Fresh Produce of the Month - Pears

Hello again! Unfortunately my blogging will be sporadic for another month or so - most deadlines for job applications are mid-October. However, I'm going to re-host the next Fresh Produce of the Month event on this blog.. Simona at Briciole is posting the roundup for the last event on her blog right now. So check it out! There are a lot of exciting eggplant-centered recipes for us to try out!

The next edition will be centered on.. pears!
(The picture is again Simona's courtesy! I really like it, thanks Simona!)

So, if you want to take part to the event, follow these simple rules:
1) Put a post on your blog with a recipe involving pears. Add a link to this post and mention that it's an entry for the 'Fresh produce of the month' event. If you like it, feel free to place the logo of the pears-centered event on your post.
2) Send me an email with a link to your post, your blog homepage and your name. My email address is chemcookitATgmailDOTcom. Specify 'Fresh produce of the month: Pears' as subject.
3) If you don't have a blog just send an email with your recipe and if you have a picture of the food you made, that's even better. I will add it to the round-up as well.

The deadline for entry submission will be October 31st.. Looking forward to seeing your creations!

Melanzane alla parmigiana

Melanzane alla parmigiana is one of the most famous eggplant-centered Italian dishes, well-known also in the US. However, not many people, not even in Italy, really know about the origin and the meaning of the name of this dish. ‘Melanzane alla parmigiana’ literally seems to mean ‘Eggplants in the style of Parma’, where Parma is a city in the North of Italy, famous for being the only place where the real ‘Parmigiano’ cheese can be produced (so-called ‘Parmesan’ in the US). Hence, most Italian people (including me up to a few weeks ago) think that this dish was invented in Parma, or at least, is made with a lot of ‘Parmigiano’ cheese. Instead, what I found out thanks to Simona, who spoke about this when I served this dish, is that this is traditionally a Sicilian dish! Sicily is pretty far from Parma, and Parmigiano cheese is really not typically used in Sicilian cuisine. In fact, originally, this dish is made with different types of cheese (caciocavallo, for example), more usually found in Sicily. So, where does the name come from? Apparently, ‘Parmiciana’ (which sounds really similar to ‘Parmigiana’, in Italian), refers to a type of blinds used in Sicily (and in the rest of Italy), made with wooden slats that are ‘layered’ to prevent light to come through the windows. The layers of eggplants and cheese and sauce in the Parmigiana dish remind of the layered wooden slats, and hence the name ‘Melanzane alla Parmigiana’. Really astonishing! I still cannot completely believe this is true, but it really seems to be. :)
Ok, enough with this philological introduction, and let’s proceed with the recipe! I wanted to experiment two different versions of this dish: the traditional one, made with fried eggplant slices, and a more modern (and light) one, made with grilled eggplants.

Melanzane alla parmigiana - due versioni – Eggplants parmigiana - two styles
(sorry about the awful picture: I took it the day after I prepared the dish, before the few leftovers were devoured. This is an example of the ‘traditional version’)
Ingredients:
4 eggplants
Eggs (2-4 depending on how many you want to make in the traditional version)
½ quart milk
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour + enough to flour the eggplants
Ground nutmeg
Grated parmigiano (ehm, caciocavallo ?  ) cheese
Mozzarella cheese
1 big can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil

Procedure
Cut the eggplants in slices (~1/3” thick). For the traditional version: beat eggs and put them in a bowl. Set some flour on a plate. Pass the eggplant slices in the beaten eggs and then in the flour, making sure that an almost homogeneous layer of flour is attached to both sides of the eggplant slices. Fry these floured slices in abundant and good olive oil, set them aside between layers of absorbing paper to remove excess oil.
For the modern, lighter version: grill eggplant slices on the fire (use an anti-sticking pan or a griddle) and set them aside.
Prepare tomato sauce: mince garlic cloves in small pieces, fry them in 2 tbsp olive oil, and after ~1 min add tomatoes. Keep cooking, covered, for ~20 min, then remove lid and let some water evaporate. Add salt to taste, blend with an immersion blender and set aside.
Prepare besciamella sauce: put 3 tbsp flour in a pot and slowly start adding milk avoiding formation of clumps of flour. Add a total of ~1/2 quart milk. Then add 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, salt to taste (~2 tsp) and bring to boil, mixing occasionally. When the mixture starts boiling, mix constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, and turn off after about 3 min. It should become dense but not too much. If too dense, add milk, otherwise, keep cooking until enough milk evaporates.
Now start the layering: put one layer of eggplants in an oven-proof pan, add a dash of salt, then spoon some tomato sauce on top, besciamella sauce, sprinkle parmigiano and pieces of mozzarella. Repeat until the pan is full, finishing with the cheese layer. Cook in the oven, pre-heated at 350 F, for ~20-30 min.

