Sant’Ambrogio Winterlude

Ciao Bloggisti!

Back from my self-imposed hiatus. I’ve been busy with the usual but I’ve also decided to relax more in the evenings and do things to help me wind down after a long day. So instead of blogging I’ve been obsessively watching  episodes of 30 Rock and reading books. Just finished The Namesake. Great up until the first half but the ending was a slight disappointment. Not that I didn’t feel guilty about not writing. Every evening I thought about it but you know, I decided not to get stressed about something that is essentially a hobby. I knew that when the moment was right, I’d start posting again.

So, it’s a good thing I got sick and am at home today. It means I can finally write! So without further ado, let me tell you about my recent mini holiday in Lombard Alps.

While the Milan area may not be as romantic and exciting as living in Rome or the Amalfi Coast, we do have one perk that makes us the “envy” of the Bel Paese: il ponte di Sant’Ambrogio, or the long weekend in commemoration of the St. Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan. What makes this holiday extra-special is that not only do we get St. Ambrose Day off (on December 7, also the traditional opening of the season at La Scala), the next day is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which just so happens to be a national holiday in Italy. And this year we were extra lucky because December 7 and 8 fell on a Monday and Tuesday. So we basically had a four-day weekend!!

We decided to make the most of it and take the kids to the mountains, in the Valsassina and Valchiavenna valleys, to be precise. The little ‘uns were thrilled because the day before we left it had snowed in the area. Us big ‘uns were thrilled because we slept lots and ate even more! Here’s the photographic evidence:

Mountains in Valsassina

A December afternoon in the lovely town of Chiavenna

A selection of local coldmeats, including Valtellina's world-famous bresaola

Two different types of pizzoccheri, a "light" pasta dish made cooked with different types of cheeses, potatoes, swiss chard or cabbage, garlic, sage and butter. The pizzoccheri on the left are made with traditional buckwheat tagliatelle while the ones on the right are made with a type of gnocchi from the Chiavenna area.

Lombards on ice! A skating rink in Chiavenna.

After our lovely holiday we were still hungry for more, so I baked cupcakes. First time ever!

So that’s how we spent our first long weekend of the season. Now I’m desperately trying to book a hotel in Val d’Aosta for New Year’s but it’s not looking promising. So if we don’t get lucky, it means that I’ll be ringing in 2010 with the in-laws. Can someone please help me? Anyone?!?

A day at the agriturismo

Ciao Bloggisti!

Finally coming up for air after a pretty intense two months. The hubster was away on business which meant life was all work, kids and no play. So of course that meant no blogging. But now I’m on holiday in Canada and have a few free minutes to tell you about my lovely day in the country a couple months ago.

Those of you who live in Italy have probably heard of or visited an agriturismo. I mentioned our visit to a rustic agriturismo in Tuscany a couple of posts back. In my opinion, it is one of the best ways to experience Italy. An agriturismo (a combination of the words agricoltura and turismo) is a renovated farmhouse in a, more often than not, picturesque part of the country. Rooms are available to let and if you’re lucky it will have a restaurant with dishes featuring their very own fresh produce, just like at Cascina Caremma in the town of Besate, Lombardy. Located within the lovely Parco Ticino, Cascina Caremma prides itself on its particular attention towards local traditions, the environment and fine food. They are staunch believers in Kilometer Zero cuisine and serve specialities with ingredients that they have either raised or grown themselves. If you are lucky enough to get a reservation, be prepared for a set menu decided upon day by day, in order to guarantee the freshest, most seasonal dishes possible. Mmmm… I’m getting hungry just thinking about my meal. So without further ado, here are some pictures of my day at the agriturismo:

One of the old farm buildings that was renovated and now houses a modern, luxurious spa!

Roasted red and yellow peppers

Crespelle (Italian crepes) stuffed with cheese and herbs

risotto with asparagus and tomatoes

meringue mountain with hot chocolate sauce

Pretty impressive stuff. And those were only a third of the dishes they served at lunch! We couldn’t even finish everything on the menu and to top it all off we were shocked at how affordable it was. Hmm, I wonder if they have anything similar to agriturismi in the Toronto area. Must find out! But for now, I’m more than happy with my beloved Tim Horton’s. And that, my friends, is another story….

Desperation Poutine

Ciao Bloggisti!

Well, here we are, week after my rant about Italy and I’m still peeved! This time for a problem at my daughter’s preschool. It’s a long and complicated story, too boring to explain in detail but basically they decided to close the school for three days because water was leaking from the roof. And even if my daughter’s class isn’t even in the same building as the school with the water leak, they magically found a bit of condensation in their classroom (it’s been raining non-stop here for four days straight) and the mayor declared their classroom as unsafe as well. How nice! Especially since there’s a long weekend coming up. That way the teachers can add three more days to their vacation!! The funny thing is, my son’s daycare is in the same building as my daughter’s class and they’re still open. Hmmm….

