I Could Eat a Horse!

And I did- right in Puglia two wow ago. Horse is very, very common there and no one does a double take like i did the first time I heard about it. People love it many different ways- stewed, thinly sliced  and fried, done like a big 'ol steak, butterflied etc. It is raised in this region, and many of the farms around Matera produce this meat. 

I have to admit, I've been around a lot of horse lovers and so eating it did feel a bit like eating someone's pet, but watching the rest of the dinner party dig in got me over that pretty fast. Horse does not have a lot of fat on it so it makes for some interesting cooking. But the meat is very tender, has a consistency similar to beef but a distinctly different flavor. The muscle fibers seemed to me robe much smaller, which may account for some of the tenderness and difference. The flavor is much more mild than a game meat, but has a similar herbal quality. The first time I had it was at a graduation party for one of Mari and Antonio's friends who had just received her degree from university. That time it was stewed with spices and was dripping with a wonderful sauce. The meat was tender and flakey like a beef stew, but much more flavorful. These photos are of horse cooked over an open fire which was delicious, but for me, I think horse needs to err on the well-done end of the spectrum to be truly enjoyable. This was just a hair medium-rare for me. But speaking of medium-rare, another common way to have horse is carpaccio style, so I will hold my judgement until after I try that. Not sure if it will be this trip though....

Goodnight Rome

'Stay strong' Anna said to me as we rounded the corner. A few moments later we were looking down Via Della Calciliazone to Michelangelo's dome of St. Peter's and Bernini's colonnade. The Vatican at night. Beautiful. 

When I woke up yesterday morning I wasn't planning on being in Rome, but a last minute call from an important client brought Anna to Rome for deliveries and we decided to stay two nights in her flat in the city so she could take care of some housekeeping items. But of course we could not just arrive in Rome without Anna's Italian hospitality kicking in an insisting on a tour of the city by night. 

Besides the Vatican, Anna pointed out many wonderful sites, but my favorite was only about 1 inch in diameter. A keyhole in a door on the Piazza Della Cavalieri. Peeking through a tiny keyhole, you get a perfectly framed view of St Peter's down a tunnel of hedges. The view is too perfect to describe, as if the whole city were designed to deliver this one serendipidious vignette. I am using a photo for an other blog because it captures the experience so much better than I could (http://ourspecialeveryday.blogspot.it/). After Anna and I walked to the park for a spectacular view of the city. The view was amazing, but the smell from the orange trees was something altogether heavenly. 

After our site seeing, we arrived at Anna's apartment on Colloseum square, opened the shutters to the cool night breeze and took in the Colosseum. 

Looking through the keyhole. 

Anna walking in the park.

Yogurt and Beer

Yesterday, Anna and I went to buy the milk to make her wonderful yogurt. She buys milk from a farm with the highest organic standards  and swears it's the best she's ever tasted. We arrived just as the cows were being milked and held the milking hose as the warm milk flowed straight from the cow's udders and into our container.

We drove the 30 km back to Viterbo with the giant jug bouncing in the back of Anna's VW Golf station wagon, finished up the days work and then Emanuel and I headed out for a beer with some of his friends. Don't be fooled like I was into thinking that Italy is all wine, prosecco and grappa. It has a pretty intense up and coming craft beer scene as well. I opted for a  style called 'hell' beer which is asimilar to a white Belgium beer (it is not 'hell' as in the place, it's some abbreviation for something Italian which I can't remember). It was delicious. There were plenty of American beers in bottles there as well and as Emanuel and his friends happily informed me, there are bars in Rome that only serve American beers. Beer Shock, the bar we went to, was fabulous and if you're in Viterbo definitely check it out. They even had panino (like  a panini sandwich) with cheddar! Everyone had to tell me how much they liked cheddar and believe it or not, you basically cannot buy cheddar cheese in Italy. The bar even had a popcorn machine just like America. It was so funny and reminded me so much of home. It was interesting to see and I wonder if the owner travelled to America to get the craft brew aesthetic and culture just right for the bar, or if craft brew beer has it's own aesthetic that transcends place and nationality. I don't know, but I do know that Italy and America both know how much people who love beer, love free popcorn to go with it.  

Emanuel and I were the first people to leave the bar, and we were the first to even give an inkling of being tiered. And that wasn't until 2am. At 8am I was up and preparing for work on the farm when Anna met me in the kitchen announcing that there was fresh, warm yogurt in the dairy. She took me down with her to see it ( which she made at 5am), ladled me out a big bowl, and I was ready to start my day. Happy Italy.

