The Runaway Cook

A diary of culinary adventures

The Best Meal I've Ever Eaten!

Posted by Elizabeth Thursday, December 16, 2010 comments (0)


A seven Euro cab ride will get you there from the train station. Hidden among orange buildings smeared with black and yellow graffiti and very narrow streets that are bumpy enough to jiggle you out of your seat, the All Osteria Bottega exists.
 You’d never guess that what seemed like a wrong turn would bring you to this small restaurant with smooth wooden tables, surrounded by wooden chairs with straw seats, sparkling empty glasses waiting just for you and little hanging lights veiled with lace shades. 
I found out about this place from someone, who told me to talk to someone else, who told me I had to and eat at this place. In fact, the only reason I took the train to Bologna, called the “stomach of Italy” for its cheese, rich sauces, filled pastas, and famed Prosciutto di Parma, was to eat here. 
After countless meals across the continents this dinner beat them all. I’ve never been to pleased after eating a meal!
To begin, I ordered the wine my waiter suggested: Savoia Enrico Vino Frizzante Bianco, which means a lightly sparkling regional white. It was mild, refreshing with citrus and just the perfect touch of gravel. 

First Course: Prosciutto di Parma
Rippled and convoluted, these shining silken scarves of flesh are rich and have not the slightest hint of pork. Instead, the flavor is more like butter with a delicate hint of meatiness, like in a good cheese. What’s more is the texture. The flesh and fat become one harmoniously creamy bite that literally melts on your tongue. 












Second Course: Tortellini in Brodo di Cappone
It’s a specialty of Bologna. Tiny bellybuttons of pasta filled with just a taste of meat, bathing in barely hazed broth dotted with floating golden oil and melted patches of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The pasta is bright yellow and al dente and the filling is a mild pork sausage, the broth is simple, warm, flavorful and making me miss m mother. 
Course Three: Costoletta di vitello in osso alla petroniana
This is the premier dish of the house. When ordering my waiter insisted I eat this, they’d make a special single portion for me he said, (it’s usually served in twos only) I agreed without even asking what meat was in it first.  Serendipitously, it consisted of a veal chop, bone on pounded out ever so thinly breaded, fried, then covered with prosciutto and parmigiano and allowed to relax in a pool of sauce- a thick reduction of broth. It was rich tender and salty and accompanied by ultra crisp, thick-cut fries seasoned with rosemary






Dessert Torta de riso
My least favorite part of the meal was this risotto cake. Caramelized rice pudding dens rich, and covered in a dark caramel skin. The consistantly musy with hard centers of rice granules was just not my cup of tea. But then again, I'm picky when it comest to sweet things.
My reservation here was for 1:30pm and the time now is 3:15pm. I have just poured myself another glass of wine and the bottle is still far from empty. I now know why there’s strong coffee at the end of the meal, and why everyone takes a nap before going on with the day. Sigh, this was just lovely.  The smiling owner, who sat down with and chatted with every guest, beamed as he insisted I pay only three quarters of the bill. This lunch couldn't have been any better!









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Australians and Pasta a Pasta Dinner in . . Amalfi?

Posted by Elizabeth Wednesday, November 24, 2010 comments (0)

I am back in Amalfi! I know what you’re thinking, “Why is Elizabeth backtracking?” Well,   I have made friends with a couple of Australians that also wanted to go to Positano and Amalfi is the perfect place for a lunch break on the two-and-a-half-hour journey. 
We eating dinner at a place that Emilio (cheesy Italian man who was mentioned in earlier articles) told me is the best pasta in town, El Teatro. There are about three ways to get to this hidden little restaurant. One can choose the first white painted stone stairway, the second, or the third. After walking up a story of steep ledge-like steps just follow the all-white, painted, stone hallway between the buildings that leads to a widening in the hallway with tables, a lamp, and a sign. 
I’ve never found a restaurant that fit the word “hidden” so well. This place is practically asking to not be found by most people. I guess that’s how they weed out the foodie tourists from the not so food-motivates others. 
The three of os sit down under the solid arch that shades us from the hot sun. This lengthy hall makes for a gentle wind tunnel so it’s pretty comfortable outside the restaurant. We order the red wine of the house, which cost just more than water per liter. It’s light and acidic but good enough for quenching our thirst and matching our food-somewhat. 
First course is a pizza topped with black olives, tomato, basil, cheese, and from-scratch tomato sauce. The steaming round produces floating wafts of garlicy breeze and a tart scent from the olives and tomato. It tastes delicious, right down to the not-so-thin crust. The edges are crunchy but the center is soft. Strangely, it seems to make us more hungry and refreshed with every bite.
Second course is different for us all. To my left is a plate of stuffed vegetables and across from me is spinach stuffed raviolis covered in garnet-colored tomato sauce. But, right in front of me is a plate full of porchini mushrooms stuffed raviolis covered in a creamy sauce and just begging for me to take a bite. I love mushrooms and these, I have to admit are good, but have been sauteed with just a little too much white wine for my taste, In fact they’re almost a a little bit sour. However, the richness of the ricotta in the filling and creamy sauce almost makes the tart mushrooms seem normal. The pasta is tender and lovely- just what I had hoped for. All in all, I’d have to say I was happy with the meal.








