The ebony and ivory in this post is a series of monochromatic frames, in varying shades of gray, for this week’s Monday Phoneography Challenge: Black and White.

All of the following shots were taken with an iPhone 5. I had fun incorporating the panoramic setting on a few of the frames, employed a new 360 app on a couple of others, and went in search of some “trick” phoneography that you’ll spot at the very end.

For more examples of black-and-white phoneography just click HERE.

If you occasionally shoot with an i-thingie, why not join in the fun and hone your craft. There’s a rotating phoneography challenge each and every Monday. For details, visit Sally’s Lens and Pens by Sally, Polly’s Watching The Photo Reels Go Round and Round or Gracie’s Frames and Focus.

See you next Monday!

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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How could I turn down her request? But, I did, sort of, by telling her that there was no need to taste one because I’ve consumed many a Sgroppino and they are just fantastic. And, I explained to her, in a few words, what a Sgroppino is.

Thanks to Ms. H, I’ll share those details, and then some, right here, right now, and prep a Sgroppino for you so that you can try it out on your home turf. Okay by you?

The Sgroppino, a creamy-smooth, frothy alcoholic beverage, is actually more of a digestivo (digestive) or liquid dessert than an aperitivo (cocktail).

Created by the inventive and masterful Venetians back in the 16th century, the Sgropin, as it’s called in the Venetian dialect, means to untie a little knot — the ones in your stomach following a rather large meal. Further away from La Serenissima it’s called a Sgroppino, or simply Sorbetto.

Made with milk-free lemon sorbetto (sorbet) and a bit of alcohol, the Sgroppino was served in aristocratic Venetian homes during dinner to cleanse the palate between the first and second courses — normally fish to meat — and to also help digest all that was consumed at the tail-end of the dinner. That tradition continues today, with a few minor tweaks to the centuries-old recipe.

Today, the classic Sgroppino is made with lemon sorbetto, vodka and Prosecco sparkling wine. Variations include strawberry, grapefruit or mandarin sorbetto vice lemon, and, for some, the addition of limoncello (lemon liqueur).

Personally, I prefer the classic mix, just like most folks living in and around the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Hey, when in Venice, or nearby, do as the Venetians do, right?

If you’ll watch your step, let’s go aboard my virtual gondola and over to the mini-bar area where my short-order cookin’, barista mixin’ alter ego, Lazy Person, is standing by to whip-up a batch of Sgroppinos fit for Venetian fat cats.

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Step-1: Thaw out, if frozen, the lemon sorbet until it has a thick, creamy consistency.

Step-2: Add the sorbet to an aluminum mixing bowl and whisk to remove any lumps or bumps.

Step-3: Pour in the vodka, and whisk lightly to blend.

Step-4: Add the Prosecco and whisk lightly to blend.

Step-5: Cover the aluminum bowl with plastic wrap and place the mix in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Step-6: Dampen the glasses and place in the freezer to chill.

Step-7: Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and give the mix one final whisk to re-froth.

Step-8: Pour the mix into the pre-chilled cordial glasses up to the top, garnish with a lemon wedge and mint leaves, and serve.

SALUTE!

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The next time, or first time, you find yourself in Venice, untie those knots by asking for a Sgroppino during or after dinner. It’s the Venetian thing to do.

For more refreshing drink ideas, just click on GOOD COCKTAILS, right above the header photo, for the pull-down menu.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Meet the ’39 FIAT 1500 B 6c Touring Superleggera Coupe Speciale. It was FIAT’s first venture into serious aerodynamic body styling and the first Torino project to be tested in a wind tunnel.

The Touring Superleggera Coupe Speciale was sylish, fast, sporty and CURVACEOUS, with its radical, sweeping design highlighted by the aerodynamic arrow shaped nose section.

With only four cars ever built from this model, maybe FIAT believed, at the time, that it had reached automotive design perfection and thought it best to just break the mold, much like four other CURVACEOUS Italian models: Loren, Lollobrigida, Cardinale and Bellucci.

For more photographic interpretations of CURVES, view this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. Just click HERE.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Before we get to mixing up this one-of-a kind drink, let’s take a step back in time to see what came before Nicola’s refreshing high-spirited concoction.

Serving wine, beer and spirits since 1902, Sartea’s was the second of all bars in Vicenza to be legally licensed to sell alcohol. Located at 362 Corso San Felice, this liquid oasis has an intriguing history that actually dates back to the 1800s.

