Da Gustin–two tables, local food

Today, on Thanksgiving Day, we went to Bargni.   I wouldn’t blame you if you said, “You went where?” It’s not the kind of place, you go back to the States and say, Hey, when we were in Italy we went to Bargni.    Remote location. A small town on a hill west of Serrungarina. Twice this…More

Polenta, I’m Coming

Twice now I’ve chosen not to eat polenta. My wife and I are in restaurants. It’s a choice between tagliatelle and beans or passatelli in a vegetable sauce, or polenta, I reluctantly say no to the polenta. Last night it happened again. This just has to stop. Oh, polenta. It comes to the table vivid yellow,…More

Please Pass the Passatelli

In Italy they sometimes extrude the food.  In the case, for example, of passatelli. Eaten in broth or with sauce, passatelli are a mix of breadcrumbs, egg, a grated hard cheese such as Parmigiano or pecorino, lemon zest, and nutmeg, all mixed together into an “impasto” and then extruded.  Passatelli would be a quintessential farmer…More

Poached Cod with What? Who thinks of these things?

Who thinks of these things? In conversations I’ve had with Italians about talented chefs, they refer to “fantasia,” which  translates as something like “imagination.” This cod dish, served as an antipasto at Ristorante La Vela in Pesaro, is an excellent example. And as with most things on the table in Italy, particularly in my wife’s…More

Il Sentiero–if it’s agriturismo, it’s got to be good

Above, a local delight called cassone.  The flat bread they make in the Marche and Emilia-Romagna, called piada, is folded over mixed greens or tomato and mozzarella or onion and sausage or mixed grilled vegetables, then grilled and cut.  You can make a meal out of cassone. Often, however, they are served as a little…More