# 10 Days of Tognini's Christmas - Panforte

Panforte

Made with love in Italy this is the bianco panforte or 'white panforte'. The so - called Margherita variety is named after Queen Margherita, wife of King Umbero I, who during a visit to Siena to see the Palio was deighted by the panfote bianco.

Panforte is a spicy Italian fruitcake - chewy, nutty and delicious.

This year we only have the Masoni brand of panforte imported from Siena, Italy. Made using only the highest quality ingredients including the fabulous Tuscan millefiori honey, their Panforte is noticeably moister and contains more nuts and candied fruit than many others.

Experience something special this year and try this beautiful Panforte Margerita.

Milan October 12- 15 2010

Overcast - cool -12-15 deg

Milan  - mostly we only pass through this city on our way further north to Mark's family town of Sondrio, but, we have a reason to spend a few days here this visit - we are catching up with our daughter who is attending the Bocconi University. We were of the understanding that she is studying here, but given her knowledge of local bars, restaurants and  shops we are unsure of how much study is happening! However it is good to have first hand knowledge of all the 'cool' places to go.

We eat at a local trattoria, Cantina della Vetra www.cantinadellavetra.it and  we feast on a selection of parma ham and breasola served with a pillow of fried pasta which resembles a roll. Opting for a simple risotto with a twist - my porcini risotto is cooked to perfection then pan fried resulting with a crunchy outside and perfectly creamy inside. The flavour rich with the porcini mushroom and parmesan cheese is intense. The menu in this homestyle tratorria is simple honest fare typical of the Italian cuisine - fresh seasonal porcini mushrooms.

Wandering around the city, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture.  Having seen the Duomo several times before, I am still in awe of the structure and amazed at the beauty of this incredible landmark every time.  We are delighted to discover a Sicilian market tucked behind the main street and enjoy a freshly filled ricotta, plus a stop for another espresso - must be time for lunch?

Milan has a great tram system. Not quite sure how or where to purchase a ticket we just jumped on and off at our leisure - molto grazia Milano - we find our way to the Castello dating back to 1500. After a wander around the castle, our personal guide takes us for a gelato at possibly the best gelati store in Milan - Chocolat. As the name suggests there must be at least one or two varieties of chocolate gelato in this store -there were actually four chocolate varieties - chili chocolate, milk chocolate, dark 70% guarna and rum chocolate. So good is this gelati we visit again after dinner!

Milan is a beautiful city - filled with amazing history - helpful when you have first hand knowledge from a 'local', we wonder whether Nastassia will in fact come home - she loves this city.

One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been renewing old friendships of long distance relatives and meeting new ones as well.

We are fortunate enough to have family in the north of Italy in a tiny town of Colorina, several hours out of Milan, and family at the opposite end of the country in Piedmonte Eteno, Sicily.

Their differences are many, but so are their similarities. The overwhelming sense of "family" is what's important to both sides. Mark's father, Alfredo, was born in Colorina and has two remaining brothers there. Mark's mother, Nunziatina (Nancy to all) has the Sicilian heritage and first cousins still in Piedmonte Etneo, a tiny town nestled at the base of Mt Etna only about 15 minutes drive from Taormina.

In Colorina, not far from the Swiss border , Mark has two uncles and six first cousins - this makes for about 30 direct cousins, second cousins and extended family at the local pizzeria the night we go. To my surprise all of the children eat an "American" pizza that is covered in french fries. Another surprise is a dish called "sciattia' which is a deep fried buckwheat fritter filled with cheese - a little harsh on the waistline!

We share many family meals and conversations over the weeks we spent in Colorina between our touring. Another memorable time was a lunch spent in Caspoggio - a ski village only about a half hour drive from Sondrio (our base). This is where Mark's uncle has a home that is used in summer to escape the heat. The day we went it was rainy and the temperature dropped from 33 deg the day previously to 13 deg up the mountain. In winter the place is completely snowed in. The views are amazing overlooking the valley. One can only imagine the beauty of the snow in winter.

