Lynn Stott: Living Savory

Sailing to Capri

The day of the Capri trip dawned rainy and chilly. But I decided to strike out anyway, carry an umbrella and be ready for anything.

Queuing at the dock waiting for the jet foil -- some people going for the day, others clearly packed for a stay:

Taking the top level for the best views - me and a few other hearty souls braving the winds:

At Capri - taking the funicular to the top of the hill:


View from the half-way point:


Hungry for lunch and having to make choices...


Winding through the old town:


And on up the hill...


My favorite kind of shop window!!!!

Fancy hotels:



More rain:



Sheltering from the rain with other tourists:




What must be the most beautiful location for a post office in all of Italy (It's the building with the yellow signs):

Headed back to the marina to catch the return boat:


The marina at Capri...


Sunny top deck for the trip back to Sorrento:

A day in Pompeii

Pompeii
5 ottobre 2011

Definite Beauty & Lots of Ruin

We spent most of the day in Pompeii - the best-known of the towns that were buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in August of the year 79.  We've been 4 times now and will probably go again every time we go to Italy.   I find Pompeii endlessly fascinating - and there's so much I still haven't seen.

A mosaic over the water supply in the suburban baths (the baths outside the walls of the city):

Climbing into the city from what used to be the Marina and shoreline:

Crossing a street on stepping stones. When Pompeii was a living city, the streets would have been filled with garbage, sewage, and animal droppings - not some place you'd want to step. The streets in Pompeii are graded downward slightly from the acqueduct cistern. Periodically (weekly?) water would rush through the streets to help move some of the ick along and out to the bay, but most of the time the streets would have been stinky & disgusting.

In some of the houses, the original wall paintings are still carefully preserved. These are from a house known as the "House of the Prince of Naples" because parts of it were excavated in the presence of the prince to show him the beauties of what was being found at Pompeii.

 

Vesuvius is a constant reminder of how this city met its end.

Everyone finds their own way of keeping out of late autumn's heat...

 

A shaded waiting area at the forum baths (Men's section). Men would have mingled here as they waited for space to free up in the warm tubs.

A brazier held a fire to keep the warm room warm

The waiting room - transitioning from warm to cold baths:

Pompeii was an ancient city when the volcano erupted. The streets show signs of centuries of carts wearing down the stones.

On the Circumvesuviana train - headed back to our apartment.

 

Herculaneum - Ruin & Beauty

Orcolano, Campania, Italia
3 ottobre 2011

Ruin, Beauty, Amazing Color

We took over 300 pictures - this is a total geek-fest for us.  I'll spare you the deluge.

A few snapshots:

Vesuvius stands silent sentry behind the modern city of Herculaneum and the ruins of the ancient town the volcano buried.

Every time we visit the ruins here and elsewhere in Campania, we're struck by how much color the ancient Romans lived with every day - interior walls, floors, statues, exterior walls...

The main streets were wide, with arcaded walkways, and gutters and drains and public fountains (you can see two here - one at the end of each block). -- and of course, Mary's lovely entry in the beautiful hat contest ;-)

Fast-food tabernas on every corner - hot food to go ...

I really meant - EVERY Corner...

There are several areas where you can still see the actual wood that was charred by the heat blast. These shutters still hang in place where they were 2000 years ago.

The volcanic tufa they used to build the walls (usually hidden behind the stucco) has worn away more quickly than the Roman-made mortar. (No small irony that tufa is what buried and preserved Herculaneum after the eruption of Veseuvius).

The changing room and clothing storage shelves of the men's public baths. (the stucco has crumbled from the walls, so you can't see the color that was here).

Mosaic from the floor of the women's baths.

 

Grooves in the marble threshold - for setting an ancient door jamb.

Best meal of the trip so far ... Fatback is back!

Montepulciano, Italia
29 settembre

Advanced apologies to my vegetarian friends

Montepulciano is a Tuscan Hill Town.  For many, it is the quintessential hill town - medieval walls, cathedral with an unfinished facade, lovely winding streets, unexpected vistas, lots of knick knack shops.

For us, it was the closest hill town to our agriturismo, and our hosts also run the Tabacchi shop on the cathedral square.  They suggested we give the town a whirl, so we did.

