tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45829944591109491742024-03-06T11:05:00.751-08:00gastronomichaelfood and life on the san francisco baygastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-54091852003773974032012-01-16T16:11:00.000-08:002012-01-20T22:56:40.434-08:00Trip to Chile Part 2: Best Things I Ate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A. <u>Preparation</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">During my recent trip to Chile with Sausalito’s Mayor, Herb Weiner, which I described in <a href="http://www.gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2012/01/trip-to-chile-part-1-geography.html"><span style="color: blue;">my post a couple of weeks ago</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I had the opportunity to try a number of traditional Chilean dishes. In preparation for our trip I did quite a bit of research about Chilean cuisine and found the following English sites to be of the most assistance (I welcome suggestions about others that I may have overlooked):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">~ Wikipedia’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_cuisine"><span style="color: blue;">Chilean cuisine</span></a> site</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">~ The <a href="http://www.thisischile.cl/2/Gastronomia/Noticias.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">food section</span></a> of the Chilean government’s This is Chile site</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">~ <a href="http://tastingchile.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Tasting Chile</span></a>, the site of an American named Margaret Snook who has lived in Chile several years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">~ <a href="http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Eating Chilean</span></a>, the site of an American named Jim Stuart, a former college professor who moved to Chile when he retired. Jim’s entries have in many cases a historical perspective that I found very helpful</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">~ <a href="http://foodychile.com/"><span style="color: blue;">FoodyChile</span></a>, the site of a young American named Colin Bennett whose market tour Herb and I took while in Santiago</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Unfortunately my Spanish is not good enough to allow me to make efficient use of Spanish language sites, although I did in particular enjoy visits to the site of the <a href="http://www.cronistas.cl/"><span style="color: blue;">Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos de Chile</span></a>, a Chilean culinary society.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">B. <u>Traditions and Ingredients</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chilean cuisine was primarily based on the traditions of the indigenous Chilean people, in particular the Mapuche, together with the Spanish who were the first to arrive from Europe. Subsequent immigrants, most notably the large group of Germans who came to southern Chile in the 1800’s, added their own elements to the mix. However, the most notable element of Chilean cuisine is the wealth of excellent local ingredients, both fish and shellfish provided by the sea along Chile’s long coastline, and, as we can see in our own supermarkets at this time of the year, the wide range of fruits and vegetables grown in the country’s fertile soil in the diverse environments found as one moves north to south. Finally, needless to say, Chilean wines are among the best in the world.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">C. <u>The Lineup</u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">While Chile – in particular the capital Santiago, a city of over 6 million people – offers high quality international cuisine, my focus on my first trip to Chile was on traditional Chilean dishes which tend to be relatively basic and rustic. The following, which appear in the order consumed along the way, were the best (or at least most iconic) dishes I had:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">1. Mote con Huesillos (peach and wheat drink) – Cerro San Cristóbal, Santiago</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />Carla, one of my Chilean friends living in the Bay Area, told me that on my first day in Santiago I should go to the top of the San Cristóbal hill – part of the</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.parquemet.cl/" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">Metropolitan Park of Santiago</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">(a sister park to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco!) - and enjoy the view of the city with a glass of </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mote_con_huesillo" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">Mote con Huesillos</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> In fact that is what we ended up doing as part of a city tour that Herb and I took on the day of our arrival. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I found the drink very refreshing, but what an unexpected combination. First you add some boiled wheat (the mote) to a class, then add a couple of dried peaches (the huesillos) and fill it up with peach nectar. I wonder who it was that figured out that combination?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>2. Completo Italiano (hotdog with tomato, avocado and mayo) – Donde el Guatón and Dominó, Santiago<br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I had seen the episode of No Reservations when Anthony Bourdain goes to Chile, and the completo was the dish from that program that struck me the most. Basically an oversized hot dog smothered with (at least in the red, green and white version referred to at the Italiano after the tricolored Italian flag) tomato, avocado and mayo. The version that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR_LncmNH5U&feature=player_embedded"><span style="color: blue;">Bourdain had was at Sibaritico in Viña del Mar</span></a>, but Herb and I decided not to wait and in fact had our first completo on our first day in Chile at a small place named Donde el Guatón. Frankly, I was underwhelmed, in large part because the hot dog was very bland. Later that day I decided to give the dish a second try at Dominó, a Chilean fast food chain. While the second was a bit better, it was not a dish I would recommend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One element of the completo which does deserve mentioning is the generous use of avocado (or palta as it is called in Chile). I learned that Chile is a major grower and exporter of avocados and mashed palta is used generously on many dishes as we encountered frequently on our trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>3. Lomito Antiguo (pork sándwich with avocado and mayo) – Dominó, Santiago</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Notwithstanding my disappointment at their completo, I ended up going back to Dominó (a shop was just around the corner from my hotel) a couple of days later for one of their Lomito Antiguo’s. Bourdain had gone to a Santiago institution named Fuente Alemana for a Lomito and the same place had been recommended to me by another Chilean friend in San Francisco, but I just did not have enough time to get there. <a href="http://eatwineblog.com/2009/06/05/chile%E2%80%99s-most-iconic-sandwich-el-lomito/"><span style="color: blue;">Here's a guide</span></a> to ordering there for my next visit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Lomito at Dominó was very good, and the antiguo was only one of several variations offered.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIS1NLTR6JNOlaX4IspGLt7-UJqiliU8oytKBol2ZV9lilQJqOBIL43mFfa6_SswlzNLxEvqMpF45UuKy-vsNxiurVu87GfeBBHYRqbNMu_1A5lnuguoZWBoh29EEIdipTRgtR-Z3YnE/s1600/Domino+Lomitos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIS1NLTR6JNOlaX4IspGLt7-UJqiliU8oytKBol2ZV9lilQJqOBIL43mFfa6_SswlzNLxEvqMpF45UuKy-vsNxiurVu87GfeBBHYRqbNMu_1A5lnuguoZWBoh29EEIdipTRgtR-Z3YnE/s320/Domino+Lomitos.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sandwiches
are a very popular component of Chilean cuisine as indicated by</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.thisischile.cl/7320/2/towering-and-tasty-chile-celebrates-its-iconic-sandwiches/News.aspx" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">this article</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> The sandwiches are often
oversized, as shown in this shot taken in a restaurant display case (unlike in
Japan where food in display cases is all realistic plastic, in Chile it is
real).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">That
may contribute both to the fact that the consumption of bread on a per capita
basis in Chile is reported to be #2 in the world (after Germany), and that
there is a growing concern about obesity as reflected by the new <a href="http://www.eligevivirsano.cl/"><span style="color: blue;">Elige Vivir Sano</span></a> program sponsored by Chile’s first lady, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Cecilia Morel, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">encouraging Chileans to
follow healthier life styles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>4. Porotos Granados (cranberry bean, corn and
pumpkin soup) – Don Victor, La Vega, Santiago</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On
the morning of the Saturday we spent in Santiago, Herb and I took a market
walking tour led by Colin Bennett of FoodyChile. We met Colin near the Plaza de Armas and then
toured Santiago’s two primary food markets, La Vega and the Mercado Central,
located on opposite sides of the Mapocho River that runs through the city. It was a very interesting and worthwhile tour
of markets, and Colin made sure we had the chance to sample a few things along
the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The
best thing we had to eat that day came on a stop we made at Don Victor, one of
the many small restaurants scattered around the La Vega market. Porotos Granados is a classic Chilean soup
made from pumpkin, corn and cranberry beans, and is a dish I plan to try to
make here, although as always some of our local ingredients, in particular our
pumpkins, may only approximate the Chilean varieties (including the zapallo
camote pumpkin). <a href="http://www.whats4eats.com/soups/porotos-granados-recipe"><span style="color: blue;">Here is a recipe</span></a> which
appears to be close to what we had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chilean food in general tends
not to be very heavily spiced, although it is not upcommon to find both pebre
(a salsa co<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">ndiment made of some
combination of coriander, chopped onion, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and ground
peppers)</span> and merkén (a ground smoked red pepper) at restaurants and on
dinner tables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>5. Terremoto (wine and pineapple ice cream
drink) – La Piojera, Santiago</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Toward
of the end of our market tour Colin took us to bar named <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #333333;">La Piojera near the
Mercado Central. The establishment got
its name (which means the place that fleas live) in 1922 when Chile's then
President Arturo Alessandri was invited to visit the bar by the owner. When he
walked into the bar and found it a rustic place full of working-class
customers, the President (apparently part of Chile’s 1%) exclaimed, “What is
this place, a flea house?” The name stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Colin
suggested we try La Piojera’s signature drink, the Terremoto (earthquake in
Spanish), a Chilean specialty combining white wine and pineapple ice
cream. Again one wonders who thought up
the combination. While it was
refreshing, in my view the two ingredients should be consumed separately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>6. Once (traditional late afternoon meal) – Home
of Pedro and Patti San Martin, Viña dell Mar</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On
Sunday afternoon after Herb and I arrived in Viña dell Mar we met up with our
friend Norma Morales who took us to visit Pedro and Patti San Martin, some
friends of hers who live in Viña. The
San Martin’s invited us to join them for “once,” a traditional Chilean late
afternoon/early evening snack which I understand in many cases serves as dinner
– or at least will tide one over until dinner which, in the European tradition,
is generally eaten much later in Chile than in the United States. The only thing I still do not understand is
the origin of the term once, which means eleven in Spanish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We
spent a very pleasant few hours with Pedro and Patti enjoying our first once
ever. The only thing missing from the
picture was the big bowl of avocado that Pedro whipped up for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>7. Machas Parmesanas (broiled razor clams with
cheese) – Ristorante San Marco, Viña dell Mar</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It has been drummed into me
during visits to Italian restaurants that one NEVER adds cheese to
shellfish. Accordingly, it was
interesting to discover that one of the most popular Chilean seafood dishes are
razor clams sprinkled with <em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Parmigiano</span></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">-</span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Reggiano cheese
and then broiled.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Late one evening in </span></em>Viña I was a bit hungry so
stopped by a highly-recommended Italian
restaurant named Ristorante San Marco nearby my hotel for something light. The waiter suggested I try their Machas
Parmesanas, which turned out to be fantastic.
In fact, <a href="http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2009/06/machas-la-parmesana.html"><span style="color: blue;">as described here</span></a>, it turns out that the dish was invented by <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">Edoardo Melotti Ferrari, </span>an Italian immigrant to
Chile, who owns Ristorante San Marco. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>8. <em><span lang="ES-CL" style="font-style: normal;">Pastel de Choclo (corn and meat pie</span></em><em><span lang="ES-CL">)</span></em><span lang="ES-CL"> - El Criollíto - </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">Mercado Municipal de<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Temuco</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;"> (</span></span></b><span lang="ES-CL"><b>Mercado Modelo)</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="ES-CL">After our stay in </span>Viña del Mar I headed further south in Chile, initially flying from
Santiago to Temuco in the <em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Araucanía region.
There I was met by a guide named Philippe who lives in Pucón, who would
be showing me around for the next few days. </span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-style: normal;">Since I would be staying in Pucón that evening, we drove first to the center
of Temuco where we got out and walked through Temuco’s two markets, the Feria Pinto and the
Mercado Modelo. We had lunch at El
Criollito, one of the restaurants, in the Mercado Modelo, where I had another
iconic Chilean dish, <a href="http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2010/07/pastel-de-choclo-corn-pie-mystery.html"><span style="color: blue;">Pastel de Choclo</span></a>.
It is a sort of baked pie with ground beef at the bottom (very similar
to the filling empanadas de pino) and corn at the top. Mine also included a piece of chicken. A very tasty and filling dish and another
that I would like to try to make.</span></em><span lang="ES-CL"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>9. Chaigue (meat-stuffed wheat ball) – Trawü
Peyun, Curarrehue</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On
one of the days I was in <em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-style: normal;">Pucón Philippe took me to a series of places in the area
that gave me an exposure to the culture of the Mapuche indigenous people who
were the original inhabitants of much of southern Chile and are today the
largest indigenous group. We first drove
southeast from Pucón to the beautiful town of </span></em>Curarrehue where I
toured the Trawüpeyum Mapuche cultural center.
At the end of the tour we came across a Mapuche woman named Ida who shared with us a dish she was making called Chaigue, a ball of boiled wheat (again the mote) stuffed
with pork.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>10. Piñon-filled Pastry and Maqui Preserve – Pasteleria La Cocina de
Elisa, Curarrehue</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After
we left the cultural center, we walked through Curarrehue (which is not very
big) and visited a bakery, the Pasteleria La Cocina de Elisa, run by a Mapuche
woman named Elisa Cea Epuin. Chile’s
national tree is the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana"><span style="color: blue;">Araucaría tree</span></a> </span>(called the monkey puzzle tree in English)
which yields nuts – piñon – which can be ground to make flour. Elisa makes some excellent pastries
incorporating piñons, as well as preserves made from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotelia_chilensis"><span style="color: blue;">maqui berry</span></a>. Those alone were worth the drive out to
Curarrehue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="ES-CL"><b>11. Cazuela (chicken soup) – Antu
Rayen (Rosario Colpi), Puc</b></span><b>ón</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On
our way back to </span><span lang="ES-CL" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Puc</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ón we
stopped to visit another Mapuche family which runs a small cultural center
named </span><span lang="ES-CL" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Antu
Rayen. Our hostess, Rosario Colpi,
prepared a Chicken Cazuela for us which we enjoyed with other dishes in a ruca
(a traditional Mapuche dwelling). The chicken had most likely been running around the ruca that morning and the soup was extremely flavorful.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">12. Kuntsmann Brewery – Valdivia</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">From
</span><span lang="ES-CL" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Puc</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ón I headed further south,
initially stopping in Validivia on our way to Puerto Varas were I was to spend
three nights. Valdivia is within the
area of Chile to which a large number of Germans immigrated in the 1800’s and
they brought their customs with them, including a fondness for beer. The <a href="http://www.cerveza-kunstmann.cl/english.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Kuntsmann brewery</span></a> is just outside of
Valdivia and we stopped there for lunch and a tasting of Kuntsmann’s beers, my
favorite being Torobayo named after the Valdivia suburb within which the
brewery is located.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>13. Caldillo de Congrio (fish soup) - Don Raul
(Palafitos de Angelmó), Puerto Montt</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Puerto
Montt is a port city just south of Puerto Varas. It has an active fish market called Angelmó surrounded by serveral buildings built on stilts (palafitos)
housing a number of restaurants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The
congrio, an eel-like fish, is a staple of Chilean cuisine that we saw in almost every fish market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-decoration: none;"><br />Although the congrio is prepared in
several ways in Chile, perhaps the most well-known dish is Caldillo de
Congrio, a soup which I had at the Don Raul restaurant in one of the palafitos following my tour of Angelmó. The dish
has special significant to Chileans since it is the subject of a poem by
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda entitled </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.soupsong.com/sconger.html"><span style="color: blue;">Oda al Caldillo de Congrio</span></a>. I wonder how many other dishes exist that are the subject of a poem by a Nobel laureate?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /><b>14. Curanto en Olla (clam bake) – Ayaltue, Puerto
Montt</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Just
outside of Puerto Montt is cultural center named <a href="http://www.ayaltue.cl/index.php/en/"><span style="color: blue;">Ayaltue</span></a> which presents the
culture of Northern Patagonia and the large island of Chiloé, just south of
Puerto Montt. After touring their
exhibits, I was served a local specialty called <a href="http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2010/08/curanto-chiloes-ancient-clambake.html"><span style="color: blue;">Curanto</span></a>, a meal of shell fish,
meat and potatoes (<a href="http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2010/06/eating-chilean-potatoes.html"><span style="color: blue;">a Chiloé specialty</span></a>) which are traditionally steamed in an
underground pit (a hoyo) lined with hot rocks and covered with earth and the
huge leaves of the nalca plant, similar to the technique used in the Hawaiian
imu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The
folks at Ayaltue used a more modern approach – a large pot (olla) into
which the ingredients were layered –
first the shellfish (mussels and clams) with a splash of white wine, then the
meat (chicken, pork and sausages) and potatoes, and finally a layer of milcaos
or chapaleles, a potato dumpling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>15. Blueberry Küchen – Café Appetit, Frutillar</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frutillar"><span style="color: blue;">Frutillar</span></a>
is on Lake Osorno just north of Puerto Varas.
Another reflection of the German traditions in the area is found in the
town’s excellent pastries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>16. Salmon – Casa Molino, Puerto Varas</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />On
my last evening in Chile I had dinner at</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://casamolino.cl/english/index.php" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;">Casa Molino</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">,</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> the guest house at which
I stayed a couple of miles north of Puerto Varas. Casa Molino is a beautiful facility with a spectacular
view of the </span><em style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-style: normal;">Volcán
Osorno across </span></em><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lake
Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile.
The area around </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chiloé is the center of Chile’s salmon farming
industry and I enjoyed one of the best preparations of salmon that I have ever
had, seated in their spectacular dining room. Definitely a place to linger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>D. <u>Some Things I Missed</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>1. Empanadas</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Perhaps
the most iconic Chilean food – or at least the one that stirs the greatest
passions about which is “the best” (perhaps a counterpart to Americans’
feelings about hamburgers) is the empanada.
In fact the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Círculo
de Cronistas Gastronómicos de Chile organization conducts an annual contest to
seek to identify the best empanada in Santiago - <a href="http://www.cronistas.cl/2011/09/las-mejores-empanadas-2011/"><span style="color: blue;">see the 2011 results</span></a>.
I simply did not have time to try any empanadas while I was in Chile –
perhaps on my next trip this can be a focal point. On the other hand, I am not too bothered by
this since, thanks to Paula Tejeda, we can get excellent Chilean empanadas at
<a href="http://www.gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2011/07/empanadas-at-chile-lindo.html"><span style="color: blue;">Chile Lindo in San Francisco</span></a>! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Wine
production and wine tourism are obviously very significant in Chile as can be
seen from the <a href="http://www.winesofchile.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Wines of Chile website</span></a>.
Although Herb and I did stop briefly in the Casablanca Valley on our way
from Santiago to Viña del Mar, I did not while I was in Chile have the time to
explore either Chilean wines or the country’s wine growing regions. Many of those regions are within an easy
drive from Santiago and it would be well worth the time to visit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-15490405734077625082012-01-13T18:31:00.000-08:002012-01-15T11:44:11.525-08:00Osechi Ryori - A Japanese New Year Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Last night Nancy and I attended a fundraising dinner in Japantown in San Francisco sponsored by the <a href="http://www.sfjapantownfoundation.org/"><span style="color: blue;">San Francisco Japantown Foundation</span></a>. The dinner featured <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osechi"><span style="color: blue;">osechi-ryori</span></a>, </span><span style="font-size: large;">a special set of Japanese dishes generally consumed only as part of the celebration of the new year. Nancy and I had enjoyed those dishes when we lived in Japan, but had not had them for some time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The event was held on the top floor of the New People building and we had a full house.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After a welcome and some preliminary comments, we enjoyed a performance by the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sftaiko.com/"><span style="color: blue;">San Francisco Taiko Dojo</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> led by the group's long time leader, Seiichi Tanaka.<br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />As can be seen in the following video, the performance included an unexpected artist, namely Consul General Hiroshi Inomata who was called up to the stage by Tanaka-sensei to take a turn on the drums and did a wonderful job.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Then it was time for dinner, and what a dinner it was. As shown below, we enjoyed a full range of </span><span style="font-size: large;">osechi ryori, many prepared by the folks at<span style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://www.delicasf.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Delica</span></a> i</span>n the San Francisco Ferrybuilding,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> as well as a number of sakes provided by<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.truesake.com/"><span style="color: blue;">True Sake</span></a></span>.<br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />The evening also gave Nancy and me a chance to see our old friend, Hats Aizawa, who was recently awarded the Japanese government's Order of Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />It was a well-deserved recognition of the contributions that Hats has made to the Japanese-American community for many decades.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Kotoshi mo yoroshiku!</span></i></span></span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-58392243180798969272012-01-08T20:51:00.000-08:002012-01-09T09:37:20.602-08:00Stalking the Monkey Faced Eel - Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM-5_29emEXm0Yd2vTlcjKjK5wyowTHAjZd8BAfhZVN_W2P7Jjud9YBpYk6gHY2ZrRaRCnmg1WOrNqU8PDrZUWcryIQdYRn6aKKx7obU1xBpNZ7W3Oq-eU1orj36SLvs3MLxEg2wty2U/s1600/Heading.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM-5_29emEXm0Yd2vTlcjKjK5wyowTHAjZd8BAfhZVN_W2P7Jjud9YBpYk6gHY2ZrRaRCnmg1WOrNqU8PDrZUWcryIQdYRn6aKKx7obU1xBpNZ7W3Oq-eU1orj36SLvs3MLxEg2wty2U/s400/Heading.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a truly inspired choice for a Christmas present, Connie, one of our wonderful daughters-in-law, signed me up for a inter-tidal fishing tour with Kirk Lombard of <a href="http://seaforager.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Sea Forager of San Francisco</span></a>, blogger and holder of the California record for the largest monkey face eel ever caught. Plus she threw in some snazzy ProLine waders!</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So at 2:00 this afternoon, coinciding with a "minus" (i.e. lower than average) tide, my new waders and I showed up at the parking lot at Pillar Point, just north of Half Moon Bay, with about 15 other foraging wannabes, where Kirk, and his trusty sidekick Mike, met us.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From there our first stop was the nearby mud flats to secure some ghost shrimp for bait, and then to dig for horseneck clams. In the meantime Mike had dropped a couple of crab pots in the bay hoping to catch some rock crab.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After we finished on the mud flats it was off to the tide pools on the reef where Kirk showed us how to search for sea urchins and harvest mussels, and also demonstrated some poke poling. Sadly he did not catch a monkey face eel, but he did manage to land a kelp greenling after just a couple of minutes of trying.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A very fun afternoon. Thanks again Connie!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX74r1a0IMchd0RGrd6Yz5EoFz5bsh4DCVKnsiHkKBw2r1eMkKXgW2hcbX8aj0NPcSsghDKQDFxVWIMquXXIgylf7aTn-zOg_smuidX6zrp8CcNzVzm_f08SNXajbVdRW-0_J1nctnMF0/s1600/Salt+Marsh+%2540+Pillar+Point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX74r1a0IMchd0RGrd6Yz5EoFz5bsh4DCVKnsiHkKBw2r1eMkKXgW2hcbX8aj0NPcSsghDKQDFxVWIMquXXIgylf7aTn-zOg_smuidX6zrp8CcNzVzm_f08SNXajbVdRW-0_J1nctnMF0/s320/Salt+Marsh+%2540+Pillar+Point.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Salt marsh at Pillar Point</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kirk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvLvS9Mr8R22ThLuFfHklCCCH_tyOc9ASQevPz-io2n6zUPnbv_U7VhgHwIXUk1_IuHc5HrNoOdzQRJs2ZvELGXgbtG2Qn-osw1PhahQLHOq_ZRt5mwIlHXUrvxYPIVO06auyvWrVWfg/s1600/Mud+Flats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvLvS9Mr8R22ThLuFfHklCCCH_tyOc9ASQevPz-io2n6zUPnbv_U7VhgHwIXUk1_IuHc5HrNoOdzQRJs2ZvELGXgbtG2Qn-osw1PhahQLHOq_ZRt5mwIlHXUrvxYPIVO06auyvWrVWfg/s320/Mud+Flats.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Heading out to on the mud flats looking for the elusive ghost shrimp</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD927gQoY6sK4uCLAPz0ev_p2j6YGgCHkqvA49_FFmP2piTZ7BXPGyvIcmm5e9fdWo4jCbEap2-dLzOigfWEXqfi8HqhX8RbPi3o4jK2tu9mJZShOiYC8tWq7Khx4C_6ZI9RizYaTInWs/s1600/Ghost+Shrimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD927gQoY6sK4uCLAPz0ev_p2j6YGgCHkqvA49_FFmP2piTZ7BXPGyvIcmm5e9fdWo4jCbEap2-dLzOigfWEXqfi8HqhX8RbPi3o4jK2tu9mJZShOiYC8tWq7Khx4C_6ZI9RizYaTInWs/s320/Ghost+Shrimp.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ghost shrimp</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyiFuFSJfRxW-ACXqlmjH3r45eWZ5210V-B8ThN2In7oskrMCYeUyMtSu96zw3zPaoXU9MOuODOT0G8NsNDs5aRLfR3Yy1icS2pOT4R62jdbbnjLWD_IMSyGy3Um3R3ry5IPJZW-ite8/s1600/Attentive+Observers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyiFuFSJfRxW-ACXqlmjH3r45eWZ5210V-B8ThN2In7oskrMCYeUyMtSu96zw3zPaoXU9MOuODOT0G8NsNDs5aRLfR3Yy1icS2pOT4R62jdbbnjLWD_IMSyGy3Um3R3ry5IPJZW-ite8/s320/Attentive+Observers.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Attentive observers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqvJRtGgEvw97loW_IFQbo69JR_pfTAVqATD6aPetSkxsOfeDTcXgZoonV98mENuSPEFk0AWke_xYEk-Sd2LL0mcKHrgwHRNGZQUw1S_wNSrekrdfKTsvYyUOaexwfCrVw1fdJoGQa1Y/s1600/Baby+MFE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqvJRtGgEvw97loW_IFQbo69JR_pfTAVqATD6aPetSkxsOfeDTcXgZoonV98mENuSPEFk0AWke_xYEk-Sd2LL0mcKHrgwHRNGZQUw1S_wNSrekrdfKTsvYyUOaexwfCrVw1fdJoGQa1Y/s320/Baby+MFE.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A baby monkey faced eel</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1smyDWE0HK1xEZw0BLfxqjHIGu8r6YRxH-vzCt6oCCJE38eOtLLDzo1Hxun1zxGiRKg-XIg4e5XSiSbGZseSNTJ0NIjeWQfSM6Qnwdmxsr3Za1n1_7_m0Ol5our2x_FIBqrrrnHG8cA/s1600/Digging+Clams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1smyDWE0HK1xEZw0BLfxqjHIGu8r6YRxH-vzCt6oCCJE38eOtLLDzo1Hxun1zxGiRKg-XIg4e5XSiSbGZseSNTJ0NIjeWQfSM6Qnwdmxsr3Za1n1_7_m0Ol5our2x_FIBqrrrnHG8cA/s320/Digging+Clams.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You don't stay clean digging for horseneck clams</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnUjy6uc_2oulD7H4psCsfZaOv3gtG5w7JK0oKpeVzBmH8dmEHEe_DRjchPYQrlmyPA37bbQo0Iwuc06EYqnc2-NvJZMZw1_flO_SLBYVKQGseo3_1ToLTtc-lBAz7gLzXzq_BTSSU7M/s1600/Horseneck+Clam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnUjy6uc_2oulD7H4psCsfZaOv3gtG5w7JK0oKpeVzBmH8dmEHEe_DRjchPYQrlmyPA37bbQo0Iwuc06EYqnc2-NvJZMZw1_flO_SLBYVKQGseo3_1ToLTtc-lBAz7gLzXzq_BTSSU7M/s320/Horseneck+Clam.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voila - the horseneck clam emerges</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KfQizUs4xxaRCmS4rzLpHufHmEywWCBxXaTCseyk40-dCyJaQMjUi8tB3YsC07QvMSKdbg712fIQe8h6iWq6xAdD0eBXz6t2bx0bqJQj8k8XChx5SwV35lBAvBy_WfmLAHsRUnhyphenhyphenNXc/s1600/Mike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KfQizUs4xxaRCmS4rzLpHufHmEywWCBxXaTCseyk40-dCyJaQMjUi8tB3YsC07QvMSKdbg712fIQe8h6iWq6xAdD0eBXz6t2bx0bqJQj8k8XChx5SwV35lBAvBy_WfmLAHsRUnhyphenhyphenNXc/s320/Mike.jpg" width="319" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your hard work Mike!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A rock crab</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUwOVso_zzhlQytw8ogeQq2S7j58fBp3wk38cOS1TvFnIzycTS9GsbdHn-O8tGXs8soPFpZ95TqV9vaJwe_kel0TBeivQLiqo8609-mkf3iGDizsAFRFZpgjMrWv16Bg_WZ-1VKJFeCM/s1600/Mussell+Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUwOVso_zzhlQytw8ogeQq2S7j58fBp3wk38cOS1TvFnIzycTS9GsbdHn-O8tGXs8soPFpZ95TqV9vaJwe_kel0TBeivQLiqo8609-mkf3iGDizsAFRFZpgjMrWv16Bg_WZ-1VKJFeCM/s320/Mussell+Forest.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A forest of mussels</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUXf3abfKTrPtD26uVIa-KWo5lh6CrUu4FDX2_H873TZUvFJ4jQE5QEzReNc52ABvYLOgjuW7ZuRXDvCCZHKS4QvTE18XmPC7Sug_14_NVZqsXXsj6VCbJehwmlrtyHy0P5KQ62oiSkQ/s1600/Kirk+Pokepoling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUXf3abfKTrPtD26uVIa-KWo5lh6CrUu4FDX2_H873TZUvFJ4jQE5QEzReNc52ABvYLOgjuW7ZuRXDvCCZHKS4QvTE18XmPC7Sug_14_NVZqsXXsj6VCbJehwmlrtyHy0P5KQ62oiSkQ/s320/Kirk+Pokepoling.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kirk wielding his poke pole</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4s1ciW7psoZsWY80ZgCTmVcnFyMjPo6t6r7xafBet4bnCQLdn5hhkxGrZ4QmLS4QRk6Hx6XBALNcc3BJG_T2UbU2YXib9916-Dgw4OOx50nlYyMUaYDTnnFxu5GRu3em1F5hA01Eo4PU/s1600/Kirk+with+Kelp+Greenling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4s1ciW7psoZsWY80ZgCTmVcnFyMjPo6t6r7xafBet4bnCQLdn5hhkxGrZ4QmLS4QRk6Hx6XBALNcc3BJG_T2UbU2YXib9916-Dgw4OOx50nlYyMUaYDTnnFxu5GRu3em1F5hA01Eo4PU/s320/Kirk+with+Kelp+Greenling.jpg" width="313" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Success!! A kelp greenling</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRom8xm6QFAGq_hUgzyVAQPr3HXaZB_s869fj4fkV6kBFFuN2H8o-c9x7POb4Li4xbVg1vxPiWvIznR_FMOlM8m-1XQHiowlKMC8061y2u7qIzTYCYIABto8Vljwe8KdDFmuM2UtrSouk/s1600/Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRom8xm6QFAGq_hUgzyVAQPr3HXaZB_s869fj4fkV6kBFFuN2H8o-c9x7POb4Li4xbVg1vxPiWvIznR_FMOlM8m-1XQHiowlKMC8061y2u7qIzTYCYIABto8Vljwe8KdDFmuM2UtrSouk/s320/Sunset.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sunset over the Pacific</span></td></tr>
