Off to France!

I am off to Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley.  Like Italy, it is a working vacation and while I am very excited about the food, it is really all about the wine.  I will be in France from June 1st until June 10th.  Driving through Bordeaux has been a dream of mine for a long time now and I am thrilled to embark on this journey of terrior and understanding.  The Rhone valley is so close it just makes sense to combine the two regions and besides, I have never been to Provence. 

Cucina della Terra and Dinner at Julio's

One of the well known secrets of the Italian foodies is that truck stops in Italy often have the best food.  I had learned this by watching Lydia's Table on PBS and hoped I would get an opportunity to eat at one of these humble truck stops and experience the great food that tourists rarely find.  Little did I know that my visit to Cucina della Terra, a small cooking school in Castiglione del Lago, Umbria, would yield such an experience.

One of my co-workers, Gerri Sarnataro, owns Cucina della Terra.  Gerri is a pastry chef and teaches the Professional Pastry Program at I.C.E. as well as offering many of her specialty classes in Italian cuisine through the recreational division of I.C.E.  Gerri and her partner Jack happen to be in Umbria at the same time as I am, so we agree to meet up at the school so she can show me around and give me a tour of the village of Castiglione del Lago.  Afterward, we planned to have dinner together before I had to return to Siena. 

When I arrive at Cucina della Terra I am ushered into an amazing teaching kitchen.  It is long and rectangle with beautiful ovens and stoves lining the back wall and wrapping around one corner.  There are 3 long stainless steel tables through the center and the counters are marble topped.  Off the kitchen there is another room for dish washing and refrigeration.  The entire wall opposite the stoves is glass windows and doors that open up the space even more to a grape vine covered pergola.  There is also an outdoor grill and wood burning oven where grilling classes take place and dining al fresco in the summer.  Finally, there is a long trestle table in the kitchen, especially made for the school, so that Gerri and all of her students can sit down together and eat and enjoy the results of their labor.  As a chef instructor I recognize all of Gerri's hard work, passion, love and effort that went into creating this amazing space.  Of course, I should mention that her partner Jack is also pretty amazing and deserves a lot of credit for helping Gerri realize this wonderful dream and bring it into reality.  You can find Gerri's cooking school at www.cucinadellaterra.com. 

After the tour of the school, they took me into town where all of the shops had re-opened after the mid-day closure.  Ok, so when I say that everyone in the village knows Gerri and Jack, I am not kidding.  Everywhere we went the villagers were excited to welcome them back and greet them with kisses.  They introduced me around and told me who had the best wild boar sausage and who sold the best olive oil and who grows the tastiest beans or sells the freshest eggs.  I was offered many samples and had to sadly refuse wine where there was no spitoon as I still had about an hours drive back to Siena that night.  Castiglione del Lago, which sits on Lake Trasimeno, is a small hill town village or commune as they are called.  And when I return someday, all I need to do is tell the villagers I am a friend of Geraldina and Jack's and I know I will be treated like family.

After our visit to the village we decide it is time for dinner, only one problem, it is only 6pm.  In Italy most restaurants do not re-open for dinner until 7pm.  So early supper is a challenge.  Gerri and Jack decide to drive me around and show me the surrounding area.  We drove towards Cortona, which is very close by, and I told them about La Bucaccia, which we considered, but Jack had is heart set on something else.......the truck stop restaurant!  I vote for the truck stop as we drive around killing 30 minutes until it opens. 

Next entry I will tell you all about dinner at Julio's.

Ahhhh, Cortona.......