We share a massive bowl of pizzoccheri this day. The traditional buckwheat pasta is mixed with potato, cheese and beans till it forms a creamy texture plus some good Sondrio red wine. A lovely day shared with family eating traditional fare. The fire place was on in the middle of summer to keep us cosy!

In Sicily, we, along with Beni and Tracey Tognini spend time with one of Mark's 'uncles' in his country retreat - beautifully positioned on Mt Etna, the house overlooks villages and out to the Mediterranean.

Here, Pippo has a healthy self sufficient farm growing everything from potatoes, zucchinis, tomatoes, all kinds of fruits including figs, citrus and grapes of course. Pippo makes his own wine. There are turkeys, chickens and eggs are plentiful.

It gave us great pleasure to be able to prepare brunch for Pippo made from the ingredients entirely off the farm.

The time spent with family in both Colorina and Sicily is to be treasured - our lives are so completely different - but we share a sense of belonging when we are with family. We spent weeks in Sondrio - it really feels like home.

We shall miss our afternoon drinks at our favourite bar in Sondrio "la fragola" and will fondly remember these times in the coming months.

Taormina - Italy

Taormina, June 30 2009, Beautiful 30 deg sunny

The 'jewel' of Sicily and rightly named so. This is one of the most beautiful parts of Sicily on the east coast - perched high above the Mediterranean. Sweeping views of the beaches below, the sea that blends into the sky just an azure haze. We are positioned perfectly in the Il Piccolo Giardino, just a few steps from the Corso Umberto which runs for about 1 km, the length of this gorgeous Sicilian village. We admire a view of the remains of Taormina's Greek Theatre ( the second largest in Italy) from our rooftop pool area. This is spectacular to say the least.

There is so much to love about this place - laneways of hidden treasures, art exhibitions , concerts in the ancient Greek Theatre, great Italian food and of course good shopping.

One little find was 'Dr Roberto', a specialist in the art of nougat and cannoli making. He claims to have the best cannoli in the world and we are inclined to agree. The freshly made ricotta mixture waits in the fridge to be filled on order into the crisp canolli shell - all hand made by Roberto. The shop has been there for 35 years and Dr Roberto learned his skills from his Papa - he seriously has a doctorate in cannoli making !

Found the best 'Maccheroni alla Norma' in an unlikely restaurant at our front door - a dish specific to this region - a hand made maccheroni pasta rolled to perfection, baby eggplant simmered in a fresh tomato sugo served with baked ricotta - just delicious. It's a favourite of our daughter Nastassia who had this dish on a recent trip to Sicily and has been trying to recreate it ever since. I think I now know the secret - the white baby eggplant .

Seafood is also in abundance as it is anywhere in Sicily and the variety and freshness is unbelievable . We particularly enjoy the grilled sardines in lemon and garlic. There are plenty of unusual offerings including sea urchin, 'goldfish', live crustaceans of all kinds and giant oysters.

Just down the hill (about 600 meters ), is the perfect swimming beach of Giardino Naxo. We have a fabulous lunch at one of the many beachfront restaurants then swim all afternoon in the crystal clear , marble rock lined shores. Just perfect - where else in the world can you still be sun baking at 7 pm? Life is a bit tough in Taormina.

PS If you are thinking of making Taormina one of your stops check the concert schedule in the Greek theatre. We just missed Jose Carrera by one week. That would have been something to see and hear !

Aeolian Islands

June 27,28, 29 -sunny 28 - 30 deg glorious weather

Far from the hustle and bustle of cars, scooters and bucking horses of Palermo, we find ourselves in the tranquil environment of Capofaro Resort, Salina Island - the second largest of the Aeolian Islands. Capofaro, www.capofaro.it is situated approximately 400 metres above sea level and nestled amongst row upon rows of Malvasia vines sloping down to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Everything is very quiet and peaceful here with white washed buildings made from concrete. It is cool and relaxing. The resort is well situated and overlooks the sea. Molto contento !

