In Hawaii Aloha is love. In Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Yinz is our "y'all". In Italy Mangia is eat. This is a blog about a serious love for food regardless of location.
1 Uber ride, 2 long flights, and 2 train rides and we're finally in Firenze (Florence). Last night my parents, Bryce, and I settled into our hotel and kept ourselves moving in an effort to ward off the jet lag and any spur of the moment naps! We had our first true Italian meal at Pinos Sandwiches/Salumeria Verdi.
Aloha friends! It's been a while, hasn't it? We've had more visitors than we can count over the past few weeks and months. Between house guests Bryce and I managed to sneak off to a nice dinner to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary at Agrodolce, known for their Organic Sicilian Cuisine. We went to Sicily on our honeymoon, right around our first anniversary, so it was more than appropriate.
Part 1 included a simple dinner of pierogies and asparagus. This recipe has much more history and work to be done!
Last year when we (Bryce and I) traveled to Europe, the part I was most looking forward to was our cooking class in Sicily. There we learned to cook the esteemed Sicilian dish of Pasta Con Le Sarde, or Pasta with Sardines. It's made with fresh sardines, which are abundant on the island, and wild fennel which only grows in Sicily. On our first night in Sicily I had Pasta Con Le Sarde in a restaurant before learning how to make it the following day in our cooking class.
During our class the English-speaker/tour operator recorded the recipe for us while the Italian-speaker cooked and dictated to him. I didn't take a good look at the notes until just recently while planning to remake the recipe. Mamma Mia is all I can say, here's what they said:
While in Rome we made a friend who is from Naples. He kindly made us a list of all of the places to see and foods to eat while visiting his hometown. He'd told us specifically about a pastry that was a breakfast favorite. We weren't checked into our Naples hotel for ten minutes before Bryce walked into our room holding one. I had my lens on it in seconds and my crumby fingers on it a moment later! They're called sfogliatelle and they're the most memorable thing I'd eaten throughout our entire trip.
I've wanted to go to Italy for as long as I can remember. To say that our recent visit there lived up to my expectations is truly an understatement! The country was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, the people were so caring and friendly, and the food was delightful.
In the little imaginary Italy in my head, I'd drink a lot of coffee + wine, enjoy plenty of pasta, and do most of my dining outdoors. Reality was very, very accurate to my little dream! What I wasn't expecting was that each and every meal would be spectacular, regardless of price, city, or restaurant location. I'm excited to relive them and share them with you through this little blog.
Get ready because this is a photo heavy post! It's actually quite like Green Eggs and Ham as I'll be showing you all the times we ate pasta and where.
Bryce and I had lunch on the streets of Roma at an adorable little spot called Di Qua. Your first option is Italy's restaurants is always acqua (water) with or without gas (carbonation), to which we vote NO. On this particular day Bryce was up for some day-drinking!
[Get ready for another post beginning with my singing!]
In Napoli, where love is King, where boy meets girl, here's what they sayyyyy...
...When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie - that's amore!
That's Amore is one of my favorite songs. In college I worked at a bar that was owned by an Italian guy named Tony. We'd play that song during last call while turning the lights on, letting the drunkards know it was time to go. The next year I was a patron of that same bar and the sound of That's Amore somehow became an unnwelcomed burden rather than a call to rejoyce in tip money and freedom!
Last year at our wedding we played That's Amore as one of the very last songs at our reception and we all sang along. Now I'm sure not everyone knows or loves the song and that's OK. I know there's something we can all agree upon and that's pizza. Do you know where the college kids and all of the bartenders all went after That's Amore played and the bar closed? That's right, they all went to get pizza.
True Neopolitan pizza (although it was our second favorite, see below for photos of our actual favorite!)
Guess who's back? Back again. Ang's back, tell a friend! [Sung to the tune of Slim Shady.]
Bryce and I have recently returned from our magnificent 17-day honeymoon to Italy and Ireland. Unsure of where to begin with regard to all of the delicious food we ate in Italy, I suppose our ritualistic gelato tasting habit is a fitting starting point. Our first day is a great example of any typical day in Italy.
First - visit a historic site. In the case of day 1, it's the Spanish Steps.
Saying things like 'this place wasn't built in a day' and 'when in Rome' are encouraged, although not necessary!
