I'd say that this would be a very good omen...

Vintage powder blue Vespa, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr

If you walked into a restaurant only to see this beauty right in front of you, what would be the first thing to cross your mind? More later...

Via Flickr:
Mint condition 2-seater with a spare tire....and...surrounded by bottles and bottles of fine italian wine. Is this real? Or is this memorex? (Goes to show how dated I am).

Up on the rooftop: making italian tegole

In Hawaii it was either corrugated metal roofing (on the old plantation buildings) or cedar shake (wooden shingles) on the homes that I lived in, so to move here and see these lovely tiles instead was an interesting feature although I never went beyond “Oh, how cool!” This is the view of our neighbor's house that is blocking my view of the swiss alps out yonder. Okay, so not cool at all, even if they are great neighbors, but I just wanted to use their industrially produced roof tiles as modern contrast to old-style tegole (singular tegola) from materials that I wouldn't have even thought of. Video courtesy of RecobiChannel.

In the event of an error message, the video can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sOMhIRz88M

Viva gli Alpini!

This summer is going down as the one where we did some serious eating from one meal to the next. Let's see...bbq with the neighbors at our place on August 15th (Ferragosto holiday), Slow Food dinner in Bergamo's alps 2 days later, that gelato obsession of July, and just when I thought there was nothing else to dig into, here come the alpini (italian mountain brigade) with food, drink and fun at their annual Festa Alpina. We've been to only one of these gigs in the past but I can tell you this...if there is any dining experience to be had that is more lively, welcoming, a real value for the money and run with spot-on efficiency, I would bet my vintage Mickey Mouse watch that the Alpini will do it BETTER.

Tripe stew, grilled meats, dried fish, just to name a few...

This particular festa was put on by the Alpini of Sogno (Lecco), and we stopped in Saturday night for a quick bite to eat (above image). Mixed grilled meats, tripe stew, agoni (dried, salted lake fish), bread and a bottle of local red: 19.50€. Just enough to tide us over until the next day when they were having the alpine Sunday lunch! Click on the menu at left - 20€ for a whole lot of food with room for seconds if you could manage it. There were plates being brought out that weren't even on the menu such as nervetti e fagioli and insalata russa. Pitchers of both red and white wines kept reappearing as soon as they were emptied. Old-timers were singing, young alpini brought out the victuals, and at one point (actually more than once), a really ancient-looking guest with a beard abruptly stood up and shouted Viva gli Alpini!!!

Wine, nervetti salad and a 12-inch plate (for each person!) covered in both cured and cooked prosciutto, pancetta and salame. All of it scrumptious.

Casoncelli alla bergamasca and risotto with porcini. The casoncelli are stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, parmigiano, beef, pork, parsley, raisins and amaretti. Served in melted butter. So incredibly good, and they even offered second helpings.

Thin slices of stuffed roast beef/beef roll. The stuffing was an omelette with herbs and there were more plates coming out with just roast beef. French fries came as a side dish. I admit that my american tastebuds missed the Worcestershire and ketchup at this point.

Next came a huge plate of assorted local cheese and finally the sweet finish - gelato on fruit salad with a wafer cookie. I neglected to add that throughout the meal, a brass ensemble swung into a lively gig for "intermission" (how else are you supposed to stretch things out to a 3-hour+ meal?). No eating and running with these guys. And you must drink grappa to authenticate the experience! Funniest thing heard when more roast beef was being offered to elderly alpini seated next to us: Mangia! Mangia! E' un ordine! Eat! Eat! It's an order!

Slow Food in the Bergamasc Alps

Delicious locally-cured pork products, stuffed pasta glistening in melted butter, wild game cooked to tender perfection, cow's milk cheese and of course a good serving of stick-to-your-ribs polenta (and lots of it). This is hardly the meal of the moment given these current summer temps, but in the mountains and valleys north of Bergamo anything less would be unheard of. Taverna di Arlecchino is a new addition to Osterie d'Italia's 2011 dining guide but we already knew about this quaint locale from a visit to nearby Cornello di Tasso (noted as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and an easy 30-minute forested walk away). It took us over a year to finally dine here but I will say that we should've waited until fall when hearty food like this really hits the spot instead of sits in your stomach. Totally our fault, because how can you resist when everything rolling off your server's tongue keeps sounding better as she goes along? Excellently, well-prepared and presented food with really pleasant service, my only regret is not being able to finish it all.

The house antipasto plate (17€ for 2) included a small plate of assorted breads, cured meats, some cheese, and pickled mixed vegetables (not shown). We then moved on to first courses of gnocchetti in melted strachitunt cheese and casoncelli, a typical stuffed pasta of this area in melted butter with sage (18€ in total). We should've stopped right here and gone straight to dessert but did our server just say cervo (deer) braised in red wine and a side of polenta taragna? (buckwheat polenta that also had melted cheese in it). At 18€ for this 2nd course, I regret not being able to lick the plate clean even if we split it between us - now we know better for the next time. Cost: 62.50€ - half liter of house red, water and coffees included.

