Where to find Fiordifrutta jams and preserves

In April of this year I received a kind reply from Rigoni di Asiago's customer service in answer to where people would be able to find their products in the USA. Hands down, these fruit preserves are my ultimate favorites, and we typically keep at least 3 bottles of Nocciolata and/or Fiordifrutta in the pantry all the time - they are really that good! On toast, in crepes, in a pb sandwich or stirred into plain yogurt, the true ingredient flavors are outstanding, but it is the whole basis of their policy in using organically grown fruit which appeals to me the most. In each jar (almost 12 oz net) goes 4½ pounds of fruit which has been cooked at low temps to preserve all of the goodness that an ecologically cultivated fruit could offer. Apple juice is used as a natural sweetener which makes Fiordifrutta an even better alternate choice to sugar-laden products.

Apparently Whole Foods Market is a key player in distribution, so I hope this listing will be of help. Regional offices: North Atlantic - North East - Florida - South - Northern California
*please check this link for States breakdown www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.../regional.php

Should also be present in the following areas: MidAtlantic - Southern Pacific

Also present in many other famous gourmet stores and chain stores:
- Manhattan (Citarella, Zabar, King supermarket)
- NJ and EAST area (Fresh Market)
- Philadelphia (Di Bruno)
- Atlanta
- San Francisco (Lunardi’s, Andronico’s)
- LA (Gelson’s, Mother’s)

info@rigonidiasiago-usa.com
http://www.rigonidiasiago.com/

Cafe culture: Bar 'Ai Ponti'

The reason why Ai Ponti is in quotation marks is because this cafe is located next to two bridges (ponti) in central Lecco. Hard to miss for landmark-dependent people, but the best way to find this place is simply heading to Hotel Pontevecchio. The cafe is nestled behind the hotel along a shady, tree-lined promenade right next to the water.

What's the best thing about this cafe? I have to admit that when the server brought out our brioche pastries, my mouth dropped open at the sheer size of them. They weren't like any of the others that we've had, and the buttery, flaky, dark golden tops were definitely the real thing in pastries. We initially ordered a raspberry (yum) and 2 chocolate-filled brioche but gave in and got another (apricot). The 2nd best thing about Bar Ai Ponti is the price — since the location is not directly at Lecco's waterfront square, the prices drop. I was shocked when it came time to pay up - 12.50€. Thumbs up. This cafe is dog-friendly.

Bar 'Ai Ponti'
Via Aspromonte, 60 (behind the hotel)
Lecco
Total: 12.50 euros/17.56 dollars (the exchange rate sucks!)

4 brioche pastries - 4 euros
2 cappuccini - 4 euros
1 espresso - 1.50 euros
1 freshly-squeezed oj/spremuta d'arancia - 3 euros

Take Your Dog To Work Day

MisterB the grouch, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

30 more minutes until the 26th of June runs out for me. Today is TYDTWD (who knew?), and seeing that Mister B is about the only one that does any of the real canine work around here (barking at strangers, biting my plants, snapping at flies), he gets to be top dog while Maddie takes a backseat.

To be honest, he really doesn't look like the type that could handle a 9-to-5 desk job.

Westie out of a leg cast

Westie out of a leg cast, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

“Promise that you'll go heavy on the photoshop enhancements and I'll pose for your photo.” It's been 13 days after her knee operation and Miss Maddie the westie is doing great. I take her on short, slow walks, and from what I'm able to tell, her knee is coming along fine as long as she doesn't overdo it in running or jumping. It will be awhile until her coat grows back, but for all of her fans who wished her well, Maddie sends a big kiss and a huge grazie!

Oprah's fennelseed.basil.vanillabean.icecream (gelato)

Fennel seed, basil, vanilla bean gelato, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

Don't knock it til you try it. At first I was skeptical about this flavor fusion but if they can do olive oil, tomato and garlic flavors, why not this? My initial impression was that it would do well as an interesting palate cleanser after the second course, but then I kept eating spoonful after spoonful (and even what little amount in the espresso cup in the photo) and I thought, naaah! If Oprah ok'd this, then it's for indulging, not mere tasting!

The recipe is easy to follow although I split it in half to be able to churn it successfully in two turns (my gelato machine is only 1-liter size/4 cups). I'll be trying several of her other flavors in the following summer days to come.

