Buona Festa Della Mamma

Norma in front of the Duomo in Milan

May brings many celebrations in Italy.  One very important one we share is Mother’s Day or Festa Della Mamma.  This holiday actually has an ancient history.  During Roman times there was a whole weekend of celebrations held in May to celebrate the goddess Juno.  The name Juno means “vital force” which we all know is true for the mothers in our lives.  

My mother, Norma, is not only my guiding light and inspiration but has also been my favorite traveling companion.  We have been to Italy many times together.  We share a strong curiosity and a love for history,  art, food and wine, which makes us very compatible travelers. We take Robert Frost's poem to heart, "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." When we journey together, we start out with a plan, but are swift to change if we see something interesting or alluring.  This has lead us to discover people and places that we might not have found separately.  Her intelligence, inquisitive nature, flexibility and willingness to try new things continues to energize and expand my life.   Thank you Norma for encouraging me to follow my heart and passion and always be willing to try a new path.  Happy Mother's Day! 

Mom and I in front of the duomo in assisi 

Demystifying the Aperitivo--Its Not Italian for Happy Hour!

My friends and family know I’m passionate about Italian wine. But I’m also a big fan of the aperitivo.  I recently had a couple friends over for appetizers and suggested I make a Spritz for them and their response was “a what?”  When I explained it was a traditional drink served as an aperitvo, I received another quizzical look.  Hence today’s post.  

Note that aperitivo italiano is NOT a “Happy Hour” in the traditional sense. In fact, if I ever see an Italian bar advertising “Happy Hour,” I know it must cater to tourists. The Happy Hour in America usually refers to drinks and light food at a discount.  In Italy, Aperitivo is plain and simply a pre-dinner drink or the word is used to describe the ritual of going out.  Literally translated it means to “open” the palate and it gives you a chance to socialize, relax, and nibble as dinner approaches. 

Drinks during aperitivo are not discounted. In fact they often have a small supplement called “a consumazione” which is added to them to compensate for the refreshments being offered.. How much supplement will depend on the reputation and location of bar.  I’ve had an aperitivo with fresh mozzarella, varied crostini, and cured meats at a beautiful bar in the center of town in Cortona for only 2.50 euro. But if you order a simple cocktail, which comes with just potato chips at a small table overlooking the Duomo in Florence, you will pay a whopping 15 euro! 
A good aperitivo ranges from 6 to 10 euro and can be a good meal replacement if the buffet is plentiful.
On my recent trip to Florence, my husband and I met with Coral to go on an aperitivo tour.  Coral has lived in Florence for many years and is certified in Food and Wine Pairing and Culinary Tourism from the Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence.  So she knows her stuff and boy did we benefit from her knowledge.  We started our evening at a lovely wine bar near the Ponte Vecchio with a beautiful glass of prosecco and some yummy crostini smothered in fontina cheese and hot Italian sausage.  We were on our way to a wonderful evening.  Coral curates your evening with food and cocktail pairings that only Florentines know about.  It is the perfect way to venture out onto the streets on your first night in Florence.   

If you decide to venture out on your own here are a few suggestions:
--A good rule of thumb for evening aperitivo is from 7-9pm. Lunch aperitivo can be offered from 12pm on and you can even find a mid-afternoon aperitivo. Make sure you check with your particular bar because there are some hours which will be “peak” times and potential buffets will be more plentiful.
--What is offered with your aperitivo drink really depends on the bar. A few olives and potato chips are the classic offering, though some get very elaborate with fresh pizza, cold cuts like prosciutto and bresaola, fresh savory pastries and even fresh mozzarella in some bars!
--Aperitivo drinks are divided into two categories: alcolici (alcoholic), and analcolici (non-alcoholic / “virgin”) drinks. Analcolici drinks can range from a soft drink like Coca Cola to delicious fruit juice cocktails (aperitivo analcolico alla frutta) to a non-alcoholic bitter like Sanbitter.
--If the aperitivo’s liquor selection is extensive, a wide selection of cocktails will be available. You can find traditional American cocktails like Manhattans to Cosmopolitans to Mojitos. For many Italians, Campari is their drink of choice for aperitivo, and it forms the base of many traditional Italian aperitivo drinks.
--Here are some “traditional” aperitivo drinks:

Negroni is gin, vermouth and Campari, and garnished with an orange peel..

Americano is a Negroni substituting club soda for the gin, making it lighter.

Spritz is Aperol liquor, prosecco and club soda and garnished with a slice of orange.

Bellini – invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice is a real treat.  It is prosecco and fresh peach juice. Obviously this is seasonal and rare.  If its on the menu, order it.  You won’t be disappointed. 

So before your next voyage to Italy you should practice saying, “Let’s go get an aperitivo” or “Prendiamo un aperitivo.” Or you can come with me and Coral and sit back and enjoy learning the new language of nightfall in Florence! Cin Cin!

Carnivale

February in Tuscany is carnival month and lots of towns celebrate it by holding parades and decorating the streets. 

