-Baggage Claim-: 2010

9.22.2010

Changing...

Buongiorno a tutti!

I'm writing after a long time...I'm writing just to let you know that I'm not disappeared but I'm experiencing an intense time of my life in which everything is changing around me, and maybe in me too...

All my energies right now are focused on this, but it doesn't mean that this blog is "dead"! No! I will write on it again very soon with new recipes and some reflection on this life in a foreign country that I'm going to start...

In the meanwhile, take care and enjoy every meal!

Noemi

7.28.2010

CROSTONI CON FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA E COMPOSTA DI CILIEGIE

I'M SO SORRY!

I literally disappeared lately. I started a new amazing job and there are friends visiting and always news and...I confess I have to get more organize to go on with my blog!

Today I can write a new recipe because I'm forced to stay home because of a little accident...and so, here I am! With a new recipe. This one is a ANTIPASTO, made with an amazing italian cheese: Pecorino di Fossa. It is produced in Emilia Romagna. "Fossa" in Italian means "pit" and it refers to the fact that this cheese is aged in ancient pits excavated in the sand-stone.

Pairing it with cherries is an amazing idea I found several years ago in an italian cooking magazine. The add of lavander gives this dish a floral and unexpected note...

CROSTONI CON FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA E COMPOSTA DI CILIEGIE

TOOLS:

1 pot (una pentola)
1 baking pan (una teglia da forno)

TIMING:

35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices of rustic bread (country style) (due fette di pane casereccio)
5,2 oz sliced Pecorino di Fossa (150 gr fette di Pecorino di Fossa)
8 oz cherries (2 etti di ciliegie)
1 tablespoon honey (1 cucchiaio di miele)
black pepper (pepe nero)
a pinch of lavander fowers (un pizzico di fiori di lavanda)

FIRST STEP:

Wash the cherries, stone them and put them in a pot with ½ a glass of water, Honey, Lavender, pepper and cook for about 20 minutes at low heat, mixing from time to time

Toast the bread slices. When they are golden arrange over the top the slices of cheese and grill everything for 2, 3 minutes till the cheese starts to melt
Arrange the bread on a dish, cover with the stewed cherries and enjoy!

6.21.2010

Cestini di Pecorino con Fave al Timo

Hi everybody!

Today is an amazingly hot day in Manhattan, wow!

Saturady I went at the green market and I found a legume I really love: fava beans! Here in Manhattan it is so difficult to find them, while in Italy they are especially grown in Toscana where they are traditionally eaten raw (the tender ones) with Pecorino, another excellence of that region.

Remembering that amazing "marriage" I have thought at this different version. I used a young Pecorino Toscano DOP (in English POD, Protected Designation of Origin).

This recipe is fresh, nice to see and sooo gooood!

Let's start!

Cestini di Pecorino con Fave al Timo

TOOLS:

1 pot
1 frying pan
1 glass
a grater

INGREDIENTS:

7 ounces fava beans - weigh of the seeds (200 gr fave sgranate)
3.5 ounces Pecorino Toscano grated (100 gr Pecorino grattugiato)
1 ounce butter (25 gr burro)
thyme (timo)
olive oil (olio d'oliva)
salt

FIRST STEP:

Cook the cleaned fava beans in boiling water for 10 minutes, than dry them and pour them in a bowl with cold water for some minutes. After this operation you will easily be able to shell them.

Cuocere le fave in acqua bollente per 10 minuti quindi scolarle e versarle in una ciotola di acqua fredda. Dopo questa operazione sarà facile sgusciarle.

Dress the fava beans with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and fresh thyme

Condire le fave con 3 cucchiai di fave, sale e timo fresco.

SECOND STEP:

Heat a frying pan. Add a little piece of butter and, when it is melted, pour 2 tablespoons of grated Pecorino in the pan. You have to create a sort of "crepe" round shaped.

Scaldate una padella. Aggiungete un pò di burro e, quando è sciolto, aggiungete 2 cucchiai di Pecorino grattuggiato. Dovrete creare una sorta di cialda sottile e rotonda.

