A "fake" risotto

As much as I love to cook, there are some days when I stare blankly into my fridge and wonder, "What can I cook with these things today?" After spending the afternoon walking around in IKEA buying things that we need for the apartment, the last thing I wanted to do was go grocery shopping and then cook an elaborate meal.


So, I looked in my fridge and made a "fake" risotto that ended up being a lot better than I expected. I am guessing that it is healthier too, mainly because of a. no butter and b. not a lot of salt. (the saltiness of the pesto and the cheese definitely serves as great seasoning)

I am going to write this in a recipe-like form although it's really not exact... Just because I have been meaning to do something like this.


Ingredients:
- farro
- pesto
- cauliflower
- garlic
- salt & pepper
- parmesan cheese
- chicken breast


1. Place farro in water, and bring it to a simmer and let it cook for a bit. (the bag says to cook for 30 to 40 minutes, but last time when I did that, I felt that it was overcooked and mushy so I just kept on trying little bits of it to see if I felt that it was cooked but not mushy)


2. In a small pan, toss in cauliflower and minced garlic with olive oil and some salt and pepper. When it has some nice coloring, take the cauliflower off the heat.


3. Add cut up chicken breast to the pan with a little bit more olive oil, salt and pepper. When the outside looks a bit cooked but not completely, add the cauliflower to the pan and toss it around for a bit. 


4. Decrease the heat significantly and add some pesto and toss it around for all the ingredients to work together. If the farro is done, drain it and add it to this mixture as well. 


5. Add some parmesan cheese into the mixture on top of the heat to distribute the cheese throughout, but this is optional since you can also grate some cheese directly onto the "risotto" and it will be fine. (I did both, since I love some extra cheese)


6. SERVE AND EAT.


* Like I said, I don't know if I am insulting the Italian tradition of cooking by doing this, but I thought it was prettty delicious and really easy to do (instead of the stirring for hours kind of deal). 


* Also, while it is "lighter" than a traditional risotto would be, I thought it was hearty, warm and filling!

Friday: A Day of Indulgence

When I woke up on Friday, I envisioned that it would be a day of healthy eating. I had some fruit for breakfast (and then of course there was a cappuccino and a savory pastry on the way to class, but I would not forego that in Italy... ever) and then eating what I packed for lunch--the left over super-food salad. And then for dinner, I could either cook something else up or go out to dinner. And sadly, because I have been to Gelatauro two times this past week, I told myself that I should probably withhold myself from Gelato until Monday.


What ended up happening was the complete opposite. 


Stop at Pasticceria d'Azeglio: Cappuccino and brioche filled with marmalade (delicious, but was a bit too sweet for me)

Lunch: outing to Spacca Napoli (a recommendation of our program director)

(Pic from outside, sorry about the horrible quality of photo)

(Picture of the pizza--Romantica, with prosciutto, mushrooms, black olives)

Afternoon coffee stop: Gelatauro. Espresso poured over an adorable spoonful of pistachio gelato.

Just look at how the gelato melts beautifully in the coffee...

Dinner: Potluck with friends consisting of delicious eggplant dish, a spicy filipino meat dish, pasta with sausages and some veggies, wine and a chocolate cake with classic buttercream frosting.


Was it a successful day of good eats? Absolutely.


Did I plan for this to happen? Absolutely not.

In the end though, I am satisfied with all the good eats that I have had on Friday and I am looking forward to more days like this.

Another round of.. Aperitivo!

If you haven't noticed, I got my pre-orientation schedule DOWN. At least, I think so. Class. Lunch. Class. Grocery Shopping. Some other food-related activity (by grabbing a snack, or cooking, etc). Eating dinner. And then doing homework/spending time with friends/resting/going out. 

So two days ago, I bumped into Marc when I was at Mercato dell'erbe. And then later, Eugenio, one of my housemates, joined. Since there were three of us, we decided to go get aperitivo at Tamburini (the same place I went to before). 

