L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 8 Taste of Italy: A Palette of Unique Adventures to Enchant the Senses Pauline Smarrella Lane brings "Cooking with Noni" to Portland "Whatever satisfies the soul is truth." This quote by Walt Whitman embodies the mission of Taste of Italy, a company that offers culinary tours of Tuscany. A s trid Ens ign, founder and owner, states, "Taste of Italy is more than a culinary tour - it is a carefully chos en palette of unique adventures designed to enchant each of the senses." When Astrid was in the fifth grade, s he encountered a National Geographic article. It was about Italy, and from that point on she was determined. She knew she had to get herself to Italy, and she dedicated her- self to this mission. Astrid man- aged to save enough money by the age of fifteen to spend a year studying abroad in a small town in Veneto, Italy. "The experience transformed my life," says Astrid. "Later I found myself working with a culinary s chool in various regions of Italy and my brief stay turned into five years." Astrid was inspired by the Italians' innate passion for life. "It is beautiful and infectious," she says. At an early age she was greatly influenced by the way the Italians live and their unique approach to community and food. Taste of Italy provides cultur- al tasting tours, and clients are able to s pend time cooking together in the Italian's homes. "It is a way to share the beauty of how they live." These experiences are not just stumbled upon while traveling through Italy. Part of the gastro- nomic adventure means going to meet the artisans and their edible craft - the vintner, olive oil arti- san, chef, truffle hunter, cheese maker, and butcher. Each artisan has been sought out not only for their specialized techniques, but also for their knowledge and dynamic personalities. When you join Taste of Italy on a culinary journey, you will experience a seven-day tasting and walking tour in Tuscany. The firs t leg of the journey begins in the heart of the Renaissance with daily excur- sions outside of Florence. The latter half is spent venturing into the Tuscan countryside to visit other medieval villages. You will learn how to make a favorite Florentine pasta dish, Pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and then enjo y it w ith new friends at the chef's table. You will also ascend the cobblestones to a hilltop cathedral to hear antiquity come to life and listen to G regorian chanting by Olivetan monks. Travelers will enjoy making wild fennel salami with the vil- lage butcher, and then cross the Arno River through the secret V as ari corrido r us ed by the Medici family, traveling into the hills to hunt the highly prized white truffles. Following the hunt, you will taste their unusual and delicate flavor prepared in a rustic country feast at the truffle hunter's home. Paired with walking, each day there is a morning and afternoon gastronomic or cultural activity. Enjoy an outdoor market tour, food or wine tasting with an arti- san, museum visit, or a hands-on culinary lesson. These activities are all balanced with individual free time so travelers can engage in other personal pursuits. When as ked about her favorite experiences , A s trid answers, "A land and a sea expe- rience stands out. Tasting sea urchins directly from the sea was a true sensorial memory. We got to dive and gather urchins from TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON the seaside cliffs, but the biggest challenge was to pry them open for tasting without getting punc- tured!" "Another favorite experience was on a farm observing a shep- herd milk his sheep and proceed to make a large pot of ricotta over a wood fire using the same stirring spoon his great-grandfa- ther had used before him. We then collected tarantella-figs off the trees and savored them in combination. The flavor pairing of ricotta being so fresh (it was still warm), and perfectly ripe figs was like nothing I have ever tasted." Choosing a favorite food is eas y. "The elegantly s imple peasant soup, ribollita, is on the top of my list. Vegetables and beans are significant elements in the Tus can diet, this hearty bread and winter vegetable stew is a perfect comfort food. This dish also stars the special indige- nous zolfino beans." "Another favorite is Chianina tartar or