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</div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-38336343115406400032012-01-04T13:14:00.001-08:002012-01-05T18:11:09.554-08:00A Trip to Chile - Part 1 - Geography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9n1D9HBXnAJsbahwW5qsZ9KmduArrQ3Uhf1l9EoKh6j_sDn8vWhda96e-ocOsjdLXNPCN5xRJNotM1824Er3t0SoTF8K7dSk2qoUu32aGDuBjFtFSNTvowyaf2xYZ3WO9_6kledeq_8/s1600/Header.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="160px" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9n1D9HBXnAJsbahwW5qsZ9KmduArrQ3Uhf1l9EoKh6j_sDn8vWhda96e-ocOsjdLXNPCN5xRJNotM1824Er3t0SoTF8K7dSk2qoUu32aGDuBjFtFSNTvowyaf2xYZ3WO9_6kledeq_8/s400/Header.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Chile, that remote land that few people can locate on the map because it’s as far as you can go without falling off the planet. No one passes by casually, however lost he may be, although many visitors decide to stay forever, enamored of the land and the people.”</i> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Isabel Allende – “My Invented Country”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">“Where exactly is Viña del Mar?” If you had asked me that question about a year ago I would not have been able to answer, notwithstanding that it has been Sausalito’s sister city since 1960 and the plaza in the middle of Sausalito is named after Viña. However, through an unexpected set of circumstances, at the beginning of last year I became involved with an <a href="http://www.gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/06/sausalitovina-del-mar-celebrating-50.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">effort to revitalize that relationship</span></a>. That led first to a visit to Sausalito in July by a delegation from Viña led by their dynamic mayor, Virginia Reginato (which coincided with a visit to San Francisco by the Chilean Navy’s training ship, La Esmeralda), and then, at the beginning of November, to my own trip to Chile together with Sausalito’s mayor, Herb Weiner – the first time for either of us to travel to South America. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcJ5fa8nGiKyXs7g5ll1ZPIh3DJ_dI7zp6nrkjb-rSuBUhzjA0VUhuXNm0hZjbT3O5TWrcZj47I_kUIUFI8_fDY5w864gfPgVHH5S3Tc8AVU11jrmautPerxwLNTC_yRPCdgu9ooVj8M/s1600/July+Delegation+Collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcJ5fa8nGiKyXs7g5ll1ZPIh3DJ_dI7zp6nrkjb-rSuBUhzjA0VUhuXNm0hZjbT3O5TWrcZj47I_kUIUFI8_fDY5w864gfPgVHH5S3Tc8AVU11jrmautPerxwLNTC_yRPCdgu9ooVj8M/s320/July+Delegation+Collage.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">July 2010 - Viña Comes to Sausalito</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05G_65A327hb6M1Wa5A6pn8Lp1sXnw2zWWUhQ7dg9HI304JL-x28RjYiJcLMNs14BzWqU-Bc_vxIpS85apuJ5MeBRfSbqBD43zF8IqIlKYYzde4HWh88Dsl2zClEKsrcWm09-9JXXZ18/s1600/Chile+Collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05G_65A327hb6M1Wa5A6pn8Lp1sXnw2zWWUhQ7dg9HI304JL-x28RjYiJcLMNs14BzWqU-Bc_vxIpS85apuJ5MeBRfSbqBD43zF8IqIlKYYzde4HWh88Dsl2zClEKsrcWm09-9JXXZ18/s320/Chile+Collage.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">November 2010 - Sausalito Goes to
Viña </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">As reflected by the above quote from Isabel Allende (who coincidentally has an office here in Sausalito), perhaps one of the most obvious observations about Chile is that it is distant – actually quite a bit farther away than I first thought. My hazy pre-2010 impression was that it was significantly closer than Japan (to which I have traveled often), and was due south of California. However, that initial impression of proximity was put to a final rest after a 3.5 hour hop from San Francisco to Dallas followed by an additional 10 hours on to Santiago (it turns out that Viña is almost 500 miles further away from Sausalito than Sakaide, our Japanese sister city). In addition, a more careful investigation of the globe shows that Viña is almost directly south of Providence, Rhode Island. So much for my sense of distance and direction (and hence the somewhat geography lesson-orientation of this post).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJpeuH0Ep9awzgpv-dQvZ1nkJn0QZUkfbk5GkcbFDqaMkE1LGCqbPhBPA57CIglrJ2YSoUuM8FqCrthnvgmgYdUJ11K2q2w5PzM1POch8yTRzbPbgkyPhwMI50ZrniLp8vFvsgzAyVXY/s1600/Map+-+US+to+Chile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJpeuH0Ep9awzgpv-dQvZ1nkJn0QZUkfbk5GkcbFDqaMkE1LGCqbPhBPA57CIglrJ2YSoUuM8FqCrthnvgmgYdUJ11K2q2w5PzM1POch8yTRzbPbgkyPhwMI50ZrniLp8vFvsgzAyVXY/s320/Map+-+US+to+Chile.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Another obvious observation for the visitor to Chile is “Thank God for air travel.” Apart from being remote, Chile is isolated behind the Atacama Desert in the north (the driest place on Earth), the Andes rising to 20,000+ feet along most of its eastern border, and the turbulent seas of the Cape Horn at its southern tip (does anybody remember the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVByifefaxk" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">storm scene in “Master and Commander”</span></a> (best watched after taking some Dramamine)?).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4CEFkJaTN54V9AycTqP6XtENUOz_C6E8p8mwHJB13uKWuAnHRhT4RQS2BdVf3JCCeAq-XdwEbDY9WaZfIq3BPe6qcLm1TqG2lvfNOwIZ2XslZHbCIsr6Q1McM3lAYFhIDQgSWGmqij8/s1600/Chile+Map+-+Barriers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4CEFkJaTN54V9AycTqP6XtENUOz_C6E8p8mwHJB13uKWuAnHRhT4RQS2BdVf3JCCeAq-XdwEbDY9WaZfIq3BPe6qcLm1TqG2lvfNOwIZ2XslZHbCIsr6Q1McM3lAYFhIDQgSWGmqij8/s320/Chile+Map+-+Barriers.JPG" width="226" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The final observation about Chile is “long and narrow” – I have seen “dagger,” “ribbon” and “pencil” all used as metaphors. The country is about 2,700 miles long and, on average, only about 110 miles wide – a 25:1 ratio. Turned 90° to a east/west axis and placed on top of the United States it would run from the Atlantic to the Pacific.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRANcD232uHSJ76de97TB-WZhyphenhyphenVoMMqyZayQbsDddDkSLSJcJVJJfB4ev10sKjlQOZn64RBqHudLRZfplqIniVMjqiZhL3dNOQdPkp22isHBPZQQRg-th30V1TSgdx0mt_VPvblyymzQc/s1600/Chile+on+USA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRANcD232uHSJ76de97TB-WZhyphenhyphenVoMMqyZayQbsDddDkSLSJcJVJJfB4ev10sKjlQOZn64RBqHudLRZfplqIniVMjqiZhL3dNOQdPkp22isHBPZQQRg-th30V1TSgdx0mt_VPvblyymzQc/s320/Chile+on+USA.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On the first leg of our trip Herb and I traveled together. We flew into Santiago where we spent three days, and then made the drive down to Viña del Mar where we spent another four days participating in various sister city activities in Viña and the adjoining port city of Valparaíso.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphentSnY3pv4sBkddQhjuAJN2lwmSvsu2ZABGPegJatanoOKg_BRZN9etiW_9lr1ocQG7cbS945wXJyDxHzkX3HhdsWMqcyKAjYklErskeXNA-vx8nJhybbeIhUC1IlfBreiaBK3JC5X0g/s1600/Map+-+Santiago+to+Valpo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphentSnY3pv4sBkddQhjuAJN2lwmSvsu2ZABGPegJatanoOKg_BRZN9etiW_9lr1ocQG7cbS945wXJyDxHzkX3HhdsWMqcyKAjYklErskeXNA-vx8nJhybbeIhUC1IlfBreiaBK3JC5X0g/s400/Map+-+Santiago+to+Valpo.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On our way to Viña we passed through the Casablanca Valley, one of Chile’s most important wine regions. The following map shows the Casablanca Valley and Chile's other wine regions which collectively stretch for several hundred miles north to south, but still comprise only a small part of the total length of Chile (see the red lines on the map).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsYHHt5K9BILnG2fcIVBBKmTKUCJVaYdUOdAI_okkTR9oII7fLozMq1NpfaRZJs1yyh_OzBQRyFWXwipMtCumvCoIxIkLzS2zxj0im0SULsqspc-0Y_9f1p86vhuT-VvLgPKF2YNVlZs/s1600/Chile+and+Wine+Zone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsYHHt5K9BILnG2fcIVBBKmTKUCJVaYdUOdAI_okkTR9oII7fLozMq1NpfaRZJs1yyh_OzBQRyFWXwipMtCumvCoIxIkLzS2zxj0im0SULsqspc-0Y_9f1p86vhuT-VvLgPKF2YNVlZs/s320/Chile+and+Wine+Zone.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Following our stay in Viña, Herb had to return home, but I continued on further south. First I flew from Santiago to Temuco in the Araucanía Region. Incidentally, Sausalito’s latitude in the northern hemisphere (37° 51’ N) corresponds almost exactly to the southern latitude of a town named Los Sauces (37° 58’ S), not far north of Temuco (by way of comparison, Viña del Mar’s latitude would put it just north of San Diego in the northern hemisphere). An interesting coincidence since Sausalito’s name derives from “sauce,” the Spanish word for the willow tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUH09locT7QEK_J8SdL1VSqBvMGnucMStJ-HvWjrf6ThkCbTZEQfwDIPz8wEtTKysjAONZR00OROX-xu4CBWT50o3qgPQaPOIpmM85LQgp1ZtoJ5j36uQYSXTl7peBi6um84oZkAoDnq8/s1600/Los+Sauces+-+Araucania.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUH09locT7QEK_J8SdL1VSqBvMGnucMStJ-HvWjrf6ThkCbTZEQfwDIPz8wEtTKysjAONZR00OROX-xu4CBWT50o3qgPQaPOIpmM85LQgp1ZtoJ5j36uQYSXTl7peBi6um84oZkAoDnq8/s400/Los+Sauces+-+Araucania.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">After a quick tour of Temuco, I drove further southeast to Pucón on Lake Villaricca were I spent three nights exploring the area, including an introduction to the culture of the Mapuche, the largest group of indigenous people in Chile. From Pucón I again drove further south, passing through the beautiful riverside town of Valdivia on my way to Puerto Varas, where I spent three more nights before flying home from Puerto Montt back to Santiago and then on to the U.S.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuR4lGHgesogadx_O14opz0Kunx9REDI792Q8PdBoJ50PUcgsjA0RXG_YZRr8VAR4P_Zdv7P7kDBVe5rZqBJ-8xBJC6cAtdyZ9mN7nmE5bLTxLjyhRL7dM_BFr-TPPCwWWGhbbk9vGQs/s1600/Chile+-+Lake+Area+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuR4lGHgesogadx_O14opz0Kunx9REDI792Q8PdBoJ50PUcgsjA0RXG_YZRr8VAR4P_Zdv7P7kDBVe5rZqBJ-8xBJC6cAtdyZ9mN7nmE5bLTxLjyhRL7dM_BFr-TPPCwWWGhbbk9vGQs/s320/Chile+-+Lake+Area+Map.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The area I passed through is home to several volcanoes, including the Volc</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">án </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Puyehue which has been erupting since June causing some significant problems in some areas due to the ash fall out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzt879hPhmvISbDXqQd-daM_d5zeUtuFgfScL2Cec1IVQmCYCXg5cVeeZkFWXX_ng5PfvkS9Pxp4EzMGP5gsxJGjH4ygYhEAPo5b8Y5CUs43V3F_s3xfyyEep8eMu8Ry17Aw9tQZ6IH4A/s1600/Volcanos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzt879hPhmvISbDXqQd-daM_d5zeUtuFgfScL2Cec1IVQmCYCXg5cVeeZkFWXX_ng5PfvkS9Pxp4EzMGP5gsxJGjH4ygYhEAPo5b8Y5CUs43V3F_s3xfyyEep8eMu8Ry17Aw9tQZ6IH4A/s400/Volcanos.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Volcán Villarrica (from Pucón) and Volcán Osorno (from Puerto Varas)
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It felt like we were constantly on the go while were in Chile, but in fact I managed in the two weeks to see only a very small part of the country. There is much, much more there to see, both to the north and the south of where I was, not to mention the entire agricultural heartland between Santiago and Temuco, the home to many of Chile’s finest wine production areas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Finally, although Chile’s natural beauty is unforgettable, as Isabel Allende’s quotation also suggests, the Chileans themselves are at least an equal draw. The individuals we met were some of the friendliest I have encountered anywhere and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Thanks to all, including those pictured below, who made our trip so special.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpTIDfhklfpmxEIk0mmPKqvV4ci7qq1qOY3JLiL4ke9caY4PD1NYkr9ULrfja4m9vrDz_Ei8Oz3CFisSiKu-WsWWaidr9bPMlWidbvqFn_Rbaf0afR-DL1Pm0lRs3P3RpXxFAiSSzDg0/s1600/Individuals+Collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpTIDfhklfpmxEIk0mmPKqvV4ci7qq1qOY3JLiL4ke9caY4PD1NYkr9ULrfja4m9vrDz_Ei8Oz3CFisSiKu-WsWWaidr9bPMlWidbvqFn_Rbaf0afR-DL1Pm0lRs3P3RpXxFAiSSzDg0/s400/Individuals+Collage.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Additional photos and information about our trip, as well as Sausalito’s sister city relationship with Viña del Mar, can be found on our sister city Facebook page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SausalitoVina"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/SausalitoVina</span></a>. In my next post I will turn to one of my favorite topics -- the most interesting things we had to eat and drink while in Chile.</span>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-1539203997135235482012-01-02T12:33:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:43:00.120-08:00New Year’s Resolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MXD8uNKvaWVDNl8UEXQeG_fqKTpZ2OfB7H_hki0oP5hLRYCucMZNgjVkH_LQ7YlKtUjFrBdUYXoR5PSI7hkLQ_PwtR0h4fdueb5XWuP1YOQgC0pl9Bs8utUvg713mp16v5Rsl7Vqkqs/s1600/Year+of+the+Dragon+Collage.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205px" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MXD8uNKvaWVDNl8UEXQeG_fqKTpZ2OfB7H_hki0oP5hLRYCucMZNgjVkH_LQ7YlKtUjFrBdUYXoR5PSI7hkLQ_PwtR0h4fdueb5XWuP1YOQgC0pl9Bs8utUvg713mp16v5Rsl7Vqkqs/s320/Year+of+the+Dragon+Collage.PNG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Happy New Year. Wow, has really been four months since my last post? I'm afraid I've been distracted with matters related to our Sausalito/ Viña del Mar sister city initiative, including a two-week trip to Chile in November, but hopefully I'll have more time this year to spend here. I will shortly add a couple of posts about my trip, including highlights of of the Chilean cuisine I encountered. In the meantime, here's a shot of the sunrise taken from the Sausalito shore on New Year's Day.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDikpJyOojiFF5ATDAVHZpQEp4Mxxs2wGVl8XmRGS_aERiljLXCb8ys76-y41ujrYDd2q_t79072QjaM8ATgZ447LeXrtojCzll0hrAqQ-KjnvrP_w3ygcEqIJkeu9v20o2ZhAQ3BTV28/s1600/New+Year%2527s+Day+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDikpJyOojiFF5ATDAVHZpQEp4Mxxs2wGVl8XmRGS_aERiljLXCb8ys76-y41ujrYDd2q_t79072QjaM8ATgZ447LeXrtojCzll0hrAqQ-KjnvrP_w3ygcEqIJkeu9v20o2ZhAQ3BTV28/s400/New+Year%2527s+Day+2012.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-914289099057357192011-09-05T20:26:00.000-07:002011-09-05T20:26:48.365-07:00Squid and Chorizo – Cross Species Delight<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp50zFHGh03_SK6rupp0GZxvWVrq8nGxfdH678Tyw6rVns6s8IRp7_Vqz-gfQfXKbCv0e_nH9ZHXIS62Gl2OPRvAo1fYIp6iRjBzcsshXzgi-VcTJks8spHNEmabEFEJErKEfb8wed1I/s1600/Squid+%2526+Chorizo+Combo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="121px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp50zFHGh03_SK6rupp0GZxvWVrq8nGxfdH678Tyw6rVns6s8IRp7_Vqz-gfQfXKbCv0e_nH9ZHXIS62Gl2OPRvAo1fYIp6iRjBzcsshXzgi-VcTJks8spHNEmabEFEJErKEfb8wed1I/s400/Squid+%2526+Chorizo+Combo.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">When Nancy is away I can indulge myself with some dishes which she would prefer not to have in the house when she is home. Hence, since she is back in New York awaiting the arrival of our second grandchild, this afternoon I decided to make myself some Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo using a recipe by Rick Stein that I came across <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-calamari-with-chorizo#"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I just made half the recipe and it was more than enough for a good sized portion plus some leftovers. I was not able to find chorizo (The Spanish Table was closed when I stopped by) so I ended up using some Portuguese linguica. The chorizo would have probably been just a bit spicier and coarser and would have been a better choice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I also mashed half of the chickpeas which was a good choice since it added a bit more body to the dish. Finally I was also unable to find arugula so used spinach. Not bad, but greens with a slightly bitter note would have been better. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The dish took no time to prepare – just over 30 minutes including prep and cooking time. It went very well with a glass of Albariño from the Galician coast. Here’s the finished product.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqIzGPPQ8NTSsVwMUjaGU-Qe_5HHHgRDnOmstRaeXqCoPcnLsQRgONmJbdZrb_oPOo5cAXUad9_pOr8clyaV1WEJytFk10k3GvdI2tDP1DjOzHVTP7V2PFKKfxtgcb3SjYff9Kq1kNaA/s1600/In+Pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="281px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqIzGPPQ8NTSsVwMUjaGU-Qe_5HHHgRDnOmstRaeXqCoPcnLsQRgONmJbdZrb_oPOo5cAXUad9_pOr8clyaV1WEJytFk10k3GvdI2tDP1DjOzHVTP7V2PFKKfxtgcb3SjYff9Kq1kNaA/s320/In+Pan.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50-bv7DCijEiaCyHQGBdiSfTS8z4FF8Bh0gdrn5wTfIs4rkqD_dzT7dU6MFxWCxw-LMxfkFMbf8GRwubVuYj8JYzkUQkJizXEyqzbAcCZogu9mkrcsQzGd8SjAPIqCa95oXC3Nwd9zKA/s1600/Low+Level+Plate+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50-bv7DCijEiaCyHQGBdiSfTS8z4FF8Bh0gdrn5wTfIs4rkqD_dzT7dU6MFxWCxw-LMxfkFMbf8GRwubVuYj8JYzkUQkJizXEyqzbAcCZogu9mkrcsQzGd8SjAPIqCa95oXC3Nwd9zKA/s320/Low+Level+Plate+Shot.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The dish was also similar to one of my favorite dishes at Perbacco in San Francisco – their Piastra Seared Squid with Chickpea Puree, Chili and Arugula:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcIENmZEmRSjmNxyOGIGjyU6dznBqLsP4u2Ko21hmmFQ4Qw6MntMUwbsob_d8N7cUUsluOI2CiVOhXlWZ8G1qTvk1Z_OgV0BIC5jop3k-SrF2LcPUDALapQAVHiP06Wb2jhWsNg4K8_Y/s1600/Seared+Squid+with+Ceci+Puree%252C+Chili+and+Arugula+-+1-8-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="195px" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcIENmZEmRSjmNxyOGIGjyU6dznBqLsP4u2Ko21hmmFQ4Qw6MntMUwbsob_d8N7cUUsluOI2CiVOhXlWZ8G1qTvk1Z_OgV0BIC5jop3k-SrF2LcPUDALapQAVHiP06Wb2jhWsNg4K8_Y/s400/Seared+Squid+with+Ceci+Puree%252C+Chili+and+Arugula+-+1-8-09.jpg" width="400px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Perbacco dish is served with cured olives which also add an interesting note, although it lacks the savory element provided by the chorizo.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here’s Rick Stein’s full recipe for the Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Ingredients</u>:</span></span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1 pound cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings, tentacles halved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1 dry-cured fully-cooked chorizo sausage, cut into thin half-moons </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1 small tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1 large bunch of arugula, large stems discarded </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1/2 cup water </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1 tablespoon red wine vinegar </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pinch of crushed red pepper </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Salt </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Preparation</u>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In a bowl, toss the chorizo and squid; season with salt. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Add half of the squid mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the squid is firm, 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add 1/4 cup of the water to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits in the pan. Pour the juices into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining squid and chorizo, using another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the garlic; cook over moderately high heat until soft. Add the tomato, chickpeas, vinegar and reserved pan juices and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Return the squid mixture to the skillet; toss with the parsley and red pepper. Season with salt. Mound the arugula on plates, drizzle with oil and top with the squid. </span></span>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-67111033861205385872011-09-03T19:03:00.000-07:002011-09-03T19:12:41.501-07:00Sanuki Udon – A Master Demonstration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjS8hOIZdwLHspvxuzSn8ShIOozp65DSPDlOT0PrIXa6L-E3f_Qz6VtOGdJ7tpAfWxhFZzvuPI111XMMm5AeJcZvrnsHvp7nGfiHQHMShA8ZycimbsSH36Fp4E5VJ20Kmi68GA1MiYk0/s1600/Sanuki+Udon+-+7-25-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="144px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjS8hOIZdwLHspvxuzSn8ShIOozp65DSPDlOT0PrIXa6L-E3f_Qz6VtOGdJ7tpAfWxhFZzvuPI111XMMm5AeJcZvrnsHvp7nGfiHQHMShA8ZycimbsSH36Fp4E5VJ20Kmi68GA1MiYk0/s320/Sanuki+Udon+-+7-25-10.JPG" width="320px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sausalito has for over 20 years been the sister city of Sakaide, a city located on the north coast of the Japanese island of Shikoku on the Inland Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sakaide is the point on Shikoku where the Seto Ohashi Bridge that connects Shikoku with Honshu comes ashore, and the original motivation for the sister city relationship between Sakaide and Sausalito was influenced by the two cities’ proximity to major bridges.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeR4HFI9sdLPtKC9CzOIAnALcu2wLvPoXnurdBLP8np0BgUHXc_kxKF_6KhaEMMrDVTAMVa4jwSIjLgHLwNoRZGQCthAfrU9RJwXsL7pv78OjMa39vToEwlcQN88CbST9wm6jv1RGNP8/s1600/Overview+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="161px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeR4HFI9sdLPtKC9CzOIAnALcu2wLvPoXnurdBLP8np0BgUHXc_kxKF_6KhaEMMrDVTAMVa4jwSIjLgHLwNoRZGQCthAfrU9RJwXsL7pv78OjMa39vToEwlcQN88CbST9wm6jv1RGNP8/s320/Overview+Map.JPG" width="320px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The most significant element of the relationship has been annual student trips – one year one way and the next year the other way. Last year <a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/07/sausalito-and-sakaide-two-cities-linked.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">a group of students from Sakaide visited Sausalito</span></a>, and just this past month a group headed to Sakaide from Sausaito. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This weekend is the annual <a href="http://www.sausalitoartfestival.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Sausalito Art Festival</span></a> which has grown over its 59 years of operation to become a major event. In addition to the displays of art and live music, a number of Sausalito non-profit organizations operate food booths at the Festival which provides important operating funds for them. The <a href="http://www.sausalitosistercity.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Sausalito/Sakaide Sister City group</span></a> has done so in the past and is doing so again this weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As indicated on the above map, Sakaide is located within the Japanese prefecture of Kagawa. However, in the Tokugawa period, Kagawa’s name was Sanuki and it was divided into a number of feudal “han.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Japanese “udon” noodle has been a specialty of the Kagawa area since the 13th century, and the udon from Kagawa is called “Sanuki udon” after the old name of the region. Sanuki udon is quite famous in Japan, and a good deal of it is produced in Sakaide which has over 40 udon shops -- quite a significant number for a city of just over 50,000 residents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Given the popularity of Sanuki udon and its connection to Sakaide, the Sausalito/Sakaide Sister City group decided to serve Sanuki udon at its booth at the Art Festival this year. I had some this morning for “brunch” and it was excellent! I went with the shrimp version, but there were several thumbs up from others for the beef as well.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuZIYtM8QpLHnS0JmhFUxamPXWqWC0fpRpT6iltDSo3knfd1fSBGF7B9GqiWVzf-vTFIJ69M_eakggZSCeyR0Q8gyS9oKZ71TgLPg3iY4yftOn_8vvVEwAc3EN5GxocYXiN9TXoNfnaM/s1600/Food+Booth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="243px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuZIYtM8QpLHnS0JmhFUxamPXWqWC0fpRpT6iltDSo3knfd1fSBGF7B9GqiWVzf-vTFIJ69M_eakggZSCeyR0Q8gyS9oKZ71TgLPg3iY4yftOn_8vvVEwAc3EN5GxocYXiN9TXoNfnaM/s320/Food+Booth.jpg" width="320px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">No doubt one reason that the Sanuki udon I had this morning was so good is that Yoshi Tome, the owner of <a href="http://www.sushiran.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Sushi Ran</span></a> in Sausalito, who has been a long-time supporter of the Sausalito/Sakaide sister city relationship and a key promoter of Japanese cuisine in the US, took the lead to oversee its preparation. Yoshi also helped to coordinate a visit to the Art Festival by a group from Sakaide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Among that group of Sakaide visitors to Sausalito is Osamu Miyoshi, one of Japan’s premier Sanuki udon artisans, and the owner of the <a href="http://www.hinode.net/"><span style="color: blue;">Hinode restaurant</span></a> in Sakaide which, needless to say, specializes in Sanuki udon.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqEbfXq3b0Ew9VQAxLFHYeK9f1WDZjUfLzc-GlAFX6oHl7hvAnQR1zuQuDfnYnQRqbseg-J-alHhw3mDaFa2kkdFK2FlE1TeJ2B3cr1cS81qA7w5Ah6bZPrmtUIqRb-YMigZMcrOJGCk/s1600/Hinode+Pics.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqEbfXq3b0Ew9VQAxLFHYeK9f1WDZjUfLzc-GlAFX6oHl7hvAnQR1zuQuDfnYnQRqbseg-J-alHhw3mDaFa2kkdFK2FlE1TeJ2B3cr1cS81qA7w5Ah6bZPrmtUIqRb-YMigZMcrOJGCk/s320/Hinode+Pics.JPG" width="289px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Osamu and his father, Kiyoshi, between them have received the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ award for Sanuki udon craftsmanship a total of five times. Osamu has also put on demonstrations outside of Japan as indicated in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/dining/07nood.html"><span style="color: blue;">this New York Times article</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Given that, it was a special treat this morning at the Art Festival to have a demonstration of Sanuki udon preparation by Miyoshi-san. The demonstration was kicked off with a welcome from Sausalito’s Vice Mayor, Mike Kelly (who was part of the delegation to Sakaide last month), and included comments by Yoshi and Mr. Shintani, the leader of the Sakaide delegation.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBKsW6qnFhSYjccn11Ar28poHBW4SBawyfUjX-xe5EhvEQO1oGZnDrgeHIe1Ncx_4YCo3QRrmf5g7eX8Ls1s3O47gDJS4-1sY_2H6AZeiI6SC3sRZthCQQwRXgi3Ixwp_K4mXuCvzb5k/s1600/Shintani+Comments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="127px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBKsW6qnFhSYjccn11Ar28poHBW4SBawyfUjX-xe5EhvEQO1oGZnDrgeHIe1Ncx_4YCo3QRrmf5g7eX8Ls1s3O47gDJS4-1sY_2H6AZeiI6SC3sRZthCQQwRXgi3Ixwp_K4mXuCvzb5k/s400/Shintani+Comments.jpg" width="400px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Then it was time for Miyoshi-san to work his magic. Sanuki-udon preparation is relatively easy from an ingredients standpoint – it contains only wheat flour, water and salt – but as with so many other “simple” products, the secret is in the quality of the ingredients and the technique of preparation. As Yoshi explained during the demonstration, the quality that Japanese look for in Sanuki udon is “koshi ga tsuyoi” – literally “strong hips,” but in this case meaning a firm and chewy texture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Miyoshi-san first mixed the wheat flour with water, then added some salt (no doubt brought with him from Sakaide since Sakaide is also famous for its salt). He then kneaded the mixture. At this point in udon preparation the udon needs to be set aside to rest. However, Miyoshi-san had with him a ball of dough that he had prepared earlier. Using that, he rolled it out with a long rolling pin (a process which took several minutes), folded it and then cut it using a cleaver which was attached to a cutting board. He then tossed the noodles with a bit of flour and they were ready to go.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXisgh8dluJyPU9ecn5cfCYr4B6fqg_dJnZZGCCGB9Fy5HFZJDMI7wmNHbqkSQZGiKp2XMKFYWP4BWBOn2PJqUTGzzBfAMB-lMKJIMulH8uoIBWK-CfB2qfVGL5p6lJYNN8ZFWDPGBQHI/s1600/Miyoshi+Collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="288px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXisgh8dluJyPU9ecn5cfCYr4B6fqg_dJnZZGCCGB9Fy5HFZJDMI7wmNHbqkSQZGiKp2XMKFYWP4BWBOn2PJqUTGzzBfAMB-lMKJIMulH8uoIBWK-CfB2qfVGL5p6lJYNN8ZFWDPGBQHI/s320/Miyoshi+Collage.JPG" width="320px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It was a pleasure to meet Miyoshi-san today.