The Best Meal...

Far and away the best meal I ate in Italy was served in Milan. There's a hotel there called The Gray. It's a fabulous place. It was very near our hotel, near the Duomo and also near the Theatro Alla Scala (the Opera House). It's located on a quiet back street. No big traffic, and no tourist noise.

When I was looking for a restaurant on a holiday weekend in Milan I remembered The Gray.

We walked into the modern bar and immediately felt at home. We were the only guests. The bartenders greeted us and took our drink orders right away. They explained that because it was a holiday weekend they didn't have much traffic. It was the last night of the holiday and everyone had gone home. We had the place literally to ourselves! One of the bartenders told us that he'd be our waiter too!

We did decide to stay for dinner. The restaurant, located up a contemporary staircase, is called La Noir. (The night). Drama is its middle name. Small dining room. Maybe it seats 50 or so. Everything is dark and moody. We didn't find a lot of dark and moody in Italy. Most of the restaurants were brightly lit. I like candles and mood lighting with my dinner. I save all that bright light for cleaning my kitchen. Bright lights make me feel like I'm eating in an operating room.

La Noir suited us perfectly.

I was more than a little intrigued by the little cluster of "grass" that sat in the middle of our table. It was not only darling, fuzzy and a beautiful bright green but it was the only thing on our white table. It seemed to be sunken into the tablecloth. Upon further investigation, I found that it WAS sunken into the table. There was a perfect square cut into the tablecloth and this little table decor treat was inset into the table so the pot didn't show. I've given you a link here so you can see the hotel and if you click on the photo gallery and then the dining section you can see the tables. They all have little pots of grass planted in them. It's not normal grass though. It's some kind of curlier, softer plant that looks like regular grass.

http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/italy-hotels/milan-hotels/the-gray/

My mind immediately shifted from one season to the next. How ingenious! If they wanted, they could switch from grass to violets, to shamrocks or any other low plant. The colors could change and continue to spice up the neutral decor. I'll steal that idea and use it...someday.

Before our dinner began they brought us a l'amuse. It's that "little something" that the chef dreams up each day. It was so simple. I think I've seen them on buffets before but had never eaten them. I loved it. A prune wrapped in crisp bacon. I've dreamed up how I think they should be made and am offering you that simple recipe today. I'll comment on it some more below.

The next thing that arrived at our table was another element we had not ordered. It's another great idea to "steal". It was a shot glass of cream of asparagus soup. The novelty was the shot glass. Just the right size to taste the soup. No spoon needed. It gave you enough to enjoy the experience but it was not so much that you got too full and didn't feel like ordering dinner.

Speaking of dinner. I had so many dinners on the cruise ship that by the time I got to Milan I was sort of perpetually "full". That never stops me from eating a wonderful dinner, however.

I ordered the following:

For appetizer: (in English the translation read...) Vegetables with buffalo's mozzarella au gratin and tomatoes marinated with basil. Basically a bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella. Well, there was nothing basic about it. The buffalo mozzarella was perfection and the vegetable turned out to be a perfectly roasted melange of roasted peppers. The bread was toasted and lightly salted so it zinged your tongue a bit with each bite. YUM.

For main course: (in Italian....) Ravioli ripieni ai piselli novella con emincee di gamberi, pomodori datterini e crema di basilica. Such a beautiful language. If only I could pronounce it. In English it read: Peas ravioli with emincee of prawns, tomatoes and basil cream. Again, another big YUM. It was so light and almost refreshing for an entree. Nothing heavy at all. I didn't have enough room to continue with a meat course. We did however manage to share a Creme brulee with coffee mousee and almond biscuits. I think it's so funny to see how they try to translate to English. I am quite aware that when I try to speak Spanish I do the same thing. I know well that I sound like a first grader with no real grammar skills, but they seem to get my drift. Too bad Spanish is not all that helpful in Italy. I really thought it would be, but whenever I tried to use it with an Italian-speaking shopkeeper it only confused us more.

The evening was magical. So was the Duomo. It's the biggest cathedral in Europe (not counting the Vatican). 135 spires. And as part of the tour they let you out on the roof to walk around! Not something you should really do after having serious back surgery but I was innocent in my intention. I had no idea what it would really be like until I was up there. I think I'm developing a fear of heights. I was incredulous that people were letting their children up there!

The other magical experience in Milan took place at the opera house; undeniably one of the most famous opera houses in all the world. The Italians are passionate about their opera.

Turns out Macbeth, the Opera, finished up a day before we got there so there was no performance we could get tickets for. Instead, the concierge told us about a free concerto we could go to on Sunday at noon. All you had to do was line up in front of the Theatro Alla Scala before noon. We got there just in time. We were about 30 minutes ahead of the doors opening and we were one of the last couples allowed in. The line of people they turned away was about a block long.

Inside it was standing room only. The chandeliers in the place take your breath away. The music was beautiful; and this was just in one of the "salons". We were not allowed into the main theatre. Rats! But at least I can say I was in La Scala! (the English translation). I could go on about Milan. The shopping is to die-for and the prices are astronomical. The Euro is not our friend right now. I didn't buy anything but I sure did window shop. To give you an idea, there were some placemats in the window of a boutique home decor store that I would have liked; until I saw the price tag. They were $125 US per placemat. Considering the way I go through placemats, that wasn't in the budget.

Milan is one grand experience if you ever get the chance. Don't miss it.

Bacon-wrapped Prunes
Okay, this sounds weird but they are really quite tasty. A bit of salt with your sweet. I tried two ways to cook them. Both worked. I'm also including a variable or two in case you want to get wild. The restaurant served two per person. Seems like just the right amount for the obvious reasons.

21 prunes (you can vary the number)
7 pieces of regular American bacon (Oscar Meyer is a favorite)
Olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Most prunes come dried and in a bag now. First thing you'll need to do is "plump them back up". This usually means covering them in water and boiling them for a few minutes until they soften up. You'll do this same thing to prepare the prunes for this dish. If you want to get wild you can add some liqueur or wine to the water to infuse the prunes with extra flavor. After you cook the prunes, put them on a paper towel to drain. When they have drained you can proceed.

One third of a piece of bacon is enough to cover one prune all the way around. So if you cut your bacon strips into three segments, crosswise, you'll have enough to wrap each prune. You want the bacon to overlap a bit. Place each wrapped prune on a baking sheet sprayed with oil. Make sure they are seam-side down.

Bake the prunes wrapped in bacon for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Then open the oven and gently turn the prunes over so the other side can brown against the cookie sheet. The second side should only take about 5 - 7 minutes. You want the prunes baked to a brown crunchiness but not blackened.

Let cool slightly and eat.

An alternative method would be to fry them. You can use a sauté pan and spray it with oil. Brown the seam side first so it sticks together then gently turn so they brown all over. This method is a little greasier so I'd suggest you drain them on paper towels before you serve them.

P.S. I did find out that Devils on Horseback (a British recipe) is very much the same. In that recipe they stuff the prunes with chutney and serve on toast with watercress. I guess this is just a simpler version. Either way, they are great little tidbits!

Correction: On last week's recipe there was a transfer error when it was posted. The Pork Fillet Roast should have been 2 lbs. I was calling for 1, 2lb roast and it translated into 1/2. Sorry. It has been corrected on my website at www.dinnerwithzola.com. Look under entrees. Thanks!

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.