2/6 Recipes

Our cooking class is set up so that we spend the first 30 minutes to 45 minutes learning about the history of food in Italy and then make a dish that corresponds with what we learned that day. On Tuesday of this week, we learned about the fairly new "Agriturismo" market that you can find in Italy. In the industrial age, much of Italy's beautiful countryside were wiped clean of people as they were looking for new opportunities in the city. Fortunately, today many people are moving back to the countryside and beginning farms again, this time making it work for the 20th Century. Italy has a huge Agritourism culture, where people (usually husband and wife) open up their homes and farms for tourists (or not tourists) to come and see how their food is made and the slow and simple life of living on a farm. (Its a kind of elegant WWOOFing). Then at night, as you stay in a B&B like place, you can enjoy the local food that was harvested not even a mile (or km) away. It's a great concept, and I really hope to see it gain more interest around the world. (yes, agritourism  has been going on for decades but I don't see it as prevalent in the US.) It was also fresh to hear that people are beginning to move back to a simple lifestyle away from the cities when everything else these days are just about moving forward, about the newest product, etc.

Usually the meals served at the B&B's are very simple, as the ingredients are simple. The meal we made, although very surprisingly simple to make, wasn't exactly what I would call "simple". However, it is a regional meal as well as in season (both characteristics of agriturismo). 

Our main course was a Homemade Ricotta and Pecorino cheese ravioli with a Pear Sauce. I had had the combination a few times in restaurants here... but never as good as this recipe. It is always a cheese and pear sauce-- making it much too rich and thick for my taste (but too good to pass up). This one however had the cheese on the inside of the ravioli, and the sauce was just purely pear--- a much lighter spin on the beloved italian dish. I couldn't get enough of it!

Ravioli di Pere e Pecorino

For the dough:

200 gr Flour

2 eggs

salt 

oil

Work the flour with the eggs, salt, and oil until smooth and elastic (10 to 15 minutes) Cover with saran wrap and leave to rest at room temperature. (If you have a pasta flattener--- you know what to do here, flatten pasta, cut in half, and add balls of cheese. Lay the other half of pasta over cheese and cut into squares)

                                                         

For the filling:

50 gr. dry pecorino cheese

150 gr. ricotta cheese

salt 

nutmeg

pepper

Mix the ricotta cheese with the grated pecorino cheese, add an "italian" pinch (big pinch) of salt, nutmeg, and pepper

If you are unable to make the pasta--- just buy ricotta ravioli and use this recipe for the sauce-- it will still taste delicious!

For the sauce:

3 pears

fresh thyme

1 shallot

fresh rosemary

1 tsp honey

1 dl balsamic vinegar

Dice the shallot and cook in a pan with olive oil, add two of the peeled and cubed pears. Add the dice rosemary and thyme. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook for about 10 minutes. The add the honey. 

Then, in a blender, blend the pear sauce (what you just cooked).

Cube the third pear, saute in a pan with butter for about 5 minutes.

Reduce the balsamic vinegar until you get a thick consistence. 

Cook ravioli in salty boiling water.

Place pear sauce on bottom of plate (or mix ravioli in the pan with blended pear sauce). Arrange ravioli on plate, adding some of the cooked cubes of pear on top. Then sprinkle a few drops of balsamic.

And for dessert...

Crema di Yogurt e Mirtilli

6 servings

100 gr blueberries

50 gr sugar

50 gr dry biscuits (graham crackers)

60 gr honey

300 gr white yogurt

6 gr gelatin

2 tbs Vodka

200 gr.

Make the blueberry sauce:

Put in a little pot: sugar, 4 tbs of water, and the blue berries. Cook for 10 minutes.

Soak the gelatin in cold water in a bowl.

Whip fresh cream (in separate bowl).

Mix the honey with yogurt until they are well mixed.

Squeeze out the water from the gelatin (after about 10-15 minutes) and melt in a pot with the vodka and 1 tbs of water. Mix into yogurt. Fold the whipped fresh cream into the yogurt mixture as well. Crumble the biscuits (graham crackers) and mix in the blueberry sauce.

