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PICI…the Real Thing!

27 Jun

If you are looking for Tuscan cuisine that is truly authentic, look no further than the pasta called PICI. Pici is the simplest of pastas, made from only two ingredients: 00 flour and water. That’s it, except for the patience of hand rolling the pasta. Pici is eggless pasta that is rolled into thick spaghetti and often served with porcini mushroom sauce or a meat sauce called ragu. Both are scrumptious.

PICI

Now, you can buy dry pici at many shops in town including the markets, cafes, enotecas, wine stores, souvenir shops, etc. Or in Cortona, you can buy all types of fresh pasta and sauces from Bottega della Pasta Fresca, the wonderful pasta shop that supplies many of the local restaurants.

                     

But if you are lucky enough to be here with us, you can enjoy HOMEMADE PICI by Benita and Sarah! The girls announced they wanted to give Pici making a try. With flour and water in hand, they made the dough, let is set about 30 minutes, and began rolling the pici in our very tiny kitchen.

The chefs and their dough!

Rolling the pici

We had some left-over grilled chicken breasts, so they used those, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, a little celery and a dose of wine to make their ragu.

They cooked the very uneven pieces of pici, (true sign of homemade), for just a few minutes in salted water.

What can I say? It was DELICIOUS! Seriously, they did such a good job and cooked it perfectly. Unfortunately, my photo isn’t clear, but you get the idea. And the aroma was amazing.  Some freshly grated pecorino, perfetto!

                            

I’ll think I’ll hire them for a pici party when we get home!

Ciao,

Judy

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A Simple Meal

19 Jun

Pork chops cut fresh off the rib by the butcher

Butcher

Just picked vegetables from the open market

Ladies buying veggies

Mozzarella from the mercato

Always  fresh tomatoes

Carbonella (charcoal) in the grill

One inside chef ….                                                     One outside griller

Add a little vino….Delicious!

Ciao,

Judy

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Tuscher Caffe

16 Jun

One of the things we enjoy most about Cortona is its Italian authenticity. Most of the restaurants, shops, and stores are owned and operated by Italians, and these are where we prefer to spend time.  Last year, every day when we walked along Via Nazionale, the main street in Cortona, we walked by the Tuscher Caffé, www.caffetuschercortona.com. Although the café was inviting, its name and modern décor clearly weren’t Italian, or so we thought.  Fortunately, this year we discovered otherwise.

The two-story Caffé opened in 2003 in the beautiful Palazzo Ferretti. Massimo and Daniela, the owners and operators of the caffé, named it after the building’s architect, Carl Marcus Tuscher, a German architect and painter who worked in Italy from 1728-41.

Massimo, Daniela and Lucky

The owners take pride in every facet of the caffé, whether it is the wines, the aperitifs, the appetizers, the food, or the desserts. Freshly prepared appetizers match their cocktail creativity, and all meals are made to order.

Appetizers…on the house!

Dinner specials are delicious, but so is everything else we have eaten.

lightly crusted prawns with citrus butter…melt in your mouth!

The chocolato, a kind of flourless chocolate cake, is our favorite dessert!

chocolato, cappucino, and lime citrus mouse

Have it with fresh cream…enough for several to share.

Seating is available inside and out, and there is an upstairs loft for cocktails that overlooks the first floor.

view from the loft

Sandy and Larry

Colorful art decorates the walls; jazzy music fills the rooms; and smiles are everywhere from satisfied patrons.

Girls out for Chocolato

The restaurant is open daily in the summer from breakfast to after dinner.

Benita, Massimo and Sarah

Len and Judy

Be sure to stop by Tuscher if you are in Cortona!

Ciao!

Judy

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Home Alone and Bistecca alla Fiorentina

14 Jun

Three weeks have passed and almost all of our guests and visitors have come and gone! Michael left for the U.S. on June 6; Sarah’s parents Elena and Alex on June 10; and Sandy and Larry today. Rome, Firenze, Pompeii, Napoli, Sorrento, Capri, Montalcino, Cortona…different cities woven into the various agendas, each providing new stories and lasting memories. We loved being with all of you and exploring old and new sights together. We miss you!

