A shocking omission in HG’s post: HOLIDAY FEASTING (DAY FIVE). Faithful and knowing readers must have been taken aback that Gifted Daughter Lesley R. omitted pasta from a welcoming Italian dinner for HG/BSK. No, indeed. An error by HG (ah, the vagaries of old age). After the antipasto and before the cheese, Lesley offered steaming bowls of tortellini with ample shavings of parmesan, a most comforting dish. HG remarked upon true excellence of the broth and was told it was Swanson’s Low Sodium. Surprisingly (to HG at least) Swanson’s, a widely distributed supermarket brand, was chosen by a top flight panel of knowing tasters as the best of packaged (or canned) broths. It may replace Trader Joe’s Free Range Chicken Broth on HG/BSK’s pantry shelves. HG reflected that Lesley always creates beautifully balanced Italian meals. Because the Riva family has resided in Italy for various periods, HG/BSK have enjoyed Lesley’s cuisine in Siena, Bologna and Venice. The emphasis was always on local recipes, traditions and ingredients—hearty bresaola, salumi, stuffed pasta in Bologna and seafood in all its delicious forms in Venice. When young Lesley and husband Massimo lived in Siena (before children and before Massimo’s professorship at Brown University) the emphasis was on dining in very good (and very cheap) little restaurants nestled in the Tuscan hills. Many savory memories of mushrooms, truffles, boar sausage and very rare steaks accompanied by beans. Viva Italia!!!
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