Slow Food
Red Currant Spelt Muffini
No, that's not a typo in the title. Allow me to explain. There are no such things as muffins in Italy. I keep asking around: "Hey--do you guys know what muffins are?" And they do, but only as some distant creation formed in strange tins in the United States. "What do you call them?" I asked my boyfriend one Sunday, as I prepared a batch of muffins for his virgin experience. "We call them muffin," Guido replied. "But what do you call them in plural? When there's more than one?" "Muffin," he said, laughing. "But that's ridiculous," I said. "If you're going to use the American word, then you should have a plural form." I thought for a moment about Italian grammar. Since most foreign words like "film" and "computer" are masculine by default, "muffin" must also be masculine. This means it should have the "o" ending when singular and the "i" ending when plural--if it were a normal word. "From now on," I said, "we'll call them...Muffini." And thus, amidst a storm of laughter, Muffini were born. Though I'm not celiac, I'm definitely sensitive to wheat and sometimes gluten altogether, depending on the day. So I was so excited to find spelt flour in our nearby health food store which usually doesn't bother me. I searched high and low for a simple spelt recipe that didn't call for ten million, hard to find ingredients like yogurt and applesauce, and found the base for this one here, on the King Arthur Flour website. I'm not against complicated recipes, I just don't always have the ingredients in my fridge, and I'm also starting to like the Italian philosophy of keeping it simple. Muffins are a favorite for me because they're easy to make and very tasty with a little fruit added. I'm a big berry fan; I love the burst of tartness surrounded by sweet, warm muffini-ness. But you could probably substitute some other fruit if you adjust the recipe a bit. These would also be fabulous with a half cup of walnuts or, even better, pecans...mmm... Red Currant Spelt Muffini Servings: 12 to 14 muffins Ingredients (in order of appearance): 2-1/4 (280 g) cups spelt flour (farro in Italy, or you can also use whole wheat) 1 Tbs baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup (150 g) cane sugar (or white) 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 3 eggs, beaten 1 Tbs vegetable oil or melted butter 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder (if you add powder, mix it with the dry ingredients) 1-1/4 cups (300 ml) milk G-Spot Ingredient: 1 Tbs of grated orange rind (the rind of one large orange) 1 cup (150g) red currants* 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional) Optional but yummers!: A little sugar to sprinkle on top of each muffin, right before you put them in the oven *Note: Halved raspberries, white currants, or gooseberries are excellent substitutes, as are blueberries or halved blackberries. But if you use a sweeter berry, cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup or 100g). If you use wet or frozen berries, I highly suggest you coat them with a little flour, which helps them stay in the mixture without sinking to the bottom of the pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220 C). Grease...
read moreWhy I have a crush on Jamie Oliver
If you live in the States, I'm a little jealous. Not just because you're closer to my family, but because you can watch a television show that I am completely in love with: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I am not the kind of girl that watches television--in fact, I've never owned one until I moved in with Guido, and we only used our basic cable once to watch the World Cup (Hey, I'm in Italy, what can I say?). So, thank goodness for airline entertainment. I was fortunate enough to watch the Food Revolution while traveling over the Atlantic on the way back from the United States. After watching the forty-minute pilot episode, I was totally inspired and moved by Jamie's mission to transform the unhealthy eating habits in the United States. Now this is the kind of television I can get behind. Here's the premise of the show: Jamie travels to Huntington, West Virgina (population 50,000), recently named the unhealthiest city in America because of its high rate of obesity-related deaths. A 2008 report from the Center for Disease Control reported the following facts on Huntington: 45.5% of the residents over 20 were overweight (that's half!), 21.6% of those over 45 reported a diagnosis of coronary heart disease, and 13% of those over 18 had diabetes (the national rate is 7.8%). Jamie's goal is to try to get the residents to change their addiction to fast and unhealthy food and show them that with just a little extra effort their lives can be healthier and much, much longer. The show is packed with insight into our American diet. It highlights what we feed our kids across the country--because let's face it, it's not as if the residents of Huntington are the only ones addicted to fast food. But I was must struck by the emotional chords struck during the show; I was riveted while watching the various conflicts between Jamie and the town's residents that felt understandably judged and embarrassed by the spotlight on their diets. I was moved by the intense emotions the locals expressed when they realized the processed foods they feed their kids could literally take years off their children's lives. One moment you HAVE to watch (I included the Youtube below) is when Jamie goes into a classroom with a group of 1st grade school children and tries to get them to identify basic fruits and vegetables. "Who knows what these are?" Jamie asks as he holds up a bunch of dark red tomatoes. None of the kids knew. "Potatoes!" One kids yells. Another gets up real close and squints and then shakes his head. "I dunno." Then Jamie yells out, "Who knows what ketchup is?" And all the kids' hands shoot into the air, huge smiles on their faces. Tomatoes, people. We're talking about tomatoes. This is nothing new to Jamie (yeah, we're on a first name basis...), who was recently named Britain's "Food Czar" and asked to transform the student lunches throughout the U.K. He also put his house up as collateral (without telling his wife), so he could fund The Fifteen Foundation, which takes fifteen young adults every year from disadvantaged backgrounds with criminal and drug abuse histories, and trains them in the restaurant business. In Decemeber 2009, Jamie won the...
