Honeymooning in Italy

I am still reeling from the unbelievable experiences that my wife Janina and I had in Tuscany and Umbria during the first two weeks of June. What a perfect time to visit - 80's and blue skies every day we were there, and the throngs of tourists hadn't arrived in full force.

Even though the crowds hadn't yet applied their force, or perhaps because of it, the cities and hill towns we visited were alive with the energy of summertime. Smiling, happily sated visitors crowded every table at lunch in Florence. Enthusiastic growers at tiny wineries eagerly showed us their vineyards and winemaking facilities. Family-run restaurants in the small towns were riding high on the energy they need to make it through the busy season, and they piled our plates high with the freshest of foods straight from their friends' farms. Markets teemed with fresh produce and meats and cheese.

Above you can see the vibrant colors of Florence and the smiles this city elicits. The food is solidly Tuscan, meaning that it focuses on the produce and even more heavily on high quality meat. Florentine steak is a mainstay, though we saw more pork on every menu than we could have possibly imagined (see Montalcino later on), and the lamb was pretty darn good, too. Speaking of lamb, my first dinner in Italy had a main course of lamb roulade with artichokes. I barely noticed the artichokes when the plate arrived, the lamb having been roasted to full doneness as was often the case. A few bites, however, revealed tender artichoke hearts hiding out, flecked with bits of chopped fresh rosemary. This was the whole dish, just the lamb, artichokes, and rosemary, dressed with a generous swath of olive oil, and it typified the beautiful simplicity of so much of the food.

I was thinking about all these good things while walking around in our garden this afternoon. I peered at the summer squash vines, their huge green leaves weaving a blanket through which tiny bursts of bright yellow-orange could be spied. These squash blossoms (flowers) will last a few more weeks, and culling a few handfuls for the following pasta recipe will hardly put a dent in your squash or zucchini harvest. Rinse the flowers well to remove most of the pollen and any bugs, and remove the stamen before chopping them.

I ate this pasta at Ristorante da Mimmo on Via San Gallo in Florence, and it was so clean and almost refreshing that I had to rifle through the garden upon returning home! Eat this as a light first course, and whatever you do, resist the urge to shower this with cheese; the subtle, floral nature of the blossoms will get totally drowned out. A judicious drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, on the other hand, would be quite welcome right before serving.

1 package (8-10 oz) egg fettucine
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium white onion, minced
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
10-15 large squash or zucchini blossoms, roughly chopped
Large handful fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water along with a hefty pinch of salt. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions with a little pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper until the onions are quite soft and golden. Add the stock and bring to a simmer and reduce the stock by half.

Drain the pasta when it is just a little less than al dente. Add the pasta to the pan and toss in the stock until the stock is absorbed into the pasta. Add the parsely and the flowers, along with salt and pepper to taste, toss quickly, and serve. As I said before, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over top right before serving works wonders!

©2007 Alex Meier-Tomkins/Pine Street Kitchen