Italy

Italia – Getting Organized

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ziggy

I spent the last couple of days ~~day dreaming~~ categorizing all the Italian posts, filing them in the proper locations. On the left side you can now see the five categories under Italy…

Venice, the lakes, and other parts are not there because I dont have enough blog posts on them (at the moment the count is about 0). Here are all the tips you need on Venice: The greatest museum in the world: Rialto market. The greatest bite post the greatest museum in the world: Antiche Carampane. That is it. Once I come back, I will start writing on Venice and the rest of them.

But I must say, out of the 290 posts published so far since I started this blog, the Italy posts are by far my favorite. Sure its nice to write about my home town, my adapted home town, and even New Orleans once in a while which produced the most viewed post on EWZ (571 shares on Facebook alone). But the Italy posts, while not much in the way of generating traffic for some reason, are the reason why it took me two days to do this. A lot of staring and day dreaming. Italy is the reason I have a hard time getting overly excited about our trip next month to Prague, Salzburg, Vienna. It spoiled me forever

Gattavecchi crew in Montepulciano

Categories: Italy | Tags: Emilia Romagna, florence, food, Italy, Piedmont, Rome, Travel, tuscany | 5 Comments

Top 10 Things We Ate in Emilia Romagna

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Ziggy

Culatello at Antica Corte Pallavicina – When life gives you a pig, you make Culatello. Prosciutto so prized it has a different name. And the best Culatello in the world can be found in this old castle perfectly situated by the foggy Po. After you visit their legendary cellar, ride their bikes, and play hide and seek with their black pigs, you are ready for this “Podium”. Three Culatello aged 18, 27, and a black pig beauty aged 37 months sitting on top like miss universe.

Eggs with Black Truffles at Locanda Mariella – An hour south of Parma in the hamlet of Calestano in the mountains, there’s this foodie paradise. Mariella is at the helm, and will take care of you like no other woman. She knows her wine, and she knows how to make eggs, among many other things. Richness and creaminess levels I have yet to discover out of eggs. And Black Truffles, mightier than some whites we’ve had days before, were the icing on the pan. Quite possibly the best egg dish I ever had.

Tagliata Fassone at Cocchi in Parma. The star of a fine meal at this Parma legend was not surprisingly the all too dependent Fassone. This Piedmontese cattle continues to surprise me with its lean, but sharp flavors. Add some artichokes, aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil and of course Parma cheese and you got yourself a major crowd pleaser. Cocchi, albeit a bit touristy, felt like one of those local institutions one needs to experience, with its ancient menu, and old timers that even speak English. Try the terrific Sformatino as well.

Minestrone Fritters at Hosteria Giusti in Modena– Perhaps the biggest taste/look ratio of the trip as those fritters didn’t look very hot, but after tasting them they looked rather perfect. They add to Minestrone soup that is thickened overnight, Parma cheese, flour, egg, and deep fry a spoonful at a time. Sprinkle some of their own ultra aged “Traditional” balsamic vinegar and the result is outstanding. Mario Batali’s favorite restaurant in Italy delivered quite a few punches that afternoon.

Salumi at Salumeria Garibaldi in Parma – At this busy Salumeria in Parma, grab one of the two little tables on the right, and watch the locals do their thing. Try the prosciutto of course, the wonderful Felino dubbed “King of Salami”, and the Strolghino, a fresh thin Salami made out of the lean leg of the pig and the “prosciutto” of Culatello, among other leftovers. They dont throw out anything in Italy

Burrata with Bottarga at Sale Grosso in Bologna – Yes, there’s also great seafood in Italy’s food capital. Hidden in a quiet alley near the university, this newish joint dishes out quality Puglia inspired Seafood day after day. And some dishes fairly unique, like this Bottarga, sticks of salted dried tuna roe, coupled with creamy Burrata that was oozing with deliciousness.

Tortellini in Brodo at All’Osteria Bottega in Bologna. “I live here all my life, and this is best in Bologna” our trusted waitress warned us. Who are we to argue. After sampling Tortellini in Brodo on a daily basis in the region, we saved the best for last turned out. Done the traditional way, but with an added oomph, or “Love” according to the happy owner. While I haven’t written a post about All’Osteria Bottega, I highly recommend spending an evening there.