Pulehu #3: fish and lobster

Six years of marriage and we still split meals when dining out (switching plates after eating half). I take this as a healthy, positive sign, and hope that MotH will continue to want to share his fancy dinners for more years to come. This past Sunday we did not go out to celebrate, opting instead to throw something on the coals and spare Maddie the possible embarrassment of an onlooker staring at her naked butt. Poor thing! But what happened to your dog?! At first we thought of an enormous florentine steak - bistecca fiorentina - but in the end decided to go all seafood and shopped at our favorite, thee best, most amazing fish shop in this part of Lecco - Ittica Brianza at Cesana Brianza. I ♥ that place!

To make the menu even more special, I dove into my stack of saved recipes from around the world. A hint of greek, a touch of persian and a taste of portuguese to compliment the ever-present flavors of Italy.

Gilthead sea bream - orata (oh-RAH-tah) in italian.

What is that first image, you may wonder. Well see, this is the result of foodies who go into great detail when describing a restaurant meal - they fuel my need to taste what they ate. The idea of marinated octopus and marinated anchovies on a skewer was simple enough, but to have the two coated in a crust of pistachio praline??? The recipe for mezze on a stick can be found here. It was sweet, salty, tangy and intriguing all at once. Definitely a do-again. The noblesse oysters (in italian) were another delicious surprise that I've never seen before at the fish shop. The flavor of these smallish french gems are supposed to be reminiscent of hazelnuts, but all I could discern was that they were indeed very fresh, silky and incredibly delicate in taste - all that it needed was a squeeze of lemon. I'm no oyster connoisseur but are they ever worth the splurge (a little over 2€ each). The grilled fish is a gilt-head bream that I finished off in a medley of vegetables.

Pencil-thin asparagus with garlic and spiny lobster taste so good off the grill, but this rice, potato/sweet potato dish idea was from acquainting myself with persian cuisine. I've tried two different recipes but just can't seem to gather enough courage to allow the dish to cook long enough so that the spuds crisp up and the rice gets crunchy on the bottom. The first image on this post from Elra's Cooking is nothing short of spectacular, but I'll be trying this recipe from the NY Times, sustituting potato slices for the pita bread. The last photo was something that I went absolutely crazy over during a trip to Portugal: portuguese egg tarts. The recipe for these were okay but I wouldn't mind a little r&r in Lisbon and Porto all over again. Recipe from www.algarvebuzz.com/pasties-de-nata-portuguese-custard-tarts/

Beer Tastings

Stop with the weed pulling. The pub is now open.

As the official start of summer, today's solstice is reason enough to reach into the fridge for something cold, something ice cold to quench my parched labia oris after hours under the sun. Eh, to be honest I've been reaching for over a month because wine (and I'm a red girl) is hardly the answer after you've stooped and perspired in the heat. What do we have... Heineken? [old habits die hard] Corona? McFarland? Is that all we ever buy? So with that in mind we started looking for variety in local pubs, microbreweries and international beer vendors in the immediate area. Man cannot live by cheap supermarket beer alone, and we'll be checking out addresses in Bergamo and Como too. The 3 bottles above were purchased at Gustavino, a shop in Lecco that, if you recall, has a milk machine right next door.

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Organic Honey Dew
This is supposed to be the best selling organic beer in UK but it was much too lite and a bit sweet for my taste. If I were a white wine person as opposed to red, perhaps this could have been appreciated better. Cute bottle though.

St Peter's Golden Ale
Very refreshing, this had much more character and pizzazz than the organic beer but I should admit that it was the bottle shape which caught my eye. It's oval, quite like a fat flask. The MotH thought this was pretty good too so we might be getting this beer again.

O’hara’s Celtic Stout
A winner. I liked this better than Guinness, and I love Guinness! O'Hara's got some wicked stout mojo on this one. Wonderful roasted flavor. Voluptuous and sexy on the tongue. We're buying more of this if it's still available.

