Part One: The Vineyards, a Festival of Tortellini, Cherries and Amarone Risotto.
We arrived at the Borgo San Donino- Selva Capuzza, just a short drive outside of Verona, surrounded by rows of grapevines, brightly colored oleander, fig trees, and tall tall cypress trees pointing up towards the blue sky. The Mountains of Lake Garda stood proudly in the distance.
During all of my trips to the different regions of Italy over the years, I had become very familiar with the wonderful food, wine, oil, fresh produce, gelato, pasta, meats, cheeses, soups, pastries, coffee.... yes I could of course keep going...
But never had the focus of a trip been solely on the food and wine alone. This was what this week in Northern Italy would be about and it was not only delicious, but very, very informative.
We were greeted each morning with this lovely breakfast table, complete with espresso, blood orange juice, peach nectar, fresh strawberries and pastries.
Early in our week, we went on a day long excursion to the small town of Borghetto for a lunch, a lesson in tortellini making, and to see the annual Festo del Nodo d'Amore (The Festival of the Knot of Love or the Tortellino). This festival takes place each year in June, and is dedicated to the little knot shaped pasta. 4,000 people sit for a tortellini dinner at one long table that runs along the length of the old bridge in town.
When we arrived in the outskirts of historic Borghetto, we walked down a small modern residential street, where people swept their sidewalks and greeted us with "Buon Giorno." Plastic water bottles were lined up outside of homes, so that neighbors could water plants while the owners were away.
We were greeted at the end of the street by a friendly dog, and one of the family members who run the Pastificio al Re del Tortellino, a small tortellino shop.
We were shown into the kitchen, where the ingredients that are used to make the meat filling were on display, and then down to the enclosed area where they make each tortellino by hand. I was surprised to find out that mortadella was included in the meat mixture, and that the ingredients were left to simmer for about 6 hours to develop the flavor.
We washed up and were invited to make a few tortellini of our own.
After making tortellini, we were invited across the courtyard to the family's house, where they served us an incredible lunch. The first course was the meat tortellini tossed with a little butter and grana padano cheese...oh my....The filling was light and flavorful, almost resembling a cheese filling. I had a second little helping of these, not knowing what would be next on the menu.
The second course was basil and ricotta torelloni in a fresh tomato sauce. The ingredients were incredibly simple, but the flavors were complex. Each little knot was so fluffy that they melted in my mouth.
The third course, was pumpkin, chocolate, amaretti tortellini in a light butter and cheese sauce. On my ever growing list of the best things that I have ever eaten, these were the perfect blend of sweet and savory. The tortellini with pumpkin filling at the center, was half chocolate pasta dough and half a dough that had a subtle taste of amaretti cookies (little almond cookies that are great crushed on desserts and used on certain pasta dishes).
The chocolate pumpkin pasta was for sale in their storefront, and oh how I wished that I could take these home!
At their wonderful little shop, I bought a Mostarda di Pere, which is a sweet and spicy condiment that is great on cheese. Pears or Apples are caramelized into a sticky jelly and combined with mustard powder for a really interesting and zingy flavor combination.
After lunch we ventured north about an hour to Marano di Valpolicella, east of Lake Garda. As we climbed higher and higher up the hills, the thousands of terraced vineyards became apparent. Lines of grapes were drawn all along the hillsides, each supported by a stone wall beneath. The vines rolled with the shape of the hills, tracing the landscape with the mark of the agricultural importance of the region. High above the world below stood the small, family operated, Giuseppe Lonardi Winery.
We toured the winery, the aging tanks, and barrels. The aging rooms that housed the oak casks were filled with the pungent perfume of aging and fermenting grapes.
Meeting the family, and hearing about the process, introduced a whole new life and story to the wine in the bottle. Winemaking is a dedicated art form, a process of preparation, growth, transformation, aging, and production, all tied together by a strong tradition of family and history.
I began to see in this process, the true marriage of nature and culture, as each season and aspect of production is subject to annual weather and soil, conditions in each region. There seemed to be a respect for the land and a command of it at the same time.
After the tour, we went to a nearby restaurant up on the hill above for a tasting and dinner.
After the day of tortellini, it was hard to believe that we would be eating again, and boy was I in for a surprise!
We tasted numerous red wines, including the winery's Valpolicella Classico, Privilegia, Amarone, and a sweet wine called Recioto. I learned that the production of fresh cherries was prevalent in the region, and began to see a relationship between the tastes in the wines and this distinct flavor.
After our tasting, we were invited into the kitchen where we watched the chef prepare polenta over a wood fire of grape vines, which would be served with sauteed rosemary mushrooms. The flavor of this polenta was truly unreal. The distinct smokey flavor of the grape vine wood was apparent, and the pairing with the mushrooms and wine made my tastebuds sing.
Next, we were presented with Amarone risotto, cooked in a savory broth and generous amount of Valpolicella wine. It's aroma and creamieness, with just a sprinkle of cheese was like nothing I have ever tasted. It truly elevated the wine, taking the ingredient, with all of it's complexity and flavor, and making it the shine.
I couldn't help but think of the respect for the ingredient itself in this dish, considering all of the steps, process, and work that had gone into making the wine, and then incorporating in to this one amazing little plate of rice.
The dish was followed by tender lamb cooked in wine, with a side of grilled smokey polenta, and a few potatoes.
Finally some of the sweet Recioto wine, a cherry torte, and coffee of course ended the meal.
I could have left Italy after this day a happy, happy woman, but there would be so much more to come...
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