Pisa, Cooking, Taste of USA.

Well my ankle is getting better, I was able to play basketball on it yesterday (even full court) at the "basket camp" which was fun. Happy thanksgiving to everyone that I didnt get to talk to. My computer finally came in after about 3 weeks of sitting in customs so I plan on having a little more content and more frequent posting.
Last Friday Scott, Brittany and I decided to go to Pisa and Lavorno. Pisa because you cant come to Italy and not see the leaning tower. Both are about an hour west by train. We purchased tickets from the machines in the terminal (Bill I put a picture on for you) for 5.40 Euro and only had to wait about 20 minutes for the next train to Pisa. We ate the salami sandwhiches we had made and enjoyed the short trip. As usual a gypsy came along asking for money with a handout in english and Italian. The Pisa station was one of the plainer stations I'd seen and on the smaller side. Outside it was drizzling a little bit but humid and warm. We didnt have a map so we took a taxi (only the 3rd time ive been in a car since Aug 27th and it felt weird) for only 5 Euro to the city center where the "Field of Miracles" was. Its always shocking but surprisingly common in Italy to be driving or walking down a street and BAM there will be one of the most beautiful or awesome buildings you've ever see. The field of miracles was a large open area with very green grass. to the left of where we came in was the round baptistry, in the middle was an impressive Duomo ( Not like our Florentine Duomo tho) and closest to us was the tower. Around the outside of the field was a cobblestone street, shiny from the rain. Outside of that was a line of little market stalls selling tourist goodies and post cards. The corner we came in from was city buildings and the other 3/4 surrounded by a medium height red brick wall. From our angle the tower didnt have much of a lean to it but was still beautiful and larger than I had expected. Layered like a wedding cake with columns all around it would be important architecture even if it wasnt leaning, especially considering that it was built over 800 years ago. Moving to the left towards the baptistry the lean became more and more pronounced. When we were between the baptistry and the Duomo the tower couldnt be seen so we spent some time looking at the carving and designs on the two buildings. The doors, especially on the duomo were nice and interesting with biblical scenes similar to the gates of paradise in Firenze. Once around the Duomo the full tower was in view, this time from the best side to see the Tower. Sunken into the ground on one side the Tower was at an impossible angle. I laughed out loud at seeing it as it didnt seem possible that something that big could stay standing. I suggested walking back to the trainstation so we could see more of the city than just a cab and the field. I love getting away from the tourist sights, although they are important, and seeing what something is really about. Thats something Im looking forward to doing when my dad comes because hes the same way. Scott and Brittany agreed and we set off in the general direction of the station. I knew it was on the other side of the Arno (the Arno flows through Pisa also. Back when Pisa and Florence were rivals Florentines would pee as much as possible in the arno as Pisa was downstream) and generally a straight line from the tower. Pisa was alot more laid back and slower paced than Firenze and we got to see some of the christmas decorations being put up. As we got into a residential area we felt unsure about the direction so we asked and were only slightly off. When we go to the arno we crossed and found ourselves walking next to a castle that was in great shape. Some of it actually arched over the road and we walked though it and saw throught the bars a large garden and tall turrets. The drizzle picked up a little and I could tell that Brittany might have been regretting the walking decision, but she stuck it out and we made it to the station reasonably quickly. At the station we debated going to Lavorno. Scotts dad works for the military in Germany and has a military ID so we had been planning on going to the U.S. base in lavorno but now it was about 6:15 and we werent sure if it was still open. We wanted to go to the base strictly for American food, which doesnt sound very reasonable but I look at it like this: Although I always complain (often reasonably) about American food its like a girlfriend that you have been going out with for years (20 for me) and even tho shes not a very good girlfriend you cant help but miss her. I've been missing things I dont even eat at home. The stuff I walk by in the grocery food on the way to the feta cheese and Italian bread. Cooler ranch chips, breakfast cereal (the bad ones), reeces, macaroni and cheese (theres no cheddar here), and junk in general. Anyway Im sure it sounds crazy to you all but this is an issue that has been coming up for all of us over her. So we decide to go to Lavorno and buy the 1.40euro ticket and hop on a new, double decker train, which I hadnt been on yet. When we got off we were greeted by something Im sure all of you wouldnt mind seeing............ Palm trees. Scott offered to pay for a cab and we headed off. About 20 minutes later we were at the base which had pretty intimidating defenses and a mixed guard of Italian carabineri and US marines. The marine we talked to was very nice and amused at our quest for junkfood. We gave our passports to the Italians and the took about 20 minutes to process them. The marine told us its much quicker if only one of them does something. Italy isnt known for its efficency. Although the PX was closed the shoppette was open so we made our way. Before we made it to the shop we were stopped by the amazing sight of a vending machine next to an ATM that dished out DOLLARS, which dont feel like real money anymore, just like Euros didnt feel real when I first held them. The dollar felt huge and ridiculus, not to mention ugly. Walking into the shopette WAS a kid walking into a candy store. I figured I hadnt had any processed junk for 3 months so I might as well go with it. I loaded my basket up with velveeta, chips, oreos, reeces pieces, poptarts, rice crispy treats and a basketball magazine. Paying in dollars was good tho. 20 dollars actually was 20 dollars. When I pay with Euros 20 turns into 30. Walking with our heads held high we carried our bulging bags of sugar and fat to the front gate, where we took a cab to pisa, which was actually closer than Verona. We caught a train home around 10.It was a fun trip and after the first few treats I started passing out the rest.
Monday in class we made a swordfish wrap with a large piece of sword fish that we filled with a mix of, capers, parmigiano, bread crumb, olive, pine nuts. Held closed with tooth pics we seared it quickly in tomato, olive and olive oil. Pretty tasty although I dont really care for pine nuts. Last night I went and played basket with our teacher and about 7 other students. I played pretty well altough I had no strength in my ankle. This morning we had a great class. In introduction for professional cooking we had a review for our final for about 30 minutes then the Chef surprised us. He pointed to two huge baskets of food and said "You have 45 minutes to make up a recipe". I was excited because this is what I'm best at, improvising and making something out of whatevers lying around. This wasnt like at home tho. This was two baskets of the freshest food in the world. The meat we were working with was chicken leg. At first I thought about doing a chicken marsala type dish but then I thought of something that I didnt think anyone else would come close to. I decided to make a chicken, pancetta, artichoke stuffed ravioli with a broccoli, celery, zucchini cream sauce. Yea i know it sounds good! First I deboned the chicken and trimmed the arichoke down. I sauteed onion and garlic for a minute before adding the chicken and artichoke. I let that cook while I cut the veggies for the sauce. After about 10 min I turned the chicken down and added the pancetta. I started the cream sauce by making bechamel, which is 50g butter, 50 g flour and 500 ml milk. You start heating up the milk with sale, pepe and nutmeg then in a seprate pot melt butter on high and slowly whisk in the flour. When its smooth you add the hot milk and whisk more. When that was done I set it aside and sauteed the celery, broccoli and zucchini for about 6 minutes which I then tossed into the cream sauce, which was then placed on low heat and stirred well. To make the pasta I measured out 100 gr flour and made a bowl out of it on the table, which i broke an egg into and topped with sale, and a little olive oil. I mixed it with my hands set it aside, wrapped in plastic wrap. I took the chicken, artichoke and pancetta mix and blended it with a food processor until smooth and placed it in one of those baggies that people use to put on frosting. I rolled out the pasta until thin tossed flour on top and then used a brush to wet with water and used the baggy to place the filling. Pressing around each filling ball I sealed the pasta, then cut with a pasta cutter. While I put the ravioli on to boil I checked the sauce and noticed that it was too thick ( i wanted it to be more liquid than thick) so I added milk and salt and pepper. Dont be shy to use salt in the sauce. When the pasta was cooked (about 10 min) I put some sauce and pasta in a saute pan and let it mix together. Plating it I spooned the ravioli on and topped with lines of olive oil and sprinkles of parmigiano. I was proud of my dish, as it tasted great and looked good also. Everyone did a great job in the class but It was good to hear the chef say that mine was the most creative and that he thought it was "Molto Bono" or excellent. For you vegetarians you could substitute the chicken and panchetta pretty easily. I typed up a recipe pretty quick so if I forgot something go ahead and ask.

