Alternative Cranberry Sauce

For a Thanksgiving holiday some time ago, we had wanted the typical cranberry sauce used to go with poultry.  The commercial canned stuff was not available in Italy, nor were there any fresh cranberries to be found.  But... we did have some packages of dried cranberries we had brought over for Queen Bee to use in salads.  So I made an attempt to change dried cranberries into sauce.  It turned out surprisingly good.  In fact we now prefer it to the normal versions.

As usual, I did not write it down at the time (actually I did "tweet" the list of ingredients but not the amounts).  So for this Christmas I experimented a little to replicate it.

Required time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Dried cranberries - 10 ounces 

Port - 1 and 1/4 cups

Allspice - 1/2 teaspoon

Brown sugar - 1 and 1/2 tablespoons

Place cranberries in a small sauce pan.

- Add 3/4 cup Port and simmer on low

- Add Allspice and brown sugar and stir well

- Monitor and stir occasionally, adding more port as needed to keep the mixture moist.

- When the remaining port has been absorbed by the cranberries, the cranberry sauce is ready to serve.

Serve warm or chilled.  It is good either way.

Return from Italy

It has come time for Queen Bee and I to return home from Italy.  Sad to say.  Our six year experience has been a wonderful opportunity.  But all good things come to and end, and so it is with our Italian adventure.

I will continue to issue posts on this blog in any case.  There are a lot of places we have seen that have not been documented here yet.  I want to use the blog as a why of capturing the things we have done.

I will also continue to use this blog to document some of the food oriented experiences we had and continue to have.  Travel and food certainly go together, with each inspiring the other.

I received a great cook book from my group before I left.  I plan to explore it and note the more interesting results.  We also accumulated a good number of Italian cook books that I will also explore as time allows.

Pollo Porchetta (aka Chicken in a Pot)

I saw a reference to an interesting version of Chicken Cacciatore in our Italian Food Encyclopedia but it just gave a general idea of the dish rather that the actual recipe.  So I just winged as I often do.  The good news is, it was great the first time with no need for adjustments.  The bad news is , I made it months ago and I never wrote down what I did (also often the case).

So I'll put down what I think I did, and I'll try to use this instruction next time and see if it works!

Feel free to try it yourself.  I think it will work out reasonably well.  (my biggest worry is how much salt) (Jan 13, 2013...  I did some edits today)

Ingredients...

-One small chicken (needs to fit in your Dutch oven with some room to spare).  A selection of wings, thighs, legs can work as well.

-Two large bulbs of finocchi (sorry... at the moment I can't remember the English name!)
Post script...  Finocchi is Fennel 

- Fennel leaves (the part that looks like fern.  I don't use the stem.  Not sure why)
-Provence herb mix

-White wine ( Marsala can be used in place of white wine but dilute by half.  Marsala is convenient for cooking because it keeps.)

-Sea salt or other course salt

-One medium onion

-Two large cloves of garlic

-Two sprigs of rosemary

- Olive oil

Step 1: After cleaning the chicken.  Place the chicken in a Ziplok bag with about a half cup of white wine, Provence herbs and sea salt.  Let sit in the fridge for several hours.  I suggest about a tablespoon of salt (just guessing on this point)

Step 2: Cut up the finocchi and onion into 1 to 2 inch chunks.  Dice the garlic.

Step 3: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the dutch oven.  When hot, add chicken and allow to brown, turning periodically.   Don't be afraid to add more oil if needed.  This is supposed to be Italian...

Step 4:  Add garlic and allow it to begin to turn color.  Add the finnocchi pieces, and onion.  Let some of those pieces begin to turn color as well.

Step 5: Add about one cup of white wine and cover the Dutch oven.  Put some of the finocchi leaves in the bird and the remainder in the pot along with the other vegetibales.  Add the sprigs of Rosemary.  Simmer on medium low for about 2 hours.  If the liquid begins to dry out, add more wine and a little oil as needed.  About a half inch of liquid should remain at the end of cooking.

Serve with mashed potatoes using the liquid as gravy.

Version 2: Per Ape Regina

Same as above except: rather than simmering on the stove top, place the pot (covered) in the oven at 325F for about 3 1/2 hours.

Fall Stroll in Torino Postscript...

