This morning was a bit chillier then yesterday - and, horror of horrors, we were forced to eat inside! We managed somehow, though....
After breakfast, we headed to the conference room to listen to Nathan Morrow's lecture on interview and research skills. One of the class assignments will be to interview a professional in the food or food-aid area - possible interviewees include an artisan gelato maker, cheese makers in Parma, Donald Link of New Orlean's Cochon, and Antonio Bonnanno, a researcher globalization and agro industry, among others. You can read this lecture earlier in the blog's chronology.
The second lecture of the morning was presented by Wendy Harcourt, editor in chief of the Development journal and an expert on women's role in agricultural development. She spoke about including women in the development process - her lecture may also be read below.
The weather warmed up a bit by lunch time, and we were able to sit outside again and enjoy some wine and a bit of sun. Enzo prepared for us some cork-screw pasta with a herb infused cheese and cream sauce for a primi.....
...And a tasty dish of egg and flour dredged chicken breasts with a curried pea sauce for our secondi. I really liked this: good, stick to your ribs food! Dessert was a large quantity of freshly sliced and flavorful watermelon: perfectly fresh and perfectly good.
After our repast, it was time to listen to a discussion about the HungerFree Women organization, a group that has organized to assist women in agriculture across the world. We learned especially about their efforts to help Dalit women in India secure land rights, and watched a few interesting videos about their work. Again, the lecture and links to the videos may be found below - it's engaging stuff and truly inspiring to hear about.
At 5:00, we all piled in the van for a visit to the gelato factory in Torre Alfina, a small town about 30 minutes or so from Bolsena. The ride through the country side was a treat in itself: rolling hills of wheat, flocks of sheep, and groves of olive trees and grapes provided a classical picture of the Italian countryside. That's what we came here to see!
The owners of the gelato factory were extremely friendly, and we enjoyed being led through the process of production of Italy's very favorite treat. (Italians consume gelato 24 hours a day, or at least that's how it appears.) Following are some pictures of our visit...
The owner and his son explained the complex processes behind gelato production. Artisian gelato making is a real art: the gentlemen who run the Gelateria Sarchioni are committed entirely to a high quality product, and only use the freshest and best ingredients. We were shown some of the fresh fruits - including melons, lemons, and watermelons - that go into their ice cream. They also explained some of the surprisingly involved chemistry a gelato maker needs to know. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of gelato production is keeping the humidity and temperature levels right: different flavors freeze at different temperatures, depending on their fat content. To ensure the gelato's final creaminess and flavor, the gelato maker must tweak all these variables perfectly.
Gelato still in its liquid form.
The whipping device used to infuse gelato with air - ensuring its characteristic thick and creamy texture.
The gelato is put into these freezing units, which freeze the raw material to a frozen consistency with surprising speed.
The finished product, spooned into serving tubs.
The grand finale: we got to taste it!
The chocolate gelato tasted incredible: infinitely better then the weak chocolate flavors we have become accustomed to in the states. The intense cocoa flavor was rather reminiscent of pure chocolate ganache - rich and exceedingly satisfying. As the gelato cream had literally just been made, the texture was ideal: I turned over my scoop and the gelato stuck resolutely to my dish! (That's the sign of the good stuff).
After our afternoon treat, we headed to Jeff's villa nearby the factory. Jeff, a colleague of Nathan and Sabrina, was kind enough to provide us with some excellent red and white wine, some cherries picked from his trees, and a tour of the wonderfully scenic grounds of his home. We admired his garden, full of lettuces, green onions, tomatoes, and a profusion of incredible smelling herbs. (Apparently he gets great cell phone reception from the hammock in his yard - not a bad place to conduct a business call!) I was especially take with Jeff's Nocino, a sort of walnut liqueur. Traditionally made on the 23rd of June with exactly 23 walnuts, it is extremely easy to make: walnuts are soaked with cinnamon and orange peel in some strong liquor. The final result tastes like Christmas: I'd like to import some for our family celebrations.
By the way, you can rent the place if you are so inclined. Check out La Villa di Torre Alfina. Thank me later.
A bowl of cherries from Jeff's own tree.
We finished our exceedingly satisfying apertif and got back in the van, to drive to Quintaluna, a restaurant specializing in real local food with real local ingredients. The small, homey restaurant had an excellent and casual vibe, and we soon were chatting it up and merrily imbibing the table wine.
The first course was a riff on traditional Etruscan foods. First was a piece of bread covered in lardo, the famous speciality of super-rich and fatty pork belly. This was pork fat perfection on a crostini. We also sampled a rustic and pleasing nibble of phyllo dough with a rich beef bolognese, topped with a balsamic vinegar reduction. To accompany the meats was a refreshing salad of barley, tomato, and local olives - unusual and exceedingly good.
The main course was another porky delight. The cinghiale or wild boar was reminiscent of Mexican carnitas, stewed for a long time with a delightfully gamey and fatty flavor - with just a hint of rosemary and lots of excellent olive oil. There was also roasted pork loin, with a slightly sweet and delicately meaty flavor. (A recipe for cinghiale may be found here if you are interested, and why wouldn't you be?)
The meat was accompanied by a side of roasted vegetables, including eggplant, carrot, zucchini, and potato, with olive oil and salt. This was simple and delicious - and easy to make at home! (We'll post the recipe later, perhaps?)
Finally, dessert was a rustic apricot tart - crunchy, buttery, and extremely pleasing.
The proud owner.
And our talented chefs.
We lingered over dinner for a while before making the drive back - and were treated to a view of the lights of Bolsena as we rounded the hill.
It is election time in Italy, and the town was out in force to listen to speeches and demonstrations from both the right and the left. The right had speeches from various middle-aged men in suits - the left, meanwhile, had a rock concert. People floated from side to side while eating ice cream, drinking beer, and enjoying the cool evening. I wonder who will win.
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