Just like Heaven: Pistacchi Trevani

     Though the odds were against me today-transportation strike in Rome, a train that was 50 minutes late and no buses to be found-I managed to make it on time to lead a culinary stroll throughout central Rome.  We usually wander around the markets, get some amazing coffee at Café S. Eustachio, eat treats in the Jewish Quarter and then have a Grattachecca, or Roman ice.  Today, my clients had already done all of those things, so I had to find a foodie paradise, and fast.  We took a taxi to a gourmand’s paradise, and they went to town.  All I could think about was whether I would be coming up to another 3 kilos of zucchini and if I did, what the heck was I going to do with them.  I admit, I was spaced out.  Until Mr. Gourmand had us tasting the 25 yrs old  Aceto Basalmico Tradizionale di Modena, which was itself quite divine.   If I believed in a god, it would be only under such circumstances as having tasted something so divine.  But no, the taste of heaven I had today were the pistachio cookies I sampled and of course, bought, that come from the town of Trevi, which is near Perugia.  

     Finding delicious cookies or sweets in Europe that are not full of eggs, butter and cream can be difficult, but in some parts of Italy, they are common.  These cookies are not at all beautiful; they are bright green with nuts falling out of them.  They look like oatmeal cookies on acid.  They do not, however, taste anything like oatmeal cookies, or any cookie on acid.    They are called Pistacchi Trevani, or Pistachio of Trivia.  They are made of a simple blend of almond paste, pistachio paste, and pistachios.  The paste from the nuts if made from the shelled and skinned nuts mixed with sugar until a heavy paste is formed.  They do not contain any flour, gluten, eggs, or dairy.  They are very rich, so one is, by far, plenty.  They are slightly baked on the outside, pasty on the inside and have an extra crunch due to the pistachio nuts that are added.  I love that they are bright green and look messy.  They do fall apart very easily.  What makes them special is that they have lovely sweet and nutty aromas. 

These were a pleasant surprise to discover while working.  These culinary tours will end up costing me more than I will ever make.  I can’t help myself.  At ever corner in Rome there is amazing tasty food that just begs to be sampled, from pizza Bianca (white pizza) to Roman shaved ice to fried artichokes.  I can barely walk 5 minutes without having to stop and eat something because it either looks so good from the window or there is a decadent aroma coming from its kitchen. 

I think these cookies would be fairly easy to make.  When I was looking them up I found many blogs referring to the pistachio cookies from Sicily that taste like heaven.  In fact, I do think they seem more Sicilian in origin than Umbrian, as Sicilian desserts often rely on nut pastes instead of flour.   Luckily, Ettore did not think they were Just like Heaven, and that translates into...more for ME.  

I think these would be extra special with a chilled passito, such as a Passito di Lampedusa.

Wherever they are from, they are DIVINE.  


Note: Some Almond Paste Contains Eggs.

Swimming in Zucchini

2011 has been a fruitful year so far in terms of our garden.   The zucchini are the most productive vegetable of the entire garden.  Yesterday I harvested over 3 kilos of zucchini, and that was after I had harvested the zucchini patch two days prior.  They grow so fast I can't keep up with them.  Planting, caring for and then harvesting these vegetables has been very gratifying work.  I have long hot days in Rome and I look forward to digging in the earth, tending to the garden and being able to harvest fresh vegetables for the dinner table.  I love knowing where my food is coming from.  I also enjoy being a guest at a friend's house and instead of bringing a store bought bottle of wine, I bring vegetables I have produced.  All of my local friends can look forward to receiving lots of zucchini as there is no way we will eat them as fast as they are growing.
     On some days I will pick zucchini in the morning and go back in the late afternoon before sunset and there are already more to be picked.  I plan to leave a few on the plants so I can have larger ones for stuffing.  There are so many great vegan recipes that use zucchini, and I imagine I will have to use as many as I can so that I do not get bored with eating these lovely vegetables that are an excellent source of fiber, potassium. vitamin A, and magnesium.  
     I am looking forward to summer pasta salads with zucchini, zucchini bread, pickled zucchini, blending them into a smoothie for added nutrition in my diet, eating them raw with hummus, and more.  What are your favorite zucchini dishes?

