...or rather, wireless connections die easy. I had most of these entries prepped a while ago, but the unreliable wi-fi at my apartment hasn’t let them upload.
To save time, I’ve combined the past two similarly-themed Friday entries and Tuesday entries. You’ll see why if you keep reading. Sorry for the binge post. I’ll try not to let this happen again.
Also, for some reason Blogger won’t let me change my e-mail address from my Tulane account to my new (and supposedly Blogger-linked?!) Gmail account. I don’t get notifications from them regarding this blog, so if I take a while to respond to your comments, that’s why.
Fridays 2/27
I’m going to a huge ménage a trois post about the three vineyard visits (2/27, 3/3, and tomorrow 3/12) sometime this weekend.
Gina was back in town, so Sergio and I met up with her and Anita for dinner at our favorite osteria. But of course were on time and the ladies were a little behind. Breadsticks, water, red wine. Waiting. Miko’s working there again, so chatted with him when he had spare minutes. We all split a tomato and mozzarella salad. Since it was meat-free Lenten Friday, I got Pappa al pomodoro (a really thick, tasty tomato soup) and spaghetti di mare. I had originally ordered it vongole (clam) but they were out. Anyway the mix of artificial crab, mussel, shrimp, and squid was great anyway. We shared a slice of chocolate “cake” – really a pie with a very rich and solid filling – for dessert. We killed the rest of the night at the bar, which Serg and I agreed that night was like “a bad greatest hits album.”
Saturday 2/28
That Saturday was pretty laidback. Adrian and I spent the afternoon at a bar getting internet, which turned into getting sandwiches and fries. That night, in a welcome change, Emo made dinner for the rest of us. (Well, he was in charge, and we all just helped. Which is what usually happens.) Bulgarian meatballs and a cold, Bulgarian yogurt soup which went really well with them. Then a little Emo-less barhopping.
Sunday 3/1 and Monday 3/2
Miles and I went on a culinary Parma excursion. We gotlunch dinner at a good restaurant there: Quail salad, crusted caprino, green lentil ravioli, veal filet stuffed with foie gras, Parmigiano-Reggiano selection, and chestnut gelato, chestnut chocolate, and chestnut tiramisu. Miles called it “the best meal of [his] life.” I don’t know if I would go that far, but it was definitely in my top ten. We got back really early on Monday, so I just spent the day napping. That night Adrian, Miles and I went out to our favorite pub for Haley’s birthday with her and her roommates. They’re pretty loud, so you could see the Italians looking over like “who brought these loud American chicks here?” Guilty as charged. It’s becoming our habit to hit up the Asian market and the Hispanic carryout near our house for midnight snacks, so that happened that night also.
Tuesday 3/3 and Tuesday 3/10
The first Tuesday was dry pasta day. Rotini with olive oil and spaghetti carbonara. Partnered up, which I hate. Simultaneous serving. Andrea’s critique: The simple pasta was overcooked by approximately 15 seconds. The carbonara sauce was perfect except for just a little too much pepper and the pasta was undercooked by about a minute. Perfection is the goal, no matter how simple the dish.
The second Tuesday was fresh pasta day. Taglierini with clams. “Straw and hay” au gratin aka baked green taglierini with vegetables. Partnered up with a different partner. Simultaneous serving. Ac: Both sauces were perfect, but both pastas were a little overdone. Class was a little stressful with time and scheduling, but Andrea said it was supposed to be “to simulate a professional kitchen.”
Both Tuesdays ended at Naima with Sergio bartending and hanging out with The Sisters aka Michaela, Nicole, and Tiffany.
Wednesday 3/4 and 3/11
First Wednesday: Wine class. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about wine. Tradition of Italian Food II was all about cheese. Smoked scamorza ravioli with a zesty (probably Sicilian) sauce. Broccoli and provolone quiche. Both wound up pretty good.
Second Wednesday: Wine class. See above. ToIFII was all about honey. Did a tasting of seven kinds of honey. Then roasted pork stuffed with figs, herbs and spices and put it on top of apples and potatoes baked in honey. Then poached a pear in a honey, wine, and fresh OJ for dessert. The entire class approved of the pork, which means it was spectacular. It was.
Thursday 3/5
Dessert Styling was devoted to the timeless dessert known as Crème Brulee. Finally, a class where my love of playing with fire is not only allowed but necessary. We made it flavored several ways: Classic, orange, pistachio, and coffee, which we served in cups and actually looked pretty damn cool.
Italian Pastries was all about cookies: Simple pasta frolla ones (regular and chocolate), perfect for afternoon tea. And some Italian ones I forget the name of but that were good.
Saturday 3/7
I got back from a Friday trip from Udine around two in the morning, so I slept in. My friend Miki, another Alaskan who’s been here since last semester, called and woke me up. I was glad because it was a perfect, sunny, breezy day. So we walked the Arno on both sides. Then talked about gelato. So we got gelato. While eating gelato, we talked about this really cool tea house I’d never been too. So we went there and drank tea and ate cookies, and we talked about Black Forest cake, which inspired a German dinner. So we rallied Miles and Adrian and made Wiener-Schnitzel and the aforementioned cake, all gluten-free for dinner. And then hit up the bar. Of course. And then played card games and ate some more.
