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Italian Eatery Recommendations
I was in Italy for 8 days last month and ate, ate, and ate some more.
I have been terribly delinquent in my posting and for this I apologize. It's been busy. I'm set to move, again, in the coming weeks. And work on the podcast and We Need Diverse Books is on the upswing. But that's no excuse for no food writing. I mean come now, however if you have seen my Instagram you know food has been high on the agenda. And now that the food fairs are back in play...well let's do this! Last month I was in Italy for a lovely 8 days with my priority being getting rest and lots of food. Both were accomplished. What were my priorities in Italy you ask? Risotto. Risotto big time. Yes, many go for pizza but since I was in Milan (not one of the foremost food capitals in the country) I knew that risotto was pretty well influenced there and available at most restaurants. So here are the highlights, as I will not share the lowlights, of eating in Italy from Milan to Genoa to Florence to Venice. Lots of carbs. Not many regrets.
Milan
First off a big thanks to Emily for finding basically all of the wonderful eateries we went to via TripAdvisor and other apps we downloaded pre-travels. Emily was essential in finding the food while I kinda focused on what to do around the area. This trattoria was a bit away from our place in Milan Navigli area but sooooo very much worth the trip on a Sunday evening.
We had a wonderfully and reasonably priced price fixe menu with 4-5 courses. Along with unlimited bread we were full halfway through. And this was my first risotto experience in Italy and it did not disappoint!
This was a quaint place tucked in a dark corner along a dark street with some hole-in-the-wall eateries. GPS was our best friend in our travels. We were one of the first parties to arrive and Trattoria filled up pretty quickly soon after with locals.
One of my first and favorite dishes was the octopus with pesto and hummus. Homemade hummus and pesto...in Italy! And the octopus was fantastic tender quality. Then risotto, delicious, salt code with tomato sauce (which was salty) and an apple tatin which had more of a cakey crust than a flaky pie crust but was warm and oh so good.
Don't let the name fool you. This was a fine dining establishment by one of Milan's finest chefs Claudio Sadler. Funny enough many in Italy don't consider this to be high class and I guess compared to Sadler’s place it isn’t. But from my perspective they had a solid menu, good service, good portions and the ambiance was definitely one of a more high-end restaurant you’d find in NYC.
The bread offered at these restaurants in Italy was often always on point and made in-house. So good and easy to fill up on. I had the veal Milanese and also a mango tart with eggnog mousse. Very light on the tart and I liked the shell. The veal was hardcore and large with mashed potatoes so creamy it was the ideal meal on a rainy and chilly day in Milan. I wish we’d had a longer walk to work that off but am not at all disappointed in the meal.
The best Neapolitan style pizza in Milan, or at least the Navigli district. Either way it was really good stuff. A variety of pies it took Emily and I a while to decide the two times we went. The Four Seasons was the last meal I had in Milan and the only thing I’d say is that their pizza is not as good the next day because the middle is so thin anything with toppings, especially heavy ones like the four seasons will sink through and there’s no saving it.
Best gelato I had in Italy hands down. Had that super soft serve smooth quality I love and the Nutella was amazing. I had gelato in every town in Italy we went to and next up would be a place nearby the museo holding the David in Florence but walking around on my last full day in Milan this was a nice treat. I even debated trying to stop by Schokolat, with luggage, on our way home via the rail. It was vetoed and rightfully so but the gelato was that good that I’d almost risk missing a plane for it. So there you have it.
Florence
By recommendation of a friend who had Italy travels, and was in Prague at the time I was asking for restaurant recs, mentioned this place while in Florence. After a long day of seeing the David, going to the Museo del Bargello and walking up and down Florence’s canal we sat for a fantastic dinner. Funny enough we were often first at restaurants because of U.S. timetables being different from Italy. (They open for lunch, close, then reopen for dinner people so plan accordingly.)
This was one of the best dishes I had in Italy hands down was the risotto with artichoke, saffron, and fresh prawns. I wish I had it now. The picture makes me long for this. I need it in my life. Bread was a bit tart and hard but the service was fantastic especially since many Americans wandered in and must have also been beckoned by recommendations by friends and/or TripAdvisor.
