All posts in category Food

If you can’t get to Italy….go to Eataly!

Now I realize not everyone reading this blog can get to Italy (which may be in part why you’re reading this – “armchair travel”). However, if you can get to New York, you can spend the day in your own little piece of Italy – Eataly!

Eataly is this amazing Italian food meca in New York City. And yes, it is owned by “celebrity” chefs Batali and Bastianich – but don’t hold that against it. Walking through Eataly is as close as you’re going to get in the U.S. to walking through an Italian market/town filled with food in all its glorious forms – from a mind-boggling choice of olive oils and other “groceries,” to hand-made pastas, to a butcher, a pasticceria AND a gelateria. In addition to all of the food to take-away, each little section has its own bar or restaurant where you can order a glass of wine and try some of the delectables on-the-spot. Below are photos of the hand-made pasta shop, as well as the amazing bruschetta and salumi platter we tried while we were there. And, while I won’t lie to you and say the gelato is as good as La Sorbeteria Castiglione in Bologna, it’s as close as you’ll get this side of the pond! If you can’t get to Eataly, they ship some items – or you can just look through their website and dream delicious foodie dreams! (There is actually an Eataly in Bologna – much smaller than the one in NY – but you can dream you are there as well!)

2 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on June 3, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Diversions to Other Places, Food

Tagged bastianich, batali, Bologna, bruschetta, eataly, gelato, handmade pasta, salumi, sorbeteria castiglione

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on June 3, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/06/03/if-you-cant-get-to-italy-go-to-eataly/

Traveling in Europe

Okay, I have to admit after writing that packing post and thinking about all of the work this adventure requires I had fleeting thoughts of retreat. To redirect myself I re-read some of my own blog posts and decided to contemplate even more cool things about this move… and whatd’ya know – my enthusiasm was renewed! On that note – ya know another totally awesome thing about living in Italy? The rest of Europe!!!

I was watching a “No Reservations” episode from Croatia and it really hit me (in addition to the fact that I apparently watch way too much t.v.) that we will be living just a train ride or a €49 Ryanair flight away from everywhere else in Europe! The way we can now get to Santa Fe, Colorado or Las Vegas, we will be able to go to Venice or Paris. How cool is that?

When we traveled in 2008 we got to visit many amazing places (and yes, eat lots of yummy food), so I thought I’d reminisce about a few of those and share a few pics from that adventure. (If you think I am also subliminally trying to tempt you to come to Italy, you are right!).

There were the more famous places, where we had fabulous experiences, including Paris (I took a pastry class at Le Cordon Bleu, we saw the city and the Eiffel Tower decked out for the holidays and climbed the stairs at Notre Dame) and Barcelona (where we went to the amazing La Boqueria food market and spent days exploring the architecture of Antoni Gaudí). Then there were the lesser known places, where we also had fab, though more “quirky” experiences, such as the breathtaking Plitvice park in Croatia (which we almost never saw as we got stranded in the middle of nowhere Croatia by an ornery bus driver, but were rescued by nice folks at a lodge, who served us the bbq, pictured below [one is a pig, the other…we have no idea!]), Ljubljana in Slovenia (funky cool Euro vibe meets old communist architecture), Brugge in Belgium (where the best chocolates in the world are made…and maybe somewhat known after the Colin Farrell movie “In Bruges”), Orvieto in Italy (where the incredible [and twisted] Signorelli fresco, “The Damned” is painted in a church, and the first place I ever tried real truffles [shaved onto my pasta] – YUM!), and Bath in England (a town so picturesque and storybook-like I seriously expected Hansel & Gretel to come skipping out of the houses).

Here are photos of the places I just described… Come check it out for yourself!

8 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on May 18, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Art, Diversions to Other Places, Food, Italy, here we come!

Tagged Barcelona, Brugge, chocolate, Croatia, France, Gaudi, Italy, Le Cordon Bleu, Ljubljana, Orvieto, Paris, Plitvice Park, Signorelli, Slovenia, Spain, traveling in europe, truffles, Venice

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on May 18, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/05/18/traveling-in-europe/

Ode to Our “Old” Home (Albuquerque)

Since this blog is entitled “New Mexico to Italy,” I thought it was about time to give a shout-out to the place we’re leaving. I also thought you readers from abroad would appreciate a view of this side of the pond (on a semi-related aside, my assignment for Italian class this week is to present this post in Italian – gasp!). This is specifically about the place and not the people (you know who you are and that we’re gonna miss you!). Here are just a few of the cool things about our current home we’re going to miss:

International Balloon Fiesta – this is the largest balloon festival in the world, with upwards of 800 balloons coming from all over the world each year (for 9 days in early in October). In the morning they take off and in the evenings they stay tethered to the ground for a “balloon glow.” Balloons are pretty common here (when the winds are calm I can always see at least few on my morning run) and we have been up in one a few times (the unwritten rule is that you “crew” – help man the balloon – to earn a flight). I have no idea how we got on the topic of balloons in my school in Italy but everyone seemed amazed when I said they could come visit and go up in one – reminding me how truly special/unique the experience is! Here are just a couple of the many hundreds of photos I have take over the years…

Sandia Mountain – this is the beautiful mountain that turns “sandia” (watermelon) colored in the evening. It is great for hiking and skiing. It is also the way I have not gotten lost for the past 18 years (you can see it from everywhere in town so you always know which way is East). A couple of years ago I hiked up to the top (9 miles total, to over 10,000 ft.) and then took the tram down (the signs claim it is the world’s longest tram, but I have seen similar claims at other trams…). (you can read more/see more photos here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandia_Mountains).

The Fiery Food Show – this is the HUGE spicy food festival here that we have been attending for most of the past 17 years (first weekend of March). There are hundreds of booths where you can taste-test the latest in spicy foods – some are so hot that you get a sticker or some-other trinket if you can actually stand to try them! Here I am with my sister-in-law a few years ago (and here she is after tasting something VERY spicy!):

Run for the Zoo (and other runs) – I really love running in New Mexico. Except for the middle of summer, it is almost always perfect weather here in the mornings for a run and there are so many cool organized runs. I started off with 5k’s, then after many years worked up to 10k’s, then finally to half marathons. The biggest and most fun is the “Run for the Zoo,” where you actually run both for the zoo (it’s a fund-raiser) and through the back of the zoo (in how many 10k’s do you get to wave to elephants?!). Just ran this year’s on May 6.

Huevos Rancheros (and all other Mexican, Tex-Mex and New Mexican food!) – It’s always about the food with me! The best thing about food in New Mexico is the Hatch green chile. Every year at the end of the summer, the chile is harvested in Hatch, NM, and brought to groceries and stands all over the state. The tradition is you buy a huge sack full and then wait in line outside to have it roasted in a big roaster (you can pick from gringo mild to HOT – we like it HOT!). You bring it home and peel it (an all day affair, and one which we learned the hard way our first year here requires wearing gloves!), then bag it up and freeze it to see you through the year of green chile stews, huevos rancheros, green-chile-cheese fries, and just about anything else you can to add green chile to. YUM!

There are many more great things about Albuquerque – the nearly perpetual sunshine, rollerblading along the Bosque (nature area that runs along the Rio Grande), our very cool Zoo and BioPark, funky Nob Hill where you can stroll and shop and eat outside (closest thing we have to a European city center). And, yes, there are also not-so-great things we won’t miss… hearing about yet another visitor having their vehicle/belongings stolen from a motel parking lot, the fact that police have shot and killed dozens of people in the past couple of years, Walmart (and the other Walmart, and the smaller, but no less annoying Walmart), the spring winds, and having to drive almost everywhere! But, as with most things, I am sure we will look back with rose-colored glasses and miss the balloon-filled sky come October…

2 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on May 14, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Balloon Fiesta, Diversions to Other Places, Food, Italy, here we come!, New Mexico

Tagged Albuquerque, Albuquerque BioPark, Bosque, fiery food show, green chile, huevos rancheros, International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexican food, New Mexico, run for the zoo, sandia mountain, tex-mex

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on May 14, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/05/14/our-old-home-albuquerque/

The Perfect Cappuccino

I am not a coffee drinker (in New Mexico). I actually went for 40 years without drinking a cup of coffee (until our first trip to Italy). I never understood why people were always drinking coffee, there are coffee makers in every office, Starbucks on every block (okay, I still don’t totally get that one). I was pretty certain I would live out my days never having drunk a cup of coffee. Then, I went to Italy…

In Italy, coffee is an art form. And not one of those fancy Michelangelo, wait-in-line for hours art forms – an art form widely available to the masses (starting at about .80 euro).