It was warm enough that we got to eat outside, which was fun. We also ordered a plate of assorted cheeses and cuts of meat (prosciutto and prosciutto like things).

A Grand Feast

Yesterday, a few of us decided to just cook a grand feast. It wasn't even planned to be that grandiose but it ended up being a huge meal with delicious components!


Here is the menu:


- A salad with chicken and cherry tomatoes tossed around in pesto--made by me
- Green beans with ground pork, carrots, onions, garlic and many other spices (spin-off of a Filipino dish)--made by Marc
- Hearty vegetable stew with a tomato base, kidney beans, lots of other veggies and some penne thrown in there--made by Alan
- dessert! (I forget the name of it now, but I will update it asap when I do figure it out)--made by Eugenio


Here are the pictures!

The salad

Marc with his final product

 Alan with his final product

I didn't actually have a chance to take a picture of the dessert, which was also delicious, but I promise you that next time Eugenio makes it, I will put a picture of it on this blog!

Superfood Salad

As much as I love prosciutto, cheese, bread, pasta and meat, I also just love vegetables and fruits. After days of indulgence (look at the posts below) I have decided that I will indulge in a different manner tonight by making myself a delicious super-food salad. There really is no "official definition" for a super food salad, although I just called this salad as such because it is packed with so many things that I have been told to be really good for me. The best part is that it was scrumptious and filling!

Here is the picture of the salad:

Although you can see a few ingredients, let me just tell you exactly what went into this beast of a salad.

- Salad greens (a bit similar to arugula but not quite)

- lightly sauteed romanesco broccoli (it's the most beautiful vegetable in my opinion.. with the whole fractal pattern and everything) 

- lightly sauteed carrots

- avocado

- grape fruit

- lightly toasted hazelnuts (yes, some parts are over-caramelized)

- farro piccolo (a type of whole grain)

- a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

As you can see from the list, there are a lot of different ingredients in this salad and the flavors work surprisingly well with each other. At first, I didn't think that the balsamic vinegar would be necessary since there is the acidic note from the grapefruit, but I think the balsamic vinegar really helped in bringing the different flavors together. The hazelnut also did a great job of tasting great with everything in this salad. 

If I were to make this salad again, I think I am going to take out the sauteed carrots. Although carrots are quite nutritious and delicious, I just don't think it had a right place in this salad... But we shall wee next time.

I think this is one of the most satisfactory salads I have had recently, and I hope that I can make more of these "superfood salad"-like things in the near future!

Gelatauro

Oh yes, it was time for another gelato session. I absolutely fell in love with Sorbetteria last (and the first) time that I went there, but during our language class today, the professor recommended that we try out a gelato place called "Gelatauro." Of course, my first instinct is, that name is kind of cute! He claimed that it is the best gelato in Bologna. I have heard that Sorbetteria is the best, so of course, I had to go try it TODAY.


It's got a very different feel from Sorbetteria. It's almost more "alternative." Whereas Sorbetteria had the look of a chic Kitchenaid in a pastel tone (granted, it was painted in pastel purple all around). Gelatauro feels like a Kitchenaid-type gadget that does the job just as well but is from a company that is great but not as "iconic." It's not as "refined" but you grow to love it so so much because of its quirkiness... its inimitable nature. This analogy is kind of forced, yes, but I think it does work... somewhat. 


Before I go on about the delicious flavors that I had, let me show you a couple of photos of the decor of the place. I think you will see what I mean. I can almost imagine this existing in a hipster neighborhood... Like Wickenden St in Providence, or Westminster St in Providence, or also Inman Sq in Cambridge (or even Central Sq). 

From the outside!

Inside, in the back corner

Of course the adorable decor was enough to make me happy, but what really got me was the flavor profile of this pistachio gelato that I got. 


