It's great to make new friends here in Piedmont, so it was good to meet up again with Maria Pia Lottini of Agriturismo Tenuta Antica who we met recently at a neighbours wine tasting. Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal in her restaurant which featured a sensational seasonal risotto, made by Maria Pia's mother, as well as a beautiful rabbit roll roasted with a filling of omelette and pepperoni, all washed down with their excellent 2009 Dolcetto d'Asti, Daniele, named after one of Maria Pia's
In this, the third post on the subject of the 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards, we come to the thorny subject of "Food & Wine" ... TripAdvisor readers have decided Piedmont's ... food and wine regions are ... not ... in the Top 10 destinations in their Travelers' Choice 2010 Best Destinations category of "Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in Europe" . ... The Top 10 did include six Italian destinations such as Florence , Siena, Montepulciano, Sam Gimignano, Bologna, and Rome? ...
Had a really tasty New Years Eve Day brunch today, egg whites omelette with havarti cheese and arugula and a sprinkle of white truffle oil paired with a glass of Oregon Firesteed Pinot Gris 2007 ... The truffle oil provided the grounding effect to contrast nicely with the fresh citrus aromas of the Pinot Gris, while the savory edge of the truffles complemented the pear and honeydew melon and flavors of honeysuckle and spice ... Sabatino Tartufi White Truffle Infused Olive Oil is made in Italy,
It is always nice to make new friends via the blogosphere so it was good to meet up with Natascha Di Mario of Agriturismo Verdita earlier this month via Twitter and yesterday in person with Nicolas at Cantina Maranzana ... for a wine tasting, cantina tour and lunch! ... Casa Dolcetto is very happy to recommend this lovely Agriturismo which is immersed in beautiful countryside overlooking rolling hills. The lavender farm at Agriturismo Verdita is an ideal spot if you are visiting the region of
Truffle Update: ... A follow up to our post last month "Truly Truffle Town" about Alba in Piedmont ... The 79th White Truffle Festival of Alba ended last Sunday with a 750 gram "tartufo bianco" (white truffle) being sold for a 'trufflific' 100,000 euro at Grinzane Cavour. The buyer, a Hong Kong restaurant owner, took part in the auction via satellite transmission and will now be wondering how much he dare charge his customers for a grating or a slice ... Image via Wikipedia ...
This week I attended Food Fete's Oregon Food and Beverage Show and was impressed with the diversity of quality that can be found coming from that bountiful state. One of the highlights for me was meeting and talking with Jack Czarnecki and his wife Heidi from Joel Palmer House (in Dayton, Oregon), a restaurant that also produces Oregon White Truffle Oil (Jack hunts for the truffles with his son, Chris) ... His truffle oils are produced naturally and either Jack or Chris picks every truffle that
At this time of year the "Fiera del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba" (The annual White Truffle Festival) takes place each weekend during October in Alba. A great chance to taste rich fare in this charming town in Southern Piedmont ... "During the festival, the town takes on a different hue and scent as the distinct musky flavour of the famous 'Tartufo d'Alba' permeates the streets." ... So now is a good time to share some of the town's history and some of my favourite things to do in this charming town
Eight months ago, I was fat, did no exercise and mostly ate junk food. Then I decided to transform my life - and to my surprise it really wasn't that hard ... One Sunday last month, just as the sun cleared the Vosges mountains, I stepped into the Lac de Longemer in north-eastern France. The water smelled faintly of falling leaves, sprouting ceps, wet feathers. Chub and perch cruised the shallows, hunting their own fry ... I kicked out and headed south, spruce forests on my left, campsites on my