Ok, enough of my complaining! Let’s talk about something infinitely more interesting. FOOD! Since I’ve been feeling homesick of late, one evening I decided to make one of my favourite Canadian comfort foods: poutine. Quoi?? You don’t know the celestial concoction of  french fries, gravy and cheese curds? It was one of my go-to meals when I was a university student in Montreal as it was cheap, filling and the perfect cure for a hangover. There’s even a so-called Italian Poutine, made of fries, shredded mozzarella and bolognese sauce that you’d never actually find  in Bologna but which I didn’t disdain either.

However, the other evening I wanted the real thing. I happened to have some leftover homemade chicken gravy and decided it was the perfect time to take a walk down Canadian culinary lane. I wanted to do things right so I fried my fries instead of baking them in the oven like I usually do. The only problem was that I didn’t have cheese curds. Hmmm, what would be a good substitute for curds? Why Asiago, of course! So I carefully assembled my Desperation Poutine: first the french fry base, then the Asiago and finally the piping hot gravy. I closed my eyes and took a bite.

My first thought was, “Meh”. After all that work, all the expectations, my poutine was a bit of a disappointment.  As you can see, the Asiago didn’t melt, which is what happens to curds upon contact with the hot gravy. Perhaps the cheese I used was too aged or too cold. But that stringy, cheesy goodness which is essential to the whole poutine experience was missing from my invention. But I haven’t given up hope. Now I have to try and find cheese curds here in Italy or book a flight back home asap!

Help a Canuck girl in need! What Italian cheese would be the best substitute for curds?

Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries, Icy Coke, Milkshakes, Sundaes and Apple Pie!

Ciao Bloggisti!

I was about to go to bed but decided to go on Dlisted for one last dose of dirty gossip. BIG MISTAKE! Now I’m going to have nightmares of Pharrell Williams dancing inside a Paris McDonald’s, begging for apple pie at six in the morning. And no, I’m not on drugs. But thanks for asking!

If you don’t believe me, have a look for yourself:

Now, I love Pharrell but that song & dance number was a superfail. And unimpressive. I mean, this is a man who’s worked with Madonna and all he got was “just breakfast”.

Poor guy! Who can blame a traveller for craving a taste of home while in a foreign country. Us expats can relate to Pharrell’s predicament. I once cheated on my beloved Tim  Horton and ate a stale Burger King donut in Milan because I was just that desperate.

I’d love to hear the bizarre cravings you’ve had on holiday or while abroad.  Have you ever sung for your supper?

Oh, and if you’re interested in “just breakfast” take a look at my friend Pickle Pea’s blog. I want that toast now!

 

One more thing before I forget, I just wanted to announce the winner of the giveaway. It’s NYC/Caribbean Ragazza! Congrats and I hope you enjoy the book!!

Eating guitar strings

Ciao Bloggisti!

I have to be quick with this post because I’m home sick and so are the kids and they’re finally having a nap, which means I have about 30 minutes to write if I’m lucky. So here goes!

I’ve had guitars on the brain for a while now. As some of you might know, I’m a huge Beatles fan and after watching their Anthology documentary, I got the itch to start learning the guitar again. I half-heartedly began about 20 years ago when my friend Justin (who now happens to be a successful guitar teacher in Manchester) sold me a little acoustic guitar.  But being the impatient and undisciplined teenager that I was, when I didn’t start sounding like a young George Harrison after a month’s playing, I pretty much gave up. But in my old age, I decided to start anew, hoping that my willpower would have built up by now. I convinced to the hubster to buy me a brand new acoustic guitar for my birthday, I bought the Learning Guitar for Dummies book and DVD and now I try and practice when the kids are in bed, praying that my pathetic rendition of Frère Jacques won’t wake them (or the neighbourhood cats) up. It’ll take a while to actually play decently but I’m proud of the callouses on my fingers.

Guitars were also on the menu of the latest restaurant I had the pleasure of dining at in the centre of Milan. Well, to be honest, Da Giannino, L’Angolo d’Abruzzo,  actually served up spaghetti alla chitarra, a square-shaped long pasta made from a stringed tool called chitarra (literally, a guitar). You can read more about this wonderful Abruzzese dish in my pal Joanne’s Frutto della Passione.

(Have to take a quick break. One of the “monkeys” just woke up and is screaming for me.)

(Ok, Monkey #1 now is on the sofa watching cartoons. I’m safe for a few minutes yet!)

