Nice presentation! Zucchini with parmesan, peas with mint, carrots with dill, and corn with fried sage leaves.
Veggies from Herrle's, herbs courtesy of the backyard planter.
CONTINUE READING...
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Four Food Groups
Fusilli by Fusilli
Yes, walnuts on pasta. Try it sometime, I think you'll like it. Also shown, a sentimental favorite from a long-ago trip abroad, Chateau De Nages.Chicken à la things
More goodies from Herrle's. Fresh beans, peas and potatoes. The chicken hitched it from Toronto's St. Lawrence Market, but it was well loved before it hit the plate. I'd say this meal was 100% local and organic. S'nice.
Butter Conduit
It's not that the butter is more important than the corn, but would you really enjoy it as much without the butter and salt?
This time of year Herrle's in Waterloo is serving up several varieties of corn straight from the field. It could only be fresher if you picked it yourself.
Hand to Mouth
Someday I'd like to have a big vegetable garden. I picture tomatoes, zucchinis, fava beans, lettuce, herbs, and a rabbit who wears a vest that keeps me company while I'm working.
In the meantime, cherry tomatoes grown in planters will do. Fresh basil, a touch of olive oil and sea salt make for an excellent garden to table salad.
CONTINUE READING...
Monday, August 11, 2008
BBQ Salad?
Short of throwing the spinach on the grill and figuring out how to melt the goat cheese on the same gril, we bbq'd everything else. Roasted peppers and onions turned out great and you can't really see the pancetta in there but trust me, it is... I think we just put a little balsamic and oil on this one but with all the sweet vegetables adding a little lemon into the dressing wouldn't hurt.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Burrata
Burrata's the kind of cheese that's hard to stop eating. It's not as heavy as creamcheese, has a moist, smooth, buttery texture (burra = butter) and subtle creamy flavour. We've heard of some burrata binging incidents that didn't end so nicely so it's best to stop while you still want more.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Granita in Gerace
Here's a more *deluxe* granita we had in Gerace, a gorgeous medieval town up the hill from Siderno. Fresh peach and fig flavours + cream.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Does water count as food?
I was fascinated by the ancient public fountains/water taps we encountered in every big city and little village. A constant stream of cold water flowing out to wash your hands and face, as well as drink. When I asked C where this water came from, he looked at me like I was an alien, did his signature shoulder shrug, and gave me the "MEH! From an aqueduct!" or "MEH! From a mountain!" The laughing faces are in Rome and the snakes are in a town in Calabria called Stilo.
Signature Dish
Everyone has to have a signature dish so I stole this one...
Emeril missed a few essential ingredients however, namely bacon, or in this case pancetta and bbq'd lemon chicken. Considering the crap they use in most restaurant dressings I think I'm still ahead here.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Homemade, homegrown lunch
Nothing fancy, but still tasty and memorable. Tomatoes from the garden on frise, basil from the terrace, homemade sopressata, and remember that bufala caciocavallo? Oh so good. I miss homemade Italian lunch. And to think I used to hate tomatoes!
The other G
I know everyone talks about the amazing gelato in Italy, but before I got here, nobody had mentioned the fantastic *granita*! It's refreshing and light, and the best thing to eat to cool off after a day at the beach. You can get it with or without cream, and the fruit flavours are real and intense! We frequented a little place in Locri, a town just 5 mins away from Siderno, just about everyday to get our fill.
Fichi in an abandoned village
About an hour away from Siderno is an abandoned medieval village called Pentadatillo (translation: five fingers) because the little peaks of the mountain on which this village once existed look like fingers. During the 1950s, the side of the mountain started to erode and the homes began to crumble, so everyone left and eventually established a new village just a couple of kms away near the base of the mountain. We were curious to see the remains of the village, plus we'd heard a rumour that a hermit still lived there so we took a road trip. While walking among the ruins, C all of a sudden jumps a fence and comes back with… fresh fichi (figs)! You knew there had to be food mixed into this story somewhere, right? Conclusion: the village is now undergoing restoration and the prices for the current broken-down shacks are going up (50 000 euro!), the hermit made his living as a musician but passed away a couple of years ago, and the figs are sweet and abundant in Pentadatillo.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Zio Salvatore (Uncle Sal's)
My first Calabrian meal upon arriving was at Zio Salvatore, in Siderno Superiore, which I later found out is a Slow Food guide recommendation. Everything here is made fresh from local ingredients- the sausage, cheese, all the vegetables. My favourite on the antipasto plate is a Calabrian specialty- stuffed eggplant. For dinner, the most succulent meatballs ever, and for dessert, a crepe filled with vanilla gelato topped off with a berry reduction.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Yah I'm a pig. So what?
I can't help it. I love breakfast in Italy. Especially since I found out it could be a gelato sandwich! Here's a tamer breakfast I had yesterday. When we went to the counter to order, C asks me what I wanted, and I indicated a cappuccino and cannoli. But knowing the pig I've turned into since I got here, he says "Of course you want the large one, right?"
