by whit on February 19, 2011
For 2 weeks in November 2009, I was a WWOOF-er. I worked for a family in exchange for room and board in an impossibly small town in the Italian region of Friuli called Fossalon. I came to help with their organic farming but also the little Japanese inspired restaurant they operated out of their home (the ultimate “pop-up” restaurant). Why Japanese? Well, Sachie is from Japan and she met Brian a decade ago at a friend’s wedding in Italy. They fell in love. And now they grow beautiful organic vegetables on their farm and use all that deliciousness for the restaurant which is open on the weekends and for feeding their 3 adorable (and always energetic!) children.
We always had a helping hand. Or at least a few coloring books, toy cars, dolls, crayons, an errant sock or two and a crushed cracker taking up residence in the dining room. (On cold mornings, their son would pull the rocking chair right up in front of the fire to eat his bowl of oatmeal. So adorable it makes my heart hurt. )
After the older kids were off to school, I either went out into the field and picked vegetables and herbs or stayed in the kitchen prepping that night’s dinner service. On weekends we would haul the produce (as well as our homemade tofu) out to the big farmers market in nearby Cervignano.
When the restaurant was open for business, it was just me, Brian and Sachie running the kitchen and the front of house. It would get a little stressful and frantic at moments, but everything always worked out fine.
As much as I love me some Italian food, it was so nice to have a change of pace for a little while and incorporate some tofu, rice and sushi into my diet. And to be able to experience a completely different way of living than I had been exposed to the previous two months of my stay in Italy. The Galantes are extremely hard working people that live off the bounty of their land along with their ingenuity, resourcefulness and what they can create with their own two hands. In those few weeks, I learned that a person can live quite simply and that you don’t need much more than a warm home, a full belly and family.
Some of my favorite photos from that time:
Wanna see what else I was up to in Friuli back in ’09? I waxed poetical about my love for vino sfuso, had cookies with my wine, drank a lot of vitovska (!) and ribolla gialla next to a pirate.
by whit on April 25, 2010
It’s that time again….that little aching in my heart and my stomach has returned. I miss Italy. It happens every few months (even though I was just there 5 weeks ago!) It’s like that boyfriend- a first love, if you will- that you can just never forget about. That you always compare everything else to. And that creeps into your thoughts like a stealth ninja. A ninja that dangles perfectly cooked strands of handmade pasta and creamy rounds of gelato in your brain space. Ok ninja- you won. I am officially craving every dish I have ever eaten in Italy. Like right now. I scrolled through the old iPhoto in search of all things salivating. I thought I would share. You’re welcome.
I could eat homemade pasta raw. Seriously. Ok- maybe not. But I LOVE it.
A typical lunch break during harvest time at De Conciliis. Cooked by Nonna Rita.
The best fritto misto of my life. In Paestum at Nonna Sceppa.
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At Jaynes last Sunday, Jon had the brilliant idea to pop open a bottle of Movia‘s Puro Brut Rosé. <<high five>> I had never had this wine but knew of it and was super excited to taste. I was even more excited to see someone open a bottle. Firstly, a little background info in case you’re wondering what the hell the words Movia and Puro are- Movia is a winery in Italy’s far northeastern region of Friuli. And it is also a winery in Slovenia. Huh? Their acres of land straddle both countries, as a few wineries do in the area, because the borders of Slovenia and Italy have ebbed and flowed over the years. Ales Kristancic is the (bio)dynamic winemaker behind it all and produces some of Italy’s most interesting (and delicious) wines. Alder at Vinography has an informative post about Ales, Movia and tasting notes on a lot of the wines here if you so care to take a gander.
Jon went to the cellar to retrieve the wine and came back with a punch bowl full of water and a bottle of Puro turned upside down. What is all this craziness? Well, Puro is a metodo classico sparkling wine made from pinot noir. With Champagne and almost any other bottle fermented sparkler you will come across, the bottle has been disgorged (dead yeasts removed.) Puro is undisgorged… Ales makes you work for the prize in the bottle. I will once again point you towards the master, Do Bianchi, for video footage of someone opening a bottle and for his coverage on the “how to open a bottle of Puro debate.”
Anthony Wilson was up for the disgorging challenge and Jon stepped aside to teach a new student the ways of the Puro. With steady hands and strong spirit, Anthony approached the punch bowl.
Into the water it goes, as A-Dub begins to turn the bottle with cork firmly in hand…
Aaannnnd- success. The aftermath…
Time to get it in our glasses for pete’s sake. The stuff in the bottle…not the punch bowl.
A thing of sparkling beauty.
by whit on February 12, 2010
Yes, Valentine’s Day is upon us. The hearts, the greeting cards, everything coming up roses, pink and other shades of flesh and blood. Do I sound cynical and jaded? Nah. Just single. But seriously, I really don’t mind this somewhat saccharin day. If anything, it is an excuse to eat copious amounts of chocolate. And let people know you love them (or don’t love them at all and would NOT like to be their Valentine.) 3rd grade traumas seem to be arising. I think I shall take this moment to look back at some of my favorite sweet Italian things this year. It helps balance the “bitter.”
Uva Fragola= Strawberry Grape. A wild Italian grape that mysteriously tastes like fresh strawberry. I need these in my life. Why do they not grow in America?
Limoncello. In the words of the wise Clune McClune, “It’s like a musical instrument, but you can drink it.” Wise, indeed. It is thick and lemony and sweet. I like it chilled over ice. Just delicious.
Moscato grapes dried on the vine for sweet moscato passito wine. Peach-candied burnt orange-tangerine raisin candy. I could have spent the whole day in the vineyard with a lawn chair, a book and my arm within reach of a cluster.
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