Tuscan BAM! or Italian Seasoning

When my Omnivore and I were in Tuscany we went on a little pilgrimage to the butcher shop of Dario Cecchini and joined in his rollicking 10 am wine and lardo party (not kidding, for real...) before stumbling out into the sunshine with a giant cannonball of meatloaf and a small bottle of what we came to call "Dario's Tuscan BAM!" It was a powdered mix of spices that came in a miniscule jar that smelled heavenly and made everything we put it on taste like Italy.

Recently we were making Chicken Cacciatore in our fabulous slow-cooker. It was an easy, sort of semi-homemade recipe that called for the mysterious "Italian seasoning" that you get in a  jar at Safeway. Being that I was unwilling to purchase that--what the heck is in that stuff anyway and how long has it been sitting on a shelf?-- I did a little hunting online and came up with this instead. It's not quite the "Tuscan BAM!" but it tastes much better (i.e. not stale) than Safeway, that's for sure!

Italian Seasoning

3 tablespoons dried basil
3 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

 Combine all ingredients in a spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder. Keeps 6 months in a sealed container.

Venice Underwater

We have only the coldest memories of Venice, but although I've been there in bad weather, I've never seen flooding like this.

Floodwaters in Venice Begin to Recede : "ROME — Floodwaters in Venice began to subside on Tuesday after reaching their highest point in 22 years on Monday, forcing residents and tourists alike to stay inside or venture out in hip-waders.

On Tuesday morning, waters had dropped to 39 inches, down from a high of 61 inches on Monday, the fourth-highest flood level in contemporary history, Venice’s Tide Center said."

Because the water levels rose so quickly, the city was unable to erect the wooden platforms it uses to help pedestrians traverse the high waters. On Monday, the city sounded alarms, urging residents to stay indoors.

Venice routinely floods several times a year, but in recent years the phenomenon has worsened. Experts say global warming is the main culprit. The flooding reopened a running debate on the “Moses” project, a controversial system of offshore dams designed to prevent such flooding.

Tuscany and Rome: Eating, Drinking and Being Warm

Oh dear.

So, since getting back from Italy, I've really fallen down on the blogging job. That always seems to happen at the end of the trip-- suddenly the last couple of weeks of a vacation start to accelerate and it all becomes a giant blur. But before I get too far away from it all, I thought I'd at least jot down a few of the food and drink places we visited that really stood out as we travelled through Montalcino, Siena and Rome. Put these in your address book -- they're worth visiting!

TUSCANY

Dario Cecchini's Macelleria (and SoloCiccia) in Panzano- The Dante-spouting, opera loving butcher who featured in a chapter of Bill Buford book Heat, is actually quite the friendly guy. We arrived at around 10:30 in the morning and first thing, he's heating up meatloaf samples and pouring a stack of glasses of Chianti. With Pavarotti blasting on the CD, we chatted a bit about San Francisco (where I gathered that his wife lived), we ate some snacks and then we bought a cannonball-sized meatloaf, plus he threw in a a bottle of his magic "Bam!"-- Chianti spices that are good for seasoning anything from meat to bread. Dario's new restaurant, SoloCiccia or "only meat," is across the street.

Enoteca La Fortezza, Montalcino- One of my favorite wine places to visit in all of Tuscany. Why? Because it's comfortable. The staff there is knowledgeable, incredibly helpful-- and if you get them chatting, they'll tell you all you need to know. Questions about the differences between Brunello producers? Want some tips on wineries? Need to know what the archery contest is all about? Looking for tips on which Quartiere to root for? Head up to the Fortezza and settle in with a nice glass of wine.

Enoteca Franci, Montalcino- Near the Fortezza, this unassuming shop stocks a predictably wide range of Brunellos. The proprietor seemed less than interested in chatting with us, however, their wildflower honey really knocked my socks off. Succulent without being overly sweet, it is perfect just slathered on bread.


Fiaschetteria Toscana- viale della Liberta 5 (off the main square). A pleasant little spot to stop for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, it was obviously also a cozy hangout for locals, whether their quartiere had won the archery contest of no. Behind the bar is a smaller area where you can order food and have dinner.

Castello Banfi-Located in Sant'Angelo Scala, south of the town of Montalcino, Banfi is perhaps the largest of all the Brunello producers in the area. Owned by the American Mariani family, Banfi is also the most tourism-ready of the local wineries, with tasting room, accommodation and touring facilities that look a lot like Napa estates. There's also a restaurant as well as a luxury guest rooms.

