LIFE: Gone Shopping

SARONNO, Italy – So it’s over. American has decided. I can stop biting my fingernails and all those undecided voters who kept us on the edge of our seats wondering which way they were going to go can continue to wonder who they are going to vote for, but now nobody cares.  We moved on without them. I moved on too. Finally pulled myself away from 24/7 political coverage to go into Milan for a little retail therapy. Obama wins, I celebrate.

 Milan's Rinascente Department Store

For as long as I’ve lived in Milan, some 15 years or so, I have done most of my clothes shopping at the only department store in downtown Milan, The Rinascente. Having grown up on department store shopping, I find it a lot easier to go to a store where the selection is substantial rather than a small boutique with limited space and limited choice. 

But while I was glued to my computer watching political pundits duke it out, the Rinascente was in the throes of a make-over. I knew it was happening because sections of floors have been closed off for quite a while now, shrouded behind large opaque  sheets of plastic.  The first floor to complete its makeover was the third floor. They used to sell sportswear on that floor but now they sell shoes, everybody’s shoes, even brands I used to buy in the USA. 

 Lunch at Rinascente, Milano

Of course the shoes from the USA – although in reality I think the shoes I’m thinking of come from Spain – now cost six times what they cost in the States. It’s probably because of the lure of the exotic foreign brands – Nine West . That’s a pretty exotic brand, don’t you think?  There were actually very few Italian shoe brands available – actually I can’t think of even one, which is surprising since Italian shoes are really, really nice and people come to Italy from all over the world to buy them.

I realize Rinacente’s marketing plan isn’t aimed at people like me, people who live here and have regular lives. It’s aimed at tourists, and evidently they think tourists want to throw in a little Christian Dior or Yves St. Laurent along with their thousand euros worth of Versace sparkle dresses.  

Zara for the Young and Young at Heart

I always found this division of markets to be a problem here in Italy. There are no middle of the road brands, it’s either designer or market stall stuff. Benetton used to be a reasonable middle of the road brand, but now they are more market stall, as are Zara, a Spanish brand, and H&G.  Throw away clothes in tiny sizes for tiny preadolescent people, not people like me.  Those of us who don’t want to spend $200 on a pair of casual pants to wear grocery shopping are simply out of luck.

Rinascente used to carry a couple of store brands that were good quality and reasonably priced, by Italian standards at least. For me, I figure $100 is enough to spend on a pair of pants to go grocery shopping in. But desperate times calls for desperate measures, so  I walked out of Rinascente and into Banana Republic and guess what, I found a pair of pants that I like and they only cost 84 euros – or about $100. And they fit. And the cashier was from California.

 That's the Bag I Carried Home

As much as I prefer to support Italian brands and things made in Italy, simply because it’s better for the economy I live in, I’ve thrown in the towel. My new Banana Republic pants were made in Indonesia or somewhere In that part of the world from wool that comes from an unnamed source, and so be it. I tried. More than that I cannot do.

So today I’m going shoe shopping.  Wish me luck.

AUNTIE PASTA: Pork and Beans

SARONNO, Italy - Today’s recipe is a classic pork and bean recipe. Not Mr. Campbell’s pork and beans, but a classic dish from the heart of Tuscany, where beans are particularly popular.  

 Florence, Italy

More than any other Italian region, Tuscany has a special affinity for beans and use them in many recipes.  Some of the Tuscan bean specialties are fagioli all'uccelletto, beans cooked in tomato sauce, pasta e fagioli, pasta and beans,  ribollita, Tuscany’s famous soup that wouldn’t be ribollita without beans, minestra di fagioli e funghi, bean soup with mushrooms, and on and on.   

The most common varieties of beans we see in Italy today originated in central and South America where  legumes have been cultivated for about 7,000 years. They were discovered (so they say) by Christopher Columbus during his second trip to the Americas and brought back to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. Beans soon became popular in Italy and were often served with pasta. Because pasta and beans is such a  nutritious, yet inexpensive dish, beans soon became an integral part of many other rustic, home-cooked dishes, particularly in Tuscany.

