T Magazine No. 4

T 19

92

TERRONI MAGAZINE

Featured Region

UMBRIA

F our chefs, four recipes, one mouth-watering ingredient : stale bread THREE TERRONI GALS INFILTRATE THE ULTIMATE BOYS' CLUB: AN EXCLUSIVE DISPATCH FROM VINITALY We <3 Guu Sakabar Melting hearts in the heat of summer: Terroni staff styles Mark Venturi bikes 100 km— in one of those Lycra outfits —for a good cause

ISSUE Nº4 SUMMER / FALL 2012

CONTRIBUTORS James Di Donato Born of Abruzzese parents, he majored in English and Psychology, but then followed his brother and mother to work at Terroni. He chases beauty through a lens with his photography business and can sometimes be spotted singing and playing guitar by the lake or playing soccer in Trinity. www.jamesdidonato.com

Publisher Elena di Maria Editor-in-Chief Jessica Allen Design Small Staff Photographer Stephanie Palmer

Cindy Galvao The Terroni Queen veteran started her fashion blog, True North Style, in the fall of 2007 as an outlet for her love of fashion and a way to showcase her everyday looks. These days her web life also includes a fashion and beauty YouTube channel, a personal "mood board" on Tumblr and daily doses of Instagram. When she's not at Terroni, or on the Internet, you can find her traveling around North America, blasting music way too loud, reading anything fantasy/supernatural and, naturally, shopping or as she calls it "research for the blog". Check her out online:truenorthstyle.blogspot.com truenorthstyle. tumblr.com youtube.com/truenorthstyle and tnscindy on Instagram

Assistant Editors Gianna Sami Taylor Dickie Columnists Giovanna Alonzi Max Stefanelli Natalie Urquhart Contributors Jessica Brooks Taylor Dickie James Di Donato Elisabetta di Maria Irene Dongas Cindy Galvao Rick Kang Sandra Kang Per Kristiansen Cassandra Mosher Mark Venturi

Rick and Sandra Kang The Michael and Janet Jackson of comics (without the alleged pedophilia or overall kookiness), Rick and Sandra Kang grew up in Scarborough, worked at Terroni and now live in Toronto and Brooklyn, respectively. He writes ads; sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Art Director of V Magazine. They both love pizza.

Jessica Brooks When she isn't in the kitchen baking up a storm, or working as an associate producer for the CBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita and Best Recipes Ever, Jessica is reading and tweeting about food. She received her formal journalism training at Humber College, from where she holds a postgraduate degree. She's also worked as an assistant producer for iCast News at the United Nations in New York, as an online producer at The Canadian Press in Toronto and, of course, as a Terroni server. Follow her on Twitter @ Brookscooks.

Admin. Managers Patti Shaw Karina Watsone Many thanks to Davide della Bella Marco Bruno Nic Carlino Simon Gadke Stephen Gregory Carlo Lazzarino Albion Macleod Anna Mammoliti Cosimo Mammoliti Vince Mammoliti Fabio Moro Cosimo Pagliacolo Giuliano Pediconi

Per Kristiansen Per is a Toronto-based advertising and fine arts photographer whose commercial work appears regularly in print media across North America.

His latest personal project, a series entitled "Piles", showed at Contact '12 and can be viewed at Scandinavian design shop, Mjolk.

On the cover That's Terroni Queen St. server Fabio Benini. The Modena native, with a contagious smile and a hearty laugh, charms every man, woman and child who sits at the bar. (When someone asks for a modification, Benini will pretend to call security from a hidden microphone in his lapel.) The hand gesture he's making? Well, it's a loving way of saying, "You're in trouble now." Or, "I'm gonna get you." If you haven't met him, be sure to say hello next time you're in. And if you're more of a Terroni take-out kind of person, you'll be seeing more of Benini soon enough on our new pizza boxes.

T Magazine Headquarters 720 Queen St. W. Toronto, M6J 1E8 For inquiries and comments please email: jessie@terroni.ca Follow us on Twitter (@terronito) and Facebook (Terroni and Terroni: Los Angeles)

Printed in Canada

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THE TERRONI INDEX

FORZA ITALIA Compiled by Jessica Allen Length in kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway: 8,000 § Kilometres between Rome and Perugia, the capital of Umbria: 164 + Year in which Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) leveled Perugia: 40 BC ‡ Average high temperature of Perugia in August: 29.2 °C × In Toronto: 27 °C ~ Years that Perugina has been making Baci chocolates: 90 ‡ Number of Baci chocolates produced at Perugina every day: 1.5 million + Number of calories in a Baci: 80 ~ In an egg: 70 × Number of Twitter followers @TerroniTO has: 1,258 § Number of Twitter followers @italysoccer has: 11,950 ‡ Number of Twitter followers @justinbieber has: 24,023,699 24,943,907 and counting + Number of (known) girlfriends George Clooney has taken to his Lake Como villa: 3 × Score of Italy’s national football team’s first match in 1910 against France: 6 to 2 (for Italy) ~ Age of youngest player on Italy’s current soccer team: 21 § Of the oldest: 35 + Number of goals their top goal scorer to date, Luigi Riva, made in his nine years on the team: 35

Number of World Cup titles Italy has won: 4 § Number of Euro Cup 2012 titles they’ve won: We don’t want to talk about it ~ Consecutive years that Max Stefanelli and Cosimo Mammoliti have travelled to Verona to attend VinItaly: 6 or 7, according to Cosimo, 7 or 8, according to Max × Times Toronto Life’s website has made reference to Jake Gyllenhaal eating at Terroni this summer: 3 ~ Times Jake Gyllenhaal has eaten at Terroni this summer: Who’s counting? + Total number of cantos in Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: 100 ‡ Number of sonnets collected in Shakespeare’s Sonnets: 154 ~ Age of noodles discovered by archaeologists near the Yellow River in China: 4,012 § Age of the Etruscan tombs in Cerveteri, whose mural depicts servants mixing flour with tools for rolling and cutting pasta: 2,400 × First record of pasta in Sicily (used in soups): 1154 § Number of years later tomato sauce appears in Italian cookbooks: 546 ~ Number of tins of San Marzano tomatoes Terroni imported last year: 13,200 ×t Price of the “C6” pizza at Steveston Pizza Company in Vancouver: $450 ‡ Price of a gold leaf-topped pizza at Margo’s Pizza in Malta: 1,800 € + Price of our Margherita pizza: $13.95 ~ Number of Margherita pizzas sold so far in 2012: 12,379, and counting

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HOW WE MAKE GELATO photos and text by Irene Dongas

Gelato, the frozen Italian summer staple, has been growing in popularity in these parts for some years, and for good reason.

To investigate why and to see how it’s made in-house at Terroni, I dropped by to visit Carlo Lazzarino, the soft-spoken, gingerhaired chef behind all our new desserts (hello there, budino.) He takes me to the lab and offers a bit of insight into why some ice cream lovers are switching teams.

On the second floor of our Queen St. location, there is a little kitchen now retrofitted exclusively for making gelato. We call it, fittingly, the Gelateria. Inside, the hum of the four freezers is calm and hypnotic, belying the frenzy of activity that spills from the worktable, which looks a bit like a medical lab. I find Carlo stirring a pot of simmering milk with some vanilla beans. He has a temperature wand firmly in hand and keeps a close eye on it. He begins to tell me how our gelato is made, and what exactly makes it so special.

