Foodie Friday - The Lost Art of Hospitality

I can't tell you how many hours I have spent in Italy at a table long after the plates have been cleared, just enjoying great conversation and the comfort of being with friends and family.  In fact, often at the end of a meal, your server will come over with a few bottles of digestivi  - grappa, limoncello, Strega (more on that another time) - and will leave them on the table with glasses for everyone. Unfortunately, that is not a tradition that has been adopted here in the United States and more often than not, a check will be presented promptly upon the completion of dessert with a strong expectation that you vacate the table quickly.

To me, this is a sad way to end an otherwise delightful evening but I have a remedy: entertain at home.  I know it can seem overwhelming with everything there is to do....packing, wrapping, shopping, baking. More often than not in the month of December my kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it, strewn with baking supplies that I am loathe to put away just to have to pull them out the following day. But despite the chaos that is my life (and my house) we are getting together with good friends this weekend and we're going old school - dinner at home. Our little dinner group started this fall and I have to say, I am a big fan.   The hostess does the main course and drinks and the others bring salad and dessert.   We all love to cook so we do, but no one cares if the dessert is store bought or if the salad is from a bag.    This weekend I am making camembert & honey crostini and spiced nuts for an appetizer.  Dinner is a fabulous seafood casserole.  There will be wine, of course, and a aperitif to get the evening started.   Here is my table:

I love going all out but you certainly don't have to - that is not the point.  It is about sharing the evening in the company of good friends.  I happen to love my underused dining room, so any chance I have to spend an evening in there with good food, good wine and good friends is a treat.

It seems that people just don't entertain anymore and that is a shame. Having guests over is a great chance to use that wedding china (do you even remember what it looks like?), break out the cookbooks and have FUN!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Tastefully yours,
Ashley

Foodie Friday - BREAD!

I am not a fan of this whole gluten free/no carb movement.  I love bread. There, I said it.  I particularly love bread and cheese.  You can imagine how happy I was when I moved to Italy, truly the Mecca of great bread and cheese.  Italy has a vast selection of bread and believe it or not, each region has its own unique type of bread, the recipe of which is often steeped in historic roots.   Take Tuscany for example  - I do not care for Tuscan bread as there is no salt in it.  Why no salt, you ask? Once upon a time, in a land known as the Papal States, it was decided that there would be a tax levied on salt.  The papacy thought they had the Tuscans backed into a corner because naturally they would need salt for their bread.  But of course, the Tuscans found a loophole.  They simply left the salt out of the bread and to this day, centuries later, the salt is still omitted.   Not great for flavor but it does make a fun story (and a great bruschetta!).  The bread in Rome and Naples on the other hand, is heavenly.  Made from a madre lievito or starter,  the bread in these southern cities has a chewiness and tang that I find irresistible.  Sure your jaw is sore after a week of meals in Rome but who cares?  Totally worth the suffering!

As you can imagine, here in the US I am extremely picky about bread and have come across very few that actually make me feel like eating it is completely worth the calories and whatever other evils gluten impart on your body.    What good fortune that one of the best bakers on the East Coast is right here in Southeastern Connecticut.   Todd Solek of Farm to Hearth Bakery makes some of the most incredible bread and focaccia I have ever eaten.  No more than five ingredients in each loaf, there are lines out the door at 3:45, waiting for the warm bread coming out of the oven at 4:00pm each day.  If you live in CT, I highly recommend a road trip to this wonderful bakery. Check out their website:  www.farmtohearth.com   And if you happen to be coming to my house for dinner, Farm to Hearth focaccia makes the perfect hostess gift.

Tastefully Yours,
Ashley

Foodie Friday: Pears and Pecorino

Since I firmly believe that one of the greatest activities while traveling is eating (and drinking), Fridays will be dedicated to all things edible and delicious.  Buon Apetito!

Despite the cry of outrage by Italian foodies (most of them expats living in Italy) lamenting the decline of the food quality, I still find the eating in Italy to be sublime, especially those simple dishes that one finds unexpectedly.  Some time ago I was driving through southern Tuscany on my way to La Bandita – a fabulous guesthouse outside of Pienza.    As always, the “getting there” took longer than I had planned and I have learned to let go a bit in this regard.  Happily, right around lunchtime, I happened across a little village, the name of which is still unknown to me.  I don’t know if it was actually a village or a hamlet or perhaps just a little group of buildings alongside the road.  But it did have all the requisites of an Italian town:  a tabacchaio, a bar and a four older Italian men sitting on a park bench.  It was a blustery day and so I popped in to the bar for a bite to eat, thinking that I might have a panino and a glass of wine but as often happens, some of the best “restaurants” are these little unassuming mom and pop establishments along the way. As soon as I opened the door I was greeted with the warmth of friendly banter as the mailman chatted with the barista over a pre-lunch aperitivo.  There were a few tables off the side which were already set with placemats, a sure sign that this bar served more than just panini.      I sat down and was immediately brought a basket of bread, a small carafe of wine (I was having red apparently) and a hand written menu.  There was lasagna, ravioli with pecorino and a couple of other offerings.  At the bottom of the menu was written, very emphatically, that all dishes were made in house and that nothing was frozen.  I was considering the pasta when something else caught my eye:  crostone con pere e pecorino, aka heaven on a plate, the most incredible “grilled cheese” sandwich you will ever eat.   I waited relatively patiently for my meal and enjoyed eavesdropping on the conversation at the bar which centered around the soccer season and the grape harvest and warmed myself with the lovely red wine.  My crostone was served on a terra cotta plate, piping hot from the oven.  A bubbling layer of pecorino covered the sweet juicy slices of pear.  As a was about to cut into it the signora brought over a small crock of honey and indicated that I was to drizzle that over my sandwich – who am I to argue with a Tuscan mamma??   She did not steer me wrong – the honey put that dish over the top.  I have made this in a smaller version as a quick appetizer  - the ingredients are listed below. It goes without saying that the best, highest quality ingredients will make a difference.  It is a perfect fall appetizer but here is my advice to you.  DON’T skimp on the cheese.  Life is too short to skimp on the cheese.  Tastefully yours, Ashley

Crostone with Pears and Pecorino
Good hearty bread
Firm Bartlett Pears (I use less ripe pears because they tend to soften up in the oven)
Fresh Pecorino Cheese (this is different from aged cheese.  It is creamier and not as sharp - a good cheese shop will have it.)
High Quality Honey

Toast the bread slightly.  Remove from oven and place one slice of pear and one slice of pecorino on top.  Return to the oven under the broiler but watch it carefully so it does not burn.  Remove from oven and drizzle with honey.   Serve immediately.