2/2/2020
(Above: A sunny street on a sunny Sunday.)
2/2/2020
Active Summary: Today I woke up, exercised, wrote for an hour, and then made an Airbnb reservation for our last day here at Agrigento (apparently, I did not account for our last evening here.) It all turned out well, though. The last place we will be staying is less than 500 meters away, and it is even closer to the train station.
After these arrangements, we decided to go out and walk around for a while. This first brought us upward to a church atop the hill on which Agrigento is situated and then led downward through many winding alleys (more in TIL) until we reached the main thoroughfare. There, we found a restaurant mentioned in the Michelin Guidebook – a place named Osteria Ex Panificio Srl.
A moderately pricey yet absolutely delicious lunch ensued*. We walked around a little bit more afterward in search for some butter and soda for the room, but everywhere was closed… that is, everywhere except our favorite bakery shop. A short stop there was followed by a walk back to the apartment. Along the way we stopped by a small bar and tasted limincello for the first time. Both my brother and I agreed that it was far too sweet for our liking. If it had some semblance of tartness, it would have been much better. Alas, it did not.
We are now back in the room enjoying some leisure time as I make bread for dinner.
(7:31 PM Update:) The power is presently off, because I tripped the breaker by baking bread as my brother was taking a shower. Our apartment is a really great place. It’s just a shame that its in a very very old building. Either way, once the lights are back on, my brother and I will be eating a light dinner of bread, and in my case, a salad.
I should note that we walked around a little bit more before this current blackout. Our initiative was to hunt down some of the aforementioned butter and soda (and with the addition of vinegar). We about gave up, but on walking down the well-lit base street of Agrigento, found another minimart very much like yesterday’s. There, I procured all that was desired. The pictures below are of the dinner that my brother and I partook of after the lights came back on… I simply had to go flick a breaker switch.
Dinner comprised of a fresh salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette, makeshift bread, and a glass of Nero D’Vola. 
A close-up of the makeshift bread. 
A hand for scale. We had about half a loaf leftover, so tomorrow or the day after I may end up cutting it in half and then using both the top and the bottom as pizza crusts. 
A croisoli (cross between a croissant and a cannoli). At least, that’s what I call it. 
The pastry is filled with creme and miniature dollops of soft chocolate.
TIL: Between yesterday and today’s experiences, I’ve learned a little bit better how to make bread with the ingredients to be found in this region. Firstly, the yeast must be allowed to rise here. Instant yeast is not commonplace. Secondly, I’ve met with more success when using a ratio of ¾ bread flour to ¼ durum flour rather than a 50/50 split**. Lastly – the lesson I already learned from cooking no-knead dough back at home – one must use plenty of oil to ensure that the bread does not stick to the metal pan. This is vital when cooking in flimsy disposable pans… unless one desires to pick tinfoil from their bread. Fortunately I followed the latter rule quite well, and it slid out of the pan with no problem.
Commentary: Our walk through Agrigento this morning was one of the most relaxing things my brother and I have done on this vacation. It was still fairly early in the morning when we began, so many shops and eateries were closed, hardly anyone was to be found on the streets, clean and fragrant laundry was hung out to dry on the high-lines, and every church we walked by had music and hymns playing faintly within. As the morning neared noon, the place began to liven up a bit, but the town’s atmosphere remained truly relaxed. There were a few people out and about, children played in the old brick streets, and often, the tinklings, clatterings, and delicious scents of food preparation emanated from the residences we walked past. It was the latter bit that inspired my brother and I to eat out for lunch today and have a light supper (instead of vice versa). The first restaurant we happened upon was a place that has been mentioned twice in the Michelin Guidbooks of 2018 and 2019.
What is this place?
Perhaps the highest church in Agrigento. 
A vista from near the church provided us with sight of the sprawling landscape and the way that it bespotted by the clouds. 
A view from near Osteria Expanificio. 
Caciocavallo Dop all’argentiera – another Sicilian grilled cheese topped with herbs and honey. 
Zuppa di pesce del giorno – soup of the day. Except for the two pieces of bread, every single chunk to be seen within the bowl were various pieces of seafood. It was probably the best proportioned seafood soup that I have ever had. The taste was incredible as well. Especially the prawns. They had been cooked in such a fashion that I could eat them whole – shells and all – and each time I did, it was a flavor explosion. 
Vegetation to the side: Caponata di melanzane (eggplants,celery,capers,onion,olives,spices). 
Tagliata di wagyu di kobe. My brother’s plate of Wagyu ‘Kobe’ beef. It was tender, but it was not Japanese wagyu (as we expected). Still excellent flavor. The best beef dish we have had tried thus far in Europe. 
Cannolo di Ricotta. An almond dusted canolo. The pastry was like a cookie (it did not shatter when bitten) while the ricotta-based cream on the inside was very light. Excellent. 
A typical street in upper Agrigento on a Sunday afternoon. 
An ornate church we found along one of the side-streets during our walkabout. 
A doughnoli… at least that’s what I call it. 
This is why I call it a dough-noli. It is like a cross between a sugar doughnut and a canoli.
Final Note: Tomorrow we have more relaxation, walking, and eating on the agenda. That’s about it.
*It cost about as our first meal here in Agrigento – 64.00 euro – but the food was better. That first place was not bad by any means, but I would rate it a 3.75 out of 5 instead of today instead of a 4.5 out of 5. *Saying this, I believe if I had let the yeast bloom yesterday, the 50/50 would have worked as well.
TIL: Between yesterday and today’s experiences, I’ve learned a little bit better how to make bread with the ingredients to be found in this region. Firstly, the yeast must be allowed to rise here. Instant yeast is not common place. Secondly, I’ve met with more success when using a ratio of ¾ bread flour to ¼ durum flour rather than a 50/50 split**. Lastly – the lesson I already learned from cooking no knead dough back at home – one must use plenty of oil to ensure that the bread does not stick to the metal pan. This is vital when cooking in flimsy disposable pans… unless one desires to pick tinfoil from their bread.
Commentary: I am fairly certain that our walk through Agrigento this morning was perhaps one of the most relaxing things my brother and I have done on this vacation. It was still fairly early in the morning when we began, so many shops and eateries were closed, there was no one on the streets, there was clean and fragrant laundry hung out to dry on the high-lines, and every church we walked by had music and hymns playing faintly within.
As the morning neared noon, the place began to liven up a bit, but the town’s atmosphere remained truly relaxed. There were a few people out and about, children playing in the old brick streets, and often, the tinklings, clatterings, and delicious scents of food preparation emanated from the residences we walked past. It was the latter bit that inspired my brother and I to eat out for lunch today and have a light supper (instead of vice versa). The first restaurant we happened upon was a place that has been mentioned twice in the Michelin Guidbooks of 2018 and 2019.
What is this place?
Final Note: Tomorrow we have more relaxation, walking, and eating on the agenda. That’s about it. If the cook-lady does not reply to my information request in regard to how to get to her village, I may simply purchase a lesson and walk there. Maybe then she will understand that I’m intent on learning how to cook some Sicilian cuisine.
*It cost about as our first meal here in Agrigento – 64.00 euro – but the food was better. That first place was not bad by any means, but I would rate it a 3.75 out of 5 instead of today instead of a 4.5 out of 5.
**Saying this, I believe if I had let the yeast bloom yesterday, the 50/50 would have worked as well.
A quiet Sunday with both tasty food and wine, enough said I’m jealous.