A Paella Dinner with Friends

A few weeks ago, Michael and I met these nice Italian guys and we quickly became friends.  During our 1st meeting we all spoke about the love of our respected countries' cuisine.  So, I invited them to our apartment for a paella night.  After we ask them over, one of our new amici told me that he doesn't eat any meat but he does love seafood.  No Problem!  One of the great things about paella is that it is very versatile. You can change it to your liking.  However, my biggest question was, what else was I going to make? You see, when people come over to eat, I don't like for them to leave hungry.  I rather have tons of leftovers than my guests not be able to enjoy as much food as they like.  Honestly, I was a little stressed out with the menu until Michael advised me to "Keep It Simple."  With that thought, I decided to make 2 appetizers or tapas, the paella, and 1 dessert.  For the tapas, I decided on Pan Tumaca and a Tortilla de Patata.  I was told that our friends loved chocolate so there was no question that I was going to make chocolate fondant for dessert.

Preparing The Fondant

I started by preparing the chocolate fondant.  I mixed all the ingredients and getting the ramekins buttered and dusted.  I did this so that when it was dessert time all I had to do was pop those bambinos in the oven and moments later...voila there you go. Oops, the voila should be Italian ;)

Chocolate fondant is a great dessert for chocolate lovers and if you can get them out of the ramekins (I had a little trouble getting mine out despite preparing them to come out easy) it is a very dramatic moment for the diners when they dig in and a river of melted chocolate oozes out. Despite the sinful nature of this dessert, I have figured out a way to make it with 1/2 the calories of a typical one.  I wanted to do this because we are all health conscious, being dancers and all.

First Steps in the Tortilla Making

The Most Fun Part Is The Flip!

My next plan of attack was the Tortilla de Patata.  This is perhaps the most typical of Spanish tapas.  It is almost impossible to find a Spaniard that hasn't been raised eating this dish.  I have great memories of making tortilla sandwiches (on baguettes, no less) and packing them up for the long summer days of  swimming and playing with my sister at the local pool.  To this day, every time I return to Spain having a good Tortilla is a must!

The Tumaca

Pan Tumaca is a great and easy tapa.  The traditional Catalonian style of making it is by toasting some bread and then simply rubbing some raw garlic and tomato on top the of bread.  You finish it off with a little olive oil and salt and your tapa is made. 

When I prepare Pan Tumaca for parties, I like to prepare it by grating the tomatoes in a bowl and adding the olive oil, garlic and salt to the mixture.  Then my guests can spread as much "tumaca" as they want and the bread doesn't get soggy.

The Star

After preparing the tapas and the dessert, I was in good shape.  I then tackled the star of the evening.  Paella!  Now the biggest one I have ever made was for 4 people however we were having 6 over so I borrowed my friends Bernardo's super size paella pan.  Bernardo uses his whenever we have paella night at his house for our monthly Spaniards in NYC nights.  

I started by chopping all the veggies and then made the sofrito.  The way that I make sofirto for paella, I use onions, peppers, tomato & tomato paste cooked in olive oil.  At this point, I had to stop and wait for my guests to arrive.  I never add the rice until my guests are enjoying their tapas.  You don't want over cooked rice.  I used the traditional rice called Bomba.  This rice is an ancient grain originally from the Murcia area of Spain.  It is used in paella making because of it's ability to absorb 3 times more liquid than other rice.  Once my sofrito was made and it was time for the paella making to start again, I added the rice and saffron.  I cooked them for a couple of minutes.  After the rice has a translucent look, I pour my liquid.  In this case, I used fish stock.  I let the stock start a light boil and added my proteins.  My proteins for this paella was Shrimp (yes, with the heads and all), mussels, and squid.  I allowed all the ingredients to cooked together and never mixed it or moved it.  Mixing is a no no in paella making. 

I am happy to say that "Paella Night" was a big success.  There was laughter, joy, good times and full bellies for all.  I left the evening having representing my mother country well.  OLE ESPAÑA! 

In Roma and no Pope?

