Una notte bolognese a Solo Bistro

Ancora Pasta and Solo Bistro once again will bring you on a gustatory fantasy ride this Thursday evening. This week's stop? Bologna!

Bologna, nicknamed La Città Rossa - The Red City - as much for its political leanings as for its distinctive red roofs, is an entirely different Italian experience from Florence, the last stop on our Ancora Pasta/Solo Bistro culinary tour of Italy. Florence is cosmopolitan, while Bologna is educated (the first university in the western world still attracts students from around the globe). Florence is Renaissance marble; Bologna is medieval brick. Florence's narrow - or sometimes nonexistent - sidewalks provide zero escape from the elements, leaving that task to the Duomo and Uffizi, undoubtedly a most culturally gratifying "escape"; Bologna, on the other hand, had the forethought to provide shelter with portico after portico after portico covering its wide sidewalks, allowing for business to continue through all the elements.

The most distinctive difference, however, is the food. Florentines are proud of their food, to be sure, but Bologna's cuisine defines its culture. We Americans grew up with baloney/bologna as a sandwich staple, no? And Chef Boyardee made a mean meat tortellini, right? And as our palates matured, we grew to appreciate spaghetti bolognese. As bastardized as these are, their roots certainly do lie in Bolognese cuisine. You simply cannot walk down a street without being subjected to the most gorgeous displays of handmade tortellini, cappelletti, and ravioli. Hundreds and hundreds of them piled in bins along the streets of the open market, in shop windows, in tantalizing restaurant displays. Cured meats, including mortadella - the Americanized version of which is, of course, baloney - hang from shop ceilings right alongside the legs of its neighbor's infamous "Prosciutto di Parma." And spaghetti bolognese? Well, you just don't serve spaghetti with a ragù alla bolognese; but you certainly would serve it with the distinctively yellow, egg-yolk-rich tagliatelle, as every Bolognese cook would.

Thus our culinary tour just had to stop in Bologna next. Watch out, though, Bolognese cuisine is deceivingly rich (Bologna is also referred to as "La Grossa" - the fat one...) - you are going to leave this meal fully satiated! Mangiate bene e buon appetito!

primo piatto

cappelletti in brodo

~ By definition, cappelletti are cheese-filled (meatless) tortellini. [The name cappelletti comes from the "hat" (cappello) shape.] Cappelletti in brodo (in broth) is a classic Bolognese first course. ~

secondo piatto
tagliatelle alla bolognese
~ The Bolognese claim tagliatelle as their own creation. Regardless of the arguments to the contrary, the Bolognese have perfected the thin, egg-yolk-rich version that we are serving this week. Presented with a traditional bolognese (hearty meat) sauce, this dish is undoubtedly the most famous of the Bolognese cuisine. ~

dolce
Zuppa Inglese

vino
tbd

~ Check back tomorrow for our update on the dessert course and wine pairing... ~