| Hi all! I'm finally home from my business trip to Bologna, thanks so much for all the suggestions on what to bring back! I ended up bringing back a bag of pasta (one of my coworkers would NOT be dissuaded), a garganelli board and great memories.
I didn't have too much time to play tourist as I was in the office all week and most of the stores are closed on Sundays. But I did get to go to the center of town for dinner one night and on Saturday. The food was almost universally great (except for the food at the cafeteria at work, that was very much like cafeteria food everywhere).
My favorite meal was when a coworker and his wife invited me to their home. She made fusili paesani pasta with a sauce made from tomatoes his mom canned (she put basil leaves in the jar with the tomatoes, I'll have to do that next year). We also had thin flour dredged beef cuts and a tomato and cucumber salad. Then of course was the obligatory trip to the gelato shop and a walk around town. I have a new love for strawberry gelato. I wanted it EVERY night after that. It didn't help my cravings that it was at least 36C every day. Blech, too hot for me!
I ended up taking a cooking class while I was there and learned to make garganelli, which was so much fun. We made garganelli with asparagus and speck, which was fantastic. I'll be making it again this weekend. We also made a zucchini sformato and teeny tiny meatballs. For dessert, we made ricotta cheesecakes with citrus, raisins and pine nuts.
At the beginning of the class, we went shopping for ingredients and wandered in and out of delis and tons of other shops. I got to taste half a dozen cured meats, 8 balsamic vinegars and wandered through some beautiful produce stands. The whole thing was so much fun.
Here are a few pictures of my trip, I forgot to take my camera with me half the time, so you just get a few of the center and the food! Thanks for putting up with my enthusiasm!
Bri
Piazza Maggiore's San Petronio's Basilica. The story is that a change in the plans for the facade would have made it even more beautiful that St Peter's Basilica. This, of course, angered the Catholic church so much that they stopped funding construction. So the Bolognese said ok fine and left it! :)
Fountain of Neptune between Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Nettuno.
Garganelli with asparagus and speck:
Zucchini sformato and tiny little meatballs. the sformato is very difficult to get a good picture of, but it was good!
Ricotta cheesecake
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