I served the two versions side-to-side, to allow a true comparison. My guests were equally divided: half preferred the traditional version and half the lighter one. I personally thought that the traditional version was really what you find in Italy, what my grandma makes, and hence it’s incomparable to the lighter one for historical and affectionate reasons. However, as for the taste – I must confess I preferred the more modern version :) - the eggplant flavor was stronger, not covered by the taste of the fried layer around. My next experiment will be trying another possible version, which involves only frying the eggplant slices without previous passing them in egg and flour. Apparently some people think this is the original version (I don’t know exactly – my grandma for sure made the one I prepared, however, she’s not Sicilian). I’d be curious to see if simply frying the eggplants doesn’t cover their taste, and how it goes together with all the rest of the layers.

In any case, whichever version you choose: this dish is a winner. You cannot disappoint anybody if you prepare it. :)

This is my entry to the Fresh Produce of the Month event, this month centered on eggplants and hosted by Simona at Briciole!
(Ehm, sorry Simona, I'm late!!)

Risotto con fragole

So here is the recipe of 'Risotto con fragole', i.e. 'Strawberry risotto', that I showed at the roundup for the last FPOM.. sorry for having it up only now. :) Actually, I already posted about this recipe here, but I think it's better to rewrite it - and I now have a decent picture. :)

Risotto con fragole / Strawberry risotto

This is not the typical 'risotto': usually risotto is made with cheese, vegetables and/or meat - typically, for example, mushrooms, or asparagus, or some type of fish. Yet, risotto alle fragole is a quite famous dish, although not many people have tried it. It's considered somewhat 'fancy'. And in fact, it is, and if you make it, you'll taste a very different flavor than the usual risotto dishes you have had. This is a little tart, and yet creamy and savory at the same time. Hard to describe.

Ok, no more introduction. To make this, soak about 1 pound of strawberries cut into pieces in ~ 4 cups of white wine, overnight. When you're ready to make the risotto, take a pot (~10 inches diameter, 8 inches high, just to give you an idea). Add ~1 tbsp butter and sautee one onion (finely cut) in it, then add ~8 handfuls of rice, and sautee the rice with the onion. Then, add the wine where the strawberries had been soaked. The liquid should be enough to cover the rice, and about two fingers higher than the level of the rice in the pot (the fingers are measured horizontally :) ). If the strawberry-infused wine is not enough for this, add some more white wine. Add a vegetable bouillon, too. Add salt (~2 tsp) and cover the pot with a lid. Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes. Open, make sure there's still a little bit of liquid, and add the pieces of strawberries. Taste and check for the salt in the meanwhile. At this point, I also like to add some cheese that melts easily, like a very mild cheddar or some sort of fake mozzarella square cheese that they sell in the US. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until rice is done. The rice can be served with some coarsely ground black pepper and a little bit of grated parmigiano on top. It's very good, and it's nicely colored. Guaranteed success. :)

FPOM - Strawberry roundup and announcement

Hello my dear readers! I'm sorry for this long delay.. it looks like 2008 is a year of big changes in my life, high ups and low downs alternating way too frequently, and a job search to do, so my blog unfortunately suffers for this too. But at least I really want to post the roundup of the last Fresh Produce of the Month, the deadline of which has expired a long time ago! The theme was 'Strawberry' and I received some really wonderful entries that deserve to be shown! So let's not waste any more time and start the roundup.


