Category: Food – Eating In and Out!

Alghero’s Angelina Demartis

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!, Stops Along the Journey - Sites Off the Tourist Track

Angelina Demartis è una brava donna anche una insegnante di cucina meravigliosa!  Con lei ho imparato a prepare Malloreddus alla Campidanese, Culurgiones, Cozze Gratinate e Bianchini. Durante questa classe abbiamo parlato solo in italiano!  Gulp….

Angelina Demartis is an incredible cooking teacher. Even though she only spoke Italian and some of the people in our class only spoke English, her non verbal communication skills, animation and love of cooking conveyed the techniques we needed to make some scrumptous Sardegnian fare. 

Whoa, I’m getting ahead of myself. You are wondering where I was when I found her, how I found her and what we made.  Sorry for letting my enthusiasm for her class and the incredible food I tasted in her kitchen get in the way of linear storytelling.

This October a group of thirteen of us headed to the best Italian language school ever – Centro Mediterraneo Pintadera.  As part of our language lessons, we had the opportunity to practice our linguistic gymnastics in the kitchen of Angelina Demartis.  She is a graduate of the Instituto Professionale per Operature Dei Servizi Di Ristorazione – Settore Cucina.  Then went on to university and now by day teaches Italian and History. By night, she cooks and cooks and helps other folks learn to do what she loves to do – cook.

We climbed the three flights of stairs – yes I paused on landings – wondering where we were going, who our teacher would be and what we would be eating.  The what we would be eating was on everyone’s hungry mind.  This gorgeous, smiling bundle of energy and love – Angelina Demartis – opened the door and we at once knew we had entered foodie heaven.  The working space is a large kitchen that leads into a larger room, that leads out to a great roof top patio with a sea view.  Ahhhhh.  After lots of hugging and kissing and putting a glass of sparkling water in each of our hands she began to tell us what we would be making.  Lucky for us, she had prepared handouts in both English and Italian. 

We learned how to make two typical Sardegnian pastas. The first was Culurgiones – it is a filled pasta formed to look like a shaft of wheat.  Of course mine looked like a blob of dough but I kept on trying.  What makes this pasta interesting is that it is made with three types of flour.  Regular farina 00 – flour, semola rimacinata – finally ground semolina, and integral – whole wheat.  The Culurgiones were stuffed with mint, potatoes and two kinds of Sardinian cheeses.  Malloredus alla Campidanese  is a pasta made with semolina flour, saffron and water.  Simple and delisious with a simple tomatoe and sausage sauce. 

Angelina is not only a foodie but an incredible actress – we really didn’t need a translator to understand what she wanted us to do.  Besides the pasta, some of us cleaned mussels, made the stuffing for the mussels and the lucky ones got to make the super sweet and yummy Bianchini – meringues.

Guess what we did after we made all this glorious food?  We sat down, drank wine and had an incredible dinner that included not only what we made but other tasty morsels made by our hostess.  Buon appetito

What you thought I was  going to share the secrets of how to make the pasta and sauce?  Watch the video and you’ll pick up a few tricks.  Better yet, next October join us on our second Nonna’s Mulberry Tree trek to Centro Meditterraneo Pintadera.

Cooking With Angelina Video

Ci vediamo!

Eating My Way Through Alghero

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!, Stops Along the Journey - Sites Off the Tourist Track

The historic center of Alghero, Sardegna is chock full of eateries serving everything from tourist drek like crepes and waffels to exquisite Sardinian fare.  Guess where we ate?  Yup – if it was Algherese style food – or any Sardegnian traditional yummy – you would find us there.

Jack and I are incredibly fortunate because our pal, Nicola Schroeder – one of the administators of ace language school Centro Mediterraneo Pintadera – has lived in Alghero for over 20 years, knows we are foodies and has never given us a bad recommendation.  Pintadera is not just a school it is a bastian of information on all things tasty in Alghero.

As part of our two week language immersian course, Nicola oranized a welcoming dinner at Tratoria Lo Romani, Via Principe Umberto 29. The menu was a wonderful introduction to artigianal Sardegnian fare.


Owner, Gigi treated us like family. We started with antipasti della casa (selezione dei migliori salumi e formaggio sardi) – think platters of antipasti including melted cheese, fried red peppers, roast pork with carrote e zucchine, sardinian prosciutto two kinds of hard sheep’s milk cheeses, roasted vegetables and cubes of vegetable frittata. We groaned and kept on eating. Next ravioli with cheese, potatoes and mint. Gulp, I asked is there more?  Of course. Mallereddus alla campidanse – Sardegnian mini gnocchi followed.  Carafes of local red and white wine were constatnly filled. Burp. What? Now he is plying us with Sardegnian digestivi – two types of Mirto and limoncino.

