Barcelona

Gaudi's Parc Guell

          Ready for a break, I headed to Barcelona to meet some friends for a few days prior to going to Sicily. I had never been to Spain and was excited to see a different city, different art and architecture, and of course different food. Since seven of us had chipped in to rent an apartment instead of a hotel room, we were able to enjoy the benefits of cooking at home as well as eating out. We were staying right near Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia so that was naturally the first thing we saw. We stopped for lunch at a little café nearby to refuel before making our way to parc guel. After a day of Gaudi architecture, we were not really in the mood to go out for dinner so I went to the big market to get supplies for the dinner I had promised to cook for my friends. One of my friends does not eat meat so we were limited to fish. This, however, was not a problem at all. The market was teeming with fresh fish of all kinds. We decided on salmon (since I have yet to cook salmon in Europe) with lemon, dill, and onions. As a side, I bought asparagus and a few avocados for guacamole to have before dinner. In comparison to the markets of Florence, the one in Barcelona seemed a little bit more colorful due to the wide variety and huge selection of fruit it offered. Also, this market was completely outside and was open until 8:00pm whereas the Mercato centrale in Florence closes at 2:00pm. However, when it comes down to it, there really is no difference. All big markets offer the best and often cheapest selection of the freshest produce, dairy, meats, and fish you can find. My salmon turned out well and it was the perfect dinner before a night of Halloween madness.

La Frutta

Molly and Hilary at The
Modern Art Museum

Nothing says good morning like waking up to a homemade breakfast so the next morning, I made a frittata with leftover ingredients we got at the market. That day, we went to the modern art museum of Barcelona and the miro museum. In between the two, we stopped for lunch at a charming café for sandwiches. Our waiter was very funny and disorganized, but we eventually got our lunches and enjoyed them thoroughly before heading to the miro’ museum which is located in a park overlooking the city. The view and the art were both spectacular. However, we were utterly exhausted after what ended up being a hike up to the museum and so we decided to spend our last dinner together at a Tapas restaurant called Bar del Pla in the old section of the city that was highly recommended to my friend, Laura. Although it was a little bit expensive, it was absolutely worth it. We ordered and shared a fine selection of tapas. Amung the best was a divine tuna carpaccio with avocado pepper and jalapeno oil. Another favorite was the most colorful figs I have ever seen covered by a wonderfully salty Spanish ham, walnuts and hazelnuts and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. The meal was satisfying, but not filling to the point of wanting to explode, which is why we were happy to have desert. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but it was certainly a meal and a city I will not soon forget. 

Espresso

parc guell

Sagrada Familia

frittata

Lunch

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Chocolate at the Market

Modern Art Museum

Fish at the Market

Salmon 

fresh smoothies at the Market

Fig and Ham at Bar del Pla

Wild Mushrooms at Bar del Pla

Tuna Carpaccio at Bar del Pla

Cheesecake at Bar del Pla

Crema at Bar del Pla

Fried Zucchini Flowers and Artichoke hearts
at Bar de Pla

Il Latini

In my research of places to take my parents when they came to Florence, I came upon Il Latini, known to be one of the best restaurants in Tuscany. When I told my parents where I wanted to take them, they laughed and informed me that I had apparently already been there on our last trip to Florence when I was little. In fact, to this day, I tell stories of the meal we had there, how good it was, and how my sister and I had to stop after the second course, but I never made the connection that it was indeed, Il Latini. Regardless, we decided it was worth a second trip. Although Il Latini is an old restaurant, specializing in traditional Tuscan cooking, its popularity has made it a growing tourist attraction and unfortunately, that showed even more this time around. Some things that have not changed however are the quality, décor (you are seated in old wooden chairs among chandeliers of hanging prosciutto), and their exclusive seating. There are only two seating times: one at 7:30, and one at 9:30 and there is no such thing as a reservation. If you don’t get a table, you are out of luck, but if you are my mother, you know how to push your way through any crowd so we got a table rather quickly. As we were seated in the familiar room, one of the charming waiters informed us of the meal we already knew we were having: an appetizer of meats, vegetables, pate, and a few other little treats, primi piatti consisting of delicious pastas, secondi piatti of a selection of roasted or grilled meats, and finally a few dolci, liquor, and sweet wine for desert. The first time we came, the appetizer was a large assortment of different salamis, prosciutto, and other cured meats along with the pate, vegetables, and bruschetta. This time however, the cured meat was simple, individual plates of excellent prosciutto. 

