Foodtopia Moments

Unless you’ve lived under a rock your entire life, you’ve heard of Tex-Mex food (or if you are in a country that is nowhere near Tex or Mex). Well, today I had a Italo-‘Merican dinner. We started off with a mix of salsiccia e verdure arrosto (roasted sausage and vegetables) left over from yesterday, including pomodorini (little tomatoes), cippole (onions), basilica (basil), melanzane (eggplant), zucchini, and pepperoni rossi (red peppers). I cooked it down it a little, then added some ditilini pasta. The result was a magnificent burst of vegetable flavors. It was truly a divine dish. That was the Italian part. The American part was that I dry rubbed and roasted fresh (I had to pull out lots of feathers) ali di pollo (chicken wings). I even made up a hot and honey sauce using a Colombian hot sauce that I found at the market the other day. Mixed with butter and honey, it was like I was sitting at a bar in New Jersey. It totally hit the spot.

The night before, Mom, Erik, Zia and I headed out to the Ristobar, a favorite spot for local cammionisti (truckers). They know how to eat, and the Ristobar is filled with delicious food. My pasta course was spaghetti allo scoglio, which has gamberi (shrimp), langostino (a small lobster-like shellfish), vongole (clams), and cozze (mussels) in a sugo di pomodoro (tomato sauce). Ristobar makes one of the best scoglio I’ve ever had. It was full of flavor all the way to the last bite. Erik had homemade gnocchi Bolognese, and Mom and Zia both had penne Bolognese. Their Bolognese sauce is the best we’ve had all summer. One other thing that sets this restaurant apart is the olio di pepperoncini (hot pepper oil). Most places have a bland, pre-seasoned olive oil. Ristobar has a container with oil and fresh peppers and it is potent, but delicious. 

Working on my tan

The past couple of days we’ve really lived like the Italian locals. Erik and I get up early, head into town on a walk and pick up fresh produce and bread, then back to the house to change. After a few minutes at home, we head to the beach for a couple of hours. Unlike the Italians who head home at noon to a song about eating cibo (food) in Puglia (even though the beach club is in Molise), we stay at the nearly deserted club until about 1:30. Walking home at this time is like the scene in “28 Days Later” when the guy wakes up in London and no soul is around. The roads are totally deserted.

I’ve been really working on my tan this summer, and I feel like I’m just going to be maintaining from now on. My peak darkness has been reached. So that means more time in the water instead of on the chaise. The water has been as calm as a pool the past couple of days. Hoping that continues in the morning.

Foodtopia Moments

You can take the man out of America, but you can’t take America out of the man. Yesterday I cooked up some ribs I had got from the butcher. I brought some rub seasoning with me from America, and had the butcher cut me a slab the other day. I rubbed them down, teamed them with some apples, onions, and apple juice, and then roasted them up. There is no grill here, so the oven will have to do, and it did well. I paired the ribs with some zucca (butternut squash) cooked with pomodori pelati (whole peeled tomatoes) and cippole (onions).

Sunshine and rain

Like most days here, the past few have been filled with sunshine and warmth. The beach has been a popular spot, and I get the sense that the town is about to swell next week with vacationing Italians. Today was much of the same. Hot, sunny morning, but the afternoon was filled with clouds and some passing showers.

Mom, Erik and I went to Termoli this week, visiting our favorite local bar, Bigo. Italians find it taboo to drink without food, so outside of big (catering to foreigners) cities, bars and restaurants provide little snacks with drinks. Bigo has the best snacks I’ve found yet. They offer a full order of fresh cut fries, plus two mini bruschetta rounds and a rice dish for each person at the table. When you have a drink there, you walk away full.

Today we did some morning shopping. Mom is on the hunt for some new cushions for our patio chairs. The ones we have are 12 years old. We looked in five stores, but did not find anything we liked. We want something blue, but the only thing we found was a solid navy blue, and that’s not the right shade. The search for the white elephant continues tomorrow at the Friday flea market.

Foodtopia Moments

While at the festa of Santa Cristina, I partook in some Italian street food. I had a panino kebab with tachino (turkey), pollo (chicken), melanzane (eggplant), funghi (mushrooms), and pepperoni (peppers), I also had a local delicacy sausage called torcinello. It is a liver and sage sausage wrapped in vein tubes. Immediately some people would be turned off, but that just means more for us in the know.

Campomarino day and night

In estate (summer), Campomarino is indeed a beach town. We get the weekenders who arrive on Saturdays and Sundays, then leave before sunrise on Monday. But throughout the year, Campomarino is a farming town. This is evidenced by the fresh produce and delicious restaurants in the town and the surrounding area.

This weekend has been one where we saw all that this town has to offer. On Friday, we had a great visit from Antonio Monaco and his beautiful family. Then we spent much of the next two days at the beach. Saturday night was an evening in Campomarino paese (the main town, not the beach) for the festa of Santa Cristina. The streets were swollen with locals and weekenders looking for great bargains, a little food, and some interesting people watching.

