A relic of the heyday of San Pellegrino, the Grand Hotel was (quite literally) a watering place for the wealthy, in the early 1900s when health spas with natural mineral springs were all the rage. The hotel is an Art Nouveau treasure, built in 1905, but now sadly going to ruin, its fixtures gradually being auctioned off (as shown in the sign above).
If I had a few million euros, I’d buy this poor old hulk and restore it.
coppersmith’s shop, “temple” of San Biagio
I don’t remember when this trip took place, maybe summer of 2004.
I have made variations on this recipe for years, most recently for my own birthday potluck the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My friend Mary, who knows a thing or two about good food, said she’d like to know how to make it. This isn’t a recipe in the strict sense, because I can’t be bothered to measure, but… it’ll get you there. In any case, quantities depend on how many people you want to cook for.
ingredients:
Pre-cook whatever vegetables you’re using: boil or sautee the spinach, slice the zucchini into rounds and sautee in olive oil with a bit of garlic, steam the broccoli and cut small (or blend in with the ricotta mixture for a smoother texture).
Pre-cook the noodles, with a tbsp of olive oil in the water so they don’t stick together.
Blend the ricotta with 1-3 eggs, pesto and/or fresh basil, spinach (if you’re using it), salt and pepper to taste, a bit of nutmeg.
Grate parmesan.
Layer the lasagne: ricotta mixture, noodles, veggies, mozzarella (if using) repeat.
Top with noodles, bechamel, parmesan, and pine nuts.
Bake at 350 F for about 40 mins, or until top is browning and cheese is bubbling up from below.
I’ve never seen a dish quite like this in Italy – there is an Italian green lasagne, but it tends to be simpler. Americans like it a lot, though!
One of the areas inside the castle that Leonardo da Vinci designed for the Duke of Milan houses a school for applied arts, appropriately enough.