Going to the park yesterday was a very good call!  The evening brought the Susa Valley winds that signal the change of seasons.  By the time we left the Croce Bianco after dinner, the rain was beginning to turn to sleet.  Cold rain and sleet greeted me on my walk to breakfast this morning as well.  Actually the weather is identical to that in the opening pages  of the detective book I started yesterday (The Laughing Policeman).  But that takes place in Stockholm in mid November.

So we have November 4 days early.  Sounds like stew tonight.

The mountain just north of us.  Snow covered by late afternoon!

Seoul, Korea

I returned from Korea on Friday.  It was a very brief business trip.  I wasn't really looking forward to it with everything we have going on now.  It seemed a little intense to think about beforehand, but it all went pretty well and was a nice adventure in the end.

Left Torino in the early afternoon on Monday and arrived in Seoul nearly the same time I had left Torino.  The flight from Frankfort was about 10 hours.  I was actually able to get about five hours sleep on the plane.  Unusual for me, but it helped the trip get a good start.  

There is a few ways to get from the airport to the hotel: taxi, hotel shuttle bus, or the train.  I went for the train because I thought it would get me in the real Korea sooner.  I.e. traveling with the local population rather than a bunch of foreigners.  It was a good choice.  Clean, efficient and economical (about five dollars for a one hour ride into the city).

Train station to the Hilton was a bit of a challenge.  I was told it was a ten minute walk, but no one had mentioned that the station was at the base of a hill and the hotel near the top.  It wouldn't have been too bad without the roller bag, but I did have a roller bag.  I made it to the lobby ok, even if I was a little ripe by the time I got there.  

My coworkers were arriving a little later, so I took the opportunity for a short walk to get familiar with the neighborhood and to take some photos.  Later, when the first person arrived, we grabbed a coffee at a Starbucks clone coffee shop.  Very nice actually and the coffee was better than Starbucks (not "burnt").  Seoul is full of American stile coffee shops.  Really surprising in that sense.  Lot of people walking around with big paper cups.  Definitely not Italy. (You never see anyone out walking with a coffee in hand in Italy!) 

Simple Japanese diner with the guys the first night.  The second night we were entertained to a grand Korean dinner by our hosts.  Really wonderful!

After the second day of business on Thursday my colleagues wanted western food so after an unsuccessful walk to look for something, we went back to the hotel and grabbed a taxi to a place the hotel had recommended.  Italian in this case.  It was fine even if a little pricey. 

During the walk we had found one really wonderful street with several blocks of very dense market stalls.   Food , clothing etc...  There was stall after stall selling fresh sea food to your order, prepared by smiling women on little cook stoves behind the display.  Each of the stalls had two or three small tables (think of our "Little Tykes" table and chair set)  The sea food on display looked very well organized and fresh.  Tempting to me but not to the others.  

So after dinner I went out for another walk to see if I could get a picture of the market scene and maybe a beer and a snack to make up for missing a local experience the last evening.  Unfortunately, the market was packed up by the time I got back to the correct street.  So I wandered around to take some photos of Seoul at night.  And get a beer and a snack! 

Namsan Mountain and Seoul Tower in the day.

The hotel lobby is both grand and stylish.

I liked the large format art in the lobby

Typical city street.

The old Seoul Station

Seoul Station and the point of my arrival

One of the many Christian churches in Seoul backed up by the Hilton up the hill

Namsan Mountain and the Seoul Tower at night

Evening street scene

Typical "carry out" with the display and serving area on the walkway, 

and a very small kitchen in a nook in the wall.

People out for the evening.  Not as crowded as I recall Yokohama 

but still a lot of people out and about quite late.

The diner for my last outing.  Beer was good and the fish dumpling 

soup was ok.  But the fried chicken looked wonderful.  

Next time!!

Fall Stroll in Torino

The weather surprised us today.  The prediction for the weekend as of Thursday (checking from Korea) looked pretty dreary.  But this morning seemed pretty good.  We had some errands to run that took us toward Torino, so we decided to leverage one of the few remaining fall afternoons to go to Parco Valentino along the river Po for a walk, lunch, and to take a few photos.

I got lucky that there were a lot of crews out rowing in the early afternoon and the place we picked for lunch had a perfect view of the activities on the river.  With the fall colors in the background, the setting was perfect.  Lunch was good as well with sliced beef (cooked with lemon juice as they say... aka raw), saffron  risotto, a glass of local wine each, and a nice macchiato to finish it all off.

After lunch we walked around the park and took some photos of the gardens and statues.