This is one of my own favorite recipes for zucchini.  

A Revolution of the Heart by Gary Francione

The following can be found on the www.abolitionistapproach.com site.  Only abolition will do and veganism is the moral baseline.

Dear Colleagues:

Many animal advocates assume that we need an organization–some organization–in order to advocate for nonhuman animals; that we need a leader–some leader–to show us the way.

I suggest that this is the wrong way to look at things.

Unfortunately, in a world in which everything is commodified, social justice has, not unsurprisingly, itself become a commodity and it is sold, in various flavors, by corporations that compete for shares in the market for compassion. These companies have done a marvelous job in convincing us that participation in all moral struggles, including and particularly the struggle for animals, means writing a check–to them.

In a world in which we accept a thousand different hierarchies without even noticing that we do so, and without even questioning the very concept of hierarchy, we assume that we need leaders to show us the way. These leaders are generally the executives of the compassion companies. And merely to disagree with their pronouncements is to be branded as “purist,” “elitist,” divisive,” as a “basher” or one who “vilifies,” or as one who “does not care about animal suffering,” etc., etc., etc.

I suggest that this way of thinking stands in the way of achieving the goal that we seek.

We are not going to get anywhere by tinkering at the edges. We are not going to get anywhere by promoting cage-free eggs, “happy” meat, or organic milk. We are not going to get anywhere by sitting naked in cages and proclaiming that we are pandering to the sexism that insidiously corrodes our culture “for the animals.” That whole approach merely reinforces the notion that we can consume our way out of injustice; that we can trade one form of exploitation for another; that we can buy compassion. We can’t.

In a world in which women, people of color, children, the elderly, the mentally disabled, the poor, and other humans are treated as second class citizens (at best) by the select patriarchy that runs the show, nonhuman animals are, in many ways, the most vulnerable among us. We can not only torture and kill them with complete impunity, we are expected to do so. Although violence against another human may incur some form of social criticism or even a criminal sanction, violence against nonhumans is generally considered as a virtue, particularly when it is declared to be “humane.” Those who refuse to participate in the carnage are regarded as abnormal and antisocial–even by, and particularly by, the large animal organizations that proclaim that to eschew all animal products and promote veganism as a moral baseline is “extreme.”

It is wrong to characterize the farmers or vivisectors or furriers as our “enemies.” They are simply fulfilling a demand–from us. They are simply doing what we want them to do.They are not the problem–we are.

The abolition of animal exploitation requires a paradigm shift. It requires that we reject violence at its most fundamental level. It requires a recognition that violence is inherently wrong.

The abolition of animal exploitation requires a nonviolent revolution–a revolution of the heart.

That revolution is not going to occur as the result of any leader. It can only occur within each and every one of us. And it can if we want it to. We do not need leaders. We need to recognize that each of us can–and must–become a leader if we have any hope of sorting out this mess that we call our world. That starts with our own veganism–not as some sort of “flexitarian lifestyle” issue–but as a basic, fundamental, and non-negotiable commitment to nonviolence. Ethical veganism represents our commitment to the notion that we have no moral justification for using animals–however “humanely”–for our purposes. It continues with our daily efforts to educate others in creative, positive, and nonviolent ways about veganism–something that each of us can do if we want to. Every day, we have opportunities to educate family, friends, colleagues at work, and people that we encounter in a store or on a bus. Is it easier to write a check to someone else than do the work ourselves? Of course it is. But it won’t work.

To achieve justice, we do not need corporations. Indeed, the more that we rely on them, the further we will stray from our goal. We need a grassroots movement that demands peace in a peaceful way.

Unfortunately, animal organizations have become modern sellers of indulgences similar to the medieval Catholic Church. Many–perhaps most–people have some concern about the matter of animal exploitation. Many have nagging guilt about continuing to consume animals products. Many love their nonhuman companions and treat them as family members, but stick forks into other animals and, on some level, recognize the moral disconnect. But not to worry. Make a donation and these groups will make it all better. They will “minimize” animal suffering; they will “abolish” the worst abuses.