At their core, gelato and ice cream are one and the same. They’re both fat-based confections incorporating a flavour, dairy, and a stabilizer (like sugar or egg yolk). The real difference is how you whip it. The fancy term is “overrun,” which is the percentage of air whipped into the mix. Conventional ice cream has about 40-60 per cent overrun, which means it almost doubles in volume when melted. Gelato has only 20 per cent overrun, making it smoother, denser and arguably more flavourful (since there’s less air bubbles between your scoop and your taste buds). The base mix he’s working on needs to boil to pasteurize so that it’s safe to

consume after it’s frozen. There has to be a proportionate amount of fat, flavouring, sugar and stabilizer to keep the texture of the gelato smooth without melting too easily and spoiling. Plenty of patience is needed in the experimentation process, which is equal parts artistry and science: for every tweak in a recipe comes more days of testing.

After the mix has infused and pasteurized, off it goes to the churner. Cold metal agitates the mix and slowly solidifies it while air is incorporated. Within 15 minutes, a creamy, almost sensual material comes out a little hole and is then scooped neatly into a container and stored in one of the freezers.

After just 45 minutes, I am given a beautiful little mound to sample. There is nothing sinful about indulgences like this.

Determining what flavours to make certainly relies first on popularity. We import all-natural gelato bases from Venchi, a 134-year-old Italian artisanal chocolate and confection maker, for popular classics like nocciola, cioccolato and pistacchio. Otherwise, Carlo will try just about anything.

Currently his new bourbon-flavoured gelato is getting rave reviews, while the olive oil sorbet and the caramel-goat milk-cashew gelato experiments sound intriguing.

So next time your cheeks tickle for something cold and sweet, try getting friendly with one of the classic or modern gelato creations. You can rest assured that no matter the flavour, every gelato we make³³—³³all year round³³—³³is prepared thoughtfully from start to end, and with a lot of love.

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TRE RAG AZZI

THEIR PALATES ARE SENSITIVE AND THEIR HUMOUR IS, UM, UNIQUE. VINCE, CURLY AND ALEX HAVE BEEN ENJOYING EACH OTHER’S COMPANY FOR YEARS NOW, USUALLY OVER A BITE TO EAT. WHEN THEY’RE NOT AT TERRONI — WHERE THEY PLAY SICILIAN CARDS EVERY MONDAY NIGHT — THE TRIO HITS UP ONE OF THEIR FAVOURITE TORONTO EATERIES. THIS FEATURE SHOWCASES THE BELOVED PLACES IN THEIR ROTATION, CHRONICLED BY JESSICA BROOKS. CONVERSATION MAY NOT BE THEIR FORTE, BUT RECOGNIZING GOOD FOOD CERTAINLY IS.

Where: Guu Sakabar, 559 Bloor St. W. (at Bathurst St.) Who organizes your dinner dates? <<Curly>> First of all, it's never a date. Normally one of us texts the other two. <<Vince>> They'll be some banter back and forth. <<Curly>> And the first question usually is, dinner tonight? <<Curly>> Every time we text Alex we say, Make sure you're ‘on the cab.’ When you say in Italian I’m in a cab, in English it actually translates into I'm on a cab. <<Vince>> And then Curly says something like hold on tight.

What do you look for when you go out to a restaurant? <<Alex>> If it's something new, we go try it out. But if it’s going to be the same³³—³³you can tell by the menu³³—³³we might skip it. <<Jessie B>> But you guys keep coming back to Guu? <<Vince>> This place is like the Japanese Terroni. <<Curly>> You know what you're going to

get, and you know it's going to be good. <<Vince>> And there's people. <<Alex>> And music. <<Curly>> It's simple and good. It's not complicated. <<Alex>> It’s easy, and you don’t have to reserve. And there’s music. <<Vince>> It's a place everyone should go. It’s not expensive. And there are always people. <<Curly>> We have no idea whether it's authentic, but it looks authentic. And you know what? They try. It looks nice, the presentation looks good. <<Vince>> This is the kind of place you can eat and eat. You’ve gotta come here hungry.

Favourite cocktail: <<Curly>> They have gooood sake.

Favourite dish: <<Alex>> Mine was actually the spinach [blanched spinach in sesame sauce] but now I'm liking this (gesturing at a plate of lobster sashimi.)

① "Most vegetarians I ever saw looked enough like their food to be classed as cannibals. " Finley Peter Dunne, 1900

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â&#x2018;Ą "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf."

Epicurus, c. 300 B.C.

<<Vince>> I like everything but I think the noodles are the best. And all the fried stuff is good. <<Curly>> I like the carpaccio. <<Vince>> It's a good sign that we all have different favourite things: it's a pretty good indication that a restaurant is good. <<Vince>> This [A plate of carbonara with a silken runny yolk and a creamy sauce spotted with slivers of bacon] is pretty interesting. It's good. It's pretty hearty. <<Curly>> This is so good. You know, my mother made a version of this on Sunday. <<Alex>> Everywhere we go and get a dish, his mother made a version that was actually better. <<Vince>> You know, these guys opened up a udon noodle restaurant on Baldwin. <<Curly>> It's on U-Donmills. <<Vince>> This new feature could be titled The Competition for Worst Jokes.

TRE RAG AZZI

<<Curly>> You can really taste the sake.

Bonus Questions: If you could describe Alex in one menu item on this menu, what would it be? <<Vince>> The rraaapppini. Because they're a little bitter.

If you could pick one dish on the menu that describes Curly, what would it be? <<Vince>> The grilled beef tongue. <<Curly>> I like grilled beef tongue.

If you were to describe Vince in one menu item, what would it be?

<<Curly>> Cheesecake.

Chorus of laughter. <<Jessie B>> Is there even cheesecake on the menu? <<Curly>> Yah. <<Vince>> Why cheesecake? Give an explaFavourite dessert: nation please. <<Vince>> Their sake tiramisu here is really <<Curly>> I needed to get even for the beef tongue line. good.

6 DISCOVERING UMBRIA: ITALIAN JOURNALIST AND TRAVEL WRITER ELISABETTA DI MARIA SHOWCASES THE REGION’S BOUNTY, FROM ETRUSCAN RUINS TO COUNTRYSIDE SPAS. English translation provided

by Elena di Maria, her sister

Assisi¥–¥home of the Nun Relais hotel and restaurant, not to mention St. Francis

Norcia¥–¥major gastronomic destination, including the NeroNorcia festival every February

Orvieto¥–¥for the Necropoli del Crocefisso del Tufo to find out why the Etruscan civilization was pretty darn extraordinary

WE

are in the heart of Italy, in one of the regions with the most diverse and breathtaking landscapes. Your senses are taken by the fragrances of the woods, the sights of the mountains and of the rounded hills. The small medieval towns perched on the hillsides still preserve ancient traditions. When taking a stroll within the stone hamlets or in the peace of the countryside, time seems to slow down and almost come to a stop. By the ninth century B.C., this land was the birthplace of one of the most evolved civilizations: the Etruscans. And the small towns of Assisi, Gubbio, Spoleto and Orvieto still preserve the soul of this glorious past of a versatile population of extremely skilled artisans, merchants and sailors travelling with fleets of ships through the Mediterranean trading jewelry, glassware and objects in bronze.