- Regno delle due Sicilie: with Pistacchio, almonds and sponge-cake. 
- Crema: cream with organic eggs

 

Oh my lord. This gelato almost makes me believe in God. That's how good it was. The crema was clean, light, fluffy and had a bit of a citrus-y note at the end. Maybe that's just me, but that's what I tasted. The Regno delle due Sicilie... is a complete WINNER. It is so nutty, delicious, rich and has a very complex (in a good way) flavor profile. The three ingredients really just build upon each other to create a perfect harmony. Yes, I know it sounds cheesy but if you taste this, you will also be transformed into a giant cheese ball. I promise.

In comparison to the Sorbetteria, I would like to say that the flavor of Regno delle due Sicilie is a complete winner in comparison to the Pistacchio flavor that I had a bit of from my friend Terra upon our last visit. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the texture of the gelato from the Sorbetteria. It was chewy and creamy whereas the gelato at Gelatauro is more melty and not as rich (texture-wise).

Either way, I am a slave to both the Sorbetteria and Gelatauro. And I hope to be a slave for plenty more gelato shops!

Ferrara

This past Saturday, we had a group excursion out to Ferrara, about 40 minute train ride from Bologna. I didn't really know what to expect of this city, but of the places that we had a chance to explore, it was absolutely beautiful. I really loved the city and the atmosphere of the city. Even though it was quite foggy, it almost made it more "mystical" or "romantic." 


Here are some of the pictures from the trip. I hope you enjoy them! If you do have a chance to visit, you totally should since it was pretty easy to navigate, the tourist sites were beautiful, and the food was absolutely stupendous. The pumpkin tortelloni (they called it something different but I can't remember exactly) was amazing, as well as a radicchio risotto. Om nom nam. (Sadly, I was too engrossed in my food to bother to take a picture... sorry about that)

At the castle that we visited

Duomo in Ferrara!

One of the street views

Concert at Teatro Manzoni

Although I would like to know more about Classical music than I do right now, I have never really taken the time to make much strides regarding this when I was at Brown. When I saw the offer to go to a concert at Teatro Manzoni this past Friday, I jumped at the chance and went for it. The orchestra played  Ludwig van Beethoven Concerto per violino e orchestra in Re maggiore op. 61 e Pëtr Il'ič Čajkovskij, Suite n. 3 in Sol maggiore, op. 55. The best part about it was that it was only 5 euros for a ticket and that the concert was phenomenal (I got out of it more than 5 euros worth for sure).


The Beethoven part was absolutely amazing, whereas I am not sure if I really got the second part as well.. Anyways, here are a couple of pictures of the orchestra!

(above) Before the concert started

After the Beethoven half of the concert was over

First Bolognese sauce attempt in Bologna!

Two days ago, I attempted to make Bolognese sauce since I happen to be in, well, Bologna!


I am not sure if this is a "traditional" way to do it, I just kind of went with the flow without following any recipe although I do think I might get myself an Italian cookbook and just cook from it throughout this semester to push my Italian culinary boundaries but also to diversify my Italian repertoire. 


I just sauteed carrots, onion, celery in olive oil and salt (sadly, we ran out of pepper... so I'll get that in the near future). Then I added the ground beef that I got the day before, added the ground tomatoes and the wine. After a couple hours of simmering, it was ready to be devoured.

Here's the final product! With some parmegiano reggiano on top, and sauteed summer squash and mushrooms on the side!

A day of Good Eats

Today was the day that I had imagined in my head when I had thought of the idea of studying abroad. I thought it was a romantic notion of the semester, but to be honest, it happened in totality today.

I started off a morning with the usual stop at Pasticerria d'Azeglio. But because we were running late, I couldn't take a picture of what I had. It was a pastry with HONEY on the inside (seriously, what could go wrong!) And the pastry base was perfect because it had a bit of multigrain-like thing in it, which worked tremendously well with the subtle sweetness of the honey! And of course there was the espresso that just made each bite perfect.

After a couple of hours of Italian history class, a group of us went to a cafe type place and ordered food. I ordered lasagna because I wanted something warm and creamy, and I got just that. It also helped that our entire table shared a bottle of red wine!

