All posts in category Food

World’s Most Expensive Tortilla Chips (or “ridiculous Italian customs”)

Ciao Readers!

Today I am sharing with you (only figuratively, as it’s all for me & Steve!) the wonderfully thoughtful care package my sis-in-law sent (thanks again!!!). As you may recall, back when, I had a post entitled “Groceries of My Dreams.” Well, my sis-in-law decided to send some of those things, as well as some other goodies. Very thoughtful of her, yes? And I bet she paid alot more to ship it here than the cost of the actual contents of the box….

So, you would think sending it DHL and paying a large fee would get our box here easily. Ha! (Have you not been paying attention this past year?) NOTHING in Italy is that easy. First came the forms (there are ALWAYS forms). Since this was “food” (I’m not sure 4 out of 5 nutritionist would agree), it required a Ministry of Health form. With that, we had to send Steve’s passport and permesso (why on earth would a jar of Fluff require all this?!?!). And then for the final insult to injury….wait for it….

For receiving a wonderful gift, we had the privilege of having to pay customs 81 euros to hand over the box (about $105.00)!!! So, I am pretty sure at this point we are now in the possession (though not for long) of the world’s most expensive tortilla chips. (As I opened the bag and began to eat them I would count with each one, “one dollar, two dollars….”). But man, are they good!

Some of the goodies we got:

The moral of today’s post is: Be careful what you wish for!

12 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on March 28, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Culture Shock, Food

Tagged culture shock, expats, italian customs, mailing to Italy, tortilla chips

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 28, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/03/28/worlds-most-expensive-tortilla-chips-or-ridiculous-italian-customs/

Paris Foodie Wrap-Up

Ciao Readers!

In the next post I’ll be taking you on a very cold boat ride along the Seine, where we’ll be passing some famous sites until we just can’t take the cold anymore! But before we go on that tour, we’re going to eat breakfast at a local patisserie, stumble upon a Parisian street market and then take the Metro to Lafayette Gourmet to get some picnic supplies for later (and to just generally ogle the food). (Since we’ve already talked about all of the foreign food available here, today we’re sticking with French goodies.)

We discovered our little local patisserie on our first full day in Paris. While I wish I had photo-staged it better, the quiche I had (pictured below) was seriously the most delicious quiche I have ever eaten – the crust was perfectly buttery and flaky and the filling was pillowy and savory – heavenly! I was so enamored with this quiche that I decided I would eat one (with different fillings) every morning for the next/last two days of our stay. Little did I know (until the next morning) that this patisserie is closed on both Saturdays and Sundays (I said “awwwwww” for an inordinate amount of time after seeing the place shuttered Saturday morning). Well, at least for one day I enjoyed the perfect quiche and Steve a great baguette (I still don’t understand how water, flour and yeast in one country can end up with such a different result than water, flour and yeast in another, but French bread is so much more chewy and substantial than the bread here).

While Saturday left us disappointed upon discovering the patisserie closed, we were happily surprised to see a street market setting up right outside our hotel window. Paris has these wonderful little street markets that pop-up on specific days of the week in every neighborhood. While there are also some “bric n’ brac” markets, this was a quintessential Parisian food market – complete with produce and meats and fish…and, of course, cheese!!! As we didn’t have a kitchen, all we could really do was admire the food (okay, confession – we did later buy some cheese at the grocers and kept it on our window sill overnight [can you imagine storing Camembert inside your hotel room?!]).

