Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Giro 2023 Stage 10: Scandiano to Viareggio

Where are we? Heading from Emilia Romagna to Tuscany.

Scandiano: The regional tourism site tells me that Scandiano is one of the most important social-economic towns in the area between the hillside and the plain. One of the oldest places of human settlement in the province, it is rich in archaeological, historical and artistic interest. The famous “Venus” comes from the Neolithic village of Chiozza di Scandiano (found in 1940 and now kept inside Reggio Emilia-based Museum Palace). The first castle in Scandiano was founded in 1262 by Gilberto Fogliani from the powerful family to which Guido Riccio, immortalized by the pen of Simone Martini in Siena, also belonged. The Fogliani family was succeeded by the Este family, and after them, by the Boiardo family (1432), the most famous of which was the poet Matteo Maria. After the death of the last of the Boiardo family, Hippolytus, in 1560 Scandiano passed to the Estense Ducal Hall: there were then several investitures such as the Thiene, the Bentivoglio and the Mari until the direct dominion of the Este family until the Risorgimento (except for the time of the Cispadana, Cisalpina Republic and the Italic Reign). Scandiano is now a rich centre of economic, agricultural, commercial and industrial activities also due to its position at the foot of the hills and at the mouth of the Apennines valleys. The ceramic industry is particularly important.

Regional Specialties:  Parmigiano-Reggiano, the cheese that boasts more attempts at imitation in the world, was born in the heart of Emilia, in the area between two important cities: Parma and Reggio Emilia. It is produced according to strict criteria, which make it an excellent ingredient for many recipes. With the “Parmigiano-Reggiano” one can prepare the filling for tortelli and cappelletti, two sorts of egg pasta representing the heart of the Emilian and local cuisine.
By pairing this cheese with balsamic vinegar, also known as “black gold”, one can experience a very tasteful combination, sweet and sour at the same time.
Scandiano’s City Government granted the use of a part of the Clock Tower for production purposes to the Confraternita dell’Aceto Balsamico (Balsamic Vinegar Brotherhood – an authority that supervises and safeguards the production of local home-made balsamic vinegar). The vinegar battery (set of barrels), hosted on the top floor of the Clock Tower, is located in the ideal place to make the balsamic vinegar develop its characteristic scents to become a top quality product. 
It is impossible to not stop in one of the many bakeries of the town to taste the so called gnocchini: round pieces of flatbread which release an irresistible aroma, especially when just out of the oven. Another unmissable recipe of this Region is Erbazzone : a savoury quiche made of spinach and beet leaves, seasoning and (of course) Parmigiano-Reggiano, lying between two puff pastry layers. The Emilian cuisine – traditionally “vocated” to pork meat – includes also many types of cured meat, greaves and rinds, such as cotechino and zampone.
And what’s for dessert-lovers? Some patisseries of Scandiano produce the famous Boiardo’s cake, or Scandiano’s cake, an ancient recipe that is definitely worth a bite, better when served with local wines such as Lambrusco – a sparkling intense red wine with a dry enchanting taste – or Spergola.

Viareggio: The local tourist site tells me that Viareggio: where there’s sea on one side and the white peaks of the Apuan Alps on the other. Hasn’t everyone seen the classic snapshot of Viareggio? Stroll through the centre’s narrow streets, have an ice cream in the Pineta pine forest, take a trip to the sea in the Darsena quarter or, going even further, head to the most untouched part of the beach, the Lecciona (which is almost in Torre del Lago), and eat fish in one of the typical seafood trattorias, spending the day enjoying the authentic taste of the sea.
The most important city in Versilia, created as Lucca’s sea port, owes its name to the Via Regia, the road from the Middle Ages that passed from the city walls to the sea. 
We should apparently visit the carnival, to see the world's largest papier-mache floats. 
Regional Specialties: Traditional dishes that must be tried during a stay in Viareggio
Pasta alla trabaccolara “Trabaccolara” is a traditional Viareggio dish made using fish that hasn’t sold at the market. The name derives from the lugger, “trabaccolo”, used by the fishermen from San Benedetto del Tronto, some of whom moved to Viareggio between the 1920s and the end of the 1930s. Fish such as gurnard, scorpion fish and weever are needed to prepare the dish, to which some cooks add shellfish (although not part of the traditional recipe). The fish is cooked with tomatoes and flavoured with wine and aromatic herbs.
Risotto with squid and chard This risotto unites the flavours of the land and the sea and is a favourite served by the local festival street kitchens during the Carnival period. To prepare the risotto, brown the squid, add the chard cut into strips and, once this has softened, add the rice and continue until the rice is cooked; finish the dish with the chopped parsley. Buon appetito!
Viareggio style “Cacciucco” Strictly with the double “C”s! A simple, traditional fishermen’s dish, this fish stew has been made since the 1500s. Cacciucco, from the Turkish “kuchuk” meaning “small”, would be prepared by fishermen as they returned to port from a fishing trip. The distinguishing feature of Viareggio cacciucco is that it uses the fish of little market value and which the fishermen on landing their catch would otherwise have discarded. To be served accompanied by toasted home made bread, preferably rubbed with garlic. Cacciucco fish stew has a strong and slightly spicy flavour.
Spaghetti “con i nicchi” So what are “nicchi”? Nicchi are what people from Viareggio call the clams or cockles found on sandy seabeds. They are cooked very simply but are extremely tasty. After purging the “nicchi” of sand by placing them in a bowl of seawater for at least 12 hours, they’re sautéed in a frying pan before adding freshly cooked spaghetti. White wine, garlic and chilli pepper are used to flavour the clams and parsley is added as a final touch.
Spaghetti “con i coltellacci” “Coltellacci” in Viareggio vernacular are otherwise known as razor shells, which owe their name to the elongated, knife-like form of these molluscs that are found along the shoreline and on rocks after storms at sea. They are prepared plain or with the addition of tomatoes and have a strong, intense flavour.
“Scarpaccia” Finally, a dessert that isn’t sweet at all but which is usually eaten not only at the end of a meal but also as a snack during the day. A cake featuring finely sliced courgettes as the main ingredient. The resulting flavour, a mixture of sweet and savoury, delights the taste buds. Discover it for yourself!

