Scottish or Italian? Cast your vote!

It must have been a sign.

The water gods must have all agreed that I needed a reminder on that Battle of the Waters post, and conspired to send out Acqua Panna while I was at Lake Garda. I knew I felt some unseen influence when I replied to the server, "naturale, per favore", but I had no idea that she would be pouring the controversial H20.

I've been notified that the voting poll is up and running, so I ask you, I beg you, I implore you, dear rubbah slippahs readers (that means you too, dad)... please follow the link to cast your vote! Should the italian restaurant in Edinburgh serve italian or scottish water?

Vote now! Vittoria on the Bridge

Beer Tastings (on the cheap, in a nod towards Obama's beer summit)

Yes, cheap, as in less than a couple euros each. I realize that I can't just go on playing beer snob and tasting only ales, stouts and trappist beer, so I checked the weekly supermarket flyer to see what they had in stock. Boy was I surprised.

First up, Red Stripe lager from Jamaica, mon! Blonde beer with low fermentation. Good with pasta(?), white meat and best as an aperitif (I'm translating from the flyer). What about just plain drinking it for the sake of wanting a cold one? The only good thing about Red Stripe is that I kept hearing Bob Marley in my head til the bottle went empty. Next.

Second tasting was Modelo Especial from Mexico. It's a refreshing pilsner beer with a beautiful color and surprisingly decent flavor. Good with chicken and grilled foods, but in my heart I know that if I buy this again, a full-course mexican dinner will be in the making. Too bad I don't do tequila shots anymore.

Lastly, Orval trappist beer from Belgium. We liked this one so much that we made a return trip to the store a few days later...only to find one lone bottle of Orval on the shelf. It was a "while supplies last" special, so there wasn't going to be rainchecks. Orval has a potent, complex aroma with dark notes. The body is full, round and full of character with a persistent foam. A winner with taleggio cheese and prosciutto, but I don't see why it wouldn't work with steamed mussels and french fries too.

A tour of Lake Garda's western shores

My favorite view, originally uploaded by sky#walker.

If Quantum of Solace had chosen to film elsewhere, I might've never made the effort to visit Lake Garda. Two days and two nights only allowed us to scratch the surface, not nearly enough time to explore the high mountains with the dogs, or check out all of the Slow Food restaurants in this part of the region. Next time it'll have to be 5 days minimun - at least to find the very spot where that photo above was taken!

All of the towns along Lake Garda's western shores are very touristic, appealing greatly to german and dutch visitors. We chose to stay in Gargnano mainly because I was able to find a reasonably-priced hotel that allowed small pets, but also for the fact that Benito Mussolini (Italy's last dictator) spent his final days at Villa Feltrinelli which is located on a private stretch of beach in Gargnano. The luxury hotel is an historical building which has been restored with truly impeccable taste (you have to see the website) commanding upwards of 6265+ dollars a night in high season. I have to admit to being a bit curious, but those people are prepared for snooping paparazzi wannabes. All in all, Gargnano turned out to be a wise choice because of it's in-the-middle location, and because while it does cater to tourists, the layout of the town had a more intimate appeal. Riva del Garda was by far the most hectic, apparently home to a sizeable leisure boat community. The map below demonstrates the towns we visited, all of which are in order from Gavardo to Riva del Garda. The detour off of the main highway is the famous SP 38 that twists and turns up the mountain between Tignale and Tremosine.

Visualizza Tour of Lake Garda's western shores in una mappa di dimensioni maggiori

- Gavardo
- Salò
- Gardone Riviera
- Gargnano
- SP 38 at midpoint
- SP 38 at the bottom of Tremosine
- Limone sul Garda
- Riva del Garda


SP 38's descent toward Tremosine narrows considerably, but only non-italian drivers get themselves in a mess like this.


Lemons and other citrus fruit trees grow abundantly at Lake Garda. A visit to a limonaia (lemon farm) is worth a visit for its cultural aspect.


Limone sul Garda.


Gated entrance to Villa Feltrinelli. Maybe one day...


It's not tiled with plain old cement, but gray-green granite. The towel girl must get paid beaucoup bucks...


The lemon farms are easy to spot, just look for a building like this. Only a few are open to the public.

Lunch at Lake Garda - eating in the wake of agent 007

“Shaken, not stirred”

And how! Sometimes the best way to explore Italy is to pretend that you're a spy, as in “I spy this” and “I spy that”. All kidding aside, we followed in the wake of 007 as he was seen in the movie Quantum of Solace. Remember the high-speed chase in the first few minutes of the film? That was shot at Lago di Garda, less than 80 miles east from the environs of Lago di Como/Lecco where I call home. Lake Garda (as I will refer to from now on) is a massive fresh water oasis in the easternmost part of the Lombardy region, but also partially belongs to the regions of Veneto and Trentino on the north and eastern shores. Dotted by old limonaie (lemon farms), lush olive groves, and gorgeous lakeside resorts, I knew that it would make the ideal setting for our weekend agenda.