So, instead of quiche we “made do” with some buttery pain au chocolates from another local patisserie we passed on the way to the Metro. We took the Metro to Galeries Lafayette, or, more specifically to the foodie floor, know as “Lafayette Gourmet.” Not only is this market filled with upscale French and foreign groceries, but there are numerous counters selling freshly prepared food as well as little mini-restaurant stalls with tables to boot. There’s all of the French food you can picture – from cheese to pastries to foie gras, and even a fish market/restaurant (as well as the foreign food I mentioned in a prior post). Since you’ve probably figured out I’m a foodie and watch too many shows about food, then hopefully you won’t be too appalled when I tell you that hearing about foie gras all these years had gotten the best of my curiosity. While I was photographing the foie gras stall I noticed that behind the counter there were very small samples on crackers….I spontaneously felt compelled to ask for one – this is Paris after all and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, how was it you ask? Since I grew up eating chopped liver, I’m used to and like the taste of liver (and hence Tuscan crostini which is topped with it)….it had the taste and consistency of liver-flavored butter (which either sounds delicious or disgusting, depending on your point of view). While I was happy to have tried it, it’s nothing I ever need or want to eat again, so please no one gorge a duck on my account.

I did buy two treats at Lafayette for our hotel-room picnic that night – some salmon terrine and a mini bottle of Bordeaux. Add some cheeses and a baguette from the local grocer, and voila – dinner! (Well, add some pastries, too….). As always, sorry they haven’t invented taste-o-vision yet, but enjoy!

9 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on March 11, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Diversions to Other Places, Food

Tagged baguette, fois gras, food markets, Lafayette Gourmet, Paris, Paris street market, Patiserrie, quiche

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 11, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/03/11/paris-wrap-up/

A Tasting Tour of the Albert Cuyp Market

Ciao Readers! (Or should I say “Hallo,” as we are in The Netherlands…) And Happy (early) Birthday Ryn!

Today I am taking you on a tasting tour through the Albert Cuyp Market, a century-old street market running for several blocks throughout the De Pijp neighborhood in Amsterdam. Albert Cuyp is up and running every day except Sunday, and sells everything you can think of – from books to clothes to all sorts of local and exotic foods. (Since I have a broken toe, we’ll get to the market via one of the many handy electric trams that run throughout Amsterdam.)

To be honest with you, I can’t really tell you much about what the market sells other than food, as we arrived with empty stomachs and the intention of sampling the local specialties. As most of the local specialties seem to come in the form of fried foods (there’s an entire wall of fried food vending slots at the train station!), we felt super healthy by starting off at the herring stand. In the picture below, Steve is being served the traditional herring on a bun by Puck Jansen, the owner of the “Vlaardingse Haring Handel,” who has been working at the market for 44 years! (Okay, confession time – maybe after reading the name of the stand you will forgive me when I admit I did not even attempt to speak Dutch while in Amsterdam.) The herring was delicious and eased the guilt of the fried poffertjes that followed (little pancake-like fried dough bathing in butter and powdered sugar), as well as the requisite frites (seriously, it’s a legal requirement that you eat fries in Amsterdam – well, maybe not, but it is a crime if you don’t!). Having about as much fried deliciousness as we could stand, we decided to pass on the stroopwafels for the time being (thin waffles baked with a caramel-like syrup in the middle), as there were some in the kitchen in our B&B in case we felt the need (we did, later – they were good, but I bet the fresh ones are even better).

While our craving for local treats was sated, we wandered the market still, encountering just a few more things we (okay, I) couldn’t pass up. In the wonderful nut and candy stand pictured below I was surprised and delighted to discover…roasted pecans! Well, as you may recall from a previous post, pecans are among the groceries of my dreams, so of course I had to treat myself to a small bag (and they were roast-y and pecan-y and yummy!). The final culinary triumph happened at the spice market. There were so many spices hanging in bags on the many racks that I was certain that I could find ground cloves (an ingredient I’ve been missing and searching for here). The only problem was everything was labeled in Dutch and I couldn’t seem to find anyone to help me. Undeterred, I started smelling all of the bags that looked liked they might be cloves. I found one that I thought smelled right – “Kruidnagel Poeder” (which I confirmed later is indeed cloves). (Dutch is seriously a difficult language!)

I wish I could add smell and taste to these photos to give you an even better sense of the scrumptiousness to be had….

: Amsterdam fries

6 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on March 8, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Diversions to Other Places, Food

Tagged Albert Cuyp Market, Amsterdam, Dutch, food markets, Frites, Herring, poffertjes

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 8, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/03/08/a-tasting-tour-of-the-albert-cuyp-market/

Reflections on Italy (through an edible lens)

Ciao Readers!