To Rome and back

With my friend Erik arriving in Rome on Wednesday, Mom and I ventured around and through the Apennine mountains and over to the west coast. Erik made it to the hotel the same time as we did. Then we went out on a 20,000 step trek across historical Rome.

We first visited the Musei Vaticani, home of some amazing works of art, including the Sistene Chapel. Then we hoofed it to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the memorial of Vittorio Emmanuele, and past the Coliseum and Roman Forum ruins. After all of the oppressive heat we faced while in long pants (Vatican museum rule according the website, they were letting people in wearing shorts that day, though), we hit up Ice Club Roma for some libations. It’s a favorite spot of mine to visit in Rome for some cocktails and cooling off.

Yesterday we returned to Campomarino and hit up the beach for some twilight sun. We enjoyed the calm cool Adriatic waters, and then headed back to the condo to get ready for a trip to Ristorante Netti. The pizza was once again delicious. After dinner, Erik and I headed to the beach clubs to see what the happening spot was. There were a surprising amount of people here for a Thursday after midnight.

My cousin Luigi and his family were passing through the family hometown, Torremaggiore, today so we met up the ad Zio Matteo’s house. We visited the cemetery first, and then met up with a family friend before heading over to Zio’s house. It was great to see everyone and catch up with them. Connie’s little girl is adorable, and they have a sweet young Bichon Frische puppy. It was a great morning. 

Foodtopia Moments

Pranzo (lunch) is the big meal around here. It’s much bigger and more formal than cena (dinner) and the almost non-existent colazione (breakfast). As such, I try to plan easy, yet delicious meals. Usually I succeed, especially when dealing with the farm fresh produce. Yesterday was no different. I made some pepperoni arrosto (roasted peppers), fagiolini con aglio e aceto (string beans with garlic and vinegar), and fetini di tachino con sugo di pomodorini fresco (turkey cutlet with fresh tomato sauce). From start to finish, the meal was superb.

Sunshine for days

To say it was sunny skies the past couple of days would be an understatement. There have been no clouds. The beach has been tranquil and I am almost done my second book of the summer, “Desperate Networks,” a non-fiction about television network executives and the decisions they make. What a bunch of nincompoops. Talk about people who check their creative visions at the gate. It’s a wonder anything on TV is successful.

Today I did a bunch of cleaning ahead of a visitor coming over. My friend Erik is arriving tomorrow in Rome, so we are heading out early in the morning to get him. We’re spending one night in Roma, then heading back to the beach.

Foodtopia Moments

I made a Sunday gravy a day early to celebrate, starting with fresh pomodorini (little tomatoes), cippole (onions), and basilico. I added pollo (chicken), salsiccia (sausage), brasiola, and polpette di carne (meatballs). It was delicious, and we’ve already eaten it two more times. First was with pasta, then we made impromptu meatball sandwiches, then we had the leftover chicken.

The bakery today had my favorite rustic bread filled with olives, cheese and different types of meats like pancetta, sausage, and prosciutto. It did not disappoint. 

Birthday and the beach

When the weather outside is frightful, that’s when one must get creative here in Campomarino. We have no television, it’d be in Italian anyway, and there are no movie theaters nearby. The beach is out of the question, leaving reading and writing. So I read and I wrote. But yesterday was a pretty special day too as it was Zia’s compleano (birthday).

The rain finally lifted about noon today, and the sky was clear and blue all afternoon. I went back to the beach, and noticed that the sand level was about six inches higher than normal. Evidently, the tides had swept over the beach club leaving a sandy mess in its wake. All of the umbrellas were down and the workers were cleaning up debris that the angry Adriatic deposited.

After coming back home for a quick bite, Mom and I headed back out to the center of town to peruse the local flea market vendors. The selection this year was a little less appealing than normal, but the Santa Cristina festival and its near-mile-long flea market will be setting up next week. Hopefully we will find some deals. 

Foodtopia Moments

Zia is always joking with me about how I usually use zucchini, melanzane (eggplant), and pepperoni (peppers) when I cook verdure (veggies). So today, I made bietola (Swiss chard) with pasta. It is an old recipe my dad used to make with a little sugo di pomodoro (tomato sauce). The chard was delicate and flavorful. Fresh off the farm, it was only 60 cents a pound. The whole meal was for less than three Euros.

Wet and chilly

While at the Jersey Shore, a wet and windy day provides the opportunity for some indoor fun like heading to the movies. Here in Campomarino, it’s more like time to read, rest and write. It’s also time to cook.

I headed out this morning under some dark cloud cover to get some supplies for tomorrow. It’s Zia’s compleano (birthday) tomorrow and I’m making a Sunday gravy a day early for the occasion. I got all the way back and realized that I didn’t get the clothespins that I wanted from the Friday flea market. So I trudged back out in increasing wind and darker skies to get the clothespins. On the plus side, we now have a whole drying rack of nice, high-quality clothespins. On the downside, it started raining before I got all the way back so I got a nature shower this morning. I had an umbrella, but it kept blowing open so it provided me little relief. It has been cold and rainy ever since.

