....and Ferrara's Buskers Music Festival by Night

Every evening during the Buskers Music Festival, the quiet alley ways and piazzas of Ferrara would come to life with non-stop free live music. Over 900 bands from all over the world came and performed on every street corner and little nook there was.  I hadn't realized what a big music festival this would be and it was so much fun! I went alone however it was easy to meet friendly people from all over Europe who had come in search of good live music. I was there for the first four days of the music festival, which happens every August, and I definitely hope to return in the future! I made friends with two of the bands who were invited to the festival: Broken Boyz from Marseille, France and La Tumabo De Juana from Barcelona, Spain. This post is all about the nighttime scene and food of the festival.....

Broken Boyz is a soul/reggae band with lead vocalist David Bardy (far right in picture), Siryel Werck on the guitar and Patrick Fenez on the drums. Here is a video of them performing at the music festival my favorite song, "Soul Shake Down Party." The band learned their soulful music in New Orleans and brought it back to France!

El Tumbao de Juana was an awesome Latin band with members from all over South America that had met on the streets of Barcelona and had a common passion for music. Mauro, on the bongos would end up hosting my friend and I in Spain the following month. Check out their myspace page here, really good stuff!

The best recommendations always from come from the locals and I was lucky enough to meet a nice young guy on the train who was happy to share his favorite late night eating places in Ferrara. The place was called Pizzeria Orsucci and it's a hole-in-the-wall institution with locals. They had just two things on the menu: beer and padella de ceci, a chickpea flour treat cooked in a wood fire oven.

 Pizzeria Orsucci is located in the old city at Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 76 near Castello Estense. Here is a photograph of the kid working the oven:

Another band I enjoyed is the eccentric Ilhaam Project. "Ilhaam" means inspiration in Arabic. The project incorporates French, Hebrew, Arabic, English in music with a mission for peace. The couple has a really great song which I haven't been able to find online, but the song is about the end of the world approaching and everyone has a big party in the streets. Sort of strange topic, but the song is rather hypnotizing. Here is a picture of the couple on the streets:

The late night food for the post-festival-party-goers is the Cornetteros. Cornetteros are bought from the Cornetteria which is only opened after dark and closes when the sun starts to come up. While the menu lists other items, I saw no sign of anything but these delicious treats inside the cafe: a warm, flaky, chocolate filled croissant with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

You can find the Cornetteria de Los Cornetteros at Via Carlo Mayr, 99:

Cheers to the Buskers Music Festival! It's hard to go wrong with good food and good music!

A Foodie in Ferrara by Day....

I came to Ferrara because I had read about the Buskers Music Festival that takes over the small city. I was drawn to the combination of free live music in a city renowned for its food. Ferrara is in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Surrounded by 9 kilometers of medieval walls, Ferrara remains calm and tranquil, even during a wild music festival that takes the streets by storm. The classic Italian breakfast was pretty much the only option in Ferrara and I was completely okay with that. I was told by a Ferrara native whom I met on the train to go to Caffe' del Corso for the best breakfast. I don't drink coffee, however, while working at Cefalicchio and for the three weeks after I had a cappuccino every morning and an espresso every night. The breakfast at Caffe del Corso was superb! Warm cappuccino, freshly baked croissant and one of their house specials which is kind of like a tart with a crispy sweet top (I am horrible at trying to explain this.) I highly recommend going to Ferrara for the Buskers festival and when you do, this is the best way to start your morning! Take your time here as the people watching from this perfectly located cafe is prime.

 Caffe' del Corso is located at C. Giovecca 66/68 just outside the old historic castle.

During the day Ferrara is a pretty sleepy town, and it is very easy to get into the relaxed, no rush vibe of the town. One fun thing to do is rent a bike and go along the 9km wall, other than that, there are lovely art museums and lush parks like this one below, Parco Massari.

