Living abroad in Italy is exciting and exhilarating. I met Mr. Italicano here. I have made extraordinary friends here. I started my business while living here. I love the challenges and adventure that each new day brings while living in il bel paese. I am grateful and I am thankful each day, yet…I miss Thanksgiving!
I miss the smells from the kitchen mingling with the sweet candles burning. I miss the chaotic sounds that fill the house: the clinking and clanking in the kitchen, kids laughter in the play room and lively shouts coming from the living room after a touchdown.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving Day foods of all time is thisCONTINUE READING
I absolutely adore hummus. It’s one of my favorite go-to recipes when I entertain guests as it’s the perfect appetizer for everyone: vegans, vegetarians, non vegetarians, lactose intolerant, gluten-free.
I also love having it in my fridge for a healthy snack or to garnish my dishes to instantly add a good source of vegetable protein :: proteina vegetale and fiber. In short, hummus rocks.
The word hummus is an Arabic word meaning “chickpea.”Do you know how to pronounce “chickpea” in Italian?Test your knowlege or learn a new word by watching this short video: CONTINUATE A LEGGERE
This poached monkfish with brown butter, lemon & caper sauce makes quite an elegant little dinner for two or a posh meal for a special party.
Monkfish :: coda di rospo is probably one of the ugliest fish around. With an enormous head and oversized mouth filled with razor sharp teeth it comes as no surprise that “sea devil” is another preferred name. Yet, what this grotesque fish lacks in beauty, it makes up for in its CONTINUE READING
Last weekend I was invited to Umbria (a region in central Italy) along with six other wine, food, and travel bloggers, to participate in a three day educational tour. You can read about this incredible experience and get some travel tips :: consigli di viaggio from my previouspost about Umbria.Now, let’s talk about a delicious traditional dish I tried called Scafata. Oh my, if you haven’t tried this Italian stew with fava beans :: fave you are in for a treat!
Fava beans, or broad beans as they are often called, are the oldest known beans. Like lentils, they are used in various European and Mediterranean dishes. Fava beans grow in a soft fuzzy pod :: baccello, but are much larger than peas. In France and America it is custom to peel the transparent skin off the bean, but here in Italy, we just shuck them from the pod and eat them raw, or cook them in various dishes.
Fava beans are the main players in this dish. From here you can toss in a variety of seasonal vegetables. I’ve used a sweet Tropea onion, freshly shelled peas and a large bunch of Swiss chard ::bietole. Asparagus would work well, which I unfortunately didn’t have on hand.
Scafata is good when eaten warm right after being cooked, but like many great Italian dishes, it becomes absolutely darn right mouthwatering when made a day or two ahead and eaten cold or heated up. The traditional recipe doesn’t call for cheese :: formaggio, but Mr. Italicano tried it with grated Parmesan as well as a spoonful of Burrata, which were also great variations.
"Scafata" is a traditional dish from Umbria, Italy that is loaded with vegetables and perfect for summertime.
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red or Tropea onion, finely chopped
3 cups (400g) shelled fava beans (or frozen)
2 cups (285g) shelled peas (or frozen)
13.5 oz (400g) cherry or datterini tomatoes, without the skins*
12.5 oz (350g) Swiss chard, chopped
1 handful basil or mint, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
Grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), as needed (optional)
Instructions
Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Don't add salt to the boiling water as the peas and fava beans will toughen up. Salt the dish at the end of the recipe.
Put the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
When the water is boiling, cook the fava beans for 2-3 minutes then drain them (reserving the hot water) and put them in the skillet with the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes, swiss chard and half of a ladle of the hot water. Cover the skillet and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
Now that the stew is ready, bring the water reserved back to boil and cook the peas for 1-2 minutes; drain and add to the fava mixture. Add the basil or mint, salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add the parmesan cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm o cold. This dish is best made a day or two in advance and eaten cold or reheated.
*To easily remove the tomato skins, stick the tomatoes in the freezer over night and run them under lukewarm water to remove the skins; or, boil them for 1 minute and then run them under cold water and the skins will easily come off.
Whenever I travel to a new country, I make it a rule to eat only local food. I see it as a chance for me to learn, discover and explore a culture through its gastronomy :: gastronomia. After all, I never know if I will be back. I fear that I might miss out on some spectacular dish or some new flavor sensation that will push my tastebuds to a new level.
Years ago, when I was traveling with my friend Suzanne in South East Asia, we stuck to this rule. From what I recall, we only cheated a few times: Mexican food in Vietnam (it was just too irresistable); and, maybe a Starbuck’s coffee in an airport or two. Apart from those few occasions, we spent six months together traveling to over nine countries, eating like locals. We shopped at rowdy markets, ate street food ::il cibo venduto per strada every chance we could, participated in cooking classes and arranged home stays so we could stay and dine in some local’s homes and get a real authentic experience of the culture.
For me, food is not just a way to nourish :: nutrire my body, but a way for me to satisfy my curiosity and, more importantly, a way for me to remember. A lot of my memories of a country are associated with food. That is just how my brain works. After month or even years have passed after a trip, I usually can never remember the historical sites or famous works of art in museums, but I can remember the memorable food that I ate.
These spring rolls bring back great memories of Thailand. I am on Railay Island. It is dark out, but Suzanne, Brian (another friend who was traveling with us for a few weeks) and I use our head lamps to keep from tripping on the dirt and stone path leading to an open air restaurant tucked a hundred yards inland. We walk up the stairs and find a table by a railing on the expansive porch. We sit on dark wooden stools and look out towards the Andaman Sea where we can faintly make out the waves crashing on the beach. Wafts of mosquito spray, sweet flowers and thai spices fill the air. Oh, that sticky air that makes your face shiny and your clothes cling to you. We order our food and shortly afterwards, our appetizer ::antipasto arrives: fresh spring rolls. I take a bite.
Now I find myself back in my kitchen. I am alone…no friends, sea or humid air; but, for a fleeting moment I was there. With a bite of these spring rolls :: involtini primavera I had been transported back in time to a country thousands of miles away. I had been sitting with my dear friends and enjoying an incredible meal in a foreign place. I never knew when I would have gone back to Thailand, but today for a moment, I did.
These spring rolls are a light and easy-to-prepare appetizer; perfect for spring and summer.
Ingredients
2 oz (100g) vermicelli noodles
2 carrots, cut into julienne
1 cucumber, cut into julienne
Avocado, cut into julienne
Basil, roughly chopped
12 rice papers
1 bowl warm water
Instructions
Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Put the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl. Once the water is boiling, pour it onto the noodles and let them soak for 4-5 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Set up your work station with the noodles, carrots, cucumber, avocado, basil and warm water. You’ll also need a cutting board to roll and cut each spring roll.
Soak one rice paper at a time for about 10 seconds then place it on the cutting board. It should be pliable but not too wet it tears. Load the rice paper with a small amount of rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, avocado and basil. Fold the sides in and then roll tightly. Cut in half. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Serve with soy sauce, peanut sauce or chili sauce.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving Day foods of all time is this CONTINUE READING
