Italy’s Best Smoothie
20 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Food and Recipes Tags: blackberries, dairy free smoothie, flax seed, raspberries, recipe, Smoothie, soy, wild fruit
I have recently been on a smoothie kick – only because I have just discovered that yes, they can be made WITHOUT milk! I never had them before because I always thought they contained milk which is not good for lactose intolerant me. But My curiosity and random attempts got the better of me and I invented pure awesomeness. Possibly someone else has already found out this recipe but it’s new to me!
So here goes-lactose free smoothies:
Ingredients:
1tsp whole or 1/2 tsp ground flaxseed
1 banana
1 single portion sized container plain soy yoghurt (I used Valsoia here in Italy)
1/2 cup mixed frozen wild fruits (here in Italy Buitoni makes an awesome mix!)
Method:
Set up your blender. If you are using while flax seed add this to the blender first and then pulse until it is ground. This helps release the healthy omega-3 goodness, or else it apparently goes right through you without being digested! Then add the banana, frozen fruit and yoghurt. Blend on high until smooth – about 10 seconds. You can always add a drop of soy milk if it is too thick.
Pour into a tall glass and enjoy it creamy goodness!
10 Foodie Things Italians Have Got Right, and 10 They Don’t
29 Mar 2012 3 Comments
in Daily Life, Food and Recipes, Italy Tags: bad Italian food, bread, buscuits, foccaccia, good Italian food, Italian Food, panino, Pasta, pesto, pizza, salad, soup
A recent conversation with one of my students led to one of the most common topics in coversation in Italy – food.
If you ask any Italian what country has the best food, they will stand up straighter, look down on you, raise an eyebrow and say, incredulously, “Why Italy, of course!” I mean, how could I ever think otherwise? But, as someone raised in a multicultural country like Canada, I can’t believe that Italian is the BEST food in the world – I think every country has at least one dish that is amazing.
But I digress. This conversation I had with my student led me to reflect a moment on some of the things Italy has that are pure awesomeness, and some others that they just can’t seem to get right (sorry guys). So here they are, in no particular order:
10 Foodie Things They Got Right:
1. Foccaccia. This is something that we North Americans think we are familar with, but nay, until you have tasted real foccaccia (from Genova, becuase even in other parts of Italy, it’s not so great), you know NOTHING people. Real foccacio is soft, chewy and oily and salty, and so not good for you, but so, so delicious.
2. Pesto. Another Genoese specialty. Interestingly enough, although the main ingredients are the same throughout Liguria, each part of the area makes it a little diffferently when serving it with pasta. For example, some add green beans and potatoes to the pasta and mix it all together with the pesto. I honestly love it this way, and it is the only way I eat green beans!
3. Gelato. Is anyone really going to try and debate with me on this one? Never has there been a creamier ice cream. Although sometimes lacking in flavour variety, there is nothing like the texture and taste that a cone or cup of gelato can give. Damn you lactose intollerance!
4. Regional Cooking. In no other country of the world (I think) is there so much variety in regional cooking. Every Region, Province and yes even every town, has it’s own special digh that they make only there in their own special way, that no-one else knows how to make. YOu could live here a life time and never have tasted everything.
5. Pasta. There is a reason Italy is famous for this around the world.
6. Pizza. See point 5.
7. Olive Oil. I know the entire Mediterranean area is famous for olive production, but I have tasted olive oil from many places, and no-one has it like they do in Italy. Now, every region will say their’s is the best (there is no unity in food competition in this country), but they are all good. Their taste ranges from the suble blending of flavours in the amber aged oils to the sharp almost spicy bit of the green fresh pressed oils. They’ve even invented the oil somelier here.
8. Seafood. This is a toughie, because I have had some pretty awesome seafood all over the world, actually never have I found a country that can make it wrong. But try a fritto misto or marinated anchovies, and you will be in heaven!
9. Deli meats. Also known as cold cuts. The variety of deli meats in this country is incredible. Try and say “salami” to the grocer, and they will spew forth a list of about forty different kinds, all made within a radious of 100km. There is a reason why you can’t find a Christmas ham in this country – it is all turned into prosciutto, or salami of some sort!