Bar Sartea, once a horse-darwn carriage and coach stop on the way into and out of the city, began as an ostaria (tavern with basic food service) in the 19th century. A short-lived birraria (microbrewery), founded by Sefano Sartea — the current bar’s namesake — was added upstairs following World War I only to be put out of business by an aerial bombing during World War II.

Dusted off, Sartea’s came back to life again as an osteria, this time frequented only by senior citizens. When music was added to the mix, mainly live and recorded jazz, the old folks got the message and left and an influx of younger patrons arrived. And that’s where Sartea’s is today: a relaxing bar with a pleasant mix of clientele — young, middle age and young-at-heart — that appreciate good music and a good drink or two.

Although the old osteria’s small kitchen is still there, Sartea’s is pretty much a liquid-diet establishment with delectable tramezzini (little sandwiches), olives and chips thrown in to help diffuse the alcohol.

Occasionally, Sartea’s hosts private parties, like weddings, birthdays and graduations; otherwise, they’re open to the public six days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., serving coffee, pastries, aperitivi and finger food, with live or recorded music on Friday and Saturday nights. The bar’s closed on Mondays.

What really separates Sartea’s from other bars in Vicenza is its spacious, shaded outdoor patio. It’s the perfect place to grab a drink with friends as the sun slowly sets in the west during these long evenings of summer. I think now’s as good a time as any to find out what goes into Sartea’s signature drink.

Nicola! Un Macchiatissimo, per favore.

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Following the above list of ingredients, barista Nicola will show you how to mix up your very own Macchiatissimo.

Step-1: Pre-chill the glass with ice, prep the lime juice and organize the bottles needed

Step-2: Empty the glass of ice, pour in the sugar

Step-3: Add the Angostura bitters

Step-4: Pour in the lime juice

Step-5: Add the ice cubes

Step-6: Pour in the Rabarbaro Zucca

Step-7: Pour in the Campari

Step-8: Pour in the Prosecco

Step-9: Add the soda water

Step-10: Add the twist of lime peel

Step-11: CIN CIN!

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The Macchiatissimo, Bar Sartea’s REALLY stained signature cocktail. One taste and you’ll be pleased; finish the glass and you’ll be quite happy. Don’t I know. I got to shoot it AND sip it.

For more drink ideas, check out our GOOD COCKTAILS section. Just click HERE.

Too bad those horse-drawn carriages of old don’t come by Sartea’s any more. I think I need a lift home. Oh my.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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©1981 Paramount Pictures

Thirty-two years ago this month — June 12th to be exact — George Lucas and Steven Spielberg teamed up and gave movie fans all across the globe something to really cheer about: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Harrison Ford, playing the matinee idol-like university professor-archeologist-treasure hunter, armed with a bullwhip and sporting a wide-brim hat, flew into action against the Nazi’s in search of the Ark of the Covenant.

Indiana returned to the big screen three more times bringing in a global sum at the box office of just under $2B (USD); and, that doesn’t take into account a TV series spinoff or all of the collective merchandising of the Indie brand.

©1981 paramount Pictures

Victorious in all of his adventures, independent Indie was great at knocking off the bad guys, usually with one hand, or both, tied behind his back, and bringing home the bacon; but, it was Dr. Jones’ hat that really stole the show.

Admit it, Ford was the perfect guy for the action-hero role, but it was that battered and beaten hat, not Junior’s battered and beaten mug, that was the true star of the Indiana Jones quartet of movies.

Granted, Hans Solo-turned-Indiana Jones wore that hat as well as Bogart or Delon, but it was that dirty, dusty, sweaty fedora that singlehandedly made the character and brought audiences to their feet every time it blew back onto the screen.

Doc Jones’ hat — a fedora model called the Poet — was handmade by Herbert Johnson Hatters of England. And, just like Ford’s Indiana, I, too, don a hat, an Italian Borsalino, as The Palladian Traveler.

Now that the hot summer weather has arrived, I’ve put my black winter “B” away, and am now sporting a summer “B” that I picked up earlier this week at Cappellieria Palladio, an historic hat shop in Vicenza.

It’s a stylish white Panama hat with a black band that’s going to be perfect for covering my noggin’. I just hope I can keep it a bit cleaner than Indie did his.

Whaddya think? Cool enough to wear along the cobblestone to somewhere?

Like Indie — sans the bullwhip, but with a laptop and camera — I, too, hate snakes, but love hats.

