Dinner at Ca' Rosa

Friday, March 24, 2011 (Part 5)

When we returned to Ca' Rosa from our driving tour, we were greeted by Rosita and Renza. Chiara also stopped by briefly to say "ciao." Meanwhile, Niki was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Niki claims not to be much of a cook, but she definitely knows how to entertain. We had a wonderful meal consisting of (i) Parmegiane cheese with aged balsamic vinegar drizzled on top, (ii) focaccia with proscuitto, (iii) ravioli in broth (which I could not finish!!!), (iv) sauted zucchini, (v) flatbread with cheese, (vi) salad with tomatoes, and (vii) crostata di Renza (dessert).

Also for wine, we had a bottle of red wine, bottled in 2009, from the vineyard where I had taken pictures of the harvesting when we visited in September 2009. It was not the best wine, but it was fun to taste it. We also had Proseco (Italian champagne) with dessert. It was a great meal. I just wish I could have eaten all of it. Most of all, I cannot believe that I did not eat all of my ravioli.

But I am very glad that I was able to find some room for dessert because Renza's crostata was excellent. I had her dictate the recipe to me so that I can try to duplicate it at home. It may be difficult to do because some of the ingredients are not commonly found in the US. Also, all the quantity measurements Renza gave me are metric, so I'll have to figure out the conversion. But if I can even get close to her results, it will be worth the effort.

The photos here are (i) a picture of Paolo on his Vespa -- taken in Stradella, and (ii) a picture of Niki and Katherine in front of the anchor war memorial in the park in the center of Stradella.