Last week birds timidly started to sing in the nearby wood
It was getting slightly warmer
People thought the long and cold Winter finally decided to leave us
But no, Winter got offended for our impatience
So, four days ago sent terribly strong and cold wind:
The mighty Bora.

I was brave enough and took a walk near the sea.
Instead of birds, 150 km/h was now singing to me.

UPDATE 10th March 2010, around 1 PM
Man against nature. 1h ago I was almost pushed into the sea by STROOONG bora wind. Pure adrenaline!!!

The latest 2008 “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” from Giorgio Clai, the pioneer in biodynamic winemaking in Croatia, impressed me a lot. This is the wine of extremes… The fight between acids, salts, alcohol and fatness is so compelling that, in a glance, you find yourself finishing the third glass.

In the last year a lot has been written about so called orange wines or white wines where grape skins are left in contact (macerated) with grape must for several days, even months – here is an excellent introductory article from Eric Asimov (NYT The Pour), here is a comprehensive list of orange wines tasted by Thor Ivenson and here there are some points of view on the subject from Giampi Moretti.

As I already wrote, Istrian Malvasia is traditionally made in “orange” way until some 15 years ago, when the wine renaissance took place in Istria and this vinification method was abandoned, considered as old-fashioned and wrong by the mainstream winemakers. Now, thanks to Clai and Roxanich the orange Malvasias have been resurrected and they soon proved how delicious and interesting can be.

2008 Clai Sv. Jakov malvazija and roasted duck stuffed with fruits

The latest 2008 “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” from Giorgio Clai, the pioneer in biodynamic winemaking in Croatia, impressed me a lot. This is the wine of extremes that can be hinted from its high alcohol content – 15.1% alcohol (!). I have never tried such a strong white wine, practically on the border between wine and liquors or fortified wines.

Golden yellow in the glass. The nose is mysterious and delicious, not at all fruit-forward like most Malvasias in Istria, but dirty and very earthy. The aromas are so tightly intertwined that it took me some time to recognize dry hay, wet clay, dry figs, Mediterranean macchia, Kaki, Loquat and slight medicinal note similar to Vermouth. Definitely there are plenty of things to smell in this wine, but the real action happens in the mouth. First the acidity bites you, and it is good to have it so strong since it successfully manages to balance out the high alcohol content. The wine is slightly tannic, has a nice silky texture on the tongue, with powerful flavor and body. Exploding mouthwatering minerality improves further the balance and makes the finish moderately long, clean and delicious.

The fight between acids, salts, alcohol and fatness is so compelling that, in a glance, you find yourself finishing the third glass… Which might be dangerous if you have to drive home, otherwise just enjoy the evening in a nice company. A dangerous wine since it is so easy to get drunk with it, it just flows down your throat and 15.1% you don’t feel at all! And don’t worry about tomorrow’s headache – Clai told me that concentration of sulphur dioxide in the bottle is less than 40 mg/ which is ridiculously small compared to over 140 mg/L permitted in other Istrian whites. He does not use it to stabilize the wine simply because his wines have enough polyphenols (extracted from grape skins in prolonged maceration) that protects them from oxidation.

The sweet flavors of duck meat and fruits were contrasted with spiky acidity of the wine

This wine is incredibly friendly with the food, but it needs some heavier stuff since its body is so impressive. Around Christmas I tried it with a roasted duck stuffed with fruits and the pairing was just perfect. The un-fruitiness of the wine nicely contrasts the fruit content in the dish, otherwise the pairing would become too boring and suffocating. The acids successfully managed to clean the mouth from the fat, while the alcohol dried it from excessive juices of the dish. I also see “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” perfect with some white truffles tagliatelle, roasted rabbit and lamb-on-spit.
91pts

Price 115 kn (16 eur)

If you come to Trieste for the first time and would like to feel how this city breathes go to Osteria Da Marino, right in the city center in a narrow street near Piazza Unità. Whenever you come, Monday to Sunday, the place is never empty and it’s open when all other bars are closed. During the weekends it becomes so packed that you can hardly enter inside so the crowd hangs out on the street.

