Actually, it’s not hard or expensive to make sushi at home and there is a million different ways to make it. You can make it in a roll using Nori (Seaweed) or you can just form the rice in your hand using plastic wrap and squeezing your hand into a fist. In the second way you don’t need Nori. It can be as simple as laying a piece of smoked salmon on top of the sushi rice and enjoying along with some soy sauce and wasabi!
One day in mid May we had a bush fire very near our house, here in the hills of Itri, Italy. We were coming home from Rome and as we neared our town of Itri we got a call from a friend that lives nearby, he said “Are you guys ok? There is a lot of smoke coming from your hill.”
We are finally back “home” in Italy after two days of traveling and three days of jet lag. It’s been a whirlwind of getting our cell phones running, updating our Permesso di Sorggiono (Permission to stay in Italy filed at the local commune) and checking on my Citizenship documents. We have eaten the pizza, sipped the cappuccino’s, devoured the Cornetto (breakfast pastries) and slurped the gelatos. We reunited with friends over apperetivo and pasta.
Every leading lady needs a good supporting actress and that’s what “Riced” Cauliflower is, a good supporting role. We love riced cauliflower with Kung Pao Chicken, Broccoli Beef, Ossobucco,Beef Vindaloo, Chicken Cacciatore and any other “Star” that needs a little side kick.
I am always so impressed when I see a large Paella pan filled with red rice, succulent pink shrimp, black mussels opened up, sausage and chicken, topped with parsley and lemon wedges. There is something so romantic and festive about cooking this large dish over an open fire in a special pan with a large group of friends.
Mmmmm, Pumpkin Risotto! It was one of my first acquired recipes while living in Italy and one of my favorites! The Autumn, with its sunny days and cold nights is the perfect time to enjoy this Autumn vegetable while it warms your home and your family. Pumpkin Risotto is like eating macaroni and cheese, the color is orange and the texture creamy. The addition of butter and parmesan at the end adds that cheesy goodness that we all crave.
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).
I love Vietnamese food, and here in Italy is impossible to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant. So if I want to eat Vietnamese, I must make it. Fortunately I can find the ingredients pretty easily. So I pick up a package of celophane rice sheets and an array of vegetables in my shopping bag and head home to whip up my own Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