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFo2O46qy0kHiwKDH2TBXJki6izcBvMwqZat3ppzhRtaJGsthWmd4NkA70t6kYWDslAWtHtXUWtcc4H1ZcsvMJaY9sqfQJt1DRglJ6YFytsITGocRpP6YA_sYMh3Hz4EmFOCxnAEK4o/s1600/Mike+%2526+Miyoshi-san.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="190px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFo2O46qy0kHiwKDH2TBXJki6izcBvMwqZat3ppzhRtaJGsthWmd4NkA70t6kYWDslAWtHtXUWtcc4H1ZcsvMJaY9sqfQJt1DRglJ6YFytsITGocRpP6YA_sYMh3Hz4EmFOCxnAEK4o/s200/Mike+%2526+Miyoshi-san.jpg" width="200px" xaa="true" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I was lucky enough to receive some of the noodles which he made this morning and, as soon as I am done with this post, will be heading to the kitchen to enjoy them – perhaps with a bit of scallion and ham – maybe even with an egg added (a variant called “tsukimi" or "moon viewing").</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I have found <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Self-Stomped-Thick-White-Noodles-233760"><span style="color: blue;">this receipe</span></a> for making udon should anyone wish to give it a try. In addition, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23RR4peRXSw"><span style="color: blue;">here is a clip</span></a> from the 2006 film “Udon” that sounds like it may be worth tracking down. That clip shows the traditional way to prepare the udon which is to stomp it with your feet. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfXAFV3XTjaqC4U9zBCipOVo_1Q9fP0aJ2xoUJ16h-TglSLWCeO4L-XPip1WxBgAHinKBhqYod0kMrBE3atk1zcJiWxe5CXGjaa7_XAg4jnlyh1MM6xjmK9f0_jGyBRk9HHyWt9hKBHk/s1600/poster-udon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfXAFV3XTjaqC4U9zBCipOVo_1Q9fP0aJ2xoUJ16h-TglSLWCeO4L-XPip1WxBgAHinKBhqYod0kMrBE3atk1zcJiWxe5CXGjaa7_XAg4jnlyh1MM6xjmK9f0_jGyBRk9HHyWt9hKBHk/s320/poster-udon.jpg" width="223px" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And finally, </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/twi-ny/sets/72157594563692145/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">here is a very good photo sequence</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> of Miyoshi-san in action at a demonstration at the Japan Society in New York.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">There are two more days to go during the Sausalito Art Festival where you can enjoy Sanuki udon at the Sausalito/Sakaide Sister City stand, and I believe Sushi Ran is now serving it as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Off to the kitchen now!</span></span></span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-76090453233484719192011-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:002011-08-19T21:00:17.882-07:00Licked by Tina Turner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fp1LwVe08wj8M4QENRxmyg_fa5Q_vgj57yMlSEw38DpppaXN95JxSWVUC_BiPVShw_QAa5D4imPIb1Lhfney0_ztFn40RpdZylBP0kIcjys6ZIzmxLizg188TgWfEYgrIoLHhjpZbZs/s1600/Buffalo+Header.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="157px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fp1LwVe08wj8M4QENRxmyg_fa5Q_vgj57yMlSEw38DpppaXN95JxSWVUC_BiPVShw_QAa5D4imPIb1Lhfney0_ztFn40RpdZylBP0kIcjys6ZIzmxLizg188TgWfEYgrIoLHhjpZbZs/s320/Buffalo+Header.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A couple of weekends ago I was at the San Rafael farmers market. When I stopped by the information booth I noted they were offering free copies of a map entitled “Explore the Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail – A Guide to Sonoma and Marin Cheesemakers.” You can </span><a href="http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/03/17/milky-whey-following-the-sonoma-marin-cheese-trail/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">go here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">to find a story about the map – put out by the Marin Economic Forum – and to download a PDF copy of the map. Thanks to the MEF and the other sponsors for this valuable resource. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX5i8e4v290ilFhoX-zG8nuoj7lEMy1NmCyFaPIw5DwQ18VSk2xYvh9EmfUX7S00VaTK3HjmtOi3DM-bS9kXTAog2VzNUfucUy5TApDN_VT5pIAJhAKr1ZSHVuj9C8Q00v-xl7xd0SNM/s320/Explore+the+Cheese+Trail+Heading.JPG" width="320px" /></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">When I got home that morning and sat down to look over the map I expected that I would recognize all of the places on the map. There were certainly a number that I knew well, but also a number that I did not. However, one in particular, caught my eye – Ramini Mozzarella – in part because that was the only one on the map that used a “W” in the “Type of Animal Category” – namely, water buffalo.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSR4wLhRJTe2c2a7wRXLtmP0OLvFgxcexs3srdfCzMnserFDqRPlFE9CFoB1nAAj_AYx3jgw8n6hs2ou92QjZA2Vhz8V7_KnZ4I6aRxzS5JaaqlAH7zRzMv7_x91LJnMgLDncEs32mG4/s1600/Ramini+from+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="144px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSR4wLhRJTe2c2a7wRXLtmP0OLvFgxcexs3srdfCzMnserFDqRPlFE9CFoB1nAAj_AYx3jgw8n6hs2ou92QjZA2Vhz8V7_KnZ4I6aRxzS5JaaqlAH7zRzMv7_x91LJnMgLDncEs32mG4/s320/Ramini+from+Map.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have always liked mozzarella cheese, although almost all of that which one finds here in the US is made from cow’s milk. However, if you have ever had the<span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.mozzarelladop.it/index.php?language=uk"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">real “mozzarella di bufala”</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> made from water buffalo milk coming from the Italian region of Campania south of Naples, you know there is no comparison. Hence, the suggestion that we may have some locally produced mozzarella di bufala was pretty exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">However, what was even more exciting was that when I visited the </span><a href="http://www.raminimozzarella.com/index.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Ramini website</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">, I noted that although the projected start of commercial production is not until the Spring of next year, it suggested that one could visit their farm even now. I have always wanted to see a water buffalo up close, so I decided to give them a call and a moment later was speaking with Craig Ramini. He invited us to stop by one day, and after enlisting Andrew, Connie and Alex, got back to Craig and made a date for yesterday morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I found that Jeremy Blackman had done a very comprehensive article about Craig and his project in April for the Point Reyes Light which </span><a href="http://www.ptreyeslight.com/Point_Reyes_Light/Home/Entries/2011/4/14_Water_buffalo,_a_fresh_idea_for_an_old_ranch.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">you can find here</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">. That article and the information about water buffalos on the Ramini website provide a good deal of background information which I will not try to repeat here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">So on Saturday I picked up the gang and we headed north for Craig’s ranch. Although the more scenic route would be to head up Route 1 along the coast through Point Reyes Station and Tomales, we did not want to spend that much time so instead just took Highway 101 to Petaluma and then, after a pit stop at Della Fattoria for a yummy breakfast (</span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/01/creamy-polenta-and-other-essential.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">poached eggs with prosciutto and spinach over polenta</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>for me!), headed west toward the coast, through Two Rock, and on to Ramini Mozzarella.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlxA5pJfWdHXn5Knisxe-T3llaWK7Vds70CCuSiQe3tondaIAAeDeNIGfULgg-RsNfKvWczdhHUTkARYhB9bnXghx7a-_5llUTqIEq2x8wrWGykEJYf5ElbSTesFt8dWPxZGzOnbNDnU/s1600/The+Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="218px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlxA5pJfWdHXn5Knisxe-T3llaWK7Vds70CCuSiQe3tondaIAAeDeNIGfULgg-RsNfKvWczdhHUTkARYhB9bnXghx7a-_5llUTqIEq2x8wrWGykEJYf5ElbSTesFt8dWPxZGzOnbNDnU/s320/The+Farm.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As reported in the Blackman article, Craig has leased a plot from </span><a href="http://stemplecreek.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Stemple Creek Ranch</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">, and the entrance includes signs for both.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ0SZiNAZnFFI1jMGAksTrAT6sxO5g9MP9ik8MgZ3m-_coYhXePlHPmMmICZ14HwZ4ves5558ss1PEZ9IOvjpJkyRBxUU-C1zEVsYHa4NKY-Pg54BVOQywGAJ96VF4gbwEG0rF8tyUY4/s1600/Entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="176px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ0SZiNAZnFFI1jMGAksTrAT6sxO5g9MP9ik8MgZ3m-_coYhXePlHPmMmICZ14HwZ4ves5558ss1PEZ9IOvjpJkyRBxUU-C1zEVsYHa4NKY-Pg54BVOQywGAJ96VF4gbwEG0rF8tyUY4/s200/Entrance.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In fact the building that Craig is remodeling to serve as his milking barn and cheese making facility is right next to some other facilities used by Stemple Creek Ranch for their cattle operation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Craig met us and initially showed us around the barn. They still have a ways to go to complete the remodeling, but they are on schedule and making good progress. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ek7TpZAuR9gaPWYnzXPkgddedrvmqJp60TIKn5ObZczytnTFXJZTOrpEt6nTZhKeIV2OgMXOi1ff3EV2MLPb0x7C-w4myxTP8BlO9MrGTU-o94yazNxOMDSnu9UU6sU34yOZj69ipQg/s1600/Sign+on+Barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="171px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ek7TpZAuR9gaPWYnzXPkgddedrvmqJp60TIKn5ObZczytnTFXJZTOrpEt6nTZhKeIV2OgMXOi1ff3EV2MLPb0x7C-w4myxTP8BlO9MrGTU-o94yazNxOMDSnu9UU6sU34yOZj69ipQg/s320/Sign+on+Barn.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOp-_xjICfPecz4uOlTkZSlt_ReXQukvjhUrGTcfYTTyRYDL6OSSywzGYmud2bZ2dDrRDZcMyRBgU_KPOBS5D1ss0Iev14hvp72Ehjj7X7mgIkfdh_Izgc_kXypuySy71XQ_bFfBmFQw/s1600/Milking+Area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="194px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOp-_xjICfPecz4uOlTkZSlt_ReXQukvjhUrGTcfYTTyRYDL6OSSywzGYmud2bZ2dDrRDZcMyRBgU_KPOBS5D1ss0Iev14hvp72Ehjj7X7mgIkfdh_Izgc_kXypuySy71XQ_bFfBmFQw/s200/Milking+Area.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">After that, Craig suggested we walk out to the pasture to meet the buffalo. Having just gotten back from a trip to Yellowstone where they discourage close contact with bison, I have to say I was a bit apprehensive about Craig’s suggestion.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu-tZM54AZFd6otkPKGhO87STGN1gUXvtfebmxFlVIWnubjkHEdFrbfZNDAO4ilWhRaCkOKZh2w4kAxgNU4u1Xvh9380rXyBS4qzJ8Xiy0sT2wjRR1BnrvGSUYMJgoCRmChZBKiNozYI/s1600/Buffalo+Warning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu-tZM54AZFd6otkPKGhO87STGN1gUXvtfebmxFlVIWnubjkHEdFrbfZNDAO4ilWhRaCkOKZh2w4kAxgNU4u1Xvh9380rXyBS4qzJ8Xiy0sT2wjRR1BnrvGSUYMJgoCRmChZBKiNozYI/s200/Buffalo+Warning.jpg" width="134px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">However, Craig assured us that although one wanted to be cautious and not startle them, that water buffalo were gentle and curious animals which would soon be licking us and asking to be scratched. The comparison he made was to “overgrown Labrador puppies.” In any case, with Craig’s coaching we ventured into the pasture and ended up having a great time with the herd.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOWlT4xCyHohgP12SeGZgNcSSHcDAFTPQw7stTRWS_O6s8_IxQz2Fmf-y-LJAxSLE0NCcxn4mAKr_YYsrHa7S9O52K9H8Chc5aKBMf3OXwxQeY5VBwXs8zwTg6vXEj9wpP25j8rNhQLo/s1600/Craig+and+Herd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOWlT4xCyHohgP12SeGZgNcSSHcDAFTPQw7stTRWS_O6s8_IxQz2Fmf-y-LJAxSLE0NCcxn4mAKr_YYsrHa7S9O52K9H8Chc5aKBMf3OXwxQeY5VBwXs8zwTg6vXEj9wpP25j8rNhQLo/s320/Craig+and+Herd.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Craig and the Herd</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt75twDsXR9Gbjh0KqFqH70kiCBiDgUB6HTrceLysjXJf5ZSg4x9idAn7sNxvf3nHgc-Nvspl70l127umpohXV7JLiRTG8mh7SUpYSg9eNfrx_9KxLG_v3NilWAzkE7H2iIjy5FTO88c/s1600/Members+of+the+Herd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="165px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt75twDsXR9Gbjh0KqFqH70kiCBiDgUB6HTrceLysjXJf5ZSg4x9idAn7sNxvf3nHgc-Nvspl70l127umpohXV7JLiRTG8mh7SUpYSg9eNfrx_9KxLG_v3NilWAzkE7H2iIjy5FTO88c/s320/Members+of+the+Herd.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I have to admit I am not sure whether it was Tina Turner, Grace Slick or Janis Joplin who licked me in the pasture (Craig has named all of the buffalo after rock and roll singers), but they were all certainly soft and friendly tongues. We wish Craig all the best with his project and hope that come next Summer we will all be enjoying fresh tomatoes and basil with equally fresh Ramini mozzarella di bufala!</span>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-36586015485192254552011-07-06T19:44:00.000-07:002011-07-06T19:57:46.248-07:00Empanadas at Chile Lindo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfulVRmJGfnfEFn9ljSWlkAbjXH2gXQBLQoVQxIPPsygwT_yAJBg8ZcfF3GvsDTGTWE-dkFNozEDXcx8ShCpbL4eEx59WAvsP3bVWe3gixg1a-8jtwVOa7p2cFdKRGxTnbZg48qSTBmM/s1600/Heading.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="250px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfulVRmJGfnfEFn9ljSWlkAbjXH2gXQBLQoVQxIPPsygwT_yAJBg8ZcfF3GvsDTGTWE-dkFNozEDXcx8ShCpbL4eEx59WAvsP3bVWe3gixg1a-8jtwVOa7p2cFdKRGxTnbZg48qSTBmM/s320/Heading.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I am afraid I have been very negligent about posting here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year I became interested both in Chile and in </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/06/sausalitovina-del-mar-celebrating-50.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Sausalito’s sister city relationship</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> with the Chilean coastal city of Viña del Mar. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing lead to another, and now Virginia Reginato, the Mayor of Viña, is coming to Sausalito the week after next with a delegation of “Viñamarinos.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been helping to coordinate that effort and it seems I have little time for anything else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lWWg3H4pJl_jJy13gG8llfsctHsoCaF9ZuTAIglXQKD2gmJBunPGfDY_Xl759wFe-7C3eMJMyypCzXqEzxgGqD2lsqteH1zEWLg_zNiuvC2nEcpRj-1p-nwJziGKXoBOnIukUfioOOk/s1600/Mayor+Reginato+and+Seal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="182px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lWWg3H4pJl_jJy13gG8llfsctHsoCaF9ZuTAIglXQKD2gmJBunPGfDY_Xl759wFe-7C3eMJMyypCzXqEzxgGqD2lsqteH1zEWLg_zNiuvC2nEcpRj-1p-nwJziGKXoBOnIukUfioOOk/s320/Mayor+Reginato+and+Seal.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">While I probably should be studying up on issues facing Chilean municipalities, my attention has instead, not unexpectedly, been drawn to matters of Chile's cuisine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing I came across was </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR_LncmNH5U&feature=player_embedded"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Anthony Bourdain’s encounter with the famous Chilean “<em>completo</em>”</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> while on a visit to Viña during the filming of a “No Reservations” episode in Chile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I have learned that the true national dish of Chile seems to be ……the empanada!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I have learned that virtually every country in Latin America, and many elsewhere, features some version of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empanada"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">empanada</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, from what I have seen, the love of Chilenos for their empanadas is second to none -- perhaps comparable to <em>norteamericanos’</em> passion for a good burger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To illustrate this happy fixation, </span><a href="http://tastingchile.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/september-empanada-time/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">here is an entry</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> on the Tasting Chile blog regarding the search by <em>El Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos de Chile</em>, a Chilean foodie group, to find the best empanada in all of Santiago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Cut to a few weeks ago when I was surfing the web looking for information on Chilean cuisine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow I happened upon a <a href="http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/20-best-dishes-under-10-mission">7x7 SF list</a> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">of the “20 Best Dishes in the San Francisco Mission District Under $20” and noted, at #15, “an empanada at Chile Lindo.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I had never heard of Chile Lindo, but </span>I filed that away for future action, although with everything else that is going on I was not sure how soon I would be able to get down there to check it out.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bXVUKB8rMIwd7V5zLfaByXmJTpan6B7LiI54AhItxWMn4wzdV23zWYt1xgecLc3PMYgMnRYW92bgWUaWXum3sn65gpfdRu37N9jRxM7iZ87l8aSh1gL3Db9TRsO7b3QDst3tpTxGCJg/s1600/7x7+Article.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="319px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bXVUKB8rMIwd7V5zLfaByXmJTpan6B7LiI54AhItxWMn4wzdV23zWYt1xgecLc3PMYgMnRYW92bgWUaWXum3sn65gpfdRu37N9jRxM7iZ87l8aSh1gL3Db9TRsO7b3QDst3tpTxGCJg/s320/7x7+Article.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">However, yesterday, on the way home, I had a bit of time and was in my car, so I decided that I would stop by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called first to ensure that they had empanadas available, then headed for the Mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip was not as bad as I had anticipated, and before long I was parking in front of Chile Lindo on 16<sup>th</sup> Street, just west of South Van Ness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreGmW0qNJHvDRnxVIsr_-sEM9-50al9Ls-kpe9vlI56WVNvt8WoPHnO7hyR7wy5XBXfmZu_KDDmXXznWxcLfsa5xEMicTIl1CTYaOAeCseLULY0xP7Po-4wGgxy-BdJcXvyNQqJB-3CY/s1600/Exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="250px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreGmW0qNJHvDRnxVIsr_-sEM9-50al9Ls-kpe9vlI56WVNvt8WoPHnO7hyR7wy5XBXfmZu_KDDmXXznWxcLfsa5xEMicTIl1CTYaOAeCseLULY0xP7Po-4wGgxy-BdJcXvyNQqJB-3CY/s320/Exterior.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of first things one notices about Chile Lindo is that there is a relatively large interior space, but that there is a bar across the doorway and the seating area is on sidewalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned that this was a result of an unfortunate ADA suit, which was resolved by excluding everyone from the interior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, if no one can go into the establishment, then no one is discriminated against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I was happy to find Paula Tejeda, the owner of the Chile Lindo, present, and I had a very nice chat with her. Paula is far more than just a cook, as one can see from the </span><a href="http://chilelindo.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Chile Lindo website</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also came across </span><a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2009/05/11/chile-lindo-empanadas/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">this nice piece</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> about her on the KQED Bay Area Bites blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZQcd0LDXnyhFItHSrcFN8bFt-cyT2a2xd0TT8jwY99i9Hx7hf3hHYmTMMmQUw_W9R0EypLooP-0mypA7Rv_Ccvhx6m9EUZLDQ71NHKXEODTOyy4LzY_tnOA3XcqCERVT89jx5cWzaaw/s1600/Paula+Out+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="286px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZQcd0LDXnyhFItHSrcFN8bFt-cyT2a2xd0TT8jwY99i9Hx7hf3hHYmTMMmQUw_W9R0EypLooP-0mypA7Rv_Ccvhx6m9EUZLDQ71NHKXEODTOyy4LzY_tnOA3XcqCERVT89jx5cWzaaw/s320/Paula+Out+Front.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Chile Lindo offers four varieties of empanada, all of them “<em>al horno</em>” – i.e. baked in an oven instead of fried.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjJzMt9RXtPMhttgAMELweWfCiojdy0TRTBX64I2xCPKBATFnf7JguBYlSfnrQmLyzDF9SdUEK2zXnZjWkYoEAqZhJDQA8uEnlOgxirwhn6HoMlF59EJtMB0r4Hn3iFsrGAKKPHjKM3Y/s1600/List+of+Empanadas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="220px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjJzMt9RXtPMhttgAMELweWfCiojdy0TRTBX64I2xCPKBATFnf7JguBYlSfnrQmLyzDF9SdUEK2zXnZjWkYoEAqZhJDQA8uEnlOgxirwhn6HoMlF59EJtMB0r4Hn3iFsrGAKKPHjKM3Y/s320/List+of+Empanadas.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Their website has a </span><a href="http://chilelindo.com/menus/empanadas/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">very good description</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> of how to prepare an empanada, which is not as simple as it might appear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since it was my first time there, I decided to try one of Paula’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">empanada de pino</i>, which I learned is the most classic version of Chilean empanadas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The empanada is filled with a stuffing (<em>“el pino” </em>) consisting of minced meat, sautéed onions, raisins, an olive and a slice of hard-boiled egg, all seasoned with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also picked up a couple of the same for some Chilean friends in Sausalito who I knew had never tried Chile Lindo’s empanadas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMmlK8dVFNzJzm5syA7MOwMkviHvn1l0QSzUhYJ3blQhffjXcXdYLI9B3wrbgaRXoB_UJxsK9UmT2v4FpdkuiAmOQx4NPyQNvPvPlOsPgtWFyqoq2FGkxt_PNfIGzOSgBAeTuc6zHuEA/s1600/Empanada++de+Pino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="224px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMmlK8dVFNzJzm5syA7MOwMkviHvn1l0QSzUhYJ3blQhffjXcXdYLI9B3wrbgaRXoB_UJxsK9UmT2v4FpdkuiAmOQx4NPyQNvPvPlOsPgtWFyqoq2FGkxt_PNfIGzOSgBAeTuc6zHuEA/s320/Empanada++de+Pino.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although I may not have the empanada experience of <em>El Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos</em>, I thought my <em>empanada de pino</em> was excellent in all respects – everything from <span class="messagebody2"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">the quality and weight of the pastry, to the texture, seasoning and flavor of the filling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I came to the last bite driving down Lombard on the way home, I really regretted not getting one or two more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to admit I gave some thought as to whether I really wanted to part with the two I had picked up for Isabel and Jaime. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they had been warm, I would have been very tempted!</span></span></span></span>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-27726254436179665412011-05-13T18:15:00.000-07:002011-05-13T18:26:47.945-07:00Fresh Pasta - A Class with Viola and Corrado<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPnopJGk0Ip8mg9j1j6Nn3xt-zLCXJ3_PYIUJ8pYNnHCGuaK58u22fW_yhElnFOqlm1uF9LV9q-2ZBzMcG6R_h415VdnkwVDihEOwkXKyBahW1kMTrAqrrIhO6rt2zNnxembnFufo2PG_/s1600/Pasta+Heading+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="207px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPnopJGk0Ip8mg9j1j6Nn3xt-zLCXJ3_PYIUJ8pYNnHCGuaK58u22fW_yhElnFOqlm1uF9LV9q-2ZBzMcG6R_h415VdnkwVDihEOwkXKyBahW1kMTrAqrrIhO6rt2zNnxembnFufo2PG_/s400/Pasta+Heading+3.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pasta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yummm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there any more iconic or better part of Italian cuisine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over my years of eating Italian food I have realized that while there are many excellent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">antipasti</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">secondi</i> dishes, I always gravitate to the pastas included in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">primi</i> group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, in some cases I would be happy to have a couple of pastas to the exclusion of all else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As reflected very well in “The Geometry of Pasta,” the shapes seem endless, and the sauce combinations infinite.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFdpb_m4_6wF37UBLlQKQ83Zn_VTBndIB8ybTB9r6BcVm574oqKoDKc3VmFJMz9Ut7sm-suNJB5Nsny4voImBMC2WrSakcJcnS3nm8PVK2JAcYqHXC-lYIpKU4HtfAPZ4PMzh59HyfoOU/s1600/Geometry_of_Pasta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFdpb_m4_6wF37UBLlQKQ83Zn_VTBndIB8ybTB9r6BcVm574oqKoDKc3VmFJMz9Ut7sm-suNJB5Nsny4voImBMC2WrSakcJcnS3nm8PVK2JAcYqHXC-lYIpKU4HtfAPZ4PMzh59HyfoOU/s200/Geometry_of_Pasta.JPG" width="144px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">So, when at the beginning of last week <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I received an email from the <a href="http://www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it/IIC_Sanfrancisco"><span style="color: blue;">Italian Cultural Institute</span></a> (<em>Istituto Italiano di Cultura</em>) in San Francisco announcing a cooking class featuring my favorite cuisine (</span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pasta Fresca e Dintorni</i>…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">an exploration of different kinds of fresh pasta and other handmade primi piatti from all over Italy</i>”), it was a no-brainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called the Institute, learned that there was still a space available, and signed up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since March, and continuing through next month, the Institute has been presenting an impressive array of programs <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">to <a href="http://www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/926CF058-A54D-43D0-B943-74F211E1518C/81001/150thAnniversaryinserthr2.pdf"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification</span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had noted that a number of them dealt with food and wine topics, but unfortunately had been unable to attend.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6jhEib0vPKM5vLaMxgRUGdR-eidKbesMoBzMzjmQpWZecVUVocpnw2WOJedzCdLOSeaBcae5LEh4fFSNoKEID6szxcBMIW-Zs5rh6eIm6j0d41XXUgmFGLX-e_6fhGdoDqorpoJMPQQ/s1600/IIC+%2526+150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="113px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6jhEib0vPKM5vLaMxgRUGdR-eidKbesMoBzMzjmQpWZecVUVocpnw2WOJedzCdLOSeaBcae5LEh4fFSNoKEID6szxcBMIW-Zs5rh6eIm6j0d41XXUgmFGLX-e_6fhGdoDqorpoJMPQQ/s320/IIC+%2526+150.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Institute’s series of food and wine events – called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it/IIC_SanFrancisco/webform/SchedaEvento.aspx?id=546&citta=SanFrancisco"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">ENOGASTRONOMIA</span></a></i> - has been primarily organized by an Italian food expert named Viola Buitoni, who lives in San Francisco and comes from a prominent Italian family with a long history in the food sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those events have included both lectures and tastings at the Institute, as well as classes of the sort for which I signed up – part of Viola’s “</span><a href="http://www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it/IIC_SanFrancisco/webform/SchedaEvento.aspx?id=586&citta=SanFrancisco"><em><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">La Cucina di Casa Mia</span></em></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">” (“Cooking of My Home”) series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.examiner.com/italian-culture-in-san-francisco/italian-history-viola-buitoni-s-food-series"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here is a very good article</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> which highlights both Viola and the series. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">As a bonus, I learned the class was to be taught <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">in the kitchen of the Pacific Heights residence of the Consul General of Italy in San Francisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at </span>the appointed hour on Friday I made my way up Broadway to the entrance to the residence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viola met us there and escorted us to the kitchen where we were introduced to Corrado Sani, a professional chef born and raised in Toscana who now lives here in San Francisco and who was collaborating with Viola on the class.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmkOgFrrTi0QI3t98q0PKe0AaUFpLIqkM6t9iRCl8vt7H0099SqqVBVjF3jO-WxPepwiPsC_OZd5SlI_-DA3VHU92k-NUUgHqHBhRX9hzRWq5qalz1pJVUehdKGL0PXV40aSdMeR9Sag/s1600/Viola+%2526+Corrado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="172px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmkOgFrrTi0QI3t98q0PKe0AaUFpLIqkM6t9iRCl8vt7H0099SqqVBVjF3jO-WxPepwiPsC_OZd5SlI_-DA3VHU92k-NUUgHqHBhRX9hzRWq5qalz1pJVUehdKGL0PXV40aSdMeR9Sag/s200/Viola+%2526+Corrado.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The kitchen at the residence was a perfect venue for our class – a colorful room with a lot of natural light and an excellent workspace in the center of the room for the five of us who were taking the class.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ydo5va8k6hwXzgxzdI2tImuF55D06eqpMUVz2ZxwtWXOZwmz3irYca332AgNc9Xy4eMNCl9Znd1TZVz2jUIQOxN9H2Sb9Ff76IpFz6ffPLXegMFGSRbv-p__aa4WvnfEzLgLD4mJASk/s1600/Work+Space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ydo5va8k6hwXzgxzdI2tImuF55D06eqpMUVz2ZxwtWXOZwmz3irYca332AgNc9Xy4eMNCl9Znd1TZVz2jUIQOxN9H2Sb9Ff76IpFz6ffPLXegMFGSRbv-p__aa4WvnfEzLgLD4mJASk/s320/Work+Space.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">At the start of the class, Viola gave us each a handout with recipes for the dishes we would be preparing:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">~ Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">~ Pici all’Aglione</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">~ Pappardelle sulla Nana</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I had heard of the first dish – a classic from Puglia with "little ears" pasta – but the toppings for the other two were new to me. The “<em>all'Aglinoe</em>” turned out to be a traditional Tuscan garlic (“<em>aglio</em>”) based sauce, while “<em>Nana</em>” proved to be duck (“<em>anatra</em>”) in the Tuscan dialect.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The three pastas featured different mixes of the two staple wheat products used in pasta production – semolina made from durum wheat (<em>semola di grano duro</em>) which is primarily used in southern Italy, and “regular” flour (<em>farina di frumento tenero</em>) – the most highly refined being “<em>tipo 00</em>” - which is used for the more refined and filled pastas of northern Italy. The extent to which any eggs were used was another factor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sWFhkU_vvnno_fayVJ63Gu13SQInXCQ1ksF_0Vu1LLfqQpPYFPeu2zEeWD2wM-7VmSI0A642AQbYXJxB63KkPHrhP2wrm9owicO-jnf_sQlZtARjkycVUacYUrySkGe3BX4ZepnoqOw/s1600/Flour+Bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="173px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sWFhkU_vvnno_fayVJ63Gu13SQInXCQ1ksF_0Vu1LLfqQpPYFPeu2zEeWD2wM-7VmSI0A642AQbYXJxB63KkPHrhP2wrm9owicO-jnf_sQlZtARjkycVUacYUrySkGe3BX4ZepnoqOw/s200/Flour+Bags.