 

Then, there was the trip out to MAMbo, museum of modern art in Bologna, which was great. (I will post a couple of pictures of it later.. Maybe.. It was really cool but I didn't take any great pictures).

This is where the "whole fantasy comes true" takes place. A couple of my friends and I went to a market that was just incredible. I would have to take a picture next time I drop by. Then, after grabbing some great strawberries, pomegranate, green beans, asparagus, etc, my friend and I went to grab some aperitivo from a place that our language teacher recommended. 

Pignoletto, which is sparkling white wine, with bacon studded focaccia. Is there really anything better in life than those two together?

Then, after getting some meat, I came home and of course... cooked a bit more! Really simple and "highlighting the ingredients." (Isn't that what we are supposed to do in Italy?)

A tiny piece of steak, some cauliflower, asparagus and cherry tomatoes sateed in olive oil with some salt.

Sorbetteria Castiglione

From Day 1 in Italy, I have been going on about how I am dying to eat gelato even though it is 10 degrees celsius colder than it should be... I didn't think that I should "waste" my first gelato in Italia for something that is anything but perfect, so I went naturally to get my first gelato at Sorbetteria today.

As you can see, it's quite beautiful on the outside and the inside is just as adorable with nice touches of light purple, and very beautiful menu, etc.

And of course, there is me ecstatic to have the first "piccola" in my hand consisting of nocciola (hazelnut) and riso (rice). The rice flavor had more of an anise flavor than I expected (since I expected there to be none), but it was still very good and complex. The hazelnut... was simply just to die for. It was perfect.

I will just have to keep on coming back to try other gelato flavors throughout the semester and will keep you updated on how they all go!

The Beginning of the Food-ventures

Yesterday, I decided to basically do the typical college cookery where I throw a lot of things into the pot and hope for the best. It seriously could not have gone wrong with the tortellone that I picked up from a local store that was stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Then, I added sauteed cherry tomatoes, onions, grilled squash and red pepper, parmigiana, dried oregano and some fusilli to "finish" the dish. And then of course this greenery (unidentified Italian green stuff) after the dish was finished to add a bit of a refreshing touch.


The end result looked like this:

It didn't taste too shabby either. 

Then, this morning consisted of a quick stop over at Pasticerria d'Azeglio and had:

As you would expect, with this little pick me up, I am ready to take on just about anything.

Even though I had a quick bite of focaccia with grilled eggplant, red pepper, squash and other veggies for lunch, I found it too small of a bite after my language course. Which always leads me to cook way too much food in the middle of the afternoon as an "early dinner." And of course, there would be a late dinner as well.

This picture doesn't represent the ingredients very well, but the orecchini was with the heartiest cauliflower I have ever seen, prosciutto cotto and some cherry tomatoes. 

Ciao ciao!

Ravenna

Today was my first full day in Bologna, and I started off the day with a perfect cup of caffe normale with great company. I have a good feeling about this semester! Here are a couple of pics!

During guided excursion to Ravenna today. 

At the Church of San Vitale. Beautiful Mosaics all around.

Introduction

Hello! I have always played with the idea of starting a blog, but I thought this would be an opportune time for me to start since I am about to embark on a semester long of travels, good eats and fun. 

Tomorrow, I am headed out to Bologna, Italy to study abroad for a semester and I am hoping to chronicle it by taking at least one picture a day (and updating this blog as often as possible) to share with my family and friends what I have been up to. 

Hopefully you will find this blog to be as entertaining as I have found other people's blogs and I will try my best to keep it up. 

I am guessing that this blog will be mainly about food, hence the punny name, but do not be alarmed when you see other themes or topics, for I am just as interested in a wide variety of topics as a puppy would be distracted by different types of squirrels. (does this analogy even make sense?) 

Anyhoodles, I gotta go pack for tomorrow's flight out to Milan!

Cathy