bistecca alla fiorentina," continues Astrid. "The Chianina cow is an autochthonous species that has been sustainably raised in Tus cany s ince the age of Etruscans, over 2200 years ago. It is prepared simply with salt, pepper, and of course a drizzle of olive oil." Taste of Italy's next culinary Tuscan tours are scheduled for September 6-12 and September 13-19, 2015. There will be sev- eral opportunities to meet Astrid and get a Tas te of Italy in Portland at her Tuscan inspired pop-up dinners and Italian tast- ing events. She is also present- ing at the local Amici d'Italia meeting in May. For more information, con- tact A s trid at as trid@ tas teitaly.org or vis it www.tasteitaly.org Astrid Ensign with client at local Italian market. One of the highlights of Taste of Italy tours is experiencing Italian markets and learning how to buy and cook with the freshest ingredients Mar. 13, Fri. – Winter Social with Portland Bologna Sister City Association at 5:30pm in the Portland Art Museum's Stephens Room. Wine, antipasti and tour of Italian Fashion Exhibit. Tickets $30. Purchase tickets by March 9 at www.portland-bologna.org Mar. 16, Mon. – Sons of Italy Vancouver USA Book Club at 7:00pm in Barnes & Noble, 7700 NE Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, WA. Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walker is the book of the month. For information, contact Barbara Blair at (360) 253-7984. Mar. 18, Wed. – Festa Italiana Association monthly meeting at 7:00pm in the St. Luke Room at St. Philip Neri Parish Center, SE 16th and Division Street. For information, contact Barbara Blair at (360) 253-7984. Mar. 22, Sun. – Italian Hour on KBOO 90.7 FM from 9:00 to 10:00am. Hosts Lucia Galiza, Andrea Scasso and Robert Iannacone play contemporary and classic Italian music. Featuring news of the local Italian community. Listen online at www.kboo.fm Mar. 24, Tues. – Italian Memorial Window Committee meeting at 7:00pm in Balestra Hall, St. Michael the Archangel Church, 424 SW Mill Street in Portland. For information, contact Kerry-Lynne Demarinis Brown at difamiglia@aol.com Accompanied by her hus- band, daughters and grandsons, author Pauline Smarrella Lane made the trip from Eugene to Portland to share her childhood memories and family recipes at a recent Amici d'Italia meeting. Her recently published cook- book and homemade goodies w e r e t h e h i g h l i g h t s o f t h e evening. "It was amazing to see how my mother's stories – stories I had grown up hearing – resonat- ed so deeply with members of Amici d'Italia," said daughter Kathleen. Daughter Cristianne echoed her sister's sentiments. "We w e r e g r a t e f u l t o s p e n d t i m e w i t h s o m a n y o t h e r I t a l i a n - Americans who are proud of their heritage." Born in Ohio, Pauline grew up surrounded by Italians in a tight-knit community. After they married in 1964, she and her husband moved to Eugene, Oregon – a place that seemed d e v o i d o f a n y t h i n g I t a l i a n . KERRY-LYNNE DEMARINIS BROWN Pauline missed the Italian cul- ture, especially after her three little girls were born. During trips back to Ohio, she learned to cook the Italian f o o d s h e m i s s e d a n d w o u l d r e t u r n t o E u g e n e w i t h h u g e boxes of Italian food staples. S h e b e g a n t o t e a c h c o o k i n g classes and told stories to her children and grandchildren so they could appreciate the contri- butions that Italians made to this country. About 15 years ago, Pauline put together a cookbook. It was only twenty hand-typed pages between heavy paper covers and bound together with a twig and twine but it became a trea- sured gift. More cookbooks followed until, encouraged by her family, Pauline decided it was time to record the recipes and stories into a more compre- hensive (and better bound!) vol- ume. T h e r e s u l t w a s " C o o k i n g with Noni," a book that reads l i k e a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h a favorite aunt or nonna. The recipes use familiar ingredients a n d i n s t r u c t i o n s a r e s i m p l e . Little tips and stories scattered throughout the book keep you turning the pages. C o p i e s o f " C o o k i n g w i t h N o n i " a r e a v a i l a b l e o n Amazon.com and Powells.com Pauline Smarrella Lane

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