Before you put away your grills for the summer, you have to try these very simple but delicious verdure alla griglia (Grilled Vegetables). The combination of a few very simple ingredients helps bring out the flavors of the vegetables, leaving even the pickiest of eaters wanting more.
Verdura alla griglia (grilled vegetables)
For this particular meal we chose to use melanzane (eggplant) and zucchine (zuccini). You can use a number of different vegetables that will all come out terrific on the grill.
DIRECTIONS
>Begin by slicing the vegetables in thin strips. I don’t have a mandolin here but that would have made it much easier!
Slice thin, but not paper thin – roughly a 1/4 inch. It has to withstand the heat of the grill
>Next, place vegetables on the hot grill. The seasoning comes later. This was foreign to both Greg and me because we had grown accustomed to brushing olive oil and seasoning on before we grilled the vegetables. In this case, don’t apply anything – just put them on the grill naked.
Place on the grill without any prior treatment or coating
If you are lucky like me, you’ll have a good-looking crew working the grill!
For some reason, Greg always grills better with a beer
But this is his real secret weapon!
Greg was careful to brown each side to get that wonderful charred flavor without burning the vegetables.
Brown each side and be sure to cook all the way through – grill marks add a nice appearance
>The final step is adding the seasoning, a combination of olive oil, salt, minced garlic and a dash peperoncino (dried, spicy red peppers). >Combine minced garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Brush on the garlic-oil and add salt to taste.
>At the end, add a dash of peperoncino for a kick of flavor. Remember to be careful when you add the heat. You can always add more but you can’t take it away. I make a separate dish for Julia without the hot peppers.
Olive oil, garlic, salt and hot peppers
Olive oil mixture
Brush on to evenly disburse the oil
If the vegetables sit they will continue to develop flavors. They don’t have to be served hot. This is a great side because you can prepare it ahead of time before your guests even arrive.
I hope you will give these a try the next time you and your family decide to pull out the grill. Word to the wise, if you’re using a charcoal grill (like we do) – be sure to give yourself plenty of time to heat the coals, grill and then cook the vegetables. You’ll probably need a two hour total head-start before you plan on cooking your meat.
From Greg’s Grill
Greg here – just quickly chiming in. Since I am a carnivore and would never eat just vegetables (I’d compare that to watching watching “Sleepless in Seattle” without immediately following it up by watching a football game – just to even the scales), I suggest pairing your tasty vegetables with any delicious grilled meat… without heavy sauces. Chicken would work quite nicely, but without the BBQ sauce (in which case, you’re better off pairing it with a pickled slaw). In that same vein, I’d suggest you try grilling ribs (pork or beef – we prefer pork) but with a slightly different twist. Try grilling it the Italian way – you may be pleasantly surprised.
The process is simple – high heat, grill for a few minutes, searing on each side. Remove from grill and serve. But here’s the kicker. No marinade. No sauces. No seasoning (not even salt). Like the vegetables above, place the ribs on the grill as naked as Miley Cyrus when she twerks. When they are fully cooked, remove from the grill and then liberally add salt. The salt will bind and enhance the natural flavors of the meat, leaving your tongue free to enjoy the flavor as it was intended. I learned long ago that Italians prefer fewer flavors and hardly ever mask food with heavy sauces. We have lovingly grown accustomed to these types of ribs over the summer, but admittedly – I did just smuggle some Texas BBQ dry rub back from the US… just to do a taste test. I’ll be sure to let you know which way reigns supreme.
Get good, meaty ribs from your butcher (we prefer pork – beef has nice flavor, but less meat)
Grill and simply add salt (the rosemary was sprinkled for presentation and aromatics)
Our first award! I’m excited, honored and flattered. I would like to thank all the little people… namely Julia because she’s pretty little.
The Liebster Award was given to us by our good friend and fellow blogger, Michel. You’ll notice that his blog, Our House in Provence is one that I follow. I imagine if you spend just a few minutes reading some of his posts, you’ll be an avid reader as well. His attention to detail and plethora of knowledge about his subjects puts my posts to shame. Michel and his wife Shirley live in a beautiful home in wine country, California. Michel’s passions include food (he owns a restaurant near his hometown, Bistro des Copains), wine (he is an expert in French and California wine), his family (he has two beautiful daughters and four bright grandchildren) and of course France; the subject of his blog (he owns a beautiful stone village house in Provence).
Michel and Shirley
Michel received his Liebster Award from another blogger I follow, Sara in Le Petit Village. Sara is very plugged into the blogging community and has transformed her life in France into a successful digital collection of written word. Her blog is one I admire very much.
The Liebster Award [in a nutshell] is one that is given among peers within the blogging community. I found a blogger that spent hours researching the history of the award. She had done all the heavy lifting and all it took me was scrolling half-way down page one of my google search. My kind of effort. If you’re interested in the origin of the award, click HERE. The award comes with very specific rules and criteria, which I got from Michel’s post after he had completed all his hard work researching (I told you he was thorough). So, I did not need to spend much time looking around for information about the award since I luck-boxed my way into everything I need to know.
Here are the rules, as explained by Michel and copied from his website (permission to do so was herein implied when nominated for the award. Any questions about the validity of this claim can be forwarded to my attorney).