And home!



November 27, 2007


Ravioli con Pollo y pancetta alla Alaska
Serves 2
Filling:
Chicken breast
onion 1/2
garlic 1 part
olive oil
artichoke 1
Pancetta, 1 strip (or use 2 strips of thick bacon)



Sauce
50gr burro
50gr white flour
500 ml latte
3/4 celery stalk
3/4 zucchini
1broccoli head &stalk
1onion
sale pepe, nutmeg
Parmigiano

Pasta
100 gr Flour, 1 egg, drops of olive oil, sale

First cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Chop onion and garlic and set aside. Cut top and bottom and all unwanted parst of artichoke, quarter and set aside. Chop pancetta and put with rest of filling. Heat up olive oil in saute pan on med high heat and add garlic and onion when hot. After about 5 minutes add chicken, artichoke and more olive oil. After about 10 minutes add pancetta and turn to med heat, while making the sauce be sure to stir filling occasionaly. Start the sauce by making a bechamel sauce using the butter, flour and milk. Put the milk in a pot with sale, pepe and nutmeg (pinch).Heat the butter on high heat and slowly add the flour while whisking. Once milk is hot add it into the butter flour mix while whisking continuously. Once mixed set aside. Chop celery, onion, zucchini and broccoli into small, almost minced pieces. Saute with olive oil until cooked (about 10 min) and add to cream sauce. Put cream sauce back on stove and cool on low- med heat. Take filling off stove and blend with a food processor until very smooth. Set filling aside and start the pasta. Make a bowl out of the flour and fill with the egg, sale and olive oil. Mix by hand and knead for 5-10 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Roll by hand or with pasta machine until thin. Spread into a sheet and powder with flour, then apply a light coating of water with a brush. Put blended filling into a sleeve and place at even intervals along sheet, staying in the middle. Use the sleeve to place small balls of filling the same size along the sheet. Fold pasta over the filling and press all around to seal. Cut with a pasta cutter and set aside. Turn sauce on low heat and add milk if sauce is very thick. Sauce must be more liquid than thick. Put water on to boil, adding a pinch of sale. When boiling add ravioli and cook for about 10 minute. When ravioli is done mix with sauce, about 3 spoon-fulls for every 4 ravioli. Plate and garnish with olive oil and parmigiano.




P.S. Postcards coming

Ciao

Rolled my ankle playing "Basket" last week.
Tuscan rooftops
Me and B cooking some spaghetti alla carbonara

Happy early thanksgiving everybody! Im glad I already had my thanksgiving meal at my sisters before I left but Im looking forward to seeing the Italian version. We've been cooking some great recipes lately including lasagna (very different here), pastry and many fish dishes. Ill put the recipes on later. Making sea bass
Ciao

Milan, Lago Magiore and Lago Como. Internet Cafe not working well- pictures coming

