La Festa al Fresco

Roasted yellow peaches with italian meringue topping

The seemingly always on-the-go Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice invited me to join in for La Festa al Fresco — a sort of "potluck event" which requires the token dish to incorporate at least one fresh ingredient of summer. I had the initial idea to do a sort of floating island, or île flottante with an italian meringue-topped roasted peach sitting in a pool of vanilla bean custard sauce, but (and this is a big BUT) we are both on a "sensible" diet this week. We were very bad, NO, we were very, very bad in France so I've skinnied it down a bit by omitting the sauce. The dessert will survive without it.

Putting these together doesn't require much of a written recipe. Halve and pit the peaches, place in a baking dish, lightly drizzle/sprinkle with honey or sugar, dot with a teeniest bit of butter, and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until soft. In the meantime prepare an italian meringue and fold in some chopped pistachios if you like. After the peaches are done, place a mound of meringue over the peaches and return to the hot oven. Bake until the tops are lightly golden.

Note: I prefer using italian-style meringue since it gets "cooked" when you add the hot syrup. This helps to stabilize the whites and I've had success in letting it sit around for awhile if I'm busy messing with something else. Regular meringues will eventually begin to liquefy if not baked immediately.

Let's have a cheese party

Looks like an angel, no? Well, with a 12 hour drive to endure, snoozing was about all she could do as we made our way back to Italy. Again I must say that the Mads is a terrific travel doggie. From parading through the streets of Paris to hiking the mountain trails of Alsace, she made friends wherever she went, and I bet that if she could speak, France would be where SHE would want to live.

As mentioned in the previous post, we kept to a loose itinerary, guided only by the weather conditions and fickle impulse. We did accomplish our main goal of acquiring a good variety of french cheese (22 types!) but I swear the next time that we decide to go on a fromage-buying frenzy, better to keep in mind that along with the pungent odor of 15 pounds of ripe cheese, the additional smell of 12 heads of smoked Arleux garlic and 2 weeks of dirty laundry might also be in the car. Plus a dog that got carsick once and the overpowering lavender-scented air freshener we bought in an attempt to mask the stench of it all. Puh-YEW!

Nevertheless, the regions of Picardie and Alsace was more than we expected and deserve at least 2 full weeks to appreciate everything. A day trip to Chimay (Belgium) had Maddie making friends with a monk and an episode of 'pedigree' chickens probably caused my husband to regret ever having married me (I wanted to bring home two Bresse hens and name them Odile and Henrietta). But before I can share anything about our adventures, Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice has invited me to participate in La Festa al Fresco. Time to begin making a dish using fresh summer ingredients before this month is over.

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Saved comment(s)

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Aww Maddie is super adorable! I know what you mean about the cheeses, last week a friend and I threw a raclette party. We drove from the deli to her home with all sorts of cheeses: raclette, manchego and brie de meaux, and together with the chorizos we had in the car as well, well you can imagine how it stunk (i loved it though hehe).
Christine | Homepage | 08.30.06 - 12:10 pm

Ha ha! I hear you about the smell of French cheese. The flavor is divine but you really have to desensitize yourself to the odor. BTW do you have an extra fridge in the basement to keep them in?
Susan | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 9:30 pm

Oh how I can't wait to hear more about your trip! I know what you mean about needing at least 2 weeks there... there are so many tiny villages and they are all so cute and unique. We gave ourselves 2 days total for Alsace!! No way near enough! Oh well... at least we know how to go about it next time! Glad you made it back home safe!
Dianka | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 9:06 pm

Wow, you went to Chimay. That's my very favorite beer! It must have been a great trip.
Tanna | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 8:05 pm

She could always go on vacation in France and visit my brother's briard, I bet they would understand each other quite well! 22 types of cheese! WOW, they better keep otherwise you are going to transform yourself into well, not sure what! And I LOVED the Bresse hens episode. So who wears the pants in the family Rowena, com'on!
Bea at La Tartine Gourmande | Homepage | 08.29.06 - 7:31 pm

Maddie the Vacuum Slayer

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Making any attempt at vacuuming guarantees an immediate confrontation — with the dog! Maddie gets so riled up that bite marks have been left on the attachments. Sooner or later I'll have to resort to cleaning the kitchen carpet the old-fashioned way — by beating it. Whack! Whack! Whack!