It’s a shame Indiana won’t be donning the Poet and flying into action ever again. At least he left us with four great titles on DVD/Blue-ray/online to watch again and again, and cheer some more.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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For more examples of macro phoneography — this week’s Monday Phoneography Challenge — visit Sally’s Lens and Pens by Sally, Polly’s Watching The Photo Reels Go Round and Round and Gracie’s Frames and Focus.

And, if you sometime shoot with an i-thingie, join in the fun. There’s a rotating new phoneography challenge each and every Monday, rain or shine.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Gone for about an hour, he returned home, out of breath, with only two items in the tote, and the following brief exchange ensued:

Me: Only two items?

LP: Hey, you want quantity or quality?

Me: Quality, of course.

End of discussion.

Inside the tote was a bottle of white wine along with the star of today’s “What’s Burning” post, a small aluminum tray filled with potato dumplings known as gnocchetti, the petite version of gnocchi (from Italian gnoccho, meaning a knot found on the bark of a tree).

These are green gnocchetti due to the fresh baby spinach leaves that were added to the potato, flour and egg mixture to form the dough. And, when these little “knots” are tied around the creamy-smooth goodness of the melted gorgonzola dolce cheese, you’ll be glad you postponed starting that summer diet until domani (tomorrow) or dopo domani (after tomorrow).

Popular all across the Bel Paese, these light little dumplings, served as a first-course dish — like pasta or soup — have a variety of names and various styles, with or without potato, depending on which region, city, town or hamlet you reside.

Here in Vicenza, part of the matriarchal region that is the Veneto, the locals call them gnocchi/gnocchetti from their dialect word gnòco (meaning something that protrudes, a lump). Over in the Lombardia region they’re called nocchie (knuckles). There’s not enough time or space on this blog to list all the regional expressions, but if you order gnocchi/gnocchetti in most restaurants across the country that’s what you’ll see written on the menu.

Knots, knuckles, lumps or whatever, I love gnocchi/gnocchetti, like just about everyone else who calls the province of Vicenza home.

Dating back to the Roman Empire, gnocchi slowly ebbed into the culinary lexicon of greater Europe as legions of the Caput Mundi marched in, conquered, reestablished order then moved on to the next nation-building exercise.

Over the past two millennia, each country developed its own specific version of dumplings, with the ancient gnocchi as their common ancestor.

In Roman times, gnocchi were made from a semolina (durum) flour-based, porridge-like dough mixed with egg. That same recipe lives on today and can be found in similar fashion, particularly the oven-baked gnocchi alla romana one finds in the Eternal City and other parts of the Lazio region.

It wasn’t until the 16th century that the spud found its way into Europe, brought over from South America by the Spaniards. No sooner was the first sack unloaded by the conquistadores that the potato quickly became THE ingredient in gnocchi/gnocchetti.

Okay, enough history. I’m starving.

Grab an apron and we’ll head into the kitchen and get these lumpy, knotted-up knuckles underway.

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Step-1: Fill a medium size pot with water, cover and fire the heat to HIGH and let boil.

Step-2: In a small skillet, add the cream and the cheese, pre-cut into small pieces.

Step-3: Fire the heat under the skillet to LOW and begin warming the cream and melting the cheese until the two combine to form a thick, creamy sauce. Remove from heat, let it rest and wait for Step-6.

Step-4: Water is now boiling. Uncover, add the salt and drop the gnocchetti down into the boiling water.

Step-5: When the gnocchetti rise to the top of the boiling water — about 2 min. — they’re done. With a handheld strainer, skim the gnocchetti and shake dry. Turn off the heat underneath the pot.

Step-6: Fire the heat to MEDIUM HIGH underneath the skillet. Add the gnocchetti to the cheese and cream sauce, stir gently in the sauté for about 1 min. Turn off heat.

Step-7: Plate the gnocchetti, top with 1-2 cranks of freshly ground black pepper (optional), and serve.

Step-8: BUON APPETITO!

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Recommended Wine Pairing: Sanct Valentin Alto Adige Sauvignon DOC - Kellerei St. Michael, Appiano/Eppan (BZ), Italy – This wine pairing recommendation comes from Maria-Giovanna, one of the two certified sommelier on staff at Gastronomia il Ceppo. She chose wisely again as this vino bianco complimented nicely the gnocchetti verdi in the gorgonzola cream sauce.

St. Michael’s Winery, located along the prestigious Weinstraße (Wine Road) in the town of Appiano/Eppan in Italy’s northernmost region of the Trentino Alto Adige/South Tyrol, was selected “Winery of the Year for 2000″ by the Italian wine publication I Vini d’Italia. And, for good reason. This winery produces and markets three distinct lines — Sanct Valentin, Cru and Classic — totaling 34 different blends and varietals. It is within the Sanct Valentin line that we uncork this enjoyable Sauvignon.