Anyway, Jo happened to be at the restaurant with yours truly and raved about how authentic their spaghetti alla chitarra was. And if she says so, it must be true! I also was lucky enough to try the spaghetti in my tris di primi, a sampling of three different types of pasta. As well as the spaghetti, there were giant ravioli called schiaffoni (big slaps!) and little green gnocchi, all fresh, all delish!!

Tris di primi: spaghetti alla chitarra, schiaffoni and green gnocchetti

Some of my commensali had another speciality from Abruzzo, roasted lamb with potatoes. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, flavourful yet not gamey, a result that’s often difficult to achieve when cooking lamb.

Roasted lamb and potatoes

I, however, opted for one of the dishes I just have to eat whenever we visit our friends in L’Aquila, Arrosticini. They’re succulent skewers of grilled mutton which, traditionally, should be eaten by holding the skewer with your hands and pulling the meat off the stick with your teeth. And that’s exactly what I did! I don’t know about you but I get a visceral pleasure from eating food with my hands, however messy it can be.

Arrosticini

These arrosticini did not disappoint, all washed down with a house wine (which I failed to note) served in lovely, hand-painted ceramic jugs.

All in all, I was thrilled with my dinner. The food was great, the service fast and very friendly and best of all, it was extremely affordable.  We paid about €25 each, which included pasta, main course, dessert, wine, coffee and some deadly liqueurs. Prices like that are a rarity in Milan. So next time you’re in town and you’re hankering for a taste of Abruzzo , give Giannino a call. And please do call in advance because the place is literally an angolo,  tiny and always, always packed.

Da Giannino – L’angolo d’Abruzzo

Via Rosolino Pilo, 20 – Milano

Phone: +39 02/29.40.65.26

Opening hrs: Tues – Sat 12:00pm – 11:00pm, Sun 12:00pm – 3:00pm

(Phew! I did it! Monkey #2 is still fast asleep. It’s a good blogging day!)

Small town par-tay!

Ciao Bloggisti!

Since we’re all (hopefully) in holiday mode, what could be better than pictures of a colourful village fair to get the party started. The photos are of my town’s festòn (big par-tay, or town fair in local dialect). To be honest, it took place almost two months ago (oops!) but I finally got my act together and am posting now.  Since it’s Christmas and everyone is sooo much nicer at this time of the year, I’m sure you’ll forgive me, right???

We moved to our small town of around 8,000 over a year ago. We wanted a change of pace from the Milanese suburbs, give our kids the chance to breathe clean air and experience small town life. I’m sure by the time they hit tweendom, they’re going to hate us for living so far from Milan but for now, they’re loving it.

One of my favourite local events is the festòn. The town basically shuts down for two days and the main streets are lined with stands, selling everything from gastronomic delights to hunting paraphernalia. I bought a cool handbag and my husband was really proud of his shiny new axe. Hmmm…

Anyway, here are some of my fave pics from the fair:

view of side street

Every year we buy “casoncelli”, delicious meat ravioli from the Brescia/Bergamo area but this year we decided to try “scarpinocc”, filled with cheese, parsley, spices, butter and breadcrumbs. Mmm mmm good!

Various types of cheeses, ham and salami. Oh, and one bored pig.

a rainbow of candies and liquorice

mushroom and sausage risotto, offered by the town’s tourist board

I have lots more pics but by the time I get around to posting them,  next year’s festòn will probably be around the corner!

Do you have a town fair where you live? Would love to hear about yours!

Turning water into wine?

Ciao Bloggisti!

Just a quick post to say hi and let you know that I haven’t forgotten you. I am just snowed under, literally and figuratively, these days.  There was a major snowfall this morning and it took me 4 hrs to get to work this morning instead of the usual 45 min. Grrrr!!!

But this news item from the Toronto Star  soon made me forget my winter blues. It was so funny that I just had to share it with you:

Ontario’s Liquor Control Board is recalling an Italian wine, but not for the usual reasons.

Some of the 1,500 ml bottles of 2007 D’Aquino Pinot Grigio delle Venezie are nothing but water.

George Soleas, the board’s vice-president of quality assurance, said yesterday there is no risk to the public.

“Basically, the chemical testing we have done, that was quite extensive, shows it is just tap water.”

“The only reason we decided to do the public recall is because we stand behind the quality of our products 100 per cent,” Soleas said.

“And a lot of these products, because they are Christmas items, they are going to be gifted and I didn’t want to have people surprised on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve opening this product and finding water instead of wine.

“It was a human error basically, it wasn’t a tampering issue at all,” he added.

The problem was at the bottling plant where the bottles are flushed out with water.

“I guess someone was waiting for Jesus to turn it into wine,” he joked.

Oops!!!