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the case of the <em>orecchiette</em>, we used only semolina and water and no eggs. For the <em>pici</em> we used a combination of the two grain products in a 30% semolina/70% flour ratio, together with a single egg. Finally, for the <em>pappardelle</em>, we used just the 00 flour and several eggs. This affected both the color of the pasta and the texture, as well as the amount of effort that it took to work the dough. A very interesting illustration.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa</span></u></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As the name suggests, the focus of this dish is broccoli rabe with its slightly bitter flavor and we had some beautiful produce with which to work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpm4pTx61LAb-CCAfS9jZKjK16S3Y3_7VRV7N5su0FZ5RJrsLPKpcheDhvoeADfrzsfCWyqPJGgh7FYii9jhyphenhyphenmI9DboigpE9YzfoVfMbATureFRdy9ay5inC_TRzjpWJQk6fsSs9Xo9k/s1600/Cima+di+Rape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="254px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpm4pTx61LAb-CCAfS9jZKjK16S3Y3_7VRV7N5su0FZ5RJrsLPKpcheDhvoeADfrzsfCWyqPJGgh7FYii9jhyphenhyphenmI9DboigpE9YzfoVfMbATureFRdy9ay5inC_TRzjpWJQk6fsSs9Xo9k/s320/Cima+di+Rape.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are a number of recipes online for this dish and the ingredients are quite simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The version we prepared did not include any anchovies, although I always enjoy the added flavor they bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGyBP9eRsV8&feature=related"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here is a video</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> with Viola demonstrating the proper technique for working the pasta dough, and </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QqiwiR6a8"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">here is a second video</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> with Corrado showing us how to form the <em>orecchiette</em> using a blunt table knife. After being boiled, the broccoli rabe was minced and combined with some garlic and chili peppers to form a beautiful vivid green sauce for the <em>orecchiette</em>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtCF9qcSLhBxApTEXnSaJ_CM68aGtpufetL9Xk6u4yi-N6bJvCoIlWq69oqncdmYNALn4dxGFKa2KAftl8mBDOOXRyhDJ9iku45963MApBLlH4w5B_oDxUrC5J-sgqYb0lkLQjD7XL90/s1600/Orecchitte+Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtCF9qcSLhBxApTEXnSaJ_CM68aGtpufetL9Xk6u4yi-N6bJvCoIlWq69oqncdmYNALn4dxGFKa2KAftl8mBDOOXRyhDJ9iku45963MApBLlH4w5B_oDxUrC5J-sgqYb0lkLQjD7XL90/s320/Orecchitte+Sauce.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It added to an excellent final dish!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHukww3CajvduSuWW9uaTMDAvoh1ivI0RWopkYef89AFfP0MwG1w2I4pNbdoe7Q5e8EbcmOKAkRoS-eX6YcbIOhPpWnqdEQa4emKV1_SNyowplJQtKHmf9KX7ptvKLgXPP2OsBQqWeTJg/s1600/Orecchiette+alle+Cime+di+Rapa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="241px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHukww3CajvduSuWW9uaTMDAvoh1ivI0RWopkYef89AFfP0MwG1w2I4pNbdoe7Q5e8EbcmOKAkRoS-eX6YcbIOhPpWnqdEQa4emKV1_SNyowplJQtKHmf9KX7ptvKLgXPP2OsBQqWeTJg/s320/Orecchiette+alle+Cime+di+Rapa.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pici all’Aglione</span></u></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Pici</em>, a rustic and fairly thick Tuscan rolled pasta, is one of my favorite pastas. I love its hearty and chewy character. Nancy and I first had it at a restaurant called </span></span><a href="http://www.osterialaporta.it/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Osteria La Porta</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> in the small town of Monticchiello south of Siena, and </span><a href="http://www.caffesociale.com/home.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Sociale</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> here in San Francisco usually has it on their menu with a meat ragù, a version we learned to make at </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/04/be-tuscan-once-day-friend-returns-to.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">a class last year at Cavallo Point</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The “<em>all’Aglione</em>” version we prepared at Friday’s class was a wonderfully simple dish which was based on some beautiful green garlic available in the Spring, although Corrado told us regular garlic cloves could also be used.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRPayIRfc2QaChGXiLed2SNWgXkdX5KN46zRRM3Io358TuOC1k49_AwBcFmPuWJl4-m0OJpVUD4xyvnPiKfTFYb01yb_sxN5AGiT6o_O0etAOrYjHoba8poAA4c3u5b4nM__S2yA13Gg/s1600/Green+Garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRPayIRfc2QaChGXiLed2SNWgXkdX5KN46zRRM3Io358TuOC1k49_AwBcFmPuWJl4-m0OJpVUD4xyvnPiKfTFYb01yb_sxN5AGiT6o_O0etAOrYjHoba8poAA4c3u5b4nM__S2yA13Gg/s200/Green+Garlic.jpg" width="150px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In fact we made two versions of the dish, the first a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sugo rosso</i> including tomatoes. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB26Sa1caqAqolRPzaUaRem5UngbrDuNzz4ByvNn5rhqf6ZlzSyUInvH1OQq89k-dE_4j-Ir4zhMtdDUmn5acVLGixk2yAbRgmv2yE1OlOkaHhvA_19WWKLL5fhyXVzgNnScbDRE0dXs/s1600/Aglione+Sauce+with+Tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="187px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB26Sa1caqAqolRPzaUaRem5UngbrDuNzz4ByvNn5rhqf6ZlzSyUInvH1OQq89k-dE_4j-Ir4zhMtdDUmn5acVLGixk2yAbRgmv2yE1OlOkaHhvA_19WWKLL5fhyXVzgNnScbDRE0dXs/s320/Aglione+Sauce+with+Tomato.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The second version excluded the tomatoes, but added toasted breadcrumbs just before serving to provide added texture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Of course, once again the real work involved the production of the pasta. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMAAsBqQiDs"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here is a video </span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">with Corrado’s demonstration of the proper <em>pici</em> rolling technique, and here is a photo showing our final product.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5Ztsd3c7TS2Tsd0qaA-cyn-v9qt23RrQEnADEZ4RgRQGL5T6b52RH5R3uDbxckG0QCjkA3tzfib_mzm6wzsbLzB0scfAR0_xzNB3EXrO-3jlQjWU3YE744-bcPYJ5lQCCSIJPdJO96o/s1600/Field+of+Pici.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="149px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5Ztsd3c7TS2Tsd0qaA-cyn-v9qt23RrQEnADEZ4RgRQGL5T6b52RH5R3uDbxckG0QCjkA3tzfib_mzm6wzsbLzB0scfAR0_xzNB3EXrO-3jlQjWU3YE744-bcPYJ5lQCCSIJPdJO96o/s320/Field+of+Pici.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It would be hard to say which was the better of the two sauces.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsvsaMLt4AUn7n6HzAS54DPig6F36IMV5BXQnSxfk6dWSxVqP2t7iWgDrqeLBgpQ26_tzuU_TRiT2Fk5jxGHm3KOuJsO6-_Y-M7GYFORB7cscUDqm9HwKF5bxVe5RylTa4encY_ZW-_g/s1600/Pici+Dishes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="147px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsvsaMLt4AUn7n6HzAS54DPig6F36IMV5BXQnSxfk6dWSxVqP2t7iWgDrqeLBgpQ26_tzuU_TRiT2Fk5jxGHm3KOuJsO6-_Y-M7GYFORB7cscUDqm9HwKF5bxVe5RylTa4encY_ZW-_g/s400/Pici+Dishes.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pappardelle sulla Nana</span></u></strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">It’s a good thing I love pasta, because we still had one to go! Further, duck may be my favorite meats, so I was really looking forward to this final dish.<br />
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This was by far the most time consuming of the dishes we prepared. First, the duck had to be browned, the fat removed, then the duck simmered in a sauce that had been prepared with a standard carrot/celery/onion soffritto, tomatoes, olives, red wine and spices. Then, although Corrado said it could served with the duck leg and thigh whole, for our dish we shredded the duck meat off the bones and added it back to the sauce. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycdXFy0olpanp72QFYQt876tQ67w8lOoTr5m1_DlyAMbt_7i1Zc9Z14xgWf9oFBcJEG6dCDeEcPI78y4QVp9JhFuYnyZchqIthIUGK0IRVAMDhWFz9lS38KpvaZbASF4NVUZrdjt1nIM/s1600/Duck+Sequence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="183px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycdXFy0olpanp72QFYQt876tQ67w8lOoTr5m1_DlyAMbt_7i1Zc9Z14xgWf9oFBcJEG6dCDeEcPI78y4QVp9JhFuYnyZchqIthIUGK0IRVAMDhWFz9lS38KpvaZbASF4NVUZrdjt1nIM/s400/Duck+Sequence.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">As indicated earlier, <em>pappardelle</em> is a pasta which uses flour and eggs, resulting in a much yellower and smoother dough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also required a good deal more kneading and, at least for us, the use of a pasta rolling machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabwotpI1IJ35hqSnXfYtxe4AkmK_9LRnPOeeek36CJL69vBtEAmUPKFUVKUi1x8_Ka8kYpjIwkCBgjPUjKq5BXTPDkGBNIiafpOnLmJYipy-R3CYYF2sn1P1_a6XYlZ6-6JD8_8OnIfQ/s1600/Pasta+Roller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabwotpI1IJ35hqSnXfYtxe4AkmK_9LRnPOeeek36CJL69vBtEAmUPKFUVKUi1x8_Ka8kYpjIwkCBgjPUjKq5BXTPDkGBNIiafpOnLmJYipy-R3CYYF2sn1P1_a6XYlZ6-6JD8_8OnIfQ/s320/Pasta+Roller.jpg" width="240px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Although I have to admit that by that point I was beginning to feel a bit full, our final dish was so tasty I had no problem in finishing my entire serving.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkO_4nWSkmoC2cyIQ8cRmQ83VidueHuaE5f7el9qzH-3PzgjLX__-UKNqFPdAbBRer2sWtV49eAToRausbBjSw3KOQPbZywAxnMcGlV3VEHhbt3p4kAK8tod_zwIYDK88MhZbwt0XcAY/s1600/Pappardelle+al+Sugo+d%2527Anatra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="241px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkO_4nWSkmoC2cyIQ8cRmQ83VidueHuaE5f7el9qzH-3PzgjLX__-UKNqFPdAbBRer2sWtV49eAToRausbBjSw3KOQPbZywAxnMcGlV3VEHhbt3p4kAK8tod_zwIYDK88MhZbwt0XcAY/s320/Pappardelle+al+Sugo+d%2527Anatra.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Finally, as a bit of a bonus, earlier this week Viola sent us </span><a href="http://missionlocal.org/2011/05/buon-appetito-tagliatelle/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">this link</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> to a video showing her and her son, Ernesto, preparing Tagliatelle with Spring Vegetables. That dish looks great too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">One thing that Viola mentions in that video is <em>ricotta secca</em>, a “dried” <em>ricotta</em> cheese that she brought with her to our class and which was excellent. That is not to be confused with <em>ricotta salata</em> (“salted <em>ricotta</em>”) which is more commonly available but, as the name suggests, much saltier and a different product. I understand <em>ricotta secca </em>is available at </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2009/05/adults-only.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Avedano’s in Bernal Heights</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">, another of my favorite spots.</span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Thanks again to Viola and Corrado for an excellent class. I am looking forward to participating in additional events in the ENOGASTRONOMIA program!</span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-83922978807435397612011-05-07T18:10:00.000-07:002011-05-07T18:28:48.150-07:00Cinco di Mayo @ Cotogna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7keHGpqJ4WTWAYwF06xs5X28csX860oSMiB-CQYLXIL0CE6aS47ndF550GQcY16cZ1I3gw9GMvYiWF5v2gZfkXLZeb7bB3eliS4TcVyNtDxUjK4B-PKawSVBCq7WGTC4vDlVC2ZmZTMYn/s1600/Love+Pizza+-+Cotogna+-+Header.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="96px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7keHGpqJ4WTWAYwF06xs5X28csX860oSMiB-CQYLXIL0CE6aS47ndF550GQcY16cZ1I3gw9GMvYiWF5v2gZfkXLZeb7bB3eliS4TcVyNtDxUjK4B-PKawSVBCq7WGTC4vDlVC2ZmZTMYn/s400/Love+Pizza+-+Cotogna+-+Header.JPG" width="400px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Although it may not have been culturally appropriate for the day, I was back at </span><a href="http://www.cotognasf.com/"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Cotogna</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> for lunch on Thursday, the most recent of </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/search/label/Cotogna"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">a number of recent visits</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">. Is there any treatment available for pizza addiction? Once again the dish was superb – the topping of the day was guanciale and ramps, with a whole egg added in the middle at the very end so it maintained its runny yolk.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjffFwfw5w79v5-OVEYWOJ2srAtTD3CNpkZ2_izKYhAgduC5BJ24DKfdBN9sfazW77ClYiZ4qs4fZ_G-C_9RIl_L3jagZtNm5TIwmC5c44wQP5pAcIltPfHmyOeJal2FUWhuIfnV738YzH/s1600/Pizza+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjffFwfw5w79v5-OVEYWOJ2srAtTD3CNpkZ2_izKYhAgduC5BJ24DKfdBN9sfazW77ClYiZ4qs4fZ_G-C_9RIl_L3jagZtNm5TIwmC5c44wQP5pAcIltPfHmyOeJal2FUWhuIfnV738YzH/s320/Pizza+1.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The amazing thing was how well the flavors and textures were sequenced. First came the crust with just a touch of flour and char. Then the sweet tomato sauce and cheese kicked in, followed by the small rendered chunks of guanciale with their salty, porky notes and chewy element. And finally the slightly garlicky ramps added a bite at the end. </span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Unlike the normal “pie” cut, for this dish the pizza was given a tic-tac-toe cut leaving a square in the middle upon which the egg was nestled. As a result I was able to eat my way entirely around the circumference with the growing expectation of enjoying the the egg at the very end. Finally it was time to strike….</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_BNzDqJAyR9vsobY5ChiheHPKIsTIUoqSNgFrDjTUmJJf2cNfOAb063_mnjWVNQuuGY6x42GLyfbI6brT6CzVfDgSDlYD_2bSJsdVx4g0YV1NrYviZxs9zw3yacRXhagXVL2FFyU4wHu/s1600/Last+Piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="225px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_BNzDqJAyR9vsobY5ChiheHPKIsTIUoqSNgFrDjTUmJJf2cNfOAb063_mnjWVNQuuGY6x42GLyfbI6brT6CzVfDgSDlYD_2bSJsdVx4g0YV1NrYviZxs9zw3yacRXhagXVL2FFyU4wHu/s320/Last+Piece.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This one was a no-brainer for enshrinement in the Cotogna pizza hall of fame.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlgCRVwcXJ6HTLSOvbBtm46_rXD-hFjfpYIkwljkInJ5RcMaBM7lnofpnxy-itebPzMJe4iYsMar_nJor6Pn59Ll_sbb2CT-IoJDUl4v5ZyXB795Eu48aAp8KVTwnOiR9wejzW0lvd2Hp/s1600/Hall+of+Fame+Pizzas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlgCRVwcXJ6HTLSOvbBtm46_rXD-hFjfpYIkwljkInJ5RcMaBM7lnofpnxy-itebPzMJe4iYsMar_nJor6Pn59Ll_sbb2CT-IoJDUl4v5ZyXB795Eu48aAp8KVTwnOiR9wejzW0lvd2Hp/s320/Hall+of+Fame+Pizzas.JPG" width="314px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I expect to return soon.</span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-15011747904208984512011-04-28T19:15:00.001-07:002011-04-28T19:29:59.100-07:00Orechiette con ‘Nduja<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayPewcTUNjVbVagEGZrr8dJRLHuRa57buLKKyHQN11D7OXzibY85zSN-6G21aX8ClmAc2HM9s_Ih-RYvmv3BPlC4Gt0V26CPJI2jyfRO34jWP5SkYsVotBkhR5wTaWP1qrqgqp-qhyphenhyphenYE6/s1600/Nduja+Header.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600823709450238946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayPewcTUNjVbVagEGZrr8dJRLHuRa57buLKKyHQN11D7OXzibY85zSN-6G21aX8ClmAc2HM9s_Ih-RYvmv3BPlC4Gt0V26CPJI2jyfRO34jWP5SkYsVotBkhR5wTaWP1qrqgqp-qhyphenhyphenYE6/s400/Nduja+Header.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Last night at my Italian class at the </span><a href="http://museoitaloamericano.org/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Museo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ItaloAmericano</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">(which is currently studying the Italian region of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Basilicata</span>), I gave a short talk about Peperoni <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Senise</span>, a red pepper that is grown in and around the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Senise</span> in the southeastern area of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Basilicata</span>. See </span><a href="http://www.fiery-foods.com/chiles-around-the-world/77-europe/1905-peperoni-di-senise-tasty-treasure-from-italy"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">this link</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">for an interesting story about a chili fan’s visit to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Senise</span>.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCizpsPWPZ4kJZCFQz8d8TpQ10Xq5FwTU5UaSZ68D_xI8hiZnuWpQaXLS80aASpiO9PwzvmV_tE8_pryJi26U0G9fI_dKd2GJsNxUwnyX-uwVng7D7OFc395KeYWoD2Jed-elXq8r3n0L3/s1600/PdiS+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600824035555074562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCizpsPWPZ4kJZCFQz8d8TpQ10Xq5FwTU5UaSZ68D_xI8hiZnuWpQaXLS80aASpiO9PwzvmV_tE8_pryJi26U0G9fI_dKd2GJsNxUwnyX-uwVng7D7OFc395KeYWoD2Jed-elXq8r3n0L3/s320/PdiS+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">In order to provide a bit more “flavor” for my presentation, I stopped by </span><a href="http://www.barbaccosf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Barbacco</span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> on my way to class and picked up an order of their <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nduja</span></em>. <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Nduja</span></em> is a spreadable sausage with origins in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Calabria</span>, the region bordering <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Basilicata</span> to the south, and which, at least in the Italian original, often incorporates Peperoni <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Senise</span>.<br /></span><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Rosetta <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Costantino</span>, who </span><a href="http://www.cookingwithrosetta.com/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">teaches <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Calabrian</span> cooking</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Emeryville</span>, and who last year came out with the wonderful cookbook, “</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Calabria-Rustic-Cooking-Undiscovered/dp/0393065162"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span style="font-size:130%;">My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Calabria</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">,” has done </span><a href="http://www.calabriafromscratch.com/?p=978"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">this blog post</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">about <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">ndjua</span></em>. I have borrowed a couple of Rosetta’s photos from that blog to show just how much red pepper the real <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Calabrian</span> <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">ndjua</span></em> contains!<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlsvvMiroegO2Nw97bMMPv2kJzTcg5pGTuXW3xyoiRSFuHcALo-edbwzN1fLxb-mYd1zpotTLUMCrJ9IQc5Ca1a4y5O4hBhjhstnD4p_EpNu73I31BS3XnBa8lktRRwM30Od7l7kr4kz8/s1600/Nduja+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600824337502682210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 105px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlsvvMiroegO2Nw97bMMPv2kJzTcg5pGTuXW3xyoiRSFuHcALo-edbwzN1fLxb-mYd1zpotTLUMCrJ9IQc5Ca1a4y5O4hBhjhstnD4p_EpNu73I31BS3XnBa8lktRRwM30Od7l7kr4kz8/s320/Nduja+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I am afraid that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Barbacco</span>’s <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">nduja</span></em> may not measure up to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Calabrian</span> standards of spiciness, but it is spicy enough for me and is a wonderful dish.<br /><br />After last night’s class there was a bit of <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">nduja</span></em> left over. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Barbacco</span> only serves its <em>‘<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">nduja</span></em> as an appetizer with some toasted bread, and I had always wanted to try it as a pasta topping as Rosetta shows in her blog – mixed just with a bit of tomato paste. I did just that this evening with some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">orechiette</span> (sorry, it’s a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Pugliese</span> pasta, but at least <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Puglia</span> also borders on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Basilicata</span>). It could not have been easier, and the result was fantastic.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpl6faQPfG_YW7DgrsXagaAElVZSc4d_x64lQjfHsxiVUVo0kS1TjpwxfQAwyn8UORUU5g5pItVYVFuJusuJTrU95pSClXS3vm3_kBDUxzIXnlCu9-TinF2xF64QIABro9OWVF0pEAmPM/s1600/Orechiette+con+%2527nduja.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600824614562740130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpl6faQPfG_YW7DgrsXagaAElVZSc4d_x64lQjfHsxiVUVo0kS1TjpwxfQAwyn8UORUU5g5pItVYVFuJusuJTrU95pSClXS3vm3_kBDUxzIXnlCu9-TinF2xF64QIABro9OWVF0pEAmPM/s320/Orechiette+con+%2527nduja.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I highly recommend giving that a try!</span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-86426534072881899752011-04-25T15:05:00.000-07:002011-04-25T15:53:05.019-07:00Tremè – The 2nd Season is Finally Here!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCakhfoNfPTFIzRhwrG0iLiai4KIu875mjeEQr3d0oNZhEzArzP2QL2z46_NJ44DzXI4ZctOTIEOes4Gx_DeqIALux2yFv959UJmhjPpNuzocN6ylbHLTGZ_EqYh_hq-pmxtmx_NJN4sFA/s1600/Treme+Heading.bmp"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599646351807042402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCakhfoNfPTFIzRhwrG0iLiai4KIu875mjeEQr3d0oNZhEzArzP2QL2z46_NJ44DzXI4ZctOTIEOes4Gx_DeqIALux2yFv959UJmhjPpNuzocN6ylbHLTGZ_EqYh_hq-pmxtmx_NJN4sFA/s320/Treme+Heading.bmp" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Sometimes when you have been looking forward to something for a while the actual event does not measure up to expectations. However, last night’s debut on HBO of the 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> season of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tremè</span> did not disappoint. There may have been a few nits about which some might quibble (see, for example, the </span><a href="http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/04/25/treme_season_2/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">very good review</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">by Matt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Zoller</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Seitz</span> in Salon), but overall in my view it was an excellent start to the new season.<br /><br />A challenge with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tremè</span> is that since the story lines and characters are so well-developed and inter-related, I think it would be impossible to jump into Season Two without investing the time to watch Season One first (and maybe even visit the Crescent City, which </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2011/03/tasty-road-trip-orlando-to-new-orleans.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">we were able to do in March</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, to get your bearings) – there would just be too much one would miss. Also, even if you have watched Season One (in my case, three times for most of the episodes), you really need to concentrate on the program to keep track of all of the threads. This is not a program you can just have on while doing something else and expect to keep up.<br /><br /></span><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Happily, last night’s episode is already on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Comcast</span> On-Demand and I expect to watch it a second time this evening to try and catch at least a few of the things I missed the first time through. There are also a couple of sites I have come across which I would recommend checking out for some useful background AFTER you have watched an episode. First, Dave Walker, who writes for The Times-Picayune, has a very helpful weekly </span><a href="http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2011/04/treme_explained_accentuate_the.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tremè</span> Explained”</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> column which, as the title suggests, provides a in-depth explanation of many of the subjects, places, food, music, etc. appearing in that week’s episode. Here’s just one tidbit from his column about last night’s episode:<br /><br /></span><em><span style="font-size:130%;">“The youngster practicing the trumpet is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Jaron</span> "Bear" Williams, who is a member of </span><a href="http://www.therootsofmusic.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">The Roots of Music</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">marching band, and will be featured in Richard Barber's upcoming documentary about the recovery of school music programs in New Orleans, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zl-JTH_mUI"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">‘The Whole Gritty City.</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">’”<br /></span></em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fuJBapIYmyOUG-7n_ZH_5yBTvYj6xafP-OW1Uo01BfKDGSlMWc2zEURa4UoWmggC3gERKldix2Hq3iIMb0MDlnoaWp0juGGbBNZRlsQJFFZxOvSE6By1eMc9kl8oTy8XC2WRfGZqXWJ8/s1600/Jaron++Williams+-+Screen+Shot.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599647896793781074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fuJBapIYmyOUG-7n_ZH_5yBTvYj6xafP-OW1Uo01BfKDGSlMWc2zEURa4UoWmggC3gERKldix2Hq3iIMb0MDlnoaWp0juGGbBNZRlsQJFFZxOvSE6By1eMc9kl8oTy8XC2WRfGZqXWJ8/s320/Jaron++Williams+-+Screen+Shot.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />One thing I love about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Tremè</span> is that it so full of detail that it provides a platform from which you can jump off to pursue threads running in many directions, as well as to identify NOLA organizations which deserve continuing support.<br /><br />The second site I have come across is the </span><a href="http://www.watchingtreme.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Watching <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Tremè</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">blog which also includes a great deal of information and links to other sites.<br /><br />The third site is the </span><a href="http://www.inside-treme-blog.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Inside <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Tremè</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">blog of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Lolis</span> Eric Elie, a NOLA native and friend who, among other related accomplishments, has written for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Tremè</span> series and produced the excellent “</span><a href="http://www.inside-treme-blog.com/"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Faubourg</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Tremè</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">” documentary which provides yet further insight into the city and series.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZqq6MO7IzS5XJKWtxzq3lnva6MIFER7oZ9rfz9zCSWsvJeC_1IKbTAZM6kUzLX1AbDLN3l7SoqxJI7SFcJwdr8BjIusCr5cYsXOR9jP3cTgMW-fdG_5Gl5nAsPaaSCinD3QZNLfyIDbX/s1600/Lolis+Fauberg.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599649837158071826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZqq6MO7IzS5XJKWtxzq3lnva6MIFER7oZ9rfz9zCSWsvJeC_1IKbTAZM6kUzLX1AbDLN3l7SoqxJI7SFcJwdr8BjIusCr5cYsXOR9jP3cTgMW-fdG_5Gl5nAsPaaSCinD3QZNLfyIDbX/s320/Lolis+Fauberg.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally, like many others, I have found the music from the series captivating and it has led me to explore some genres and performers with which I previously had little experience (I even downloaded last night “</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O9W_ILs11M"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">From the Corner to the Block</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">” performed by Galactic and the Dirty Dozen Brass band (also featuring Juvenile) after watching their Episode 1 performance filmed at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Tipitina</span>’s).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwEOXsMoFhnV9lVfQvtcCLGT2RO2sR-N638XSy_ypnXB6v7Fi82hbyOB1Kr_g0YS8MbSaz982ro7fQEsclWP08mb8RunUH1zHEYLyIA9dDE0-dyxg7oueRXzmMHqiwv2iwq3TSv0JlPJI/s1600/Galaxy+-+Corner+to+the+Block.bmp"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599650444665242642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwEOXsMoFhnV9lVfQvtcCLGT2RO2sR-N638XSy_ypnXB6v7Fi82hbyOB1Kr_g0YS8MbSaz982ro7fQEsclWP08mb8RunUH1zHEYLyIA9dDE0-dyxg7oueRXzmMHqiwv2iwq3TSv0JlPJI/s320/Galaxy+-+Corner+to+the+Block.bmp" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">iTunes</span> is also now offering a series of music videos featuring performers who have appeared on the series – my favorites so far have been John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Boutté</span>’s "At the Foot of Canal Street" and “Homage A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Poullard</span>” performed by the Pine Leaf Boys with Lucia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Micarelli</span> (who plays Annie Tee in the series).<br /><br />The </span><a href="http://musicoftreme.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Music of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Tremè</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">site is one of the best I found which provides detailed information about all music (even the many fragments) heard on the series. For the moment it just covers the episodes in the 1st season, although I assume they will keep it up for Season Two as well.<br /><br />Finally, for your daily music NOLA music fix, there is nothing like </span><a href="http://www.wwoz.org/"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" style="font-size:130%;">WWOZ</span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> – a really entertaining station which you can stream on your computer either directly or via <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">iTunes</span>. Also, if you have some time, </span><a href="http://www.nojazzfest.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Jazz Fest</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in NOLA is just starting.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdG-JEVFJO1_iuffm746-_aoAfrPLbFCH8AamJIAez8-rVWGvbrp3YyGqFnNXRh5beSHJMxDcS8ZfKMrFceO13WmbVsFNpOGvaXeMJ3-sQbGqrU5QB8rfCTY-3RMgV7BJHk4M85U0VLTAg/s1600/Jazz+Festival+Posters.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599651170857732882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdG-JEVFJO1_iuffm746-_aoAfrPLbFCH8AamJIAez8-rVWGvbrp3YyGqFnNXRh5beSHJMxDcS8ZfKMrFceO13WmbVsFNpOGvaXeMJ3-sQbGqrU5QB8rfCTY-3RMgV7BJHk4M85U0VLTAg/s320/Jazz+Festival+Posters.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">If there are any other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Tremè</span> fans out there, I would welcome any suggestions of resources you may have found to enhance your viewing experience. In the meantime, <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">laissez</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">les</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">bons</span> temps <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">rouler</span></em>.