Today beans are among the most important legumes in the human diet. Although legumes were already around in ancient Rome, the varieties of the time came from Asia and Africa. Those ancient varieties were “fagioli dall’occhio”: or black eyed peas, small, white beans with a little black dot where the seed was attached to the pod. Black eyed peas are still popular, as are many other varieties that are now available.

Today’s pork and bean recipe calls for cannellini beans. And in spite of the ‘start from scratch instructions’ you can cheat a little and use canned beans if you want – just don’t tell anyone you heard that from me.

Roast Pork Loin Tuscan-style with Dried Mushrooms and Beans

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

  1 ¾ lb pork loin  

1 ¾ oz dried mushrooms

3  carrots, peeled and diced

1  celery rib, diced

1 teaspoon parsley, chopped

5 oz dried beans

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon sage, chopped

2 cloves of garlic

black pepper to taste

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups vegetable stock

½ to 1 jar prepared meat gravy

1 cup white wine

1 sprig rosemary

water (as much as needed) to cook the beans

extra virgin olive oil 

Preparation

30 minutes preparation + 1 hour cooking

Soak the beans in water for at least 12 hours, then cook them. 

Step 1 Tie the pork with kitchen string. Be sure to tie it tightly so that it does not loosen during cooking.

Step 1

Step 2 -  Chop rosemary, garlic, sage and fennel seeds, add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make several incisions in the meat with a fine-blade knife, (See Auntie Pasta: Tuscan Red for a how to lard meat step by step)  insert the chopped herbs and spices into the incisions. The seasoning will add flavor throughout the meat.

Step 2

Step 3 - Pour the olive oil into a deep frying pan and braise the pork on a low heat, taking care to turn it occasionally. While it is cooking, add some white wine and let it evaporate. Remember to use the vegetable stock to baste the pork as it is cooking. Keep the pan covered when the meat is cooking.

 Step 3

Step 4 - In another large pan, soften the chopped garlic by frying slightly in oil, then add the beans that have been soaked. Season with salt and pepper, cover with water and cook.

 Step 4

Step 5 - In another pan sauté’ the vegetables in oil, add the chopped dried mushrooms, chopped parsley and some white wine.

 Step 5

 Step 6 - Add brown gravy,  season to taste with salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes.

 Step 6

Step 7 - Slice the pork loin, arrange on a plate and pour the beans and the mushrooms over the meat and serve.

 Step 7

I found this ‘how to’ on the Bon Appetit website http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tips/2008/08/how_to_tie_meat, 

Big pieces of meat off the bone—a butterflied leg of lamb, a pork loin roast, a beef tenderloin—will hold their shape better during cooking if they are tied up with some kitchen string. Tying meat is also a helpful way to keep stuffing and/or flavorings in place.

1.    With one end of the string, wrap a loop around the roast at the left end and tie a knot. Hold the string tautly above the knot with your left hand. Use your right hand to bring the long end of the string away from you and around and under the roast.  
2.  Slip the string under the part held taut with your fingers; pull gently. You've just made one link in the chain.  
3.  Repeat step 2, spacing the ties about 1 1/2 inches apart, until the roast is completely tied.  
4. Knot the string at the other end of the roast. Adjust the hitches as needed so that they're evenly spaced.

LIFE: What Goes Around

SARONNO, Italy - Say the name Legambiente, Italy’s environmental watchdog, and most people think about clean air campaigns. One that comes to mind is the campaign waged a few years back, quite a few years actually, by the people who live near the major tourists sites in Rome. Frustrated with the hundreds of tour buses that were parking illegally under their apartment buildings on a daily basis, they took to hanging sheets off of their balconies to show how quickly their white sheets turned black from the exhaust coming from those buses.

 Roman's Protesting High Number of Buses

If the city officials wouldn’t regulate the number of tour buses allowed in the area, the citizens would go public and see how well the politicians handled the bad publicity. It worked. Unregistered buses are now required to park in designated areas away from populated neighborhoods.

The Legambiente is also known for its yearly air quality  classification of the best and worst Italian cities. This year Venice took first place in the big city category with Bologna and Genoa earning second and third place for the improved air quality in those cities.