We are on our first flight of our honeymoon trip as I'm writing this, from Seattle to DC. After a brief layover and some airport dinner (my expectations are low) we will be off to Italy and landing in Rome! We've collected, borrowed from the library, and been given many travel books surrounding this adventure and I've taken plenty of notes. Thank you Catholic School eduction! Most notes are regarding what to eat. You're shocked, I'm sure of it.
During our visit in Idaho I spent several hours relaxing in the sunlight jotting down the best tid bits of the many, many books.
The last time that Carol and Mike were in Seattle was back in 1982, 4 years before I showed up to the party here on Earth. They came for a visit a few weeks ago. Within just a few hours of landing they ventured to the top of the Space Needle, posed near the Public Market sign at Pike Place Market, and we were off to dinner!
So Seattle... we're all here now! First Bryce and Bagheera arrived together before Bryce took off on a business trip. Bagheera made herself at home atop the kitchen cabinets while in the absence of cozy things to lay on. I joined the party last week and our furniture and household goods arrived just 2 days later! We've been getting acclimated as best as we can. Thankfully I purchased a coat during our visit a few months ago and it goes everywhere with me!
If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen the cliche in-Seattle-drinking-coffee posts that I've succumbed to! In my defense I can't get enough coffee to warm my bones and I was:
Excited about my brand new French Press and coffee grinder
Sad that I ruined the first brew but didn't dare attempt a caffeine-free morning
Pleased to successfully make an edible cup of coffee at home using the crazy contraption
Tickled by the adorable and delicious mocha at a neighborhood coffee shop
Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I'm always mentally planning my next trip, the international one we'll take much later on with vacation time that hasn't yet been accrued, and scheming ways to squeeze in additional stops to Pittsburgh and Disneyland. Travel is one of life's greatest pleasures, although returning to your own home can be, too! My own bed, pillow, shower, pet, and kitchen are all things I find myself missing after just a few days away.
After our vacation to California [which I still owe you several posts from] Bryce and I needed to get back in the habit of eating just 3 meals a day - ha! - and return to a real food eating plan. After a Saturday morning trip to my favorite Farmer's Market, a $200 haul at Sam's Club, and one more stop at a "regular" store, we were enjoying a home made meal in the comfort of our own apartment.
This pesto chicken was made with basil and parsley that I actually planted, grew, and kept alive for a short period of time! The tomatoes are from the Farmer's Market, the spinach is surprisingly organic and from Sam's Club (which you can't say about many things), and the pasta is whole wheat.
Just like that Christmas has come and gone again! Last December I was boasting that I'd never, ever missed a Chrismas back home in Pittsburgh and this year I spent my first away from my childhood home, celebrating the holiday at my other home in Honolulu with Bryce. Because it was a chance for beginning a tradition of our own, I got really ambitious and decided to host a Feast of the 7 Fishes, an Italian Christmas Eve right of passage.
Never before had I even been to a Feast of the 7 Fishes, although I'd heard a lot about the seafood oriented Christmas Eve meal. Among the many good things I'd heard, it's also rumored that the feast can be (literally) very stinky, involves lots of fried items like calamari and smelts plus salted baccala, and that most times the fishes are eaten as more of a tradition before everyone moves on to the other, tastier food! I was not interested in a stinky house, greasy fried foods, or cooking 7 fishes annnnd other meal items so I decided to do the feast in my own way with only desirable menu items!
Our Christmas Eve went perfectly! Nine people squeezed into our apartment and each dinner course was better than the next. We had enough food to feed our entire street and if any of our neighbors are allergic to fish they may have died from anaphylaxis by proximity. Now that the pounds and pounds of leftovers have been eaten or thrown away, I suppose it's time to share our meal with you!
Our Feast of the 7 Fishes Menu
1. Ahi poke
2. Shrimp cocktail
3. Crab stuffed mushrooms
4. Clam chowder
5. Penne with tuna and tomato sauce
6. Spaghetti with clam sauce
7. Grilled flounder with oranges
For our Monday evening feast, the grocery shopping took place on Friday night at both Sam's Club and Safeway. Cooking began on Saturday with both of the pasta sauces: tuna and tomato sauce (5) and clam sauce (6). To accommodate the extra large can of tomatoes, first, and 9 guests, second, I doubled the recipe for the marinara.