Sunday 3/8
There were lots of crazy people at the grocery on Sunday, so that is a good reason for most of the groceries to be closed as well as for people not to go shopping that day. (This is all aside from the obvious fact it’s crowded with last minute shoppers.)
Miles made a very late breakfast for us: A skillet of eggs, pancetta, rucola, and cheese.
I went to mass and then came home and learned a new Indian recipe for dinner: Butter chicken and basmati cinnamon rice. I no longer think Indian food is as healthy as I used to think. Emo didn’t eat with us, but he did join us for our first apartment-wide Rummy500 game.
Monday 3/9
There was a wine tasting at the school’s cultural association, so Michaela, Adrian, Miles, and I all went. Two wines with the Marchese di Frescobaldi (aka The Marquis of royal descent currently in charge of the family’s historical wine empire) himself. The dinner was based around wine pairings. For me, the highlight of it was definitely the main entrée of pork filet with caramelized shallots and pork shoulder confit with crispy pork skin over roasted potatoes. Even the pairing with a 2005 Tenuta Castiglione was perfect.
Wednesday 3/11
Yesterday afternoon, I finally purchased my “knife set.” I use the quotation marks because my rather schizophrenic bag is half sharp objects and half pastry equipment.
I helped a little with the prep for the stuffed crust pizzas Miles and Adrian were making with The Sisters, but went to dinner with Sergio and some new girls and their visiting friends. Two live in Paris with “The Tin-Man and The Ogress” so they shared stories of their life with their “host family.” More bar action of course, where all the people from the pizza party at my apartment showed up. “Midnight Hot” was on the television the entire time, so that was just a tad distracting.
Thursday/TODAY 3/12
Dessert styling was all about meringue. Classic ones, macaroons with chocolate, marenga (an Italian dessert that sandwiches whipped cream, pasty cream, jam, or chocolate between two meringues), and of course lemon meringue pie.
I grabbed a quick lunch at the Chinese place near school, where I ran into Grace and that-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-know-who-looks-like-Pat-Healey. Thursday is rough because all I do all day is bake in a hot kitchen and taste the resulting desserts, so a high-protein semi-healthy lunch is necessary. I explained this to the Chinese lady who wondered why the guy in the chef jacket was buying food. I should ask her for Chinese culinary lessons.
Italian Pastries was devoted to a supposedly simple Pear Cake and an Almond Tart. Mario wasn’t there, so it was the Bonnie/Andrew show. The tart was decidedly way more successful than the cake but both tasted good.
Anyway, I'm at the bar now finishing this entry and chatting with my other younger brother Phil. (I'm pretty sure you still read this so here's a superfluous "hey, how's it going?" despite knowing you're on spring break and having a great time.) Always a pleasure.
FINALLY FINISHED AND UPDATED.
To save time, I’ve combined the past two similarly-themed Friday entries and Tuesday entries. You’ll see why if you keep reading. Sorry for the binge post. I’ll try not to let this happen again.
Also, for some reason Blogger won’t let me change my e-mail address from my Tulane account to my new (and supposedly Blogger-linked?!) Gmail account. I don’t get notifications from them regarding this blog, so if I take a while to respond to your comments, that’s why.
Fridays 2/27
I’m going to a huge ménage a trois post about the three vineyard visits (2/27, 3/3, and tomorrow 3/12) sometime this weekend.
Gina was back in town, so Sergio and I met up with her and Anita for dinner at our favorite osteria. But of course were on time and the ladies were a little behind. Breadsticks, water, red wine. Waiting. Miko’s working there again, so chatted with him when he had spare minutes. We all split a tomato and mozzarella salad. Since it was meat-free Lenten Friday, I got Pappa al pomodoro (a really thick, tasty tomato soup) and spaghetti di mare. I had originally ordered it vongole (clam) but they were out. Anyway the mix of artificial crab, mussel, shrimp, and squid was great anyway. We shared a slice of chocolate “cake” – really a pie with a very rich and solid filling – for dessert. We killed the rest of the night at the bar, which Serg and I agreed that night was like “a bad greatest hits album.”
Saturday 2/28
That Saturday was pretty laidback. Adrian and I spent the afternoon at a bar getting internet, which turned into getting sandwiches and fries. That night, in a welcome change, Emo made dinner for the rest of us. (Well, he was in charge, and we all just helped. Which is what usually happens.) Bulgarian meatballs and a cold, Bulgarian yogurt soup which went really well with them. Then a little Emo-less barhopping.
Sunday 3/1 and Monday 3/2
Miles and I went on a culinary Parma excursion. We got
Tuesday 3/3 and Tuesday 3/10
The first Tuesday was dry pasta day. Rotini with olive oil and spaghetti carbonara. Partnered up, which I hate. Simultaneous serving. Andrea’s critique: The simple pasta was overcooked by approximately 15 seconds. The carbonara sauce was perfect except for just a little too much pepper and the pasta was undercooked by about a minute. Perfection is the goal, no matter how simple the dish.
