Buying hash online in Sperlonga

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Buying hash online in Sperlonga

Here in Itri, Italy we live among the olive groves, in the months since we have moved here we have walked amongst the groves and enjoyed the suns golden rays between the branches at sunset. The olive trees are beautiful with their silver grey leaves and gnarled trunks. We walked among the trees in the cool hours of summer evenings and gave them barely a glance when we were picking figs from the fig trees nestled among them. Summer turned to fall and the temperatures dropped and I started to wonder when the olives would be ready for harvest. I asked around and locals told me it would be October or November for the olive harvest. Would the women have their hair tied up in red bandannas with denim sleeves rolled up ready for work? Did I imagine we would all joyfully harvest the olives then process them into the liquid gold of olive oil? Clearly I watch too many movies. None of the sort happened. What had happened? Had they harvested the olives while we were gone for the day? That seemed unlikely. Come to find out, olive trees only produce olives every two years. This is because the trees are producing the new crop of olives at the same time the old crop is being harvested. So all of the energy of the tree goes to the ripe olives and this adversely affects the new crop. Thus, the second year after a harvest can be minimal. I think that is what happened in my olive grove. It simply was not the right year for a good harvest. But there were still a few olives on the branches. So I carried my own little wicker basket outside and began to pick the few olives that were left on the trees. A few here and a few there. I felt like Rachel or Rahab in the bible times, gleaning the empty fields after harvest. But it was beautiful work. The sun was shining and the few olives on the branches were plump and yellow-green in color. Some even had the tint of purple starting. I plucked and plucked and dreamed of the olives I would make. So, no one showed me how to harvest and there was no big festive harvest with friends and family. No one showed me how to process them in an intimate rustic kitchen. I was alone …with…Google. Thankfully there are websites for that. So I read and read until I felt confident to conquer the elusive olive. Why has olive production become so elusive to us? Back home in California I lived in communities that were landscaped with olive trees. I remember seeing the black olives drop to the ground feeling baffled about how on earth we eat them? Certainly it is only possible when you buy olives in a can or jar. I heard crazy stories of chemicals and leaching and lye, poisonous water deadly to the environment and a bitterness that would scare anyone straight. I had a few acquaintances from the Middle East who wanted to harvest the landscaped olives and seemed to think it was not a big problem. But I still felt like it must be an impossible process. I asked around a few Italians I knew, it seemed that at every Italians home, they had a dish of olives that their mom or nonna had made. Yet it seemed it involved months or years of storage time. Finally someone mentioned you could smash the olives and that would reduce the amount of time needed before you could eat them. Yes, it was a plastic water bottle with the little lid on top. The opening on the top was barely big enough for an olive to fit through. I got the point and went home and cut the top of the water bottle off by first stabbing it with a knife, then cutting the top off with kitchen sizzers. Once I had filled several water bottles with olives I added plain water to the bottle and set them on my counter. For these crushed olives I will need to change the water every day for a week. Because the olive has been crushed it will penetrate down to the pit faster and remove the bitterness from the olive. They must have been desperate. Actually there is a story about this in the Iliad, that ancient story we were all supposed to study in school along with Homers Odyssey. Apparently a character from the story plucks an olive out of the Mediterranean Sea and eats it. So thats what I did, brine the olives in a salt water…. But if you want to eat the olives soon, like in the next few months, you need to crush them to allow the salty brine to penetrate rapidly to the pit, the source of the bitterness. So one sunny October afternoon I whacked olives until my heart was content and filled water bottles full of their little broken and bruised bodies. Then I sat the bottles on my counter top in the kitchen. Each morning when I woke up and started my coffee pot, I would drain my plastic water bottles containing whacked olives and refill the bottles with fresh water. This continued for two weeks. The instructions said one week but the olives tasted too bitter at the end of one week so we did another for good measure. They would now be left to sit until I was ready to eat them. Well, I was ready to eat them right away. So I let them sit in salt water for another week and then drained the olives into a large pickle jar, added a coating of olive oil and topped the crushed olives with fresh garlic, dried red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. They would sit in their little olive oil bath until we were ready to eat them. They are so good! The first batch was a little bitter, but I was told that Italians like that bitter taste, so I summoned my inner Italian and decided to like it too. These little olives just get better and