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Missing Jardinière

Came across this photo and got nostalgic for Traci Des Jardins' iconic Jardinière, which closed in 2019. We used to go there all the time before or after a night at the ballet, opera or symphony. It had the most beautiful decor, including these stained glass lamps which lit the bar. The new restaurant that took its place can't hold a candle to it and has been a disappointment.

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Today’s lunch. I often made myself a mortadella panino for lunch when I worked at Excite Italia in Rome. Always delicious! Today I paid €0.85 for two rosettes (one was more than I needed) and €0.97 for the mortadella. Honestly I don’t think it was much cheaper in 2002! Amazing how cheap good food is here.

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Shopping with a Chef

Yesterday I had the opportunity to walk the San Benedetto Central Market with Chef Laura from VitaNova.

I've always loved going to central markets, but this was particularly special, watching Chef Laura choose ingredients for her dishes for the coming days. I felt a little bit like Stanley Tucci! (Look at the length of the bill on that swordfish. I didn't even get the whole thing in the snapshot!)

Tuna season is just starting up. The size and color of the flesh is astounding. Some of it is darker than the color of beef! The lighter color flesh on the righthand side is the ventresca, or stomach--the most valuable part of the tuna.

If you've never seen a tuna sperm sac, now you have. These are called "Lattume di tonno" in Italiano.

Other types of fish. Sole, Parago = Pandora, Dentice = Dentex, Ombrina = Umbrine, Merluzzo = Atlantic cod, Seppie = Cuttlefish

Summer fruits just coming into season. The strawberries are so sweet and tender.

I don't know why food is so much cheaper here. And it's better. One of them any reasons I continue to contemplate moving to Europe. These cherry tomatoes in California would cost you $3-4 per pound rather than 70 cents!

We got to sample some delicious Sardinian cheese. No photos, was too busy eating.

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My airBnB host left me some fresh strawberries, among many other thoughtful goodies. Grown here in Sardegna, these are delectably sweet, as berries should be. And note they are not the size of peaches…

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When you run four miles but you pass a bakery (Zeit für Brot) on the way back to the hotel, it’s a problem! These pretty much negated all the exercise I managed to do.

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This was a really good lemon radler. Maybe the best I've had from a can or bottle, that wasn't Stiegl.

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I'm learning to love this drink. It's refreshing and almost a cocktail, but has no alcohol. I think it's my spritz replacement on hot, hot, dehydrating summer days.

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After viewing an exhibit at the Villa Bardini, it was impossible not to walk through the gardens, but it was a very cold day. I could only think of having some warm soup. Ribollita was the perfect answer. 

I’d been meaning to try La Casalinga, recommended by my AirBnB host. Not far from Santo Spirito, it was good to go somewhere in the quieter, less traveled area of  Oltr’Arno. And like Le Mossacce, it is full of people who look like they’ve been going there daily for years.

This did not disappoint. The serving doesn’t look huge, but it’s very filling and I left sated. I’ll have to keep ribollita in mind and make it more often. Especially when there is some stale bread to use up.

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Polpettone di Tonno

Alessandra made this for dinner last night: a large “meatball” made of canned tuna, egg, breadcrumbs and parmiggiano (100 g. e un uova a persona, e poi un cucchiaino di pangrattato e formaggio) Very good, especially over a salad and with those tiny pickled onions. She wrapped the mixture in tin foil and then boiled them for about an hour.

I’ll have to try this at home! It sent me down a rabbit hole this morning, about using sous vide to cook meatloaf...

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I’ve been to Sketch in Livorno twice now. I told them what I like: brown liquor, something more fruity (”fruttoso”) than spirit-forward (”secco”). Both times they presented me with a delicious drink. The first time it was something with ginger and lemon, served over ice (probably a riff on a mule). The second visit, I remembered to request something “up” rather than “over”, and this was the result. A riff on a whiskey sour, using fresh grapefruit juice. Super tasty. I have to dehydrate some strawberries because that garnish was delicious: fragrant and concentrated.

This place is a ten-mimute walk from Alessandra’s house. I wish it were a ten-minute walk from mine!

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While here in Florence, I tried to visit some well-regarded cocktail bars. The scene has certainly improved recently -- or I was more diligent in my research.