In Orvieto, one of the main cities at the time, we find the Necropoli del Crocefisso del Tufo, where hairclips, mugs, vases and necklaces were recovered from its ancient tombs. The Etruscans would donate them as gifts to the deceased to use after death, which was thought to be a continuation of life.

The 1,000-year-old culture of Umbria also shines through its cuisine. Pork is

the king of all traditions. Baked in woodburning ovens with aromatic herbs, it can be found in all the village festivals. Many are the varieties of intensely flavoured, all-natural air-cured meats, like the mazzafegati and the corallina, as well as a number of fresh and cured sausages. Finest of them all is the prosciutto di Norcia, which is characteristically pear-shaped. According to an ancient procedure the making of the prosciutto and of the spalletta requires washing in water and wine, a multi-phased curing in black pepper and garlic followed by slow-aging. The birth of a child used to be celebrated by treating your guests to prosciutto in the event of a baby boy or with spalletta in the event of a girl.

The silver of the olive trees, the green rows of vines and the sunflowers have been coloring the hills surrounding Lake Trasimeno for thousands of years. The Etruscans, followed by the Romans, would take great consideration of the beauty of the landscape when laying trees and vines, hence the outstanding charm of today’s Umbrian countryside.

Another local delicacy is the rare lentil of Castelluccio. It is grown at 1,400 metres, green in color and very small in size, with a very intense taste. It is used in traditional

① St. Francis, perhaps our favourite saint (Feeding the birds? Giving away his worldly possessions? He was all about the love!), is from Assisi. And Assisi is in Umbria. Boom.

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The rose garden at Residenza Torre Almonte

② You know what else is in Assisi? San Francisco—a basilica that is the mother church to Franciscan friars. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. And it’s home to some of the most important wall paintings in the history of art. All the big boys from the 13th and 14th centuries¥—¥including Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini¥—¥left their mark. Whether or not Giotto, one of the most important artists leading up to the Renaissance proper, was one of them is hotly contested. (Our editor, a bit of a nerd when it comes to painters of the so-called Proto-Renaissance, says probably not.)

dishes like imbrecciata, a soup of cereals, legumes and pancetta, ideal to warm up the cold winter evenings.

Bumpy and round in shape is the king of local truffles. We are talking about the tuber melanosporum ittadini, or vitt. It is black-purplish in color with a full-flavoured and intense aroma that is brought out best when accompanied by simple, mild-tasting dishes, like grated on handmade tagliatelle, or, even better, on sunny side-up eggs (it can be pestled with a mortar but never shaved).

A perfect occasion to sample the 1,000 of specialties of Umbrian cuisine is NeroNorcia, an exhibition-market held the last two weekends in February. Among mountains of sausages, salami and cheeses at this feast it is possible to taste traditional dishes featuring the best truffle known as the “diamond of the table”. While walking around the different stalls, you can see stage shows, photo exhibits and live demonstrations of the making of meats and cheeses.

For a stay in the quiet countryside of Todi, Residenza Torre al Monte hotel offers a spectacular view. A gorgeous tower of the 1300s is surrounded by a centuries-old park where a 19th century garden with a collection of ancient roses has been restored.

For those wishing to isolate themselves in a medieval, sheltered setting, there is the Nun Relais hotel, an ancient stonewall monastery with all the modern comforts, in the old town of Assisi. Its spa is dug in the rock and it is an absolutely stunning spot where you can let yourself be cradled by the waters and enjoy a long massage.

The Nun Restaurant will delight its guests with traditional fine-dining dinners. Breads and pastas are handmade and veggies and meats come from small, local producers. Among the specialties is the homemade Umbrian spaghettone prepared with fava beans, guanciale and cream of pecorino, or the panzanella made with fresh vegetables and chicken.

Staying in Umbria allows you to recharge completely. The peaceful pace of Nature wins over any frenzy and the beauty of the surroundings is breathtaking. Everything inspires a sense of quiet and wellbeing.

By staying here it is easy to understand why these quiet and enchanted places have inspired over thousands of years saints and mystics, above them all, Saint Francis of Assisi.

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SIAMO

③ "Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet.

As something is being passed around, it comes to you; stretch out your hand, take a portion of it politely. It passes on; do not detain it. Or it has not come to you yet: do not project your desire to meet it, but wait until it comes in front of you."

Epictetus, c. 135

nel cuore d’Italia, in una delle regioni dal paesaggio più vario e incantevole. Qui lo sguardo si perde tra boschi profumati, montagne e colline tondeggianti. I paesini medievali arrampicati sui pendii conservano tradizioni antichissime. Passeggiando per antichi borghi in pietra e nella quiete della campagna il tempo sembra distendersi e farsi più tranquillo. I paesi - Assisi, Gubbio, Spoleto, Orvieto – conservano l’anima di un passato glorioso, quando, già dal IX secolo a.C. questa terra è stata la culla di una delle civiltà antiche più evolute, quella degli Etruschi: popolo molto fervido, di abilissimi artigiani, mercanti e marinai, con flotte di navi attive in tutti i paesi del Mediterraneo, dove scambiavano e vendevano oggetti in bronzo, gioielli e vasellame. A Orvieto, allora una delle città più importanti, incontriamo la Necropoli del Crocefisso del Tufo, dove nelle antiche tombe sono stati trovati fermagli, tazze, vasi e collane che gli Etruschi lasciavano in dotazione al defunto perché potesse utilizzarli dopo la morte, che immaginavano come una prosecuzione della vita.

Che l’Umbria sia la culla di una cultura millenaria, lo si scopre anche nella sua Cucina.

Re della tradizione è il maiale: cotto nei forni a legna con erbe aromatiche, non può mancare nelle feste di paese. Molti gli insaccati dal sapore forte e genuino: i mazzafegati, la corallina, le salsicce fresche e stagionate. E poi, la specialità più pregiata è il prosciutto di Norcia, dalla tipica forma a pera. Spalletta e prosciutto, le parti più nobili, vengono da secoli preparati secondo un’antica procedura, che prevede un lavaggio con acqua e vino e poi una salatura con pepe e aglio che avviene a più riprese, a cui segue una lenta stagionatura. Un tempo, la nascita di un figlio veniva festeggiata offrendo agli ospiti il prosciutto, se il neonato era maschio o la spalletta, nel caso di una femmina.

L’argento degli ulivi, i verdi filari d’ulivi e i girasoli colorano da millenni le colline che incorniciano il lago Trasimeno. Già gli Etruschi, e poi i Romani, disponevano alberi e vigne con un’attenzione particolare alla bellezza del paesaggio e anche da questo deriva l’incanto della campagna umbra.

Tra le altre specialità, la pregiata lenticchia di Castelluccio, coltivata a 1400 metri, verde e molto piccola, dal sapore intenso, impiegata in piatti tradizionali, come l’imbrecciata: una minestra di cereali, legumi e pancetta, ideale per le fredde serate invernali.