Rome was my first school trip and this one was my second and last of the semester. I didnt really know what to expect and I didnt know that we were going to stop in Milan until the bus left but I knew that It would be beautiful. One of my roommates, Mario, also signed up for the trip so we headed off to the trains station together, getting there right at 7AM. We had to wait a few minutes for the late people and we headed out around 7:20. The bus was nice, same as the one we took to Rome. Luckily we werent going by train as their was a transportation strike throughout Italy. We reached Milan at about 11, getting off the bus right next to their Duomo. The Milan Duomo is the second largest gothic cathedral in the world and very different from our Florentine Duomo. An uncountable number of spires reaches towards the clouds, each with a saint perched on top. Like our Duomo ever inch of the exterior was covered in art or schulpture. The inside was not nearly as filled as St.Peters in Rome but still had its share of statues and art. It was know for its stained glass that covered the huge windows. There was also an interesting statue of San Bartalomeo wearing his own skin as a robe.We exited the Duomo and were faced by Italians in full riot gear, large guns, helmets, shields and all. In the piazza in front of the Duomo there was a mass of people in red. From what I could read it was either a union or communist rally. There was not rowdiness, the police were relaxed and the rally peaceful. The group disbanded, to meet again in a few hours. Mario and I checked out the famous shopping are then started wandering. We came upon a national geographic exhibit in the stree that was a series of beautiful photographs of wildlife and people. Near that we stopped at a pastry cart and had Milans version of a cannoli. From there we walked towards the tower that was dominating the skyline. When we came into the piazza we discovered that the tower was connected to a castle. Called Castello Sforzesco its deep red brick contrasted with the dull gray of the street. The wind started blowing like crazy, throwing leaves and debris into the air. Walking through mini tornadoes we entered through the main gate. The ground was depressed around the front where the moat used to be. We were able to walk all through the old castle which was amazing. Everything was still in good condition and very well made. From the holes for archers to shoot out of to the old garden everything seemed just ast it would have been hundreds of years ago. We were getting close to the time we had to go so we left a different way we came and tried to explore some more of Milan before we left. We all met up near the Cathedral and walked to our bus. The ride to the lake took about an hour and a half, which was spent playing Scopa, an Italian card game played with Italian cards. When we reached the hotel it was already dark but immediately we could tell that we were in for a treat. The covered valet area was well decorated and the doors were automatic and completely made of glass. Grand hotel Dino was written in gold above the door. We pulled our luggage out of the bus and moved inside. The interior was even more amazing. Directly infront was a huge oval going into the ceiling made out of stained glass. Huge chandeliers lined the ceiling around the stained glass. Every direction was a beauty that I was unaccustomed to. I was used to beautiful scenery, cassic paintings, amazing architecture but not modern man made art. We got our room keys and headed up the elavator that had a large LCD screen displaying weather, stocks and lots of other information. Our room was very classy with a tiled bathroom and a large balcony. We each took our showers then headed down to explore as we had a couple hours before we were to meet for dinner. The place was huge. You'll have to google the hotel to get an accurate picture but I'll try. It was a 5 star hotel and I think it lived up to its name. The hallways were elegantly furnished and stretched on forever. There were about 5 dining rooms, each watched over by about 8 of the huge crystal chandeliers. Past the dining area a long blue hallway lead to the spa area, which contained saunas, turkish baths, two jacuzzi, a large gym, large indoor pool, outdoor pool, massage area and a large game room with billiard ping pong a tv area and moor. When we were wandering the spa area we bumped into Francesco, one of our chaperones/ guides. Francesco is the kind of older man who is like an encyclopedia. He really knows EVERYTHING especially about Italian art. He has amazing stories, including some about being arrested for leading resistance against fascism. He also is the ind of older man who does as he feels and expects to be listened too. He said "come this way" so we did. We explored with him for a while until we came to the sauna area. He asked if we would like to sauna and we said that we would, not expecting his next move. He then stated that we would be taking a sauna at that exact moment. Although we had no swimwear and werent planning on taking one until later, we went with it. He signed us up for