We're off to visit the north/northeast of France: namely Picardie and Alsace, with a stopover in Bourgogne along the way. The itinerary is a loose one, so I won't go into great detail except for the following list of priorities.
1. Cheese (bring back lots of it)
2. Wine (bring back lots of it)
3. Les Routiers (for truckstop dining)
4. Chocolate Factory
5. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
6. Grande Fête de la mirabelle
7. Abbey St. Michel
This may or may not include a day trip to Paris. You need more than a day to do Paris! But Miss Maddie has heard marvelous things about the city (for example, that famous doggie bakery, Mon Bon Chien) and as you can see, she's all set to go.

La Maialata

The idea was to stick with a french theme this week, but the other night we attended a local celebration which featured roast pig or porchetta (lechon for filipinos!) and I just had to share some of the things that I find so special about Italy, even if these food feasts are events that visitors don't get to experience all too often.

Maialata stems from the italian word for pig: maiale. And what this boils down to (or roasts for that matter) is a whole lot of hog plus a great amount of people participating in La Maialata. These convivial occasions occur all over Italy, but what's so endearing about the ones in the smaller communities is that while the summer masses swarm the likes of Venice and Florence, good food, cheap wine, and a guy playing the accordion can be had for a steal in a place where the population might number not more than 200.

Piglets roasting over an open fire...
Instead of one gigantic pig (like I thought) there were smaller ones on the spit. A "brush" fashioned from several rosemary branches was used to baste the skin with olive oil.

Fagioli con cipolla (beans with onion) - beans w/onions is more of a tuscan dish but the appetite for beans has no regional boundaries.
Nervetti - the word means "little nerves" but what it IS might not appeal to everyone. A salad of pickled calf's foot, it doesn't resemble what you'd expect; more like gelatinous pieces of something else. I tried it, not that bad. Honestly.


Casoncelli alla bergamasca - another pasta named after its environs (Bergamo). Filled with seasoned sausage and laced with melted butter and grated cheese. Yow!


Porchetta and polenta - not quite how I'd prefer it (Hawaii people like their soy sauce and rice), but good all the same. Accompanied with grilled red bell peppers and zucchini, plus a side order of fried calamari with lemon, all of this was enough for both of us until I saw an order for grilled pork ribs. That's when we also decided to try those beans and calve's feet.

How long is the salame? Guess and it'll be yours!
There was no blue ribbon pie competition or even a watermelon-eating contest to speak of, but the chance to win a salame had patrons handing over euros without hesitation. A pity if my husband had guessed correctly because we didn't stick around long to find out. Too funny where they decided to put it. I looked up and said, "Wha...! Hey, there's a salame hanging from the rafters!!"

Hope you're all enjoying the last days of summer...

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Your pigs trotters reminded me of the strangest dish I've ever had. As a racing cyclist I spent the winter of 67/68 training on the island of Sardinia, there I met up with an ex Italian cyclist who was a professor of English on the Island. The day before I left he invited me to a local restaurant "to eat the local specialty" he said. We ended up in some small side street of Cagliari and I sat down waiting and wondering what this dish would be. The waiter came with a covered dish, one for each of us. When he removed the lid I was really staggered. On each plate there were 5 unborn piglets! They tasted fantastic and was the strangest meal that I have ever had.
Graham Webb | 09.26.06 - 12:59 am

Sorry folks gotta run... but I had to share some info on the pork skin. Called cotenna, italians prize that part of the pig just as much as anyone else I suppose. Maybe so much that they weren't willing to share any of it at the maialata!
~rowena~ | Homepage | 08.12.06 - 9:31 am

I tried these roasted piglets in Sardinia, but nothing beats the Pinoy lechon! New hitchiker here in the blog autostrada, but enjoy reading yours.
Bay_leaf | Homepage | 08.11.06 - 4:54 pm

OMG, I'm such a porker, that photo just made me drool! Do they get the skin all crunchy with their roasted pig over there too? AND do they eat it? Here in the South, they do what they call a pig-pickin', but I think many of them dispose of the cracklings! They're throwing the best parts away!
JMom | Homepage | 08.11.06 - 4:10 pm

Hi Rowena - yet another reason to love Italy! That pork looks fantastic (I'll take mine without the little ears though!) We went to a chestnut festival several years back in Migliana. I thought it was pretty great (not so sure everyone in our group was equally taken with it though). They had roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, and several items made with chestnuts. There was also a little craft sale. The setting was gorgeous and there was quite a mob packed into the tiny town for the occasion!
Cathy | Homepage | 08.11.06 - 1:16 pm

