Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Exploring the Home of Italy's Slow Food Movement
After a few days in Parma we were off to a rather secluded and less explored part of the Piedmont. Cimaferle is a hamlet with no more than 50 residents. Its location in the region is south of pretty much every notable town as it’s just a short ride into Liguria from there. We ended up finding the perfect place to stay for a party of 11 people with three kids. Not only was it big and spacious but it was damn near brand new and had all the amenities you could want including a nice sized pool looking into a deep valley. It was such an obscure location that the road there was unpaved and only wide enough to for one car. We didn’t see or hear anyone else besides each other while we were there. We ventured out of the house during the day to different towns in the area and would have lunch there and grab wine and groceries and what not so it all worked out really well. If anyone wants the info just email me and I’ll happily send it over though you will definitely need a couple of cars if you plan on staying there with a big group of people. The Piedmont borders France and Switzerland and sits at the foot of the Alps so it’s a very picturesque region known for its high quality cuisine and it's luscious wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. We had plans to visit the the capital, Turin, but ended up just going back to Milan as it meant less driving and switching of hotels. This region is a popular place for outdoor stuff like hunting, hiking, harvesting grapes and of course, searching for wild truffles. The Langhe region is known as the white truffle capital of the world as they grow deep in the forests. It’s also where most of Italy's wine is made and it’s an area rich in walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, cheeses, veal, and most of the fresh veggies for which Italy is known. Long summary short - it’s very likely the most passionate food region of an extremely food forward country. It’s also one of the prettiest parts of Italy in major part due to it being less traveled than other parts of the country.
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Our first stop in the Piedmont region was lunch at a place that’s been a family owned spot since 1818. The same family at that! Upon opening this was a spot for hunters to gather and eat. These days it’s a Michelin recommended restaurant in the commune of Cartosio. Ristorante Cacciatori di Milano Massimo is ran by Massimo and his wife who does much of the cooking in an oven from 1952. We tried most of the menu and it was all wonderful but I was surprised just how good an order of Egg Tagliolini with meat ragu was. The pasta had that perfect bite while the sauce was just sensational. Simple but succulent and something I still think about now and then. For starters an order of sardines sitting atop roast bell peppers was another winner as was an order of meatballs with zucchini and onions. Asparagus Pie was awesome while creamed cod was new to me. The meat raviolini, plus a plate of Coniglio (rabbit) in the style of Liguria with local olives and pine nuts was Italian home cooking at its finest. For a finale they made a decadent raspberry gelato just for us. The views, the food, and the hosts mixed with the company kept made for a meal I’ll never forget.
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Ovada was one of two larger towns within short driving distance of our house rental in Cimarferle. We all took a ride there for lunch one day but it was a Monday so quite a few of the restaurants were closed. However the Michelin recommended Osteria L'Archivolto was open and the menu was tempting albeit a bit expensive compared to other spots in the area. I’ll always have a soft spot for this place as it’s where I was first introduced to the local specialty that is Bagna Càuda. It translates to “Hot Bath” and is a hot mix of garlic, anchovies and olive oil used as a dipping vessel for fresh vegetables and bread. It’s served in a similar manner to fondue and its history goes all the way back to the 16th century during the rise of economic exchange between French and Italian merchants. It’s believed the people of the Piedmont geared Bagna Cauda after a similar dish from the Provençal. The Bagna Càuda at Osteria L'Archivolto comes served in a traditional Terra Cotta hot pot called a Fojot. It was love at first dip. By far the best thing we ate at this seafood forward spot but the pastas were good too. One of them was a Linguine and tuna, tomato, basil and Tropea onion. The other was Tagliatella mixed with anchovies, lemon, spring onion and mullet. The entire family was here so there was a few other things we ordered including a great seafood salad but overall I would say stick with the Bagna cauda and the pastas and you’ll eat better than you would getting the seafood entrees.