I have begun to crystallize my thoughts from our recent road trip. And, while I could just share those thoughts directly, I believe I can best illustrate them though my favorite medium – food. Every time we traveled to Europe in the past we were always in search of the local specialties – pasta and pizza in Italy, cheese and croissants in France, and so on. So we really paid no attention to what other types of food were available or what the eating habits of the locals were like. This trip changed all that.

As you may recall, I have gone on many wild goose chases trying to source ingredients to prepare non-Italian foods and have tried the few foreign food places we have found here. However, the conclusion I have come to (which has been validated by numerous Italians) is that Italians like Italian food. Not only do Italians like Italian food, but they like all things Italian (apparently even their felony-convicted former Prime Minister). Not only do they like Italian things, but they like them pretty much to the exclusion of non-Italian things. That is why (in a direct way) it’s so hard to find variety in food here, and (in a more subtle way) why I feel such a strong sense of being a “stranieri.” As the Italians I have discussed this with put it simply, Italians, especially Florentines, are “chiuso” (closed). (Interestingly enough, these Italians usually take the form of folks who don’t feel that way – the man that owns the little Korean grocery and is married to a Korean woman; my language exchange partner who has traveled the world). To be honest, until this trip to Paris and Amsterdam I didn’t realize the rest of Europe wasn’t the same way….

My first clue that things are not the same throughout Europe came while walking down our street in Paris. While of course there were amazing French bakeries and bistros (more in a later post), there were tons of foreign food places. Not one or two – tons! The next clue came when we decided to try out a Japanese place we saw (we had to choose which of several we saw within a block). We went during lunch and the place quickly filled up – with Parisians – businessmen and older women and everyone in-between. Other than ourselves, we only heard French spoken. And, much to my surprise, almost everyone was eating with chopsticks! (As background, I have only ever seen two Italians eat with chopsticks – one being my language exchange partner who lived in Korea for 6 months and the other being a woman at PinGusto who was unsuccessfully trying to stab her sushi with one.) This was not some exotic experience to these folks…it was lunch. (For us it was our first unagi [eel] and non-salmon sashimi in 6 months.)

We had pretty much similar experiences throughout Paris. Even at the upscale Lafayette Gourmet market, in addition to French foie gras (again, more in a later post), there was an entire stall for Chinese delicacies. The regular grocery stores had things we thought didn’t exist in Europe – cheddar cheese and Oreos and Asian sauces and more. And, while I have to say the hot sauce was nowhere near hot enough for my taste, the chips we got at the Mexican restaurant “Fajitas” were those fabulous thin-crispy ones I miss so much. There was at least as much variety in Amsterdam (as well as the ability to eat before 8 p.m.). And, while we enjoyed the local specialties there as well (stay tuned), we had what I could consider the best Thai green curry I’ve ever had. Now, no offense to my favorite Thai place back in Albuquerque, but instead of 80% bamboo shoots (as I’m used to), my curry was filled with every vegetable on the planet. Thinking the curry was going to be tamed-down for European taste buds (as was the Paris hot sauce), I made the mistake of asking for it “hot” and got what I asked for (anyone whose ever eaten authentic Thai understands what Thai hot means). I loved every last mouth-searing second of it!!! (Sadly enough, the hot sauce at the Amsterdam Mexican place we tried, while billed as “habenero,” was only about medium-Pace level hot.)