Counter at Da Marino's

Here you mainly drink wine but, no worries, Da Marino is not a fancy wine bar with minimalist interior design where you find well dressed people who does not know how to have fun and comunicate. No, it is just an osteria – a place with atmosphere of a pub but they serve wine instead of beer. In Da Marino you can go also for lunch or dinner and my friend Milena say it’s very good.

Here you drink wine (but beer is allowed too)

The choice of wine by glass is vast – some great wines from Trieste’s Carso/Kras  (my favorites are Terrano from Zidarich and Vitovska from Vodopivec), a lot of bottles from nearby Friuli of course (Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Refosco, Ramandolo, Picolit) and then some classics like Brunello, Barolo, Nero d’Avola and Chianti. The prices are modest and the waiter fills your glass abundantly. If you come in aperitivo or happy hour period (6-9 PM) you will also get some snacks, like sushi, mortadella, bacon, mozzarella, pickled olives…

Da Marino's wine list

To my great surprise I saw three Istrian winemakers on the wine list – Leonardo Palčić from Dajla near Novigrad with his Malvasia 2008; world famous biodynamic producer Giorgio Clai from Krasica with Malvazija Sv. Jakov 2007, Ottocento Crno 2007 and Ottocento Bijelo 2007; and one of the pioneers of modern winemaking in Istria Moreno Degrassi from Savudrija with his Malvasia 2008 (see an article about Clai here and tasting notes od Degrassi’s wines here).

I ordered a glass of Clai’s Malvazija and enjoyed the rest of evening – passing it in a pleasant meditation (partly because of this exceptional wine, of course).

Actually, it came to my mind how it is difficult to find a similar place in Istria, a simple bar where you can enjoy a good glass of wine (very important!) in an informal, uninhibited, almost party atmosphere, where it is not important how are you dressed, what music do you listen, a place where waiters know a lot about wine but do not ask the same knowledge from you. It comes to my mind only Mali Café in Poreč where the wine choice is excellent, but it is far away from being a real traditional osteria. Please let me know if you can think of some other place.

Osteria Da Marino
Via del Ponte 5
I-34121 Trieste, Italy
phone +39 040 366 596
http://osteriadamarino.com

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Today it’s Mardi Gras, the end of Carnival festivities, the start of the annual Catholic 40-day long fast and the day when fritule are made. All along the Adriatic coast, from Istria to Dalmatia, tradition is very similar – these doughnut-like pastry will be fried and taken outside on the streets, to be eaten still warm in a carnival procession.

Fritule - a traditional Mardi Gras pastry

Fritule are very easy to make. Here is a modernized recipes that includes yogurt and grated apples. No need to use yeast of any kind and wait for the dough to grow. You need:

250 ml yogurt
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
a bit of salt
3-4 tablespoons of sugar
raisins according to your taste, soaked in warm water or dark rum
10 tablespoons of flour
1 sachet of vanilla sugar (or add a bit of vanilla essence)
2 grated apples

Mix everything thoroughly. Pour enough vegetable oil in a pan so that fritule do not touch the bottom. Heat the oil until very hot (but not burning!). Use a teaspoon to grab a bit of the dough and fry it until golden brown. Put them on the tissue paper so that the excess oil gets absorbed. When you are done with the frying, sprinkle them with icing sugar.

Without and doubt Alla Beccaccia is a must-visit for any devoted carnivore coming to Pula, especially if you like wild game meats. Here the meat is prepared exclusively on the barbecue or under peka (a bell shaped metal lid) covered with live coals which gives them that delcicious smoky touch.

Summer evening at Alla Beccaccia

It is a fact that restaurant in Pula and surroundings serve very good fish and seafood (see here and here) but the meat is usually mediocre, prepared neither according to some old tradition or in some innovative creative way. They serve Fillet steaks, Wiener Schnitzels, ćevapčići and pljeskavice, grilled sausages – it is just too boooring.

but there’s always a but…

On the road from Pula to Fažana, the same one that leads to the Brijuni Islands National Park – famous Tito’s summer residence, you will find signs that will lead you to restaurant Alla Beccaccia (At the woodcock). Here you can find traditional but also wild game meats prepared on the wood barbecue or in a not-so-usual way.