We started with lunch - and oh, what a lunch.

Just behind the cathedral is Osteria del Conte - a smallish place with about 8 outdoor tables (in addition to the 12-table indoor dining room).  There was no "regular" menu - only a sheet of "today's specials."  This is usually a VERY good sign - meaning they're cooking fresh, from what is in season.

It was a warm day - but a breeze had mounted the hilltop and made us glad we'd worn our sweaters. Perfect outdoor dining weather.

It didn't take long to make our choices from the short menu. We ordered secondi (meat dishes) and contorni (veggie sides), to be accompanied by the famous Vino Nobile de Montepulciano.

The wine came first - a modest drink - a decent table wine, but not what we were expecting from all the pomp.

Then came the food.

Mary had grilled steak cooked with rosemary and garlic.

I ordered grilled pork shoulder with lardo.

We shared garbanzos with onions and olive oil, and grilled mixed veggies.

see?

Sounds simple - was delectable.

Everything was perfectly cooked. 

The steak was medium rare and tender.  The rosemary and garlic infused the meat with flavor and the grilled edges had just a slight reminiscence of crispness from the char.

The garbanzos were tender and had good texture, with no taste of having been canned. The olive oil was almost buttery against the onion.

The grilled veggies were tender and tasty (cooked on a grill! - with olive oil! - You know what I mean - best way to cook most veggies).

And -- the pork was absolutely amazing.  Tender meat, cooked just short of well, lightly crunchy edges from the grill, wrapped in lardo, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with green peppercorns.

I kept the pork til last - because, well -  I just need to take a moment. 

Now, before I go on, did you get a good look at it?

I grew up in rural North Carolina - and the pig was a central part of our eating.  We were doing whole pig eating long before it was fashionable -- when it was just what you did because you lived in the country and had relatives who killed hogs in October, and none of us were rich enough to think we could waste anything - plus it was good! (well, some parts are an acquired taste - I still can't eat brains and eggs.)

Anyway ...

Now I live in Northern California - a place whose people like to consider themselves on the front line of eating well, eating naturally, and eating sustainably.  In the last couple of years, there has been all kinds of talk in California foodie circles about "lardo" (as part of the whole pig eating craze).  It's described in the recipes and newspaper articles as rendered pig fat (we called that "lard" when I was growing up) that has been allowed to cure further. 

Quite frankly, I never could picture it. Lard makes sense as the fat for biscuits (the BEST!), but I couldn't imagine eating lard for its own sake - and I hadn't been served it -- until now.

The lardo that was wrapped around my pieces of grilled pork was not rendered fat, by any means.  To the best of my discernment, it was paper thin slices of what we, in Johnston and Wilson counties, called "fatback." The fatback on my pork in Montepulciano  didn't seem to have been cooked on its own, but draped around the pork and just melted / melded to the hot meat. It still had a good bit of body and texture of its own.  I needed to cut through it, just like the meat.

It was absolutely delicious. 

I didn't like fatback as a kid (except when it was fried up into crunchy strips - yes, fried fat), and it wasn't a part of my heritage I've carried with me. 

Now, I'm reconsidering.

[ I've done a google search on lardo - and several say that the fatback for lardo is cured - with herbs and spices, by drilling holes into the fat and stuffing the herbs in - point being to make the fat last longer.  I'm guessing there might be a lot of variation on what gets interpreted as lardo. There were no holes or herbed bits in mine - so I'm just sticking with my fatback association - to be scientifically tested later.]

Listen to me, people - this is good stuff!  I was blown away by how much it added to the grilled pork (which, you've got to admit, is pretty much at the top of the field of cooked meat products anyway). 

Of course, there may have been some environmental help --  I was in Italy, on top of a small mountain in a medieval old town, eating outdoors on a warm, sunny day, sharing the meal with the love of my heart.  I'll admit all that likely had some bearing.  And the fresh olive oil, rosemary, and lovely green peppercorns didn't hurt a bit.

But I also felt an unexpected sense of homecoming.  Pork wrapped in its own fat. Fatback is back! 

I will be experimenting with lardo on my own.  I know the soul food butchers of Oakland can hook me up.