THE RULES
1. Thank and link back to the blogger who presented you with the award. CHECK – Meech, youdaman!
2. List 11 random facts about yourself. SEE BELOW.
3. Answer the 11 questions you were asked. KEEP SCROLLING LOWER STILL.
4. Present/nomiate a Liebster blog award to 3-5 other bloggers. EVEN LOWER.
5. Write 11 questions for your nominees. YOU GUESSED IT… KEEP GOING.
11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
1) This is not my first blog. My first blog attempt was an unsuccessful one. I believe I still have the domain name – foodpaparazzi (now my twitter handle). I had a fortunate culinary upbringing and was exposed to many different types of food very early on (when asked in 3rd grade what my favorite foods were, I answered “caviar, lobster and McDonalds”). When I moved to DC in 2008 I was exposed to a whole new world of dining and embarked on an entirely new culinary voyage. At the time, I fancied the idea of blogging about it – but my plan lacked implementation. I got as far as laying out about 20% of the blog and taking pictures of 2 meals. Then I gave up.
2) I have been to five of the seven continents in the world (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia). For those keeping track, that leaves a gap in Africa and Antarctica. I know with 100% certainty that I will make it to Africa someday. My father-in-law was born in Ethiopia and I would love to go back to his hometown with him. There are also many other parts of Africa I would like to see. I don’t have many regrets in life, but one glaring experience sticks out. When Jennifer and I were on our honeymoon, we sailed around Cape Horn – the southernmost point in South America. We had the opportunity to take a short flight to Antarctica for the day – a decision I wrestled with for quite some time. It was prohibitively expensive and so we didn’t do it, but I will always regret not throwing caution (and fiscal responsibility) to the wind.
The moment we sailed around Cape Horn
Our honeymoon – dinner with a view
3) I married my first love, my first girlfriend and my best friend. Many people can get one or two of those – but I nailed the hat trick. Jen and I met in middle school and I love to tell people [truthfully] that she had a major crush on yours truly that lasted nearly a decade. We progressed through middle, high school and the same college together. It wasn’t until a couple years after college that I finally woke up and smelled the roses. I was lucky she was still on the market!
On my 30th birthday
4) I fashion myself to be better than I really am. What does that mean? Well, I am very practical. I know my limits. I know that I am a decent skier, have a little knowledge about food and wine and enjoy writing. But in my mind, I envision being able to heli-ski the Alps, differentiate between a Rosso di Montalcino and a Rosso di Monetlpuciano solely on taste and publish a book after reaching new heights in the blogoshpere. In reality – I’m far too out of shape for heli-sking, my palate will never be advanced enough to be a sommelier and my grammatical errors and awful metaphors will stifle my writing career like Yoko Ono suffocated the Beatles. It’s good to dream… but even better to be practical. It keeps me working hard at things I love, but without any disappointment.
Ski trip from ’05 – I honestly miss that sweet yellow jacket
5) I am proud to say that I’m a “Harley-Man”. I know, I know… more the “suburban-poser, weekend rider” than the “hardcore, grizzly Hell’s Angel” type… but I’m comfortable with who I am. I do absolutely love being on my bike – a Harley Davidson, VRSC Nightrod Special. I bought the bike because I was working for a side business that brought me to motorcycle rallies across the country. I leveraged that part-time vocation into a convincing sales pitch to Jen that I needed a bike. I need to believe in what I’m selling! I don’t know too many pregnant wives that are cool enough to let their husbands buy their first motorcycle a few months before expecting – but I got one of the good ones. She didn’t exactly say “yes” but she didn’t say “no” either – and going for the assumtive close has worked for me more often than not. She has yet to ride on the back with me – but I envision a cross-country trip after kid number II is in grade school.
My third love
This kids a Harley baby!
She loves the feel of the wind in her hair like daddy!
6) I love Ethiopian food – it’s one of my absolute favorites. Jen’s father was born in Ethiopia and spent his formative years eating the unique cuisine – he introduced me to this delectable ethnic fare years ago. The DC metro area has one of the largest Ethiopian populations in the States and so we are fortunate enough to have access to great, authentic cooking. My favorite dishes include tibs in a spicy awaze sauce and kitfo (raw beef, much like steak tar-tar). I once saw an Anthony Bourdain special where he visited an Ethiopian restaurant in Northern Virginia, which was unique for serving cubed chunks of raw beef (not like the minced and treated kitfo). Dom (Jen’s father) and I made a special trip to pop cubes of raw meat in our mouth. I cannot say that I loved it.
Traditional Ethiopian dish with kitfo in the center
7) I got a $100 parking ticket on my wedding day. We were married at the St. Regis in Washington DC in front of our family and friends. The presenter of my Liebster Aweard, Michel was the one who married us. He did an incredible job and set the stage for one of the best days of my life. I received the ticket when I pulled up and parked my car out front of the hotel for a few minutes (to drop some things off) well before the ceremony started. I am happy to report that I went to traffic court and the officer didn’t show up – so I got off!
I’m grinning because I know I’m going to beat that ticket!
8) I have eaten pig brains (delicious), calf brains (not delicious), liver of just about every animal, beef tongue (one of my grandmother’s favorites), lamb and calf glands (sweetbreads – delicious), pig and chicken feet (good in a dim-sum restaurant), frog legs, pig ears and crab poop (just a bit of the yellow mustard is great – Maryland people you know what I’m talking about) . I stop at the heart, eyes and stomach of just about any animal – Andrew Zimmern, your job is safe. I have also eaten shark, snake, alligator, crickets, kangaroo, ostrich, emu, horse, elk, deer, boar, bison, rabbit, duck, pheasant, squab, quail and snails. I have not tried bear or camel and I draw the line at dog and cat. (*after this originial posting, I can add pigeon to the list). This may all sound like a tall tale, but I assure you that it is 100% accurate.
