Things come to a head on our way to Babbi (pronounced “Bob-bee”). I mean an argument. A spat. Babbi is a chocolate manufacturer in Cesena. Their products are all over Italy. Wherever you find chocolate, you’ll find Babbi (which could be a Babbi slogan or tagline. “Ovunque trovi cioccolato, troverai Babbi”). We’re on our way…More
Tag Archives: Romagna
When Bacco Smiles–from American English, Italian Chocolate
My wife’s old aunt has an omino (the diminutive of uomo, the Italian word for “man”). Omino. Little man. When she wants to cook a rabbit for lunch, she has an omino who sells her the rabbit. She wants fish, she has another omino. She has a repair job to do in the house, she…More
Lambalot–roasted, cooled, sliced
Lamb sandwiches for lunch today. I’m slicing and toasting ciabatte rolls from Trader Joes and laying thin sheets of sliced lamb roast over them. Die and go to heaven. And I have these two people to thank: Sebastiano Pazzini and Lisa Canducci Bailey. The explanation:More
Baked Tomatoes–nothing’s more Romagna than these
Boy, was I wrong. Wrong about local tomatoes that are coming into the farmers’ markets right now, gorgeous, firm, red, both sweet and acidic beauties that I’m using to bake alla gratinata. Wrong because in the off season, I content myself with hydroponic vine-ripened tomatoes that do have a little flavor, that are firm enough…More
When the Artichokes Spoke
I listened. The first time I tasted artichoke, I was already in college. As far as I know it was not an item they stocked at Pat’s Food Center in Freeland, the one-stoplight farm town where I grew up. If I had seen one at all, it was probably the likeness of an artichoke on…More
Seasoned Breadcrumbs–DIY
A friend asked once: “Are you one of those people who makes his own breadcrumbs?” No, I’m not. I had just pulled a sheet of roasted tomatoes out of the oven. Topped with seasoned breadcrumbs, they perfumed the house, then ravished the palate.More
Taste Your Feet–all well and natural in Italy
I’ve got wellness on my mind. “Canducci Tiziana.” That’s how they call my wife when it’s her turn. Last name first. We’re at the Repubblica di San Marino Instituto di Sicurezza Sociale (aka the hospital), where she’s here to see an orthopedic doc. A few weeks ago at the Bargello museum in Florence, while I…More
Persimmon, Food of the Gods
Persimmons galore. We’re on our way to Ro e Buni for a fat pasta lunch. This restaurant (called a “tenuta,” meaning an estate), is off the main road that passes through Villa Verucchio. A sign says there’s a golf course back here somewhere. I’d look for it but I’m totally distracted by the orchard next…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
So Many Ravioli…
My wife’s cousin sat a few chairs down from me. It was Christmas 1984. We were having cappelletti in broth, a typical–and beloved–dish we look forward to at holiday time. After spooning (scarfing) for a few minutes, the cousin looked up, turned to me, and said, “I could kill myself eating these things.” They’re that…More