SO MANY FLAVORS...SO LITTLE TIME

I’ve posted about the great food (coglioni di mulo notwithstanding), aperitivos, digestivos, wine and grappe but I have somehow managed to overlook Italy’s second greatest gift to humanity…GELATI (Italian Ice Cream)! I’m not talking about the commercially packaged supermarket stuff or the stuff made from industrial mixes sold to the unwashed masses. Nope, I’m talking about the artisan “made-from-scratch”, frozen orgasmic gelati that only true aficionados know and love. Italians are as loyal and fanatical about their favorite local gelato makers as they are about their beloved soccer teams…perhaps more so.

Our search for the ultimate gelato experience is an ongoing quest. Everywhere we go, we sample, compare and debate the merits of each gelato vender’s product…many are noteworthy but none have as yet transported us to gelato Nirvana. So the search continues.

Beyond assessing the quality of each gelato is an equally daunting challenge of choosing the right combination of flavors. At any given time there are dozens of flavors to choose from which makes selecting the right combination all the more difficult. So, being a linear thinker and analyst, I have developed the following gelato theory:

• Time of Day - Like ordering cappuccino only before 11:00 AM, certain gelati are “morning” combinations; others should only be consumed between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM; and, others eaten after dinner (late into the night). I am very curious if other gelato fanatics share my theory.

• Morning Flavors (Before 11:00 AM) – Any combination of fruit flavors (fragola, pesca, melone, fruiti di bosco, etc.) with plain vanilla or cream (panne) flavor); Caffe and/or cappucino are also fine. No Chocolate, nuts or “complex” flavors.

• Midday Flavors (11:00 AM to 7:00 PM) – Any combination of chocolate or hazelnut with caffe or vanilla; fruit with vanilla; or a single “complex” flavor. A note of caution…some of the complex flavors will seem strange, so ask for a small taste before tackling a whole cup.

• After Dinner Flavors (After 9:00 PM) – Anything goes…but if you can’t handle caffeine at night, stay away from the caffe and cappuccino gelati.

Now it’s quiz time. Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember:

“Sometimes you feel like a nut…sometimes you don’t!”

That’s an old TV commercial for Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars;. Mentioned by another American tourist recently, she inspired me to try something new. Next time out, I’m going for the Mounds gelati combo (chocolate and coconut) or, if almond gelato is available, the Almond Joy combo (chocolate, coconut and almond). Of course, I may exercise a little Italian artistic license substituting nocciola (chocolate hazelnut; a.k.a. Nutella) for chocolate with coconut…but only after 7:00 PM. Rules are rules…but in Italy, rules are made to be broken.

P.S. – Please don’t make the same embarrassing mistake I made a few years back. Don’t confuse pesca (peach) with pesce (fish)…you might be served anchovy flavored gelato.

Things Italians Eat - Part II: Fiori di Zucca (Zucchini Flowers)

One would think that I am obsessed with flowers. I've written about searching for weeks for the perfect field of poppies. I'm in awe of all the varieties of wild flowers that paint the hills with brilliant yellows, subtle pinks and royal purples. And every time I think I've seen the most beautiful display of colors, more flowers bloom and change the landscape again. Last week it was roses in every color - climbing roses, miniature roses, varieties I've never seen before. Also blooming now, along all the highways is Oleander, in a wonderful array of color.

Zucchini flowers have always been a mystery to me. They're delicate and pretty, but unlike the ornamental flowers I've been admiring, they are also food…to me a challenging, exotic and particular item to prepare. And who eats flowers anyway? Well, Italians certainly do.

When zucchini began appearing in the markets, they showed up with the blossoms still attached. What is one supposed to do with that? Now the blossoms are available at the green grocer (without being attached to a zucchini). No one I know has ever cooked them. I've only ever seen them on restaurant menus, where I have ordered them in anticipation of an exotic delicacy. Having never cooked them, I asked the woman at the fruit and vegetable shop how they are prepared.

Here's what she said:

“It's very easy. Stuff them with a little mozzarella and anchovy – just a tiny bit of anchovy. Then make a batter with some flour and water and a little salt....not too thick. Dip the stuffed blossoms in the batter and put them directly into a skillet of hot olive oil.”

Typical of Italian recipes exchanged verbally, exact amounts are not mentioned. You're simply supposed to know how thick/thin to make the batter, how much anchovy is “a tiny bit” etc. Actually, it was pretty simple. The blossoms were easy to stuff, the batter was easy to whip-up and all that was left to do was to eat the little delights. And they were delicious. I will make these again! Yum!

C’è Pizza per Te

Our apartment came with a number of welcomed amenities (clothes washer, central heating and air conditioning) and several businesses on the ground floor (an interior design studio, a physical therapist’s office, a tattoo studio and…a great pizzeria. C’è Pizza per Te is owned by our upstairs neighbors, Valter and Olga. Since opening the pizzeria last November, they work 16 to 18 hours, six days a week (closed Mondays) making the dough and sauces in-house, baking the pizzas and preparing other dishes. They purchase only some of the toppings (cheeses, anchovies, tuna, fresh vegetables, etc.) but everything else is homemade. They kindly allowed us into their kitchen to explain their process and to watch how their hard work and talent keeps us well fed and happy.

Once their sons Andrea and Marco are off to school, the work begins. Valter begins each day by preparing multiple, 5 kilogram (about 12 pound) batches of two types of pizza dough; one for big rectangular pizzas that are cut and sold “by the slice” and the other for individual round pizzas. Once the doughs are mixed, they are left to rise. While Valter is busy in the kitchen, Olga walks to the piazza and does the daily family shopping. By late morning the dough is refrigerated to stop the yeast action and the shopping is done, Valter and Olga turn their attention to preparing the ingredients and toppings. There are liters of sauces to be made, kilos of vegetables to be cleaned and chopped, and always cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. There must also be administrative work but I have no idea when they find the time for that.

After lunch Valter turns on the two huge ovens and by 3:30 or so he and Olga are stretching the dough, brushing the pans with olive oil and assembling the different types of rectangular pizzas that are sold by the slice. These pizzas are served at room temperature and include: tomato; tomato and cheese; onion and potato; mushroom and sausage; tomato and anchovy; and a very non-traditional pizza that has mayonnaise, lettuce, fresh tomatoes and tuna.
The individual round pizzas are prepared and baked to order, served hot from the oven. They resemble Pizza Napolitano but the dough has a different texture, taste and “bite”…Carol’s favorite is Valter’s Pizza Margherita (tomato, mozzarella) and I love the Napolitano (tomato, mozzarella, and anchovies). The renovation of the outdoor terrace is now complete, so with the warm weather we’ll be enjoying Valter and Olga’s pizzas along with a couple of cold beers as we watch the sunset on Soriano nel Cimino.

That’s amorè!