Kalva from Curry in Kadai starts off the roundup with a wonderful 'Healthy Strawberry, Kiwi and Honey Yogurt Smoothie'. Just looking at it makes you feel like drinking it! And please go look at her post, there are more wonderful pictures.












My dear friends Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi introduce us to an 'Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette'. Such a fresh combination with everything that was in season at the time, and served in a creative and artistic way on a gorgeous dinnerware set. Again, check out their pics!






Happy Cook at 'My kitchen treasures' sends out a delicious 'Panna Cotta with balsamic berries' . Panna cotta is really one of my favorite Italian desserts, and the pairing with balsamic vinegar-infused berries is just amazingly appealing!







Ferdzy from 'Seasonal Ontario Food' gives us a recipe for another treat: 'Strawberry Cream Cheese Parfaits'. Easy to make and just simply delicious! And she suggests using different fruits when strawberry season is over..






JZ at 'Tasty treats' just goes straight to the point: 'Strawberry ice cream'! It is indeed my favorite type of ice cream, and when it's home made.. what can beat it? And - she serves it in a chocolate cup!!!






Simona at 'Briciole' sends another intriguing salad: 'Insalata di fragole, fave e finocchi' (Strawberry, fava bean and fennel salad). It's an improvized salad that has the colors of the Italian flag! It sounds delicious to me. :)







Haalo from 'Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once' gives us a recipe for a 'Strawberry Fool'. I had no idea of what a 'fool' was (at least as for what concerns food, I've got plenty of experience otherwise........). But Haalo explains: it's a mixture of fruit and whipped cream, which she modified by substituting part of the cream with thick Greek yogurt. I'm totally with her, and I'm going to try this lighter version soon. :)










Srimathi at 'Few Minutes Wonders' at has another interesting dairy-strawberry recipe: a 'Strawberry Almond Kheer' . Given that both strawberries and almonds are some of the best food ever invented, this must be a winner :)







I realized that I forgot to post my own recipe. Well, about a month ago, I made a 'Strawberry risotto' and took pictures on purpose for this event. I'll post the recipe for it in the next post.. for the moment, just trust me - it was very good :)







Well, this is it for the strawberry event! I hope you have been as inspired as I have, and will try some of these delicious treats if you still happen to have some strawberries around :)
The next 'Fresh Produce of the Month' event will be hosted on another blog for the first time! I have decided that it was better for the event, given my recent inconsistencies in writing on the blog. So, dear readers, please help my friend Simona at 'Briciole' to make this next event a success! I asked her to choose the theme, and she in turn asked me to choose among a few veggies and fruits of her choice. Since I've been trying to alternate fruits and vegetables, I've chosen a vegetable from her list. And this is actually one of my favorite vegetables ever: Eggplant!

(the picture for the logo was taken by Simona)

If you'd like to participate, follow these simple rules:
1) Put a post on your blog with a recipe involving eggplants. Add a link to this post and mention that it's an entry for the 'Fresh produce of the month' event. If you like it, feel free to place the logo of the eggplant-centered event on your post.
2) Send Simona at Briciole an email with a link to your post, your blog homepage and your name. Her email address is simositeATmacDOTcom. Specify 'Fresh produce of the month: Eggplants' as subject.
3) If you don't have a blog just send an email with your recipe and if you have a picture of the food you made, that's even better. Simona will add it to the round-up as well.

The deadline for entry submission will be September 21st.. I hope to see a lot of wonderful eggplant-centered recipes to try out :)

Pausa allegra

My life after thirty is even busier than my life in the twenties. :)
So, I'm really sorry, but I have to put the blog on hold probably for another two weeks. But this time, it's not for any sad reason. I'm actually really happy! I had four birthday parties, lots of friends showed up, and I received an unreasonable amount of gifts. :) So, yeah, I felt pretty well. :)
And I do have a lot of things to post about. But apparently right now I'm struggling with the issue of 'living life' vs. 'writing about life'.. so I haven't had time to even reply to the many wonderful comments and even emails that I received! Sorry to everybody. I will get back. I will also finally post my own post for the strawberry 'Fresh Produce of the Month' - and of course all my other treats for the other events will be way too late to be submitted.. In any case, the next ten day break is due to the fact that I'm leaving for Mexico, for vacation, for once! I'm really excited. I'll be back with some pictures and stories soon.
So far, here is a picture of me at one of these birthday parties. So you can see my new haircut, too. :)
See you all soon!