Ahhhh look at the time! With these couple glasses of wine, the three of us have nearly lost track of the time. We must catch the bus to Positano so we can have some time there before we run to catch the last bus back to Salerno . . . . Grab your bags ladies it’s time to run!

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Cooking in Italy

Posted by Elizabeth Monday, July 12, 2010 comments (0)


I am so full! I’ve just finished several platefuls of pici cooked two ways, panzanella, stewed beef, roast pork with potatoes, and more. I think I will never be ale to keep up with the Italian eating habits. The meals seems to last forever and if we didn’t insist we had somewhere to go, I am nearly certain that the meal would continue for hours and end only to begin the next meal.

This meal like, many of our meals in Tuscany was from a local restaurant, the special thing about today’s food was that . . .we made it.

As we walked into this tiny restaurant, a smiling face haloed with rusty-colored airy curls greeted us. As the woman in white hovered toward a table covered in fresh tomatoes and herbs the group eagerly tied our aprons round our waists. First on the list to create was Panzanella.

Panzanella is a salad of fresh tomato, herbs, olive oil and old bread that has been rehydrated with water. Here’s why this is a unique food to Tuscany. Tuscan bread is made without salt as remembrance to a boycott of salt when the taxes for it rose to an amount the locals refused to pay. This creates technique makes Tuscan breads taste a bit bland and have a texture that is a it irregular and crumbles easily. However there are some benefits to leaving out the salt. With no ingredient that collects and holds moisture Tuscan bread doesn’t mold. Instead it dries into what may feel and look like the perfect murder weapon to a perturbed cook. Traditionally, as fractions of loaves became too dry to serve they would be tied up in cloth and hung from the ceiling in a kitchen. To use these sachets of unwanted bread some cleaved Italian thought of adding water back into bread along with some fantastic fresh and flavorful ingredients.
To make this true delicious salad, all you will need is the following:

PANZANELLA

1/2 of a large loaf of old crusty bread that is now completely dry
A tub of water- enough to submerge the loaf
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 cucumber chopped
2 cups tomato chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
Olive oil to taste- a few tablespoons
Salt
Pepper

Directions
  1. Dissolve salt in vinegar and add to tub of water.
  2. Add the bread and allow it to soak until the bread has softened.
  3. Picking up the loaf in pieces, squeeze out as much water as possible and crumble the bread into a large mixing bowl (the bread should be damp and crumble at this point and not mushy or soggy).
  4. Toss the bread with the remaining ingredients, being very generous with a good quality olive oil, salt, and pepper.
After the salad was finished, we moved into pasta making. In this region, pasta is made very differently than in other areas. The dough, rather than being made only eggs and flour, it is made of mainly water and flour with some egg. This makes a dough that is not rolled out flat and cut into pasta but is rolled between one’s fingers into a long spaghetti-like strand called pici. Look below for the recipe.

PICI

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour
1 egg
Water
2 tbsp olive oil

  1. Mix the two flours on your board (or in a bowl if you are more comfortable) and create a well in the center.
  2. In the well make a pool of the egg, oil, and water
  3. Using your first and second fingers, begin making small circles that gradually incorporate the flour into the wet mixture. I find it can be difficult to keep the wet mixture within the flour. The chef taught me this can be remedied by making the well wider as your go rather than keeping it tall and full. Spreading out the goo and flour into a wide shallow well is very effective.
  4. Once the mixture is incorporated it should be moist but not sticky. If it is too dry or too wet just add water or flour accordingly.
  5. Using your body weight take both hands and kneed the dough and strong motions. Do this until the dough is smooth and strong- about 20 minutes
  6. Now let the dough rest about 30 minutes- this allows the gluten, protein found in wheat, to relax. This makes a for a pasta that will be tender and soft rather than tough and chewy. Be sure you let your pasta rest!
  7. Next cut off small portions and roll back and forth between your fingers and palms. You can also roll the log by pressing and rolling on the cutting board.

NOTE -This style of rolling the pasta is very labor intensive and takes quite a while. IFYou can use a pasta cutter or rolling pin and a knife to cut this pasta so as to save time and effort if you wish.