The owner is a passionate hunter so it is reasonably to expect that the game meat will be fresh and local, especially if you come in the hunting season. The restaurants is open throughout the year and reservation is advisable. In 2009 I visited Alla Beccaccia twice. Here is how it was the first time, on a warm summer evening at the end of August.

At the porch of Alla Beccaccia

It is surrounded by a well maintained garden with perfectly mowed lawn accentuated with few big oaks, olive, fig and cherry trees. The restaurant was built in traditional Istrian countryside style not more than seven years ago – everything is new and perfect but pretends to be old and warm (too sterile for my taste, but this is only me). Some nice sculptures in the garden would certainly bring some warmth to this sterile ambient. Nonetheless, in the summer it is just great to eat on the porch and feel the breeze!
Ambient 8.5/10

Excellent homemade bread

I was excited when they brought us their homemade bread. The crust is nicely dark and a bit burned, the crumb is soft, humid and tastes like a cake. Simple and delicious, like it came from some ancient times. House red wine was very good, a blend of Teran and Borgonja (here also I mentioned Borgonja) with strong acidic backbone, cherries, red flowers and earthy in the nose, slightly tannic – just perfect for meat dishes. Olive oil we got on the table was local (maybe of their own production) and of good quality. For the effort in making such delicious bread and the fact that there is no a cover charge I give a high score.
Details 10/10

We started the dinner with a dish of pasta that we decided to share in two. Luckily, because the portion was gargantuan.

Pljukanci in wild boar stew

Pljukanci in wild boar stew
Homemade egg-free pasta (pljukanci) cooked al dente was served with aromatic and juicy wild boar stew, good and tender meat, a lot of carrots and celery stalks gives the sweetness, but they exaggerated with salt I would say.
Price 60 kuna (8.20 eur) Score 9/10

Two main meat dishes followed.

Boškarin beef sauté with caponata

Sauté of Boškarin meat with caponata
Boškarin is Istrian ox, an ancient breed autochtonous to Istria that ten years ago was on the way of extinction. But farmers and local authorities understood that only way to preserve this beautiful animal is to start to eat it. Now Boškarin meat finds place on the menus of many restaurants across Istria where its is served as premium quality beef and it is usually more expensive. Here the Boškarin meat was sautéd with onions, aubergines and bell peppers (a sort of caponata). The meat remained a bit al dente but it was savory – you could tell it is not an usual supermarket beef. The vegetables added juiciness to the dish, but it was a bit too salty again.
Price 120 kuna (16.40 eur) Score 9/10

Char-grilled fillet steak

Char-grilled fillet steak
It’s turn for a classic. A thick fillet steak was grilled on the wood barbecue so it had a tasty crust and a nice wood smoke aroma. But the steak was not tender enough probably because the meat was not aged long enough. Fried potatoes were homemade and not those fake forzen ones, absolutely delicious!
Price 100 kuna (13.70 eur) Score 8/10

A very good and light Tiramisu

Tiramisu
A very light version of tiramisu, with just right sweetness, nice and strong coffee was put inside. A bit too expensive.
Price 30 kuna (4.10 eur) Score 9/10

Apple strudel

Apple strudel
A crisp, airy crust, a bit burned with gives nice bitterness on the palate. Juicy apple and nuts inside. Again, too expensive.
Price 30 kuna (4.10 eur) Score 9/10

Grappa aromatized with ruta

At the end they offered us two grappas aromatized with ruta (rue in English) – a very strong stuff with nice herbal aroma proved to be an effective digestive. Here the summer story ends.

