Wine and Food of the Giro 2021: Stage 13 Ravenna to Verona

Where are we? Leaving Emilia Romagna and heading to the Veneto

Ravenna: The Giro wants to talk about Dante:  For 700 years, Ravenna has been home to the mortal remains of the poet who is certainly the best known in the world and of whom, paradoxically, we have no material evidence; not a single line written in his own hand, no possessions, not even a certain date of birth, except for what he himself wanted to hide between the pages of his work. This is why Dante’s Tomb is the only and definitive tangible trace of a mortal story comprising unreachable lights and unresolvable shadows.

Verona: Let's stick with the literary theme: The city is well known also because it was land and crossroads of great poets and artists. Among the most famous: Shakespeare, who set the tragedy of the two lovers Romeo and Juliet within the Scaliger walls; Dante Alighieri, who lived many years of his life in exile in the Scaliger city as a guest of the Cangrande family and Paolo Caliari, called the Veronese, great painter of the Renaissance period.

Giro specialties:

Ravenna: During the years in which Dante lived, the first recipe books appeared and cooking took enormous steps forward. In literature, food and its preparation began to be more present and perhaps even Dante Alighieri decided, for this reason, to include food and wine references from that period in the Divine Comedy, interweaving them with the punishments inflicted on souls in Hell or considering food as a metaphor and nourishment for the divine mysteries in Paradise. Of course, we cannot speculate on what kind of food Dante found in Ravenna, but the legend regarding the episode of the egg, which Dante considered the best food in the world, leads us to think that he would have appreciated the simplicity of Piadina (Italian flat bread), used in the kitchen instead of bread and considered one of the pillars of the gastronomic culture of Romagna. In Ravenna, it is thicker and is stuffed in many different ways: with cured meats, cheeses (especially Squacquerone di Romagna DOP), with fish such as the saraghina (oily fish cooked on the grill, breaded and flavoured with parsley and garlic), but also with vegetables, creams, sweets and jams. Romagna cuisine is dominated by fresh pasta, which is used to prepare excellent first courses, especially in full-bodied broths. There are passatelli with a mixture of egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg, as well as cappelletti, strictly handmade with a chopping board and rolling pin and filled with cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano. There are also tagliatelle, usually accompanied by a meat sauce, and strozzapreti, which are humbler, but no less tasty, made with water, flour and salt. Amongst the typical desserts, the most well-known and world-famous is the zuppa inglese (a dessert made with custard, Alchermes and Ladyfingers), but the simpler Romagna doughnut is also very popular. Those who want to know more can rely on the work of Pellegrino Artusi from Romagna: 790 recipes of peasant origin contained in a single book, entitled “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well” (1891).

Verona: Verona has a rich food culture, heritage of its thousand-year old local agriculture and plenty of DOP raw materials.The most typical main dishes of the city are: pasta e fasoi, bigoli con le sarde,  gnocchi and nodini di Valeggio.

The rice, grown in the lowlands of Verona, is the basic ingredient of many dishes: risotto al radicchio and Amarone wine, riso al tastasal or with peas.

Among the typical second courses it is worth mentioning: pastisada de caval and bollito with pearà (a typical sauce of Verona used to accompany meat).

Regarding the desserts, in addition to the famous pandoro, there are others which are typcal of the local cuisine: Nadalin, crostoli and the fritole of Carnival.

Rich is also the production of cheese and  sausages. The Monte Veronese is certainly the most important, but there are many other type of cheese produced in the malghe della Lessinia (mountain huts), as well as typical cold cuts, like the soppressa all’aglio.

Last but not least the production of oil, from Garda lake to Valpolicella: both productions are certified DOP.

The stage: Did someone say flat? It was a day to anticipate a doomed break and a bunch sprint. 

The break of the day was small:

💗 Giro d'Italia 2021 - Stage 1⃣3⃣
📌 Ostiglia - km 77
🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️ @PellaudSimon, @umbertomarengo, Samuele Rivi
⏱️ 5'46" > Peloton | Gruppo
💻 Live: https://t.co/j8ggiiKeUQ
🏁 121 km#Giro pic.twitter.com/liBS2rf7IO

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 21, 2021

Sixty-eight kilometers to go and the gap was 3:36.

Just over fifty kilometers to go and for unknown reasons suddenly a few riders went full gas from the peloton. Fifty kilometers to go and the gap to the break was under two minutes. Things would soon calm back down as the sprinters teams came back to the front.

As they got closer, it was clear that the bunch could catch the break whenever they wanted, but were choosing not to, to avoid any late attacks. 

Finally, with around seven kilometers to go, the catch.

And, wow, I yelled out loud, scared my cats and possibly the neighbors. After so many close calls, finally the stage win for Nizzolo after eleven second place finishes.

General classification after stage 13

Pos.	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers	53:11:42
2	Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech	0:00:45
3	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious	0:01:12
4	Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo	0:01:17
5	Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange	0:01:22
6	Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe	0:01:50
7	Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep	0:02:22
8	Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo	0:02:24
9	Tobias Foss (Nor) Jumbo-Visma	0:02:49
10	Daniel Martinez Poveda (Col) Ineos Grenadiers	0:03:15

Wine:  Yeasteria Pinky Wave Rosato Frizzante

I did mention that I was leaning into pink. Biondivino says: An energetic pét-nat of Pinot Nero, Barbera, Cabernet, Merlot, and Trebbiano, from a dynamic winemaker-brewer couple in the Veneto. Native yeast only, refermented in the bottle without disgorgement or filtration. A fragrant nose of pink flowers, small red fruits, with blood orange smoky strawberries and just the right amount of fizz. Vibrant in color and attitude, overwhelmingly fresh and fun - ‘Good Vibes Only’ in a bottle.

As for the name, a bit more about the producer, from their website: Yeasteria stands out for its will to explain wine produced from biodynamic and organic agriculture and craft beer, to the curious palates and receptive souls by using a culturally physical, fun, responsible and modern method.

We believe that wine consumption can’t get separated from the knowledge of artisanal work behind it. Be it wine, beer or food, a product of craftsmanship is always the result of a human intelligence, a creative resource which transforms an idea into an act of taste and civil choice, a stimulation which is missing in the industrial production of any product.

Food: Treviso Raddicchio with Pancetta from the River Cafe's Cafe Cookbook.

Although that recipe is not online, you can find something similar here or here. 

The ingredients are simple and flexible: I used raddicchio, scallions (because I had them iand not onions on hand), garlic, chicken stock, unsalted butter, pancetta,white wine, parmesan. and arborio rice. But rice aside, you could sub out any of those ingredients and still end up with an excellent result. 

The technique is fairly easy: saute your pancetta and scallions until soft, add the raddicchio and cook until well wilted. Then add your rice and stir well until coated. Add the wine and stir until it is evaporated. At that point start adding your chicken stock gradually, adding more after it is absorbed. The total cooking time will probably be around twenty minutes. After the rice is cooked to your liking, take it off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and serve.