Bona Sera Supper Club

Ok, so Wonder Woman told me I had to try lardo, that infamous salumi that is cured, spiced pig fat and I’m game enough…I mean, it’s pig, it’s fat, what could go wrong?

We’re staying a few hours away from Colonnata, most famous of lardo makers and I knew I probably wouldn’t be up for that drive, though I would have loved to see part of the process of curing and storing in marble containers…so instead, I opted for the easy way out…I saw it in a case and grabbed a few slices up.

The rest of my traveling companions had heard me mention a quest for lardo from early on in our trip and were a little astounded that I actually shelled out Euros for it…(“You’re gonna what? You’re gonna eat lard? What for?”)

I’ll confess that I thought it would be for the sport of it, for the adventure…I was pretty sure it would be better than being stung by a hornet, but I wasn’t sure how MUCH better.

I’m frankly glad that we are here in October…it’s  been very chilly here and windy…a bit better than home I hear.

We need a fire every night to feed the radiators and keep ourselves warm.

But when I wake up I walk out to the view of the valley behind our place and see hunters every day down below. From now until February they are looking for boar and small game (rabbit, birds) and you can hear the clacking bells that they hang around their dogs’ necks.

From just up the hill you can also hear the church tower chime out the hour and half hour in between the gun shots that echo from around every hilltop here in the mornings.

If we had come in summer, I’m not sure if the temperature would make lardo seem so enticing, but this morning it seemed like just the ticket for breakfast.

My three stages of lardoness:

Trepidation–lay white fat on bread

Mastication–against all better judgment, put it in your mouth

Elation–it’s smooth, creamy and mild with just a hint of rosemary…tastes most like a soft bacon and has a texture like butter

Sorry, I have no shot for elation because my foodie photographer (Aunty Gorgeous) got grossed out, but I finished it all and was none the worse for wear. Here she is in a better moment…you might notice that it involves wine and a train picnic.

Next, Siena, risotto and home cooking…

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This entry was posted on October 17, 2009 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Bad Fairy Does Italy. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.