Sant'Anna in Camprena- The old convent that served as a location for the film The English Patient is now also an agriturismo. The tiny dirt road that turns off from teh Route to Pienza was lined with swaying cypresses just like the movie, and as we walked around, the only sounds we heard were teh wind and the birds. It's easy to see why it was chosen for the film, as the air of absolute peace and solitude makes it the perfect place for contemplation. Well worth a detour or a longer stay.


SIENA

Everyone who's been to Siena loves the city and it's no mystery as to why. There's nothing more fun than wandering the city and discovering the charms of its medieval streets.



Pasticceria Nannini-Via Massetana Romana 42/44. With all that marble and crystal, Nannini's looks more like a swank place for tea than a spot for a casual coffee stop. nevertheless, the coffee is good, and the pastries are better. It's a convenient stop along the Banchi Sopra between the Campo and the church of San Domenico.

Enoteca Italiana-Fortezza Medici. The repository of examples Italy's greatest wines, the Enoteca is a pleasant spot to pass a few hours. If our bartender wasn't as warm and friendly as our friends at the Montalcino Enoteca, he was nevertheless knowledgeable. At the Enoteca, your wine tasting can range across the many regions Italy, making it a super spot to try styles you've nver heard of before.

Gelateria Kopa Kabana-via dei Rossi 52/54. Another entrant in the "Best gelato in Italy" category, Kopa Kabana is tucked away down a street off the Banchi Sopra.

Gelato here looked suspiciously close to "neon mound of hrmph." Nevertheless, their hazelnut was acceptable, and texture was rather good. It just wasn't the best gelato in Italy.


Trattoria La Torre- Via Salicotto 69, Siena, +39 577 28 7548. Came highly recommended from foodie friends and it was a homey delicious little trattoria. Simple food, nothing too high end, and do bring along your Eating and Drinking in Italy because they're going to recite the menu to you in Italian. Portions are large, and be warned that your server will come around after each course and say quite matter-of-factly, what do you want next? You'll find yourself stuffed to the gills and yet somehow feeling compelled to order a whole fish.

Antica Trattoria Papei-piazza del Mercato 6, behind the Torre. A warmly pleasant and informal place, Antica Trattoria looks like it caters to its share of tourists, but that doesn't make the food any less delicious. Pastas are served in a delicious sauce, and the house wine we had, a DOCG Chianti for 3 Euros, was super.


Wednesday Flea Market- Need a strainer and a wooden spoon for your undersupplied vacation rental? Or perhaps you need boots? Napkins? Plastic tablecloths? Scarves, jeans, cappucino makers, underwear, jewelry, shower curtains? You'll findincredible bargains over at the Medici Fortress on Wednesday mornings, but leave yourself plenty of time to wander through the miles and miles of stalls.

ROME
In Rome, we stayed in an apartment (courtesy of SleepinItaly.com), so once again, we did more shopping for food and cooking at home than eating out in restaurants. We did try to find a few restaurant recommendations, like Costanza or Casa Bleve, but as we were here over the holiday weekend, many places were closed. Still, we found a lot of other spots we liked-- none more than:

Campo dei Fiore Market- Need we say anything more? Except maybe "Open Daily."


















Il Forno Campo dei Fiore- Campo dei Fiore 22. On our first day in Rome, we arrived too late in the day to hit the open-air market in the Campo, but we did visit several shops on the square to get food for our dinner. We were so excited to be shopping in Rome, that we enthusiastically pointed all over the place. It's amazing that we did only wind up with one loaf of their delicious bread and a couple of pastries for our breakfast.

Il Fiorentino- Campo dei Fiore 17/18. We wandered into this little shop not quite knowing what we wanted or whether the place was any good, but the butcher behind the counter was exceptionally patient with our rudimentary Italian, and helped us pick out some fantastically flavored sausages to go into our pasta that evening. If we'd had an oven we would have been back again for one of the beautiful roasts they had trussed up in their case.

Caffe Farnese-on the Piazza Farnese 106/107. Recommended as a pleasant stop after the vagaries of market shopping, Caffe Farnese does indeed make a lovely little spot to sit and soak up a little sunlight in the mornings. Add in a newspaper from the newstand in the nearby Campo dei Fiore and you have a relaxing few hours away from the hustle and bustle.


Volpetti's- via della Scrofa 31/32, 06-683-00-334. There's another location on via Marmorata, but when we stumbled across Volpetti's on via Scrofa, we couldn't help wandering in.