I suggest that just as buying an indulgence from the Church would not keep you out of hell if hell exists, buying a few shares of cage-free egg compassion from some organization is not going to keep animals out of the hell that most certainly exists for them and in which they suffer and die every day. We need to change the way in which humans think about nonhumans; we need to change the way that humans think about violence. Whether it’s wars to achieve peace, or sexism to achieve gender equality, or more “humane” animal torture to achieve greater consciousness about animals, we need to challenge the very notion that violence can be used as a means to some laudable end.

Please understand that I am not saying that those involved in the welfare or new welfare groups are insincere. For so long, we have all been told that it’s the only way. That it is welfare reform or nothing. I am not making any moral judgment about them as individuals and I hope that they are not making any moral judgment about me even though they reject the abolitionist approach to animal rights that I have developed and defend. I just disagree with them, and I point to the present state of affairs as compelling proof that their approach to the problem simply is not working.

If anyone regards these comments as “bashing” or “vilifying” anyone, please know that certainly was not my intention.

Gary L. Francione
© 2009 Gary L. Francione

Wines of Lazio: Regillo Frascati Superiore

Regillo 

Frascati

D.O.C.

Superiore

2009

Tenuta di Pietra Porzia

   I've been on a Frascati kick lately.  The spring is here, finally, it is heating up, and I am working hard in my garden, so I like to enjoy a crisp Frascati at dinner most nights.  Tenuta di Pietra Porzia makes one of my favorite go-to table wines.  It is a bargain at €5 a bottle at the supermarket.  In fact, it is one of the only supermarket wines I will buy anymore.  It has an interesting name that evokes the pre-Roman history of the area.  In image on the label depicts the Dioscuri, the twins sons of Zeus.  The name refers not only to the ancient history, but to the terroir of the area. 

The Castelli Romani is most well known as an agriculturally rich area due to the now extinct volcanoes that gave the area its mineral rich soils.  The Regillo Frascati certainly does not disappoint those who want to taste the minerality in their wines.  

     Before the hills of Rome were finally assimilated by the Romans, a group of people known as the Latins held on for as long as possible to their lands and way of life.  But it was not to be.  Anyone familiar with ancient history knows that one can never escapes ones fate.  Rome had the hand of the gods on their side.  

According to their website: 

496 a.C, in a large amphitheatre with the lake Regillo in the middle, an hard battle took place between Romans and Latinos; in the crucial moment, descended from the sky the Dioscuri, the two twins born by Jupiter, and led the Romans to triumph!

The battle theater is today the Tenuta di Pietra Porzia, a small river that runs in the centre of the estate reminds of the ancient lake, the cave with her long passages, excavated in Roman Empire Age, testifies an agricultural tradition and on 1714 the estate was divided between the proprieties of Pope Clemente XI and the one belonging to Prince Borghese. 

The date 1892, engraved in the bricks, reminds the birth of the modern cellar, that replaces the ancient cellar excavated in the tuff in the Roman Empire time. 

Let's hope this wine lives up to its magnificent past!

     Regillo Frascati is made up of two aromatic white grapes, Malvasia di Candia and Malvasia del Lazio and also contains the grapes Trebbiano, Bombino and Greco. The color is a rich hay yellow.   It has lovely fruity and floral aromas at first which then lead us to more complexity with mineral and herbal notes.  The fruits are typical and rich.  I was at once reminded of apricots, citrus, and pears.   Spring orange flowers, nuts, and maple with notes of fresh cut grass.  

The wine is perfect for an late afternoon glass of wine, pre-dinner drink, or with a light vegetable rich dinner.  I love this with Pasta Fagioli and grilled veggies.  It is light and refreshingly crisp.  In a nutshell, a crisp, dry, medium bodied, aromatic and fragrant wine.  

Enjoy after a long day of gardening! 

    

Introducing Uva!