Picture taken elsewhere, but they all look about the same

Pork Ribs at Vicolo Colombina in Bologna – Another no brainer here. Ribs are slow cooked for 40 hours Sous Vide style (I used my regular “I cant wait that long, we have a flight tomorrow” joke. Didn’t work too well here). Great texture, not too fatty, crispy where needed but mostly tender, wonderfully juicy, flavorful meat. Here in NYC we pay a lot more for similar and less successful dishes than the 15 euros we shelled out for this. This particular dish was a recommendation by Carmelita Caruana who runs a popular local cooking school http://www.cookitaly.com/

Piada at Trattoria Via Serra in Bologna – There were quite a few memorable items from this Slow Food gem, including the outstanding organic house red. But this dish stood out for several reasons. Piada or Piadina is a flatbread typically made with lard, a delicious traditional snack normally associated with the coastal Romagna towns. Here it was a Sunday special served with fresh eye popping Squacquerone cheese from the nearby Castel San Pietro, and prosciutto. There was something about enjoying this fun snack on a lazy Sunday afternoon with local families at that moment that its hard to put into words.

Parmigiano Reggiano at CiaoLatte in Noceto – Best 10 euros I spent in the region was at this dairy producer near Parma. You get a tour with Serena who speaks English, almost unheard of in the Parma dairy producer universe. She will guide you through the entire process if you show up early enough, and let you spend some quality time your camera in the ageing room. And the tasting of the various aged Parmigiano Reggiano will make you go straight to Eataly when you get home.

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: All'Osteria Bottega Bologna, Best food in Emilia Romagna, Cocchi Parma, Emilia Romagna, food, Hosteria Giusti, Locanda Mariella, Sale Grosso Bologna, Salumeria Garibaldi, Trattoria Via Serra Bologna, Travel, Vicolo Colombina Bologna | 6 Comments

Hosteria Giusti – A Hidden Legend in Modena

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Ziggy

Its taken me over three months to write about our food adventures in Piedmont and Emilia Romagna over the fall. And I can easily write for another month or so as it was that kind of a trip. But I think its time to wrap this up, and I cant think of a better way than with one of Italy’s true icons, considered by many one of Italy’s greatest. I will also have a post about our top dishes in the region later this week.

Giusti is a Salumeria in the center of Modena, not too far from one of the most celebrated Duomos in the country, and not too far from another famous church, Osteria Francescana, considered one of the best restaurants in the world. But when you arrive at this Salumeria Monday-Friday between 11-5, you notice a peculiar thing, its closed. That’s because they are busy making all sorts of magic in the back, to those lucky enough to snag one of the 4 tables that one needs to reserve weeks, sometimes months in advance.

Hosteria Giusti also happens to be Mario Batali’s favorite restaurant in Italy. Baltali’s dad was a close friend with the late Adriano Morandi who opened the Hosteria in 1989. The shop itself however is over 400 years old. 400 years! I’m no historian, but this sounds like pre-texting to me. Most folks come to Modena with their little Trip Advisor rankings miss out on this jewel.

To get to Giusti, you don’t got to through the store, but to this quiet back alley off Via Emilia. Walk until you reach a gate where you wait for someone to show up to hear the secret password.. “Ummmm Jewsty?” Bamm! You are in. Cecilia, Adriano’s daughter served us and spoke better English than some of my relatives living in NYC. I was suffering from a cold (I only get sick on vacations, becoming quite comical), and this was the worst day. But taste buds were intact, though no wine for me, homemade Lambrusco for her which she enjoyed.

We started with some Gnoccho frito salumi. Every town off Via Emilia makes these little buns differently it seems with different sizes, degree of puffiness and different names. Here are the large puffy ones that pop on the first bite into this nice marriage with the various salumi sitting on top. The lardo in particular was of the rich, buttery, high quality variety.

