Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Torino Update

Back at the Internet cafe.

After updating the blog (and trying to convince the security guard at the door that my camera had come in with me and wasn't being lifted from the store) we headed to the Mole Antonelliana - Turin's answer to the CN Tower back home. Originally built as the city's synagogue it now houses the national cinema museum.

Our entrance was free with our Torino card. We decided to take the elevator to the top as the first order of business. The glass box was lifted from above through the cavernous interior up through a hole in the roof. Getting off of the elevator we were treated to a fantastic view of Torino and the alps in the distance.

Back down on the main level of the museum we enjoyed one of the most fascinating series of exhibits I have ever seen. Each genre of movie was there, each with its own theatre which served as a metaphor for the genre (i.e. an old style salon was playing a Western, a huge red velvet bed had a romance movie playing on the wall). In the centre of the main floor rows and rows of red velvet couches, each fitted with an individual speaker - sort of like a reclining drive in. We lay back and watched the movies to the point where we almost fell asleep!

This was a sign that it might be time to head back to the B and B for a nap! When we left the cinema museum there was a bit of irony awaiting us - they were shooting a real movie right on the street. There is no truth to the nasty rumour now circulating Turin that a couple of confused Canadians walked onto a movie set causing the director to shout, no truth at all.

I think that we're finally starting to get our bearings. We wandered back to the B and B (stopping for gelato en route of course!) without an difficulty. We crashed for a few hours and then decided to head out for dinner.

We ended up at a Venetian wine bar. Of course we had left the slowtravel menu translator at the room so we only recognized 1 or 2 things on the menu. We ordered and of course managed to muddle things up - all a part of the adventure. The chicchetti was fabulous - tiny anchovies, whole shrimps, and calamari with a number of other treats. For our mains Paul ordered polenta with some mystery fish on it, I had huge gamberi fritte. It is a bit disconcerting to have them show up on your plate with the eyes staring up at you but we managed to persevere.

We wandered around the Roman quarter a bit before heading back to the room for a well deserved sleep.

I think we were exhausted because we slept in until almost 9! We got reading in a flash because breakfast is only served until 10.

Today threatens to be cloudy so we decided it was another museum day. First though we had to visit the market. The Porta Palazzo market is Europe's largest outdoor market and was a complete feast for the senses.

After the market we popped into the Cathedral of San Lorenzo which was started by Guarini in 1666. The vaulted dome was an incredible feat of architecture at the time and was impressive even today.

Next up was the Palazzo Madama - a mixture of styles and construction that was 'slapped' together over 200 years. Restored and reopened in 2006 it now features the museum of Civic Arts. The exhibits trace decorative arts from the 1500s to the present age. All housed in a beautiful structure that was the former home of the Queen's mother - talk about ornate style her bedroom was as big as our house!

By the time we had had enough of the art we were famished. We managed to find a pizza shop which is supposed to have the best pizza in Turin (according to Eugenia Bell, anyway). It was bloody excellent. No need for a repeat of yesterday's 40 euro lunch - today was a quick slab of pizza and a drink eaten on a rock for 4 euro.

Time to head out before I run out of time and loose everything!

Hello from Torino

Hello from Torino.

I'm trying this again. At the Internet cafe you buy time. In between the European keyboard and my poor typing I ran out of  time and lost my initial post. ARGH

We arrived in Turin at 2 yesterday after uneventful flights. Grabbing a cab we were whisked into the city to our B and B which is located on the Piazza Savoia.

After traveling for hours we were exhausted but it wasn't anything a shower and shave wouldn't cure. Fortified, we went out to explore the city. It was great to pop into churches, view the Roman gates to the old city, and window shop. In the middle of our self-guided tour we reacquainted ourselves with the joys of real gelato! YUM

By 6 we were fading so we popped back to the B and B and napped for a couple of hours before dinner. We didn't do anything fancy for dinner - we wouldn't have appreciated it in our jet lagged state. There was a great pizza restaurant on the square which was full of local folks enjoying a night out. What a treat to sit on the square under the stars, surrounded by lush greenery, and happy Italians all talking (and gesturing) happily.

The pizza was bloody amazing as well! I had a calzone stuffed with fresh ricotta, provolone, and salami.  The other bonus? The house wine, better than any house wine back home, was 6 euro for a litre.

By 10 the jet lag was back and we crashed, sleeping soundly until 7:30.

Today is cloudy so we decided it was 'museum day'. This morning was the incredible Egyptian museum - the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts outside of Cairo. At the museum I was happy to see that Italian school groups behave the same as my students used to when I dragged them throughout museums! This afternoon we will visit the famous cinema museum.