Winter will be here soon and with only a couple more months to spend in Italy, it was nice to get a chance at a good fall afternoon.  Very nice day!

Room with a view, this is the riverside terrace where we had lunch.

someone rowing solo.

A crew of women out for little work out.

 My portion of the "roast beef". (should have taken the photo before
splitting it with Queen Bee)

Crew of women in training.  

Capuchin monastery overlooking the Po.

Club in formation?

A glimpse of a portion of the park.

The fountain of the seasons with female statues representing 

each of the twelve months of the year.

One of the women of the seasons.  

Miss July in this case.

2012 Condove Cheese Festival

We spent yesterday morning preparing for the Condove Toma Cheese Festival.  The preparation consisted of making two pounds of ghocchi (mashed potatoes, flour, etc...) by hand, so we could have a proper gnocchi and toma cheese dinner in the evening.  

There was the usual range of stands selling various regional foods and crafts.  There was also a lot of antiques, old books, etc.  But, of course, the cheese is the coolest item and the star of the show.  Stand after stand with great wheels of mountain  and regional cheeses.  This area is absolutely wonderful for exploring interesting cheese variants; mild and strong; fresh and highly aged.  While there, we got our typical range of goodies... nearly four pounds of various mountain cheeses, yogurt, apples, a variety of hand made salami, honey, and bread.  Some of the cheese went in the dinner, and the apples were baked for desert served with the honey and yogurt.  All very good!

As well as picking up provisions, we ran across a lot of our friends from Condove (our former town).  The cheese festival is sort of a Susa valley equivalent of the Plymouth (Michigan) Fall Festival.  An opportunity to get out and see a lot of old familiar faces.  It was very nice to be back in Condove for a few hours.

Queen Bee will be going to Venice on Monday for four days of Italian lessons with her cousin who is coming in from Switzerland.  I guess that leaves me alone with the remains of our haul... not so bad.

Tre Ore Spezzatino (aka Three Hour Stew)

Thinking of something to go with some good Piemontese red wine, it seemed that a stew might be nice.  So here's what I am thinking....

0.6 kg Beef for Spezzatino
0.1 kg fresh pancetta sliced thick (1 slice)
2 fillets acciughe (anchovies)
Pepper
flour
celery (as you like)
garlic       "
carrots      "
one onion
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup port wine
1 cup broth
potatoes (as you like, or what fits after everything else)

The plan...
Cut pancetta into strips and fry in the iron pot until mostly cooked through.
Add chopped garlic and brown lightly
Coat beef pieces with flour and a little ground pepper, then brown in pancetta fat.
Add port and simmer one hour



Add broth, celery (whole stalks with leaves), rosemary, carrots, several pepper corns, and chopped onion.  Dice anchovies and add as well.  Simmer for the second hour.

Remove celery.  Cut potatoes into pieces and add to pot.  Simmer third hour.

Prior to serving, thicken with flour if desired.

Spain

Following three weeks in the US, we weren't back in Italy long before we had another travel plan kick in.  I was scheduled to do a couple presentations at a conference in Spain.  Queen Bee had suggested that it would be nice if I would take her along on a business trip for once, so we added a few vacation days and made a trip of it.  The conference was in Valencia which is on the southern coast of Spain.  It is just a few hours further along the coast than Barcelona so we decided Barcelona would make a good stop along the way.  But Avigliana (our town in Italy) to Barcelona is still about 9 hours so we stopped in Avignon, France as well for one night along the way to Barcelona to break up the drive.  

Avigliana to Avignon took us through the Alps that divide France from Italy.  The weather was perfect for a drive through the mountains.  The route provided a lot of varied and dramatic views.  The topography gradually shifts from the rugged mountains and river valleys of Rhone-Alps Region to the southern Provincial hills around Avignon.  We only stayed one night in a B&B there but it was very nice.  It consisted of a single small guest house on the edge of the family property (I'd guess about two acres).  Their property is very nicely landscaped and inclides a swimming pool, which we took advantage of when we arrived.  

The next day we were off to Barcelona.  To be honest I was a little apprehensive how Barcelona would be.  We had one uncomfortable incident in Paris this spring, and I had the impression Spain was more troubled than France.  But we found Barcelona to be a very friendly city.  Our B&B was on the northern edge of the "Old Town" section.  It was easy to get around and we were able to walk to all the sites we intended to see by day.  In the evening, the taxi's were efficient and easily available.  People seemed nice and the whole thing went without a hitch.  We were only there two full days so we had to focus a little on the key sights.  Day one was devoted to two of Gaudi's most noteworthy creations.  