I got the sucker

I'm sure that by now the whole world has seen Obama k.o. the Fly. What fly? Oh that fly. Priceless, and I wonder if he got that from having lived in Hawaii. Check the hand sweep and eye movement, classic sign of imminent fly doom, and reminds me of the days when I'd be hunting them down with a plastic swatter or rolled up newspaper in hand, or better yet, the dishtowel swat - wah-pack! You stinkin' buggah! At a bakery where I used to work, customers would actually point out (with disgust) if there was a fly caught in the display case. You don't want to be known as a food business that lets insects anywhere near the goods - that would be like committing suicide. "I want a...Ey! You know get one fly inside??" WOP! "Thanks for telling me ma'am, I got da sucka!"

I cook rat tails and a dwarf (radish & peas, that is)

Rattail radish plants in our garden

Garden fresh and pesticide-free. From the vegetable patch to table, it feels good to grow what we eat. I just wish I had known beforehand that rattail radishes multiply like - well, rats! Yes I'm just funnin' for shock value but even if you don't know your Raphanus caudatus (aka podding or rattail radish), it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Same goes for the dwarf that precedes sugar snap peas. Why dwarf? Why not gnomes? After all, they're the ones most commonly seen hanging around a yard, shootin' the breeze.

The beauty of these skinny, tapering seed pods are that they grow above ground. As soon as the plant flowers, wee "tails" quickly follow and develop into spicy, edible pods which pack a nice bite like a radish. Tossed in a sizzle of olive oil for less than a minute, their snap texture turns crisp-tender, and the bite mellows to a purr, making them an ideal addition to a tangled mess of freshly cooked spaghetti, roasted pork and garlic. As for the peas, we just could not get past ham and peas in risotto, peas in a garlicky stirfry, and peas and ham with pasta in heavy cream. I'm sorry that there are no recipes - just spontaneous cooking with ingredients normally stocked in an italian kitchen.

Westie in a leg cast

Westie in a leg cast, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

Just look at that face. Well it has been one traumatic weekend for us humans and Maddie the alpha dog. If only she could speak and had told us about her bum knee much sooner! To sum things up, she had been carrying along with a ligament injury that progressively worsened (she started to avoid using her right rear leg) until we took notice and finally went to the vet. Xrays and a physical gave proof of the torn ligament, and that arthritis had begun to set in. Our options were either to schedule her for TPLO surgery (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) or keep her on pain meds. What to do, what to do...that was the question. She went in for surgery this past Friday morning (12th) and came home with MotH in the early evening. Discomfort-wise, she was at her worst the first night, a little better by Saturday, much happier by Sunday, and as far as today goes, is trying my patience with her stubborn westie attitude in wanting to run and play! I am at my wit's end keeping her from running (hopping) around and playing with Mister B and trying to pull off her leg cast, hence the glum look.

I'm aware of the discussions and conflicting opinions regarding surgery for this type of injury but we felt that at her age (she's still young at 4 human years) and at her level of outdoor activity (all-day hiking in the alps), surgical intervention would be the most logical solution. Note that I said logical, because I wasn't too keen on waiting out 8 weeks on a low-activity schedule plus meds to see if her condition improved. Maddie is much more active than MrB who is the couch potato between the two. Apart from all this, there is also the operation 2 years ago on the left hip for Legge Perthe disease, and even if that could have been a fault through hereditary genetics, we simply didn't want to gamble on that hip giving her any trouble since she was favoring her right side. The things we do for our pets. The price we PAY for our beloved animals! Eh, this means that she won't be going to Paris any time in the near future.

I'm sure that someone out there might want to know how much TPLO surgery could cost - in Italy - so here's a tally from medication to doctor's fee. Keep in mind that this was done on a 14-pound westie, and that this type of surgery (according to the doc) is commonly done on hunting dogs. I'll do an update after the cast is removed.

Initial xrays - 70 euros tax included
General anesthesia and surgery - 500 euros tax included
Altadol (100 pain pills of which we use less than 3%) - 19.59 euros
Rimadyl (for pain) - 16.17 euros
Baytril (antibiotic) - 15.60 euros

Informative links:
Torn dog ligament: Is surgery really needed?
Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Dogs
TPLO surgery for dogs that have a torn ACL
What the H_LL is the ACL

Il pranzo nuziale (the wedding lunch)

Grab yourself a plate and let the feast begin. Starting around noon, from the time right after the ceremony and up until 8 o'clock that evening at the reception, it was non-stop eating. This is the first wedding I've been to where refreshments (lite snacks, panini and beverages) were offered to the attending guests at a cozy trattoria just a few steps from the church. All I kept thinking in my head was that if I had a pro video camera, a clip of the guests rushing to the trattoria in slow motion (it was raining!) would have made a perfect introduction to this entry. You see, it's considered good luck when it rains on the bride on her wedding day. Taking into account that it also hailed and there was fog too, the question remains if this is suppose to mean triple the good fortune, or Mother Nature at her freaky finest.

