Above pictures of the Duomo and the Piazza around the main entrance of the Duomo
9 gennaio
As composed by Trudy and Connie…
As we prepare to leave Siena, another chapter begins… we are in the kitchen in S. Francesco, still in Siena, and as I type Trudy is preparing dinner… salads of baby greens, tomatoes, walnuts, and green onions, laced with aged pecorino from this area, drizzled with local extra virgin olio di oliva, a splash of red wine vinegar (aceto di vino rosso) and a dash of sea salt from the region. For our primo we will enjoy bowls of last night’s minestrone (zuppa di verdure e fagioli) and the last of the Rosso di Montalcio that Pino has provided, individually bottled from the large fiasco that he gets from his wine maker friend in Montalcino. As he tells it, in places like Montalcino, where the Vino Nobile di Montalcino (different but no less a wine than the Brunelli) are made, the regulations of wine making from the state level prescribe exactly how much of the Vino Nobile can be produced, so the remaining wines must be labeled Rosso… which is to the winemakers’ detriment, but definitely to our delight!
As composed by Trudy and Connie…
As we prepare to leave Siena, another chapter begins… we are in the kitchen in S. Francesco, still in Siena, and as I type Trudy is preparing dinner… salads of baby greens, tomatoes, walnuts, and green onions, laced with aged pecorino from this area, drizzled with local extra virgin olio di oliva, a splash of red wine vinegar (aceto di vino rosso) and a dash of sea salt from the region. For our primo we will enjoy bowls of last night’s minestrone (zuppa di verdure e fagioli) and the last of the Rosso di Montalcio that Pino has provided, individually bottled from the large fiasco that he gets from his wine maker friend in Montalcino. As he tells it, in places like Montalcino, where the Vino Nobile di Montalcino (different but no less a wine than the Brunelli) are made, the regulations of wine making from the state level prescribe exactly how much of the Vino Nobile can be produced, so the remaining wines must be labeled Rosso… which is to the winemakers’ detriment, but definitely to our delight!
The exterior door to the S. Francesco apartment
Last night we had a lovely cena (dinner) with Pino and Catherine, the only other roommate (she is a student at the Scoula di Lionardo di Vinci-Italian language school). Trudy set the table with the joyful yellow, blue, and green tablecloth covered with olive branhes, and plates and placemats… we had minestrone, bread, and had sliced aged pecorino, olives, and pears, plus a small amount of broiled bruschetta left over from the aperitivi that Trudy and I ate at about 18:00 to ward off our hunger as we prepared for a 20:00 dinner. The zuppa was delicious and we ended the meal with cantucinni (both the traditional mandorle (almond) and some made with chocolate), that we dipped into Vin Santo (which Trudy now calls “the dipping sauce”). I started the evening saying that we would talk only in Italian, but that didn’t last too long and we all enjoyed great food, laughs, and interesting conversation—sharing stories and learning more about each others’ cultures—especially Italian culture from Pino..
Tomorrow we will travel to Sorrento…
Ciao Tutti!
No comments:
Post a Comment