The stage: A race day Covid positive for Remco Evenepoel and others means that we have a very different race going into week two. Our new race leader? Geraint Thomas.

The tweet of the day:  

Another day of miserable weather to ride a bike and a possible sprint. Also, talk of a shortened stage at the beginning, but it turned out they would ride the full stage.  To start the day, a break:
More than a few crashes on the stage and a greatly reduced peloton as they headed to the finish.  Forty kilometers to go and the gap was around 2:10. It would continue to come down.
Close to 20 kilometers to go and the gap was just over 1 minute. Word that the finish would be very slippery. Yikes.
I almost don't want to type that it is nice to see Cavendish near the front of the peloton. Ten kilometers to go and the gap was around 44 seconds.  Their odds were improving and the gap was simply not coming down. Unless they start playing around, the break would likely have this. Three kilometers to go and it was still around 42 seconds. Up front, under two kilometers to go and they started to attack each other.
Magnus Cort! Well done by him to complete his Grand Tour win set.





The wine: Wine: La Stoppa 07 Ageno
From 2017
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: Zabaglione
This an energy-giving and nutritious food which was invented by chance at Scandiano. The name Zabaglione comes from the French “buillon”, a term inherited from the French during military occupation. In 1560, the exhausted troops under the command of some “Giovanni da Buglione” set up camp at Scandiano. One evening he commanded the soldiers to look for something to eat in the surrounding countryside. However, times were really hard and there wasn’t much to take from the poor folk so the soldiers were only able to get hold of eggs, flour and white wine. The captain had all the ingredients mixed together in a large pan and cooked them over the fire: the result was a warm, thick broth that the soldiers loved and which rid them of their tiredness. That evening was the first time “John’s Broth” had been made and the soldiers repeated their forays the following evenings, telling the farmers of Scandiano that the ingredients were needed to make “buillon de Jean”. The name soon altered to become “Janbujon” and finally became “Zabaglione”, the Italian version of the old invention from Scandiano. Nowadays, zabaglione is made with Marsala wine because sweet white wine, used in the original recipe dating back to the sixteenth century, is now processed to become sparkling wine (whereas it had to be drunk quickly in those days because it turned into vinegar otherwise). Marsala is poured slowly and added to the egg yolk, then stirred slowly. Some people like to serve it with a chopped-up biscuit or amaretto biscuit because there was a piece of dry bread at the bottom of the bujon.

INGREDIENTS
for 4 people

4 egg yolks
4 spoonfuls of sugar
6 spoonfuls of white wine or Marsala

HOW TO DO
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Put the saucepan into another bigger pot with hot water and put it on the fire. Through a whisk, beat the zabaglione to make it become soft, swollen and light, and be careful of not making it boil. Serve immediately. Some people love to add a minced biscuit or amaretto because in the bujon the stale bread was the main ingredient.
It is also possible to taste it in this way or use it for other desserts, e.g. you can pour some spoonfuls onto the slice of pandoro and spill it with drops of Reggio Emilia Traditional Balsamic Vinegar or Colli di Scandiano White Wine and Canossa DOC Wine.
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