The liver pate that followed was salty, flavorful, and excellent in its simplicity as always. Along with the pate and prosciutto came fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, bread, and a lovely farro salad. Our next course was the pasta. We were given a family-style plate of three homemade pastas: gnocchi, penne, and ravioli. I could have stopped there and been completely satisfied, but I knew the marathon was only halfway done and there was no way I was giving up. I was determined to surpass my previous Il Latini stopping point so I readied myself for the selection of grilled meats: lamb, beef, chicken, and rabbit. Each was superbly tender, juicy, flavorful, and aromatic. The seasonings were simple allowing the individual flavors of the meat to shine through. The meat was served with a steaming plate of spinach. As is expected at any good, Tuscan restaurant, every course was washed down with glass after glass of their own chianti, which was stored in huge bottles on every table in the restaurant. Finally, the sweet wine, biscotti, and liquor were the perfect, light (if there is such a thing after that kind of meal), finishes to a fantastic dinner. Unfortunately, the experience was not as authentic as I remembered as a kid and for the price (not terribly cheap), it seamed a little bit like a forced affair. However, everything we had was teeming with Tuscan flavor at its best. I definitely recommend Il Latini, but I would alsosuggest asking for the regular menu in order to avoid getting charmed into the normal, tourist trap. Again, the lighting was absolutely terrible for any kind of camera so I did my best.  

Prosciutto (hopefully not off of the ones hanging from the ceiling!)

Farro salad, Mozzarella, and Tomatoes

Serving up the ravioli

La Pasta

Il Carne

My plate...I was rather full

Pollo Arrosto

       Tiring of any type of food, especially when it is good food, can be particularly vexing. Being in Florence, for example, I have come to get tired of pasta (I know I have discussed this before). It is not that I do not absolutely love it, but because it is affordable, easy, and good, I make some variation of pasta almost every night. On my quest for easy, simple meals that can take the place of pasta in terms of versatility, affordability, and good flavor, I have come to discover the wonders of oven roasting. Italian pasta sauces are known for their use of basic, good, household ingredients and I have found that the same ingredients can just as easily be taken out of a saucepot and thrown into a roasting pan thus expanding what one can do with the already flavorful, versatile, Italian staples. Take onions and garlic for example. Almost all Italian sauces start with sautéing these two classic ingredients in olive oil and many roasts start with a coating of olive oil, a bed of onions, and a few cloves of garlic. This may sound simple, obvious, and mundane, but I think that it is important to see the connections between different dishes of a particular cuisine, for these similarities are what distinguish one cuisine from another and understanding and thinking about these connections fosters a greater knowledge and mastery of specific, regional styles of cooking. Furthermore, when you understand what makes Italian food Italian, Greek food Greek, and Indian food Indian (just as an example), you can experiment with combining flavors of different cuisines with a general knowledge base instead of blindly throwing different spices in a pan and waiting to see what happens. Thus I have been roasting away. I had purchased a whole chicken at the Mercato in lieu of my new love for roasting. My ultimate goal was to open the oven door to a really good, moist, pollo arrosto (roasted chicken), so I kept it simple: I rubbed the whole chicken down with oil, salt, and pepper, stuffed a few garlic cloves underneath the skin, stuffed the cavity with lemon and rosemary, and surrounded the chicken in a bed of fennel, onions, rosemary, and a little bit of chicken broth, lemon juice, and white wine. I cooked it covered in the oven for about an hour, taking it out every so often to drizzle some of the juices on top and in between the joints. I undercooked it at first, but that ended up being good because I usually over-cook chicken and so after ten more minutes in the oven, it was perfect. Unfortunately, due to poor lighting, my pictures did not come out as I had hoped but I think you can still get somewhat of an idea. 

