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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 2 September |
Before I jump into Secondo or the main course, I want to take a snack break to discuss the new Italian megastore right smack in the middle of Manhattan, Eataly. As I sit here after a long day of “advanced pasta” eating the winnings of my savory shopping spree, I wonder if this is really what Nonna had in mind? |
| 31 August |
There is a method to the madness that is making risotto, but that doesn’t stop the sparks of fear inside me & my classmates each time we see it listed on the board. It seems as though something with such a detailed regimen would be foolproof, but I’m pretty sure disaster can only be avoided with constant babysitting and knowhow from failures past. If you also take into consideration, however, that each individual prefers their risotto served according to their unique taste, then you’re pretty much reaching for the stars. That said, my chef’s stars are, after multiple risottos, within my grasp, so we will follow Guido’s guidelines in the following lesson. |
| 25 August |
I finally saw Eat, Pray, Love (Julia Roberts, always) and, guess what, I am now really really hungry: hungry for life, hungry for pizza, and hungry for “dolce fa niente” or the sweetness of doing nothing. Luckily for you I haven’t acted on the latter, but instead targeted my hunger (for food) into writing this post on pasta asciutta or dried pasta. As for la dolce fa niente, I plan to actively apply this Italian manner of existence to my personal being. Ah, but isn’t that mindset my problem in the first place, actively attempting to do nothing… |
| 22 August |
I am a diehard fan of fresh pasta, any shape or way you cut it. My Nonna taught me how to make fresh spaghetti with her at a young age and some of my best memories are of us hanging the long strands over a broomstick under the ceiling fan to dry. Eating it late night for dessert with Grandpa’s spicy sauce was pretty great too! In class we started with the traditional pasta all’uovo and then learned how to translate the basic dough into various flavors and shapes by adding spinach or squid ink and changing the types of flour to produce the correct consistency. We then learned how to properly finish a pasta in the sauce and, of course, al dente, which means “to the tooth.” |
| 10 August |
Oh salad, fresh salad, how I could write an ode to thee. After a week of cooking pasta fresh, stuffed & dried pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and pizza a salad actually sounds quite exciting. I know you, out there, are anxiously awaiting the aforementioned recipes, but first things first for us Americans that often preface our meals with leafy greens. Many Europeans actually finish their meal with salad as a digestivi, to freshen their breath, and for other varied reasons. Alas, I’m still American and prefer a big fat scoop of ice cream for dessert, but maybe I’ll at least day crave il formaggio , or cheese course, to round out a nice dinner. |
| 6 August |
 Happy Saturday, Atlanta!
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| 4 August |
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| 29 July |
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| 26 July |
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| 22 July |
To begin, I would like to dedicate this post to my vegetarian college roommate Darcey, without whom I would probably still be confusing Manchego with Parmesan. Thanks for bringing me into your world of cheese (and wine). You almost have to correlate the two, no? I hate to put wine & cheese on the same level as, say, peanut butter & jelly, but now that I know such a thing as a cheese tasting exists, I think I might. I was aware there was a whole world of cheese out there to be tasted, hence the cheese plate, but I was naive to the fact that is a defined process and vocabulary by which to taste. This is where my roommate failed me, or perhaps did not yet dare to venture. |
