Saturday, October 3, 2020

Wine and Food of the Giro 2020: Stage 1 Monreale to Palermo

 

Where are we? On a short time trial ride in Sicily from Monreale to Palermo. 

Monreale: The Giro tells me that: Monreale is the twenty-first most populated city in Sicily and is part of the Metropolitan Area of Palermo.
In addition: Monreale has a very important historical peculiarity: it is a city, nowadays with 40,000 inhabitants, built around the immense and wonderful Norman Cathedral, built in 1174 by the king Guglielmo II. Furthermore, since 2015 Monreale is declared a “UNESCO World Heritage Site”, and it is part of the Arab-Norman route (that includes the Arab-Norman monuments of Palermo and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale).

Specialties from Giro: OIL: DOP Val di Mazzara Extra Virgin Olive Oil. BREAD: it is a guarantee of goodness, fragrance and long shelf life. The indication Pane di Monreale, in addition to indicating a delicacy of the palate, is also a product that holds the primacy of taste, cooked strictly on wood, it is able to maintain an inimitable flavor and aroma. S-COOKIES: in the same ovens where the bread is baked, the same “S” shaped biscuits and oblong biscuits filled with quince jam and candied cedar, brushed with glazed sugar invented by the nuns of San Castrenze are produced. LO SFINCIONE: The sfincione, cooked rigorously in a wood oven, is of excellent taste and is mixed with ancient Sicilian flours and seasoned with typical Cacio Cavallo cheese, tomato and onion. LE SUSINE : The Sanacore and Ariddu plums of Core sweet, whose dry flesh with an intense taste are preserved in thin paper braid by skilled growers, enter full-fledged slow food presidia. Both varieties are very delicate and together with citrus fruits they are na of the local delicacies.
Note: it is apparent that the specialties section of the Giro site this year is inconsistent. But, it is still 2020 after all, so I'm just going with it. 


Palermo: Palermo is the capital of the autonomous region of Sicily. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is Sicily’s cultural, economic and tourism capital. It is the main seat of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
Specialties from the Giro: Caponata, PASTA WITH SARDINES, ANELLETTI AL FORNO, SARDE A BECCAFICO, BABBALUCI, PANELLE, SPLEEN SANDWICH, SFINCIONE, ARANCINE, CANNOLI, CASSATA. 


The stage: Well, the Tour made it to Paris, so let's see if we can get a full Giro as well. 
Starting things off with a short downhill time trial. The word of the day: speed. As in lots of it. The favorite for most on the day: Filippo Ganna, the current world champion and an Italian. The winner of the day will be out first maglia rosa wearer, so there is an added incentive. 
Having a good day: Geraint Thomas, coming in it provisionally third and gaining 26 seconds over GC rival Simon Yates. 
Our leader at that point: Joao Almeida.
On the course, Ganna was looking very, very fast. He would come in at 15;24, easily in first and 20 seconds faster than Almeida.
His stats are remarkable: Avg speed: 53.3km/h , Max speed: 59.6km/h, Avg power: 510W, Max power: 760W.
Lopez with an ugly crash into the barriers as he was adjusting his hand position just as he hit a bump in the road. We would get no information on his condition, until, much later, an ambulance was sent to the crash scene. His status was unclear.
As more riders finished, it was clear that Thomas was gaining valuable time on his rivals.
With many of them in:
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) - 15:47
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) - 16:13
Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) - 16:52
Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) - 16:53
Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) - 17:08
Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) - 17:11

The wine: Porta del Vento Voria Rosato Frizzante NV from Biondivino
Spoiler alert: their white is on tap for tomorrow, but how could I resist starting the race with something bubbly and pink?
From an importer: The tiny, Porta del Vento winery sits 2000 feet above Palermo, near the village of Camporeale, an area of Sicily where nature can be very harsh. At 600m elevation, on incredibly steep slopes, this area is known for constant, brutal winds, blowing through the vineyards. These ever-present winds, along with the large, diurnal, temperature range, allow for wines of great concentration, character, low alcohol and racy acidity. The 100% Certified Organic and Biodynamic wines, which adhere to a strict, non-interventionist approach are produced unfiltered, so as to not deprive them of the elements that make them unique. Porta del Vento's wines are uniquely expressive, conveying emotion and terroir.
Much like the short trial, this was a lively start to the race.


The food: S Cookies

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 large eggs, plus 1 additional egg for the topping
  • 1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for topping
  • 3/4 cup light tasting olive oil
  • Zest of one lemon or one orange (or both for extra flavor!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prepare several baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and  set aside.

4. Using a stand mixer, combine 4 eggs, sugar, oil and zest. Mix just until all ingredients are blended.

5. Add in the flour mix and beat on medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 2-3 minutes. Paying close attention that you do not over mix.

6. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and give it one final mix by hand until flour is fully incorporated.

7. Pull pieces of dough and roll out ropes that are about 1 inch thick. Depending on the size of your desired cookies, dough pieces can be anywhere from 4 – 7 inches long. (Of course, depending on how much dough you use, you will end up with either a small, medium or large cookie)

8. Continue shaping the rest of the dough into S’s and place on cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.

9. In a small bowl beat the remaining egg with a fork to make an egg wash, brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with a small pinch of additional sugar.

10. Depending on the size of the cookies, they will bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on top and on the bottom.

*For added sweetness, these can be glazed with a glaze made of confectionary sugar, 1 -2 teaspoons of milk and zest of one lemon or orange. Stored in an airtight container, these can last up to several weeks.

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