10. Wine. I’m no expert, but in a country where nearly every family has someone who makes their own, and who knows the moon cycles and harvest times by heart, you really can’t go wrong, no matter what wine you choose from the list.
… And 10 They Don’t:
1. Bread. Notwithstanding that Italians eat bread with every meal (yes, even with pasta), their bread all tastes, well, the same. It is either crusty or soft, but the middle is the same. Everywhere. Where are the whole grains, the seeds, the nuts, and all the other good stuff you can find in breads all over the world? Sometimes I try and make my own bread, but it is pretty hard to find the goods to put in it, at a reasonable price anyways.
2. Sandwiches. Notwithstanding the amazing variety in deli meats, which is such a great base for their sandwiches, the Italians have not figured out the great art of sandwich-making. You can either get a tramezzini (stale breat filled with mayonnaise and something – way overdone) or you get a panino (a slab of bread, sometimes so crusty it hurts you palate to take a bit out of it, with a couble slices of meat in it. Period). What about some nice crisp lettuce? A couple of tomatoes, sprouts, cheese? Some mustard and may? And some soft yummy bread, maybe slightly toasted…a bagel perhaps? Need I say more?
3. Meat. I’m talking beef and pork and chicken. No matter where you are, the meat is often prepared in a similar manner, either raw or overcooked, breaded or grilled with nothing. No roast beef, no babrbeque. Italian barbeque is grilled meat. Nothing more, no sauce, no marinade. Not so great to be honest.
4. Milk. Italians have great cheese, but the milk is undrinkable. I used to drink a glass of milk a day. Since I came to Italy that has stopped. And I only became lactose intollerant a few years ago.
5. Cookies/Biscuits. Anyone ever tried what they pass off as cookies here? Ever tried different brands, with supposedly different ingredients? Ever noticed a difference in taste? Ya, neither have I.
6. Breakfast. Partially related to point 5 above is breakfast. Now in North America we may exaggerate with the eggs and the bacon and stuff, but even during the week usually breakfast is filling and some of it is good for you at least. Italian breakfast consists in cafelatte/tea and a few cookies or a croissant. Pure sugar, no sustenance. No wonder they need huge lunches – I would be ravenous!
7. Multiculturalism in food. This isn’t really a food in itself but it is an attitude to food. Nothing is better than Italian food. Strangely enough, my husband now goes crazy for pad thai, sushi and waffles. Hmmmm. I must confess however that the situation has improved over the years, with more ethnic restaurants opening up here and there.
8. Cakes, pies and deserts in general. Italians have a few amazing desserts: tiramisu, cannelone siciliano, and pastries are some of the amazing specialties they have here. But their cakes are three types and three types they remain. Crostata is good, but really you can only put in so many flavours of jam before it gets boring.
9. Picnics. I know this is a strange one, but I used to love going on picnics, and loved picnic food. Alas, since most picnic food consists of sandwiches and fingerfood, the country falls short.
10. Soups and Salads. Again a lack of creativity in both. There are the usual four or five soups. Finis. Then the salads, usually consisting of tomatoes, carrots and lettuce, dressed in oil and vinegar. Where is the daring with some fruit? Or different dressings? Vegetables can be fun and amazing, if only you would dare with them!
And there you have it. Did I miss something? Rememeber this is purely subjective, so feel free to agree or disagree in the comments!!
Chocolate, Chocolate, Everywhere!
13 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Daily Life, Food and Recipes, Italy, Things to See Tags: chocolate, chocolate covered apples, chocolate covered bananas, chocolate fair, cioccola-to, food, hazelnut chocolate, Italy, turin
On Saturday I thought I had died…and gone to sweet delicious chocolatey heaven….
You see, we decided to go to Cioccolato’, a chocolate festival in Turin. Turin, together with Perugia is the chocolate capital of Italy, inventors of the gianduiotti, and that deliciousness which is Nutella. The hazelnut-chocolate combo was the best thing that have ever found.
hazelnuts and chocolate...mmmmm
We arrived at the fair fairly early and immediately began sampling the local goodies. Besides tasties of different types of chocolate, including such oddities as onion, curry, lavender and rose petal (all delicious – and I am already thinking of how to make them at home!), there were other such novelties as chocolate kebabs, chocolate covered strawberries and waffles, chocolate covered apples and bananas, and the usual culprits, crepes.