Minestrone Fritters – Perhaps the most interesting thing we ate here. They take a Minestrone soup that thickened overnight, mix in Parma cheese, flour, egg, and deep fry a spoonful worth and voila.. but wait… there’s more… sprinkle some of their own ultra aged Traditional balsamic vinegar and Voila! I now know what “Traditional” means after visiting a Balsamic producer in the area earlier that day. Those fritters don’t look very exciting, but carry a lot of punch

More excellence followed with the Maccheroni with Zampone (stuffed pig’s trotter, a Modena specialty) sauce. Tagliatelle with veal ragu was even better. More of that scrumptious, robust ragu we’ve come to expect throughout the trip, and this was perhaps the best one

Cecilia recognizing my pain when I was choosing our lone secondi to share and offered half portions. Another exceptional veal cheek that we just couldn’t get enough on this trip. This one, no frills, smothered with its own juices, just melt in your fork deliciousness. And I had to try the Cotechino, another Modena specialty served normally during Christmas time. It comes coated with a rich, sweet Zabaione sauce made with Lambrusco. Cotechino is a very tender slow boiled fresh sausage made with pork meat, skin, plenty of fat and is very nicely spiced. And together with the Zabaione you got some very nice contrasting flavors. Marry Christmas to us. Sorry, no picture for this one.

Overall, an extremely memorable, top 10 of the year meal. Hosteria Giusti and Modena is another strong reason to stay an extra day in Bologna.

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Best dining in Emilia Romagna, Emilia Romagna, food, Hosteria Giusti, Italy, Modena, restaurants, Travel | 4 Comments

10 Best Things We Ate in Piedmont

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Ziggy

When you research food in Piedmont, its usually a matter of minutes until you see “Most Underrated” mentioned by some food writer. Its almost cliché. Many believe that the Langhe region, especially the 20 mile radius around Alba has some of the best concentration of great dining in the country. And now that I finally got a good taste of what this region has to offer, me and my chocolates are jumping on the bandwagon to Serralunga. Here are some of the best bites we had from a recent trip…

Fusilli with pork shoulder at Agriturismo il Cucchiaio di Legno. Lake Orta’s lone Slow Food hidden gem produced a feast to remember. While its nearly impossible to pick one dish from this 10 courser, the Fusilli is etched in my mind perhaps more than anything else. The title explains the dish almost in its entirely. Light on ingredients, but big on flavor. Young master Luigi learned from the best.. Mother!

White Truffles at La Bottega del Vicoletto – We came, we conquered. We came for White Truffles during Truffle season, and we took full advantage eating them for lunch and dinner every day and even bought one that we named Raffi. What we quickly realized was that not only every place served them differently, but quality varied. Some shave them in the kitchen, some do it table side, and some leave the truffles in the middle of the room. But my favorite way to enjoy truffles was in places like Vicoletto in Alba where they weigh them first, leave the truffles on the table, and weigh them after the meal to figure out how much you ate. Since truffles are mostly about that magical scent, you are enjoying them for the duration of your meal while they just sit there looking pretty.

The family behind La Bottega del Vicoletto used to own a Michelin Starred restaurant in the same location, until they closed it. Now they are back opening a deli with a small room in the back serving all the classics like Agnolotti del Plin (very good), Tajarin, Beef Cheeks, and some of the best white truffles we had on this trip

Chocolate at Alba Saturday Market – Saturday is market day in Nutella land (as in many cities in Italy). You will find stands scattered all over town selling everything from curtains, toys and truffles during truffle season. But the biggest action is in the huge parking area in the northern part of the town (Find on Google Maps: Locanda Dell’oca, Catiza, or Rainbow Board Shop, and go to that area). One particular stand was selling chocolates that will make you regret not buying more. Nice selection of outstanding hazelnut chocolates… so good, and so satisfying when craving strikes. In the picture below its mostly the stuff in the lower left

Tajarin with Sausage Ragu at La Torre in Cherasco – Let me start by saying we had this dish next to another Tajarin dish filled with 10 grams of white truffles that cost 3x more. That’s how good this Tajarin was. Bra Sausage which is a mixture of Veal (mostly) and Pork is at the helm of this Piedmont classic, and the result is rich and explosive. Like Mardi Gras in your mouth.

Carne Cruda at Il Centro in Priocca – Picking one dish from the meal of the year is like asking Evander Holyfield to pick his favorite illegitimate kid. Raw beef, expertly cut by hand, helped by a generous shaving of white truffles. A pure joy with every morsel. Just don’t you dare call it Steak Tartare.

Anchovies and Tuna at Ca del Re in Verduno – This all female crew is making all sorts of magic in the restaurant of Castello di Verduno winery. Anchovies covered by the best tuna salad you will ever have, consisting of tuna, hazelnuts and olive oil. Surprising big flavors from this little Slow Food hidden gem.