Di forma tondeggiante, bitorzoluto a

causa dei terreni sassosi, è il re dei tartufi locali: stiamo parlando del Tuber Melanosporum Vittadini o Vitt, dal colore nero-violaceo: sprigiona un aroma intenso e avvolgente che si esalta accompagnato a piatti semplici e dai sapori poco decisi, come le tagliatelle fatte a mano col mattarello, ma soprattutto grattugiato (o pestato in un mortaio: non bisogna mai tagliarlo a listarelle) sulle uova a occhio di bue.

Un’ottima occasione per assaggiare le mille specialità della cucina umbra è NeroNorcia, la mostra-mercato che si tiene gli ultimi due weekend di febbraio: tra montagne di salsicce, insaccati e formaggi, in questa sagra è possibile assaggiare anche piatti della tradizione a base del migliore tartufo, “il diamante della tavola”. Girando tra gli stand, si può assistere a spettacoli teatrali, mostre fotografiche e dimostrazioni della lavorazione di formaggi e carne.

Per soggiornare nella tranquilla campagna di Todi, la Residenza Torre al Monte offre un panorama spettacolare: è una splendida torre trecentesca circondata da un parco secolare dove è stato ripristinato un giardino ottocentesco con una preziosa collezione di rose antiche.

E per chi desiderasse isolarsi in una raccolta atmosfera medievale, nel centro storico di Assisi c’è il Nun Relais, un antico monastero in pietra antica, con tutti i confort contemporanei. La Spa è scavata nella roccia: un luogo incantevole dove lasciarsi cullare dall’acqua e concedersi lunghi e piacevoli massaggi. Il Nun Restaurant la sera delizierà gli ospiti con la sua cucina genuina e nel contempo molto raffinata: il pane e la pasta vengono fatti in casa, mentre verdure e carne sono di piccoli produttori locali. Tra le specialità, lo Spaghettone artigianale umbro con fave, guanciale e crema di pecorino o la panzanella con ortaggi freschi e miniature di pollo.

Soggiornare in Umbria permette di rigenerarsi completamente. I ritmi placidi della Natura hanno il sopravvento su ogni frenesia e la bellezza dei paesaggi è completamente avvolgente: tutto induce alla tranquillità e al benessere.

E solo stando qui è facile capire perché questi luoghi silenziosi e incantati abbiano ispirato nei millenni santi e mistici: su tutti, san Francesco d’Assisi.

THE BERKSHIRE “COLLECTION” AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT TERRONI

TAS TIN G UMBRIA

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MAX STEFANELLI, OUR LOS ANGELES COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, IS BACK TO TELL YOU WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SAGRANTINO

I

really love Umbria, and I always wonder how this region has managed to retain its soul in such unspoiled purity, compared to its neighbour, Tuscany, which is overrun by tourists and where even the color of the wine seems artificial.

The fame of Perugia, the regional capital of Umbria, owes much to a box of chocolates that for years has been a favourite with chocaholics and a symbolic delicacy for those who wish to demonstrate love, affection and sympathy in a sweet³³—³³and material³³—³³manner.

And when I think “chocolate” I think “sagrantino”: both are dry and passito [raisiny].

This is one of my favourite pairings ever, especially if the chocolate is dark.

What makes this wine so special? Well to start with, the geography. The vineyards sit in a bowl surrounded by the Apennine Mountains. The soil is mostly clay with limestone and sand. The climate gets very hot in the summer, but the clay keeps the roots cool as they search for water deep in the ground. The mountains provide cooling breezes, especially at night. During the hot days a drying breeze called the Tramontana comes from the north, limiting rot. This climate results in a grape that has lots of tannins, yet also sweet, dark fruit.

Sagrantino di Montefalco wines are 100 per cent sagrantino and are aged for 30 months (12 of them in wood barrels) before being released. The grape produces tannic, heavy and masculine wines, deep in purple

and ruby colors. The better versions are almost unapproachable in their youth as they are tight and tannic. These wines appear to be able to age effortlessly for decades. The simpler varieties have a sweetness to them from the ripe fruit and a complexity from the soil.

Flippo Antonelli, Francesco Antano and Giampiero Bea are for me the three most important and influential wine makers in the area. Fillippo has a very modern winery and his wines are sharp and defined. Gianpiero is the founder of the viniveri movement and is the master of skin contact and biodynamic wines, while Francesco is the perfect link in between the two. I don’t think you guys can get Bea in Toronto so suck it up and try the other two. But you can drink Bea when you visit me in Lalaland, or go to New York where Neal Rosenthal sells it to the best restaurants.

There are six Umbrian wines that are waiting for you to try at Terroni.

① Although there’s not a lot of sagrantino grown —¥¥presently there are about 250 acres planted in the DOCG¥¥—¥¥it can be used to make both dry and sweet red wines, which can be ethereal¥¥—¥¥and are priced accordingly.

② Sagrantino is a grape varietal that grows only around the hilltop town of Montefalco. In fact, it is grown nowhere else in the world (although lately there have been some experiments with it in Tuscany). Its origins are mysterious. Whether the grape is indigenous to the area or not is up for debate. Some theorize that it was brought to Umbria by the Greeks, while others say it was St. Francis of Assisi bringing it from the Middle East to be used as a sacramental wine. Among the wine cognoscenti though, it is now Umbrian at its soul.

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③ The grape fell into obscurity by the end of the 20th century and was well on its way to extinction. Only a few growers still cultivated the grape, most notably Fratelli Adanti. Then in 1971, with the founding of the Caprai winery, a renewed interest was found in sagrantino. It has only been in the last 30 years that the combination of scientific research, care in the vineyards as well as the winery, and finding a vigneron to champion the grapes, has resulted in wines of such grandeur.

TAS TIN G UMBRIA

Trebbiano Spoletino Umbria Bianco IGT 2008, Antonelli This white is pale, straw-yellow in the glass and the nose opens with subtle, pleasurable hints, which change according to the vintage’s particular personality. Sometimes there are the nuances typical of sauvignon blanc with its delicate grassy notes, or the vintage may be distinguished by chardonnay’s rounded, flavourful perfumes and its overtones of green apple, grapefruit peel and elderberry. It’s aged in stainless-steel for Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG about four months. It’s excellent with malta2008, Antonelli Deep ruby red to light purple, with an aro- gliati and artichokes, gnocchi or grilled fish. ma of black cherry, violets, dates and a hint of violets. Medium-full with very good con- Montefalco Rosso DOC centration. Satisfying finish with persistent 2005, Milziade Antano fruit, tart acidity and a hint of chocolate, This is a ripe, racy effort laced with red cherthough the tannins are a bit sharp. Enjoy ries, flowers and tobacco. The fruit gives the over the next 3-5 years.

Rosso a measure of fatness and opulence that is unusual for other producers, alMontefalco Rosso DOC though the wine does freshen up quite a bit 2008, Antonelli in the glass. The length alone is phenomPrimarily a blend with 60 to 70 per cent san- enal. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018 giovese, 10 to 15 per cent sagrantino and the remainder other red varietals. It’s deep gar- Sagrantino di Monfalco DOCG net, light ruby red, with an aroma of cherry, 2004, Milziade Antano plum and a hint of sage. Medium body with This dark, opaque wine has an aroma to it good concentration. Round, elegant finish that I could sniff all night, including cocoa, with soft tannins and balanced acidity. cherries, smoke and currants. The flavor is dominated with cherries, black raspberries and a bit of raisins. I would like to revisit the wine in another 10 to 20 years. It's such a large wine that it needs serious food to stand up to it. No delicate flavours, please.

