Alba Truffle Festival

When in Piemonte during autumn...take advantage of the Truffle Festival in Alba. We were there on the first day, and we were there on the last day. Somehow I missed the huge tent of truffle sellers on the first day - maybe I was distracted by the pig heads, games, hot polenta and bottles of wine.... Arina and I stopped by during our Piemonte weekend trip.  Stall after stall sold various truffles of all sorts of sizes and I found it overwhelmingly impossible to decide which one to buy from - not that it was within my budget to afford a truffle, but just if, IF I wanted to, I would assume I would be confused.  The sellers were anxious to get rid of the last of the season's truffles but it was just too much for me. We took advantage of the samples, obviously, pretended we were interested consumers and picked up some pamphlets, but ultimately left empty handed and wondered if it was worth it to spent the 3 euro to enter the earth-hunter's exhibition. I think so.

inside.

truffled cheese

lady & the tramp dolls are truffle-entincing

GRANDE.

piccolo.

"Life itself is the proper binge." — Julia Child

The start of winter in Northern Italy comes with what I like to call "culatello weather." Thick, thick white fog covers the damp ground not only in the morning mist, but throughout the dreary day and into the dark night. It is eerily the perfect backdrop for a scary movie and hibernating under the covers in bed all winter is the only source of salvation. Walking 3 minutes to and from class in this weather is one thing, but driving along unlit winding roads around the unfamiliar hills of Piemonte is another. After we left Torino, we followed Mapquest directions to a little town outside of Asti, where we had found a cheap b&b on Hostelworld.com the night before. It was barely 6pm and the sky was completely black and the fog surrounded us in Checky G along the single-car lane that weaved up and down and around the fog-veiled vineyards. We pulled up one driveway where we were greeted by invisible barking dogs that echoed in the dark. One house, despite a peak through the window, ignored our knocks and eventually came out to yell at us while another neighbour kindly gave us the correct directions as we nodded gratefully, despite the fragmented understanding of Italian. 

"Um, did you understand what she said?"

"Yeah, just take a right at the bottom of the hill, then after 15 or was it 50 meters there will be a cemetery with a big wall I think and um....yeah. We'll figure it out."

One more U-turn and another stop for directions we eventually found the little b&b, il Grappolo. We buzzed through the gate and were greeted by a befuddled man as we introduced ourselves. A woman came out, utterly confused and chattering away in Italian, but graciously invited us into her warm home where we were greeted by three yapping dogs. They hadn't received our reservation, hence the confusion, but told us the heat would be on in the guest house shortly and asked us if we would please stay for dinner. Of course! The couple ran the b&b for another family who owned it and worked mostly in the vineyard. Ana, the woman, called the family's daughter, Roberta, who spoke English and even though Ana and her husband talked to us as though we understood/spoke Italian fluently, it was nice to have an English translation.

Despite being unprepared for 4 extra people for dinner (Roberta's boyfriend also came) Ana whipped out the most extraordinary dinner as though she had been cooking all day - which she probably was - and apologized that she didn't have more food for us. Everything, including the wine, was homemade and from their garden. We started with antipasto of artichokes in oil with herbs, preserved red peppers with tuna, and crusty loafs of bread. Then we had a warm bowl of meaty minestrone soup with little round pasta floating on top. Next we had bollito and another kind of meat with different dipping sauces. And for dessert we had peaches and figs preserved in their own sweet juices. Ana was so enthusiastic about food and cooking. Her husband is gone for 12 hours a day so she cooks because she enjoys it. She showed us her cupboard full of preservatives, jams, jellys and oils. 

the family's wine

apricot, pear & nut, sambucco, ketchup, apple & onion, sofrito of 7 gusto (carrot, onion, celery, salt, parsley, basil oil - same ratio of each), fig, peach, prune, red tomato, salsa piccante, pepper & onion in agro-dulce, sundried peppers with white wine, garlic and anchovy; porcini, green tomato...the list goes on. They are preserved in sunflower oil because olive oil doesn't last long and the flavour is too strong. They also don't go bad because she uses old methods that take hours and hours and is done piece by piece. 

one shelf

two shelf.

three shelf.

i lost count shelf.