Nothing else to do here other relax around the pool and wonder what time you should eat dinner! The resort boasts a five star restaurant as well. We hear that it has a new chef from Naples, Nunzio Spagnuolo who previously worked in a Michelin star restaurant in Rome. Needless to say the food is impressive.

We share a perfectly cooked Saffron and courgette risotto with king prawns. The next night we share another meal of lobster, citrus and fennel salad along with a tuna dish prepared in different ways.

From our vantage point on Salina we can see the island of Panarea - the smallest of the Aoelian islands - this is where Bennie and Tracey are staying for a few days - so - off for a visit. From the rocks in front of their hotel we plunge ourselves into the invigorating, crystal clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, sun ourselves a little and wander the streets of this cute little village - no cars here, only scooters and pedestrians.

We come across the place for our most perfect lunch - Broccia Ristorante. It's part of a hotel, Quartara, www.quartarhotel.com It's a charming, authenticity Aoelian hotel with only 13 rooms and beautifully decorated with personalised friendliness.

With views of the water on one side, mountains on the other and a cool breeze, the scene is set for a perfect meal. From the buffalo mozzarella with ripe Sicilian tomatoes, freshly grilled zucchini, eggplant and roasted capsicum to our whole fish cooked to perfection in the traditional way - olives, capers and tomatoes - throw in a few bottles of great Sicilian wine - we are all in heaven . Did I mention the cannoli - the best ever ricotta and chocolate filled cannoli had so far.

Of course, made all the better by sharing with best friends.

Molto contento!

Photos fm top: Saffron Rissotto; Broccia Ristorante; View from the room at Capofaro; Sicilian cannoli; Pool area at Capofaro.

Palermo , Sicily

June 25, fine 28 deg.

The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel is in itself a whole story ! I just think it is hilarious that a single lane for taxis and buses has traffic going in both directions... at once - so occasionally you are faced with an oncoming bus. We were up front with the driver and the three nuns were behind us - just as well.

At one stage I thought we were on a movie set. You know the one with the scene of a car flying through an intersection (red light I think) and narrowly missing oncoming traffic - having said all that - I did feel completely safe with our "home grown" Palermo taxi driver.

This sets the tone for our short Palermo stay -

We did have a big win with our accommodation - Mark's selection via the internet prior to leaving home. I can highly recommend the Hotel Porto Felice www.portofelice.it

It's a really well appointed hotel, near the port (convenient for us) with a Wellness Centre. A massage was needed after the taxi ride.

Palermo is steeped in incredible history and this is shown by the architecture with Greek influences. There is much to see and we found the easiest way around was a horse and carriage ride. We bartered on the price of course - 50 euro for 1 hour is not too bad when you consider a cab ride for about 10 minutes is 40 euro! Anyway a great way to see the sights.

Now the food.......... as expected the seafood is in abundance and is freshest I've ever eaten. We do lots of street dining. We find a little restaurant in a lane way or a street barbecue as this is where you find the best.

Recommend is Trattoria de Salvo - same street and two blocks from our hotel. All the shellfish on offer is displayed in tubs, still alive, and the fish are cooking on the BBQ. Mumma is out back cooking spaghetti. We know we are in the right place. This is the real Palermo !

We are seated on the street (literally) and the Trattoria is loaded with atmosphere. From the scooters passing by, the waiters yelling orders to the chefs and buskers selling their wares, this place is buzzing! Platter after platter of prawns, lobster, grilled fish, mussels, clams, spaghetti - it just keeps coming and coming.

We have the freshest, most tender, melt in the mouth mussels in a light tomato broth that we've ever encountered. The is fish cooked to perfection - insalada - really basic well cooked fare. Add in a bottle of Sicilian white wine and we are both Molto Contento !