We had lunch on the Piazza San Carlo at the Cafe Torino - the famous haunt of Cavour himself. We feasted on pasta, salad, and of course, more wine. I can see why Turin is famous for its food!

One last comment before I sign off (I am getting looks from a bored Paolo) - there has been an ongoing debate on the slowtravel message board about whether or not tourists needed to carry their passports around with them. I can say that I have had to show mine 4 times in the past 24 hours so I guess we can put that discussion to bed. LOL

Italians vs Europeans

By all rights we should be in Torino right now.

Capital of western Alps and Piedmont Region, Torino was founded 2,300 years ago by the Taurini Gauls, a celtic tribe, and was a Roman military camp called “Augusta Taurinorum” in the early Roman period. Taurus is latin for bull, and the bull, still today, is the symbol of the city.

In the Middle Ages the Savoys, Lords from the  French Region of the same name, began to extend their ambitions towards the most important territories in Piedmont. Since the 17th century and up to the mid 20th century, it has been the seat of the Savoy Dynasty. In the 19th century, Torino was the first capital of the Italian Kingdom after the unification.

Nowadays it is a modern industrial and commercial City, the seat of Fiat and many other industries as well as the home of the famous Martini, Cinzano and Carpano Vermouth. Torino also boasts artistic churches, buildings and well-known museums. The most important of these is the Egyptian Museum, the 2nd largest in the world after the one in Cairo. The large harmonious squares, the straight avenues lined with trees, the sober streets with arcades give the City an appereance of noble and charming elegance.

Beside being famous for their wide selection of typical regional food and wines like Barolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto, Piedmont and Torino are well-known also for their hors-d’oeuvres and “pasticceria” (small pastries, friandises, chocolate). In the historical cafès once (Baratti & Milano, Al Bicerin, Torino, San Carlo, Pepino, Mulassano, Fiorio) visited by aristocracy, artists and poets, one can still enjoy some of the old recipes and live the athmosphere of the past centuries.

The City, which recently hosted the 2006 Olimpic Winter Games, is set to accept new important challenges: in 2008 Torino will be the first World Design Capital turning itself once again into a fundamental international destination.

It will be 2:35 when we arrive in the city. I know my body will be screaming from exhaustion. I am not sure how I will feel about blogging after being on planes through the night. I do hope to blog from the road but today isn't the day!

In preparation for this I decided to feature one of my favourite clips - Italians vs Europeans by the comedian Bruno Bozzetto - you learn a good deal about the Italian psyche by watching this. Yes, there is some exaggeration - but only some!

We're Off!

It is finally here - departure day! I'm not sure what will happen to the counter at the side once we have left but I can deal with that when I run into an internet cafe somewhere.

The airways transit shuttle service picks us up at 4:30. This seems ridiculously early for an 8:30 flight but who am I to quibble. I just want to get to the flipping airport! If we have two hours during which to lounge about the Air Canada lounge at least we will be comfortable!

I booked our flights on Orbitz back in February. The tickets cost about $ 1300 each including all taxes and surcharges at the time. The cost was less than when we flew to Rome last but more than what other flights were going for. However, it was an open jaw ticket with the times we wanted so I went for it. Sometimes you have to pay more to get the convenience that you want.

Arrival in Turin:

Air Canada 890

Depart:	8:25pm evening	Toronto, Canada Toronto Pearson International (YYZ)
Arrive:	11:00am morning	Rome, Italy Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)

Change planes. Time between flights: 2hr 20min

Alitalia 1417

Depart:	1:20pm afternoon	Rome, Italy Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)
Arrive:	2:35pm afternoon	Turin, Italy Turin Citta Di Torino (TRN)

Total duration: 12hr 10min | Total miles: 4743 miles.

We return from Florence on June first routed through Munich.

Incidentally - the same ticket on orbitz right now is now about $ 1900. OUCH

A few days ago I posted about packing lightly (not something I adhere to at all!). I defy anyone to fit all of this into a carry on:

You'll notice Victor sound asleep on a freshly dry cleaned shirt (one he later vomited on, ARGH). Heck - just my shoes alone would fill a carry on (running shoes, sandals, dress shoes, casual walking shoes). Add to that 2 pairs of jeans, cords, casual pants, dress pants, 2 shorts, bathing suits and on and on and you'll get the picture.

Just packing the empty wine carriers (soon to be full of lovely brunellos and barolos) took up half of the space in our luggage.

