Dolceacqua & Apricale – The Riviera dei Fiori

The medieval village rests on a small hillside 7 km from Ventimiglia in the Val Nervia dominated by the ruins of the Chateau des Doria. The medieval bridge stretches over the  Rio San Rocco river connecting the two sections of the town and is a symbol of Dolceaqua. Terraces (fasce) are carved into the hillside where olive trees, vineyards, flowers and eucalyptus grow. Art and history create a visual fest of beauty that caught the eye of Claude Monet who painted Dolceacqua and who said that it was an “extraordinary picturesque village”.

The sunny Piazza Garibaldi acts as the theater for feasts and events in the village such as the Festa dell”Olio Nuove (Festival of the new oil) and is lined with restaurants where you can enjoy the famous pizza (the best pizza I’ve had in Italy) made with the light olive grown here. Small stone pathways with arches connecting the buildings called “caruggi” (narrow paths) wind upwards through the stone village that protected its inhabitants from the invaders and the weather. Small shops tucked along the caruggi house workplaces of the carpenters, electricians, galleries, small B&B’s and agriturismi that cater to today’s residents and guests. Although the ancient village is slowly being renovated into charming apartments, many rough stone spaces still await a loving owner to bring them back to life. Many French come over the boarder to enjoy the views, the famous pizza at one of the 15 restaurants and cool breezes that provide a naturally cool and pleasant environment during the summer months. This is mountain life and the pace is slow and peaceful.  People meet in the café’s and dink cappuccino reading the newspaper in the mornings and socialize with friends in the afternoons. The fish man comes along in a small truck selling fish from the sea and people go about their business working in the shops or greenhouses that are tucked into the hillsides and olive groves that seems almost impossible to reach.

This is part of the Riviera dei fiori where more then 80% of Italy’s flowers are grown. Dolceacqua means “Sweet Water” maybe named after the very nice red wine called “Rosses di Dolceacqua” grown in vineyards where their roots cling to the hillsides has the deep red color of roses. Highly revered by Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Paul III who made sure that casks were shipped home.

Maybe it is the olive oil that is the sweet water of Dolceaqua. The silver green leafed olive trees covering the hills produce light yellow oil perfect for the fish wild boar and rabbit dishes typical of the cuisine of Liguria.  Beer is also brewed here, and is deep yellow, served very cold in glasses similar to a Bordeaux glass. The beer is a great accompaniment to the thin-crusted pizza made in wood fired ovens, covered with local dried salumi, porcini and fresh vegetables.

Just up the road about 4km is Apricale (0ne of the Rock Villages), stone houses and alleys lead around the castle housing artist’s workshops and painted murals. Paintings and stone carvings decorate the caruggi and doorways decorated with flowers add color to the cold stone structures. The village is well known for its summer theater.  There are a few B&B’s and restaurants in the center of the piazza where there is a washing trough and along the pathways you can see the old village central oven. The village is also well known for its cats that roam around paying little attention to strangers.  A local Balu tournament is held in June and July with 16 teams taking part. This is a popular Ligurian game using an elastic ball.  Played against the walls of the ancient village, the local players are even more popular then football players.

Sun showers light into the dark covered caruggi during the day lighting the painted and carved murals walls.  At night the stars shower light onto the ancient village, which seems to sit just below the sky.  The villages were owned by the Counts of Ventimiglia, captured by Grimaldi until Andrea Doria liberated them.  Apricale even has an American history as Giovanni Battista Martini fought at Little Big Horn and was the only living survivor.

Both Apricale and Dolceaqua belong to the prestigious “Associatione dei Borghi piu belli d’Italia”, (The Association of Beautiful villages in Italy) and it is no doubt why many foreigners have bought apartments in appreciation not only of the villages but the life style of the mountains yet only 4 km from the sea.

The region has a culture of roses and floriculture with tangerine trees lining the streets and the sweet aroma of the multitude of flowering bushes.  Although the region has been deeply affected by difficult economic times, 80% of Italy’s flowers are grown here.

