Sagra of the potato in Lazzate

Click - Zap! - reservation confirmed. Five years ago if someone had predicted the day would come when reservations for a sagra would be as easy as the click of a mouse, I'd probably have shook my head in disbelief. But at Lazzate's Sagra della Patata, skeptics are the ones waiting in line. This is the first local food festival we've been to that uses the web to their advantage other than putting info on a homepage, but as with all things new, it may take some time to convince those who feel that queuing is what these events are all about.

The sagra also hosted a small market which made it even more fun to discover artisan food items, farm produce and other businesses selling everything from potatoes to prosciutto. It was incredible! Knowing that our reservations would be held for up to one hour(!) made it so much easier to check out the vendors without rushing around.

About 3 dozen or so names were on the reservation list and we were seated right away. Fill out the menu, place it on a numbered hook that's secured at the table, and someone comes to check it. They had guys running around with touch pad systems like they do in restaurants which really surprised me, and as soon as our order was sent, along comes a server with the bread basket, another with the drinks, and a cashier to collect payment.

The menu wasn't anything fancy - pasta with potato filling or gnocchi in mushroom or meat ragu - and I appreciated the use of biodegradable utensils. We didn't stay long after our meal but did manage to pick up a few more goodies to take home, like one of these beautiful organic flour, naturally-leavened loaves that were baked in a wood-burning oven. Only 5€! I took lots of photos which are up at my Sagra della Patata album on Flickr.

Mmm...mmm...moules de bouchot

I will never profess to being a food snob - how could I when I love Spam? - but these french moules had me “putting on airs” at the fishmonger last week when I asked the fish guy for some mussels - le cozze francese per favore. At 7€/kilo it wasn't that expensive, but when he lifted up a small bagful, it almost seemed a gesture to be sure that the contents met with my approval. I knew it was merely an indication to see if the amount was enough, and having enough moules de bouchot is good because as fish guy put it, “They say these are the best.”

The term bouchot refers to the wooden poles used to cultivate these mussels. The poles are sunk into the ocean floor sediment, where the shellfish develop on attached ropes. Beardless and sand/grit-free, I was surprised at how tiny they are - less than 2 inches long - but the lack in size was more than compensated by a sweet, succulent flesh. Mmmm. Where larger specimens give the satisfaction of biting into one big piece, eating moules de boulot is a bit more refined, even if refined is strictly a matter of taste. We just dug in with our fingers.

Bouchot mussels are of protected origin and Kat's trip to Mont Saint Michel had me wishing she had been able to taste them direct from the source. I prepared our mussels with some garlic, onions, tomato, white wine and vanilla salt, but I think you could cook these anyway you like and they'd still come out fantastic. Oven-baked fries was the first thing that I thought of serving with them but we were so hungry that I quickly cooked some puntalette (orzo pasta in the states) seasoned with salt, pepper and butter.

La Formaggiata (full-on cheese dinner)

I know it appears as if all we ever do is cheese, but I swear we make room for those other groups within the food pyramid, accompanied by the requisite glass(es) of wine. These were purchased from the Slow Food event last week - altogether about 3 lbs before nibbing - and we tasted small bites along with white truffle honey, tomato jam, hot pepper jelly or mostarda, a sweet-spicy fruit condiment that my mother-in-law always gifts us with for xmas holidays.

Speaking of holidays (3 more months til Christmas!), here we are just getting into the crisp, cool feel of fall season but soon it'll be summer all over again. This gal is heading back home!

George does speak italian

Back to the...80's. I can't say that I actually saw this episode of Hunter when it first aired, but watching it the other day (dubbed in italian of course) reminded me once again how much people want to know if George really does speak italian. Well here you go! This is the current spot on tv.

In the event of an error message, the video can be viewed here:
http://youtu.be/aF-VtcFWdyI

Cheese around the world

To date, we've gone to Slow Food's cheese expo every 4 years: in 2003, 2007, and now 2011, but looking back on what I wrote the last time we attended this epic event, I'm amazed at how much the fair has grown in terms of nations being represented from all over Europe and beyond. Walking down via Principi di Piemonte was a global mini-tour as international cheese presidia booths stood side-by-side, their respective flags waving in the breeze. Ash yogurt from Kenya? Carranzana “cara negra” sheep cheese from the spanish Basque? Raw sheep’s milk feta from Macedonia? This past weekend was the mother lode like no other but if you'd rather drool than go through this mega-post, the entire show starts on Flickr.

International cheese Presidia

Since it's no problem getting any of the local formaggi here, we skipped the 30 italian cheese presidia and headed straight to the international zone. Sampling was free but a few specialty items like chocolate truffles made with Bulgary's green cheese cherni vit cost a mere 1€. Green mold cheese in a truffle? Hot dang I'd like one please! Produced from sheep's milk, it has a pungent flavor that reminded MotH of roquefort and while he didn't care for the truffle, I thought the combo of cherni vit, chocolate ganache and cocoa powder as brilliant. Holiday idea (and it isn't new) - chocolate roquefort or gorgonzola truffles...with a glass of barolo chinato.