Everything has wheels so we will be fine. Of course, the only challenge will be fitting it all into the rental car. :-)

I am a bit out of sorts. I have about 9 hours to go and little to occupy my time. I am too organized and requires some sort of major panic attack before it feels like we're going away.

I will be blogging from the road whenever I can find an Internet cafe or if my iTouch can pick up on a wireless signal. I've put together a bunch of 'canned posts' to fill in the spaces when I can't find a connection. I don't have a clue how to manage photos though - i have brought just about every cable I own so hopefully something will work.

See you soon!

Mother's Day 2008

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Paul and I wanted to have our mothers over for dinner even though we leave on Tuesday for our long-planned vacation to Italy (no, it is clear, I NEVER get sick of saying that!) Because of this we decided to keep it simple - not like last year's multi-coursed food feast.

Things were further complicated by a trip to the clinic for me. My foot was in incredible pain and I could hardly walk. It turns out I have a disease of fat, 60 year old men - gout. ARGH Happily the anti-inflammatory, ice, and heat seem to be working and I should be able to hobble about Italy. It did put a dint in our dinner planning.

We had the table set early in the day.

Paul got a wee bit cranky when he heard that I had hobbled to the field near our house to cut the lilacs for the table. Mind over pain, I say! Normally the table is far more decorative but this was the best I could do yesterday in my painful, diseased state.

We started off with assorted antipasto.

You'll see cheddar cheese shortbread, crackers,a nd assorted breads. The cheeses were goat cheese with dried cranberries, Stilton, a soft Brie like cheese from Quebec, smoked white cheddar, and a cheese with black truffles. We arranged candied walnuts on the cheese trays. We also served cured meats and olives (to get ready for Italy). To go with the cheeses we served a fig and balsamic compote, a pear jam we bought when we were in Florence, and my strawberry, balsamic, black pepper compote.

Simple and easy - this is the sort of appetizer I like - you just open packages, boxes, and jars and presto - antipasto that looks as if you have slaved for hours!

We then moved to the table for the main event.

Paul's mother loves steak so we had New York strip loin. I had bought an whole strip loin at Costco for about 70 dollars, trimmed it (and my finger in the process), and cut it up into steaks. I got about 16 steaks like the one you see pictured here - not a bad deal at all!

We grilled the steaks and then finished them off with a Stilton and panko crust. They were served on a bed of Gruyere mashed potatoes with a drizzled of Cabernet wine sauce. On the side were honey roasted carrots.

We also served a cucumber salad which combined crisp slices of cucumber with a creamy dressing laden with celery seed.

Dessert was champagne gelatin with mint and strawberries. I served two of the lemon cookies I made yesterday on the side.

The leftovers were all sent home and now the fridge is almost cleaned out!

SSB - Week 5 - Lemony Semolina Cookies (Biscotti di Limone e Semolino)

Happy Mother's Day!

Krista came up with the notion that it might be interesting to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Each participant selects a recipe from the cookbook and we all work our way through it. Today is the fifth entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma (who also happens to be a member of the slowtravel community). This is my last entry before I head to Italy to experience some of these treats in their 'home' country.

This week it was my turn to select the recipe for the slowbakers to make -  Lemon Semolina Cookies (biscotti di limone e semolino). I selected it because I thought that the cookies would go nicely with the dessert I was making for Mother's Day dinner - a Champagne Gelatin with Strawberries. I also selfishly thought it would be a simple thing to put together two days before we leave for Italy (hmmm, I wonder how many different ways I can weave that into the post?).

These cookies are deliciously crunchy, lemony enough to suit any lemonfan and not too sweet. They would go equally with tea or coffee and would probably be very nice along with a glass of limoncello after a heavy dinner in place of a more traditional dolce. I like the way that the light coating of sugar glistens in the light.

Lemony Semolina Cookies

Source: Dolce Italiano by Gina De Palma
Makes 5 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup semolina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
freshly grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons limonccello
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Using KitchenAid (or similar) cream together the butter, oil and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to add the lemon zest, juice, limoncello and vanilla, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down.

Using low speed beat in the dry ingredients until a very soft dough is formed. Scrape out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets, line with baking parchment or line with a teflon sheet.

Break off teaspoon-sized bits of dough and roll them into balls about an inch in diameter. Roll each in a small bowl of sugar and place on the tray. Make sure to space them an inch apart as they'll spread.

Bake for 14-15 minutes until they've flattened out and are crinkly on top. Cool on the sheet for 2 minute and then use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack.