The next morning, you can imagine the breakfast feast she set up for us. Ana had a cafe with us and stayed to chat the entire time as we had bread with cured meats and various cheeses to go along with a tray of vegetable spreads and another one of fruity jams. There was cereal and muesli, yogurts, blood orange juice, three different types of cake and plastic-wrapped croissants. We probably could've stayed there all day talking with her, but Barolo and Monforte d'Alba beckoned us and we were on our way - not without promises to come back and stay with her - not the guesthouse - next time. 

From La Cucina Piemontese by Alessandro Molinari Pradelli

Cogna (o mostarda d'uva)
5L di mosto d'uva - grape must (this will reduce to half)
300g di fichi - fig
300g di mele cotogne - quince
300 g di pera Martin sec - pear
6 gherigli di noce - walnuts
10 nocciole sgusciate - shelled hazelnuts
2 chiodi di garofano - cloves
un frammento di cannla - a bit of cinnamon
-> base recipe, can add whatever fruit you like

In a large pot, cook the must over low heat until it is reduced by half or even less. Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle, crush the walnuts, pine nuts, cloves and cinnamon. Add the chopped figs, quinces and pears (peeled and chopped) to the concentrated must and cook for another hour. Add the nutty paste, stir occasionally and cook for a few minutes until aromatic. Pour the mustard into glass jars and store in a cool place. To ensure, long aging, wrap the pots in a cotton cloth and place in a large pot to boil - this is a system to preserve any sauce.


Bagna Cudo
Signifies the end of the work in the vineyard. Don't boil, take it slowly so that all the flavours unite - appena appena!

200g acciughe salate (rosse di Spagne) - salted anchovy (Spanish Red)
6 spicci grossi di aglio - large garlic cloves
6 dl olio extra vergine di oliva - extra virgin olive oil
900g burro - butter
cardi gobbi - cardoons
2 limone - lemon, peperoni - pepper, topinambur - artichoke, cavolo - cabbage, porri - leeks, cipollotti - onions, rape bianche - turnips, mele - apples, zucca - pumpkin....

Eataly in Italy.

Arina and I took a road trip to Piemonte one weekend in November. The main reason for going was that I wanted to speak with a winery I visited in September about a possible work experience after graduation in March. I also didn't get a chance to go to Eataly while attending Terra Madre in October. I don't know what I expected from Eataly. It certainly carries some beautiful products but it feels more like a gallery than a grocery store. The vegetables are displayed as though they are being sold from a cart on a cobblestone street. There aren't crates on top of crates like most supermarkets, but a limited selection of carefully placed vegetables as though they are being set up for a still life painting. They burst with life as a woman sprays each with a water spritzer as though they are a rich couple lying on chaise lounge chairs on a beach in St Tropez and being cooled down by a tanned strappingly-good-looking butler. The same woman scurries over to us with plastic gloves before we even dare to touch a vegetable ourselves.

The seafood section carries curious varieites of fish, both fresh and packaged, as a young boy sits at a table looking completely bored as he offers passer-byers some samples.

origin: "medit" 

 The cheese counter is glorious and we pass by a couple times to taste the samples being offered.

The meat counter brightly showcases red cuts of meat from head to trotters to rolls of skin. All of it is from Italy, mostly Piemontese, none of it is Chianina. 

testa = head

feet smell better with rosemary.

i'm not sure what you do with pig skin.

We were overwhelmed by oodles of olive oils and a slew of pasta shapes and sizes. 

Over a margharita pizza (I really like the in-store dining option - who isn't hungry when surrounding by beautiful food?), we raised some questions which lead into a discussion and brought us to a shared confusion. We had thought that Eataly and Slow Food were connected, however, it appeared too fancy and seemed like the people that are able to afford to shop there would not be the same people that Slow Food is trying to protect. Maybe it just felt expensive because it looked expensive. My poor student's empty wallet refused me the ability of looking at prices or even considering a small purchase. The Slow Food Presidia products, which are part of Slow Food's face towards the world, were  kept downstairs with hardly any information about them (or at least from what I saw...) We were confused too about the qualifications to have products be sold in Eataly - how does Eataly choose which brands and what farmers to include and do they have to pay for shelf space - in which case many farmers would not be able to afford an inclusion in Eataly. While slowly devouring the last bite of thin crust pizza - saving the best bite with the most mozzarella and little sprig of basil - I couldn't help but think that it seemed like a big contradiction that only reinforced the idea people have about Slow Food being elitist. We learned in class that consumers can change the market, but if so, what does Eataly in Torino and opening up recently in NYC say about the current market? I couldn't tell if the shoppers were locals, regulars, or tourists, but they certainly were not the people we saw selling their products in Terra Madre. Maybe the prices are fair, and it is worthwhile to pay for high-quality products, maybe it was unusual to have such a shopping experience that was a combination of Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca that's so different from walking to the corner A&O, but regardless of what it is or what it represents, it's certainly good to be curious and discuss these questions. But then again, that's what we do all the time - talk about food, the future, the university, life in Italy and eat good pizza.