</span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-42545802709544536772011-04-22T20:01:00.000-07:002011-04-22T20:35:30.294-07:00Roast Goat Shoulder with Black Olives and Herbs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39f69IFhkDQu1vNg-XwnM89VoWAfXaOVGj65Cngk707lEMVMEwPJJrNjfRc_EVQ91e1uNNWKfUR9YoW86K2FkIeZvK57yBGt0Is_d8wMh8EeQyfTpCyLphp5N_2j6CRnPBnbJERGMZz0B/s1600/Heading.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598612167983102818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 220px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39f69IFhkDQu1vNg-XwnM89VoWAfXaOVGj65Cngk707lEMVMEwPJJrNjfRc_EVQ91e1uNNWKfUR9YoW86K2FkIeZvK57yBGt0Is_d8wMh8EeQyfTpCyLphp5N_2j6CRnPBnbJERGMZz0B/s400/Heading.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">One Sunday morning a couple of months ago while at the San Rafael farmers market I picked up a goat shoulder roast at the </span><a href="http://rossottiranch.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rossotti</span> Ranch</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">stand. I had never cooked a goat shoulder before, but my </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/search/label/Rossotti%20Ranch"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">prior efforts</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Rossotti</span> Ranch's goat had turned out so well that it seemed worth a try.<br /><br />I had put the shoulder in the freezer and had forgotten about it until earlier this week when I happened across a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">recipe</span> I had found on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Rossotti</span> Ranch website (that and other good recipes are available </span><a href="http://rossottiranch.com/?page_id=227"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">). I made the dish this evening and it turned out very well. The shoulder - which is not a very big cut (mine was about 2 pounds) - includes a good deal of connective tissue and is chewy, but I like that consistency in meat and the flavor was excellent. Here's the variation of the recipe I used:<br /></span><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">INGREDIENTS<br /><br />• 1 goat shoulder roast, 2-3 lbs<br />• Salt & ground pepper<br />• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced<br />• 1 celery stalk, diced<br />• 1 small yellow onion, chopped<br />• 4 cloves garlic, sliced<br />• 5-6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons chopped<br />• 2 or 3 fresh oregano sprigs<br />• Extra virgin olive oil for coating<br />• 2 cups beef broth<br />• ½ cup dry red wine<br />• 10-12 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">kalamata</span> olives, pitted and coarsely chopped<br />• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped<br />• 1 tablespoon tomato paste<br />• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar<br />• 1 tablespoon cornstarch<br /><br />PREPARATION<br /><br />1. Trim away all but a thin layer of fat from the goat. Rub the meat all over with the salt and pepper, place on a plate, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 1 hour before roasting.<br /><br />2. Preheat the oven to 400°F<br /><br />3. Select a heavy ovenproof pan just large enough to hold the goat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, parsley sprigs, and oregano to the pan. Lightly brush or rub the goat with olive oil and place, fat side up, on the vegetables. Pour in the broth and wine.<br /><br />4. Roast the goat for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and turn the roast. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to roast the goat for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the roast again fat side up. Continue to roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 180°F, 20 minutes longer.<br /><br />5. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the goat to a warmed platter, and tent with aluminum foil. Let rest while preparing the sauce.<br /><br />6. Pour the contents of the pan through a coarse sieve placed over a bowl. Using the back of a spoon, press on the contents of the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the contents of the sieve. Using a spoon, remove as much fat from the surface of the pan juices as possible. You should have about 1½ cups of liquid. Pour into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and add the olives, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, and chopped parsley. Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and whisk into the simmering sauce. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.<br /><br />7. Transfer the goat to a carving board. Cut the meat into slices ¾ – 1 inch thick and arrange on warmed plates. Spoon a little of the sauce over the meat. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.</span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-84046321441116318182011-04-21T17:37:00.001-07:002011-04-21T19:02:41.896-07:00A Cheesy Sunday Afternoon<span style="color:#6633ff;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK-BhB9ixnhsa6DN5ThEseJkCSoKGXHyv0Zivxetu5cybEc40Z8D5fBTGAmiX-QF9WKD9b_dr4uLqmQfRklLCXuyKgYD3d1tpB9hK4Nrd_oaWoi9zCX7IZVMFwIEuO8QnpY_EE7xES34a/s1600/Heading+-+Blog.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598201026295592130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK-BhB9ixnhsa6DN5ThEseJkCSoKGXHyv0Zivxetu5cybEc40Z8D5fBTGAmiX-QF9WKD9b_dr4uLqmQfRklLCXuyKgYD3d1tpB9hK4Nrd_oaWoi9zCX7IZVMFwIEuO8QnpY_EE7xES34a/s400/Heading+-+Blog.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> On Sunday afternoon Alex, Cass and I attended a program at the </span><a href="http://museoitaloamericano.org/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Museo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ItaloAmericano</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in Ft. Mason Center – a talk by </span><a href="http://www.janetfletcher.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Janet Fletcher</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">on Italian cheeses followed by a tasting. Even better, it was free, thanks to support from Wells Fargo Bank.<br /><br /></span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHnBbU3IV6H7wDP4FCIcnAm6MLVoSQzwcejZYuyuKF0J9Lf3iYbA7WdMCXsMpFWqbvE-ntw8b4X9Ebn-GYbWKOKTXVDBi-oxY8SyGSTx3c2t1kZWrOcKjrqU-vhhF3CElQ_-Ldxk_IoIk/s1600/Janet+Fletcher+-+Photo.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598201522115748914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHnBbU3IV6H7wDP4FCIcnAm6MLVoSQzwcejZYuyuKF0J9Lf3iYbA7WdMCXsMpFWqbvE-ntw8b4X9Ebn-GYbWKOKTXVDBi-oxY8SyGSTx3c2t1kZWrOcKjrqU-vhhF3CElQ_-Ldxk_IoIk/s320/Janet+Fletcher+-+Photo.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">In the past the three of us had taken a number of classes taught by Janet at </span><a href="http://www.cheeseschoolsf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">The Cheese School of San Francisco</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">and had found them uniformly excellent. Janet – who among other things writes the </span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/columns/cheesecourse/archive/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“The Cheese Course” column</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> for the San Francisco Chronicle – has a wonderful knack of explaining about a cheese in the context of its place of origin. She also co-authored with Rosetta <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Costantino</span> one of my favorite cookbooks - </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-calabria-la-cucina-calabrese-at.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Calabria</span>”</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> – which was published last year. Her skill in weaving a narrative about food, culture, history and geography are very much in evidence there too. Her most recent book is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheese-Wine-Selecting-Pairing-Enjoying/dp/0811857433"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying”</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> – Janet is all about food!<br /></span></p><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Janet led off Sunday’s program with a general overview of Italian cheeses, then focused on the five cheeses that we were to taste at the end of the program:<br /><br />1. Brunet – pasteurized goat milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Piemonte</span><br />2. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Rosso</span> – raw sheep milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Toscana</span><br />3. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Brescianella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Stagionata</span> – raw cow milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Lombardia</span><br />4. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Canestrato</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Moliterno</span> – raw sheep and goat milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Basilicata</span><br />5. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Blu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Valcasotto</span> – raw sheep milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Piemonte</span><br /><br />As shown on the following map, the cheeses came from all over Italy.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zT38qxORBIRuE3u_kxedKuj7RmRHCiMxHJxuXnqOmZ9Be2lBBhLtycbcbXsnUcaqvNuUTiGwtt2c5bnxqmdjPY172SbaA58JP104EuifSVXrUG78qtzUy8_jGp_EQH1sKzwiyZm-x7AC/s1600/Italy+Map+-+Cheeses+Marked.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598202503496115858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zT38qxORBIRuE3u_kxedKuj7RmRHCiMxHJxuXnqOmZ9Be2lBBhLtycbcbXsnUcaqvNuUTiGwtt2c5bnxqmdjPY172SbaA58JP104EuifSVXrUG78qtzUy8_jGp_EQH1sKzwiyZm-x7AC/s320/Italy+Map+-+Cheeses+Marked.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Janet explained that all five of the cheeses had been provided by </span><a href="http://www.frescaitalia.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Fresca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Italia</span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, Michele <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Lanza</span>’s Italian cheese and specialty food import company in Brisbane. She pointed out that Michele, who is originally from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Basilicata</span>, has done a great deal to expand the variety of Italian cheeses which are available to us at markets and restaurants here in California. Thank you Michele and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Fresca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Italia</span>!!<br /><br />Janet also told us that she had not specified the cheeses she wanted for the program, but had rather left it to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Fresca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Italia</span> to select a range of cheeses with regional and milk-type variation that they felt were at their peak. As Janet pointed out, that is a good strategy to follow whenever one buys cheese.<br /><br />Following Janet’s formal remarks, we moved to an adjacent room where we enjoyed samples of the five cheeses, together with a red wine (2008 La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Maialina</span> Chianti <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Classico</span>) and a white wine (2009 Mancini <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Vermentino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Gallura</span>) wine that Janet had selected, and Janet did some book signing. I took the following picture of a set of the samples – unfortunately I was not able to get a shot of the cheeses before they were cut.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG8EGXENTSujcRan470ivmHPlcSNk1a9uf_mZhSOdbBdCNzepu2lwg2ZL0SAGYQ3SCr5qNYcWFEVlQKlGxsIoF4FZn41nn6zlI9Ne5UYc6m5kM5_xNkHGLeFtc50vbO3VRRGKS5eb5Eal/s1600/Cheeses+Labeled.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598203282462214226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 339px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG8EGXENTSujcRan470ivmHPlcSNk1a9uf_mZhSOdbBdCNzepu2lwg2ZL0SAGYQ3SCr5qNYcWFEVlQKlGxsIoF4FZn41nn6zlI9Ne5UYc6m5kM5_xNkHGLeFtc50vbO3VRRGKS5eb5Eal/s400/Cheeses+Labeled.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">1. Brunet – pasteurized goat milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Piemonte</span><br /><br /></span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybT6XBC384S3N7epNrlfJPcDfcpOTC0zwxsVcmpoZqdChEmPjNNQJyKDQaTV95qA2xlAcJsLRCo0sq-PERjS_u8AmNck8sUKRyl2tVWpsCZLHbTI5oIO68gmHgzk7SE2HvEklPY7gtnAu/s1600/Brunet+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598203751248437410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 102px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybT6XBC384S3N7epNrlfJPcDfcpOTC0zwxsVcmpoZqdChEmPjNNQJyKDQaTV95qA2xlAcJsLRCo0sq-PERjS_u8AmNck8sUKRyl2tVWpsCZLHbTI5oIO68gmHgzk7SE2HvEklPY7gtnAu/s320/Brunet+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">This cheese was the subject of </span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/01/WIM5UM6AC.DTL"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">one of Janet’s articles in The Cheese Course</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">which is worth reading. It is produced by the </span><a href="http://www.caseificioaltalanga.it/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Caseificio</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">dell'Alta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Langa</span></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> in the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Bosia</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Piemonte</span>, a firm that produces a number of other excellent cheeses (La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Tur</span> is another of their cheeses we like a lot). Brunet, the name of a breed of goat, is not a traditional name of an Italian cheese, but rather a proprietary name given to the cheese by the producer, a recent trend in Italy that seems to be increasing as producers seek to stake out marketing territory. In her article Janet described the flavor as follows:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Brunet's</span> soft, thin, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">bloomy</span> rind fuses with its creamy interior; don't even think about trying to cut the rind away. The supple ivory paste, or interior, smells of mushrooms and creme <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">fraiche</span> and feels like silk on the tongue. A tangy finish keeps the cheese from being cloying.”<br /></em><br />The cheese also made her top 10 list for 2008.<br /><br /></span><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">2. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Rosso</span> – raw sheep milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Toscana</span><br /><br /></span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqKW4gLmkgArU_PZwPTsKOg9g4IVrEAgxv5496xNAG_eCac40WXspQgBcgDRePNzVJUDUyrEXWr-AaxcGdN-UV_aAjLShHJ48LkAVsOpiU2PfXNlm1jNcAKlegXcV9i0h9qBL3QH76NWZ/s1600/Marzolino+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598204327365305906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqKW4gLmkgArU_PZwPTsKOg9g4IVrEAgxv5496xNAG_eCac40WXspQgBcgDRePNzVJUDUyrEXWr-AaxcGdN-UV_aAjLShHJ48LkAVsOpiU2PfXNlm1jNcAKlegXcV9i0h9qBL3QH76NWZ/s320/Marzolino+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">There is a traditional Tuscan sheep milk cheese called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">del</span> Chianti which, as the name indicates, comes from the Chianti area of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Toscana</span> between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Firenze</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Siena</span>. As the name also suggests, in the past it was primarily produced in March (“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">marzo</span>” is March in Italian) using the milk from sheep that had been eating the new grass on the Tuscan hillsides.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Rosso</span> is basically the traditional <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Marzolino</span> which has been rubbed with a tomato paste to give it a reddish hue. This can be seen in the above photos – the traditional <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">del</span> Chianti is on the left, and a slice of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Rosso</span> is on the right. As far as I could tell, the tomato paste did not affect the flavor, although my piece did not include any of the rind.<br /><br />I was not able to determine exactly from where in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">Toscana</span> the cheese we had comes. Janet said it is purchased from the producers by the </span><a href="http://www.guffantiformaggi.com/index-uk.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Luigi <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">Guffanti</span> firm</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Arona</span>, in northern <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Piemonte</span> (one of Italy’s leading cheese <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">agers</span> - they have been at it since 1876!), who then age it before selling it to distributors. I have always wanted to visit the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Guffanti</span> caves!<br /><br />Janet also did an </span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/25/WISHVVENT.DTL"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">article in The Cheese Course</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Rosso</span>, in which she described it as follows:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>“…it has an ivory interior with the warm, milky fragrance of melted butter. The flavor starts sweet and nutty but finishes with a faint bitterness.”<br /><br /></em>This cheese also made her top 10 list for 2008.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>3. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Brescianella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Stagionata</span> – raw cow milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">Lombardia</span><br /></strong><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00CxBIrpQ5K3Bixzr4BSHIUKygcsGMimMCs9GmAr1BA1k-Gy6pDejNFx9IC1aDRx8DGjIY58ru-r1ZDgz3JbaGeFPFZsDxSIdu35VUzTRxmurQMdFrEUng5a0syu1AOCcjLqYkEfNDEOr/s1600/Brescianella+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598206598749543634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00CxBIrpQ5K3Bixzr4BSHIUKygcsGMimMCs9GmAr1BA1k-Gy6pDejNFx9IC1aDRx8DGjIY58ru-r1ZDgz3JbaGeFPFZsDxSIdu35VUzTRxmurQMdFrEUng5a0syu1AOCcjLqYkEfNDEOr/s320/Brescianella+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Brescianella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">Stagionata</span> is another traditional cheese, this one from around the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Brescia</span> northeast of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Milano</span>, from which the cheese derives its name (“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">stationata</span>” simply means “aged”). It struck me as very similar to a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">Taleggio</span>. Here is Culture’s take on the cheese:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>“<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">Brescianella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">Stagionata</span> is a washed rind cheese with a classic orange-brown, slightly sticky rind, marked with linear indentations where the cheeses have matured on straw. Aromas are pungent and sweet. The interior paste of the cheese is smooth and yielding and ivory-white in color. Flavors are rich and milky, with notes of vanilla and hazelnuts, and sweet with a lingering grassy aftertaste.”<br /><br /></em>It is another cheese which spends some time in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">Guffanti</span>’s caves before making its way to market. Note to self – future trip to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">Arona</span> a must.<br /><br /><strong>4. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">Canestrato</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">Moliterno</span> – raw sheep and goat milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">Basilicata</span></strong><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoIswLaoMRDtMO3G2S7bCXJz23rc53cMjW8uTm064aKU4mNmC8tKCPZzgybsF3FdNCX2pxvCC1l90K7pF_H5_ZpwR5DDBRuAqwrRxGgQX-jVv4fRxX04B3NJr4BNCvSouhQz6do1EcNDy/s1600/Canestrato+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598211267863689698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 82px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoIswLaoMRDtMO3G2S7bCXJz23rc53cMjW8uTm064aKU4mNmC8tKCPZzgybsF3FdNCX2pxvCC1l90K7pF_H5_ZpwR5DDBRuAqwrRxGgQX-jVv4fRxX04B3NJr4BNCvSouhQz6do1EcNDy/s320/Canestrato+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">For the fourth cheese – the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">Canestrato</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">Moliterno</span> - we headed far south to Michele <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">Lanza</span>’s home region of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">Basilicata</span> (if you would like to learn more about that region </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=IT&hl=it&v=clzISfXUXz4"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">here is a great video</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">narrated by Francis Ford Coppola whose relatives came from the region). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">Molierno</span> is a hill town in the mountains in the province of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">Potenza</span> and over the years a combination of numerous sheep and goat herds in the area, as well as a climate favorable for aging cheese, resulted in the town becoming a center of cheese production. “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">Canestrato</span>” refers to the woven baskets seen above used to hold the cheese when it is first made, and which give the rind a distinctive pattern. Typically 70-90% of the milk used for its production is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">sheep</span> milk, and the balance goat milk. The cheese was very good with a nutty flavor and nice level of saltiness – similar to a number of other Italian sheep milk cheeses I have had in the past such as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">Pecorino</span> Romano or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">Fiore</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">Sardo</span>.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>5. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">Blu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">Valcasotto</span> – raw sheep milk – <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_98">Piemonte</span><br /></strong><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_d5OqlP-pXYiZfJj0DiOhTfDiL8zOyfYpR2fka_XTH3Pq8VY3F3_hc2uakz1FBryDzMD1vD2p2c2agtnhXzaBe6MeRCpF9G2Llic6IJ0HSKrPjikMLKL2RFCAyHDt4gdPf9bFXEE_PkP/s1600/Beppino+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598212330841782210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_d5OqlP-pXYiZfJj0DiOhTfDiL8zOyfYpR2fka_XTH3Pq8VY3F3_hc2uakz1FBryDzMD1vD2p2c2agtnhXzaBe6MeRCpF9G2Llic6IJ0HSKrPjikMLKL2RFCAyHDt4gdPf9bFXEE_PkP/s320/Beppino+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">For the final cheese – a blue– we headed back north to the small town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_99">Valcasotto</span> in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_100">Ligurian</span> Alps just a few miles from the French border. </span><a href="http://www.occelli.it/inglese/azienda.asp"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_101">Beppino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_102">Occelli</span></span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">is another major cheese producer in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_103">Piemonte</span> with a broad portfolio of cheese types, similar to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_104">Caseificio</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_105">dell'Alta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_106">Langa</span>, and a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_107">sophisticated</span> marketing approach. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_108">Blu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_109">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_110">Valcasotto</span> seems to be a relatively new cheese for the company, although it may be that, for marketing reasons, they are simply <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_111">distributing</span> the same or a very similar cheese under different names. I enjoyed the cheese, although my preference in blue cheeses tends towards younger and milder varieties.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>OVERALL PREFERENCES<br /><br /></strong>While all the cheeses were good and I would look forward to trying them all again, our overall #1 preferences for the day were:<br /><br />Cass: Brunet<br />Alex: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_112">Marzolino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_113">Rosso</span><br />Mike: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_114">Brescianella</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_115">Stagionata</span><br /><br />It just goes to show you that after so many cheese tastings together, our preferences head in different directions. Thanks again to Janet, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_116">Fresca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_117">Italia</span>, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_118">Museo</span> and Wells Fargo for a most enjoyable event. </span></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-33573444423744874742011-04-21T16:03:00.000-07:002011-04-21T16:18:07.344-07:00Pizza at Cotogna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQA-gu2BUPUFyonTz965yATrnDY4VjdPqD7OeWkyEgZRfLr3zZVJuxhP3pZ0x_jaowJ45K3AMhTKtNxQpXX9vYPVh6vN0W3JlFkMYTEqyJ-wcWUcfVo0BXOhauLi76c8EeUi6XwyUc6B/s1600/Cotogna+-+Pizza+Lamb+Sausage+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598176746232141522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQA-gu2BUPUFyonTz965yATrnDY4VjdPqD7OeWkyEgZRfLr3zZVJuxhP3pZ0x_jaowJ45K3AMhTKtNxQpXX9vYPVh6vN0W3JlFkMYTEqyJ-wcWUcfVo0BXOhauLi76c8EeUi6XwyUc6B/s400/Cotogna+-+Pizza+Lamb+Sausage+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> Another excellent pizza for lunch today at </span><a href="http://www.cotognasf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Cotogna </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">- a topping of broccoli di ciccio, lamb sausage and aged provolone. Apart from the superbly balanced ingredients, they really know how to do a thin crust there. Rounding it out was a glass of Gavi di Gavi from the beautiful </span><a href="http://www.villasparina.it/home.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Villa Sparina</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">estate just outside of Monterotondo in Piemonte - one of the most memorable stops of our trip to Italy last fall (</span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-viaggio-in-italia-post-3-best.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">see #18 on this post</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">).<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwVBq4Yz1wjalvtZtPz55pavD7ug0qD2KOnZIbTPNz7UHtPL55eHmY5q-ZmKTbBtJsxtr1f9-Gf7UdKR90FVVQSiR29HHgX1X4ULhyphenhyphen5BIUuMOP6UoWdll57WqDVQy4N3PCdWzQnS4pLC-/s1600/Villa+Sparina+Gavi+Combo.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598178903492348946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 148px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwVBq4Yz1wjalvtZtPz55pavD7ug0qD2KOnZIbTPNz7UHtPL55eHmY5q-ZmKTbBtJsxtr1f9-Gf7UdKR90FVVQSiR29HHgX1X4ULhyphenhyphen5BIUuMOP6UoWdll57WqDVQy4N3PCdWzQnS4pLC-/s400/Villa+Sparina+Gavi+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></a>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-46966294873474495122011-04-07T17:58:00.002-07:002011-04-07T19:38:10.735-07:00Dinner for Japan Disaster Relief<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5Zi5qKTVcwiZFS4eakuPToMHtdylqy6dhpEXaehe16iL7hZR_CliCjYUMtuCrKtTBPa5P8wun1tJhADUJAMlRIINsYQHJGUuJiG2rQrAkD0TpWhhXM8KhVzOLJtTgmJZPtNkSOk56mgw/s1600/Heading.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592991533687140018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 175px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5Zi5qKTVcwiZFS4eakuPToMHtdylqy6dhpEXaehe16iL7hZR_CliCjYUMtuCrKtTBPa5P8wun1tJhADUJAMlRIINsYQHJGUuJiG2rQrAkD0TpWhhXM8KhVzOLJtTgmJZPtNkSOk56mgw/s400/Heading.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">On Sunday evening Alex, Cass and I attended a dinner at </span><a href="http://www.prospectsf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Prospect Restaurant</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in San Francisco to raise funds to help with the recovery from the recent disaster in Japan. The dinner – entitled “Chefs Unite for Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Aid Dinner” – had been organized by the following group of Bay Area chefs: </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">~ Paul Canales (formerly of Oliveto) ~ Bruce Hill (Bix, Picco & Zero Zero) ~ Sho Kamio (Yoshi's) ~ Ravi Kapur (Prospect) ~ Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani (Ame & Terra) ~ Staffan Terje (Perbacco & Barbacco) </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLKsCt5YipcPfwpExZ5E9BEe3zQUzIInl25K3loLQLA5iGFt59DeMgbRb_JS7ET2YJmPv8wZRBa-0q4eNLoRGqz15aO-sWBcyDBmypKGa1Oo-ovFTJ5L3_utZD3VVsuua-AY6eyTiIxSM/s1600/Chefs.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593005001944297154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 146px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLKsCt5YipcPfwpExZ5E9BEe3zQUzIInl25K3loLQLA5iGFt59DeMgbRb_JS7ET2YJmPv8wZRBa-0q4eNLoRGqz15aO-sWBcyDBmypKGa1Oo-ovFTJ5L3_utZD3VVsuua-AY6eyTiIxSM/s320/Chefs.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">A couple of years ago, that group (without Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, but including a writer, Ella Lawrence) had visited the area in and around Miyagi Prefecture in order to learn more about traditional Japanese ingredients which could be incorporated into different cuisines here in the US. Upon their return they gave a </span><a href="http://www.jetro.org/content/734"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">presentation about their trip</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">sponsored by the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO), which had organized the trip, and also shared some </span><a href="http://www.jetro.org/content/727"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">recipes for dishes</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">incorporating Japanese miso. Ella also did </span><a href="http://restaurantgirlspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/03/japan.