Cosa Bolle in Pentola?
Florentine Restaurants, Winefests & Tiramisu
Being the 7th issue of Cosa Bolle in Pentola, your Italian Cuisine newsletter.
Melissa Mulliken recently asked if Florence's Enoteca Pinchiorri is still as good as its reputation -- to which I replied that I cannot say since I have never eaten there. However, it was ranked 3rd in the annual restaurant roundup printed in Civilta' del Bere, Italy's leading wine magazine (they considered the ratings of this year's editions of the major restaurant guides, among other things). This is up from 4th last year, so she will be in excellent hands.
She also wondered where else I would dine in Florence, if I wanted to enjoy a memorable meal. I haven't been everywhere, but the people doing the restaurant guides presumably have. Firenze Spettacolo recently went through them and drew up a top ten list:
1 Enoteca Pinchiorri (traditional and innovative cuisine, perfectly prepared, with an incredible wine cellar) 055 242777; closed Sun-Mon-Tue lunch
2 La Tenda Rossa, in Cerbaia (ten miles outside Florence, near San Casciano) 826132 (4 star, innovative); closed Wed-Thurs.
3 Cibreo (traditional Florentine recipes in a modern key), with a cheaper first-come-first-served room round back 2341100; closed Sun-Mon
4 Don Chisciotte (especially fish) 475430; closed Sun-Mon
5 Oliviero (innovative presentation of traditional dishes) 212421; closed Sun
6 Il Salotto del Chianti (in Mercatale, about ten miles out of town)
7 Il Delfino, in Artimino (ten miles from Florence) 8718074; Closed Mon Tue
8 Dulcamara, in Sesto Fiorentino (about 5 miles, within city bus range) 425 5021; closed Mon
9 Taverna del Bronzino 495220; Closed Sun
10 Caffe' Concerto (gets a star of academic merit and 3 normal stars from Panorama) 677377; closed Sun
11 Le Murate (Panorama guide says it's romantic); closed 240618 Mon lunch
Most of these except Pinchiorri and La tenda Rossa are 2 or 3 stars. Another possibility if you're looking for something very Florentine is Alla Vecchia Bettola, in Piazza Tasso; 224158 (closed Sun-Mon). The food's good, and you'll be seated at a bench where you can talk with your neighbors should you wish. La Baraonda, in Via Ghibellina (2341171; closed Sun-Mon) is another classic Tuscan place, and a third is Coco Lezzone (the filthy cook; closed Sun), in via del Parrione, tel 287178. Finally, there's the Cantinetta Antinori, in palazzo Antinori, which is quite nice (Closed Sat-Sun). If you're interested in a quick meal with a glass of good wine you should walk over to the Enoteca Fuoriporta (Via Del Monte alle Croci 10/r, just outside Porta San Niccoló, on the road up to San Miniato, 2342483; closed Sun). They have excellent cold cuts, cheeses, and pastas, and about 20 different wines by the glass, as well as an incredible selection of bottles. All the phone numbers here are area code 055 (55 if you're calling from outside Italy).
Finally, if you have a car you should think about Matteuzzi, which is below San Casciano on the road from San Casciano to Certaldo (Via Certaldese 8, San Casciano Val di Pesa); it's at the bottom of a hill and doesn't have a sign or a door (you enter through the delicatessen next to it when it's open, or the front door of the house when it's not), so you find out about it by word-of-mouth -- or by translating a soon-to-be-published restaurant guide, as I did. In any case, the cooking is excellent and the menu (recited) is quite traditional.
A number of people have asked for dates of wine festivals and such. The best and most complete source for this information is Citta' del Vino, an extremely dynamic organization devoted to wine tourism -- they're behind most of the wine routes that crisscross production zones, leading to unexpectedly beautiful castles and other marvels. For a complete listing of events check their website, http://www.cittadelvino.it. The following events listed in their most recent calendar caught my eye:
- April
- 3: Asolo (Treviso) The settimana del capretto, with Prosecco and Cabernet -- A week dedicated to things produced from game, with wines.
- 18, 25-26: Agliano (Asti) The Barbera festival
- 20 - May 1: Pramaggiore (Venice) The national wine show (Unlike Vinitaly, which is April 16-20, this is open to the public)
- 24-May 3: Alba (Cuneo) Vinum, the presentation of the latest vintages of Piemonte's great wines.
- 24 - May 3: Buttrio (Udine) 66th regional wine show. Lots of great whites here.
- May
- 8-11: Corno di Rosazzo (Udine) The Colli Orientali del Friuli wine show.