All of which lead to delicious tummy aches of course.
Also they had an area explaining how to make different recipes using chocolate and a stand showing how gianduiotti are made. I was amazed at how thin the chocolatiers were – if I had had that job I think the Goodyear blimp would be put to shame.
gianduiotti waiting to go into the packaging machine
Of course, we also toured around Turin (the fair wasn’t that big), but I’ll write about that in another post. Instead, I’ll leave you with more chocolate photos….
How to make a chocolate kebab...
Spicy chili pepper chocolate
chocolate covered bananas - these were then rolled in crushed hazelnuts...
A Taste of Home
12 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Daily Life, Food and Recipes, Italy Tags: Expat, food, Italy, Waffles
When I took my husband to Canada a few years ago, I intruduced him to the all North American brunch. One of the things I made were waffles. Not even the good homemade kind, I made toaster waffles, Eggos. Hubby fell madly in love with waffles and when we returned to Italy he asked me to make him some. But alas, there was not a waffle iron to be found in the country and a very disappointed hubby made do with pancakes and french toast from then on.
Fast forward to last August. I asked hubby what he wanted me to bring him and he said, “Eggos!”. I pondered how on earth I was going to get frozen waffles back through a 20 hour flight for a few days, then one morning, in front of a stack of waffles, I told my mom and stepdad about my dilemma. My stepdad said, “Just bring back a waffle iron.” GENIUS!!
I confess I was embarassed I hadn’t thought of it before, but we immediately went to the nearest store and bought an electric waffle iron. (I already had a transformer in Italy from my previous crock pot purchase).
The day after I landed I made hubby waffles. He loved me even more from that day on I believe.
So, yesterday he sweetly did the groceries for me (I was drowning ina translation from Hell) and I noticed he bought all the intgredients for waffles. I decided to make his wish come true- and enjoyed a taste of home while I was at it!
Polenta with Sausage
02 Feb 2012 3 Comments
in Food and Recipes Tags: Italian recipes, polenta, recipe, sausage, wine
Well here I am again with another recipe. This time I am trying to post one with my iPhone so forgive me if it’s not perfect- but someone insisted I get this online ASAP so I shall obey!
We finally got some cold weather out here in Genoa and what better meal to fight the cold than traditional Italian polenta? Polenta is really just cooked cornflour with some sort of sauce on top or mixed in. The next day it can be fried or baked – it really is quite versatile though it takes some elbow grease – be prepared!
Ingredients
Sauce:
3/4 links sausage
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic,crushed
3 fresh ripe tomatoes
1cup tomato puree
1 cup red wine
Marjoram
Rosemary
Savory
Sal and pepper
Bay leaves
Celery seed
Pinch sugar
Small bunch fresh parsely
Polenta:
250g cornflour
Coarse salt
1 litre boiling water
Method
Cut the sausage into pieces. Then crush the garlic and chop the onion. If using fresh herbs finely chop them together with the parsely (except the bay leaves). If using dried wait to use them. Dice the tomatoes. In a large saucepan add a bit of oil. When it is hot add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is transparent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the tomatoes and stir well. After about a minute add the herbs, tomato sauce and red wine. Stir well. When it simmers lower the heat and cook uncovered for 40 minutes. I strongly suggest the use of a splatter screen. Stirr occasionally to make sure it isn’t sticking or burning. The liquid should be reduced by about half when it’s ready.
When your sauce is about 20 min from being ready it is time to prepare yourself to make polenta. Now I’m explaining the traditional method, but if you find the instant stuff then please feel free and save yourself some time by cooking according to package directions. If you’re like me and have a lifetime supply of cornflour then keep on reading. Bring your litre of water to a boil and salt. Pour in the cornmeal and lower the heat. Start stirring with a long handled wooden spoon so you don’t burn yourself. Stir stir stir for about 20 minutes. Polenta should be thick and hard to stir when it’s ready. Ideally it should also be detaching itself from the sides of the pot but I prefer it a bit undercooked personally. When the polenta is ready pour it on dishes and add some sausage on top. Enjoy while it’s hot!!
