HIDDEN GEM

Two nights after David met Marco as they worked together on repairing our road (you can read about that in my story, ON THE ROAD AGAIN), we ate dinner at his family’s nearby azienda agricola.

Saffron anyone?

Can I tempt you with truffles?

AZIENDA AGRICOLA PODERE RIO II, with a large outdoor eating area and cozy dining room, is the setting for an international romcom. A big city executive goes to a small-town in central Italy to look for artisanal products …

We settled at a table near the wood stove. We had expected to choose items from a menu, but Marco said he’d bring us food. We’ve learned that’s always good.

The house wine was their own vino rosso from 2021. We live in an area that is known more for milk (the other white beverage) than wine … but viniculture is now coming into its own. This offering has well-balanced flavors and tannins. As we sipped, the food began to arrive.

We enjoyed a parade of antipasti …

> We began with a tortino of carrot, draped in saffron cream … light as a cloud, and the elusive flavor of saffron was a delicate infusion of flavor.

> There was a slate plate with wedges of pecorino, along with a bowl of saffron honey. It was at this point we saw a theme … saffron!

Marco explained that several years ago, his wife’s family decided to plant saffron flowers, and requested I.G.T. designation. He proudly showed us a glass jar with the hand-picked fragile filaments, 3 to a flower.

> A plate of prosciutto and finocchiona (a local product in the salami food group that is studded with fennel seeds). I skipped this, since I knew how much food was to follow. David enjoyed both … especially the finocchiona, one of his favorites in this food group.

> A “burger” of hand-chopped steak tartar … locally called battuta … under a snow storm of shredded black truffles. Hand cutting the beef gives it a more interesting, more varied texture … and one cannot have too much earthy truffle.

Next, a pair of primi ..

> Gnochetti with saffron cream. Our wine palate taste buds searched for the words to describe saffron … subtlety herbaceous, vaguely reminiscent of eucalyptus. The small gnocchi were delicate morsels.

> Handmade tagliatelle under a blanket of truffle shavings. Exemplary pasta, so delicious in its simplicity … Ibid., about the truffles.

David noticed on the sideboard a bottle of pinot … a temperamental varietal which loves fog, it’s been gaining favor along Lago Bilancino. Marco opened a bottle, another of their products with an I.G.T. designation. Not too cherry-cola, not too sweet, it has all the right pinot notes without exaggeration.

A deuce of secondi …

> A pair of pork ribs, the juicy meat was falling off the bone, with skin that was crisp and crunchy. The contrast in textures was great.

> A “steak” of osso buco with a translucent saffron jus … the meat was flavorful and fork tender, the marrow unctuous. If you look closely at the photo, you can see yet more saffron strands.

A trio of sweet treats …

> Marco insisted I try his cheesecake. It’s a no-bake type, which signifies a pretender. The crust was N.D. … there are no graham crackers in Italy, so this was plain cookie crumbs (it would benefit from any or all of cinnamon, ground nuts, cocoa … or digestive biscuits imported from England). The filling was creamy, with a nice cream cheese flavor. And though the strawberry jam on top was homemade, I don’t like jam.

> The saffron panna cotta was very good, with the delicate, ethereal saffron enhancing the lightness of the cream.

> Cantucci were appropriately almondy and crunchy … dipped into vin santo, they crumble seductively in one’s mouth.

Dynamite digestivo …

> They also make Vermouth di Mugello … surprisingly smooth and low in octane (14% … compared to 30% or 40% for most digestivi) … it was great.

As we left, Marco gave us a bottle of saffron grappa. Who knew? It’s still maturing in our wine cellar. Grazie mille, Marco, for a wonderful meal.

Epilogue: We went back a few more times. Who can resist truffles or saffron? But families being families and restaurants being restaurants, the dining room has closed.

LEMON TART WITH ALMOND CRUST

⅓ cup almonds
2 Tbl. sugar
1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
3 oz. butter, cold and cut into small pieces
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 3 Tbl. cold water
LEMON FILLING

- In a cuisinart, combine the almonds and sugar. Grind until the almonds are fine.
- Add the flour and salt … pulse to mix.
- Add the butter … pulse several times until the mixture is the size of peas.
- Add the vanilla and 2 Tbl. of water … pulse just until a dough is formed, adding a bit more water, if necessary.
- Old-school crust: Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for an hour or more. Using two silpats, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Drape the dough over the rolling pin … place onto a 9-inch round false-bottom cake pan. Gently press into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes.
- How I did it: Press the dough into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 9-inch round false-bottom cake pan. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325° F (160° C).
- With a fork, prick the bottom crust.
- Bake for 5 minutes … prick again … back for another 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Pour in the lemon filling.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is just set but the center is still soft.
- Cool … then serve.
Enjoy!

LEMON FILLING

2 oz. butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
Grated rind from 1 lemon
½ cup fresh lemon juice

- In a mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Stir in the melted butter.

The filling is now ready to use.