From my Italian Kitchen: A Spring Pasta

Last spring I was introduced to agretti - an italian veggie with a very short season. Agretti, with its slender chive-shaped leaves, is considered a delicacy and its appearance in the market is always greeted with excitement. 

Agretti, roots and all, comes wrapped in paper - clean and trim before using.

I began to cook with it last spring (see link at the end of this post to read last spring’s post). Experimenting was fun, but before I knew it the agretti season was over.

Since I’ve now waited a whole year for agretti season to roll around again, I was quite excited when I found the first agretti of the spring at my local ortofrutta (small fruit and vegetable market) recently.  

I first cooked it as a side dish, a simple sauté in olive oil and garlic finished with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. This is a classic preparation, no recipe needed.

Next, I decided to try agretti in a pasta dish. I proceeded without a recipe, combining flavors that are classically paired with agretti - lemon juice and olive oil - along with ingredients I had on hand, including pancetta, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and penne pasta. The dish tasted bright and lemony, just like spring. I will definitely make this dish again and, if you come across agretti in your local farmer’s market, I hope you will be inspired to try it as well.

Penne with Pancetta, Agretti, and Lemon  (Serves three as a main dish, four as a “primi piatti”)

250 grams penne pasta (amount 8 ounces)

2 Tablespoons good olive oil, divided

200 grams cubed pancetta dolce (about 6 ounces)

90 grams agretti (about 3 ounces), roots and thick stems removed, rinsed well, and rough chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil - add penne and cook al dente.

Meanwhile, rinse agretti well, remove roots and lower stems, rough chop into strands about 2 inches long. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan, add pancetta and cook over medium heat until cooked through but not crisp. 

Add cleaned and chopped agretti. Cook until softened, stirring from time to time. This shouldn’t take more than about 10 minutes over medium low heat.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the penne pasta and return to the pot.  Add the lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and the pancetta / agretti mixture and give it a stir. Add the grated Parmesan and toss. 

Serve immediately with more grated Parmesan on the side.

This makes a nice, light main dish or a flavorful side with chicken or fish.  It pairs well with a crisp white wine.   -post by JMB

 For more info about agretti:    

http://www.twopartsitaly.com/blog/2018/5/1/agretti-a-taste-of-spring-in-italy

No Translation Needed

Now that I’m living in Italy, I feel some pressure to improve my Italian language skills. I try to do all of my “business” (shopping, setting up a phone contract, arranging shipping, etc.) in Italian and, thanks to some very, very patient locals, I am mostly successful. I am also taking a weekly semi-private lesson (with my friend Claire) at the wonderful Lucca Italian School (also known as LIS). I have a fabulous teacher in Antonella, who patiently explains (as many times as I need) the use of the passato prossimo versus the imperfetto past tenses, prepositions (oh - the horror of Italian prepositions), and - heaven help me - the use of the congiuntivo. Grazie Antonella and LIS!

Two recent attempts at translation brought unexpected results. First, I went into a home goods store to buy a muffin pan. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out the word for muffin pan and I had forgotten to look it up before leaving home. I found the pan high on a shelf and asked the man working there to please reach it for me.  As he handed it to me, I asked, “Come si chiama questo tipo di teglia in Italiano” (what do you call this type of baking pan in Italian)?  With a quite serious look on his face he answered me -”si chiama teglia di “muffin.” Muffin, no translation needed. We both got a good laugh over that one! 

The pink variety is a visual treat.

Walking through town I noticed beautiful magnolia trees just beginning to bloom along Corso Garibaldi. Pulling out my dictionary, I looked for a translation for magnolia tree.  I know that a hydrangea is an ortensia and a wisteria is a glicine, so surely there should be an Italian word for a magnolia, right? It turns out that in Italy, a magnolia is, well, a magnolia (named for a French botanist). And, although I associate them with the American South, magnolias are actually common in Italy, often growing into huge trees. In March, they light up Lucca with their beautiful white and pink blossoms. 