The guy behind the counter spoke about as much English as we did Italian, but on the spur of the moment, I attempted to communicate that we had pan forte and were looking for cheese to go with it. After a momentary confusion, he cottoned on to what we wanted and found us two fantastic little goat cheeses, one wrapped in cherry leaves and the other in chestnut leaves. He waved a cheese at us indicating we should smell -- and it smelled pretty damn fine. We had a great conversation, even though neither one of us spoke the other's language and ultimately left there with some bacon and salumi to boot.

Gusto's- Piazza Augusto Imperatore 28. It's a food store, it's a wine bar. It's a cafe, it's a ristorante. It's a pizzeria AND a drive-thru cheese store. And it's all crammed into one narrow Mussolini-era building that faces the old Mausoleum of Augustus and the new monstrosity by Richard Meier. Gusto's has quickly become THE foodie destination in Rome, and though we had a seriously adverse reaction to the high-handed dismissiveness of the sommelier (who basically foisted a wine upon us with very little effort to find out what we wanted to drink) the food was very good, and the cooking tool store was quite charming.

Tre Scalini-Piazza Navona. At Tre Scalini, you're paying for the fact of sitting at Tre Scalini. Still, sitting and watching the show that is the Piazza Navona go by is a tradition for a reason-- it's fabulous fun.

Possibly our favorite moment was when a strangely dressed woman in many layers--obviously The Official Crazy Woman of Piazza Navona--stopped by to chat with our waiter. Her "crazy" persona dropped for a moment and they talked like old friends, then she hoisted the old "crazy" persona back onto her face and moved on to bark at the wind in the Piazza. Life is so much fun to watch.


Cafe Sant'Eustachio- Piazza Sant'Eustachio 8. When you're talking about the real deal, the best coffee in all of Rome--maybe all of Italy-- in my humble opinion, you must be talking about Sant'Eustachio. Is it the baking powder? The pimped up machinery? The sweat of the crowds at the bar? Who knows? But their coffee is most definitely unlike any other we had on our entire trip -- smooth, rich, fragrant, and utterly beautiful.

Gelato San Crispino- Our candidate for the best gelato in Rome. We saw many nasty piles of neon gelato everywhere and people happily consuming out-of-season neon garbage. But San Crispino had a huge variety of fabulous imaginative flavors. On their menus, though, a few to definitely try are the merengas--creamy gelato with crisp bits of merengue mixed into them.

One review waggishly suggested that the guys at San Crispino look like lab techs. If this is what it takes to make good gelato, unleash the technology. Oh, and the hazelnut? Still not Amorino, but damn good -- not too sweet and a beautiful fragrance.

A couple of other odds and ends. Yes, the eggs are indeed better there. As part of the normal course of things you get the kind of eggs, with that beautiful golden yolk and firm white, that we pay $7 a dozen for around here -- for 1 Euro.

Why can't we do that here? Perhaps we need to assign each egg its own identity card, as they do in Italy, where -- I kid you not-- we got eggs that were each individually stamped on the shell.

But after all the travelling, after all the walking, the scurrying from place to place, you might ask what it was that we were really seeking on this trip? But, uh, don't suppose you could, uh, tell us where we might find a, um, find a, uh, a, um, a uh--



"A G-rr-rr-rr-rrail?"

Firenze: Gelato Frenzy

Good morning, rain. We have only one day left in Firenze, and we seen a lot, but we have a few things we still want to see, and then there's shopping to do, by gum!

I had sort of half given up on the Brancacci Chapel since we hadn't called ahead to make the "mandatory reservation" (See my earlier post for opinions on "museum reservation systems"), but then another guest at our hotel said that they had just walked into the Church of the Carmine without one the other day. Hmmm... maybe it is off-season after all...

So we hotfoot it over to the Oltrarno, dodging puddles as we go...

After braving the (I think) unseasonably large crowds at the Uffizi and the Accademia, I'm quite surprised to see so few people at the Brancacci Chapel. We have absolutely no problem getting in, and there's even a video introduction in three languages on offer.

The video, while slightly cheesy, is actually kind of informative. In fact I might go so far as to say that I'd recommend it as a first stop and intro to the Florentine Renaissance history for anyone who's never been to Florence before. It flies through reconstructed streets past familiar landmarks and introduces the characters who made Florence a capital of art and learning.

It was also here that I realized I was in the presence of the patron Saint of Technology.

"How the freaking ... does this thing..." I mutter as I try to figure out which side of the headphones belongs on the right ear.

In the mean time, my Omnivore has donned his translator headphones, flipped a couple of buttons, found the English-language channel and is idly tuning it and adjusting the volume.

"I can't hear anything," I fuss, still messing with the wires.

