In yet another homage to Mantova, I enjoyed making this dish of courgette flowers filled with a mixture of ham, grana cheese, parsley, garlic and, surprisingly, mashed potato. The mixture is flavoured with nutmeg. I cannot give you the whole, copyright recipe here but I do have one tip for you if you are going to make a similar dish: make a normal amount of mashed potato and eat the rest as comfort food!
This is in honour of my visit to Mantova but I admit I've taken some liberties with it: firstly, you are supposed to make the recipe with rabbit but as I couldn't get any, I used boneless, skinless chicken breast [ask for one if you are in Italy but two if you are in the UK]. Secondly, I used balsamic vinegar although the recipe does not specify this. I did not, however, halve the amount of garlic cloves - ten - although I was using half the quantity of meat. You can use less garlic if you want to but I was pleasantly surprised by the subtlety of the flavour.
OK, here we go: Cut the chicken breasts into fairly large pieces and marinate for about an hour in a wine glass of balsamic vinegar and about a quarter a glass of water. Meanwhile, pound ten peeled garlic cloves with 2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary in a mortar. Drain the chicken [no need to be too thorough about it] and put it in a wide, fairly deep pan with 4 tablesp olive oil plus seasalt and black pepper to taste. Spread the rosemary and garlic mixture over. Cook the chicken on all sides for about 5 minutes, stirring, then turn the heat down, cover the pan and let the chicken cook for about an hour, turning it now and then. Chuck in a glass of white wine and let it evaporate.
You can serve the dish with "the gold of the north" - polenta - to soak up the juices, with rice or just salad.
The time has come to reveal my whereabouts at the end of last week and those of you who guessed Verona were the nearest. I was, in fact, spending a few days with a friend who lives within the Province of Mantova and about ten minutes from Mantova itself by car. Verona is also nearby.
I very much enjoyed a drive to see the panorama of Mantova by night and by day, watching people strolling along by the three artificial lakes which surround the city, I was reminded of the tranquillity of Roath Park in Cardiff! Mantova was named Italy's most liveable city for quality of life by Legambiente in 2005.
My clue about violins and tea on Sunday was a bit of a cheat as Mantova's Palazzo Te has nothing to do with tea but was named for the island, called Teieto in medieval times, on which it was built. The Palazzo was built as a summer residence for Duke Federico 11 Gonzaga by Giulio Romano between 1525 and 1535.
The original frescoes can still be admired in the Palazzo and it also houses collections of Mesopotamian and Egyptian art as well as mementoes of the Gonzaga family. Our visit happened to coincide with an exhibition about Maria Callas so we were able to see some of the singer's gowns and jewellery as well as learning more about her life. We also enjoyed watching the arrival of guests for a 1930s -themed wedding reception which was about to take place in the elegant Palazzo!
No photos can be taken inside the Palazzo Te but here are some views of the exterior:
How cool the Gonzaga must have been in summer!
I was last in Verona some thirty years ago and I just had to go and see that most famous of balconies again:
The city traffic was heavy so I only managed a wave at the Arena but things were calmer down by the river:
These Roman remains were discovered in the city centre in recent years:
I gasped at the beauty of the city from one of its hills:
Tripoli is a hamlet within the Province of Mantova so no, I didn't see any retreating colonels!
I'm a sort-of retired language teacher from Cardiff, Wales, UK, now trying to make a new life in Sicily. I'm not growing vines, making olive oil or restoring a palace stone by stone!