Riva del Garda

This agenda involved making stops along the route where Bond's Aston Martin might have heated up the asphalt, as there is no way for him to end up at the marble quarries in Carrara (160+ miles south) without driving through some of the most loveliest towns this side of Italy. By following in his wake, we were able to slow the pace down, portraying Lake Garda and its postcard perfect villages in the best way I know how - through food and drink. A visit to Pasticceria Vassalli, a well-known pastry/chocolate shop in the town of Salò, was first on the list, as well as a mandatory stop at a notable cheese shop in Gavardo. These, however, would precede the ultimate target: lunch at Trattoria Agli Angeli in Gardone Riviera. The whole idea for this mission was to explore lakefish cuisine as the menu saw fit, putting ourselves at the mercy of whatever the fishermen caught that day. This post constitutes the actual food part of our Saturday outing, for I'm doing an entry on a tour of Lake Garda itself. Not wanting to drive the 80 miles just for a day, we decided to get a headstart on Friday in order to stake out the area, and booked ourselves into a discreet hotel. The following has been expedited in a top-secret dossier to blogspot headquarters.

Pasticceria Vassalli in the town of Salò

Dessert before lunch? It had to be, especially after stumbling across an interesting post by World Foodie Guide. I was only going to walk in there and buy a bagful of chocolates and walk right out, but what kind of fool would want to pass up tantalizing desserts? We still had a couple of hours until noon, so an order of a lighter-than-air ricotta cheesecake and an almond-studded cookie basket filled with fresh custard and fruit were set before us. They were both excellent on all counts - flavor, texture contrast between filling/crust, with the right amount of sweetness. But together with a glass of shakerato each, the whole sugar rush got to be a bit too much, and off we went to a Slow Food-recognized cheese shop nearby, with the intent to counter the sweet high with something aged and strongly-flavored.

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Borders and language are no barriers where cheese is concerned, and this was clearly evident with the german license plates lined up next to Al Mercato Coperto dei Formaggi, a nondescript cheese store in Gavardo. The selection offered by the proprietors are primarily from Brescia's environs, with every square, round and wedge exuding the most mesmerizing of scents. We purchased a flavorful Stracchino di Bagolino (made from goat's milk), of which the proprietor suggested drizzling with olive oil from Lake Garda, and opted for a mild cow's milk cheese (for the life of me I can't remember the name). Both are great table cheese to be enjoyed with a good crusty loaf of bread and a glass of red wine.

Display case at Al Mercato Coperto dei Formaggi (At the covered cheese market)
Stracchino di Bagolino
Formaggio d'alpeggio

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Trattoria Agli Angeli

Finally, Trattoria Agli Angeli, a Slow Food-listed restaurant set in an intimate little square in Gardone Riviera. It must have been in the high 80's on Saturday, and with only a faint breeze occasionally wafting through, I'll admit that while everything was wonderful, the dessert (again!) at the end really hit the spot, but I'll get to that eventually. We immediately reviewed the fish secondi (second plates) and honed in on the coregone (common whitefish) done simpy over the grill, and panfried sarde, which was coated with breadcrumbs and served with herbed olive oil. Fish, from what I've experienced in Italy, is usually done without a lot of fussy ingredients and elaborate presentations. Together with the local cheeses, local wines and unique ambience, we've already got it in our heads to hop into our imaginary Aston Martin (no harm in pretending) and visit the lake again soon.

An appetizer teaser compliments of the chef: local polenta with braised red bell pepper. Housemade breadsticks and olive rolls. A bottle of chilled Lugana.

Grilled coregone (common whitefish) being filleted and plated by our server.

Breaded and fried sarde topped with datterino tomatoes, served with polenta.

Local cheeses served with nuts and fruit conserves.

Housemade cantaloupe gelato, sambuca sorbet topped with coffee-flavored whipped cream and ground coffee (this was SO unbelievably good!!!!), the local olive oil from Gargnano.

Rebus puzzle: I'm on a mission, but where?

di

Hint #1: syllable note in solfege
Hint #2: yes image no.3 is a fish, but what is its name?
Hint #3: the answer is in italian but it's shaped something like an isosceles triangle.

Nervetti: there's nothing to get nervous about

Checklist. I've gently picked through calf brains, courageously chewed the ruffled thing atop a rooster's head, and gobbled my fair share of pork fatback, so what's next? Anyone game for a cold salad of veal tendons?