Another dish was the stuffed rabbit. Seeing that I had to try it at least. I’ve never had rabbit before. I found it a bit salty but held up well with potato wedges the next day. Regardless, if in Florence go to Acquacotta. And get the risotto!
Genoa
Two words: Homemade pasta! Reasonable prices! Great service! Cheap wine! Those were multiple two words for a reason. See how much homemade pasta I got with pesto? That was six euros. YES! Unlimited bread. Good wine. We met the owner and the restaurant is very very new. I have to go and place ratings on TripAdvisor right after this posts. Genoa is a lovely city in general for being so near the water. The people are polite. It was gloriously sunny and the museos are, combined, cheaper than going to see just the David in Florence. Wish I had more time in Genoa but so very glad we went.
Venice
Seafood risotto! I think I had risotto three times in total and gelato pretty much everyday in Italy. And this was a random find since places we were considering were closed. Emily had a wonderful crab gnocchi and I had the seafood risotto which was a tad bit salty, I probably said that a few times in Italy since I’m used to low sodium but oooohhh so wonderful. I didn’t have a bad risotto at all in Italy which means all is right with the world.
When in Venice go find the Ristorante Ribot. I was glad it was empty when we arrived so we had the whole place to ourselves but also want more people to go to good places. And this is a very good place right next to a canal.
Those are my recommendations. There were not so great meals and gelatos and such but why dwell on the bad? I would like these eateries to get more business and I would like you to eat good food should you find yourself in these cities in Italy. So mangia on folks.
Food Tasting Event: Village Voice @ChoiceEats 2015, March 13th!
Village Voice Choice Eats is doing a tasting event on a smaller scale. Consider it your Choice Eats pregame.
This year marks the 8th annual Village Voice Choice Eats event in NYC. I've gone three years in a row and gorged myself silly. There will be over 50 restaurants participating including faves like Red Hook Lobster Pound, SCRATCHBread, The Meatball Shop, and Queens Comfort. If you were considering going to the big Choice Eats but were hesitant the Tasting Event may whet that appetite so you can preview some of the new fare that'll be offered. Now, prepare for mouth watering images from Laura June Kirsch at last year's Choice Eats.
Go forth and mangia my friends!
#CookBookTrials: A Taste of Home's Home Style Cooking
My first #cookbooktrial entry is up and it's for A Taste of Home: Home Style Cooking. Recommended for ease of prep, solid recipes, and a nice variety of American-style cuisine whether you're a hardcore cook or newbie to your kitchen.
February is almost at an end and I have completed my first cookbook trial with A Taste of Home: Home Style Cooking.
This is a cookbook filled with recipes from home cooks that have been compiled into various sections like: morning meals, side dishes & salads, Sunday dinners, sweet treats, and so on. I did five recipes one breakfast, one side dish, one gatherings dish, one Sunday dinner, and of course one sweet treat. I will always stand by doing something sweet!
Baked Eggs with Cheddar and Bacon
Prep/Cooking Difficulty: Not hard at all. You grate some cheese (in this case instead of cheddar I got smoked mozzeralla), break some eggs, chop some garnish and preheat the oven. Very easy to make and easy peasy but you have to watch your eggs to make sure the yolk doesn't harden fully to get the slight "jelly" effect of it while the whites around are hardened.
Taste: Perhaps because I under did the cheese (I'm not a huge fan of the egg & cheese combo) it settled on a bland taste for me, more egg than anything else. I'd also rather bacon inside than on top crumbled as a garnish because I like the combo taste of meat and egg. So, this may have been more my fault on the prep end than on the recipe itself but of course one can always make modifications and not necessarily go by the book.
Yay or Nay? In a sense "meh."
Crusted Baked Chicken
Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not difficult at all, especially if you've made chicken before. Biggest thing is if you don't have a good bowl for mixing you'll have crumbs all over your countertop after breading the chicken. Dipping chicken in flour and buttermilk is traditional fare for frying but since you bake less mess from no oil popping on your stovetop. And then you simply let it bake.
Taste: I enjoyed the breadcrumb mixture detailed in the recipe. Reminded me of some I had bought and now I know what combination of herbs and spices to use to get that similar Italian seasoned breading taste for chicken. And I prefer baked chicken to fried at times so on a cold day it was a nice way to eat without worrying about a lot of calories.
Yay or Nay? Yay!