Cook on low heat until it become light brown on the bottom. At that point turn off the fire and wait few seconds.

Cuocete finchè non vedete che sul fondo diventa leggermente dorato. Spegnete il fuoco e aspettate qualche secondo

THIRD STEP:

With the aid of a large paddle take the cheese and overturn it on an overturned glass (!) so that it can take the shape of a basket. Be careful to help it stick to the glass.

Con l'aiuto di una spatola larga prendete il formaggio e capovolgetelo su un bicchiere capovolto così che possa prendere la forma di un cestino. Fate attenzione che la cialda aderisca al bicchiere.

FOURTH STEP:

When the basket gets cool, take it and fill it with the fava beans. Dish and Enjoy!

Quando il cestino si è raffreddato prendetelo e riempitelo con le fave. Servite e Buon Appetito!

6.16.2010

Salame di Cioccolato

Grey day, sad day, need something to cheer me up...

What better than a super Chocolate dessert?

So, here I am with my Salame di Cioccolato recipe!

For it I used pure and organic cocoa powder, Piedmont hazelnuts and Gallette a simple biscuits made of flour, milk and sugar.

The recipe is simple, so simple that it is essential to use a good butter, not salted, fresh and without any weird no-cholesterol, low-fat descriptions on the package. Butter must be butter! It's not evil, the important thing is to eat it right and do not exceed! It would be amazing to use the farmer's butter you can buy at the green-market, for example in Union Square.

So, let's start!

Salame di Cioccolato

TOOLS:

a mixer
2 bowl
wax paper (carta forno)

INGREDIENTS:

7 oz fresh butter (200 gr burro)
4,5 oz sugar (130 gr zucchero)
7 oz biscuits (200 gr biscotti tipo Oro Saiwa)
2 eggs
1,7 oz cocoa powder (50 gr polvere di cacao)
1,7 oz almonds (50 gr mandorle)
1,7 oz hazelnuts (50 gr nocciole)
1,7 oz pine nuts (50 gr pinoli)

FIRST STEP:

Whip up the albumens with a little pinch of salt until firm and set apart in the fridge

montare a neve gli albumi con un pizzico di sale finchè non sono sodi e metterli in frigo

SECOND STEP:

Grossly crumble the biscuits

sbriciolare grossolanamente i biscotti

Grossly mince (with the mixer) almonds and hazelnuts being careful to keep them in quite big pieces

tritare grossolanamente mandorle e nocciole facendo attenzione a mantenerle in pezzi abbastanza grandi

THIRD STEP:

Whip sugar and butter, than add the egg yolks, the cocoa powder and mix

Montare il burro con lo zucchero, quindi aggiungere i tuorli delle uova, il cacao e mescolare

Add the crumbled biscuits and continue to mix, than add the albumens and gently combine with the other ingredients

aggiungere i biscotti sbriciolati, mescolare quindi aggiungere gli albumi e incorporare gentilmente agli altri ingredienti

Now add the hazelnuts, the almonds and the pine nuts and go on kneading all the ingredients toghether: so funny!

aggiungere nocciole, mandorle e pinoli e continuare a impastare: è così divertente!

FOURTH STEP:

create a "salame" and wrap it in the wax paper. Keep in the freezer for one night before eating. When you want to eat it just put it into the fridge for about half an hour before serving it and ... enjoy!

creare un "salame" con l'impasto e avvolgerlo in carta forno. Conservare in freezer per una notte prima di consumarlo. Quando lo si vuole mangiare metterlo nel frigo per mezz'ora circa prima di consumarlo e...buon appetito!

6.08.2010

The Earth, the Food and us

I know, this is not a recipe and apparently it has nothing to do with our passion: the cookery. Apparently .... in fact the food we love is the best gift the Earth can give us and we have to think about what we give to the Earth ...