Now, I know you may be thinking it was weird of us to be eating all these non-French, non-Dutch foods on our trip… As my Lonely Planet “Amsterdam Encounter” put it (under a review of a Mexican place): “[Mexican food] is probably not why you came to Amsterdam.” However, for us it was just the culinary (and thus cultural) relief we needed. (Amsterdam also gave us our first peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and first bagel in the past 6 months.) We also came across an American grocery store – one with real American groceries (not the fake Filipino graham crackers or Swedish tortillas of Vivi Market). Now, before you get too excited for us (especially after you see the picture of the front window, below), know that the prices were insanely high. I have to admit, we did each treat ourselves to one thing, but pretty much just “ooooo’d” and “ahhhhhh’d” (just as an example, one thing we did not splurge on was a normal sized Reese’s candy bar – 2.10 euros, or about $2.80). We chatted with the proprietor and he said he has many customers from Florence, including a professor who comes 4 times a year and fills up an empty suitcase! Interesting.

The result of these culinary discoveries was that I realized Italy really is the fairly homogenous society I suspected it of being. And it likes it that way. The second discovery was that other parts of Europe are much more international and open to foreign influences. I hate to say it, but I felt much more comfortable and welcomed in Paris and Amsterdam than I do here most of the time. People seemed friendlier and less annoyed at the Italian/French/English mish-mosh I was speaking. I have no idea why the French get a bad rap – this is the 3rd time we’ve been there and people have always been nice (saying “bonjour” and “s’il vous plaît” probably helped).

I have many more reflections that fit better in upcoming posts, so for now I’ll leave you with some of the non-local food we enjoyed (or admired) on our trip:

9 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on March 1, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Culture Shock, Diversions to Other Places, Food

Tagged American groceries, Amsterdam, culture shock, expats, Florence, food, foreign food in Europe, Italians, Paris

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 1, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/03/01/reflections-on-italy-through-an-edible-lens/

Easy Yummy Lemon Almond Cake (and why I miss my kitchen)

Ciao Readers!

Today I am going to share a delicious lemon almond cake I recently baked (well, figuratively speaking). A couple of weeks ago we were watching Nigella’s cooking show and the cake she was baking looked so good I had to immediately get off the sofa and go in the kitchen and bake it. While this used to be an almost weekly occurrence back in Albuquerque (seeing something on a cooking show and then getting up to cook/bake it), this was the first time since arriving in Italy that I’ve tried it here. The reasons being that back in Albuquerque, unlike here, 1) I had a pantry full of ingredients, 2) I had a kitchen in which I was inspired to cook, and, most importantly, 3) I could turn the oven on without fear of tripping the breakers (which happens here if the oven and anything else is on at the same time). (And, well, maybe also because I watched more t.v….)

In any case, the reason this cake is so delicious is because instead of flour, its base is entirely almond meal and polenta, and in addition to lemon zest in the cake, it is soaked after baking in fresh lemon syrup. YUM!!! While I didn’t have almond meal on hand, I did have almonds (and a hand immersion blender); and while not exactly “polenta,” I still had an entire bag of corn meal I had bought at Vivi Market (foolishly thinking I would make my own corn tortillas). I cannot say enough about how delicious this very easy to make cake comes out (recipe here); try it and impress your friends with a scrumptious Italy-inspired creation! While I tried to plate it all fancy-like, the photo doesn’t do its flavor justice:

This photo is actually from the second time I baked the cake (today as I write, probably two weeks ago as you read). I decided to bake the cake today, but forgot and started a load of laundry. I have no idea why, especially since the machines here are tiny (it’s next to the stove, pictured), but it takes at least 2 hours for a load to finish. I have to admit, I was feeling a little grumpy for those 2 hours – I am still having a hard time getting used to (and understanding why) our little “easy bake oven” takes up so much electricity that everything else has to be off in order to turn it on. It’s weird – it takes more electricity than the washer, than the air-conditioner unit, and even than my hair dryer. And it’s tiny – and all the coils don’t heat up (which all adds to why it’s not much fun to cook here). Since I’m on a roll venting about my current kitchen – the counter space is also tiny and most of the cabinet space is too high to reach (and while the counter looks like granite or nice synthetic granite, it’s plastic). The stove top is so small I had to take the back/lid off in order to fit more than one pan on at a time (still can’t fit 3 pans on at a time). And, while intellectually I understand that these are small complaints and people all over the world would kill for my current kitchen and the food therein, I’m only human and that thought does not change the fact that I get bummed out cooking here:

On the other hand, this is a kitchen in which I am inspired to (and have, and will again) cook up a storm:

So, I suppose today’s lessons are 1) appreciate what you have when you have it, and 2) Nigella bakes good cake! Have a nice weekend!