one and we headed into the sauna room. It was a very nice wooden room with showers on one side with the sauna and beautiful beach chairs to the other. He said that it was time to change so we undressed and grabbed towels and got in the sauna. The temperature read 90 C which if you do the conversion is about 190 degrees. Very hot. But it was very relaxing, especially after the long bus ride. After about 10 or 15 minutes Francesco said it was time to go outside to cool off. We followed him outside and stood near the outdoor pool cooling off for a few minutes. After we had cooled down we headed inside. Francesco saw the jacuzzi and decided that it was time to go in the hot tub. Mario and I gave each other a look as we realized that the guy wanted to go sit in the hotel hot tubs naked. We shrugged and followed him. When in Rome right? So we placed our towels strategically close to the part of the hot tub we were sitting in incase the rest of the group came into the pool room we would be able to make an exit. The hot tub was great, with many many jets and a mosaic of Poseidon behind us. Although Francesco had been keeping an eye out for people he hadnt done a great job. Francesca and her two friends showed up and got in the hot tub next to us. After a minute of feeling uncomfortable we went with it and hung out for a while. It seemed like they would be there for a while so eventually we grabbed the towels and headed out. I might have accidentally kicked Marios a few feet towards the ladies. We went back to the sauna and changed, feeling refreshed and relaxed. It was a great story to have and very funny to us afterwords but there were times where we gave each other looks like "what is going on". After the spa we had a few more minutes to explore before we met in one of the dining rooms. The menu was fixed with two choices for pimmit piati and two choices for secondi piatti. Since we were on a lake I chose the seafood risotto and the trout with potatoes and fennel. The food wasnt spectacular as it was prepared for a large group of people. Reminded me of the princess hotel that I used to work at. After desert most of the group of about 25 headed to the hotel bar for caffe` and drinks. We had a good time getting to know each other as most of the kids were from FUA (Florence university of the Arts) and only a few were from my school. After hanging out at the bar for a while some of us went outside and sat on the deck over looking the lake. We shared a large Romeo and Juliet Cuban cigar and enjoyed the night. This trip was billed as the most relaxing trip of all the ones offered with no running around trying to see every sight possible. So far it was definitely relaxing. Sitting on the deck of a beautiful hotel with a good friend was great. It was a good place to talk or just sit in silence thinking about my future or to not think at all and just absorb my surroundings. Eventually we went back into the hotel where Francesca challenged me to a game of ping pong. She convinced the hotel to let us in the game room even though it was after hours and we headed down. After a close game where I came out victorious we all headed to bed. Breakfast was at 8:30
After showering and getting dressed we headed down stairs to the massive spread that awaited us. In the same beautiful dining room we ate in last night we found sliced meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, cereals, pastry, yogurt, eggs, bacon an assortment of drinks and of course caffe`. Of each there was at least 5 different kinds and I made sure to eat as much as possible. The bread was especially good with a strong crust and soft inside. We all met out on the deck and for the first time saw lago Magiore in daylight. It was a beautiful lake, huge with hills on everyside. Although the water was not as busy as I thought it would be there was a few boats moving around. We enjoyed the view for a few moments then walked down to the dock where we split up into two groups and each got into a boat. We enjoyed a smooth ride around islands to a little city that was having a market and that we would get a chance to explore. It was very sunny out and at the dock where we deboarded there were kids playing and lots of ducks and large swans swimming around. The water was full of large fish which I think someone said were catfish. We established a meeting point and headed off to explore the little town. We wandered the market for a while before stopping into a cafe to try a local speciality which was the hot chocolate. Not like American hot chocolate this was thick like pudding and came in about 35 different flavors. I chose white chocolate with hazelnut which was excellent. they came in large cups placed into little wooden bowls. We met back up at the dock and departed. We boated around the island for a while before stopping on an island that held a private castle like villa that was owned by a prince and had a private garden that is open only one month out of the year. Unfortunately for us it wasnt that month. We landed on the side opposite the villa and walked to the place we would be having lunch. One end of the island