Contrario Umbria Rosso IGT 2008, Antonelli This is completely aged in stainless-steel and still has the power and size of a giant sagrantino, yet it is remarkably drinkable!

It’s complex and capable of aging, but a little less fierce, and at a price that is really extraordinary for the quality! Do try this wine and it would match very well with any sort of beef, lamb or rich pasta dishes.

TAS TIN G UMBRIA

12

CHEF GIOVANNA ALONZI WRANGLES FOUR OF HER COLLEAGUES TO COME UP WITH FOUR RECIPES FEATURING ONE TO-DIE-FOR INGREDIENT: STALE BREAD

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① The Etruscans, who could afford it, held sumptuous banquets twice a day. Like the Romans that came after them, they dined while reclining.

Unlike the Romans, the Etruscans felt it was perfectly fine for the male servants to be naked while on duty in the banquet hall; a practice that diners believed created a heightened sense of physical enjoyment and conviviality (and how!)

Not surprisingly, some Romans considered the Etruscans depraved (look who’s talking.)

IF

you drive to Umbria from any other region, expect to be cradled by curvy roads, tunnels and valleys of green pastures³³—³³all courtesy of the Apennine Mountains. And if you survive the ride without throwing up, not only are you very fortunate but feasts of gluttony will also be your reward.

On one of these drives late one summer night, my partner³³—³³Terroni chef Fabio Moro³³—³³and I arrived Joseph and Marystyle in the dark Medieval town of Norcia, with no place booked to sleep and little hope for a good meal. We were very lucky to stumble upon a nice hotel with a one Michelin-starred restaurant, instead of a stable. Armed with a glass of Orvieto, we began sampling all Umbria has to offer in one sitting as innumerable courses were served to us. Out came boards of charcuterie loaded with boar, pig, cow and sharp sheep’s milk cheeses; crostoni clad with pâtés of game, mushrooms and truffles; spelt and legume soup; strangozzi pasta and penne alla Norcia covered with tons of freshly shaved black truffle; braised boar, capriolo, rabbit, sausages and lentils.

Ironically, one of the most impressive

TAS TIN G UMBRIA

things we savoured that night was the typical Umbrian bread. It is characterized by a lack of salt³³—³³but not a lack of flavour. On that night, in all of its genuine simplicity, it was sweet, nutty and a little earthy. It tasted delicious and was the best imaginable partner for such a feast.

I was reminded of that night last fall when I first met Giuliano Pediconi, master panettiere and new member of the Terroni family. Obviously, the first question I asked him was what was his favourite bread. His reply? “Pane Toscano or pane Umbro, made without salt. Salt makes everything taste good and covers the real flavours. Without salt you can taste everything, where the bread came from, its flours, and its errors or artfulness that were present in its making.”

It was only luck that as Elena (our publisher) launched our “stale bread challenge” for this edition of the magazine, Giuliano arrived in Toronto for his second visit. I asked him to make four loaves of the Umbrian delicacy for each of our chefs to work with. The result was a great success and our chefs came up with four recipes that you’ll love to make all summer long for your very own Umbrian feasts.

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RECIPES Panzanella¢Serves four

by Marco Bruno Ingredients: 12-16 ripe cherry tomatoes 1/2 small red onion 1 cucumber 2 garlic cloves Salt, pepper, oregano and basil to taste Extra-virgin olive oil White wine vinegar 8 slices of stale bread

Method: Toast or grill stale bread, rub with a garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil and cut into cubes about the same size as the cherry tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half, the cucumber in slices, julienne the red onion and mince a half a clove of garlic.

Crostoni Umbri¢Serves four

by Davide Della Bella Ingredients: 210g of mirepoix (celery, carrot, onion) 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 350g chicken liver 3 garlic cloves 3 bay leaves 150g white wine vinegar 30g butter at room temperature Chicken stock 80- 100g of Pecorino di Fossa (or any other hard, sheep’s milk cheese) Stale bread

Method: In a hot pan sauté the mirepoix with garlic cloves and bay leaves. When they become soft and golden add a 1/2-cup of the vinegar.

When this evaporates, add the remaining vinegar.

Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for one hour, adding chicken stock to keep everything moist.

Purée everything in a food processor and when warm add butter. Cut some stale

Marinate everything with abundant olive oil, salt, pepper, basil and oregano.

Throw in the toasted bread cubes and mix everything well using your hands.

Scoop onto five plates and garnish with basil leaves and one more fresh drizzle of olive oil.

bread into 2 cm slices and toast. Spread heaping tablespoons of the pâté on the bread and top with Pecorino di Fossa shavings.

Acqua Cotta¢Serves four

by Fabio Moro Ingredients: 3 large white onions 6 celery sticks, and some leaves 750g peeled plum tomatoes 8 slices of stale bread 1 litre vegetable stock 4 eggs 300g Pecorino Fresh mint Extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

Method: Sauté celery, onion and celery leaves in olive oil over low heat for about half an hour. Add tomatoes and vegetable stock, and braise for one hour. Season with salt, pepper and mint to taste.

Place bread slices in four bowls. Lightly whip eggs and Pecorino together, and pour into simmering soup.

Baked Summer Stone Fruit with Umbrian Bread Streusel

by Carlo Lazzarino Ingredients: Method: Quarter loaf of Umbrian Brush fruit with butter and bread cut into small cubes roll in white sugar. Dust and left to dry with a little cinnamon and Stone fruit (plums, apricots, place in baking pan with peaches, cherries, or any about 3 mm of water in the summer fruit you have) bottom. Bake at 185³°C for 200g butter, melted 15–20 minutes until soft and 5 amaretti cookies caramelized. Meanwhile, Pinch cinnamon brush a baking dish with 100g brown sugar butter and line with sugar.

100g white sugar Using a food processor, 400g crema gelato, or blitz the dry bread with flavour to suit your desire the brown sugar, amaretti 1 tsp vanilla cookies, a pinch of salt, the Icing sugar vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon

Turn off heat and stir. Ladle the mixture over the bread in bowls and garnish with olive oil and fresh mint leaves.

and a little butter. Take the pits out of the baked fruit and place them in the baking dish in a presentable way (clashing colours are best.) Top with bread mixture and a little icing sugar. Bake until bubbling and brown.

Serve warm with gelato.

