Adriatic Sea

On Sunday Antonio's sister took me to see the Adriatic at a town called Otranto. It was gorgeous. Here are a couple of photos. 

<i>Tiella</i> (or <i>Tiedda</i>)

The best thing about Italy is that all the women are wonderful chefs and teachers some (and of the men are too!). Mari is no exception and has been spoiling me with lots and lots of typical dishes from Sorento. This is a dish that is easy, uses only one pot, and most importantly- it's completely delicious. Try it, you'll be happy you did!!!

Serves 10 

This recipe serves ten but it's important to ink about how many people your re serving and how much of each ingredient you would want for that many people. Also, it's essential that the pan is wide and shallow enough to fit them in single layers, and have the water evaporate. 

10 Potatoes sliced in 1/3" pieces (don't make these too thin! You want the to stay whole when they cook, unlike a gratin where you want everything to meld together)

3 large green onions, white part only

2 kilos of mussels, cleaned and in the half shell (If you buy your mussles whole, pry them open with a knife, cut the foot and flip over similar to how you prepare an oyster. See photos below where Daniele does this expertly) 

2-4 cups of rice, or enough for the amount of people you are serving (a half or third cup per person is the right proportion but you can adjust depending on how much rice you want)

Lots of salt (kosher or sea salt works best)

Lots of olive oil

Pepper, white pepper is possible, but any pepper really is fine

Choose a pan that is wide and shallow enough to fit all your ingredients in thin layers. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, then cover with the green onions. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over them. This is where you put all the salt you will be using for the entire dish. It's important to be a generous seasoner at this stage- remember, all the rice and potatoes will absorb the salt so it will taste much less salty than you might expect). Layer the potatoes over the salt and green onions. Once you've covered the pan in a single layer, lay down the mussles, again, covering the pan in a single layer. Pour over half the rice and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Again, lay a single layer of potatoe slices down. Cover with the remaining rice. If you want, at this stage your can add tomatoes and/or parsley. Generously cover with grated cheese and pepper. Gently pour down the side of the pan enough water to cover. This liquid will cook and be absorbed by the rice and potatoes so base your amount on this principle.   Pop into a 350 degree oven, and cook for 40-50 minutes. The rice and potatoes should have absorbed all the water and have a silky risotto texture. Both layers of potatoes should be soft and cooked. The top should be a lovely golden brown, similar to a gratin but better!

Lambs

Everyone has been asking for photos of the lambs and I am more than happy to comply! They are every bit as sweet as they look, and infinitely soft too. But before you get too sentimental let me explain how this works. Lambing happens in two periods- one in the fall so the lambs are ready for Christmas in Dcember, and one in the late winter/ early spring so the lambs are ready for Easter. 3-4 months prior to these periods, they let 4 male sheep loose in the herd and within a week or so every single lamb of birthing age is pregnant. In this way, the lambs are all born at the same time and maximize profits and growth for the farm. These lambs are being raised for food, and once the holiday period arrives, the male lambs and any female with small udders are sold for the feast. As cute though they are, please don't loose site of the fact that see lambs will be eaten by people like you and me, roasted in the oven as a celebration and to mark a special occasion. Unlike any lamb you or I have probably ever tasted, these lambs live every day feeding of their mother's milk and eating the green, lush grass of Salento. If you eat meat, but feel like this sounds barbaric, I would suggest you either become a vegetarian or vegan, or source better meat. This is the most beautiful life our food can live, and the people who raise this food truly are steward with the highest standards, of an amazing, and fading, industry. 

Talk With Your Hands

Everything is wonderful on the farm. He sun is shining after 4 days of rain showers, and there have been lots of dinner, pizza, and company to keep me occipied. So occupied that I haven't been able to post anything new!!! Here's a little something to tide you over- it's the best hand gesture guide I've come across. Mari showed it to me. As a joke, she makes the two gestures for "when you get here" and "I will beat you" to her boyfriend when he is across the fields tending the sheep- I couldn't help but laugh when she told me that.

http://youtu.be/aHZwYObN264

Enjoy!

A Bike Ride

Helping at a working dairy is varied, busy, and always eye opening. I wake up around 7:00am, work and learn until 1:00pm or 2:00 and then there's a break until milking at 4:00pm. Today, I took advantage of the bikes at the farm, and despite my misgivings about the drivers and road rules (which to a foreigner) seems completely out of control in Italy, Mari assured me that there was nothing to worry about. In this part of Italy, between 1:00pm and 4:00pm no one is on the road as they are eating or sleeping. And it's true, on my 1 hr ride only 3 cars passed me going the same direction I was. 

Seeing the area for the first time was just what I needed to get over the initial shock of a new place. It's very very flat which makes for enjoyable, easy bike riding. Getting out of the farm showed me that although the area is rural, there's s lot here. There are lots and lots of olive groves and vineyards. About 30 minutes away by bike is a small town called Collepaso. It has everything you'd expect in a small Italian town- restaurants, bars, shops. But of course everything was closed due to the time of day.

 

I loved these steps. It's not uncommon in Italy to find doors that are higher than street level. And how else do you get steps to go all the way up while still being able to drive a tiny car down this tiny street? You build them sideways!!

Another thing I absolutely love here are the buildings with multiple layers of paint in different colors, they are absolutely stunning and something I've never seen before. I assume this happens when they are painted and then repainted and then the paint wears off which leaves these beautiful, interesting washes

So that was of various colors and gradients. I'm sure the sun plays a role in developing the patina as well, since the sun plays a part in so much of the aesthetics here. 

I always imagined that Italy looked a certain way but expected to be disappointed since pictures never really tell the story of a place. New England isn't all sky scrapers, New York isn't all Broadway and Los Angeles isn't all movie stars. But what I've found in Italy is a place where everywhere you turn something pleasant is always in view- it really is just as beautiful as all those glossy photos of it make it out to be. In terms of food and scenery, Italy doesn't disappoint you at all.

Here...

I made it safe and sound to Cutrofiano, even with the train changes. Last night I saw the dairy and got a little tour and today it was down to business. I woke up to a steady rainfall, and while the shepherds had their work cut out for them bringing grass to the sheep (I'll explain this another time), we started off washing cheese- lots of cheese. After about ten days the cheese gets a blue bloom on it that needs to be washed off so it will continue to ripen and harden. A blooms acts like a blanket which keeps mioisture in, but this moisture also prevents it from hardening and maturing so the more you wash a cheese, the harder it will get. Here are just some of my freshly washed sheeps milk cheese rounds-

The daily tasks are varied and I'm sure I've just scratched the surface today. There are chickens, dogs (sheep dogs and play dogs), cats, and a duck. I also learned how to milk today which is a lot harder than it looks. As a complete neophyte I milked 2 sheep (pecora in Italian), before the third I was starting stepped in my bucket and I had to give the little I had gotten from it to the dogs. Like I said its hard. And it's a lot harder when your slow and they realize what's going on and start trying to free themselves from your inexperienced hands. Here are just a couple more photos from the farm. 

To Puglia!&nbsp;

We were out of the house at 7:30am this morning for the train to Lecce via Caserta. Jane and Peppe were the most wonderful hosts. I wanted to post just a few pictures of the scenery around that area because it really is quite stunning. 

These two are the views from Jane and Peppe's house. It's got amazing 360 degree views. Muzz, Kathy, Mare- you must come!!!