If there had been a category for unique shapes, these golka from Poland would've been a sure contender. The tubular form indicate golka as a cow's milk cheese, but the spindle-shaped oscypek is made from sheep's milk. They're both smoked cheese which reminds me a little of italian scamorza. Another shape were oval bite-size pieces that were heated and served with lingonberry jam (1.50€) although I'm not sure if they have a particular name.

France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Bosnia Herzegovina... so many countries, so little time. At this point we were primed (prime targets!) for a spending spree and got a wedge of raw milk Bellingham Blue from Ireland (top pic). This was followed by Somerset County artisan cheddar from the UK and carranzana “black face” sheep cheese from Spain. Call it a quick fix for people like us but the world was still waiting at the enormous Cheese Market.

Cheese Market at Piazza Carlo Alberto and Piazza Roma

If you manage to come out of here smelling like roses then you didn't step very far into the domain of cheesemakers and affineurs. A mind-boggling, relentless, seemingly never-ending display of all shapes and sizes from all over Europe with a nice showing from USA as well, the market area is for serious palates. It was friggin' glorious. Parmigiano and mozzarella are staples in the italian kitchen, but I admit that we are fromage junkies and France topped our list. I wasn't leaving without my époisses, said to be a favorite of Napoleon himself, but we weren't going home without a stilton either. Smart uniforms, savvy rep skills and impeccable British style made us spend an extraordinary amount of time at Neal's Yard Dairy (how can you not?!), but thankfully by the grace of some unseen force, we were eventually guided out of there before I fell into a catatonic state from sensory overload.

Street food: no bombetta, no party, and Recco focaccia

Quick, tasty, but not very cheap, the street food section took us less than 15 minutes since we got there when the early bird lines were long gone. First stop: bombetta from Puglia (6€). The tasty pork and cheese bundles were such hot sellers (make any food skewer-friendly and you've got a winner) that not even Clooney could've swayed the crowd with his Martini.

Next stop: focaccia from Recco. Unlike the thicker, yeast-leavened focaccia that is lovingly dipped into oil and balsamic vinegar across the pond, this yeast-less version is flatter than a pancake. Crescenza cheese between two sheets of dough, evoo, salt and that's it. Plates of these were going for 5€ and we were lucky to reach the counter when the next hot batch was just being pulled out of the oven. Watching these guys at work made me a little nostalgic for my old work days... Travel tip: Recco's next Festa della Focaccia in May 2012!!

Before we go: Mac d'Bra and things I wish we'd done

Naturally the birthplace of Slow Food would not be complete without a jab at its archenemy. This sandwich of grilled (or raw) veal sausage, cheese and lettuce - all of it from Bra or its environs - was a deal at 3€. If that wasn't enough, shaded cafes and restaurants along the streets appeared as oases of colorful salads, tempting pasta and delicious pizza that added to the already festive atmosphere.

We're anticipating the 9th edition in 2013 and look forward to what we missed out on, such as the Appuntamenti a Tavola/Dinner Dates. The american-style bbq prepared by Matt Jennings from Farmstead, Inc. would've made me one happy camper (50€ with artisanal US brews), and I'm convinced that the meal presented by Christophe Duguin of Au Chapeau Rouge (60€) would've been divine. Another must are the taste workshops (there were 34!) which can only be described as a foodie's romp into the Garden of Eating. At a price range between 15-40€, you could easily pick just one or go whole hog and do tastings like:

•2007, 2005, 1999, 1991, 1985 and 1977 vintages of Barolo Monfalletto from Cordero di Montezemoro Winery in Piemonte, paired with superb alpine cheeses.
•French wines and cheeses of Champagne
•Dutch cheeses and wines
•English and irish cheeses and ales
•A fish and cheese tasting that raised an eyebrow (parmigiano on fish is a big no-no in Italy!) when it mentioned milk curds with sea urchin roe among a few other things.
•And butter! Okay so it's not cheese, but when I looked at Jean-Yves Bordier's website, in my mind I was reaching for a crusty baguette. Artisan french butter with seaweed, with yuzu, with smoked salt and with Espelette pepper. Bring it. http://www.lebeurrebordier.com

Cheesehounds, see you in a couple of years!

Smile and say CHEESE!

Slow Food Cheese, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr.

Whew! What a weekend to remember, and as I post this from Flickr, I'm already thinking ahead to the next edition of this fabulous, FABULOUS Slow Food event for devoted fans of everything cheese. There is just so much to see, do, taste and learn that we had to take frequent pauses to absorb it all. From beer tasting to street food and trying to be reasonable with our purchases (a very, very difficult thing to do at this place), we nailed all of our priorities in one short afternoon. Still working on processing images and compiling a list of info links so stay tuned.