Sanct Valentin Alto Adige Sauvignon DOC is a wine that enchants by its varietal alone. Light green in color, this Sauvignon’s bouquet is rich with aromas of wild elder blossoms, figs and understated spices.

Convincing on the palate, it’s fine, dry, balanced and long lasting. Partially aged and refined in oak casks, Sanct Valentin Alto Adige Sauvignon DOC stands alone as a superb aperitivo, and compliments well a variety of appetizers, vegetable dishes, fish entrees, sushi and cheeses.

Best served chilled between 8-10 °C.

SALUTE!

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Photo ©2009 MarkusMark

On the other side of the country, due west of La Serenissima, is Milan, the Bel Paese’s button-down business and banking hub and an epicenter for world fashion.

Like Venice, Milan, the other half of the old Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, was under Austrian rule for quite some time during the 18th and 19th centuries and fell victim to the occupier’s practice of spritzen (German for splashing), diluting strong Italian wine with splashes of water.

If the Lagoon adopted Aperol as its cordial of choice, then the same can be said for Milan and its beloved Campari.

An alcoholic liqueur, Campari is in the family of amari (bitters) and is an infusion of approximately 80 herbs, plants and fruit. Supposedly, only three members of the Campari inner circle know the exact ingredients that go into this bitter, and they’re not talkin’.

Campari was created back in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, a master drink maker who honed his craft serving up his creations to the elite of Turin. Eventually, he brought his talent, the secret bitter and his namesake brand to Milan where he launched the family business (restaurant, bar and wine shop) under a large Campari sign in the iconic Galleria di Vittorio Emanuele II, the world’s oldest enclosed shopping mall named in honor of the first king of the Kingdom of Italy.

Campari’s distinctive red color was an immediate hit after its first pour and gave rise to the national pastime of drinking aperitivi — a simple excuse to join up with friends or business partners at a local watering hole to discuss the day’s events, close a deal or plot the future. Yes, we can all give thanks to Signor Campari for this refreshing daily ritual.

Today, Campari, the “red passion,” is the essential ingredient for a host of internationally-known aperitivi: Negroni, l’Americano, Garibaldi, Spritz and other short and long drinks. We’ll get to them all, one glass at a time, starting with the crowd-pleasing Spritz Campari. If you’ll simply step up to the virtual bar, Lazy Person — my short-order cookin’, barista mixin’ alter ego — will have your drink on a coaster in under a minute, or the first round’s on us.

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Step-1: Fill a large wine glass with ice

Step-2: Pour in the Campari

Step-3: Add the water

Step-4: Add the Prosecco

Step-5: Float the orange slice on top

Step-6: CIN CIN!

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Milan and Venice, once united under one kingdom during Austrian rule, now separated by two bottles of bitter. If given the choice, which one would you choose, Aperol or Campari?

For more aperitivi ideas, just click on GOOD COCKTAILS, right above the header photo, for the pull-down menu.

SALUTE!

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Along with travel writing and photography, I do like to dabble in the kitchen with my short-order cookin’ alter ego, Lazy Person (LP), and down in the virtual wine cellar.

In the galley, I have to work fast, with camera and spatula, to document each step, or FLEETING moment, of a recipe that I’ll eventually post. It isn’t easy keeping the steam off the lens as I zoom in close to capture what’s in the skillet, pan or pot.

Juggling ingredients and f-stops and chasing the light is a bit tricky. You don’t want to blow the shot, but you also don’t want to burn or overcook the star of the shoot: the food, wine or cocktail.

Food photography, when you’re both the framer and the cook, turns into an event — a live shoot — that constantly moves forward whether you’re ready or not. You’re always up against the clock, or, in my case, the cooking timer.

I’ll admit, not everything in the kitchen is helter-skelter. Some of my efforts are quasi “studio” shoots — using the kitchen countertop with overhead recessed lighting — as I stage certain ingredients in a recipe before or after I plate the dish and consume it.

Whether shooting or stirring, I enjoy both equally, and somehow these fleeting frames of food all come together in a blog-worthy post to share with you.

SMILE! and BUON APETITO!

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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Our lead-off dish is a good one, too: tortelloni (larger versions of tortellini), a navel-shaped egg-and-flour pasta, stuffed with a filling of zucca (pumpkin) and crushed Amaretti di Saronno cookies. It’s a primo piatto (first course) with a hint of dolce (dessert).