better, I am loving the fact that now I know how to make olives! If you want to eat them in three weeks you need to whack them first, and change their water every 10 days to 2 weeks then fill the water bottles with salt water and store. I am happy to report it did turn out! In fact, it is now mid November and it is still olive harvest time. Now the olives have turned deep purple, even black. I have watched my neighbors and everyone in my territory harvest their olives. An elderly couple, a single older man, a few young workers are the ones who are doing the job. They always spread a green net on the ground under the olive tree and they use a power tool that looks like a rake that viberates rapidly in the branches to knock the olive down to the net below. They harvest in a small scale operation, the old fashioned way. Yep, where there is a will, there is a way. The Homestead Traveler way. Place the cracked olives into large plastic water bottles and cover olives with fresh, cool water. Close the container lid loosely and leave the olives to soak. After 24 hours, drain the olives and cover again with fresh, cool water. Repeat the water change daily for 1 — 2 weeks to reach the desired level of de-bittering. If you want less-bitter olives, continue to soak for two weeks and change water daily. When you are ready to use, drain the olives if the brine, toss in olive oil, fennel seeds, dried red pepper flakes and fresh chopped garlic. Store in refridgerator as you are eating them, they only get better as you go along! Tip: lids should be loosely only top, not tightened to allow the liquid to bubble up, this is part of the fermentation process and we all know how good fermentation is for us! After several months you can tighten the lids. You may need to make new brine to top off the bottles if there was water loss during this process. Instead use plastic water bottles with a small opening. I learned the hard way that I should have known to follow the Italian example…. November 21, No Comments. This is what I thought olive harvest would look like… Come to find out, olive trees only produce olives every two years. In this picture you can see the baby olives for next year next to the ripe olives from this year So I carried my own little wicker basket outside and began to pick the few olives that were left on the trees. This is what it really looked like, me all by myself… So, no one showed me how to harvest and there was no big festive harvest with friends and family. My beautiful olive harvest Why has olive production become so elusive to us? My beautiful olive harvest… I had a few acquaintances from the Middle East who wanted to harvest the landscaped olives and seemed to think it was not a big problem. Look at these beautiful Olive Groves in Itri Italy! Itri is all about the Olive Groves So one sunny October afternoon I whacked olives until my heart was content and filled water bottles full of their little broken and bruised bodies. My very tasty Crushed Olives ready to eat They are so good! These olives are delicious! My olives ready to be drained each morning Mediterranean Style Cracked Green Olives water based, change water every day for 2 weeks, brine 1 week takes 3 weeks total Ingredients 5 pounds olives 2. Drain the de-bittered olives and cover with the finish brine. I learned the hard way that I should have known to follow the Italian example… Share this: Tweet. Previous Post Next Post. You may also like July 17, January 21, September 5, Close Menu. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website.

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Buying hash online in Sperlonga

Posted on November 13, I thought it might be fun for you to experience a day of shopping with me. Yesterday, I spent the day running about the Maremma, one of my favorite shopping jaunts. An ancient area of rough and tumble cowboys and Etruscans, about a two hour drive from Rome. They are a very special fish shop, having been there for a very long time, bringing the catch from the boat in the morning to the store to sell. Really gorgeous fish indigenous to this area only. I bought some of their bottarga, some fish broth mix, and of course, the colatura, available only here and the Amalfi Coast, where the tradition of this elixer still exists. This liquid gold is the culmination of salted anchovies laid in chestnut baskets and the liquid allowed to slowly seep through a small hole in the bottom. A long, process, but the smooth taste is worth the wait, and renowned world wide. Since they use only the best of the fished anchovies caught between March and July you can understand why few outside this area have had the honor of even tasting it. You need only a few drops to make a unique dish. Fresh parsley. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Toss in the pasta. Heat just very slightly over low fire. Using pasta tongs, pick the spaghetti straight from the pot, into the pan, and finish its cooking in the colatura mix, adding salted water you cooked the pasta in, if necessary. Toss well over low heat until pasta is cooked al dente. Serve immediately, garnishing with a chili pepper. That is it. Simple, fast and people will always want to know what it is that is in the special sauce. After Orbetello, we headed to Albinia. Although flooded horribly last year, they are rebounding as Maremmans are known historically to do. Albinia is home to La Parrina, which I had not visited before this trip. It seems each trip brings new people and places into my life. La Parrina is a real find. It is a wonderful Agriturismo, a farm, a vineyard, and a produce grower with an Antica Fattoria that has the most fabulous foods, available. They make a bitter orange marmelade that will be fabulous on cheese, or bread or almost anything. A Kumquat jam, some fig mixtures, and they also have some really interesting mixtures of vegetable jams. Then it was back in the card off to Roma again. A long, but productive day. The real difficulties lie in trying to decide what I can manage to fit with all the limitations of weight and sizes I have. Terribly difficult decisions have to be made. The pre-orders are obviously first and they are going to be very, very happy. I hope that as time goes on there will be enough people trying all these really special regional products that are not available anywhere else. They are from small producers who will never be able to compete with the giants who aree able to put stabilizers and chemicals into their products so they stay fresh on shelves for years. These are products from real food for real people. And, boy,can you taste the difference. Write expresslyitalian gmail. Posted on October 27, Updated on November 1, This trip started, as always in Rome. Then off to Perugia for some chocolate, a great beginning for any shopping trip. Perugia home of EuroChocolate festival. Surrounded by all that chocolate is a great way to spend the day. The EuroChocolate card which was only 5 euro got you a few free tastes of chocolate and a tazza cup of hot Ciobar chocolate! I found some really delicious hand made chocolates from Piemonte region that are well worth the cost. The good news is that it takes so much less to satisfy a chocolate craving. And, the flavors. I just put them all in a pile to consider what to eat first. Then I remembered those waiting for some great Italian chocolate and used great restraint. The impact of all the winter, spring and summer rains in Italy is being felt by the olive growers here. The olive oils I love mostly olio nuovo are almost non-existant this year. There was so much rain that the olives did not grow well, many too small to harvest and when that happens they get some kind of flies that make them unusable. There are some from Livorno, where they had a superb harvest this year. Umbria has only a few small providers with oil, but I managed to get a few of several types moraiolo, and leccino. Sabina, one of my favorite places for oil, apparently had no harvest from most of the trees this year. A disastro! I love shopping in Umbria. So many wonderful food products in addition to some great olive wood utensils and fine linens. In Spello, I shopped with Luca Antonini again and was wooed with farro pastas, some of his famous condimenti. The pasticcio of Fichi Umbriachi drunken figs is to die for. They take figs stuff them with hazel nuts and almonds, coat them in chocolate and age them in Sambuca. For the pasticcio they mix it all together into a kind of paste that will change your life, if you serve it with cheese, or over ice cream, or mixed into ricotta cheese. A small amount will satisfy you and give you hours of energy. If you are not already on my newsletter list, please send me a request to add your name to the list. Email me at ExpresslyItalian aol. Posted on September 21, Updated on September 21, It seems everyone from growers, restaurants and grocers are now marketing the phrase. There are so many articles published about eating fresher, better food to improve your health and longevity, you know, within 20 miles of home? Most people are hard-working and working hard to make ends meet. How many decisions should we have to make before we sit down to dinner? Is this really healthy? Is this costing me much more? Can I ever be able to just trust the labels? Are these the nutrients I need? We are led from one food fad to another — anyone for kale? What I am questioning is whether all they tell us about the food is really true. Is the organic produce truely organic? Are the organic foods still grown from GMO seeds or not? Are the farmers markets supplying us with food truely grown by them? That is in part why I love eating in Italy so much. With all our technology, all the ready and quick answers and all the demands on our time and brains, we are still too trusting. Most of us are trying to be healthy, live longer, eat better. If you buy olive oil, you are eating healthier, right? Not necessarily. If you do not carefully read all the labels, you might first of all, be eating rancid oil. I have been in many of the small, local specialty and ethnic markets looking at oils. Many, many of them are way past the dates they are good. Olive oil, can be consumed for two years from harvest. IF it is kept stored properly. The first pressing oil is usually usable for two years, but after the first year it loses much of the value of the antioxidants and some taste. Then there are the labels that exclaim virgin olive oil, but does not really explain what kind of olives, where they come from, the harvest date, or what the mixture of oils might include. Think about it. They load a boat with tons of olive oil. They take a couple of weeks to get to an American port. Heat and dark, not so much. Depending on the route, it takes at least two to three weeks to reach port. Another week or so to get it off-loaded and delivered to the bottler. It sits there, sometimes for a month or so. So, this oil, by the time it reaches a market near you has been stored for as much as a year. Is it any wonder Italians all Europeans laugh at us about our ability to know good olive oil from bad. We have all