 Trento

In the medium city category, Trento, the capital of Trentino in the province of Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol, won by reducing automobile traffic in the city. The runners up in the medium city classification were Bolzano, also in South Tyrol, La Spezia in Liguria, Parma in Emilia Romagna and the Tuscan town of Perugia.

In the small town category Verbania, on Lago Maggiore in Lombardy came in first for the best improved in air quality,  while Pordenone, which is up near Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia came in a close second. Mantova and Lodi, both in the province of Lombardy, came in second and third respectively.

Kids in Turin, Italy Protesting Air Pollution

In all cases, the quality of the air in these towns and cities improved directly in proportion to an uptick in public transportation and a significant reduction in the number of cars in the city. In the large urban centers there are an average of 57 autos per 100 inhabitants; in medium size cities there 61 cars per hundred inhabitants, and 68 auto per 100 inhabitants in the smaller cities.   

This year’s winners did slightly better than the average. Venice has 41.2 cars per 100 inhabitants, while La Spezia and Genoa have less than 50 cars per 100 inhabitants. The cities that did not do well this year, Rome, Aosta, Catania, Frosinone, L'Aquila, Latina, Nuoro, Power , Isernia, Rieti and Viterbo Vibo Valentia, have a higher rate of more than 70 auto/100 inhabitants.

 Protesting for Cleaner Air in Rome

While I was glad to see the Italians starting to do something about air pollution, they still have a long way to go. In a survey of 17 European cities, based on nine categories of measures which can reduce soot emissions and help improve air quality, Berlin finished first. Stockholm, Copenhagen, Vienna and Zurich were next, while Milan and Rome were last on the list.

The purpose of the European ranking was not to measure the reduction potential but to highlight the best clean air practices and assess which of the 17 selected cities made the most use of them. The categories of measure used in the ranking were selected based on their potential to reduce particulate matter (PM10), which is a pollutant regulated under European Union law. This means that its concentrations are closely monitored and that the commitment to reduce them is the major motivation behind most cities’ air quality strategies.

 Pity the Poor Traffic Cop in Rome

Of course auto emissions are not the sole source of bad air and the resulting global warming. The sources are many.  Unfortunately it sometimes it takes a disaster like Sandy to remind us just how responsible we all are to what happens to this planet, and I hope the Italians continue to move forward in this initiative.

 

AUNTIE PASTA: Life Interrupted

SARONNO, Italy – With my move to the Riviera on hold due to technical difficulties, I thought I’d drown my sorrows in some Ligurian food. While it’s sometimes hard to find authentic  fish recipes to post on this blog because most Italian recipes start with scaling and gutting the fish, this recipe uses filets – and I go even a step further and commit the mama of all Italian peccati, (sins) - I use frozen fish fillets.

Both Recipes Will Kind of Look Like This Except the Olives are Whole

The two recipes are basically the same, just a few minor differences, but the concept of fish, potatoes and the little black olives from the Riviera is a winner.  Here’s the first recipe.

Arrange the cod fillets in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice and season with a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper and 2 tablespoons of oil, and let marinate for about 30 minutes . You might want to turn the fish a couple of times during the marinating time.

Sliced Potatoes

Meanwhile, thoroughly wash the potatoes and cook until al dente in plenty of salted water. Let cool for about 20 minutes after boiling, drain, peel and cut into thick slices. Wash and cut the tomatoes as well if you are not using cherry tomatoes. Otherwise you can leave them whole.

Put the cod fillets in a baking dish, leaving a little space between them, spread the potatoes around the fish, add the tomatoes and olives,  add salt and pepper and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Cook the fish for about 10-15 minutes, or until the surface of the potatoes are golden. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with shredded basil leaves and serve immediately.

 It's better to shred the basil by hand than cut it with a knife

My recipe starts with peeling and slicing the potatoes. Layer them in a baking dish, (no more than two layers), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake in a 350⁰ F oven until they are 99% cooked. Cooking times depends on how many potatoes you use and the size of your dish. When they are cooked, lay the raw fish on top of them and add a handful of Taggiasche olives, the little ones from the Italian Riviera.

