Thursday, May 27, 2021

Wine and Food of the Giro 2021 Stage 18: Rovereto to Stradella

Where are we? Heading to Lombardy

Rovereto: The local tourist site tells me that: Located among picturesque hills and vineyards, Rovereto is in the centre of Valle dell’Adige, along the main road that connects other two main cities, Trento and Verona. We recommend to explore the city by foot, getting lost the streets of the historical center and feeling part of a journey through different time periods:
  • the Middle Ages in the walls of Castelbarco
  • the influence of the Republic of Venice in the home of the Podestà
  • the Eighteenth Century palaces in Corso Bettini
  • the evidences of the First World War in the rooms of the castle

Walking through the city streets, you will meet the most important and prestigious Eighteenth century palaces such as the Accademia degli Agiati, Teatro Zandonai and the city library in Annona Palace. Many renowned guests have visited Rovereto in the past, perhaps the most famous is Mozart, who held his first concert in Italy in San Marco church.

Stradella: The Giro has this important fact for me: Stradella is one of the most important wine industries in Lombardy, as wine is grown on more than 4/5 of its lands.

Giro Specialities
Rovereto: In addition to refined wines, Vallagarina is also known for its quality products, which give an original and tasty touch to the table. Soft or seasoned malga cheeses, with a delicate or pungent taste, each with unique characteristics, the result of different techniques and flavors that have been handed down for a long time. The organic vegetables of Val di Gresta, among the first valleys in Italy to devote itself to organic, first of all: cabbage, carrot, celeriac and potato. Medicinal herbs such as mint, lemon balm, calendula, cornflower and mallow, used both in food and in cosmetics. The most valuable of the species present in the area is certainly the Baldo saffron, which is obtained from the flowers of the Crocus Sativus, characterized by an unmistakable yellow color, an intense aroma and a strong flavor. Cereals such as wheat and buckwheat, wheat, sorghum, rye, oats and barley. The meats and cured meats: many butchers and farms in the city and in the small villages continue in the tradition of producing, each with its own recipes, luganega (salami from the Trentino valleys) and other typical cured meats. Castione chestnuts, from which unique recipes and products are born, such as chestnut tagliolini, chestnut beer, and the famous Marroncino di Castione.

Stradella: Although wine is the city’s pride, historical recipes and local products are well-known, too.I n his “State Geographical-Historical-Statistical-Commercial Dictionary by H.R.H. the King of Sardinia” (first edition, Turin 1933), historian Goffredo Casalis mentions the cheese-making at the Badia Manor by the Count Arnaboldi and at the time managed by Depretis – “similar to the cheese made in Lodi”.
Likewise, the recipe of the chicken “alla Stradellina” (from Stradella) is described in the volume “Pavian Cousine” by P.M. Brunetti and G. Nicosia (Renato Giardini Editore, Pavia, 1965). On page 336: “Napoleon Bonaparte, first consul, while in Italy stopped at Stradella and asked his cook to prepare him chicken fricassee. Since he couldn’t find butter, he used oil instead. In a hurry and hungry, Napoleon found the chicken delicious and the dish appreciated since then. However, the modern version is likely different, as the recipe changed over time. The so-called chicken ‘alla Stradellina’ is cut into pieces and cooked with fine olive oil, salt, pepper, truffles and herbs. After cooking, a sauce is added, made of gelly and wine from Broni or Canneto, together with seared butter, onion springs and flour.”
Today, the local salame from Stradella (“Salame Nostrano di Stradella”) features in the Region Lombardy’s list of traditional agri-food products (PAT, in Italian), updated to April 2013. Since 2012, it was recognised to be food excellence by the Local Council, together with the miccone (a type of bread), the bacon with rind and the La Torre cake.