Jamie Oliver's Roasted Cauliflower With Cumin, Coriander and Almonds

When most people think of ways to cook cauliflower they will come up with either boiling or gratinating - I'm sure this is the same for you. It may seem strange, but cauliflower is absolutely fantastic when lightly roasted, especially with herbs, spices, cheeses or breadcrumbs. It develops a really incredible flavour that is impressive. Here's a recipe by Jamie Oliver that is Indian-ish in style.

It isn't authentic 'indian style' cauliflower but it was heading enough in the correct direction that we decided to give it a try when we were last making Indian food. It is easy to prepare, involving very little in the way of prep, and as Oliver states, the flavour is incredible.

Jamie Oliver's Roasted Cauliflower With Cumin, Coriander and Almonds

1 head of cauliflower, outer green leaves removed, broken into florets
sea salt
olive oil
a knob of butter (we interpret a 'knob' to be about a tablespoon)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1-2 dried red chillies
a handful of blanched almonds, smashed
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes then drain in a colander, allowing it to steam dry (you don't want any water left in your cauliflower or it won't roast properly).

Toss cauliflower in a good glug of olive oil and the butter.

In a pestle and mortar (we used a coffee grinder that I only use for spices) , bash your spices and chillies with a pinch of salt, then mix them with the almonds and put in a hot, dry oven-proof pan to slowly toast them.

After a couple of minutes, add the cauliflower.

When the cauliflower gets a nice bit of colour on it, add the lemon zest and juice and mix around well.

Fry for about a minute longer then pop the pan into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to crisp up.

Butter Tarts

Today was my last day at work for four weeks. I soon suspected by the way people's faces were glazing over when I said this that my countdown had gone on far too long. What can I say . . . I am an excited guy!

I thought that I would make a treat for my colleagues on my last day so I whipped up a batch of butter tarts. For the uninformed butter tarts are a unique Canadian treat - a wee bit like the Canadian version of pecan pie (without pecans or Karo syrup). There are theories about whether they were adapted from southern pecan pie, old-fashioned sugar pies, or maple syrup, backwoods or vinegar pies. Squabbles arise whether or not the tarts should be runny or not, and just how runny. Opinions differ about the use of syrup or sugar only, eggs beaten or not, currants or raisins, and how the tart pans should be filled.

Butter tarts are serious business for we Canadians.

I had told my friend Nancy that I made great butter tarts. She argued that her mom's would be better.

This is what she wrote after she tried one of these tarts:

The tart is AMAZING!!!! I need the recipe. I do believe it may even surpass my mom’s and my sister’s – and I don’t say that lightly!

Ha!

She then went on to eat three tarts.

This recipe is unique because it uses maple syrup. It is from an old cookbook of mine - The Mennonite Relief Sale Cookbook - originally published in 1973 (making this cookbook older than Paul!)

I do NOT make my own pastry - I find it far easier to buy prepared tart shells in the frozen food aisle.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen tarts.

Butter Tarts

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup REAL maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange lined tart shells on a baking sheet (or in tart tins if you are making your own pastry)

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Beat until the thickness of cream.

Fill each shell 2/3 full.

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbling - about 30 minutes.

Note - nuts or raisins may be added. I HAVE to have raisins in my butter tarts but some twisted folk prefer them without. I made about 10 tarts without raisins and then added about 2/3 cup raisins to the remaining filling and filled the rest.

Jamie Oliver's Pappardelle with a Ragu of Tiny Meatballs

This is a sophisticated version of spaghetti and meatballs - that 'Italian classic' that no mama in Italy would ever make. For some reason it has caught on here in North American. I bet if you asked 100 folk to name their favourite pasta dish more than a third would select this!

While this recipe looks complicated it isn't. You can make the meatballs in advance and then just toss them together with the sauce as the water for the pasta boils.

Jamie Oliver's Pappardelle with a Ragu of Tiny Meatballs

1 x basic pasta dough or use 1 lb good-quality dried pappardelle
A knob of butter
Parmesan cheese

Meatballs
1 Pound ground beef  -Jamie makes a point in the book to say have the butcher grind this in front of you and be sure to get hormone and antibiotic free meat
1-2 Dried chillies
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 Nutmeg, grated
3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Large egg   -  He also points out this should be free range organic
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Zest of 1 lemon - I personally think you should use less, maybe a half?
Salt and pepper

For the tomato sauce
Olive oil
2-3 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A Bunch of basil, leaves picked and stalks chopped
1 Fresh red chili, pierced with the tip of a knife - I used a dried for this
2 x 400g Tins of plum tomatoes
Swig of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

If you’re making fresh pappardelle to this first and lay it out on a floured pan while you get on with the meatballs and tomato sauce.

