This weekend we drove to the Adriatic Sea just below the Gulf of Venice, where beachgoers and boaters flock to soak up the sun in beautiful places like Porto Garibaldi near Commachio in Ferrara.
The wide smooth sand beaches are perfect for sun worshippers - and tens of thousands show up in their golden skin and tiny suits every day. Each beach we visited was a sea of colorful umbrellas and happy smiles.
Since school starts in just a few days, the kids everywhere were squeezing the last bit of fun out of their summer before they have to go back to work on their studies next week.
Nothing makes me smile more than kids having fun - and just being kids!
Eggs and flour - two simple ingredients that combine to make something magical.And Giuseppe “Beppe” Meschiari has invited me into his restaurant kitchen to witness the magic.
Here at Taverna Napoleone in Castlenuovo Rangone, it’s tortelloni making day.
The dedicated team in the restaurant’s kitchen sets to work immediately upon arrival with a rhythm that can only be gained through years of side-by-side teamwork.
They are efficient and quick, with practiced hands that produce beautiful rows of perfectly formed tortelloni.
There is Beppe’s Mama Morena, who makes the pasta dough in the morning. To prepare the dough, 2 kilos of type 00 flour is weighed.Into the pasta mixer it goes, where 20 fresh eggs are added.(Regardless of the size of the batch, the ratio of flour to eggs should remain the same.)
At this point, the recipe is customized by the chef who makes it – add a pinch of salt and olive oil – or don’t.The flour and eggs are flavorful enough to stand on their own.The pasta is mixed slowly by the dough hook for approximately 10 minutes.Extra flour is added, a little at a time, to ensure soft, but not sticky dough.
When the dough comes out of the mixer, it is ready to use and the production process begins.
Mama Morena next flattens a disc of the dough by hand then feeds it into the pasta machine.Her hands lift and drape the sheet of pasta dough as it elongates and thins.Then she reduces thickness settings gradually and feeds the dough back through the machine’s rollers until it is ready to fill.
Move onto the filling station, where Beppe’s Uncle Luciano and his wife Carla work shoulder to shoulder on stainless tables, using a pasta wheel with a serrated edge to cut the pasta into uniform squares. Luciano then places one spoonful of the spinach, ricotta and Parmesan filling at the center of each square, and Carla takes over, folding the dough, delicately pressing the seams then crimping the shape closed to keep the luscious filling inside.
Nonna Azelia sets up new stations for the team with fresh sheets of pasta, and the crew moves from one production space to another without skipping a beat.Chiamindo arranges single-layer trays of the pasta to hand off to Chef Moss.
At the boiler, Chef Moss drops the just-made tortelloni into the boiling water for a quick bath to cook out any impurities that might exist in the dough’s raw egg.When the tortelloni come to the surface, this first phase is nearly complete.From here, the tortelloni is drained with a mesh strainer then slid into a stainless tray pre-coated with olive oil.When Chef Moss settles the pasta into a single layer, he coats them with an extra layer of olive oil.
The trays move into the flash freezer, where temperatures dip to below freezing. Once firm, the tortelloni is transferred to airtight freezer bags and stored in very cold temperatures for a maximum of ten days to ensure the consistent fresh and delicate flavor.
In a morning’s work, the team here at Taverna Napoleone will produce more than 3000 tortelloni guaranteed to make your mouth water and your stomach groan with delight.Folding the pasta beautifully is an art to be learned.My tortelloni were far from perfect at first, but I slowly found how to hold my hands to discover my own folding style.
Mama Morena assured me that each person’s tortelloni will bear the signature of their own technique – one of the true signs that the pasta is handmade and not factory manufactured in bulk.
At service time, after another quick dip in boiling water to heat and cook the filling, Chef Moss pays tribute to the fine quality of the pasta itself with a straightforward and perfect sauce:melted butter and warmed sage leaves.When plated, he finishes the presentation with dots of aged balsamic vinegar and slivers of Parmesan Reggiano cheese.I was delighted that he also shared his secret for a winter sauce presentation of the tortelloni: thinly sliced pancetta steeped in heavy cream and sprinkled with toasted hazlenuts.
To our delight, we were invited to partake in a meal at our good friends' home. Marco and Petra were the consummate host and hostess.
We arrived just as the sun was setting over the hillsides and farms of Sassuolo.
In their rooftop garden we sipped our aperitivo Prosecco and enjoyed antipasti of succulent sun-dried tomatoes, olives and taralli. Taralli is a crunchy biscuit bread with the delicate flavor of fennel, and it is a specialty of Puglia. It's light taste goes beautifully with the crispness of the wine and the salty bit of the tomatoes and olives.
Our meal progressed to a classic pasta course that Marco selected from La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiare bene ("The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well"), by Pellegrino Artusi. (According to Wikipedia, the book was "first published in 1891, is widely regarded as the canon of classic modern Italian cuisine, and it is still in print. Its recipes come mainly from Romagna and Tuscany, where he lived.")
Marco prepared Artusi's classic dish called Maccheroni Pasticciati. Layers of slow-simmered ragu, maccheroni pasta, cheeses and beschiamella sauce combine to make a truly decadent first course. Fabulous - and filling!
As Americans we have to learn to pace ourselves at the Italian table - it's all so good you can easily get carried away and get full very quickly!