Bryce and I have officially survived and celebrated our fourth year together! I'll have to admit the past year was certainly the most tryingandrewarding of our relationship thus far. Since our third anniversary we've moved apartments twice, gotten engaged, gone to 2 weddings, traveled to California (for Thanksgiving), San Fran, Pittsburgh, and Boston [no post!? WTH Ang?] and both secured new jobs!
After such a year we enjoyed a low key anniversary together. I was welcomed home with some lovely flowers :)
Happy Easter! Despite living in a house filled with adults, I still like to spend Easter celebrating traditions from my childhood. That means this guy shows up in full force!
So we'd heard all about Baci Bistro, a small Italian restaurant in Kailua with incredible cheesecake and a Monday night offer of 25% off of your entire bill! We'd pushed our date back for four Mondays in a row due to scheduling issues and illness, but we finally made it. There's no way we were going to go on any other day of the week - NO WAY.
Clearly I don't look too upset to stretch out my birthday celebration with one last meal! The key to a great dirty martini is to order it dirty, take a sip, and then send it back for more olive juice.
Chicken parmesan is one of my favorite comfort foods. The chicken is delightfully crunchy and the cheesy, saucy topping is a delicious contrast.
I worked at an Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh throughout high school and college (on semester breaks) and they have a seriously large and delicious chicken parm sandwich and stuffed chicken parm dinner, filled with ricotta! They're both incredible and can turn a bad day (or dinner shift) around in no time (30 minute break time).
I found this recipe for baked chicken parm a few months ago and made and delivered it to a friend who recently had a baby. Just last week I made it again when our friends came over for dinner. It's really easy to make, better for you than fried (obviously), and the surprise is that it uses Dijon mustard! I thought that would be weird but it's very subtle and gives it just a little tangy flavor.
The most annoying step comes first - getting that perfectly thin piece of chicken. You can either cut the chicken breasts in half, pound them with a meat pounder, or a combination of the two! If you're using the meat pounder, first place the chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap, then take out all of your anger/issues/aggression on the bird until you reach the desired thickness (between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch).
Next, combine the mustard and vinegar in a bowl. Add salt and pepper, then cover the chicken pieces with the mixture. Let them hang out in there for more flavor! In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parm cheese, and a little more pepper. Now is a great time to preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Another year of football has come and gone. It was just an OK year for my Steelers. The highlight had to be beating the Pats and the worst part was, of course, losing in the first round of playoffs to the over-popularized Tim Tebow and the Broncos. This season marked a first for me personally, as I traveled to San Fran for my first ever away game! I'm not sure if I'll ever do that again. Plus, they wouldn't even keep the lights on for me. I went to my annual Christmas-time home game, too.
Needless to say, the SB wasn't a big deal for me this year. Unlike last year, I actually dressed like a girl and paid little attention to the game.
I also made a delicious pizza dip! I found a recipe in the new HGTV magazine and changed it quite a bit.
We're three weeks into 2012 so far and I've been doing a great job of eating healthy lately. Not because it's my "resolution" but because we're getting married in the next year and we just got back from the longest and most gluttonous vacation of our lives! See here, here, and here - and I'm not even close to finished with the posts from the trip yet. Homemade and healthy, refreshing foods are so welcome in my life!
Don't judge this cookbook by it's dirty cover, it's one of my favorites! Honestly - who doesn't love Giada? As a fellow Italian with a gigantic mouth and passion for cooking, I certainly can admit my fondness for her and this cookbook.
As you can see it was a Christmas Gift of mine from 2007 from my dear cousin Josephine! (You may remember her because she's the one who let me know about the don't-watch-the-Godfather rule.)
I love books - especially giving or getting them as gifts with personalized notes. I also like to make little notes in my cookbooks for when my future self opens them! Thanks 2008 Ang for reminding me about this recipe. I remember borrowing a food processor to make it then, oh the joy of being a broke college student :)
White Bean Dip and Pita Chips
Adapted from Giada's recipe
white bean dip
2 - 15 ounce cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
pita chips
1 package of pita bread
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
salt & pepper
Giada makes her chips first, then then dip, but I like the dip to be chilled by the time the chips are ready!
