Ahhhh, the peak of the Summertime is late July, and nothing says Summer better than a homemade peach crisp slowly melting a dallop of vanilla ice cream that has been scooped on top. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, from the fuzzy soft skin to the blush of red around the gnarled pit, I love this summer stone fruit!
As I stroll the meat isle at the grocery store in italy I am often baffled at the descriptions on the packages such as Macinata Scelta Bolvino Adulto, which simply is ground beef. But the age of the beast, the type of animal (pig, cow, chicken, etc…) Where it was raised as well as the cut are all important parts of the description. I often can’t find cuts that I am familiar with from America and so end up with less than the desired effect when cooking my standard recipes.
Italy is a Peninsula full of thermal activity, yet this is something you rarely read about in any guidebook of Italy. From top to bottom, Italy is speckled with hot springs ranging from high-end resorts to free cascades on mountainsides. Sometimes the hot spring will be a simple, natural pool out in a grassy field that will charge a small fee of €6 to enter. Such as Bagnaccio, where there is a snack bar, changing rooms and bathrooms and you provide the rest. I like Bagnaccio because it is a simple pool, low price and it has a nice grassy open area. I recommend packing a picnic, bringing a blanket or even lounge chairs and enjoying a couple of hours lounging at the hot spring. It is especially nice in Spring or Fall when you can soak up some warm sun while you lounge.
Recently a few friends from California were in the North of Italy and asked to meet us at the halfway point between us, which happily for us was Tuscany. We love an excuse to journey north and play tourists for the day. Our friends chose the lovely hill town of San Gimignano as a meeting place. The last time we were in Tuscany was about a month ago and the seasonal changes are beautiful to observe when driving through Tuscany.
So I have finally mastered the Risotto and have been enjoying its creamy decadent wonder every week now. Amazing flavors like Pumpkin Risotto, Milanese Risotto, Mushroom Risotto, Radicchio Risotto and Shrimp Risotto. There is the rare occasion when all the risotto does not get eaten up and the bowl licked clean and you find yourself with leftover risotto in the fridge.
I’m starting to get into the grove of the Italian Kitchen! I have taken on a love of Risotto, so creamy and decadent in its simplicity. I haven’t had a guest yet that hasn’t reveled in its delights as a Primi Piatti (first course).
Whenever I have company that spends the night and I want to make a special breakfast that is not too labor intensive, I turn to Dutch Baby Pancakes. With summer coming to Italy we are starting to have more house guests, so I’ve been whipping them up lately! Dutch Babies are an American invention by Manca’s Cafe in Seattle.
Jeff’s Parents came to spend a month with us and we decided to take a little road trip up to the Tuscan and Umbria borders of our region of Lazio. We have chosen Montefiascone for our home base. It is an exhausting exercise to try and decide where to spend your time anywhere in Italy because there are so many choices.
Carbonara was a dish that alluded me before I moved to Italy. It flies contrary to the cooking style of Americans. We view all sauces as containing cream or tomato sauce but this is not true of Italian pasta. The sauce is usually very simple, so simple we can’t imagine it to be correct.
Living in Italy is all about eating, especially eating with friends and family, it’s deeply ingrained. So tonight we are invited to some friends house for dinner and I was asked to bring a dessert. I find that desserts in Italy are a little underwhelming. I mean of course there is the fantastic Tiramasu, the incredible Cannolis and the unforgettable Gelato! But cannolis were a little too much work and Gelato has to be gotten fresh from the Gelateria!
