Last night was a night of nostalgia. We saw "A Chorus Line" for the thrid time together, and the fifth time for Bob. Dated, a few weak spots in the cast, a really dead audience, worth going to be sure we didn't miss something wonderful, but not a play we could recommend to others. Perhaps you can't go home again.
Well, perhaps you can. We've eated at Babbo a dozen times, sometimes with good friends -- the Davids, Mary and Robin, Richard and Holly -- but mostly just the two of us. We've only been disappointed once -- when Richard insisted on eating at 5:30 -- "Long before any New York restaurant cranks up and really starts to cook", according to Janet.
Our meal was delicious, the wine was a perfect match, and we met a lovely young couple from Los Angeles.
Marinated Fresh Sardines with Caramelized Fennel and Lobster Oil
Roasted Squash with olive oil and mixed greens
Black Pepper Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu (shared)
Brunello di Montalcino Mastrogiarno [?[ Tuscany Italy 1999. Vino al quartino (250 ml) $30.00. I can't read the waiter's handwriting and I'm sure I've got the name wrong. But the Brunello was a perfect match with the boar, and the dish itself was absolutely perfect. Wonderful wine. 5*.
Wild Striped Bass with “Passato di Zucca” and Chorizo Vinaigrette (shared)
La Ca Nova Barbaresco Piedmont Italy 2000. Vino al quartino (250 ml). $25.00. This was a lovely red color, a bit shy in the aroma, but a lovely complex taste and finish with enough acidity and tannin to set off the bass beautifully. Excellent match. 4*.
Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo (Janet)
Cheese Plate (Bob)
Pecorino Toscacci
Piave Vecchia
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene NV Drusian Veneto Italy. $9.00 a glass. Our waiter was a fan of Francesco Drusian; "you can't go wrong with Drusian. He told me Drusian makes his Prosecco entirely of Prosecco, reducing the yields in the vineyards to produce more flavorful grapes. His wines tend to be a shade drier than others in the region. I've come to love Prosecco with cheeses, and it worked beautifully with this lineup tonight -- the peach notes and a lovely floral aroma set off each of the three cheese. Excellent match. 4*.
We were disappointed in the play, delighted with our meal, and very happy as we drove home on a beautiful autumn evening.
Regards, Bob
Notes:
Babbo's recipe of the month sounds really good:
Serves 4
½ pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/8 inch disks
2 parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into ¼ inch disks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 leek, white part only, cut into 3 inch julienne
½ celery root, peeled and cut into julienne
½ cup sliced Kohlrabi
¼ pound mizuna, watercress or frisée
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons pumpkinseed oil
Preheat the oven to 475 F
Place the butternut cubes and chopped sage on a cookie sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and roast until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside in a large salad bowl to cool.
Place the Jerusalem artichokes on the same cookie sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove and ser aside with the squash.
Place the parsnips and the mushrooms on the cookie sheet and toss with the cumin and more tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast for 6 to 7 minutes, then set aside with the other vegetables.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and set up an ice bath near the stove. Plunge the leeks into the boiling water and cook until tender 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the leeks from the boiling water and submerge them in the ice bath until cool. Remove the leeks from the ice bath, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
Add the leeks, celery root and mizuna to the salad bowl. Add the remaining olive oil, the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper and toss gently to coat well.
Divide the mixture evenly among four chilled dinner plates, mounding it like a haystack. Gently place the fricco
For the Frico
Place 3 tablespoons grated Montasio cheese in a mound on a silpat. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Carefully remove the cheese with a spatula and shape as desired.
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Babbo's Ingredient of the Month. I took home enough of the Ingredient of the Month to explore its characteristics:
MONTASIO DOP, by Gina DePalma
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the region of Italy that lies between two worlds. It is an unassuming region of thundering importance, offering an abundance of gastronomic treasures and stunning natural beauty, where all that is Italian collides with Central and Eastern Europe. Latin and Roman traditions meet and mingle with Austrian and Slovenian custom and culture, and from this heady mix comes some of Italy’s finest and most precious products: incredible wines, the sweetest Proscuitto, and the noble, elder statesman of cheeses, Montasio.
The only DOP cheese of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Montasio was born in Carnia, the northern portion of the province of Udine where the Alps tumble onto the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The cheese originated about 300 years ago in and around the Carnian village of Tolmezzo, supposedly the invention of a lonely Alpine monk with a herd of cows to milk and some free time on his hands. Today the official production zone also extends to portions of the Veneto, but Friulians justly claim Montasio as their own.
Montasio producers will tell you that its unique characteristics are the result of three basic ingredients: the sweet grasses and hay of the land, the crisp air of the mountains, and the milk that results from this happy combination. The consortium that governs the production of Montasio monitors the cheese making process with a watchful eye; only milk from dairy farms within the DOP production area may be used. The cheeses are shaped into large, flat wheels, each bearing the official consortium stamp and numbered to identify the producer and the date of production. Montasio is classified and sold according to its age. At 2 months the interior is ivory-white, soft, dotted with holes and considered “fresco,” or fresh, with a tangy, grassy flavor. After 5 months it transitions to “mezzano” or semi-aged; the color turns slightly golden, the texture becomes firmer, and the flavor begins to deepen. After 10 months or more, Montasio becomes “stagionato,” or aged, with a deeper, nuttier flavor, straw-like color and firm texture.
Montasio is a wonderful table cheese, perfect for enjoying with one of Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s excellent white wines, a savory mostarda, or one of the luscious stone fruits that are grown in Friuli, such as peaches, plums, and cherries. Try grating some Montasio over hot pasta or potato gnocchi in a simple butter sauce with a sprinkling of poppy seeds, or melting it over roasted wild mushrooms. Montasio is the also the cheese that is used to make frico, a beloved dish that is relatively unknown outside of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but somewhat of an icon of Friulian cuisine. A frico is basically a thin “cake” of grated Montasio, cooked in hot pan with a bit of olive oil. An aged Montasio will result in a crispy fricco, while a younger cheese will make a fricco that is soft and melting in the center.
