From Genoa we went by train to Turin to pick up our Fiat 600 (Fiat Seicento), a 1955 model and Fiat’s great international hit.
Turin is the capital of the Piedmont Region, a beautiful city, built on the river Po, near the Suza valley, The Northern suburbs are surrounded by the Western Alpine arch and the hill of Superga.
The city was once the capital of reunited Italy and the seat of the House of Savoi, Italy ’s royal family. It is adorned with beautiful churches, palaces, piazzas, theatres, libraries, museums and galleries, built according to various architectural styles such as renaissance, baroque, rococo, neo-classical and art nouveau.
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| Turin's Undisputed Landmark the Mole Antonelliana |
 The Basilica on Superga Hill - T  |
| Palazzo Carignano |
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| Palazzo Reale |
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| University of Turin |
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| San Carlo et San Giorgio by Night |
We stayed a few days in Turin , went to Superga Hill with the wonderful baroque Basilica. We. also, visited historical sites and buildings, in the centre of the city, ate fabulous food and drove around to “run our Seicento in”.
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| Fiat Seicento |
The Flanginis, old family friends from India , who were then living in Milan , invited us to spend a day with them. We accepted with great pleasure, so, we set off for this beautiful city, which is the second most populous in Italy and the capital of Lombardy.
A short history of Milan :
It was founded by Celts, the Romans named it Mediolanum and it later became the capital of the Western Roman Empire . During the Middle Ages, it was a large centre of Banking and Commerce. Later, Milan was occupied by France , Spain and Austria and finally it became part of the Kingdom of Italy
During World War II, like many other European cities, the centre ofMilan was flattened out by severe bombing. Nearly all of the wonderful old buildings had crumbled down into smithereens.
During World War II, like many other European cities, the centre of
In April 1956, Milan was sprawling out on all sides, due to the post-war boom, that resulted in an area known, today, as "Greater Milan". Many of the destroyed buildings were being reconstructed, beautiful new ones were being built and the city was, gingerly, starting to become a centre of fashion and design.
Our hosts showed us the landmarks of the city, such as the gothic-styled Milan Cathedral, Santa Maria Delle Grazie church with Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece mural “The Last Supper”, that later became a Unesco Word Heritage Site, the Arch of Peace and the Scala Opera Theatre. They also offered us excellent coffee in one of Milan’s oldest cafés, the Caffe Zucca, which opened in 1867. Being near the Opera, it apparently became a popular hangout for Guiseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini who often used to go there after the performances.
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| Thanks to the Nuremberg Chronicles |
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| The Milan Cathedral |
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| Santa Maria Delle Grazie |
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| The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci |
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| The Arch of Peace |
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| La Scala |
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| The Oldest Cafe in Milan |
The delightful cities of
BAGNA CAUDA
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| A Speciality from Piemont |
The translation for this dish is “warm bath or warm dip”. I first tried it in
Assorted vegetables, cut into bite-sized or julienne pieces such as:
Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, roasted
Celery stalks, red and yellow peppers, radicchio leaves covered with iced water for 15 minutes and wiped dry; all arranged attractively on a round platter
Dip:
62,5 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
3 tbsp butter
10 anchovy fillets drained and chopped
3 large cloves garlic
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt, if necessary
Salt, if necessary
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
500 ml (2 cups) cream reduced to almost 1 cup
1 white truffle flaked, optional
1 white truffle flaked, optional
Crusty, warm bread, thickly sliced and then halved
Blend the 5 first ingredients in a food processor, until smooth. Cook for 15 minutes over very low heat, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with Cayenne pepper, whisk in the reduced cream and add the flaked truffle, if using. Taste and adjust accordingly and bring the sauce to a bare simmer. Pour it into a fondue pot, place over a table burner and serve with the prepared vegetables and the crusty warm bread.
RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
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| A Tasty First Dish |
This is a superb dish, typical of North Italian Cooking.
500 g (1 lb) risotto rice
60 g (2 oz) butter, separated into 2 knobs one slightly larger than the other
1 onion, finely chopped
Very little salt
60 g (2 oz) beef bone marrow, finely chopped
125 ml (½ cup) good quality white wine
1¼ - 1½ litre (5-6 cups) hot beef or chicken stock or more if necessary
1 large pinch of saffron threads stirred in
Very little warm water and allowed to infuse
120 g (4 oz) Grana Padano or Parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly grated white pepper to taste
Sauté the onion in the larger amount of butter, stirring over medium heat, until the onion is soft and transparent. Add the bone marrow, continue cooking and stirring and sprinkle with a little salt. Then, stir in the rice until it is completely covered with butter. Pour in the wine, and keep stirring until the wine bubbles and evaporates.
Lower the heat, and add the hot stock a ladleful, at a time, stirring gently until the liquid is completely absorbed. Repeat the procedure cooking and stirring for about 15-20 minutes. When you have used 5 cups of stock, taste the rice for doneness. It should be soft outside and “al dente” in the centre. If it is not completely cooked, add the remaining hot stock, little by little, until the risotto is cooked to perfection.
Pour in the infused saffron threads and stir until the rice becomes golden yellow in colour. Add the grated cheese and stir until it has melted. Taste and add freshly grated white pepper and salt if necessary. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining butter, cover the saucepan and allow the risotto to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. The Italians say that risottos ought to be served “al onda” (like a wave) this means that they should be fluid.
OSSO BUCCO
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| Osso Bucco with Risotto ala Milanese |
We first tasted this marvellous dish at the Flanginis home, in Milan .