Pad Thai
04 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Food and Recipes Tags: food, oriental cuisine, pad thai, pad thai recipe, recipe
The good thing about being on holiday, is that I finally have time to cook some delicious dinners…and experiment with new dishes. I love Pad Thai. It is an amazing mixture of spicy, sweet and sour that just gets your taste buds jumping. Not to mention it is really fast and easy to make. All you need is a wok and a few ingredients and there you have it! Also it can easily become vegetarian or meaty by either omitting the prawns or substituting them with chicken.
This is how I made it. The original recipe can be found here, but I made a few modifications based on what I could find in Genoa. This recipe serves 2 abundantly.
Ingredients
200 g Thai rice noodles (if you can’t find them a good sub is rice linguini broken in half, in Italy you can find them under the Scotti brand)
1/2 tsp ground chili pepper
1 egg
4 tsp light soy souce
3 cloves minced garlic
ground pepper
1/2 lime (or lemon)
2 tbsp demerara or raw cane sugar (or palm sugar)
2 tbsp tamarind paste (this can be tricky to find in Italy. Find your nearest Chinese supermarket – they will certainly have it. Or you may be able to find it in a Eastern food market)
1 small block firm tofu
2 tbsp wok oil (I used wok oil from the UK, but peanut oil is an excellent substitute)
2 thinly sliced leeks
1 1/2 cup chives (or green onions, including the green parts)
2 tbsp shelled peanuts
1 pkg fresh soy bean sprouts
1 pkg jumbo shrimp tails/prawn tails (leave this out if you want to go veg)
Method
Place the noodles in a bowl with lukewarm water and soak them. While they are soaking, prepare your other ingredients. Finely slice the leeks. Mince the garlic. Slice the chive to lengths of about 1/2 inch, and set some aside to serve fresh. Julienne the tofu. Shell the peanuts. Peel and devein the shrimp. Rinse the bean sprouts and set about a handful aside to serve fresh. Mix the tamarind paste and the soy sauce together in a cup and measure out the other ingredients. Once you start cooking, you have to be fast.
When the noodles are ready (they should be limp but not expanded, almost translucent), it’s time to start cooking. Heat up the wok. Toss in the peanuts. When they are toasted, remove them from the wok and set them aside. Add the oil and toss in the leeks and the garlic. Stir well. Then add the tofu. When the tofu is starting to brown, drain the noodles and add to the wok. Add the soy sauce-tamarind mixture, sugar and the chili. Toss together. Heat should be fairly high. Push the noodles out of the way and crack the egg into the wok. Partially scramble the egg, then fold it into the noodles. Test a noodle. If it is still undercooked, add half a glass of water (i used my soy glass to get all the tamarind goodness out of it). When the noodles are ready, add the shrimp and stir. When the shrimp are almost cooked, add the bean sprouts and the chives. Add the ground pepper. Stir well.
Place on serving dishes and sprinkle with toasted peanuts, chives and fresh sprouts. Add a slice of lime to the side.
Serve. Squeeze the lime juice into the Pad Thai and enjoy!
A Foodie Christmas
14 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Food and Recipes Tags: candies, chocolate, chocolate molds, chocolate truffles, Christmas food, gift ideas, how to temper chocolate, making chocolates
Yes, two foodie posts in a row! I’d better be careful or I might spoil you! Here I won’t really be sharing a recipe per se but I will be talking about my chocolate adventures.
Because of the economic downturn, hubby and I are on a super tight budget this year (who isn’t?), but I still wanted to make something special for my friends. At Halloween a friend of mine made chocolates as part of the evening meal and they were fabulous. Shortly afterwards I happened upon some Christmas themed chocolate molds and thought to myself, “Eureka! I’ll make chocolate this year!”
And so began my research. As I read more and more about chocolate and chocolate making I found myself more and more intrigued, so my chocolate-making went from making caramel-filled chocolates to Aztec chocolate bark, chocolate covered pretzels and citrus peels, white ginger truffles and dark chocolate truffles. I went all out and set myself a new challenge – learning to temper chocolate. Not easy I tell you. My first three tries failed miserably, then, magically all at once, I found the trick (for me) and saw it all come together – the chocolate was looking shiny, dark and professional. I tried it, it dried and cracked like it was supposed to. I was ecstatic, and managed to repeat the process a good three times!