Manifattura is a small bar not far from the familiar Il Latini restaurant of my past. I love that this bar’s approach is that it uses only liquor that is manufactured in Italy. The drink I chose to try is the Anacapri, made with Gin Ginarte, Campari Bitter, pink grapefruit juice, Rosolio di Bergamotto Italicus, and Varnelli Anice Secco. Luckily the anise flavor was subtle. The drink was delicious and refreshing.

Manifattura opens at 6pm, making it easy to go there before dinner.

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This marked the beginning of my love affair. With Theo Chocolates. Delicious bean-to-bar production, the first organic fair-trade certified chocolate maker in North America.

Purchased at DeLaurenti, perhaps one of the most delectable food shops I’ve ever been to, Seattle, Feb 2009. In later years we toured the Theo Factory in Fremont. Super fun and, ooh, samples!

(Yeah, after 12 years, I’m giving myself permission to throw this away! Actually I didn’t know I still had it. Found it tucked into an old journal.)

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Kartoffelbrot

When in Köln, my friend bought us some potato bread from Balkhausen. It was so delicious that I decided to try my hand at it. Here were the results of my first attempt.

I’m not disappointed; I think it was pretty good for the first time around. I was a bit worried because it didn’t sound as “hollow” as I expected it, and was quite moist on the underside.

But I cut it open this morning, and it wasn’t bad! Pretty OK, as my German friend would say. 

It’s not quite as sour as I remember Balkhausen’s. Next time I might try to overnight the dough to get some additional fermentation. I would use sourdough starter except there was hardly any liquid in the recipe (most of the moisture coming from the potatoes).

Here’s the recipe I used:

300 g peeled potatoes (I used a bit more, figuring I could adjust the flour/water as needed). Cut into cubes and boiled until just barely fork tender.

1T olive oil -- mixed into the potatoes after ricing

1 t each yeast,  sugar (mixed the sugar with 5T of the reserved potato water; cooled down to then add yeast, which bubbled up nicely)

300 g flour (I used 100 g whole wheat and 200 g bread flour)

1 t salt

First rise about one hour. Second rise about 40 minutes but perhaps could have gone longer? Baked approx 40-45 minutes at 425F, with a pan of water for steam.

I used a ricer with coarse plate because I was hoping to get small flecks of potato in the bread. As you can see from the photo, I managed some, but I was thinking I might get more. Maybe I should save out a couple of chunks and hand chop those to get some larger pieces.

Anyway, I’m not complaining. I think it’s pretty tasty! 

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When you’ve been gone on vacation for 10 days and you come home and your garden has goodies to gift you. Such satisfaction!

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After my run in Köln, I passed this bar (I think it was Little Nonna) that had these little bottles of premixed cocktails. No idea if they are any good, but would be fun to go through all 12 of them (over time). It’s a cute idea.

They are manufactured by AvantGarde Spirits Company which is local to Köln. 

I’m not sure. I can see how this works for cocktails that are pure spirits (Negroni, Manhattan, etc.) but how do they make the ones that require citrus? Either they found a way to stabilize it and keep it fresh tasting, or you have to add it yourself. I guess I need to go back and find out!

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Came across this brand at Belle Booze in Köln. One of those instances where the packaging caught my eye. But then I saw the Lemon & Olive mixer and thought it would be perfect with an artichoke liqueur that I’d picked up in Lindau. Oh my, it was delicious! Splendid on its own. Now I see it is called Olive Lemonade. WOW! The tonic was also good, on the sweeter side. The gin was nothing to write home about, but I wish someone would import those mixers to the states! I’d buy it by the caseload.

(Note: it’s Spanish, not German)

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Wein

I tried to learn a little about German wine while in Rothenburg ob der Tauber which is in the district of Middle Franconia in Bavaria. I went with a couple suggestions from the wait staff. On the first night I had a red, called Domina. It was a hybrid between a grape called Blauer Portugieser--which is not from Portugal, despite the name, but more likely originated in Slovenia or thereabouts--and Spätburgunder, which I learned is German for Pinot Noir.

I found the wine really pleasant. Fruity, and a bit more tannic than pinot noirs (at least this one was). I’d drink it again, but I didn’t see it again once I left Rothenburg!

On the second night, I tried a white, which was a blend of Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau and Riesling. I don’t know the brand, as I didn’t see the bottle. I was curious about Silvaner, which I’d not heard of. At my hotel, they had some single varietal bottles, and I grabbed a Silvaner to try it out.

I liked it. It does have some of the peach notes as one website suggested.

I’ll be curious to see if I can find these German wines locally.