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Me and Erica drove back into Ovada for lunch a couple days later and were joined by our niece, Ada, who wanted to come out to eat with us. She’s only 5 so we decided to try La Pignatta, a small, no frills trattoria hiding down a quiet street. We sat outside in a peaceful courtyard and were quickly joined by a handful of locals out for lunch. Nothing on the menu was more than ten euros except for the cheese plate (12 euros). I started my meal with a monochromatic bowl of minestrone but it was boring only in looks. It had a thick and flavorful broth studded with ditalini and little bits of greens. I was surprised by just how good it was. For sure the best minestrone soup I’ve ever had. My pasta also surprised. It was a very simple Taglierini al tocco. The pasta had a chew more typical of Asian noodles and the meat sauce was deep in beef flavor. I was not expecting this to be a pasta that I still think about now and then. Erica had the Taglierini al pesto and was equally impressed. Ada had fettuccine with meat sauce and ate all of it. The friendly hostess / proprietor (?) sent out a bowl of lemon sorbet for Ada and us to enjoy and I have to say this was a meal that made me an even bigger fan of Italy than I already was. The food was home cooked quality and extremely reasonable and the service was very warm.
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We had promised our niece some gelato before the sorbet was sent out so we set off to find some after lunch. We came across Gelato @ Caffe just a short walk away. We were greeted by the owner who explained that his fruit gelatos are made daily pointing to a pile of fruit he was cutting upon our arrival. Both of us picked the peach and it was fantastic. I had to get a second cup and I had to split it with Ada. It’s too hard to pick a specific favorite gelato of the trip but this was one of the better ones.
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Acqui Terme was the other town within easy reach from the house rental. Walking around it became apparent that they really like their mushrooms. The area is known for Porcini, Ovoli and Chanterelle mushrooms which grow abundantly in the valleys. Local shops selling all things mushroom dot the streets and you can pretty much expect to see mushrooms on the menu at most of the restaurants in the area. Da Nonna Gina features them a few ways including a fried version that rivals all others I've tried but not just bc of the fry job but also because of the the quality of the mushrooms. These weren’t battered which is how I prefer fried mushrooms but the caliber of them was so high they were just as good if not better than any others. They tasted like butter. Having just recently been introduced to Bagna Càuda I also had to have an order of that. It was a bit different in terms of preparation but pretty much just as good. A simple pasta prep with mushrooms was a perfect example of why you really don't need to be a classically trained chef to be a good cook in Italy. You just have to respect the local ingredients. I find these little casual spots to be my favorite type of restaurants in Italy.
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I had Turkish doner by way of Berlin a handful of times during the length of the trip. You can find a place serving doner in pretty much every town in Europe. Acqui Terme is a town of just 20,000 people and there were multiple options for it. I chose this place bc it was more of a restaurant than a takeout spot. They had sitdown service and we needed to cool down with a water after roaming the farmers market across the street so that was reason enough but they were also sporting a beautiful cone of chicken and two different bread options. I chose the one that was more like a sub sandwich roll than a pita and got it spicy with everything including an array of thinly sliced vegetables plus tasty sauces. I’ve never met a doner sandwich that I didn’t like but you could tell this one was made with a bit more care than most. The bread really took it over the top. It’s really the only non-Italian thing I ate the entire week we were in the Piedmont so it was kind of like a palate cleanser in sandwich form.
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I had a feeling this pizza place up in the hills of Acqui Terme would be great based off the pictures and that it was. I don’t think too many visitors make it here as the staff barely spoke any English and it’s up in the mountains away from the town square but lots of local families and groups of friends certainly know all about it. Full house on our visit with a pizza in front of every diner as that’s how it’s typically done in Italy but they were happy to accommodate us Americans who prefer to order a few for the table, they even cut them up for us which isn’t always the case. First up was a classic of cheese, sauce, and onions that hit all the notes of an old school American style pizza. The crust here is as thin or thinner than the thinnest tavern style spots back home so it really hit the spot for a bunch of true Chicagoans. A pesto with cheese pizza was really well done while their signature Focaccia di Recco was outstanding, technically it can’t be called that bc it wasn’t constructed in Recco (Liguria) but that’s exactly what it was. An order of breaded vegetables and sardines was a great plate for starters and overall this was another excellent call by me. What can I say, I know how to find them.
