THE BIRTHDAY DINNER
Sometimes we do a Google search to find a restaurant … sometimes we ask the friendly natives for recommendations … and sometimes we just wander around and look for a place that catches our fancy. It was David’s birthday, so it was totally his decision.
Now that we live in the countryside, we sometimes are amazed at the hustle and bustle of a city … so much traffic, motorcycles and mopeds zooming everywhere, and people people people walking purposefully. A few short years seem to have erased perpetual rush hour from our Los Angeles memory banks.
As we walked around Milan, it seemed that a lot of restaurants were closed on Monday. David spotted a place with a light on across a broad street … Big Santa Monica/Little Santa Monica. We crossed, cautiously (always very cautiously) and stopped to read the menu. A pretty, young waitress came outside … and when we told her that we were celebrating a birthday, she said she would give us a dessert.
We were sold.
The trattoria was decorated with large, hammered-steel wine vats hanging high on the walls, with the kitchen in the middle … glass and pink tiles. A bin of sparkling wines sat invitingly.
Only six tables had diners. I guess the Milanese don’t eat out on Mondays. There was a group of six woman at a table near the window, behind me. I sat facing the kitchen, though the half wall prevented me from seeing the actual slicing and sauteing. A young couple sat on one side, an older couple on the other. Everyone spoke sottovoce, enjoying their meals.
We had been exploring Milan all day … the Duomo, Galleria, Santa Maria della Grazie … and nibbling along with way. A panino here, an aperitivo there … this was an especially good evening to share our meal. We do that a lot.
The owner came over to be our waiter and wine guide. And the waitress came by periodically make sure we liked the various dishes.
Our antipasto choice was easy … warm octopus salad. And it did not disappoint. The octopus was chewy and perfectly cooked … the crunchy leeks were so flavorful (I’ve cooked leeks many times, but they’ve only been crispy by accident [wink] … now I will do it intentionally) … and mashed potatoes that were smooth and silky. It was a great mixture of textures, with the tender meatiness of the octopus and the crackly crispiness of the leeks and the creamy creaminess of the potatoes. Note to self … add octopus to your repertoire. You already know that it has to be boiled with a cork, and everything tastes great on the grill.
We drank Falanghina by the glass.
The young couple ordered gamberetti … shrimp. David is allergic, so the times I eat crustaceans are few and far between. I looked and glanced and watched (having studied, nay been the subject, for years under the steady stare of a hungry cat) in the hopes that they would notice my quivering lower lip and offer me a morsel to try. It has worked in the past … but not tonight.
For our primo, we took the owner’s advice … Spaghetti Nerano, a classic from Naples, he said. The spaghetti is tossed with fried zucchini, basil and copious of amounts of parmigiano … that cling seductively to the fork. I asked for the recipe … and the owner said it was easy to find online. And what creates that sauciness? It’s vegetable butter. I had never heard of that … he repeated it. So when I looked up Spaghetti Nerano, I looked that up, too. It’s shea or cocoa butter. Apparently, it’s not just for tanning anymore. Guess who has 16 zucchini plants in the yard? (That’s not a typo … sixteen.) And basil.
Tagliata coi porcini was our secondo. The sliced steak was tender and flavorful and rare … and topped with a generous amount of porcini. It was indulgence on a fork. To drink, David chose a Chianti Classico. At 15%, it was full-bodied and bold, and our friend Bill would have loved it. The richness of the meat and wine were an excellent pairing.
We had a tossed salad to cleanse our palates before dessert.
As the waitress walked by, we reminded her of her offer for a birthday dessert. She talked with the owner who told us that he would decide. I had seen something chocolate … an apple whatever … and tiramisu.
We finished our second glass of Chianti while we waited.
The music had been on a short loop of songs, but suddenly “Happy Birthday” began playing. The owner came out carrying a plate with a little round dome of chocolate with a blue candle flickering. The staff and all of the patrons sang Happy Birthday … and David blew out the candle. It was warm chocolate cake sitting in a pool of cool vanilla custard. Yes.
It’s always so pleasant to stroll home, lingering in the cool spring evening, after a wonderful meal. The birthday boy and his wife were happy. Maybe they held hands [wink].
Marcellino Pane e Vino … Milan.
SPAGHETTI NERANO
This is a classic dish from Naples. Instead of frying the zucchini, I saute it.
1 lb. spaghetti
4 large zucchini, quartered and sliced into thin rings (or 6 smaller zucchini, halved and sliced)
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
5 oz. parmigiano … grated (do NOT use a microplane)
2 oz. (4 Tbl.) butter
12 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
- In a frying pan large enough to hold the spaghetti, heat the olive oil, and saute the zucchini until it starts to brown. Add the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt. Cook spaghetti until barely al dente.
- When the zucchini is soft and lightly browned, remove ⅓ to ½ of them from the pan … puree.
- Save some of the pasta cooking liquid. Drain spaghetti.
- Add spaghetti into the frying pan, then add the pureed zucchini and the butter. Turn heat to very low.
- Toss a few times, then add the parmigiano and the basil. Toss well to distribute the ingredients, adding pasta cooking liquid if it seems too dry.
- Serve.
Enjoy!
