Cat stew. In the Guardian of 17th February 2010 Guiseppe "Beppe" Bigazzi was quoted for comments during a lunchtime programme called "La Provo del Cuoco.", following which he was axed from the programme. He mentioned stewed cat as one of the great dishes of Valdarno in Tuscany. The secet, he said was to "leave it in a fast-running stream for three days." I take it this was after the cat was dead? He described the result as a delicacy which he had eaten many times, and not just in times of food shortages. He went on to say that cat in a thick sauce was better than rabbit, chicken ofr pigeon. He later said that he was referring to events 70 years before. He himself is 77 years old. Apparently the result has been complete uproar and he as been sacked summarily. It seems squeamish when I think of what we do to battery chickens before eating them.
"Leopardesque." This word has come into the language of Sicily to describe grand dishes that might have been prepared for 'The Leopard' by Prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sicily's great writer. These would be dishes of the cucina baronale, prepared by cuochi di casata.
"Leopard." Huss. This species of dogfish has a grey-brown skin with quite pronounced dark spots. Because of its relative similarity to a shark the coarse skin is usually removed by fishmongers. These fish grow to about 80 cm (32 inches) in length. The flesh is white or pinkish with a firm texture and good flavour. It is boneless. It is also commonly known as the spotted dogfish or nursehound or, in some places, as rock salmon or rock eel. Spurdog, smoothound and tope are all sold as huss. It is an excellent addition to soups because of its texture. It feeds on shellfish which flavours its own firm, white flesh.
Dogfish, also known as the rough hound (US: small cat). Slightly better eating than the nurse-hound.
Gavi is a small town producing wine in the Alto Monferrato, a zone situated in the southern part of the province of Alessandria in Piedmont. A total of 59 communes are involved in its output in a district that is predominantly hilly. Acqui, Ovada and Gavi are the best-known communities in its production zone. Gavi is made exclusively from Cortese grapes and is a crisp, white wine. It received its Denominazione di Origine Controllata in 1974. (DOC). Gavi dei Gavi, made the La Scolca, is a very fashionable wine.