Without and doubt Alla Beccaccia is a must-visit for any devoted carnivore coming to Pula, especially if you like wild game meats. Here the meat is prepared exclusively on the barbecue or under peka (a bell shaped metal lid) covered with live coals which gives them that delcicious smoky touch. A great thing is to see how the owner takes great care to assure that even the simplest things as bread, house wine, olive oil, fried potatoes, green salad and vegetables are genuine products – mostly homemade and local. The prices are maybe a bit higher than the average but the quality justifies every cent.

Price 410 kn (56 eur) for 2 persons

Overall 9/10

PS: I had opportunity to visit Alla Beccaccia once again immediately after Christmas when we had high school reunion dinner. Charcuterie (ossocollo, cured ham/pršut and sausages), pasta and gnocchi were very good, but the highlight of the evening was mixed meat and especially whole veal shanks prepared under peka. The only drawback is that the place is more suitable for a romantic and calm dinner than for 25 people wanting to have some loud fun It was obvious (even if he didn’t say anything explicitly) that the owner wants to get rid of us as soon as possible. That was not a very professional way of doing business.

Alla Beccaccia
Pineta 25, Valbandon
HR-52212, Fažana
tel. +385 52 520753
mob. +385 98 421479

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These are the tasting notes that follow the post about Damjanić Winery.

2008 Damjanić «Malvazija» – Istrian Malvasia
Straw yellow color. The nose is full of white flowers, under-ripe pear, wet sea rocks with hints of citrus notes. A nice fat mouthfeel, at first very soft and round from the ripe fruit but then acids come and maintain great freshness right to the last sip – nice balance. Moderate alcohol (12,7%). The finish moderately long and succulent, minerality explodes followed by pleasant almond notes. A medium to full bodied crisp white wine. I see it perfect with some good white fish in the oven – Sea Bass, Dorade (Sea Bream) or St. Pierre.
86pts

2008 Damjanić «Malvazija akacija» – Istrian Malvasia
Malvasia aged in acacia barriques. Straw yellow color with golden reflections. In the nose there are dry white flower, acacia honey, grapefruit and soft aromas of dry wood. In the mouth dry, warm (alc. 13%) and round, but a lack of acidity ruins the balance. Flavors are less intense than aromas. Again mineral but now also slightly bitterish in the finish due to the wood tannins. I prefer the version without the wood, but its grapefruit aromas made me think of trying it nicely cooled as an aperitif.
77pts

2007 Damjanić «Merlot» – Merlot
Ruby red with amber reflections. Cherries in spirit, plum marmelade and cloves in the nose with intense green herbal notes typical for Merlot in this region. In the mouth it is very warm, flavors of ripe fruit are intense, but a certain lack of acids makes it is too round so it looses a bit of structure and excitement. Tannins are still too aggressive and leave slightly bitter finish. This drawback could pass unnoticed if the wine is paired with meat dishes that possess certain sweetness – lamb on a spit, veal shin roast or boiled meat.
79pts

2008 Damjanić «Borgonja» – Borgonja (Gamay)
Violet red to ruby red. The nose is sweet, violets and black currant fruit are contrasting against heavier notes of wet humus. The mouthfeel is fruity (dark fruits), smooth with bright acids and soft tannins, nice equilibrium. The finish is moderately long and mouthwatering due to tasty minerals. An unpretentious but juicy wine of medium body which will also love non wine drinkers. Serve slightly chilled (13-16°C) with various minestrone, pasta with frutti di mare or with lighter sauces, grilled or fried sardines, cured ham (pršut) or sausages, non-aged cheese…
84pts

2007 Damjanić «Borgonja barrique» – Borgonja (Gamay)
Borgonja again, but now aged in oak barrels that makes it more complex and of bigger structure. Nice floral aroma of dry violets and roses in the nose, with some cherry and pomegranate, but bouquet becomes dirtier, and more appealing, when you discover the notes of wet forest soil and graphite. Juicy fruits in the mouth, the passage in the wood brought nice roundness that is perfectly balanced with resolute acids and exciting tannins. The finish is moderately long, again with great minerality that effectively cleans your mouth (so that you ask for another sip). The medium to medium-full body of this wine can get along with thick game meat goulash, roasted red meats, pasta al forno, tuna (or other red meat fish) prepared in umido. This is my favorite Damjanić’s wine and I can’t wait to see how it will evolve in a year or two.
87pts

