Saturday, May 20, 2023

Giro 2023 Stage 14: Sierre to Cassano Magnano


Where are we?
Leaving Switzerland and heading to Piedmont.

Sierre: The Swiss tourism site tells me that Siders/Sierre is advantageously positioned on the border between Upper and Lower Valais and on the language border between French and German. The Romans called it "the town of a hundred hills". On some of these hills, castles and fortresses were built and settlements grew up round about them. Today, these settlements have joined together to form the little town of Siders. At its heart are the richly decorated Town Hall and the picturesque Rue du Bourg, lined with historic houses and the parish church of Ste-Catherine.

Many artiss have fallen in love with the location and culture of the town. Perhaps the most well-known of them was Rainer Maria Rilke, who was so enthusiastic about the town and its surroundings that he lived here from 1921 until he died in 1926. There is a museum dedicated to the German-speaking writer.

Regional Specialties: A repeat of yesterday:  our specialty meats and cheeses are indescribably delicious. Our wildlife is further evidence that everything which comes from Valais is something quite special: Valais Blackneck goats, Valais Blacknose sheep, strong-willed, lovable Herens cattle that are typically native to our valleys.

Cassano Magnano: The Giro tells me that 
Cassano Magnago is an Italian town of 21560 inhabitants in the Province of Varese in Lombardy and its land area has an altitude ranging from 242 m. to 321 m.  above sea level.  Cassano Magnago,  originally “Cassiano Magniago”, was elevated to the rank of City after the Presidential Decree of 10th November 1997. The city has ancient origins, testified by the discovery of a cinerary urn attributable to the Golasecca Culture (from 1000 to 500 B.C.). The true symbol of Cassano Magnago is Saint Maurice Tower, dating back to the Late Roman Age, used as a signal tower and rebuilt as the bell tower of the church of the same name. The history of Cassano is the history of a territory which, without forgetting the old presence of the Visconti from the 18th century, began to host noble families from Milan and Gallarate as well as presenting archaeological, religious and naturalistic evidences represented by: Villa Oliva with Magana Park, Villa Buttafava, Visconti Castle, ex Church of Saint Julius, churches of Saint Mary, Saint Julius, Saint Peter, Saint Martin and Saint Anne, Remembrance Avenue, Oasi Boza e City Wood.

Regional Specialties
I purscelitt da Cassan: typical good luck cake of Cassano Magnago, made in biscuit or marzipan, but strictly piglet-shaped. It is said that Queen Teodolinda, passing through Saint Julius, didn’t meet a living soul except for a few piglets, the “purscelitt”, which rooted along the street. Struck by such manifest poverty, she took off the precious crown from her head and gave it to the Cassanesi, to get money to help the poor. From this legacy, the “Charity of the Crown Charity” would originate, with which the parish of Saint Julius supported the poor until the nineteenth century.
Chiscieau cunt i fig: leftover bread dough mixed with figs, raisins, sugar and butter
Frucch e maroch: sweets similar to amaretti, made of sugar and egg whites, whose name originates from the rivalry be-tween the inhabitants of the district of Saint Julius and those of Saint Mary.


The stage
: A likely day for the breakaway and the peloton certainly agreed. The break had 29 riders!< Also, it was raining. 
Closing in on 60 kilometers to go and the gap to the break was around 13 minutes. Attacking, Bettiol. He would be caught. The next group to get a gap was Rex, Oldani, Ballerini and Skujins. Their gap would grow.
The look of the day.  
In the end, it would be a long sprint, allowing Denz to come around and take the win. See the video here from the Giro site. It would also be a new Maglia Rosa, Bruno Armirail, the first frenchman in pink this century. 

The new GC:


The wineWine: Castello di Luzzano Bonarda Frizzante - 2010 from Biondivino
From 2012
 
From the importer
Region: Lombardia
Grapes: 100% Croatina 
Altitude: 690 ft
Soil: clay and marl  
Total production (btls): 24,000

Vinification: The grapes are crushed and destemmed before fermentation, which sees frequent remontage. A short secondary refermentation in pressure tanks to give the characteristic light sparkle precedes bottling at the beginning of March.
Ageing: In stainless steel for six months. 
I say: A sparkling red wine that reminds me of a sparkling red vinho verde that exploded on us in Portugal. An unusual combo of the frizzante and deep red, dry flavors that made for a great pizza wine. Also, a truly gorgeous label. 

The food: Amor Polenta from La Cucina Italiana 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened and at room temperature
1 cup superfine caster sugar (or powdered sugar)
⅔ cup polenta cornflour, plus a little for dusting
⅔ cup roasted almonds, peeled
1 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
Powdered sugar, to garnish
2 tablespoons of Italian Strega liqueur (or an herbal liqueur)

Method: Use an electric hand mixer to whip the sugar with the butter. Add a pinch of salt and once the mixture becomes creamy, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined. Separately, mince the peeled almonds to make a fine flour. Combine with the all-purpose flour and the baking powder in a bowl and mix. Then add the flours to the egg, sugar, and butter mixture a little at a time, followed by the liqueur.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a semi-cylindrical mold and dust it with polenta cornflour. For this step, use a small brush to make sure the cornflour sticks to the entire surface. Once the mold is buttered and floured, add the cake batter, leveling it out evenly across the surface. Place in the oven and bake for around 40 minutes. (If you have a ventilated oven, set the temperature to 325°F and bake for 30 minutes.)
Before removing the cake from the oven, pierce it with a toothpick to make sure the dough is cooked through. Wait until the cake has cooled completely before removing it from the oven, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

No comments:

Post a Comment