 With our heads filled with dizzying questions about our association with Slow Food and everything we have learned this year, we didn't leave empty handed - especially after we drove 3 hours! A 5L glass jug could be filled with 2 euro per litre of red Piemontese wine. This was within our budget, priorities, and was justified by deciding to share it with the neighbours ;) Anyways, the glass jug was beautiful - how could it not be filled with cheap yet drinkable wine?

  I wonder how the NYC Eataly will compare and if the words "food miles," "carbon footprints" or "local" will briefly escape my thoughts....

It seems to me that you won’t have had a proper series of adventures, unless you’ve gone through thick and thin. The End of the Beginning:Being the Adventures of a Small Snail, Avi

Chianina Cow.

The very last day of our very last stage was all about meat. We went to a butcher who specializes in the typical cow of Tuscany, the Chianina. It is from this old breed in which we gorged ourselves the juicy-raw bistecca alla fiorentina. In Macelleria Ricci, the owner, Enrico taught us about the cow - which he raises his own cattle a few miles away. 

The Chianina is the world's largest cattle. 

Enrico doesn't recommend eating meat every day, maybe 2 or 3 times a week is enough. It is low in cholesterol and high in iron.  Women should eat liver once a month though because it is high in Vitamin A. 

There are many parts of the cow that could be eaten, but most people want to eat the cuts of meat that they know and are familiar with. It is possible to get 36 different cuts, each one must be branded with the name (which is also how it is possible to know if you are really eating a bistecca alla fiorentina in Tuscany or not...) There is a loss of about 50% when the animal is cut up. 

 From the butcher, to the farm...

 The cows are considered to be free-range, but they only spend the first four months in the field and when they are pregnant. 

Must be pregnant (above)....the cows move inside during the cold months to fatten up (below). I don't know if it's possible to trust a label  - free range, grass-fed - without knowing exactly where the food comes from.

we were told that the cows are not friendly towards humans...

 ..but this one loved licking Asher's hand.

the cows are born brown and turn porcelain white with age. each of the cows are hand-picked for breeding perfection - depending on their colour, hair tufts, etc. They are part of summer's Palio in Siena where they represent freedom and purity. 

Italian tip #9

sing karaoke on the bus as a group. it's full of laughs, talent, incriminating videos, creativity, dancing in the aisle, support, and the best way to bound with the group especially on the last night of the last study trip. tear. 

laughter is brightest where food is best - irish proverb

Chianti

Back to the wine. No trip to Tuscany would be complete without Chianti. The Chianti DOC area is much larger than Brunello di Montalcino allowing for more producers and production therefore the reason it is more well known. Our first stop was to the southern area of Chianti to an old village property, as old as 900 years old, which now belongs to a German insurance company. We had a tour of the Borgo San Felice, which was a bit reminiscent of the luxurious all-inclusive resort in Creta. Full of fall's orange yellow and reds climbing the walls of the buildings, it really was beautiful. 

Because of natural evaporation, it is necessary for the wine maker to know how much wine is in the barrel so that there is never any oxygen. With the glass bottle on top, the wine maker is able to see the level of wine and which barrels need more wine. The wine almost overflowing/contained within the glass bottle indicates that the barrel is completely full of wine. This was a creation of Di Vinci.

After our tour of the hamlet and the wine cellars, we feasted on some warm Tuscan soups, regional salami and cheese - of course - and chunks of crusty white bread drenched in florescent extra virgin olive oil just recently made. 

 The next stop on the Chianti tour: Rocca di Castagnoli. As opposed to San Felice's 1200,000 bottles produced every year, Castagnoli makes 330,000. It is another medieval village/hamlet.

we tried a really fascinating chardonnay which is completely unusual for the area.

the red stains on the barrel are from the overflowing wine. when refilling the barrels, the overflow indicates that the barrel is completely full of wine and zero oxygen. 

old wine making machine.