Pasta Fresca

          Rockin' out some fresh pasta is definitely a great way to start the day. In house, a couple times per week, we make fresh gnocchi, whole wheat pasta, tortelli, casarecce, and tagliatelle. It is always a cool feeling watching the dough form and then watching the pasta take shape.

     It has also been interesting watching ideas develop. For instance, if there is a small amount of left over smoked cheese. What can we do with it? We can make it into a filling for tortelli. Ok, now we have the tortelli, what sauce would go best with it? A meat sauce? No, something simple. Something to highlight the flavor of the pasta, not cover it up. Arugula pesto maybe? A little sauteed pancetta? Let's try it and see.

     This is still one of my favorite things that I have learned here. Not just making pasta, but understanding how pasta works and what makes it great. There are set ratios for each pasta, but it is more about feeling the pasta with your hands, and seeing it with you eyes. Maybe it needs a little more flour, or maybe another egg? Maybe another yolk? You work with it until it is beautiful and then you shape it.

     The first three pics are of chef making the tortelli, then casarecce made with the machine, and then Rosella portioning tagliatelle. Rosella returned here about a month and a half ago and is now a full time employee. 

     Tagliatelle is a traditional, hand cut pasta from the region of  Emilia-Romagna, and is normally extremely long. Sometimes 2 meters in length it is traditionally eaten with a fork and spoon for easier twirling action.

    My mom and Niki should be here soon!!!! Their flight landed safely in Rome and they are now in the rental car on their way here. I can't wait. This will probably be my last post for awhile. I'm looking forward to an awesome week!! Ciao tutti.

L' Ufficio Postale and Baby Girl

    Truly, I lack the coolness required to ride on anything with two wheels that isn't a bicycle. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. 

     I have had quite a few people telling me that I have to get some pics of me on a moped, so her they are. Occasionally, on my days off I take "Baby Girl" out for a spin. "Baby Girl" is my roommate Giuseppe's moped, and she rocks hard. 

     This is not my first time cruising around on a "motorino". Back in 2001 for a week of my life I was part of a hard core biker gang on the island of Ibiza. My friend Adam and I along with our travel companion Giovanni, who we met in Barcelona, started L'Ufficio Postale (The Post Office) biker gang. I included a pic at the bottom. 

      I'm sure that Giovanni, who is from Bologna Italy, thought that we were crazy for wanting to call our gang "The Post Office" in Italian. And, at the time, I'm sure we probably were completely certifiable. What ever the case may be it was still a great feeling of freedom and the open road.

     It is definitely a fun way to get around, and it makes me feel a little bit more like I'm soaking up another part of the culture. I even drive like a mad man and carry around two cell phones now. 

Chris and Chips

     For the first time in my life I have an abundance of nicknames, and none of them has to do with my last name. Back in the US, with the exception of the name Kissapher given to me by my aunt Cindy, all of my nicknames revolve around my last name, which can be considered an unusual name. Jacoozi,Jacuzzi, Ginzo,Gizmo, Ginzo Gonzo Goo, Snoozie, Shnooz,Janooz and so on and so forth.

     In Italy my last name is a fairly common last name in the southern part of the country, so all of my names here stem from my first name or from my place of origin.

     I think that my first nickname was Christopher Lambert which I received upon being introduced to everyone. Everyone... " Christopher, you mean like the actor, Christopher Lambert"? Me...."Yeah, sure man. What ever you say."

    The first name that really stuck was Chris and Chips which was given to me by my roommate Miki. "Chris and Chips", followed by Miki pretending to ride a motorcycle, and humming the Chips theme song. "Do you know C.H.I.P.S"? People still call me Chips after six months.

     For awhile I was called "Marines", or "O' Marines". I'm not really sure where that one comes from. I think it was from a catering event where someone said I worked like a Marine. I'll take that as a compliment any day.

     "American Boy" is probably the most widely used name by everyone. It comes from the Estelle and Kanye West song of the same name that has been playing on the radio constantly since I arrived.