Oh this celebration. MY! Love it! Reminds me of a méchoui in France. My uncle — who raises lamb — used to have one every year and the whole village was invited! Loved it! As to the mellon soup, as I mentioned this to you, Charentais melons are my fav! I HAVE to try your delicious soup! Look at all the great food you are having!
Bea at La Tartine Gourmande | Homepage | 08.11.06 - 12:27 pm

What a cool celebration! Do they serve the crispy skin of the pig too? I think I would enjoy that just as much as all the other "ono" stuffs you got to eat!
Kat | Homepage | 08.11.06 - 11:45 am

Charentais melon soup

I've read about Charentais melons [link to seed supply] before, but never thought I'd see the day when we would actually get to try these precious fruits from France. Only recently I've discovered that Italy cultivates Charentais mainly in the province of Mantova and around Ferrara. The current price? Between 2.69-3.80€ a kilo (about $1.56-$2.22/pound); more than twice what it costs for baby watermelons. They are the most delectable melons ever, with an intricately sweet flavor unlike any other [in the melon family]. Yet it's the intense, aromatic perfume that had my nose practically glued to the pale, jadegreen skin of this fruit — quite like the heady fragrance of chinese white narcissus (or hyacinth so says the husband) in a musky, irresistable scent. Yum...

These could be enjoyed all by themselves, but are 'out-of-this-world-delicious' when served with top quality prosciutto. I present it here in a cold melon soup; something different. The idea comes from the proprietor of a french b & b that we met last year — not being able to persuade her to share the recipe, I borrowed from many of the sources online. Like the one that we tasted in France, it was the finely shredded basil that made all the difference, giving it an unexpected contrast in flavor joined to a spoonful of melon soup.


I've made this with cantaloupe, but the flavor wasn't quite the same. The nose knows its fruits, as smell is a good indicator of taste. It goes without saying that the melon should be ripe and sweet, and unless you can be certain of this, no extra amount of sweetening will enhance it. Serve this at the start of the meal. Grilled salmon with buttered pasta and herbs make a good main course. Finish with anything really, really, chocolate.

Charentais melon soup
1 Charentais melon, or a super sweet cantaloupe (2 1/2 pounds)
juice of freshly squeezed 1/2 orange
a good pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons honey
2-3 sweet basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade

Halve the melon and remove the seeds. Scoop the flesh into a food processor fitted with a blade. Process quickly until smooth. Add the orange juice, salt, and honey. Pulse to blend thoroughly.

I like my soup to be less on the gritty side, so I pour half of it through a sieve and press on the solids. After mixing the strained juice with the remainder, it goes into the fridge and chilled until very cold. Top with the basil chiffonade just before serving. Serves 4.

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Saved comment(s)

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Your melon soup looks delicious! You just gave me an idea...since i have a basil explosion going on in my backyard right now, I think I may try this with some musk melons.
JMom | Homepage | 08.10.06 - 6:41 pm

That looks so refreshing! I've never tried melon soup. After the rainy season here, I'm going to give this a try. Thank you for sharing it. :-)
Christine | Homepage | 08.10.06 - 6:22 am

What a beautiful soup - the color is amazing! I'd never heard of this melon before - hope I get a chance to try it some day!
Cathy | Homepage | 08.10.06 - 5:52 am

The soup looks delicious (and even more so after reading your text). I've never even heard about this type of melon, but I'll make sure to keep my eyes open for it in the future :-)
I love the idea of making soups out of fruits & it's something I've been wanting to try for a long time, but I haven't thought about melon soup until now ;-)
Vintage wine | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 10:54 pm

Hi Liz, I tell you...doing the metric conversion and then having to do the exchange rate thing is ALWAYS a pain, but the rates that I've posted are correct. A kilo equals to 2.2 pounds, and what I've posted is the dollar equivalent for only one pound. If it were to the kilo then you're absolutely right, it's around 3.46 to 4.89 dollars for 2.2 pounds.

