The Gastronaut

Christmas has come and gone, with its usual festive cookery. In our family we have a so-called “cena di magro” on the 24th, as well as a main Christmas lunch on the 25th. The Cena di Magro is supposedly lighter fare, based on fish, in expectation of the heavier celebratory meal the following day.

We had an assortment of antipasti - prawns with insalata russa, pâté of salmon, tuna mousse in aspic, home-made pickled artichokes, olives and baby onions. As a first course, tagliatelle con zucchine e gamberetti (courgettes and prawns).

Main course of Scottish smoked salmon and gravadlax, with a side of mixed salad.

Dessert of Panettone together with a delectable Zabaglione alle mele e cannella (with apples and cinnamon).

The wine was an excellent Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige/Südtirol, namely Feldmarschall von Fenner zu Feldberg 1999, from Kellerei Tiefenbrunner, one of the highest vineyards on the world, located at over 1000 m.!

Christmas lunch was a panic start, as once we had lazily arisen, kids opened presents and had our selves dressed in suitable attire, it was already 11:15! Aargh! Rush to switch on the oven and get the roast in! This is only natural, what would a Christmas lunch be, without a panic in the kitchen and the chefette throwing sharpened boning knives at anyone entering her lair? The guests troop in at the appointed time, (well, the guest, my mother!) whist I try to wave away the burning smells with a teatowel. I fix her a quick G&T an instruct her to look after the kids whilst I assist the chefette. Finally, we are ready:

First course: Consommé with cappelletti (little tortellini) e capellini (little tagliatelle). Wine: Clivi Brazan 1998, Brazzano di Cormons (Collio Goriziano – just on the borders with Slovenia)

Main course: Roast veal with olive and shallot stuffing, side of duchesse potatoes, caramelised shallots and grilled radicchio di Treviso. Wine: Teroldego Rotaliano Zeni (an excellent full-bodied red, from an area between Trento and Bolzano)

Dessert: Bavarese al Vin Santo, more panettone, nuts, chocs. Wine: Vin Santo Antinori

What can I say – everything was absolutely delicious, hats off to the chefette, not to mention the woman who knows how to make me happy, Luisella!

With all the Christmas shopping done last week, we decided for an excursion on Saturday with a visit to Verona, always a lively town and just one hour away from our home.

The weather was fine and not too cold, so we wandered around, with stops at the Arena and along the commercial Via Mazzini on the way to Piazza delle Erbe. By this time it was lunchtime and we decided to stop at La Taverna di Via Stella in Via Stella 5c. This is just round the corner from the family home of the Capuleti (you know, the balcony where Giulietta pined for her Romeo, etc, etc.), so this homely trattoria is frequented by tourists, but also by local office workers and shopkeepers who stop at the bar and have a glass of wine and a selection of the many antipasti offered. The large dining room is attractively furnished with wide benches and tables with proper linen tablecloths and napkins, and friendly and attentive service – most important when dining with kids! The wine list has a selection of a couple of hundred bottles, with a dozen also available by the glass.

The menu is decidedly regional, with polenta being the staple, but the quality is quite a few steps above the ordinary trattoria level. I chose the Ravioli della Taverna as the first course, very delicate with a cheese filling and sprinkled with assorted herbs.

A glass of Lugana (the white wine grown on the southern shore of Lago di Garda) went very well with it. As a second, I selected the Pastissada de Caval, a typical veronese dish – a hearty horsemeat stew cooked with red wine and juniper berries, served with polenta. Very tasty indeed. Unfortunately I had selected a glass of Valpolicella to accompany it, but this proved to be a wrong choice as the Pastissada completely overwhelmed the taste of the wine. I should have chosen something decidedly more robust.

As a dessert, I chose a Sbrisolona, a crumbly, buttery tart, rather like a large biscuit, another typical dish of the Veneto. Here I felt really in need of a dessert wine, and after a quick consultation with our friendly waiter, I was brought a glass of Passito di Pantelleria - mellow, fruity and just with the right degree of sweetness! Excellent.

Highly recommended and excellent value at EUR 95 for five.