read moreRoasted Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto
Moan alert. Of all the things Guido and I have prepared since my arrival, I have to say that this is one of the most orgasmic recipes, moan-worthy recipes I have to offer. And the fantastic thing is that it is oh so simple. Yesterday Guido and I went to the questura, which is the Italian word for "hell" (okay, it's what they call the local police station). I'm in the process of finishing the fabulously labyrinthine process for my permesso di soggiorno, which is sort of like my green card/identity card for my next year in Italy. Anyway, we had an appointment slip for 8:16am and thought that we'd walk right up to the window at the ever so exact time printed on the paper. I mean, why else would they say 8:16am, unless that time slot was specifically for us? We showed up around 8:16, only to find out that everyone else in Monza, our city, got the same appointment time, or something within 30 seconds of it. We had to pick a number and wait until it was our turn, and since the number counter currently said 66 and we were 88, things didn't look so good. One hour after our arrival, they'd made it to 68. Italian classes for the day? Out the window. Guido's day of work? Dream on. Government offices do not bring out the best in my otherwise patient and Buddha-like boyfriend. The inefficiency and apathy drive him nuts. After living in Turkey and the Philippines, I tend to just shrug it off, but Guido likes to pace around the room (imagine a very, very small waiting room at a DMV) and analyze what each clerk is doing, how efficient they're being, and what is causing the holdup. Then he reports back to me with updates: The computer broke down--can you imagine? The computer in a police station doesn't work. Then: Some guy just gave a lecture to five people for fifteen minutes--why? Who knows. Followed by: The only clerk working has been on the phone for thirty minutes. I said thirty minutes. A string of quietly muttered expletives followed, as the hours ticked slowly by. I had to get Guido out of the waiting room, so we slipped out for a cappucino and brioche (Italian croissant) three hours after our arrival, sometime around person 75. During the refreshing walk we passed one of my favorite things ever: a corner vegetable store. I dragged Guido in after the coffee and we wandered around the small shop for a few minutes as I lovingly ran my hands over the beautifully arranged pears--all five varieties of them!--and oggled the dark red endive (gorgeous!) and the plump roma tomatoes. The vegetable I was most surprised to see, however, was a bunch of asparagus propped next to the cash register. Asparagus is a spring vegetable and I still don't know why we found it in the market. Knowing that I likely wouldn't see asparagus again until after winter, we purchased some with this recipe in mind. Thank god for the trip to the cafe and the vegetable shop--we walked back to the questura blissful and happy and got our paperwork processed shortly after our return. But I just keep thinking that if it hadn't been for...