The first stop on our Gaudi tour was the Park Guell which is a fantasy land that merges art, architecture, and nature in an amazing way.   I is really impressive in its scale, creativity, and accessibility .  It is completely free and gives the residents of Barcelona a wonderful place to stroll for a morning or afternoon.  You could easily walk for hours without seeing the same thing twice.

The second stop (after a very good smoothy...) was the massive church by Gaudi, the Sagrada Familia.  It is simply the most moving and amazing thing, made by man, I have ever thing.  Clearly inspired by nature, the inner columns rise to incredible heights while giving the impression of being trees as they gradually produce limbs that curve through the upper reaches of space. In another sense the build looks like it could have been a set for a very elaborate science fiction movie (after seeing this it you have to suspect that much of what we see in movies is inspired by Gauid's creations including this church).  Surrounded by columns, spiraling staircases, beam of light from overhead, and the color of the stained-glass windows, you quickly become overwhelmed by the the place.  Gaudi really must have had a fantastic mind.  The exterior rises dramatically while giving the impression of being an elaborate sand castle.  From a distance the surfaces seem to be wet dripping sand as a real sand castle would look if you sprinkled water over it.  The outer surface are ornamented with sculpture of biblical scenes.  Very unusual, and as dramatic as the rest of the building.  Many of the characters are quite angular and foreboding but the whole thing is very moving.

Day two was a little more laid back.  We walked around old town working our way from our B&B along the major tourist/shopping street to the port then back through gothic section taking photos and doing a little shopping at the various regional craft shops.  We picked up some orange and red ceramic bowls that match the serving bowls we got in Provence a couple years ago.  We tried to visit the Picasso museum around lunch time but it was closed on Monday so we just carried on with our sight seeing.

That evening Queen Bee had us scheduled to have dinner and watch Flamenco dancing in the Montjuic portion of town.  Montjuic is a mountain neighborhood that overlook the bay of Barcelona.  It contains an old castle/fort and a range of other museum, sporting facilities, etc...  Apparently it was the site of an International Fair in 1929 (probably not a great year for something like that).  Amongst the other sites is a small village of historic replicas where you can see representative builds from various parts of Spain from a range of historic periods (photo below). Sort of a Spanish version of Greenfield Village.   Within the buildings are shops featuring traditional products and crafts, people doing handwork, and various places to stop for a glass of wine or a light meal.  Among the buildings is a small dinner theater where Flamenco dancing is performed following a traditional dinner.  The songs and dances tell a story.  Although we couldn't understand the tales behind the several dances we saw, we still felt immersed in the deep emotion of the performance.  I liked it much better than I had imagined.  It was really wonderful and I would attend again if I had the chance.

The morning we were too leave we found groups of people gathering along the street outside our hotel for a march in honor of National Day of Catalonia.  People were dressed in regional costumes and were carrying banners and flags associated with the region of Catalonia which has semi autonomous status within Spain.

Later that morning, we drove along the coast to Valencia, my vacation was done for the week but Queen Bee was free to do what she wished.  Valencia is a very nice modern town.  There is a historic section but the most noteworthy part is the new park that runs through the city where the river had been before they moved it out of town (sounds very expensive...  )  along the park is a series of very large and attractive building that house museums and other republic facilities.  The park was full of people riding bikes and jogging and gave the impression of a wonderfully fit population.

Talking to some of the locals, I got the impression that the park is really appreciated but the other structures are viewed as contributors to the huge debt Spain has accumulated.  But the city seems to be a very nice place to live in any case.  With three days on her own, Sharon quickly figured out how to get from the hotel to the beach which is where she spent her first free afternoon, sitting in the shade of the beach umbrella, reading, and taking an occasional dip in the Mediterranean sea.  Day two she spent shopping with some success including a dress she intends to use for an up coming wedding we will be attending.  For day three Queen Bee was back to the beach.  We may be back in the USA soon and she knew this might be her last chance to sit by the sea until we find another excuse to return to Europe.

After Valencia we drove directly back along the coast and the southern edge of the Pyrenees to Avignon (about a 9 hours).  We stayed in the same B&B we had on the way to Spain.  And end the day with a quick dip in the pool and dinner.  Sunday we took the opportunity to visit Avignon and the Pope's Place before hitting the road back to Italy.