feeling of being at ease. Since we had reserved early, the choice was given to us to sit wherever we wanted. And like it was described in the guide, an aperitif was served along with a plate of hot crescenti (very light pieces of fried bread dough) while waiting for the menu.

The dish that we both anticipated most was CAPPON MAGRO, which is difficult to put a 'visual' to it. Cappon is a chicken. Magro means lean, thin, skinny. This dish has neither chicken nor is it the stuff for calorie counters. It is a salad consisting of alternating layers of fish and vegetables, but becomes more than that if prepared in the correct (time consuming) way. The end result will be a gastronomic centerpiece of color and flavor that borderlines almost on the baroque. Oysters on the shell, whole shrimps (head on), wedges of boiled egg, and a grand lobster pose as edible garnishes. On page 49 or Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, there is an accurate picture of how this dish should look. The cappon magro that we had was only a section of it, so the glam factor wasn't there. Still, it is a typical ligurian specialty that shouldn't be missed.

The other two plates we ordered were also very good and of typical ligurian cuisine. CORZETTI (with ragu) are round flat disks of pasta, about 4 cm (2 inches) in diameter. They are named after old genovese stamped money pieces. What makes them unique are the patterns with which they are embossed. TESTAROLI is quite something else. They're like....boiled pancakes. Not much thicker than a crepe, the 'pancakes' are cooked on a griddle, cut diagonally into bite-size diamond shapes, then briefly dropped into boiling water. We had them served with a walnut sauce, but they can also be simply dressed in extra-virgin olive oil and parmigiano, or pesto.

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Da Casetta — Borgio Verezzi
via XX Settembre, 12
Tel. 019 610166
21 km east of Savona

Off to Genova

Tomorrow, January 6th, is the L'Epifania (the Epiphany) which is another major holiday in Italy. It is also husband's birthday, so we are heading toward the Ligurian coast of Genova. There are two things that Liguria is especially noted for: pesto and focaccia. Several years ago when I first visited this country with some friends, I had the most exquisite Mandilli de Saea al Pesto - literally translates to 'silk handkerchiefs with pesto'. A more generic name is lasagnette al pesto. They are simply delicate sheets of freshly cooked pasta in basil pesto. I am not sure why it is, but even my husband agrees, the pesto made in Liguria is the best anywhere. Be back in a few days!

2005

We rang in the New Year with fireworks and a lot of noise at a chinese restaurant, but in italian style, which means things are a little different. Unlike Hawaii, you don't get to just 'dig in'. The appetizers were served first. Noodles and rice arrived next as first plates, then the main entrees came as second plates. Something to get used to, as everything is not brought out all at once for you to pick and choose between the dishes. It was way too much food, but we managed to sit and eat our way through the following (translated) menu, beginning at 9pm!

Antipasti Assorted italian cold cuts Spring rolls Seafood salad Dim sum Primi Chow fun with seafood Fried rice Secondi Breaded fried shrimp Grilled sole Fish kebabs ********* Italian icecream or cake Panettone and coffee Bottle of spumante at midnight Door prizes Complimentary parting gifts

A pity that it's not common to take home doggie bags in Italy; most everyone, including ourselves, couldn't finish much of the secondi. We all had to save room for dessert and spumante!

Funniest thing heard on New Year's Eve:  When a patron seated next to us asked for some bread, the server replied regretfully, "Sorry, this is chinese restaurant, there is no bread."

I can only imagine the look on a waitress's face if someone requested bread at any local chinese restaurant in Hawaii---rice, we get....bread, huh??