9) My standard meal at McDonalds is a super-sized filet of fish meal (includes a large fries and large Sprite), two double-cheesburgers, a McChicken sandwich, a four piece chicken nugget and an Oreo McFlurry. My standard meal at Five Guys is two regular cheeseburgers (fried onions, fried mushrooms, lettuce, mayonnaise, A-1 and hot peppers), a large fry (“hey buddy, please fill that bag up with fries”), a grilled cheese sandwich (which I eat in the car as an appetizer) and a root beer. My standard Chipotle meal is a steak burrito (usually so stuffed they have to wrap it with two tortillas), two orders of chips/guacamole and a sweet tea. Once, I ate two steak burritos and chips/guacamole in one sitting. In college I regularly ate two 12″ sub sandwiches with chips – I do not recommend attempting either of those two meals. The other meals are fine to try at home.
10) I passed a Professional Sales course in college with an “A” and never took the final exam. Each semester, the professor would allow one student from each of his 3 different classes (roughly 300 students in total) to skip the exam if they could “close” him in a private sales presentation. We each met him in his office and extended him the opportunity to “buy” whatever it was we were selling. He announced the 3 winners on the day of the exam, so we were still supposed to study. I had a really good feeling I nailed the sale so I didn’t study too hard. It paid off.
“Always…be…closing!”
11) Until I moved to Italy, I have consistently held a job since I was 14. My first job was caddying, I did a few freelance valet gigs, worked in a bagel shop most of high school and then worked in the student center at Virginia Tech. After graduation I moved on to Ryan Homes then NVHomes (new home sales and then sales management), M-Brace (medical manufacturing sales and management) and then briefly sold new homes again before this trip. The five months I have lived here have been the most peculiar five months of my life, with my only job keeping my wife happy and baby entertained. While I have loved every minute, I am anxious to start working again.
11 Questions Asked of Me
1. If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, alive or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
I’ll give you a hint… long orange pony tail. Bright orange crocks. Big, boisterous personality. Have you guessed yet? Mario Batali would be my first choice. The choice seems fairly obvious to me. I believe that many of the more popular choices (and many of the people I admire) would be nice to get to know… but a bit stuffy. I can imagine Mario coming over, with an armful of food and wine and helping me and Jen in the kitchen. He’d entertain us with tall tales of happenings I could only imagine. He’d be the center of attention, but yet kind enough to gracefully share the spotlight. And then of course, we’d become fast friends and I would be the recipient of a brick oven pizza one day, just like another of his friends, Michael Symon (who was also be allowed to attend the dinner if he wished).
How much fun does he look like he’d bring?!
2. Describe the circumstances under which you met your spouse or the significant person in your life?
In 1992, I glanced through a sea of pimply-faced tweens, flanked on each side by lime green lockers in Ridgeview Middle School. I had an eye out for new ladies, having already dated all those immature Darnestown Elementary School girls. And then I saw her. Big, feathered bangs. Hot pink body suit beneath her rockin jean jacket. Who was this ravashing beauty? I smoothed my purple silk shirt and set down my Sony Diskman, pausing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I strolled over and dropped a casual, “hey – did you see last night’s episode of 90210?” The rest is history.
Lucky for me Brandon wasn’t available
3. Name your very favorite restaurant, in what city/town/village is it located and what kind of food do they serve? I am always looking for recommendations for restaurants to try.
Jeez, Meech. Could you make this one any harder? OK – when I am faced with a task seemingly too monumental to finish, I break it down. How do you eat an elephant… one bite at a time (and medium rare). I’ll list a few places where we regularly eat, in some of our favorite cities (this may not include some of my best meals – but to be a favorite restaurant, I think it’s important you dine there regularly). In our hometown of Washington, DC – it would be Braserie Beck. Robert Wiedmaier’s contemporary Belgian-style brasserie sits on the corner adjacent to our building. Their food is always delicious (try the mussels), the service wonderful, the outdoor patio is divine in the spring and the beer selection is among the best in the city. My favorite steakhouse is in one of my favorite cities – N9ne Steakhouse in the Palms Casino, Las Vegas. The ultra modern furnishing is set off perfectly with the club-music playing just loud enough to create a fun and hip atmosphere. Order the seafood tower (some of the best seafood… in the middle of the desert!) and settle in with a cucumber martini while you wait for your bone-in filet (rare). Amazing. Living in Italy, we discovered Osteria Belvedere Montalbano in our neighboring lake town of Lecco. The restaurant is the among the most unique I’ve encountered. The journey to get there is half the adventure (the small, rustic restaurant sits high atop a mountain with access via a virtually non-existent road). The menu is seasonal and determined by the chef, Fabio – so I can’t tell you what to order. Just sit back and enjoy the most authentic of Italian experiences.
We had Julia’s christening at Brasserie Beck
Antipasti we had set on the table
The family in a room behind the wine cellar
4. What is your favorite dinner meal or “comfort food?”
Michel, I can see we’re very like-minded, I’m sensing a food-theme here… This is almost as difficult as the previous question – but I promise to be a bit more concise. My favorite meals – From my mom (and my most often requested birthday dinner) – egg salad, caviar and artichokes to start. Then a caesar salad made table side. Next, a standing rib roast with sides of roasted potatoes and asparagus. Finished off with a mint chocolate chip cake. From Jen – a starter of salami, prosciutto and cheese. A first course of pasta with a simple pomodoro sugo and then veal Milanese with a side of potatoes and her cannelloni bean salad. Finished with a fennel salad and then pastries from our bakery next door. Finally, my favorite comfort food – if we’re feeling lazy and in a “snuggly” mood – Chinese take out (and large quantities with lots of variety) always hits the spot (add a Coke Zero and a good action movie and you’ve got one of my favorite nights in).