Cortona is a small hill town.  Now, I know that all of the Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns are small, but Cortona is really little. It sits on the top of a hill like jewelry adorning the landscape. For that matter it sparkles at night with the lights visible from miles away in Castiglione del Lago, which is to the south in Umbria. Cortona, however, is in Tuscany and part of the Arezzo sub-region. It is one of the few D.O.C.'s that allow producers to make wine using 100% French grapes. And it is the syrah (French for shiraz) that thrives and grows so well here. I especially love a wine called Bramasole by Antinori's La Braccesca label ($55). I'll never forget the first time I tasted it. I was teaching a Tuscan wine class at I.C.E. and it was not the wine I ordered. I had ordered a less expensive label (around $20) from the same producer. Yet my beverage manager, and dear friend Mark, sent me this wine and I never found out why. Was the other label was out of stock or was there was just a misunderstanding about the order? All I know is that I was supposed to taste this wine and the mix up was a blessing, indeed. Who knew the Italians could grow and produce syrah as well as the French or the Australians?

So, as I am flying to Rome the passenger sitting next asks me questions about my trip. His name is Max, he's Italian, a physicist and has lived in the USA for 20 years, currently in Connecticut. Rome is where he is from, so he was visiting family on his way to advise on nuclear energy somewhere in Eastern Europe. Anyway, when he heard me mention Cortona he said I had to go to a specific restaurant called La Bucaccia (Via Ghibeluna 17, Cortona 52044). He told me he knew the owner and that it was a special place I would love. I stored the info in my handy leased blackberry and when I got to Cortona, I went in search of Max's recommendation. I found it quite easily as I climbed up the street toward the centro. The owner or manager, I still am not sure, welcomed me into the little stone walled, timber beamed, old world comfort zone known as La Bucaccia. There was only one other couple in the restaurant when I arrived and the expressions on their faces told me that they felt lucky to be there, as if just anticipating the meal was part of the fun. I didn't want to eat too much at lunch because I had to drive on to Siena that afternoon and I could only have one glass of wine, but I wanted to sample several of my favorites from the menu. The Bramasole was on the wine list (42 euros) but, alas, I had no one to share it with.  I ordered the chicken liver crostini which came in a little pot placed over a candle to keep it warm. and bread to spread it on. Wow! It was amazing and because the livers had been cooked in wine they were especially rich and comforting. I succumbed to a glass of the locally grown and produced Sangiovese, the predominate Tuscan grape.  It was the wine he had opened that day and not yesterday. Being really picky, I won't drink wine opened yesterday. My next course was a panzanella salad with fresh tomatoes, herbs, red onion, celery and bread crumbs tossed in a vinaigrette, then molded into a tall cylinder on the center of the plate. It was heaven, refreshing and fragrant with tomatoes and basil. It's presentation was as elegant as the livers were rustic. I asked for some fresh black pepper for the panzanella and the wife of the owner/manager who was the server did not want to give me any. She said it would ruin it because of the contrast with the gentle flavor of the olive oil. Having told her that I like the contrast, she agreed to give me a single turn of the mill and I must admit that the pepper only made a great salad perfect. Finally, I had a side of Tuscan beans cooked with rosemary.  They were neither al dente nor mushy. Served in a rustic clay pot, the beans solidified the La Bucaccia comfort zone experience. The wine paired with every dish even the salad, I took a picture of the label, but it is lost in the sea of photos taken so far. It was 100% Sangiovese grown locally in the Cortona D.O.C. in 2007.

As a town Cortona has a lovely duomo, specialty food shops with wild boar sausages and cured hams. There were many wine shops, of course. My mistake was not buying any wine while I was there. There were impressive quantities of half bottles. I should have picked one up as I have not come across any since. I have resisted buying wine because you cannot travel with it any more as a carry-on. And it is too heavy to check. Someday though, I will return to Cortona and La Bucaccia for a Tuscan comfort food fix.

