Dreaming of Italy: Terraced Gardens of Poggio Trattoria

We have to admit a bias for Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito. We love sipping Negronies and people watching from the sidewalk tables, or stopping by at night for their house blended wines paired with seasonal Italian fare--they make pizzas like fig and pancetta that will haunt your dreams. And they also have "affogato," a scoop of gelato "drowned" in espresso, that makes summer just that much sweeter. We had heard about the Poggio garden for some time, but never saw the mythical spot until recently. It's not part of the restaurant, but rather, adjacent to co-owner Larry Mindel's Sausalito hillside home.

Larry has long been passionately in love with Italy. His first visit in 1959, was a fling, but he returned in 1970 and fell hard for the place, the people, and especially the food. He opened the restaurants Ciao and Prego in San Francisco, but the Mediterranean feel of Sausalito reminded him of Italy, and so he found himself north of the Golden Gate.

The central feature of the garden is a natural spring that appears at the house, where it feeds the swimming pool, before running down the center of a terraced garden and irrigating the plants; it then empties in to a well at the base of the hill. According to Larry Mindel, when the big earthquake of 1906 hit San Francisco, water was hauled to the city from this spring via ships. In more recent history, it was an organic watercress garden run by a Basque couple, who peddled the greens in Sausalito. But seven years ago, when Larry and Chef Peter McNee opened Poggio, the garden became the place of inspiration for the restaurant.

The head gardener, Chicory Almond--his real name--has made this garden a Mediterranean wonderland. It's filled with towering artichokes, spicy peppercress, fava beans, kale and basil. The herbs and greens are served at Poggio, and some of the more seasonal far finds its way in to the daily specials. While there are too many large trees nearby to allow in much sun, Chicory did recommend Cherokee Purple and Green Zebra tomatoes for a temperate climate like this. And as for summer squash, he pointed out the Italian heirloom, Squash Cocozella Di Napoli for prolific squash blossoms, but thought bush zucchini a better bet for the vegetable.

Tip

If you want to harvest squash blossoms, get the early ones, which tend to be male. These have longer stems, good for a handle, and are just there for pollinating so leave a few, but they don't become squash. Female blossoms will have a slight bump that will become a squash.

By Maria Finn

Bruschetta with fava beans, ricotta and Pecorino Romano cheese by Chef Peter McNee of Poggio Trattoria

Fava beans are a staple ingredient in Roman cuisine. In the springtime, Romans will eat the raw fava beans with nothing more than a few pieces of Pecorino Romano cheese and some good olive oil. We grow beautiful fava beans in the Poggio organic garden located in the hills of Sausalito. This is our version of an Italian classic- the bruschetta.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

Fava beans 1 cup*
Ricotta cheese ½ cup
Pecorino Romano 1/8 cup + 2T, grated
Virgin olive oil ¼ cup
Water as needed
Kosher salt to taste
Sea salt to taste
Garlic 1 clove
Bread, ciabatta or baguette 1 ea

*after peeled, blanched and shocked and peeled a second time.

Method:

1. Bring pot of water to boil. Add kosher salt.
2. Shuck fava beans.
3. Blanch fava beans in salted water. Check for doneness.
4. Shock beans in an ice bath when cooked to preserve the bright green color.
4. When fully cooled, peel the beans a second time. You need to yield 1 cup.
5. Puree the beans in a food processer with a little water and olive oil.
6. Hand mix together the pureed fava beans, ricotta and 1/8 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese.
7. Season with kosher salt to taste. Reserve for later
8. Slice the loaf of bread for bruschetta. Grill or toast. Rub with garlic.
9. Spread the fava bean puree on top. Sprinkle the 2T pecorino Romano and drizzle with olive oil.
9. Eat.