The stage: Late in the race sprint stage? Or maybe one for the break? It was time to find out. Also today, the longest stage of the race. Not starting the day: Evenpoel, Schultz and Ciccone, which brought the peloton down to 147 riders.
Another large break: It consisted of: Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroën), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Fenix), Simon Pellaud, Andrii Ponomar, Natnael Tesfatsion (Androni-Sidermec), Samuele Battistella, Gorka Izagirre (Astana-PremierTech), Filippo Zana (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Simone Consonni (Cofidis), Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Alberto Bettiol (EF-Nippo), Francesco Gavazzi, Samuele Rivi (EOLO-Kometa), Wesley Kreder (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Patrick Bevin (Israel Start-Up Nation), Stefano Oldani (Lotto Soudal), Dario Cataldo (Movistar), Nikias Arndt, Nico Denz, Nicolas Roche (Team DSM), Jacopo Mosca (Trek-Segafredo), Alessandro Covi, Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates). 
After yesterday, and with possible drama ahead on the weekend, it was kind of nice to have a relaxed stage.
Forty five kilometers to go and it was still over fourteen minutes.
At around 32 kilometers to go, there came the expected attacks from within the breakaway group.
Eventually, Cavagna was away solo and he was getting a real gap. With about sixteen kilometers to go, he had almost thirty seconds. Closing in on him though was Bettiol and eventually, Roche. Eight kilometers to go ad Cavgana had fifteen seconds. Just under seven kilometers to go and Bettiol had reached and flown past Cavagna, with Roche slightly behind. Poor Cavagna clearly was done on the day as Roche flew by as well.
Four kilometers to go and Bettiol had 17 seconds. It looked to be a done deal.
And he would hold on! It was then only to wait for the gc group, who were about fifteen kilometers behind.
Stage:
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-Nippo5:14:43
2Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis0:00:17
3Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team DSM
4Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team DSM
5Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
6Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana-Premier Tech
7Filippo Zana (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane'
8Natnael Tesfazion (Eri) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
9Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep0:00:24
10Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo0:01:12

Twenty three minutes later, the peloton arrived.



The wine: Nusserhof Blatterle Bianco 2018
I was going to head to Lombardy today, given the plug above, but could not resist this charmer.
From an importer: 100% Blatterle. This indigenous variety goes back centuries in the Alto Adige but has shrunk down to a mere 1.5 hectares in production today. Nusserhof is one of only 3 growers of this thin-skinned, golden-yellow rarity and is the largest of them. Like all of Nusserhof's vines, the bit of Blatterle is farmed organically and harvested by hand; there is only enough to yield about 40 hectoliters annually. The fruit is destemmed, fermented with native yeasts and gently pressed. The wine does go through malo and is aged in a mix of tank and botte (added for the first time in 2018 vintage). The name "B...te...e" is an abbreviation of sorts of the grape name: Blatterle is not recognized by Italian wine authorities and the wine is classified as a Vino Bianco, so the variety cannot appear on the label anyway. The same goes for the vintage, which is indicated in fine print as lot number.

The food: Canederli, from a local tourist site

A recipe of the Osteria del Pettirosso restaurant

The “canederli” was once considered as the poor dish of the peasant culinary tradition, a clever way to reuse kitchen leftovers. Today it is known as one of the most delicious Trentino recipes.

Ingredients for 4 people
  • 500 g of stale bread
  • 1/2 l of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 50 g of Trentingrana
  • 100 g of speck
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 g of chives
Preparation
  1. Cut the stale bread into very small cubes
  1. Aside, heat the milk without boiling it and then pour it on the bread
  1. Mix the dough well so that the bread gets evenly wet and let it rest
  1. Then add the other ingredients starting with the eggs, the diced speck, salt, pepper and Trentingrana
  1. Prepare a test “canederli” to test its consistency. If it is too soft, add a little flour to the dough, if it is too hard, add a little milk instead
  1. Cook the “canederli” for about a quarter of an hour in boiling salted water or broth
  1. They can be served in a dry version with melted butter and chives or with their cooking broth and a sprinkling of Trentingrana.
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Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Wine and Food of the Giro 2021 Stage 17: Canazei to Sega di Ala

Where are we? In the Dolomites in Trentino 
Canazei: Trentino.com tells me that: Canazei is a municipality with some 1,800 inhabitants in the Upper Val di Fassa. The language spoken in Canazei is Ladin; the Ladin name of the place is ”Cianacei”.

Sega di Ala:The Giro tells me that: Renamed “City of Velvet” in the eighteenth century, in 2007 it received the “Orange Flag” of the Italian Touring Club. Its elegant historic center, one of the most well-preserved in Trentino, comes alive in the summer during the event “City of Velvet”.  The palaces and gardens are open to visitors, hundreds of figures in period costume enliven the streets and squares, music, shows and poetry relieve the glories of the eighteenth century.