Then there is "What's American Boys" which is a quote from an old Italian movie. This was eventually shortened to "Boys", which is always used by my other roommate Giuseppe.

      "Americano", "America",and "Cristoforo Colombo" round out the names that have been filling my life for the last six months. Suffice it to say, I am rarely called Chris or Christopher and I am never refered to by my last name. It has definitely been interesting watching the names develop.

     Things are really progressing here. Benny is no longer a puppy, the oranges are oranging and the olives are starting to darken as well. Also the prized white truffles are starting to make their way into the restaurant, and they are definitely some stinky nuggets. The season starts to peak in about a month, but there are already truffle hunters bringing in their finds. Ciao.

     

     

Lardo

     Lardo is essentially cured pork fat and it has been produced in Italy since Roman times.

     Nowadays, the cure varies from town to town, but it basically contains salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic as well as other spices. The Lardo di Colonnata in Tuscany is considered one of the most famous.

     Lardo is used as an ingredient in a number of dishes. It can be sauteed with a soffritto to add flavor, or used to wrap a leaner meat and then roasted to add flavor as well as moisture.

     Lardo is also eaten in it's natural state. Sliced super thin and eaten with a crust of bread and some prosecco, it is considered a delicacy. 

     

Salumi And The Importance Of The Pig

     In Umbria the pig is king. Between the porchetta, the tenderloin, the maialino affumicato(similar to roasted ham), and all of the salumi, it is the most widely available and most utilized meat in the region.

     Salumi is a general word used to describe cured meats such as prosciutto, dried sausages, capicola, salami and pancetta. Not all salumi is made with pork products, cinghiali(wild boar), and beef are also used, but pork is the majority.

     The salumi from Umbria, especially that from the town of Norcia is famous all through out Italy as being part of the very best salumi produced in the country. 

    Types of salumi such as prosciutto or soppresatte are regularly eaten as an antipasta or as a snack through out the day, while other types of salumi, such as pancetta, guanciale, or lardo areeaten in this manner as well, but are also used to add flavor to a dish.

     The first two pics are of some sausages and pali di nonno from a recent visit we took to a near by salumi producer. Then some pancetta, a salumi board at L'Osteria and then a large salumi board from a catering evert.

Making The Vino

     After the harvest, we headed back to Marta's house, where her Uncle started the wine making process. 

   We drank some Vin Santo, and ate some biscotti made with the grape must from one of the neighbors harvests. We were able to stick around long enough to see the first step of crushing the grapes. No there were now bare feet and buckets of grapes involved. Although this is artisinal wine, it is still the 21st century so a machine was used to extract the juice.

     Marta and I returned to work in the evening, and then I returned to the house early in the morning to meet with Marta's uncle, and see the rest of the process.

     In the morning they drained the container with the crushed grapes, syphoned the juice into a stainless steel container and then placed the must into a large press to further extract any remaining juice. The must is then broken apart and pressed one more time for good measure.

     The juice is fermented in a large steel container for about a month and then it is transfered into large jugs to age before being transfered into bottles. This years harvest yeilded about 140 liters of juice.

     It was really cool hanging out and watching the yearly tradition unfold. I also was able to taste some fresh juice before going off to work.Really good, super sweet. 

     Definitely a great experience, and it really makes me want to make my own wine. Some day I hope. Ciao.

La Vendemmia

     "La Vendemmia" is the grape harvest, and it is something that I have always wanted to take part in. 

     Marta lives right in the city of Perugia, but her family has quite a few acres of land down by the Tevere(Tiber) river where they have a vineyard, an olive orchard, gardens and animals. She asked if I would like to come along and help out with the harvest and see how they make their wine. I was all about it.

     Marta's family grows white and red grapes, but the reds were harvested a couple of weeks earlier and the wine was already produced. The white varieties that her family grows include, Moscato, Malvasia, Riesling Renano, Trebbiano, Sauvignon Blanc, and Grechetto.

     Being a part of the harvest was so freakin cool!! it was a perfect day for it. Not too hot with a nice breeze. Marta's family is really nice and it was really peaceful. I had a lot of fun getting all sticky and checking out the different types of grapes.