Trenta

I haven't posted in a while - no Internet connection at home for a week, and then a lot of things going on. But today, I have to write down something! Of course, I have a ton of good food to show off, but I'm not sure if I'll have time at the moment. In about half an hour I'm going to dinner, to celebrate my own birthday! I'm not shy, so here is the age: thirty! I know, nothing really changes. And I don't mind getting older, really. I like the idea of having more and more experiences in life. But today, at some point, I went to the doctor, and she told me: 'For people who are thirty and older, we recommend...'. Well, hearing that was a little shocking. I have actually passed the border!
But I'm quite happy about my life for now. It's been a lot of unexpected things one after another. I would have never guessed I would live in the US when I was younger. Actually, I kind of disliked the idea of the US. You know, the stereotype of US in Europe: arrogant and ignorant people everywhere! So, I thought it would haven been more likely for me to go to Africa than US. It sounded more inspiring. Yet, I haven't been to Africa yet, and I have actually really enjoyed the US. People are on average really nice - and at times, now, when I go back to Italy, I find myself somewhat out of place, not being used anymore to the nervousness of people around. Yet, of course, I don't feel at home in the US either. I talked to many people, and it seems to be the situation of almost every immigrant. So, nowadays I think of myself as a citizen of the world. I have no idea of where I'm going to be in another year. This is something I learned for sure: no plans are possible in life! What can we do, then? Well, my philosophy is to try to be passionate about life and to care for the people we meet, and who are close or far. Be joyful, smile. Yet be honest, and be sad if that's what has to be. Be curious. Be open. Be trustful.
Well, at least, that's what I think. Love, and do what you want!
Half an hour has almost gone, and I'm going to go to dinner. See you soon on these screens, my dear readers!

Huevos rancheros

I haven't posted a recipe in a while. I must make a confession, my dear food-blogger friends: since I started living 'alone' I've been cooking less. Cooking for yourself is a lot less fun than for you and somebody else. So, I make interesting stuff mostly when I invite people over, or if my dear roommate and friend Melynda and I decide for example to have brunch together, or some after-dinner snack. These are usually very fun occasions. So here is an example of something that we've made last Sunday: huevos rancheros! We're both in a Mexican mood because we're going to go to Mexico together soon. It's really exciting! So what's best than cooking something out of my 'Mexico - the beautiful cookbook', given to me by my Mexican friend Romelia?

Huevos Rancheros y frijoles refritos / Ranch-style eggs and refried beans
To make this delicious dish, simply fry 1 tbsp chopped onion in olive oil, add 1/2 clove garlic, and 3/4 cup finely chopped tomato. Cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 chile serrano, finely chopped. Add salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
In another pan, fry two eggs in some olive oil. Serve the eggs on top of a tortilla (we simply warmed it up on the flame of the stove, but it should be fried according to the original recipe), and add the tomato sauce on top. Serve hot. In my opinion, the egg yolk should be liquid, and ready to overflow when poked with a piece of bread. This grossed out Melynda, who had to cook her yolks more in the microwave :)
These eggs are particularly good when eaten with refried beans. These should be prepared by frying 1/2 onion in 1/2 cup oil or lard - but I used just 2 tbsp olive oil.. Then add 4 cups of black beans (I used canned beans, with their liquid). Add salt and cook them while mashing them in a coarse puree. I ended up using a blender. Serve them with some queso fresco or feta cheese crumbled on top. My personal touch was adding a teaspoon of honey to the beans, during the cooking. Also, we added some cilantro and cheddar cheese flakes on the tomato sauce, as you can see in the picture.
This makes a delicious and satisfactory brunch :)