1st day in Roma and no Pope

Travel in Italy is so easy.  The trains are comfortable, fast, and reliable.  Our trip from Milan to Rome went by in a breeze.  Michael and I dropped our bags at our apartment at Campo De Fiori (more on that later.) and went to get some lunch.  Here in Rome, we were on our own.  No friends to guide us around or take us to locations.  We were fortunate enough that our friends including Meryl, who had lived in Rome for two years, gave us a list of places to have authentic Roman food.  Using Michael's iPhone we saw that Da Francesco was the closest one to us.  This place is a small and simple restaurant.  Which I loved right away.  No fancy tourist places for me!  They handed us the menu and I went right to the specials of the day. We saw they had puntarelle so that was a must.  We were also advised to have the Roman-Jewish Style artichokes.  These are simmered in olive oil until tender.  I was expecting more from them.  Michael's favorite dish from his childhood is Lasagna, he has told me many times about how wonderful his Aunt Lucy's Lasagna was.  So he was so happy to see it on the menu and in true Italian style they only had 1 left so I had to choose another dish. Our adorable waiter Tarquinio (what a name?!) recommended fettuccine with seasonal radicchio.  This was a surprise delight.  I would have never have thought of placing radicchio in pasta but it was really delicious.  Everything here at Da Francesco was delicious and full of flavor. This meal was enhanced by our local and artisanal beer.  We left happy and excited to continue our culinary adventure in Rome. 

After two days of passing by the Campo De Fiori and seeing the incredible colors and smelling wonderful aromas of the vegetables, we couldn't resist anymore.  We had to plan our own meal at the fantastic apartment that we were staying.  I love staying in a real apartment while I am in new cities.  I adore being able to shop and live like a local.  For our own 1st "home cooked" Roman meal, we did our take on Roman pasta while trying to honor the beautiful produce that we got. We decided on Tartuffo pasta with home made tomato sauce, Italian sauge, asparagus and zuquinni.

our goodies from Campo Di Fiori

Shopping for our goodies was so fun.  The friendly vendor helped us along the way.  He recommended to us the freshest and best ones for our idea.  It was like having a personal shopper but for food not designer clothes.  What a treat to feel like a Roman.  My 1st step was to start the sauce.  I cleaned and chopped the tomatoes. However I didn't peel them as most people do because I wanted us to experience the whole tomato.  With some olive oil, tomato paste and anchovies, I started cooking them in a pot.  In a separated skillet I browned the sausage without the casing. After the meat was ready I added it to the sauce.  I sauteed the veggies, boiled the pasta and then Tah-Dah....Dinner was made.  With some great Pizza Bianca from Forno Campo De Fiori and a bottle of Chianti it was a fantastic Roman Meal sitting in our apartment high over the Campo.  

Cooking, Pizza, & Dinner.

On a cold rainy day in Rome and feeling disappointed because the Vatican decided to close the Sistine Chapel TODAY to prepare for the Papal Conclave (whatever?!),  Michael and I headed to the elegant Da Fortunato to eat our feelings. This place is a tourist spot however, at lunch time it is not. It's filled with locals and especially business men in their perfectly tailored suits. We ordered fried zuquinni flowers for the two of us.  Michael ordered ossobucco with risotto and I chose gnocchi with a meat ragu.  This was a fair meal. Nice but not amazing.  It did do the trick to heal our broken hearts on a wet day. 

NEXT....More Rome and Florence....Mamma Mia!!!!

Arrivederci Bella Italia!

At The Roman Forum

Rome is a city unlike any other city.  It has it's own rhythm.  I would say "Rome dances to a different orchestration than the rest of the world."  After a couple of days here, we felt that we were getting a handle on this place.  By this time, Michael and I have become addicted to the cappuccinos at Sant Eustachio.  They were rich, bold and creamy all at the same time.  (may I have another, per favore?)  We also became accustomed to having an afternoon gelato.  I would try different favors and Michael would stick to his favorite, pistachio. Lastly, we couldn't wait for our "apperitvo" in the early evenings.  We especially liked their "spritz" which was Aperol, Percesco and club soda.  As we had eaten plenty of pasta and meat by this time, we decided to go to a seafood place for a lighter dinner.  We were recommended to try Osteria Der Belli.  It is located in Rome's hip neighborhood of Trastevere.

Osteria Der Belli

Honestly, I was dissatisfied with this restaurant. The service was mediocre. The presentation was flat.  I do confess that the flavors were good and robust.  However, as I am a Spaniard and specifically a "Madrileño", I am very spoiled with seafood.  Madrid receives some of the finest seafood from both the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

After 3 days in Rome, we couldn't get it out of our minds that the best meals we had were at Da Francesco and the meal we made at home.  Naturally, we choose to repeat them both. That morning we headed out to the Campo De Fiori to buy veggies and souvenirs.  We came back with Grappa, Lemoncello, spices, wine, salad, tomatoes, veal and the tiniest but sweetest strawberries you ever saw.  After our second trip to the Vatican and the most special because we got to stand in front of the tomb of Saint Peter. We headed to Da Francesco for lunch and found our friend "Tarquinio" smiling at our return.