Uva is our new oldie but goodie. After Tiki Dance and Bumba died, we knew that we could not deny love to another old dog who has suffered so much. She comes to us from a dog pound in southern Lazio, in Frosinone. She is about 10-11 years old and spent 8 of those years in a concrete cell, and was let out maybe 20 minutes a month. She seems both pointer and wolf. She has a very timid personality, and she is very affectionate. She smelled like rotten feces and piss. She probably had 8 years of it encrusted into her fur. I doubt she ever had a bath before. We gave her a DEEP cleaning. She has rotten teeth and a bad case of gum disease, but we will fix that too. She doesn't get that cats are her friends, though she is not violent with them. And she doesn't come upstairs or sleep in a soft dog bed. She likes the bath mat I put down for her on the floor near the sofa. I doubt she has ever had a comfort in her life. Her name was ULTIMA which means last, because she was always the invisible dog that nobody ever came for or looked at so she was the last one. Uva means grape. She is part of our wine loving family now. Along with Chardonnay  and Bellone, our two boys I found abandoned as puppies.




UPDATE:  Uva now sleeps in a soft dog bed.  It took her a good 4-5 days to understand it was all hers all the time.  I can't wait for the summer to go to the mountains for two weeks with her and the boys.  I love Uva!

Uva with her first dog bed.  She has taken possession of it and it is now her favorite place in the world.  Simple pleasures are what makes old dogs a real joy.  Thank you Uva for bringing JOY back into out home.  

Adopting an old dog can be heart breaking because you do not have as much time, but they deserve it. If you can open your heart adopt an old dog. You may be their last chance. 

Goodbye My Dear Friends

Tiki Dance and Bumba

Bumba and Tiki Dance enjoying the sofa

I have not been cooking lately.  In fact, I haven’t been doing much of anything these days.  I do not want to be creative; I can barely get out of bed.  My purpose for getting out of bed is gone.  My family, devastated.  On the 18^th of February, I lost two of my best friends in the world, Tiki Dance and Bumba.  I am having a hard time coping these days, which is why there haven’t been updates or new recipes on my blog.  I miss my friends, and I can’t seem to move forward without them. 

     Bumba was a very special dog for us.  When we decided to buy the house we are living in now, the first thing I wanted to do was adopt an old dog from a dog pound.  I found Bumba online through Ulmino, and she seemed perfect.  She was about 13-14 yrs old and had been in a concrete cell for 12 years at the kennel of Rieti, one of the worst and most hopeless dog pounds in the Rome area.  I honestly have no idea how she survived.  At one time this kennel was sequestered because it broke welfare laws and all common decency.  Dog were left exposed to die, to live with dog corpses,  feces, waste and to brave the elements.  Bumba survived this.  We drove up to Rieti on May 1^st of 2010 and took her out of the hell.  And what a gift she was!  Bumba was one of the most spirited souls I have ever known.  She survived hell, and then, within two days of having a home,  it was as if that life never existed for her.  She lived in the now and forgave us.  She was a hurricane, vivacious, loving and patient.  We got only 9 months with her.  And every day of those nine months was a complete joy of life.  When we would take her on walks she galloped as if she were the wind, as if she had channeled Zephyr himself.  She smiled, integrated with our other boys and was friendly with the cats.  I remember when I first saw her photo online.  It was her in a cage, there was shit all over the place, and yet, she was smiling.  That is Bumba.   Bumba, hurricane and life lover.  She was force to be reckoned with.  Whenever we tried to tell her, “no,” her attitude was, “I don’t think so, lady.”  We didn’t want her in bed at first.  She would get in bed and we would try to kick her out.  She would hold fast and not budge until we finally settled for the two inch corner she left for us.  If she wanted something, she took it.  She was a fighter, but also lover.  She was the soul mate of Tiki Dance.

