Soup and Sicily

We love soup. Tim especially loves soup. I like soup because it's warm and I'm usually cold. Being winter, I have been experimenting with different soups lately. The first one was an Oktoberfest soup, made with chopped potatoes, celery, carrots, sliced sausage, and oktoberfest beer instead of chicken broth. Then I've experimented with a potato soup, but I haven't gotten it quite right yet. The first time, I didn't mash the potatoes enough, the second time, I didn't put in celery because it was the only vegetable the grocery store didn't have. But what I have so far is cooking chopped potatoes, celery, and carrots like I was making mashed potatoes. Then draining and mashing them, then adding butter, sour cream, milk, and cheese, and getting it hot again. Surprisingly, the celery is actually very important to this soup. It adds an incredible flavor.

Finally, the best soup of all: pumpkin with roasted apples. I've made it with both roasted and canned pumpkin, so either works. First, roast the apples by chopping them and baking them on a foil-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes or until they are soft. Cook one or two finely chopped onions in 3 tbs of butter in a soup pot until they are translucent. Add some chopped garlic (or I used garlic powder) and cook for a minute. Then add a can of pumpkin (about 4 cups) and about 4 cups of chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon and put in the apples. Cook on low for about 30 minutes.

And I can't be done without a quick note about our trip to Sicily. We ate dinner the first night at our agriturismo and the meal was bigger than the Thanksgiving meal the day before! The appetizers were mostly fried: fried dough, fried veggies. They were excellent! There was also something that was a Sicilian specialty that had eggplant (and maybe something else) cooked in olive oil and totmatoes. I think that was our favorite. The pasta was pasta with pumpkin (I can tell you how to make that, just ask), and we just really didn't have room for the meat course. For dessert, cannolis, of course. We had to get up and walk around the room for a few minutes because that could not be passed up. They are stuffed with sweetened ricotta cheese, but they aren't too sweet, and oh, so good! We also tried Sicilian pizza, and shocking as it may be, I think I like their crust more than the Neopolitans'. It's a little thicker and less burned. But then again, maybe it was just a fluke. Pistachio gelato first came from Sicily, so that was definitely the thing to eat. All in all, Sicily was a culinary delight.

Apple pies

Maybe this is a little late because I made these in August, but it's still worth sharing. We were putting on a baby shower for a friend and looking for new and intersting finger foods. I found a recipe for mini apple pies. Basically, they're the same as all other apple pies, you just divide the crust into muffin tins and dice the apples. I used both red and green apples and left the skins on. They were wonderful!



Also for that baby shower were prosciutto and egg cups, a great appitizer. Lay prosciutto (thinly sliced deli ham) in muffin cups, break an egg into each one, and season with basil and pepper. Bake about 20 minutes or until the egg is solid.

And as a nod to my last post about pasta and using pretty vegetables, here is such a dinner in the making:

Perfect Pasta

If there is one food that is quintessentially Italian, it's pasta. They eat it at lunch and dinner, usually every day, and with a variety of pasta shapes, sauces, and toppings. So you are probably saying, "You live in Italy, so why haven't you talked about pasta yet?"

Making good, interesting pasta is actually rather easy. For seasonings, I pretty much use garlic salt, peppercinis (the red pepper flakes that you find at Pizza Hut), onion powder, and basil (both fresh and dried). Start with an appropriate pasta base: penne or rigatoni for a meat sauce, spaghetti for chicken and/or vegetables. Then decide what kind of sauce you want. Tomato sauce is the heartiest, and with hamburger it makes a good meal in itself. An alfredo sauce is a little lighter and gives pasta a nice coating if you're topping it with chicken or vegetables. Another excellent option is olive oil with garlic salt, basil, peppercinis, onion powder, and pepper. I like flavoring my sauces: putting peppercinis and garlic salt in the tomato sauce and pesto or sauteed onions in the alfredo sauce.