Ventimiglia is 7km, San Remo is 14 km and the French boarder is 16 km from Dolceaqua making this little village a perfect base for visiting the Alpe Liguri – the backdrop of the Riviera dei fiori and a refuge from the crowded beach towns along the Riviera. There are many apartments for rent by the week or weekend.  Renting an apartment offers you the opportunity to experience village life and select some of the local cheeses, salumi, wines, foccica, bread and pastries to enjoy at home. The local merchants are very helpful and will recommend specialties you should try.  French and Italian are mostly spoken here and even though only a few people speak English you can always find ways to communicate with the friendly locals.

Cars are not allowed into the old villages anywhere along the Riviera so be prepared to walk up hill or sometimes steep steps to reach an apartment of B&B.  Villages have parking lots; some are free at the bottom of the village.  Summer months are crowded with heavy traffic clogging sometime narrow roads through the towns. The best time to visit the area is in late May to Mid June or from September through the fall. 

 Pizza Verde Dolceaqua

6 servings

Cook time: 200c (400ºF)

Time: 20-30 minutes

500 g flour (1.1.lb)

5 tablespoons extra virgin ‘Taggiasca” olive oil

250 g water (1 1/4 cup)

40 g yeast (1 1/2 oz.)

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch salt

2 whole eggs

750 g chard (1 lb. 10 oz.)

150 g Parmesan cheese (10 1/2 oz.)

1 1/2 onions

Extra virgin olive oil

Black Taggia olives

Garlic cloves

Dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and a teaspoon of sugar and allow it to rest in a warm place.

Pour the flour onto a work surface and add the yeast mixture, and salt to the flour.  Bring it together into a ball and knead it.  Let it rest under a clean cloth, preferable woolen, of a bowl until in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Take the risen dough and knead a second time until your have soft dough and let it raise again under the cloth for another 2 hours.

Roll it out and put it onto a pan greased with olive oil and let it rest again before covering it with the greens.

The Greens

Chop the uncooked chard and add the oil, salt, eggs, onion and cheese. Spread the prepared mixture onto the dough and sprinkle olives and whole cloves of garlic over the top. Cook in the oven at 200/300º (400ºF) for 25/30 minutes.

Michetta, The biscuits of Dolceacqua

The story of michetta:

The Marquis Doria sent a young bride who refused to give herself to him to prison to die. The population rose up and forced the Marquis Doria (1364) to stop this abuse of power and on the 16 of August there is a festival to celebrate the event. The women of the village created the “michetta” to celebrate this occasion. It is now the symbol of love and freedom.

Ingredients

1kg flour, (2 lbs 3 oz.)
100g yeast, (3 1/2 oz.)
4 eggs
350 g sugar, (13 oz.)
250 g butter, ( 9 oz.)
Grated lemon zest,
Pinch salt
Warm water and Marsala

Bake time: 200ºc (400ºF). until they puff up and have alight brown color on top.

Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the warm water and add it to the flour. Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, salt and Marsala. Let the mixture rise for one hour and knead it. Shape it into an oval or knot shape. Place the michette on an oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven at 200ºc (400ºF).

Dampen the tops with a little water and dust with remaining sugar.

Motorcycling in the Swiss Alps

Riding a motorcycle over amazing roads and scenery, the famous Swiss mountain passes that make up the "Pässe Karussell" Furka, Grimsel, Oberalp, Susten, Gotthard and Nufenen in the central part of Switzerland will not disappoint the biker. With their superb sweeping curves and vistas makes driving through Interlaken, Grindelwald, Engadin and the Ticino passing sparkling clear green mountain lakes and rivers unforgettable. Lake Geneva, Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Zug, Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake Constance and Lake Lucerne offer magnaficant places to rest up and take in some of the clubs and restaurants. View snow capped glaciers as you ride over hairpin curves of the Spluegen, Klausen and San Bernardino passes. Sweep around hair-raising hairpin curves above the tree line and down into the valleys; it is a motorcyclists dream.