read about lesser quality oils mixed in or mislabeled because they believe we would not know the difference. Few of us have tasted real, fresh olive oil unless we carried it back from Spain, France, Italy, Greece of some other olive area. American grown oils are great, but also mass-produced often with less flavor due to different varieties, pesticides, etc. Gino Celletti, chairman of the Monocultivar Olive Oil Council, in judging a world wide competition in New York, said freshness, is paramount. So one has to wonder why a producer would enter an oil in the competition if it was not the latest, freshest sample. Celletti said. Out of oils from 22 countries there were 27 winners and two of those were from California. We would have to spend so much time examining every item we eat we would have no time to eat it. Our agribusiness has improved foods for shipping, producing much larger, more perfect looking and easily controlled seeds, but what has it really done for you. And, they have virtually no taste. Is it any wonder we eat more, there is so little enjoyment from what we taste, you keeping eating more hoping for that feeling of satisfaction that never comes. If it is more profitable to produce a product for humans rather than use it as animal feed, why do we belive they do it for us. Why do we believe bigger is always better? The real point of my diatribe is that we not only cannot trust agribusiness, the grocery producers and chains but even the local farmers markets. Ask Whole Foods which is by no means exempt from these problems nor are they small. Do you really believe there are so many farms that send out people every week in every area to sell directly? Ask questions. That is our only hope. Know more about what you want and ask questi ons. The produce you believe is local and getting close to farm to table is really the same as in the market, but probably not stored as well and maybe not as inexpensive as you might guess. Real food does not grow to be picture perfect. But, it does have more nutrients, more flavor and more satisfaction value when you are eating it. I know this is a long rant, but you get the idea. Do not accept partially labeled products. You are feeding your family and yourself; insist on the best. Not just the best looking but the best tasting, the least changed from 40 years ago when all foods had taste. Is it your memory, or is it that the food is produced for so many reasons other than your taste and health. Examine labels. Exactly what kind of milk is making butter these days that it has no flavor? I just wait for a trip to Europe, especially Italy. But, even there you must be on guard. There is massive attempts to move into the farming industry by chemical companies, and agribusiness. Italians are quite demanding about food, which is the good news. There are commercial farms, but they are still mostly controlled by families, not consortiums. But, Europe is the new target market for agribusiness. Demand it also have flavor. At least I feel better. This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Posted on September 2, If you are not on the mailing list — add yourself on. Posted on August 27, Updated on August 27, Well, as August ends, Italians are returning to work from their vacations vacanze. Most Italians do not travel outside the borders of their country. They love their country. Why would they leave? I recall my husband talking to a co-worker shortly after our arrival in Rome. He told the guy we were going to Venice and he was very excited. The older man shrugged his shoulders it takes a couple of years to develop the Roman shrug and said have a good time. Mike asked if there was anyplace special that we should make an effort to see. And, there are quite a few Italians who never venture beyond their province or commune. I admit when I first received this accounting I was rolling on the floor laughing. Not only is this entirely possible wherever you travel, but can be expected in some variation on any trip to Italy. This man, a Californian, decided to take his adult daughters on a trip to Rome. The last I saw of him was on the via Veneto where outside his lovely hotel I was giving directions to the next stop on his trip — Tuscany. His travel agent had worked out the full itinerary with directions. And, he said he followed the directions exactly. When they arrived it was getting dark, but it appeared the location was not at all as promised. It had all the amenities as promised, BUT. The pool was covered, filled with leaves and had grown green water. The chairs around the pool and tables were plastic and overturned on the lawns. All of them. He was a little concerned that it had an entirely empty parking lot that would hold 60 cars. They found the restaurant was closed and there was not much activity anywhere nearby. His daughters were the ones who realized they were in a hotel with the same name as their reservations, but hours driving time away from where they were that evening. This after lugging overweight luggage up several flights of stairs no elevators. Nothing could be done until the next day anyway, but it was not a happy evening. The next mornng they drove to the correct hotel, which was gorgeous. By then, things were a little tense between them since they had lost a whole day of our precious vacation. He said they did spend lots of time investigating Montepulciano, which has become one of his favorite places. A salvaged vacation after all the previous difficulties yes they also had arrival problems in Rome, tour guide problems there, and