The Patron Saint of Tech smiles beneficently, tunes my unit and tells me to be patient, "We won't hear anything until they start the DVD."

After the video, we head up to the chapel itself, which is magnificent. I'm terribly excited for my first viewing of the famous Masaccios. The last few times I've been in Florence the chapel was inaccessible-- filled top to bottom with scaffolding for literally years--but now it's clean and restored and what's revealed is incredibly beautiful.

What I'm most amazed by is the rich panoply of textiles parading through the streets of Florence -- the russet silk that St. Peter wears, the heavy golds, the elaborate patterning, these are the same fabrics we saw in the Setificio that we visited the day before.

The day is starting to clear a bit and we head back along the river, which now looks as placid as glass.





In fact one young couple is taking advantage of the view to perch on what might be the most imaginative, if somewhat dizzying picnic location in the city.

We don't get a lot of news since there's no TV in the room, and so we've been blissfully ignorant of the strike planned in Italy.

Until we passed the Uffizi and noticed that there were no lines.

No lines?

We ventured closer to the sign, which announced that due to the strikes, the museum was closed. I felt for all those people clutching their small shreds of paper with reservation numbers on them.

We moved on to Santa Croce, one of the loveliest churches in the city.

I'm always a little irritated that tickets are sold to enter a working church. I understand that they need to raise money, especially for all the restoration work going on, but I also can't help envisioning Christ coming down with a whip to cast out the moneychangers.

Of course there's renovation work going on inside -- in fact, the high altar looks rather like the way the Brancacci Chapel always looked when I visited in the past.

We're marvelling at the beauty of the interior architecture when suddenly a screech of metal against metal cuts through the air, shattering every conversation. A generator? the scaffold elevator? A chainsaw? Who knows. It continues intermittently as we walk through the church.

Anyway, in the afternoon, I suddenly realize that this was our last day in Florence and that we had done precious little gelato sampling. Grom was a worthy entrant, but what about the other ten places on my list?!?

After consulting our map, we decide that we can get to... well, at least two other places: Vivoli (via Isole delle Stinche 7, +39.55.292334), which comes with the tempting title of "Best Gelato in Italy"; and Vestri (Borgo Albizi 11r, 055-234-0374) known for their high quality chocolates.

First, Vivoli. We have a new theory, which so far has been borne out: If a gelateria has crap stuck in the gelato-- strawberries on top to show that it's strawberry gelato, chestnuts for chestnut gelato, peach halves for peach, pineapple for pineapple gelato (???) ... well, you get the idea-- just turn and walk away.

There are other hints. Is the gelato in covered bins, or sitting out? Are they selling flavors that are totally out of season, such as strawberry in November? Is the smell of sugar sweet enough to knock you over before you've even walked through the door? Walk away. Just walk away.

Vivoli, apparently very popular and mentioned in many guidebooks, had crap in their gelato. Aw jeez. Okay, this is all in the name of truth. We get a couple of flavors, but include our benchmark hazelnut, a flavor that was delicious at Grom and moved us to tears at Amorino.

I am saddened to report that Vivoli just didn't stack up. Not that we spit it out or anything, but frankly, the quality and consistency of the gelato we had at Vivoli could be found anyplace. Average, very average and not worth the price.

From Vivoli, we walked over to Vestri, hoping at least for good chocolate. Interestingly enough, Vestri does not offer many flavors. However, they did have chocolate and hazelnut. In covered bins. No crap lodged in it.

The hazelnut was far superior to Vivoli, and approached Amorino in texture and flavor, though it was not quite as intensely nutty. The chocolate, however, was a total winner -- rich smooth, and deeply chocolate, we adored this gelato.

Bottom line: If you're standing in front of Vivoli, just turn north and walk two blocks up Palmieri to Vestri. Much better.

On the way, you might pass one hundred million Vespas.

Firenze: Chee-chee-Cibreo

“Don’t blog this one,” my Omnivore says flatly.

But I can’t help it. This was the best food we’ve had yet in Italy, and in the top ten of best experiences eating ever. I speak of course of Cibreo. No, not THAT Cibreo. The other one. The open-secret one. The one we will return to again and again.

If you seek Typical Tuscan Cuisine, this is not the place for you. There’s no bistecca or pasta on the menu. No spaghetti Bolognese or pici with wild boar ragu. However, if you want the best food in Florence, Michelin-star quality at about a third of what you pay at the Michelin starred restaurant around the corner, Trattoria Cibreo (Via dei Macci 118/r, off Piazza Sant'Ambrogio, 011-39-055-234-1100 – you can call all you like, but the trattoria does not take reservations) is it.