Ride through ancient villages with alpine vistas, rushing green mountain rivers, cows grazing on alpine pastures and village chalets with windowsills and gardens filled with flowers. The regions have their own distinctive character and closely reflect the culture, language, cuisine and architecture of the French, Italian, German and Romanish styles. It is so peaceful that you can hear the sounds of the steeple bells chiming, the wind blowing and rivers flowing.

Whether you rent motorcycles or bring your own bike, the Alps offers glorious mountainous terrains rolling from valley's over mountain passes to another. Do some sightseeing in lovely villages and even take some short hikes.  Small hotels can be found all over the mountain villages offering excellent clean and comfortable accommodations for very reasonable prices during the summer months. My Switzerland presents suggestions for the motorcyclist who wants to go it alone, but there are many groups and clubs that offer group trips.

Most freight is transported by rail but a big investment has also been made in transporting cars through mountain tunnels by rail. This is referred to as the “rolling highway” and reduces the amount of transport traffic on Swiss roads and pollution leaving the roads in the mountains almost free of truck traffic. Tour buses are allowed and sometimes have a difficult time navigating the curves.

The Swiss are very serious about road rules and speed limits with 120 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h on normal roads and inside tunnels are strictly enforced. A special sticker, known as the "Autobahn Vignette" is required and can be bought at customs offices or at the borders, service stations, garages and post offices. Buy it online at the Swiss Travel Office web site  (there are rules about where it should be placed on motorcycles). The Swiss are known to have some of the best and most expensive roads in the world and motorcyclists begin to show up as soon as the weather begins to improve and until the snow starts to fall. Celebrities discovered the beauty of motorcycling in Switzerland a long time ago. There are 650 thousand motorcycles in Switzerland not including biking tourists. One in twelve people in Switzerland owns a motorcycle making it more bikes per capita then anywhere else in Europe.

One word of warning, the roads are crowded in the summer especially at the borders and on weekends - so plan carefully! Be sure to check all the rules for motorcycling before you come. I’ve listed a few web sites where you can get more information on motorcycling in Switzerland.

http://www.englishforum.ch/transportation-driving/53184-motorcycle-laws.html

http://driving.drive-alive.co.uk/driving-in-switzerland.htm

http://www.uem-moto.org/Tourism/RegionsUEMmaps/Switzerland/tabid/152/Default.aspx

http://www.openroadbiker.com/motorcycle-clubs-and-organizations/

http://www.ch.ch/private/00081/00083/00228/00229/index.html?lang=en

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en.cfm/interests/adventure_sports/offer-Activities_Sports_and_Adventure-Motocycling-list.html

HOBBY TO BUSINESS; Cost Control Is Key, The Bakers Pricing Software

Your hobby gives you the space you need that is all your own.  It becomes part of your life and love of life and fills your time. It is your place to go when the stresses of everyday life begins to weigh you down. It keeps you centered and you are good at it. People around you are drawn to the excitement and pride you project. Or maybe its your family heritage that you want to pass down as I did. Whatever drives you to pursue this, friends and family recognize the enjoyment you get out of it.  It is a passion that everyone around you shares and suddenly people are saying, “ You know you should start a business”.  What could be better then making money at something you love to do. 

The ideas begins to keep you awake at night and you can hardly do anything else but think about how you can make your hobby a paying business where you can work on your own time, stay at home, do what you love and even make money.

Starting a business must start with a detailed business plan and a clear description of what your goals are.  For me making Italian biscotti was not the goal, but the means to keep family traditions and recipes alive.  We talked and joked about it for many years, each time someone told us that we should sell our biscotti because no one makes them like we do anymore, the desire became more of a passion. Then one day, out of the blue my sister got laid off from her job and in this devastating moment, we said why not, lets do it.