more. Then came the last day of the trip. One of his daughters became quite ill and had to go to the hospital in Florence. The other daughter returned to her home in New York on her scheduled flight. It turned out the hospital was quite helpful and kind. She was only really dehydrated and needed an IV for hours but was fine afterwards. Of course, they missed their flight back to California though. They were booked on Alitalia, on their last day of their direct service to LA. There were no more direct flight from Rome to LA. For the record I remain confounded that there is no direct flight from Los Angeles to Rome from late October until March! They had to leave the hotel in Florence with three overweight bags between the two of them. They still have no idea how they managed it, but they got the train, along with their luggage from Florence to Rome near the airport for easier access. There were no available flights and he felt Alitalia was unhelpful. His local Vodafone SIM had been used up and where he was there was no Vodafone place and he could not understand the texts he kept receiving from them instructing him what to do. The agent was not returning his phone calls. Finally, he truly panicked and just wanted to get home. There was literally no way to get out for days, unless they would take Air Nigeria to Turkey, then three stops in Germany, an overnight at Amsterdam, then New York and then LA. Even panicked he knew he could not do that. And, of course, that was not for first class flights. But, he had waited several days already and enough is enough. He missed four days of work and the vacation costs were much higher after his vacation was to have ended that it was for the rest of the trip. And, much funnier when it happens to someone else. Honey, and new found products. If you want to receive the newsletter on available products, please email me at: expresslyitalian aol. If you have any questions about how to use any products or suggestions about what I should try to find, let me know. Just let me know if you have any special requests. Posted on July 19, Updated on July 19, Italy is a country of islands. In addition to the nearly islands off the coasts of Italy, there are many many more in the lakes, streams and rivers inside the country. So if you are looking for new experiences, there are opportunities to plan a trip just visiting the islands of Italy. Now life can return to the slower, more normal pace on this car free, pollution free island. The beaches are amazing and not crowded. There are amazing overlooks and vista to enjoy and photograph to make all your friends envious. And, all the restaurants, bars and shops stay open late into the night. And you are within sight of mainland of the coast of Tuscany and peninsula of the Monte Argentario and Orbetello. Figs and grapes are dried on granite surfaces and underneath the Mediterranean sun. It will remind true lovers of tuscan cuisine of panforte, since they have a common history. In , the Medici family forced many people from Siena to move to the island and repopulate it. They began to make a new version of their panforte using the ingredients present on the Island of Giglio. Another reminder that all Italian cuisine is about using the locally available ingredients. Panficato Gigliese. Soak the dried figs in water for 2 days. Chop the figs and add the chopped walnuts, orange peel, apples and pears, pine nuts, dark chocolate. Every thing is chopped , the unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, jam and a few dried grapes raisins. Mix all the ingredients, shape like round loaves and place in degree oven for 40 minutes. Either leave me a note here, or email me directly at ExpresslyItalian aol. As fall enters, there are a number of steam train tours for foods in Tuscany. There is a mushroom tour, a chestnut tour and a train that travels around the Siena area for food markets. Of course some of the biggest events are olive harvests. There are sagre, tastings and tours of pressing frantoio locations. Born in this land, he wanted to create a place where the intense feelings and emotions experienced in a living space with Bocelli and his singer friends.. A really beautiful environment to enjoy music or theater. Staino is a contemporary artist known for his satire. T here are watercolors and digital works over works in all. Since , the artist was forced to abandon his traditional drawing tools of pencils and pens as problems with his sight worsened. At this time of year Liguria is another must see region. Cinque Terre five lands which are five small villages right on the water built into steep, craggy hills. Each is so distinct and beautiful I cannot imagine ever being unwilling to travel there. There are trains from Genoa and buses between the villages, or you can take a boat from one village to the next, a trip that is only minutes. Genoa has often been overlooked as a tourist destination. I think because it is the largest port city in Italy and it was kind of uncared for near the port area many years ago. They have done much to improve the tourist experience, including a biosphere that sits in the harbor, and well as an huge and important aquarium. There is also Via Garibaldi. In the 15th century it held only palaces of royalty and the richest and most famous families. Now many are museums and it is still one of the most beautiful streets in all of Europe. You have to taste Pesto in Genoa to know what real pesto tastes like. Tiny little leaves that are tender and so flavorful. And, of course, the seafood anywhere along the coast