A New Discovery

Castelmuzio is a very small place.  When I decide to eat out rather than cook I go to the small hotel/restraint/bar/pizzeria in the centre of town called Locanda di CasalMustia.  The food is good and it is not expensive.  Last night Christine and I decided to try the Wine Bar just beyond the entrance to the village called Moscadella.  Although I have enjoyed the food at the hotel,   Moscadella is definitely a cut above.  The little borgo is also a small hotel that has rooms, suites, and even 2 lovely apartments for rent.  There is a restaurant, a wine bar, and even a wellness centre as well.  The restorations done on this borgo are top notch and the results are both impressive and beautiful.  The atmosphere is classy but relaxed and homey at the same time. The patio used by the restaurant, has a wonderful view and huge shade umbrellas and even a stage regularly used for live music. The views are spectacular from all of the patios and there is even a swimming pool.  Roberta and Geraldo , the owners of the complex have decorated the place with beautiful antiques including many photos of Castelmuzio taken during and after WW2.  Roberta is from Castelmuzio and her husband is from Sinalunga.  We were lucky enough to be given a tour of the place by Roberta.  She is obviously very proud of her property, and rightly so, it is very impressive.  She is also the chef and prepared a meal for us that was both amazing and unusual. 

We started with a serving of homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a light butter sauce with a hints of basil and rosemary.  The pasta was so light it melted in my mouth and the filling was sublime.  Roberta had grated some fresh parmesan over the pasta which melted and blended wonderfully with the spinach and ricotta. 

What followed was a wonderful surprise.  This area of Tuscany is famous for its Pecorino cheese, made from fresh sheep’s milk.  It is ripened and flavoured to create quite a variety of textures and flavours.  Roberta prepared each of us a plate with wedges of Pecorino Fresco, Pecorino Midi and Pecorino Forte.  There were also 2 little pots of homemade jelly, one of fig and the other of apricot, and a basket of fresh Tuscan bread.  I never would have thought of combining cheese with fig or apricot jellies but the flavours complement each other wonderfully.  The delicate flavours are served with salt less Tuscan bread which is intentionally quite bland so as not to overpower.  I preferred the Pecorino Fresco with the fig jelly while Christine preferred the apricot.  It was all delicious and quite satisfying.  The Fresco cheese is very mild and semi soft with a very creamy texture.  The Midi variety is firmer and aged a little longer than the fresco.  It has a crumbly texture and a more full bodied taste that goes wonderfully with a good red wine.   The Pecorino Forte is stronger and drier with a consistency like aged cheddar.  Even its strong flavour paired well with jelly and red wine. 

 It was a wonderful evening and felt more like having dinner at a friend’s than a restaurant.  The walk home is a little over a kilometre and all uphill, which allowed us to convince ourselves we were actually burning off at least some of the calories we had consumed.  I will definitely eat there again, many times I think.  I can’t wait to try more of Roberta’s creations!