The way Chef Gina dressed our pasta was simple and classic to the region, Sugo di Pomodoro e Basilico Fresco (fresh tomatoes and basil). To dress your pici in the same way you will need:
2 cups fresh roma or plum tomatoes -any ripe and fleshy tomato will do
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil- to taste
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped or torn roughly
Salt
Parmigiano cheese

Gently saute the garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes more adding salt to taste. Add the chopped basil and toss with pasta and top with shards of parmigiano.

Surprisingly I had no trouble eating all this food. It just was so delicious and all the wonderful wine seemed to assist me in eating more of it. I hope these recipe help you all have just a taste of Italy back home. With the abundance of fresh produce available now, you will have no problem achieving the taste of Tuscany. Just remember to keep it ripe and simple using plenty of good olive oil and time. Good luck and happy cooking!

If you have any questions please feel free to leave comments and I’ll do my best to answer them of send your question on the Chef Gina who will definitely be able to answer you.

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Acqui Terme

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, June 15, 2010 comments (0)


By the end of day one, traveling to a city of hot thermal waters didn’t sound like a bad idea. I couldn’t wait to step off the bus and take a dip in the natural waters. As we crept to a stop,
I couldn’t believe that this creamy colored dream was our hotel. Appropriately called Grand Hotel Thermes, this building sits opposite a gorgeous town square which just happened to be filled with venders for a farmer’s market. Ha! Could this day get any more serendipitous?

Surrounding a round stone and plant town centerpiece of sorts was canopy after canopy of all kinds of vendors including: meats, cheeses, a woman who made her own liquers, bakers, gardeners with fresh produce, and even men selling spices and salts. It was amazing to see such a vast array of producers and sellers. Unfortunately my conversation was limited due to locals only speaking Italian and yours truly, the foreigner, speaking English only. Table after table I would be greeted with a smile and a caio or bongiorno then an expression of “oh” ummmm I can’t speak to you and this is probably not a sale so why try . . .All except the woman who made liqueurs. She gave me a sample of the most divine chocolate alcohol. Thick and rich even the hot sun couldn’t melt away the feelings of bliss it produced.


By this point I had thoroughly sweated through my shirt and was ready to take a dip in the pool. Note to all who read this: APPROPRIATE SWIM ATTIRE IS VITAL. My friend and I did not know the swim etiquette so we were sent back to our rooms for having shirts on over our swimming suits and wearing improper pool headgear and footwear. How my hair fit under that cap I don’t know. Once we finally made it past the spa guards, we sank into the water. It was defiantly thermal water. Although the steamy dip made the kinks from the plane fade, it didn’t exactly remedy the
heat exhaustion.

Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant, Vineria X Bacc. This local gem was just a short walk from our lodging around a curved street and past a steaming fountain. As we made the jaunt it was easy to see that Acqui Terme has had some new paint applied. Delicate petal pinks
and minty greens adorned crisp buildings. Over the last twenty years, more than 120 million euros have been invested into the rebuilding this piece of Lombardia. Why so much? Unfortunately, in Acqui Terme’s past there lurk some dark days. Sinking into financial ruin from the time of Mussolini, it was not until the 1980s the she began to be revived. Today however, she seems to be thriving, and personally I would be in heaven to live here.

After a sharp turn into to an alley housing the entrance to Vineria X Bacc, we were led through the restaurant to a small cube a space between neighboring buildings.

Tables for six were set with wine glasses and green plaid tablecloths. We started off the meal with a bouquet of bread sticks and sparkling wine. After a short toast we moved onto the first course, veal ravioli with parmesan cheese. As the proprietor circled our table filling our bowls with the steaming pouches of beefling deliciousness and our glasses with the dolcetta and alborosa, I was found myself in a state of disbelief. This cinematically perfect moment of dining outside under a yellow canopy, sipping Italian wine, and eating home made raviolis, this was my life, my reality. This night was altogether perfect.

Even our next dish, roast lamb with potatoes, was amazing. I usually can’t stand lamb, but this meat tasted mild, without a hint of wool and barnyard. I loved how tender and juicy it was. And the potatoes, don’t even get me started, crispy amber outsides with golden velvety insides, uhhhh my mouth is flooding with the thought of just another bite.



Finally, dessert came floating out on white plates: fresh strawberries oppos
ite a chocolate flan of sorts, a specialty of this region. The slice of chocolate custard tasted and felt like like pudding in the mouth but had the texture of a soft flan on the plate. This course was served with Rosa Regale, my new favorite.

The only thing left to do now was sip a shot of dark Italian espresso then chase it with some grappa. I usually don’t drink espresso plain, but in Italy, drinking milk after 2:00pm is considered unhealthy and is never done. So, asking for a latte or cappuccino is just out of the question. This was my first introduction to grappa, and can I just say holy buckets!

That stuff is powerful. It’s like a bodybuilder whisky, strong and buff with enough pow in its punch to make you frown.

Dang!

What a succulent finale to such a surreal first day.

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