Obviously if you are going to go to a park, you should get a few things for a picnic. When in Emilia-Romagna, it is imperative to try prosciutto. FOr the best prosciutto, get the Parma stamped kind indicating that is was cured and stored with the highest standards providing for a truly melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto experience. Parma stamped ham is easy to find, it looks like this:

In addition to prosciutto you might like some wine for your picnic and this is especially easy and affordable to get because in all the little convenient stores in Ferrara are these "fill your own" wine stations with large vats of wine and you can choose from red, white or rose and fill your own glass growler:

All over Ferrara are these funny little bridges that are part of the homes, there is at least one on every street:

A traditional snack in Ferrara is the coppie Ferrarese. It is crunchy and hard n the outside and soft and chewy on the inside and rolled like two ribbons. I personally didn't think it was anything special, perhaps I just needed to have one from a better bakery but it seemed like a poor attempt at sourdough bread to me. As you can see from the bag, the bakery where I purchased his Coppie Ferrarese has been around since 1860...

Aside from these bread rolls, everything else in Ferrara was authentic, beatiful and very tasty. Here is a picture of the street where I stayed.

Nicola's Home and Food in the Italian Alps

After Sarah and I parted ways I didn't have much of a plan. Actually, I didn't have any plan. I knew I wanted to make my way over to Ferrara for a music festival but that wasn't for another couple of days and like all backpackers, I was on a budget. Nicola was so kind to offer me the chance to come and stay with him at his father's home in the Alps of Lunigiana. Nicola's dad had purchased and reonvated a home in a very small village in the Alps. The village had 7 permanent residents. The home was so tranquil and had a sprawling view of the lush green Alps. The photo above is Nicola on the roof - we spent a lot of time reading and just hanging out on the roof. We arrived around lunch time and it was a very nice surprise to have a beautiful home cooked lunch set out for us, especially since I had just been serving people for 7 days a week for 2 months. The home has a small courtyard in the middle with a little table and chairs set, it really feels like your own private villa:

For lunch, Nicola's father and his girlfriend prepared a delicious frittata with cheese and mushrooms picked fresh from the trails behind his home:

They also made us a simple and very delicious and hearty bean and noodle soup:

And of course there was an impressive cheese plate....this is definitely an every day Italian mean feature that I would like to bring home:

Finally, there was the wonderful tea and cookies to end the meal:

Cinque Terre and Picnic in Lucca with Sarah and Nicola

My good friend Sarah and I have a habit of meeting at train stations or busy intersections to go on little adventures together. This time we met at the Termini train station in Rome and Sarah, with her impressively small suitcase carry-on, and I, with my clunky backpack, went up to Cinque Terre to hike the five villages. It is hard to not be breath taken when you see the villages strikingly embedded into the cliffs overlooking the Italian Riviera.  Here is a picture of Sarah at dinner:

Some of the villages are embedded into the cliffs and the buildings are stacked on top of each other all the way down to the water:

Other villages are perched on top of the cliffs and are a steep walk from the water like this.....

After a full day of hiking we just wanted to go swimming. However, the waves were crashing directly on rocks and it was much too rough to even consider getting into the sea. Instead, Sarah and I resorted to doing as the locals did and "swimming" on the docks. This entails basically laying down and the waves just sort of crash on top of you...it is actually really fun! Below is a picture that Sarah took of me just prior to be washed up by a wave:

The following day we met up with Nicola, a lovely guy from Northern Italy who couch surfed with Sarah in NYC. He took us to the darling town of Lucca which is a quaint Italian town enclosed by picturesque medieval walls. We had a delicious picnic of prosciutto, Northern Italian pecorino cheese, bread and red wine:

...followed by a nap....

A Mathematician's Castle & Cuisine in Puglia

Castle del Monte, pictured above, is an unexpectedly striking castle perched on a hill in the Andria region of Puglia in Southeastern Italy. Used mainly as a hunting lodge, it was completed in 1240 by Emperor Frederick II. The fortress is an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner. Both floors have eight rooms and an eight-sided courtyard occupies the castle's centre. Here is a blueprint of the fortress blueprint:

And here is a picture of how the Castle del Monte looks from the outside.