Viareggio, a beautiful seaside town, is the most renowned of the lot in Tuscany, with four big parades during February, during which residents put on masks and costumes prepared in the months leading up to the festival. Viareggio Carnival is famous for its satirical floats made of papier-mâché. If you haven’t seen a float before, you can’t even begin to imagine how big they are: the floats’ maker need an airplane hangar to build them If you are lucky enough, they’ll let you in to see these handmade wonders. The parades are not the only event during the month: there are also parties held in the various neighborhoods of the city. 

But wherever you are in Italy during Carnevale, be sure to try the traditional dessert of fried dough much like an American donut.  They come in many shapes, sizes and flavors.  Thebest-known Carnival pastries are Cenci (the word means rags), whose many aliases include Frappe, Chiacchere (gossips) and Nastrini (ribbons).

The Recipe
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbs butter, room temperature

1 tsp sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tbs rum

1 Tbs lemon zest

flour for working dough

oil for deep-frying

confectioners (powdered) sugar

How to make it

Flour into a bowl and mix in the butter.

Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, and rum to the flour.

Work the ingredients into dough. If the dough is too dry add a little water.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny.

Cover and allow to rest in in a cool place for 1 hour.

Heat at least 3-4" of oil to 350F.

Divide the dough into fourths.

On a floured surface roll out one quarter of the dough until it is thin (1/6") and cut into strips about 4" x 1/2".

Tie each strip into a simple, loose knot.

Fry the knots, 4 or 5 at a time, until puffed up and golden (about 1-2 minutes).

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Before serving sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar.

Non si fa

Non si fa, or “not possible” is what I heard all over Tuscany during my recent trip when I asked about olivo nuovo, the new oil.  I was so excited to work with Beppe in the olive grove to harvest the olives and go with him to the mulino (olive mill) to press the green gold.  But when I asked Beppe when we would go into the orchard, He answered, “non si fa,  le olive non sono buone.”  I was confused,“what do you mean the olives aren’t any good?”

Beppe turned to Nicoletta, who’s English is much better, and she explained the devastation over two more glasses of wine.  It turns out that a new disease that started in Puglia has spread throughout Tuscany, Umbria and as far south as Tunisa and some parts of Turkey, has destroyed over 600,000 trees.  It is a bacteria that is carried by mosquitos called xylella fatidiosa or XF and it is a big problem.  Many parts of Italy, including Puglia are cutting down their olive trees all together and hoping to find a way to grow more disease resistant trees.  Other farmers are planning to spray their trees to kill the insects carrying the disease.  The belief is that the very wet summer and then hot October contributed to the increase in the mosquitos and subsequent incursion and devastation.

But this isn’t an option for Beppe.  He has been growing organic olives all his life and has no plans to spray.  He just let the olives drop to the ground this season and is hoping that the weather will be better next year.  This was the sentiment all over Cortona and the other hill towns I visited on my recent trip.  All the families I spoke with were using last year’s oil or calling on family and friends that live in Sicily and other smaller regions in the south, that weren’t affected as gravely, to send the new oil for the winter. 

So unfortunately, I was not able to bring home the beautiful “green gold” from Beppe’s farm for our customers this year.  I did bring home some beautiful hand painted olive oil bottles and olive wood serving trays to help provide some economic help to the local Cortona economy.  But sadly it won’t make a dent in the unemployment this infestation has created.  So much of the Tuscan economy is supported by premier foods like olive oil, wine, cheese and cured meats.  We all pray for a dry summer in 2015 for Beppe and his fellow farmers.  

Petroio's Garden and Cipollini Onions

by Liane Cabot

I woke up to the most amazing smell.  I sat up and looked out the open window of my bedroom onto the vineyards below and thought to myself, “what delicious dish is Diana cooking up?”  I wonder if it is the cipollini onions I helped harvest from the garden the previous day?  

My stay at Petroio Vineyards had been a continuous expansion of the senses.  From waking early feeling the heat from the morning sun coming into my room, to tasting the amazing food Diana Lenzi created in her Tuscan kitchen for guests to the winery.  My normally pale skin had turned  bronze from working in the Tuscan summer sun with Diana and Pamela, her mother, in the garden, the vineyard and just around the villa.  That day we welcomed a tour to the winery and planned to serve a special summer lunch from the garden.  We had selected cured meats and cheeses from local farmers and Diana made a wonderful frittata with slow roasted cipollini onions and zucchini from the garden. 

This meal was one of my favorites during my stay at Petroio.  So simple, and yet so indicative of the lifestyle in Tuscany and throughout Italy.  Live in the moment, eat what is fresh and local, share what you have with friends and family.  

Later that summer, back home in my own garden, I was putting together my plan for the next year’s harvest.  I bought some cipollini seeds to bring some of the passion and memories back to my humble kitchen in Oregon.  The following year I harvested my onions and took some into our restaurant, Nicoletta’s Table and our chef Suzanne made an amazing frittata with them.  Just one bite and I could almost feel the warm sun on my face and hear the laughter of Diana and Pamela in the kitchen.  I can’t wait to go back.  

Cook up the Frittata yourself >