Drizzle the fish with some olive  oil and cook for another 10 minutes or so, just until the fish is cooked. You can also add some cut up tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and a few tablespoons of chopped parsley at this point too.  Remove dish from oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then serve. 

 Your dish will look like this except the potatoes will be cooked

I use frozen cod fillets for this recipe, and defrost them before cooking them. You can use almost any kind of firm, white fish. Just be careful to chose filets that are at least 1/2 inch thick, if they are too thin, the fish will dry out, and that’s not good - but this recipe really is - really.

LIFE: Into Politics

SARONNO, Italy - There was an invitation in the mail the other day to the election night get together in Milan. This year it’s sponsored by Easy Milano, a slick, classified ad publication for the English speaking community in Milan. They didn’t say where the get together was going to be held but that there would be food and drink and a big screen TV so we, Republicans and Democrats, can watch the election results together.

 More, More, I Want More

I’ll be the first to admit I am a political junkie.  I love the game of politics: I love the stump speeches, the rallies, the ads, the polls and the debates – oh the polls and debates, they are my favorites, I never tire of them.  

Italian elections haven’t been any fun at all. They are over before you know it. There are hardly any ads on TV – too expensive according to my friend Andrea, and apparently nobody pays attention to them anyway. I asked him how the political parties raise money to fund the campaigns and he told me that they are reimbursed by the government – but only if they win. 

Apparently there are no super-pacs, lobbyists  or billionaires trying to influence the elections in Italy. How boring, especially if you think about this process in terms of a video game. In one video game there are sleazy billionaires buying shares in politicians, voter suppression and voter intimidation tactics, district realignments and labor union busting bad guys wielding vaginal probes challenging the super hero in a battle that never ends, and another video game that is a two week long fizzle with a few billboard advertisements about some guys in Armani suits, and maybe a debate or two on TV. I ask you, which would you buy?

Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome - Seat of Italian Government

On second thought it might be too difficult to even create an Italian Election Video Game because there are too many players. The last time I looked there were 28 political parties in Italy, 6 major parties and 22 minor parties, and that doesn’t include all of the regional parties. If I include them that brings the number up to 87, and that’s without the two parties abroad, the Associative Movement Italians Abroad (Movimento Associativo Italiani all’Estero) and the Italian Associations in South America (Associazioni Italiane in Sud America). And beside, the Italians don't have a super hero – or maybe they do.

Andrea said he’s going to watch the upcoming elections in Sicily very closely this time because he thinks some changes in the government are in the wind. In Sicily, the major contender is the Five Star Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle, M5S), a populist, partially Eurosceptic, ecologist, pro-direct democracy, pro-free access to the internet and anti-corruption party. It was launched by Beppe Grillo, a popular comedian and blogger. I remember Mr. Grillo. I used to see him sometimes in the bar having coffee when I lived in Genoa Nevi. As far as I know, he still lives there.

Beppe Grillo, Leader of M5S

Mr. Grillo’s been banned from television for as long as I can remember, for being too political and speaking out against the government. Keep in mind that before Mr. Berlusconi launched his public television stations, Italy had three channels, all controlled by the government. So now we have six channels, three controlled by the government and three controlled by Mr. Berlusconi. It hasn't helped Mr. Grillo at all, he's still banned.

But Mr. Grillo isn’t a candidate, never has been. His role has been to shine a spotlight on corruption and rally the troups. He recently proposed that members of the Italian Parliament who have a criminal record should be barred from public office and that members of Parliament be limited to two terms of office after which they would not be eligible to run again. Ever. Actually that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. He may be on to something.

 What's This? The President of Italy Supporting M5S? Wow!

At any rate Mr. Grillo's Movimento 5 Stelle, M5S, is the only bright star on an otherwise dull political horizon. You can see why by checking out his blog at beppegrillo.it  It’s available in Italian, English and Japanese and has been ranked among the 10 most visited blogs in the world by Technorati. It's the real deal. Even The Guardian, one of England's top newspapers has called it one of the most powerful blogs in the world.   

So, as the American election draws to a close I’m a little more confident that this time that I won’t have to suffer as I have in past election years from the absence of my daily dose of spirited political news. While American elections only take place every four years, I may have found a new, all year, every year source of wonder and fascination, and it speaks Italian.