jutted out like a miniature version of the homer spit and was lined with trees that displayed beautiful fall leaves. We walked through the small island city with only a couple feet on each side separating us from the buildings. There were also many fat cats hanging out, probably well fed from the fisherman. We found our restaurant where we would be eating for free, courtesy of Francesco. Everyone would be served the same thing: a seafood risotto and fried fish with mixed veggies and a veggie pastry that was like an empanada. Everything was very well cooked and tasted excellent. The restaurant itself was wall to wall with windows that allowed us to enjoy a great lake view. After lunch we headed back to the mainland. When we got there Francesco said he would be walking around the island and we could join him if we wanted. I was one of the about 10 that joined him, the rest going back to the hotel. He led us through the city to an old church where he explained the architecture and the art. Very informative. We wandered around for about an hour, even seeing a banana tree which I thought was pretty cool. Back at the hotel I wrote in the journal that Meadow and Bill got for me (so my thoughts would be fresh for my blog!) and relaxed for a while. When It started getting dark I went outside and took some slow capture photos and photographed some of the hotel, as well as exploring the less seen parts of the hotel. Dinner was pretty much the same affair as the night before but with different food. Once again not anything too impressive but tasty and satisfying. After dinner we all decided to go to a local pub for drinks and dancing. Francesco and Francesca joined us and we all danced for a while. We went back to the hotel for a while and hung out in the tower room for a while. After we all went our separate ways I showered and went to bed. In the morning we would be going to Lago Como.
In the morning we woke up a little late and after packing and getting everything out of the room we went down to breakfast and ate some more good food. My sister and Bill called and I talked to them for a while, which was good. I miss everybody! The bus to Como took about an hour and a half. Como was a decent sized city and we slowly made our way to the docks. We got off the bus and waited while Francesco haggles with a boat captain. We were only scheduled to take a land tour but he thought we would be able to experience it better by boat. Paying for it himself he booked a charter boat for a tour of the lake. The lake was surrounded by hills and stretched for miles in the shape of the letter Y. To buy a medium sized house on Como costs minimun 10 million Euro. So imagine how beautiful the homes were. There were villas owned by hollywood actors like George Clooney and Sylvester Stallone, Villas owned by princes and dukes, a villa that was built for Napolean the 3rd. Saudi princes had villas as well as Steve jobs, the owner of apple. It is illegal to build new home on Como without hard to get special permits so almost every villa is in classic style and beautiful. Comos waters were much busier with sailboats and other watercrafts criss crossing the lake. After about two hours on the water we went back to land where we began our tour. The bus took us out of the city center and near villa estes. (google that) We wandered around for a while and had lunch. For those who met at the meeting point on time we got to take a tour of the extremely private villa estes, a hotel that rents the cheapest rooms for over 1,000 euro a night. They have a large, beautiful garden and runis of a cliff side fortress on their property. Francesco said something to the man at the gate, who called someone who talked to Francesco. Francesco again worked his majic and got them to let a group of American students wander around this exclusive, high end estate. The gardens were beautiful, especially with the multicolored leaves in the trees. Massive trees and a pool IN the lake were also highlights of Villa Estes. We made our way back to the bus and began our journey home. It was a great, beautiful and relaxing trip. The homes were amazing and the natural beauty great as well. The hotel was an experience in itself. I enjoyed the feeling of being royalty after a few years as a poor college student! Thanks Dad and Jackie for paying for the trip!
The ride home was pretty smooth. At the rest station we saw a beautiful Lamborghini. We watched a movie and played cards to pass the time and we got to Florence at about 8. I love that I feel like Im home when I come back to Florence.
P.S. I wanted to say a special thanks to my Mom, Ellen pennell for helping me with money to travel or rent a place over Christmas break. Youre always there when I need you and it takes alot of stress off me and lets me enjoy this chance of a life time that much more. My dad and Jackie also deserve another thank you for the computer that you sent me (even though Italian customs is impossible) and your continued support. Thanks also to everyone else that reads my blog and helps me feel connected to everyone. Ciao. Recipes from the last week coming also.