Who are the people in your neighborhood?

Spending three months in a small town, one of the things you should do is try to get to know people.  Especially people that are in the same industry as yourself.  Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not so much.  I did try, I really did.   I had one real problem though, my addiction to gelato.  This brought me to L'Officina del Gelatohttp://www.lofficinadelgelatoorvieto.com and Tommaso Parodi.

Tommaso, originally from Palermo, has been making gelato for over 20 years.  And like my chef, Lorenzo Polegri is passionate about, well, everything he is involved with, Tommaso is very passionate about not only life, but his gelato.  The passion that he has is revealed in the flavors and quality of his gelato.

L'Officina del Gelato is located on Corso Cavour in Orvieto.  I believe he told me he has only been in Orvieto for a year now.  Prior to this, he ran a gelateria in Rome, but he wanted to slow down, just a bit and get away from the hustle bustle of the big city.  Even though his turn over for gelato was larger in Rome, he never let the quality be compromised.  He has always used only fresh, seasonal ingredients.  He makes his base as opposed to using an industrial made base and what he uses is posted on a board above the case of gelato - milk, eggs, cream, sugar, fruit, fruit juice, chocolate, and coffee.

Tommaso's beliefs are quoted -" ..... The use of raw materials of high quality allows the gelato ice-cream production exclusively from natural ingredients, with no additives because emulsifiers, artificial flavorings, vegetable fats, dyes and preservatives, replaced by vegetable fibers, fatty and milk proteins. At one time the production of ice cream was obtained using a machine called a sorbet, cooled with ice and salt, and through the freezing "manual", by means of a long stick with a spatula. Today, fortunately, something has changed ..


The basic steps of the preparation (hot) are:

Recipe / formula and dosage
mixing
pasteurization
Emulsification (if any)
maturation
freezing
Hardening (if any)
Conservation / Exposure
The preparation of a good ice cream from the study of the recipe (or formula) with the subsequent assay of raw materials and ingredients of quality."

You can taste a difference in gelato's.  Once you have a gelato with a base made from scratch, using fresh, quality, and seasonal ingredients, you'll be able to detect the machine made, mass produced bases.  But the big thing, knowing that there is no passion making that industrial base, no true quality control, just the press of a button, that's where the true test shines through.  Knowing that Tommaso experiments and uses not only himself, but his employees and a few lucky passers by to test his new flavors before he puts them on offer for the public, shows that he will not sell his product, just because.  No, he truly cares about what he sells and serves to us.

Tommaso Parodi and myself.

The other person I was able to get to know, just a bit is Antoni at Blue Bar on Via Garibaldi in Orvieto.  Antoni is not like your average Italian, probably because he is French.  Why or how did he end up in Italy, let alone a small town like Orvieto?  He did it for his wife, Romina, who is from Orvieto.

Antoni, like Tommaso and Lorenzo, has this personality that you can't escape.  He is warm and welcoming to all who enter.  How you react to his hospitality determines how the rest of your night will go.  But truth be told, even the coldest visitor he treats with respect and he will continue to try to get you to warm up to Blue Bar up to the point of you walking out the door.

Come in for a cafe' or cappuccino, one of the best in Orvieto.  Or you can stop in, during evening apertivo.  You will not be disappointed.  However, like many places in Orvieto and Italy, during the afternoon, do not expect them to be open, because it is time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

Antoni and Blue Bar

I met other fascinating people, but didn't really get to know them, but they stick out in my memory.  There was Slavic at Montanucci http://www.barmontanucci.it/main.php, Jimmy at Clandestino, Tiziano -"The porchetta guy" from Baschi, Palmiro -"The cheese guy", and Silviano - "The Sicilian lady killer".  And if I would've spent more time at Nando(another and possibly the best bar/pasticceria around) http://www.barpasticcerianando.it, I would have gladly been able to get to know everyone there.

This is Loreonzo Polegri and Silviano - The Sicilian lady killer.  I promise you girls, he's a keeper.  He had the best arrancia, pera, and carciofi(with volcanic ash still on it), in the market.

Some folks in Orvieto, as I said before, can be kind of cold and unwelcoming to visitors, but I think most small towns, whether you are in Europe or the US, or anywhere in the world can have those people.  This is something that you should never let throw you off or make you not want to visit, because for everyone one of those people, there are 5 people that want to know about you, where you are from, what you do, and possibly the biggest connection-WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT!

