Having now returned from my late summer travels in Romagna. I’m pleased to say it was a month of deep immersion and unexpected creativity, filling me with great energy for the time ahead.
Much of my time was spent with our adventurous and inspiring Esperienza travelers as we explored the region and co-created so many beautiful moments together during our new Art, Cuisine and Language tours.
Panettone!!! The great bread reserved for the Christmas festivities has more than any other conquered Italia. It has symbolic value in her gastronomic culture. It is at the heart of every gathering. Panettone is a must at every holiday table. Is it because of a happy and lucky combination of ingredients such as raisins, candied citrus, and vanilla which are said to bring us good fortune? Or is it the communion of wonderful ingredients of mother yeast, rich egg yolks, and pasture sweet cream butter? Or could it be that this ethereal cake transcends community by fragrance and flavor, new and old; it restores us during the most cold/ dead season?
Early December is the time when I begin to think about making pasta by hand. Yes, one can buy everything in the frozen section of any supermarket, but I want the ritual that will connect me with my past, my present and even may be taken to the future by my grandchildren. And so it is preparation time, the quiet time with the ingredients and my memories.
One of my favorite stories is of time spent in a now closed restaurant in picturesque Cesenatico called Macondo (after the magical village from One hundred years of solitude of Gabriel García Márquez). We went there because Macondo was the antithesis of a restaurant - it was away from the main tourist drag along the canal, the two self appointed chefs were childhood friends of the fisherman who provided the daily catch and then there were a couple of local musicians, also friends, who we were told will stop by whenever they can. There was as much spontaneity and genuinity as one could wish for.