With all of the rain, I was able to finish a book, “The Widow Spy,” and prep the tomatoes for tomorrow. Here’s hoping tomorrow is just spotty showers.

Twilight in Termoli

The wind today was relentless. Whipping the sand and surf, the wind caused the sea to be far too agitated for swimming. I lounged in the sun for a little while, reading my fist book the summer (“The Widow Spy”), then decided to come back home to prepare lunch. It was breezy all day to the point that our load of towels hang dried in about an hour. We also had the first clouds of the summer here. They were off in the distance this morning, and then passed by without losing a drop of rain in the process. The weather forecast for this weekend has rain, but that really doesn’t mean much as weather can change here in an instant.

Tonight, with a fresh breeze, Mom, Zia and I headed out for a twilight dinner in Termoli. The city was alive as usual, but not nearly as many vendors were around. We saw the lungomare (strip of beach clubs), the castle town of Federico II, and the port. We had a delicious dinner and even a gelato. It was a great night to take a passagiatta (evening stroll), so we walked all around the city after dinner. 

Foodtopia Moments

Wanting to avoid having too many carb-loaded meals, I’ve only had foccaccia pizza for breakfast once since I arrived. This was an everyday occurrence in previous years. The past couple of days, I actually ate a can of tonno con pisselle (tuna with peas) for breakfast. It comes in a tomato and oil based sauce, and I really love the taste. In the US, I’ve seen this Rio Mare brand, but only Mexican style with mais e fagiole (corn and beans). The peas version is the best I’ve tried.

Tonight for dinner Mom, Zia and I headed back to Ristorante Netti for the first time in a week. I had a beautiful plate of cozze al vino bianco (mussels in white wine sauce), Zia had some fresh soglia all'acqua pazza (sole in crazy water), and Mom had a pizza capriciossa with caperi (capers), prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), caraciofini (artichokes), olive neri (black olives), and funghi (mushrooms). Mom had a pizza like this last year at a hotel in Rome and loved it. Tonight was the first time she had it at Netti’s.

Before we went to Netti’s tonight, I called ahead and inquired about tiramisu. It is the best I’ve ever tasted. They didn’t have any ready, but said if we would like it they could make some. So I preordered two portions. They did not disappoint. Ristorante Netti still has the best Tiramisu I’ve ever eaten. 

Work hard, play soft

I woke up this morning on a mission to get the patio cleaned up finally. Last night I had taken the last of the yard clippings to the trash area (still all there as I write this), against the orders of my gardener. Settimio, the gardener, had warned me against doing this saying that they could fine me. However, after seeing the first two nights clippings still sitting there all day Tuesday, I figured I’d risk the fine. In the words of James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams, “Rules? There are no rules here.” So far, there is no fine either. Anyway, I can’t imagine a fine more than 25 Euros, much less than the cost of a cammio (truck) to haul the stuff away.

After sweeping the patio, I set about wetting, scrubbing, rewetting, then pushing all of the dirty water to the street with a squeegee. It turned out great, and we were finally able to get all of the patio furniture out of the house. It was a hard hour as today has been pretty warm. Luckily for my sweeping, there was no breeze today. That did not bode well for the rest of the day.

Once the work was done, it was time to hit the sand. Getting to from the beach was like walking on the sun with no breeze. Sitting in the sun for a few hours was also a sweaty endeavor, as the temperature at 7 p.m. was 90 degrees with a heat index of 103 degrees. When we sat for dinner at 9 p.m., the heat index was 98 degrees. But alas, a breeze has arrived. Dinner wasn’t quite so rough. It was a warm breeze, but it helped keep us cool. 

Phones are up and running

It took about five days, but Mom and I both have our Italian phones operating. Now we can communicate with each other when we are out separately. (If you want the numbers, send me an email.) We went into Termoli this morning for a quick visit to the VodaFone store and then went on a passagiatta (walk) to the paneficio (bakery) and down to the castle, because no trip to a citta vecchia (old city) in Italy would be complete without seeing a castle (or a cathedral).

The past couple of days we’ve avoided the morning, searing sun and headed to the beach after a little repose (relaxing nap) for some twilight time in the sand. What a difference from Sunday to Monday. All of the weekend daytrippers have left and won’t be back until next weekend. Today was so sparse, we even saw a man on horseback prance right on down and into the water. There’s a first time for everything.

Foodtopia Moments

For lunch we had a mix of fresh pomodorini (little tomatoes), aglio (garlic), and leftover veggies from yesterday with some ditilone pasta. Topped with some grated grana padano cheese, it was a meal straight off the campagna (farm). Tonight for dinner we went pretty rustic as well with a pomodoro (tomato) and citrioli (cucumber) salad, and pane (bread) e pomodoro topped with olio di olive. We also had some delicious mozzarella di bufala. This is a farm town and the veggies are great.