My first visit to Friuli in northeastern Italy was in 2015. It was guided by food and wine attractions, of course. Two of my wine importer friends — Jan and Gemma — connected me with Edi and Kristian Keber and with Ferdinando Zanusso, respectively, and I had marvelous visits with all of them. Ferdinando in particular became a good friend, and he visited with us a few times in Massachusetts.

One of Ferdinando’s was one of the most amazing wines I ever tasted. It was a 2001 i Clivi Brazan, a white wine which had been resting with the lees for 140 months before bottling. Ferdinando did it as an experiment, and it was spectacularly successful.

While I was in Friuli we had some special meals, and I was eager to learn more about that region as a result. Here we are 9 years later, and I want to share with you a Frittata we had for dinner tonight, inspired by the food and wine of Friuli.

Other Goodies This Week

This was a productive week for cooking. The highlights included:

1. an unassuming but delicious vegan dish from the Punjab in India, Village style Carrots with Potatoes and Peas
2. another batch of sourdough breads, this time an 80/20 mix of white/whole grain flours
3. a colorful salad made by my wife
4. two legs of octopus for lunch and dinner
5. pasta with spinach, garlic, and olive oil from Union Square Cookbook
6. fried breads with toppings for breakfast