Nervetti, or more specifically nervetti in gelatina (in gelatin) that you can find in italian supermarkets, is simply chopped up tendons and meat from the foot of a calf. It has nothing to do with nerves, nothing to do with nervous breakdowns, and I was actually pleased to see it on the list of foods at Frommer's (to try, I presume). What you see in the photo below is how it comes as a whole piece - bits of stuff all wrapped up in a block of gelatin. It really isn't as questionable as it looks or sounds, but the trick to appreciating it better, I've discovered, is how to cut it.

Slice it, don't dice it

The turn-off to nervetti is in its texture. Even when mixed with an assortment of vegetables and seasoned with oil and vinegar, there's no mistaking that cube of firm "jell-o" in each mouthful. The flavor isn't all that noticeable (tastes like canned meat spread to me), but I discovered that when nervetti is sliced thin, as in slicing onions, it blends in better with the rest of the salad components and makes for a really delicious antipasto at the dinner table. The idea isn't new to me as I first tried this version from the deli section at a supermarket - nervetti, onions and cannellini - wow! If you see this as part of an antipasto buffet in Italy, give it a try. If you'd like to make it yourself, just remember these ingredients: nervetti, white onions, cannellini beans, parsley, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and s&p to taste. Slice the first two as thinly as you can and mix with the rest, adding just enough oil and vinegar to dress the salad. Buon appetito!

Related links: Brains on a stick, Creste di gallo

Battle of the Waters

Battle of the Waters, originally uploaded by Craig McGill

No, it is not another traditional competition in old Italy, but rather a face-off of sorts to determine which H2O keeps its pouring rights in - but what else? - an italian restaurant in Edinburgh. Yes, Edinburgh, and make that 2 eateries, not just one.

Read the article. [and thank you Craig for letting me know!]

To tell the truth, mention italian bottled water and the name that comes to mind is none other than San Pellegrino mineral water (I live less than an hour's drive from the source). I like bubbles in my water, and as with the precious coffee from Illy, Pellegrino is an occasional splurge at the market, even if I pay much less than Pellegrin-o-philes overseas. I can't voice my opinion on Edinburgh's debate because while it would be appropriate to wear Italy's colors, my stand on lowering our carbon footprints is an issue not to be taken lightly.

What's your take on water served in restaurants? Drink local? Or ship the stuff in?

Name your poison

At the apothecary, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

Arggghhhh!
Monday already?
Oh my aching head.
I need coffee.
I need drugs.
I need...
Gosh you'd think that there'd be at least a jar of Tylenol up there.

Part I of More on Monday

Gelato croissandwich for breakfast

The "Yes I Can" breakfast. Perhaps this is the reason for feeling so disjointed. I don't have anymore croissants to do a repeat prima colazione like what we had yesterday.

Part II of More on Monday

So that's where my hat blew off to

It took me by surprise. This sudden gust of wind blew over my head while I was in the garden and whoosh, no more hat! It was a pale spot dancing high in the sky the last time I saw it.

So imagine my surprise when we went down to the automatic milking machine for a couple of liters and lo and behold, my garden hat! The statue was wearing it!! How? Who? Did it really drop down smack dab on the top of his head? Well I'm sure he needs sun protection more than I do as it gets unbearably hot down at the lake. That last time I saw him he was wearing a red and white santa cap; somebody in town must be looking after him.

I did not bite the tomatillo

I did not bite the tomatillo, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

The westie did it. The westie is bad. You know that I only mess with tomatoes, and I haven't even done that this year. Tomatillos are for westies. Westies are troublemakers. I've been a really good boy.

Oprah's blueberry ice cream

Blueberry ice cream, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

Yes, I was at it again with the frozen dessert marathon this weekend and after this recipe I'm giving the gelato machine a little rest...for a couple of days. Now blue as a food color might not be the most appreciated of hues, but when it involves blueberries, the slightest feelings of doubt are out the window. I don't know of anyone who doesn't love blueberry treats in some shape or form, so you can see why I already knew that this one would be a hit upon reading the recipe. It was really that good! It's actually supposed to be ice cream sandwiches, but eh...I prefer my sandwiches to be buttery croissants split in half lengthwise and stuffed like nobody's business. Oprah, are you getting this?



The recipe for this berry irresistible scoop can be found here.

Oprah's cinnamon-cherry ice cream

Cinnamon-cherry ice cream, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

I knew it would be hard to top that other Oprah recipe since I go for the unusual, but if this one didn't have such a noticeable eggy flavor...it reminded me of eggnog (due to liquor that the cherries needed to soak in), and I never liked eggnog.

I did appreciate the adult influences with needing to soak the cherries in port (no cream sherry on hand) but all it ended up tasting like was a milder version of amarena (sour cherries in syrup stirred into plain gelato). Recipe here.