     At the beginning of February, I took all the dogs on a walk around the vineyards.  It was sunny, and Bumba was running like the wind as usual.  When we got home, Ettore and I noticed that she had difficulty breathing, the vet advised us to bring her in.  She never came back.  She developed edema of the heart and lungs and fought for 8 days.  We visited her every day, and she was warm and happy to see us, but her tenacity was no longer there.   Unfortunately she developed lung cancer due to exposure to asbestos in the dog pound.  Apparently very common in dog pounds in Italy.  During those 8 days we still lived our normal lives with our other 3 dogs, Tiki Dance, Chardonnay, and Benny Boo Boo.  Out home felt empty without her, but I think especially for Tiki. 

     Tiki Dance was a very special Yorkshire Terrier we adopted 2 years ago from a horrible situation.  He lived his entire life in a mechanic's garage, was found wandering the Appian Way, “rescued” by a girl who threw him outside on a balcony to brave the elements and to live in his own feces and to live alone.      When we went to take him, he came down the stairs, into the living room and did a tiki dance.  It was love at first site for Ettore.  We took him home, got him groomed, as he was full of dreads and conjunctivitis, and eventually he became the prince of the bed.  Talk about a couch potato!  Tiki Dance lived to be next to us.  He was the sweetest and most vicious dog I have ever known.  He had two personalities, Tiki, the mean growling one and Dance the sweet couch potato that occasionally allowed us to rub his belly.  He had a lot of psychological problems and trust issues.  He wasn’t like any dog I have ever known, he was my brother.  We never treated him like a child.  He was our companion, and sadly, he was just so old when we got him. 

When we brought Bumba home, Tiki Dance fell in love.  Anywhere Bumba went Tiki Dance was by her side.  And being the patient lady that she was, she tolerated him, and I think loved him as well.  It was a glory to see two previously abandoned, neglected and abused souls bond like that. 

     5 days after Bumba went to the hospital, Tiki Dance also started breathing badly.  So, of course, we rushed him to the vet.  At first they thought that he had been poisoned, but his heart valve was destroyed.  He had treatment for one day to ease the pain, and we brought him home on Thursday the 17^th.  He had the worst case of panting I had heard.  I guess I was in denial, I thought he was just sick with a cold or something but he was suffocating.  He came home after the last check with the vet who discovered he had spots all over his lungs, lung cancer.  He came home, we all went to bed and I held him all night.  At 7am, Ettore woke up, and so held him on his chest and Tiki Dance took his last breath at home, not alone, not in a clinic, but with his truest friend, Ettore. 

     The loss of Tiki Dance was shocking, and honestly, I do not understand how the world did not stop with him.  I am having a hard time going outside and seeing that the world goes on, life goes on, but not for us.  Tiki Dance was part of my being.  He wasn’t a pet, but a dear and beloved friend, and I was lucky to get at least 2 years with him. 

     We buried Tiki by 10am, and I had a very strong desire and urge to get over to the vet at once to see Bumba.  She was calling to me, I knew, for some reason that I had to get there, right away.  So we went to the vet, I saw Bumba, I took her out for a small walk, and then we went back into the clinic to have her checked.  When I arrived, I could see she was waiting for me, she was so happy to see us, she wagged her tail, and gave me a soft kiss.  She was exhausted though.  When we took her in for the sonogram, she collapsed.  But before she did that, I called her name to calm her, held her head, she wagged her tail, looked into my eyes, and then the vets took her away to revive her, but she didn’t make it.  I know she was waiting for us to say goodbye.  She fought a good fight, but in the end, the canile lagher won.  However, she had NINE glorious months of happiness, love, family, and freedom.  She changed my life.  Both of them did.  And I can’t believe that within 4 hours I lost 2 members of my family. 

     We are grieving.   I want to hold Tiki again.  I need to know if he was happy, if he knew how much we loved him, that we lived for him, and that without him our family is incomplete.  Tiki Dance and Bumba are buried side by side.  Both of them taught me so much about how to live.  I don’t know any people who have had to endure what they both did, and yet, they survived, lived and lived well when they were finally able to.  I wish I could have a few more minutes with each of them.   I wish Bumba could come home and take over my entire bed.  I want to hear Tiki growl and sneeze because he is desperate for caresses.  I want to enjoy all the idiosyncrasies that made each of them unique, but they are gone, and I cannot cope.  I am not hysterical anymore, I am not in denial, and I know that they are not suffering, but only I am.  I am suffering because I deeply miss them and their friendship and the lessons learned. 