The second Tuesday was fresh pasta day. Taglierini with clams. “Straw and hay” au gratin aka baked green taglierini with vegetables. Partnered up with a different partner. Simultaneous serving. Ac: Both sauces were perfect, but both pastas were a little overdone. Class was a little stressful with time and scheduling, but Andrea said it was supposed to be “to simulate a professional kitchen.”
Both Tuesdays ended at Naima with Sergio bartending and hanging out with The Sisters aka Michaela, Nicole, and Tiffany.
Wednesday 3/4 and 3/11
First Wednesday: Wine class. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about wine. Tradition of Italian Food II was all about cheese. Smoked scamorza ravioli with a zesty (probably Sicilian) sauce. Broccoli and provolone quiche. Both wound up pretty good.
Second Wednesday: Wine class. See above. ToIFII was all about honey. Did a tasting of seven kinds of honey. Then roasted pork stuffed with figs, herbs and spices and put it on top of apples and potatoes baked in honey. Then poached a pear in a honey, wine, and fresh OJ for dessert. The entire class approved of the pork, which means it was spectacular. It was.
Thursday 3/5
Dessert Styling was devoted to the timeless dessert known as Crème Brulee. Finally, a class where my love of playing with fire is not only allowed but necessary. We made it flavored several ways: Classic, orange, pistachio, and coffee, which we served in cups and actually looked pretty damn cool.
Italian Pastries was all about cookies: Simple pasta frolla ones (regular and chocolate), perfect for afternoon tea. And some Italian ones I forget the name of but that were good.
Saturday 3/7
I got back from a Friday trip from Udine around two in the morning, so I slept in. My friend Miki, another Alaskan who’s been here since last semester, called and woke me up. I was glad because it was a perfect, sunny, breezy day. So we walked the Arno on both sides. Then talked about gelato. So we got gelato. While eating gelato, we talked about this really cool tea house I’d never been too. So we went there and drank tea and ate cookies, and we talked about Black Forest cake, which inspired a German dinner. So we rallied Miles and Adrian and made Wiener-Schnitzel and the aforementioned cake, all gluten-free for dinner. And then hit up the bar. Of course. And then played card games and ate some more.
Sunday 3/8
There were lots of crazy people at the grocery on Sunday, so that is a good reason for most of the groceries to be closed as well as for people not to go shopping that day. (This is all aside from the obvious fact it’s crowded with last minute shoppers.)
Miles made a very late breakfast for us: A skillet of eggs, pancetta, rucola, and cheese.
I went to mass and then came home and learned a new Indian recipe for dinner: Butter chicken and basmati cinnamon rice. I no longer think Indian food is as healthy as I used to think. Emo didn’t eat with us, but he did join us for our first apartment-wide Rummy500 game.
Monday 3/9
There was a wine tasting at the school’s cultural association, so Michaela, Adrian, Miles, and I all went. Two wines with the Marchese di Frescobaldi (aka The Marquis of royal descent currently in charge of the family’s historical wine empire) himself. The dinner was based around wine pairings. For me, the highlight of it was definitely the main entrée of pork filet with caramelized shallots and pork shoulder confit with crispy pork skin over roasted potatoes. Even the pairing with a 2005 Tenuta Castiglione was perfect.
Wednesday 3/11
Yesterday afternoon, I finally purchased my “knife set.” I use the quotation marks because my rather schizophrenic bag is half sharp objects and half pastry equipment.
I helped a little with the prep for the stuffed crust pizzas Miles and Adrian were making with The Sisters, but went to dinner with Sergio and some new girls and their visiting friends. Two live in Paris with “The Tin-Man and The Ogress” so they shared stories of their life with their “host family.” More bar action of course, where all the people from the pizza party at my apartment showed up. “Midnight Hot” was on the television the entire time, so that was just a tad distracting.
Thursday/TODAY 3/12
Dessert styling was all about meringue. Classic ones, macaroons with chocolate, marenga (an Italian dessert that sandwiches whipped cream, pasty cream, jam, or chocolate between two meringues), and of course lemon meringue pie.
I grabbed a quick lunch at the Chinese place near school, where I ran into Grace and that-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-know-who-looks-like-Pat-Healey. Thursday is rough because all I do all day is bake in a hot kitchen and taste the resulting desserts, so a high-protein semi-healthy lunch is necessary. I explained this to the Chinese lady who wondered why the guy in the chef jacket was buying food. I should ask her for Chinese culinary lessons.
Italian Pastries was devoted to a supposedly simple Pear Cake and an Almond Tart. Mario wasn’t there, so it was the Bonnie/Andrew show. The tart was decidedly way more successful than the cake but both tasted good.
Anyway, I'm at the bar now finishing this entry and chatting with my other younger brother Phil. (I'm pretty sure you still read this so here's a superfluous "hey, how's it going?" despite knowing you're on spring break and having a great time.) Always a pleasure.
FINALLY FINISHED AND UPDATED.
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