Foodie Friday: The Art of the Aperitivo

It’s been a long week and I don’t know about you but I am ready for a cocktail.   Mixologists and elaborate cocktails are all the rage here in the US right now but I am longing for the elegance of the the aperitivo in Italy.  The pre-dinner cocktail is a ritual in Italy and has truly been elevated to an art form.  Perhaps it is the sense you get of walking in a bar full of impeccably dressed Italians that already makes this time of day feel special.  Or maybe it is the elegant presentation of the bar snacks that are arranged on the bar in a way that begs to be photographed.  I love nothing more than stopping at a bar after a long day of touring and reliving the events of the day over cocktails.   There are many options to order.  In Venice, go for the spritz - Aperol, prosecco and a splash of soda.  This drink is a vibrant orange color, thanks to the Aperol, a sightly bitter aperitif that is lower in alcohol than most cocktail ingredients.  If you want to feel like you stepped right back into the time of Roman Holiday, when Via Veneto was THE place to be and Audrey Hepburn reigned supreme, try the Negroni.  Here is a recipe:

Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Ice cubes

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled martini glass (or ice-filled double rocks glass) and garnish with an orange slice.

Campari and soda is another popular choice at Italian bars. And of course, if you want to keep it simple, a glass of prosecco is never a mistake.  One of my favorite cocktails was at a lovely hotel in Naples where we enjoyed prosecco with seasonal muddled fruits.  Being October, the featured fruit was late harvest grapes (similar to Concord grapes) and the flavor was superb. 

My advice:  keep your cocktails classic and simple, serve up some tasty nibbles (think olives, foccacia squares, cheese) and enjoy some great conversation.  That is the art of the aperitivo.  Cin Cin!

Tastefully yours,

Ashley

Foodie Friday: Ski Food

Earlier this month, I read a great article from Italy Magazine about Skiing in Italy.  You can check it out here.

Reading it took me back to when I was living in Rome as a student in business school.  After our midterm exams finished up in February, we would hop on an overnight train to the town of Brunico in the  Dolomites for a long weekend of skiing and German culture.  That’s right:  German culture.  The region of the Sud Tirol is more like Germany than Italy.  We stayed at a B&B that looked like it belonged on the set of Heidi.  We slept under the most incredible down comforters which were so cozy that I was tempted to forgo the slopes and stay in an Alpine induced coma all day.  But then I smelled the aroma of apple strudel wafting from the kitchen.   There really is nothing like the smell of apples and cinnamon to drag one’s sorry butt out bed.   The big slab of apple strudel and a caffe latte kept us fortified for a morning of incredible skiing.  We took a break at the mountaintop lodge, settled ourselves into the lounge chairs and tucked into a lunch of, you guessed it, bratwurst and German beer.   Buon appetito!   The afternoon was as stellar as the morning.  Apres ski we had a walk around town before feasting on polenta and mushrooms with a great bottle of red wine.  Bellies full, legs aching and a little sunburned, we headed back to the B&B.  It was time for bed.  And the countdown to our morning apple strudel.   

I have searched high and low for a recipe that takes me back to Brunico and that wonderful B&B.  It must have been the mountain air or the expert hand of our hostess but nothing is quite as good.  This apple strudel recipe did come close however.  I hope you like it.   And if you make it, PLEASE eat it for breakfast.  Trust me. 

Tastefully yours,

Ashley

Foodie Friday: What’s cooking this weekend?

For those of you on the East Coast (or the Midwest for that matter), I am about to state the obvious.  It’s cold outside. Too cold to be outside for any longer than necessary, too cold to even remember the dog days of summer.  When it is this cold, I abandon the idea of salads and grilled dinners and look for some real stick-to-your-ribs options.  I immediately wax nostalgic for pappa al pomodoro, a traditional Tuscan dish.   One bite of this fantastic hearty porridge-like soup brings me back to January 1992 in Florence.   After a morning of touring churches with our art history professor, we stopped at a local trattoria in the Santo Spirito district of the city.  We had spent three hours pounding the pavement and standing on ice cold marble floors of some of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in the world.  It was quite an experience, one that I would appreciate upon reflection, but at that point I was just chilled to the bone.   A blast of welcoming warmth hit us as we entered Cantinone Gallo Nero. Once seated at the long wooden benches we took the advice of our fearless leader and ordered pappa and the house red wine.   Steaming crocks of the soup arrived and as we ate and talked about the morning, I could actually feel my insides warming.  After lunch we were ready to head out again for some more touring.  Or maybe a nap….

This recipe is from the Osteria di Passignano, an Antinori family restaurant in Chianti which offers cooking classes and wine tastings.    I will be making it this weekend and hope you will give it a try as well.  Make sure your ingredients are of the highest quality - that is the key to any great Italian dish.

Pappa Al Pomodoro**

serves 4

1 cup of very good extra virgin olive oil  

2 red onions

14 ounces fresh red tomatoes (blanched & peeled) 

or San Marzano whole canned tomatoes

3 ½ ounces of stale Tuscan bread

1 bunch of basil

salt to taste

Chop the red onions finely and put in a dutch oven with oil. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes.  Remove the crust from the bread and cut into small pieces.   Add the bread to the tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and basil.  

