a walk in the country

It has been a long week, the weather has been abysmal, cold, wind and rain. Italy has essentially shut down on account of the protests that the truck drivers have been holding against the high gas prices and the costs of the autostrade. There hasn’t been gas at the gas stations, limiting everyone’s mobility, no milk delivered to the grocery stores, and in the town where my mother-in-law lives, they ran out of toilet paper. Classic.

My biggest complaint in all of this… being imprisoned in a 5 star hotel with an active 2 year old.

Roll your eyes all you want, but being being stuck anywhere in bad weather with a 2 year old is pure hell. She has been behaving, enjoying our leisurely breakfasts in the hotel’s cafè, eating delicious freshly made pastries, yogurt and fresh fruit while getting loads of attention from the staff and guests. Our new routine is a bit dull for me, but all very new to her. Little walks around the lounges of the hotel, returning to our room, coloring, reading, watching Kipper the dog on my computer, peanut butter sandwich, pear and then a nap.

Routines work for kids, she’s only behaving badly sometimes, the real problem with this isolation is me. I am bored out of my mind. I have the internet and Anna Karenina to keep me entertained, but it just isn’t enough, I need other humans, someone to talk to and laugh with. I need to see something other than these 4 walls. They say that the protests are over, that there will be gas again and it is Friday, so if we are stuck here tomorrow, at least my husband will be stuck with us.

Today was a beautiful day, cold and windy, but no rain. Despite the cutting winds, I decided that we should take a walk on the dirt roads that lead from the hotel into the countryside. We have taken this walk before, when the weather was more forgiving, picking flowers and observing the rocks, stones, olives and almonds that we found along the way. We didn’t make it all the way to the hot springs near the mar piccolo, but considering the fact that we didn’t have a stroller and my daughter is only two, we made it pretty far, just the two of us.

The land is rugged and arid, wild and beautiful. I love this landscape, can’t wait for the next sunny day to take our trek just a little farther.

One Year Ago: Meatloaf

dalla nostra terra

 

Puglia’s greatest wealth is the land and the abundance of olives and wine grapes. Driving through the countryside you see kilometers and kilometers of vineyards and olive groves. Some of these olive trees have been here since the Greeks, with enormous gnarly trunks producing gorgeous olives. Though olives can be found in all of the regions on the peninsula, Puglia is one of the regions which provides the majority of the olive oil in Italy. The grapes are mostly used to cut wines produced in the north, where the wine has always been more prized and expensive, but where the vineyards aren’t as vast and the grapes not at strong. Pugliese wine has started to cultivate more interest and has becoming more refined in its production in the past few years, we have certainly been enjoying it these past two weeks.

These are photographs of the abundance that we have found on the grounds of the masseria, taking gorgeous walks on the dirt roads that surround it and lead down to the Mar Piccolo bordering Taranto. The manicured grounds of the masseria are ornamented with fresh herbs,  rosemary, thyme, marjoram and sage. The trees produce olives and almonds, prickly pears blooming off of cacti and in front of the main building sits the chef’s garden with fennel, lettuces, peppers and onions. I imagine that much of what we are eating in the restaurant is cultivated within the land of the masseria and what is ordered from both land and sea from only a few miles away. Not needing to claim any links to Slow Food, the food in this country is tied to the idea of slow and local more than any place I have ever been. No trends, just tradition.

One Year Ago: Potato-Mushroom Cake with Braised Lentils

Three Years Ago: pesce all’acqua pazza

Relais Histò

Here we are, finally arrived at the first stop of our new adventure. It seems like only yesterday that we were even talking about Puglia and all of a sudden we find ourselves living in a luxurious hotel, like Eloise, trying to find a little permanence in this arid land. To say it is beautiful here is an understatement, we are spoiled by a small paradise outside of Taranto, which is far from paradise itself, at la Masseria San Pietro which houses the luxurious hotel and spa Relais Histò. A reality I never quite imagined for myself.

I’m not really sure how Eloise’s parents did it, living in the tippy top of the Plaza, she must have been a very well behaved little girl (I have to admit I am not familiar with these books, she may have been a terror). I say this because as luxurious this hotel is, how fabulous every meal has been (more on that later). The no fun part of it all is doing it with a 2 year old.

I think she is having a blast, she has her own little room off of our room which she loves. The staff has all become putty in her perfect little hands, surprised her with her very own, very pink, birthday cake on Sunday morning, she still hasn’t stopped talking about it! The grounds of the hotel are wonderful and there is ample space for her to run around, picking up pebbles and olives from the ground, wild flowers growing on the side of the road, it is all new to her and magical. How could it not be, it is purely majestic!

I look forward to the weekend when papà can take the bambina and mamma can go and relax in the thermal baths…..ahhhhh

One Year Ago: Zuppa di Pesce, Farfalle with Portobello Mushrooms and Arugula & Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Two Years Ago: Nasi Goreng & Spaghetti e Vongole

Three Years Ago: Panettone, Alici Fritti, Roasted Fennel Gratin, Zucchini Quiche & Polpo Affogato

Risotto with Salmon, Chanterelles and Chives

We payed our last visit to Whole Paycheck and literally spent almost all of it on only a few items. We chose some pricey items, in the mushroom, the fish, the meat and the wine sections, but we were still shocked when got to the register. Fancy food!