is spectacular. A grilled misto mixed fish plate will never be a wrong choice. Piemonte has numerous festivals between summer Estate and fall Autunno. There are sagre food festivals in Asti, Biella, Novara, Torino, Vercelli celebrating various kinds of pastas and chestnuts. Most often they cover the most important events and sights and they will save you lots of time and money. They sometimes help avoid wait lines and give you discounts in stores. Check online before you make your trip or stop at the local tourism office usually located somewhere in the center of town. There are pleasures to be had any time of year. Different events, different foods, different experiences. Italy is simply a country of such variety and beauty, I will never see enough of it. I hope this motivates some of you to make the reservations for your next trip. And, there is always more. You can also find us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with all our latest news. Image Posted on July 4, The summer season is in full swing in Italy now. If only the rest of their government was as successful. Summer anywhere in Italy is filled with festivals, sagre the local food fairs celebrating an individual food and palio events competitions usually of medieval events. Since the country is a penninsula, there are beaches, unbelievable beaches in almost every region, and those landlocked areas have lakes. So many beautiful places to explore. So much truly fresh seafood! Get there in June or July if you want to be sure everything is open. Throughout the country summer is travel time. Although most Italians never leave Italy for their vacations, they all take time away from jobs and city for a real rest. In addition to all the tourist attractions of the museums, mounuments and churches, Rome has so many special events in the summer. Estate Romana is sponsored by the city council of Rome and provides an incredible programme for those who visit the Eternal City during the summer. The programme lasts for days and nights and features over 1, events, concerts, exhibitions and live performances. While events are held throughout the city, it is the River Tiber that steals the scene. The Tiber Island, for example, hosts an open-air cinema with a great, handpicked selection of national and international films, while the riverbanks fill up with food stands, pubs and temporary stores. Romans love to have fun, love to eat and are always interested in a party. And, just about all of it is free. If you plan on being in a particular region,google the website for the commune and it will give you all kinds of events. While in Rome, recently, I found a relatively new rental in Trastevere in a really convenient area that is to die for. Whether you are only in Rome for a short time or a longer stay, you should investigate this fabulous rental. Trastevere is livelier and more energetic and much less reserved and stodgy than the other side of the river. Well, I was soooo happy with this rental I wanted to share it with everyone. While I was alone, it actually can sleep 8 with two bedrooms and two baths. This is the smaller bedroom which sleeps 4 The master bedroom and bath. I loved how convenient it was to everything. Their lovely garden patio area has a beautiful magnolia tree that is several hundred years old and on Thursdays, they have a fresh market of products from Abruzzo there. And, they have a summer Jazz festival in the garden area all of July with women jazz artists. You are only a few blocks from markets and two blocks from the Botanical Gardens, which are well worth visiting. It starts off with a procession in honor of the Madonna del Carmine and begins eight days of celebrations with music and street performances, a street race and food, always lots of food. Whether you rent here or elsewhere, rent early. Summer is a very busy time in Rome. I get so excited about Rome in the summer. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged italian beaches , Italy , summer , Trastevere , travel. Posted on June 1, This morning I was reading one of the many Italian blogs I subscribe to. There was an article about one of the best known ambassadors of Italian cooking in the U. He opened Valentino restaurant in Santa Monica in and it has been a success almost from the beginning. In other words, that Italian American cooking that so many still believe is Italian. After Piero recovered from his shock, the diner suggested he go to Italy and see what Italian food was really like. Salvaggio took him seriously and made a trip to Italy to see what he had missed since he left Sicily in his early teens. It was truly an awakening for him to understand what Italian cooking is really about: simplicity and quality. That changed his entire concept at his restaurant and that awareness of the elegance of Italian food has continued since Salvaggio was the one who introduced Americans to fresh mozzarella, burrata, real prosciutto, extra virgin olive oil, risotto, balsamic vinegar and white truffles, items on every Italian restaurant menu now, but that were considered exotic back then. It is always a surprise to me that so many people have not realized how different real Italian cooking is to what we here think of as Italian. Our familiar Italian dishes are really Italian American dishes devised by immigrants who arrived here finding few of the ingredients there were familiar with so they adapted. I know that for me, living in Italy completely changed not only my concept of Italian food, but my whole way of cooking. It simplified my life, changed my