Roma

This is it!  The final stop on my 40th birthday celebration.  Now I’ve been to Rome before and it was a nightmare, everything from my travel companion to lost luggage for a week.  It was not a happy time for me, but I made one promise to myself and that was to return to Rome.  I mean after all, I did toss three coins into the Fontana Di Trevi, which meant I would return to Roma, find my love, and marry her.  Did it all come true?  Well, that I think is how we’ll end the story because no one wants to hear about icky love and stuff like that, you want to know about food!!!

My goal in Rome was to find the best Cacio e Pepe, translated means Cheese and Pepper, and is one of Rome’s traditional pasta dishes.  According to Anthony Bourdain, the restaurant Cacio e Pepe has the best in the city, as it should being named after the dish.  I however did not go here because I was there for only two days and was not interested in discovering new neighborhoods.  I was winding down from my great adventures, so I chose to look in the area, and I did discover exactly what I was looking for, and then some.  

I spent my day wandering the streets of Rome.  I even had the opportunity to meet up with Daniela from Cup of Local Sugar.  She was teaching in Rome and after work, we met up to see some sights and just hang out. I revisited some past sights and saw some new.  I was much happier this time, I think mostly because I knew that I had luggage back at my hotel.  It seemed people were happier, friendlier, and I know I was much more comfortable and relaxed.  

Daniela and I parting ways.

For some reason, during my two days in Rome, I wasn’t overly hungry during the day.  Could’ve been the caffe’ and cornetti for breakfast or I was just so preoccupied that I didn’t pay much attention to my hunger.  But I can tell you that throughout the day I worked up quite an appetite.  On my first day, I had dinner just down from my hotel at a little place called Hosteria La Vacca.  I was unable to get any photos of my meal due to the lighting, however, I can tell you that I did have the Cacio e Pepe and it was, ok.  I could definitely do a much better job, but right now, I was starving and this would have to do, plus it was close to the hotel and I wanted sleep!  Tomorrow promised to be a better day, I was sure of it.

You know, I could totally spend my mornings, waking with a cappuccino and cornetti and have no regrets whatsoever.  So, why change things on my second day in Roma.  Except this time, I added a little Arancia Rossa and as always, it was delicious.  You can never go wrong with blood orange juice.  And that started my day of walking, and walking and walking, with no where in particular to go, I just went.  I wanted to be a Roman, for a day.  Do what Romans do, when Romans do and I think I succeeded.  It’s really nice to travel without an agenda.  Really, no stress, you are never pressed for time, not constantly watching the clock.  And traveling solo has it’s benefits, with not worrying about the other person having fun or being bored.  All I cared about that day, was that I was going to have a great dinner, and I was going to revisit the Fontana Di Trevi, because tonight was the night!

Dinner time came and I found myself close to the Fontana Di Trevi at a nice little place called, Baccano.  It was perfect, dining Al fresco, close to the fountain, and in a very active area.  The people watching was great, with a combination of tourists and locals and not a soul bothering me while I enjoyed my glasses of prosecco while I waited on my food.  To begin the meal, I had Carciofi alla Romana, which is essentially poached artichokes, with olive oil, parsley, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I love artichokes and couldn’t find the Carciofi all Giudia, so this would have to do.  No regrets with this, clean flavor of artichokes, even with the dressing and it was so tender, you could cut it with a fork.  Next up was of course, Cacio e Pepe, and another glass of prosecco please.  This plate of Cacio e Pepe was incredible!  You can always tell when you are eating home made pasta as opposed to dry and this was definitely house made.  The color is a good sign that it’s house made.  The pasta had a yellow tinge to it and the pasta itself had body when you bit into it.  The cheese was full of flavor and added just enough salt.  When it was first brought to me, the cheese still sat, attached to each strand of pasta and the pepper, was fragrant and deliciously pungent.  It was almost like it wanted to jump from the pasta into my mouth, but the cheese held onto it, thankfully.  This is a pasta dish that was a peasant dish and very simple to make at home, however it’s also very easy to mess up.  If you don’t use the right cheese, if you don’t use fresh ground pepper, if you don’t use a cup of pasta water, or if you use too much pasta water, it could be disastrous.  This however, was perfect!  I took advantage of my surroundings, ate slowly, drank slowly, I was an Italian, a real home grown Italian for that night and I felt magnifico!   I took care of my check and made my way towards the Fontana di Trevi to sit for a while and enjoy my last night, plus I had to see if anything was going to come to fruition.  So I sat, and I sat, and I sat, and got really comfortable and didn’t really want to go back to the hotel, so I sat, for a few hours, people watching, listening to conversations, and waiting.  It was different this time, there was something in the air.  People were happier, the fountain looked cleaner, and the surrounding area was buzzing with energy.  None the less, I was flying out tomorrow and wanted to get to the airport early, so it was off to bed for me.  I made my way back to my hotel, not feeling bad about anything, no feeling of defeat, because I had accomplished quite a bit on this trip.  

