La Cernia (Something Big cont.)

Il tavolo

          Well my dinner party was a huge success. I was initially terrified by the fish, but as I began its preparation, I felt calm and capable. It actually became quite a relaxing, wholesome experience to be so hands-on with the food I was cooking. The worst part ended up being cutting up the pancetta before stuffing it into the fish. When I ordered the pancetta at the market the macellaio cut it into three thick slices instead of multiple thin ones so when I got home I had to improvise. Instead of cutting it into thin, long slices, which I couldn’t do even if I wanted to due to my awful cutlery, I sliced it horizontally creating little slivers of pancetta, perfect for stuffing. I then sliced four whole lemons and four cloves of garlic. After cleaning the fish, I made several cuts into the outer part of the flesh and stuffed each one with garlic, pancetta, rosemary, and lemon. I used the leftover fillings to stuff the cavity. Before putting it all in the oven, I added diced potatoes, a glass of white wine, and a bit of lemon juice to each pan. It was fantastic. The only problem was that the fish cooked faster than the potatoes so I would therefore recommend cooking the potatoes a little bit beforehand (brown them on the stove with a little bit of olive oil). But the fish was moist and lemony. It had delicately soaked up all of the flavors of the salty pancetta, the earthy rosemary, and the aromatic garlic and at the same time retained the wonderfully fishy taste of grouper. While it was cooking I had served a lovely tray of marinated olives, bruschetta, scarmorza and pecorino cheeses, a chianti-infused-wild-Tuscan-boar salami, and of course a generous amount of wine. just in case we didn’t have enough food, I also made a bowl of aglio e oglio with fresh tomatoes and basil. It was a fantastic evening and definitely worth every penny. I might be crazy and my parents may have already notified me that spending that much money on fish is not normal for a college student, but this is who I am: go big or go home.  In this case it was more like go big at home but either way it was an absolute pleasure to finally be a host. My passion for food goes far beyond loving the act of cooking and eating. I have a passion for sharing food with other people because I believe that food is a vehicle for building relationships, connections, and bonds. Here is how it all looked: 

Le Cernie

Stuffing the fish

strips of pancetta stuffed into the slits

Topped with lemon slices and rosemary

Ready for my tiny oven

Bella

Something Big!!!!

      The other night I attended a pot-luck dinner at a friend's house and being in a social environment surrounded by good food and new friends, I was inspired, happy, and reassured that Florence is the place for me to be. So since all Italians turn to food when they are happy, sad, angry, emotional, or have no emotion at all, I was inspired to cook a feast in celebration of being here for a month. Well, the little over-achiever in me  has decided that it is time for something big...really really big...and scary, and expensive, and that does not even fit in my oven. This morning, I got up, went to the market and purchased 50 euros worth of grouper (cernia) in the form of two very large and scary looking fish. As I watched them cleaning it for me, I started thinking "HOLY SHIT what am I DOING?!" But that is exactly when I realized this: I have already put my toes in the warm waters of cooking and I am now ready to jump all the way in. This is the time and the place for me to experiment with food, cooking, and my own courage. The whole thing might be insane and maybe I am too, but nonetheless I am here with a tiny oven, an open mind, and an eagerness to explore the wonders of Italian cooking. So I guess I am asking for you all to wish me luck! I will keep updating throughout the whole process. Now, for example, I must go shopping for baking pans seeing as we only have one that is tiny. Ciao!

Bologna

           This past Friday, I traveled to Bologna with my art history class to see various museums, churches, and monuments that were made by women or depicted women in early Christian art to the late renaissance. I even saw the preserved body of the first female artist: a nun who insisted upon her own literacy, artistic ability, and the opportunity to teach other women her skills. It was a fascinating experience. But along with all the fantastic museums, there was simply Bologna itself and what a city it was. Bologna is similar to Florence in that it is a busy, lived in city. However, it is more colorful, less touristy, more laid back, and has a modern flare mixed in with the old-world charm. Peach, pink, red, yellow, orange: the colors of the houses lined the streets in such a cheerful way that I often found myself tripping over my own feet due to the fact that I was constantly looking up. Additionally the shopping seemed absolutely amazing (not that I had any time to stop at any of the stores while I was practically running to keep up with my art History teacher, Helen who was always racing ahead at the speed of light). Small artisan shops, local designers, the big brands, everything you could want, it was there, and the food was fabulous. Unfortunately, we did not have time to stop and have a real Bolognese meal and I left the list of good places to go in Bologna in my apartment, but we did stop at a self service place and I had some scrumptious tortelloni (large tortellini) and roasted vegetables. What really got me, though were the streets filled with fresh produce, fish, meat, and poultry. There were also the most amazing bakeries filled with cakes, pies, tarts, and hundreds of delectable baked goods. I wanted to buy it all, but I didn’t think the next 5 churches and museums we visited would be storing my raw produce at the bag check (I mean, I really would have). After a long day of walking, museum/church hopping, and torture in the form of walking past every single food/clothing store I would ever want to go into, I decided to treat myself to another one of Bologna’s more famous treats: a really really really good cup of gelato hand-made at la Cremeria Funivia. Chocolato e pistacchio: Hands down, it was the best ice cream/gelato I have ever had. Plus it was in a cone (I prefer licking ice cream because it helps me eat it slower). 