Tempering chocolate is good if you want your chocolates to last a long time. If you are going to keep them in the fridge or eat them in a few days it doesn’t really matter – and they will still taste great. But if you want to send them in the mail, or give them as gifts in a week or two after making them, then tempering chocolate is a must. If you want to read about why you should temper chocolate, read this.
Here is also a link to a video showing how to temper chocolate and dip truffles, for those who are interested.
Absolute musts for tempering chocolate are a stainless steel bowl (it just works better for some reason) and a candy thermometer, bonus if it’s a clip on one – it makes things so much easier. Other good thing to have is a good quality rubber spatula (heat resistant is good, or else you get rubber bits in your chocolate – not good).
The first thing to do is put a couple of inches of water into a double boiler (or a pot that is the right size for you to put your bowl on top), when it is steaming, put the water on the smallest fire and keep it low. The trick I discovered is to do everything slowly. Melt the chocolate, continuosly stirring it and keeping a careful eye on the thermometer. Something I noted, at about one or two degrees from the appropriate temperature (it varies depending on the type of chocolate), the chocolate heats up super fast, so when you are half a degree from the good temperature take it off the stove. By the time you get it off it will have reached temperature. If you go over, no panic, just let it reach the temperature it should before proceeding to the next step.
Place the bowl on a heat proof surface and add a few pieces of “seed” chocolate, this helps put good chocolate chemical things back into the chocolate. Keep stirring, stir stir stir and be patient. Do not abandon your chocolate. It is apparently a very finicky thing. When it is about to lower to the right temperature, turn the heat back on, very low under your water.
When the chocolate is at temperature, put it back on the double boiler and count to 10, take it off, stir a second or two and put it back on. Repeat until you reach the temperature. In theory right when it hits tempering point you can see there is just something different to the chocolate. It becomes “different”. I’m not so good at describing it – but that is when I knew I had gotten it right. At that point do with the chocolate what you will. The results will be worth all this effort, trust me 
Candied Citrus Peel
12 Dec 2011 2 Comments
in Food and Recipes Tags: candied citrus peel recipe, chocolate, Christmas, lemon peel, orange peel, recipe, recipes
Thought I was gone for good, didn’t you? Nay! Just busy, busy, busy. But I have come back with a bang! Recipes, travels and more!
This year I decided to be creative for Christmas. I decided to make my own chocolates to give as gifts – which of course lead me down the road of learning how to temper chocolate and make one of my favorite things – candied citrus peel. It’s time consuming, but easy and doesn’t really take a lot of effort. So here we go!
Ingredients:
4 oranges (or 2 oranges and 2 large lemons)
4 cups water
2.5 cups sugar, plus more for coating
Method:
Peel the fruit
The first step is to peel the citrus fruit. I found the easiest thing is to take a paring knife and make two cuts all the way around the fruit, just through the peel, then with your fingers peel off the skin. Set the fruit aside for another use (I made orange juice and lemonade). If the pith is really thick cut it out of the skin by scraping the paring knife along the inside. If it’s not thick, let it be.
Boil the peel twice to take out some of the bitterness
Then slice the peel vertically into 1″ thick slices. Put the peel in a non-reactive pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes, then drain. Repeat once more.
Once you have boiled the peels twice, in the same pot add the sugar and the 4 cups of water. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. When the water starts to boil, add the peels, then turn the heat down so that the peels stay at a slow simmer. Do not stir the peels, or else sugar crystals will form (although you can poke them back under the water, if you are careful). Simmer, uncovered, for about two hours. A syrup should have formed and the liquid should be reduced to about 1/4 of the original amount.
Boil down to make a syrup
Put some sugar in a small bowl, and lay out some wax paper on a cookie sheet. Drain the peels, and roll them in the sugar while they are still wet. Lay out the peels to dry over night.
Roll the peels in sugar
If you like them just the way they are you can stop right there. You can chop up the peel to add to fruit cakes, cookies, muffins etc. But if you are a chocolate lover, you can continue with the next step.
