Gourmandistan has returned again to its traditional Bluegrass boundaries, after spending a month in northern Italy. (Thanks for the assist during our absence, Susie T.!)

We must say that, though we enjoyed our time in Italy, we did not feel the connection we’ve built with France over the years. While we liked our butcher, our fruit vendor and some nice nearby wine shops, we missed the sense of terroir that seems to spark our imaginations.  (Venice, though… we absolutely love Venice.)

Michelle is about to forswear pasta for the foreseeable future. But as we pondered what to make for dinner this evening, our jet-age-addled brains delivered this bit of Italian inspiration, which was a dish Michelle made several times during our stay in Teolo. She started with an Umbrian idea from Lidia Bastianich, but gave this piquant pork braise an extra tang by adding artichokes, a popular vegetable in the Veneto. The idea started when cleaning out the refrigerator in Teolo, but we went ahead and used canned artichoke hearts here in Kentucky as well. It still tastes molto buono, y’all.