Imperfect and Comfortable
Travel my dear is the real essence of life....
That is truly something I believe. And, I have been on the road more than I ever imagined for the last three months. In my own version of around the world in 40 days, I went from the comfortable to the nostalgic to the challenging to the global and back. From US to Italy back to both coasts of US to Japan to China to Singapore back to Italy to London to Ireland to North Italy and, finally back again to central Italy, my temporary home!
To me, Panzanella feels the best way to reintroduce myself back into the world of reality from the surreality of the last few months. It also brings me a whole circle to my Italian present, the dreams of my past, and the groundedness I have always sought......
Celeriac and Parsley Root Soup
This soup is a celebration of parts of a plant that is familiar yet not used in main stream. Celery stalks are often consumed as are the leaves of the parsley plant. However, the roots of both are not only edible but also full of nutrients while exuding milder notes of the familiar flavors.
Winter... Soup and Snowstorms
I spent the day reading and souping for lunch. I made a softly spicy soup with charred poblano and jalapeno peppers and then tossed in celeriac cooked in orange juice and rutabaga, rounding it off with lots of cream and a creamy, caramelly Dutch aged Gouda. It has just a little hint of spice from the charred jalapeno that makes it warm all the way inside you. And, the rest of it is just creamy, healthy, vegetable, Winter goodness!
It is perfect! :)
Radicchio Spaghetti
Color me Purple.....
Bitter radicchio, slowly braised on stove top becomes a sweet sticky luxury that coats every strand of pasta like a particularly intimate kiss. Pair it with fennel and hazelnut and it is a veritable orgy. You'll even forget sex.. or, maybe this is a good substitute, for when...
Festive!
And, so begins my festive season.... With great cheese and simple pairings....
What is the start to YOUR Holidays?
As my time here teaches me, the true value of the Italian culture is in the way they do not see tradition as a shackle but rather as a way of life; A point of differentiation that needs to be proudly maintained and taken joy of. From amazing cheeses to generations old balsamic vinegar to all the cured meats, the magical food history of this land is rich and bountiful. And, unlike the American mentality to hoard and pile richness on richness, the Italians elegantly approach each ingredient with the respect warranted for it all by itself. And, they indeed pair, it is not to be over-the-top but to be subtle complement of flavors that leave your floored with they deceptive simplicity!