We started down the path of making our dream become reality. Baking every cookie that was in our family’s hand written cookbooks, pricing out the ingredients, timing each step along the way. When we made them for family events we didn’t consider the cost at all. The first decision we had to make when we realized how expensive they were was what compromises were we willing to make. Do we go for trying to make them less expensive or do we say this is what they cost and we are not going to compromise quality. We put everything down in an excel workbook, set our prices and took a shot.  First were the permits, licenses, packaging and administration as we started our business at home our overhead was less costly. The costs began to mount and we began to look again at ways to make our product price friendly. We wanted to keep our product as close to the way our family packaged biscotti and authentic, we found a Italian packaging manufacturer who was willing to sell directly to us eliminating the middleman and sells at lower volumes. Searching out wholesale prices, sales and discounts became an obsession. We buy items we need after the holidays when they go on sale for example. We now kept awake at night worrying about costs; quality was first and foremost so we had to diligently work at cost control, the key to any business success.  Since my sister and I have had careers in business, we were already aware of the pitfalls and the things we had to consider from a business perspective.

One other important finding was that all those people that pushed us to turn our hobby into a business were there for us in the beginning. We quickly found out however, that you can’t depend on your friends and family to be your main support and customer. People love the biscotti and buy them, but you can’t sustain a business with friends and family only. You have to move this business into the market place. This means advertising, sales, administration, bookkeeping etc.. Cost control becomes harder and harder as you enter the world of business and your pride and joy hobby begins to take on more pressure. Your dream hobby job is another reality.

It became clear that we needed something to help us keeping costs in check, so we created an excel workbook, which worked fine for a while, This became cumbersome as we began to increase products and production. We needed something easier and faster to make quick quotes, print labels, keep track of our customers, send invoices out and make bookkeeping easier. Reality kept creeping in.

My husband who is in the software business offered to write a program for us based on the very detailed excel sheets we had developed over a two year period and the experience we had gained. We were lucky because he had prepared the basis of our excel program that led us in the right direction considering all aspects and factors that had to be considered, always allowing us to know every cost factor and what our profit margin was with every order.

As I began to communicate with others and read articles of people wanting to turn their hobby into a business, I realized that we had some experience that would help others and maybe prevent them from making some of the mistakes we made. The program he developed is the cornerstone of our business and we decided to offer it to  home, small and medium size businesses - an inexpensive program that was easy to use and affordable for home to midumn size businesses. The Bakers Pricing Software is the result of this effort and we hope it will help others like us reach their dream of bringing their hobby to the market place successfully.

We are currently developing an accounting program that will be integrated with the Bakers Pricing Software and an online accounting service.  This we hope will be available within months and will offer the home, small and medium size business a inexpensive and professional service.

THE BAKERS PRICING SYSTEM

The Baker’s Pricing Software is a system that stores all essential data to price a product in a database. The most basic data is raw material information. It stores the name, description, vendor and price information and raw material properties such as whether it is perishable, the density if available in order to accommodate volume and weight input for recipes. The system allows quick updates to take care of changes be it price or vendor. Other key information needed for price calculation is stored in the Preferences: Labor cost, energy cost, overhead percentages, material loss percentage and last but not least the profit targets for retail and wholesale. These cost items and the raw material are the foundation for all subsequent calculations and it is extremely important that this data is not only entered carefully but also maintained on a continuous basis as most of the prices fluctuate!

The next step in the process after establishing the basic cost factors is entering the recipes for your products. You select from the list of raw materials available, add quantity and dimension for each ingredient, the amount of labor and the energy used. The cost for individual item wrapping is also added. You will also be asked whether the product can be used on a tray (the basic building blocks of an order) or not. For example a recipe for frosting would not be available for trays but could be entered as raw material and be available for other recipes. The last information to be entered about recipes are the yields, i.e. the number of items you get per recipe and per pound.

