Frittata & White Truffles..at il Vittoriale

copyright 2010, Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

It was the beginning of summer, much like today, the warm summer sun ‘kissing’ the mountains of Abruzzo and an invite to go to a spot known as ‘il Vittoriale’ in a resort known as Lago di Garda (Garda Lake).
Vittoriale was the last-known but much-loved home of famed Italian statesman, poet, writer, politician-Gabriele D’Annunzio.
We arrived in Garda and the next day began to set out on our intended journey, to il Vittoriale. Set aside the water’s edge with a brightly colored flower garden decorating the borders.  D’Annunzio was a very interesting figure in Italian history. Walking through the place is like walking through an open book of his writings, you could tell that he was from Abruzzo because of the Abruzzese ‘chitarra’ used to make the famed dish ‘pasta a la chitarra’
He always said ‘chi piu gode conosce’ literally translates as the more someone enjoys or savors  something the more they will understand how to appreciate it. And appreciate and enjoy he did frequently. There are postcards that he wrote to his chefs after a great dish was prepared. One begins: “Dearest Albinia: Your fritatta, after eating many other mediocre ones, is sublime! I consider myself someone who has tasted many slices of frittata around the world”. He goes on to say how he loved this frittata so much that he would testify in front of St Peter when he gets to heaven that this was the best frittata in the world!
The thought of a delicious frittata…I no longer was interested in history, I have to admit that my eyes kept glancing down at my watch for 1:00 (l’ora di pranzo) lunchtime. We had reservations at Aquariva..and were so looking forward to the ‘tagliolini fatta a casa’ (homemade egg noodles) with white truffles.
Situated on the marina could the color blue be any bluer than sunny day here?
The tagliollini were inspiring, befitting the palate of one Gabriele D’Anninzio, but still thinking of that illustrious he must have experienced to pen that postcard.
Spinach Frittata

6 eggs
8 ounces fresh spinach, washed, chopped, sauteed with garlic & olive oil
1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano freshly grated
pinch of salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
In large saute pan, place olive oil and whole clove of garlic. Saute for 2 minutes over medium heat, remove garlic. Break eggs into bowl and whip with wire whisk for 2 minutes, add in pinch of slat and dash of freshly ground black pepper. Place in chopped, sauteed spinach. Stir with fork, place in freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano. Stir. Pour egg mixture into heated olive oil. Saute, till sides are cooked. Toss onto plate and turn over and cook on opposite side.
Serve hot or cold, makes a great filling for a portable pannini.
Sept 9-12th-Hudson Valley Wine Festival-Rhinebeck, NY, on stage cooking appearance and Book Siginng of the book voted as Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition
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