Whisked away to Italy with Risotto and "Love is All You Need"

Boletes, or as Stéphane would say in French, "bolet" or "cèpe" and in Italian, "porcini"

I love Sundays. It's when Stéphane takes over the kitchen. The scent of onions sautéing in butter perfumes our apartment and the sound of my husband singing, somewhat off key, along with Dean Martin's "That's Amore" fill the air. While I struggle with French on a daily basis, my husband has recently started learning Italian. Stéphane listens to Pimsleur Italian lessons on his way to and from work and greets me with an enthusiastic "Buongiorno" accompanied by kisses on both my cheeks when he walks through the door in the evening.

Part of the reason that Stéphane is in such a good mood today is that we took a mini-trip to Italy with Oscar winning filmmaker Susan Bier's latest movie, Love is All You Need, yesterday. Filmed in Sorrento, there are plenty of shots of cheerful blue beach umbrellas, the fiery red sun sinking into the Bay of Naples and lemon groves. But, more than that, the film tells the story of two middle-aged characters, played by Pierce Brosnan and Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who discover that life is about moving forward even after you've experienced profound pain. It's a middle-aged love story.

If you want to be whisked away to the sun drenched coast of Italy and don't mind reading a few Danish subtitles along the way, Love is All You Need.


And, Stephane's risotto? It was amazing, especially when accompanied by some French wine that we picked up while we were in the Jura. With strong walnut aromas, we're discovering that this Savagnin wine, the "little brother" of the uniquely flavored Vin Jaune (Yellow Wine), goes well with all kinds of traditional Fall dishes made with cheese, cream and  mushrooms.

If you would like to know more about Vin Jaune, here's the link for an interesting article from The New York Times: Wine and Cheese as It Was Meant to Be


Comments

  1. We bought some cèpes at the market today too. I was planning to make risotto, but I don't think it will be as good as Stéphane's looks!

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    1. The cèpes at the market are hard to resist. I'm sure that your risotto was absolutely delicious!

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  2. Funny, I'm just blogging my Sorrento trip and wishing I was back in Italy. I'll have to watch the film! I like Pimsleur too, I bought Pimsleur German but I've not been keeping up with it, sadly. I don't want to look like a nutcase on the train muttering to myself in German :)

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    1. The image of you muttering to yourself in German on the train made me laugh out loud, Gwan! When Stéphane started listening to the Pimsleur cds before dropping off to sleep, I had to ban them from our bedroom. There's nothing like trying to read while someone is gibbering next to you in Italian!

      I look forward to reading your blogs about Italy! They'll give me some more mini-breaks.

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  3. We lived in Naples, Italy for four years and ate our way through Italy, mamma mia! I will definitely check out this movie. How I relish the memories of our time there, before the Euro, and my local fruit man sold us his homemade wine in old Coke bottles for about a dollar. Our terrace had a view of the Med and the sunset every night looked just like the red sun of the Japanese flag, it was amazing. The Amalfi coast, Sorrento, the islands, so many memories! It was very stressful though too, the mafia is everywhere and security is definitely an issue. Just remembered the $5 shoes at the big outdoor market! Such fun! Mary Kay, we have very similar dishes!

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    1. Eating your way through Italy -- that sounds like heaven! When we lived in Asia and didn't have access to good pasta, I realized that if I had to exist exclusively on the food from one country it would be Italian food. Your comment about the mafia being everywhere was interesting. Since I've only been to the Amalfi coast on vacation and don't understand Italian, I was completely oblivious. The thing that I remember most about the last time that we were there was the shopkeeper who used to sing every morning while he opened his small shop below the terrace of our hotel. Fortunately, he had a very good voice! And I also remember walking through the lemon groves and gazing down at the blue sea below. Sigh... Any chance that your dishes are from Mikasa? That's were I got mine.

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    2. I saw your pattern and almost bought them, but waited since I didn't really need dishes. Then, one day at Rinascente, the Italian department store, there were some with sort of a parchment background and fruits all around the edge and I knew I had to have them! They look a bit more old world than yours, but still the same fruit pattern and Italy is all about fruit and veges and good food! I agree, I have lived in Spain, Italy, Japan, Belgium and France and have to admit, my all around favorite is Italian. So easy to prepare a plate of pasta, even though Italian pizza is my favorite!

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  4. He's learning Italian! How divine! And the risotto sounds incredible. Sunday is all about indulging, and in your home and certainly mine, it's about Italian food! Sounds just perfect. I'm glad you had a lovely weekend. : )

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    1. The aromas coming from your kitchen must be pretty amazing on Sundays! There's nothing as appetizing as the scent of onions and garlic sautéing in olive oil.

      Stéphane's desire to learn Italian probably has something to do with his fondness for gelati! Whenever we were on vacation in Italy, he used to try speaking French with an Italian accent and moving his hands a lot if someone didn't understand him. It was pretty funny -- and actually worked some of the time.

      I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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  5. We saw the film and loved it. We love the area around Naples where it's set, specially after having visited it a few years ago. We also love Risotto and every other Italian dish that is homecooked. And we can't wait to hear - and see - Stéphane speak Italian!! We've just returned from a short trip to Ascona in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland and my mind is still working in this beautiful language... A molto presto! Vostri amici, Heidi + Paul

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  6. Hmmmm Risotto sounds yummy,juicy,delicious.....i love Italian as well as French food and it is very great post for me. I feel very happy to read about Italian food in Paris and so excited to tell my mom because she love to cook for family. She always try to make new recipes and cocktails with full interest. I hope she also made Risotto for me in evening.

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