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We took a daytrip to the Langhe region which is rich in wineries. We were able to schedule tours and tastings at two places one of which served up a totally unexpected charcuterie and cheese tasting on top of the wine tasting. The hospitality at Pqlin Winery was incredible and so were the wines. I’m not a big wine guy at home but my wife loves it and I do too when I’m in a setting like this. I enjoy drinking a nice glass of wine in a vineyard, especially in one of the worlds best wine regions. Our host was hospitable in a way you rarely come across back home. He gave us the complete tour and we tried all the wines and had at least five rounds of charcuterie and cheeses in between all of it. We had to cut it short bc we had to go meet the rest of the family for lunch but we didn’t leave without a case of wine for the rest of the trip. At just $20 for the tasting I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a beautiful property too. We did another one after that was equally pretty but the tasting only came with wine and water.
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We had a lovely lunch in Alba which some say is the de facto capital of the Langhe region and Italy's Slow Food Movement. So the story goes that movement started when McDonalds moved into the area and locals were afraid of losing their rich food traditions like the legend that is Agnolotti del Plin. It’s my favorite pasta of them all but much like handmade dumplings it can be time consuming. Though spots like Osteria dell’Arco continue to pinch them out by hand as that’s just how it has always been done. You could tell by how soft and tender these little pillows were that they were made just hours earlier. They come stuffed with meat and tossed in butter and I was moaning like Bill Murray in ‘What About Bob’ while eating them. I really came to love Vitello Tonnato on this trip. Cold slices of roast veal served up with a tuna sauce does sound a bit odd but it’s a special Piedmont dish. We also enjoyed a squid salad, Lumache di Langa con giardiniera di verdure (snails with vegetables), duck breast with blueberries, and a couple more pastas in the form of a Fusilli with fish sauce and a Spinach and Seirass Ravioli with sage butter. Long live Italy's Slow Food Movement.
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My nephew (2 y/o) got a little restless as we were finishing up lunch so I grabbed him and we took a walk down the town square where we came across this busy gelateria. We stepped inside Dallatte and I noticed a menu showing the days granita flavors and decided to have my first granita in Italy. It's a cousin of Italian ice made with sugar, water and fruits and or flavorings. The tangerine granita was a revelation. It was frozen but soft with big citrus flavor. It was kind of like a next level Italian ice.
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It was just me, Erica, and our other niece - Meg - for our last lunch in the region. We took a quick drive to Cavatore, a small commune of just 275 people plus a memorable restaurant nestled in the hills. We had a fantastic meal at Da Fausto starting with an amuse bouche of very lightly battered locally grown herbs before moving onto ravioli stuffed with basil swimming in alpine butter, Agnolotti stuffed with meat in the sauce of the roast, and a Fusilli with pecorino and bottarga. All three of the pastas were phenomenal while dessert was the perfect ending to an unforgettable week of food and family - made on site vanilla ice cream was topped with fresh in season fruit sitting inside a crisp biscuit sprinkled with powdered sugar. One of the best desserts of not just the trip but my lifetime. Of course Meg got the majority of it but I had more than just the one bite I was planning on having. The staff at Da Fausto was warm and welcoming and the dining room is bright and airy with nice views of the Alps when the sky is clear. The country cooking in Italy hits different. There’s no fast food chains for miles, just casual mom and pop places making simple dishes with superior ingredients.
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Last stop in the Piedmont. The house we rented had a nice kitchen and an awesome outdoor wood fired grill and a pizza oven so we cooked a few meals there including pizza on our last night. Only thing was the pizza oven took a long time to get going so I went ahead and got the pizza party started on time with a couple of pizzas from this spot just a five minute ride from the house. Il Laghetto was packed with people on a Friday night. I placed a to-go order for a couple of pizzas and drank a beer while watching person after person arrive to this obviously popular weekend destination. By the time I was leaving there were cars parked anywhere they could fit around town. The menu had at least 40 choices so I made it easy on myself and got one with sausage, mushrooms, onions and also the Pizza Americano which is a pizza with three types of meat including hot dogs plus fries. I knew the kids would get a kick out of it as did I and you know what? It was actually pretty good. The kids ate all of the fries off of it so it was just a deluxe meat pizza. Both of them were well made and I could see why they bring the crowds in. Also of note were the boxes that the pizzas came served in. Surely not signed off on by the creators of the Simpsons but I bet even they would get a kick out of them.
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