I look forward to the equally fancy food (fancier because it will be local) that won’t have these prohibitively high prices. Nice bottles of wine for a few euros a bottle, fish as fresh as they come and freshly picked mushrooms in the fall. Italians may complain about the continual inflation in the cost of food, but they have no idea what Americans are willing to pay for quality foods.

 

I froze some gorgeous fish broth a while back and it would have pained me to throw it away, so we decided to make risotto for our dinner the other night. We were both looking for a some new flavors and paired chanterelle mushrooms and salmon, tossing chives in at the end, a risky surf an turf approach to a simple meal, ending up being delicious.

• 1 cup of Carnaroli or Arborio rice (Italians measure rice by demitasse cups, 1 cup for each person and one for the pot)
• 1 fillet of salmon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 5 ounces chanterelles, sliced
• ½ an onion, chopped finely
• 5 cups fish or vegetable stock
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 2 tbsp butter
• a small bunch of fresh chives
• salt to taste

Chop the onion into fine pieces and bring the broth to a simmer. Heat a large stovetop casserole pan over medium-high heat and melt butter at the bottom of the pan. When the butter is melted add onion and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and coat it in the butter, toasting it a bit. When the rice becomes opaque, after about 1 minute, add the wine to the pan, enough to cover the rice, stirring frequently.

When the rice has absorbed the wine, add the salmon and the chanterelles and add a ladleful of broth to the pan and continue stirring. Repeat. Continue adding the broth as the rice absorbs it, you want it to almost dry out before adding the broth each time.

When the rice is finished it should be al dente and all of the liquid should be absorbed. Remove from heat and toss in the chopped chives and a tab of butter. Serve immediately.

One Year Ago: Spaghetti With Roasted Cauliflower, Tomatoes and Olives, Stuffed Acorn Squash, Risotto with Pumpkin and Olives & Lentil Stew With Pumpkin

Two Years Ago: What to do with Leftover Meatballs! & Maple Pear Upside-Down Cake

Three Years Ago: Ristorante in Lavagna, Spaghetti with Calamari and Artichokes & Cornetto Salato with Prosciutto di San Daniele

Pasta al Forno with Collards and Baked Eggs

I have managed to get really creative with the eminent leftover collard greens that always stick around after a meal. When I buy collards, I usually prepare the whole bunch; cleaning, blanching and braising them is a process and I am not going to do it more than once a week, or even that frequently. We love collards in this house and despite the fact that we eat like pigs, we can’t eat a whole bunch of collards in one sitting and usually don’t want them with the same face, reheated, the next night. It has made me get creative, making pizza, lasagna and now a baked pasta.

I have fond memories of wonderful baked pastas on Sundays that my host mother in Basilicata would make. They were so rich and complex, there were often baked eggs in the center, usually very meaty and abundant in goodness. I decided that I would go in this vein of an insane pasta al forno with eggs baked in the center, and a sausage ragù with roasted tomatoes from the farmer’s market (yes they are still growing in South Carolina). It was a meal fit for a king, the meaty sauce paired beautifully with the collard greens, but the eggs were lost, I probably needed to add a few more. I may try hard boiling them the next time I want to make a gluttonous pasta al forno.

Pasta al Forno with Collards & Baked Eggs

For the sauce:

• 3 Italian sausages, casings removed (I also had some artisinal guinea hog breakfast sausages and threw them in)
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 box of Pomì strained tomatoes (of course any high quality tomato will do for this)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

Heat a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausages, breaking them up with a wooden spoon as they cook. Once they have thoroughly browned, remove the meat to a bowl and set aside. Place pot back on heat and add the olive oil, add onions, carrots and celery and let cook until the onions are transparent, stirring frequently. Add the strained tomatoes and 1 cup of water to dilute. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally and adding water as the ragù starts to dry out, allow to simmer for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Wash and halve the tomatoes before tossing them on a baking sheet with 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast the tomatoes for 5 to 10 minutes, until they have shriveled and browned a bit. Add to the sauce when they are perfectly caramelized, this adds a wonderful depth of flavor.

Assembling the pasta:

• 1 lb penne or any short pasta on hand
• braised collard greens (recipe here)
• 8 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino cheese, or a combination
• 3 – 6 eggs (3 didn’t make enough of an impression, I suggest more, especially if this is for a lot of people and trust me, it will feed an army, we ate on it for days)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is almost tender enough to eat, about 2 minutes less than usual.

Spread about ¾ cup of the ragù on the bottom of a 9- by 13- by 2-inch baking dish.

When the ziti is done, drain it well, then toss it with enough ragù to dress it, but not smother it.

Spread half of the pasta in the baking dish. Evenly spoon over it ¾ cup more ragù. Cover with collard greens, half of the sliced mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmigiano. Top with the rest of the pasta, creating little cups where you will drop the eggs. Crack the eggs and drop them in the little cups, careful that the yolks stay intact. Add the rest of the ragù, covering the pasta and the eggs and the remaining mozzarella and parmigiano.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until bubbling.

Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into portions. Serve hot.

One Year Ago: Torta di Riso e Zucchine & Risotto ai Funghi Porcini

Two Years Ago: Penne alla Boscaiola

Three Years Ago: Calamarata with Octopus Heads and Clams, Ligurian Shop Windows & Puntarelle