To know, To choose, To change

6.03.2010

Parmigiano Reggiano pasta brisée for a Green Peas Tart

Green peas are a wonderful seasonal vegetables. They always put me in a good mood (and in those days I really need something for the good mood). I don't know if it is because of the bright color, or because of the little round shape, or because of the pod...but they are a cheerful veggie!

Anyway I have made this recipe which is like a salted tart made with a Parmigiano Reggiano pasta brisée ...

Let's start!

TOOLS:

board for kneading
rolling pin
baking pan
frying pan
bowl

TIMING:

for the brisée 10 minutes + 30 min of rest
for the recipe about 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

for the brisée:

7 ounces flour (200gr farina)
2,8 ounces butter (80gr burro)
1,76 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano grated (50gr parmigiano grattuggiato)
1 egg
a pinch of salt

for the filling:

5 ounces green peas (shelled) (140 gr piselli)
1 scallion (1 scalogno)
2 slices of bacon (2 fette di pancetta)
3 eggs
1 cup of cream (200ml di panna)
thyme
salt
pepper

FIRST STEP:

dispose the flour, the Parmigiano Reggiano grated and the butter (better if it has been out of the fridge for 10 minutes) in the center of the board, create like a hole in the middle and dispose there the egg and a pinch of salt

mettete la farina, il parmigiano e il burro a temperatura ambiente slla spianatoia, create un buco al centro della fontana e mettetvi l'uovo e un izzico di sale

knead! With your fingers crumble the butter mixing it with the other ingredients, than use the whole hands and knead for like 2 minutes, not more, so that all the ingredients are well mixed together. Create a "ball", cover with a dish cloth and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It's more difficult describing it rather than making it!

impastate! con le dita sbriciolate il burro con gli altri ingredienti e poi impastate velocemente tutto. create una palla e mettetela in frigo coperta da un canovaccio a riposare per almeno mezz'ora

SECOND STEP:

Preheat the oven at 350°F

Scaldate il forno a 180°C

on a hot pan cook at low heat the bacon cut in little pieces, than add the onion and gently fry

su una padella calda mettete il bacon tagliato in piccoli pezzi e aggiungete lo scalogno facendo soffriggere a fuoco basso

add the green peas, the salt and the thyme. Cook for about 25 minutes. Set apart.

aggiungete i piselli, il sale e il timo e cuocete per circa 25 minuti. mette da parte.

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix well.

sbattete le uova con un pò di sale e pepe. aggiungete la panna e mescolate bene.

THIRD STEP:

Take the brisée and with a roll-pin create a disc 0,2 inches thick. Make this operation on a wax paper already cut of the right size so that it will be easier than to arrange it in the baking pan.

stendete la pasta brisée in un disco di non più di mezzo cm di spessore. fate questa operazione sulla vostra carta da forno già tagliata della misura adatta così che poi sia più facile trasferirla nella teglia

Using a fork practice little holes in the brisée, this will aid the cooking process of the dough

punzecchiate la pasta con una forchetta, questo aiuterà la cottura della pasta

FOURTH STEP:

on the brisée arrange the peas and than cover them with the mixture

disponete i piselli sulla pasta quindi coprite con la panna e le uova sbattute

Cook for 35-40 minutes (depending on your oven)

cuocete per 35-40 minuti (dipende dal vostro forno)

Enjoy!

Buon Appetito!

6.01.2010

Tiramisù, subito!

I have to admit, recently I have been a little absent for what concerns the "new recipes". The fact is that I was too busy in the eating process! I don't know if you have Italian friends, or you are Italian and you have already experienced something like this, but every time I come back home (and the same happened to me when I used to live in France and I came back in Italy for visiting) the way to say welcome is always to invite me at wonderful lunches or dinners. I love the feeling. I love to feel the love that people put in the dishes they cooked to say "hey, welcome back!". I really enjoy this, BUT, of course, if I'm always invited, I don't cook. So this is the explanation to my recipes-absence!

Anyway, one Saturday morning, things were back to "normal" and I did what I used to always do on Saturday when I lived in Italy: COOK, a lot, with my mom.

