Evidently, Mussolini didn’t care for the fact that Dutch-made Berkel slicers were painted red. And so he had them painted black and added the Fascist victory emblem with the Fascist faggot (the fascio, above).
When he’s not busy growing native grape varieties and making wine, Friulian winemaker Michele Moschioni reconditions vintage Berkel slicers.
Follow along at COF2011.com.
Photo by Alfonso.
After dinner last night at Zorzettig, signora Zorzettig joked (with me translating for her) joked that polenta, goulash, and brovada (fermented turnips) were actually “light food”… when people had less to eat…
“We didn’t have to worry about cholesterol in our day,” she said. It must be remarkable for someone from her generation to hear folks complain about all the problems they have from overeating. She joked: “They should eat less!” She’s right… mangje di mancul…
What a sweet lady and what a wonderful feeling to experience the warmth of holding her hand as she spoke to me — the way ladies of her generation express hospitality with guests in their homes. That’s David to the left of her and Nicolas to the right and daughter Annalisa.
This barley “risotto” with radicchio and Refosco was friggin’ DELIZIOSO! Everyone should be so lucky to have a mamma Butussi!
Mostarda Cremonese at an otherwise forgettable restaurant in Valpolicella.
The one gastronomically (but not altogether) disappointing meal of the trip so far. But what a photo op!
Need more be said here? Run don’t walk to Trattoria Caprini in Torbe (Valpolicella).
For dinner, we ended up at Angiolino’s brother-in-law Simone Padoan’s super hip pizzeria I Tigli in San Bonifacio (Verona), where the new wave of Italian pizza finds one of its epicenters.
The pizzas (which don’t resemble Neapolitan pizza) are served family-style in wedges. This was the most “classic”: mozzarella and tomato sauce.
Raw bream with puntarelle (Roman chicory) and pomegranate seeds.
Raw shrimp with artichoke and blood orange.
Battuta (steak tartare).
We drank this wonderful skin-contact Don Chisciotte 2007 Fiano, a wine I had read a lot about but had never had the chance to taste.
We’re headed out know to a busy day of tasting in Valpolicella and then dinner with Italy’s top wine blogger Mr. Franco Ziliani. Stay tuned… Gotta run!
It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments: for the one night where we hadn’t already planned where to eat, we dined at Le Calandre in Padua — a 3-star Michelin restaurant.
tagliolini di mozzarella
the texture of the julienned mozzarella released unexpected flavors from the plastic cheese
scampi tostati con “formaggio fresco” di latte di fave, radicchio di Treviso e mele
toasted langoustines with a “fresh cheese” of fava milk, radicchio trevigiano, and apples
battuta di carne cruda piemontese al tartufo nero
as instructed by our server, you wrapped the nuggets of raw beef in the shaved truffle, served on a piece of bark, and then dipped them in light beaten-egg sauce
cappelli liquidi di brodo d’oca all’arancia
these were cappelletti filled with an orange-goose broth, like soup dumplings
cannelloni croccanti di ricotta e mozzarella di bufala con passata di pomodoro
crunchy cannelloni filled with ricotta and buffalo mozzarella with tomato sauce
risotto di zafferano con polvere di liquirizia
saffron risotto with licorice dust
maialino di latte arrostito, salsa di senape e polvere di caffè
roast milk-weaned suckling pig, mustard sauce and coffee dust
proiezioni al cioccolato
dessert came with a mini-screening to complement the physical sensations
Many believe that Massimiliano Alajmo is the best chef in Italy today. He might very well be. Le Calandre was a fantastic experience… And for however experimental and avant-garde his cooking, the flavors were pure Italy… A stunning and thrilling evening, full of sensual surprises…
Nota bene: Le Calandre is not a cheap date (THANK YOU GOSSIP GIRL!). But you can order à la carte and there are a lot of very reasonably priced, wonderful wines on the list, like this Malvasia Secca dell’Emilia by Donati, one of my favorite producers. Natural and wonderfully stinky and crunchy, lees-aged, bottled fermented… Perfect with the wide range of flavors…
Conversation over lunch in the home of the Nonino family (the first family of Italian distillation) ranged from encounters with Marcello Mastroianni, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Luigi Veronelli to the (literal) renaissance of native grape varieties in Friuli. I was THRILLED to be invited for lunch in their home, a fascinating family with a fascinating history. That’s daughter Cristina and father Benito above. They served an aperitif of Amaro Nonino on the rocks with a slice of blood orange.
There’s so much to tell about our confabulatio and there will be time for that… in the meantime, the bean and potato soup — with barley, chestnuts, and bits of melt-in-your mouth bacon fat, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with freshly cracked pepper — was an amazing confluence of flavors and textures. A rustic, powerfully sensuous dish…
Stewed goose thigh was o so tender and delicious with polenta and cabbage. Benito thanked us for coming, noting that they feed him better when there are guests. They’re a very colorful bunch and the hours we spent together were literally marvelous.
This was definitely one of the most fascinating visits so far but the tale of what was told yesterday will have to wait…
Before leaving for Italy, Tracie P expressed a desire to visit Trieste and so we headed there yesterday for dinner with Giampaolo Venica and wife Chiara and brother and sister prosciutto-makers Andrea and Monica d’Osvaldo to eat at the classic Ristorante al Bagatto.
The food was fantastic, the wine wonderful (Zidarich Vitovska 06 and 08, the 08 the stunner), the laughter and conversation super fun…
Now, THAT’s a fritto misto!
But when an Italian mother calls her son (in this case, Andrea), everything gets put on hold!
was this 1998 Venica & Venica Collio Sauvignon, shared with us yesterday over lunch by our good friend Giampaolo Venica…
Gently oxidative nose, ripe and deliciously overripe stone fruit flavors, and rich texture in this nearly 13-year-old bottling of Sauvignon. Paired with this wine, paper-thin slices of D’Osvaldo guanciale and crusty bread bordered on the oneiric…
Do Bianchi 