two in the afternoon

Happy happy- just got my tax refund! It's hard to remember that it was my money to begin with...
Yes, I am a dual national and I pay 2 sets of taxes.
So, as I sat down today to write I thought about how I write mostly about extremely boring junk that is only of interest to me. I will make a conscious effort to change that. Not that anyone cares about my tax refund.. Maybe I'll start tomorrow to write about globally interesting topics.
Oh, my last self-absorbed tidbit of news, William's little soccer team kicked butt yesterday winning 8-0 in La Spezia.

We're at the repeats

Pizza night again- this time 100% whole wheat because I forgot to buy white flour to mix in. Should be chewy... but good for us.

I lost a big post again. This time it was irretrievable. What a pain. It all seems so easy and then POOF.

Yesterday was a big day. It was our sommelier graduation ceremony. It was held at the Berlucchi estate in Franciacorta (Lombardia) about 3 hours away from here. We had a tour of the cantinas which was fascinating, a delicious lunch with FABULOUS bubbly Berluuchi wines and then we each came up on stage and they presented us with our diplomas and taste-vins (cuppy things on chains). It was disturbingly exciting. I forgot how much I hate getting up on stage.

And no, in that picture I am not slipping bottles of Berlucchi into my handbag.

Stomach flu

ooh, yuck. Fabio and I have the stomach flu and therefore nuthin's cooking in Fontona tonight.

First long hike of the year

I don't know exactly what it is- the feeling that spring is around the corner, the longer days, the colorful flowers starting to bloom. There's something about February that just makes me want to get outside.
Today Sissy, Stinky and I took a 4 hour hike out to the tip of Punta Mesco and back. The weather was overcast but warm-ish (6° c) and it was calm- so calm that I didn't turn on the ipod, I turned off the phone and enjoyed the quiet.

I actively pursued asparagus for a while but then I got distracted by.... I'm not sure what.. but I enjoyed not having a purpose.

I was thinking of slow food then slow travel, etc. and I thought- well what kind of traveler would that make me- a 'still traveler'? I don't think that that would be considered positive.

I envy people that can go to different places each time they leave home for a trip. I always go someplace that I have fallen in love with beforehand. Therefore I travel very few places unless it's to see people.

Today was not a pretty day- just think how beautiful it would have been if the sun had been shining.

Vittoria!

Well finally we had a win. Virtus Levanto was victorious over Val di Vara 5 to 2. William fended off all of the shots, yay!
So tonight the team (and the parents) are going out for a victory dinner to the MELA pizzeria, right down the street from us next to the ex-Apple discoteca.
This is the usual venue for our team dinners for 2 reasons: it's cheap and they never, ever complain if our kids are terrible. The pizza is quite good as well.
We adults end up sitting as far away as possible from our kids. That's why our kids are terrible.

Pretty weather, boring day

Today was the classic same old, same old: 2 hours email, shower, dress, bank, accountant, pick up William. William wanted to go to our favorite local restaurant, Pellegro, so we did. After that, home, change William, drop him off at soccer. Hospital with Nonna, pick up William, drop William off at home, go to driver's ed.
Yep... driver's ed.
I have been driving for exactly 25 years. I have had the odd ticket and taken defensive driving twice but done nothing to merit having to repeat, IN ITS ENTIRETY, driver's ed. It's a matter of principle and I had been avoiding enrolling, attending and, above all, paying for Italian driver's ed classes for the past 18 and a half years.
Now the time has come and I have to suffer through this crap again. And it's REALLY terribly boring.
On a happier note, Pellegro is a restaurant here in Levanto where all the construction workers go for lunch. For 10 euros you get a primo (pasta or rice dish), a secondo (meat or fish), a contorno (veg) and a 1/4 l. wine and 1/2 l. water. There are only 3 or 4 choices for each dish and if you come later they are usually out of your choice.
William and I go usually once a week. Sometimes Fabio is around and we'll meet him there and sometimes other people we know are there so we'll sit with them. As a rule, I am the only woman. Growing up in a household with 3 brothers and now living with 2 very manly boys, I am used to being the only girl. It doesn't bug me at all. I just wonder what these guys think of me in this joint, griping at my son to put his napkin in his lap and chew with his mouth closed. Goodness knows that this is not the place to show off your manners.
It is good, cheap, homemade food. Both Grandmas are in the kitchen, the wife serves and the husband organizes. They remember what we like and, since I don't drink wine with lunch, comp my coffee.
If you're ever in Levanto between 12 and 3 Monday through Friday stop by. At the roundabout under the hospital. Can't miss it.