WWOOFing in Heaven 

On Monday, I stumbled into heaven. After 3 days with Jane and Peppe, i soaked up as much relaxation and civilization as possible in preparation for the unknown woofing experience I was about to have. Little did I know I was about to be wrapped in the arms of the most loving and wonderful host imaginable. Anna worked in fashion and interior design for years before selling everything (she kept her apartment in Colosseum Square in Rome) and bought a beautiful farm in Viterbo. she started a purely biodynamic farm following the principles of the Australian biodynamic teacher Alex Podolinsky. Anna is a wonderful person full of life and love. Tomorrow she turns 70, but from her calm demeanor and spritely frame you would never guess she is a day over 50 or 40.  From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in for a wonderful experience. Anna has turned the property into a beautifully styled and infinitely functional wonderland for all things farm and cooking related. Emanuel, the one other wwoofer on the farm, and I have our own ensuite rooms while Anna's apartment is upstairs. The heart of the house is the beautiful open plan commercial kitchen and living space. Anna grows fruit which she transforms into delicious jams and preserves, as well as a huge variety of produce. She also produces a variety of cheeses and yogurt in her caseficio which features two floor-to-ceiling glass walls so she is surrounded by the views as she works. Everything centers around the biodynamic principals of enriching the soil and using using one process to supplement another, as well as the various homeopathic remedies for leaving the soil more fertile than when you started (Ill make another post about this later). The first thing Anna said to me when I arrived was 'the most important thing is that you leave here happy' and every day she  makes that a reality. So far, my time here has been wonderful and full of learning, cooking and joy. 

The pool which has yet to be opened but is one of the most serene places on the property.

Anna's retail point cottage...

The main house porch and yard.

Look at how many plates, cups and bowls! Dinners for 50 people here I come!

Me and Mauw, happily passing the afternoon siesta in the lawn...

The greenhouses at sunset

Eataly in Italy

Today I missed my first train. I watched it glide out of the station like a breeze as my awkwardly heavy back pack cut into my shoulders with each bounce as I lurched through the station at a graceless sprint. Bummer. But it's the first one I missed in a month so I'd say I'm doing ok. The next train to Viterbo wasn't for another hour so I poked around the station and when that got boring since everything was closed on a Sunday I decided to meander over to my track and wait for the train. Making it there with my 40lb back pack was a chore and I was already slightly winded and sweaty from my dash across the station. Each bench called my name but I was holding out for the 40 minute sit down I was about to enjoy. I climbed the last set of stairs up to track 14 and was just surveying my seating options when I beheld the most unexpected site- a giant Eataly sign. 

For anyone who doesn't know, Eataly is the gastronomic wonderland that pools together everything good, everything honorable, everything wonderful, everything authentic, but above all everything scrumptious in the world of food under one roof. And its all produced in Italy. As if the 'grocery' (and calling it grocery feels like a slap in the face since it is so far elevated above the sad run-of-the-mill blah we experience on a day to day basis), you can dine at one of the many, many specialty restaurants, cafés or bars located in each section. 

Of course as soon as I saw this sign my backpack felt like a cloud and my shoes were made for walking. I knew 40 minutes was no where near enough time, but I made the 1/4 mile dash under tracks and across the street to experience the throes of pleasure that only deliciousness can provide. 

This Eataly is 4 levels, but I only had time to make it through one. I have to admit that I was a little surprised at just how New York it all felt. Having frequented the one in NY it's scarily similar, but I guess that's what you get with a chain. Even the prices were the same, still eye watering, except here you pay in euros, not dollars. I guess importing the items half way around the globe doesn't actually add much of a mark up. Overall, because you can buy such delicious ingredients at what seems to an American to be such ludicrously low prices in towns all over Italy, Eataly actually felt kind of like a big farce, or at the very least, extremely redundant. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy gorging on samples and ogling all the chocolates immensely. 

I'm still planning on visiting the original Eataly in Torino when Jordan arrives in -eee!- 15 days but I'm glad I got the shock out of the way of feeling like I am back in NY. Just look at that Berkel!!! Yay food! 

Milky, Milky Sunrise

Sheep produce a lot of milk, and you get it while the gettin' is good, when if that means 5:00am. One day on the farm I woke up to see what it's all about, and by 4:50 I was out on the porch of the caeseficio waiting for the shepherds. The sheep were there well before waiting for their obligitory duties to be over before being led out to be surrounding fields to gorge themselves on lush, damp grass. 

Milking is no walk in the park. Each sheep is it's own person, having it's own kind of day, witha uniquely shaped udder and a unique personality to go with it. Just for the record, sheep have two teats on opposite sides of their udders (almost like one behind each leg- I'll admit I thought they had more! How embarrassing is that?). Some are just dying to be milked and lower themselves and spread their legs, while others dance, or cross their legs and want nothing to do with you. Antonio, Domenico and Christian can milk like its nothing, but I am definitely still learning. Which is why this morning, when I milked 20 sheep in 45 minutes, I was completely elated. 

 

Look at all that delicious frothy milk! Can I add 'milking' to my resume??  I don't know but I do know that I was so happy to have the opportunity to do this and start my day the way people have been for thousands and thousands of years. 

Alberobello / Sassi

Jane, Peppe and I are visiting the UNESCO world heritage site of Alberobello! It's a whimsical town north of Salento where all the houses were built without mortar out of flat stones stacked into circular domes for roofs. We also visits the Sassi of Matera. Both were wonderful and it felt like going back in time. 

Yesterday and today have seen extremely high winds in both areas with the clouds traveling overhead at a surreal clip. The photos show just a little of what it was like, but even despite being able to lean against the wind, the walks round the Sassi made for a day that transported you to another time and place. While we alking through the streets  and climbing the winding stairs, your mind can't help but fill in the missing people that lived in this area for thousands of years ago (the first dwellings are from 9,000 years ago).