Grissini at Fratelli Cravero – When in Piedmont, you eat Grissini. Everywhere! You show up at any restaurant and there they are, waiting for you on the table like a bouquet of roses. But the best way to have them is in the center of Barolo, while watching the Cravellos make them in the only family owned bakery in the area. Meeting energetic Daniella is worth the price of admission alone (which is zero btw – its just an expression). And if you are a good boy, she will even let you smell her truffles

Courtesy of Cravero website

Onion at Trattoria La Coccinella – In a meal such as this, that featured a truffle delight one after another, one particular onion stood out. The onion is baked with salt then filled with chicken liver, baked some more, sprinkled by some more salt, and the result is heavenly. Even onion hater Mrs Z was all over this one

Baci di Cherasco in Cherasco – Cherasco is a town known for two things dear to my heart (perhaps because I dont get enough of them).. snails and kisses. Snails, you can get all over town in every way shape or form (I like the Parisian style), but its those little kisses (“Baci”), that made me weep during a recent foreign movie. I finally finished all the Baci I bought at Ravera. Ravera is one of two shops (that I know) selling these crazy delicious chocolates in the compact center. The other one is the famous Barbero a few steps away, who only been selling these kisses since 1881.

Braised Beef Cheeks Everywhere – Cheating or brilliant pick. I vote the latter. More often than not in Italy and NYC restaurants, Primis outshine the Secondis, and on occasion we skip secondis altogether. In North Italy however, we find a much better balance between courses partly due to the exceptional meats, game and seafood (e.g. Venice). In Piedmont you got the double threat; arguably the best cattle and the best wine in the country. Beef or Veal cheek (Guanciale) braised in Barolo, or even cheaper Nebbiolo can be found just about everywhere. And once you taste one you will want to order it again and again.

Categories: Italy, Piedmont | Tags: Agriturismo il Cucchiaio di Legno, Baci di Cherasco, Best food in Piedmont, Ca del Re in Verduno, food, Fratelli Cravero, Il Centro in Priocca, La Bottega del Vicoletto, La Coccinella, La Torre in Cherasco, Piedmont, Travel | 1 Comment

Emilia Romagna – The Producers!

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Ziggy

Suppose you are really into Hummus. You eat it almost daily, you feed it to your family every other day, and you live in an area that is known for it. Hummusville, Kentucky, the birthplace of Hummus! Many moons ago it was established that the 30 mile radius that surrounds Hummusville, Kentucky has the perfect terroir for growing the most perfect organic Chickpeas. And some time later, the formula for Hummus was created, only to be challenged by less than perfect Hummus from imitators all over the world.

Fearing sudden danger from those pesky imitators, and a slip in quality from some producers who opted for second grade ingredients in order to increase their margins (a scandal dubbed Tehini-Gate), a Hummus Consortium was established to protect the integrity of its product. A Hummus Czar was appointed, and Hummus cops are dispatched daily to inspect the producer’s daily production. They inject a special strip made by HumTech that determines the quality of the product. The items that pass make it to the market as “Hummus”. Those that fail make it as well, but labeled “Sabra Hummus” as a more affordable item that should be eaten immediately.

You get the idea, right? Because if not I can go on and on and talk about the Annual Hummus Festival that includes the famous Hummus donkey race, the tossing of the chickpea game, and the famous Hummus Bucket Challenge.

Such is the food culture in Italy, and especially in Emilia Romagna. I visited Eataly in NYC the other day and I saw this “Felino Salami – Made in Utah” Is there Felino in Utah? I asked the girl. Because as far as I know Felino is a small town south of Parma, famous for its Felino Salami, dubbed King of Salami in Italy and US. How can it be made in Utah. “Its just the style” she says. Hmm, “Parmesan” is a style as well. EU Courts have been banging heads for years trying to determine whether “Parmesan” is a generic name that can be sold in other countries. I’m no expert but “Felino” resembles “Felino” name more than “Parmesan” resembling “Parmigiano Reggiano”