9 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on February 8, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Culture Shock, Food

Tagged cooking shows, lemon almond cake, Nigella

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on February 8, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/02/08/easy-yummy-lemon-almond-cake-and-why-i-miss-my-kitchen/

Eating Out on a Budget in Florence

Ciao Readers!

Today I am taking a little different approach (hey, it’s my birthday, I can do what I want!). I am going to attempt to play real “tour guide.” If you don’t know, back when, I bought the domain name “atasteofflorence.com” (I could not believe it wasn’t taken), with the idea that one day I’d know enough about this town to offer tour services. So, to test the waters, instead of just telling you about places we’ve eaten without any useful specifics (address, hours, helpful hints), today I am going to try and give concrete info for those who may be interested in trying out my recommendations. Now, if you are not planning a meal out in Florence, have no fear, I will add some fun facts (and photos, of course) to make it amusing nonetheless.

While I’m going to point out a few specific places, overall I can say that the best way to enjoy an affordable meal out in Florence is to make that meal lunch. The prices of food, oftentimes the same exact food as dinner, are markedly cheaper at lunch time, and since here a 2 hour meal with wine is a very normal lunch, there’s really no need to wait until dinner to enjoy the dining experience (plus, if you’re like me, the thought of just starting a large meal at 8:30 p.m. doesn’t “go down” well). If you do want to enjoy an evening out, though, I will have future recommendations for you as well.

Italian Lunch Specials – Many of the local restaurants have great lunchtime specials, which gets you a complete meal for a set price. There are many touristy places that also have “fixed price” lunches, but you can spot those a mile away because 1) the sign will be in English, and 2) the price will be way more than you should be paying for lunch. Here’s an example of a good lunch deal from one of our local finds….

I had written about Le Stagioni (Via Capo di Mondo 10/12 r, closed Sunday lunch) in my earlier pizza review, and after the enthusiastic comments by a reader, we decided to both give their pizza another try and to go there for lunch as well. Turns out their pizza since my initial post has been cooked to perfection and they have a good lunch special to boot. As with most Italian places, the lunch special only applies during the week. Here you get a beverage of your choice (which includes a tiny beer or a 1/4 liter of wine), a choice off a list of pizzas and pastas, and the requisite after-lunch cafe for 7.50 euros (you can add an appetizer or dessert for another 2.50). Since this is a lunch special, there is no “coperto” (and of course no tax or tip), making lunch for two exactly 15 euros total. This is a pretty typical lunch deal and you can find them at many local places. (For example, La Luna has a similar offer, except with more choices, for 8 euros.) Here’s Steve’s and my lunch special:

Foreign Food Rosticceria – Since I already devoted an entire post praising the virtues of these hole-in-the-wall foreign food places, I won’t repeat myself here. However, I will provide some details. First off, unlike Italian places, these are almost always open for lunch on Sundays and open every evening by 5:30 or 6:00 for dinner; so if you can’t wait until 8:00 to eat, this is the way to go. They also have the same exact menu and prices for lunch and dinner (since they are not technically restaurants), so another good budget tip. (Drinks at these places are usually 1.00 euro for bottled water, 1.50 for sodas; we never have wine with our foreign food, but I’m sure it’s inexpensive.)

