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

Bongiorno Italia!!

After an 8 hour flight, a 45 minute train, and a 10 minute trolley ride, we arrived in Milan, Italy.  We were so lucky to have Italian friends waiting for us in Italy.  We quickly discovered that having Italian friends is a real blessing in this country.  Our first order of business was getting them to make us a reservation at Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.  This restaurant is normally booked up for months but our friend was a friend of a friend of the sommelier.  And what do you know?  We were fortunate enough to get a spot on our 2nd night in Milan. Years ago, I studied at the French Culinary Institute.  One of my teachers there was the chef instructor of the School of Italian Studies. So who better to get recommendation from?  She told me that this place was the BEST meal she had ever had in Italy.  Well, she was right! Aimo e Nadia lived up to the hype.

I thought it was peculiar that my teacher emphasized that the restaurant was decorated in 80's style.  The warning didn't prepare me for the reality.  It was REALLY 80's!  The decor, the only 8 table, the glaring lights, the lack of music, and being that Michael and I were the only customers in the restaurant in the middle of nowhere Milan I was scared and skeptical.   Since this was our first time in Italy together, we moved forward with courage and order the full tasting menu.

We learned that the focus of the tasting menu was around this special salt from a lagoon in Sicily.  This salt played with the food.  It changed taste with each dish. We had a full education from Stefania (Aimo and Nadia's Daughter).  She entertained us with facts and stories of the food, where it came from and how it was grown.  She won our heart when Michael asked if the food was organic and with a smile she responded , "This is more than organic."

First Four Courses

The menu started lightly with bits of sweet fish, purees of chickpeas, and perfect vegetables.  After the 1st 4 courses...yes, 1st 4...then came the star of the evening, Etrurian Soup.  Stefania explained to us that this is a speciality here at Aimo.  Each element of the soup is cooked separately at low temperatures for hours in clay pots that are make specifically for them. This care and attention was not wasted, this soup was like eating love in a plate.  I never wanted it to end.

Etrurian Soup

After the warm and hearty soup, our only pasta dish arrived.  It was two raviolis stuff with ossobuco in a saffron sauce.  This was a great way to represent a country so famous for it's pasta.  It was a perfect balance. We continued on and 4 more delicious courses arrived...if you are counting that is 10 so far. They included veal from Piedmont, a selection of artisan cheeses, delicate citrus sorbets, and a play on tiramisu called "tirami-Sud." Then when we thought our dining experience was over the server placed a darling tray of petit fours for us.  These "cookies" were a surprise most especially the tiny madeleine with pineapple confit.  HEAVEN!

A Finish to a Wonderful Meal

A few evenings later we dined at a local spot called Barabba.  Our pal Giovanni, a native from Milano, brought us here.  As it was just a local hangout, we didn't have any expectations just something simple and casual.  We were surprised!  We were greeted by a charming woman that turned out to be the host and server.  She quickly suggested things to us and at her command out came a creamy burrata cheese, prosciutto di Parma, and this weird veg called puntarelle.  We fell in love with this puntarelle.  It is a form of chicory that is shaved and dressed in a anchovy, garlic and olive oil dressing. Our lovely, host/server/teacher of puntarelle told us that they were done making pasta for the evening when we arrived.  Sensing our disappointment she gave us a nod and a wink she made the kitchen re-open and out came plates of fresh spaghetti alla matriciana.  Then After our fresh pasta of pomodoro and pancetta out came Michael's favorite dessert of the trip.  It was called Fruttini di Amalfi.  They are fruits and nuts that have been scooped out and then re-stuffed with gelato of their corresponding flavor.  So the fig was stuffed with fig gelato and so on.  Michael was obsessed!

Barabba

Allora...una pausa!  

Stay tuned for our time in Rome and Florence.... Ciao, Ciao!

Aimo, Me, Stefania & Michael

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...

The Ballet Cook Book Dinner Fifth Installment

On Saturday, February 2nd, we held our fifth Ballet Cook Book dinner. The idea was created about a year ago by ballet blogger Ryan Wenzel. As always the host was food blogger Susan LaRosa. Usually we pick a date when I'm available all day, so Susan and I can prepare the menu. This time was different: I had a matinee show with New York City Ballet.  It meant that as soon as I finished, I would have to quickly take of my makeup, hop on the train for an hour and then have only two hours to prepare all the food.  To the further complicate things,  two days before I found out my rehearsal schedule for that Saturday and saw I had  rehearsal 6:30 to 7.  Well, I was not going to make it for the cooking of the food and I would just get there for eating part.  Luckily, my partner Michael stepped in and offer to help Susan to cook the dishes.

While the performance was happening, the ballet master that was supposed to coach my late rehearsal came to tell me we could do the rehearsal as soon as I was done with the show. So as soon as I finished that rehearsal,  I took off my makeup and  I was on my way to help with the cooking.  At other occasions the cooking has been very involved and time consuming. However, having read the recipes beforehand, I knew they were easier and less elaborate.

When I got to the house, I saw everyone sitting, relaxing, and drinking!  I was so puzzled.  I knew the recipes were  simple but I could not believe that they had done so much. This was the first dinner that we were not scrambling to finish all at the last minute.  They were so happy to see me because they decided that I should do the soufflé. Luckily, I have done many sweet soufflés and actually enjoy doing them.

Plus, I don't find them as complicated to make as people think they are.

While I was cooking, they gave me some of "Great-Great-Grandmother Blackwell's Eggnog" to try. Boy, that's a mighty strong and thick drink.  Grandma Blackwell was not playing!  Then the guest arrived and it was on with the show. We all had drinks/eggnog and guacamole for a bit until the soufflé was ready.  As I prefer stronger flavored guacamole, I found this one very bland.  I think the mayo weakened it.