Place in individual cups: cream on the bottom, then blueberry sauce, then cream (or whatever way you want it--- go crazy!) Put cups in the fridge for one hour before serving.

                                           

Barcelona

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up and  really felt the urge to seize the day. How could I carpe the diem? Logging on to RyanAir of course! I came across a major deal to Barcelona, Spain that would leave in only a few short weeks. Quickly I asked if anyone wanted to go with me in the flat and Kenan took the bait. Here's the catch: we had to fly into Girona (and hour away from Barcelona) at 1:15 on friday (getting us to Barcelona at 3:15) then fly out of Girona on Sunday at 7:15. So there you have it a day in a half in a huge city--- how in the world could we possibly see everything? Well, you can't. But seize the day, you could possibly see a lot of incredible things. So here is my top-5-things-to-do-if-you-only-have-a-day-and-a-half-in-Barcelona. (You got it, another list). 

1. Parc Guell

Remember when you used to play Candyland in your mountain cabin on a rainy day? No? Okay... remember when you used to play Candyland when you were little? Yes? And remember when you wished there was a place you could go that mirrored the whimsical world of Candyland? Parc Guell is probably the closest you can get to the land of Candy (sans candy and the chocolate puddle monsters). From the metro you must walk up hundreds of steps (or for those who don't like stairs there is an escalator) to get to the Park. Totally worth every one of those steps. You come to winding gravel paths and discover the sight of Gaudi's Gingerbread-esque house. But thats not the only thing there. Besides wonderful views of the city, beautiful natural arbors, and incredible walking trails, you can find colorful displays of lizards and mosaics. If you have more than a day and half, I suggest spending the day relaxing in the sun of the Parc, people watch, and listen to the many "parc" performers. I absolutely loved my short time spent in the Parc... took me straight back to the days where I used to play Candyland with my parents at out mountain cabin.

2. Montjuic

Montjuic was the last thing we did, but it was certainly one of the best. You take a "funicular" from the metro station to a station where you can buy tickets for flying gondola's that take you up to a castle on top of Montjuic. The views from the gondola are breathtaking. We were there at the end of the day where the light was low and it was a perfect break from the hustle and bustle (yeah-- i just used that expression) of the center city. We spent a couple of hours up there writing and sketching and just sitting in the sun relaxing after a long day of walking. I can only imagine what it would be like around sunset!

3. Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia is Gaudi's masterpiece in the center of the city. It's like Barcelona's Duomo fast forward hundreds of years. The only thing I could think of when I saw it (besides its unique architecture and immense beauty) was the drip castles I spent hours on at the beach... Wow. Didn't know I was reminiscing of childhood activities so much when in Barcelona. But it's really hard not to with all of the childhood structures created by Gaudi's ingenious mind. The church was more beautiful on the inside with the sun shining through the beautifully orchestrated stain glass windows and incredibly ornamented ceilings. What we noticed most about the inside of the church was that it was actually very lit-- allowing sunlight to come in on all sides. The majority of the churches we have seen are all dark only allowing sunlight to glisten through the stain glass windows. The price to go inside is somewhat expensive (compared to our free admission to every museum in Paris), but is definitely worth it. And you get a discount with a student visa!

4. Sunset at the Olympic Stadium

Well, this was more of mistake than anything. We had just gotten to Barcelona and wanted to go to Montjuic for the sunset. Finally figuring out the metro system, we headed to the area where Montjuic supposedly was. Thanks to an international mobile phone conference we got lost and went the wrong way up the mountain. But not all who wander are lost and when you take the road less traveled by , it makes all the difference. (Obviously constructed that last sentence all on my own...) But I really do suggest going here for a sunset. The light reflecting off the water was picturesque and it gave an incredible view of the city! It was such a great find!!

