Wes and Marlow
Bologna, Italy
17-21 October 2019
In Bologna the gelaterias are open from early till late. The best of them make small batches on-site. Cremeria Cavour, Cremeria di Santo Stefano, and Stefino are our go to places. Nocciola (hazelnut) is a favorite flavor; the nuts grow nearby. We like the pomegranate, the caramelized fig, the chestnut, too. Gelato is in the daily diet here. So are pasta, cheese (fresh parmigiano from nearby Parma), sliced meats, pignoletto (local white wine), San Giovese (local red wine). It is a daily event to enjoy the aperitivo hour. Our go to bar, Zanarini, is elegant. The Bolognese clientele, some with their well behaved dogs, stand at the bar, occupy a stool or sit outside at a table. The staff is expert at classic cocktails. One pleasure is fresh strawberries pureed, poured into the flute then topped with prosecco. The drink is accompanied by finger sandwiches, chunks of cheese, chips olives on toothpicks, grilled vegetables. The food part of “aperitivo” varies. Zanarini is generous; enough food bites to make a meal of. The bolognese have many moments of leisure and pleasure built into their daily schedule.
We have been to Trattoria Casa Mia several times. The white truffle season begins this week. Wes ordered pasatelli with white truffles and fried eggs with white truffles. In the U.S.A. restaurants white truffles are very expensive. The waiter weighs the truffle before and after. The cost is huge. In Italy, they simply hold the truffle over your dish then shave and shave and shave the truffle until they are satisfied you are satisfied. I had seafood and vegetables. A small trough of ciccoria (chicory); akin to the stalks of swiss chard. And a platter with a whole grilled branzino, two large prawns and scallops in the shell quick broiled with parmigiano bread crumbs and garlic. Wesley’s pasatelli is a unique pasta. We wish it would be available at home. It is an extruded noodle composed of grated parmigiano, bread crumbs, egg and lemon zest. Here it is served floating in a bowl of broth or in a manner called asciutti (ah-SHOO-tee)(dry) with more parmigiano, butter and mushrooms or in our case white truffles.
Restaurants serve wine two ways. You can buy a bottle or have a glass from the bottle. Or you can order “vino della casa” which they serve from a spigot. My pignoletto frizzante “vino della casa” cost €1.50 (1.75 U.S. dollars) versus Wes’s wine from a bottle at €4. I remember on a previous visit we found a wine bar which sold vino della casa by the glass and you could buy a liter or a half-gallon. We saw people bring their own containers which made the low price even lower. That wine is not fancy, but it is from a real artisan winemaker, a local, who only makes enough to sell locally in bulk.
Another regular food spot for us is Tamburini. Tamburini has a corner location and is divided into different functions: a deli for fresh handmade pasta, for dozens of types of parmigiano, for locally cured hams, salamis and mortadellas; a wine bar with dozens of fine local wines by the glass; and a cafeteria. We push our trays past large balls of fresh mozzarella, small plates of vegetables roasted or steamed or baked, spigots of red and white wine, platters of risotto, or pasta with sausage or tomato or vegetable sauce, cutlets wrapped in prosciutto dredged in parmigiano bread crumbs and sauteed in butter with a squeeze of lemon. The cafeteria is jammed with locals. It is like an italian lesson to hear them speak. On each trip we comprehend more of what they say.
Our last Bologna meal was in Osteria Capello Rosso. It is hard to imagine, but it claims to have opened in 1375. The Osteria began as a place to hang out and drink alcohol with a few snacks. Eventually they were more about the tasty simple home cooking. This osteria has an annex across the street where they make all the pastas by hand. We had a plate of cauliflower roasted with ricotta. Then a plate of pasatelli and a plate of small sausages covered with friggione. Friggione is a staple, an multi purpose dish. One recipe says to thinly slice 8 pounds of onions. Sprinkle them with a spoon of sugar and a spoon of salt; let them sit. After two hours put them with their juices in a pan on a low low flame. After two hours add one pound fresh peeled chopped tomatoes and two spoons of lard (maybe they mean sausage drippings) and slow cook for another 90 minutes. Onions cooked slowly till they melt transcend their aggressive raw selves. Though we were full we each had a raviolo (a ahortbread half-moon cookie stuffed with prune jam) and a tiny glass of Nocino Classico a wine made from walnuts.
Yesterday, I walked through the narrow streets under the cover of the porticos to the park, Giardini Margherita, where a bel ragazzo, Wes, waited for me. It was so beautiful a day, I wished the whole world could be here.