Giro specialities
Canazei: Authentic flavours, simple recipes and top-quality food represent Val di Fassa mouth-watering side. The most seductive aspects of the valley reveal themselves, in fact, on the finest tables of the renowned Ladin restaurants, as well as in the atmosphere of mountain huts and dairies which propose genuine meals by renovating the recipes that have been handed down through the ages. Among the most famous dishes there are the cheeses “Puzzone di Moena Dop” and “Cher de Fascia” (Heart of Fassa), speck and other sorts of cured meat produced by local factories, ensuring the supervision on their goodness, thanks to the short supply chain. Among the traditional dishes we find the “supa da orc” barley soup; “bales”, bread dumplings in broth or with melted butter; “ciajoncie” stuffed ravioli with potatoes and dried figs; pork meat, smoked ribs, pork chop, game meat; speck and other types of cold meat; potatoes, sauerkraut, beetroots, mushrooms and, dulcis in fundo, “fortaes” (fried dough) with cranberry jam, “sones” (apple fritters), Apfelstrudel and Slow Food wildflower honey from the mountains.

Sega di Ala: In addition to refined wines, Vallagarina is also known for its quality products, which give an original and tasty touch to the table. Soft or seasoned malga cheeses, with a delicate or pungent taste, each with unique characteristics, the result of different techniques and flavors that have been handed down for a long time. The organic vegetables of Val di Gresta, among the first valleys in Italy to devote itself to organic, first of all: cabbage, carrot, celeriac and potato. Medicinal herbs such as mint, lemon balm, calendula, cornflower and mallow, used both in food and in cosmetics. The most valuable of the species present in the area is certainly the Baldo saffron, which is obtained from the flowers of the Crocus Sativus, characterized by an unmistakable yellow color, an intense aroma and a strong flavor. Cereals such as wheat and buckwheat, wheat, sorghum, rye, oats and barley. The meats and cured meats: many butchers and farms in the city and in the small villages continue in the tradition of producing, each with its own recipes, luganega (salami from the Trentino valleys) and other typical cured meats. Castione chestnuts, from which unique recipes and products are born, such as chestnut tagliolini, chestnut beer, and the famous Marroncino di Castione.

The stage: Rest day done, back to the mountains they went. The break of the day consisted of:  Gianni Moscon, Geoffrey Bouchard, Dries De Bondt, Simone Ravanelli, Luis León Sánchez Gil, Giovanni Carboni, Felix Grossschartner, James Knox, Pieter Serry, Matteo Badilatti, Jan Hirt, Quinten Hermans, Andrea Pasqualon, Daniel Martin, Matteo Jorgenson, Antonio Pedrero Lopez, Jacopo Mosca, Valerio Conti, and Alessandro Covi. Seventy five kilometers to go and their gape was around 3:30.

With Bike Exchange towards the front of the peloton, the gap did not grow significantly. It appeared they had plans for Yates. Fifty kilometers to go and the gap was around 3:13. Ahead, riders were dropping from the break. Behind, riders dropped by the peloton, including Evenpoel. The break was down to eleven riders, the bunch, forty five.
Forty kilometers to go and the gap was down at 2:41.
Back into the peloton, Evenpoel. In that bunch, Nibali had brought Ciccone to the front and I was hoping for fun. A bike change for Ciccone instead.
Then came an ugly crash. Among those involved: Evenpoel. Chasing without teammates, would be Ciccone. He would make it back.
Eleven kilometers to go and the gap was down to 1:24.
Ahead, Dan Martin continued to press on, launching from the small breakaway group. In the main bunch, Vlasov seemed to be suffering. Also in trouble, Ciccone, who has had a rough day.
In trouble, Carthy.
Finally, the expected move from Simon Yates. Following Bernal and Martinez. They would catch Almeida, who had ridden to a small gap.
A gap as Yates surged past Bernal. Bernal was very clearly suffering.
Two kilometers to go with Dan Martin was still solo up front with 28 seconds to Yates and Almeida and 1'20'' to Caruso, Martinez and Bernal.
Holding on for the win, Dan Martin! Next in, Almeida followed by Yates.





The wine: 2018 Markus Prackwieser Gump Hof "Mediaevum" Vernatsch
If vernatsch/schiava is an option, I am probably going to choose it. I do love a delicate red.