1½ - 2 kg (3 - 4 lb) veal shanks or shins, sawn into slices
30 g (1oz) butter
500 g (1 lb) onion, peeled and chopped
250 g (½ lb) carrots, peeled and chopped
125 g (¼ lb) celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tsp smashed garlic
Salt and pepper
Flour
62.5 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
500 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) hot chicken or beef stock, keep a little extra at hand
1 kg (2 lb) strained, tinned tomatoes, seeded and chopped
A bouquet garni made (2 sprigs basil + 1 sprigs thyme + 1 bay leaf)
Gremolata:
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 coffee spoon grated garlic
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
(mix everything well together)
In a large casserole, sauté the onions and carrots in butter, stirring for 3-4 minutes and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the celery and garlic and gently cook until the vegetables are cooked and lightly browned.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
Sprinkle the meat slices with salt and pepper, roll in flour and shake to remove the excess. Fry in olive oil, four slices at a time, until brown on both sides and arrange over the vegetables in the casserole.
Discard all the fat from the frying pan, leaving just a film at the bottom. Pour in the wine to deglaze and cook, scraping any brown bits. When the wine has reduced to 250 ml (1 cup) pour it over the veal. Add the bouquet garni and also pour in the hot stock and the chopped tomatoes. The liquid should come half the way up the meat. Bring to the boil, cover the casserole and bake, basting occasionally, for about 1¼ hour or until the meat is tender. Transfer the meat and vegetables on a serving dish and keep hot. Discard the bouquet and reduce the sauce until it resembles a glaze.
Serve over polenta or risotto ala Milanese, sprinkled with gremolata and drizzled with sauce.
POLENTA
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| A Creamy Sidedish |
Despite the insistence of purists, that slow-cooking cornmeal makes the only authentic polenta, I prefer using the instant version, which is quicker to cook and much creamier.
500 ml (2 cups) tasty chicken or meat stock mixed with
500 ml (2 cups) light cream
250 g (½ lb) instant polenta
250 g (½ lb) butter, cut into small pieces (less if you serve it with a meat sauce)
1¼ cup Parmesan grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Bring the chicken stock/cream mixture to a bubbling boil. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming and make sure that the boiling never stops. Reduce the heat and simmer very, very gently, whisking frequently for 15 – 20 minutes, until it is so thick that “a spoon will stand up, unsupported, in the middle of the pan”! This has never happened to me. Anyway, simmer the polenta until it is cooked and smooth.
SALAD WITH GORGONZOLA AND WALNUTS
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| A Tasty Salad For A Light Meal |
1 oak leaf lettuce
1 endive or Batavian endive
1 cos lettuce, the inner tender leaves only
(all trimmed, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces)
Mix all together and sprinkle with Milk and Lemon salad dressing * (Please see below). Place on a salad dish, not a bowl, and garnish with:
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
* MILK AND LEMON SALAD DRESSING
This salad dressing thickens and tastes like mayonnaise. It keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you could use garlic-scented olive oil if you prefer)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp evaporated or fresh milk
½ tsp Dijon
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together until the dressing thickens.
PANETTONE
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| A Delicious Memory |
500 g (1 lb) strong flour mixed with
9 g (1 sachet) instant dry yeast
60 g (2 oz) sugar
150 ml (5 fl oz) warm milk
5 medium-sized eggs
1 tsp salt
250 g (½ lb) butter at room temperature, extra for the mould
120 g (4 oz) raisins soaked in water and rum, drained and thoroughly dried
90 g (3 oz) candied orange, finely chopped
Egg wash for brushing over
Place the flour/yeast mixture with the sugar, milk and eggs in a mixer with a dough hook, and beat slowly, in the beginning, to prevent a floury cloud. When a dough is formed, increase the speed and beat for 10 minutes more.
Add the salt and butter and mix for another 10 minutes. Finally, fold in the raisins and candied orange, place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
Brush a panettone mould, lavishly, with butter. Remove the dough from the fridge, punch it down, shape a ball and place it into the prepared tin and cover loosely with cling film. Allow it to prove, in a turned off oven, until it rises over the top of the mould.
Brush the dough with egg wash and bake in an oven preheated to180 C (350 F) for 25 minutes, then lower the heat to 150 C (300 F) and bake for 30 minutes more, or until an inserted skewer, comes out clean. Remove from tin and allow it to cool.
Serve the panettone cut in large wedges, with excellent coffee or tea.
TIRAMISU
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| An Excellent Dessert |
Here is a recipe for the well-known Italian dessert, which is one of my favourites.
25-30 sponge fingers
187.5 ml (¾ cup) or more strong coffee mixed with
2 tbsp rum
3 tbsp brandy
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp icing sugar
A pinch of salt
300 g (10 oz) mascarpone
250 ml (1 cup) thick cream whipped to soft peaks
2 tbsp rum
2 tbsp cocoa or pulverised dark chocolate, for dusting over
Dip half the sponge fingers in the coffee mixture until just wet (do not soak) and lay in a shallow dish.
Combine the egg yolks, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Reduce the heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whip the sabayon until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and rum and beat until well combined, then gently, fold in the whipped cream.
Pour half of the mascarpone cream over the sponge fingers in the dish. Dip the remaining sponge fingers in the coffee mixture and arrange them over the cream. Spoon the remaining cream over the sponge and even the surface. Finally dust with cocoa or chocolate powder and refrigerate overnight.
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