To see if if our love for Lo Romani was true love or just starving tastebuds kicking in, we went back on our own. Gigi recomended Granchione with linguine.  Granchione?  Hmm – in my best Italian I said “non capisco”.  Gigi replied – linquine is spaghetti.  How about Granchione – big crab.  Crab is my favorite food in the world and the thought of big crab had me salivating.


This dish was so perfectly prepared that I danced out the door and have told everyone I’ve bumped into to head over to Trattoria Lo Romani at Via Príncipe Umberto, 29. Yup, true love!

Nicola also recommended La Botteghina. You will notice that I have absolutely no photos of either of the two dinners we ate there. Why? Because it was all so incredible that we ate every bite before Jack looked at me and said “hey, you didn’t take any pictures.”

On our first visit I had absolutely the best piece of beef I have ever had in Italy. I’m not kidding. No one ever seemed to understand rare. This was a perfectly cooked fillet drizzled with red wine sauce. Jack had a tuna carpaccio that kept him up all night. Not because he was sick, but because he kept thinking about it. Our dinners that first night were so good that we went back with a large group. What a pleasant surprise! The restaurant has a rooftop terrace. Of course with my shaky knees that was a bit precarious but after we got up up up there the view was great and the sampling of sea foods we had was even greater. La Botteghina is also on Via Principe Umberto,63. (Labotteghina.biz)

Oops, it is 4 o’clock here in Alghero. You know what that means! It is cocktail hour! I better write about my third favorite restaurant and head on over to the bar for an apertivo.

One morning in Italian class my nose started twitching. The incredible smell of garlic being tossed in olive oil was wafting up from the restaurant below through the open windows of Pintadera. Who could think about Italian grammar. All I could think about for the next two hours was ho fame!!

Our Italian classes get out at 1 PM. Jack and I raced down the steps and slid in an outdoor booth at Al Refettorio.  The restaurant is located on Vicolo Adami,47. I had an insalatina di polpi – octopus – that was so fresh I thought I was swimming with it. Next I had a creamy baccala montecato. I had discovered this awesome dish on Murano and eat it whenever I see it. Jack loves tuna and had both carpaccio di tonno and grilled tuna. He raved about both.

What?  You think all we do is go out to eat?  Nah. We love our Italian classes and don’t cut them for a nosh. Besides if we didn’t go to class I couldn’t ask Nicola for restaurant recommendations.

Ci vediamo !

I Fratelli Sforza – A Restaurant Force

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!

When I want to be an “uptown girl” complete with groovy clothes and bling, I head to  my favorite place to sip a Jack Daniels – Landulphi Pub – owned and operated by i fratelli Sforza.  Don’t let the word Pub confuse you – as it did me – Giovanni and Giuseppe Sforza have created a delectable restaurant/bar. The Sforza brothers – including brother Mario- are an entrepreneurial force to reckon  with.  When they do something they take the time, creativity and energy to do it right.


                    Giuseppe Takes our Orders and Giovanni Cooks

In 2008,the brothers procured the secret chambers below Pontelandolfo’s 14th century castle and riffing on the medieval history of the space developed a gathering place that would rival an upscale Manhatten or Roman eatery.  The first time I went, I felt like I had been tossed back in time.  Ancient stone walls, dark wood, medieval weapons and staff sporting medieval garb set the tone.   The menus are in Latin. Words like “phascolus” and “vitulus” guide you into a historic world of                                                            interesting food that is based on traditional country fare.  Don’t panic, after the Latin headings the descriptions are in Italian.  OK – panic.

 

Luigi Silvestri — Bartender Extraordinaire

The word “pub” alerts you to the six pages of beers!  You heard me – beer. (I must admit that Jack gets snarky because they don’t sell wine. Though now he is drinking Leffe Rossastro from Belgium.) The beers are all interesting and really do go with the food.  Landulphi also has a full bar – so my cousin Maryellen could have her gin and tonic.  Actually, we bring all our guests and they always want to go back.

I like i fratelli Sforza because they are astute marketers.  When we have out of town visitors, I don’t tell them to look for the Pontelandolfo street  signs but to follow the brown and yellow Landulphi signs.  These slick signs guide you into town from every direction.  The Sforza’s created great promotional material and Landulphi is listed in every conceivable guide. The website is slick – when you click here make sure to visit Il Locale and L’Hortus to see great shots of the interior.  Landulphi Web-site

The last time I was there  I ate the scrumptous Sorbitio Leguminum – a hearty bean and grain soup. Jack had Panis Hestermis, a warm salad with rape, sausage and tomatoes. We’ve tasted almost the whole menu at one time or another and like it because you can have some thing heavy or light.  We always order a bowl of green olives to nibble on while we wait.  They are perfect and we must find out where they get them.

