Buonasera (good evening), if you were out for dinner in Italy this is how they would welcome you. I thought I would share some about the food in Sardinia, Italy, where I traveled recently. While we were in the town of Alghero, we had the opportunity to eat at a particularly delightful restaurant called Sa Mandra. Sa Mandra is located on a farm just a short distance from town and it specializes in traditional Sardinian food.
Once you step out on the farm and see the olive and pear trees and the pink bougainvillea covered arches you know that this place is special. The stone buildings and the traditional decor make you feel like you are dining in different time.
As I walked along the path and explored the property I began to see that this was more that just a restaurant it was a beautiful garden and a bit of a museum. There were buildings on the property that were filled with 200 year old wine presses and cooking tools with explanations about how they had been used.
Then we walked in another building and saw this large fireplace where they were roasting suckling pigs in the traditional way. Taking in the sights and smells made you appreciate the great care and detail that Sa Mandra takes in preparing their food.
We sat at table under a covered patio. It was a warm summer night, but the cool coastal breeze made it pleasant. As the sun began to set there were lanterns and candles that lit up the porch and the candle light gave you such an amazing view. Then the parade of these delicious small dishes began and you knew it was going to be a memorable meal. I was taken with the simplicity and the artful presentation of these cheeses, figs, prosciutto, tomatoes, basil and flat bread. The dishes were small, but each one had a different flavor combination for you to try. All night there were new dishes coming from the kitchen: mezza luna pasta filled with a delicate ricotta, gnocchi with a traditional red sauce and tender suckling pig. Then for dessert out comes a host of tiny Italian cookies: heavenly citrus flavored meringues, Amaretti cookies and almond flavored pabassini cookies. Food is more than a meal here it is an event.
This was such a wonderful meal that I wanted to take a bit of it home with me. I decided to recreate some of the small plates at home and I thought I would share a few with you. These are some simple plates that you could put together as a first course or for for hors d’ouevers. Serve it with some wine or a glass of sparkling water and you have a delicious and simple set of dishes.
The first plate I made has paresano-reggiano cheese, prosciutto, sopressa or an Italian sausage and crispy flat bread. When it comes to the cheese get a good quality imported cheese. Although I like Wisconsin produced Bella Vitano, it is still not the same as the imported Italian cheese. I had to settle for these thin panzanella crackers because I didn’t have time to try multiple grocery stores this week. My European friends tell me that Trader Joe’s comes the closest to Sardinian flat breads, so when I have a little more time I will have to try them.
The second plate has figs and some fig jelly along with some paresano-reggiano cheese. Figs have two seasons the early season is in June and then there is a second season from August to October. So this is a great dish to make in the Summer, when figs are in season. When you are looking to buy a fig, make sure it is not too mushy or shriveled and plan to use it within a day or two of purchasing it. The sweet honey-like flavor of the fig is wonderful when paired with the cheese’s sharp nutty flavor.
Finally, my final plate has fresh grape tomatoes and basil with paresano-reggiano cheese. If you wanted to substitute fresh mozzarella it would still be good. The key to Sa Mandra’s small plates was the flavor combinations.
So even if you can’t get away to Sardinia you can still bring home some of the flavors with these easy to assemble small dishes. I served this as a first course with a Panzanella salad for dinner and it was a delicious reminder of a wonder evening.