Hospital food and Fabio's Day

The rest of the world might be celebrating Valentine's Day, but here in Fontona we're celebrating Fabio's birthday. Lasagne and a rousing game of CLUE. Fabio won. Mrs. Peacock with a noose in the salon.
Nonna's still in the hospital. William and I went to go visit for an hour and a half this evening and were there at dinnertime.
Tonight's menu was pastina in broth, sliced pork roast, mashed potatoes, steamed cauliflower and a baked apple for dessert.
She only ate the pastina and the apple. William was hungry so he ate everything else.
I had a bite of the mashed potatoes and roast and I have to say that they were damn good! Italian hospitals might be lax on the luxuries (you better bring your own t.p. or risk drip dry), but the food is usually passable, if not downright good.
It's late so we're off to bed.
Happy vday!

Dinner guests!

Dinner guests tonight therefore I am in a post dinner party stupor-

Luciano, Guido and Nene came by for luccio (pike) risotto - very delicious - and sauteed pike with baby spinach salad.

I forgot to take photos. Maybe because they also brought a very nice franciacorta.

Good night to all-
Kate

Lucio's luccio

<- sissy!

Our friend Luciano is just darling. Every ten days or so he drives down (well, over I guess) from near Parma to visit us and other friends in the area. When he comes he never fails to bring some kind of food gift. Sometimes its a case of homemade lambrusco, often it's a kilo of parmigiano cheese. Once it was half of a suckling pig, head and all. A few homemade sausages and salami have also come our way.

<- stinky!

This afternoon around 1pm, Luciano drives up with his son and proceeds to haul a big igloo cooler out of his truck and over to the outside sink. His son held an old plastic paper-towel casing full of something. The dogs were going wild.

Inside the old piece of plastic was a salame, 2 coteche (a sort of sausage) and a kilo of parmigiano cheese.

Inside the igloo cooler was a 6 and a 1/2 kilo luccio (pike). That's about a 14 and a half pound fish. He informed me that that is what we were going to eat that night (insinuating that I was going to cook it). He still had to see if Nene and Manuela could come. Geez, that meant I had to clean the living room.

The pike is a revolting fish. It has these sinister eyes and a gigantic mouth full of horribly sharp teeth. You can see in the mouth picture that the teeth continue from the gum down the palate. Luciano was kind enough to open the thing's mouth so that I could get a close-up shot.

I just found out that the big dinner has been postponed until tomorrow night. That's great news for me seeing as William has a fever and has been home all day on the couch. I pretended that I was sick too and took a day off with William.

He ate left over broth for lunch and I ate 12 oreo cookies- They just started selling them here in Levanto.

Today I also took some pictures of the dogs and of the lovely wild violets that have sprung up. Spring is so lovely here.

Cheers!

To the left you can see the pile of books that I will be putting back on the shelf tonight. After 3 years of studying, taking the train back and forth to and from La Spezia, drinking lots of wine (well that part wasn't too bad...) I have been officially declared a sommelier by the Association of Italian Sommeliers.

Today I sat my oral exam before the head of the Florentine chapter of the AIS. I was so nervous that I nearly passed out. I do not fare well at oral exams.

All's well that ends well.

So now what? Now the hard work begins, proving myself as a good sommelier. Travelling, tasting and meeting producers, experts and other sommeliers like me. I am excited that wine will be part of my future.