An importer tells me: The winery Gump (Gumphof) is nestled in the steep slopes at the entry of the Isarco Valley and its vineyards stretch from an altitude of 350 to 550 metres (1,150-1,800 feet) above sea level. The five hectare (ten acres) are planted with Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Schiava and Pinot Noir wines.

At an age of 28, Markus Prackwieser started a quiet transformation and has produced his own wine since. His wines have been sought after both nationally and internationally, especially his outstanding Praesulis Selection wine range. The name Praesulis derives from the nearby Castle of Presule.


The food: Forteas, from a local tourist site:

The typical sweets in the shape of a snail crowned the feast of Mardi Gras. It is said that it was customary to bring a taste of it to the shepherds who looked after the animals on the mountain pastures on the occasion of the feast of St. Peter and Paul, on 29 June. Today they represent the sweet note of any self-respecting festival or village festival.

Ingredients for 6 people: 300 gr. flour, 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk, salt, seed or olive oil, powdered sugar

Break the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and milk. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it forms a soft batter. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in an iron pan. When it is steaming, pour the batter into it: let it pour through the spout of a funnel, which you will turn in a spiral so as to give the “fortaes” the characteristic spiral shape. Brown the fried sweets on both sides and drain them well. Serve hot, sprinkled with icing sugar.

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Monday, May 24, 2021

Wine and food of the Giro 2021 Stage 16: Sacile to Cortina D'Ampezzo

Where are we? Heading to the Veneto
Sacile: The Giro tells me that it: is the westernmost town of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is unknown whether its name originates from Saccus (cove) or Sacellum (temple, sacred place). Its main characteristic is that it is a “water town”, since it originated and developed along the banks of one of the most important rivers on Friuli territory, the Livenza.

Cortina D'Ampezzo: The Giro raves: Cortina d’Ampezzo is a gem of sheer beauty in the middle of the Italian Alps, just 2 hours North of Venice, surrounded by the scenic peaks of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage.
Over 1000 years of inhabitation have endowed the town with a set of precious traditions, a rich history and its own local language. Cortina was among the first Alpine destinations to host tourists, firstly explorers and scientists, then the royals and aristocrats of several countries; it kept evolving and transforming, remaining at the centre of the stage: Italy’s first Olympic Games in 1956, the Dolce Vita in the 60s and then the films and film stars, the sparkly 80s. It hosted the 2021 World Ski Championships and the Winter Olympics 2026 will take place here as well.


Giro specialties:
Sacile: Popular cuisine finds its roots in peasant traditions. It is composed of simple and genuine dishes, faithful to the habits of the past with revisitations that generate a mix of tradition and modernity and are expression of the rhythms of nature and of the historical contamination of a territory geographically placed between Venetian and Friulian people. Wild spring herbs like pevarel (wild poppy), grisol (bladder campion), bruscandoi (wild hops), preti (dandelion), sparesi de rust (shoots of the butcher’s broom) and radicele (wild chicory) are the basis of first courses and side dishes.  In the garden radicchio reigns supreme; it is customary to prepare Radìci e fasiòi có le frithe (radicchio and beans seasoned with cracklings) sometimes accompanied by cured meats prepared in the winter months: salami cooked with vinegar, or muset col cren (cotechino with horseradish).
Among the first courses we find soups, but also potato dumplings seasoned with sauce of rasa (duck sauce) and risi e bisi (risotto with peas); among the sauces for pasta we mention the tocio, a sauce obtained from the cooking of meat of various types. To be tasted also the bigoi in salsa, spaghetti of large diameter, served with sardele da sal (sardines preserved in salt), a typical recipe in Lent, together with renga (herring) and sarde in saor (sardines seasoned with sweet and sour onions). Among the fish dishes, the trout of Livenza is the undisputed queen.
Main courses mostly include bovine meat and chickens in tecia (cooked in the pan). Among the farmyard animals, is worth mentioning the Gal de semensa, a tradition born from the habit of preserving for the perpetuation of the species the best cockerel, a specimen that was then cooked in a pan and offered to the head of the family on August 2nd, “Feast of Men”. Tripe, nervetti and corned tongue are often found as cicchetti (small snacks or side dishes) in taverns.
Local cheese and fresh or grilled polenta, white or yellow, are always present on the table. Among the desserts is worth mentioning the Pinza dell’ Epifania (typical cake of the Epiphany), prepared using also the polenta and enriched with raisins and dried figs.