15

TERRONI-S T YLE

MELTING HEARTS IN THE HEAT OF A NOT-SO-LAZY SUMMER, TERRONI-STYLE Photographs by James Di Donato ①

Edited by Cindy Galvao

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① ¢There's nothing sharper then a man in a crisp button down ② ¢Fresh whites and black bandanas: the kitchen boys at Terroni always look good ③ ¢Topknots - the only way to combat the humidity on the patio ④´No matter what shape your little black top is, it's always a chic way to keep cool

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TERRONI-S T YLE ①

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①´Neon accents and tie-dye are back! ②´Button your shirts all the way up ladies, the perfect canvas for a statement necklace ③¢The plaid button-down is the unofficial uniform of the Terroni barman. It's like 1994 behind there ④¢Layers add interest to a simple outfit: effortless ⑤´Brights, brights, brights: so summer 2012 ⑥´This loose eyelet top is so, so sweet ⑦´Never out of style: sailor stripes and tattoos ⑧´Accent pieces, like a little crochet jacket, can make an outfit more memorable

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TAS TIN G UMBRIA

TERRONI WINE PRO GIANNA SAMI EXPLAINS WHY POPES USED TO PARTY POOLSIDE IN UMBRIA AND WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES THE REGION’S WINES TICK

① Orvieto has been famous for its white wine since antiquity.

② Etruscans planted the same mother crops that you find in Umbria today, including olives, grapes and farro, which is an ancient grain that predates common wheat, and is making a culinary comeback. ③ "Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine."

St. Thomas Aquinas

④ "Don't drink on an empty stomach: the main point of the refreshment is the enhancement of food.

Don't drink if you have the blues: it's a junk cure.

Drink when you are in a good mood. Cheap booze is a false economy. It's not true that you shouldn't drink alone: these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain."

Christopher Hitchens

MOVE

over Tuscany, there’s a new movie location in town and it’s called Umbria. I’m talking green rolling hills, medieval hilltop towns, artisanal produce to die for and rustic, terroir-boasting wines. Known as the ‘green heart’ of Italy, this landlocked region³³—³³the one where the Papacy used to spend their summer vacations³³—³³is covered with dense truffle-laden forests, olive groves, vineyards and farms, all producing top-notch quality products. Located in the calf of the boot, sandwiched between Tuscany and Marche, Umbria has no access to the sea, unlike every other region in the country. But early inhabitants, including the Etruscans, made the best of their woodsy locale and created a culture obsessed with homegrown everything, and boy has it paid off.

While the food and produce is legendary, the wines of Umbria are nothing short of fantastic. Begrudgingly known as Tuscany’s satellite, Umbria is usually overlooked as a strong wine-producing region, but their recent offerings are proving otherwise. Like Tuscany, the winters are cold and rainy and the summers are hot and dry, creating perfect conditions for their local grape stars: grechetto, trebbiano, sangiovese and sagrantino. While the Apennine Mountains that surround Umbria on three sides usher in cooling winds, the Tiber River brings up warm Mediterranean gusts from the sea: the perfect microclimate for happy grapes.

Boasting 13 DOC zones that were almost all created post-1980, Umbria has quickly become a sought-after region by wine savvy consumers.

The region first laid its claim to fame with their white wine DOC zone Orvieto, a blend of trebbiano (40-60 per cent), verdello (15-25 per cent) and grechetto. Historically, this wine was on the sweeter side and lent

itself well to the Pope’s summer pool parties. As tastes changed, white Orvieto became more crisp and mineral-driven with notes of melon and green apple. Today, it makes up 70 per cent of all Umbrian wine production. (In other words, I still see pool parties in this wine’s future.) Lately, Orvieto has also begun producing “super-Umbros,” their answer to the Bordeaux-inspired superTuscans. Yes, the competition with Tuscany continues, but the rivalry is producing some great results.

Where the two regions don’t compete, however, is in the trendsetting Montefalco region, where the wines are all Umbria’s own. Like Tuscany, sangiovese is the most planted red variety in Umbria, but with a twist. The Montefalco DOC is made up of mostly sangiovese (60-70 per cent), but has the added attitude that the sagrantino grape brings, producing a rustic wine with notes of wild berries, cherries, and spice³³—³³the perfect pizza wine. Try our Montefalco Rosso DOC from Antonelli San Marco on the Terroni list with your next Pizza Cosí.

But the big gun is the Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, a grape that’s indigenous to the area and struggles to survive even in Umbria with only 400 acres planted in the entire region. Though there isn’t much of it, it sure does pack a punch. Known for its gripping tannins, powerful blackberry and plum notes, balanced by spice and tar aromas, this wine could contend with Mike Tyson’s punch in its prime³³—³³or a bistecca Fiorentina. Look for the Sagrantino di Montefalco DOC from Milziade Antano on the Terroni list this autumn. It’s so tasty that we had to sneak some bottles in our suitcases on the way back from VinItaly. But that’s another story, literally (see page 22.)

TERRONI VETERAN MARK VENTURI SADDLES UP — IN (VERY) TIGHT LYCRA — TO TAKE AN EPIC BIKE RIDE FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

Carpi

Campogalliano

Rubiera

Scandiano

Monte Tre Croci

Viano

Baiso

Lugo

Prignano

Serramazzoni

Maranello

Formigine

Modena

Soliera

Carpi

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800 m 600 400 200 0

DAY

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is breaking in the east on an already hot Sunday morning. I look out my window and wonder when it was that I last saw the crack of dawn. There is a calmness that belies what I am about to undertake: a 100 km ride with Team Revolution through the country roads just north of the city.

I’ve done what I can to prepare in the few days I've had. This has mainly consisted of calling on a cyclist friend of mine who is experienced, and most importantly, has a bike for me, an Italian Fondriest racing bike to be precise. I'm not too worried³³—³³I've convinced myself the roads I'm about to encounter shouldn't be too much of a problem for a well-rested swimmer like myself. And just in case, I’ve watched part of the Tour de France and an old cycling film called A Sunday in Hell for inspiration. (I will soon find out why the title has the word hell in it!)

As for Team Revolution, the wordplay itself conjures up whirring spokes and relentless struggle. But who are these guys who willingly get up before sunrise on a Sunday morning to offer up their blood, sweat and tears?

Team Revolution consists of 64 elite and novice riders, who will compete in the 10th anniversary Granfondo (meaning long distance or long endurance) Italia in Emilia Romagna on October 13. The team is taking part in the race³³—³³a 160 km course with hills and hairpin turns³³—³³to raise funds for new technology for the Humber River Hospital at 401 and Keele, opening in 2015. These road warriors are committed to raising a minimum of $7,500 each in pledges, and currently have a total of $305,000. Frank Ciccolini, their team leader, has even managed to get Campari as their lead sponsor.

After I wrestle into a bib³³—³³essentially, a tight Lycra singlet that’s become the ubiquitous uniform of serious and amateur riders alike³³—³³and after an espresso, I head out with the team to Eagles Nest Golf Club, located north of city³³—³³hell, north of the 401 and 407, in Maple, Ont. The air is fresh and the earlier threat of rain is now gone. Andrew DiRosa, my cycling coach/ supporter³³—³³and this magazine’s designer, among other things³³—³³glides over to me and gives me some advice. “Just remember to drink water; and no half-wheeling.” That's having your wheel overlap another rider's.

Simple and to the point, I think to myself. Deep down I

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was hoping for some mechanical or tactical tricks that he would share with me from his experiences, but then there’s never been a shortcut to training, whatever the sport.

We ride out into the open, sprawling hills at a comfortable pace. I move up and down the pack, talking to some of the fellas. Carmin Difiore tells me that he used to ride a number of years ago but eventually gave it up. “Then Frank called up and told me about the fundraiser. I said, Sure, I’m in. You want to find ways to give back to the old neighbourhood.”