**This version is very thick. If you prefer to thin it out, add a cup of water along with the bread. 

Tastefully yours,

Ashley 

10 Ways to Order a Coffee in Italy

I have a love affair with coffee.  It all began in  Rome, June 1990, at the Hotel Smeraldo. The signora would make café latte in the morning and it was ambrosia.  No matter what time we had rolled in the night before, Mimi and I would set our alarm clock to make sure we did not miss the breakfast service at the hotel.   Cafe latte, cookies, nun buns and jam.  I have stayed in hundreds of hotels since my first stay at the Smeraldo and not one of them serves a café latte that even comes close. 

The best place to get a coffee is at a cafe - preferably one that serves ALOT of coffee. It is believed that the more a machine is used, the better the coffee will be.  So don't be put off by a crowd at the bar.  This is a good sign and the baristas in Italy move with an efficiency that would humble the dude at Starbucks. 

Here is a primer on how to order.

1. Scuro “dark”.  Cappucino scuro has extra espresso in it. If you  order your cappuccino with an extra shot in the US, this is the way to go in Italy. 

2. Al vetro “in glass”.  Some Italians have a preference that their espresso (or cappuccino) is served in a glass rather than a ceramic cup.  Sometimes the espresso will come in glass regardless but if this is your preference, make sure you specify.

3. Tepido  “lukewarm” Italians have a fear of beverages that are either too cold (no ice, please) or too hot.  The ideal temperature of a cappuccino in Italy will be lower than what you might expect here but if you want to make sure that it is immediately drinkable, go for “tepido”.

4. Ben caldo – “good and hot”  -   on a blustery January day this is how I order a cappuccino.  There is something so comforting about taking a break in a cozy bar after a morning of sightseeing.  The counter is buzzing and you can people watch while you wrap your hands around a steaming cappuccino.  

Heaven!

5. Ristretto – “restrained”   Somehow this has something to do with  how the shot of espresso is made. It makes it much more intense. You will usually see a well-dressed Italian businessman with a cigarette and a newspaper in hand drinking this.

6. Senza schiuma “without foam”

7. Latte macchiato “stained milk”  -  a steamed milk with a drop of espresso in it.  It is usually how kids start drinking coffee in Italy.  The opposite of this is a café macchiato (stained coffee) which is an espresso with a drop of milk.   A good option for those who are not quite ready for a straight espresso.

8. Corretto “corrected” – what better way to “correct” an espresso than to add a shot of grappa to it?!?   I know, it sounds intense but it is an option and I can see it being useful in 2 ways.  1) it warms you from the inside out which makes it a perfect option for those Alpine shepherds heading out to work in the Dolomites.  2) it cures what ails you. I drank a corretto one evening after a long day of travel during which I came down with a brutal cold.  The next morning, the cold was gone and I was back on my feet.  True story.

9. Americano “American”.  Don’t expect a brewed, percolated coffee.  The barista takes a shot of espresso and fills the cup with hot water.

10. Con cornetto – the BEST way to order a coffee.  With a croissant, but only at the right café that makes pastries that are worth the calories.  I love the lemon and pistachio or multigrain with honey.  It’s an indulgence that I permit myself once per trip.  YOLO, right??

Why Your Hotel Choice Can Make or Break Your Vacation

A major part of any vacation is lodging.   I know that there is a school of thought that believes that the hotel is unimportant, that you spend very little time there and most of that time is spent sleeping.  I disagree. The hotel you choose can make or break your vacation.  Here is a list of questions to ask before choosing your hotel:

•                                 How far is the hotel from the historic center? Is there transportation readily available? What is the approximate cost of a taxi from the hotel to the historic center?

•                                 Are there good restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood? Sometimes after a long day of sightseeing it is important to be able to go back to your hotel and relax a bit before heading back out for the evening.  If you choose to stay closer to your hotel for dinner, you want to make sure that there are options.

•                                 What is surrounding the hotel? The hotel may look fabulous on the website but there was no mention of the nightclub next door.  If you are into the nightlife that might be great and convenient for you. Otherwise it will keep you up at night and make for a long, sleep deprived stay.

•                                 Are there some amenities that are more important than others?

                        I had clients who were training for a Masters swim meet while they were visiting Rome.  They chose a hotel that was located outside the center because they needed access to a large pool.  We found them a great hotel with a pool and an excellent  shuttle service into the center of Rome.  For them, it was the ideal solution.

•                                 Who are your traveling companions?

                        A travel experience is inevitably dictated by the company you keep.   A girlfriend’s getaway?  Consider a hip, swanky hotel with a funky bar and a spa on the premises.  A vacation with your young children?  Find a hotel that has connecting rooms so you can still be up while the little ones sleep.  My brother made the mistake of staying in one room with his family of four at Disney.  After an exhausting day at the parks, the kids zonked out and my brother and his wife found themselves reading on the floor by the bathroom light. 

The internet is a great resource but can also be very misleading.  My advice to you is to rely on an expert who knows the area you are visiting well.  One  who can find you the accommodation that is right for YOU and for the experience you want to have.   Life is too short to not travel well.