I could blather on and on about the yummy fare  – I won’t because you need to taste it yourself . Next time you are in the Campania region head for Ladulphi.  You’ll be glad you did.

Ci vediamo a presto.

Terminal 1 – Roma

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!, Travel Comments

  • Happy travelers in Terminal 1

How is this possible ?  We just had a great meal, served on linen covered tables in Terminal 1 at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.  Our day started on the Frecciargento fast train from Benevento to Roma. Next, we grabbed the 1/2 hour shuttle train to the airport. Lugging our luggage we finally got to Terminal 1 to wait for our plane to Alghero, Sardegna.

Yawn. Bored right?  Impossible – this place is a stroll down Fifth Avenue on New York. I quickly zapped to attention and drooled on the display windows of oodles of Italian designers.

Jack was more focused. “Pranza,” he said. Let’s find a place to eat and relax. We started searching. Sigh, designer shops and a facockata food court?  However, the foodie gods were with us and led us to a wee bit of gourmet heaven just beyond the expensive panini.

“Wine and Food Restaurant” is tucked away at the end of the food court. Lunch cost us €52.50 but was well worth it. When you consider an airport panini can cost you €15 the price isn’t bad. I had the freshest mozzarella di bufalo that I’ve had in ages. It was served beautifully on a bed of greens and tiny tomatoes. Yum.

Jack’s ceasar salad was elegant and unusual. It was made with arugula, tomatoes, and tons of large slices of parmigiana. He followed that with pasta caccio e peppe. A thick creamy ragu laden with tons of cheese and fresh ground black pepper graced home made spaghetti.

Yes, of course we had wine and acqua minerale. Yummy.

We will remember this place the next time we have a long wait in Terminal 1!

Ci vediamo.

Home Made Grape Juice – Better Than Welch’s!

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!

We all know the adage – when the world hands you lemons, make lemonade.  How about when the world hands you crates of grapes? The grapes I’m talking about aren’t wine grapes. These are the yummy off the vine eating grapes. Zia Vittoria brought us some direct from the vine to taste. 

  
 They were super yummy and I thanked her profusely.  The next day a crate of them appeared.  I know, I know be careful what you wish for. Even though we had a house guest, I knew there was no way we could eat all those grapes. What’s a woman to do?  Where the world hands you …

First stop, the internet – grape juice recipes.  Nah, we don’t add sugar to anything. Next. Nah, I’m not going to upstate NY for Concord grapes. Next.  How about asking around town? First folks looked at me like I was crazy – they’re fresh, eat the grapes.  Then a wise woman said, smash, boil, strain.  Damn, I can do that and I did – delicious and tons better than Welch’s.

Here is the recipe – since the only ingredient is grapes it’s more like steps.

1. Pick grapes that no one has sprayed cocky poopy chemicals on or genetically modified.  You are wrong you naysayer you, produce like that is still out there.  Here in the no spray land of good eating we have lots of grapes “au naturel.” They can also be found in the backyards of any of your relatives who sit in the shade of the vines growing over the trellis.  Take scissors with you and pick bunches.

2. Fill the sink with water and toss them in and swirl them around.

  
3 Put them in a scuolapasta and drain them. Notice the little worms and buggy things running around.  They seem to come to life in the water. Ditch them and remember no spray means happy bugs.

4. Hold each bunch by the stem and pick off the grapes.  I then tossed them in a second colander. We don’t want the ones the birds pecked or the shriveled ones. Just toss in the firm ones. I even tossed on the tiny ones.

5. Rinse off the grapes and dump them in a big pot. Take your potato masher and mash the hell out of them.  I didn’t have a potato masher and had a Lucille Ball fun time.  Not my feet – my hands!  I pummeled and squished and pounded and squashed.  Juice squirted me the pot and the counter.  I finally broke down and bought a potato masher and tried to use it for the second batch of juice.  It was easier to use my hands and much more pleasurable.

  
6. DO NOT add anything!  Put the covered pot on the stove over a low flame until it starts to boil.  Then simmer it while you have a glass of wine and gossip with a pal. I of course forgot about it and think it simmered for 15 minutes plus a bit.