                                           

Our last dinner with Sandy and Larry was at Cacio Brillo, always a favorite of ours, and even more so now that they’ve expanded their menu.  After dinner, the ladies continued on for dessert, the most amazing chocolate tort!

Tonight, with just the four of us home, we decided to fire up the grill and try our hand at some bistecca alla Fiorentina. Len and I went to the butcher just around the corner. She cut two huge on the bone steaks and gave us specific cooking instructions:

  • Rinse meat and pat dry; leave out of frig for about 30 minutes before cooking
  • Place on hot grill adding nothing to the meat
  • After about 5-7 minutes, turn over and salt cooked side
  • “Watch with your eyes” to not overcook, then remove meat from grill
  • Before serving, drizzle olive oil, then salt (pepper optional)
  • Finally, add a squeeze of lemon!

grilling steaks and zucchini

Chef Leonardo

Well, dinner was amazing! The aroma had neighbors opening their windows, but alas, only enough for four…(the bones were huge!) A salad with Italian tomatoes topped it all off, and from our garden, one single stem with five beautiful roses. Finally, Sandy and Larry, we opened one of your bottles of Pietranera and toasted to your safe travel home.

Arrivederci to you both!

Ciao,

Judy

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Montalcino Revisited

13 Jun

Last year, I wrote about our most amazing visit to the Tenuta Friggiali winery and our opportunity to sample many wonderful wines, including our favorite, Pietranera Brunello. This year, we wanted to share the experience with Sandy and Larry, and once again, the lovely Emanuela welcomed us as old friends.

Getting ready for the tasting!

A few things have changed since last year, the most significant for us being that the home where we met Marissa, the owner, and her cousin Maria, has now been transformed into offices and a cellar by their daughter, who produces the Donna Olga label. It seems that Marissa and her husband spend less time in Tuscany, and when they are there, they occupy the house where we spent the night last year.

Incredible things can happen by chance, and for us, the chance meeting of Marissa at her home last year was a memory we’ll always treasure. While Marissa wasn’t in Montalcino this year, she was aware of our visit and sent her regards from Napoli, as did we back to her. I like thinking that Len and I were the last strangers that became friends with Marissa in that house. The thought will always bring a huge smile to my face and warm thoughts of an unforgettable chance encounter in our lives.

After our tasting, we had lunch at a small café in the town of Montalcino. Cesare the owner made sure we didn’t leave hungry!

Ciao,

Judy

                                             

A salumi platter

Anchovies for Len!

Hot Pecorino!

L’Angolo Cafe

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Firenze

29 May

Just returned from two wonderful days in Firenze.

Yesterday, we took the 1.5-hour train ride from the Cortona/Camucia station, dropped our luggage at a small B&B,

Ricotta fresca

and headed to Piazza della Repubblica for lunch at Le Giubbe Rosse. The pizza was delicious and the fresh ricotta and tomatoes… simple and delicious!

From our table, I could see the balcony of the room at the Savoy where we celebrated my parents’ 50th anniversary. On either side of the balcony is a statue – one male, one female. When I see them, I always think my parents are smiling down at us, happy that we are still celebrating their lives and the legacies they left us.

Savoy Hotel, balcony upper right

After lunch,  we walked to Piazza del Duomo, Firenze’s historical center containing the Cathedral, the Baptistery (correct spelling!) and the Campanile, or bell tower.  The magnificent façades consist of an intricate pattern of green, white and reddish pink tiles, which you can see better if you click on Benita’s photo.

Duomo facade

As summer months go, May is definitely a tourist’s paradise, especially on Mondays. Crowds are lighter as kids are still in school and the big galleries are closed, so fewer tour groups crowd the city.