5. The Gaudi Houses

Both of us were a little too cheap to go inside either of the casa's but honestly the outside was enough for me. The organic shapes and festive colors took me right back to Dr. Seuss. They were incredibly designed and surprisingly on one of the main streets where all of the brand name shops are. A spectacular view, and I can only imagine just how spectacular it would be on the inside!

With all of this walking, food is more than necessary. The first night, we went to a lovely restaurant called Pitarra. It has supposedly some of the best paella in the city. Of course, that was what I ordered  and Kenan got Tuna with potatoes. The two were shared and it was so good. We ordered a small bottle of wine for dinner and afterwards, I truly had the best dessert in Europe. (I said this last week...) It was coconut ice cream (real coconut shreds inside) served with a chocolate lampshade (basically a chocolate bowl with a wafer middle) and a rasberry swirl. But no that was apparently not enough when we were offered a pitcher of Sangria "on the house". Hey, we'll take it. The owners and waiters could not have been more nice and I recommend the restaurant to anyone who goes. As other food excursions go, the St. Josep Market is jam packed with colorful fruits and vegetables and fresh meat and fish.

Barcelona was truly a great experience! Maybe I should seize the day more often?

I know what you're thinking.. yes, it's about food.

Class wise, I had a great day today. First and foremost I didn't wake up to my alarm blaring at 6:30 to only get dressed in the dark and sleep-walk to italian class. NOPE. NOT ANYMORE. I was able to change my class to 6:00 on monday and wednesday (that's right only 2 days a week, instead of 3!) So naturally, my day started out exceptionally well. My first class, we learned about Giotto and Dante and the different aspects in writing and art in the Renaissance. I haven't really learned much about this time period, so this will possibly be more of a difficult class, but a rewarding one. We are headed to Santa Croce next class, and that is one of many outside the classroom visits. Ever sense college, I have often found that classes would be better if we could actually visit the places we are learning about. It's really great to know that I finally get the chance. Then again, to me, that is one of the many gems of studying abroad.

Then I had cooking. Oh boy, did we make a masterpiece. Well, our professor happened to make it look pretty and know all of the recipes, etc. But again, I was amazed that took part in creating such a delicious meal. Our main dish was a turkey roll with prosciutto wrapped around that. Inside the roll was scamorza cheese and zucchini. All of the rolls were places on a bed of spinach. I don't remember the last time a had a meal with that much meat in it-- but it was incredible! We topped the dished with 2 fried spinach leaves (for decoration). For dessert we made Panna Cotta, sort of a vanilla bean gelatin served with strawberry and blackberry sauces. After watching our professor design her food in such a beautiful way, I decided to try my own food art. Although, I must say it was hard not just going ahead and eating both. After the meal, we all decided that we were really going to like this class. Go figure! Turkey, Proscuitto rolls and Pana Cotta and it's only the first day of cooking? If you would like to know the recipes to either of these, you are more than welcome to ask!

Last but not least, I headed over to Sketchbook in Florence. Today we worked with models and learned the ways of getting the right proportions in your drawings. I had a great time sketching and letting my hands go where they wanted to on the paper. We used charcoal, usually not my favorite medium, but for this assignment, it all just seemed to work. I must add that all of our models remind me of Lisbeth Salander. Thin, short black hair, dressed in dark clothes--- when I put that in my mind, it makes drawing seamlessly normal models into another Steig Larsson adventure...well, kind of.. At the end of the day (Dad- I added that phrase for you because I know how you love it so much) I really think I'm going to love this class. I took painting last semester and missed the stark bold strokes that a pencil or charcoal gives. I can give my drawings life and one can see the process. With paint, the "adventure" that went into the piece often disappears with the final strokes. There are no smudge marks or slightly visible erased lines. I love the gestural feel a sketch gives, and I'm excited to see the transitions and growth that will hopefully be noticeable in my sketchbook at the end of the semester.

I also must add something that just won't seem leave my mind... GO TO HELL DOOK.

