Tag: tiramisu
More Milan- Day Two!
Woke up refreshed the next morning at 8 AM and got dressed to go down for breakfast. Over some eggs, rolls, cheese and coffee, we discussed the agenda of the day. We had heard of 10 Corso Como– which is the most fashionable store in Milan. We took a cab there and walked around this beautiful store filled with high fashion and amazing designs…
After drooling over very expensive clothes and shoes, we decided to find an outlet so we could really shop! We bought a few things and decide to walk towards the Brera design district. It was a very quaint, cobblestoned area with loads of boutiques and cafes. We window shopped and finally sat down for a snack and wine break. We were quite tired of walking all day, so we decided to just sit in the outdoor cafe and people watch- People in Italy in general are very well dressed, but specifically in Milan, they are extremely fashionable!
After our rest we started walking again, this time towards our hotel. We stopped at the Scala, which is the famous Milan theater right next to the Duomo. We then returned to our hotel and made a reservations at Ristorante Al Mercante, a restaurant we had read about serving typical Milanese cuisine. The area is known for rich dishes like ossobuco and risotto cooked with saffron.
We reached the place and were seated immediately. Our waitress was extremely friendly and accommodating. I was confused between ordering the ossobuco with the risotto or the spaghetti with clams. She was willing to give me a half a portion of each to make me happy but then after thinking about it, I decided to go with the specialty of the area- and it was the right decision as it was delicious! The wine was yummy and so were the zucchini flowers we started with. They had panna cotta and tiramisu, so we had both… housemate and delicious! 
As we walked home after an amazing meal, we decided to go to the Lake Como area for the day as it was just an hour away! So, stay tuned!
Tuscany- Day Four- Castiglione della Pescaia
Day four was a lovely visit to a coastal town in Tuscany called Castiglione della Pescaia. We started to research the night before where to go and decided it should be a somewhere near the ocean. I was envisioning a seaside shack serving delicious seafood and wine. We got to this lovely, little coast town with beautiful turquoise water as far as the eye could see. We parked on the outskirts of the town and started to walk by the water. Very quickly we started to pass water side restaurants with beautiful views.
We decided on one, randomly.. well, actually some of us needed to use the facilities and were not willing walk any further. We sat down and were greeted by very friendly restaurant owners- they spent a significant amount of time translating the menu for us. We decided on some fried seafood consisting of shrimp and calamari. We enjoyed a big salad and pappardelle with mixed seafood, grilled vegetables and two whole fishes. The food was delicious and absolutely fresh. We washed it down with the most amazing sparkling white wine. It was a perfect afternoon.
Fried Seafood
Seafood Pappardelle
Grilled Vegetables
Whole Fish
We headed back to the villa- had a few hours to enjoy the pool. Before we knew it, we were headed to a local farm to table restaurant. We started with a local Chianti, a delicious salad. I enjoyed a plate of cinghale (wild boar) cooked for hours in tomato sauce. It was tender and was falling off the bone. The highlight was definitely the desserts- specifically the creme caramel, creme brûlée…
Cinghale (Wild Boar)
Gnocchi Pomodoro
Pineapple Tiramisu
The creme brûlée was very different than what we were used to. It didn’t have the hard crust on the top- there was sugar sprinkled on top with some kind of liquor which was flambéed. It was creamy and absolutely delicious..
Day Four:Cooking Class in Umbria
Paula showed up at Cafe Tullia (a neighborhood joint) about half an hour late. Part of me was expecting her at Italian Standard Time (which means, she took her time to get to me) and I was right.
Paula cooks for a fancy catering place and had agreed to teach me a few local Umbrian dishes. We were going to shop for ingredients and then come back to the apartment to cook dinner. It was all very exciting but there was just one problem- Paula didn’t speak a word of English and I am not conversant in Italian. “How bad could it be, I thought”.
She took me to 5 different stores to shop for two kinds of pasta, salad, a meat dish and dessert. It was great to be able to accompany a local person and watch how things happen in a different country. Everyone had a smile on their faces and were in absolutely no hurry to get anywhere. Living in the Eastcoast, I am so used to rushing everywhere- this was a pleasant change. We went to two different grocery stores to buy flour, vegetables, etc. She also took me to a special cheese shop to buy the milk, cream, mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese. We then stopped at a huge meat store to purchase a huge leg of lamb. The whole time she was talking to me in Italian and I was nodding pretending to understand her- I probably understood 50% of what she said to me. It was quite an experience for me- she seemed like a very sweet lady who works extremely hard to make a living.
We came home with all the ingredients a few hours later and deposited everything in the fridge. Paula was to come back at 4:30 PM to start cooking. She walked in with her husband carrying a few bags of equipment including her pasta maker. She also brought us a huge tray of green figs from her garden- they were delicious!
We started cooking around 5 and didn’t begin eating till about 9 or 9:30.
We feasted on panzenella salad, tortellini stuffed with a combination of chicken, pork and veal- it was served in a vegetable broth. A tomato pasta came after that topped with parmesan cheese. The last course was the huge tray of the most aromatic lamb and roast potatoes. It was the most delicious lamb preparation I had ever had!
While we were eating, Paula made extra tortellini and pasta for us to eat the next day. We cleaned up, thanked her and proceeded to the garden to enjoy our dessert!
It was a wonderful day full of learning new techniques and enjoying some great local foods. I will give more details on the recipes in the coming weeks including lots of pictures. Stay tuned.