After one commenter asked for the address of the Sri Lankin place, I thought “why didn’t she just google it?” After I took my own advice I discovered you can’t actually find it on the internet, so here’s the scoop: Eagle Food Centers is located at Via Del Moro 67/r (not far from the train station) and is open 7 days a week. The lunch plate special (white rice, curries and a popadum) is 3.50 euros vegetarian (and maybe with chicken) and 4.00 if you have meat (vegetarian plate pictured). From their flyer I’ve discovered that they actually have a Sunday special which includes the above, plus fried rice and desserts for 5.00 euros. We’ll be trying that out soon! Speaking of not being able to find it on the internet – the Chinese place I’ve spoken about is called Rosticceria Casalinga (Via Del Leone 53/r, closed Monday lunch). This place actually does have a few reviews on Tripadvisor, but would do much better business if 1) their name gave some indication that it was a Chinese place (it just basically means “home-cooked”), and/or 2) they had a website (I made these polite suggestions when the owner asked me how I had found out about the place, which was pretty empty). Their prices for typical dishes range from 3.50 – 4.50 (with rice being extra).

PinGusto Wok – We ate lunch yet again last weekend at PinGusto, an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet (right across from Sant’Ambrogio Market at Via Petro Annigoni 11, open 7-days, Italian hours; you need reservations for dinner). Now, as with most “Japanese” restaurants in Florence (there aren’t many to choose from), this one is not authentic in the sense that the cooks are from China, not Japan. (As an aside, Japanese food is so uncommon here that your place-mat at PinGusto actually explains to you what wasabi is and how to use it, pictured). And, no, they don’t have the biggest variety of fish on offer (almost all salmon). But to us PinGusto has so many redeeming qualities that we really enjoy our lunches there (admittedly, I’ve talked to others who disagree). First off, lunch is only 10 euros (even on the weekend) for all-you-can-eat (drinks extra; dinner is 20), and for those of you who know Steve, you know he can do some serious damage (okay, I can also do my fair share). While there is an entire cooked food buffet as well (pictured), we pretty much stick to the sushi. One of the great things about the sushi (served conveyor-belt style) is that, unlike every other all-you-can eat sushi place anywhere, they actually send out plates of sashimi, so if you are picky/patient, you can eat tons of fresh fish without getting filled up on rice. While there are many things we wish they served (tuna, eel), for 10 euros I’ll take a never-ending plate of salmon and seaweed salad any time! (And their lemon gelato isn’t a bad palate cleanser afterwards). Helpful hint: this place fills up fast and usually has a line – we have found that if we get there about 12:35 (they open at 12:30), we walk right in at the back of the line that’s been waiting since 12/12:15, avoiding that wait and the very long line that follows by about 1:00.

Thanks for letting me be your guide today!

14 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on January 29, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Culture Shock, Food

Tagged atasteofflorence.com, Chinese Rosticceria, Eagle Food Center, eating on a budget in Florence, italian lunch specials, Le Stagione, Pingusto Wok

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on January 29, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/01/29/eating-out-on-a-budget-in-florence/

A Plethora of Pasta (A Photo Anthology)

Ciao Readers!

A couple of weeks ago in my dream grocery post I mentioned the countless varieties of pasta they have here. I thought it would be fun to underline my point by taking my camera into the two grocery stores in our neighborhood (COOP and Conad). Mind you, this is the pasta at just regular ol’ smallish groceries – not the big fancy groceries and not the foodie markets (where you can find pasta in every shape and color). The idea is that there is a perfectly shaped pasta for each and every individual sauce out there (the right nooks and crannies to hold sauces of differing densities/viscosities). I haven’t counted, but I’m guessing you could find at least 100 varieties of pasta in each of these groceries (hey, if you’re gonna eat 51 pounds of it a year, ya need variety). Notice that there are 3 types each of just the store-brand penne and rigatoni (each just a slightly different size)! Every store has at least one entire aisle side dedicated to pasta, as well as an entire section of inexpensive refrigerated pasta, then a separate section of various types of locally made “fresh” pasta. Just a sampling from a trip the grocery… Boun Appetito!

(If by chance you are thinking “hmmmm, this post seems a bit thin,” you’re not off-base; I started back to Italian school last week, and for reasons I will explain in a forthcoming post, ended up in level 6 of 6, so my brain capacity and blogging time are seriously hampered! I will likely only be posting 2 times/week for a while.) In any case, there are pics of cute little mini pastas, too….