Here is a delightful, fluffy, midday Italian frittata made with local zucchini and tomatoes. We made these at Cefalicchio restaurant and to get that slightly crispy, golden brown top, you can broil the frittata on the top rack of the oven for a few minutes once the eggs are cooked through in the skillet.

After the frittata we ordered a pasta that is specific to Puglia. The orcchiette pasta was fresh and it is shaped roughly like small ears. Orcchiette actually means little ear in Italian. This dish was cooked with the green part of scallions, a light olive oil and garlic sauce, seasoned homemade croutons, and thin strips of a soft mild cheese. All in all, it was delicious.

Driving further south of Andria, you can explore the small towns that line the Adriatic Sea in Southeastern Italy. I was with two lovely friends who I met at Cefalicchio and we decided to take a small day road trip down the coast and here are some pictures from the scenic beaches and rustic fishing ports:

Like any good meal, or day trip, we had to end with some dessert. We stopped at a restaurant for some Italian chocolate covered profiteroles which are like little cream-filled pastry balls that are covered with thin chocolate sauce. Heaven.

Liquid Pleasures and Wine Cellars at Cefalicchio

This photo was taken on the my last evening at Cefalicchio. Two friends, with whom I was hitching a ride to Rome, and I shared a bottle of Cefalicchio's award winning dry rose wine atop the viewing tower overlooking the countryside. It was the middle August, my backpack was all packed and I didn't really know what I was doing next. Fortunately, I had already shipped home two crates of delicious, soothing wine and pungent extra virgin olive oil from Cefalicchio's biodynamic farm. The wine and olive oil is stored in an ancient, cool cellar beneath the property. Here is a picture taken from the bottom of the cellar looking up the stairs to the entrance:

And this is what the cellar looks like; racks of wine bottles and olive oil in what used to be a cellar used for drying and storing almonds. The racks are about 6 feet tall so you can get an idea for how high the ceiling is.

 I sent home a few bottles of two different kinds of wine. One was the rose, Ponte Della Lama (pictured in the glass above) and the other was an aromatic white wine named Jalal. Ponte Della Lama was named for a Roman necropolis in the Puglia region that is home to many monuments, shrines and tombs dating back to the 2nd to 5th centuries AD. The wine itself is smooth, warm, well-balanced and slightly sparkling. Here is a picture of the bottle:

According to the Oenologist, Francesco de Lillo, the wine should be enjoyed as an "aperitif, or paired with Mediterranean dishes of food, light pastas with vegetable light sauces." It has a fragrance of "wild strawberries and pomegranate" and should be served cool. Here is another photograph of the wine in all its glory, perched on the viewing tower during a sunset, observing its biodynamic cousin grapes.

Finally, in case you aren't ready to pack your bags and go to Cefalicchio, here is a photograph of the swimming pool for those hot summer days:

Stuffed Baked Figs

I'm sure by now you have an understanding for my obsession with figs from my posts about the figs growing all over Cefalicchio and the wild fig trees in Puglia. One evening a friend, Kim, and I prepared a delicious vegetarian Italian meal for the two kind and hospitable directors of Cefalicchio. I was at a loss of what I should prepare for dessert. Meandering around the garden I got some serious inspiration from the plump and juicy figs just begging to be picked. So I made some stuffed figs and we served them with a dollop of fresh ricotta. The warmness of the figs was a wonderful textural and temperature contrast to the coolness of the ricotta. This dessert is simple to make and looks beautiful on a plate, however as you can tell from the picture, I need to work on making prettier dollops of ricotta.

Stuffed Baked Figs

Ingredients:
6 Ripe large figs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped almonds or walnuts
Honey, for drizzling
6 dollops of fresh ricotta

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash the figs and carefully slice off the stem. Then make an "X" shape in the top of the fig so that you can gently pull apart the 4 segments to stuff the figs while leaving the fig intact.
3. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts until combined.
4. Gently pull apart the 4 segments of the figs, stuff with the brown sugar mixture and then place the figs on a baking pan. Drizzle with a bit of honey. Bake in the oven until the figs are softened but still kept firm, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Serve warm on a plate with a dollop of fresh ricotta.