Tarquinio and Me

I ordered some antipastos of purscutto and mozzarella (or as Michael's cousin's say Moo-tzerr-rell).  As the famous PBS travel guide Rick Steve's comments "Antipastos are a great and affordable way to fill your belly in Italy."  We both got pasta as our main dishes.  Michael got the famous "Fettucine all tartuffo bianco" which had a subtle but exquisite taste of white truffle.  As a Spaniard, I had eaten many "black" rice made with squid ink, so naturally I was curious to try some "black" pasta with cockles.  My pasta definitely brought to me many memories of Spain...different but similar.  I had to constantly fight off Michael's fork from my plate.  We both left thrilled to have another fulfilling and truly Roman meal.  We then headed on a wild goose chase through the tiny streets of Rome for the 116 bus.  At every turn another dead end but thankfully we found it and off to the Borghese Gardens we went.  We then came back for an evening at home munching on pizza, leftovers and our veal and salad.  The next morning we took the train to Florence.

The Umbrellas of Firenze

We only had one day in Florence and unfortunately it was rainy and cold.  We didn't have many suggestions of places to eat at here. The only sit down restaurant that we had was Cibréo.  After seeing Michelangelo's David, we went to find it.  It turned out to be a real find.  It was of the beaten track, the menu was not very big, but it was affordable with excellent quality food. We started with Minestra in Pane (basically Minestrone made with bread) and sfornato di ricotta e patate (a cheese flan with meat ragu).  Michael loved his "soup" but was surprised it was more like a spread and not soupy at all.  My ricotta felt like a play on deconstructed lasagna.  Our second plate was cod puree and a roast rabbit.  My cod with lentils really warmed my insides on such a wet day.  I was super surprised to learn that my cod had no cream at all.  It was all pureed cod and olive oil.  WOW!  Michael's rabbit was moist and crusty with a variety of herds.  It also had the most savory caramelized onions ever.  We finished with dessert of "cheesecake" (that is exactly as the server said it to us...cheese-y-cakeee (full on Italian accent) and bavarese al caffe.  I couldn't decide so our waiter brought out the chocolate cake too.  So very sweet.

Cibréo

We capped our stay in Italy with a delightful day at Lake Cuomo.  It was a perfect way to end our adventure in Italia.  Ciao Italia...until next time!

At Villa Pizzo in Lake Cuomo

The Road To Italy

I am back from a whirlwind trip to Italy and I wanted to share with you this wonderful, wild and wacky country.  Let me start before arriving in Italy.  A few weeks before our trip, Michael and I saw the documentary "Fat, Sick, and nearly dead." (you can watch it online.)  We both thought it was very inspirational and it made us want to try a vegetable juice cleanse.  Clearly, we were not going to try Joe Cross' drastic two months of only juice.  We decided on a mild three days right before our trip to Italy. What a better way to prepare ourselves for all that great food than giving our digestive system a bit of a rest. Off we went to Macy's to buy a brand new juicer.

Michael and I wanted this cleanse to be as healthy and as healing as possible to our bodies so we focused on using mostly organic greens.  We occasionally threw in some carrots, apples, berries but it was mostly spinach, kale, watercress, green beans, cucumbers, squash and lettuce. At times, we topped this drinks off with ginger, garlic, lemon or grapefruit.

The first day I got up made my juice and after I finished drinking it my first though was, "What should I eat now?!"  Although, the juice was tasty it was totally unsatisfying to me. That should have been the first flag for me. The day only got worst as I keep getting hungrier.  A horrible headache came over me and left me feeling down.   Meanwhile Michael was not doing much better.

The next morning my headache was gone a well as my hunger that was hurting me the night before. I was happy. The remainder of the fast was uneventful except that I was ALWAYS hungry...and I mean always!  However, we made it through.  Listen, as healing it was, I vowed never to do another "crazy" diet again.  But I am sure Michael will talk me in to another one soon.  Anyway...ITALY HERE WE COOOOOOOOOOOME!

Some Delicious Juicing Moments

Stay Tuned for Week One in Italy...