In the meantime - the last bite …

I love who I am when I'm traveling

I love who I am when I'm traveling -- well, most of the time. 

I'd be lying if I said I don't get grumpy, tired, or irritated - but that's all just part of the human condition.



What I mean is that when I'm traveling, I feel the closest to my core nature -- a sense I have in few other scenarios.  I am able to just BE in the moment, flying by my own wits, making the most of NOW, being PRESENT in ways that I seldom seem to accomplish in regular working life.

I've been trying to think about why that's so.

When I'm traveling:

1. I'm exploring new things.
2. I'm learning something new many times a day. 
3. I'm meeting new people and reaching out for help from strangers.
4. I HAVE to give people the benefit of the doubt.
5. I can't take anything for granted. 
6. I've got to keep my wits about me.
7. I'm seldom confident how things are "supposed to" be, so old "should" and "ought" demons just don't get air time. 
8. I roll with the moment and stay in the present.
9. I think I'm a little kinder and more forgiving.
10. I'm trying new languages w/out worries of being perfect - just trying to communicate.
11. I'm reaching out to connect w/ people across time, place, culture, language.
12. I'm flying by the seat of my pants much of the time.
13. Every day is a new adventure.

… and I'm loving every minute of it.

I like being this person.

Now, I just need to figure out how to be this person all of the time.

Eating Flat in Italia - and loving it

Everyone knows about pizza as an Italian food.  Whether you like thin crust and wood-fired, or Chicago-style deep dish, we've all eaten quite our share of pizza.

And yes, it is better in Italy (at least certain parts of Italy) - but that's not the point of this note (maybe another one later - let me know if you'd like to hear more).

What I didn't know is that Italy has several other delicious "flat" foods as well.  Foodie Alert!

Ravenna:  Piadina

flickr photo from AmUnivers

When we were in Ravenna, we discovered Piadina - a local flat bread - looks a little like a pita.  We weren't particularly impressed by the looks of it and figured we've both had pita so we'd skip this one. 

But - we were seeing it everywhere, with all kinds of fillings, eaten by all kinds of folks, and at different times of the day.   In the guide books, it was touted as a local "specialty."  AND since we've said that this trip is, in part, about FOOD, we decided to give it a try - despite the calorie threat.

Boy, are we glad we did.  It's not a gourmet thing, but it is definitely a comforting street food.  We can see why it's everywhere in this northeast corner of Italy. 

We had two different types, one with a veggie stuffing and one with a meat and cheese stuffing  -- and, no, we didn't take pics b/c we were hungry & just ate them, so these photos are from folks on flickr willing to share. ( I know I'll never have a career as a photo-journalist.  I just get too involved in things and forget to take the photos - even when I'm planning on sharing!)

flickr photo from avlxyz

In each type of piadina we tried, the texture of the bread was a little different, one more chewy, one more crumbly, but both were slightly crunchy on the outside. The taste was super familiar and took me a minute - but then I had it - piadina tastes like biscuits!  which, of course, took us both on a long nostalgic reverie...

Not just any biscuits - and those of you not reared in the South my never have had this taste -- but I mean the biscuits my grandmothers used to make - not with butter (as so many of the recipe books instruct these days), but with lard (self-rising flour, lard, buttermilk). Crunchy on the outside and tender-moist-crumbly on the inside.

Turns out Piadina is made with lard (hooray for taste-buds) - and is hugely popular in the Romagna region of Italy.  We saw it sold in restaurants as appetizer courses, in bakeries as sandwiches, and in street kiosks layered with cheese, ,honey or Nutella. (Piadina recipe here).

Tasty - homey - flat.


Lucca - Cecina

The old town of Lucca is a little specialized in terms of restaurants.  Most feature regional specialties and are geared toward tourists -- trying to represent "home cooking" in a gourmet vein so they can charge lots of money for it.  As you browse around, they all start looking the same.

We went seeking out a little dive - which was the only place we could find that served cecina - a chickpea flatbread particular to this part of Tuscany.  We had read about it - and we both love things made w/ garbanzo beans (hummus, falafel, laddu, etc.), so we wanted to try it.