Fried Zucchini Flowers at Cefalicchio

Fried zucchini flowers, or fiore de zucchini, are a typical Puglian antipasto. About twice a week Enuncio, the gardener, would bring in large buckets full of zucchini from the Cefalicchio gardens and large bags of delicate, vibrant zucchini flowers. Normally, I would have discarded the flowers but in Puglia, they are transformed into a delightful appetizer. I have heard of them being stuffed with various sauces or meats but at Cefalicchio we stuffed them with strips of mozzarella and ricotta. While zucchini flowers may not be very easy to find at your local supermarket, I recommend speaking with the squash vendors at your local farmer's market or growing your own zucchinis. This dish takes time and patience as you need to carefully and gently clean the fragile flowers because they might have small insects hiding in their soft folds.

Fried Zucchini Flowers

Ingredients:

14 Zucchini flowers

Ricotta and Mozzarella, sliced into strips

2 eggs

1 cup seltzer water

1 cup flour

Kosher salt for garnish

Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Carefully wash and clean the zucchini blossoms. Leave the stems intact (or about two inches long) to hold the zucchini flowers together and remove the stamen.

2. Stuff each zucchini flower with strips of ricotta and/or mozzarella and set on a pan.

3. Heat about three inches of oil in a large heavy pan or wok until it is about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, seltzer water and flour until you have a creamy consistency for the batter.

5. Using tongs, gently dip the stuffed zucchini flowers in the batter to coat and then into the hot oil and fry until crispy and golden, about 2 minutes.

6. Remove the fried zucchini flowers and set on a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Serve warm with a dash of kosher salt. Enjoy!

Burrata of Puglia

Burrata will change the way you think and feel about cheese, it might even change the way you think and feel about life. It is the celebrity of cheeses. It is delivered like a present and filled with surprises. The first time I tried this cheese it was brought in by the Director of the restaurant at Cefalicchio, Donato. Then we had it again when it was brought in by a visiting friend from Slow Food University. This specialty is pronounced boor-RAH-tah and it is essentially a hollow ball of mozzarella that is filled with stracciatella and fresh cream. It comes in different sizes but the smallest is about the size of a tennis ball and the picture above is of a large one that is about the size of a child's face. Once you cut into the cheese, which has a mozzarella texture, you will be delighted with a thick, creamy, silky center that slowly oozes out onto your plate like a chocolate souffle. The name Burrata is derived from the word "burro" which means butter in Italian. In the cream are curds of stracciatella which are essentially shreds of mozzarella. I was reading the article, Buttery Burrata, on Travel Lady blog and would like to share some of her burrata discoveries:
"Many cheese connoisseurs recognize burrata as one of the best fresh cheeses in the world. Pure, sweet, fresh cheese is different from the rest of its cheese cousins because it is not aged. Fresh cheeses are made today and off to market tomorrow. Mozarella is one of the simplest and quickest cheeses to make. It can take less than eight hours to go from milk to finished product. The method used to make burrata is the same as mozzarella differing only in the stretching technique used and the fact that burrata has a filling...According to cheese experts, the quality of this “mother of mozzarella” correlates directly to what the cows eat, where they graze, the water they drink, the distances they travel and even the air they breathe. All of these factors combine to make a unique and exquisite cheese."
Here is another picture of a bowl of burrata that are about the size of tennis balls.

After doing some research I found out that until recently burrata had to be flown in from Italy, but now there are domestic producers in Canada and the US.
The company Di Stefano out of Southern California makes and ships burrata. Gioia Cheese Company can overnight the cheese to you and they are based in Southern California too. You can also order it from iGourmet which is based in Texas. Please let me know if you learn of any other burrata producers in North America!