Mom preparing the Caesar table side
My mom and Jen’s mom digging in to the roast
Proof I like this meal every year – this is the following year’s birthday
5. Who is your favorite author?
I’ve got to go with the classic American novelists… Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck and Faulkner. Nah, I’m just kidding. I would probably say, Stephen King – the best to keep you lying awake with a cold sweat. Also, Ben Mezrich who has written some fascinating non-fictional novels about Ivy-League kids experiencing meteoric rises of financial wealth in their early 20’s. Finally, Mario Puzo is quite literally the Godfather of the organized crime story. I’m a bit embarrassed I can’t name some obscure, but really deep author that no one else has heard of. I suppose I’m just a bit more mainstream.
6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
I suppose that living in Como, Italy would definitely top the list. I would also love to live in Sydney, Australia and Shanghai, China.
7. What is your favorite movie of all time?
COME ON! I can’t just answer with one (again)! I suppose the top, top, top all-time is going to be Braveheart. I have probably seen the movie 100 times from beginning to end (I re-watch it a couple times a year). The film has the right amount of action, history, love and drama. Some close seconds are Kill Bill, Inglorious Bastards, The Princess Bride, Godfather I and II, Seven, Django Unchained, Heat, The Big Lebowski, American Psycho and City of God. I have heard that I need to see Oldboy – a Korean Gangster movie (too bad Netflix won’t work here).
“They can take our lives… but they can never take away… my LiebsterAward!”
8. Tea or coffee?
Finally, a softball. Coffee! Although, we’re becoming more partial to the Italian way of drinking it – cappuccino in the morning and espresso throughout the day. The one habit from the States we kept was a big cup of American coffee in the morning (to extend the morning coffee-drinking ritual) but it’s starting to taste a bit weak in comparison to the espresso used to make cappuccino.
Even Julia prefers coffee
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
Getting an obscene amount of food (see any of the above junk meals from McDonalds, Five Guys, Chipotle or a Chinese restaurant) and settling in for a new movie release on TV. I have loved doing this with Jen since college when I would get the food from our dining halls (on Jen’s meal plan – mine would be empty) and watch movies on VHS (as opposed to today’s more convenient, On Demand).
10. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Not sure I fall into either of these categories. I don’t like to get up incredibly early and I don’t like to stay up too late. However, I’d have to lean more towards morning – I just seem to be a bit more productive before 10:00am.
11. What would be your dream job?
I would like to work for an Italian company that has operations in the US and would need me to manage their US branch. This would allow me to keep ties with Italy and live in the US. Additionally, I would like to develop residential and commercial properties and start a management company to oversee the real estate portfolio. Taking applications for business partners now…
Now Presenting the Liebster to…
B and J have a wonderful blog, Two DC that revolves around their life exploring a new city. The blog has a heavy food focus but also highlights many wonderful activities that they encounter in DC. They moved to DC in 2007 but I have to say…. I can’t comment on the future of the blog since they have just completed a cross country trip to their new home in the Bay Area. Hopefully there will be a Two Cali coming soon.
Our friend Amy has a great blog, One Preppy Cookie where she blogs about her life and her cookie business. Be warned – her pictures will make you hungry for dessert!
Elaine McCardel lives in Michigan but cooks wonderful Italian food, featured on The Italian Dish. Her images and recipes are both awe-inspiring to us. Can you say, blog-envy??
And Their Questions Are…
1) Are you a fan of social media and if so, do you prefer Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, FourSquare, Linkedin, Tumbler, Instagram, etc?
2) What accomplishment are you most proud of?
3) What’s your favorite thing to cook?
4) Pick your favorite company – large or small, profit or non-profit and explain why.
5) What is your all-time favorite TV show?
6) What is the longest stint you’ve ever spent awake and why?
7) Where is your favorite beach?
8) Detail your dream vacation.
9) What is something that surprised you recently?
10) Mac or PC? iPhone or Galaxy?
11) Name your superpower – ability to fly, invisibility, immortality, telepathy, super speed or something else.
If you have never tried Risotto, I think it is a must. It’s delicious and a great way for us to change up lunch from our typical pasta dishes. Since this has been our first week of spring weather I wanted to make a spring risotto with beautiful seasonal asparagus.
Risotto with fresh asparagus
My mom used to make this for us a lot as a kid growing up in the spring and summer, so I was excited to make this for Greg and Julia. I was pretty happy with how this dish turned out. I served with a fresh salad of fennel and our meal was complete. Even Julia ate a huge plate. This dish is a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables. I hope to post some other risotto recipes soon (like pasta, there are many different ways to introduce new flavors). I hope your enjoy this as much as we did.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
>Olive oil
>One (1) small onion (diced)
>Four (4) cups of chicken stock
>Nine (9) palms of arborio rice (two palms of rice per person, with one extra for good measure). This is roughly two (2) cups of rice
>Two (2) cups of asparagus, pre-cooked (best to blanch to preserve color and texture). Cut into 1″ pieces
>Between half (½) and a full cup of white wine (depending on taste/quality of wine)
>Roughly one half (½) a cup of grated parmesan cheese and then additional cheese for the table and garnish
>Third (1/3) stick of butter
>Salt to taste
Fresh ingredients
>Heat chicken stock in a pot.
>On a separate burner, heat olive oil in a large flat pan with high sides. >Add onion until it is softened and translucent. While the onion is cooking, add a dash of salt. This could take a little over 5 minutes. Don’t allow the onions to brown.
Cook onions
>Add the rice and mix together. Stir until the rice is toasted (but not brown) about three – four (3-4) minutes.
Add the rice and continue to stir
>Add wine and continue to cook the rice.
>After a minute, add a ladle or two of the stock, stirring the rice continuously until the liquid is absorbed.
