There’s nothing like “ciao-ing” Italian style, particularly in Emilia-Romagna, where all things celebrate the pig. My husband and I just spent two weeks in the region, where we rented a small apartment from an oil painter and his mosaic-teaching wife on their farm in the tiny town of Mondaino (near Urbino).
One of the most eye-opening aspects of this trip—from a culinary standpoint—was how well your every-day Italian eats. Whether you’re rich or poor, everyone has access to high-quality ingredients. That’s because most markets sell ripe, in-season fruits and vegetables, locally-raised meats, and hand-crafted cheeses from nearby farms. Sure, you’ll see kids munching on potato chips and candy bars. But you’re hard-pressed to find families sustaining themselves on frozen dinners, buckets of fast food, and the cheap, processed junk Americans call nourishment. The reason for this, in part, is because pasta is a huge part of the country’s diet. It’s cheap, versatile, easy to prepare, and pretty hard to screw up.
Yet, even gas station restaurants, called Auto Grills, crank out amazing food! Pull into one and you’ll find baskets of fresh rolls and whole-grain bread ready to split open and stuff with salami, prosciutto, and balls of fresh mozzarella, along with gorgeous arugula salads topped with tuna and white beans, homemade soups, panini sandwiches stuffed with eggplant, red peppers, and Provolone, and wood-oven crisped pizzas. In one corner of the cafeteria, I even spotted a bin of sautéed Swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts. All this at a pit stop!
Our first couple meals took place in Bologna, a small student-filled city brimming with picturesque portals, outdoor cafes, boutiques, and shoe shops. Bologna is the gastronomic capital of Italy and a scrumptious place to visit for a couple of days (We loved the funky, modern, boutique hotel, Novecento, 4/3 Piazza Galileo.) You’ll find pork in every form, made into sausages, salami, mortadella, and the famous Prosciutto de Parma, along with roasted hot and cold pork dishes and various pork-rich ragus. Being summer, we feasted on silky, soft strips of prosciutto draped over juicy cantaloupe wedges and balls of buffalo mozzarella. Parmesan Reggiano, also made in nearby Parma, is the only cheese offered for sprinkling over pastas (there was no Pecorino), which range from the heavy signature tagliatelle Bolognese, meat tortellini in broth, and pumpkin-stuffed tortellini sauced with butter and sage. In a nod to the heat, we ordered lighter pastas, such as ricotta stuffed half-moons topped with sautéed zucchini, fresh tomato, and carrots. We also enjoyed the summer antipasti plates of sliced raw tuna, swordfish, and sea bass dressed with olive oil and salt—sashimi Italian style. As for dessert, we found plenty of cool, creamy panna cotta and, of course, gelato.
We never cooked at our apartment, except to make coffee because we were too excited to zip about in our rented car and sample the region’s bounty, either in the country or along the coast. For a country experience, you can’t beat eating in an agritourismo. Usually attached to a family’s home, these restaurants grow their own vegetables and fruits, make their own cheeses, and raise their own animals and bees for honey. Usually, there are no menus, simply a handful of starters, pastas, and main courses that the Mama or Papa has prepared that night. At an agritourismo called Belvedere in Melto, we had a standout dinner featuring fresh pasta topped with buttery artichoke hearts and an entrée of tender farm-raised rabbit stuffed with its own organs (brains, pancreas, and liver). We raved so much about the Italian pinot noir paired with the rabbit (it’s very unusual to find Pinot Noir in Italy), the owner sent us home with a bottle. In Italy, the spirit of sharing knows no bounds.
In coastal cities and towns like Rimini, Cattolica, and Pesaro, we feasted on the bounty of the Adriatic Sea. We’d usually share two seafood appetizers—maybe grilled sardines with lemon and smoked swordfish—and then share two pastas—perhaps spaghetti with clams and fresh ziti with mussels and tomato. Then, we’d split a grilled fish entrée and a green salad, washing everything down with the area’s buttery Verdicchio white wines. You’d have thought we would have gained weight eating all this food. Yet, we didn’t, mainly because portion are reasonable and we were quite active. Also, eating in this fashion involved ingesting no additives, preservatives, fillers, or other scary ingredients. Meals are fresh and pure and made with minimal sugars, salt, and fats.
Two days before flying home, we stayed in Rome, where you can dine in one of two ways. One route is to visit the old-style Roman trattorias to savor traditional dishes, like pasta with veal ragu, grilled pork shoulder, and tiramisu. The other option is to visit the more modern spots (often located in chi-chi complexes along with a bar, café, clothing boutique, flower store, and wine shop), where you’ll find menu items like Parmesan mousse with mint and arugula gnocchi with tomatoes, pine nuts, and sheep’s milk ricotta. We tried both the traditional and modern restaurants with terrific results. Then, we had one final stop: Gelateria Del Teatro (70 Via di St. Simone), a tiny artisinal gelato shop offering dozens of funky flavors made from organically grown fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices. We tried the summer favorite of ricotta gelato streaked with raspberries and minced sage, dark chocolate with orange peel, and finally a fig with roasted pine nuts. It was a sweet, final bite, encapsulating our entire vacation in Italy: la dolce vita.
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When Chocoaltine first opened in 2004 on Thousand Oaks Blvd., I was pretty excited. I stopped in once, though, and was disappointed. I must’ve visited on a bad day or, perhaps, Chocolatine had rough patches when it first opened. But now, oh now, they’ve worked them out. I’ve been visiting regularly for the past 6 months and I’m never dissapointed. Yesterday, I stopped in for a decaf mocha and had to get a pistachio French macaron (couldn’t resist). It was so decadent, so delicious, it made me think to hell with the bad economy! Maybe we can’t take exotic Parisian vacations right now but we can have a taste of it right here. Chocolatine was doing a brisk business, so I believe others are thinking also along my lines. Coming from the city environment –where tea shops, bakeries and cafes line many streets — you won’t necessarily think Chocolatine is out of the usual. But it is for here! In fact, I believe it’s really one of the few places around that truly has the ambiance of a tiny cafe in a city. Check out their soups, quiches, salads, pastries and, of course, chocolates! It’s all made by local owners Hugo and Sabrina Barthe.