So why couldn't have I accomplished the in the US? Why can't you really learn a foreign language inside your own country? Wine, in Europe, is intrinsic to its culture. By studying wine in Europe, you are studying history, geography, psychology, anthropology. It's more than a science, a business or just a fun drink: it's an integral part of life.

So for me the course was not just about becoming a snobby wine expert (which I'm not). It was another way of learning to understand the country that I call home.

In any case, I am very proud of myself. It has been a long, difficult journey but worth every minute.

What wine will I open tonight? Well, nothing. William's got a fever so we're eating vegetable broth from mugs while watching 'Casino Royale'.

Cheers!

dinner guests!

Dnner guests tonight! It's after midnight and William's big game is tomorrow so... buona notte- a domani.

Please don't let me evaporate

After last night's debacle I am kind of demoralized. Everything was so heartfelt and sincere. Oh well.
Tonight is pressure cooker ragù (tomato-meat sauce) with spaghetti and then a salad and cheese. The pressure cooker is one of my favorite tools, cutting cooking time by a quarter and conserving the juices which, if you don't want them later you can just boil them off. I use it for all my long-cooked recipes; minestrone, ragù, octopus, etc. as well as when I'm short on time. It's great for quick steamed veggies or a 15 minute pot roast.
I saw Anthony Bourdain's tv episode where his host (I think he was in France) was pressure cooking something and he was very nervous that it might explode. I was kind of that way too at the beginning but now i am very comfortable with the evil contraption.
Yesterday's installment was about why I am here in Italy. I don't know if I can go through the whole story again- I was feeling very philosophical last night. Maybe at a later date.
I have my wine expert sommelier exam on Monday and I am so terrified that I might not pass that I can't even study. This is a big deal for me. First of all, it would mean a lot to me personally and professionally. It would open a few doors for me and give me a motive to liven up my work. Secondly, I have never flunked an exam that I studied for, ever. I am the classic example of the closet nerd (or maybe I am an oblivious obvious nerd but I just think that I look cool- hey man, if so, don't burst my bubble). I aim to master, not just learn, if I am interested in a subject (se ci tengo..). That has been the case with the sommelier course. I never missed a class- I sat in the front row and took extensive notes. I tried to ingratiate myself with the teachers. Even at the written exam I was front row, center to show that I was honest and wouldn't copy. My mother would have been proud.
Problem is, my nose isn't up to snuff (..sniff?) and my memory isn't what it used to be. But I am trying my hardest.
The last time I went through this was for my tour guide exams in 2003. Gee whiz that was tough and SO much info to study. I did it though, both written and oral, and I was very satisfied. I SO HOPE that Monday goes well.
After this, then what? What exactly is the point of being a sommlier? Well, it would help me start focusing on what I enjoy most, combining the two (hopefully 2!) qualifications- being an wine-and-food tour guide in an area which no other American knows better, the Cinque Terre. Eventually, as William gets older and more independent, I would like to expand outside of the 5T.
On a random note, William is really good at soccer. Thus sayeth the coaches. Apparently a 'scout' is coming to see him play on Sunday. I have no idea who this might be or why he would 'scout' a 9 year old. I didn't even realize that he was that good. He has a lot of fun and I enjoy watching him have a lot of fun. That would be too weird if something came out of this scouting thing. Ma....
OK, I'm about to post. I hope that this gets online. If not, it might be the end of this blogging experience....... Speriamo bene.

Leftovers for dinner so...

Damn.
I just wrote a humongous post and it all got obliterated into cyber space.

Wow- I just found the original 'Leftovers for dinner' so it's going online

I have a half hour or so before William gets home from school AND the pork roast is ready for dinner so I thought that I'd just sit and write a bit.

Today was gorgeous and I had all the windows in the house open to let it the light and fresh air. February can be so lovely here. I have vivid (preWilliam) memories of hiking and fishing with Fabio on beautiful February days. I need to start making some new lovely February memories! I will start on Tuesday.