At the school in Bologna, every day we had a (working) break between classes where all the students and teachers would go to the bar and have a beverage (and perhaps a pastry or panino) and practice our Italian by just having casual conversations (okay, ONCE in a while, we would break into English, but only to get some matter of great importance dealt with, and never in ear-shot of the teachers). As an aside – “bar” in Italy is not what you think of when you hear “bar” in the U.S. – on literally every block there is at least one bar, and while most of them do serve alcohol of some sort, they all serve coffee beverages and some small snacks (pastries and/or panini). The bars open very early and they are THE place to stop for breakfast (a coffee drink and pastry is the norm). Anyway, back to our class trips to the bar…

I decided that every day I would try a different beverage – aqua frizzante, tè, caffe macchiato, etc. The caffe macchiato was yummy – and my first serious foray into the coffee beverage selections. After that, I tried a old-fashioned caffe, and my taste-testing was on a roll. But then I had a cappuccino. And the next day…I had another cappuccino. And the next day… (you can see where this is going). Seriously, I have no idea what they do that is so special, but the coffee, and especially the cappuccino, in Italy are like no coffee-based beverage I have ever had in the U.S. Here, I think the coffee is bitter and has an after-taste; in Italy, the coffee is smooth as silk, and sweet, and…DIVINE!

And cappuccino…well…beyond divine! A properly made cappuccino is actually 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, topped with 1/3 foamy milk. The top is a beautiful foam, sometimes enhanced by decorative swirling, or a creative dusting of coca powder. I looked forward to this little treat every day and after I discovered them I had one pretty much daily until I left (though I still think in volume I had more gelato). I have to admit, I missed cappuccino when I got back so much that I went to a cooking store here and bought a little hand-held milk foamer (works pretty well!). (We had already gotten a “nespresso” machine on ebay after Steve tried one the last time we visited Italy). Now I can simulate, but by no means replicate, the wonder that is an Italian-made cappuccino. (As a cultural aside, while other caffe drinks are consumed throughout the day, cappuccino are reserved for before noon).

If you think Starbucks has a comprehensive selection, almost any bar in Italy can make any number of coffee drinks, including the “basic” caffe (espresso) to caffe macchiato (espresso with a splash of milk), caffe corretto (“correct coffee” – espresso with a drop of liquor), and yes, even caffee Americano (espresso with lots of water). For a fairly complete list and description of types of coffee you can order at an Italian bar go to: http://www.yourguidetoitaly.com/types-of-italian-coffee.html. Salute!

6 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on May 9, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Food

Tagged bar, caffe, caffe corretto, caffe macchiato, cappuccino, coffee, milk foam, Starbucks

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on May 9, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/05/09/the-perfect-cappuccino/

A Trip to the Grocery

While the grand finale of my “Assimilation” series continues to percolate, we will take a diversion back, again, to my favorite topic – FOOD!

Though the beautiful specialty shops and market stalls featured in earlier posts are still the more traditional and foodie way to shop in Italy, modern “American-style” grocery stores are popping up everywhere. When you need several things and don’t have time for the pleasure of market shopping, a trip to the “supermercato” is in order. Upon first glance, you might think you are in a grocery store in the US; however, you soon realize there are several subtle, but significant (and interesting) differences…

Produce – in Italy YOU weigh your own produce. First, you take a pair of provided disposable plastic gloves, then you select your fruits/veggies and put them in a bag, you pay attention to the number on the bin as you will input it into the scale, you put your item on the scale, punch in the correct code, and out prints a label with the item/weight/price which you affix to the bag. (As an aside, at the markets you never touch the produce, you ask the proprietor for what you would like). For stranieri who don’t know the system and just put stuff in a bag and take it to the checkout, rolled eyes and a trip back to the produce department await. However, as I discovered, there are exceptions… One day I was buying artichokes (actually I bought artichokes MANY times – they are locally grown, plentiful, delicious and cheap) – I could not find a number on the bin anywhere – I searched and searched – leaving me with the dilemma of either giving up my beautiful artichokes or going to the checkout without a properly affixed tag…. Of course I wasn’t giving up my artichokes! At that point I learned that some items have a fixed price per item and you needn’t weigh them (hence the missing number). I got through checkout happily WITH my prized vegetable and WITHOUT having suffered any scorn!

(sorry no photos of weighing veggies, but here are some beautiful artichokes:)

Product selection – the grocery stores in Italy are pretty comprehensive, even more so since just a few years ago when we were there. You can get almost anything you can get here (plus a ton of things you can’t get here). You can even get Italy’s version of tortilla chips (“Amica Chips”), though they taste nothing like what you expect a tortilla chip to taste like. It’s hard to explain – they have the same 3 ingredients – corn meal, oil and salt – yet they taste like slightly charred polenta and not at all like a Tostitos… In any case, back to the main cultural difference… You CANNOT buy any kind of medication whatsoever at a grocery or any other kind of store other than a “Farmacia.” Nothing, nada, niente – no ibuprofen, no sore throat spray – nothing. Any medicinal-like product at all requires a trip to the pharmacy and a request to a pharmacist (and a king’s ransom – 8 ibuprofen cost about as many dollars – the trade-off being, of course that doctors and prescriptions are free).