Just to give an idea though, I have a 3½ pound charentais in the fridge. At 4.34 euros, I know it would burn a hole in my pocket back in the islands!
~ rowena ~ | 08.10.06 - 11:06 am

Hello there, I have been reading your blog for while now and I love your recipes and pictures! I just wanted to comment on your monetary conversion, it's not accurate. It would be more like $3.46-$4.89 for this very expensive melon! But I am sure it is worth it! I use xe.com for conversions. I told my husband about your blog and he thinks it's great! He is Filipino and has lots of family on Oahu. Nice to meet you and I will definitely continue reading your blog. Take care,
Liz | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 5:43 pm

This soup looks really refreshing! and ending the meal with something chocolate is always a must. ;-)
Kat | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 2:17 pm

LOVE those melons! the other thing you can do is use a juicer (that will eliminate the use of the sieve but have no pulp.) i will have to try your recipe sometime.
ptinfrance | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 12:02 pm

Les Tourtons des Hautes Alpes

The theme for this week is french before we take off on a hunt for smelly, ripe cheese. This recipe for les Tourtons du Champsaur, a sort of fried ravioli, is served with a green salad or eaten alone as a snack. I tried some, piping hot, out of a busy kiosk selling them in front of a french market [St-Bonnet-en-Champsaur to be exact]. This was a couple of years ago, but if memory serves me well, the tourtons were filled with mashed potatoes, apple, spinach, or chevre. Addictive stuff, them fried things! A specialty of Champsaur, tourtons were formerly made for festivals at Christmas. They were thought of as the 'cushion of Baby Jesus'. I've adapted the following from a postcard purchased back then. They are so good, trying to stop at just one is impossible. I ♥ these!

500g all-purpose flour (1 lb. 2 oz.)
75g butter (3 oz.), cut into small dice
50g creme fraiche (2 oz.)
2 large eggs
A generous pinch of salt
1 small onion, chopped fine (I used some spring onions too)
3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed or put through a ricer
Butter or olive oil for cooking the potato filling
Salt and pepper
Salad oil for frying

[Take the butter out and let it soften a bit before proceeding to make the dough.] Combine the flour, butter, creme fraiche, eggs, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Working quickly with your fingertips, mix into a crumbly mass, then gradually add cold water, just a few tablespoons at a time, and work the dough until it comes together to form a ball which is neither too firm or overly pliable. Divide evenly into two portions and wrap in plastic; chill in the refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in a bit of butter or olive oil. Stir in the mashed potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the potato mixture is too dry, moisten with a little milk. Set aside to cool.


Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle 15x16-inch (38cm x 41cm). With the shorter side facing you, place rounded teaspoons of potato filling on the bottom half of the rectangle. 6 across and 3 down. Carefully fold the top half over and press firmly between the portions. Cut with a knife or pizza wheel.


Pour enough oil into a frying pan to a depth of around ½ inch. Heat to 375 degrees and fry in small batches, until both sides are a golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with fresh greens, a slice of chevre, and red fig jam along with a dressing of choice. Or enjoy it alone with ice-cold beer. Makes 36.
Additional notes: These can be kept frozen after being put together for a quick meal later on. Freeze individually on a tray and store in a plastic bag after they've become solid. Remove from freezer atleast 30 minutes to thaw before frying .

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Saved comment(s)

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Mmmm, sounds delicious. Just about any deep-fried dough, especially if it's stuffed with something yummy like your filling here, will have me coming back for more.
Natalia Spampinato | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 1:02 am

Oh boy, more travels! Your tourtons look absolutely delicious. Dunking them in fig jam sounds like a great idea!
Cathy | Homepage | 08.07.06 - 9:54 pm

Oh yeah, anything fried can be addicting! Interesting, how each culture seem to have a version of these potato turnovers. These little tourtons remind me of Russian pirogies and the Indian samosas.
JMom | Homepage | 08.07.06 - 9:34 pm

Addictive stuff, them fried things! That makes me fear trying them: I have so many addictions already. But, love potatoes and fried things so maybe I'm already addicted to them before I even try them. Your photo is stunning. And then you add fig jam...beer. Can't be beat.
Tanna | Homepage | 08.07.06 - 3:41 pm

Almonds of the sea

It's been awhile since we've visited our favorite fish monger and these in particular caught my eye among the variety of glistening shellfish on display: periwinkles, sea urchins, clams, mussels, razor-shell clams, oysters, what looked like miniature bulot, and even lumache (escargot), although it was odd to find land snails in there! The name on the placard read mandorle di mare and they were brought in from France, but has anyone ever heard of these mandorle things? Certainly prettier than the average clam, I could find no pertinent information, anywhere. Briefly cooked in a bit of minced garlic and chile pepper, parsley, tomatoes, and white wine, they tasted a little bland and were really CHEWY! I think if there's a next time, better just to make a hawaiian-style poke.