Trays of one or multiple recipe items are the building blocks to fill orders. Trays may be actual trays, but also boxes or more generic, sets of items that can be used for different orders. You can assemble trays by units or by weight (if you sell a pound of a recipe item for example). You can add packaging and transportation cost to the trays. The system will then calculate the retail and wholesale price you should charge to meet your profit objectives. You then fill orders using trays. An order is a customer-oriented record. You not only enter a unique identification and the client’s name but also the delivery date, the actual sales price and any additional delivery costs. The system then provides you with a sales and a reimbursement summary for the different expenses incurred. Last but not the least are the cumbersome health permit labeling requirements. The Bakers Pricing Software automatically creates labels for individual products or summary labels for trays.

More product information and downloads:

http://pturo.com

Easter Dolci - A taralli that floats on air

Traditional Italian food of Easter typically includes: capretto o agnello al forno (roast lamb), cacioffi fritti (fried artichokes), pizza rustica (a pie stuffed with ricotta, sausage and hard boiled eggs), la colomba di Pasqua, sweet bread.  taralli, cassatelli, biscotti di pignoli, pena di Pasqua (sweet bread with hard-boiled, pastel colored eggs baked in the center), and torta di ricotta (Ricotta cheese cake)

Chocolate Easter eggs are a special treat for children in Italy. The “uovo di pasqua” – a large decorative chocolate egg that comes with a gift inside are beautifully wrapped in elaborate and colorful decorative foils weighing from a few ounces to about 18 pounds. Stores are filled with “uovo di pasqua” creating a psychedelic and festive atmosphere. In past times, parents would take the gifts to their cioccolataio (chocolate maker) and it would be placed inside the chocolate egg.

The taralli is a treasure from Apuglia and are eaten any time of the day. Simple yet delicious recipes are created with eggs and flour. Fennel seed, black pepper, red pepper flakes and wine added and formed into oval or round shapes. In southern Italy, taralli come in many sizes and flavors. These are typically referred to in Neapolitan dialect as “scaldetelli” little boiled things. Many, but not all taralli are dipped in boiling water before being baked creating a nice sheen on the outside. Some are baked and brushed with egg wash. Taralli are biscuits or snack food, but can also make an appearance as a dessert after a meal is over and dunked into wine. In our family they are the star of the Easter desserts along with the Ricotta Torta and Torta di riso. They are traditional desserts that make each and every day special and holidays a delight for everybody. The Italians have a saying “no matter what the argument it can be resolved over a glass of wine and handful of taralli”.

The Easter egg taralli (as I call them) are only made at Easter and have no other flavoring. Typically, taralli are not frosted, but there is a version called “Charmel” that are lightly frosted with a confectionary glaze and sprinkled with tiny colorful sprinkles. Egg taralli are hard, but as light as clouds. Our recipe for egg taralli are boiled and then baked turning a warm caramel color. I make large quantities of them and serve them in an Italian hand painted bowl from Apuglia. Taralli dunked in “Vino Santo”, a sweet Italian white wine coming from the Tuscany is like floating in air.  Very appropriate for Easter!

‘Buona Pasqua!

Easter Egg Taralli

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes at 400ºF or until light brown
Yield: 5 Dozen

Dough Ingredients

7 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons oil

11 eggs

DOUGH

Add the salt to the flour in a large bowl. Mix the egg and oil into the flour and form a ball. This step can be done in a mixer. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel. Let it rest in a warm place for an hour.

ASSEMBLY

Roll out pieces of dough into 6” x 1” cylinders. Take each piece of dough and bring the ends together to form a doughnut shape.  Press the ends together with your thumb.

BOILING

Fill a large saucepan with water and let it to come to a boil. Drop them one at a time into the boiling water. When they rise to the top, remove them to a dry board or kitchen towel. Make a cut along the outside edge of the doughnut. This allows them to rise.

BAKING

Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in a 400ºF oven until they are a light golden brown. The taralli will be hard on the outside, but light and airy on the inside. They are not sweet, but more like a biscuit. They will store in an airtight container for weeks.

Serve them with “Vino Santo”, a white sweet wine from the Tuscany.