Taverna di Arlecchino is tucked right next to the museum of the same name.

Travel Tip

If you're vacationing in this region and looking for an authentic local festival experience (read: traditional eats), head over to the village of Gerosa (28 km northeast of Bergamo) for their annual Ferragosto celebration. Get there early! We arrived late during the dinner hour and were told that it would be about a half hour wait until tables cleared out for more. This was communal dining and people were probably pouring in by 7pm. Grab a seat(s) while your partner goes for the grub. A lunchtime serving is also held. Information poster

Keeping things nice and cool

Well I should've known that the chestnut forest would catch up to the rest of the peninsula in temps, and that it would happen during MotH's week off from work. It reached 30°C (86°F) for the first time yesterday - peanuts compared to the lower regions of Italy - cancelling plans for a 12-mile hike around these mountains. What do we do instead? We head out to the local mercato first thing in the morning for the best pick of summer's fruits. We also escape to the chain supermarkets for some welcome air-conditioning. Oh yeah, and we eat gelato.

Dragon's Blood plums. How can you resist these with a name like that? Sweet, plump, juicy... bought these at the Tuesday mercato in Calolziocorte for 2.80€/kilo. They are excellent eaten right out of hand with the red juice dripping down your chin.

Habanero peppers. What variety! Until recently I've only seen scotch bonnet peppers in ethnic stores but these were brought in by supermarket chain Esselunga from a grower in Tuscany (Aromatiche Picchi). I'm loving the chocolate habanero aka Congo Black which is totally new to me. So far we've used the red one in a classic pasta dish of spaghetti, garlic and olive oil. Spicy food does make you feel cooler, however they wanna explain away that one.

Add one more gelateria to my list of favorites. L'Esquiman is bit out of the way from the main pedestrian area in central Lecco, but the selection of flavors is great. That absinthe gelato was interesting (anise flavor) although now I'd really be into tasting the actual thing. Corso Martiri della Liberazione 10, Lecco.

My 7 links

Piece of cake. Or so I thought when Murissa of The Wanderfull Traveler tagged me to participate in a select collection of posts from my blog. It took me a week to comb through the 1000+ entries on RSII and I still came up one short and borrowed another from my garden blog. As it usually goes with these things, 5 fellow bloggers are supposed to be nominated to enlarge the information pool, but instead I'll leave the link to where it all began: www.tripbase.com/blog/my-7-links-the-rules

My Most Beautiful Post: The living cathedral in winter

One of the most magical places that I've experienced in Italy.

My Most Popular Post: Bomboloni or Krapfen or filled doughnuts

This shows up in my stats all the time. People love donuts!

My Most Controversial Post: Doggies in Ikea

Apparently, muzzling your mutt garners strong opinion from dog lovers.

My Most Helpful Post: How to say “Hi my name is …” in italian

Because in Italy, everybody wants to know your name.

A Post whose Success Surprised Me: The Mooing Milk Machine

Where the machine actually moos while milking it!

A Post I feel didn't get the attention it deserved:

With the image thievin' that goes on behind my back, I don't think attention, or the lack thereof, is a problem.

The Post I'm most proud of: Black Aztec success in the kitchen

From garden to table, making blue aztec cornmeal for homemade tortillas was a work of love.

Cheese dinner in Ornica: La buca l'é mai straca...

...se la sa minga de vaca. [Italian: La bocca non è mai stanca finchè non sa di vacca.]

Literally, it translates to ‘the mouth is never tired until it tastes cow’, which goes to say that the meal isn't over until you eat cheese. Well I already knew that being the cheese munkey that I am, but trust the MotH to quip another dialect proverb that is all too true. Just last Saturday we had a great time with other formaggio devotees at the Musica & Formaggi dinner held in Ornica. The event's purpose is not restricted to introducing locally produced cheese per se, but is a collaborative effort to promote culture and tradition in Val Brembana.

This felt so much like those farm-to-table gatherings where the focus is on getting to know your food and the people directly behind it. The food in question of course was cheese, and prior to the meal local producers gave a presentation of the various cow's milk types made in this part of the Orobic Alps. Agri, Bitto, Branzi, Formai de Mut, Mascherpa and Strachitunt were turned into simple fare from aperitivo to dessert. We sat at communal dining tables - just make yourself at home - decked out in charming floral tablecloths and place settings.

Clockwise beginning from top left: a first plate of crespelle (like crepes) with strachitunt and paruk (wild spinach); second plate of thinly sliced roast pork over a sauce of melted branzi and mushrooms; dessert - a slice of mascherpa torte (like ricotta cheese tart); and a plate of melted formai de mut (this came as a third plate before dessert). No photos of the aperitivo (bitto and mixed fruit) and antipasto (salad greens with agri). It doesn't look like much, but including bottles of local wine, bread, second helpings and yet more cheese, there was a lot to digest. On top of all that, the same people who gave presentations earlier came around at the end with more tastings of their excellent products. Total cost for two: 60€.