Now for what to put on top. There's always the very traditional meat sauce with hamburger and onions in tomato sauce. Chicken also makes a good topper. Here are some chicken options: coated with bbq sauce and grilled, then sliced; breaded in flour and seasonings and cooked on the stove; and cooked in seasonings. Vegetables can be cooked or not, sliced big or small. Usually I use onions, green or red peppers, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and mushrooms. Use what you have and be creative with the colors and sizes. That way, your food can be pretty, as well as tasty.  Pasta is always better with cheese on top, no matter what else is on it. Parmesan, shredded cheese, or (if you want to be really Italian) mozzerella cut into chunks. Try different combinations, seasonings, and sauces; you never know what you might come up with!

Here is a pasta that we made at our Neopolitan cooking class:
Pasta of the 7 P's
Penne - 1 lb
Pomodoro (tomatoes) - 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
Pancetta (bacon) - 4 oz
Pepperoncino (red pepper flakes) - to taste
Panna (cream) - 1 cup
Prezzemelo (parsley) - a handful
Parmigiano (paremsan cheese)
Olive oil
Salt

In a pan, saute the bacon and pepper flakes in the olive oil until the bacon is cooked. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 15 min. Add the cream and parsley. Cook the pasta, drain, and add to the sauce. Serve with parmesan on top.

Buon appetito!

Peaches, peaches, peaches!

One day our hunger got the best of us, so we stopped and bought a case of peaches for 3 euro from a man selling them out of the back of his 3-wheeled pickup. So this begs the question, what would you do with 27 ripe peaches?

At first we ate them one by one, but that was too slow. There was no way we could eat them all before they went bad! So we decided to have peach milkshakes. These consisted of peeled peaches, ice, heavy cream, and milk. They were thick, fluffy (from the heavy cream), and very tasty. The second time I put in some vanilla when Tim wasn't looking and it was even better.

In an attempt to find something more interesting and because I was tired of washing the blender, I found a recipe for peach salsa. I chopped an onion and cooked it for a couple minutes with some diced jalapenos (from a can) and a little lemon juice. Then I quartered 3 or 4 peaches (white and yellow) and put them on the grill until they were soft all the way through and a little blackened. I cooled them a little, chopped them, and mixed them with the onion/jalapeno mix. I put it on grilled chicken that night, but the next day we had it with chips and I think it was better for having sat overnight. The flavors melded together, and it was sweeter and spicier at the same time. I didn't use all the peaches for the salsa, so we had leftovers. Even if you don't make salsa, grilled peaches are awesome.

Finally, the weather took a strange turn and cooled off enough to turn on the oven. Peach pie it is!

And if all this wasn't enough, we still had enough peaches left over to slice and put on our Belgian waffles with whipped cream. After all this, we discovered what Italians do with their peaches. They slice them and serve them in a wine glass with prosecco. The peaches sweeten the wine and also soak it up. The best part is at the end when you get to eat the wine-soaked peaches.

Now we need more peaches.



Cooking in the summer

Naples is hot. In fact, it's so hot you don't even want to turn on the stove some days. The oven is completely out of the question. However, we still have to eat, and tuna sandwiches every day would be boring. I sat down and thought really hard and came up with some yummy things to make. They do require turning on the stove, but I can do it in the morning while it's still kind of cool.

First, I made potato salad. I had never made a potato salad before, but it was surprisingly easy. Wash potatoes, cut into small pieces, boil for 8 to 15 minutes, drain, and cool. I added chopped onion and bell pepper. The sauce was the challenge because Tim is violently opposed to mayonaise. I substituted alfredo pasta sauce, mixed in some mustard, and it was quite good! I was quite impressed with my first attempt.

Second, I figured out how to make salsa. I chopped 2 tomatoes and 1 onion. Then I added a few squirts of lemon juice and 2 or 3 spoonfuls of chopped jalepano peppers (they come in a can, so I don't have to do the chopping). Put it in a saucepan and cook it all for a while, until there isn't much juice left and the onions are a little soft. Once it's cooked, refrigerate it. I put it on an omlette that night and as a snack with chips the next day.

