Italian Days Food Experience – Part 3

     Our third stop on the Italian Days Food Experience was at Villa San Donnino in Modena, where we learned the secrets of the famous Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP. This is not the kind of “balsamic” you buy in the grocery store. This is a single family producing small amounts, using the ancient technique of aging local wine in oak barrels, as their family has done for generations.

 

     This product is protected by The Consortium of Producers of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, and can only be bottled after passing a series of tests by a board of expert tasters, in 100 cc bottles, the only legally approved bottle to be used by all producers. Each individual bottle is numbered and sealed. The Consortium also keeps a sample from each batch of bottles as a guaranty of the quality of the corresponding bottle lot. To be certified Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP, it has to be a minimum of twelve years old.
     We had the opportunity to taste 5-year balsamico and compared it with 15 and 45-year balsamico. It was so good we ate it on homemade gelato…YUM! We also brought home several bottles for our pantry.

     To cap off the day, Alessandro took us to a countryside trattoria, where we were served a “light lunch”, which consisted of more fabulous food and wine than I could eat in three days! When we were finished eating, we were delivered back to our hotel in a food coma, to take a long nap. It was a wonderful day!

Italian Days Food Experience - Part 2

     The second part of our foodie adventure with Italian Days Food Experiences took us to one of the best prosciutto producers in the region. This family owned business has been committed to the production of Prosciutto di Modena DOP for over three generations. This particular prosciutto is equal to the more famous Prosciutto di Parma, but without the same name recognition, since it’s produced within the city limits of Modena and not Parma. To carry the DOP designation it is subject to the same food regulations.

     We learned about the entire process of creating one of the most delicious pork products in the world.

Here is our guide, Alessandro, teaching us about the strict quality testing requirements.

 

This is just a small portion of the hanging Prosciutto…I wish it was legal to bring THIS home!

 

     At the end of our visit we enjoyed fresh slices of prosciutto.  They kept bringing it, and we kept eating it. It was so good!

     Tomorrow I’d like to share the next part of our “Foodie Tour” to a traditional “Acetaia” to experience the secrets of balsamic vinegar.

Italian Days Food Experience – Part 1

     The Emilia Romagna region of Italy is well known for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. On a trip to this region we enlisted the help of Alessandro from Italian Days Food Experiences, so we could get a better understanding of these amazing products. This post is about Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese.

     Our day required an early wake-up call, so we could be at the small organic family factory in the Emilia Romagna countryside right after the morning milking.

     We witnessed the entire process, from the crafting of the curds by the master cheesemaker…

 

to the salt bath…

 

and the final aging process.

 

     The morning was capped off with a breakfast of freshly made warm ricotta, along with some sweet Lambrusco and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano. It was so good I bought five pounds of cheese to bring home!

Stay tuned... tomorrow I'd like to tell you about the prosciutto factory.

Bottega Vignoli

     On a recent trip to Italy, Marc and I made a special stop in the town of Faenza to meet the Vignoli sisters, Saura and Ivana. They are ceramic artists who create pieces in the traditional “Faience” style, with a twist. “Faience” refers to pottery that incorporates a tin oxide glaze on white earthenware pottery, but they are using copper oxides instead of tin. The results are AMAZING!

     When we arrived in Faenza, we walked in the rain from the train station to their studio, not fully aware just how far it was from the station. Saura and Ivana greeted us with such a warm welcome that we forgot we were cold and wet.

     Ivana demonstrated her painting skills as we watched her create her beautiful fish on a small bowl. We knew right then we would be going home with some of those fish.

     Saura gave us a tour of the studio and workshop, explaining all the processes and techniques. Then we went upstairs to the showroom. It was like the Holy Grail of pottery…one beautiful amazing fabulous piece after another! We were drooling and wanted to take everything home with us. The only thing that brought us back to reality was when Saura told us they didn’t accept credit cards. We figured out how much cash we had in our pockets and decided on one large piece. This is Saura holding our new fish vase. What do you think?

 

     Saura carefully packed and shipped the vase for us, then gave us a ride back to the train station. Two weeks later, our package arrived at our home without a scratch.  

     You can see more of this unique pottery at Bottega Vignoli.

A Party for the Princess

My precious little granddaughter has just turned three. 

 

This is Preslee before the party...

...and here she is after the party.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Preslee!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

  On St. Patrick's Day people drink green beer and eat green food. We even wear a bit of green, or run the risk of getting pinched. Here are five things you may not know about St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick Was Not Irish

     His birth name was actually Maewyn Succat -- it wasn't until he was in the Church that it was changed to Patricius, or Patrick. St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, was born in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, which is in Scotland. As a teenager, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and enslaved as a shepherd for several years. He attributed his ability to persevere to his faith in God.
    

Did St. Patrick Drive All the Snakes Out of Ireland?

     Despite the popular lore, St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland because the island did not have any to begin with. Icy water surrounds the Emerald Isle, which prevented snakes from migrating over.

Green may be the national color of Ireland, but the color most associated with St. Patrick is blue.
     The Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783 as the senior order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Ireland. The color associated with the honor needed to differentiate it from the Order of the Garter (dark blue) and the Order of the Thistle (green). So they went with blue.

Largest St. Patrick's Day Parades Are Held Outside of Ireland

     The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in the U.S. The Irish have been celebrating the feast of St. Patrick since the ninth century, but the first recorded parade anywhere was in Boston in 1737. The parade was not Catholic in nature, though, because the majority of Irish immigrants to the colonies were Protestant. Ireland did not have a parade of its own until 1931, in Dublin. Even today, 18 out of the 20 largest St. Patrick's Day parades are in the states -- New York's is the largest.

Shamrock Used to Explain the Holy Trinity

     St. Patrick used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to pagan Irish, forever linking the shamrock with him and the Irish in the popular imagination. He would tie shamrocks to his robes, which is why the color green is worn.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Information courtesy of  ABC News
Image (source)

Food Network Magazine

     Today I received my new copy of Food Network Magazine. 

      I look forward to each edition, because it's always jammed packed with tasty new recipes, as well as handy tips and all the latest gadgets. The recipes range from very quick and easy to sophisticated recipes that should be tackled only when there is extra time on the weekend.
     What caught my attention this month were the six different ways to make French Toast. I can't wait to try the Baked Croissant French Toast with Orange Syrup. Doesn't it sound yummy?

     All the recipes in this issue as well as magazine subscription information can be found on www.FoodNetwork.com .

 Images from Food Network Magazine