          I think it is safe to say that on my own time, I will definitely be returning to bologna for a day of walking around, shopping, and amazing food. Here are some images from the day. Ciao! 

1 of 4 siren women holding up this very fertile fountain

Just one of many well designed shop windows

I fiori

Una Chiesa

Other flowers on the street

Pistacchio e Chiocolato

A must if you are ever in  Bologna

Bologna is famous for its cured meats and cheeses

Una Pescheria

Le Verdure

Where we stopped for lunch

La Migliore Colazione (The Best Breakfast)

          Florence is full of great fashion and not so great fashion. The latter is usually due to the amount of tourists walking around in sneakers, elastic-waist shorts, and fanny packs. My Italian fashion design class has taken us through the most fantastic italian fashion from the start of Italian fashion (tailors custom-making clothes by hand) to present day italian couture and ready to wear. Our assignments consist of using the first collections of these early designers as inspiration for five or six contemporary looks in a collection. We also keep a fashion journal in which we sketch ideas, paste pictures and write. How does this relate to food? The other day, I was looking for inspiration and I noticed that the VOGUE Italia haute couture limited edition plus the latest avant-garde September issue was out. I have never purchased a vogue in the US let alone one in Italy but I decided now was my time. I ran into the shop bought my five euros worth of fashion photography and articles and walked out towards the mercato. That day I bought only two things from the market: a cup of coffee and a cannoli. As I walked home with my vogue clutched under my arm and my coffee and cannoli in the other, I could not have felt more alive (it’s weird I know, but the things that get me going are food, fashion, caffeine, and walking alone in cities). And so when I got to my apartment, I sat out on the terrace with my coffee, my cannoli, and my vogue. Food, fashion, fabulous: it was the best breakfast I have had thus far. ciao!

La Pizza

4 Stagioni

          Pizza was one of the main foods I was most excited to sink my teeth into here in Florence. Everywhere you look there are signs advertising pizza and I didn’t want to just get some cheap, touristy pizza that was all thrills and no real, Italian flavor. Therefore, I hesitated until I was absolutely sure I would be one hundred percent satisfied. Well, it was worth the wait. The other night I went to a local Osteria known for their pizza and their seafood. As we walked in, the aroma hit. It is the best feeling when you can walk into a restaurant and know right away what you want to order because you can smell it. As we walked to our table, we passed numerous locals enjoying the most scrumptious looking pastas, pizzas, and seafood dishes the one could imagine and even though I knew I was going to get pizza, I was certain it was going to be a difficult decision. By the time we ordered, all of us were so upset because instead of thinking about what we did order, all we could think of was everything we didn’t. Our pizzas arrived scalding hot and paper thin. Northern Italy is famous for its paper-thin crust. The thinness allows the entire pizza to be cooked very quickly in an extremely hot, wood-burning oven so that the dough is crunchy, slightly burnt, the cheese is melted, and the toppings are hot, yet still fresh. MERAVIGLIOSO! I ordered the Quattro stagioni (4 seasons), which consisted of pretty much everything a person could imagine: prosciutto, olive, pepperone (peppers), carcioffi (artichokes), pomodori (tomatoes), potate, and mushrooms all over a bed of fontina cheese. From the moment the hot, salty, flavors hit my tongue and dripped down my chin I was sold. However, I did not have the best pizza at the table. The best pizza by far was my friend Hallie’s frutti di mare pizza (fruit of the sea). When it arrived my jaw dropped to the floor. It was basically the bottom of the ocean spread out on top of a pizza. Whole mussels and clams in their shells, fresh squid, scallops, and an entire prawn all on top of a beautiful marinara salsa. It was salty, fresh, and tasted like the ocean. It was quintessential good tuscan cooking. I am sure there is better pizza in Florence, but even so, it was the best pizza experience I have ever had. 