Alba

I already posted about the sunset view from my window. Yesterday I discovered that the sunrise is as charming as the sunset. However, the sunrise arrives subtly, and you can see it from the reflections in the colors of the clouds.. it would be impossible to see the sun rising from the ocean, as we're facing west.
Do you see the moon, almost full, high up in the sky? This was the first shot I took in the morning. It was around 5.45 am (just as a point: I'm not usually up this early, it just happened that for some strange reason I couldn't sleep, and seeing this view was a wonderful gift). A few minutes later the sky was more and more violet, as you can see here behind the Campanile.
The colors kept changing, and there was a white light diffused all over, which reflected in the water of the bay, while the rising pink sunlight reflected in the skyscrapers windows of San Francisco.
And then at some point, the Golden Gate bridge changed color, and became pink! I had never seen something like this. In the very clear days, you can see the red color of the bridge from our windows. But this pink color was unseen. This is the best picture I managed to take, although it doesn't completely capture this phenomenon.
I'm not sure when I'll be up so early in the morning again, but this view was definitely worth it.

La marina di Berkeley

There are a few spots that I particularly love in Berkeley and that I haven't really mentioned in this blog earlier. I will start describing one of them in this post, and the second one will come later. Here I'll talk about the Berkeley Marina. You can see where it is on this map, which is a personalized Google Map that I started updating. You'll have to look around for it.

View Larger Map
I started making this personalized Google Map of Berkeley, with all the spots I like, including places to visit, restaurants, cafes, shops. I'll keep updating it, so you can check on this link if you want to see later versions.
Ever since I first went to the Marina, I fell in love with this spot, and the Hugo Chavez park that on one side faces San Francisco and the Golden Gate, and on the other Berkeley hills. Today I went there, and I took a few pictures during one of the most sunny days I've seen in Berkeley.
This is a view from one of the tallest hills of the Hugo Chavez Park, looking at San Francisco. During such a beautiful day, lots of sailing boats were there. It would be pretty cool to try to go on a boat here, and I'm sure I will, one of these days: for example, thanks to the open house days at the Cal sailing club.
A lot of people come on this hill to fly kites. I have actually never flown a real kite in my life. It seems like it could be fun! I took some pictures of the pretty kites in the sky:
Such beautiful colors, and the wind was perfect, so people could get them really high up in the sky.
And many interesting shapes!
Many months ago, I came here at the sunset. Here is a shot of San Francisco again, in this completely different atmosphere, from about the same spot.
I surely wasn't the only one admiring the sunset:
And I also want to show the view from the other side of the park, with Berkeley and the hills. It has its own charm:
And what about these colors? Breathtaking.
So if you happen to come to Berkeley, visit the marina, any time of the day or night. I went to walk on the long pier last night, and the image of the moon reflected on the water, and the lights of San Francisco, were an amazingly beautiful show.

Fresh Produce of the Month - Roundup and announcement!

At last, after delaying the deadline and some more days of non-blogging, I can announce that the Fresh Produce of the Month Roundup is ready!
The subject was asparagus, and we have collected a good number of delicious ideas that can help you cook this delicious vegetable.

Let's start with Shibani, from 'Any one can cook'. She presents to us a wonderful dish called 'Asparagus stalks blended into a creamy soup'. Reading about this soup, served with bread and cheddar cheese, just makes me salivate. :)






Divya at Dil Se proposes a similar asparagus soup, accompanied by breadsticks. She makes the breadsticks too, and gives us a recipe for both soup and breadsticks! Thanks Divya :)






Then we have Asha, at Aroma!, who introduces us to 'Crunchy asparagus in chilli-garlic butter'. It's an amazing dish, which looks really simple and is prepared in the microwave!






Happy Cook from 'My kitchen treasures' prepares another wonderful Asparagus soup, with white asparagus, decorated with parsley leaves. I'd love to try this version too!












A special mention is to be given to my friend Sonya! She doesn't have a blog, and she just recently started cooking. She has prepared an Asparagus risotto. She didn't give me too many details about how she's made it, so I'm going to guess :) I'd think she has used something similar to this recipe for cabbage and brie cheese risotto, but instead of adding cabbage with the onion, she has waited till ~10 min to the end of the cooking and she has added asparagus pieces to it.