Bologna, Italy
17-21 October 2019
In Bologna the gelaterias are open from early till late. The best of them make small batches on-site. Cremeria Cavour, Cremeria di Santo Stefano, and Stefino are our go to places. Nocciola (hazelnut) is a favorite flavor; the nuts grow nearby. We like the pomegranate, the caramelized fig, the chestnut, too. Gelato is in the daily diet here. So are pasta, cheese (fresh parmigiano from nearby Parma), sliced meats, pignoletto (local white wine), San Giovese (local red wine). It is a daily event to enjoy the aperitivo hour. Our go to bar, Zanarini, is elegant. The Bolognese clientele, some with their well behaved dogs, stand at the bar, occupy a stool or sit outside at a table. The staff is expert at classic cocktails. One pleasure is fresh strawberries pureed, poured into the flute then topped with prosecco. The drink is accompanied by finger sandwiches, chunks of cheese, chips olives on toothpicks, grilled vegetables. The food part of “aperitivo” varies. Zanarini is generous; enough food bites to make a meal of. The bolognese have many moments of leisure and pleasure built into their daily schedule.
We have been to Trattoria Casa Mia several times. The white truffle season begins this week. Wes ordered pasatelli with white truffles and fried eggs with white truffles. In the U.S.A. restaurants white truffles are very expensive. The waiter weighs the truffle before and after. The cost is huge. In Italy, they simply hold the truffle over your dish then shave and shave and shave the truffle until they are satisfied you are satisfied. I had seafood and vegetables. A small trough of ciccoria (chicory); akin to the stalks of swiss chard. And a platter with a whole grilled branzino, two large prawns and scallops in the shell quick broiled with parmigiano bread crumbs and garlic. Wesley’s pasatelli is a unique pasta. We wish it would be available at home. It is an extruded noodle composed of grated parmigiano, bread crumbs, egg and lemon zest. Here it is served floating in a bowl of broth or in a manner called asciutti (ah-SHOO-tee)(dry) with more parmigiano, butter and mushrooms or in our case white truffles.
Restaurants serve wine two ways. You can buy a bottle or have a glass from the bottle. Or you can order “vino della casa” which they serve from a spigot. My pignoletto frizzante “vino della casa” cost €1.50 (1.75 U.S. dollars) versus Wes’s wine from a bottle at €4. I remember on a previous visit we found a wine bar which sold vino della casa by the glass and you could buy a liter or a half-gallon. We saw people bring their own containers which made the low price even lower. That wine is not fancy, but it is from a real artisan winemaker, a local, who only makes enough to sell locally in bulk.
Another regular food spot for us is Tamburini. Tamburini has a corner location and is divided into different functions: a deli for fresh handmade pasta, for dozens of types of parmigiano, for locally cured hams, salamis and mortadellas; a wine bar with dozens of fine local wines by the glass; and a cafeteria. We push our trays past large balls of fresh mozzarella, small plates of vegetables roasted or steamed or baked, spigots of red and white wine, platters of risotto, or pasta with sausage or tomato or vegetable sauce, cutlets wrapped in prosciutto dredged in parmigiano bread crumbs and sauteed in butter with a squeeze of lemon. The cafeteria is jammed with locals. It is like an italian lesson to hear them speak. On each trip we comprehend more of what they say.
Our last Bologna meal was in Osteria Capello Rosso. It is hard to imagine, but it claims to have opened in 1375. The Osteria began as a place to hang out and drink alcohol with a few snacks. Eventually they were more about the tasty simple home cooking. This osteria has an annex across the street where they make all the pastas by hand. We had a plate of cauliflower roasted with ricotta. Then a plate of pasatelli and a plate of small sausages covered with friggione. Friggione is a staple, an multi purpose dish. One recipe says to thinly slice 8 pounds of onions. Sprinkle them with a spoon of sugar and a spoon of salt; let them sit. After two hours put them with their juices in a pan on a low low flame. After two hours add one pound fresh peeled chopped tomatoes and two spoons of lard (maybe they mean sausage drippings) and slow cook for another 90 minutes. Onions cooked slowly till they melt transcend their aggressive raw selves. Though we were full we each had a raviolo (a ahortbread half-moon cookie stuffed with prune jam) and a tiny glass of Nocino Classico a wine made from walnuts.
Yesterday, I walked through the narrow streets under the cover of the porticos to the park, Giardini Margherita, where a bel ragazzo, Wes, waited for me. It was so beautiful a day, I wished the whole world could be here.
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