Frutti di Mare (sorry about the quality)

A prawn...on a pizza!

La Cena Bianca

Last week, some of my friends and I attended La Cena Bianca (the White Dinner). We received an invitation through our school and decided it was right up our ally. The concept is a communal dinner where everyone wears all white, brings their own food, drinks, and eating utensils, and enjoys an evening of food, friends, fashion, and community. It took place in the middle of a street right next to the Duomo. Round, white tables adorned with candles lined the road of chattering, white-clad florentines. It was definitely a sight to behold. And of course, at an all white event, one must have a hint of color so on each table, there were three red flowers laid out without a vase: the epitome of simple elegant taste. Speaking of taste, my little group decided to have a picnic-style meal. I went to the market earlier that day and bought, two different types of bread (Toscana and foccacia), Tuscan boar salami, two cheeses, roasted peppers, marinated olives, dates, grapes, good olive oil, a good bottle of wine, and my first food related splurge: a small jar of the best, creamiest, simplest artichoke paté I have ever had (plus it came in the prettiest little jar with a terracotta sun on the front). It was a feast.  These picnics are my favorite meals. The very nature of ripping off a piece of bread, passing pieces of cheese and slices of salami, reaching across the table for the bottle of olive oil: it all exudes a social atmosphere in which you feel that you are sharing both a meal and a bit of yourself with those you are dining with. About halfway through the meal, a woman approached our table and asked if we were the “American students.” When we confirmed this statement, she was honored, and thrilled that we were there. It turns out that she was one of the people who started the event a few years ago in hopes of making the Florence community a welcome one. Our little table of five was the first group of American students to attend La Cena Bianca and for the first time, I felt like I was really living in Florence: mission accomplished. In a nutshell, the meal, the evening, the conversation was a little bit of this, and a little bit of that and in my opinion, it was a little bit of perfection.  

my plate

La cena perfetta

Salami dal mercato

La Cena Bianca with the duomo in the background

            

Pollo Saltimbocca

First of all, let me apologize for the delay. Believe it or not, it is quite difficult to keep a regular blog when you are taking four studio classes, an art history class, have to shop, cook, and get a decent sleep, and are trying to see all there is to see in a new, fantastic city. Not that I am at all complaining!! 

            Anyway, I left off telling you about the night I made Chicken Saltimbocca. Chicken Saltimbocca is a classic recipe that involves some variation of cutlets of chicken pounded flat and rolled up with prosciutto and other ingredients. For mine, I decided that it would be lovely to have a mixture of spinach, ricotta, and parmigiano reggiano. Of course I got the chicken breasts at the mercato and had the butcher cut and pound the cutlets for me. Before preparing the chicken, I made a few little appetizers for my housemates and I to munch on. I fried some fiori di zucchine (zucchini flowers) in a light batter of flower, salt, pepper, and egg, and also made a miniature version of a classic Italian lunch: mozzarella in carrozza. It is basically Italian grilled cheese. You take a nice thick slice of fresh mozzarella, a hefty slice of fresh tomato, secure it between two pieces of bread with a toothpick, soak the whole thing in egg, and pan grill it until the egg is cooked, the bread is soft, and the mozzarella is oozing out of the sides. It is heaven in a sandwich. I made my mini ones with slices of baguette. Getting back to the main dish, after laying out the cutlets and seasoning them with salt and pepper, I placed a thin slice of prosciutto di parma on each one. With my mouth already watering, I then mixed thawed frozen spinach, a decent amount of ricotta (fresh from the market), and a generous amount of parmigiano in a large mixing bowl. I spread that mixture over the prosciutto and chicken and then rolled each one into a little bundle of salty, chickeny, goodness and secured them with a toothpick. As a side note, I have been reading Julia Child’s “My Life in France” and it has been one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. One thing she said really stuck with me when I was preparing this dish. She was talking about how before meeting her teacher at Le Cordon Bleu, she over-spiced her cooking and thought that by doing so, she was adding flavor. This she realized,  is not good cooking. Good cooking is knowing how to make a chicken really taste like chicken. And so with that in mind, I simply seared my saltimbocca on each side to brown before adding a simple sauce of low sodium chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice. I let that reduce for about ten minutes before serving it hot, right over the chicken. Although I am sure Mrs. Child could have done a far better job, I was for the first time conscious and aware of each ingredient I was cooking with and how each of them would contribute to the culmination of flavors in the dish.  And so I left the dinner table with a full stomach, and a great sense of accomplishment.            

            

I fiori di Zucchine

Mozzarella in Carrozza 

A perfect roll

Chicken Saltimbocca