It's a funny thing to be a dual citizen. Half my life has been spent in Texas, half of my life created in Italy. There also were a couple of intermediate years- transition years spent around Europe; lots of London, a bit of Madrid, some Greece, Germany and France- that don't count too much.

So why did I land in Italy and, more interestingly, why in Monterosso? simply because of a train strike, curiosity, my hard head and probably a bit of laziness and rebeliousness. It seemed like an interesting thing to do at the time and Kate Little, at 19, was always up for the most interesting (and never the most logical) thing. I was working in London at the time I embarked on the journey that would change my life. I was an editor for the German Wine Bureau. No wonder I left.

Monterosso al Mare (Cinque Terre), in 1989, had been visited by exactly 4 Americans at that time: Rick Steves, my best pal Laura Ash, our travelling partner Edie Tsong and me . Thanks Rick for giving us the heads up. His book had been out for a couple of years but apparently no one (except us) had read it yet. Monterosso was a small, unique haven of small town, unique people. People that were completely unlike any other people I had ever met before.

When met with a challenge, I tend to face it head on. Especially if this challenge is weird, like integrating myself with this new species of people. I didn't speak the language, I knew next to nothing abut Italy and I fashioned myself a kind of alternative cosmopolite, in a way almost above these rough and tumble folk. In my diary I wrote 'this will be my experiment in idealism'. I fancied myself a sort of anthropolgist.

The longer I remained in Monterosso, the more I learned. Of course I learned the language- that only took about 6 months- but more than that I learned a way of life.

The people that were generous enough to host me offered me a top bunk in the son's bedroom. The mother, an unschooled unhappy housewife, loved me for what I was. She could have cared less that I had been student council president or honor society or had won awards or whatever. When I read books she automatically assumed that I was studying (and what did studying serve?). She taught me to look at the birds outside the window and realize that they have nothing yet want nothing. What they need is provided for them.

The family provided for me- I helped them out the best I could as well. I fished, I babysat, I sold roasted chestnuts. I tried ate everything on my plate and tried to be as gracious as possible. I worked 12 hour days during the summer at Midi Bar and left cash in the cabinet- cash would not be accepted if I offered.

I learned nothing that I thought I would and everything that I had not expected to. I learned dialect instead of Italian, I learned how to fish rather than how to paint frescos. Most of all I learned the beauty of just being myself and not having to prove anything to anyone OR having to fill certain requisites to advance on 'my path'. I was commended for my line-tying skills and praised for my ability to climb olive trees. I'm strong and I don't complain much and every task that was a burden for them was an adventure for me. Also, as a southerner- or rather, a Texan- I was (and am, I hope) extremely polite, courteous and well-mannered. I was well-accepted generally.

Most importantly I learned to respect people for the right reasons.

Back to the dialect... Italy is full of dialects. The country wasn't unified until 1860 so each little region was under the control of a different regional lord or even country. The 5 terre towns were so isolated that their language was a bastardized version of the Genoese dialect- Genoa is a port town that has picked up a unique vocabuary from its many visitors. I guess that the closest you can come to Monterossino is portuguese. Anyway, from Genoa south til La Spezia, the dialects are very similar but still unique.

I lived in a house with people who only spoke dialect. Their spoken Italian was shaky and their written Italian was downright bad. I, never having studied Italian, had no idea that they weren't speaking Italian and therefore communicated with them in the language that they used. This did create some confusion with my dictionary. I couldn't find what they were saying so I stuck to my ad-hoc translations and spoke the way that they spoke.

The way that I found out that I was speaking dialect was fairly humiliating.

