Lets do lunch

It is difficult to land in a bad restaurant in Piemonte, even in the wine country tourist towns like Barbaresco. Like Portland, one finds the restaurants' menus reflect seasonal ingredients. Right now, mushrooms and chestnuts have come into season and the hunters are taking rabbit and wild boar while plums, tomatoes and zucchini are waning. The truffle season is starting now too - peaking in mid-October I think and of course the grapes have been pressed and are being bottled over the next weeks and months ( and years for some wines).

Traditional cuisine has a tremendous influence on the menu as well. Some regional specialties include:

mozzarella di bufala: fresh buffalo mozzaralla (very prevalent)

vitello con tonno - veal with tuna sauce,

plin - tiny ravlioli "pinches"

carne cruda - aka raw beef,

conglietto - rabbit

Tagliarini ( sp?) with ragu - hand cut long flat egg pasta with beef/tomato sauce or sage butter

Risotto con fungi ( risotto with mushrooms)

Bagna Cauda - "hot bath" dressing of lemon, garlic, oil, anchovies and parsley that is used on meats and braised vegetables ( i have only seen with meats so far)

There is a big influence of the slow food movement in eating out as well as cooking in- enjoy local fresh foods and enjoy their preparation- which started nearby in Bra and is everywhere here in Piemonte. Bra has a slow food school in fact. One thing I saw on the slow food website was that the slow food movement is also advocating towns without neon signs and such ( as neon signs often accompany fast food type places).

For lots of info there is http://www.slowfood.com/ .

The Agiturismo is a somewhat recent phenomenon where the local farmer opens a kitchen and possibly a sort of B&B at the family farm. Lunch at the agriturismo and elsewhere actually starts about 1 and lasts until about 5 perhaps 3 if there is a rush.

There seems to be a distinct lack of vegetables at these meals. In fact this is true at most restaurants here. Caprese salad is available and once in awhile there is some green salad offered - probably at places frequented by tourists.

One definitely rolls out of the Agriturismo with any thought of eating again impossible. This past Sunday our lunch consisted of the following 10 courses accompanied by grissini, a couple bottles of the local red table wine and naturale and frizzante water ( as always!)

10 cold antipasti of lard, salami, coppa and pancetta

9 a quiche with cheese,onion and mushroom

8 deep fried mushrooms

7 veal with tuna sauce topped with shaved mushrooms in light vinaigrette

6 cheese with cheese fondue and black truffles

5 seasoned plin (pasta pinches) with a light tomato sauce

4 filet of beef

3 rabbit w carrots

2 cheese plate

1 tiramisu

Phew. I left with the kids after the pasta as they had had enough of sitting fter a couple of hours. Carlo and his brother were another 2 hours at the meal and they were out early compared to the others there!

Ciao for now-

JT