Emilia Romagna is the home to the famous Prosciutto di Parma, Aceto Balsamico di Modena (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena), and Parmigiano Reggiano, king of cheese. If these items dont excite you than most likely your home country did a masterful job selling you poor imitations. All three are protected by governing bodies that protect the authenticity and integrity of their products. The point of this post is to highlight some of the area producers that accept English speaking visitors. If you dont have a car there are tours you can take from Bologna, Modena, and Parma, some of which will take you to all three in one day. But I recommend renting a car in order to do it at your own pace, visit some castles, and eat something delicious while doing so. The challenge is to find producers that Speak English…

Prosciutto

I dont have Prosciutto producer recommendations (Bravo Ziggy, what a start). Instead I got something similar but much more prized. The creme de la creme of cured hams, the Culatello di Zibello. Prosciutto so good it has a different name. And the place most known for it is Antica Corte Pallavicina which I already discussed in full length. A visit to this old Castle/farm and its world famous Culatello cellar, preferably over night, will leave a lasting memory and a plethora of wet dreams.

http://www.acpallavicina.com/

But if you rather visit another producer, you can contact the consortium. I’m aware of one member that is open for English speaking visitors and that is Terre Ducali which you may contact at export@terreducali.it

Parmigiano Reggiano

CiaoLatte is a small family producer located between Parma and Fidenza. For 10 euros per person, you get a private (unless other show up) tour with young Serena who speaks English well and is a wealth of information. But you will need to be there early (8 am if I recall) in order to see the entire process that lasts about two hours. Well, not the whole process. For that you will need to spend the night in their Agriturismo and help milk the cows early in the morning. The farm is very popular with local schools, mainly due to efforts of Serena’s mom who is quite a character (she turned into Liza Minnelli as soon as we mentioned NYC). Also included is a tasting of various aged Parmigiano, jams and other homemade goodies. Well worth a visit

http://www.ciaolatte.it/chisiamoi.htm

ciaolatte@libero.it

Balsamic Vinegar

Forget everything you know about Balsamic Vinegar. Unless you already know what you are supposed to know. Know what I mean? Out of the three amigos (Parma cheese, ham and balsamic), this one may completely change your buying habits, and the way you use Balsamic. Ice cream anyone? Don’t leave Villa San Donnino, just outside Modena without having some ice cream with Traditional 18 year aged Balsamic Vinegar. “Traditional” has an entirely different meaning in the Balsamic Vinegar universe. You will learn all about Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, its much younger, hence more affordable cousins, and the eye opening process. An absolute must. Free of charge. After that, a power lunch at the legendary Hosteria Giusti in Modena is in order.

http://www.villasandonnino.it/index.html

Buon Appetito my friends!

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Antica Corte Pallavicina, CiaoLatte, Emilia Romagna, Emilia Romagna Food Producers, food, Travel, Villa San Donnino | 1 Comment

Lazy Post – Random Bologna

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Ziggy

I haven’t posted a lazy post in a while in case you didnt notice. Reason for this particular one is threefold.

1) Hockey addiction is back in full force

2) Busy at work after my dependable intern decided to suddenly quit

3) Lazy

Here are more from our recent visit to Bologna

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Bologna, Italy, Travel, travel+photography | 2 Comments

Meal of the Year 2014 – Il Centro in Priocca

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Ziggy

A more recent visit

Top NYC dishes of 2014 are coming up next, but first I have to tell you all about the meal of the year and quite possibly the best meal we ever had.

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about… Its well past 3 pm and we’ve been seating there for three hours, alone now in the back room. We are starting to feel a bit agitated that we havent received our bill, and we still have yet to get a tour of the magnificent cellar. Mrs Ziggy is now playing Candy Crush!! When Mrs Ziggy starts to play Candy Crush on her phone it means things are not going very well, unless she finally beats that crazy difficult level that makes her forget sometimes she has children. This kind of inconvenience would normally put a big damper on roughly 99% of our meals, but not even a dent in this one. 30 minutes before Candy Crush I was telling young Giampiero (the son) about how much fun we were having and that we did not mind sitting there for such a long time (we really didnt at the time). He either took my comment a bit too seriously or more likely rightfully shifted his attention to other patrons. That same attention we were so greatly enjoying the previous 3 hours.