To make your meatballs, mix and 'scrunch' (a Jamieism) together all the meatball ingredients in your hands and shape into marble-sized balls. When rolling the meatballs, run your hands under cold water every now and then – it will help to make the meatballs dense and hold their shape better. Place them in a pan and put in the fridge while you make your tomato sauce.

Get a pan on the heat and add a glug of olive oil to it. Gently fry the garlic, basil stalks and the whole chili, then add the tomatoes and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper then gently simmer for half an hour.

Heat up a little olive oil in a frying pan and throw in your meatballs. Cook until they’ve got a really good color on them, and then add them to your tomato sauce. Remove the chili from the sauce and check for seasoning. Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you’re using dried pasta, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook according to the package instructions. Otherwise, when your meatballs are almost done, cook your fresh pasta for 2 to 3 minutes until al dente.

Drain the pappardelle in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, then toss it in the meatball sauce. Add the knob of butter, the Parmesan and tear over half the basil leaves. Now, toss around to coat the pasta. Add a little bit of cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed.

When it’s superb, serve on a big platter or divide up between individual plates, scatter with the rest of the basil leaves, grate over some Parmesan and serve as soon as possible.

Packing

Six days to go. I need to think about packing . . .

Palma has already packed her bags and weighed them to see if they will be accepted on a plane without penalty.

Me? I am making lists . . .

One of the great on going debates  discussion on the slowtravel community message board generally revolves around packing. There are those who swear by their ability to pack enough clothing for an entire three week European adventure in a carry on bag. We are not in that camp. No, not evening close.

I see nothing to be gained by rinsing out my jockey shorts each evening with shampoo and hanging them to dry in the window.

Someone posted this a few weeks back:

We just returned from one week in Paris, and it (a BACKPACK) performed very well. I was able to pack a pair of jeans, a pair of chinos, two polos, two long sleeve button down shirts, one sweater, one pair of shoes, six pairs of socks, six pairs of boxers, one heavy jacket, three under shirts, one long sleeve tee, one short sleeve, tee, a pair of mesh shorts, two books, four magazines, shaving kit, notebook, maps, and other smaller items. It was comfortable to carry through airports, the Paris metro, and while walking down the street. If you regularly can use a 22" roller for one week trips, then you can use this too. It was perfect.

Nothing about this, other than a week in Paris, sounds perfect to me. Hell, I need a backpack just for my camera, iPod, video camera, cell phone, assorted chargers, international plug, etc.

Frankly I do NOT pack lightly at all. Why, you ask?

1. Read the jockeys in the bathroom sink drying in the window for  # 1.
2. I don't care to wear the same outfit five days in a row. I suppose no one would know. The problem is I would and I wouldn't be able to live with ME!
3. Yes, I know that the people I see don't know me and I will likely never run into them again. However, I just do NOT like the thought of wandering about with my clothing looking like Phyllis Diller's ankles because I have rolled it up in a tube to fit it all in a carry-on.
4. I am addicted to guidebooks. Guidebooks take up room in the suitcase. Hell, just printing out hotel reservations, plane reservations, directions to the villa, car rental agreements, etc has filled a file folder.
5. I am not a nudist (and the world gives thanks for that). I like clothing.
6. Apparently I have shoe issues. I bring different pairs with me. I bring walking shoes, sandals, running shoes, dress shoes. Sometimes I bring river shoes or hiking boots. Have you ever tried to put a pair of hiking boots in a backpack?
7. Some folk enjoy wearing nothing but black for weeks on end. I am neither a monk nor a goth. I enjoy some colour in my life. Having a clothing palette involves a variety of colours. This takes luggage room to mix and match appropriately.
8. I like to bring wine home with me. Thanks to those pinheads who tried to down an airliner with the contents of a coke can I can no longer bring my wine home as carry-on. Now I have a wine suitcase, carefully fitted with styrofoam, to safely bring that liquid gold home with me.
9. I have been known to purchase a thing or two. Actually I have been known to purchase so many things that I was forced to mail boxes of dirty clothing home in order to make room for my purchases in my suitcase. I could fill a carry-on in 5 seconds in Florence.

So you see, I just don't get it. To those who like to pack lightly, I say - good for you. I shall have my two bags, changes of clothing, clean jockey shorts, shoes, wine, and purchases.

This You-tube has some helpful advice for those of you who wish to pack lightly. At first I thought it was helpful, having watched it a few times I now think it is mocking light packers. I like it more now. :-)