So - no translation needed - we hope you enjoy these photos of the beautiful magnolias of Lucca.         \

-post by JMB

Hot Drinks for Chilly Italian Days

A morning cappuccino and a pastry - breakfast Italian style

When it’s chilly weather in Italy, there is nothing better than a hot drink to warm you up.

In the morning, that likely means a coffee of some sort - there are many choices, including cappuccino, espresso, machiatto.

Or, it may mean a cup of tea (yes, there are lots of tea drinkers in Italy) or even an Italian-style hot chocolate (thick and creamy, almost a pudding). 

But come late afternoon, something with a bit more punch might be in order.

Ponce is just that - a bit of alcohol served as a hot drink. Ponce Livornese is the most well-known form of ponce. Unique to the city of Livorno, Ponce Livornese is a type of caffe`corretto (a “corrected” coffee, which means there is alcohol added). It is made with equal parts of espresso and rum and a spoonful of sugar. It’s then finished with a small twist of lemon peel. It’s classically served in a clear glass cup. No sipping with this drink - down it fast while it’s hot. This really does pack a punch!

Ponce Livornese - espresso, rum, sugar, and a twist of lemon peel

A different kind of ponce is a Ponce Mandarino. This is also a cold weather drink but it is not made with coffee. Ponce Mandarino is the name of the liquor - a citrus-flavored concoction, relatively low in alcohol content and slightly sweet - and the name of the drink.  

Hot and fragrant, Ponce Mandarino is a nice pick me up on a chilly Italian afternoon.

To make a Ponce Mandarino, the liquor is steamed (using the nozzle on the espresso machine) and then a twist of orange peel is added. The hot liquor gives off a strong fume, so watch out if you are tempted to sniff this just after steaming - it definitely clears the sinuses. Ponce Mandarino is served in a clear glass cup, often with a handle. The bright orange presentation is pretty and fills in for the bright orange aperol spritz, which will begin to appear once the weather warms up.

Cheers! -post by JMB

Bar Mara Meo in Lucca makes a pretty Ponce Mandarino. 

Two Very Different Lunches in Florence

Florence is an intriguing city, full of wonderful things to see, hear, touch, experience, and taste. It is also a city bursting at the seams with tourists, which means it is chaotic, crowded, and sometimes frustrating. And yet, it’s a city I love and never tire of visiting. It’s also a city where it’s possible to find great food – just visit a neighborhood market with its array of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, breads, and pastas and you’ll see ingredients that make your mouth water.

With fresh ingredients like these (from the Sant’Ambrogio Market) it’s no wonder that Florence is a great city for dining.

This ribollita looked good but was way too salty

The good food continues in the many fine restaurants. But, as is often the case in places popular with tourists, there are some restaurants that don’t live up to Tuscany’s reputation for good food.

In Florence, these are often the larger restaurants found in areas most frequented by visitors. I recently ate in one of these when I found myself tired, hungry for lunch, and in need of a quick escape from some wet and windy weather.  I ducked into a place that I should have known to avoid – wait staff out front pulling in customers, located on a busy, touristy piazza, full of people speaking languages other than Italian.  What was I thinking? I ordered a classic Tuscan soup - ribollita.  It’s hard to mess up this vegetable soup thickened with chunks of bread. Hard, but not impossible as it turns out. The veggies and the consistency were right but this dish was over salted. I needed lots of water to balance out the saltiness. An eggplant dish was no better – heavy on cheese and overcooked. I had only bottled water to drink, no coffee or dessert. The tab was a hefty €32.50. Ouch! This was an expensive and poorly prepared lunch.

Coquinarius is an enoteca with wonderful ambiance, delicious food, and a great wine list.

I simply could not let my trip to Florence end with a memory of bad food, so the next day I had lunch at one of my favorite spots - Coquinarius, an enoteca just a bit off Piazza del Duomo on Via delle Oche. I had eaten here on a previous trip and enjoyed it immensely. Would it be as good as I remembered? The answer was a definite yes!