7. Take something heavy and squish some more – it is easier to squash hot grapes.  The second time I did this I used a newly purchased potato masher to do the second squash.

8. Simmer until you are bored – I think I did it for another 5-10 minutes.

9. Line a colander with cheese cloth and set it over a big bowl or pot.  I couldn’t find cheese cloth here and tried a bunch of places.  My ever creative and brilliant cousin Carmella suggested gauze from the pharmacy.  They had sterile gauze and it worked.

10. Pour the batch of grapes in the colander and cover the colander with a towel or something while it drips for a few hours.  No, you must really cover the colander – why?  Flies love piles of icky sweet stuff.  After a few hours – how many?  Well, we went to the piazza for drinks, chatted with friends, had dinner then I remembered the grapes.  Quite a few hours later, I picked up the edges of the gauze and squeezed the rest of the juice out of the cooked grapes.  Yes, I used my hands again to twist the fabric – like wringing out clothes – and squeezed out every drop.

11. Pour the yummy juice in bottles, refrigerate and drink.  We tried it the next morning and couldn’t believe how good it tasted.  Hmmm  Hmmm Good!

Happy Grape Juicing!

Sushi Ruyi – Marina di Vasto

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!

  
Be still my heart! Could this be true?  In this city of high-rise hotels that serve three mediocre meals a day we actually found incredible Chinese food and yes yummy yummy sushi.  Sushi Ruyi was a beacon on a dark and stormy night. OK, it was a clear and hot night but you get my drift. 

Our hotel, as all the hotels here, offers a fixed price three meals a day plan. Jack and I prefer to eat in local, family-owned restaurants and forgo the typical tourist fare. What we didn’t know was that there were hardly any restaurants in Marina di Vasto. At least none we could walk to. We hopped in the car and started driving. Restaurant sign after sign affixed to hotels. Then we spotted our favorite word “sushi”. We parked and ran before the mirage disappeared. 

Night one – yes there was a night two- we opted for only sushi. The restaurant offers Japanese, Chinese and Thai fares. The fish was fresh and the prices fair. We had tuna, salmon and a giant roll. I didn’t take any photos. – we gobbled too quickly. Then we tried something new – sushi barca. Two pieces for €6. Steep Price for sushi until we saw the size. No way you could put this in your mouth with one gentle gulp. The amount of rice was very large and an incredible amount of salmon was sculpted around it in the shape of a boat. Complete with little mast. It was worth the price and we ate it slowly savoring every bit of the salmon. Of course we sushi gluttons also ordered sushi barca di tonno. With sake and wine the cost was €55.

Day Two – Chinese 

Jack said ” this is better than any of the Chinese food within 50 miles of Flagtown.”  We started with fried wontons. They were deep fried crispy and I chastised Jack for ordering them. They weren’t special except for the piece of pork in the center. Jack liked them drizzled with hot oil. I had ordered ravioli vaporato- steamed dumplings. We didn’t get any dipping sauce and these did not need anything. They were filled with delicately seasoned pork. 

In the name of science, we both ordered soups. Jack – hot and spicy. Me – corn and chicken. Both broths were obviously homemade – no salty canned chicken stock here. Scrumptious. 

The Mai Fun – Spaghetti di riso curry con vedure was perfect.  No stuck together glob of rice noodles- it was fragrant and airy. 

I could go on and on but it is making me hungry. Just suffice it to know that if you are in southern Italy and jonesing for sushi or Chinese food you should head to Marino di Vasto. 

  

Waking up in Milan

by midgeguerrera, posted in Food - Eating In and Out!, Practical Matters - Living Abroad, Stops Along the Journey - Sites Off the Tourist Track

I’m still shaking off the zzzzzzzz’s from our travel day so if i start to sound incoherent toss caffè on me.  The trip from the airport to the center of Milan by cab is €90 – we had too many bags to take the train.  Jack keeps saying we have to leave more stuff in Italy and get down to one carry-on.  I’m sure he is right – but why does he have two giant suitcases and I only have one????  The apartment we rented is not in the heart of the city – we love the neighborhood vibe and lack of tourists.  To get there by train we would have to take the Malpensa Express train (www.malpensaexpress.it) and at Cadorna Station take the red line metro.  Easy, but not with enough luggage to outfit a baseball team.