We’re in the week after Christmas. It is cold and I am the only one on the road from Poreč to Vrsar. Along the coast empty hotels are following one after another. On a crossroad near tourist resort Zelena Laguna I turn left on a local curvy road – finally artificial made-for-tourists landscape is behind me. I enjoy driving by woods and fields and very soon I arrive in Fuškulin, a village settled on a small hill with a nice view on many vineyards and the Adriatic Sea on the horizon.

The church in Fuškulin

I came here to meet Ivan Damjanić, a 31-year-old winemaker, whose wines are more famous in Croatian capital Zagreb than in Istria. He proudly tells me that he owns most of the vineyards I can see from his house. On 3,8 hectares he has 19400 vines and three whites and three reds (!) grape varieties of which predominate two autochthonous ones – Istarska Malvazija (38%) and Borgonja/Gamay (28%). In the vineyard he uses pesticides and mineral fertilizers in modest quantities only when they are really needed. He follows more his feeling and experience than the advices of agricultural engineers who, according to his belief, are often biased by the propaganda of agrochemical industry.

The density of plantation is more than 5000 vines/hectare (which is quite high for Istrian standards) whereas he keeps the yield per vine between 1,5 and 2 kg. According to these numbers and to the enthusiasm in his eyes I am sure Ivan has first class grapes so I am becoming inpatient to try his wines.

It is getting dark and cold so we enter in the cellar with stainless steel vats.

Ivan Damjanić (right) in the cellar with vats. It was so cold there brrr...

In fermentation of Istrian Malvasia and Chardonnay selected yeasts are used and temperature is controlled between 14 – 16 °C in order to preserve the primary (varietal) aromas of the grapes. In the last 20 years this method became so popular among Istrian winemakers that today represents the mainstream in white wine production.

First we taste young Malvasia from 2009 directly from the vats. It is turbid since it is still lying down on his lees (sur lie method) in three different vats – in the first one it is rustic, fresh and intense, in the second it is round and soft since the malolactic fermentation was finished here, while in the third one the reduction is taking place which adds complexity, structure and fatness. At the end Ivan blends these three Malvasias to obtain the wine with his personal touch.

We continue tasting with Malvasia 2008 that passed eight months in the bottle, and im my opinion it is at its peak now. It is a crisp wine, nicely fruity, with impressive roundness perfectly balanced with freshness and outstanding minerality. Bitterness in the aftertaste, so common in Istrian Malvasia, is barely perceptible. I am glad to see that although this wine has modest amount of alcohol (12,7%) it has impressive body. I really don’t understand why many Istrian winemakers believe that good wine needs to be strong. (here for more detailed tasting notes)

Since when your family is making wine?
The story starts in the beginning of last century when my great grandfather Jure had over 25 hectares of vineyards and produced 140.000 l of wine each year. His wines were so appreciated that in 1928 his distributor from Trieste sent few bottles to the competition of International Wine Exhibition of Paris. Everybody had forgotten about this episode, but then one day phone rang: “Congratulations, you got the gold medal for your red wine!”. At first everyone in the family was excited, until they realized that postage to send the prize from Paris is terribly expensive – 40 liras. The only solution to collect the money was to sell a cow.

And what happened?
A big family quarrel began because only Jure wanted this prize. But he was stubborn and he sold the cow. I am glad he did it for one reason. In 1945, when Istria became part of socialist Yugoslavia, a great part of Jure’s vineyards were nationalized and serious winemaking in our family died out. If the gold medal from Paris were not hanging in our house, following me throughout my childhood, I certainly wouldn’t follow to my great grandfathers footsteps.