Haute Deli, Roman Style

Rome is a Mecca of delis. They are as ubiquitous as pastry shops in Paris. I must say that this suits me well and I found the quality to be consistently good. However, there is one deli that stands out among the rest. It is Volpetti, located only a few blocks away from the Piramide Metro stop which is 2 stops past Colosseo. The address is 47 Via Marmorata and their web-site is www.volpetti.com. They are open from 8am to 2pm and then from 5pm to 8:15pm. When I got there I was early and they had not re-opened so I wandered down the street and got a scoop of pistachio gelato.....creamy pistachio goodness in a cone......yummy.  By the time I had finished, Volpetti was open and busy. When you walk in you are greeted by a handsome dark foccacia man.  He cuts, weighs and wraps your focaccia, pizza or bread. The focaccia is flatter than what we get in the states and it is seeping olive oil like sweat that stains the paper it is wrapped in immediately. There is a small pastry corner, which is just to round out the offerings with something sweet or ricotta filled. It is the meats and cheeses that take the floor here, though. At least 20 types of raw, cured and air dried hams, many different types of salami and then roast beef, pork, baked ham and game meats. There are raw meats, veal, poultry and pork and some cooked vegetables like giant balls of cooked spinach. The walls are lined with wine from all over Italy and I helped a couple of Korean guys choose a nice Amarone. One of my favorite parts of the store was the salad bar. This was a case filled with 5 different types of marinated artichokes, 3 types of olives, sundried tomatoes and fresh anchovies. Some of the artichokes were tiny, about the diameter of a nickel. They were tender and delicious and a nice contrast to the grilled ones. I also got some salami with fennel and some pecorino cheese with chilies, sort of an Italian version of pepper jack.  Bread, meat, cheese and vegetables and I am ready for a first class picnic. Of course, I have yet to mention that haute deli comes at haute prices! In the words of my ICE co-worker Gerri Sarnataro who owns a cooking school in Umbria, on the Tuscan border called Cucina della Terra, "It's worth it!" I agree with Gerri and just as she has gone out of her way to stop in at Volpetti, I recommend that all foodies should do so when visiting Rome.  You won't be disappointed!

Rome in the Rain

My first full day in Rome was a wet one indeed.  Grateful for my umbrella I set out, just as planned, and walked from my hotel near the Santa Maria Maggiore church and the central train station to the Campo di Fiori market.  It was not cold or windy, just wet.  The walk took me pass the Colliseum and part of the Forum and the Vittoriano.  Finally, I find the Campo di Fiori and am greeted on the right by a colorful array of flowers and flowering plants and on the left by a wagon loaded with monster sized pumpkins.  Too large to pick up, they were only on display with a sign for tourists warning not to touch!  There were special heirloom tomatoes, fat, round and looking a bit smooshed in the center and others that were red and green and shaped like fat bullets.  Zucchini blossoms, artichokes of all sizes, various types of chicory, wild porcini mushrooms, persimmons, figs, berries, chesnuts, beans, lettuces, and baby eggplants were all on offer.  There were a couple of butchers, a fish monger and several deli trucks, along with spices, dried fruit, dried tomatoes and olive vendors as well.  Ignored by one deli vendor, I chose the other and the kind woman gave me a taste of some cheeses and salumis.  I made my choices and also bought some olives.  Then I chose a couple of the pretty, smooshed looking tomatoes and some arugula.  If only I could find a bakery.  Bakeries were elusive to me, but my neighborhood had several good ones. 

From the Campo di Fiore I walked to the baroque Piazza Navona which is long and wide with large fountains and marble statues, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers taking center stage.  Along the perimeter are fashionable cafes and restaurants.  I continued on the the Pantheon.  Due to the rain the center was roped off because the ceiling is open in the center.  Sitting near the altar you could look up and see the rain coming in through the center of the dome.  As the rain came in it became mist like, taking on an ethereal quality.

Ok, back out into the rain and I am making my way to the Amex office which is near the Spanish Steps.  At some point I noticed that my hand was numb from holding my umbrella and the bottoms of my pants were soaked.  Imagine how mad I was after leaving Amex.  Wet cat comes to mind.  Read below, if you haven't, because they take the bozo award for this trip.  Additionally the rates everywhere are horrible and the commissions are steep.  The rate I am getting on my Visa card is significantly better.