>Continue stirring and ladling the broth for approximately fifteen (15) minutes. Be sure to taste as you go and add salt accordingly. The rice should be al dente and creamy.
Ladle in the stock
>Before you add your last ladle or two of stock, add the asparagus and stir into the rice.
>Remove from heat and stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Cover and allow pan to sit for five (5) minutes.
Add the asparagus…
…and cover
>Serve right away and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE – Cooking risotto requires constant attention. Make sure the table is set and everything else you are serving is ready before you begin the rice. I have made that mistake before!
I recently realized that our “Home Cooking” section of the blog was growing the slowest throughout the entire site. I’m only partly ashamed to admit that the one consistent about our trip is that we’ve been indulging in some of the most amazing food we’ve ever had. However, my OCD recently kicked in when I noticed all our food posts landed in the “Restaurant” or “Jen’s Kitchen” sections. So, in an effort to right this wrong… here is one very memorable home-cooked meal we hosted a little while ago.
Eugenio brought a wonderful Champagne
Jen has a warm and wonderful family, with whom we love spending time. Recently, her cousin Eugenio drove from Torino to spend time with us and get reacquainted with Julia. He brought his lovely girlfriend, Barbara as well.
But enough jabbering… this post is all about the food and drink!
Let’s pop this cork and get the party started!
The night Eugenio and Barbara arrived, we set out a light dinner – just some typical Italian antipasti to nibble on, as well as some regional snacks we all like to enjoy.
Eugenio brought the Champagne
I think we’re going to need a bigger table
Oh wait, there was a free corner – let’s fill it with food
The next day, we had Jen’s cousin Massimo and his beautiful family over for a proper meal.
Vitello (veil) roast from our local butcher…
…after a nice sear
Antipasti for our guests
Claudia and Eugenio horsing around
Wait – who hit who?! Love both their expressions
Jen made a delicious prima (first course) – pasta pomodoro
Yummy!
The secondo, our vitello (veil roast)
Alessandra (Massimo’s wife) made a beautiful torta
We picked up some chiacchiere
Eugenio got some additional pastries
Julia’s cousin Bea, enjoying her ice-cream
Julia stole a taste
Everyone was so stuffed we needed a break with some scotch
It’s not a party unless you serve a second dessert
It was a wonderful weekend filled with too many delicious treats. Hopefully you were able to enjoy as well.
This year we took full advantage of living in Italy and went to the Pope’s Church for Easter! Only, it wasn’t in Vatican City and it wasn’t the current Pope. But it was still his church! If I may explain…
Jen and Julia in front of the church in Canale D’ Agordo
If you’ve read a few posts (or know us), you’ll know that we’ve been fortunate enough to live in Jen’s parent’s condo while in Italy. Even more fortunate is that Jen’s Zio (Uncle) Franco and Zia (Aunt) Claudia live above us. This means we’re eaten countless meals upstairs (she’s a wonderful cook), have built in baby sitters, tour guides and translators… basically we have a third set of parents and new besties.
Franco and Claudia both have interesting life stories. We’ll save his for another post.
Claudia was born and raised in Canale D’ Agordo – a town in the Dolomite Mountains, one of the most spectacular places on earth. The Dolomites are a large mountain range in northeast Italy. In 2009 the Dolomiti were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means that the mountains are a site with significant importance (and beauty) and are therefore, protected. Interestingly enough, I have just now learned that Italy is home to more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any country in the world. After living here a short time, I cannot say that I am surprised.
Canale is in a valley surrounded by two mountains
Beautiful scenery at every turn
A statue stands near the center of town
The pedestrian bridge leading into town
We’ve been coming to Italy for many years with Jen’s family and I have always wanted to see the Dolomites. I have a strong love for the mountains, most likely due to my love of skiing. I have always been excited to see the Dolomites because they were bound to be at least a little more special than Sugarloaf or Wisp Mountains. They did not disappoint!
Canali D’ Agordo in the foreground of the Dolomiti mountains
Each year, Franco and Claudia spend several weeks together in each of their respective hometowns. Luckily for us – she invited us to join them for part of their trip, over the Easter weekend. This was great because we had no idea what we were going to do for Easter. We were also excited because her town, Canale D’ Agordo was the home to Pope Giovanni Paolo I (Pope John Paul I). Let that sink in for a moment… her small town of roughly 1,000 people was the hometown of the Pope. That’s like saying, “yeah… the President used to live right next to me… here’s his house” Only, he’s not just the leader of a single nation, but rather the spiritual leader of the world.
Pope Giovanni Paolo I – a hometown hero
Pope Giovanni Paolo I has an interesting history. He has the unusual honor of being the shortest reining Pope in history – just 33 days as Sovereign of Vatican City. He is also the most recent Italian-born Pope. It is widely whispered, even today – that his death was not due to natural causes (if you’re a fan of conspiracy theories, you can click HERE to read a few). This cloud of mystery and short reign does nothing to dispel the love and connection that people of Canale and Italy feel for Giovanni Paolo I, The Smiling Pope. In fact, the very next Pope adopted the name of Giovanni Paolo II, to honor and respect his predecessor.
Albino Luciano (as was his given name) was ordained a priest in 1935 and served for a time as the parish priest for the town church (also, one of the main churches in the region), Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo, the church you see pictured below.
Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo – a 550+ year old church
Jen and Julia in front by the town fountain
We arrived in Canale on Saturday – just in time for a wonderful lunch at Claudia’s home (the home where she was raised). Then she left us to walk around town as she went to help clean the church for Easter’s big service. We walked around the wonderful town, and bumped into about 30 of her cousins along the way.