read morePasta with Mushrooms, White Wine, and Cream
I got into this simple dish when I was living in Turkey. I lived in an isolated home about 45 minutes from Isparta's city center, with windows so badly insulated that it sounded like I lived in a tea kettle whenever the wind blew--which was every day, all the time. I swear the house could have been in the 1939 production of Wuthering Heights. Anyway, one day I finally found out where to buy alcohol in my town--it's not easy once you're out of the tourist destinations. I had a chunk of parmesan from my last visit to Italy that Guido (my Italian boyfriend) had wrapped in foil and stuffed in my suitcase. Finally, I had a precious bag of gluten-free pasta that my best friend Melanie sent me for my birthday. All I knew was that this meal had better be delicious if it was going to use my precious ingredients (wine, parmesan, and gluten-free pasta). Fortunately, the creamy deliciousness totally satisfied. But let me just come out and say it: If you are on a diet, stay away from this dish. It's creamy, delicious, and yummy...but it is dangerous for the skinny inclined, full of calories and fat. That said, I think it's good to splurge every once in a while, and if you're in a splurging mood, go for this. I think what makes this pasta so dang tasty is using a little extra garlic (maybe a second clove if you're daring), a whole lot of parmesan, and a decent white wine. Do not even think about skipping the wine. I used gluten-free white rice penne for this dish. I don't recommend corn pasta for this because its strong flavor might detract from the cream sauce. That said, they make a good corn and rice tagliatelle here in Italy and I would have way rather used that than the penne, for the texture. And if you're not gluten-free, then I would definitely use your favorite flat egg noodle, like a fettuccine or tagliatelle. Without further ado... Servings: 2 full plates 1 Tbs of butter 1 garlic clove, chopped 1/4 cup white wine (Don't skimp on this!) 1 cup of cream (200 ml) 3 Tbs grated parmesan 9 to 10 oz of mushrooms--about one package of mushrooms 1 Tbs chopped parsley Salt and black pepper Pasta for two G-Spot Ingredient: The sneaky trick I highlight in the recipe! Bring your pot of water to a boil and add about 1 Tbs of salt before you add the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, that is, cook it until it needs about one more minute until it's ready. While the water is heating up, get your sauce prepared so it's ready a bit before the pasta is done. Start by chopping up your mushrooms and garlic. Melt the butter in the pan, then add the garlic. There are two ways you can do this. You can add the garlic the Italian way, which means that you cut the clove in half, let it cook in the olive oil, and then pull it out later so you don't eat it. Or you can do it the American way, which is to chop it up and let it cook throughout the sauce. I left it in, so the garlic...
read moreLa Cucina Ecologico–Keeping Your Kitchen Green
It can be expensive and difficult to always buy green and organic products, though for the most part, I say it's worth it. However, one huge way you can green your kitchen and home is by using natural cleaning products in our kitchen, and of course the rest of the house. Unfortunately, it's hard to find products like Simple Green and Seventh Generation here in Italy, and it's almost harder to convince my partner that it's worth the (lots of) extra Euros. In addition, I'm not entirely convinced that I want to inhale those products either, or that they are all that much more effective than some simple products I could make at home. I stumbled on a great website that had all kinds of natural recipes for cleaning fluids and cleansers. Here are some cleaning products you can make at home...not quite the yummy Italian food recipes I usually post, but they'll keep your kitchen orgasmic and green affordably! Just buy two spray bottles, a box of baking soda, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and one box of white vinegar. Then go crazy with the recipes below: Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol 1 cup water 1 tablespoon white vinegar Homemade Spray Cleaner Recipe Mix in a sprayer bottle: 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup water In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-water spray to clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas. In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet. Baking Soda Baking soda's mild abrasive action and natural deodorizing properties make it a powerful replacement for harsh commercial scouring powders. Put baking soda to work in your organized home: Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge to tackle grimy bathtub rings, scour vanities, or remove food deposits from the kitchen sink. For tougher grime, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the tub or sink, and allow to stand for 10 to 20 minutes. Dirt, soap scum and deposits soften and are easier to remove. All of these great recipes come from the Organized Home website. Click here to get more natural recipes for furniture polish and high strength cleaners, as well as more information about the products. You can also check out a review of green cleaning products in the States here on the Grist...
read moreSurprisingly Fabulous Tuna Pasta (and Hand Gestures You Shouldn’t Make in Italy)
I just have to come out and say it--this pasta may not look fabulous, and it may not sound fabulous, but it is surprisingly super duper fabulous...even though it's made with canned tuna. When Guido pulled out the canned tuna to try out this recipe one evening, I had my doubts. So did he, which is why when I came in to the kitchen to help cook, he jokingly referred to his dish as "la cena del cornuto." La corna In southern Italy one of the worst things you can call a man is a cornuto, and don't you dare think about making the sign of the horns (la corna) by extending your index and pinkie finger...unless you're looking for a fight. Calling a man a cornuto is the same as telling him he's a cuckhold--basically, that someone's been sleeping with his wife. Forget the F word; in southern Italy cornuto is the king of curses. When I asked Guido why he called the dish "la cena del cornuto," he joked that it's such a simple dinner (la cena) that even a cornuto--a man whose wife is too busy with her lover to cook for him--can make it. But by the time Guido had finished, not only was I so madly in love with him that I knew he'd never be a cornuto (I mean, come on--a man who cooks?), but it was so surprisingly good that I had to share. On a less fun note: This is not the best dish for the environment. Tuna is over fished and full of mercury these days. But if you do decide to splurge, make sure you use high-quality canned Albacore tuna. Finally, good olive oil and kalamata olives are necessary, and the pinch of peperoncino really makes it sing. Servings: 2 full plates Ingredients: Spaghetti for two (for gluten-free folks, use rice pasta, not corn pasta, as it won't overshadow the sauce with its flavor) One clove of garlic, cut in half. One can of good-quality tuna stored in oil, drained One roma tomato, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces 6 to 8 Kalamata olives (not those nasty black canned ones you put on your fingers as a kid!) cut into large pieces, not chopped--see picture G-Spot Ingredient: A pinch of peperoncino (red peppers) Get your hot water boiling for the pasta. Before you add the pasta to the boiling water, add one to two tablespoons of salt to the water, closer to two for a large pot with lots of water. Heat your pan until warm, then add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, enough to cover about half the pan. Add the two halves of garlic to the oil and let simmer for one minute, then add the can of tuna and let cook for a couple minutes until thoroughly warm. Add the kalamata olives till warm, then add the tomato and a pinch of peperoncino till all the ingredients are slightly cooked. Finally, remove the garlic cloves, unless you're crazy for garlic like me. When the pasta is al dente, about two minutes before you'd normally pull it out, scoop out a small cup of pasta water, turn off the heat, and drain the pasta. Then, add the pasta to the tuna sauce, and cook until the...