I arrived in Monterosso in June 1989. In order to appease my parents' wishes that I'make myself productive', I signed up for a 40 hour a week intensive Italian class in Siena in October 1989. When I showed up for the placement exams, all pompous and proud that I could 'speak Italian' the professor couldn't understand what I was saying and stuck me in with the beginners. I then found out from my teacher that I was speaking Monterossino rather than Italian. Well, everyone could understand me back home! i then studied as hard as I could- beginning a love for the study of Italian everything (language, food, culture, wine, mushrooms (noone believes this but I am really pretty informed regarding Italian mushrooms- there ain't much to do in a Monterossino winter), everything except politics) which hasn't ended yet. I know that if I would have stayed in the states I would have become one of those eternal students. I'm really good at nothing except for knowing random and odd facts and being able to accomplish strange tasks that others find difficult. I am also pretty diplomatic but without other skills that doesn't help much.

Now I've lost my train of thought...

Oh yes, the dual cit.

I feel as if I have 2 lives. Not that my US and my Italian are each isolated- obviously that's not the case if I'm BLOGGING in English- but that my life before 1989 and my life after 1989 are

completely and totally distinct in every possible way.

I often told Fabio that I have had 2 childhoods- what else is a childhood than a carefree period where you are shaped and educated. That I have definitely gone through twice. No doubt about it. In fact i considered writing a book 'Growing up twice' then I read that it had already been written.

William is due to be home any minute now so I will dedicate myself to hime. Not much cooking going on today but a lot of info that I have shared with few.

May you eat dinner with someone you love!

skiing in cerreto laghi

William (yellow helmet) and Fabio (showoff)

So much for dinner...

Skiing was a lot of fun. The sun was shining, the snow was ok and we ran into a bunch of friends. When we came off the slopes around 4.30, our friends Marco and Dolly invited us up to their apartment where they have prepared hot chocolate and a bunch of really good food.
Well, my boys can work up an appetite, especially when lunch is a tailgate picnic served at 11.30 a.m. and they have been skiing for 4 hours.
They wolfed everything that poor Dolly had carefully prepared in a matter of minutes.
Needless to say, their appetite had been satiated and my poor pork roast is sad and lonely in the fridge. All they asked for was some fruit salad.
I instead ate the delicious cabbagey soup. I added some rice to liven it up some.
Those ingrates....

weird food night

Tonight Fabio wanted baccalà (http://www.babbonyc.com/in-baccala.html), a smelly salted cod. I have made baccalà once, for Fabio, about 15 years ago - that was in the falling-in-love phase when I would do anything to gain his favor.
Tonight I must do something with this baccalà but I'm not sure what.
In the meantime I have made a pork roast (normal spices), a cabbage soup, steamed cauliflower and broccoli and pan-roasted jerusalem artichokes. This has been to avoid the baccalà- actually, everyone in the house thinks that I am on the internet NOW looking for a baccalà recipe. I sent them to go visit Nonna so I have a few precious minutes left before I am discovered.
Today was deemed 'clean the house day'. Unfortunately the weather was beautiful so Fabio and William went fishing in the vallesanta beach here in Levanto and I went along with Sissy and Stinky (the dogs) to get some vitamin d. The air was so clear that you could see the snow-capped Alps from sea level. Never have I seen that before. I studied some wine stuff for a while but it was one of those gorgeous days where you just can't stop looking around you. I tend to get ancy if I don't have something to read or with which to write or draw or paint. TodayI wanted to do nothing except gaze at the horizon, the hills, the water, the alps, the sillouette of william against the sun and the dogs romping on the beach.
Well, tommorow should be nice in the mountains. Therefore the plan is to go up to Cerretto Laghi for a fun filled day on the slopes. Yay! Last year the snow sucked so we didn't go once. I am really looking forward to getting back on skis! The reason that I am making so much food tonight is so that tomorrow , when we arrive late at home, tired but satisfied, we will have something nourishing and hearty to eat (pork roast with steamed broc and caul and left over cabbagey soup).
So, back to food... The second weird food for tonight is the jerusalem artichoke. I saw them at the Esselunga last week and bought them so now I have to do something with them. We shall see how they turn out.
On a cultural note, baccalà is one of those random 'local dishes'. It is known as a tuscan dish, a venetian dish and a ligurian dish- BUT there are no cod in the med! Baccalà was commonly used in trade with northern countries- they had no wine or olive oil.
The story behind the cabbagey dishes is that our friend Alberto has a farm and agriturismo near Varese Ligure (http://www.camarcantonio.it/en/accomodation.html) and is growing tons of brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. He has been giving us lots of various cabbage family products and I am trying to come up with new ways to cook them.
Dinner is over and it was good! I ended up making the baccalà alla fiorentina (with leeks, tomato and garlic) and it was actually quite tasty. 1st course was cabbagey soup with rice. Very nice.

