Sunday, May 19, 2019

Wine and Food of the Giro 2019: Stage 9

Where are we?
Riccione: Situated on the Adriatic Riviera of Romagna, Riccione is one of the most famous seaside resorts on the Adriatic. A very rich show schedule with amazing events makes Riccione the undisputed destination for thousands of people with different targets, but everyone looking for originality and tips to get quality products. Performances, shows and festivals, concerts, cinema and theatre,  the big sports events, the trendy shopping together with theme parks, clubs on the beach and on the hills, hang around with guests every month of the year.

 Romagna is a land that can be defined even by its food flavours, well known all over the world. Piadina is here a benchmark: this symbol of the local cuisine  is not to be missed on the table, and you should taste it hot together with raw ham and other cold cuts or  spreading soft cheese on it, such as squacquerone or, a timeless classic, with anchovies. First courses are mostly made up of  handmade pasta (tagliatelle, strozzapreti, ravioli, gnocchi, cappelletti), and then meat or fish, the latter as a real  protagonist in  the local cuisine, prepared according to tradition, but more and more often made with bright originality.

San Marino: The Republic of San Marino is a small open-air art museum. Walking through its old town feels like plunging in the Middle Ages and enjoying its timeless charm. Don’t miss out on the many artistic attractions: the Basilica of St. Marinus, the small St. Peter’s Church, St. Francis’ Church and its Museum, the State Museum and National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. San Marino’s cultural tradition and its values of authenticity, freedom and identity have remained unchanged over the centuries: this is why UNESCO listed the old towns of San Marino and Borgo Maggiore, along with Monte Titano, as World Heritage Sites.
GASTRONOMY: The culinary traditions of San Marino are those of Romagna, with some influx from the Marche region, as close ties have always existed with Montefeltro. On San Marino tables, piadina and homemade pasta are never missing, nor are vegetables prepared in various ways.
San Marino food and wine products include extra-virgin olive oil, cheeses, meats, milk, wines and honey. All the products are guaranteed by a quality seal which identifies San Marino manufacturers through a single food certification mark called “Consorzio Terra di San Marino”.
The stage: Time trialing again. Unlike last time when we had many of the favorites go out early due to weather concerns, this time they will go out according to their current gc positions. It is slightly ironic, because unlike in stage 1, today there are really difficult conditions with rain and sometimes more rain.
The early leaderboard:



 Some great photos in the bad weather today:





 On the road, Yates 10 seconds ahead of Nibali at the first split. Would that hold? Further ahead, nice ride by Kangert, slotting in at second. Further behind, Roglic looked very fast.


Roglic would continue to gain time.
Last rider out on the road.


Ahead, in at third: Nibali!
Behind him, a very bad day for Simon Yates, finishing in provisional 26th. Yikes.
On the other side of the spectrum: Roglic takes the stage win with a great ride. Time for ye olde: gaining valuable time on his rivals statements. Also, time to ready yet another round of ski jumping jokes for the mountain stages.


The stage:



GC:
The wine: La Stoppa Ageno
I know it is supposed to be the Sangiovese stage, but sometimes I rebel. Instead, back to this one: From the importer: La Stoppa is a 50 hectare property located in North-West Emilia-Romagna. Founded in the late 19th century by a wealthy lawyer named Gian-Marco Ageno, the estate is currently run by Elena Pantaleoni and head vignaiolo Giulio Armani. 32 hectares of vines are planted in Barbera and Bornada for red, as well as a small amount of Malvasia Candia, Ortrugo and Trebianno for whites.

 I say: Orange wine alert. 30 days of skin maceration with natural yeasts creates a deep "orange" color.



The food: Piadina from Academia Barilla
  • 1 pound all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup water
  • Prosciutto di Parma
  • Squacquerone, or another fresh, soft cheese (such as stracchino cheese or cottage cheese)
  • arugula

Preparation:

Piadina is traditionally made with pork fat. Our piadina is a lighter version made with extra-virgin olive oil.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, then mix in oil and water.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes until smooth in consistency.
Cover dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for an hour.
Note: If the dough is being prepared in advance, you can keep the prepared dough in the refrigerator.
Lightly flour the countertop and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until very thin, around a tenth of an inch.
Cut out 7-12 inch circles and poke holes in it with a fork.
Cook in a non-stick pan over medium heat without added fat for 1-2 minutes each side.
Serve warm, either alone or as part of a sandwich.
Piadinas are usually stuffed with salted and savoury ingredients. The most famous in Italy is with Prosciutto di Parma and squacquerone, a fresh, soft cheese. If unavailable, squacquerone can be replaced with stracchino cheese or even cottage cheese. The cheese and prosciutto are placed on the piadina with greens which is then folded up and served.
Buon appetito!
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