Everyone was very impressed by the look of the soufflé but even more impressed by the taste of it. "Delicious." "Divine."  "It's so good!"  These were comments that you could hear at the table. I liked the soufflé but what I couldn't get out of my mind was that anything would taste good with the amount of bouillon I had put in it...a minor detail that we won't mention to anyone.

Then we served the swordfish tarragon and the "Just Yammy" Yams, and once again everyone was impressed and delighted. I was glad that we chose the swordfish because except for Balanchine's dinner, we have prepared chicken as a main course.

Susan, our cake master, did the tarte a l'orange, she was so unhappy with it because she didn't think it has come out perfect.  In my opinion, Susan did an amazing job with the tart, but the tart was way too sweet.  So much so that I could not taste any oranges only sugar.  I would have decided to only use half of the sugar from the recipe.  However, we do our very best to stay true to the original instructions.

Ashley Bouder's Final Curtain Food - Fried Chicken and Mash Potatoes

I know most people have their ultimate food favorite. The one meal or dessert that you would have if it was your last meal. Dancers definitely have that and I want it to be a feature in my blog. I'm calling it Final Curtain Food. This season I feel so lucky to have been dancing a lot with Prima Ballerina Ashley Bouder. So the more I was thinking about doing this feature the more it became clear she had to be my first one.

When I told Ashley about my idea it didn't take her even two seconds to respond, "mine is Fried Chicken and Mash Potatoes." I have never cooked fried chicken in the American Southern style, but I knew where to find the recipe. Paula Dean, Y'all. Of course, I did a bit of research on fried chicken but no one else's reviews came even close to hers. This recipe was quit easy to make, I chose to marinate the chicken in buttermilk prior, even though it didn't call for it.
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Paula's Twig Fried Chicken with Modifications by Antonio Carmena             
2 cups of buttermilk
1 Teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
3 eggs
1 cup of hot red  pepper sauce (recommended: Texas Pete)
2 cups self-rising Flour
House seasoning (1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder
1 Chicken cut in to pieces (we all like dark meet so I only bough legs and thighs)
Peanut oil

Pad dry your chicken and marinate in the buttermilk and cayenne pepper for at least 4 hours (one day preferably). An hour before frying drain chicken and let it dry. In a bowl beat the eggs and add the hot sauce. In another bowl put your flour. Pad dry the chicken again and season with the house seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg and hot sauce mixture, and coat well in the flour.

Heat the oil to 350 F in a deep pot.  Fry the chicken until brown and crisp. Dark meat about 13/14 min white meat 8/10.
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We finished our show of Vienna Waltzes on Sunday at 5.30. It was 7 when my partner and I got to Ashley's apartment. Her husband Matt sadly was away working which made me think, "great more for us." As soon as she open the door her two wonderful dogs came to greet us. I was so happy to see them and Michael was in heaven. When I started cooking I made two new best friends.

While preparing for dinner Ashley told us that her grandmother use to take her to have Fried Chicken and it's always been special for her since.  It seemed to bring back some great memories and warm feelings for her. I also asked her what was her favorite Fried Chicken her answer: KFC.  She said there is something in that seasoning that is no where else.

The Chicken came out super moist and very crispy on the outside.  Ashley said it was good but she wonder how it would taste if we marinate the chicken in the egg/red pepper sauce. That girl likes it spicy.

Prepping for dinner

My two new best friends

Ashley piping some Mash Potatoes

We didn't put any grease in the bottom and they got stuck.

Oops mistakes happens in dance and in cooking

The Chicken ready to be Fried

Look at all those beautiful shapes that Ashley did

Fried Chicken half way done

Dinner is ready

My best friends hoping to get some food

A Bistro Ducasse Style

It's Friday night and I'm not performing, so my partner and I decide to make a reservation at Benoit after we had seen a show of Giada De Laurentiis in Paradise where she featured a restaurant by Alain Ducasse. After reading his bio and eating dinner here I have become a huge fun of him. A little trivia that we learned while dinning is that at the original Benoit in Paris was created in 1912 by Benoit Matray, the grand father of Michel Petit who sold the restaurant to Alain Ducasse.

Let's start with the Restaurant Week Dinner Menu, it makes this boy happy just to look at it. I would had try every single thing.

Right after you order they bring you a great crunchy, very French bread with butter and some cheese puffs that are so soft that you could faint and fall in these cushy pillows.

The soup of the day was Lobster Bisque and I had to have it. Well, I was so right. It was delicious. I can honestly say that I felt like they had put a Lobster in a juicer and this was the glowing red liquid I was tasting.

Michael choose the Green Lentil & Frisée Salad, he kept telling me how wonderful it was and when I tried it, it was a very well balanced salad where everything had a place and nothing over powered the other ingredients.

When I'm in a french restaurant and they have Duck Confit, I have to have it.  Today was not going to be any different for me. I consider myself an expert of Duck Confits. This one was well executed and the best part in was the confit onions that the duck was laying on. Those onions were the highlight for me.

Michael had the Moules Mariniére and Pommes Frites. He loves mussels and this one where just so good and the meat was so big.  The frites where crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy in the inside. Surprisingly there was not an ounce of oil on them.  The chef could teach a master class on frites making. The worst part was when the waiter staff took our bread away before we got to dunk it in the sauce, we had to ask them for more bread.

After the meal, I was very happy.   The desserts were good but they where too sweet for me. Perhaps that is because when I bake I always remove a portion of sugar from the recipes. This is a Lemon Tart.

And Michael had the Prune Clafoutis & Vanilla Ice Cream.

I'm so happy that we tried Benoit. I would definitely come back and must go to the original as well. 

Merci Monsieur Ducasse.