Checkout – this one still cracks me up. In Italy, the checkout people sit in chairs and YOU are responsible for just about every part of the operation from unloading your cart to putting it away AND sacking your own groceries (either in the bag/cart you brought, which is the norm, or you have to ask for plastic bags for which you are charged). And remember, you’ve already labeled and weighed everything as well. (You can take it a step further and use a self checkout lane, which are much more commonplace than the ones popping up here). While to us this may seem like a serious lack of customer service, it actually makes the (very long) lines go faster. There are 2 sides where checked foods go, so while you are sacking your groceries the checkout person is already ringing up the next customer (and not having to weigh anything) and just putting their groceries down the alternate side.

Personally, I love grocery shopping in Italy. I feel like I am on a cultural excursion each and every time. Not just because of the subtle differences in the process, but of course because of the selection of foods and the subtle differences even with similar products (portion size comes to mind). Once I discovered the secret to shopping in Italy (go early to avoid the crowds), I looked forward to running out of things as an excuse for my next field trip. I felt a bit defensive in class one day after we learned the difference between “fare la spesa” and “fare shopping.” “Fare la spesa” signifies “doing the shopping,” but with an air of chore to it (it was explained as shopping you have to do – for food, cleaning supplies, etc.), whereas “fare shopping” entails the “fun” kind of shopping (for clothes, shoes, etc.). One day a teacher asked a student what she did for fun over the weekend and when she said “fare la spesa” everyone giggled and her misuse of the language was corrected (fare shopping). I still take issue with those definitions!

Cucinare Con Ale (Cooking show)

Today I take a break from the profound to take a diversion and write about my favorite cooking show here – “Cucinare Con Ale.”

As you may know (or have figured out from the focus of much of my writing), I consider myself a foodie. The Food Network and Cooking Channel are two of my favorite guilty pleasures (oh, and Bravo’s “Top Chef”). The other is “House Hunter’s International” (big surprise). I have found the equivalent of Italy’s combined HGN and Food Network – “Real Time.” They play dubbed re-runs of Top Chef, lots of Gordon Ramsey and Cake Boss-based shows, and some of their own cooking (and cooking competition) shows. (On a culturally embarrassing side-note, there is also a station that plays “Jersey Shore” reruns nearly round the clock). My favorite cooking show is “Cucinare Con Ale” – I would say it’s like the first, more mellow, cooking show Guy Fieri did. Ale has a great personality, has fun cooking and is easy to follow. I have actually learned a lot (of Italian cooking tips) and can follow most of the Italian – I think watching things I have a natural proclivity towards (food), or familiarity with (such as “Friends” dubbed), helps me with the language. Here is a little taste of the show…some photos and a link to a clip making bruschetta…

Clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMBbPEiB7Y

3 Comments

by Newmexicotoitaly on April 20, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Learning the Language

Tagged cooking shows, Cucinare Con Ale, Food Network, foodie, House Hunters International

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on April 20, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/04/20/cucinare-con-ale-cooking-show/

McDonald’s (and other “restaurants”)

I had no idea having a blog was going to feel like such a responsibility! I don’t want to waste your time with trivial posts, but at the same time, I can only be profound part of the time. Today, we talk about McDonald’s, next time something more substantive…

Somehow the Europeans have managed to make even McDonald’s chyc…

Last time we were in Bologna there was a McDonald’s (much to our surprise) – now there are two! But the more interesting thing is how chyc they are – there is an outdoor patio that looks like every other cafe in Italy and well-dressed people spending an hour+ eating their McDonald’s tiramisu and sipping their McDonald’s cafe macchiatos (yes, they also have hamburgers and fries). The McDonald’s usually manage to be in the swankiest places and make for the least expensive opportunity to sit in a cafe and people-watch.

Okay, I have to admit, though don’t tell anyone (oh, yeah, public blog…) I actually grabbed some fries from a McDonald’s late one night on my way back from apartment hunting (audible GASPS go here). Seriously, though, if our McDonald’s looked like this we might feel differently about them:

Lest you worry about my culinary sensibilities, I also had the MOST magnificent seafood risotto here (see photos at bottom): http://www.ristorantemichelemma.it/la-cucina

And enjoyed a tasting plate of seafood crudo and handmade pasta with vongole (clams) and mussels here: http://www.ristorantescaccomatto.com/

Finally, I must add that the stereo-type of Italians eating late is very true – went to dinner at 8:00 one night and we were the VERY first people there! Since I couldn’t get used to people saying we should meet at 9:00 to GO to dinner, I mostly ate lunch. Buon Appetito!