After this pre-gathering of the couple and those who were able to witness the "I do's", it was off to the grand event. The wedding reception was held at a beautiful old villa about an hour away from church and at this point, all I can say is that the newlyweds went to great lengths to ensure that everyone ate well during every part of the meal. From the smorgasbord of antipasti to primi (2 courses), to secondi (both meat and fish), the cheese course, enormous dessert buffet and finally the wedding cake, smartly dressed waitstaff carried out the meal with flawless precision. Indeed, the wine kept flowing while the smiles kept growing - truly 100% class all the way. I was pretty good about taking photos of everything until halfway when the alcohol started sinking in. Not that it would've mattered if I had shot each dish that was set before me! Narrowing down the chosen few for this post was difficult enough, but then I had to "relive" the meal all over again through the editing process. What a wedding!

    
    
    
    
    

Un matrimonio italiano (an italian wedding)

*Sniff*... I'm a sap. Here I was, all set to share a large undertaking of food images shot at a recent wedding, but while I was editing the non-food pics and listening to Bocelli at the same time (it sets the tone), this...this WAVE of emotion suddenly came over me and I could not concentrate further on the delicious meal that I had been invited to photograph. I was this close (holds thumb and forefinger within a hair's-breadth away) from breaking out the tissues. Drama queen. It was one of the loveliest weddings I have ever attended. Darn Andrea and his melodic voice. I will be back with the food much later...

*Sniff*... Sono sciocca. Eccomi, pronta a condividere una gran quantità di foto di cibo, scattate ad un matrimonio recente. Però, mentre stavo editando le altre foto e ascoltando Bocelli (fa la giusta atmosfera), questa...questa ONDA di emozione mi ha invasa e non mi potevo concentrare più sulla pietanza deliziosa che mi avevano richiesto di fotografare. Ero così vicina (tieni il pollice e l'indice a una distanza di un capello) dal prendere il fazzoletto. Regina del dramma. E' stato uno dei piu' bei matrimoni che ho mai visto. Cacchio quell'Andrea e la sua voce melodica. Ritornero' piu' tardi sul cibo...

    

Cafe culture: Morgana Caffé

Naturally upon first sight of Morgana's, I couldn't help but think of the magician Merlin. Chic name for a shot of java and a sitdown, but here the plot thickens. See that little image below? Around the corner and up a short walk from the cafe is a small chapel housing human bones. Neither has anything to do with the other, but after stumbling across those skeletal remains on the way to the cafe (well not literally) I felt an obligation to make mention of a novel that is famous among italian literature. The chapel lends solemn testament, albeit a tad morbid, to a period in which many fell victim to pestilence. This chapel is also part of a tour itinerary based on I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) which was set right here in northern Italy. I have not read the book which is like a Romeo and Juliet set in Lombardy during the plague, but MotH said that it was mandatory reading in his school days. Morgana's is situated across the lake from our usual hangouts in Lecco [A], and with a pair of strong binoculars you could probably make out the famous golden arches of the last cafe to grace this blog.

After the plague of 1630, chapels were erected through-
out the territory of Lecco and dedicated to the dead of
the great epidemic. This is one of the few and best pre-
served that remains on Via Agudio in Malgrate, Lecco.

Morgana Caffé
Piazza Garibaldi 8
Malgrate (Lecco)
Total: 5.30 euros/7.45 dollars

a chocolate brioche - 0.70 euro
a double-layer custard tart - 2 euros
two cappuccino - 2.60 euros

This cafe is dog-friendly.

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Il Sentiero del Fiume (the River Trail)

Somana, Mandello del Lario (Lecco) - Let me first start out by saying that if you ace this trail with no regrets, then you are definitely EE - Escursionisti Esperti (expert excursionist) - material. This is the hike that gave me a taste of what a via ferrata (english) path might entail, and might I add that it was effin' thrilling? It has been a week since we last hiked this, but the River Trail in Somana left an impression that I can only describe as mind-blowingly incredible. A big thank you to the italian reader who alerted me to this gem of a sentiero!!!