read morePotato and Tomato Frittata with Chives
Welcome to the first official recipe co-created with my dad. I'm traveling in the U.S. at the moment, visiting family, and as usual Dad is wowing me with his fabulous eats. Yesterday I begged him for a frittata, an Italian egg dish that's much like a Spanish omelet. I prefer my dad's variation, which is with potatoes, spiced up with some vegetables and herbs from his backyard garden. Yum! Let's talk quickly about which pan you should use. You need a pan that can work on the stovetop AND in the oven. I'm a big fan of the cast iron pan (or carbon steel, which is more pricey). But you can use any kind of non-stick pan you like that is stove and oven-safe. For this amount of eggs, a round pan with a nine-inch base should serve you well. You can also make frittatas without potatoes (or tomatoes and chives, for that matter). This is a good base to play around with, but you can certainly substitute your own favorite veggies and cheeses as you like. But if you choose this version, feel free to play "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" while you prepare the meal. You can pronounce potato and tomato however you like. Servings: 3 to 4 people as a main course, 6 to 8 as an appetizer Ingredients: 1.5 to 2 medium potatoes cut into 1/4 in. (2 cm) squares, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. 2 T butter or pure/virgin olive oil 2 T. of finely diced onion 6 large or 7 medium eggs 4 to 6 thin slices of cheese (a strong cheese like cheddar or fontina), enough to cover the surface of the frittata. You can also use grated parmigiana. 1 medium tomato, diced finely Salt and pepper to taste G-Spot Ingredient: 2 T. of finely chopped chives or green onions Saute the potatoes until slightly browned. Turn the broiler on and warm the oven. Sauté the potatoes in the olive oil at medium heat. Add salt and pepper to the potatoes as they cook. Once the potatoes are almost cooked and just starting to get golden, add the onions and sauté until the potatoes are fully cooked and the onions turn slightly golden as well. As the potatoes cook, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Make sure the potatoes and onions are evenly spread on the base of the pan, then pour the beaten eggs evenly over the potatoes and onions. As the eggs begin to set, use your fork and move the eggs and potatoes around so more liquid egg touches the pan. Then let it cook for a couple of minutes at medium temperature, making sure it's not getting too brown on the sides. Lower the heat if it browns too quickly. While the eggs are setting, add half the tomatoes and chives to the top of the frittata so they have time to sink in. Then add the slices of cheese as the frittata gets golden on the sides. Once the frittata is cooked on the bottom, pull the pan off the heat and put it under the broiler. Watch the broiler carefully! At this point, you will likely have to move the pan around (if your broiler has hot spots) to...
read moreWatermelon, Yogurt and Mint Smoothie
Okay, I must confess once more: This is NOT Italian. But, it's super tasty and I made it for my Italian boyfriend on his birthday (in Italy, no less!), so...excuses, excuses, I know. But let's get over it already and delight in the yummy goodness of this smoothie: It's fresh, it's tasty, it's unique, and it's a great way to use up the rest of your watermelon on a hot summer day. One warning: The yogurt makes this smoothie very filling; you could easily have this for breakfast and be satisfied for the rest of the morning. Servings: 2 generous portions Ingredients: 2 cups of seeded watermelon chunks 1 T. mint (or more, if you're nuts for mint, like me) 1 cup plain or lemon yogurt Optional: 1 T. honey G-Spot Ingredient: A dash of cinnamon Puree the watermelon, honey, and mint quickly in a blender. Add in half the yogurt and pulse it a few times. Add in the second half of the yogurt in and mix with a spoon, or pulse once. Pour into cups and mix with a spoon to fully blend. Add a dash of cinnamon on top, and a little watermelon or mint garnish for fun. Note: Watermelon turns to slush really quickly when blended. If you'd like a thin drink, then blend all of the yogurt till you get your desired consistency. But if you'd like something thicker, I think a hand blender would help you keep more control over how liquid you want the watermelon to get, or you can blend the watermelon, and add the yogurt entirely by spoon. Just some...