Third, and Tim's favorite (I think), was the cold tomato soup. It was so good, I'll give you the recipe.
3 C chicken broth
6 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. sugar

Combine everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool slightly, puree in the blender or food processer. Refrigerate.

I made it creamy by putting a couple heaping spoonfuls of sour cream in before blending. I also put in 4 smallish basil leaves because we like basil.

Tea and Fish-n-Chips

We recently took a trip to England. Tim's main goal was to survive completely on the full English breakfast, sandwiches, and fish and chips. I was just excited for the tea. The full English breakfast, was served at every place we stayed except one, and it consisted of tea, toast, an egg (runny), fried mushrooms, half a baked tomato, beans, ham, a sausage, and sometimes hashbrowns. Very filling and a good start to the day. The tea was excellent, as well. In case you didn't know this, a trip to Ireland with my mother in 2006 made me into a tea snob. This trip made Tim into a tea snob. We got to try teas from all over England and we have decided that Yorkshire tea is the best. I brought a large box of it home, of course.

The sandwiches were generally your average sandwiches. We became on very good terms with the grocery stores (Sainsbury's is an excellent store if anyone ever needs to know). Tim bought a jar of onion chutney and we hauled loaves of bread and plastic silverware around. We ordered packed lunches the day we went on our Yorkshire Dales hike, and those sandwiches were extremely hearty, complete with homemade pickles!

Afternoon tea is one of those important events in England. Sadly, we were so busy seeing all that England had to offer that I think we only sat down for afternoon tea twice. But what memorable times they were! The first was at a place called Faeryland, and it was wonderful after an hour of rowing around Grasmere Lake in the lake district. The second was after our Yorkshire Dales hike. The sun had just come out and the scone with strawberry jam and cream hit the spot. Not to mention the caffine in the tea helped immensely.

Our first fish-and-chip experience was in Llandudno, North Wales. We ate it on the promonade, surrounded by seagulls, who were all hoping to get some dinner, too. In Eastbourne, at the end of our trip, Tim got two pieces of fish, partially because a very rude seagull actually stole part of the first one right out of his hand. Then we passed a place that claimed they sold "World Famous Fish and Chips", so of course he had to get seconds. They cover the fish with malt vinegar and huge amounts of salt and it's oh-so-good!

Of course there were other interesting food products. There was the sweet chili mayo and jalapeno cheese pringles from ASDA, a Walmart cousin. In Grasmere, there is a famous gingerbread bakery and that was some good gingerbread. The candy store in Stratford-Upon-Avon supplied Tim with more of the gross jelly beans, mostly because there are two new flavors: canned dog food and centipede. The dog food is very realistic. We bought rose and lemon Turkish Delight. The rose tasted exactly like how rose soap smells, and the lemon tasted faintly of rose. There was a great variety of ciders, all very tasty, my favorite being the strawberry-kiwi. In London, there was Indian food and fidget pie (ham and potatoes under a crust).

All in all, England was a culinary treat.

Playing catch-up

Hey everyone! Yes, I'm a slacker. It's been forever since I posted anything! Life has been hectic, much cold cereal and scrambled eggs have been consumed, but we have also had some interesting foods, which I will now try to update.

First, I made a stuffed meatloaf with roasted potatoes. Basically, you flatten out the hamburger, put an omlette, spinach, ham, and cheese on top and roll. Bake it with the potatoes and enjoy!

When my mom was here visiting, we went on a tour of Italy. The food in Tuscany was amazing, though they don't salt their bread. Basil ravioli, gnocchi (potato dumplings), and big, thick sandwiches from the butcher shop. Mom loved the gelato, so we ate it often. Our favorite came from San Gimignano (a small Tuscan town made up of mideval skyscrapers): Raspberry Baby (raspberry and rosemary), and gorgonzola and walnuts. Just as a side note, my mom LOVED the coconut, so she had it every time.