My dad wakes up early and he goes to the market to find the list of ingredients we wrote for him the evening before. Me and my mom wake early too and start preparing for the recipes we are going to cook. And than: the magic! The kitchen becomes an animated, fragrant and colorful world! We cook a lot to prepare also for the first days of the week when works and commitments don't leave space to cooking. Than, mid-morning, coffee pause (in the garden, with the cats "ronroning", if the weather is nice) and than let's start again! Love this!

So, that "regular - Italian - Saturday" we cooked, among other things, this:

TIRAMISU'

I know this is a super classic, but it's so easy, comforting, fresh and beautiful that I could not resist! Plus, this is a different version, a lighter one. In fact, instead of using only mascarpone, we use half mascarpone and....half RICOTTA. I swear, it is amazing, more delicate and guilt free!

TOOLS:

2 bowls
electrical whisks (fruste elettriche)
a rectangular pan (teglia rettangolare)
1 caffettiera!

TIMING:

20 minutes + rest!

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs (uova)
1/2 cup white sugar (100 gr zucchero)
7 ounces mascarpone (200 gr mascarpone)
7 ounces ricotta (200 gr ricotta)
4 tablespoons of Amaretto di Saronno (4 cucchiai di Amaretto)
10 1/2 ounces Savoiardi biscuits (300 gr di Savoiardi)
coffee, italian style, please!
cocoa powder

FIRST STEP:

prepare coffee (I usually make a caffettiera for 6 people) and than put it in a large plate adding the Amaretto liquor. Set apart.

preparate il caffè (di solito io faccio una caffettiera da sei tazze), mettete il caffè in un piatto largo, aggiungete il liquore e lasciate da parte.

SECOND STEP:

the process for this dessert is very easy, you just have to be sure to perfectly beat the eggs with the sugar until you will obtain a light-yellow "mousse". Only at that point you can add the other ingredients.

il processo per questo dolce è molto semplice, dovete solo fare attenzione a montare pperfettamente le uova con lo zucchero finchè non otterrete una crema spumosa di colore giallo chiaro. Solo allora potrete aggiungere gli altri ingredienti.

beat the albumen with a pinch of salt until they become very firm. Set apart in the fridge

sbattete gli albumi con un pizzico di sale finche non diventano duri e metteteli in frigo

beat the egg yolks with the sugar

sbattete i tuorli con lo zucchero

add mascarpone and ricotta and continue to use the whisks

aggiungete mascarpone e ricotta usando sempre le fruste

when the cream is done turn off the whisk and, using a wooden spoon, add the albumen. Incorporate album gradually always mixing the cream top-down. This way the albumen will not lose the air it had incorporated when you whipped up it.

quando la crema è pronta prendete un cucchiaio di legno e con questo incorporate poco alla volta hli albumi. Dall'alto verso i basso per non smontarli

THIRD STEP:

spread the bottom of the pan with 3 tbsp of the mixture

spalmate tre cucchiai di crema sul fondo della teglia

dip the savoiardi in the coffee-liquor, just for few seconds!

pucciate i savoiardi nel caffè, ma solo per pochssimi secondi! altrimenti si sfasciano!

arrange them in the pan so that they cover perfectly the surface

disponete nella teglia i savoiardi uno accanto all'altro in modo da coprire perfettamente la superficie

spread half of the mixture on the savoiardi

spalmate metà della crema sui savoiardi

repeat the operation for another level

ripetete l'operazione per un altro livello

FOURTH STEP:

set apart. this dessert has the rest some hours in the fridge before you can eat it. Better one entire night. Before serving it spread the surface with the cocoa powder.

Mettete in frigo, questo dolce deve riposare qualche ora in frigo prima di essere consumato, meglio una notte intera. Prima di servire spolverizzate con la polvere di cacao

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

5.26.2010

Il Mercato e l'Orto

Hi everybody!