Via Flickr:
I was hanging around Neal's Yard Dairy when this cheese board was being put together. Gorgeous!

When two worlds are about to collide

Black cat on path, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr.

I am not sure about italian superstitions regarding black cats sitting on the side of the road, but the old myth of having bad luck if they cross your path always makes me hesitate for a moment. As to why this one was sitting there is beyond me (at first I thought it was road kill), but the Mister wasn't going for any cat crossing HIS path and chased Blackie into the woods to the left.

Festival of the Corti

Peeking into private property might not immediately top the to-do list when you think of Italy, but at the Festa delle Corti in Garlate, a look into the open-air courts and courtyards of various buildings and dwellings is exactly what this September celebration is all about. This is an event that for some reason or other managed to elude us in the past, so I'm glad we finally got to see for ourselves a part of Garlate that isn't visible from the main highway.

The fun detail about this festival is the painted shoe print that weaves a path through narrow alleys, courtyards, the town church and even to the top of Garlate where a pretty view of the lake can be seen. The route also enables visitors to take in a variety of exhibitions on display in each court, from vintage motorbikes to an ancient wooden wine press and live silk worms! Refreshment stops were stationed frequently along the route, and one was actually an active part of it (they deliberately had you walking past the cooking area, dining area and right on by the animal pens). If it weren't so strange to get a whiff of goats and sheep after having inhaled the aroma of grilled food, I'd say this path was plotted by little blond Billy himself.

A collection of Moto Guzzi; La Fattoria complete with food and petting zoo; fruit preserves and other food products for purchase; Maddie making friends with a sheep.

The most curious display was the one where silkworms, at different stages of growth, were happily munching away on mulberry leaves. Silk production has a long history in Lecco, Como and other areas; farmers from way back then were obligated to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms for the owners of the land that they cultivated. I vaguely remember a story about MotH's grandfather (or great grandfather?) as a young boy, and having to collect leaves for the worms. If I remember correctly he also slept in the room where the worms were kept. Below: silk cocoons.

Pick your own apples in Val Taleggio

Pick your own fruit farms are practically non-existent in Italy as the concept hasn't caught on like it has in the states and elsewhere in Europe. PYO? The mention of it prompted a why from the MotH, because why would anyone go through the trouble when weekly local markets offer the best of what's in season and all in one convenient location?

The only explanation I could think of was that well, collecting your own fruit is great fun, and perhaps for this reason is why an italian apple grower in Vedeseta hatched the idea to give visitors the unique opportunity to connect with nature while picking the fruits of his labor. With the goal of implementing organic farming methods in order to offer a small variety of wholesome foods that are good for your health, Virginio Rota (that's him on the right), along with 3 associates, founded Manterga agricultural cooperative. Wholewheat pasta made from organic flour, cookies and jams without the addition of preservatives - these are a few items that were on display in their village shop headquarters. Peak apple season is still a few weeks away but the Galaxy apples were ready the Sunday we dropped in. I had read that weekends are when people usually stop by, and you can also buy fruit that has already been gathered.

Shop location: Via Centro 3, Vedeseta
Apple farm: at Località San Michèi, about 550 meters from the village center, on the way up to Reggetto (that wooden sign above will be on the right and a roughly-hewn stone building to the left). Other seasonal produce also on offer. We paid only 1€/kilo for the apples!
Local cheeses: S. Antonio cooperative makes taleggio and strachitunt, but they also carry other cheese products from the valley. A little over a kilometer past the apple farm.

30th international gathering of chimney sweepers

Cloudy skies and rain may have obscured most of northern Italy over the weekend, yet in the town of Santa Maria Maggiore in Piemonte, you wouldn't have believed that it mattered in the least bit. In this alpine community just 8 miles from Switzerland's southern boundary, chimney sweepers (spazzacamini) from around the world came together once again for the annual September event. Representatives hailed from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Romania, Lithuania and Estonia. Japan and the Republic of Moldova were also said to be among the soot-faced participants but I saw neither (for the latter it was because I had no idea what their country's flag looked like).

A great crowd showed up for the parade on Sunday but the rain did manage to turn a few visitors away after it was over. It would've been nice to explore the town better and to visit the museum dedicated to chimney sweepers. More photos on flickr.

Dogs day out in less than a minute: the chimney sweepers

10am - as I was shaping up a rough draft for Sunday's outing at the international gathering of chimney sweepers, Mister B gently reminded me (he nudges me with his nose), that it was time for a snack - always when the church bell tower chimes 10, give or take 15 minutes either direction. This may not mean a lot to you or I or any other human for that matter, because time is measured altogether differently, and not by eating, sleeping, playing and eating again. We almost always take our two with us wherever we go, without even thinking if they'd prefer to stay home gnawing on a prosciutto bone, and yet....sometimes I wonder what actually do they think of all these new sights, smells and sounds. If I were a dog, this is how 250 miles, a 30-minute parade and 9 human hours would play out for me.