Boy, if we had eggs like these when I was a kid...

...I would have been the coolest little snot on the block to have such fancy egg boxes at my "store". You never played Mr/Miss Grocer as a child? I remember raiding the kitchen garbage for empty Campbell's soup cans, mayo jars, and cereal boxes to beef up my shelves. Weeds and mud pies, if I remember correctly, made up the produce and bakery section.

This entry is in partial response to RONW's egg-citing post because the thought of his precious 18 going splat! in Waikiki just made me cackle too disturbingly hard. Buying eggs in Hawaii is an agonizing affair. They are always so expensive (like milk), that all you really look for are weekly specials and when that happens, watch out! One person in my family hoards the darn things *cough* like his life depended on it. Eggs are so much a part of the local diet (as breakfast, in custard pies, for portuguese sweet bread, etc.) that if the hens decided to go on strike...well, I hope the cops won't be out on furlough.

The image's flickr page has all the pertinent notes to explain what is what, but I should admit that I don't usually buy so many different types all at one go. It just so happened that I needed yolks that were more yellow, even if the shells were all white, and that I wanted to see if the organic/not genetically modified ones tasted any better, regardless of the fact for having brown shells. Note that the sizes aren't anywhere near the economically convenient 18-count, or full flat 30 count that I'm familiar with in the islands. Yes we have 4 and 2-packs (and again, if we had these when I was a kid...).

Last but not least, some of you may remember this particular object?

Red leaf shiso mochi w/earl grey milk jam

You may as well thank me now for the compliments and awed expressions you'll receive if you bring this to your next dessert party. This mochi reminded MotH of the lokum that his colleague brings back from the offices in Turkey, but he liked this too. What I've achieved here is a culmination of spontaneous ideas that came together on a whim. It all began with our red shiso plants that have been producing like mad, and right after seeing the jewel-like hue of Obachan's shiso drink, I knew that I wanted to try something as creatively brilliant.

Now while I adore all kinds of mochi treats, there are those who simply don't care for the soft, gummy-like texture of the dough or the flavor of the red bean paste (tsubushian). In this experiment I made the mochi smaller and filled it with earl grey tea flavored milk jam. Milk jam is like the ultimate caramel spread on salted crackers, but if you encase it within something - for example, chocolate - it immediately melts in your mouth like the ganache part in a truffle. And who can resist those? While the texture is still soft, it's the melting factor which really brings this all together in what I'd like to affectionately dub as "melting mochi chews". You don't really taste the tart flavor of the shiso tea at all as the taste becomes muted in the mochi dough.

You'll want to start at least a day in advance to make this recipe because first you'll need to follow the instructions for making 1 recipe of milk jam at Kat's blog. While I am particular to earl grey, you could also use the original or vanilla bean-flavored one too. Also, preparing the the red shiso "tea" a day early would speed things up as it needs to be cold before using.

Recipe

1 cup brewed red leaf shiso tea (see instructions below)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour
1 recipe earl grey milk jam
cornstarch for dusting

Thoroughly combine cold shiso tea, sugar, and mochiko flour in a large glass bowl that will fit easily into your microwave. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes* until cooked through.

Turn dough out onto a work surface dusted with cornstarch. When cool enough to handle, divide in 2 equal portions and roll into logs, about an inch in diameter. Slice into 28 pieces (about 1.25 inches in length) and flatten into rounds, about 2 inches in diameter.

Fill the center of each round with a peanut-sized amount of cold milk jam. Working quickly, bring up the edges and pinch to seal, taking care that none of the milk jam seeps out. When all of the mochi rounds have been formed this way, place in a container lined with waxed paper, doubling up if necessary. Cover and store in a cool area or refrigerate and bring to room temperature when ready to serve.

*As microwaves will differ among households, the cooking time may vary between models. The trick is to cook the mochi mixture until it is no longer liquid, but not so much that it is too firm to handle. After 5 minutes I checked the consistency, giving it a stir to evenly distribute any pocket areas that were more liquid than others.

Red leaf shiso tea
Take about 20 large red shiso leaves and place in a stainless steel saucepot along with 1 cup of water and a squeeze of lemon juice. Bring to a boil then remove from heat, allowing the leaves to steep in the hot liquid. When cool, strain into a clean jar, pressing leaves to extract any moisture, and refrigerate for future use.

Left or right? Italian wedding humor

Left or right? Italian wedding humor, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy.

This is the second time in 6 years that I've seen another "bedsheet humor" sign displayed in anticipation of a wedding. I've added notes/english equivalents on the flickr photo page, but I think a few of the illustrations give a fair enough idea of what two choices lay before the groom-to-be. At least I can say that I don't chase the MotH around with a rolling pin!