Have you ever regretted?
Not at all. A big satisfaction was to see the face of my grandfather Aldo when he saw that I sold my sports motorcycle to buy a vineyard tractor. That was back in 1999, the year when winemaking in our family was reborn.

We move to the cellar with barriques and tonneaus where five different wines are aged – Malvasia in acacia, while Borgonja, Merlot, Teran and Clemente (a blend of Teran and Merlot) remain 12 – 14 months in oak. I got curious about  Borgonja, a red variety that is not so common in Istria and surroundings.

In the cellar with barriques and tonneaus

Is Borgonja in fact another name for Gamay – a typical variety from Beaujolais?
Partly true, it is a clone of Gamay. Latest research state that DNA of Istrian Borgonja differs in two chromosomes from Gamay. It is believed that Roman emperor Probus brought Borgonja in Istria in the 3^rd century. Borgonja is so adapted to Istrian terroir that it can be regarded as autochtonous variety.

How old are your vines of Borgonja?
A part of them are about 100 years old – my great grandfather has planted them just before First World War. They give only 0,6 kg per vine but their grapes are of amazing quality. To renew the vineyard I started to make new vine seedlings out of this old Istrian Borgonja vines but I also bought original French Gamay. I am curious to see which clone will give better results.

Your Borgonja is very fruity and with pronounced minerality that makes it a food-friendly wine. It is not pretentious because it does not want fight with the food, it is just caressing your palate.
You’re right, it is a very easy drinking wine, enjoyable in all seasons, and it is hard to find a wine in Istria with such great food versatility. It goes with cheese, fish, meat, pasta, pršut (cured ham), sausages… I adore it in the summer, slightly chilled, with char grilled sardines. A perfect pairing!

Something about other reds you make…
Apart Borgonja, there are also Teran, Merlot, Merlot Barrique and Clemente. The first three are monovarietal wines while the last one is a blend of Teran and Merlot grapes. Merlot Barrique and Clemente are serious wines dedicated to real wine enthusiasts, those who enjoy discovering fine nuances in aroma and flavor.

A message at the end?
A big thanks to my family who gave me a lot of support in this crazy wine adventure. Even if I invest a lot of passion and effort in this business, without them these wines would not be here now.

Ivan with his father in the tasting room. There was such a nice fireplace...

I am leaving Fuškulin pleased that I met another young Istrian winemaker who believes that good wine is made in the vineyard. Damjanić created not only another modern Istrian Malvasia with a personal touch. He has also courageously demonstrated that, with good work in the vineyard, Borgonja can compete with much-loved and popular autochthonous varieties – Malvazija and Teran. With some good marketing, this joyful and unpretentious wine that seduces upon the first sip could become, after Istrian Malvasia, the next hit wine from Istria.

Click here for tasting notes of five Damjanić’s wines

Damjanić Winery
Fuškulin 50
HR-52440 Poreč
tel. + 385 52 444553
mob. + 385 91 2020495
email ivan@damjanic-vina.hr

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As you probably noticed I was not online during the holidays. For Christmas I was at home in Pula to spend some time with my family, friends and high school colleagues I have not seen for more than ten years. I even managed to visit two Istrian winemakers and soon you will read about them here on Manjada. No need to mention how good and how much have I eaten these days… Ufff! I’m on a diet now.

After Christmas I went to a small village near Torino in Piemonte were a friend of mine has a mountain hut. There was some snow that we cleverly used to cool the white wine.

White wine in white winter

For New Year’s Eve were we had a nice party but we made one mistake. For the party we bought too much wine and soon realized it is not an ideal party drink. I was completely destroyed by drinking first some red Piemontese wine (Dolcetto, Barolo, Barbera) and then a lot of champagne. If one wants to get drunk quickly and painlessly vodka with some juice is a much better choice.

That’s it folks. Once again, all the best in 2010, read Manjada and please post more comments than in 2009.

Goran

Meet a traditional dish eaten on Christmas eve when it is customary not to eat meat. This jewel of Venetian cuisine is in Istria typically served with pasta, and here I present it in a revisited, modern version.