In the event of an error message, the video can be viewed here:
http://youtu.be/M1v9_AdJdmw

September 2011 desktop calender wallpaper

To kick off the soon-to-arrive fall season and to share yet another slice of italian life on this blog, from this month on I will be putting up desktop calendar images in relation to the current hot topic. Undoubtedly September is going to be a big month for cheese as Slow Food hosts the International Cheese Fair in Bra, and we plan to bring home a lot of pungent purchases to fill our fridge. The formaggi in this image was taken several years ago at the Fiera del Cacio in Pienza.

1024x768 - link
1280x1024 - link
1280x1024 (wide) - link

Lakefish cuisine at Lago Iseo

Oh, and let's not forget that beautiful Vespa the other day. Why the two would be inexplicably linked as one vintage powder blue omen guaranteeing one very satisfying lunch is probably something that only *I* can relate to (see the header image up there?). I just knew we'd be in for a long and leisurely lunch when I saw that Vespa upon entering Trattoria del Muliner. We were the second ones to arrive and the last ones to leave.

As stated in the title, lakefish or riverfish (pesce d'acqua dolce) is what we were looking for, and this trattoria in Clusane d'Iseo is a new listing in Slow Food's Osterie d'Italia 2011 guide. I rarely, if ever, pay much attention to an establishment's outdoor decor, so to see this chic embroidered logo banner, white orchids, and some reed-looking things at the entrance put me in a split-second trance. It just felt so...I don't know...feng shui-ish? But then you walk through the doors and wow! Brick rose-colored walls with accents of cream; dark wooden tables that looked like they hosted more than their fair share of gracious meals; and the air conditioning. Okay so maybe assisted climate control shouldn't even be an issue but when you live in a country where such comforts are considered luxuries and not mandatory, it makes you appreciate AC that much more. The only thing to one-up the cool factor was the ice bag that kept our vinified white wine (Pinot Nero vinificato in bianco) at a constant chill.

Two antipasti, 2 primi, 1 secondo, 1 contorno and 1 dolce. When it comes to freshwater fish it really does help to have some knowledge (or a dictionary), and although I'm with the group that says seafood is the tastier of the two, the masterminds of italian cooking can turn out anything into a tempting palette of colors, textures and flavors. Not into fish? The menu also has meat options. Total including wine, water, 2 coffees and coperto: 86€

An assortment of interesting tastes for those who want it all (or have a hard time choosing). Clockwise starting at far left: insalata di gamberi d'acqua dolce (crayfish with mixed fresh vegetables), insalata di luccio (pike salad), alborelle in carpione (marinated sweet-sour common bleak), pesce affumicato (smoked trout on toast), sardina di lago alla maniera del pescatore (shad prepared in simple fisherman-style with parsley and olive oil of the area, served on a slice of grilled polenta), and lastly, crayfish salad on rice.

My full portion-size of that crayfish salad with mixed fresh vegetables. It came with a few toast rounds and a small orb of pale orange something that I can only guess is ricotta cheese mixed with crayfish reduction. Very fresh and pleasant flavors with a squeeze of lemon.

Housemade tagliolini with sardine del Sebino (shad caught in the lakes waters) at left and with crayfish at right. The term sardine is confusing as what immediately comes to mind are those sold in a small rectangular tin, but these are definitely worlds apart in flavor. For the secondo, filetto di coregone in sfoglia di patate (European whitefish wrapped in veil-thin slices of potato and baked). You could barely see the translucent potato crust but it added a touch of earthy flavor that complimented the dish. Fried zucchini flowers as a vegetable side.

When our server dropped off a small plate of what looked to be Alka-Seltzer tablets, I was stumped. And then he returned with a small pitcher of a strong citrus-scented liquid and poured it over them. Voila! Instant handwipes and a show the likes of which I've never seen before. Now this is where it gets interesting because of all the housemade desserts that I could have chosen, I picked the fruttini gelato. Frozen gelato fruits (I've made them before) are a calabrian thing from the south so my guess is that the restaurant adds these to the summer menu. I thought it was strictly fruits that were used, but there was peanut, chestnut and walnut along with the kumquat, fig, strawberry and date. If you're wondering how are you supposed to bite into a frozen nut, that's where the spoons come in. There is no dainty way of eating these, and in the end I ignored the spoon (you're going to pick them up with fingers anyway), split open the walnut and ate it like how you would attack an Oreo cookie.

Trattoria del Muliner
Via S. Rocco 16, Clusane d'Iseo (Brescia)
Closed on Tuesday | www.trattoriadelmuliner.it