Bee and Jai at Jugalbandi gave us a recipe for 'Roasted Asparagus, Carrots, and Zucchini with Herbs'. It looks so colorful and delicious! And also, easy to make, which is the best combination. :)








Bhags at 'Crazy curries' presented another 'Asparagus risotto', prepared with wine and feta cheese in addition to the asparagus! Looks delicious, thanks Bhags!








And at last, my two contributions past the initial deadline: 'Tortine di asparagi e feta'







and 'Asparagi olio e limone' . The former recipe is an improvisation of a Sunday morning, whereas the latter is a classic, one of my favorite ways of serving asparagus.






So, we arrived at the end of this edition, too! I hope you are satisfied with it, and have some good inspiration for your next asparagus-centered dish! I really liked to read and summarize all of these delicacies. :)

For the next event, I believe we cannot miss the fact that strawberry season is starting!!! Who doesn't like strawberries? And they are a good source of vitamin C! So, let's see what kind of wonderful recipes everybody likes to try with this delicious fruit. :) The deadline will be July 21!

(strawberry picture given by Sonya!)

If you'd like to participate, follow these simple rules:
1) Put a post on your blog with a recipe involving strawberries. Add a link to this post on my blog and mention that it's an entry for the 'Fresh produce of the month' event. If you like it, feel free to place the logo of the strawberry-centered event on your post.
2) Send me an email with a link to your post, your blog homepage and your name. My email address is chemcookitATgmailDOTcom. Specify 'Fresh produce of the month: Strawberries' as subject.
3) If you don't have a blog just send me an email with your recipe and if you have a picture of the food you made, that's even better. I will add it to the round-up as well.

Ricette con gli asparagi

Better late than never, here are my entries to the event that I host myself.. the 'Fresh Produce of the Month', this month centered on Asparagus!

Definitely quite in season during the past month, I had various occasions to prepare different types of food with this delicious vegetable. I'll present here two dishes: Tortine di asparagi e feta (Asparagus and feta tartelettes) and Asparagi olio e limone (Asparagus with olive oil and lemon).

Tortine di asparagi e feta / Asparagus and feta tartelettes
Steam a few asparagus for ~7 minutes. In the meanwhile, thaw a sheet of puff pastry and fill some tartelette shapes with it. Prepare a mixture of 2 eggs and ~1/2 cup of shredded feta cheese. Add salt, dried oregano and black pepper. When the asparagus is ready, cut it into pieces that can fit the tartelette shapes. Place on top, and cut away the extra pastry dough, so that in the end it just fills perfectly each shape. You can fold a little border of dough over each shape. Bake in the oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes, until golden.
One puff pastry dough sheet was a lot for the six tartelettes I prepared, so I made an extra small cake with the leftovers:
Both the tartelettes and the cake were really good. I was very happy of this quick recipe that I made up based on what was in the fridge. Moreover, this was the first time I used my tartelette pan. It's in silicon, and it worked really well for this. The tartelettes came out very easily from it when they were ready, more beautiful than ever!
Because this dish came out so well, I'm presenting also for the 'Monthly Mingle' event, centered on Hors d'oeuvres and Appetizers, which I'm right on time for! This lovely event was started by Meeta at 'What's for lunch, honey?', but this month it's hosted by Mansi at Fun and food

Here is one last tartelette, shown here to make you feel like trying this recipe out. :)


Asparagi olio e limone/ Olive oil and lemon asparagus
This is the easiest and my favorite way of eating asparagus. To make it, just steam the asparagus for ~10 minutes, and serve them with a sauce made by mixing together with a whisk ~4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice and salt. Then, sprinkle pieces of parsley leaves on top.. Delicious!
This time I tried a mixture of green and white asparagus. The white asparagus is cultivated without light, and using more UV light. I never tried them before, and knowing that they are supposed to be a delicacy, I decided to buy them. I wasn't too impressed by them. The green asparagus have much more flavor, at least to my taste!