I'm still in Italy, my flight has been cancelled for strike!, and so I have decided to write a post about my Italian habits for what concerns the ingredients I use in the kitchen. In fact, just stop a minute reflecting about the huge amount of foodstuffs that everyday is used by each of us while creating wonderful dishes. Most of the time we just think at the final result, losing the most important thing: the FOOD and its ORIGIN.

I have always been educated to the importance of knowing WHO, HOW and WHERE produce what I buy. As far as I remember me and my family have always buy products at the local market (Mercato) where local producers sell seasonal products. I have always eat meat coming from local farmers (except for when I was vegetarian, of course...!). Above all I have always had the luck of have a wonderful vegetable pot (Orto), lovely grown by the wisdom of my grandparents and my father. I know I am absolutely lucky from this point of view, and it's for this reason that in those "Italian days" I have decided to dedicate a particular importance to this subject once back in New York.

In Manhattan I use to go to the farmer's market but where does what I buy come from? How does they grow the plants? Do we reflect about the importance of LOCAL food? And about the importance of the biodiversity? And what about the rhythms of the nature? Do you ever think about this when you see hundreds of perfectly identical tomatoes shown during all the year on the shelves of a market? Sometimes I use to go to Whole Foods where lots of products are local, but what does this really means? What I really know about their being "organic". Too often the world ORGANIC or GREEN are just a smart marketing idea, behind which there is nothing more than a way to calm our conscience. But what else?

I think that we are all strongly request to reflect about those problems...I want to reflect about this, and I will look for books about this subject to share with you. If you have any suggestion ...

In the meanwhile here are some pictures, about this subject, I took in Italy!

First of all the vegetable pot of my grandfather:

Than the market where I buy cheese, fish, vegetable and fruits since I was a child. The market is located in Giaveno, a village next to the mountains in Piemonte, where I passed the first years of my life and where my father was born.

While here I have cooked some amazing Italian dishes with my mom: I have the pictures and I will post all of this very soon! I have been so busy, sorry!

A presto!

5.22.2010

Moi, je ... cuisine!

I'm in complete linguistic confusion, I spoke french those days in Provence (I have lived one year in France, did I mentioned?!), and now I can't stop thinking in French, a language I love, so please forgive my mistakes!

Saint-Tropez was amazing, really amazing. The weather just perfect, the people deliciously french, and the food ... mmmmh!

I have been there four days. The first one I visited Saint Paul and Port Grimaud, two amazing and little villages of the South.

For what concerns Saint Tropez, it was fortunately, a little less "vip" than usual because of the "Bravade":

This is a Provençal traditional ceremony during which the Tropezians remember their saint patron: Saint-Tropez. All the village takes part to the celebrations which last three days and consist of religious ceremonies and long parades during which 500 kg of gun powder are burst! You can't imagine the noise!

During the four days of holiday, je me suis promenèe on the coast foot path, from Saint-Tropez, toward Cap Camarat, as far as l'Escalet. Wonderful landscape. I missed so much that wild nature, the smell of the sea and of the Mediterranean scrub. The plants were in flower and the colors so bright!

Other than walk, enjoy the village and the traditions, obviously, I ate! Fish, of course. So fresh and tasty. The typical recipe for the fish in this French region is the "Bourride", but in Saint-Tropez I found a Bourride façon Bouillabaisse, with saffron, and pieces of fish. Bourride and Bouillabasse are different kind of fish soup, with a strong presence of garlic and spices.

If you want to try them, here I propose you the BOURRIDE recipe as written in "La cuisine Provençale et Niçoise" by Dominique Compas. It's a wonderful recipe.

1/2 baudroie
1 loup
un demi merlan
1 oignon émincé
thym, fenouil, laurier
1 jaune d'oeuf par personne
une dizaines de tranches the pain
un aioli (sauce made with garlic, mayonnaise and spices)

Couper en tronçons le poisson et le disposer dans une casserole avec l'oignon émincé, le thym, le laurier.