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">this series</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">of posts on her blog about their trip. </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><div class="fullpost"><span style="font-size:130%;">Sunday’s event started with a cocktail hour during which the chefs visited with the crowd. It was the first time Alex, Cass or I had ever been to Prospect (a spinoff from </span><a href="http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Boulevard</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, which has long been one of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco) and it is certainly an elegant space. We set up shop at the bar and enjoyed some of the cocktails (something green which I think involved cucumber, sake and Pisco) and appetizers that were circulating. </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs52JK7UIaEpVa-bDf86Vp3gUwkeAmFwQjFx8MfDHyZ4xrdbHL3PeAaFOY1qkeaKpcjBkpNqnHqKc6CKmIA9h_Kdfbe8X7eneMbTYeLxupDi0EYJe_vJ-SIN1eoqiCPDsQ6Wiogq1Ntp1/s1600/Drinks+and+Appetizers.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592992619380486082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs52JK7UIaEpVa-bDf86Vp3gUwkeAmFwQjFx8MfDHyZ4xrdbHL3PeAaFOY1qkeaKpcjBkpNqnHqKc6CKmIA9h_Kdfbe8X7eneMbTYeLxupDi0EYJe_vJ-SIN1eoqiCPDsQ6Wiogq1Ntp1/s320/Drinks+and+Appetizers.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Then it was time to head into the dining area for the 6-course dinner. Here is a copy of the menu for the evening. </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljl_eUDJjbzbuZh191RRf5AbP3vkFtcUHwEWAdglbkDXWJu2eCdnSZMcMuQzwTSNUaXTg_YUO9h5E2x52uBVhxh7SdSI_DE9KT5S8ReNC96DfLOXEzWvLwP2gpxiJLtR8jQbspWiF0Mv5/s1600/Menu.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592993204094652002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 205px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljl_eUDJjbzbuZh191RRf5AbP3vkFtcUHwEWAdglbkDXWJu2eCdnSZMcMuQzwTSNUaXTg_YUO9h5E2x52uBVhxh7SdSI_DE9KT5S8ReNC96DfLOXEzWvLwP2gpxiJLtR8jQbspWiF0Mv5/s320/Menu.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Each chef had come up with a dish and a sentiment. I hope that Prospect will not object to my use of the shots from </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000290359558#!/album.php?id=139301286084922&aid=65230"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">their Facebook site</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Brotherhood” – Bruce Hill - American Miyagi oysters poached with pork belly and pickled Spring garlic </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLvlBV7PRTqj2M3CiWTDYW_wLDqXLboKVgKHt8X-WBV8Roi5itEwDuyTLc_BBcNyEEui2QIw8kFp9HY5VAz4_M31MXMFdvdYP4ZcLFcYGx3xW_w2b2EOSCbWchktLpvUcQR7UZZngRfeD/s1600/Miyagi+Oysters.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592993590499130626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLvlBV7PRTqj2M3CiWTDYW_wLDqXLboKVgKHt8X-WBV8Roi5itEwDuyTLc_BBcNyEEui2QIw8kFp9HY5VAz4_M31MXMFdvdYP4ZcLFcYGx3xW_w2b2EOSCbWchktLpvUcQR7UZZngRfeD/s320/Miyagi+Oysters.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Hospitality” – Ravi Kapur - Zuckerman Farm asparagus, Dungeness crab, Brokaw Nursery avocado, local uni and Oro Blanco grapefruit </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xGXev8IPvLiy1O0lUi5l8ry_V4nv29mWkpFQVvKZfrxMaVl_TWHuY2ZsbmeCRgbK2At1NyWcKgOqv_JCvGyW48N5Goy0JPnwI9yeR8HJzBQtnJE_xrUXk6LBsvphHOMlutC0SQTrNa74/s1600/Asparagus.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592993925985094018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xGXev8IPvLiy1O0lUi5l8ry_V4nv29mWkpFQVvKZfrxMaVl_TWHuY2ZsbmeCRgbK2At1NyWcKgOqv_JCvGyW48N5Goy0JPnwI9yeR8HJzBQtnJE_xrUXk6LBsvphHOMlutC0SQTrNa74/s320/Asparagus.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Collective Consciousness” – Paul Canales - Smoked Hoffman Farm hen with tomato sauce, tosaka salad and crunchy shallots </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF796qXyKkqkTW3xYkpPM4dMJ1iva9Bp8hxV2T4uHRdYnBO393Qo8tP0eVKDaaaLxKzoXT2Xk8A1Jc3Pxx-r0QNhX7x_9qJCrrnngDgKi2uTU_uymrQ3Kdhs9fkYh2tI30aCGHGP1LzJmk/s1600/Smoked+Hoffman+Farm+Hen.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592994292437702626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF796qXyKkqkTW3xYkpPM4dMJ1iva9Bp8hxV2T4uHRdYnBO393Qo8tP0eVKDaaaLxKzoXT2Xk8A1Jc3Pxx-r0QNhX7x_9qJCrrnngDgKi2uTU_uymrQ3Kdhs9fkYh2tI30aCGHGP1LzJmk/s320/Smoked+Hoffman+Farm+Hen.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Home” – Staffan Terje - Riso Carnaroli di Acquerello with butter poached mushrooms and Sendai red miso </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL29sqR6UMIKtrDYMtvFefRb6FXYMMlbyMUKGX_zq6rhICtKoEM32pWy4ttSiFevW2xQHOOLmD_TxzFADuvpEKtbTA3-B3VtnADuig8dtbh-524L2mxc3_LWLM9D4b1kEpMvvi857qOGX_/s1600/RIce+with+Miso+Swirl.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592994580009046514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL29sqR6UMIKtrDYMtvFefRb6FXYMMlbyMUKGX_zq6rhICtKoEM32pWy4ttSiFevW2xQHOOLmD_TxzFADuvpEKtbTA3-B3VtnADuig8dtbh-524L2mxc3_LWLM9D4b1kEpMvvi857qOGX_/s320/RIce+with+Miso+Swirl.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Persistence” – Sho Kamio - Land Three Ways: ~ Rib eye with tamari honey caramelized cipollini and bourguignon sauce ~ Lamb loin with wild ginger confit, lemon grass and veal jus ~ Beef tongue with Spring garlic mousse and cognac sauce </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8h1ZkrFM4RS6eZvnJje4_m7mknxgYBAx_qkMDBZiYSievjwdCR1a6XockuAaCd9l9h2eCZHIsEtGIJVXOD-2FOSe13iKz3IMW9iI7yOs9XatNZZOVaavKD-gzKicD54AezQS_GHEWP62/s1600/Land+Three+Ways.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592995007765020322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8h1ZkrFM4RS6eZvnJje4_m7mknxgYBAx_qkMDBZiYSievjwdCR1a6XockuAaCd9l9h2eCZHIsEtGIJVXOD-2FOSe13iKz3IMW9iI7yOs9XatNZZOVaavKD-gzKicD54AezQS_GHEWP62/s320/Land+Three+Ways.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“Family” – Hiro Sone & Lissa Doumani - Matcha panna cotta with Albion strawberries </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPcxLM-QgeND9wb2E5dYhIWR54J-L_oVGdEUDVA64ERzCHJ8IsrwBkw1ubBq32-6u4l7PKK_up2rMpwOD5KV5rCMAiFSqrpYUgTrH0ijjQdi7FKMMuunL37Y4WMsdqV6Gag8PUtAvBXu8/s1600/Dessert.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592995264665279026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPcxLM-QgeND9wb2E5dYhIWR54J-L_oVGdEUDVA64ERzCHJ8IsrwBkw1ubBq32-6u4l7PKK_up2rMpwOD5KV5rCMAiFSqrpYUgTrH0ijjQdi7FKMMuunL37Y4WMsdqV6Gag8PUtAvBXu8/s320/Dessert.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">At the end of the evening the chefs gathered at the end of the room and each said a few works about their experiences with Japan (both Sho Kamio and Hiro Sone come from area most directly affected by the disaster) and the dish they had prepared for us. </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0Nn_uQEpDkK1k33ri1cgV_whvAO-hpfTER0CilxFaiHcOg0JrqgxjFdPwAKLjslBArt_zOqOhdaSA4ZU0nlamQ1mopehaCm5WBAb6TcQND_g3l4QlxxmDBPqZvo33mio1Qm8qpLp3A0m/s1600/Staffan+Speaking.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592995654723174290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0Nn_uQEpDkK1k33ri1cgV_whvAO-hpfTER0CilxFaiHcOg0JrqgxjFdPwAKLjslBArt_zOqOhdaSA4ZU0nlamQ1mopehaCm5WBAb6TcQND_g3l4QlxxmDBPqZvo33mio1Qm8qpLp3A0m/s320/Staffan+Speaking.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Earlier today I happened across the blog Presentation Zen and </span><a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2011/03/fall-down-seven-times-get-up-eight-the-power-of-japanese-resilience.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">this post</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">entitled “Fall down seven times, get up eight: The power of Japanese resilience.” It is worth reading and reflecting on the admirable qualities and behavior of the Japanese people both in this time of tragedy and under more normal circumstances which hopefully will return soon. </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNk3iHmVf4L3mY8Og8eDf3O-IbbzAfo4MH50gRfVhcLhj_-cAwVzrB_Gicdd8rbcJmn28JqSj-rm2ReRq-PQ04tjqjkhwgQ1mbLuy98z-BsvxAXJkX_Vj3jsBy6Q7A-ZZW-8jgyEaTDMe/s1600/Fall+Down+7.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592996291655050594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 115px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNk3iHmVf4L3mY8Og8eDf3O-IbbzAfo4MH50gRfVhcLhj_-cAwVzrB_Gicdd8rbcJmn28JqSj-rm2ReRq-PQ04tjqjkhwgQ1mbLuy98z-BsvxAXJkX_Vj3jsBy6Q7A-ZZW-8jgyEaTDMe/s320/Fall+Down+7.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">It was an emotional but fun evening, and the event ended up raising about $42,000. For any who may be interested, a variation on this theme will be held at Yoshi’s this weekend, and, of course, there are many organizations where contributions may be made to assist with recovery in the affected areas in Japan (among them, the </span><a href="http://www.causes.com/causes/590211"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, and </span><a href="http://give2asia.org/japansociety"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Give 2 Asia</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">). </span></p></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-67278983696027491302011-03-29T19:35:00.000-07:002011-03-29T19:55:00.133-07:00Finally -- An Alternative to Shuffleboard at Smitty's!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfyLlZEKnkmgfDRt_TMwRw5AU7x0dolTtdp84qp6smOhZN0FACVZfqV9pSVLRGwzfSZtZ6fEbBE8h_l3_RQpuovm0rZ9wKZ_bReMrCuXa-gTC-eOW8DgKsVUT0mCi7ZNW3Jd2eZGEAZSS/s1600/Header.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589696379545494882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 78px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfyLlZEKnkmgfDRt_TMwRw5AU7x0dolTtdp84qp6smOhZN0FACVZfqV9pSVLRGwzfSZtZ6fEbBE8h_l3_RQpuovm0rZ9wKZ_bReMrCuXa-gTC-eOW8DgKsVUT0mCi7ZNW3Jd2eZGEAZSS/s400/Header.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">After a long wait, </span><a href="http://barbocce.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Bar Bocce</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">finally opened here in Sausalito about a week ago, in the space at 1250 Bridgeway just across from CIBO. Below is a picture I took of the site a few weeks back when they were still under construction – it shows the location just south of Paradise Bay (itself reportedly about to become Salito’s, a “crab house and prime rib restaurant”) and Wellington’s Wine Bar. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-kDNjZCy3AO7zT6MREu9bxTHMQNx5W5Mm-zOm-EG2atI_faLAqjXcqSXDw6Q7wn5jTiO2wNfoG2QpHDoZmFvjSJI2aZcoIh90PM-NKU8WmFxdCn0EovCmFIDeCAPM_h0oRum629hH_ZO/s1600/Bar+Bocce+-+From+Afar.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589696686447870818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-kDNjZCy3AO7zT6MREu9bxTHMQNx5W5Mm-zOm-EG2atI_faLAqjXcqSXDw6Q7wn5jTiO2wNfoG2QpHDoZmFvjSJI2aZcoIh90PM-NKU8WmFxdCn0EovCmFIDeCAPM_h0oRum629hH_ZO/s320/Bar+Bocce+-+From+Afar.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> Bar Bocce is affiliated with Bungalow 44 and the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley, and Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur. The 1250 Bridgeway space has been vacant for over two years following the closing of Northpoint Coffee at the end of 2008 and the rejection by the Sausalito City Council of Peet’s efforts to move in there. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Last night on my way home I stopped by Bar Bocce to check it out and found they had an open spot at their bar. I was alone so just had one of their pizzas – a pork sausage, fennel pollen, scallions and red onion combo. Here is the full menu and my pizza: </span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFP4luRgquN3tUHuvT9lFiQh77Z-DEE0Pzma_q1v2ZU5WVtzcV78xRVXOg4LLHa3TBAj6S6FdGUwOqEM80sROMs57UIuwK9SfG_xezVDtmhhHgasiLYHiFrTHvxGIIqDpBmrS0r8ASJjd/s1600/Menu.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589697419989275858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFP4luRgquN3tUHuvT9lFiQh77Z-DEE0Pzma_q1v2ZU5WVtzcV78xRVXOg4LLHa3TBAj6S6FdGUwOqEM80sROMs57UIuwK9SfG_xezVDtmhhHgasiLYHiFrTHvxGIIqDpBmrS0r8ASJjd/s320/Menu.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL7Gwc90iAEa_kBE4eGPkjbA55ckPLnyl_7cY481i1c5pAMb-7wmpVLlQUFQlgcmeauLVi7L6wQKKxv83kmbf9KW0qpIbbpetW-IoIkePYAeh9AxKUBqMjGnbAgJDLqnkQAuvt42wlLEv/s1600/BBocce+Pizza.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589697584500744482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL7Gwc90iAEa_kBE4eGPkjbA55ckPLnyl_7cY481i1c5pAMb-7wmpVLlQUFQlgcmeauLVi7L6wQKKxv83kmbf9KW0qpIbbpetW-IoIkePYAeh9AxKUBqMjGnbAgJDLqnkQAuvt42wlLEv/s320/BBocce+Pizza.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> Although I was really hoping it would be fantastic, sadly, especially since Bar Bocce boasts a wood burning pizza oven, I thought my pizza was just OK. While the topping was very good, I found the crust, while nicely charred, to be a bit on the doughy side – certainly a step below that of the excellent pizza I had recently at </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2011/02/italian-word-for-day-cotogna.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Cotogna</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> in San Francisco. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpewwG0XpBgRPIgPuFVQ6-S0MdS2iVKzk2H5ipm1ne041jCBd4-jQSB57eMQ4wZnrLYxRsfoqiej5YNozG6Dnt5MX1ANjntILZJjaEOrhjemyut47LpwB6IqjFxtGpkfdi2FhhZiEVWNk/s1600/Cotogna+Pizza.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589697739672560274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpewwG0XpBgRPIgPuFVQ6-S0MdS2iVKzk2H5ipm1ne041jCBd4-jQSB57eMQ4wZnrLYxRsfoqiej5YNozG6Dnt5MX1ANjntILZJjaEOrhjemyut47LpwB6IqjFxtGpkfdi2FhhZiEVWNk/s320/Cotogna+Pizza.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> Still, it is a lively and very nicely designed spot and well worth checking out. I certainly plan to go back and explore the menu further. Below are a few shots of the restaurant – both the interior as well as the area behind the building where they have tables, a very nice fire pit surrounded by benches and, or course, the bay-side bocce court!! </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TJbO4SG0-zxQlqAWE3wXgLkyXfNf39DFSuOMzkY4ungtikBjclXXQnUWE-nvy3KiCdLHh8pWZGthTaQyhmo8MS8tQZ4Bry2SLibyAHh7P1Bo3MTNLIwTcSEO8gZnJMhZsz7io0CGsfr-/s1600/BB+Entrance.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589697978209473874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TJbO4SG0-zxQlqAWE3wXgLkyXfNf39DFSuOMzkY4ungtikBjclXXQnUWE-nvy3KiCdLHh8pWZGthTaQyhmo8MS8tQZ4Bry2SLibyAHh7P1Bo3MTNLIwTcSEO8gZnJMhZsz7io0CGsfr-/s320/BB+Entrance.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBYyUv2NUyrBUF58FAEbNtem6WAlA_ProTBpabhW22Zo_k69_njm1HVv4HQa6y6FzQTcDe2ND90dycvt5UuurnkXAK5JsWEEsnCNiLR6JIHmp0i4_fB7Unll3CoHd5eujugOHwhzAxyPQ/s1600/Bar+Area.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589698093676502162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBYyUv2NUyrBUF58FAEbNtem6WAlA_ProTBpabhW22Zo_k69_njm1HVv4HQa6y6FzQTcDe2ND90dycvt5UuurnkXAK5JsWEEsnCNiLR6JIHmp0i4_fB7Unll3CoHd5eujugOHwhzAxyPQ/s320/Bar+Area.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZZTOK4rB79o055KpMaQBxIHPqH0rBS15ZsqZLqGNbiULT1nSLK3eHdYIXsmhbPxVlIsWWskR6MM55qK-fX4UfobD_UF4wELt7Kd7daCw4sQgGDI3XE2_Qc2Hjt7zhmgP_aHb7Y1DDSvQ/s1600/Pizza+Oven.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589698221294124754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZZTOK4rB79o055KpMaQBxIHPqH0rBS15ZsqZLqGNbiULT1nSLK3eHdYIXsmhbPxVlIsWWskR6MM55qK-fX4UfobD_UF4wELt7Kd7daCw4sQgGDI3XE2_Qc2Hjt7zhmgP_aHb7Y1DDSvQ/s320/Pizza+Oven.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyy61QuPG-aC4dTliThMFxx3qOlu-shy8mg8q1_8qwgJjYUdYy7y1GPo4pwdUud80fjFm10IzSg-wcWqBbEQ89DbdICXfLLutCCup1C1jMzx_VOAkGPgDD81bUALkPbnSy93Pi0fMPPRj/s1600/Back+Area.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589698335087523394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyy61QuPG-aC4dTliThMFxx3qOlu-shy8mg8q1_8qwgJjYUdYy7y1GPo4pwdUud80fjFm10IzSg-wcWqBbEQ89DbdICXfLLutCCup1C1jMzx_VOAkGPgDD81bUALkPbnSy93Pi0fMPPRj/s320/Back+Area.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzTQhL5ULoCp7CMPzvOa2DBPccG8z91GrvGVKtXDmmFbd_nkdqRaPTvcfER_zmHnB6mrO_ctgG_O4GR1TlB2k9dYwMs0skacKFeKHfeXlfJRXjJV1cNE9HUAare-spVeO8cS4UISypLq7/s1600/Fire+Pit.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589698465916649618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzTQhL5ULoCp7CMPzvOa2DBPccG8z91GrvGVKtXDmmFbd_nkdqRaPTvcfER_zmHnB6mrO_ctgG_O4GR1TlB2k9dYwMs0skacKFeKHfeXlfJRXjJV1cNE9HUAare-spVeO8cS4UISypLq7/s320/Fire+Pit.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Look out Smitty’s!<span style="font-size:130%;"></p></span></div></span>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-80630463462586011452011-03-18T22:04:00.001-07:002011-03-18T23:14:24.109-07:00A Tasty Road Trip – Orlando to New Orleans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3xE4kC6XfOJy4ZqrJMRinZB_9a2Pnj0Bdzh8yElCDtEGGi_yQUEh9eEDPCxeAfxd2NXefs8JL7IferfTtc00xe3Sca-Rij0zlw07LMqF9Kvb2qrU0zE907KEHnthSSZgdQOtFd08rCHC/s1600/Welcome+Signs+Heading.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585652807306505010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3xE4kC6XfOJy4ZqrJMRinZB_9a2Pnj0Bdzh8yElCDtEGGi_yQUEh9eEDPCxeAfxd2NXefs8JL7IferfTtc00xe3Sca-Rij0zlw07LMqF9Kvb2qrU0zE907KEHnthSSZgdQOtFd08rCHC/s400/Welcome+Signs+Heading.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">At the beginning of this month I attended our firm’s Spring partnership meeting in Orlando, Florida. Nancy’s side of our family had decided to hold its annual gathering in New Orleans at the end of the following week. Rather than return from Orlando to San Francisco, only to turn around a couple of days later and fly back to NOLA, I decided to rent a car in Orlando and drive to NOLA. That would also give me the chance to stop in Auburn, Alabama, where I could visit Pat who is attending vet school at Auburn. It was my first solo road trip in many years, as well as a chance to explore part of the country where, expect for NOLA itself, I had never been before.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSZ0sxxbFJ-1umPrNFGC0p_7bosH_0yFp19QXcjl7ejNzooQgxREhg9dN7XoV2goZgFutOhn_siqWPRU1Vcr0fHlynMgPffp_9htXH1WwnM_oYe8nUgcxx2_rKH0_WEZn8fgqRySnUVYf/s1600/Map+-+Leg+1.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585653546939558578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSZ0sxxbFJ-1umPrNFGC0p_7bosH_0yFp19QXcjl7ejNzooQgxREhg9dN7XoV2goZgFutOhn_siqWPRU1Vcr0fHlynMgPffp_9htXH1WwnM_oYe8nUgcxx2_rKH0_WEZn8fgqRySnUVYf/s320/Map+-+Leg+1.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwtVVr5_sJzjtrcy_fP1fa7blZZoUFVcUqt-aKTgD79lZR9_8Y1eSvLZEQY8lejkzmk5GEaZ8sOzT_QH9LJoMvwQI8mfl496s-63Qb2XMNihVoJIY1AdoslXvXb_5S2-Vq4n0rVCM2BvP/s1600/Auburn+to+NOLA+Leg.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585653693716770418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwtVVr5_sJzjtrcy_fP1fa7blZZoUFVcUqt-aKTgD79lZR9_8Y1eSvLZEQY8lejkzmk5GEaZ8sOzT_QH9LJoMvwQI8mfl496s-63Qb2XMNihVoJIY1AdoslXvXb_5S2-Vq4n0rVCM2BvP/s320/Auburn+to+NOLA+Leg.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> I report below on some of the better dishes I enjoyed during the trip which, together with the time in NOLA, covered nine days.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The first leg of the trip from Orlando to Auburn was the longest – about 8 hours – and took me through northern Florida (no need to return there), across Georgia (quite a pretty part of the country) and into central Alabama. I noted some fast food establishments that have not made their way to California, although I did not stop to try them. </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lyjO8uEtj_ihaLW4JgGXeR1iPJLezUtX2ShPQ7wByM1ItT_3FKnaCHcCw9IRkY5ATtq3OzGiF-gvJYzgKGAa4K9moICAORwrb9WD8v3cNDeSrBqQt0pfJRYUtryIeH5yhszszGP6S9Hn/s1600/Chick+and+Waffle.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585654123633054530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 79px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lyjO8uEtj_ihaLW4JgGXeR1iPJLezUtX2ShPQ7wByM1ItT_3FKnaCHcCw9IRkY5ATtq3OzGiF-gvJYzgKGAa4K9moICAORwrb9WD8v3cNDeSrBqQt0pfJRYUtryIeH5yhszszGP6S9Hn/s320/Chick+and+Waffle.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">There is not much more to Auburn than the university – which has a beautiful campus primarily of red brick buildings with white trim – and a modest downtown.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgD1AqcXcZdwq5KCmWTj6m7FMv-ohK-d95rD5vfd9c68JlDCi-pZbgwba2AZ6rDjGG4Jn47BrRgAnWWpsCs97Ga7ud6mOmJGQnLW8d1YDpaIRc3Kbm7aftErtbsCCY-Munw2ioFMo0t0Z/s1600/Samford+Hall+2.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585654521989265586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 253px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgD1AqcXcZdwq5KCmWTj6m7FMv-ohK-d95rD5vfd9c68JlDCi-pZbgwba2AZ6rDjGG4Jn47BrRgAnWWpsCs97Ga7ud6mOmJGQnLW8d1YDpaIRc3Kbm7aftErtbsCCY-Munw2ioFMo0t0Z/s320/Samford+Hall+2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I did make the requisite stop at </span><a href="http://www.toomersdrugs.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Toomer’s Drugs</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">on the town's main intersection for a glass of their famous freshly-squeezed lemonade and a piece of apple pie, both of which were very good.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgSs0JWw3yBNRuhOwWrEGRggFPR_YyMZEj2KUEWcpHDZ7j8waPGCDCa8Xps9FOYvzEDPtc-bSassW149fpUoSceF0tzYEnKh46cf5fVBxcQznKXGgfEcxi3pNVB0m2cvRps44EXEPFz6C/s1600/Toomers.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585654917306136818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 139px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgSs0JWw3yBNRuhOwWrEGRggFPR_YyMZEj2KUEWcpHDZ7j8waPGCDCa8Xps9FOYvzEDPtc-bSassW149fpUoSceF0tzYEnKh46cf5fVBxcQznKXGgfEcxi3pNVB0m2cvRps44EXEPFz6C/s320/Toomers.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Since I had an extra day in Auburn, I decided to visit some of the places in Alabama that had played a role in the civil rights movement. I started by heading due west from Auburn, through Montgomery and on to Selma.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8qTXJ6WOj0Wl5WIsyc06At2pFkgR6ftSfSqHtuPXDBRE4OlW6n-P6r9uYSKVJJ6drSdTOLyd2dEMj2TLbY8N90_MHiDxyYXG5FyQdPASklBthspUe9XGgn1mHCTC2X4HKhLN-I-SxbCC/s1600/Selma+Montgomery+Collage.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585655247469640962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8qTXJ6WOj0Wl5WIsyc06At2pFkgR6ftSfSqHtuPXDBRE4OlW6n-P6r9uYSKVJJ6drSdTOLyd2dEMj2TLbY8N90_MHiDxyYXG5FyQdPASklBthspUe9XGgn1mHCTC2X4HKhLN-I-SxbCC/s320/Selma+Montgomery+Collage.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I walked around Selma and across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“Bloody Sunday”</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> almost exactly 40 years earlier. I then returned to Montgomery where I visited the capitol building, the </span><a href="http://montgomery.troy.edu/rosaparks/museum/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Rosa Parks Museum</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">and the Civil Rights Memorial Center, all very moving. I was particularly impressed by the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Memorial"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Civil Rights Memorial monument</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">created by Maya Lin who also created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington out of the same black stone.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRJzpfaQvCXUXH16F37pSEMVGXsUShICAvWtgUQjm4dBTJ9Y_ZQW7ooPhlMUtomtvBsTlM0Y78heDFAd3SWLxk2oFdyzZZ6P2-C6Q9fNkXyCf6RCMukmfO3IRd0CFY71KOeocKfNFW7AF/s1600/Fountain.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585655689605812274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 222px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRJzpfaQvCXUXH16F37pSEMVGXsUShICAvWtgUQjm4dBTJ9Y_ZQW7ooPhlMUtomtvBsTlM0Y78heDFAd3SWLxk2oFdyzZZ6P2-C6Q9fNkXyCf6RCMukmfO3IRd0CFY71KOeocKfNFW7AF/s320/Fountain.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Inside the Center I found the electronic Wall of Tolerance where, upon making a pledge to take a stand against hate, injustice and intolerance, one can add ones name to the display.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRIdD19Lne6GxSSUaANRZoj-YP4G6n8NUKsRo_oVf-Yu6q_M8h78zQvqs3Q4qs1KFp7EtttoxqXq7I4VU7nRUGPPY0G190yG1OwudGOq4xa0mwbBcAbOM_sx3mtMOlkMqQh2vGHMOt7e6/s1600/Wall+of+Tolerance.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585655980652386674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 122px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRIdD19Lne6GxSSUaANRZoj-YP4G6n8NUKsRo_oVf-Yu6q_M8h78zQvqs3Q4qs1KFp7EtttoxqXq7I4VU7nRUGPPY0G190yG1OwudGOq4xa0mwbBcAbOM_sx3mtMOlkMqQh2vGHMOt7e6/s320/Wall+of+Tolerance.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">While in Montgomery I also took the opportunity to visit Riverwalk Stadium, the home field of the </span><a href="http://www.biscuitsbaseball.com/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Montgomery Biscuits</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, one of Tampa’s minor league teams. The field was abuzz with activity as the grounds crew worked to get the stadium in shape for the start of the Biscuits' season. I had a nice chat with one of the fellows and asked where he would recommend I go to find some good bar-b-que. He said the best place was </span><a href="http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Dreamland</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">which was just across the street from the stadium. I followed that advice and had some excellent bar-b-que ribs and chicken, with sides of beans and cole slaw, all washed down with a glass of Sweetwater 402 ale from Atlanta. The waitress told me I shouldn’t miss their banana cream dessert and, since it was Fat Tuesday, it seemed appropriate to follow that advice. It was superb.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LW8b7RhnpC-4lcKDE3-L5tYeiwTr5DjfF2mQm7FrqvAgsGiJEruTNYiClxOzRDWK_4Ck_WNPmxwtXtqbPHGiQOD9WA47PdLyvQvxt8BpVibYE1rsDlnUyYdkc6ebyMFX6ZPv_8I46D43/s1600/Dreamland+Lunch+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585656358640667298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 254px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LW8b7RhnpC-4lcKDE3-L5tYeiwTr5DjfF2mQm7FrqvAgsGiJEruTNYiClxOzRDWK_4Ck_WNPmxwtXtqbPHGiQOD9WA47PdLyvQvxt8BpVibYE1rsDlnUyYdkc6ebyMFX6ZPv_8I46D43/s320/Dreamland+Lunch+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The next day it was on to NOLA. A real southern storm rolled in just as I was pulling out of Auburn, and I managed to stay right in the middle of it for the first few hours of my drive.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOskXSNEVB75uE3buz2zcDRHXV9upKx7GjCmS7J81h1Mv2meT6Y0mGLTyJtBWKuK6ClMCGRE-ZAu3ge6p6fajctrpXI2w9Jx4sfC8RkZA9kApe9Yd5R_agS_d0RhCzKWVjZTpJ9uFULx3/s1600/Weather+Pic.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585656741356201970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOskXSNEVB75uE3buz2zcDRHXV9upKx7GjCmS7J81h1Mv2meT6Y0mGLTyJtBWKuK6ClMCGRE-ZAu3ge6p6fajctrpXI2w9Jx4sfC8RkZA9kApe9Yd5R_agS_d0RhCzKWVjZTpJ9uFULx3/s320/Weather+Pic.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It was only after I neared Mobile that I noted a text from Pat that I should keep an eye out for tornadoes reported in the area. Happily I did not encounter any.<br /><br />As I entered Mississippi and neared the Gulf I decided to leave the freeway and explore a bit. I first drove south to Biloxi on the Gulf, then turned west and drove right along a beautiful beach for about 15 miles to Gulfport. I had read online about a seafood restaurant in Gulfport named </span><a href="http://www.lilraysrestaurant.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Lil’ Rays</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> which was supposed to have the best fried shrimp po’boy sandwiches on the Gulf coast and after a bit of searching finally found the restaurant in a small shopping center. It was well worth the detour since it was probably the best meal I had on my entire trip.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUensBNHoC0kX-o6ZGNmkGpLr_B1TMjvMUtTvpME9N6221pOFdU8AJrqFl6KdmFtnPxV3W0ayaFfD4IoZ4jKUJhZsW39IyqXiNlzpO5dcTSpx2MOpFd8oWWLWRrTMMJmg5dK_u_PrKe9sw/s1600/Lil+Rays+-+Gulfport+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585657047291909954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUensBNHoC0kX-o6ZGNmkGpLr_B1TMjvMUtTvpME9N6221pOFdU8AJrqFl6KdmFtnPxV3W0ayaFfD4IoZ4jKUJhZsW39IyqXiNlzpO5dcTSpx2MOpFd8oWWLWRrTMMJmg5dK_u_PrKe9sw/s320/Lil+Rays+-+Gulfport+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It was also my first encounter with the French bread rolls produced by the 105-year old </span><a href="http://www.leidenheimer.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Leidenheimar Baking Company</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in New Orleans.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQcD8xjQH9B__HYr48vtwuv698FKd1YTl37yoP-3BoLu4erxaXDpDDuIa6JKPnavu_bNmWIhKVVfMehXowN8augaWYfYXe2cyzXvl7fndpqPXYCHKwGJ00WwFRrXHRcisLrDxXo80Oj45/s1600/Leidenheimer+Logo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585657346450068146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQcD8xjQH9B__HYr48vtwuv698FKd1YTl37yoP-3BoLu4erxaXDpDDuIa6JKPnavu_bNmWIhKVVfMehXowN8augaWYfYXe2cyzXvl7fndpqPXYCHKwGJ00WwFRrXHRcisLrDxXo80Oj45/s320/Leidenheimer+Logo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">When I commented to the folks at Lil’ Rays on how perfectly suited the po’boy roll was for the sandwich, they said that they went all the way to Leidenheimer in NOLA for their bread since Leidenheimer’s bread made such a huge different. They also told me that Leidenheimer supplies about 90% of the bread used for po’boys throughout the south.<br /><br />I arrived safely in NOLA late in the afternoon and met up with Nancy who had just arrived from San Francisco. We were both tired and did not want to go too far for dinner. Luckily we found that John Besh’s restaurant, </span><a href="http://www.restaurantaugust.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">August</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, was just across the street from our hotel. We managed to get in for an earlier dinner and it was great. I particularly enjoyed my main course - sugar and spice duckling with seared foie gras and stone-ground grits with Creole cream cheese.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly-c2BuZq0J5dxFljq3iztERV8JoNLzI08T_-mkkZggkcZQbrSTbzvDCwarcFQwx5LvGBio6NveKXgUzfeaE4-CJJfWt31oP9OWfLXXc-LT9pR7cCCgDNq2mPsPM6KFJLnQZAKXXunKcf/s1600/August+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585658113641041570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly-c2BuZq0J5dxFljq3iztERV8JoNLzI08T_-mkkZggkcZQbrSTbzvDCwarcFQwx5LvGBio6NveKXgUzfeaE4-CJJfWt31oP9OWfLXXc-LT9pR7cCCgDNq2mPsPM6KFJLnQZAKXXunKcf/s320/August+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />That was the first of three elegant meals we had in New Orleans. The next day Nancy and I had lunch with Alex and Cass at their favorite NOLA restaurant, Susan Spicer’s </span><a href="http://www.bayona.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Bayona</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">(where my favorite was my main course – a mixed grill of stuffed quail, marinated lamb and chaurice sausage from </span><a href="http://www.pochesmarket.com/poche_prod/prodsub/specialsausages.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Poiche's</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">), and on Saturday evening our entire clan had dinner at </span><a href="http://www.dominiquesonmag.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Dominique’s on Magazine</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, recently opened by Dominique Macquet (where again my fav was the main course - Morgan Ranch Wagyu beef with a Creole cream cheese stuffing).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZpSxSlNQvI15_vzCz7ZLHy357laapOfhXkaaYWwGLLLGhWKYoavnlFdPXfbpxo4Tx8K9t1Wn5Coi4WCbZsbGhdfQQH7RH7vmxXTlxXftuQzp4sEB3J-hO9fc0ycQzjk2M0CZhRB58yBA/s1600/Bayona+Collage.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585658749986143362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZpSxSlNQvI15_vzCz7ZLHy357laapOfhXkaaYWwGLLLGhWKYoavnlFdPXfbpxo4Tx8K9t1Wn5Coi4WCbZsbGhdfQQH7RH7vmxXTlxXftuQzp4sEB3J-hO9fc0ycQzjk2M0CZhRB58yBA/s320/Bayona+Collage.