Cibo in Germania

Finally I have some time to complete my little series about the trip to Germany! The last post was meant to be dedicated to German food.
I was quite impressed by the quality of the food found in all the restaurants I went to in Germany. When I was by myself in Cologne I was really mostly randomly choosing places to go, and I always found something good. However, I didn't go to many 'traditional German' places. It is quite true that traditionally, German people like a lot of meat (sausages especially) and potatoes, which is for example what we were given all the time at the conference in Mainz. Since I'm not too much of a fan of this food, I went to different places. For example, in Cologne there were restaurants presenting food from all over the world, and I tried both a Thai and a Spanish place which were really good. Such a variety would be impossible to find in Italy, for example.
More in details, in Mainz, Vardha and I went to a really good 'international' restaurant, called 'The Holy Spirit', which was in a building that used to be a church, and I had a delicious trout, while Vardha had a quite good pizza. Both the atmosphere and the food were very pleasant.
I had the best food with Michael, in Constance. He knew where to go! When I arrived, we went in a nice little place which had very good wine, and where I tried a traditional German dish which wasn't meat-centered, and made me very happy: 'Kässpätzle'. Spatzle is a type of hand-made pasta, shaped similarly to the Italian trofie, in small bits, and that contains eggs. The version I had was served with a lot of cheese and onions on top. It was really delicious! Too bad I forgot to take a picture of it.
Then, when we went on Richenau, we had the best fish dish ever in a small place on the island. There was such a nice atmosphere: they grilled the fish on the spot, and everybody was seated together with the other customers, at long tables. Again, I was too hungry to remember to take a picture.. :(
But actually, some of the best food was what Michael gave me for dinner at his place. He said that in Germany people usually eat just some open-face sandwiches with ham and cheese and butter. The bread he had and the one we bought at Richeanu were just amazing. And the cheese and ham,.. too good to seem true, especially after living in the US for such a long time! Of course I forgot to take pictures again, but in this case, I asked Michael if he could be so kind and take some pictures for me next time he had his supper. :) And here is an example of a wonderful dark bread (I didn't try this particular type, but dark bread is one of my favorite). Thank you Michael! :)
I must admit: German bread is better than Italian bread!! I would have never thought I could say something like this, but it's really true. The variety of breads that they have is just tremendously superior to what we make in Italy as our daily bread.
Another really good German food are the cakes. Michael got me to try a delicious 'Mohn cuken', i.e. a cake made with a lot of poppy seeds. It was really good! Again, no picture :(
But here is an example of a typical window of a bakery in Germany (this is in Cologne).
This place was specialized in strawberry cakes, so I tried a slice just before leaving. Wonderful. :)
Another specialty in Germany are cheesecakes:
I usually don't like cheesecakes in the US. They are too sweet and rich for my taste. But I had to try one in Cologne, because they told me that they were a specialty. So I tried a cheesecake with cherry, and to my surprise, it was light and tasted a little like flan, instead of a heavy cheesecake. I really enjoyed it.
As a last food-related thing, I will show here 'currywurst'. I had to try this. It's the most typical street food that you can find in Germany. It's hard for me to imagine how they came up with this combination: it's a big sausage, which they serve with what they define 'curry', meaning a thickish sauce with the spice that everybody in Italy (and evidently also in Germany) think of when the word 'curry' is mentioned. Now that I know something about Indian cuisine, I understand what a weird concept this is. Nevertheless, there is a 'curry' spice, and it's the one used to top this sausage. Obviously, you have to have 'curry-wurst' with beer. So here was my order:
I must say that I really enjoyed both the curry-wurst and the beer. I usually don't like beer and can never finish a whole glass (not to speak about a pint..). But this beer was light and not too bitter and was perfect with the food, on a sunny day. I was so happy while eating this street food, so different from what I usually like :)
So this is basically it with my food experiences in Germany. I tried also an ice-cream in a 'gelateria italiana'. The owner and the waiters were really Italian (it turns out that most places that claim to be Italian in Cologne are really owned by and employ mostly Italian people). But the gelato.. quite disappointing :( - I guess one really has to go to Italy for a good gelato :)