Mouiller à couvert d'eau chaude. Saler et poivrer et laisser cuire un quart d'heure environ. Pendant ce temps, placer dans un plat légèrement creux les tranches de pain rassi d'un centimétre d'épaisseur. Une fois le posson cuit, imbiber avec le bouillon les tranches de pain sans le détremper. Utiliser une partie de l'aioli, le reste étant mis dans une saucière. Il faut compter deux cuillères à entremets d'aioli et un jaune d'oeuf par personne. Y verser le boiullon de poisson, bine délayer. Remettre sur feu (doux) et à l'aide d'une cuillère de bois remuer jusqu'à epaissement, comme pour une crème anglaise. La crème aura obtenu une consistence idéale lorsqu'elle nappera entièrement la cuillère de bois. Retire du feu immédiatement et en arroser les tranches de pain. Presenter le poisson à part ainsi que l'aioli réservé.

Vin conseillé: Bandol rouge.

In the Bourride I ate, there were also some potatoes (boiled together with the fish) and the saffron, maybe also some tomatoes, but i'm not sure!

And than there were Loup Grillé, Daurade a la Méeridionale, Creme brulée, Moulleux au chocolat...

I warmly suggest you to have a trip there, if you have the chance!

To say à bien tot I choose this picture trés gourmande: croissants et brioches PUR BEURRE!...to enjoy, please, with this music as background!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqq-jHV5huI

à bientot!

5.14.2010

Hazelnuts dressing and poached eggs

Another rainy day here ... argh!

Tomorrow I'm going to go in France, Saint-Tropez!, where I hope to find some nice and warm weather.

In the meanwhile voilà an easy salad recipe I made today for me and my dad (Can you see him in the picture below, working in our vegetable pot!?). I have decided to use some hazelnuts, considering that they are an important product of my region. So ... enjoy! And "see" you when I will come back from France!

Salad with hazelnuts dressing and poached eggs

TOOLS:

1 frying pan
1 pot
1 mixer

TIMING:

20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

green salad, I used the one of my vegetable pot, so tender! (insalata verde)
1/2 ounce hazelnuts, fresh or toasted (10 grammi di nocciole)
1 egg/person (un uovo per persona)
a slice of "pancetta"; pancetta is thiker than bacon, not smoked, more meaty than bacon, I'm sorry, but I have never find anything similar in New York ... (una fetta di pancetta tagliata spessa circa mezzo cm)
some marjoram leaves (alcune foglie di maggiorana)
salt
oil
vinegar

FIRST STEP:

Clean and wash carefully the green salad. Gently dry it.

pulire e lavare l'insalata quindi scolarla

Toast the hazelnuts for few minutes in a large pan, moving them often so that they will not burn. When they are done let them cool

tostare le nocciole, se già non sono tostate, per alcuni minuti in una padella. Muovere costantemente così che non brucino. Quando sono pronte lasciarle raffreddare

Put them in a mixer and mix. Just few seconds! What you need is to chop them, not to reduce them in a powder

quindi passarle in un mixer per alcuni secondi. Ciò che vogliamo ottenere è una granella, non una farina di nocciole...

put the hazelnuts in a little bowl, add 5 tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt to prepare the dressing

mettere la granella in una scodellina e aggiungere 5 cucchiai di buon olio d'oliva e il sale per preparare il condimento

SECOND STEP:

warm a frying pan and cook the "pancetta" cut in little slices without any other seasoning. Cook on medium heat until the fat will melt and the "pancetta" will golden. When you turn off the heat, add some leaves of marjoram, cover with a lid and let rest for some minutes. Dry pancetta from the fat and set apart.

scaldare una padella quindi aggiungere la padella tagliata in piccoli pezzi. non aggiungere altro condimento. cuocere a fuoco medio finchè il grasso della pancetta non sarà sciolto e la pancetta dorata. Quando il fuoco è spento aggiungere alcune foglie di maggiorana, coprire con uncoperchio e lasciar riposare alcuni minuti, quindi scolare la pancetta dal grasso

THIRD STEP:

Boil some water with two spoons of vinegar and a pinch of salt

bollire dell'acqua con due cucchiai di aceto e un pizzico di sale

shell a fresh egg in a bowl

sgusciare un uovo in una ciotola

when water is boiling turn it with a tablespoon, so to create a sort of whirlpool, and then slide the egg into the water. Cook the egg for three minutes on low heat. Gently dry.

quando l'acqua bolle, girarla con un cucchiaio creando una sorta di mulinello, quindi aggiungre delicatamente l'uovo. cuocere 3 minuti su fuoco basso, quindi scolare

FOURTH STEP:

Arrange the salad on a plate, dress with the hazelnuts oil and spread with marjoram pancetta

sistemare l'insalata su un piatto, condire con l'olio alle nocciole e cospargere con la pancetta alla maggiorana

next to the salad dispose the poached egg spread with some pepper and the hazelnuts chopped

vicino all'insalata mettere l'uovo in camicia cosparso con un pò di pepe e nocciole.

Enjoy!

Buon appetito!

5.11.2010

Gianduiotti in Torino

Rainy day in Turin, a typical "torinese" weather... I wandered around with a dear friend visiting my favorites places in the city. I have been in New York for two months and it was so wired to walk in the peaceful streets of my Italian city... wired but also so pleasant and reassuring.

The first place I have to visit when I come in Turin is an historic cafè in Piazza San Carlo, the Caval d'Brons (wich means bronze horse, referring to the bronze statue of Emanuele Filiberto in the middle of the piazza). I love this café and the piazza where it's set. Everything is so elegant, and quite, and so XIX siècle.

In the picture below you can see the café window with the symbol of Turin: il Gianduiotto! It's a chocolate made with cocoa and ...guess what? hazelnuts! The name comes from a mask of the commedia dell'arte Gianduia, the mask which represents Piemonte!

... and here is the REAL caffè (per me macchiato, grazie!). I mean, the american one is not that bad, but let me say that this is the only coffee which can wake me up and gives me the sense of "break"... :)

Another amazing shop in this piazza is Paissa, a well known nineteenth century food shop of the city where you can find unique delicatessens, Lenticchie di Castelluccio, Barolo Chinato, ... and of course Pasta!

5.10.2010

Salvia Fritta and Baci di Dama!

The party was amazing, but I haven't took so many pictures because I was directly involved in helping with the guests and the food :) and I'm still completely confused by the jet leg!!! ... anyway here are some!

In the picture below you can see some of the most famous "desserts" of Piemonte. The round ones are called BACI DI DAMA (Lady's kisses). They consist in two buttery biscuits made with local hazelnuts with, in the middle, a fill of chocolate.

The lightly brown and irregular ones are called BRUT&BUN (this is Piedmont dialect! It means Ugly&Good) and are made of an hazelnuts meringue.

Hazelnuts, Nocciole Piemontesi, are a typlical product of Piemonte. I'm sure you all know very well one of the most famous food made with them: Nutella! (Ferrero is, in fact, a Piedmont brand). A part of Nutella you can find delicious hazelnuts and cocoa spread in several patisseries all around the region...gnumm!

Here is a picture of one of the dishes my mom cooked for the party. It's Sage and Borage deep fried in batter. The sage and Borage are from our vegetable pot! I love them, so crunchy and delicate...

For the moment that's it, but tomorrow I'm going to take some pictures of my favorites places in Turin!

Oh my ... I'm so drowsy .... zzzzzz .... poor me!

A presto...!

5.09.2010

In Italy!

Hello!

Just few words to say that I'm in Italy! I will stay at home, in the countryside next to Torino, for two weeks. These means that I'm going to write lots of new posts with pictures and recipes directly from my mom's kitchen! Wonderful occasion, isnt'it?

Now I have to hurry up because we are planning a party for my father's birthday (don't worry, I'm taking pictures of the gastronomic side of the event!) :)

Have a wonderful day and:

AUGURI A TUTTE LE MAMME!

p.s. in this picture my wonderful cat Dalì...! Martin (my other cat) is, as usual, wandering around!