For an easy-to-recognize reference point and beginning from Somana's church square, trailmarker 15b follows along a brief stretch of asphalt before heading down Via dell'Acqua Bianca and the last of the residential homes in town. Great grandaddy fig and cherry trees, and a large clump of tall bamboo line one side of the road before it turns into a dusty mule path leading into the woods. The circle tour itinerary is ideal if you're wanting for a day of adventure, a fair to medium challenge, and are not afraid of heights. Waterproof hiking boots are essential as the path bends, turns and twists in and out of the river, at times becoming part of the flowing torrent itself. It's impossible to lose your way as red paint marks on the surface of rocks/footpath clearly keep hikers from going astray. Simply follow 15b on the way up and 15 on the return down.

When you finally reach the waterfall there is one last, steep climb up (work those muscles!) where it will then point the way back home. This path is not advisable after a recent rain. At the end I've included a list of italian websites that should inspire anyone with the slightest hint of alpine wanderlust, and in the event that you might need a suggestion on where to stay and eat if planning a visit, a link for a multi-lingual b&b (conveniently located at the beginning of the trail) and one of my favorite Slow Food trattorias are also given. Getting to the town was a bit confusing with the gps navigator (it didn't take the one-way streets into consideration) but it's just a matter of following the black on white signs to Somana. Happy Hiking!

MotH's GPS tracking of the excursion
Val Meria
www.orsu.it (stunning photos)
.Luca's Flickr (image slideshow)
www.vieferrate.it (click on camera icons)
Bed & Breakfast dell'Acqua Bianca - Somana
Osteria Sali e Tabacchi - Maggiana (in construction)
Google map between the B&B [A] and restaurant [B]

Sagra del Pisello

Piedmont - At the end of May and less than 20 miles east of Torino in the small hamlet of Casalborgone, this land of peas, or Pais di pois, hosts its annual celebration of a legume that caused so much grief for a princess. Poor thing, remember her? We are back on the sagra trail and I'm glad that we decided to visit this one for a single reason - gogu (guess which one it is in the food collage). According to some elderly folk that we were seated next to, the cultivation of peas was much more back in their days. With a nearby opening of a car manufacturing plant, and the siren call of the outside world, pea farming simply isn't what it used to be. This year marked the 56th celebration and I do hope it goes on for years to come.

A long, long time ago the Pisello of Casalborgone took its form in different varieties, namely Quarantin, Casalot and Barchetta. Then about 50 years ago the development of a commercial variety called Espresso Generoso (italian) became the pea that is now cultivated in the area. The flavor is very sweet...we bought 2 kilos from a vendor after he let us sample fresh peas from the pod. And this was after we had just satisfied our appetites on a lot of pea plates!

Left side from top to bottom:
Gogu (GOH-goo, a sort of tortellone with a thick pea filling)
Lasagna (with some peas thrown in) and
Pork and sausage with peas (island folks can relate to this!)

Right side, top and bottom:
Pea frittata and cream of pea in puff pastry

At one time there used to be pea gelato but sadly it wasn't on the menu this year. I tried my own experiment with peas and coconut milk in the image at right but it turned out more coconut in flavor than anything else.

A note on italian food celebrations

My goal is still hitting the 100 mark then calling it quits (on Rubber Slippers), but it's becoming apparent that a hundred is near impossible without a little help from some friends. From strawberries and snails, to trout and smoked ricotta, I'm missing out on so many fun events that from this date on (I like to keep things in chronological order on my list) any blogger residing in Italy (expat or non) is invited to send me their link if they've visited a food festival and posted about it. A mention of the entry will be made here along with a link to the source, and I will add the sagra/festa to the 100 Ways to Celebrate Italy at left. The only requirement is that the post be in english and to have photos of the food, for that's what makes these gatherings so distinctly italian in flavor. I'm especially keen on adding sagre from areas that I have not yet visited, and Fern of An Expatriate in Rapallo in the region of Liguria kindly agreed to share her post on sgabei. To learn more about the Sagra degli Sgabei and for some great photos (I envy her behind-the-scenes shots), follow this link to Sgabei.