Let dry overnight
In the top of a double boiler melt some chocolate. If you want them to last longer, or are giving them as gifts you can temper the chocolate (that will be for another post). When the chocolate is melted, dip the strips into the chocolate and lay back out on the cookie sheet to cool. Some people like to cover them completely in chocolate. Personally I like the half an half look. When the chocolate has hardened, take a bite, and enjoy!
Pasta!
26 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Daily Life, Food and Recipes, Italy Tags: cooking, Italy, Pasta
My in-laws came over this weekend. Although I was fearful, as I usually am when they come, amazingly, things went smoothly this time around.
I didn’t understand why they had brought a giant wooden board with them and a lifetime supply of “the best” flour for me. But today I found out.
As my husband and his father bit their tongues with my chatty landlady and transported the old bed to a storage place out in the middle of the boonies, my mother-in-law showed me me what that giant board was for -making pasta!
I remember mentioning to her in passing that I wanted to learn how to make fresh pasta. It seemed so daunting to make it just the right thickness and cut it the right size, make it the right consistency so it wouldn’t fall apart in the water… Little did I know she took it to heart and actually went out and bought me a board and a huge rolling pin!
Well needless to say I was both excited and nervous today as she showed me the right amount of flour egg oil salt and water to use…and borage to make green pasta. I measured and kneaded and rolled, got corrected, rolled again then folded and cut. And this was the result:
Tagliatelle!
My husband didn’t really believe I had made them, but what can I say? I had a patient teacher! I guess this makes me a true Italian wifey now…
Pickled Capers
30 Jun 2011 2 Comments
in Food and Recipes, Italy Tags: capers, Mediterranean diet, pickled capers recipe
Caper flowers
As I mentioned yesterday, I learned how to pickle capers, and decided to bravely try my hand at them.
I have never done any home canning before and most certainly am not equipped with the proper tools, but I did my best, and as this is my first try, I only made a few and will be keeping them in the fridge to eat soon. If you have patience and proper canning supplies, then I am sure you can make a delicious huge batch of them!
Capers are very finicky plants. They seem to not like being cultivated, then grow wherever they like anyways. My mother-in-law tried to cultivate some for years and nothing then one day, they found two plants growing out of the retaining wall in the terrace, and have happily picked the capers from the plant ever since! Go figure. Capers like to grow in hot dry areas, and I have mostly seen them growing out of rock walls. It is hard to buy fresh capers, so you have to pick them yourself. If you have a neighbour with a few plants, or are lucky like me then you are set!
The classic capers that we see in the stores are the unopened flower buds. The buds grow along the stem and can be picked pretty often. Once you pick the buds, the plant will make more, trying to flower and seed. You can get away with picking them for about three or four weeks. After which you should let the flowers bloom so they produce the fruit (also delicious when pickled! If I can pull it off, I will try and make some at the end of the summer!). Not to mention the flowers are amazingly beautiful to look at!
OK, so here goes the recipe as I have been told:
Ingredients
1 kg fresh picked capers
1 kg coarse salt
1 litre white wine vinegar
fresh basil leaves
fresh or dried bay leaves
Wash the capers and lay them out on a tea towel to dry. When they are dry place them in a bowl and cover them completely with the salt. This is important as you are pretty much preserving them through the salting process. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel (or cheesecloth) and place outside in a sunny location (or a sunny windowsill is fine) for TWO days, bringing it in at night.
Salt the capers
On the day you are pickling, sterilize the jars that you’ll need and clean lids. Smaller jars work better, as capers are pretty small and they get even smaller after being salted. While you are sterilizing the jars, remove the capers from the salt, set the salt aside and keep for now. Cool the sterilized jars. While they are cooling measure out the vinegar, and add the bay leaves and basil. Place into a small pot and place on the stove. Bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes.
Place the capers in a jar with their salt
While the vinegar is boiling place the capers into the jars. Go ahead and pack them in, just don’t crush them. Add some of the salt that you set aside, this goes to taste I added about a teaspoon for every handful of capers, you can add more or less. I’m guessing practice makes perfect here. When the vinegar is ready pour over the capers. Put on the lids and seal the jars.
And voila! Pickled capers!
Let cool and store in a cool dry place. Wait about a week before digging in to give the vinegar time to flavour the capers.
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