In a food processor (your own or a borrowed one!) combine the beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and salt & pepper. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Slowly add olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Add salt & pepper if need be. Refrigerate the dip until the chips are ready to go!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush each pita half with sunflower oil on both sides. Using a pizza cutter, slice each pita half into 4 wedges and arrange on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with oregano, salt & pepper and bake for about 15 minutes, turning them once halfway through.
Once the chips are finished, get the dip from the fridge and enjoy! This is a simple and light recipe for an afternoon snack or a potluck. Of course the store-bought pita chips or crackers would work, too.
When someone asks me about this odd-looking green dip, I tell them it's basically hummus made with white beans! Is the color awesome or intimidating?
Me: Hi. My name is Angela, and I'm addicted to the Godfather movies and all things Italian.
Group in unison: Hi Angela!
There's plenty of Italian (Italian-American, really) culture in Pittsburgh, where I grew up. Moving to Hawaii was a big change for me in many ways. It's the only U.S. state with minority majority and haoles (white people) are the minority! The mainstream culture and foods here are strongly influenced by the Hawaiian and various Asian cultures. You can find spam, bok choy, Japanese cucumbers, fishcake, and so on at most grocery stores here, but cannoli shells are only sold at one!
I was shocked and excited to discover and join the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii a few years ago. I've since become board member/the group's treasurer. Finding this group was a jackpot, it's so much fun!
This weekend we enjoyed a night of wine bottling.
Here's a clip from the Godfather that shares my feeling about wine: bring. me. more. In a plastic pitcher on the dance floor, if at all possible.
I have no rights to this clip or anything at all, just sharing!
If you've watched the movie (Part 1) or even just the video in my Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli post, you know how it ends with Paulie and Clemenza!
Wine bottling was so much fun! It sounded intimidating but was actually quite easy.
First, you fill the bottle with wine. There's a little button on the spout to start and stop the flow of the wine. Could I be a little more excited?
Once the bottle is filled with wine, you put it into this torture-chamber-like contraption and put the cork into the top. Pull that lever down and you're done - the wine is corked! Notice we have a glass of wine next to us at all times :)
Now, carefully add the stickers to the front and back of the bottle.
Bryce demonstrates how to meticulously shrink wrap the bottle's top with the hair dryer... errrrr - I mean - heat gun!
That's it! All that's left to do is enjoy a little bit of wine. Aaaaaaaaand more wine!
Bryce and I are both blessed (read: cursed) with what I like to call the "Gift of Gab", which is just a nice way to say that we both talk an extreme amount. At events like this it's not uncommon for Bryce to go missing for extended periods of time. When this happens I know he's made a new friend and is probably talking their ear off somewhere! When I didn't see him for quite some time I searched and quickly found him in the back room talking to the owner. (Told you!) I also found ALL THE WINE! How much fun is that?!
The night was all about wine, but try to find a group of Italians gathered in one place without food. We had 3 incredible antipasti trays. Unfortunately, those marinated mozzarella balls were gone by the time I got to that tray.
Look at all that CHEESE!
Roast beef, ham, turkey, salami & peppers!
What a great evening. Now, I just need to find a good excuse to go back there! Oh yeah - I should probably drink the 2 bottles we brought home first!
This week would have been my Pap Pap's 89th Birthday and the 5th year we've been without him. I stuck with tradition and had a nice Italian meal in his honor. This time it was pasta with Italian sausage and a homemade sauce made from whatever I could find around my kitchen. A major improvement from last year is that I made the cannoli filling myself, rather than buying the cannoli pre-made.
There are 5 of us cousins, Pap's grandkids. Darren is 4th in the lineup and I'm 8 years after him, the baby by far! Darren moved to Hawaii in 2002 and I followed suit in 2008. So, since he's so close by I thought we could have our "Pap's Birthday Dinner" together! What was supposed to be dinner had to be rescheduled for lunch... then Darren forgot about the change of plans! Long and really funny story short - we ate dinner together the day after Pap's birthday. We agreed that pasta and cannoli filling are probably better on the day after they're made anyways.
Dinner was delicious. Darren told me stories that reminded me so much of Pap - like how he rigged chopsticks to a drill to stir organic peanut butter! I cracked Pap's typical jokes "You know why I like chocolate? Because you can't see the dirt!" And we toasted our cannoli to our Pap Pap.
