Food Lover's Odyssey

The Dish From Italy and Liguria - Fish Ravioli in a Seafood Sauce

Is it only people in the food industry that have in-depth discussions about the dishes that would be part of their last meal?  Maybe.  After one forkful of this dish, Ravioli di Pesce ai Fruitti di Mare, maybe even after one sniff of the dish, I knew it would forever be included in my last meal menu.

The ravioli di pesce (fish ravioli), black and white ravioli (the black coming from the nero di seppie), enrobe a flaky fish filling.  The ravioli were good on their own, but what pushed the dish to "most memorable" status were the fruits of the sea and the sauce.  The juices, released by the opening of the shellfish, were the main flavor of a sauce of pure simplicity.  Only a little herbs, tomatoes and maybe wine were added.  The waitress brought it to me in a covered metal bowl.   The dish was recommended to me by locals, so I didn't know exactly what was under the lid. Scents of the sweet and salty sea floated up as I lifted the lid revealing ravioli mingled together with mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp.  It's a feast of all my favorite things; pasta, seafood, and the sauce brought it all together.  I used all of the bread they gave me to mop up the last drippings of sauce.

The restaurant, Il Desco dei Fieschi, is in Lavagna.  Lavagna is one of the coastal towns I visited in my attempts to find one as charming as any of the Cinque Terre.  In terms of charm, Lavagna, which means slate and chalkboard in Italian, lives up to its name.  Maybe that was a little harsh.  Lavagna has its required stretch of an umbrella lined beach, grand old villas with flower box windows, ornate door and window trimmings, and Tromp L'Oeil facades.  Placed anywhere else, Lavagna would sparkle.  But, when it's next to gems like Camogli, The Cinque Terre, Portofino, etc. it doesn't shine.  They do have one very interesting festival every August 14, the Torta dei Fieschi. It's a colorful medevial celebration through the streets and ends under the Torre Fieschi (Fieschi Tower). There a gigantic cake (torta) is sliced and handed out to those who have found the matching half of their tickets, to symbolize finding one's anima gemella (soul mate).

I have to thank the very kind people at Hotel Stella di Mare in Lavagna for suggesting I try out the restaurant and this dish. Even though Lavagna doesn't win in the charm category, I will return, if only for the ravioli di pesce ai frutti di mare.  In fact I have to return again, because it’s now on the menu for the last meal I’ll ever eat.

 

Il Desco Dei Fieschi is located in Piazza della Liberta, 42 – phone: 0039 0185 392765

Lavagna is an hour train ride from Genova and  a 30-minute train ride from Monterosso.

 

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What dish would be part of your last meal?  Where would you want to eat it?

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Dish From Italy and Liguria - Risotto alle Due

Dish From Italy and Liguria - Trofie al Pesto

Camogli - One of the Many Picturesque Towns in Liguria

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

 

The Dish from Italy: Trofie al Pesto

 

  

Trofie al Pesto is probably the most famous of dishes from Liguria. The dense green pesto wraps itself around each turn of the trofie, and in each strip of pasta there is a taste of Liguria.  There are only seven ingredients in the pesto sauce; basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, two types of cheese, pine nuts, and salt.   

  

The official recipe for Pesto Genovese makes it clear that not any ingredient will do.  The ingredient list calls for very specific types of ingredients and those of the highest quality.  The basil must be basilico Genovese, of course, and it states that the basil should also be young and fresh (giovane e fresco).  The olive oil should be extra-virgin, from Liguria and not be too strong.  The garlic should be sweet and of the best quality.  The Parmigiano Reggiano must be DOP grade and the Pecorino can only come from one of four regions; Rome, Tuscany, Sardegna or Sicily.  If your pesto doesn’t meet the list of requirements, you cannot call it Pesto Genovese.

 

  

The directions for preparing the pesto, at times reads more like the Kama Sutra.  They begin by stating, “To make real Pesto Genovese you need a marble mortar, a wood pestle and a lot of work and patience.”  The directions continue on like this: Add a little of the salt and a little of the basil leaves, don't add either all at once. With a gentle and prolonged movement rotate the pestle against the mortar to slowly coax the flavor from the leaves.  Your movements should not be too harsh or too slow.  Too harsh and you risk bruising the leaves and making them bitter, too slow and you risk oxidation.  (I had to double check that I was actually reading a cooking recipe and not something else.)  The official recipe allows for making pesto in a food processor, but warns that it won’t be as good (nor as fun).  Along with an official recipe, there is also a Pesto Genovese Consortium, and a bi-yearly Pesto Championship.  Ligurians take their pesto seriously.

  

 

  

You might be inclined to think that with all these rules and regulations, all the pesto in Liguria is about the same.  Hardly.  Each home, trattoria and restaurant has its own uniquely flavored and textured pesto.  (I guess it’s all in the wrist motion of the maker.) Some are good, while some sauces are thin, watery even, and lacking much basil flavor.  Others are thick, chewy and an overdose of basil.  For me a perfect pesto keeps basil as the star but brings all the other ingredients together in a way that creates a balance of density and creaminess.

  

One of my favortie pesto sauces comes from Ristorante Pizzeria Vulnetia in Vernazza (the Cinque Terre).  Vulnetia, with its small cluster of umbrellas, hides in the corner of Piazza Marconi, the piazza on the marina.  It can easily get lost amongst the bigger umbrellas of the other guide-book listed trattorie in the piazza, but it's definitely worth a visit.