I hope any of the Corderos reading this will only see the previous paragraph as the compliment it was intended and nothing more. Over 10 courses of absolute delight, with each dish and each item on each plate showing brilliance we have yet to witness anywhere. I vividly remember the lone caramelized fig sitting in the corner of the Veal Cheek dish, like the little shy girl that no one wants to dance with. That unassuming little thing carried surprising intense flavors, wow moment #8 or so. The same kind of attention to detail and top notch raw materials followed throughout without any hiccups whatsoever. A rare (for us) perfect blend of Slow Food and Michelin (1 star). We are very fortunate to visit places that lean one way or another, but very rarely, perhaps never, we’ve witness this kind of marriage

The room was well lit and simplistic. Not a whole lot decor wise. An American couple somehow stole our reservations but they still managed to accommodate us and seat us directly facing that couple. So we were able to give them the stink eye! The best way to experience Il Centro fully is for one to go for the tasting menu while the other A la carte. The tasting menu is basically 3 starters, and one primi, secondi, dolce that you choose from the menu. On to the food…

While I had plenty of steak tartars in my life, this was my first ever Carne Cruda – a Piedmontese specialty of chopped beef, not as finely minced as tartare. Helped by a shaving of White Truffles (26 euros fixed price) this was a top dish of the trip nominee, and led the way to more Carne Crudas to come. For those brainwashed and scared of raw meat, Carne Cruda is perhaps the best way of self hypnosis.

Porcini in a Parmigiano cup was another big winner. The delicate perfectly cooked Porcini went very well with the flavors and crunch of the cheese. It was like eating Porcini for the very first time. The attractive Pepper plate stuffed with tuna a bit overshadowed by the other two but would have easily been a hit anywhere else. Faraona (Guineafowl) was simple yet quite exquisite. The best compliment I can give to any dish is that it changed the way we order in other restaurants. Like the Carne Cruda, this Faraona led to three more during the trip

Tajarin with ragu was rich and pleasant. Not as explosive as La Torre in Cherasco but still quite good. Ravioli stuffed with beef and topped with sausage and chicken liver ragu was even better. The liver especially elevated this dish to another level. Another wow moment came with the veal cheek caramelized with figs. Sweet, deep lasting flavors, and as tender as veal can get. And the aforementioned little fig in the corner was an eye opener. Codone beef (top), essentially a hazelnut loving local breed accompanied by a fragrant fruity salad was another revelation. The secret to happiness is happy cows

The best thing I can say about the hazelnut dessert trio on top of the menu is nothing, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise to those who will experience this. It’s like telling you the ending of Breaking Bad. A must get, along with the gelato

We drank a 2010 Cascina Val Del Prete Nebbiolo d’Alba, a winery based locally in Priocca. One of the best wines we drank the entire trip which was filled with great Barbarescos and Barolos

A visit to the magnificent cellar was the perfect finish to a most memorable meal. Bravissima!

Church around the corner

Categories: Italy, Piedmont | Tags: Best restaurants in Piedmont, food, Il Centro Piedmont, Il Centro Priocca, Piedmont Dining, restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Torrechiara Castle near Parma

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Ziggy

Since this is a food blog, a fitting subtitle for this post can be Locanda Mariella part II. Just in case anyone needed more convincing to schlep an hour south of Parma to the Apennine mountains. This castle, perhaps a dairy producer (Ciaolatte) and the castle of Felino can be combined with lunch at Mariella for a nice day trip. The area between the Po and the mountains surrounding Parma is in fact flooded with well preserved castles. But none of them is as intact and as remarkable as Torrechiara. The castle was built by Pier Maria Rossi, count of San Secondo, in the 15 century mainly for his mistress Bianca Pellegrini. Ok, lets pause for a second to examine this further. The count was married to Antonia Torelli, a noble woman, daughter of Count of Guastalla. He had an affair with another woman which as I understand was quite common at the time, fine. But building his mistress the greatest of all castles, and decorating each room with magnificent frescoes including that of her (Blue ceiling below)?. The dude had power! I had to ask permission to throw out the garbage this evening.

The castle is perched on a hill and offers sweeping valley views. A hill whose height I overestimated a bit as I drove way past it until we found the castle again and coincidentally one of the best kodak moments ever in Italy (top shot). It was all by design, I told Mrs Ziggy. Once inside the castle the main draw is all the various theme frescoes decorating each room. Some of the most important rooms are Camera d’Oro (golden chamber) the tribute to Bianca Pellegrini, and Salone dei Acrobati showcasing, you guessed it, naked acrobats.

