Herein lie the reasons she gained two pounds on vacation
It’s not my fault the food is so good in Italy.
I mean, mamma mia, who can you resist all these delectable dishes?
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Consequently, this girl gained two pounds on her trip. It’s back to the gym in a big way this month.
Here are some random photos from my many food adventures during my recent trip to Italy. I’ve got many others, but I’m saving a few for later posts, with recipes.
Ortisei – Pappardelle with a creamy porcini sauce. It’s not the season for porcini so where did they get these delicious morsels of fresh mushrooms? Of course the pasta was homemade and sensational.
Ortisei – Filet of beef with green and red peppercorns, served with potato galettes.
Val di Siusi – Apple strudel – our mid-afternoon slope-side break. They serve two different kinds – one is the traditional kind that you probably know, made with paper-thin pastry. The other kind, pictured here – and my favorite – is made with a more cakey-dough. I am planning to hunt down a recipe and post it later.
Venice – Lots of great cheeses to savor – including a new one for me called Casatella, made in the Veneto region. It’s very white, creamy and mild like a triple-creme brie, but runnier.
Padova – No sanitized, unidentifiable chicken pieces for sale here. You know what you’re getting when you buy poultry here, complete with head and feet.
Padova – Polenta reigns supreme here, and in this case it’s served with a veal stew.
Padova – Gratineed crepes filled with squash and porcini mushrooms.
Padova – Fried chiacchiere for Carnevale, all wrapped up from the pasticcieria.
Padova – Both the white and long red variety of radicchio are specialties of the area, and are grown commercially in nearby Treviso.
Padova – Baked custard topped with caramel as rich and thick as a chocolate sauce.
Soragna – Parmigiano Reggiano – The king of cheeses. I’ll be writing a separate post about this later.
Castell’Arquato – Sbrisolona – a crunchy tart that resembles a rich, almondy shortbread.
Vigolo Marchese – Tortelli, a specialty of the area around Piacenza. They’re filled with spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheese, and are sealed shut in the shape of a little tail. Sometimes they’re twisted at both ends like a salt-water taffy candy. Traditionally served with butter and cheese.
Milan – Our friend Valerio, who is a BIG Nutella lover. We’ll have to get him to participate in World Nutella Day next year.
Padova – Whole menus of nothing but hot chocolate – Page after page of hot chocolate with chestnuts, with cinnamon, with berries, with pistachio, etc. etc.