ANDREA BRUSTOLON & A Big Party

Andrea Brustolon, born in 1662 was an exceptional artist of Italian Baroque wood art. Luisa's family owns a preliminary study in clay of one of the large pieces he did for one of the churches here in Belluno. The city has put together an exhibition of his work and their piece is in the exhibition, so we were invited as "important" guests for the opening ceremony. It was fairly booring, but the exhibtion is great and after the opening the city put on a big party for the whole community. There was free food, wine, and desert that never seemed to run out along with good music from two bands. I was pretty impressed, had a good time, ate too much, and drank too much.

You can check out the details at www.brustolon.it There is a section in English.

MISSING LINKS

I tried to remove some links and the system somehow removed all of my links. So if anyone knows how to fix this let me know. Otherwise if you are checking to see if your link is still there tell me what it is and I will put it back.

Pecol

Our last trip was to Pecol where we have been before, it's just around an hour from home in the motor home. Many of the old barn like buildings have been or are being restored and it's turning into a very nice second home/tourist village.

Ski School Party

Ski school is finished and they had a little race which Julia joined reluctantly and Giovanni eagerly. Then there was a little party outdoors.

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Those little things off the tree that spin like heliocopters dropped from the upper window.

Sunday's Walk

Sunday Luisa's cousin and family came for lunch. Afterwards we took a
walk down by the river and then into town.

Avalanche in Belluno

This happened in the hills above Belluno some time ago. We made it up
there to see it a week ago. It's amazing the damage it caused.

Birthday Dinner for Luisa

Yesterday was Luisa's birthday, so I made a dinner that tuned out pretty well. 

First course, mixed green salad with home made honey mustard dressing.

Second course shrimp sauteed in butter with garlic, onions and parsley.  Deep fried new potatoes on the side.

Final course shrimp risotto.

For desert those delicous little pastries so common in Italy.

The wine was a 2007 Vernaccia from a little winery near San Gimignano.

I wasn't that happy about combining two starches nor doing shrimp for both couses, but we were gone all day to a job site in another city and I had to work with what I had.  Served as courses, that is one after the other not all on the table at the same time, it worked out.

Tonight we are having some guests for dinner I'm going to cook Swiss Steak which I've found is a good way to serve those tough cuts of beef we find here. 

How do you make shrip risotto in around 15 minutes.  First of all you need a pressure cooker then:

Half a cup of choped leeks

2 tbls powdered bullion

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cup white wine

Olive oil

2 tbls butter

As many shrimp as you like depending on the size and your taste

1/4 cup Parsley chopped

Sautee the leeks in olive oil in the pressure cooker

add the rice

then add the wine and stir it all up

when the wine is mostly evaporated add 3 cups water

Then add the bullion

let the whole mixture come to a boil and stir it up 

Finally add the shrimp and the parsley

Close the pressure cooker and wait for it to start steaming then set a timer for 8 minutes and put it on a very low flame.  When the timer goes off let the steam out of the pressure cooker then when it's safe to open it up stir in the butter and if you like a bit more of the fresh parsley.   Serve it on plates by itself, along with a nice moderately dry white wine.