Julia ridin in style with one of Claudia’s cousins
Julia strikes a pose
On Easter Sunday, we attended a wonderful service (where we understood everything that was said in Italian) in the Pope’s Church, Parracchia di Canale.We walked the short 200 yards back to our beautiful hotel, where the Easter Bunny had left Julia a surprise.
Our hotel on the right
We had her Easter basket ready for her
“What’s that up there?! Is that for ME?!”
“A soccer ball?! Well, I’ll just take this.”
“Don’t worry, I got THIS pops”
“I told you I got this!”
She loved her soccer ball, until she saw her chocolate chick
Which she loved so much, it’s head fell off!
“Here, Nonno Franco – take a bite. Please, it’s my pleasure”
Afterward we went to the town square, where they had set up an outdoor festival. We danced, we ate and we drank.
The festival in the main piazza (town square)
Coin tossing competition – you try to toss your coin into an egg
The winner is the person that sticks the most coins in the eggs
Julia “chill-axing” at the festival
Later in the day, we went to one of Claudia’s cousin’s (another cousin) restaurants and enjoyed some more delicious food.
We started with some antipasti
We each ended with a wonderful dessert
Even Julia got dessert out of a cup featuring her new favorite cartoon (Barbarapappa)
Here is something my Mom, Greg and I all have in common…we love Pizza. And pizza in Italy is the best! Pizza originated in Italy and they have continued to perfect the art ever since. When my Mom was in town we decided to make our own versions of our favorite pizza’s at home. We had so much fun and Julia even got in on the action.
Rolling out her dough
When I told my uncle our plan to try to duplicate our favorite pizza’s at home he gave us a brief history lesson on the pizza. As it turns out, pizza started as a flatbread consumed by many people in Europe. In 16th century this was a common meal sold on the streets to the poor throughout Naples. It was an inexpensive dish that offered many different types of toppings. Credit for the first Margherita pizza is given to pizza maker Raffaele Esposito of Naples. The story is that in June of 1889 to honor the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, he created a “Pizza Margherita” for the Queen (I had to get that from Wiki – History of Pizza) . This pizza consisted of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag. Thank you Raffaele! Today people around the world enjoy this simple but delicious pizza.
Our own Pizza Margherita
After our history lesson we were ready to prepare dinner. On the menu were our three favorite dishes. Diane’s favorite, Pizza Margarita; Greg’s, a Napoli Pizza; and my go to, Quattro Formaggi (four cheese).
Pizza Napoli
Quattro formaggio
We wanted dinner to be “easy” so we opted for store bought pizza dough. We will try making the dough another day. We also don’t have any fancy pizza stones or brick ovens here but we managed to create a crispy crust and pretty darn good pizza. Here is what we did:
All of the pizza’s started off with the same crust. Coat the baking pan with a little bit of olive oil so that the dough doesn’t stick. Instead of rolling out the dough we used our hands to stretch it and work it into a circle for the baking sheet. Once on the baking sheet we used a fork to poke a few holes in the dough (to prevent bubbles). Next we drizzled some olive oil and added some sea salt. Below is how to make the different types of pizza.
Drizzle olive oil on the dough
Pizza Margarita
For the sauce use a can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Simple is always best! Next you need to add slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Or, you can also choose to add the basil to the pizza after it comes out of the oven. It’s totally up to you! Either way you end up with a beautiful red, white and green pizza.
Crushed tomatoes as the sauce
Next, add your toppings
Pizza Napoli
Again, for the sauce simply use a can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Next, add slices of mozzarella, provolone and grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. What makes this a Napoli Pizza is adding acciughe(anchovies) as the final step. Feel comfortable to arrange them in any pattern you like.
The acciughe (anchovies) – Greg’s favorite
Pizza Quattro Formaggi
There is no need for sauce when making this pizza. Since the pizza is a four cheese, it does not need any sauce as a base. Instead, use some olive oil and crushed garlic on the dough. Our four cheese pizza consisted of mozzarella, provolone, grated parmigiano reggiano and gorgonzola cheese. Feel free to substitute any or all of the cheeses for your favorite (and if you’re feeling really crazy, make it a five or even six cheese pizza!).
Give spacing for your gorgonzola – it will melt over a large surface
All three pizza’s will cook in under 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The trick is to watch the pizza and look for the crust to brown and the cheese to start to bubble. Once the crust is crispy enough to transfer, remove the pizza from the baking sheet and finish cooking it directly on the oven rack. This will give it a crispy crust without the brick oven. When you remove the pizza’s allow the cheese to cool for a few minutes before you cut and serve.
Julia and her Nonna
Jen and her Mom
Julia “rolling” on her own!
I hope you enjoy making pizza at your home. You can try these or invent one of your own with your favorite toppings.
I (Jen) can safely say Minestrone Soup will be a new staple in our home. I love it for many reasons. First, it’s something that I was eating as a baby when my Mom and Nonna (Grandma) would prepare it for me before I even had teeth. For that reason it’s a soup that not only warms the belly, but also warms my heart.
Julia enjoying some vegetables – pre-soup
I also love that it’s a hard dish to mess up. You can throw in whatever you have in your pantry and fridge and even though it may not taste exactly the same as the last time; it will always be good. I also love that I feel good about serving it to my family. It’s a healthy, complete, meatless dish that tastes good and leaves everyone feeling satisfied. I love that it works for all ages. As I mentioned I ate this as a child. This is a perfect dish to blend up for your baby once they start eating real food. And I love that now my daughter asks for this soup by name, nearly every day “mom-mom… ZUP!”
So here are very simple instructions for how to make this soup. Keep in mind I have made this a dozen times since and it’s always different. I will try to include ways I have switched it up.