This is What I've Been Wanting

Last night, we all thought that it was time to stop cooking and finally go out to eat again. We went to a restaurant that Kaitlin and I's pre-session Italian teacher, Irene, remember her? suggested. Earlier that night I had skyped my Mom and told her that I hadn't eaten anything tat was any better than her cooking. She was amazed and couldn't comprehend that her cooking was that good. Well, sorry Mom... Baldovino may be your competition. It was incredible. In fact, I think I may have confessed my love for the place every five minutes. The candles, the tables, the sweet wait staff; everything was just perfect.

We had scoped out the menu before going there to see if it was worth it and the "tuscan hummus" caught my eye. Kenan was nice enough to share it with me... and oh my god. It wasn't made out of chickpeas but rather cannellini beans and gave it a smoother texture. Sesame and garlic were added as well. It was served with this wonderful Arab sesame seed bread that was toasted and better than any pita I have ever had. (Not that I needed any more bread after the complimentary bread slices we received.) The olive oil was so flavorful and intense-- something that I have been looking for since I have gotten here.

For my main meal, I had a potato and leek soup that was wonderfully rich and light at the same time. I couldn't finish all of it after the hummus appetizer, but with the cold weather outside, it made for a perfect meal. We all passed our plates around and tasted each other's meals. There were so many different flavors but it was all so amazing. I don't know how many mmm's I heard that night.

Since we were so happy with our night, we decided to get a dessert... or two. The thickest cheesecake you will ever try and the darkest, richest chocolate cake (you will ever have). Both delicious and not too much. 

Needless to say, we had a great time. 

In other news this recently has become a food blog. No longer is it my adventures abroad. But rather, the food that I eat abroad. I promise guys, I'm doing other things than eating! But there are only so many pictures of Florence I can take. Next weekend we start our month long weekend adventures and I booked a cheap flight to Barcelona! The adventure is just beginning!

Tonight I made a bruschetta topping with cannellini beans, red peppers, parsley, salt and pepper, and garlic. It was something I always had at home and was fun to try it on my own. The mixture urned out to be really great!

I didn't realize until I posted this how color coordinated my meal was. But hey! It's all comprised of my favorite yellow color. If you are EVER in Florence, you must try Baldovino out. It was exactly what I've been wanting all along.

Firenze di Notte

Today was quite a long day; in class we had a quiz (that fortunately I don't think I failed contrary to my opinions last night). And unlike UNC, when we finished our quiz, we did not hand it in and walk out of the doors kissing the sorry test goodbye... no. we still had three and a half hours of class left. To get me through the second half I decided to try my first "italian espresso" let's be real though, it was from a vending machine and had less flavor than Ferris Bueller's teacher. (You know you liked that comparison...) Anywho, Kaitlin and I had smiles on our faces when Irene, our favorite teacher, walked into the room and said we were learning about cinema today rather than passato prossimo. We began to was La Vita E' Bella (Life is Beautiful) when of course the sound stopped working. Much to our surprise Irene continued to play the movie--- with us reading the sottotitoli. We had the assistant teacher stopping and playing the movie so we had enough time to even read what was being said.

Finally class was over, and I rushed back home to cook lunch and skype with my dad and then mom. It had been a few days since I had talked to them, so it was really nice to catch up! Afterwards it had already gotten to 3:00 pm...where did this day go? I journaled some and tried to plan more of my Spring Break and other weekend excursions. Not the greatest at planning, I decided to leave the train and airline websites behind to go watch the sunset at Palazzo Michelangelo. I was happy to see Anna at the door, and to hear she wanted to come too. We packed up our cameras and headed out trying to beat the sun there. We made it just in time and the setting sun allowed some incredible photographs to be taken even by an amateur like me. We ended up staying outside for almost two hours and when I got home I found that I had taken over 200 pictures! But it was worth it for the few gems that I found. It was really nice getting outside and exploring a little because classes and cultural activities didn't leave me much time to do it this week. As we were walking up to the Palazzo, we realized how warm it had become as the clouds were departing from the sky and the birds were chirping. It felt and sounded like spring was on its way! (I guess it's still January though...) Either way it made for a perfect evening.