Our host, Claudia, met us at the apartment – Via Livraghi 1/A. Yes, yes, it was Jack who did the research and found the place on VRBO.com (vacation rentals by owner).  The rent is considerably less  – way less – think less than €100 a day – than we would pay in a hotel and we have a cute one bedroom flat on the 7th floor in a real neighborhood. Of course it has an elevator – who would carry umpteen bags up seven flights?  Not us!  Claudia provided maps and information on Milan, recommendations for restaurants and volunteered to drive us out to Bellagio on Lago Como next Monday.  She is wonderful!!  We are one block from the Metro stop “Villa San Giovanni”.  Our goal today – if I ever stop staring at the views of the city out the windows- is to hop the metro to the center of the city and just reconnoiter.

Last night we followed Claudia’s advice and ate dinner at Mamma Lina di Milano.  Our apartment is really on the corner of Via Livraghi (a private street I might add) and the thoroughfare Via le Monza.  Since all we had to do was cross V.le Monza to get to Mamma Lina and we could barely walk it was a no brainer.  The exterior looks like any urban building but the interior –

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A hidden garden greeted us.  The tables are to the right.

The fare is “tipica Pugliese” from Puglia.  (Check out their website at www.mammalina.it) We both started with an incredibly creamy mozzarella cheese on a bed of rucola.  The description said it was bathed in cream – yummy.  Too tired to think, we both had the same entrée – scallops served in their shells with diced asparagus and an angelically light sauce.  Yes, it was seafood heaven.  A side of steamed but herbed vegetables and we were happy eaters.

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Almost too pretty to eat – but  we did.

What – it is almost noon.  Too late to get a cappuccino and try out the bar on our block.  Rats, I’ll have to start moving earlier tomorrow.  We are off to see the famous Duomo and explore the center of Milan.  I’ll have more to say domani.  Ci vediamo a presto.

Christmas Menu – Franco Perugini’s Savory Porchetta

by midgeguerrera, posted in Any Day in Pontelandolfo, Food - Eating In and Out!

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Perugini Franco Macelleria – A Yummy Place to Shop

Hey Babbo Natale – Listen up La Befana – All I want for Christmas is…..

My God, my God, I kept repeating as I slowly slid more into my mouth.  Every part of my being was tingling with the sensation.  I groaned and stared at the ceiling.  Everyone in the macelleria looked at me like I was crazy, had sprouted a second head and would soon be banished to hell.  Nicla, whispered to her father the butcher,  Lei ha detto, “il mio dio.”

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Franco Perugini – Master of Porchetta

This incredible taste bud experience was literally the best one I had during the frenetic August Festa di San Donato.  San Donato had blessed me by sending me into Perugini Franco Macelleria and introducing  my taste buds to this heavenly porchetta made in Pontelandolfo (BN).   Now, as I think about Christmas dinner, I don’t lust for goose, I don’t lust for beef, I want porchetta!!!!  Oh, you’re wondering, what the heck is porchetta?

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No I Never Bought the Whole One!  I Wish I Did.

It is a boneless loin of pork that has been butterflied – cut in half so it opens like a book – filled with a herb mixture, wrapped in pork belly – skin side out and meat side seasoned- rolled like a log and tied with string.  I think Franco also seasons the outside.  It is roasted at a high heat and the outside gets crispy while the inside is tender and flavorful.  (Most of what I have tasted at festas and in bars is not.) When it is sliced you see ring inside ring of good tastes.

According to Wkipedia –

 Porchetta has been selected by the Italian Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale(“traditional agricultural-alimentary product”, one of a list of traditional Italian foods held to have cultural relevance).

Now that I have tasted the porchetta made by the Perugini family, I can understand why it is honored as a cultural tradition.  Franco tells me that folks buy it from him and he vacuum packs it to take back to America.  Napolitans, who have weekend houses here, buy it to take back to Naples.  Next time I have a party in Pontelandolfo, I intend to buy one, show it to my guests and not share.

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Nicla Perugini proudly follows in her Dad’s footsteps making incredible pork products.

After discovering this family’s porchetta and sausages, I must admit we ate them often.  The porchetta was great reheated in a covered skillet with barely any water covering the bottom.  We also ate it room temperature on wonderful crusty bread.  The sausages – particularly the hot ones – could be found on our table regularly.

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Next time you are in Italy, I challenge you to try the best porchetta anywhere.  Stop by Perugini Franco Macelleria Moderna,  Via Nazionale Sud, Pontelandolfo (BN).  I wish they had a web site and shipped to to the USA.  If they did, I know what we would be having for Christmas Dinner.

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Cozy Entrance Features Produce

Next year before we head back to the states, I’m getting some vacuum packed to go – a lot of it!

Buon Natale and enjoy whatever you decide to make for Christmas dinner!

PS – send a letter to Babbo Natale – http://www.babbo-natale.it