For our next selection, Marco prepared Arrosto di Vitello al Balsamico with Fagiolini allo Speck and carved tomato flowers. The veal roast is wrapped in pancetta slices and slowly browned, then bathed in a rich sauce of milk, seasonings and balsamic vinegar. Unbelievable flavor!
For dessert, we were treated to Marco's specialty - Crepes Suzette! They were light and delicious (some of us had seconds!), and were complemented perfectly by the dessert wine called Piccolit. Piccolit is sweet and very flavorful. A great choice to wrap up a lovely meal. Petra also brought out a bottle of a potent yet tasty apricot schnapps as a digestif.
We'll continue to share dining adventures together - and bring them to you!
What a fabulous day in the kitchen of Taverna Napoleone in Castlenuovo Rangone. Later this weekend, check back for a photographic step by step description of how their legendary tortelloni are made - by hand. Tortelloni pasta is a regional specialty of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.
For now, I want you to enjoy the process with Chef Moss as he prepared my lunch - which naturally disappeared! On the menu: Tortelloni with Butter and Sage.
First step in the creation of this tasty dish is to prepare the tortelloni by cooking in gently boiling water just until the pasta floats to the surface.
While the ricotta and spinach filled tortelloni is cooking, Chef Moss prepares a simple but perfect sauce with butter and fresh sage leaves.
The drained tortelloni goes into the pan and gets tossed until it is fully coated with sauce.
Chef Moss arranges the pasta at the plate's center, then dots the plate with a special aged balsamic vinegar prepared and bottled by Taverna Napoleone.
Top tortelloni with shavings of Parmagiano Reggiano cheese, eat and enjoy!
Economical bakers never throw away small bits of ingredients that can be incorporated into another dish. The development of an Emilia Romagna treat, Gnocco Ingrassato, is one fine example of this process at work.
Called "fattened dumpling" or "rancid dumpling" or "sour dumpling" since the early 1600s, gnocco ingrassato incorporates leftover bits of ham and bacon into a lightly sweetened yeast dough. This dough is shaped and baked, often as a loaf, then served warm with cubes of mortadella or other regional salumi.
Last night, we thoroughly enjoyed Beppe's version at Taverna Napoleone. Here is my quick and easy do it yourself recipe that you can make back home in the states. I made it with pancetta, prosciutto cotto, grana padana cheese and strips of Spanish Iberico ham.
Perfect cut into squares and served as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to a green salad.
Gnocco Ingrassato
1 package puff pastry sheets
1/2 cup thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma (smoked ham)
1/2 cup diced prosciutto cotto (boiled ham)
1/2 cup cubed pancetta or streaky bacon (strips will also work)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (your choice)
1. On baking sheet, spread sheet of chilled puff pastry.
2. Top with prosciuttos and pancetta or bacon.
3. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
4. Bake in 400 degree oven until golden, crispy and puffed, approximately 25-30 minutes.
The puff pastry, called pasta sfoglia in Italy, is buttery rich and doesn't need additional oil. Now, if you want to be entirely too decadent, you can always add fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top of the pastry before layering the hams.
Tucked into the rolling farmland of Castlenuovo Rangone in Modena is a restaurant known for its spectacular food, wine, housemade pastas and balsamic vinegar. Taverna Napoleone is a gem of a place where leisurely meals are the rule and families are always welcome.
Lead by sommelier and chef Giuseppe "Beppe" Meschiari, Taverna Napoleone showcases his joyous approach to food and the dining experience. While his personal charm is evident, the restaurant staff extends such gracious hospitality with every meal you'll want to come back time and again.
With candlelight patio dining or private function rooms, the restaurant offers a space for everyone. But without a doubt, the food is the real star of the show.Carefully prepared and presented with style, each dish bears a unique flavor signature.
One of Beppe's specialties is Spaghetti con Frutti di Mare, a bountiful pasta dish bursting with langoustines, clams, mussels, calimari, fresh herbs, tomatoes and so much more. Simply spectacular - from its beautiful presentation to its indescribably rich taste. Also outstanding are the made to order risotto dishes, pizza and ravioli.
And if you enjoy wine, but you're not sure which bottle will complement your dish best, Beppe's expertise is unparalleled. You'll learn how and where the wine is produced and leave dinner understanding why his recommendation was the perfect choice for the food presented on your table.
If you like great wine, stay tuned. I'll be talking with Beppe regularly about Italian wines and sharing his recommendations with you.
But in the meantime, here are last night's wine choices that we thoroughly enjoyed:
Plenio - Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
Classico Riserva
This full-bodied Umani Ronchi white made in the Cuprimontana Vineyard 400 meters above the Adriatic Sea in Osimo is beautifully rich, with a back of the palate fullness. Excellent choice to accompany a main course.
Albana di Romagna Passito by Ferruci
Crisp, light and very fruity with apple cider notes, Passito is a perfect way to enjoy with dessert or to end a meal. Rich golden color and velvety feel in your mouth.
Taverna Napoleone
Via S. Lorenzo, 44A 40951
Castlenuovo Rangone, MO
Telephone: 39 059 537623
Fax 059-5331640 www.tavernanapoleone.net Indirizzo e-mail protetto dal bots spam , deve abilitare Javascript per vederlo
As I've said before, Italy is a country of contrasts. Thousand year old buildings mingle with modern structures, old-world traditions balance new.
I captured a moment on film that I think represents the contrast of culture beautifully. Here in Sirmione, we have a picture of the rugged outdoor motorsports contingent alongside a signora of fashion and beauty alongside a quartet of monks out for a stroll.