Pasta rolls with Baccalà mantecato

600 g  salted or dried cod (stockfish), depends what you can find but the dried one is tastier
1 L milk
6 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1 chopped clove of garlic
at least 500 g of very good (!) extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cleaned (stems removed) & chopped Italian parsley
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

I bought a nice specimen of the ragno stockfish. Here is the beast.

Dried cod (stockfish)

Ragno means it comes from the islands of Lofoten in Norway, where the best quality stockfish is produced thanks to stable weather conditions during the drying process. Usually the fish is stamped with ragno sign in order to mark its superior quality.

Superior quality dried cod (stockfish) - Ragno

Bad news, you can not prepare it the same day. Remember, the time is the secret ingredient of many delicious recipes. There is no haute cuisine without patience.

You have to put the cod two days before in cold water to rehydrate it or to remove the salt. Keep it in the fridge under 5ºC and change the water every once in a while, every 8 hours is enough.

Stockfish soaking in cold water

After two days of soaking, dry the fish. In a large casserole heat the milk, add the fish and cook it on low heat for at least 30 minute. Remove the fish from the milk and drain it in a colander. Reserve the milk. Clean the fish from bones and skins so that only the white meat remains.

Mixing the baccalà

Place the fish in a large mixing bowl. Heat olive oil, add smashed garlic and fry it for not more than 1 minute. Chop the garlic and add it to the bowl together with 3 anchovy fillets and parsley. Blend the ingredients with the hand held mixer and simultaneously add the olive oil, until the mix gets white and foamy like a cream. To make the dish even fancier, add some chopped black truffles in the mix (this version I really ADORE!)

At this point add the milk (but not too much so that your mix does not get too liquid) and everything will become nicely creamy. Add the salt and pepper as needed. The baccalà mantecato is finished. You can serve it also as a nice appetizer on toasted bread.

Now the pasta. In abundant water cook pappardelle which are large, broad fettuccine. Keep them al dente, of course. Drain the pasta.

Prepare the sauce. In a pan heat the olive oil, add 3 anchovy fillets and breadcrumbs. Smash the anchovies so that everything amalgams in a nice sauce.

Making of the pasta rolls

Take few pappardelle and aligned it on a dish. Put a roll of baccalà mantecato in the middle of pasta, add few drops of the sauce and make a nice roll. Put the roll on the plate, on the top add again a bit of the sauce, parsley and two spoons of extravirgin olive oil.

This dish pairs well with a sparkling wine or a fresh and crisp white wine (Istrian Malvasia for example) that will contrast the creaminess and high oil content of the dish.

Yesterday my hometown Pula got the most beautiful Christmas present you can imagine – 30 cm of snow!

Riding horse in front of Pula's Roman Amphitheater

If you live more North this might seem peanuts, but here on Mediterranean it is something special since it comes so rarely. They say this is the biggest snow Pula had in the last 30 years. Nice thing I noticed on the streets – people immediately forgot all worries, they got in a good mood and became happy.

There was a guy was horse riding in the downtown. I presume he must have enjoyed very much the trip from Marčana, a village 25 km from Pula.

Nobody here is prepared for snow, so the town is completely blocked – the shops are closed, people have difficulty to come to work, the branches of olives, pines and palm trees broke under the weight of snow. For example, see the picture below on the road leading to Pula’s municipal beach Lungomare.

Thanks to Milan's main chef Katarina (on picture) I got this beautiful photo

It was also fun in Restauran Milan, the most famous fish restaurant in Pula, where the waiter made a mini snowman on the bar desk.

Mini snowman in Restaurant Milan

Since people are afraid of driving the streets are now virtually car free. A heaven for kids who started to build snowmen all around the town. They even used the statue of James Joyce to make one.

That’s it for today. I am going out to enjoy the real cold winter on Mediterranean. Enjoy the photos.

James Joyce turned into snowman

Sergius' Arc under snow - Pula

Roman amphitheater under snow

Pula's coastline under snow

Hotel Riviera Pula