Diano Marine

Italian Ligurian Coast sunny 28deg
June 19

Following a day's drive along the most spectacular French and Italian coastlines - from Cannes to Monaco, then back across the Italian border, we discover the most gorgeous little seaside village of Diano Marine about 20 km south of San Remo. This place is a tiny dot on our detailed road map, but it is a bustling family beach holiday location with beach front accommodation at very reasonable rates.

We stayed at the 'Palm Beach Hotel and Residence' www.residencepalmbeach.it located only minutes from excellent restaurants and across from the private beach (yes the one where you pay 22 Euro for your seat at the beach). But the friendly , helpful staff always make your stay much more enjoyable and as a bonus - a washing machine!

Our meal at Vico del Rame Osteria on the first night was so good we ate there the following night as well - fresh seafood in abundance. It was the best Spaghetti Vongole, Guazzetto di mare - a seafood soup loaded with clams, mussels , crab and scampi in a light white wine and tomato broth followed by a Branzino in costa di sale armatico alle erbe - a Sea Bass baked whole in salt seasoned with rosemary - this dish then gets filleted and served at the table - the fish is so sweet and delicate and served with grilled vegetables.

We have been enjoying the local white wines. The grapes are grown on the rugged slopes with a mineral base which makes the wines light and lively. The Pinot Grigio is particularly good with the seafood - Borgo Coventi 2008 pinot grigio from Friuli.

Then you need to do "la passeggiata" ( to walk the street) to take in the ambiance of the village and finish off the evening with an excellent gelato -of course - probably nearly as good as the one in Torino and only 2 Euro as well.

Buon Appetito

Torino

June 12 - fine warm 30 deg

On a visit to Torino (Turin), in the Piedmonte region of north west of Italy, we were lucky enough to have a personalised tour of the Lavazza factory. This was a highlight of our few days there as we have been Lavazza devotees for the past 17 years using only Lavazza coffee in our cafes.

Torino is the main Lavazza plant in Italy, there are also three other factories in Italy - one designated to decaf coffee only!

Every day during the week an incredible 20 semitrailer loads of green coffee beans arrive from areas such as Indonesia and Tanzania and start the process of roasting and packaging for one of the 60,000 customers of Lavazza.

The whole process from the initial delivery of the beans to the final packaging and distribution is a highly organised process with quality control at every level - the result is the delivery of a perfect 'shot of coffee'.

Also in Turin we have found the best gelato (so far) on Via Roma - Cafe Roma and only 2 Euro !

Turin is known as the home of the "Shroud of Christ " but we didn't actually see this. We were told the actual shroud only comes out every seven years or so - but - a life size photograph is on display in the Cathedral of Turin , just beside the Palace Reale - another top spot to visit.

There is a lot to see and do in this city, we must return one day.

Livigno - the highest town in Italy

June 5, 15 deg, Fine weather

Livigno is a small Italian Alpine village nestled just on the Italian side of the Swiss Alps. We approached it from Switzerland on this day as the Swiss border is only 30 km from Sondrio (our base) . This road, for most of the year impassable due to the altitude, approximately 2800m above sea level and at least 10m of snow covering the road during winter. Lucky for us the road has reopened recently and we drove through, although at one point about three metres of ice was still on the roadside - allora! Summer in Italy!

All the Italians (and every one else) love Livigno, not only because of the great skiing in winter but because for some reason unknown to me, all goods here are duty free.

We drive through the Swiss border. The vista, to say the least, is spectacular! Around every turn another surprise. Mark wishes he had his BMW with him but instead we are in a Ford Fiesta!

It is no surprise that the menu at the restaurant of Bivio Hotel - www.bivioholydays.com consists mostly of polenta and game meat- good warming tucker.

We shared a plate of handmade gnocchetti with a fresh pesto sauce and speck - delightfully light and flavoursome of fresh basil - it tasted like it had just been made specially for us!