We pull into the halfway point of the ride at Musselman Lake to have coffee and refill our water bottles.

My legs feel tight as I cross the road toward the café. A coffee in hand, I listen to DiRosa and some of the guys talk about the most difficult roads to climb in Europe.

They talk of Edelweiss-Bolzano in the Dolomites and Col de Rosaelin in the French Alps. We finish our coffee and head back out.

Round about this time I start to feel the hell part³—³or at least my swimmer’s legs do. We’re about 70 km in and a low-grade hill that seems to go on for miles is leaving me in the dust. Tom Villano, one of the elite riders who has been on safety duty most of the morning, glides by me effortlessly, with two legs that may as well be pistons. In a whiz, he’s way out in front with DiRosa.

Alone, I try to comfort myself with the thought that the greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. But who I am kidding? My body is being put through the wringer, plain and simple. My fellow cyclists are way up ahead now, and all I'm left with is the wind in my ears and the strange thoughts that race through my mind.

I catch them at a street light 20 minutes later and am told we’re on the home stretch³³—³³“only” 15 km left!

I’m on borrowed time now but keep pushing. There’s no conversation from me at this point. It's head down all the way. I push down on the pedals thinking to myself that I must look like I’m doggy paddling. Nothing graceful about me now. Holding onto the pain all over my body, I reach our finish line and ride into the grass on the far side of the parking lot. I escape the clutches of the Fondriest bike and fall. My legs are reduced to rubber bands but my respect and appetite for cycling has been stirred. DiRosa throws me a bottle of water and smiles. I ask him, “How much for the bike?”

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PAS T TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

WHERE WE’VE BEEN

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March ①ÈBar Centrale’s patio opened; the perfect spot for Yonge St. people-watching on a hot summer’s day. ②ÈFlash mob! On March 3 at Terroni Price, a rabble of youths broke out into a dance, choreographed by Simona Mammoliti, in the middle of the dining room.

May ③ÈSoup’s up! On May 23, hundreds flocked to the Gardiner museum for the 20th edition of the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which benefits Toronto’s Anishnawbe Health Centre. Patrons were treated to soups from Toronto’s most celebrated chefs—including Terroni’s very own Giovanna Alonzi. Her homemade ravioli stuffed with Pecorino di Fossa in a lamb consommé with fava beans was a hit.

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×ÈRight on cue! Terroni’s pastry chef Carlo Lazzarino prepared fantastic dolci for the 8-ball classic on May 16th, which benefits the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the Toronto General Hospital. ③

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June ×ÈOn June 2nd Dundas Square transformed into Piazza Italia to celebrate the anniversary of the Republic. Terroni Adelaide’s own Valentina represented us, preparing delicious Italian panini. ④ÈTerroni provided assaggini for Big Night Out in the Green Barn on June 6th³—³an annual fundraiser that benefits The Stop, a sustainable food production and education centre situated in Wychwood Barns. The event raised over $160,000 for The Stop’s community-based food programs and guests reveled in a delightful Italian-themed menu provided by esteemed Toronto chefs.

×ÈThe Terroni family helped kick off the Italian Contemporary Film Festival on June 30th with³—³what else? Porchetta! The week-long event celebrates Italian heritage, while exploring exciting new frontiers to Italian cinema.

June/July ×ÈFootball fans united in June and early July to watch the UEFA Euro Cup 2012 games in Price street’s Rifugio via live web feed. Forza Italia!

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PAS T TENSE / FUTURE TENSE

July ×ÈLa Rivolta presented a peep show in Oz ×ÈTerroni server and performer extraorStudios at 134 Ossington Ave., on July 19th dinaire DJ Edwards starred in the Critic’s choice Fringe play Soulo, presented by the featuring Terroni staffer Craig Hepburn.

Soul Circus Collective. Edwards, a charac⑤ ter comedian and sometime-drag queen, played a funny boy cum guardian angel in the Best of Fringe 2012 selection, held at the Robert Gill theatre. ⑤ÈThe Terroni family turned out in droves for the debut of Toronto’s newest DJ duo: The SunTots. Adelaide’s Cassandra Mosher (DJ MamaCa$h) and Sophie Jones (DJ Chokerchain) spun rap beats from the last two decades at Churchill on June 11th.

Needless to say, the roof was on fire.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

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×ÈThe rooftop patio at Terroni Price St. opens in August. Go on and get at it. ⑥ÈMaster bread-maker Giuliano Pediconi joined us in June³—³and made bombolone —³to help us rise to the occasion for Queen street’s upcoming bakery, located just two doors east of the restaurant. The countdown until it opens starts…now! ⑦ÈWait, there’s another countdown: our second Terroni location in Los Angeles is slated to open this November in the heart of downtown at the corner of Spring St. and E. 8th St. It’ll be housed in a handsome heritage building from 1924 that sprawls across 6,000 sq. feet. Expect a late-night bar, a wine cellar and private dining room on the mezzanine level and an adjacent gastronomica shop, selling everything from wine to salumi.

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⑧ÈCan you guess whose mug this is on our new take-out coffee cups? Watch for them in the restaurants this autumn.

×ÈHave you started your holiday shopping yet? If not, breathe easy: we’ve got you covered with our Terroni holiday gift bags. Our “Made in Carcere” reusable bags will come filled with your favourite Terroni products.

Stay tuned. ⑥

By Taylor Dickie

EVERY

April, international wine importers head to Verona in hopes of finding drinkable gems at VinItaly, the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. And by “wine importers,” we mean men. VinItaly is a boys’ club, ladies and gentlemen. But this year Terroni and Cavinona (our own wine agency) decided to shake things up and threw a few Terroni ragazze into this mix of ragazzi: Anna Mammoliti (GM, Terroni Price), Gianna Sami (wine import manager) and Cassandra Mosher (manager/sommelier at Terroni Adelaide). The latter two kept a journal of their experiences as they tasted their way through the fair with VinItaly (and Terroni) veterans, Cosimo Mammoliti and Max Stefanelli.

May we present, S#!t VinItaly Girls Do.

7:30am´Wake up. Conveniently, the recycling depot for all of Northern Italy is located directly outside our window. We listen to bottles clang around for a solid 10 minutes as we curse under our cigaretteladen breath. Cassandra is “so tired” from the night before that she misses the wake-up call and instead wakes up to Max and Cosi looming over her. TERROR. 8:30am´Breakfast meeting. Try to control the ADD of two-and-a-half Mammolitis (Anna, Cosimo and Max, who is an honorary member of that family.) Coffee could not come sooner. We have a plan: we just don’t know what it is.

9:00am´Board VinItaly cattle car (a bus) and try to snooze as strange men stare at us.

9:30am´We brace ourselves as we near the VinItaly gates. Apparently lines do not exist in Italy. Chaos ensues. The solution? Cut in front of everyone.

10am-3:00pm´Attempt to be on time to all appointments³=³failure.

Taste an average of 10 wines per hour (we spit.) Cosimo and Max (they swallow) work all the angles, deals are made. These guys can really bargain. And boy, can Anna translate; otherwise we would be lost.

3:30pm´We’re starving. If we see more breadsticks and cured meat, we will freak. We head over to Mamete Prevostini to sample some authentic Lombardia fare. Finally, a real lunch!