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxScynURZuAdyVHMFlO5pEsR7lSHI-fZN6_dXsyJr0_6X7lJv4tjPp7dUbCKkucKUUTWYZTAh6S9kVuXwq8Zfl0i9TForSA11-1XB5cK5erQgKnkOE6uwYZiYUw5p5mpOCB0xLAO9c0Vbe/s1600/Dominique%2527s+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585658916092216530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxScynURZuAdyVHMFlO5pEsR7lSHI-fZN6_dXsyJr0_6X7lJv4tjPp7dUbCKkucKUUTWYZTAh6S9kVuXwq8Zfl0i9TForSA11-1XB5cK5erQgKnkOE6uwYZiYUw5p5mpOCB0xLAO9c0Vbe/s320/Dominique%2527s+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Of course, my real interest was in some of the more traditional NOLA culinary offerings and fortunately I had enough time between our family activities to pursue that. Of course, no trip to NOLA would be complete without a visit to </span><a href="http://www.cafedumonde.com/main.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Café du Monde</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">for some coffee and a beignet. I accomplished that early one morning when I walked down just as they opened, then took my treasure up to the levee to enjoy the sunrise over the Mississippi.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeHFcUgMfBDdqmlHvgXd8BtwYM3RAKntbcMUhGuLJQMWdd0SqEkGa68jKo_3XiRpkJt9VcjmJQjjMbQkIrGqExO_Eg9RfTn9uof0fUtQ9PB11wCkQe5fTgxTQ-AagQ0Wj4QeW-BLNSrak/s1600/Mississippi+Dawn+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585659342812722930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 232px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeHFcUgMfBDdqmlHvgXd8BtwYM3RAKntbcMUhGuLJQMWdd0SqEkGa68jKo_3XiRpkJt9VcjmJQjjMbQkIrGqExO_Eg9RfTn9uof0fUtQ9PB11wCkQe5fTgxTQ-AagQ0Wj4QeW-BLNSrak/s320/Mississippi+Dawn+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Oysters where in abundance and I am not sure how many dozen of the raw variety I polished off during our stay. The best were some we had at a bar named </span><a href="http://www.cooterbrowns.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Cooter Brown’s</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">not far from the Tulane campus – an old haunt of Alex and Cass. Huge, flavorful oysters with the simplest possible presentation – just shucked and tossed on a plastic tray.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hRjcopwFMoRGdW_VqAihWbC0BB1nEnFyqEiXS_T9Kefd4VJXGGMcjk85pt5O4NH0k_3yJbkHLAKJzACt1FZJCgi0dZ8Z6qpBnxpmbqt-rryLkkohULsdW36oE3UACBrLedxNzpi4v8qA/s1600/Cooter+Brown+Oysters.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585659983593712818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hRjcopwFMoRGdW_VqAihWbC0BB1nEnFyqEiXS_T9Kefd4VJXGGMcjk85pt5O4NH0k_3yJbkHLAKJzACt1FZJCgi0dZ8Z6qpBnxpmbqt-rryLkkohULsdW36oE3UACBrLedxNzpi4v8qA/s320/Cooter+Brown+Oysters.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The oysters we had at the far more upscale </span><a href="http://www.bourbonhouse.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Bourbon House</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in the French Quarter were a very close second, enhanced by some wonderful company (I am a lucky person to have oyster-loving daughters-in-law!).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNeQFBiDJ1xTgF9OjbxgCevzWQIpj0VW4akagGN69bog_Ml1jOnDVsFP7Ax9rSmdQNPZSgW1V5ynxKtlpKtE_RoWF1kFpgZ_vIO8GZjLeeKWRpwq4paeofgJDKhIMzscBK5Cl-xN_puQ5/s1600/Bourbon+House+Oysters.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585660565489328578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNeQFBiDJ1xTgF9OjbxgCevzWQIpj0VW4akagGN69bog_Ml1jOnDVsFP7Ax9rSmdQNPZSgW1V5ynxKtlpKtE_RoWF1kFpgZ_vIO8GZjLeeKWRpwq4paeofgJDKhIMzscBK5Cl-xN_puQ5/s320/Bourbon+House+Oysters.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyguCXlen0Grw0oD10m1aCG8L08pHoiXp7U6u_q0uBA_9FJGGZo_WNRrqxgehXKbOGjrwmr5duZCwAjfcmDDc6ggGNxBBuqceZzAVK9t0DJODcQJOu9LxYRsohlBD5m-e3w6bbNO_H9oEZ/s1600/Cass+%2526+Connie+at+Bourbon+House.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585660685725182290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 285px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyguCXlen0Grw0oD10m1aCG8L08pHoiXp7U6u_q0uBA_9FJGGZo_WNRrqxgehXKbOGjrwmr5duZCwAjfcmDDc6ggGNxBBuqceZzAVK9t0DJODcQJOu9LxYRsohlBD5m-e3w6bbNO_H9oEZ/s320/Cass+%2526+Connie+at+Bourbon+House.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I also enjoyed some oysters fried in a po’boy at </span><a href="http://www.mulates.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Mulate’s</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">– again with a Leidenheimer roll (I did have another po’boy while we were in NOLA with a noticeably inferior roll which proved to have come from a different bakery – case closed).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKliD3rghm8b62zBUweU0Qg0IdiWnSmecoisJAxxwzTwhRktZ3fBIVWZeFuWwvzWUvfbi986pMpU6UctmQHXP9QJ1eWN2mgUyE0SOAPCNlBlnto4nVyGm0U-Eanmxs7mxwnz2ByZZo7-yI/s1600/Mulates+Oyster+PoBoy.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585661130517500834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 252px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKliD3rghm8b62zBUweU0Qg0IdiWnSmecoisJAxxwzTwhRktZ3fBIVWZeFuWwvzWUvfbi986pMpU6UctmQHXP9QJ1eWN2mgUyE0SOAPCNlBlnto4nVyGm0U-Eanmxs7mxwnz2ByZZo7-yI/s320/Mulates+Oyster+PoBoy.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The other must-have NOLA dish was red beans with rice which I also had at Mulate’s. An excellent preparation with a lot of andouille sausage.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzuL17AboUPX-U6kIsgPDED9jjPdrMzYWo_nqeh5XoJEnV_wSdqpzw0XlU44tC4p5Ny7erA3fRQwPa7wTFNDVDKP_ajV8nXdbvvbVQZO-SmTwp9YHwCuS_Vs5tbJZmelG_j2Z5bqwOWm8/s1600/Red+Beans+%2526+Rice+-+Mulates.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585661495733210546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzuL17AboUPX-U6kIsgPDED9jjPdrMzYWo_nqeh5XoJEnV_wSdqpzw0XlU44tC4p5Ny7erA3fRQwPa7wTFNDVDKP_ajV8nXdbvvbVQZO-SmTwp9YHwCuS_Vs5tbJZmelG_j2Z5bqwOWm8/s320/Red+Beans+%2526+Rice+-+Mulates.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">In the course of our stay we also had a few gumbos and etouffées, but none were particularly notable. In fact the gumbo that Alex, Cass and I had made before our trip was superior. However, on my next visit I play to pay closer attention to the Southern Foodways Allliance </span><a href="http://www.southerngumbotrail.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">“gumbo trail”</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> and to try to get to some of the places they list there.<br /><br />Finally, I have to note that with virtually every lunch and dinner we enjoyed Abita Amber – as far as I am concerned the only beer to drink while in NOLA.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuHJYevE0Vlu0xdg1-TKzX8ICsEozdfjE4OPlAzIPMf3uMzCGWM8pAcZlfRupp0XRFLkj5B0-sbj-1k4ZUOu65zUEDj2ynBaC4fAUzmxi1jXYNV3rIs-ndqV6t0yRR0dbx-whvFDXkWJC/s1600/Abita+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585661807772131906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 314px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuHJYevE0Vlu0xdg1-TKzX8ICsEozdfjE4OPlAzIPMf3uMzCGWM8pAcZlfRupp0XRFLkj5B0-sbj-1k4ZUOu65zUEDj2ynBaC4fAUzmxi1jXYNV3rIs-ndqV6t0yRR0dbx-whvFDXkWJC/s320/Abita+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It was a fun trip and, or course, a chance to spend time with our family (perhaps the only time this year we will all be together), especially Cece.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgHmE5WINgSnXICqcA_eRoBYP5O4fOOj0hdZSH3s0ZMOH5f70sybtzRVRtFWtrhROv6a1smVsVnbrUe7871aA9iaVnERsgQ0BBxSLTHCfOYIz9gy4DjAFCy0YsIQJY93v0s2lcd8nGS3W/s1600/Cece+Pic.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585662235505994722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgHmE5WINgSnXICqcA_eRoBYP5O4fOOj0hdZSH3s0ZMOH5f70sybtzRVRtFWtrhROv6a1smVsVnbrUe7871aA9iaVnERsgQ0BBxSLTHCfOYIz9gy4DjAFCy0YsIQJY93v0s2lcd8nGS3W/s320/Cece+Pic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOlAEJAV5PSpRviydO0RK6yrV7YfudVOMIa5OOoiMUgFgSGpM__vKwXneT4ZEaY0WFFfRpk38OjOyTCGYANuHTi79HroikMEDHrVucy4ngoZJBP5gSOoOHDzynC2CrZHgwjhJANU7DaB2/s1600/Mike+%2526+Cece+in+New+Orleans.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585662394751779778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOlAEJAV5PSpRviydO0RK6yrV7YfudVOMIa5OOoiMUgFgSGpM__vKwXneT4ZEaY0WFFfRpk38OjOyTCGYANuHTi79HroikMEDHrVucy4ngoZJBP5gSOoOHDzynC2CrZHgwjhJANU7DaB2/s320/Mike+%2526+Cece+in+New+Orleans.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The Southern Foodways Alliance </span><a href="http://www.southernfoodways.com/events/symposium/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">annual symposium</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">is coming up in October in Oxford, Mississippi, so that may be another opportunity to explore the south. I am looking forward to the next trip. </span></p></div>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-73281657120835926202011-02-27T16:56:00.000-08:002011-02-27T17:44:38.704-08:00Food of the Crescent City<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VR0TVn1M1Cq1VzCtYIV2vi8FSrXg0NAToEhXxQxP07YNmEh7jbf0taM82EbMG47u0sQ2ZkhvoghB3zS_hXMHteQtrpyphQ6dbe6QNe7NxrE0eejC1F5e7WbSAVt7p4no_JDGUdhv6jF0/s1600/Header.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578538644180315122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VR0TVn1M1Cq1VzCtYIV2vi8FSrXg0NAToEhXxQxP07YNmEh7jbf0taM82EbMG47u0sQ2ZkhvoghB3zS_hXMHteQtrpyphQ6dbe6QNe7NxrE0eejC1F5e7WbSAVt7p4no_JDGUdhv6jF0/s320/Header.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">A few weeks ago, Alex, Cass and I decided that it would be fun every now and then to get together at our place on a Saturday afternoon, plan a dinner menu around some theme, go shopping for the ingredients, then come home and make the dinner together. Our first try at beginning of February, which involved a Mexican theme and a run to the fantastic </span><a href="http://www.mipueblofoods.com/home/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Mi Pueblo market</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> in San Rafael, was quite successful.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPosOSAGVgdya95sTyXY5JEQ1GhLf3Co5_UP6hJwwqB2_6SnYbuz16EFx6LFf8nE1mTESFsuP5i4a5_KMK5NmrHwWxCTbicS87qbekzXKYfNJ69RTK2lsPN5gHdMOg4M5skCSla-KoCbCy/s1600/Plate+2.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578539967371638818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPosOSAGVgdya95sTyXY5JEQ1GhLf3Co5_UP6hJwwqB2_6SnYbuz16EFx6LFf8nE1mTESFsuP5i4a5_KMK5NmrHwWxCTbicS87qbekzXKYfNJ69RTK2lsPN5gHdMOg4M5skCSla-KoCbCy/s320/Plate+2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Yesterday we decided to give it another try, and since we are all planning to be in New Orleans in a couple of weeks, decided on a NOLA theme.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Alex and Cass came over on the ferry at noon bringing with them a couple of their favorite New Orleans cookbooks. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6TUU8A4xWp0bQp_8-7jh9tsf2TsWTcqym0oVnYXnlfKzO20dygJT7-iQuMlXATdGrwM9PPUuT6WaCu6SxBj03XYNBTfQnekly1JX-NCLoWViSvt9WBAF2Z-aFsE6YfKhcZ-QQFdYgQoZ/s1600/Cookbooks.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578540439558567234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6TUU8A4xWp0bQp_8-7jh9tsf2TsWTcqym0oVnYXnlfKzO20dygJT7-iQuMlXATdGrwM9PPUuT6WaCu6SxBj03XYNBTfQnekly1JX-NCLoWViSvt9WBAF2Z-aFsE6YfKhcZ-QQFdYgQoZ/s320/Cookbooks.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">After a bit of browsing, we decided on the following menu (with the exception of the spinach dish, all from the “Cooking Up a Storm” cookbook):<br /><br />~ Baked walnuts with fresh rosemary, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt;<br />~ Eggplant fritters;<br />~ Chicken and sausage gumbo; and<br />~ Spinach Madeleine<br /><br />Following a quick run down the hill to Mollie’s for provisions, we cranked up the iPod with a Cajun/ NOLA blues and jazz mix (heavily influenced by the soundtrack from the </span><a href="http://www.hbo.com/treme/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">HBO Tremé series</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">) and got going on the cooking. There were a few tense moments when it seemed that the <em>roux</em> might not be coming together, but all worked out in the end.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraWfNmFzIsEWhvJSZNf0l_tLaWNUOmAXyTnEiI8elW55NvKXOThYHocYZYunjow6kgT6vebbtsnN401iP-6_CoKuUhyphenhyphen40Kvhrhs09ZDR_JMLPle8WVcWpxoxiZF4j8ayvzFgMaa3ksaWh/s1600/Underway+with+Gumbo.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578540955588765858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraWfNmFzIsEWhvJSZNf0l_tLaWNUOmAXyTnEiI8elW55NvKXOThYHocYZYunjow6kgT6vebbtsnN401iP-6_CoKuUhyphenhyphen40Kvhrhs09ZDR_JMLPle8WVcWpxoxiZF4j8ayvzFgMaa3ksaWh/s320/Underway+with+Gumbo.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Then, while the gumbo did its simmering thing for a couple of hours, we headed down to </span><a href="http://www.wellingtonswinebar.com/main.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Wellington’s</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> to enjoy a glass of Cremant and the beautiful afternoon light on the Bay. It was not very crowded at Wellie’s, although we did run into a particularly cute bulldog sitting out on the deck – most appropriate for the establishment.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrhclHLNQKFLRV0RLAeoQwkpaVHV1wXTbLtbgIvQxiNy3OjhegSXj1pUDD1PUr3u4yjDG3H0pmlODzKllNIdXKH48uyk_VWjZsXMsSEzYgBF7tY-eSW5eztWzjBKqrwnwPD4H1K8wc0CI/s1600/Composite+Shot.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578541417041671074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrhclHLNQKFLRV0RLAeoQwkpaVHV1wXTbLtbgIvQxiNy3OjhegSXj1pUDD1PUr3u4yjDG3H0pmlODzKllNIdXKH48uyk_VWjZsXMsSEzYgBF7tY-eSW5eztWzjBKqrwnwPD4H1K8wc0CI/s320/Composite+Shot.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The meal turned out very well, in particular the walnuts and the gumbo (we made an okra-free version, although we did add some filé) which would both be well worth doing again. The spinach dish was tasty, but with two full cups of marscapone it may not be something we could survive more than once.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLm-ww6OeFoFJ8b-sDTtuqNEz09jpDOX8Cl69GAHjuoMrK7-jPGmvX8KOcFaWsu44wEFfs8jUljlgqTKdUF-crikPXAx61Ix76_tdVJCLdhA6u6k_1AYaof6kylIsABglUVjgTrkbL__g/s1600/Walnuts.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578542335066784146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLm-ww6OeFoFJ8b-sDTtuqNEz09jpDOX8Cl69GAHjuoMrK7-jPGmvX8KOcFaWsu44wEFfs8jUljlgqTKdUF-crikPXAx61Ix76_tdVJCLdhA6u6k_1AYaof6kylIsABglUVjgTrkbL__g/s320/Walnuts.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb2mL8Q_15FXOg2eiU03fQ6D6NsjbnhgOgxxWtBOQL1dj9dnfwCRvwSwaM8TNHCNgwFrBMDaYtebzuxsY4cQHURfUtTTu9bTxwGY6LnazHlENC84U8sqg1J_FmClbV6G5QrScDpILALP1/s1600/Fritter.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578542481312716450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb2mL8Q_15FXOg2eiU03fQ6D6NsjbnhgOgxxWtBOQL1dj9dnfwCRvwSwaM8TNHCNgwFrBMDaYtebzuxsY4cQHURfUtTTu9bTxwGY6LnazHlENC84U8sqg1J_FmClbV6G5QrScDpILALP1/s320/Fritter.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf1KS5fERXvwkoMNo6-F9oljZpXd_eQW9Avtb1bJQAvpLebewWmNEKEkR6mKLdbuwXEnG-XIfdXdlmKwG3xoThZNmn2DpxG6s14IJIabeGI-eNzkZskRxT3VBhMg-vkPn5QzVlp3V3oJA/s1600/Spinach+Dish.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578542619547132722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf1KS5fERXvwkoMNo6-F9oljZpXd_eQW9Avtb1bJQAvpLebewWmNEKEkR6mKLdbuwXEnG-XIfdXdlmKwG3xoThZNmn2DpxG6s14IJIabeGI-eNzkZskRxT3VBhMg-vkPn5QzVlp3V3oJA/s320/Spinach+Dish.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHvJPOBKa-PAPBsRmCNvF9QRvzJ6RY0lbn6ZRZvhpsI_pn1uSaEtftI19ai0Ag8frk2GCwoZGnSSg6g1ELVqeA6Wvc7g_t0JFXbfsj87TwD0b7X7ypTsrXKkaNj1Nhc1MP3vgNj9xPW9O/s1600/Bowl+of+Gumbo.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578542813020962594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHvJPOBKa-PAPBsRmCNvF9QRvzJ6RY0lbn6ZRZvhpsI_pn1uSaEtftI19ai0Ag8frk2GCwoZGnSSg6g1ELVqeA6Wvc7g_t0JFXbfsj87TwD0b7X7ypTsrXKkaNj1Nhc1MP3vgNj9xPW9O/s320/Bowl+of+Gumbo.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">We are looking forward to our trip to the Big Easy. Of course, we will have our native guides along (Alex and Cass both being Tulane grads), but I have been preparing with some study of the very interesting “trails" (including for gumbo and boudin) on the </span><a href="http://www.southernfoodways.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Southern Foodways Alliance</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">website (click on "Tourism" and enjoy). </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-83884739897346956322011-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:002011-02-21T13:11:56.533-08:00Always in Good Hands at Angelino’s<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwhVj7ZmTjOwDm64i6zo1JQOoZ8moGWts-3OR3cvateHb3IAQYpQOSWRpfa2-UssxKBmYR3lNNyauUxBeXnIY3OJnPnivluSthyitag69nFzgRMzwW-ftdByiT1rK5TFr4XzA8ptoSynS/s1600/Heading+-+Angelino+Comfort+Food.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576247313969214354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 88px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwhVj7ZmTjOwDm64i6zo1JQOoZ8moGWts-3OR3cvateHb3IAQYpQOSWRpfa2-UssxKBmYR3lNNyauUxBeXnIY3OJnPnivluSthyitag69nFzgRMzwW-ftdByiT1rK5TFr4XzA8ptoSynS/s320/Heading+-+Angelino+Comfort+Food.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">A few days ago I went to lunch with a visiting friend at </span><a href="http://www.angelinorestaurant.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Angelino’s</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> along the waterfront in Sausalito. Pasquale Ancona, Angelino’s owner was there, and told us to leave ourselves in his hands. A wonderful lunch ensued – fresh squid braised with beans in a spicy tomato sauce, followed by spaghetti simply prepared with some sautéed diced vegetables and topped with grated cured tuna heart. Sadly I did not have my camera with me.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Yesterday I was back at Angelino’s for lunch, and again went with Pasquale’s recommendations from the day’s specials – a classic comfort food meal:<br /><br />~ Polenta with a braised pork shoulder topping;<br />~ Lasagna with mozzarella, scamorza affumicata, sausage and meatballs; and, for dessert<br />~ Budino with a spash of caramel.<br /><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunPEgYP7jN9Ncv-fd3pH-IZ5Vu42M6rN77ZR6lkmjYZTil3h1DaofS_8beIkXH_az2Def_Nn1RGNeaWzH6RC2nyAhhlp-iRiGXDp2QG9EfqG3heRQ-E8Jde4mPvB8MfgNw_2yKbDZHu1W/s1600/Angelino+-+Braised+Pork+Shoulder+-+Polenta.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576248577460662642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunPEgYP7jN9Ncv-fd3pH-IZ5Vu42M6rN77ZR6lkmjYZTil3h1DaofS_8beIkXH_az2Def_Nn1RGNeaWzH6RC2nyAhhlp-iRiGXDp2QG9EfqG3heRQ-E8Jde4mPvB8MfgNw_2yKbDZHu1W/s320/Angelino+-+Braised+Pork+Shoulder+-+Polenta.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmpguvDNReKAowy_9Ei8IhVia3E3-BluREegiuOsP9uZWYuunTOTpNDabkC7IQ5Eo6MHr-Or1zgYyZ80cMjqMgEhm7K9iihNX2OyXwZGPVmXqwqhFkGCrn5ORt-HeihzJgcEWyyaLzic7/s1600/Angelino+-+Lasagna+w+Scamorza+%2526+Sausage.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576248777400228594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmpguvDNReKAowy_9Ei8IhVia3E3-BluREegiuOsP9uZWYuunTOTpNDabkC7IQ5Eo6MHr-Or1zgYyZ80cMjqMgEhm7K9iihNX2OyXwZGPVmXqwqhFkGCrn5ORt-HeihzJgcEWyyaLzic7/s320/Angelino+-+Lasagna+w+Scamorza+%2526+Sausage.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sFwkjJhCO4ax6YaOKFrcbRfWGzkJKhJaybK2KK5zYdPzVQ-_-eZ0mVBGHL5c43YjNZZMnR2eKLMQdiGhdRFdLZ5MP5mr9nBOZ15vln9GIJkzyyqlRuufP2ffuXzSBxSkoP8giQFjET4V/s1600/Angelino+-+Budino+w+Caramel.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576248980917706114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sFwkjJhCO4ax6YaOKFrcbRfWGzkJKhJaybK2KK5zYdPzVQ-_-eZ0mVBGHL5c43YjNZZMnR2eKLMQdiGhdRFdLZ5MP5mr9nBOZ15vln9GIJkzyyqlRuufP2ffuXzSBxSkoP8giQFjET4V/s320/Angelino+-+Budino+w+Caramel.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Everything was excellent. The lasagna was particularly good with the smoked flavor of the <em>scamorza</em> added just the right touch. Pasquale referred to it as "<em>treccione</em>" - meaning "braided" in Italian - since it braided in the production process. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCCWPsbaV1FL62Cf930p-WDsnLnQOnlktd2HjYH5gf62cWM5mI742vwEPgkC9GakYaurfCmIQdHSmKGzaUGAt90JwA6sA9htpCs7cqsV-RZf-yRsJr2XFz_Ns9ivy4T_RBbSzPMZL4wqs/s1600/Angelino+-+Scamorza+Affumicata.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576250233615658482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCCWPsbaV1FL62Cf930p-WDsnLnQOnlktd2HjYH5gf62cWM5mI742vwEPgkC9GakYaurfCmIQdHSmKGzaUGAt90JwA6sA9htpCs7cqsV-RZf-yRsJr2XFz_Ns9ivy4T_RBbSzPMZL4wqs/s320/Angelino+-+Scamorza+Affumicata.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Note to file: when Pasquale is there don't even bother with the menu.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-64143880229989920412011-02-08T19:57:00.001-08:002011-02-08T20:52:32.217-08:00Italian Word for the Day: Cotogna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2CoygZD0fEet6hTA5Gqwe7SqVofyNxDWb3NMTZCTjAN_HWj_nG5lIx69BNGLbCdPGmPcHC003jr-J-THBR2lz-QlwYIzkXEvTJbr5XS-F0570WJ4Q2ko2Ir1AgyIXAeOlOyPR3xmZJKV/s1600/Header.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571534286816013778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2CoygZD0fEet6hTA5Gqwe7SqVofyNxDWb3NMTZCTjAN_HWj_nG5lIx69BNGLbCdPGmPcHC003jr-J-THBR2lz-QlwYIzkXEvTJbr5XS-F0570WJ4Q2ko2Ir1AgyIXAeOlOyPR3xmZJKV/s320/Header.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It’s funny how different threads somehow weave their way together. The other day I was driving up Pacific, and at the intersection with Montgomery noted the word “Cotogna” on the side of the building. What could that be? As a matter of fact, what language was it?<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScm_PGYzh0CF2wM8oYhMjpOA4hv4g-NZYL1hDBFv6-U0vZrqu5jWx75V_PnxLA5ckmqNzuF6DOGMTyZSY3qF-WqC4xtBMHXr_biJqiDhynOL2jxPiYuovT6O9oQso3mjiQI6jeKxoSZpQ/s1600/Cotogna+Entrance.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571534739587211794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 259px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScm_PGYzh0CF2wM8oYhMjpOA4hv4g-NZYL1hDBFv6-U0vZrqu5jWx75V_PnxLA5ckmqNzuF6DOGMTyZSY3qF-WqC4xtBMHXr_biJqiDhynOL2jxPiYuovT6O9oQso3mjiQI6jeKxoSZpQ/s320/Cotogna+Entrance.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> A few days later, Cass sent me a link to Michael Bauer’s blog “Inside Scoop” and the article “</span><a href="http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/michaelbauer/2011/01/24/my-pasta-hall-of-fame/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">My Pasta Hall of Fame</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">,” which lead off with a seductive photo of a fabulous looking pasta dish and the following comment:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;">“My Jan. 16 review of Cotogna and the incredible pastas that come out of the kitchen reminded me of a similar feeling I had when I first reviewed Perbacco in 2006. At Cotogna I was seduced by rigatoni with suckling pig ragout with pecorino di fossa cheese, an earthy sheep’s milk cheese; at Perbacco, it was the agnolotti dal plin, tiny pasta packets stuffed with veal in a rich meat sauce with savory cabbage that clings to the pasta like cheese.” </span></p></blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">Could it be? Another restaurant in the same league as Perbacco (my favorite Italian restaurant)??!!<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Then, just a few days ago, in connection with an Italian class I am taking which is focusing on the region of Abruzzo, I contacted our friend and cheese expert, </span><a href="http://www.foodwriter.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Janet Fletcher</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, to see if Janet knew anywhere in the Bay Area where one could find cheeses from Abruzzo. Janet suggested I contact Bob Marcelli of </span><a href="http://www.marcelliformaggi.com/home.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Marcelli Formaggi</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">in New Jersey, which imports a range of Abruzzese cheeses. She particularly recommended MF’s </span><a href="http://www.marcelliformaggi.com/formaggi/ricottascorzanera.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Ricotta Scorza Nera</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. I ended up calling Bob who suggested I try a new place called Cotogna, where he said their GM, </span><a href="http://www.quincerestaurant.com/katrina-parlato.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Katrina Parlato</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, was extremely knowledgeable about Italian cheeses, and typically offered one or two of MF’s cheeses on their menu, including the Ricotta Scorza Nera! Finally, this morning, as the lunch hour approached, I got around to taking a look at Cotogna’s website, checked out their </span><a href="http://www.cotognasf.com/cotogna-menu.pdf"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">menu</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, and the following jumped out at me: </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VJRnjkj0Gj1Ec_IYI-XzEXNeL46nQ-etqOjKeEwkq3GOh8WEHW6LNOXyo5lu3-RpG2y1SmQdn3HhRKi36DPZzffDNow-SnKaErifQ83BKJd5vtDLdSukUIgPvYvPueWWVHf7r4rF5bYb/s1600/Cheese+Menu.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571535495986396338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 82px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VJRnjkj0Gj1Ec_IYI-XzEXNeL46nQ-etqOjKeEwkq3GOh8WEHW6LNOXyo5lu3-RpG2y1SmQdn3HhRKi36DPZzffDNow-SnKaErifQ83BKJd5vtDLdSukUIgPvYvPueWWVHf7r4rF5bYb/s320/Cheese+Menu.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">That was enough for me – it was a sign. I leapt from my chair and made a beeline for Pacific and Montgomery.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyNlZvnpaG1yNiWJjwea1qM546KdA_z-5519d34hMKQkEsOmtj-vQ6XBTgS-wQSdMHIx3yYwSIHPdVOu3ZFVEKdXi8vbcPt8dI2l932YNtJir8WXYfvbHtdYsRNapU-yBjtoK69I7wNDA/s1600/Building+Shot.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571535994619092962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyNlZvnpaG1yNiWJjwea1qM546KdA_z-5519d34hMKQkEsOmtj-vQ6XBTgS-wQSdMHIx3yYwSIHPdVOu3ZFVEKdXi8vbcPt8dI2l932YNtJir8WXYfvbHtdYsRNapU-yBjtoK69I7wNDA/s320/Building+Shot.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Happily, when I arrived, it was still early and I was able to get a seat even without a reservation. </span></p><span style="font-size:130%;">As I learned today (and as suggested by the heading to this post), “cotogna” means “quince” in Italian (I see I will have to study my Italian fruit vocabulary a bit more carefully), and </span><a href="http://www.cotognasf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Cotogna</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">is a sister restaurant to Michael Tusk’s </span><a href="http://www.quincerestaurant.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Quince</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> which is just a few steps further down Pacific. While Quince has been around for a while and is a very elegant place to dine, Cotogna, which just opened last year, is more of a rustic, casual, comfort food sort of place. While I have been to Quince and enjoyed it, Cotogna is far more to my liking.<br /><br />To cut to the chase, I had a wonderful meal and overall experience today. Since I was by myself, I sat at the counter in front of their open ovens, including a wood burning pizza oven from </span><a href="http://www.mamforni.it/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Mam Forni in Modena</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">– a great spot to perch, especially since a stack of cook books from </span><a href="http://cucina.corriere.it/cucina-regionale/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Corriere della Sera</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">on regional Italian cooking was on the shelf next to me.<br /><br /></span><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0RkvktbYQiijCJGa9zHQWndJRCyD-lzDwR3ZqvKpM2lbk_xYCbtXBfMvUjPQjOszk7vlm6sMM9Fgpva3DWUkSLmdxkZ049IvnQAftvpZV8V4mp1denkkUuY1kXjt4oWoDIwNiPaYGyEg/s1600/Chefs+at+Work.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571536379461318562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0RkvktbYQiijCJGa9zHQWndJRCyD-lzDwR3ZqvKpM2lbk_xYCbtXBfMvUjPQjOszk7vlm6sMM9Fgpva3DWUkSLmdxkZ049IvnQAftvpZV8V4mp1denkkUuY1kXjt4oWoDIwNiPaYGyEg/s320/Chefs+at+Work.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWKvn0E1blCbMx0SpV0py6b0nP6HV00c-vBiwcyamPracF9LH4O5AgXuPnmK31c2O5p8pGKxJCJvk11E-GQb1qeU2S4w9DSwcBMbh-06Xe_AjXVY02byhe4r_8kgJAAOkNndhMNwSMNAj/s1600/Pizza+Oven.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571536516307526482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWKvn0E1blCbMx0SpV0py6b0nP6HV00c-vBiwcyamPracF9LH4O5AgXuPnmK31c2O5p8pGKxJCJvk11E-GQb1qeU2S4w9DSwcBMbh-06Xe_AjXVY02byhe4r_8kgJAAOkNndhMNwSMNAj/s320/Pizza+Oven.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvd5JTDr6gnrd1FzPKID_UxhJUdUKAqHDtvUODtsfw6inczx3NJrcjUv1f7PPDpTv9j8CElE7wUosVw5U-MsiXBei-8k46a6iKc6v9eLljL6q5xnDfAXzA3NleznaDzKewtCo8N0DUb9T/s1600/Calabria+Book.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571536702562247218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvd5JTDr6gnrd1FzPKID_UxhJUdUKAqHDtvUODtsfw6inczx3NJrcjUv1f7PPDpTv9j8CElE7wUosVw5U-MsiXBei-8k46a6iKc6v9eLljL6q5xnDfAXzA3NleznaDzKewtCo8N0DUb9T/s320/Calabria+Book.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Cotogna has a beautiful space with natural light from their windows on both Pacific and Montgomery.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEosE-FyDDlgpwfXXEV4aioQmbAvAg3yc8ZhOiT02hoFw2Q6_qpWGtwfsfM7sgR65SMb95F3mnyFb4LLEFzsTYwbXTbM5lPE_2Fc1rIh7BxLwAB_KhdjiCym6pvhQEyJX3JpPaBont-Omw/s1600/The+Room.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571537233937119282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEosE-FyDDlgpwfXXEV4aioQmbAvAg3yc8ZhOiT02hoFw2Q6_qpWGtwfsfM7sgR65SMb95F3mnyFb4LLEFzsTYwbXTbM5lPE_2Fc1rIh7BxLwAB_KhdjiCym6pvhQEyJX3JpPaBont-Omw/s320/The+Room.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Simone waited on me and helped me with the menu. It was a very difficult choice, but I ended up having:<br /><br />~ Kale sformato (a sort of soufflé) with Grano Padano cheese;<br /><br />~ Potato gnocchi with a duck ragù; and<br /><br />~ Crème fraîche panna cotta with pinenut cookies.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNjBo930k4nvvOYjduvO4tvPlLfVCqXPwjP222-gyhqvNKuwTAg4PDKoRU5oZ98Stt-RqFt_TRI5zpzhmoB0Ftx_iFYdYz6jNr1d3g9HIZLIRovER5yjw2zv8Z57Akk6WXdHDzLdw4_ty/s1600/Sformato.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571537737283303250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 245px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNjBo930k4nvvOYjduvO4tvPlLfVCqXPwjP222-gyhqvNKuwTAg4PDKoRU5oZ98Stt-RqFt_TRI5zpzhmoB0Ftx_iFYdYz6jNr1d3g9HIZLIRovER5yjw2zv8Z57Akk6WXdHDzLdw4_ty/s320/Sformato.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPTLhk12kKiXUqyzS0HDdZLPSTtfc1pAThBeSR-V0uAxvsTnSe-jX9s3uZ7bX8IJXtgIUzBa73bzs1SlB2okl8LhoHPBgE8vEwEkQi8rweV5tf7eUCc9ogq0DF_6KrF8cYMJZ0GAxC-hc/s1600/Gnocchi.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571537906558510002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPTLhk12kKiXUqyzS0HDdZLPSTtfc1pAThBeSR-V0uAxvsTnSe-jX9s3uZ7bX8IJXtgIUzBa73bzs1SlB2okl8LhoHPBgE8vEwEkQi8rweV5tf7eUCc9ogq0DF_6KrF8cYMJZ0GAxC-hc/s320/Gnocchi.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgO9BqqhdrbVGq2yhQrJYayYacP533wy55usDX6gQ-1wFmXoyhMdOvvcjzMp8XA3w5fjS7H-h9rsaNzPuVg0kBGlXjP_e5ALxbbA7v7AptrV0MQDvuiib28xSwu1_EVKaF-oJMsBCu45a/s1600/Panna+Cotta.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571538179979769842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgO9BqqhdrbVGq2yhQrJYayYacP533wy55usDX6gQ-1wFmXoyhMdOvvcjzMp8XA3w5fjS7H-h9rsaNzPuVg0kBGlXjP_e5ALxbbA7v7AptrV0MQDvuiib28xSwu1_EVKaF-oJMsBCu45a/s320/Panna+Cotta.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Everything was very good, although the gnocchi were just a bit heavy for my taste (and I know heavy gnocchi having tried to make them at home!). The duck ragù was particularly flavorful and the panna cotta was as good as, if not even a bit better than, that at Perbacco.