Medianoche sandwich

Sandwich or sammich? Depends on how you perceive two pieces of bread and what gets tucked between them. Translated as “midnight” in spanish and originating from Havana, the medianoche became popularized by late-hour partygoers looking for a quick hunger fix. Made with roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, cucumber pickles and mustard between a couple slices of a sweet type of egg bread (think challah), the whole thing is toasted in a sandwich press before serving. I am not clear as to what order the filling components are layered, but this was pretty good eating. If it were to be extraordinarily good, I'd get a hold of succulent porchetta/roast pig/lechon with a few bits of crispy skin attached. Only then would I rate the medianoche as sammich hall-of-fame greatness.

Tonight is La notte di San Lorenzo

As it happens every year, today's date marks the feast day of San Lorenzo and its association with falling stars - his tears - which of course is simply the return of the Perseid meteor shower. We try to keep the 10th in mind for the sake of tradition, but I wish I had planned the dinner menu to include medianoches (it just seems so appropriate) instead of monster blet's. What's a BLET? Aha, glad you asked, and it's a bacon, lettuce, eggplant and tomato sandwich. I scooped up 6 lbs of these striped eggplants for a sweet deal and they make excellent veggie “steaks” over a cast iron griddle. The weather report promises clear skies this evening but the impending full moon might steal some of San Lorenzo's thunder. Still, tradition dies hard and you can bet that we and countless pairs of eyeballs will be scanning the heavens and making lots of wishes tonight.

I'll have a beer with my dogs

The upside to staying home for summer means that the purse strings can be opened wide for more eating out. Slow Food restaurants and maybe a long drive out to Udine for the only cevapciceria in Italy (that I know of) is a good start, but scouting for great beer and pizza locations is always an ongoing agenda.

On this occasion we ended up at Doppio Malto Birrificio in Erba (Como) as we were already familiar with their beers, but what of the pizza? Well, I wouldn't know, and will probably take a long time to find out because their menu is extensive. Their brews, in all its fermented interpretations, give way to a number of food pairing options that should satisfy the pickiest diner. In the end we just went with the big grilled plate of wurstel and veggies.

Doppio Malto Birrificio
Via Milano 9, Erba

Uno, due, tre at the Flying Truffle

Or better yet, at Tartufo Volante in Erba (Como province). How much cuter can a name get? The gelato here was so good that it made us agree on sharing a third cone all because of one flavor in particular - the organic mint. This was no shade of green that screams food coloring to my eyeballs; this was creamy white from the gelato base and specked with itty bitty pieces of mint leaves. It's one of the flavors in my triple scoop cone to the left (with watermelon and pineapple), but it was inside hidden from view. I have never tasted a mint so pure in flavor which is why it justified another go to be doubly sure. Paired with a chocolate flecked with candied ginger, it was like chocolate chip mint, only the gourmand's version. Add one more to our list of favorite gelaterie in the Lecco/Como area.

Tartufo Volante - Gelateria Artigianale
Via Lecco, 18, Erba, Como

I'll take a scoop of Smurf, Glo Worm, and Magnum P.I.

In the fine print of gelato rules and regulations, it never would've occurred to me that the shockingly blue Puffo flavor (pronounced POOH-foh in Italy) could ever show up in a place that serves the real artigianale stuff. Well I was wrong. Apparently neon hues and cute characters are fair game as long as the primary ingredients (that would be milk, cream, sweetener) did not come from a toxic waste dump. But a Smurf? Are you kidding me??

Gelateria La Fragola is listed on the gelatoartigianale site which is the only reason why we stopped in. Oh, and they also have free wi-fi. The Smurf/puffo tasted like vanilla. Atomic green Glo Worm (actually I just made that up - remember the Hasbro toy?) had a strange menta/mint taste, and Magnum was not Tom Selleck in a Ferrari per se - now wouldn't that be fun - but is the name of a commercially-produced ice cream bar. By the way, that would be pronounced MAH-n'yoom. Nice little corner place in Mariano Comense to take the kids. La, la, la-la la la...sing a happy song. La, la, la-la la la smurf the whole day long.

Sticking around for summer?

Or will you be flying off for a trip? The end of July marked the start of summer vacations for many families, and quieter streets couldn't be better proof of the great italian departure to the seashore. This year we're staying put in the chestnut forest which means the blog does not go on vacation! Plans for hiking, local events, picnics and of course more gelato are in the works. I am particularly interested in exploring Bergamo's alps and the little hamlets that dot the map within the valleys. These places are reported to make excellent alpine cheese....

Flies on a strip by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr. Some may find it aesthetically unappealing but I find it even more repulsive to see them landing on my food.