INGREDIENTS
>1/4 of extra virgin olive oil, plus more garnish
>Three (3) carrots
>Two (2) sticks of celery
>One (1) small onion
>Half (1/2) vegetable bouillon cube (possibly a full cube depending on taste preference)
>Four (4) potatoes
>One (1) tomato or four (4) small cherry tomatoes
>One (1) green vegetable, on this evening I used an Italian vegetable that I don’t even know the name of. You can instead use a cup of peas or a zucchini
>Farro (a grain similar to barley, I think you can get this at Wholefoods)
>Green lentils
>Orzo (this is a pasta shaped like rice)
>Two (2) cans of beans, you can use the ones you like the best. I think it tastes the best when you use fresh beans though
Fresh vegetables
Your grains
Your beans
DIRECTIONS
My “cookbook” – pictures from Claudia making the soup earlier
>In a bowl set aside faro, orzo and lentils and let them soak.
>While they soak clean vegetables and chop into bite sized pieces. I chop the onion and celery into smaller pieces.
Washing…
Peeling…
Chopping…
>In a large pot cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add all the vegetables*, drained and cleaned beans and the rinsed farro, orzo and lentils. Cover the ingredients with water.
Place all the washed, peeled and chopped vegetables in a pot
>Bring the pot to a boil and add the bouillon cube along with about a teaspoon of salt.
>Once it is boiling turn the heat down.
>Cover the pot and let simmer for about an hour. Stir often and be careful not to let the soup burn on the bottom of the pot.
Dadi (bouillon cubes)
Pot simmers with the lid closed
To serve, drizzle with high-quality olive oil and cover with grated parmigiano cheese.
The finished product!
ENJOY! I would love to hear how your soup turns out.
*another method is to add the finely chopped onions, celery and a single carrot (leaving the others carrots cubed) to the olive oil and cook until tender and fragrant (approximately 4 minutes). Then add all the remaining ingredients and proceed as outlined above.
We made a discovery recently about Italians that contradicted an earlier belief of ours. So it got us thinking… what other misconceptions do many Americans have about Italians? Let’s dig a little deeper and see what we discover. This is a collection of observations we’ve made since we’ve been here and we will likely have additions over time (and possibly corrections).
*Disclaimer - this post is meant to be fun and in no way itself, factual! These are simply things that we have observed [and this is important] in this region. One of the first things that we learned is that there are dramatic differences throughout the country - cultural, culinary, lingual... you name it! So, while something may be fact or fiction based on what we've noticed; it's highly probably that it could be the opposite somewhere else.
FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE GARLIC…THE MORE THE BETTER!
While garlic is prevalent in many dishes, like most other things… they prefer it in moderation. In fact, what appears to us like a little amount of garlic in a dish is probably already far too much. Interesting Italian tidbit – eating raw garlic is good for you, but cooked garlic has no impact. Vampires beware, I’ve been gulping the stuff!
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE THEIR COFFEE?
Given the name of this blog, you most likely have already surmised that coffee is enjoyed several times throughout the day. However, the experience is very different than the US. Instead of going to any Starbucks in the morning and ordering a 20 oz coffee that you’ll guzzle in your car on the way to work, Italians prefer several small cups of espresso throughout the day. Sometimes with milk (con latte or a machiatto), sometimes very small (corto) and occasionally a bit bigger (lungo) – but always in an espresso cup and never “to go”. An enjoyable custom is visiting various “bars” throughout the day, ordering your coffee, chatting with your friends, plunking down your €1 and heading out only to return a few hours later. CAREFUL – one of us (and it wasn’t your author) learned a couple years ago that you NEVER order a cappuccino after a meal.
Answer – FACT
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS HAVE TWO HOUR LUNCHES?!
Pranzo circa 2006 when we were here for Jens cousin’s wedding
Perhaps not two hours exactly, but pranzo (lunch) is an event that is not to be missed or rushed. In most households, pranzo is the most important meal of the deal – a wonderful moment to spend time with family. You’ll find most shops close around 12:00 and don’t re-open until after 2:00 in order to allow shopkeepers and workers time to make it home and eat. Many households will regularly serve pasta as a prima (first course), sometimes followed by a secondo (second course of fish or meat) and usually rounded out by a salad at the end. Of course, wonderful bread and cheese are present and many households will happily open a nice bottle of vino (wine) and finish with caffè (coffee). With a younger generation and big box stores ushering in new norms, pranzo may not have as much emphasis as it did in the past – but the act of eating an enjoyable lunch will always have a place in Italian culture.
*We have the benefit of wonderful cooks both upstairs and in our own home – we have enjoyed many wonderful two-hour lunches ourselves; even though my waist line isn’t too appreciative. Future posts on Claudia and Jen’s delicious cooking to come.
Answer – FACT
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FACT OR FICTION – “SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS” IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU?
No meatballs here
While pasta is very common (and spaghetti, a type of noodle is one of the most popular varities) – polpette (meatballs) are never served on top of spaghetti and oozing with marinara. In fact, the only time we’ve ever had polpette was a second meat course and they tasted very different than what we’re accustomed to.
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS DRINK TONS OF SAN PELLEGRINO SPARKLING WATER?
This was something Jen and I assumed, not necessarily something that is commonly thought of. Every time we have gone out to eat in the states with Italians, we order aqua frizzante (sparkling water) and 9 times out of 10 they would deliver San Pellegrino to the table. Given Jen’s Italian upbringing, we actually became quite accustomed to stocking the delicious “bubbly stuff” in our own home (thank you Costco for selling cases). So, naturally we assumed that the big player in the US market would dominate on their own turf. But the truth is – we haven’t seen a single bottle! Not at a restaurant, not at a friends home, not at the supermarket. It’s like they bottle almost exclusively for export! Don’t get me wrong… there is a bottle of frizzante at every table we’ve graced – just not San Pellegrino.
