This is a recipe sent me by Alessandra Tiraboschi, who makes a fine white wine, bianco di Lugana, at Ca Lojera.

"Not far from our cellars, on the outskirts of Sirmione," she writes, "is an Austrian barracks from the days of the Hapsburg Empire, which became the Ristorante Dogana quite some time ago. The owners are close friends of ours, and gave me a wonderful recipe for preparing the trout caught in Lake Garda:

• 1 trout, weighing 2 1/4 pounds
• 1 1/3 cups Bianco di Lugana (substitute a good, unoaked Soave if need be).
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• A bunch of parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• Oregano, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper

"Clean the trout, rinse the cavity well and pat it dry, and set it in a pot over high heat with the oil, a half cup of water, the wine, one clove of garlic, salt and pepper; when the liquid begins to boil reduce the heat and gently boil the fish for 40 minutes.

"Meanwhile, mince the parsley and crush the other clove of garlic. Heat about a cup of tomato sauce (enough to pour over the fish but no so much that the fish is swimming in it) and simmer it for a few minutes with the garlic, the parsley, and salt to taste, and then keep it warm.

"Heat your oven to about 200 °C (410 °F), and when the fish has finished simmering transfer it to a heat-proof serving dish, pour the sauce over it, and pop it into the oven for 2-3 minutes. Dust it lightly with the oregano and serve; it will feed four.

"The good Lugana wine left in the bottle won't be sufficient to accompany the meal, so we suggest you have another on hand; your home will soon become a first rate restaurant!"

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