Bacon and Garlic Green Beans
Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not much really. You're using thawed frozen greenbeans so you take it out the bag before you're ready to use. From there frying up bacon and the garlic, onions and such make a nice savory combo to what could be a bland side dish with little additions.
Taste: I used turkey bacon for this (and the egg dish) and have to say I enjoyed it with the garlic & onions of the string beans. It was a different taste to something I usually eat with salt/pepper or with a bit of garlic/onion powder. It worked well as a side for the crusted chicken and complimented it with the hearty taste even though I had double the protein. It'd probably even go well with some basic mashed potatoes as a larger meal with turkey instead of crusted chicken.
Yay or Nay? Yay for varying up vegetables!
Lemon Snowdrops
Prep/Bake Difficulty: For me no difficulty whatsoever. But if you are truly new to the game I think the fact that you make the lemon butter filling (which is on par with homemade lemon curd in texture/taste) and then make a basic lemon shortbread could be a bit trying as a first recipe. But for someone who is used to baking it was super easy. I'd suggest making the lemon butter filling before the cookies this way it's cooling in the fridge while you're baking cookies and by the time the cookies have cooled so has your filling ready for use!
Taste: Oh my goodness. Fantastic. As several co-workers said to me when I gave these cookies out: "This is the perfect cookie." The shortbread cookie is made how shortbread should be made with confectioner's sugar so the texture is on point in being buttery & crisp (and you know I know having won a cookie takedown with shortbread.) And if you're a lemon fan like myself it's great because there's lemon essence in the cookie from lemon extract but strong lemon sweetness in the filling and it's a sandwich cookie so you get lots of cookie and a bit of filling with each bit. Also I did not add confectioners sugar on top because it's messy and I think this lessened sweetness helps since the filling is good enough as is.
Yay or Nay? Duh! Yay! A zillion times yay!
Note: For this recipe I also want to not try and make the cookies as small as you can. I rolled them out as tablespoons which made about 20 sandwich cookies in all when the recipe says four dozen though they are much much smaller.
Lemon Easter Bread
Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not much. The main thing about making anything with yeast is it needs to rise a few times in a warm atmosphere. So if you're making it make sure you have a few hours. Otherwise mix everything in bowl and leave, knead and leave then bake!
Taste: The mixture calls for lemon pudding mix along with flour, yeast, water, and such. So I think I had been expecting a sweeter bread but this was your traditional not sweet bread with a hint of lemon. Freshly baked it smells amazing. I did make some honey butter and having that along with the bread (warm) was very tasty as a nice treat. But I had it cool and alone and was none too impressed. So I'd suggest eating it warm and with something like a sweet cream or preserves.
Yay or Nay? A moderate yay with accouterments and warm. Cannot emphasize how good freshly made warm bread is.
Would I recommend A Taste of Home: Home Style Cooking? Absolutely, each recipe was easy peasy, and for the most part the ones I chose to do were quick (except for the bread which needs time to have the yeast rise). In general prep isn't more than 30 minutes per recipe and certain ones, like turkey, would take several hours on the baking/cooking end. There's a good range of options for protein dishes, but a head's up that in general this isn't a cookbook for vegans or those who are gluten-free. There are a good amount of veggie options but bacon can fit prominently into some dishes, though there is the availability of seafood for pescetarians. The ingredients for dishes is not hard to find and the title itself, Home Style Cooking, notes that this book was compiled with home cooks (not necessarily hardcore chefs) in mind.
For my friends with families who need to do a quick meal or even my couple/single buds who may want to do more cooking at home I'd heartily recommend this book. Also keep in mind the cuisines featured are very much American based (BBQ, fried, bacon galore, some Italian influence, cheese is great!). There won't be items like mascarpone or anise or anything of the like really. So if you're looking for items that are familiar and may have an alternate ingredient or method of preparation consider this book and feel free to tweak recipes as you feel fit. I'm definitely gonna delve in more.
I Am an Activist
When first told "You're an activist" I was very hesitant to take on this "title" but in examining the work I believe in and my role to it (be it large or small) realized that it's not unfair to be called one and I shouldn't shy away from being an activist.