I settled though for some Vatellina bresaola served simply and deliciously with vine ripened tomato and parmesan. Mark surrendered to the buckwheat polenta, cheese and wild mushrooms. Have I mentioned how good the porcini mushrooms are in this part of the world?

Yet another bottle of superb red wine from Antinori - Castello della sala - a Pinot nero from Umbria 2000. It is tough job but someone has to do it !

Sondrio - Alpine Italy

June 7 Sondrio - Alpine Italy - 20 deg Fine

Who would have thought in our own backyard there was such an amazing restaurant. Perched up on the side of a mountain in a village called Sassella lies Ristorante Torre Della Sassella. Blessed with commanding views over the valley, this restored building of unknown origin (to us) was renovated 10 years ago to become an iconic restaurant.

The four level restaurant, shaped like a tower, is made completely of stone, and is probably centuries old. This information was difficult to get as not one word of English is spoken there and even Mark, whose Italian is quite good, was struggling to understand.

You know you are somewhere special when even the mineral water gets decanted into a crystal jug. With the menu completely in Italian we just went with the key words we knew and hoped for the best .

My pick of the dishes was Risotto Carnarnoli con Bollicini Rose Cantadi Castaldi - this transformed to a perfectly executed risotto with a serving of parmesan ice cream and a rose jelly with fresh raspberry in the middle - all served on a segmented Villerory and Boch dinner plate.

Difficult to describe how exquisite this dish was - the adding of the parmesan ice cream to the hot risotto made it creamy and rich beyond description - and finishing with the occasional mouthful with the rose jelly and fresh raspberry cleared the palate for some more cheesey risotto.

The other risotto ordered - equally divine - Risotto Nero Integrace con Ragout di Cappesante , Gamberi e Asparagi. This translated as a squid ink risotto with a ragout of scampi and asparagus. The rice was cooked to perfection in both cases and rich sauce accompaniments also were perfect.

The meal was accompanied with a 2001 bottle of Masi Costasera Amorone Classico - a classic wine from Valpolocella grapes semi dried on a bamboo rack from Costasera region - perfect !

The whole experience left you feeling like you had stepped back in time with the ancient surroundings - the attention to detail was just amazing - the very finest of china and crystal. If you are ever in this part of the world, you must go to this restaurant a visit. You will not be disappointed.

Dining in Bellagio

First in a regular series of reports on food and wine in Italy and more from the wandering Togninis.

Bellagio June 4, 2009

Bellagio, as you will see, is simply beautiful . Mark and I have been here on several occasions and we always return to soak up the beauty. Bellagio is about a half hour's drive from our apartment in Sondrio and a short ferry across Lago Como (no sightings of George).

We went in search of a restaurant - one we had been to with Bennie and Tracey a few years earlier - on the water for lunch. After what seemed like 200 or more stairs up and 200 or more stairs down, we finally found it - La Pergola - Pescallo. Unfortunately, for us, the kitchen was closed by the time we reached it, so we convinced the owner to allow us a bottle of wine to relax and soak up the view of the lake.

We could actually see what we wanted to eat swimming in the lake - those beautiful salmon trout in the crystal clear waters were just teasing us!

So a bottle of Pinot Grigio later and no lunch we made our way back the 200 or so stairs to the touristy side of Bellagio. This is where we found a treasure down some more stairs - you just need to take the right ones. Hidden down an alley way is Apertivo et al www.bellagio.co.nz/aperitivo

It was about 4.30 pm by this stage - no need to tell you how hungry we were after the 200 stairs (maybe I am exaggerating as I really didn't count them) .

Lucky for us there was a bar menu to our liking - Pizzoccheri , soups, cheese and an amazing wine room all only about 8 Euro for a plate. Mark chose a fabulous red from the Veneto region - so smooth, so rich - yes that was the second bottle in as many hours - I love holidays !