The night just got better when we all went to a Pizzeria near the Ponte Vecchio. I went on a limb and ordered the ravioli stuffed with pear and cheese. Creamy or cheesy sauces are usually not my pastas of choice but I had to try it because of the pear. It was delicious! (And incredibly filling) But overall I was happy with my choice. And the bread we had there was the best I had tasted so far since I have gotten here. It felt like pound cake it was so soft. Using what we learned from Marco earlier in the week, my side of the table went with a white wine--- because we all had light colored meals. Match the color of your wine to the color of your food. Thanks Marco! We ended the meal with lots of laughs, and a few snorts as well... It was a great night filled with good food, good company, and great views.

Tomorrow the apartment is off to Pisa (and hopefully Lucca!!) I'm excited to finally get out to the beautiful countryside of Italy and for a little change of scenery! Until tomorrow, goodnight i miei amici!

Fresh is Better

As I said yesterday, today was my first day of classes for the pre-session. It's hard to believe we have italian for four hours each day, BUT it's only for two weeks so I can't complain too much. The class went by a lot faster than I thought and Kaitlin and I (who met in our UNC italian 101 class) thought we just may have learned as much italian in those four hours that we did all semester. It was purely conversational. Of course, we didn't know all of the words so the phrase "come se dice" was used often. Either way, I really started to feel like I was learning a lot. 

Afterwards, we went to out cultural activity groups. The cultural activity for today was shopping around the Mercato Centrale with one of the cooking professors, Marco. He was one of the most vivacious people I hav ever met. His love and knowledge of food kept me in tune with the day and made learning how to cook as fun as possible (even when it is already a fun talent). We all walked around the market with notepads and cameras in hand listening to his trick of the trade when in the market. The colors were so incredible and the meals that we cooked turned out to be better than expected thanks to the help of Marco!

Marco gave us many suggestions about the freshness of the vegetables. You have to read this and think of a lively, scatter-brained italian cook to get the true experience. If they are shiny they are fresh! You must ask the produce seller if you can tough the food. The tougher it feels, the fresher it is. And then of course if it smells good, it will be good. The basil we bought for our pesto dish was greener than ever. And once the food was cooked, the freshness of everything from the market really paid off. 

At the market you will find every color imaginable. Below is the large assortment of dry fruit that we saw at the end of our tour.  

First course: Focaccine Farcite with three different fillings. For those who were vegetarian, their only choice was buffalo mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a little bit of oregano. (which was okay with me!) The other two contained meat: Prosciutto, pecorino cheese (like parmesan but stronger flavor), sun dried tomatoes, and  basil or Cooked ham, olive oil artichokes, Parmigiano Reggiano shaves, and fresh sage leaves. Our group made the Focaccia bread appetizers and they turned out really well if I do say so myself! With it was served pasta with a homemade pesto sauce. Hint: To add flavoring to the pasta, chop up string beans, potatoes, and zucchini. Then boil all of the ingredients with the pasta. It gives a sweeter bolder taste to the meal!

Second Course: Petti di pollo alle Melanzane or chicken with eggplant, oregano, mozzarella, and a tomato sauce. (You can also use fresh tomatoes for a topping). This dish is considered a vertical dish because there are different layers of flavor as you move up. Potatoes with herb were served as a side dish. Even with little ingredients, the second course was SO full of flavor-- I was amazed!

Third Course: Torta Di Cioccolato e Frutta It was basically a dark chocolate sponge cake with powdered sugar on top. The fruit salad was made of seasonal fruit, for flavor and to keep the fruit fresh lemon juice was mixed in. I was very impressed with the sponge cake. Made from scratch, it was a very light end to our meal and was delicious. The acidity of the fruit was a nice contrast as well.  

It was a great first of classes, but I am exhausted. If you want the recipe to any of these dishes, send me a message and I will be happy to send them to you! A domani! (Until tomorrow!)