Last year I became involved in two projects as the Diversity Debate waged on with BookCon's lack of diverse panelists seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back for some. One, is We Need Diverse Books (a non-profit) and the other was co-creating a podcast to talk with minorities in publishing about the lack of minorities in publishing. (I believe you know what the name of that podcast is.) As I've done interviews and spoke with fellow writers and journalists about this that at one point someone said to me "You're an activist." And for a moment I said "Oh no, I just believe in [so on and some such]..." I don't know why I was hesitant to "accept" being called an activist. I think it may go hand in hand with why some may be hesitant to call themselves a feminist even today. The idea is that an activist or feminist or anyone with a "title" is militant. Hardcore. They are immovable in their beliefs and fit a physical stereotype for some. Some who do call themselves activists have proclaimed that I may not be one because my beliefs aren't as staunch or as narrow or as confining in instances.
So, in that moment I thought "I'm not an activist because I haven't marched, I haven't worn a shirt proclaiming myself one, I haven't done something extreme to show my activism (queue images of PETA's extremism)." But when speaking with the person interviewing me some more she said "You're doing something."
I couldn't disagree with that. I was doing something. I'm active in We Need Diverse Books and have specific roles for initiatives and day-to-day online presence. For Minorities in Publishing I do production, help find guests and create questions. I'm a planner through and through. I want to buy books by diverse artists and get their work out there. I meet people and put their events in my calendar so I can tweet and Instagram them to those who follow me. I donate diverse books to my library so that they're available. I buy diverse books. I take pictures of me buying diverse books to post and tag the publisher. I'm happy to interview or give advice or engage with anyone who wants to talk about publishing, writing, being a minority and being an artist, and so on. I want to engage in this conversation and get that conversation out in the public so it doesn't ever die. And it hasn't. You can steadily see material every week in various forms of media discussing that people want to see diversity.
In Bad Feminist Roxane Gay notes the idea of misnomers and how people with these "titles" are supposed to act or are assumed to be but that there's no right or wrong way to be a feminist if you believe, wholeheartedly, that women should be treated equally as men in all aspects of life. Simple as that.
I guess the interviewer was right to call me an activist. I've come to realize that once anyone believes in something and is willing to act on it that makes you, by nature, an activist. If you're not willing to sit and moan about the issues but get up and do your part, hire more people of color, get invested with organizations making something happen, encouraging more diversity to your bosses, asking allies to help in this, writing about it, posting about it, putting money behind diversity, speaking loudly to publishers about this and not being deterred when it seems to fall on deaf ears. These are aspects of someone being active. So don't let anyone tell you you're not an activist when you're working towards what you believe. And don't, like me, not feel you're doing enough. There's always more you could do. Donate more money. Donate more time. Give more of yourself in many ways but if you're doing so at all it's a credit to your beliefs. But in taking the small steps those lead to bigger ones. By me staying in an industry and working my butt off to be considered a highly employable person that adds numbers to an industry that does not have them. That one step lead to me being more vocal, more passionate, and more (say it with me now) active. Take it day by day but do make a move. Take that first step and see where it leads you.
Let the #CookBookTrials Begin ...
My newest blog post series is the #CookbookTrials. Every month I'll try a handful of recipes from one of many cookbooks I have (yet) to utilize and report back on results and who this book may be good for. Stick with me on this one and don't read if you're hungry. Just sayin'.
New year, new blog post series. Last year was #ArtistTherapy, which I thoroughly enjoyed scribing. But, this year, I realized upon looking at my overflowing bookcases that I have a lot of books (yes) but also many cookbooks. Cookbooks I've been gifted as a food blogger, purchased, and/or sent for review. I have previously done posts/giveaways for Herbivoracious and Easy Chinese Food Recipes. Now though, I want to actually take the time to make the recipes from the cookbooks lining my shelves to discover new go-to recipes that I will hopefully fall in love with.
So, starting in February I will pick one cookbook I have that I have rarely, if ever, used and try several recipes. I will report back to you on them and more than likely post successes/failures on Instagram as well. At the end of each month (or very beginning of the next) I will note how progress went and the ease of use (good for people on the go or many lengthy recipes). And in terms of some cookbooks they may have a theme like Ellie Krieger's Comfort Food Fix (a healthy spin on comfort food) or the Mom's 100 Meals.
So that's the challenge I've made for myself this year. And I look forward to letting you know how that goes.