shopping and made preparing meals much faster. It is surely true that many Italian meals can be made in less than half an hour. And, a much healthier way of eating. Some are differences only in the shapes of the pastas or some the sauce ingredients and some are the methods of preparation. The consistency seems to be in the use of the ingredients that are local, in season and the freshest available. And, it is okay if the ingredients are basic and simple. And, let nothing go to waste. In Rome, the traditional pasta dishes of Cucina Romana usually incorporate Pecorino Romano cheese similar to Parmesan, but saltier and a little sharper in flavor , Guanciale which is pork jowl rather than pancetta, peperoncini chili flakes and black pepper. The differences in these sauces are minute. Gricia is Amatriciana without the tomatoes. Carbonara adds eggs to the basic ingredients of Caccio e Pepe. All of them are made in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Truthfully though, the other end of Roman specialties is offal, which are those parts of the animal that Americans rarely see, let alone eat. Tails, intestines, sweetmeats and all those parts we normally toss are savored in Rome. And then many Roman specialties are fried. But, the defining issue remains always to use the highest quality foods, fresh as possible and cleanly prepared. My mouth is already watering just thinking about some of these things. I do think that Italians, always quick to offer food, confidently know that there are a number of dishes that can be prepared from any Italian kitchen at a moments notice. No planning, no thinking, no shopping. That kind of simplicity is the essence of Italian cooking: use the absolute freshest and best ingredients generously prepared with love. It really is easy and oh, so good. As an example: When we first were living in Rome we were shopping at a local mall, with a wonderful Italian friend. We said, sure and followed her into the Carrefour market. Start the water in a large pan for the spaghetti, add a handful yes, handful of salt. Remember, pasta water should taste like the sea. When the water is at the rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook the pasta 1 minutes less than the package suggests. In the meantime, dice or make strips of the guanciale and put into a pan on medium heat. Cook slowly till the fat is transparent and the bacon is crispy. This takes 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. Put the eggs in a bowl and whisk lightly adding at least half of the cheese and a good sprinkling of pepper. Drain the pasta quickly and add to the bowl along with the guanciale, stirring quickly to mix. Top with the rest of the cheese, more pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and eat. There is some thought that the American version using cream was developed because this is a creamy sauce. But actually, when you add the hot pasta to the eggs, it develops into a creamy sauce that is healthier and tastier than using cream. I can send you a price list and availability of the products I bring back from Italy. Each season varies and I bring only duty free products. I hope to hear from you. Posted on May 19, Updated on May 19, The flowers and vegetables are very fresh. And, the spice market booth continues to grow. It seems every visit Mauro and Marco Berardi have spread out a little more. Last month, they have about 25 per cent of the whole market. They have added olive oils, pastas, and even a meat stand, cutting porchetta and mortadella for sandwiches on the spot. And, famous they are. Spice mixes are quite popular throughout Europe right now as well as here in the U. However, you need to be pretty aware of what questions to ask, how to tell if they are worth what they cost and how thrilled you are likely to be with them. You can usually tell if the mixes are fresh by the color of the components. If they are dull and dark, their flavor will be old and stale. If they are packed by a manufacturer, there is little guarantee of what exactly is in the mix. No machines, no gigantic quantities being beat together by a machine which might have been used for almost any product before the mixes are put into their vats. Mauro claims his mixes will stay flavorful for at least two years if kept in the plastic bags he packs them. And, from my personal experience, they do retain full freshness for at least those two years. Much less trouble or cost than flying to Rome to buy them. I agree though, that the trip to Rome is always exciting. While Expressly Italian does not have all the mixes he offers, I do have the most popular ones. The Campo dei Fiori Mix , which is composed of basil, oregano, parsley, green onions, salt, red pepper flakes, and lots of black pepper. It can be cooked or used as is. This is a great go-to mix to use in almost anything. And, this mix is fabulous as a pasta sauce. Or, just mix a tablespoon of spice mix into a cup of olive oil and keep it for dipping bread, drizzling on pizza or vegetables. The Fish Mix is composed of rosemary, sage, pepper and green onions. If you want to make Caccio e Pepe pasta. Add a couple teaspoons of the black pepper, a little pasta water. Add the cooked spaghetti stir and quickly add grated pecorino cheese to make a sauce. Serve it immediately. You can make it any time without any planning or thought. Need quantities to feel comfortable? Throw the spaghetti pasta in, stir and gently push it under the water. Cook the pasta about 1 minute less than the package time suggests. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a little of the cooking water, toss immediately in a warm serving bowl and sprinkle the freshly ground black pepper and the grated Pecorino cheese. Mix quickly while adding a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water, just enough to moisten and melt the cheese, which will become slightly creamy. Drizzle fresh extra virgin olive oil sparingly over the top and serve. The wonderful part of learning to cook simple Italian is that the ingredients are the most important part. Posted on May 6, Updated on May 6, I know a month seems like a long time, but in Italy it goes by very quickly. It was a challenge to get everything I selected back with me, but I did it! As I mentioned in an earlier post, some of the most interesting things I found this trip were in the Maremma area of Tuscany. I brought back some of that liquid gold, Colatura, which is the essence of anchovy, impossible to find even in other areas of Italy. And another rare product: fennel pollen. Fennel pollen is a spice mostly used in Tuscan cooking, not widely known elsewhere. It is really that type of magical ingredient that can add a layer of flavor that takes a dish from good to great. Fennel pollen has notes of licorice, citrus and a feeling of soft subtlety. You can use the p ollen to season meat with a dry rub of salt, or sprinkle on just before serving. Light summery soups, gain headiness and depth with a light sprinkle at the table. In colder months, roasted vegetables are enhanced by a sprinkling of fennel pollen while they are roasting. The real trick with fennel pollen is not to overuse it. A little really does go a long way, and even a pinch may be too much. Go slowly, adding just a dash with care, and use it mostly towards the very end of cooking so as to preserve its delicate flavor. The fennel pollen I brought back is fine and pure, and there is also hand packed one is even more rare with absolutely no grit, just powdery flavor. There are also some condiments made especially for Tuscan style cooking, that rustic, simple but hearty real food they do so well. Really tasty and a little piquant. While I got some great preserved black truffles in Umbria, I found some thinly sliced summer black truffles preseved in oil in Capalbio that would be fabulous with eggs, or over meat or just on toast, or with almost anything. They are most effective when used in balance. A touch of an herb, or a dash of a condiment is all that is necessary. Subtle but dramatic taste additions make memorable dishes. If you want any of these items or have any questions about these or any of the typical products of this area, please email me at expresslyitalian aol. While we still have months to wait for new harvest olive oils, I do have olive oil from Montiano and Tivoli now. Both are fresh, and fabulous tasting. But be aware, these are not for everyday cooking, or making common salad dressings, they are to be prized. They are perfect for the splash of olive oil to brighten all the flavors in a dish just before serving. Or to dress a salad with just a little lemon juice and the olive oil. Treat yourself. You deserve the best and these truly are. And, lastly, there is agrodolce available. Agrodolce is a sweet sour sauce used in many Italian dishes. While it usually is traced back to first being used in Sicilian cooking, each region has developed its own take on this gastrique type sauce. Agrodolce can be used as a finishing sauce for a variety of dishes. Often it is used as a glaze or dipping sauce with antipasti. It is also a great addition to the cheese board for both mild and strong cheeses. I have raspberry agrodolce as well as blackberry. Both are fantastic. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged colatura. Ok, here we go. You really have to watch your speed. In addition to timing your travel from one set of cameras to another a set distance so theyy can calculate how long it took you to reach the second set to see if you went over the speed limit, there are also a few other cameras set just in case they miss whe you speed up suddenly. Our first stop was Orbetello. By then it was really raining. But Covitto was ready for us. Going into Covitto And, yes, I had to ask what Femminelle was — it is not just female but a type of fish. La Parrina After Orbetello, we headed to Albinia. Discover a new Newsletter from Expressly Italian Posted on September 2, If you are not on the mailing list — add yourself on. Posted on August 27, Updated on August 27, Well, as August ends, Italians are returning to work from their vacations vacanze. Being prepared is good. Knowing things will go wrong is even more important. Portovenere Cinque Terre Genoa has often been overlooked as a tourist destination. Genoa Harbor You have to taste Pesto in Genoa to know what real pesto tastes like. Genoa — Roma Sunset on the water Original staking for vine. If you want to be added to our mailing list, you can email me at: Expresslyitalian aol. Try making real carbonara. No cream please! Enjoy and buon appetito! Name required. Email required. Comment required. Bring a tall pot of water to a boil, then add a generous tablespoon of salt to it. Well, mostly. Some will arrive in July. These are some of the many specialties available. The true sign of spring — those beautiful red poppies There are still some of the original vineyards that use the wood supports for the vines Mamma got up, I backed up. Subscribe Subscribed. Expressly Italian. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website.

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