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The ‘Romangoli Way’ to Italy

Couple guide readers to little-known Italian sites - and flavors

By Mat Schaffer
Source: The Boston Herald
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What could be more fun than to eat your way up and down Italy while taking in the local sights? That’s what Franco and Gwen Romagnoli do in their new book “Italy, the Romagnoli Way” (The Lyons Press, $24.95).
Armchair travelers and home cooks will happily tag along. The Romagnolis visit destinations often overlooked by guidebooks - from Lake Orta in the North to Pantelleria Island in the South - stopping at restaurants, markets, vineyards and artisanal food producers.
“The original title was ‘Travels with My Fork’ and the second title was ‘Italy Off the Eaten Path,’ ” Gwen said.
Readers will marvel along with the Romagnolis in Italy’s diversity. “I always marvel that Italy could fit inside California, it’s that small,” Gwen said. “And yet, from top to bottom, there is so much food and beauty, art and architecture and the changing landscapes from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea.”
Bostonians will remember Franco Romagnoli and his first wife Margaret as hosts of the landmark 1970s’ PBS series “The Romagnolis’ Table.” The first authentic Italian cooking show on American television spawned a popular Faneuil Hall Marketplace restaurant and several cookbooks. Franco, a Roman-born cinematographer, worked for WGBH at the time.
“Julia Child was responsible,” he recalled. “Her show was so successful that the creative people at ’GBH decided to branch out into other ethnic cuisines. My late wife and I suggested Italian - it’s the mother of all Western cuisines - and that was it, they did it.”
After his first wife’s death, a shared passion for food brought Franco and Gwen together.
“Food is a very important part of (Italian) life,” Franco said. “Not only eating. But talking about it, arguing about it. Quite frequently in Italy, you walk and you see other people arguing or talking, and if you perk up your ears, you find that they are talking about food.”
Now the Romagnolis bring their love of Italy’s myriad cuisines to readers.
“When we wrote the book, Gwen and I had a pang of conscience,” Franco admitted. “These places are so nice and not well known yet. If we write about it, will this be the end of it? Or should we keep quiet and keep them to ourselves?”
Their decision to spill the beans means delicious reading.
CIPOLLATA DI TONNO (fresh tuna in sweet and sour sauce) 2 or 3 onions (approximately 1 lb.) 5-6 T. olive oil, divided 3 T. unsalted butter, divided 1/4 t. salt 1/4 c. water 1/2 c. red wine vinegar 1 heaping T. sugar Dash of Tabasco 2 T. golden raisins, soaked in warm water to cover 2 bay leaves 4 fresh tuna steaks, 1-inch thick (approximately 2 lb.) 1/2 c. dry white wineCut the onions into thin slivers and saute them in 2 or 3 T. of olive oil and 1 T. of butter. Add the salt and stir until the slivers are limp. Add the water and cook until it evaporates.
Stir in the vinegar, sugar and Tabasco and cook over low heat until the vinegar is almost evaporated. The sauce should retain a creamy texture. Drain the raisins and add to the sauce. Cover the sauce and set aside.
Put remaining olive oil and butter with bay leaves in a saute pan over medium heat. When it’s warm (not hot), add the tuna steaks and saute for 2 or 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Do not overcook: Tuna tends to dry out and it should be cooked on the outside but still moist on the inside. Raise the heat, add the wine and cover the pan for a minute or two, until the wine stops steaming. Deglaze the pan with the pan juices if necessary.
Transfer the tuna steaks and their pan juices to a warm serving platter or plates. Spoon the warm onion sauce over the tuna and serve.

mschaffer@bostonherald.com