Annecy France, a tableau of color

Annecy is in the southeastern part of France. It lies on northern tip of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie surrounded by mountains where goats and cows quietly graze in alpine pastures. Farms along the route produce and offer chèvre for sale and beautiful chateaus can be seen behind tall majestic trees.

During the 1400 hundreds, it was in the possession of the Genevois and the Princes of Savoy and later under Sicilian, Sardinian, Spanish, Austrian and finally French rule. You can clearly see the influence of these countries in the cuisine. The production of salami can be found in shops and farm stands throughout the region. Some stuffed with hazelnuts or rolled in crushed peppercorns and herbs. Large ones, small links, soft and hard varieties are produced by small farms in the area.

The old village (Annecy-le-Vieux)  rambles along the Canal du Thieu where passages along the streets are lined with colorful houses and flowers. It is a strange beauty in a way, as many of the houses look as if they will crumble into the canal at any time. Paint clings onto the buildings, but losing its battle. This tableau of colorful buildings precariously leaning in all directions is simply charming. The arcades are lined with shops with traditional crafts, antiques, dried flowers, and chocolates. The small restaurants that are tucked into these houses serve foie gras de carnard, fondue Savoyarde, salade du chèvre chaud or poisson du lac. You think, should I chance walking up the narrow stairs; the scent of the Savoie specialties lures you up to small restaurants with views of the canal and cafés below.

There is a farmers market on Saturdays with vendor stands throughout the old city. Along the street crowded with people waiting to make their purchases, you can find local specialties such as kraut and saucisson cooked in large copper pots, fromage melted on large crusty pieces of bread, freshly made local breads, pastries as well as fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. There are many antique shops and once a month there is an antique market along the arcades (check the web page for exact dates).

Locals fill the large park located at the lakeside on the weekends. Children enjoying the carousel and beg to go on again and again. There are ball games and people just taking in the sun or enjoy the day with friends and family outdoors. Artists painting the unique village create memories for tourists of Anncey for many years to come.

Brasseries line the narrow passages along the canal and the specialty of plateau fruits de mer is our favorite. My husband and I actually enjoy going to Anncey on a grey day and even light rain. Sitting in a brasserie with a large plateau du fruits de mer and a bottle of local white wine is one of our favorite ways to spend a rainy day.

Anncey is a romantic resort town. If you are visiting France or the French region of Switzerland, take a side trip to Anncey.  It is about 1 hour from Geneva and 5 1/2 hours from Paris.

Check the Anncey tourist web site for more history, cultural events and markets (www.annecy.org).

The recipe below is from France Monthly (www.francemonthly.com). Tartiflette is a typical "Savoie" dish.

La Tartiflette

Servings: 6

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs of potatoes

1 medium onion (larger or smaller according to your taste)

1/2 lb Canadian bacon

1 Reblochon cheese (or 1 lb of Swiss Gruyere)

3/4 cup white

2 Tablespoons oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:
The recipe recommends that you use a cheese from the region, called "Reblochon", and a white "Savoie" wine. This latter is very difficult to find in the United States and we therefore advise you to use a bottle of white Burgundy (Chablis, Saint Veran, Macon Village) or of Muscadet (from the Loire region).

If you cannot find the Reblochon, or prefer a milder cheese, Swiss Gruyere can be used. To accompany this dish we recommend a green leaf salad.

Peel potatoes and boil or steam for 20 minutes.

Peel onion and cut into thin slices.

Heat large frying pan with the oil and sauté the onion slices.

Cut bacon into small cubes and add to pan.

Cook on medium heat until onion slices are soft (10 minutes).

Stir as needed. Add potatoes that have been diced and pour white wine over it. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut the Reblochon in two halves across its thickness. If you are using Gruyere, slice in thin strips. Put half of the potato preparation in a round ovenproof dish. Place half of the Reblochon (or Gruyere) cheese side down, on top. Cover with remaining potatoes and finish with the second half of the Reblochon (or Gruyere).

Place in 350º F oven for 20 minute.