     The first couple of pics are of Grechetto and Marta with Grechetto, and then there is a pic of some Trebbiano grapes followed by a small shot of the vineyard and our haul. 

     The farm is actually really impressive and I really wish that I was going to be here for the olive harvest that takes place in about a month or so. Hopefully I'll get the chance some other time.

R.I.P. Penis Bonsai

     I was recently informed by my mom that the coolest bonsai tree in the world, the "Penis Bonsai", has passed away.

     The Penis Bonsai was given to Niki and I by my mom as a house warming present when we moved in together at our place in Rochester. She purchased the tree unaware of the fact that it was a one of a kind bonsai tree, complete with a penis, a scrotum and two legs. This is, of course, the first thing that I noticed.

     The Penis Bonsai was totally awesome. It was the longest living, most well endowed bonsai tree that I have ever owned, and it is the only plant that I have ever really felt sad about losing. I guess that it isn't that bad, because apparently the corpse of the plant has been reserved and decorated in some manner, so we now have a Penis Bonsai Mummy. I can't wait to see this when I get back.

L'arte Della Pizza

     Chef makes a mean pizza.We crank up the outside wood oven and he bangs out pizzas like he was a professional pizzaiolo. I can only think of one time that we had to make pizzas for customers at a banquet. Most of the time we just have it for family meal. About once a month or so. It's kind of a big deal. We usually have pizza on a real relaxing day when there is not a lot going on. It's lots of fun. We get to pick what ever toppings we want and we usually break out with the beers as well. Who doesn't love pizza and beer at work?

     It not all just fun and games though. I learned a lot about what makes a great crust, and how important the sauce is. It's all about the little things.

     I'm starting to get pretty excited. Only a week left of work and then Niki and my mom are coming. I can't wait!! I still have a bunch of posts that I need to write, so hopefully I will be able to get everything in order so I can get them out before it's vacation time. Ciao!

Alba Barolo, Barbaresco and Gaja

     The sunday before last Chef Asked me if I wanted to tag along on a trip up to Piedmonte for a couple of days. He had to go up to the Alba- Barolo culinary school for one final meeting before his trip to the US. He and four other chefs from various regions were selected to go teach at ten different culinary schools over the course of two weeks(one chef at two schools for two weeks) Enea is going to Le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge Mass for a week, then the CT Culinary school in Hartford CT for a week.

     We jumped in the beemer on Sunday afternoon and headed north west up to Alba. The road from Perugia to Alba is very scenic and beautiful, and I am guessing the the trip normally takes around eight hours or so. Traveling in excess of 150 miles for long periods of time, we made it in under six hours which includes being stuck in traffic for an hour. Another interesting ride for the books. 

     We arrived in time to meet for dinner and some wine with another chef and the director of the Alba-Barolo school and then it was off to our beds because it was an early morning meeting.

     I was able to sit in on the meeting, which was pretty cool, then we got a tour of the school and a great four course lunch prepared by the students. The school was great and everyone was incredibly friendly.

      After lunch, we said our goodbyes and made our way to nearby Barbaresco where Enea had other business to attend to. Adriano, the owner of L'Osteria asked since we were going to Piedmonte if it wouldn't be too much trouble to stop in at Gaja winery to pick up three cases of various vintages to bring back to the restaurant.

     The Gaja winery, pronounced Guy-ah, is one of the best wineries in all of Italy. Founded in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja in the town of Barbaresco, the winery is now world renowned for producing outstanding red wines. The flagship wine, being Barbaresco, which is produced from 100% Nebbiolo grapes and is a DOCG wine.

     The Gajas know Antonio(the manager at L'Osteria) and they also know Enea, so we got the royal treatment. It was harvest time when we went so they were in the middle of making this years vintage which was really cool to be able to check out. We got a tour of the grounds and the cantina down below, then they sent us off with the cases of wine and some parting gifts including a bottle of 2005 Barbaresco. 

     The trip was amazing and everyone that I met was beyond cool. I only wish that we had more time to spend in that area.