Bufala ricotta
Remember that road trip with all the bufala products? It went into dinner one night and breakfast the next day. For dinner, here we have bowtie pasta with homemade tomato sauce with the ricotta melted through. So creamy and delicious. And for breakfast the next morning, the same ricotta spread on slices of dense bread drizzled with Calabrian honey. Sorry no pic for that one!
Breakfast: one more time!
I was pretty surprised when one morning, C suggested we go to the local gelateria... for breakfast?! Here, I ate for the first time ever, the most indulgent ice cream sandwich at 10am. A brioche cut in half slathered with vanilla and gianduia gelati. The thing barely fit in my hand and melted all over my hands and legs as I tried to eat it with dirty pigeons greedily flocking around me. Needless to say, I finished the whole thing and the crash from that sugar high was worth every last lick. Oh, and the chocolate smeared all over the little girl's face on the gelateria sign is a good indication of how one looks when you're eating the actual gelato.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sprizz
This one's for you, Michael... The Sprizz.
Take some prosecco, club soda and a dash of Aperol for a refreshing summer aperitif that'll put everyone in good spirits. Even better with a side of savoury mini treats.
Breakfast in Rome
So it's not the healthiest of breakfasts, but what the hell? I'm on vacation! I liked this bakery so much I had to eat there twice in two days. Croissants filed with cream or chocolate and a hot foamy cappuccino to wash it down. For C, he prefers the latte di mandorla- almond milk.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Dream Breakfast
I may be alone on this one, but the last thing I think about before going to sleep is what I'm going to have for breakfast. Since Gilead Café opened in the hood, this is what I picture: An Americano, Yogurt with Granola, and Pain au Chocolat.
You can't really do much better, even though bacon is obviously absent from this picture. However, on occasion, breakfast can stretch into lunch and then bacon magically appears wearing a poached egg.
Weekends are the best.
CONTINUE READING...
A salad so nice we ate it twice
Made this Martha smoked salmon Cobb salad the other night. And then made it again for lunch the very next day.
Gina
{Carlo posting about Gina restaurant}
In the heart of it all, yet away from it all, is my favourite Roman woman: Honest Gina. If you want a little break from those annoying tourists who don't know their way around and look like they're getting ready to climb Mt. Everest with their fanny packs and sandals, then head over for a refreshing and light lunch. Gina makes tasty salads and offers seasonal fruit and good ice cream. This place is full of Roman business people talking about set design, fashion shows and their favourite matriciana, so in other words, Roman urban hipsters. Next time you're near the Spanish Steps, definitely check it out. The two salads we had were: tuna with hard boiled egg, and apple, walnut and goat cheese. For dessert, seasonal fruit- one with ice cream and the other with yogurt.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Road trip with a cheesy pit stop
PREFACE: This post written by foreign correspondant Carlo
Ever since the garbage scandal in Naples followed by the Bufala mozzarella scandal, we were curious to find out if we could actually taste the dioxin in the cheese. As far as we're concerned, this was some Grade A bufala mozzarella. Actually, maybe the dioxin made it taste better. If anybody's interested, or heading to Italy anytime soon, this little cheese laboratory is located just off the A3 highway at the Battipaglia exit. Follow the roundabout approximately 1/4 of the way around until you see a sign that says Mozzarella di Bufala on your right hand side. The place is called La Mediterranea. If you have a hankering for a mozzarella and tomato salad it's worth the stop, especially since that's all you're going to get. Other goodies we picked up were caciocavallo and burrata.
Roman Holiday
Okay, so it's only a 2 day Roman holiday before heading down to the deep south of Italy. But C said that since we are in Rome, we have to partake in a summertime Roman tradition- eating watermelon from a watermelon stand on the side of the road. These are watermelons of Latina, a city just outside of Rome. We went for a watermelon run at 10pm to quench my thirst from the salty Roman cuisine. Just for the record, that's what C told me- that Roman cuisine tends to be salty. Maybe that's why these people need to eat so much watermelon.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Poll Results – Favorite Liberté Flavours
The results are in, and it's a tie! The two top Liberté flavours are Lemon and Black Cherry. I'm surprised to see Moka didn't squeak ahead, but with only 5 votes we can't exactly call the results conclusive.
P.S. I voted for BC... sorry Moka.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
milk & honey mini yum
One of my favorite places for brunch in the Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village neighborhood is Milk & Honey on Division. They also have sweet treats and coffee available all day, every day of the week. This was the perfect post Boundary lunch treat on Tuesday. A mini chocolate cupcake with butter cream frosting and PINK sugar! How could anyone resist this mini morsel?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monte Cristo
Few things rival a Monte Cristo sandwich. Perhaps only Monte, who wishes he could eat them for breakfast every day. If you haven't sampled this bready, eggy, meaty, cheesy, mustardy and all around carby delight – then shame on you.
Booberries
It's officially Blueberry season in Ontario. If you're not eating Blueberries, in large quantities, every day than I only have one question for you. WTF? Do you need an invitation? You're looking a little pale, perhaps could use some phytochemicals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