Courtesy of wikipedia

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Parma Castles, Torrechiara Castle, Travel, travel+photography | 1 Comment

Trattoria di Via Serra {Bologna}

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Ziggy

It pains me to post only 5 pictures in this one. In a span of 10 days we had about 10 exceptional meals, including 5 meals that I can only describe as epic. Each epic meal was like a story. A story filled with interesting characters, intrigue, wine, passion, surprises, wrong turns, betrayal, tears, tears of joy and a lot of time. An epic meal requires extra time, preferably on a Sunday, and preferably as far from the center as possible. Bologna, arguably the greatest food city in Italy produced one of those on a little street behind the train station called Via Serra.

For the family sitting next to us, it was just another regular Sunday afternoon meal at one of their favorite neighborhood spots. For us however, the only tourists in the house, it was anything but. “Only tourists” unless you count our new friends from Turin who we stumbled upon again after meeting them the night before at All’Osteria Bottega, another Bologna gem. As far as I’m concerned, friendships start when someone offers me food. And as I reached for a scoop of the neighbors homemade Gnocchi with pumpkin cream sauce, much to the horror of the other family, I thought to myself, that could have been dish #6. I had room, damn it.

Via Serra is as “Slow Food” as it gets. The duo of Flavio and Tommaso have sort of a history together that reached peak levels with a successful spot down in the mountains, Osteria del Sole in Zocca. Tommaso, like so many other Slow Food cooks (they don’t like to be called chefs I learned over the years), has no formal culinary training. He was working in a dairy equipment manufacturer before he decided to change careers and showcase what he learned from dad. In fact right after our lunch they closed for a week to visit their families and the various producers in their respected areas. “Continued Education” as we call it in the states. Tommy traveled to Campobasso to scout butchers for a traditional Sunday Molise ragu (liver sausage, cotechino, sausage, ribs and minced shoulder in a tomatoes sauce). We came on the wrong Sunday it seems, but very far from a bad one

During this trip we drank all sorts of great wine, some more memorable than others. But none had the same affect as the house red here. Perhaps the best house red we ever had. On the board it just says “Rosso Bologna”, a 60% Barbera, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Flavio explained that its a local producer, completely organic called Maria Bortolotti. The aromas that came out of this one are those that you smell when you go to sleep the same night. Or is it just me and I should probably talk to a food/wine psychiatrist about that. Robustness in a very good way (unlike the Barbaresco at the Commune in Neive). Quite full bodied, nicely balanced with big tannins for a house wine.

Here you need to pay attention to the daily specials. We started with a fantastic Pate di Fegatini. Sweet, creamy, buttery goodness. Pate freak Mrs Ziggy was in liver heaven. Piada was a lot of fun. Not quite as thin as a traditional Piadina and without much of the lard but quite delicious. Its served with prosciutto and fresh soft Squacquerone cheese from the nearby Castel San Pietro. A fun traditional snack normally associated with the Romagna towns to the east.

The Primis we picked from the regular menu. Traditional Tagliatelle with ragu – it never ceases to amaze me how much flavor they exude from so little meat. Six fat Tortelloni with butter and sage, of the explosive, sinfully good kind. Outstanding Faraona arrosto, filled with stuffing made of bread, egg, cheese, and more Faraona. Best Faraona (guinea fowl) of the trip, but also quite different. Mrs Z is a little more fond of the Faraona overall, but I’m game! (Get it? I’m game!). Coffee gelato and homemade Nocioni was the perfect finish to one of those meals.

Via Serra is on Via Serra, 5-10 minutes past the train station. From the outside it looks like one of those hip London spots, because it was sort of was. It used to belong to the hotel next door that opened a posh spot that didn’t quite fit the neighborhood very well. Inside however, Via Serra couldn’t be more different than the previous tenant, starting with the philosophy. Those guys pay zero attention to how your plate looks and around 100% to the ingredients that goes on it. And Flavio in true Slow Food style will talk about those ingredients like new parents talk about their babies. Except in this case you pay attention, and enjoy.

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Best Restaurants in Bologna, Bologna, Bologna slow Food, food, restaurants, Trattoria di Via Serra Bologna, Travel | Leave a comment

24 Hours in Lake Orta

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Ziggy

In this food filled itinerary, the lake I like to call Lago d’Orta was not part of it initially. But guess what Mrs Z found out when she first Googled Piedmont and looked at the first images that came up. Text conversation:

Mrs Z: hey r we going to lake orta

Me: Neh!