Did you say NAVEL? Yes, navel-like in shape.

Here’s the historical footnote.

One of many legends, and the one I like best, has it that the tortellini was supposedly created by an inn keeper-cook in Castelfranco Emilia, in the province of Modena over in Italy’s Lombardia region, back in the late 15th-early 16th century when Lucrezia Borgia — the daughter of Pope Alexander VI — spent a night there.

The inn keeper, captivated by Lucrezia’s beauty, just had to get a better look at her. Peeking through the keyhole of her room, the “peeping Tom” hotelier caught a glimpse of her navel in the candlelight. What a navel it must’ve been, because it sent him into ecstasy and he immediately raced downstairs to the kitchen and began creating a pasta that resembled the femme fatal’s umbilicus.

Don’t you just love Italian folklore?

Now, If you’ll grab an apron, let’s join LP in the “lab” and get this “House of Borgia” lookalike underway. We’ll have it plated in less than 10 min.

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Step-1: Fill a medium-size pot with water, cover, fire the heat to HIGH and bring to a boil

Step-2: Rinse the fresh sage, dry with paper towel then separate the leaves from the stems

Step-3: In a small skillet, fire the heat to MEDIUM, add the butter, sage leaves and pinch of salt. Cook for 1-2 min. allowing the butter to liquify and absorb the aroma of the slightly crisp sage. Remove from heat, let it rest and wait for Step-6.

Step-4: Pasta water is now boiling. Uncover, add the sea salt and, one-by-one, drop in the tortelloni. Give it a good stir and continue the boil for 5 min.

Step-5: Remove pot from heat and drain the pasta.

Step-6: Add the tortelloni to the butter — sans the sage leaves — fire the heat to MEDIUM, add in 3/4 of the grated cheese and sauté for 30-45 sec.

Step-7: Plate the tortelloni, sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top, add some freshly ground pepper and serve.

Step-8: BUON APETITO!

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Recommended Wine Pairing: Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC - Kellerei St. Michael, Appiano/Eppan (BZ), Italy – This wine pairing recommendation comes from Maria-Giovanna, one of the two certified sommelier on staff at Gastronomia il Ceppo. And, she was spot-on as this bottle married perfectly with the tortelloni stuffed with pumpkin and amaretti.

St. Michael’s Winery, located along the prestigious Weinstraße (Wine Road) in the town of Appiano/Eppan in Italy’s northernmost region of the Trentino Alto Adige/South Tyrol, was selected “Winery of the Year for 2000″ by the Italian wine publication I Vini d’Italia. And, for good reason. This winery produces and markets three distinct lines — Sanct Valentin, Cru and Classic — totaling 34 different blends and varietals. It is within the Classic line that we uncork our Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC.

Crystal-clear with a deep, green-yellow color, this wine has a unique aromatic fullness. The bouquet is delicate hay and mild nutmeg fragrances. Charming on the palate, this varietal is uncomplicated in its simple style.

Fresh tasting and easy to drink, Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC pairs well with a variety of dishes, especially freshwater fish.

Best served chilled between 8-10 °C.

SALUTE!

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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]]> http://thepalladiantraveler.com/2013/06/07/tortelloni-ripieni-con-zucca-e-amaretti/feed/ 16 Tortelloni stuffed with Pumpkin and Amaretti | ©Tom Palladio Images tompalladio Il Ceppo Gastronamia e Enoteca - Vicenza, Italy | ©Tom Palladio Images Lucrezia Borgia portrait by Bartolomeo Veneto Tortelloni ripieni con Zucca e Amaretti Sage and Butter in the Skillet | ©Tom Palladio Images Tortelloni ripieni con Zucca e Amaretti | ©Tom Palladio Images Tortelloni stuffed with Pumpkin and Amaretti | ©Tom Palladio Images Add Tortelloni to the Sage Butter in the Skillet | ©Tom Palladio Images Plated Tortelloni ripieni con Zucca e Amaretti | ©Tom Palladio Images Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 - St. Michael Winery - Appiano, Italy | ©Tom Palladio Images Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC - St. Michael's Winery - Appiano/Eppan, Italy | ©Tom Palladio Images Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC - St. Michael's Winery - Appiano/Eppan, Italy | ©Tom Palladio Images Alto Adige Müller Thurgau 2012 DOC and stuffed pasta dish | ©Tom Palladio Images The Palladian Traveler's Borsalino over cobblestone | ©Tom Palladio Images