 Remember to Vote

p.s. sorry about not posting Auntie Pasta this week. I wrote it, it was ready to go, but in all the confusion that is swirling around me these days, I completely forgot to post it.

LIFE: On the Move

SARONNO, Italy - Well, it's done. This is the last post from Saronno, I think.  From what I know, as much as you can know anything in advance here in Italy, next week at this time I will be back to the Italian Riviera, where this Italian adventure first started. I've loved my time in Milan and Saronno, but the sun and the sea have been whispering in my ear for a few years now, and I decided it was time to answer.

Because this is Italy, and because the Italians are famous for not confirming anything until the last possible minute, I don't have a whole lot of information about this move. I know that sounds crazy, especially to my fellow Americans, but it is what is is. Some, like Frances Mayes, author of  Under the Tuscan Sun, have made a lot of money writing about the quirkiness of the Italians and their Byzantine systems. She thought it charming, but she doesn't live here. It drives me crazy.

But the point of this blog is not to complain, not at all.  I feel very fortunate. And now, as I have to get out of this chair and continuing packing, I will leave you with some images of where you will soon find me. I will keep you posted.

  Porto Antico in Genoa

Hotel in Portofino

Lavagna City Hall

Hillside Restaurant in Lavagna

 Portovenere

 Chiavari - Daily Food Market

 Chiavari Court House

 Ernest Hemingway's Home Away from Home, Rapallo

 Rapallo Castle

 Fishing Boats, Rapallo

AUNTIE PASTA: A Taste of Rome, Trastevere Style

SARONNO, Italy - Between  753 and 509 BC, the area across the Tiber that we now call Trestevere, was not part of Rome at all. It belonged to the pesky Etruscans and was called Ripa Etrusca (Etruscan bank).  

 Daily Life in Trastevere

When Rome conquered the area in order to gain control of, and access to, the river from both banks, it was because it was interested in building on that side of the river. In fact, the only connection there was between Trastevere and the rest of the city was a small wooden bridge called the Pons Sublicius  (Latin: "bridge built on wooden piles"). And it remained that way for a very long time.

  Trastevere is Known for its Narrow, Winding Streets

But are 509 BC, the number of sailors and fishermen living and working on the river had increased.  Immigrants from the East had also settled there, primarily Jews and Syrians. It was only when Julius Caesar and other important Romans built villas in Trastevere, that the neighborhood began to change. However, it wasn’t until  43 BC (more or less), when the Roman Emperor Augustus divided Rome into 14 regions (regiones in Latin), that Trastevere was officially considered a part of the city.  Modern Trastevere was Region No. XIV and was called Trans Tiberim.  

  Cobblestone Streets of Trestevere

The streets and alleys remained unpaved till 1400, when Pope Sixtus IV had bricks laid. However proving unsuited to wagon wheels, they were later replaced by the "Sampietrini" (cobblestones), which remain to this day, making navigation by bicycle and moped, a hazardous undertaking.

Today’s recipe is for a delicious Trastevere style risotto, which unites the taste of northern Italy and the robust flavors of middle Italy. 

TRASTEVERE STYLE RISOTTO 

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 lb rice

3 oz butter

1 ¾ oz onion

3 ½ oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese   

3 ½ oz pancetta (italian bacon), smoked

3 ½ oz chicken livers

3 ½ oz boiled ham

½ oz vegetable broth

1 ½ oz Marsala wine

salt and pepper to taste 

Step 1 - Cut the pancetta into strips, put it into a casserole with 30 gr of butter and the finely chopped onion, and sauté.

Step 2 - Pour in the Marsala, allow to evaporate, and add the diced prosciutto.

  

Step 3 - Add the diced chicken livers

Step 4 - Add the rice and toast it.

Step 5 - Pour the stock over the rice and stir with a wooden spoon. The stock must be added little by little until the rice is cooked “al dente”. Adjust the seasoning, firstly with some pepper, and then the salt.

Step 6 - With the heat off, add the remaining butter and stir in the Parmesan cheese.