Cortina D'Ampezzo: The traditional cuisine of Cortina d’Ampezzo reflects its location and history as a blend of Italian and Tyrolean flavours with genuine local products and a sprinkle of innovation.
Typical recipes and signature dishes like spätzle, barley soup, goulash, buckwheat cake, raspberry and gelato just to name a few, are made with home-grown products, freshly prepared by experienced hands.
Herbs, fruits, seeds: all the goodness of nature
Growing many different types of vegetables, not to mention fruit, in the Alpine climate has always been difficult. However, mountain woods and meadows have several fruits, herbs and other tasty secrets to offer those who know where to find them – and how to use them.
Wild herbs growing in the Ampezzo Valley include cumin and juniper, which are used to season meats or to flavour grappas, as well as bladder campion, cheròute in the local language, best used for risottos and casunziei, a sort of moon-shaped ravioli, especially in their red version with a beetroot filling.
Spinach Canederli (Knödel), a delicious no-waste recipe Historically a borderland between Italy and Austria, Cortina encompasses both Italian and Tyrolean flavours in its recipes. One of the most traditional dishes are the canederli, Knödel in German. It’s a delicious recipe that enhances a poor but genuine cooking, and a clever way to use leftover bread.
Brazorà, the sweet focaccia of the Ampezzo tradition Mountain cuisine is an important part of the Italian traditional cuisine: simple dishes made of a few basic products. However, basic ingredients doesn’t mean poor flavour. On the contrary, some traditional recipes are so good and tasty that they are still handed down from generation to generation, and are offered in restaurants or pastry shops. One of these is the recipe for brazorà, a sweet focaccia sprinkled with sugar grains, a crown shaped dessert, just like a hug! A long time ago it was the cake of the wedding invitation: bride and groom personally went to invite their own guests, offering a brazorà with 5 “crostoli” and 5 sugared almonds in the middle.

The stage: The route, challenging. The early news: Breaking news: According to RAI television, the stage has been cut to 155km, cutting out the Fedaia and the Pordoi but keeping the descent from the Passo Giau to the finish in Cortina.
The weather, menacing. The break, interesting.
Speaking of Nibali. Always nice for him to give us a bit of a flashback.
Eventually though, it was again time for Bernal to show off his amazing form.
With spotty tv coverage on the day, we would only see bits and pieces of the day. A lot of "we are hearing," and I was feeling bad for the commentators.
It appeared, from word on the street, that Bernal was closing in on the win and gaining time. Exactly how much time was unclear. Indeed, we were able to see him finish. Next in, Bardet and Caruso.
Stage:

GC:
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers66:36:04
2Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious0:02:24
3Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo0:03:40
4Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech0:04:18
5Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange0:04:20
6Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo0:04:31
7Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM0:05:02
8Daniel Martinez Poveda (Col) Ineos Grenadiers0:07:17
9Tobias Foss (Nor) Jumbo-Visma0:08:20
10João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-QuickStep0:10:01




The wine: Angiolino Maule La Biancara Masieri
Bianco 2018
From the importer's site: “The wine is the fruit of the earth transformed by mankind; it is the oldest natural beverage known to us. The quality of a wine is that which is imparted by the vineyard; it is indispensable to return to a  and viniculture without  in order to make wines that are expressive of their origins, unique and inimitable and that rise above the standardization and homogeneity that defines the majority of wines commercially available today.”
-Angiolino Maule.

The food: brazorà, from the local tourist site:
Ingredients to make one loaf:
500g flour
80g sugar
80g unsalted softened butter
5 eggs
1 grated zest of lemon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
16g dried brewer’s yeast
80g milk
To finish: granulated sugar

Method:
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them for about half an hour or until you have a soft dough.
When the dough feels smooth and silky cover it with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm room, for at least 1/2 hour or longer.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170.
On a baking tray divide the dough into three parts and form a braid closed in doughnut
Let it rest for another half an hour .
Gently brush the egg yolk mixed with water over the loaf and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake the Brazolà for 40 minutes until risen and golden.
Leave to cool before serving.
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