The Spanish steps are cool.  We ate at a restaurant near here when I was 12 and I remember the food being very good.  As I am photographing the steps, I notice that the Keats and Shelly museum is just on the right side.  My mother has stories of the museum always being closed when she has been here, so when I saw that it was open, I went in and saw the room where Keats died and appreciated all of the letters that have been saved.  It really helped to make up for the Amex annoyance.  At this point, tired and wet, I take the subway home to eat my picnic looking out onto my little courtyard and boning up on my world news with CNN.   Later that night I was awakened by an onslaught of torrential rain that sounded like a war was taking place outside with constant exploisions.  Much to my relief, whew, it was just a rainy night in Rome.

American Express - Big Time Bozos!!!

I was completely shocked and disgusted today when I discovered that American Express does not exchange their traveler's cheques fee-free anymore.  As of 7 months ago, worldwide I was told, the company changed this policy of exchanging American Express traveller's cheques without charging a fee and often at an excellent rate.  Now they charge a whopping 3% plus 3 euros for exchanging traveler's cheques or cash and to top that off, the exchange rate is not that good.  Only slightly better than the Thomas Cook, although I did not notice what fees were.  Ultimately this means that the best way to get foreign currency is to use your debit card.  You will also pay 3% and there is usually not a charge by the foreign ATM, but their may be an additional charge by your bank, however the exchange rate will be the bulk rate that Visa gets the day the transaction is processed.  Plus using your credit card is usually comes with a 3% fee, so that is better than Amex already.  The ONLY reason to have Amex traveler's cheques is in case you get robbed.  That is their only value now and I must admit, it is easier to just pack plastic! 

Hello Rome! Wed. Oct. 21, 2009

Well, we arrived more than an hour early, however we waited for over half an hour for our bags to show up at baggage claim.  My duffle was one of the first ones to show up and I grabbed it and made my way to the train that goes to Rome's central train station.  The fabulous blackberry, which I downloaded Google maps onto, shows me as a blinking blue dot and my hotel as a star.  I followed the map, blackberry in hand, and it led me straight to the Hotel Tirreno on Via di San Martino ai Monti 17 (http://www.tirreno-hotel.it/).  I stashed my bags in their storage room and went out to lunch.  I had a lovely salad with arugula, romaine, chicken, olives, corn and tomatoes with vinegar and oil.  The only weird thing at lunch was that I was charged 1 Euro for bread!  I don't really eat a lot of bread, not that I a low carb person or anything, I am just not a huge bread eater, unless it is about putting something on it.  Since no one asks you if you want bread, I made a mental note to remember to not let them serve me bread at my next meal.  Afterwards, I walked back to the hotel and used the free wi-fi in the bar/lounge/lobby until 2pm and checked in.  My room is small, but not too small and has a normal sized bathroom with a shower, toilet and bidet.  The best part of the room is the private courtyard.  It is almost as large as the room and has french doors that open onto it.  There is also a window to the courtyard from the shower.  There is a minibar, which I have emptied to make room for cheese and anything else I buy tomorrow at the Campo di Fiore market, and a TV and phone.  There is also remote controlled heating and cooling in the room, which is very effective. 

After unpacking, showering and a nap, I got up and went out to dinner at a restaurant near my hotel called La Forchetta.  The service was friendly and the food was excellent, if simple.  I had a light meal of salad and beef carpaccio with arugula and parmesan, a beer and water con gaz (sparkiling) and no bread.  Before dinner I walked around and found a busy, tiny Irish pub and a packed Chinese restaurant full of young locals and an awesome looking Swarma take-out place.  There are many pizzerias and gelaterias all centered around the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.  Most of them spill out onto the sidewalk with little tables and umbrellas.  It is a nice neighborhood full of Italians and tourists.  The area near the Central train station is packed with hotels, so the area caters to both.  No one is offended by my lack if Italian, but I was able to order dinner in Italian and am learning bits and pieces as I go. 

Well, it's half past midnight and I better get my beauty rest if I am to be bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning.  After the Campo di Fiore market I am walking to the Piazza di Spagna.  It's a good historical walk and I want to see Rome on foot.  More tomorrow.......