At Coquinarius I dined sumptuously in a lively and congenial atmosphere. This meal included a glass of wine (a tasty Vernaccia from San Gimignano), bottled water, an appetizer of crostini (toasted bread) with stracchino (a soft cow milk cheese) and salsiccia (sausage) all melty and crisp, a to-die-for pasta filled with pecorino and pear, an apple tart for dessert and a macchiato.

Crostino with stracchino and salsiccia

Little pasta bundles filled with pecorino cheese and pear

Delicious food and a great value too (just 2 euro more than my not-so-good lunch the day before). Not to mention the friendly service, mix of locals and visitors, great music, Italian chatter in the background, and a vibe that made me want to linger - which explains why I stayed for dessert and then a coffee, stretching my lunch to nearly two hours.

Apple “pie” the Italian way

 When heading to Florence the advice is clear - skip the big generic restaurants around the main tourist squares and head for those unique small places. I suggest starting with Coquinarius.  With its wide range of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, meat and fish main courses, and delicious desserts, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to go back. -post by JMB

Carnevale!

Burlamacco, the offical symbol of Carnevale since 1931. He is based on several figures from the Comedia dell’Arte and his red and white colors reflect the beach umbrellas of Viareggio.

In Italy, you just about have time to catch your breath after the festivities of the new year and Epiphany when you begin to see signs that Carnevale - the raucous month-long celebration that precedes the beginning of Lent - is upon you.

The dates vary depending on when Lent begins. This year March 6 is the first day of Lent, so the Carnevale celebrations occur from late February to March 5 (Fat Tuesday).

And what celebrations they are! Colorful, noisy, fun - Carnevale is the ultimate late winter party.

In Italy, the largest and most famous Carnevale celebrations are in Venice and Viareggio, though many other towns also have impressive Carnevale events.

Each city’s celebration has a unique character. In Viareggio, the parade floats are known for political and social themes, making great use of satire and allegory to express current issues and, perhaps, rattle a few cages.

The return of fascism

Recognize any of these Italian politicans?

The master drone

The Carnevale parade in Viareggio occurs on five days - one day each weekend for the four weeks preceding Lent and the final parade on Fat Tuesday. Viareggio is not far from Lucca (about 25 minutes by car and 40 by bus) so it was the perfect place to experience my first Carnevale celebration. And the fact that the parade route covers a 1.25-mile stretch along Viareggio’s famous seaside promenade was an added bonus.

The Siren - with her false mask - luring us all into perilous waters.

One of the largest floats - beautiful against a blue sky

The parade kicked off with an announcement of “Buon Carnevale,” a brass band complete with baton twirlers, and lots of excitement from the crowd.

What followed was a feast for the eyes - huge, colorful, animated paper mache creations that moved along the parade circuit accompanied by performers and often smoke, glitter, pyrotechnics, and music.

There was colorful confetti - lots of confetti - sold by the bagful to spectators who flung it all about. Not to worry - in the name of environmental awareness, this was a plastic-free event and all the confetti recyclable paper.

The floats, chosen based on sketches submitted in advance, expressed current parade themes (this year celebrated women) and relevant social issues. Below are three of the sketches that were chosen and became floats in this year’s parade. You can see the the Italians find the current U.S. president to be a good subject for politically themed entries.

Mind Pollution

Medusa

Moon Dream

This year’s entries addressed themes of bullying, environmental pollution, and migration, as well as Italian and American politics.

High Tide (Ocean Pollution)

A Raft of Migrants

The Pack (anti-bullying message)

Other floats and performers represented the classical Carnevale theme of clowns and comedia dell’arte figures. In addition to the large floats, which take a small army of handlers to animate, there are many smaller “one-man” creations that join the parade.

Parade spectators are part of the show as many dress in colorful wigs, as clowns, or in other costumes. The celebration is family friendly and some of the best costumes are worn by the children or entire families. Spectators can sit in grandstands to watch the parade but many simply stand along the parade route and are free to join in the procession. The atmosphere is vivacious and noisy and crowded but also very safe. I loved every minute.

Having experienced my first Carnevale in Viareggio, I’m thinking that Venice might be just the spot for Carnevale 2020. Anyone want to join me? -post by JMB