Home late - Fabio's famous cotolette alla milanese

We were in Genova all day and just got back home (it's 8.23 p.m.). Luckily the SISA supermarket let us in before they closed so we were able to pick up the staples for tonight's meal. Fabio had a hankering for cotolette alla milanese and no one can make them like he does- he is milanese after all. So he's busy in the kitchen. I'll swoop in later when it's time to sautè the spinach and make the mashed potatoes.
If today's lunch was meatballs, where might I have been? Yep, IKEA! We are laden with cheap plates, door mats and dog beds. We also went to Castorama. It was Fabio's first time and he fell in love hard. (Castorama is the Italian equivalent of HomeDepot). After that we went to go look at cars. The Subaru is feeling very small lately and we're looking for something more our size. Today's quest led us to the KIA dealership to look at the Carnival- in the US that would be the Sedona and it would cost about 30 percent less. We shall see.

It's pizza night!

It's pizza night tonight for 2 reasons.
1- it's Sunday and we have nothing in the house to eat (small town Italy still believes in markets being closed on Sundays, forcing one to become creative). I just happened to have some fresh yeast and mozzarella in the fridge and of course we have canned tomatoes and flour.
2- Fabio just whacked down a bunch of tree limbs and wanted to fire up the bread ovendownstairs.
I made a dough out of 300 grams manitoba flour (they market it as 'American flour'), 200 grams whole wheat flour, a spoonful of chestnut honey, a little loaf of fresh yeast, a hefty pinch of salt and just enough water. You'll find the cryptic q.b. in many Italian recipes. It means quanto basta- just enough...
Anyway, the dough is rising as I write.
William and Fabio are off to visit Nonna in the hospital here in Levanto. I had the pizza excuse. They'll be back soon though because Fabio has to start the fire going.
Usually my pizzas come out very well because, as a big girl, I am a great kneader. I have also been kneading quite regularly in the past month because of various 'pizza nights' and well as 2 homemade pasta events.
The first was meant to be a fun activity for William and his cousin Davide when Davide spent the night a couple of weeks ago. The boys were no help whatsoever but the ravioli were good.
Last night we had friends over so I wanted to make something special. We don't get to see Franz and Jenny much since the move from Monterosso and the birth of Chiara so we were really happy that they could come. I planned an experimental menu- ravioli for 1st and a cocoa herbed pork loin roast I dusted off the pasta crank and made ravioli again, this time with a carrot, onion and mixed cheese filling and a sage-butter-parmigiano sauce. They were good but... was it worth the time and effort?
The pork roast, adapted from Epicurious.com http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240744 sounded unusually freaky for my traditionalist stance on cooking. But ..it was an experimental dinner and Franz and Jenny are really good friends that wouldn't dump us for a weird meal. The cooking method was outstanding- long, slow roast at a low temperature- but the taste was so-so and the cocoa rub got kind of slimy. It would be interesting tweak the rub and make it an ancho-cocoa roast. Hmm.
The wine last night was a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Valle Reale San Calisto 2004. It was fantastic! Thanks Susi! I hope that I can find more of it.
Jenny made her chocolate cake that it consistantly delicious. It always reminds me of Jeffrey's chocolate intemperance. We finished it with caffèlattes for breakfast this morning.
Off to see if the dough is doing its stuff. Rising dough is like magic to me. It never ceases to make me smile when I see my dough has doubled!
May your dough always double.