Lucca
Cuisine and Wine During several weeks in Tuscany in the Springtime, the markets are full of tiny and tender vegetables that go into a number of local dishes that you only find then and there. A few weeks later, and the same vegetables have either disappeared or have lost the tenderness that makes these recipes special. For a very limited time, from April to early June, there are new asparagus and tiny fava beans that you can eat without peeling; chokeless baby artichokes, sweet young peas and fresh porcini mushrooms. Some of the specialties are quite simple: a pod of favas that you shell yourself, with a chunk of earthy pecorino cheese and a glass of chilled white wine makes an unforgettable antipasto. The Lucchese soup 'garmugia', is the freshness of Spring itself, with tiny peas, asparagus tips, crisp artichokes and the little fava beans in a light broth with ground veal and pancetta (have a look at the recipe). But it can only be made in those few weeks when the vegetables are perfect. We eat it as often as we can until it disappears from the menu. After that, you have to wait for next year. A simple fresh pea risotto; a raw artichoke salad; porcini with roast meat; arugula wilted on a thick, seared steak with shavings of parmesan and a splash of Lucca's famous oil; tiny grilled cuttlefish the size of your thumb; these are what we look forward to in Lucca in the Spring. Add to this the amazing array of indigenous ingredients like chestnut flour, chickpea flour, farro (which we call 'spelt') and every bean imaginable, and the range of Tuscan cuisine begins to take shape. I enjoy cooking in all the places that we visit with Papillon, but it's safe to say that Springtime in Lucca tops the list.Eleanor Garvin We have been coming to
Italy 'professionally' now for over ten years now. In that time, we've
had the good fortune to study the wines of several regions in depth.
Comparative tastings and conversations with producers and wine
professionals, have helped us to form a clear idea of what is good and what
is interesting. All of us involved in Papillon have an ever-growing
fondness for Italian wine, whether it be a crisp white 'aperitivo' from the
Alto Adige, a deep cherry Sagrantino from Montefalco, a lush Primitivo from
Puglia or a classic Sangiovese from our local Lucca hills. We've
discovered not just what 'good' is; we've learned how to find it. As any of
you who have been with us on a Papillon trip knows, we love to taste and
compare in a group. Nothing sharpens your critical faculties than
tasting wines of a type side-by-side. You can read all you want; you
can buy the odd bottle to try something new; but when it comes to learning,
nothing is so valuable as standing in a circle with like-minded people in
front of a dozen good bottles, looking for the nuances that make or
break excellence. We're looking forward to being in Lucca again in
order to try some of the most exciting wines coming out these days: the
wines of the Maremma region, the newly released 97 Brunellos, and the
up-and-coming Colline Lucchese. Should be fun. Taste a sample menu (sadly, at this stage it has to be a 'virtual taste')
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