(not necessarily in that order)
This evening we had dinner with friends in their beautiful new home. There was laughter and sharing; there was delicious food and a incredible array of desserts.
To cap it all off, one of our hosts suggested watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” — and it was just exactly what I was needing in the midst of this busy week — to relax and chuckle and resonate with the heart-opening message of this enduring holiday classic.
One thing I loved about living in Europe were the desserts, because they’re so much less sweet than those in America.
As usual, Silvio made lunch for us, but today Fulvio provided dessert: una torta di mele. The literal translation is “apple cake,” but it isn’t cake the way we think of it at all.
Bottom line? It was literally so good that Ramesha and I — who never bake! — asked Fulvio for the recipe so we can make it once we’re back home in California.
It’s going on midnight. We leave super early tomorrow. The last three days have been full to the brim with activity and our stomachs have been kept full to the brim with delicious food! As sad as we are to leave this, our second home, we’re pretty much ready to take a break from eating!
Saturday
As usual we had lunch at Silvio’s house (that’s Ramesha’s dad, who loves to feed us when we’re here). Not so usual is that there were two desserts: homemade cake with figs from the garden and pine nuts (thanks, Graziella!) and homemade tiramisu (thanks, Fulvio!).
For dinner we were invited to the home of the Sala family, just outside of Como. It took three years to arrange, but it was an absolutely delightful evening, which also featured two desserts (a custard cake with fresh fruit and another cake with marmallata (jam) using fruit from the Sala family’s garden!
Sunday
Lunch at “Ristorante Silvio” featured handmade gnocchi di zucca (gnocchi made with pumpkin) and only one dessert (thank goodness!).
We went to dinner with Fulvio (Ramesha’s brother) and had the final pizza of the trip (yum!).
Monday
Lunch was a simple — but delicious — pasta al pomodoro.
For dinner we were at Dudo and Karin’s for bruschetta, insalata, and more pasta.
I should mention that lunch almost always includes a plate with a variety of Swiss cheeses — and I don’t mean what we Americans think of as “Swiss cheese”! I’ve never seen that cheese in any Swiss home in the fifteen years that I’ve been living in/visiting Switzerland. No, this is a selection of cheeses from different regions and it’s sooo good!
[By the way, “basta” in Italian means “enough!”] 🙂