Firsts…and Seconds!

• By Johanna Nuding+
• Posted in Italy, Personal Stories, Travel, Uncategorized
• On February 22, 2013
• 5 Comments.

This summer in Bologna, while living with Pippo, I was out for one of my routine walks and decided to stop into the neighborhood trattoria for a late lunch.  I’d been walking passed it for two and a half months and never checked it out.  I was feeling exceptionally inquisitive on this lazy Friday afternoon and decided it was time to get a closer look at the colorful characters I always saw there.  That, and it was hot as hell and I needed a beer.

Upon entering I was greeted by a short, gray-haired local wearing a brown, cream and burnt orange v-neck sweater and gray, polyester skinny trousers – if I hadn’t known better I’d of thought I’d stumbled across an east Austin hipster in my San Donato hood.  In my best Italian I asked for a table for one and he replied, “Why not two and I’ll join you?”

My emphatic laugh attracted the attention of the table of twenty sitting around the corner.  They all examined me as I was seated adjacent to them.  From my seat I had a view of the entire restaurant – a perfect vantage point for people watching.

I watched the over-sized owner as he sat down with patrons to catch up and shoot the breeze.  He’d sneak a bite of food off each of their plates, say something and the table would laugh.  I imagined him telling them that it was for their own good…that he had to make sure the dishes his wife was preparing in the kitchen were satisfactory.

After finishing cooking a table’s meals, the chef would appear out of the kitchen and offer a “buon appetito!”  She would then come up behind her husband, make him sit properly in the chair, straighten his shoulders, scoot him up to whatever table he was sitting and then she’d disappear back into the kitchen.

Click here for the rest of that story. (I already told it this summer.)

Then why did I even bring it up, might you ask?

Because I haven’t stopped thinking about the spaghetti and clams I ate that day.  I’ve craved those clams with the perfectly buttery, peppery wine sauce many times over the past six months and dreamed of recreating it.  So, last night, I gave it a whirl.

Evan and I went for a walk around centro and shopped for dinner supplies.  We made a stop at the supermercato for fresh pasta and wine, the pescheria for fresh clams, the frutta e verdura stall for fresh shallots, brussel sprouts, lemon and salad, the panetteria for a rosemary foccacia and pane di altamura, the macelleria for salame and the creamiest most delicious goat cheese I’ve ever eaten. It tasted fantastic smeared onto the bread and drizzled with a syrupy, tangy-sweet balsamic vinegar.  Or with an olive oil soaked sundried tomato and salame.  It was impossible to go wrong.

Most of you know my fondness for a well done cheese tray.  Evan’s on the same page.  We’ve taken the at-home apperitivo to a whole new level.  We sat down, devoured the tasty bites and washed them down with a crisp, bubbly pignoletto – a great, very affordable white wine native to Bologna (and the Emilia-Romagna area).  Who doesn’t love cheap, local and delicious?

With happy bellies, we reviewed the recipe and our game plan.  Since this was my dream meal, Evan handed me the reins and expertly chopped loads of garlic and parsley and thinly sliced the shallots for me.  I’d never cooked clams before.  It was relatively easy considering the clams had been debearded at the pescheria and Evan was doing all of the knife work.

I just project managed my way through the recipe and then combined the clam sauce with the freshly cooked pasta.  I roasted brussel sprouts, dates and shallots that I’d tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in the oven.  Evan made us a fresh salad and we were ready for round two of our dinner at home as the snow continued to fall outside.

Cooking in my tiny apartment continues to be interesting, but Evan and I have been turning out some fantastic meals despite the primitive selection of knives, utensils, bowls, pots and pans.

This morning I enjoyed Evan’s special TLC potatoes and a damn fine gourmet breakfast sammy piled high with egg, grilled zucchini and mushroom, pancetta, italian sausage, fresh tomato and crumbles of regionally-sourced pecorino on toasted pane di altamura.  It was epic.  This man knows his sandwiches.

We also killed a few tortellini and tortelloni dishes.  Ravioli and lasagna are next on the list.

Tonight, we’ll enjoy seconds of the linguini and clams.

It’s funny…I was never a fan of leftovers until I moved to Italy.

Until we meet again, buon appetito, my friends!