To the manor born - not!

Ah, yes, all my relatives especially Mrs. Phactor and the F1 think my retirement was a brilliant move.  Well, at least the part where TPP rented (actually Mrs. Phactor made this happen if truth be known and credit is given where credit is due) a villa so that everyone had an excuse to visit Tuscany.  Presently the number of visitors is 9; next week it’s just 4 (but more troublesome types), then 4 more, and then 5 more the week after that. Thirteen relatives (rent-a-mob), 8 friends, and a young German biologist, go figure.  How’s that for instigating travel?  How's that for mooching?  The Italian tourist bureau should be giving us a medal!  Is it an actually villa, you may ask?  Sadly no, firstly because Torre a Cona is the summer manor house of the Count Rossi di Montelera, so it actually isn’t for rent, and secondly because TPP was just a university professor, but the estate has a number of residences that are within TPP’s price range.  Look down the hill to the right of the monstrous manor house and you’ll see the 3^rd floor loft of our quite spacious, pinkish Tuscan residence sticking up above the olive trees. It’s disappointing that the Count has not walked, or driven, or been  driven, down the hill to greet us yet, so he’s probably busy, or just most likely he doesn’t realize who his tenants are.  He makes some very good wine & olive oil.  Obviously vineyards and olive groves dominate the agricultural landscape here abouts, although a great many other tree fruits are grown in way smaller amounts: apples, peaches, plums, figs, cherries, and even a medlar here or there.  The scenery is just wonderful with manor houses, fortresses, and little towns dotting the hilly landscape with ochre and red tile splotches amid the green of orchards and vineyards.  The fresh produce is quite nice and surprisingly extensive. It appears that testing the concept that someone could get tired of Italian food may take some time. By almost anyone’s standards the assembled troops are eating and drinking very well.  Mrs. Phactor is on a quest to do 30 gelato flavors in 30 days.  Hercules should have had such tasks!  Today she checked off mango & lemon.  Do the Italians make a sausage that isn’t terrific?  Do they make a cheese that isn’t wonderful?  Do they make a bread that doesn’t have a nice crust? The world wants to know. Someone has to try to find out. TPP is the man to let you know.  Ciao.

A day late and a maragarita short

It's been a long, busy weekend for the Phactors.  Cinco de Mayo just disappeared while we were being wined and dined, semi-feted as alumni, as TPP gave a lecture on behalf of a retiring mentor, curiously, a dual last official lecture for both of us. So here the Phactors be, sitting in the Syracuse airport drinking margaritas, a day late, waiting for transport back to the mid-west. Spring here is at least 8 days behind our very late mid-west spring. You notice other differences as well. Steamed clams. Yes, this area is close enough to salt water that people eat steamed clams, nice, plump, sweet ones, and washed down with a Genesee cream ale, sort of a nostalgic beverage from our college years.  Seafood is a lot more common and diverse. So is the Italian food. A favorite Italian deli was totally unchanged from our college days over 45 years ago, as was a candy store, and a submarine sandwich shop, and the two best Italian restaurants in town (we ate in both). The student body is more diverse than the mid-west too; this is New York State. Sunday night there was a spectacular sunset over Lake Ontario to the west and a massive rainbow to the east. As always our college and college town, Oswego, New York, was a combination of some things never change and new things, both good and bad. Oswego is a bit more of some things never change than lots of places it seems. A favorite lakeside food stand must be in a time warp. It was wonderful. New science facilities had TPP completely disoriented, but the college has a new greenhouse that needs his help; a care package will be forth coming. And the lecture was well received, so mission accomplished.  

Seared fruit lasagna

OK, almost forgot that you all were promised a new recipe that the Phactors recently worked out.  The major innovation is searing the fruits.
Ingredients: 6-8 tsp olive oil; 6 cups peeled diced eggplant; 1 medium zucchini, diced; ½ cup chopped green pepper;
1 pound fresh portabella mushrooms, diced;

1 small onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 28 oz can Italian tomatoes, chopped w. juice; 1 bay leaf; 2 tsp oregano; salt & pepper; 16 oz ricotta cheese; 2 eggs, beaten;

½ cup parsley chopped; ¼ tsp salt; 12 sheets no boil lasagna noodles; 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese; ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Instructions: Using 1 tsp of olive oil for each the zucchini & pepper, mushrooms, and eggplant, sear the diced fruits (yes, these are fruits or fruiting bodies) separately and in one layer, on high heat until a bit of browning occurs on the surfaces and corners.  A non-stick pan is almost essential.  Set the seared fruits aside. 

Saute the onion & garlic in 1 tsp of olive oil.  When transparent and softened, add chopped tomato & juice then bay leaf, oregano, salt & pepper to taste.  Simmer until thickened.  Combine with seared fruits.

Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, and salt.  Oil a 9x12” baking dish.  Put a scanty layer of the sauce/fruit mix in the bottom.  Cover with 4 sheets of lasagna noodle.  Spoon about 1/3d of the ricotta cheese over the noodles.  Top with about 1/3 of the sauce mixture.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat the noodle, ricotta, sauce, & mozzarella layer twice more.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 50 min.  Uncover and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.  Return to oven bake for another 5-10 min.   

Notes: Searing the fruits dehydrates them, intensifies their flavors, and makes them denser.  The resulting lasagna will be less runny and richer in flavor.