Formaggio al Tartufo

        There is not too much I know or can really say about truffles: some people like them and some do not. I have never really coked with truffles, but I do know that I am one of the people who absolutely loves them. The flavor of truffle is not necessarily a subtle one by nature, which is probably why there are people who can’t stand them. Can they be overdone? Of course! As with any distinctive, strong ingredient, it is easy to completely destroy a dish by using more than simply the essence of that ingredient for flavor. However, there are times when flavor is intense, overbearing, funky, and absolutely brilliant.  Ironically, I purchased this particular cheese at the chocolate festival in Perugia. We happened upon a tiny shop that specialized in truffles (the mushroom, not the chocolate) and we sampled pate, oil, and this fantastic cheese. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, that day they were having a promotion: ten euros for a wheel of pecorino al tartufo and a good-sized jar of truffle pate. I used some of the pate in a pasta sauce. It was pretty good but nothing to write home about. However, the cheese was simply divine. Pecorino has a strong flavor already. Therefore, one would think that when paired with an equally strong, distinct flavor like truffle, the combination would be too overwhelming. Well, it was certainly overwhelming but in all of the right ways.

The first thing that hits you is the salty, peppery, richness of the pecorino. Then suddenly your taste buds are slapped across the face with a wonderfully intense, earthy, oily, funky (in a good way), truffle flavor. The two ingredients became one new flavor I have never experienced. Because it was so rich and strong, I definitely made that small wheel of cheese last as long as it could, and though it didn’t last terribly long, it was fantastic.

Surprise, surprise! I have proven myself wrong again. Apparently, I do have things to say about truffles. Or maybe I just love the fact that cheese was the outlet for which I could discuss them (and I can discuss cheese for days). 

Taking a Break: what's to come

Unfortunately, the past two weeks have been extraordinarily crazy. I have had papers, midterm reviews, collections to finish, people and museums to see, and things to cook. I am finally ready to take a break, but that means I will most likely not be able to blog for another week. So I will compile a short list of things to look forward to that I have already done but still need to write about.

Truffle-infused pecorino cheese from Perugia
roasted chicken
Our all black themed halloween party
THE SECRET BAKERY!!!!
Il Latini (known to be on of the best restaurants in Tuscany)
Picnic in the Boboli Gardens

Also, I am traveling to Barcelona and Sicily this week so I will be on the look out for some delicious food opportunities. Again, I apologize for the lack of posts (not that there are many people reading), but I promise to have a plethora of good ones as soon as possible!

Ciao!!!

Fiera Del Cioccolato

Tartufi

        There comes a time when one has a particularly intense craving for the sweet, versatile, energizing, feel-good sensation of a good piece of chocolate. In Florence, there is certainly no shortage of the stuff and it comes in many forms, but once a year a little city just a few hours north of Firenze dedicates a few whole weekends to the creation, visualization, consumption, and sale of just chocolate. It is the Fiera del Cioccolato (The chocolate fair) and as soon as we heard about it, my friends and I knew we would be frequenting this unbelievable event. And so last Sunday, we arrived in beautiful Perugia ready to eat some delicious chocolate. The fair was located in the heart of the city which happens to be at the top of a mountain so we ended up working up a little bit more of an appetite just getting there. After stopping to take in the beautiful views, we entered the crowds of people yelling, shoving, eating, buying, smelling, tasting, and loving chocolate. It was a sight to behold. White tents lined the old city streets. Each one had something special to share and something new for us to try. It wasn’t the outlandish American-like fair I was expecting. Instead it was simply chocolate as far as the eye could see. We first stopped at a stand selling piadine with nutella and nuts – your average Sunday lunch. We then strolled along sampling various chocolates, chocolate liquors, truffles, chocolate covered fruits and snacks, fudges, caramels, chocolate pastas, and hot chocolate drinks (pretty much just melted chocolate).  The other thing that struck me was that there were not too many outrageously strange combinations of chocolate or things that you wouldn’t expect chocolate to come in the form of. It was more about perfecting the art of chocolate in its pure form and using traditional complementary flavors such as various nuts, fruits, liquors, puffed rice, caramels, preserves, grains, and some cheeses. Although we were stuffed after only two hours, our bodies were craving something salty so we got delicious piadine and enjoyed them on a balcony overlooking the countryside. As we sat and munched we concluded that our lives were pretty fantastic. Studying art in Florence is enough, but then taking a break even from that to taste chocolate in a ancient Italian town cut into a mountain and eat fabulous sandwiches overlooking breathtaking Italian vistas: we really have it made. 

Banana