read moreOrgasmic Watermelon Salad
Okay, I'm going to be up front with you. This dish is NOT Italian. However, I did serve it to a bunch of Italians whilst in Italy, so perhaps that's enough of a qualifier. They all loved it--the flavors are exotic for an Italian palate, but the flavor combinations are familiarly Mediterranean. The final flavor combination fireworks in your mouth: salty black olives, sweet and crunchy watermelon, creamy feta, oniony onions (okay--how do YOU describe onions?), and the gentle snap of mint. I found this recipe on one of my new favorite blogs, Rachel Eats, whose beautiful pictures inspired me to upgrade my Canon lens. So, without further ado...here's the recipe for an Orgasmic Watermelon Salad. Eat it sitting down, so you don't embarrass yourself by falling to your knees in rapture at the first bite. Portions: About six Ingredients: 1 large or 2 small onions A couple handfuls of parsley (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped) 10 salty black Kalamata olives (I don't recommend canned or brine-packaged olives, and definitely not the tinny kind that you find on American pizzas) About six cups of chilled watermelon (the quality of the watermelon makes or breaks this dish, so get a good one!) 200g or a 1/2 cup of feta 6 Tbs of olive oil Lemon or lime juice to taste Salt and pepper to taste G-Spot Ingredient: Two sprigs of mint (add to taste here, I LOVE mint, so I added about 20 big leaves) Peel and chop the onions and carefully slice into thin crescents (see photo). Take your time with this step--chunky onions will overpower this dish. For the mint and parsley, pull off the leaves, wash and dry in a paper towel, then chop coarsely. Remove the rind and seeds from the watermelon and chop into small chunks (just over 1/2 inch or around 2cm) pieces. Cut the feta into 1/2 inch pieces as well. Take the pits out of the olives and cut them into halves or quarters. The salad, pre-feta Put all the ingredients together in a bowl, pour the lemon and olive oil on top, then mix all the ingredients with your hands to keep make sure the feta and melon keep their shape. Serve immediately. Note: If you want to make it in advance, put the melon on the bottom of the bowl, the other ingredients on top, and the feta in a separate bowl. Store in the fridge so it chills. When you're ready to serve, add the feta, then the dressing, then also mix by...
read moreCoffee Granita–it deserves its own post!
Sorry to be repetitive with the recipes here, but Guido and I had THE most amazing treat yesterday--coffee granita. If you love coffee and would like a summertime pick-me-up, you have got to try this. I know I blogged about lemon granita below, but this was so good, it deserved its own blog! Servings: 2 to 4 people, depending on how much coffee you can handle, and your level of restraint. Prep time: Including making the coffee and time to let things cool, about 15 to 20 minutes. Ingredients: 8 oz. or 1 cup of espresso or coffee (250 ml) **Not filtered coffee, unless it's crazy strong 4 oz. or 1/2 cup of water (100 ml) 1/2 cup of sugar (100 g)--maybe start with a little less and sweeten to taste. G-spot ingredient: Whipped cream for topping...oh...my...goodness... Make the espresso and allow it to cool. While it's cooling, bring the water to a simmer, lower the flame, then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Take the sugar water mixture off the heat and allow it to cool. When the coffee and the sugar water are cool, mix the two together, and pour the mixture into a shallow dish (like a 9 x 9 glass baking pan). Don't use something with Teflon because you'll be using a fork (and because Teflon sucks!). Cover the dish (not essential). Let the mixture sit for one hour, then stir it with a fork, crushing all the icy chunks. Repeat this every 30 minutes (some recipes say 20 minutes) and after about 3 hours, it should be ready to serve. You might want to let it warm up just a bit so it's not so grainy, but is a little bit slushy and liquid as well. Guido said that's how it's served in Sicily. Final tip: You MUST, MUST, MUST use whipped cream on this. You don't have to, of course, if you're avoiding dairy, but it truly becomes orgasmic when you do. My boyfriend (who's half Sicilian) loves this recipe and is amazed at how simple it is to make, and how like the "real thing" in Sicily....
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