Later it dawned on me that perhaps the name is aptly so due to the almond-like shape of the creature within. Other than that, best to stick with the plain old ugly ones.

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Saved comment(s)

Haven't heard of those - while they do eat clams here (called "clams" in france!) they aren't that common as far as i've seen (i could be mistaken). We'd ordered a huge seafood platter with practically every kind of shellfish at my favorite seafood restaurant in the north of france. No clams, but there were these teeny tiny sea snails you had to eat with a needle.
ptinfrance | Homepage | 08.06.06 - 11:35 am

The cuisine in Friuli

Where to begin? There was no way to try everything on the Friulian menu in one week as several of the plates that I had read up on were more common in the winter months (i.e. hearty soups, thick stews) or during the season when a particular item is available. We focused on eating at simple osteria/trattoria/gostilna (the slovenian term for trattoria) that kept to tradition in the kitchen, and this was more difficult than it sounds because the hot climate demanded the lighter kind of fare that diners expect. Nevertheless, our determined pursuit of the classics yielded some satisfying results although it did nothing for our expanding waistlines.

Since we were staying at a hotel not more than four miles from the Slovenian border, our curiosity was piqued about influences in the cuisine. Although we did hop across a couple of times, the border towns that we drove past catered to the tourist crowd. Pizza in Slovenia? No thanks, I think we'll pass on that one.

Friuli is also known for some DOP - Denominazione di Origine Protetta (denomination of protected origin) products, among which reigns the Prosciutto San Daniele, and together with the smoked Prosciutto di Sauris (following post), local cheeses, olive oil, and other meat products, make it enough to cover atleast a couple days of nibbling. Of the dishes we both enjoyed, the ones in bold print are marked for the kitchen. Wish it were more.

	Cialsons A specialty of the Carnia area, this stuffed pasta (typically in the shape of a half moon) has no standard recipe. The filling is the unique part, and according to a local resident, each one differs from area to area, village to village, (and maybe even person to person if there are more than two bright cooks in the family.) Served in melted butter with grated, smoked ricotta.
	Gnocchi di susine Swimming in melted butter with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, these oversized plum (susine) or cherry-stuffed gnocchi are the BOMB! We had these near Gorizia so I'm thinking maybe there's some slovenian influence with the sweet flavor? They were listed as a first plate (primo), but we ordered one as a dessert. The most unusual dish yet in friulian cuisine.
	Gamberi di fiume alla busara The size of these crayfish were amazing! On the island of Kauai it's possible to catch them but I've never seen crawdaddies so big. Alla busara had some interesting history behind its origins. The name seems to derive from a particular cooking vessel used by mariners on board. Also spaghetti alla busara.
	Gubana A coiled sweet bread filled with a mixture of several types of nuts, sugar, sultanas, rum, and cocoa. It certainly breathes of slovenian culture as typically, a slice of this accompanies a glass of slivovitz, a profumatic distillate made from prunes (it has a floral scent). The best gubana is made during the period of Christmas, or so we've been told.
	Cevapcici Equal portions of ground beef, pork, lamb, and seasonings - shaped into small, oblong rolls and grilled. Served with a wedge of grilled polenta, onions, and ajvar, a tasty sauce made with red bell peppers. I really enjoyed this simple dish as it's the sort of thing where you can't just stop at one.
frico croccante	Frico A delicious "pancake" of melted cheese that is cooked in a frying pan to piping hot perfection. Two versions - morbido (soft) or croccante (crispy). The former has potatoes in it; the latter has none and is sometimes shaped into a bowl by draping it over an inverted dish.
Lubjanska (slovenian)	Veal cutlet sliced and stuffed with ham and fontina, then breaded and deep-fried. Think Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Rigojanci (austrian)	Pretty much a simple chocolate mousse dessert.

Festa del Prosciutto di Sauris

Getting to experience any sort of food celebration is always a plus during holidays and we could probably spend every weekend going around looking for these events. This one, in the town of Sauris (not far from the Austrian border), introduced us to yet another locally made prosciutto that we've never even heard of. At only 3½ euros, trays of these were flying out faster than Porky Pig on two wheels. Add a cup of the local brew and you're set.


I busted out laughing when I saw this delivery van. One of the main producers of prosciutto di Sauris is the company Wolf. Who would've imagined? I suppose it could be construed as the story of The Three Little Pigs gone bad. And that's all folks!