That said, we were able to walk right into the Cathedral, also known as Santa Maria del Fiore. The cathedral’s dome, engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi and built between 1420-1436, is considered the most impressive feature. Benita is able to stitch shots together, providing this impressive view of the dome and altar.

Duomo altar and dome

The  Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in Florence. Until the 19th century, all Catholics in the city were baptized in the octagon-shaped Baptistery. Some of the more notable baptisms include Dante and members of the Medici family. The bronze doors of the Baptistery include copies of 28 reliefs depicting scenes from the Bible. The originals are in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.

Today we had reservations (no waiting in long lines!) for the Uffizi Gallery, world renown for magnificent works of art and the Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s David. So much art and culture in one city…truly overwhelming, each and every visit.  Both galleries now prohibit any photography, but did not years ago when I was a student in Italy. I am reminded once again to pull out the hundreds of slides I took back them and convert them to current media.

On a sad note, there was another earthquake today in northern Italy. When we were at the train station returning to Cortona, they were talking about the difficulty getting to and around Bologna. Fortunately, Firenze and its treasures were not affected.

On a lighter note, at the exit of the Accademia in the garden across from the bookstore, there is a David that can be photographed. I must admit that after being in the trance that David causes, I felt the outside David was a bit sacrilegious. But since this David is provided by the museum, I guess you should  see it!

Also at the Accademia!

A wonderful trip!

Ciao,

Judy

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Saturday To Do List

26 May

1. Skip Italian Class: (note to my Italian teacher and classmates): Buongiorno a tutti! Mi dispiace io non sono con voi, ma devo ammettere, preferisco essere qui. Anche se non ho fatto i compiti della scorsa settimana, Giovanna sarebbe fiero di come ho praticare ogni giorno, per tutto il giorno. Ci vediamo in autunno. Ciao, Giuditta

2. Go to Market: Items for lunch for Trattoria Gingerella: let the pictures speak for themselves!

At the market

Roses from our garden

Roasted chicken, tomatoes and mozzarella, melon and prosciutto, antipasto and vino

3. Take random photos:

Benita and Sarah

Real mozarella!

Mike and the original Fiat 500

A 1910 wardrobe trunk

4. Dinner at Trattoria Toscana: http://www.trattoriatoscana.eu/

Goat cheese with balsamic

Gnocchi with leak and tomato

Tagliatelle con porcini

A wonderful day!

Ciao, Judy

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Home Again!

25 May

Cortona. We arrived yesterday, tired but invigorated and anxious to see people from last year.  Ti ricordi di noi? we asked, wondering if they remembered us. The warm embraces, big smiles and wonderful double cheek kisses let us know they did. I learned recently that the first kiss goes on the left cheek…funny I never knew that!

Benita L-front), Judy, Len, Michael, Sarah

Sarah, Davide, Benita

We had dinner at Taverna Pane e Vino. Unlike last year, when it was just Len and me, this trip we have a cast of characters including son Michael, daughter Benita,  and her friend Sarah. Benita and Sarah are both minoring in photography and will graciously lend some of their wonderful photos to my posts.

Also, a photo with our server Davide… the girls attract a lot of attention!

Afterward, heading out for gelato, we bumped into a group of professional photographers we had met earlier. They are doing several photo shoots throughout Italy for a travel company…a dream job! They answered my Mac converter questions and I provided some info about Cortona. In Cortona, strangers seem to easily become friends.

Clay (L-front), Cornelius, Marco, Barney
Dining al fresco on Via Nazionale

Talk about feeling home again. This morning, while the others slept, Len and I went to Trattoria Taconi for our usual morning cappuccino. This is the five-table teeny restaurant where we enjoyed cappuccino each morning last year. They actually only serve pranz0, or lunch, and you eat whatever Graziella is preparing for the day, on crisp white linen table cloths, of course. Yesterday we stopped in just to say hello. This morning, while having cappuccino, I noticed four of the five tables had reservation signs on them. I asked Angelino if something special was going on, and he pointed to the largest of the tables and said, per voi…for you! Of course, a table set for five. They were expecting us for lunch. Home again!

