no Kitchen Orphan

Why Italy can still make one fall in love

Last weekend I went to Bologna with a group of dear friends, all of whom mostly share with me the most delicious passion for food.The city is always charming, with its historical centre full of history, the arcades and the small shops where to pop in and chat with the owners. This region is well known all over Italy for having the warmest people. And I am almost sure it is because of the fantastic products the region produces. Think of the best cured meats (Parma, Culatello, Mortadella...), Parmesan cheese, tagliatelle or even street food such as piadina. It all comes from Emilia Romagna. They know how to make one happy.

Our agenda was basically developed around 3 key moments: lunch, dinner, and another lunch before our flight back to the UK. 3 places I would go back any time, with no hesitation.

The first lunch was at Eataly, I am sure I talked about this fantastic food concept store developed in collaboration with Slow Food. In Bologna the store co-exists with a book store, which makes it even more interesting: over 3 floors you'll always find books on one side, and the best selection of food on the other. What a combination for the mind and the palate.

We had a fantastic Salumi plate (cured meats) to share, then pasta; sipping a lovely Lambrusco, a slightly efferscent red wine that perfectly cuts through the rich food with its acidity. This wine has been misunderstood for quite some time and not even rated, yet recently producers, chefs and trattorias have made an effort in selecting the best quality grapes to match the food.

Dinner was at much celebrated Osteria Bottega (Via Santa Caterina 51), where once again we had salumi, then pasta and for "secondo piatto" some meat. I had an ossobuco with fresh tomato sauce and peas, delicious. Lambrusco was again the drink choice, but we were directed towards a slighlty different approach to the grape: Lambrusco di Sorbara resembled very much to a rose' sparkling wine. Fantastic.

One would wonder how after 2 full meals in a day we could even think of having a third. And indeed we had one, probably the best lunch of recent times. On the Sunday we took a car and drove about 40 minutes out of Bologna, to the small town of Savigno, known  for its mushrooms and truffles. I must admit I did not remember the beautiful scenery outside of Bologna, with hills and small villages (talking of wines and hills, there is a DOC called Colli Bolognesi to bear in mind). We had lunch at Trattoria Da Amerigo, a brand that is very much respected all over the region for its food and dispensa (literally "the larder"): a delicious selection of sauces and products mostly in jars. The Parmesan cheese spread is a perfect match to both toasted bread or pasta. At the trattoria this was served on warm "tigelle", a small, round-shaped flat bread.

Amerigo dal 1934 - La Dispensa

 

 We also  had some of the cheese spread served with Tortelli and ham, so delicious.

And finally, as I was feeling slightly heavy and in need of some vegs, I was served the most amazing dish featuring artichokes in 4 different recipes: a salad of raw artichokes with olive oil, balsamic and sunflower seeds; stewed artichokes with fresh tomato sauce and paprika; artichokes heart in extra virgin olive oil (freshly made and still warm in their jar); warm artichokes broth.

Since I started living in London, I've mostly gone back to Italy as a tourist. The weekend in Bologna reminded me of the beautiful things Italy can still offer, regardless of the shameful political and economic situation.