Homemade tiramisu, yum!

Simone cutting into his tiramisu
Wed, Nov 16

One day last week I finally said, screw it I'll go on a diet in January. Now I am going to fully enjoy all the good food here. This means partaking in the tray of fresh croissants from a local bakery - they put this in our meeting room every morning. Before coming here I wondered if I would get sick of eating italian food for 3 weeks. The answer would be yes if I went to an italian restaurant back home where they would typically have dishes like lasagna, spaghetti, linguini etc. The food in northern italy is very different and every region has their own specialties. There are so many variations that unless you are going to the same restaurant for 3 wks straight you will have more than enough variety. The only commonality is that a menu will always be split in 3 courses, the antipasto, primi (typically pasta or risotto) and then secondi (main course). Last night we discovered a small long alleyway behind our hotel (based on advice from alfredo) and saw that there was at least half a dozen of small restaurant. We randomly picked one and it turned out to be very local. No english in their menu! We ordered risotto with ragout of mushroom, liver and kidney and steaks that are grilled on stone. The owner warned us that they do not put anything on the steak so you can add salt to it if you want. Ofcourse federico was in heaven because this is how they cook meat in argentina (with no seasonings or sauces). The result is that you just taste the nice meat. It was the best steak ever!

In the first week one of the colleague, simone, asked me what I thought of the food in the plant cantine and I told him it was excellent. However, the plant in france was the best. I guess he told the chef this as a challenge so he has since cooked some special dishes for us. Our lunch is also in multiple courses and I love them all. Whenever the cook sees indecision on my face because I wanted all the choices he offers to give me a little of this and a little of that so I can try. Yesterday we had a local specialty called cassola which is a dish of shredded cabbage and pork skin and pork ribs. The meat is so tender because they cook this dish for many hours. It was so delicious I made sure to give compliments to the chef. I think he got a kick out of that. I also love the minestrone soup here, so different from what I know. I asked salvatore for a recipe that his wife makes and he asked me which kind. There's more than one kind? He said there are dozens of variations so he promised to give me a few of his fav recipes. Can't wait to make it at home. I never order this type of soup in restaurants at home but I have been eating it here everyday!

Today Simone brought in some homemade tiramisu. OMG, so different from any I've had. So guess what, he's going to send me the recipe, lol! Alfredo told me the legend of this dessert which originated from venice. Supposedly an important figure 200 yrs ago who had mistresses in venice told the local baker that he wanted a dessert that will give him some "extra energy" but he was in a hurry. The result was the tiramisu which is quick and easy to make and sweet. Not sure if any of this was true but fun to hear!

I love our lunches together. Usually alfredo and salvatore join us but sometimes others as well. We talk about anything but the audit so it's a nice way to get to know the local culture and people. One funny conversation was my story that involved parents of friends who bought property in hawaii years ago and are now retired there. Immediately salvatore says that is not possible here because they would never think to move far from family. This is coming from a guy that built a big house so his mother and sister could also live there! This is a little extreme but it is true that the italians have a very strong sense of family.