italia…day 10…

one of the best meals ever: Osteria Nonna Gina.
-Antipasti: Lardo di colonnata (whole pig fat cured w/spices in marble vat). W/Tuscan bread and semi-aged pecorino! Unique, sumptuous, excellent.
-Main: Gnocchi alla Lella, cooked in the house special sauce. And let me tell you, it was special! Dumplings were filled w/a variety of cheeses, perhaps a gorgonzola type and a ricotta. The sauce actually evoked memories of childhood far far away, but I couldn’t figure out where or what. It had a creamy-like béchamel consistency w/some kind of nut, pistachio.
-Side: Boiled fresh fava beans flavored w/pancetta.
Theresa had the dry spaghetti. Apparently, there are certain pastas you eat dry, and others wet (fresh, home-made. E.g. Tagliatelle and Pici).
Lella was the cook (mom) and Dado was the dad! Apparently, I must have put the charm on Dado b/c he kept coming back to our table, which is unusual, according to Theresa. He complimented us w/Amaretto and grappa to have w/our macchiatos. On our way out, we chatted w/Lella, who wanted to set us up w/the kitchen help and kept asking how old I was. She also invited me to learn in her kitchen if I stayed! Dammit, why do I have to go back to work? Riecine also invited us to help w/the harvest and bottle in the fall, if we were still around. I will need to come back to Tuscany b/c there were not enough days here to eat everything. Instead, I will pathetically sneak back into the states about 6 bottles of wine, some wild boar salami, and a big head of unpasteurized pecorino to try to re-live my trip.