Everything else in May was boring, so we'll skip to June and our trip that included Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels. After living in Italy so long, we didn't realize what fantastic variety other countries have in their food products. We went to a grocery store in Amsterdam to buy some sandwich stuff and ended up with cheese & onion Lays, authentic Dutch cheese, chocolate-covered waffles, and curry mango sauce, all of which were completely out of this world tasty. That sauce was so good that we squeezed it onto rolls and ate curry-mango sandwiches. Belgium is known for four things: fries, waffles, beer, and chocolate. The fries, served with a variety of sauces (we chose green pepper sauce), can be a meal in themselves. True Belgian waffles are actually a dessert, not breakfast. They are covered with chocolate, sprinkles, or powdered sugar. We had one with strawberries and whipped cream. The beer and the chocolate? All I can say is excellent.

 

And finally, before I go, let me tell you that since school is finally out for the summer, I plan to cook more, try new things, and keep you posted. Maybe I'll even share a recipe or two. For example, yesterday I marintated chicken in barbeque sauce and some strong red onions (from my garden!), then threw them on the grill. The result was fantastic! I plan to do it again and use it it in a variety of ways: salads, pasta, etc.

Have a great summer and I look forward to making you hungry!

The great pizza experiment

Naples is the birthplace of pizza. It's better here than anywhere else in the world. I have heard that it cannot be replicated in other places. Something about Italian flour and the water... So armed with the right flour and water and a pizza-making class (3 months ago), we decided to give it a shot.

"Put flour on counter, make a volcano, and put all other ingredients in the crater. Mix by hand." Sounds easy enough, but when I started to mix it, our volcano erupted, sending oil and yeast all over my kitchen. Oops. We finally got it all mixed and dough-like, but the house was too cold for the dough to rise. Oven to the rescue!

The pizzas were finally assembled, one Hawaiian and two personal-pan vegetable pizzas. We had been longing for a Hawaiian pizza. Italians put many things on their pizzas (eggplant, seafood still in the shells, lettuce, corn), but apparently pineapple is not one of them. For all the trouble we had with making the dough, they came out very yummy! The crust was a little flat and extra-crispy, so I think it would be better if we let it rise more or made it thinner or... I guess I will just have to keep playing with it. This has been a very valuable experience. If there is one thing I want to leave here knowing, it's how to make a good pizza.

And so it begins...

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Lindsay's blog. We hope to make you extremely hungry. Maybe we won't always talk about the interesting food we eat, but also our adventures as we explore Europe.

As a faithful narrative of all our dealings with food, let me begin with looking back at our time so far in Italy. It all began in July with eating ox in Germany and kebaps in Austria. Then in August a trip to Tuscany left Tim with a craving for wild boar. We have eaten a lot of pizza and a lot of gelato since being here. In October, we attended the EuroChocolate festival in Perugia. That was heaven! Chocolate everywhere!


Chocolate ravioli with strawberries

Then there was Venice with the "muffin" flavored gelato. It didn't taste like muffins, but we weren't sure what it was. November had the 20 pounds of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, and how could we forget the Thanksgiving pizza?





Thanksgiving pizza, with all the fixin's!

Christmas had a combination of struffoli, a traditional dessert made of little dough balls coated in honey and sprinkles, and baked dentice, a fish that translates into English as dentex. The potato gnocchi and lasagne of New Year's Eve was a hit.



Merry Christmas!

Finally, (and unfortunately there is no picture) Tim ordered "mixed fried seafood" for dinner one night. It came out as a plate piled high with several small, whole fish breaded and fried, with their pathetic little eyes looking at you and their crisp little tail fins crackling. Tim ate them happily, I might add.

Are you hungry yet?