Graziella preparing our lunch

Pasta ragu

Lingering at Trattoria Taconi (panorama courtesy of Benita)

Happy to report that the sun is shining and we are all rested and ready for adventure.

Ciao,

Judy

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Trattoria Toscana

14 Apr

I just received the renewal notice for my blog site and must confess that I hadn’t looked at it in some time. I knew I’d resume writing late this May, when we return to Italia, but the notice caused me to read some of last summer’s posts. Doing so brought a smile to my face and also the realization that there are several posts I never had time to finish. In the next few weeks, I hope to be sharing them.

We are eagerly anticipating our 2012 trip, a return to Cortona and the friends we made there last summer. In the meantime, hope you enjoy reading about Trattoria Toscana. When I close my eyes, I can still smell the spaghetti con porcini!

From 2011 Summer

One of our favorite restaurants in Cortona is Trattoria Toscana. The owner Sara, chef  Santi and waiter Enzo are all very accommodating and fun! This restaurant is on Via Dardano, just down the street from our house on Via Mazzuoli. They exhibit local art work, paintings and photographs on their walls – one of the pieces shown by Len below. We have tried the fix prix menu as well as a la carte, and all have been delicious. Tonight we couldn’t resist spaghetti con funghi porcini freschi, or spaghetti with fresh porcini mushrooms…truly a local favorite!

One of the wonders of Cortona is the close proximity yet efficiency of pedestrians and motorized vehicles. During dinner, we realized that something was going on in the main piazza at the end of the street, so all vehicles had to make a sharp right turn on the street directly perpendicular to the Trattoria. The old cobblestone streets are so narrow we feared a few tourists might be crushed or a few cars might join our table for dinner, but alas, no problem for the Cortonese.

Ciao,

Judy

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Tacconi Trattoria and a Surprise

24 Jun

A few mornings ago, we happened into a very small trattoria just down the street from us for cappuccino. I noticed a sign that said they were only open for lunch. I introduced myself, and asked the lady for a menu. In Italian, Graziella said there was no menu, just what she was cooking each day.

This morning after coffee, I told her we’d be back for lunch. She took me in the small kitchen to see what she was making…the scents were already divine. As  you can see in the pictures, there was tomato sauce with meat already simmering and another pan heating on the flame with olive oil, garlic, sage, and just added cannelini beans.

We returned later for lunch and had the best pasta with meat sauce ever! And I don’t even like meat sauce! Before the pasta, she surprised us with just fried zucchini blossoms. And of course, the Florentine Bistecca, which they cook over an open flame and fan the charcoals to obtain the perfect heat and flame height. (That’s two steaks more than I have had in a long time!)

And here’s the surprise. As I took pictures, Graziella asked if I was a writer. I explained that I had a blog and would feature her restaurant. She then told me she had a friend that’s a writer, and then she went to a glass cabinet to pull out some books. Three books in Italian… all autographed to Graziella by none other than Frances Mays.

I have mentioned in an earlier post that I have read Under the Tuscan Sun and Every Day in Tuscany. Frances Mays clearly put Cortona on the radar of many a traveler to Italy. That said, however, we did not come here looking for her nor have we ascended the hill to find Bramasole. In fact, unlike the real Julia Childs in Julie and Julia, most people don’t even know what Frances Mays looks like…They often imagine her as Diane Lane, from the movie, as shown in many posters around Cortona.

Graziella and her husband Angelino have a collage of pictures hanging on the wall. She took me over and pointed to one of her and Frances Mays. She then told us we were sitting at the table where Frances somtimes comes to write. A fortunate stroke of serendipity for me! And now you and I know what she actually looks like!

Ciao, Ciao,

Judy

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