Daily Dish from Italy and Liguria: Risotto alle Due

 

Most people would say they worked up their appetite in the Cinque Terre by hiking the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path) that links the five towns of the Cinque Terre together.  The hike is something one should do in a lifetime; however,  I would suggest pacing yourself as the total hike is about 5 1/2 hours.  The walk from Monterosso to Vernazza is about a 1 ½ hour hike with a steep incline.  The views of the towns as you walk down into them will take your heaving breath away.

Since I’ve done the hike a few times, I decided instead to work up my appetite by laying under one of the colorful umbrellas along Monterosso's beach, swimming a few laps, and watching men in speedos walk by (yet another reason why I love Italy).

For dinner, I decided to stay in Monterosso.  Seafood (frutti di mare) and Risotto make one of the most beautiful combinations.  The rice, while not as creamy as other risotto dishes, is full of the flavors of the sea.  The only problem is that you need a minimum of two people to order it.  You'll usually see the dish on the menu as Risotto alle Due.  I was dining solo but REALLY wanted seafood risotto.  I asked the waiter if I could order it only for myself.  He said YES!  I was so excited, that I picked the first “risotto alle due” on the menu without looking to see that it was risotto al nero di seppierisotto ai frutti di mare instead of .  Those of you that read my post on Nero di Seppie from Venice know that it’s a dish I had only planned on trying once.  Risotto ai frutti di mare, on the other hand, is quite possibly my all-time favorite dish in Italy.  My disappointment when I saw the dish of black rice the waiter set in front of me was worse than that of a child whose sand castle was just demolished by a wave.  But, what could I do?  I didn't want to say, "Oh, I made a mistake and meant to order the second risotto alle due on the menu" (called risotto alla marinara, NOT this black plate you've specially prepared for me (called risotto Lampara on the menu)  So, I ate some, and some more, and some more.  After my third serving, I picked the rest of the calamari out of the risotto because I was just too stuffed to finish the whole bowl.

 

Chef Ciak runs things from his long narrow kitchen at the back of the dining area.  One side of the kitchen has all the seafood used in the dishes on ice and ready to go.  The other side has stoves ablaze as “Ciak” moves swiftly from one dish to the other preparing each dish looking up only to call for a pick up.  The waiters call out the orders and when Chef Ciak's finished he calls back to them to pick it up.  If waiters don't pick up the order quickly enough, a louder shout comes from the kitchen. 

I’ve been to Ristorante Ciak, also called La Lampara, many times before and every dish I’ve had there is delicious, but the Risotto ai frutti di mare is still my favorite.  Other dishes I’ve had that are good are the spaghetti allo scoglio and spaghetti al pesto.  The antipasto selection also looks good, and is on the list to try on my next visit. 

 

Besides the delicious meal, another good thing about staying in Monterosso for dinner was the view of the beach under the moonlight.

Related Posts:

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Neapolitan Style Mussels

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

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Daily Dish from Italy and Liguria: Spaghetti allo Scoglio

 

After working for most of June in France (a subject of several posts to come), I’m spending July in Italy.  The plan was to spend 5 days in Milan.  Milan was hotter than Hades, humid and smoggier than Los Angeles on a bad day.  I’d try to put makeup on but was sweating it off before I even finished putting it on.  After the third day of this heat and the inability to wear makeup, I chucked all my plans and got on a morning train to the Cinque Terre.  

I had no reservation for a hotel or room, but I desperately needed fresh air and the sea.  I called a number I had for the affitacamera (room for rent) I rented last year.  They didn’t have a room but gave me a number of a friend.  The friend only had an apartment.  We were disconnected before I could ask what was certain to be an outrageous price.  When I called back, they just told me to meet them at the COOP when I got into town.  At the COOP, I was greeted by Gemmina and his “friend” who had a room available.  The friend, Ilario, tossed my 50 pound suitcase, which I not-so-fondly call la bestia viola (purple beast), over his shoulder and led me to my room.  Yes, I know how lucky I am--a room at the last minute, for a great price, on Sunday in the Cinque Terre AND someone to carry my over-packed suitcase up the 60 or so steps!

Two of the top reasons why I love Italy are the sea and its seafood, so my first meal in the Cinque Terre was something from the sea, Spaghetti allo Scoglio (spaghetti with crustaceans).  Scoglio in Italian literally means rock, or the seashore bluffs, on or near which the crustaceans live. The dish included mussels, clams, and shrimp.  The sauce’s main flavor comes from the juices that the mussels, clams and shrimp release as they cook.  Olive oil, a little pinch of hot peppers (pepperoncini), and parsley finish the sauce, maybe one tomato and white wine are in the sauce, too.  I had this at the Taverna del Capitano on the Marina in Vernazza.  I think those yellow umbrellas to the left of the photo are from del Capitano.

While traveling through Italy, internet access isn‘t easily available, so  I will keep posts short--sometimes sweet and sometimes savory--and as frequent as possible.  They’ll include the regional or local dish from wherever I am in Italy and a little “dish“ on my travels.  

I love Vernazza, it’s a long row of multicolored houses, with only one main street that leads from the train station straight to the cove that makes up the harbor and its rocky beach.  Monterosso with its turquoise sea and umbrella-lined pebble beach is where I‘ll be tomorrow, either swimming or laying on my lettino (sun bed).  I think I’ve been coming to the Cinque Terre every year for far too long because the restaurateurs recognize me.  A sure sign (sigh) that it's about time I ventured out a bit.  After my 4 days here, I’ll see if I can find another Ligurian town as charming as the Cinque Terre.  That's gonna be a hard task, but we'll see what I can find.

 

 

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What are your top reasons for loving Italy?  What is your favorite beach in Italy?

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