Interestingly enough, Illy and Lavazza (the two espresso brands most dominant in the US) are not only very prevalent in Italy – they are regarded as the best quality.
Answer – Fiction
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIAN SUBS ARE BETTER IN ITALY?!
Well, this just seems like common sense. We’re in the mecca for the cured meats, wonderful cheeses and incredible bread that could make the world’s greatest submarine sandwich. We have access to carefully aged vinegar and the most delicious olive oil. The lettuce and tomatoes… well, OK – they’re pretty much the same. So, of course they should put them all together and give it the namesake of their own country, right?
I dare you to go into any restaurant and order an “Italian Sub”. You’ll get a look like you have three heads, because for some strange reason twelve inches of layer after layer of mixed meats, cheese, vegetables and oil smashed into a piece of bread doesn’t sound appealing to them at all. Weird – I’m getting hungry just typing!
Italians prefer to keep most things separate, so that they can taste each item. Sure, they have sandwiches (post on our sandwich adventure), but not of the “sub-sandwich” kind. In fact the place we went in Milano is quite rare. Most places simply put one type of meat on bread (salami or prosciutto or prosciutto cotto) sometimes accompanied by cheese and maybe some arugula.
Sorry Jared – we have no use for you here.
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS ARE VERY LOUD…YOU CAN HEAR THEM A GREAT WAYS AWAY?!
“I already TOOOOOLD you!!!!”
I feel as though I am credible to be able to write about this, as I have known a great many Italians over the years and been privy to many, many conversations. As it’s been explained to me… they’re not loud – they’re passionate! And they’re not always passionate – only when topics of conversation requires it. Like politics or religion…. or what to cook for lunch, or who’s right or wrong, or what the temperature is, or if the sky is actually blue, or if breathing is important, or whether the neighbors can hear them. That sort of thing.
Answer – FACT
Well, we hope you had as much fun learning about what’s Fact and what’s Fiction in this great country as we did creating the list. We’re hoping to learn a lot more so we can continue to add to the list.
Well, we have heard a lot from Greg so I thought it was time for me (Jen) to give this blogging a go. I have had a lot of people ask me how to make sauce. Growing up in an Italian family this was a staple in our house. I didn’t even know until college that most people buy pasta sauce from a jar! Sorry, but… yuck.
I am by no means an expert cook but I have had many very talented woman in my life that have taught me a lot. Until recently everything I know has been taught to me by my nonna (grandma), my mother and my mother-in-law, who are all incredibly talented in the kitchen.
Even though my Mom isn’t Italian she learned from the best Italian cook (my nonna) how to prepare all of my Dad’s favorite Italian meals. In the beginning of their marriage she made all the foods she grew up eating – good Ohio cuisine. This consisted of meat and potato cooking such as meat loaf and casseroles. Don’t get me wrong, all these foods are delicious… just not to my Dad. It wasn’t until maybe a year or so of eating this food that my Dad admitted he missed his mother’s cooking and my Mom’s path to creating mouth watering Italian dishes began. One of the best things she learned from my Nonna was how to prepare Sugo (sauce). My Nonna’s recipe requires a lot of chopping and it is time consuming to make. Since I have been living in Como I have had the opportunity to learn from another very talented woman, my Zia (Aunt) Claudia. She recently taught me a quick and easy way to make delicious sugo with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator. I hope you enjoy the sauce as much as everyone here enjoys eating it.
Marinara Sauce
This should be enough sauce for one pound of pasta (4 to 5 servings). I would suggest doubling the recipe and putting half in the freezer. It will save beautifully for about six months.
Simple ingredients you can find anywhere
INGREDIENTS
>Canned tomatoes – can be whole or chopped (must be San Marzano from Italy)
>Four (4) raw cherry tomatoes
>Two (2) Garlic cloves
>Half (1/2) bouillon cube (a quick shortcut to avoid lots of vegetable chopping)
>Extra virgin olive oil
>One (1) pound of pasta (I recommend Delverde or DeCecco)
>Sea Salt
“Put me to work, Mom!”
DIRECTIONS
>Peel two cloves of garlic
>Cover the base of your pot with extra virgin olive oil. Heat on a low setting and do not adjust temperature.
>Leave the garlic cloves whole to put in sauce (Italians prefer just a hint of garlic flavor). If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor you can chop or mince the garlic.
>Put the garlic in the pot with the heated olive oil and cook long enough to extract flavors. Be mindful not to burn.
Garlic should be lightly browned
>Add can of tomatoes (must be San Marzano, which is the region in Italy – there are various brands)
Canned tomatoes
>Dice raw tomatoes and add to sauce
Diced, raw tomatoes
Tomatoes added to pot
>Add half of a vegetable bouillon cube and stir
>Add sea salt (approximately a teaspoon… or Italian style, this much)
About this much salt… adjust based on hand size
>Remove the garlic and set aside (it gets added again)
>Blend the sauce with a hand mixer
Blend with hand mixture to get the correct consistency
>Place garlic back in pot
>Let sauce simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes
>Finish with a dab of butter
>Remove from heat and serve
Pasta
>Add cold water to the pasta pot with coarse sea salt (my mother always taught me to pour the salt until you finish saying “Father, Son and the Holy Spirit”)
>Boil water as your sauce nears an end
>Place pasta in water
>Cook to a nice al dente – the appropriate time will be listed on the spaghetti package
>Drain pasta water and cover pasta with sauce until it is covered but not drenched