Tiki Dance

     Tiki Dance, rescue boy, thank you so much for being in my life and loving me and Ettore.  You are the brightest star I have ever known.  You were the sunshine in our lives.  You will always be the most unique once in a lifetime friendship and most cherished being I have ever known.  Each day without you seems like an eternity, I think about what I am doing and whether you would enjoy it.  I miss you, I just plain miss you, and I hope that whatever there is on the flip side it is a place of comfort and joy.  Please know that you were loved beyond measure.  Thank you for all of your nuisances, your personality, the lack of fear, your resolve, and your unabashed desire for love.  You took life by the horns, my friend.  I love you so much. 

Bumba

     Bumba, my hurricane, my tornado.  You are missed and loved, and as much as I know your last 9 months were good, I need for you to know that I have never experienced the pure joy of living until I met you.  I always called you my Buddha, because you released yourself from suffering, you taught the power to forgive, to let go, and to be a warrior in life.  Thank you so much for sharing your life with us. 

Tiki Dance and Bumba loved in life and left this world together.  RIP my friends.  You are forever close in our hearts. 

   

I can't emphasize enough the importance of adopting old dogs like Bumba and Tiki Dance.  The time together may be limited, but it is the most rewarding.  Please open your heart and home to an old dog, they deserve their last few months or years with a family.  

Super Yummy Aromatic Garlicky Green Beans

Maybe some of you are like me.  You love greens beans.  I love green beans.  They were always my favorite vegetable at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I love when they are fresh, but I will eat frozen.  I love their texture and when they freshly cooked but still crisp and the green, clean, and fresh flavors burst in my mouth.  They are quite neutral at times, and when fresh have a slight sweetness.  Unlike some of the other green vegetables I enjoy, they are not one bit bitter. 

My husband hates green beans.  I am the cook in this family.  I hate to make food that someone might not like, but I also do not want to deprive myself of one of the greatest vegetables on the planet.  Dilemma?  Yes.  Insurmountable?  No.  Unless there are allergies involved, with some creativity we can get our loved ones to share in our passion for green beans.  With this in mind, I had to get a little bit crafty.  I know that Ettore loves garlic and red Calabrian peppers.  I also happen to know that greens beans are one of the only vegetables his mom does not cook well.  That is saying a lot, I might add.  She is an excellent cook, and some of the best vegetable dishes I have had have been in her kitchen.  However, knowing this weakness and knowing that this is what Ettore is basing his prejudice on, I created these super delicious garlicky green beans.

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans

5-6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

6-10 cloves of garlic, crushed

1-3 tsp of crushed calabrian red peppers (depending on how hot you want them)

½ cup crushed almond or almond slivers

1 vegetable bouillon cube

5 tbs olive oil

Splash of white wine

1/2 of Celtic sea salt

1-2 cups of water

Directions:

    In a large deep pan pour in the olive oil and white wine.  Add salt, garlic, and red peppers.  Sauté together on medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Then add the chopped sundried tomatoes almonds, stir and sauté well until the almonds become slightly toasted.  Add one cup of water and simmer all the ingredients together as water with medium heat.  As the garlic begins to soften and break down, mash it down into smaller pieces.  Now throw in the green beans and the rest of the water.  Makes sure to stir well and makes sure the green beans are moist and covered with mix.  Stir and sauté for about 2 minutes on medium heat.  Make sure water is not totally evaporated.  Turn heat to low and allow the beans to simmer for about five minutes, stir occasionally until water has evaporated and the sauce is more like a thick sauce than a soup.  It is important to not allow the beans to become soggy and overcooked.  Beans should stay crisp.  I like to serve this on a bed of farro (Spelt) or Quinoa, which I boil with a bouillon cube and some salt.  Enjoy with an aromatic wine like a Riesling. 

Buon Appetito!!

P.S. My husband said they were the best green beans he had ever eaten.