INKnBURN

INKnBURN

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Vegan Night at Aviano Inn March 2016

When I arrived in Italy, I wondered how I was going to find vegan options for dining. Well, besides pasta with tomato sauce. I mean, how many times do I want to eat the same thing over and over and over. I discovered I was in luck. There is quite the vegan-friendly community in Aviano. And, mere blocks from the hospital is Aviano Inn. They have daily vegan specials, but what's really special, is that the 4th Tuesday of every  month they have a vegan night menu. This Prix Fixe menu is 8 courses of locally sourced, mostly organic seasonal produce combined in the most miraculous way. Cost is a mere 25 euros.

So, I gathered a few friends and we made a date. Mama Gooch is vegan. Papa Gooch is pescetarian, but mostly plant-based. BIFL is Mama Gooch's best Italian friend for life. He is a carnivore, but enjoys all food and is willing to join us for vegan night and understands the accomodations. Service is family style and begins at 8 PM. Plan on a late evening, but it's oh, so worth it. March theme was Primavera--Spring.
The menu started with an aperitivo of spring ... this drink had an orange color and flavor with a hint of bitters. I forgot to get a picture I was so busy getting excited about the rest of the menu.

Course 1: Sandwich con frittata di asperagi--Asparagus frittata sandwich. On a fantastic crusty roll, this was amazing. The frittata tasted like it was made of egg. I have know idea how they did it.  
Course 2: Insalata russa su foglie di belga--Russian salad with Endive. This was absolutely fantastic. Endive leaf boats filled with an amazing salad of fresh vegetables in a creamy dressing. I wish I had more. 
Course 3: Paccheri a sopresa--Surprise packets. These delightful little fritters were filled with vegetables and a creamy sauce. Another item that I wish I had more of. Really really tasty and popping with flavor. 
Course 4: Crocchette di miglio, fagioli alla erbe con salsa alla noce moscata--Millet croquettes with beans and nutmeg sauce. OK, I admit, the appearance of these was not amazing. But the flavor was. The texture was a bit reminiscent of mashed potatos. By this time people were getting full and not everyone loved these. That was OK by me. I started a "take-away" platter and added these to it. Folks who didn't want theirs, well that meant more for me for lunch the next day. And, they were better the next day. I don't know if my tastebuds were saturated the evening before or if the flavors were allowed to really peak by waiting another day, but they had so many flavors when I had them for lunch.

Course 5: Peperoni con cous-cous allo zenzero--Peppers stuffed with ginger cous-cous. Wow. Perfectly roasted peppers. This wasn't necessarily the most exciting thing on the menu, but it was quite tasty. The ginger wasn't very strong. And yes, I had leftovers for lunch. Getting. So. Full. 
Course 6: Insalata 'Energia' con melassa dolce--Energy salad with sweet molasses dressing. This was amazing mixed greens, sweet carrots, rocket and raddichio. The dressing was sweet and creamy and took us a bit to figure it out. But, not a white creamy, a smooth olive oil creamy. Despite how full we all were feeling, we managed to eat the entire bowl. And forgot to take a picture. 

Course 7: Lasagne con farina integrale de grano tenero e erbette di campo--Lasagna with integral wheat, and field herbs. OK, I have no idea what integral wheat means. I do know that this tasty tibdit was creamy and full of flavors that just popped out. I wish I had a sophisticated palate and could pull out flavors, but I don't. All I know was that it was an amazing texture, creamy, and oh, so very good. I really wanted to eat the entire thing, but I was hurting by now. So, I had a few bites and added the rest to my plate for later.
Course 8 Dessert: Crostada di fragole, kiwi e crema pasticcera--Strawberry, kiwi tart. I am so glad I didn't eat the extra bites of lasagne, because I needed to save room for this. Sweet cream and perfectly ripe strawberries and kiwi on a flaky sweet crust. Some things are hard to find eating plant-based. Desserts is one of them, especially desserts with cream like tarts. This would satisfy any omnivore who wouldn't know the difference. I savored every bite and may have made some noises while enjoying.  
So, will I be back for next month's offering? YOU BETCHA!!! This might be reason enough to stay in Italy forever. 





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