- 9-10: and remaining weekends of the month: Gattinara (Vicenza) -- Nebbiolo show, with all the nebbioli -- not just those of Piemonte
- 19-24: Siena, International symposium on Terroir and wine
- 23-30: Dozza (Bologna) Wine Forum
- 24-June 1: Pontassieve (Florence) Mostra Mercato del Chianti, a wine show with the new vintages
- 28-June 6: Siena, Settimana dei Vini
- 30-31: Bardolino (Verona) Festa del Chiaretto
- 30-June 7: Montespertoli (Florence) 41st Chianti show
- June
- 20-21: Moncalvo (Asti) A cooking festival
- 21: Serralunga d'Alba (Cuneo) Degustar per Vigne, a winefest
- 25: Gradara (Pesaro) National wine and oil show
- 27-28 Castiglion del Lago (Perugia) Mostra mercato qualita' Trasimeno, a local produce show -- lots of good things in the area.
- July
- 1-5: Taurasi (Avellino) The Aglianico show
- 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Perugia: La Mangialonga, an enogastronomic hike through the heart of town
- 3-12 Montecarrotto (Ancona) Vini Marchigiani -- this will include Verdicchio and other things
- 17-20: San Martino Alfieri (Asti) A Barbera fest
- August
- 2-9: Staffolo (Ancona) the Verdicchio fest
- 3: Melissa (Crotone) A foodfest
- 8-9: Monti (Sassari) the Vermentino fest
- 10-10 September: Pitigliano (Grosseto) winefest -- Morellino di Scansano, Brunello, ecc.
- 11-15: Civitella in Val di Chiana (Arezzo) The farm culture fest
- 30: Montepulciano (Siena) Bravio delle Botti, a barrel race up the hills to the duomo
- September
- 4-7 Gaiole (Siena) Settimana gailoese, a fest with the local chiantis
- 11-13: Greve (Florence) Rassegna del Chianti Classico -- an excellent opportunity to taste, with much else going on
- 11-13: Barolo (Cuneo) The Barolofest
- 11-15: Valdobbiadene (Treviso) National sparkling wine show
- 13-20: Asti, the national selected wines show
- 20-27: Lanuvio (Rome) Winefest
- 24-27: Rufina (Florence) Bacco artigiano, a winefest
- 26: Castelvetro di Modena (Modena) the Lambrusco fest
- 27: Bardolino (Verona) the Bardolino festival
- October
- 4: Colonna (Rome) winefest
- 10, and subsequent weekends: Alba (Cuneo) the white truffle festival
- 16-18: Orvieto con Gusto, a gastronomic extravaganza
- 18-December 13: San Damiano D'Asti's gastonomic fest (things on the weekends)
- 24: Frascati (Rome) winefest
- November
- 1-8: Marsala (Trapani) Winefest, on the 2 weekends
- 1-8: Citta' di Castello (Perugia) Truffle show
- 7-8: Vin Novello shows all over
- 14-22: Imola (Bologna) the Sangiovese show
- 25: Torgiano (Perugia) The Italian wine tasting meet
There's quite a bit more going on, but this will get you started.
Winding down, a couple of people have recently asked me for which is my favorite among the dozens of Tiramisu recipes out there. Put simply, wife Elisabetta's:
- 4 eggs, separated
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 pounds fresh mascarpone cheese
- Brandy (dashes, optional - depending upon how she feels at the moment)
- 1 demitasse espresso coffee, diluted with water and lightly sweetened with sugar.
- 3/4 pound savoiardi cookies (available in Italian delicatessens -- or use ladyfingers -- 1 savoiardo = 2 ladyfingers)
- Powdered bitter chocolate
Beat the yolks with the sugar, then whip in the mascarpone and, if you're using it, the brandy. Whip 2 of the whites to firm peaks (use the other 2 for something else) and fold them in.
Put the diluted, sweetened coffee in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of brandy (to taste here, assuming you want it). Dip the savoiardi in the coffee and line a mold large enough to hold the mascarpone mixture. Fill with the mixture, chill for 2 hours, and dust with the powdered chocolate before serving.
This should serve 6-8.
A printer-friendly version of this recipe.
And while we're on the subject of puddings, here's a recipe for Panna Cotta, a traditional Piemontese specialty. It's translated from Ricette di Osterie di Langa, a book put out by the people at Slow Food, Italy's most influential gastronomic organization (they got it from the Circolo Agricola Boccondivino in Bra):
- 1 quart cream
- 1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
- 3 sheets fish glue (this thickens it; you can substitute some sort of flavorless gelatin if need be)
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk.
Warm the milk (don't let it boil), then dissolve the fish glue in it and stir in the flour. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil for a couple of minutes, with 1 cup of the sugar. Remove from the fire and gently stir in the milk mixture.
Caramelize the remaining sugar and coat the insides of 8 individual-portion custard cups. Fill them with the cream mixture, and chill for 2 hours before serving.
Unmold them onto pretty plates when you serve them.
This is the basic recipe; they suggest making a sauce with fresh red & black currants, blueberries, and wild strawberries. Combine them (the amounts are up to you) with a tablespoon of currant jelly and gently warm them over the fire till the fruit is cooked and begins to come apart.
Spoon a bit of sauce over each serving.
A printer-friendly version of this recipe.
Have a wonderful day, and thanks for visiting!
Kyle Phillips
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