Da Felice is a tiny hole-in-the wall shop on via Buia in Lucca.  It's been there for decades and is run by a family with a couple of extra staff.  From appearances, they make their money from takeaway pizza - in & out of the wood-fired oven throughout the evening.  Both times we visited (yes, twice), we were the only non-Italians in the place the whole time we were there (we ate in - to do some people watching and pizza-making watching).

The pizzas go in and out of the oven in a steady stream, cooking pretty quickly, but about every 30 minutes or so, they put in a new cecina & it takes 15 minutes to cook.  We watched many orders for pizza slices include cecina orders (2 slices, Marguerita pizza and 2 slices, cecina).  If you come in between one cecina being sold out and another getting out of the oven, you're given your drink and asked to wait.  You don't pay until your cecina is in your hand.

The cecina is a very different kind of food.  It's crispy, but has a tender, almost pudding-like center.  It gives you the impression that the batter must start out like a custard.  It is very tasty - but the chickpea flavor is hard to identify - mostly it's just a tasty, crispy, hearty mouthful. Best eaten hot. And it goes really fast.

We noticed that the cecina goes into the wood-fired oven on a metal disk (unlike the pizzas that just go in on the stone floor of the oven).  Since the batter is so liquid - it needs the edge of the disk to keep its shape - and I figure the disk helps assure that crispy outer crust.

The cecina was lovely -- another discovery in eating flat - and VERY local.

And the Nutella foccacia they served for a sweet finish was just a lucky
(and yet another FLAT) discovery …



If we discover more flat eating, I'll share.

Ciao!

Lucca: Walking the Walls

Lucca, Italia
28 settembre 2011

Our favorite thing about Lucca was walking the walls. 

Looking from the "moat" back at the wall.

We did a full circuit on the 27th and got up early before our train to do it again on the 28th.

Lucca is a city that morphed its medieval walls into more defensive ones (against cannon fire) during the Renaissance.  Lucca is that rare thing - an Italian city that was not bombed in WWII, so the walls are fully intact.

When Marie-Louise was patron of the town (yes, the same Marie-Louise, Napoleon's widow, who was responsible for the lovely Duchal park in Parma) she had the top of the walls landscaped as a public park. 

Hooray for Marie-Louise!

Looking from the top of the wall out into the space that used to be the moat - now a lovely green park.

This is the top of the wall.  (Mary's walking w/ her jazzy new stick b/c she twisted her knee dragging luggage down some very shallow, steep train steps.  She's on the mend - thanks in part to the stick.)

On the road again

Prepping for the hill towns of southern Tuscany.

Tourist Fashion Sense

Lucca, Italia
28 settembre 2011

Fashion Sense (?)

Please, if any of you, at any time, EVER see me making these kind of fashion choices, please organize an intervention.  PROMISE ME!!!

Lucca: Bella Citta

Lucca, Italy
27 settembre 2011

Planning our time in Lucca:



We're visiting Lucca because so many people said we simply MUST.  It's supposed to be a charming walled city with a medieval old town and a French 18th century flair.  Walking around this afternoon, we can see some of what people are talking about.

We're also here during a 10-day festival of regional foods and wine -- we're going to go to a tasting late tomorrow afternoon - really looking forward to it.

One thing that struck us immediately about Lucca was the number of tourists compared to Parma - LOTS. It's not Venice, by any means, but there are a great many more tourists, more non-Italian tourists and there are parts of the town that are definitely set up primarily to support the tourists.

I think we got a little spoiled in Parma.  We'd see the occasional tourist couple (toting maps and water bottles in the Duchal park) - and there were occasional tourist groups (at the Duomo or in the park), but the tourist groups were all Italian -- and the other tourists were few and far between.  We felt like we were really in Italy.

Lucca is Italy, too, but more like Venice (though not nearly so crowded) or Sorrento, the tourists are thick on the ground and the infrastructure is set up to support them.  That's not necessarily bad -- but it's a very different flavor of travel.

We do hear, however, that there's some really good food in the town (more regional specialties! tee hee). So, we're ready for the adventure.

An unusual oval piazza - built around the site of the Roman Amphitheatre (since cannibalized for building materials).