4:00pm´Cigarette break. We feel

S#!T VINITALY GIRLS DO

slightly underdressed next to the Italian models standing next to us.

Must remember to look better next year. Bet they weren’t stuffing their faces with breadsticks and prosciutto all day. Must remember this also.

4:15-6:00pm´More appointments.

We head to the Sicily pavilion. So this is where all the Italian male models are hiding! We stay longer than we need to and stop spitting all this nero d’Avola. Sicily looks gooood.

6:15pm´Sicily was too appealing and we miss our shuttle. We have to wait in a taxi line (our feet hurt!) and we talk to a man named Gary from New York who mentions “his friends Nikki and Paris. “You know, the Hiltons?” We want to punch him and deny his request to come to dinner with us. Wonder how he made out that night.

6:45pm´Aperitivo time, thank sweet baby Jesus. We meet up with our friends Steve and Diego, who were flying in a helicopter earlier to some picturesque wine tasting.

Must remember to ask if they have any sons.

8:00pm´Head back to the hotel to change for dinner. Try to wear as much spandex as possible so that we won’t have to unbutton our pants after dinner like last night. We take a 10-minute nap and almost weep when Anna wakes us up.

8:30pm´Waah! We have to go to an amazing dinner again? We head to L’Oste Scuro, a top seafood restaurant, with our friends from San Patrignano. Twenty courses later

and all we can talk about are the fried baby crabs. More please. Three cigarette breaks are necessary. Glad we wore the spandex.

11pm´Waddle out of the restaurant as Cass uses Anna and me as her human crutches due to her high heels. Note to selves: high heels + ancient cobblestones are a deadly combination. We hobble to Bottega del Vino, the VinItaly bar to meet up with some friends.

12:00am´Helicopter Steve buys us gals Armagnac from our birth years followed by a magnum of 1998 Barolo. Could get used to this.

12:30am´Go up to the bar to order a drink, but a handsome man from the corner picks up the tab instead (not in Canada anymore) and he doesn’t even creepily try to hit on us (really not in Canada). We start talking to the bartender and he recognizes us from last year. Uh oh.

1:00am´Light up yet another cigarette and think about how we don’t smoke... in Toronto. Start the trek back to the hotel. Get back to the hotel and are inspired to have another drink. Thankfully Cass has three airplane bottles of grappa that she picked up that day. Classy.

1:30am´It takes all the energy we have to brush our teeth, but we do it to prevent wine stains (we’re vain).

We say good night and lights out.

Wonder what time the damn recycling will wake us up tomorrow, when we do it all over again.

by Cassandra Mosher and Gianna Sami

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by Rick & Sandra Kang

SAPEVI C HE

...there are o nly two pasta shapes native to Umbria? O ne is umbricelli (depending where yo u are).

The other - a flat hand-cut noo dle made with eggs is called strang ozzi.

In R omagna, they’re called str ozzapreti - “priest stranglers” - likely named in disdain o f the clergy’s o pulent eating habits.

S ome say the name c omes fr om the pasta’s resemblance to sh o elaces - o r stringhe da scarpe.

But revo luti o nary priests actually were strangled in the Papal States.

An other the o ry suggests the priests themselves came up with the name while visiting peasants.

Unable to aff o rd the eggs to make pr o per str ozzapreti, these peasants instead relied o nly o n fl o ur and water.

C o nfusing matters even further, it’s als o called string ozze, streng ozzi and picchiarelli.

F o rced to swall ow these bland n oo dles, the priests felt “strangled”.

Hence the name.

And the pasta’s name c omes fr om the too l used - a merger between the wo rds “string” and “strangle”.

STR OZZAPRETI...

STRANG O LAPRETI...

STR O NG OZZI...

STRING OZZE...

PICCHIARELLI...

...Call them what yo u want, s o l o ng as yo u eat these refined egg n oo dles with s omething equally delicate - like truffles and p o rcini mushr ooms.

A c omic by rick & sandra Kang

THE MAILBAG

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by Natalie Urquhart photos by Stephanie Palmer

Look, you know I love you guys but why don’t you serve balsamic vinegar with your bread?

From Ralph, (Terroni regular since 1994)

What’s your favourite place to eat in the city, besides Terroni? We have our favourites but I’m interested in branching out.

Jack & Dianne (Retired)

I write restaurant reviews regularly for both Yelp and Chowhound and I have pretty impressive followings on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. I am just about to post my review of Terroni — it isn’t all roses — on your Facebook page. Just wanted to give you a head’s up.

Connie C. Account manager, Scotiabank

Hot HostessÈTotally! I don't get that either! I always get balsamic in the cutest little dish when I go for sushi AND it comes with green stuff too. That’s basil, right?

SommelierÈBalsamic? Oh yes, Jeanne Beker served it to me once at a fabulous dinner party she hosted in 1987. She had on the best little boots. But Jeanne no longer wears her boots from 1987. And plenty of restaurants don’t dilute first-rate olive oil with secondrate balsamic post “dipping sauce” boom, which occurred after Dean and Deluca in New York first imported the stuff back in 1978.

Besides, we import our very own extra-virgin olive oil from Puglia³that’s made with fresh-pressed Coratina olives. We want you to taste its nuances unadulterated by vinegar. Trust us on this one, please. And yes, we use balsamic in our kitchens, just not in the little white porcelain bowl filled with our golden gift to you.

MammaÈWhy they put it everywhere here? On the Insalata Caprese, on the pasta, on the chicken. At home, it’s like gold³³—³³not ketchup. But it’s good on the Funghi Assoluti, no?

Hot HostessÈGabby’s on Roncy, obvi.

SommelierÈGreat question. Well, if I feel like contemporary comfort food in a Paris-meets-New York atmosphere, I might go see Tom, one of the most affable restaurateurs in the city, at the Westerly. And if friends from out of town are visiting and I want them to see what Toronto is capable of plating, I’ll take them to URSA. And sometimes if I feel like drowning out every thought in my head with hip-hop, while I stuff my face with tacos and bourbon, then Grand Electric it is.

MammaÈMy place, or Rita’s, or Maria’s, or Sofia’s, or Donatella’s.

And always Ersilia’s. Her pizza, polenta, gnocchi, parmigiana melanzane… wait a second, you look hungry. I make you a snack.

Hot Hostess I once got out of the shower and my hair was perfectly tousled and my skin all dewy that I just naturally posed for my fashion-photographer ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. He took an Instagram photo and it got like 7,000 views in like 30 minutes. I got an agent out of it. Hey, what does Chowhound pay? Extensions are super expensive.

SommelierÈI remember interning with Craig Claiborne when he was reviewing for the New York Times in the ‘60s. My, how times have changed. But please, post away. Word to the wise, though: we know that we don’t cut your pizzas, don’t serve dipping sauces with our calamari and try to avoid modifications; all common complaints by reviewers such as yourself. I know that seems like plenty of no's and is atypical in the industry. But we do our best to make sure that you get an authentic experience³³—³³not a touristy one³³—³³and sometimes that means saying no to pasta primavera topped with sliced chicken breast.

MammaÈTrovo tutte le forme di social media soffocanti, e io di Yelp me ne faccio un baffo.

TM

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