A favorite refrain for my Omnivore through this trip has been that he wanted to find the “L’Ardoise of Italy.” L’Ardoise is our favorite joint in Paris--Pierre Jay’s little place tucked away on 28 rue du Mont Thabor, where he serves up a market menu of fantastic Michelin star level food in a plain table, no-frills setting for a ridiculously low, three-course, prix fixe price. (Call ahead because it’s now totally overrun with American tourists who’ve discovered the secret, 011-33-1-42-96-28-18.)

Well, after some—I am happy to admit, not exhaustive-- eating around, we believe we have found It.






This is not to be confused with the white tablecloth Ristorante Cibreo around the corner, where you can make reservations, you get a larger range of choices and probably will be greeted in English. This is the small living-room sized place (there are only about 30 seats) behind the ristorante, where there are paper placemats on rustic tables, you’ll probably end up sharing a table with strangers and you’ll get a penciled menu in Italian only. But though the number of selections will be smaller, it will be food from the same kitchen. You’ll wait in the breezeway in the door as food passes you by, and you’ll wait. And you’ll wait. But it will be worth it.

We enjoyed it so much that we went back there a second night with Ms. Five-and-a-Half and Mr. Thirteen—that’s how good it was.

The first night, not quite knowing what to expect, we sat next a pair of Japanese women who, much to my delight, took pictures of all their food. I had no need to feel self-conscious about sneaking a photo--these two were happily exchanging cameras back and forth before each bite.

I started with Passato di Zucca, which translates roughly as The Best Pumpkin Soup You Will Ever Have in All Your Years On Earth. A French-style twist on an Italian favorite—which is really what much of the menu is—the silky smoothness of the pumpkin puree veiled what must have been an infusion of nutmeg and perhaps even a hint of cardamom, Ms. Five-and-a-Half thought. It came Italian-style, with a drizzle of olive oil for added smoothness, and a stripe of cinnamon sugar – a brilliant stroke.

My Omnivore had the porcini soup—also beautifully smooth in that way that says pureed, then through a food mill, then a tamis, then a chinois. Delicately aromatic, it had a base of superb broth that didn’t overwhelm the porcinis, but gave it a heightened flavor.


This place is the sort of trattoria where everyone is craning their necks to see who has what, and my Omnivore’s dish—which Ms. Five-and-a-Half tried the next night—was the irresistibly strange vitello tonnato, or veal cutlet in tuna sauce. The veal is served cold and is very tender, but it’s the bizarrely compelling tuna sauce that is most unusual because it has tuna flavor with absolutely no fishiness. We think Ms. Five-and-a-Half hit it on the head when she surmised that it was a modified, thickened aioli made with the oil that tuna is often packed in. Finished with lemon and dotted with capers and parsley, it was by far the strangest but also most inventive dish we had there.

On my first night, I had the Stoccafisso all’Elbana, which turned out to be a stew of salt cod, not too unlike the brandades you can get in Spain. Warm and tasty, but overshadowed by the next evening’s choice, Polpettone di Vitello, which our server described as “veal meatloaf.” This ain’t your grandma’s meatloaf. Served cold, it’s a finely-minced, almost firm pate studded with pistachios and served with a tangy lemon aioli, which I might add, was a different texture from the tonnato sauce on the other veal, and played with the flavor in a totally different way.

My Omnivore had the Polpettine di Pollo on his second night, two heavenly chicken meatballs in a rich gorgeous tomato-based sauce.




Mr. Thirteen opted, for his part, for the Salsicce e Fagiole, or the upscale version of Franks and Beans, which had a lovely rosemary aroma and a thick rich sauce.




The contorni, which come with your secondi automatically here, are also fantastic. The cauliflower stew was terrific—and I don’t even like cauliflower—the beets were tender and sweet, and the sliced zucchini had that great autumnal darkness with a hint of the last green of summer.












If their main courses were wonderful, the dolce were no less surprising. The first night we had what they called panna cotta, but which really was a flan, though made with a deep caramel that stopped just short on the right side of being bitter. The second night I ordered the vanilla bavarois, which came with strawberry sauce, and was, I thought closer to the texture I associate with panna cotta.

The flavor was more intense in my Omnivore’s caffe bavarois, but the clear winner of the night was the chocolate budino, a chocolate with chocolate on rich lovely chocolate excursion. Probably best tasted by sampling with your finger and licking it off, it was certainly the finest dessert we’ve had yet in Italy.