<br /><br />The only disappointment of the day was that they had run out of their supply of Ricotta Scorza Nera the day before, so I had to defer my first opportunity to try Bob Marcelli’s Abruzzese cheese (I did have a chance to speak with Katerina Parlato who said that they hope to get more in soon). However, I did manage to support Abruzzo industry by having a glass of </span><a href="http://www.umanironchi.com/en/ourwines/theflagships/vellodoro/introduction.php"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Umani Ronchi’s 2009 “Vellodoro” [golden fleece] Terre di Chieti Pecorino</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">(even though I learned that Umani Ronchi is headquartered in Le Marche).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaU-WoMyDFWrn8lldCvTFayhJ-bYwO7YA4bVqDhPywGw5Jf90rY-Esc9R7II2yyWW5zGNi-QUTOr8v-YLvmayP-qZ67274uMNDsnyoVGhIcrx9-n3_ohg12RCzj9ETiOA5hvkkTgZff-N/s1600/Pecorino+Wine.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571538811233860194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaU-WoMyDFWrn8lldCvTFayhJ-bYwO7YA4bVqDhPywGw5Jf90rY-Esc9R7II2yyWW5zGNi-QUTOr8v-YLvmayP-qZ67274uMNDsnyoVGhIcrx9-n3_ohg12RCzj9ETiOA5hvkkTgZff-N/s320/Pecorino+Wine.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Cotogna has a most interesting and very nicely presented </span><a href="http://www.cotognasf.com/cotogna-wines.pdf"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">wine list</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, which should not be surprising given that I learned that </span><a href="http://www.quincerestaurant.com/david-lynch.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">David Lynch</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">is the wine director for both Quince and Cotogna. I had not realized until today that David – whose “</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vino-Italiano-Regional-Wines-Italy/dp/0609608487"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Vino Italiano</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">” book which he co-wrote while he was at Babbo in New York, and is one the foremost reference books in English about Italian wine – was even here in San Francisco.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm70oitu3mSNsWb14IpPmpcZxvXbGKFzdJZSWV6Y-dfSCIQgfp2EQzkvWs0Fw6Dx1jTuuNgu-Z4eOEHVHX7xb2uUXIJsxPrFmXrnrxYpumYqiACZuKZWsBIYucdg_jZSy5uzRPz5IWHSJ/s1600/Vino+Italiano.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571539744474457698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm70oitu3mSNsWb14IpPmpcZxvXbGKFzdJZSWV6Y-dfSCIQgfp2EQzkvWs0Fw6Dx1jTuuNgu-Z4eOEHVHX7xb2uUXIJsxPrFmXrnrxYpumYqiACZuKZWsBIYucdg_jZSy5uzRPz5IWHSJ/s320/Vino+Italiano.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />I foresee many return visits to Cotogna in the future (including possibly for brunch which I noted they serve on Saturdays). Now the only problem will be figuring out how to get in. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-56646164439521491932011-01-26T22:05:00.000-08:002011-01-26T22:33:16.775-08:00Sampling Piperade's Basque Classics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2HAk7fPWPnWR3HBU4fGl-nR_htNDMDesCWg6qxx8yUJOa4J0JShfJaMX89coJX24gFe9-WjQ6HPzqWEJon1bkf76_dYXRdLIwGcbpsOdW8dbSJeeZIklmHfMuTI4gTOWEIufH1w_BwRJ/s1600/Logo+and+Basques.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566743267027460034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2HAk7fPWPnWR3HBU4fGl-nR_htNDMDesCWg6qxx8yUJOa4J0JShfJaMX89coJX24gFe9-WjQ6HPzqWEJon1bkf76_dYXRdLIwGcbpsOdW8dbSJeeZIklmHfMuTI4gTOWEIufH1w_BwRJ/s400/Logo+and+Basques.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Alex, Cass and I had a very nice dinner last night at Gerald Hirigoyen’s </span><a href="http://www.piperade.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Piperade</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. I have never had a bad dish there, and whenever I go I wonder why I don’t go more frequently, especially in the evening when the warm colors of the dining room really stand out.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">We started off with glasses of sparkling Cava and some appetizers to share – a mushroom pie, some thinly sliced Serrano ham, and piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and raisins. All very tasty, especially the peppers.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBeRJKtvD13SBCSwwb3y-mH-8do9mkeX0Scr0BqCK0nuqd2yuGutNWxBqBMUxm7JIkKMlzPofmkcmJ6C2Lzrzp2vf2j3TDE_fmy0VqcK_sZux9luhBooLTfZT27RYTkEwvpW2nFJqopan/s1600/Appetizers.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566743856464774738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBeRJKtvD13SBCSwwb3y-mH-8do9mkeX0Scr0BqCK0nuqd2yuGutNWxBqBMUxm7JIkKMlzPofmkcmJ6C2Lzrzp2vf2j3TDE_fmy0VqcK_sZux9luhBooLTfZT27RYTkEwvpW2nFJqopan/s320/Appetizers.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">For our main courses, Cass had the sautéed calamari in an ink sauce (the Basque name is “txipiroa”) – one of the restaurant’s daily “Basque classics” – Alex opted for the duck breast and I chose the grilled lamb chops with sausage, all pictured below.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xLQjTpwqfu8eL6rxVz9w-pedogmmiVkc7JecGcoN_wh1Aqt27ebPZQK3NPFHIfN35Ws7Cwa0AiPQvhoDkK829hqyxra3FDleP03AFh-Ke7zwHZ_is4Tl3X-z9zUzbZldPDCKQOs4IK_J/s1600/Squid.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566744199770368210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xLQjTpwqfu8eL6rxVz9w-pedogmmiVkc7JecGcoN_wh1Aqt27ebPZQK3NPFHIfN35Ws7Cwa0AiPQvhoDkK829hqyxra3FDleP03AFh-Ke7zwHZ_is4Tl3X-z9zUzbZldPDCKQOs4IK_J/s320/Squid.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80HykIZblCDknVKwDNCuALHkxs0uyrWQa5l1NS_S0UVIX87mBE4Ox54okr-kTYiB2VLP2QHqkUgmhIabb2dv9KhnAK6wUXkMs8CbKEESBUJWKKmvGQvUO4775a9QKFBikRwJ0pxT6JWaL/s1600/Duck.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566744361531054882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80HykIZblCDknVKwDNCuALHkxs0uyrWQa5l1NS_S0UVIX87mBE4Ox54okr-kTYiB2VLP2QHqkUgmhIabb2dv9KhnAK6wUXkMs8CbKEESBUJWKKmvGQvUO4775a9QKFBikRwJ0pxT6JWaL/s320/Duck.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbsEABh3zklqSjs_Q8diBIUS4f-UCrEM5z95vt0Rq4mNOWFRnodWnDWUZBE1J0b1z4_Z4JL-QUpVQSbL8GapEtBGuv2tMlLhOp_IKz_l-5GMSjYTm1kFYMgu-rR0wpgxQL10c8QMt6M4k/s1600/Lamb.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566744514998728290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbsEABh3zklqSjs_Q8diBIUS4f-UCrEM5z95vt0Rq4mNOWFRnodWnDWUZBE1J0b1z4_Z4JL-QUpVQSbL8GapEtBGuv2tMlLhOp_IKz_l-5GMSjYTm1kFYMgu-rR0wpgxQL10c8QMt6M4k/s320/Lamb.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The lamb was especially good with what seemed to me to be a North African flavor profile including citrus and cumin, reminiscent of the </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/09/shanks-very-much.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">goat shanks I made a few months back</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> (which included a rub of cinnamon, thyme, lemon peel, coriander, turmeric, salt and pepper).<br /><br />For our wine, we had a 2001 </span><a href="http://www.beronia.es/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Beronia</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Gran Riserva Rioja recommended by our waitress, Mirian.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfTEpxhCHDRw2PV2_huMcNHz4d0rx-TiYa4qFTWjrgMRJD0ucWSs8EQURwu5JvqfuSY8B_gznSUqVA3xVVbSTDf_JDgr29zZjLsWq3quaQf70hCN5ywAGY47bCpB2056eFqTPCL4bvZ6_/s1600/Beronia+-+Rioja+2001.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566745318562335506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 286px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfTEpxhCHDRw2PV2_huMcNHz4d0rx-TiYa4qFTWjrgMRJD0ucWSs8EQURwu5JvqfuSY8B_gznSUqVA3xVVbSTDf_JDgr29zZjLsWq3quaQf70hCN5ywAGY47bCpB2056eFqTPCL4bvZ6_/s320/Beronia+-+Rioja+2001.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">It had a interesting flavor profile and went very well with all of our dishes. Here’s a tasting note for the wine that seemed right on to me, especially regarding the vanilla notes (and the lamb pairing!).<br /><br /><em>A blend of 88% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano and 4% Mazuelo. Bright red. Attractive aromas of candied cherry, plum and cedar, with vanilla and clove notes. Sweet, open-knit and nicely focused, offering palate-staining red and dark berry flavors and mounting vanilla and cocoa qualities. A musky herbal quality lingers on the long, sweet, sappy finish. There's a decadent quality to this wine that calls for lamb or a piece of dry-aged steak."- Stephen Tanzer</em><br /><br />We have to get back to Piperade again soon.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-31319629100602389582010-12-19T21:13:00.001-08:002010-12-19T21:55:35.515-08:00Torino in Tavola – At Perbacco<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7SDJqY8BWOEEabO2uh7zWJEyLeTv8PenJLk3ZS8C3dSwhkpJcS_xyAu7h5r5IPGsThLVuJct0zOGXgdJStecQkBakt8pY4LNiJP4-cObLizR7-XdQLp5cTPVgdA1bL9GQ8iFkQPcAWeI/s1600/Torino+Header.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552628492141463282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7SDJqY8BWOEEabO2uh7zWJEyLeTv8PenJLk3ZS8C3dSwhkpJcS_xyAu7h5r5IPGsThLVuJct0zOGXgdJStecQkBakt8pY4LNiJP4-cObLizR7-XdQLp5cTPVgdA1bL9GQ8iFkQPcAWeI/s320/Torino+Header.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">A couple of weeks ago I noted on </span><a href="http://www.perbaccosf.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Perbacco’s</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> calendar of upcoming events that they would be featuring a special menu of dishes from the city of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turin"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Torino</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">for two weeks in early December.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f5nPwyPwjdASKKtNegfUGh4dhBLp0a3yRLrW2zhYTqPnpn1Z1qZsp1pct5Y7IJwRKwMvN9iAiMrgzTlV5D1jWsTy-V-ukQBTiUYlWSO2f_o3j4iUjOx538qu2kv9E30nm1o6B1JkVZUM/s1600/Perbacco+Events.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552628788030469858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 389px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f5nPwyPwjdASKKtNegfUGh4dhBLp0a3yRLrW2zhYTqPnpn1Z1qZsp1pct5Y7IJwRKwMvN9iAiMrgzTlV5D1jWsTy-V-ukQBTiUYlWSO2f_o3j4iUjOx538qu2kv9E30nm1o6B1JkVZUM/s400/Perbacco+Events.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I was hoping that the dinners would continue until my birthday on the 21st, but learned that they would only be served until Saturday, the 18th. As a result, this past Saturday, Nancy, Alex, Cassie and Patrick took me to Perbacco for an early birthday dinner.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Umberto Gibin and his staff at Perbacco are always most hospitable, and we were very pleased to find when we arrived that we were seated at the chef’s table next to the kitchen, one of our favorite spots in the restaurant.<br /><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvqmcjFeu_GOMrgQg52aJ5an0ccp0thxp1o-5N9hHDODfEvCkuYW0i7UC33IGZ-V0vBQVVRiIfJmJM9nfuwVqHTLs9OSm0lOrCAIkFa1nIxP6tA6EVdjylSxxGZ7RqGQoqs17XN_Dbop1/s1600/Chef%2527s+Table.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552629412465541186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 252px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvqmcjFeu_GOMrgQg52aJ5an0ccp0thxp1o-5N9hHDODfEvCkuYW0i7UC33IGZ-V0vBQVVRiIfJmJM9nfuwVqHTLs9OSm0lOrCAIkFa1nIxP6tA6EVdjylSxxGZ7RqGQoqs17XN_Dbop1/s400/Chef%2527s+Table.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The “Torino in Tavola” menu was very interesting and presented a range of dishes covering all of those that I associated with Torino, and then some.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP3pTdd_MkwDGF6OQzbbftw1FauLuHBqxSeQhzPMoots6WdXSCdUrvx-NZnlhyphenhyphenTWOwBRQ-RgpSDhLURGe1RNMjGaYRu66Gk_nnMZZYJSdatgYkc7eki5GPim1ccLXOMRoYq72wrasUVkK/s1600/Menu.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552629938569933202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 306px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP3pTdd_MkwDGF6OQzbbftw1FauLuHBqxSeQhzPMoots6WdXSCdUrvx-NZnlhyphenhyphenTWOwBRQ-RgpSDhLURGe1RNMjGaYRu66Gk_nnMZZYJSdatgYkc7eki5GPim1ccLXOMRoYq72wrasUVkK/s400/Menu.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">With the exception of Nancy, all of us ordered from the Torino menu and together (with just a little help from Umberto) managed to try everything on the menu. I did not get pictures of everything we had, but here are at least some of the dishes we enjoyed in the order in which they appear on the menu<br /><br />~ Bagna Caoda<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqv9EmtI4hGDIkm3i_oHzm93XE2IOHziB31jtTDDYKGw7ecSezMFMcQYajutTp0-XjvJzMINx4WLZI517DS8Y1uT8PRBg4ogedOpQTCXLan0TCb33qVG7cyAh9xjO_8ePplvI2LhX8J8N/s1600/Bagna+Caoda.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552630512358554946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqv9EmtI4hGDIkm3i_oHzm93XE2IOHziB31jtTDDYKGw7ecSezMFMcQYajutTp0-XjvJzMINx4WLZI517DS8Y1uT8PRBg4ogedOpQTCXLan0TCb33qVG7cyAh9xjO_8ePplvI2LhX8J8N/s320/Bagna+Caoda.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Finanziera<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KDRDf3HllIKmGgU4hOrwo0EKlNIhUnlkJuHe_Fs1dkVuNp3t7QKPrnvkO3Kgl09kerVKwUSTw4JCH0KeFgj7OHQiCllVQojHjaZmQYWK3v73mYcn76N_dMM7429u5pgwJ9HXx3FyRbdy/s1600/Finanziera.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552630714229741058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KDRDf3HllIKmGgU4hOrwo0EKlNIhUnlkJuHe_Fs1dkVuNp3t7QKPrnvkO3Kgl09kerVKwUSTw4JCH0KeFgj7OHQiCllVQojHjaZmQYWK3v73mYcn76N_dMM7429u5pgwJ9HXx3FyRbdy/s320/Finanziera.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Insalata Russa<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJwlPOW26Gs5S1R3csC0mFp-gRIDP1pTTMpke1oCuPOpR6Q_cqnbFXsNoBU7-MrulQut8NcgGUTLcTy0VH-bklc112Rf82uBMbz_xVGs4ktronNMN5Ze6tMVgXGYTQflxT9JODtgmoIxL/s1600/Insalata+Russa.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552630823961910290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJwlPOW26Gs5S1R3csC0mFp-gRIDP1pTTMpke1oCuPOpR6Q_cqnbFXsNoBU7-MrulQut8NcgGUTLcTy0VH-bklc112Rf82uBMbz_xVGs4ktronNMN5Ze6tMVgXGYTQflxT9JODtgmoIxL/s320/Insalata+Russa.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Insalata di Carne Cruda<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TZr2uYH9JOSNkVoMeOe5qVAo1f_EwTt6ltqMUL6d8Jw28tiL6BDU88pXb2s5pKo60KjnfXnVq68VNEoJtQKH858Z8NMonx9dhyphenhyphenI7vpTt_W52WhuYXPtEWyzAVrk8pOZ2dI79tWwRx8lP/s1600/Insalata+Carne+Cruda.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552630940086683730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TZr2uYH9JOSNkVoMeOe5qVAo1f_EwTt6ltqMUL6d8Jw28tiL6BDU88pXb2s5pKo60KjnfXnVq68VNEoJtQKH858Z8NMonx9dhyphenhyphenI7vpTt_W52WhuYXPtEWyzAVrk8pOZ2dI79tWwRx8lP/s320/Insalata+Carne+Cruda.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Pasta Reale al Cacimperio<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yA5BX5l9MCJFM_OyMoc2j0qgSkCuR8zU_ht25kyLDB1Su0zNa4fe9ivotvTw3BWhCidvJNg4nUW4FsHvaPPJ-vey-Uk8R9IzcBszGF5aMgOVogOkP-rnBGIAbo830YXKN4ptbLyjcNdP/s1600/Pasta+Reale.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631051189326002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yA5BX5l9MCJFM_OyMoc2j0qgSkCuR8zU_ht25kyLDB1Su0zNa4fe9ivotvTw3BWhCidvJNg4nUW4FsHvaPPJ-vey-Uk8R9IzcBszGF5aMgOVogOkP-rnBGIAbo830YXKN4ptbLyjcNdP/s320/Pasta+Reale.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Bollito di Pollo Tartufato<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0kN_fL4jVsJNG_9ZelvzyZYRBqb1eAjAX51mbpx0B9psXJk95wI175GD0LukYO14aKCgfNMmJBT1i2cZrmr7vkISEVDpT6ZDZDr6WLdGEdfAMXggQc_waGAUei1Rnwi5pIblHd3c0NMH/s1600/Pollo.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631220356551426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0kN_fL4jVsJNG_9ZelvzyZYRBqb1eAjAX51mbpx0B9psXJk95wI175GD0LukYO14aKCgfNMmJBT1i2cZrmr7vkISEVDpT6ZDZDr6WLdGEdfAMXggQc_waGAUei1Rnwi5pIblHd3c0NMH/s320/Pollo.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Guancie di Vitello Brasato<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn_V4KBfuZDD8Sw3KxdrgZzFGkckCDaDqbwokFP5VmHvz3OylLTLsVL8apsuFGcxpfztLUwWKEcbh-Dq_B7J6cMCFavIFoGQJr_96oLDEGXNbqcHwmn7ZuMSwnHQclqFLqYwcKU-2UvUc/s1600/Guancie.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631374779622722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 226px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn_V4KBfuZDD8Sw3KxdrgZzFGkckCDaDqbwokFP5VmHvz3OylLTLsVL8apsuFGcxpfztLUwWKEcbh-Dq_B7J6cMCFavIFoGQJr_96oLDEGXNbqcHwmn7ZuMSwnHQclqFLqYwcKU-2UvUc/s320/Guancie.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Filetti di Trota Piemontese<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD15dTmMTNdDFaYIcNZccnnQuWod_2_dYSTskShm6_4qSzEQyQT9Xo9ejjDX3GI_QjBzI0YISZKgSWvmbqaVEPl1EqoL2mUcUBXX7j_x0NNMXApDcswlcXrb2JxMpL219f0PiVfwFPP061/s1600/Trota.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631499559361074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD15dTmMTNdDFaYIcNZccnnQuWod_2_dYSTskShm6_4qSzEQyQT9Xo9ejjDX3GI_QjBzI0YISZKgSWvmbqaVEPl1EqoL2mUcUBXX7j_x0NNMXApDcswlcXrb2JxMpL219f0PiVfwFPP061/s320/Trota.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Arrosto e Brasato di Oca con Marroni<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPpsBp2nBY7PL67fAh61uxMl5kZThmDLrm4ahbUbt5khHySJvjeq3K22eGJR3CIx5dnu5kZzKCcSmTHx8yodHONafn46aLZ46ExLwvrBkNrPAttztPI1qEcPYPD6vNpEYYVfknCrrWBQJ/s1600/Oca.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631616747297314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 146px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPpsBp2nBY7PL67fAh61uxMl5kZThmDLrm4ahbUbt5khHySJvjeq3K22eGJR3CIx5dnu5kZzKCcSmTHx8yodHONafn46aLZ46ExLwvrBkNrPAttztPI1qEcPYPD6vNpEYYVfknCrrWBQJ/s320/Oca.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Gianduja 5.0<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicq9nZsAiQr9xAXyRyPQ9p6RkmzEPKkbPYR7QOF0b70yoYlcVw8L81gA-u_1n8fmMfrJVZ7eiFlGuhbDwjBuZy4o2H0udHaf2SeDW-JYYOakk05TcHUji8fQTe6SR1vZR2O_jD_wXtHbIc/s1600/Gianduja+5-0.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631760387254754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicq9nZsAiQr9xAXyRyPQ9p6RkmzEPKkbPYR7QOF0b70yoYlcVw8L81gA-u_1n8fmMfrJVZ7eiFlGuhbDwjBuZy4o2H0udHaf2SeDW-JYYOakk05TcHUji8fQTe6SR1vZR2O_jD_wXtHbIc/s320/Gianduja+5-0.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />~ Coppa di Torino<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKRw5wGNeJFV_6WGjhVDPNnrdL5LDSkx2AcpXTV974k9EpiBoN__C-Ti7Jq9yhyphenhyphentjvu8dOrALTGegxpO9xErvy1L9OYsaSzlsfEPKUxfoyuZFoUPfD_AvnoP3Tfd8D5-QLnByrXKex-93/s1600/Coppa+di+Torino.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552631883191809394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 295px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKRw5wGNeJFV_6WGjhVDPNnrdL5LDSkx2AcpXTV974k9EpiBoN__C-Ti7Jq9yhyphenhyphentjvu8dOrALTGegxpO9xErvy1L9OYsaSzlsfEPKUxfoyuZFoUPfD_AvnoP3Tfd8D5-QLnByrXKex-93/s320/Coppa+di+Torino.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I would say my favorite dishes were the Finanziera and the goose.<br /><br />For our wines we started off with a bottle of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene “Cartizze” from </span><a href="http://www.ruggeri.it/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Ruggeri</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, then moved to a Kerner “Praepositus” from </span><a href="http://www.abbazianovacella.it/en/wine-cellar/wine-cellar.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Abbazia di Novacella</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. However, the wine I was most excited about trying was one we had brought with us - a 2004 ”Maria di Brun” Barbaresco from </span><a href="http://www.carome.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Ca’ Rome’</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. Ca’ Rome’ is located in the Langhe, only about 60 miles from Torino, and was one of the wineries we visited on </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/10/2010-viaggio-in-italia-post-1-overview.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">our recent trip to Italy</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">where we had the chance to meet both the owner, Romana Marengo, and his daughter, Paola. Maria di Brun, who is pictured on the label, was Romana’s mother. There is quite a family resemblance.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0z2NO4r2mdjo7AvMINpKbBtwBHtBQkGn1uCd28q8hstE1e53hPfNmVGSvekSr_LAvz-yKVAhUApI8x0RWS06cHTMA4HZ78nniKDi5PTIrMxt1PWNwQdRNidEXDS5tUAvSo2JChi1VMk-Q/s1600/Ca+Rome+Combo.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552632672198564978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0z2NO4r2mdjo7AvMINpKbBtwBHtBQkGn1uCd28q8hstE1e53hPfNmVGSvekSr_LAvz-yKVAhUApI8x0RWS06cHTMA4HZ78nniKDi5PTIrMxt1PWNwQdRNidEXDS5tUAvSo2JChi1VMk-Q/s320/Ca+Rome+Combo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The Maria di Brun did not disappoint, and paired perfectly with our main courses.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit9QLJCHM3l-jrsU5o-7SnyFYao2O8wRO19hLJ81Y6yYzUfRwCzggepXqPr_ntD1COEg1Xz4E4u5marOCiM78SsPjybA-GlLP30NmsIkagPGaxB0gDwFgts3j7ao4A4UdGnJjiiw1l4OC/s1600/Perbacco+-+12-18-10.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552633232878843154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit9QLJCHM3l-jrsU5o-7SnyFYao2O8wRO19hLJ81Y6yYzUfRwCzggepXqPr_ntD1COEg1Xz4E4u5marOCiM78SsPjybA-GlLP30NmsIkagPGaxB0gDwFgts3j7ao4A4UdGnJjiiw1l4OC/s400/Perbacco+-+12-18-10.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">We had a great time as we always do at Perbacco, and look forward to our next visit.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582994459110949174.post-6862000903982453362010-12-12T21:20:00.001-08:002010-12-12T22:03:13.887-08:00The Italian Christmas Season and Saint Lucy’s Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcOBtnLREaiOijBXVr21OF1HGARIR_5E-TA480a6bwb5nTKXvRfr-a60c7wlNtLYzJTtiwlE0yic2TnZ0RVIDgxD0U9MaxJA7ISJVIJXv1_nUDG_de53iVJT85LrTkmYXt92VOy2KKhNf/s1600/Heading.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550032826038544754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcOBtnLREaiOijBXVr21OF1HGARIR_5E-TA480a6bwb5nTKXvRfr-a60c7wlNtLYzJTtiwlE0yic2TnZ0RVIDgxD0U9MaxJA7ISJVIJXv1_nUDG_de53iVJT85LrTkmYXt92VOy2KKhNf/s320/Heading.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">At our </span><a href="http://gastronomichael.blogspot.com/2010/12/sicilian-sweets-for-holidays.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Sicilian <em>biscotti</em> workshop</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">last weekend, we had some discussion of the Christmas season in Italy. The season commenced this past Wednesday, December 8, with the <em>Festa della Immacolata</em>, a celebration of Mary and the immaculate conception. It will continue through Christmas and into the new year, finishing on the twelfth day of Christmas with the <em>Festa dell'Epifania</em>, the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany commemorates the day when the three wise men arrived at the manger bearing gifts. Italy's tradition associated with that day includes a witch known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and leaves presents for children – at least those who have been good.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebKQniWF1CKnbePG0daa0RYWpoAzWbVgDFsnvKExfPlnqKM-xiXIF8HGJd_Wk07BKcKhubbsgVcD1IGe942qpGYAfmk2F_gDXfCGg-1tC2ITQ1IZdRtfq5X2qpUQCunvnlzQ57DG0lm8o/s1600/befana01.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550033482127145202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebKQniWF1CKnbePG0daa0RYWpoAzWbVgDFsnvKExfPlnqKM-xiXIF8HGJd_Wk07BKcKhubbsgVcD1IGe942qpGYAfmk2F_gDXfCGg-1tC2ITQ1IZdRtfq5X2qpUQCunvnlzQ57DG0lm8o/s400/befana01.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Another holiday season event falls tomorrow, December 13, with the celebration, at least in certain parts of Italy, of the <em>Giorno di Santa Lucia</em> or Saint Lucy’s Day. (I prefer Lucia, since Lucy is a name I have trouble hearing without thinking of Peanuts.) Lucia was from Siracusa (Syracuse) on the southeast coast of Sicilia, and is the patron saint of the city. She was martyred in the 4th century after having the poor judgment of refusing to marry a vindictive pagan, and distributing her dowry to the poor.<br /></span><p></p><div class="fullpost"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Tomorrow, the day commemorating Santa Lucia’s martyrdom, there will be a procession in Siracusa in the late afternoon and evening with seventy bearers carrying an elaborate silver statue of the saint through the streets of the city.<br /><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4xYu9sKP4B0jnkIfpiI0oZj3G7SNfZ38LLGmO3wBi8wBDlZ2NTdKVcphxEegmR9alPwMIEk-v3O1DcVHspdyK3RwJZxvuYlA6qk783EYVFceIAMfXSmNt0tA-WXy2M45brEOdCWyHf9W/s1600/SLucia.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550034353034079474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4xYu9sKP4B0jnkIfpiI0oZj3G7SNfZ38LLGmO3wBi8wBDlZ2NTdKVcphxEegmR9alPwMIEk-v3O1DcVHspdyK3RwJZxvuYlA6qk783EYVFceIAMfXSmNt0tA-WXy2M45brEOdCWyHf9W/s320/SLucia.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The procession will start at the Duomo on the island of Ortygia in Siracusa’s harbor, and will proceed to the Church of Santa Lucia on the mainland, which is built on the site where Santa Lucia was martyred. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYuNKvTwqes&feature=related"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">Here is a video</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">of the procession, and below two pictures from “<em>Immaginario barocco</em>,” the book which accompanied the exhibition of the work of the Sicilian photographer, </span><a href="http://www.giuseppeleone.it/artista.html"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">Giuseppe Leone</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, that appeared at the Museo ItaloAmericano in San Francisco in 2008.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiKuUoB5yQlWWiFf-KC1vh6fI9zYF93G_7jd6H7qx87DexUOR8RAcSUoBLq2TEpZAr5fqKkpoB2_AnTYpinlojxZ_MHUn89W2UPn5UByK7kC2uAHj_VZDXPK1oAwsSgwSKVGl03dEagVN/s1600/Leone.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550034863052701682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 215px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiKuUoB5yQlWWiFf-KC1vh6fI9zYF93G_7jd6H7qx87DexUOR8RAcSUoBLq2TEpZAr5fqKkpoB2_AnTYpinlojxZ_MHUn89W2UPn5UByK7kC2uAHj_VZDXPK1oAwsSgwSKVGl03dEagVN/s320/Leone.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">According to somewhat grisly legends associated with Santa Lucia, she either tore out her own eyes when her pagan suitor admired them, or they were gouged out by her captors prior to her execution. In any case, she is typically portrayed, as can be seen in the pictures at the beginning of this post, carrying two eyes on a plate, and she has become the patron saint for those who are blind or who suffer from eye disorders. This is reflected in the votive offerings that are left for the saint, as well as in various breads and cookies prepared in connection with her day.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid36FYuFzgIOO5gquaUlNkw9xfrVNIBf38c1Zp3aqwvvK7NrEA6IjzsMOLtj5dUDidGDxvliH7n7w39UswdFTe5WW7yUKrPmxmveZdtsdUQwxQUMWxMtdkKKr6XSYuPQ-EiM3mU8N8hOVt/s1600/Ex-Votos+Santa+Lucia.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550035498116041666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 314px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid36FYuFzgIOO5gquaUlNkw9xfrVNIBf38c1Zp3aqwvvK7NrEA6IjzsMOLtj5dUDidGDxvliH7n7w39UswdFTe5WW7yUKrPmxmveZdtsdUQwxQUMWxMtdkKKr6XSYuPQ-EiM3mU8N8hOVt/s320/Ex-Votos+Santa+Lucia.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2v02HzY_G8SvkEeEn-MOY271xuPB3FPR-IppTpGSLngWzLI4sv_rXdIV7iPLM1XXByYrF0F7X9IB61MX0aQpStyDWMTAOLTATDFJ4P4MksoHKa7IK7ujsaDfSZaxrIGYhdQDzJYIRqY2/s1600/Bread.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550035644168242034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2v02HzY_G8SvkEeEn-MOY271xuPB3FPR-IppTpGSLngWzLI4sv_rXdIV7iPLM1XXByYrF0F7X9IB61MX0aQpStyDWMTAOLTATDFJ4P4MksoHKa7IK7ujsaDfSZaxrIGYhdQDzJYIRqY2/s320/Bread.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyubDtTD4X1nHzo0pH5iIjQU-ko5Y6JLWdC5ij-V-ccY_Sm_f-hilXAdesqfQ7B4Ph_zIwbXhjJIf9UcWIpQM8BNKA7nNZ3OPSVRacYiNG0tp6iM5OTXQAy8EYoJPAcIAI7fqEtKwEsP5/s1600/Occhi+di+Santa+Lucia.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550035752169044034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyubDtTD4X1nHzo0pH5iIjQU-ko5Y6JLWdC5ij-V-ccY_Sm_f-hilXAdesqfQ7B4Ph_zIwbXhjJIf9UcWIpQM8BNKA7nNZ3OPSVRacYiNG0tp6iM5OTXQAy8EYoJPAcIAI7fqEtKwEsP5/s320/Occhi+di+Santa+Lucia.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">However, perhaps the dish most closely associated with Santa Lucia is one which is prepared on her day in Palermo and has nothing to do with eyesight. According to legend, the people of Palermo were suffering from a famine when, on December 13, a mysterious ship appeared in the port loaded with wheat. The people were so hungry that rather than take the time to grind the wheat into flour, they simply cooked and ate it as it was. Ever since, to commemorate the saint’s intervention, on Santa Lucia’s day the people of Palermo have refrained from eating any dishes such as bread or pasta prepared with ground wheat, and have instead eaten boiled wheat berries, a dish called <em>la cuccìa</em>. Originally the boiled wheat was just eaten plain or with a bit of salt and olive oil added. More recently, in the best Palermitano tradition, the dish has evolved to more of a dessert prepared with ingredients such as ricotta cheese, candied fruit, honey and chocolate.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTM7RmRzv_TS8TIjdVggo5cyTLlq1TMEE3IyjLwTXigs7iajpXl7GPtkuNaSmqzmMy1Bv9M79OdqLGdHWLWzr4SrVItu6Puspws2qVVnfouaDDEeBW1VlYaEc4X2GW00nTwP3JiGjSxw7/s1600/La+Cuccia.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550036614487718450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTM7RmRzv_TS8TIjdVggo5cyTLlq1TMEE3IyjLwTXigs7iajpXl7GPtkuNaSmqzmMy1Bv9M79OdqLGdHWLWzr4SrVItu6Puspws2qVVnfouaDDEeBW1VlYaEc4X2GW00nTwP3JiGjSxw7/s320/La+Cuccia.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Another "Santa Lucia" that many American’s associate with Italy would be the song written in the 1800’s, and performed </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX4SzE_GDRE&feature=related"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6633ff;">here by Enrico Caruso</span> </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">and </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5geNWYQaJd0&feature=related"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6633ff;">here by Mario Lanza</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. I never knew to what the song refers, but have now learned that it relates to a boatman seeking customers in the Santa Lucia waterfront district (Borgo Santa Lucia) in Naples, as can be seen from the following lyrics from the first two verses.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuJhxp7RNNRbrsE_1ZowaBu74rf2MEiHY3pHCLMDb5kMgamAxSApbmcNMhyphenhyphenN8Ik7tmUqSt9-tna0Cvbx8feqaGpU49cQWSWRO3M6tc0xlCriwVWxxXUUE1zYfpbf2nvfTFYfNxM4T-K5w/s1600/Santa+Lucia+Lyrics.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550037264052726610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuJhxp7RNNRbrsE_1ZowaBu74rf2MEiHY3pHCLMDb5kMgamAxSApbmcNMhyphenhyphenN8Ik7tmUqSt9-tna0Cvbx8feqaGpU49cQWSWRO3M6tc0xlCriwVWxxXUUE1zYfpbf2nvfTFYfNxM4T-K5w/s400/Santa+Lucia+Lyrics.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFUDAS1k_eLFOGFIvlTBDRs92xgBlK68Qiaiivwzv4W4XKCWnLnph8V1DCZGFfjn6Q1CyXF6OTu55hIlecGqP3N-gqhM9C6Q3OvSSDBvXIF-KD0lPTIq23QG1PWqBoJhKO5nu54_4Y0q/s1600/Naples+-+Santa+Lucia.JPG"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550037439987944002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 139px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFUDAS1k_eLFOGFIvlTBDRs92xgBlK68Qiaiivwzv4W4XKCWnLnph8V1DCZGFfjn6Q1CyXF6OTu55hIlecGqP3N-gqhM9C6Q3OvSSDBvXIF-KD0lPTIq23QG1PWqBoJhKO5nu54_4Y0q/s320/Naples+-+Santa+Lucia.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> Happy St. Lucy's Day! </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></div><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>gastronomichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00102946930347427733noreply@blogger.com2