Carciofi alla Romana

Cacio e Pepe

This was a life changing time for me, I learned how to live, how to eat, how to wander and discover.  I learned that strangers are only strange if you don’t learn about them, talk to them, make new friends in foreign lands, learn new languages, learn new traditions or make new traditions.  Live, live a good life, experience as much as you can because life is short and you don’t want your life to end with having regrets.  Thanks again to Cup of Local Sugar and Daniela for your assistance on this trip.  Your services were invaluable.  https://www.cupoflocalsugar.com

By the way, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  This time although it didn't happen, the Fontana didn't disappoint me, it was well worth the return visit.

Ciao, ciao!!

Porchetta - How Italians enjoy pig!

Porchetta - How the Italians perform magic on pigs.

Disclaimer-If you are a Vegan, Vegetarian, or would much rather see a pig as a pet, rather than on your plate, you may want to skip this blog.............Ok, I warned you, this delicious blog will discuss what Italians do with a Suckling Pig.

The description will not be pretty, but the end result is delicious and believe me, before your life ends, you will want to put this on your list of things that you must stuff in your face.  Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless Italian pork roast.  In Umbria, traditionally the pig is stuffed with Garlic, Wild herbs, fennel, intestines, and tripe.  In Treviso, a pig, typically one year of age, is stuffed with salt, pepper, wild fennel, garlic, and white wine, after being deboned and gutted. And in some places in the US, it is served on bread and topped with Broccoli Rabe or Spinach.  

The meat is tender and juicy and so full of flavor, you’ll want to punch someone.  However, the truly magical part, which if you have a great sandwich maker will come as a crunchy surprise.  Sometimes, the sandwich maker will top that Porchetta sandwich with the crispy, crunchy, flavor filled skin!  That is where the magic happens.  In fact, if I could have one sandwich with just meat and another with only the crunchy skin, I would be content to go to the afterlife because I’m not sure what could possibly be better than that experience.

So, imagine my surprise when I went to Rome and was wandering the streets, when I come across a little Enoteca(wikipedia that term because in upcoming blogs about Italy, you will see different descriptions of restaurants), with a sign in the window reading, porchetta panino, Euro 4!!!!!  I wanted 20 of them, right then and there!  There was no waiting here, I made a B line for the counter, “Ciao! Buon Giorno!!”, “Parlo un po’di Italiano”, “Sto studiando”, “Vorrei uno porchetta panino, per favore.”, “Grazie, Ciao!”  And the next thing you hear is my unwrapping the brown butcher paper that was surrounding this sandwich.

As I unwrapped my glorious gift, I caught a whiff of the fresh baked bread, which you know, fresh baked bread has a distinctive smell.  And the crust had a fresh warm crust with a soft white interior.  This beautifully fresh baked bread held inside perfectly roasted porcine delights.  The meat was glistening, which sadly does not show at all in the photos, but it was.  Maybe the glistening were actually tears of the angels that were singing as I unveiled this amazing sandwich.  In fact, I’m sure that’s what it was!  I did manage to snatch a few photos, but I didn’t care about that, no, I wanted to eat this and eat it immediately! 

The flavor, it was porky.  There was seasoning, but it didn’t cover the flavor of the roasted pig.  You could tell there was garlic and fennel involved, but with the next bite I caught a little bit of skin, and it was all over.  I knew, at that time, this was the best sandwich I will have had the pleasure of eating.  The skin was crisp, salty(but not too salty), garlicky(but just enough), and roasted almost giving it a bacony flavor.  After that second bite, the rest of the sandwich had an equal amount of meat, bread, and skin and all was right with the world!  I can honestly say that panino had more flavor with no fuss, no toppings, just meat and skin, than the most decorated sandwich I’ve had.  I was reduced to tears.  I would go back to Rome just for that porchetta again!  Thank you da LUCA, Via Urbana 15, Roma for this experience and thanks to the Hotel Raffaello, Via Urbana 3/5, Roma, for being located just stone’s throw from da LUCA.

You can find porchetta here in the US, you just have to look for it.  If I were you, I’d do just that.  Make it a point to find this product, try this product, and enjoy it.  I promise you will not be disappointed and you will love me forever!

Buona Notte!