Mrz Z: really?

Me: Thanks for ruining the surprise. Of course we r

As they say “Happy Wife, Happy Ziggy”

We enjoyed a full day after landing at MXP around 9 am with the lake only 45 minutes away. Picking up the car from Hertz was a breeze, waiting for the GPS to find a signal was not. How the Software Developer inner Ziggy did not think about restarting the unit is something only the Bill Gates gods can figure out. Either way, Google maps to the rescue. The car this time by the way was rather filthy. And I dont mean in a cool slang sort of way. We got a dirty car. One of those Fiats that turns off at traffic lights and requires sweet talk to move up a hill. But we made it in no time, and what we witnessed was something way better than what any of these images (and Google’s) capture

But there was another surprising aspect that contributed to this little one nighter even more than the lake itself. Food! As in the fairly new Agriturismo il Cucchiaio di Legno where we also spent the night. The Agriturismo is not on the lake so no lake views, although the lake is a short 5 minute drive. I imagined that once I pass by the lake side hotels of Orta San Giulio I would have hotel envy, but that did not materialize. I was very happy with this choice and can not recommend it highly enough. And if you are staying elsewhere and enjoy good food you should at the very least make it for dinner. Sure you can have a nice meal at the 2 Michelim Villa Crespi or at Locanda di Orta which just got a star a few weeks ago, but for something more “homey” and casual it doesnt get much better than this Cucchiaio.

My type of menu here. the absent kind. You eat what they prepare that day, and boy did they prepare plenty. We indulged in a fine plate of Salumi, delectable little salmon bites, and an only in Piedmont shocking Syrian soup. Then came the “Welcome to Italy” green Risotto, and a homemade Fusilli with pork shoulder that served as another reminder that big flavors can come out from these unassuming simple dishes. A juicier than juice hen with potatoes, and an even juicier veal cheek sealed the deal before we heard those magic words we’ve never heard in a restaurant before. “Would you like some more” A 10 course feast for a mere 25 Euros. Considering how delicious everything was, it was like a bank robbery. We reminisced about a meal in Coimbra, Portugal as perhaps the only one that beat this value.

They also provided a very nice picnic basket for us for lunch that we used on the picnic tables of the Sacred Mount of Orta overlooking the lake. Just the two sandwiches in there worth the 10 € per person tag, but there was so much more. The hotel room was very spacious and modern, with a loft in case we have guests (you never know) or Mrs Ziggy gets mad at me for packing only shoes with holes (like I’m supposed to inspect carefully before packing). You also get a nice patio facing the back yard. The whole place is so serene during the day you can hear a lung collapse. I was surprised to see it run by 3 young girls, and the cook responsible for that wonderful feast, Luigi, is 28 years old. There must be a law that all young chefs in the lakes region must be called Luigi (ie Luigi of Salice Blu in Bellagio) and when they reach puberty they need to change names. Makes no sense if you ask me.

What else did we do besides eat and inspect shoes. We Spent some time in the Sacred Mount. Quite a stunning setting overlooking the lake, surrounded by it pretty much. Its a series of chapels depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, from chasing goats as a child, to chasing goats as an adult. I like goats as well but in a different way. He apparently loved animals according to my friend. The place was nearly empty, and extremely quiet. If someone plays Doodle Jump down in Orta San Giulio you would hear the doodling. The lake views from here is what you mostly see on Google images. There are picnic tables by the parking lot, and I cant imagine a better setting for a picnic.

The town itself Orta San Giulio was so much more pleasant than I thought, that we didn’t feel like taking a boat to the island and instead just wandered all over town. We spent more time than Mrs Z liked in one particular deli with a chatty French owner where we sampled some salami and over 25 year old balsamic vinegar before we bought “Rafi”, the little truffle we carried with us the rest of the trip. Rafi was a good sport, vacuumed wrapped in rice and all. Update: Rafi is dead. Unless the guy made a switcheroo on us at the last minute, the truffle just did not have it by the time I used it a week later. The much anticipated dinner with our truffle at home turned out to be a simple Linguini with butter.

In short, Lake Orta is another gem that most Americans never heard of. And on this day at least I was happy that that was the case