Eat-alian for Beginners

This is my first post on the food that I experience on my travels. The page has been under construction for quite a while and I'm so happy and excited to finally fill it out! I hope to share some of my insights on foreign cuisine and the entries will also serve as an excellent travel blog for me to reminisce upon. Let's face it, for people who love to eat, we remember our vacations on a meal-by-meal basis as much as we recall the tourist attractions.

Here's a little background on our trip -- it's the first full-on vacation with my wonderful/handsome boyfriend, Orin, and I. We stayed in four cities -- Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice. We also made day trips to Siena and Ghizzano, a little town in the Tuscan countryside. My overall impression of the food is that the Italians certainly follow the "eat seasonal, eat local" motto. It's not a "movement", it's a way of life. Even lettuce tasted more, well, lettuce-y. We visited several markets, and let me tell you, the abundance and variety of produce and deli goods would make any American yuppie green with envy. My only complaint is that, on many occasions, the restaurants can be very heavy handed with salt. Portions are noticeably smaller, but that's probably a good thing. 

Rome	Florence
Cinque Terre	Venice

We tried as much as we could to eat outside of the tourist areas to get a feel of "authentic Italian food". We definitely developed a case of the self-hating-tourist-itis. We would prowl for restaurants that weren't dominated by English speakers. I believe we were fairly successful in our quest to sample the foods that the natives enjoy. Make sure to do your homework ahead of time. Orin almost wore out his thumb flipping through our Lonely Planet and Rick Steve travel guides in search of the best places to eat (thank you, wonderful/handsome boyfriend!). We had our misses, but undoubtedly hit a few gems during the trip. Well, I'm going to stop the jabbering and start talking about the food!! A warning, if you're not hungry now, you will be by the end of the entry.

The place-setting at this little restaurant in Tuscany

Lasagna, Two Ways

A great way to feed lots of people without having your guests stand around and watch you sweat bullets in the kitchen is lasagna. It's a highly versatile dish that you can assemble ahead of time. The possibilities are limitless -- you can raid the fridge/pantry to create unique combinations and still have time to gussy up for the dinner party.


Recipe
Pesto Lasagna
1 16oz container of ricotta
1/2 cup of pesto
1 rotisserie chicken
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
1 jar pasta sauce
12 sheets of no-cook pasta sheets


Acorn Squash Lasagna
1 16oz container of ricotta
3 eggs
1 large acorn squash
1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
1 jar pasta sauce
12 sheets of no-cook pasta sheets 
salt and pepper to taste

Family Jewels

Sorry blog, I've neglected you. Well, have no fear, the piglet is back with a sure-win recipe! I really adore this dish because I can make it ahead of time so I don't smell like the great hope saving the planet from total vampire domination when I mingle with my dinner party guests (garlic joke, get it?). It's also versatile -- you can serve it over pasta for a main dish, put it in a sandwich/slider (great for leftovers), or serve it straight up with a toothpick as an appetizer. 


Recipe
Meatballs
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground beef
1 lemon
1 medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons paprika
1 bunch Italian parsley
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan (divided)
3 cups bread crumbs (divided)
salt and pepper to taste


Sauce
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 bottle dry red wine
1 medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning
5 bay leaves
1 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Incanto

I celebrated my 30th here with the whole pig and Incanto did not disappoint -- the food was amazing, the service attentive and the staff really made the evening memorable for us. I arrived a little early before the 6:30 reservation to look over the wine list. The list is extensive with spirits from the different regions of Italy. For 17 of us, we got 3 bottles of prosecco, 2 bottles of white, 2 bottles of red and a bottle of sparkling red. The recommendations from the sommelier were spot on and the wine really lubricated the night.

To start, we got two heaping platters dripping with meaty goodness. The mixed boccalone antipasto platter consisted of sliced ham, mortadella, salumi, headcheese and a pate; also on the plate were braised petite onions, pickles and an entire baked garlic. My favorite of the night was the headcheese, but everything were wonderful. The meats were flavorful but not overpowering nor overtly salty and they all melted in your mouth. The bread basket was also a huge hit. The focaccia was out of this world good. It was way better than any bread that I had while in Italy. A good start to the evening!

M-E-A-T!! Meat meat meat!!

Real Food, the Italian Way

I decided to take advantage of the bountiful fresh local produce in Florence and prepared a meal during my recent trip to Italy. I learned the joy of cooking simply and trusting the ingredients. I haven't tasted produce that tasted so flavorful in a long time, so why mess with a good thing? I restrained myself by not throwing the kitchen sink into every dish and let each element sing. I made a simple caprese salad as the appetizer, a speck and leeks pasta as the first course, and finally, a hearty chicken and cannelloni beans stew as the secondo. Alas, no dessert for us that night, just a big bottle of prosecco.

Recipe
Caprese Salad:
1 pound fresh mozzarella
2 large ripe tomatoes
10 large basil leaves
good EVOO
salt and pepper to taste


Pasta:
1 pound pasta (Gimelli is a good choice)
1/4 pound speck
1 large stalk of leek
1 small tomato
1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan 
a little oil to coat the bottom of the pan
salt and pepper to taste


Chicken stew:
2 large chicken thighs
1 pound dried cannelloni beans (soaked overnight)
1 medium onion
2 large red bell peppers
1/4 pound speck
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 stalk of sage leaves
3 cups dry wine wine
oil for browning the chicken
salt and pepper to taste

He Didn't Know What Hit Him Braised Short Ribs

Short ribs have always been a bit of a hoity toity ingredient. It was the first thing that I tackled when I got my ceramic dutch oven. Lo and behold, not only was it just as easy to make as chicken, it was equally fool proof!! When I thought the dating thing with my boyfriend might go somewhere, I made braised short ribs as the first meal that I cooked for him. Boy oh boy, after the first bite, I think he saw a halo of our unborn children running around my head. He was utterly defenseless against my nuclear option! I'm experimenting with a new version of the dish for my bestie Nahal's birthday. Remember boys and girls, save the short ribs for the special someones in your life!

Recipe
3 pounds beef short ribs
1 bottle red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar 
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots
3 ribs of celery
1 heads of garlic
10 sprigs thyme
10 sprigs rosemary
10 sprigs oregano
5 bay leaves
1 bunch Italian parsley
10 prunes
salt and pepper to taste
oil for browning the ribs