Food and Living

Well, hopefully I can attempt to keep this a little more in order that the last post. So, quick recap: I am a student of UW who, for his final quarter, has traveled to Rome, Italy for a studio arts program. Travel and living here is quite a change from my life over in Seattle, and the first days were a little overwhelming, largely in part to this being my first time in Europe. However, I have made a pretty good group of friends and feel like things are actually starting to fly by. Of the 10 weeks that I am here, this is already the end of the 3rd, yet it still feels so new.

Jumping to the idea for today's post. My culinary abilities aren't anthing to really brag about, but I feel I can make some pretty tasty food, and here I have become the lead chef for my small group, although my 9 person house has 4 of us who are actually strong chefs, so the kitchen (which is small) is always bustling and the house is filled with the smells of cooking.

Europe in general is a wonderful place to cook. You have a much more accessable way to get fresh, amazingly tasty ingrediants, and the wine is equally abundant and cheap. I can easily see exploring the delicate and rich varieties of wine, especially as an experiment in the pairing with foods. A great example is that the other day I made a tasty experiment of sliced and fried sicillian sausage, garlic, hot sicillian peppers, and a spicy tomato sauce which was further flavored with a touch of basil. This was poured over a little pasta called gnocchini (or little gnocchi) which turned out to be deliciously spicy and very filling. The great surprise and success of the meal however was that I accidently decided to pair the meal with a Pinot Nero that I had purchased. Wow, what an amazing accident that was. The strong flavors and spicy qualities of the Pinot went so well with the spicy food that I honestly wonder if there could be a better choice available.

Another little recipe for all you guys to tide you until I can write again.
-Some fettucine pasta, preferably fresh for flavor and also cook time.
-Frozen peas left to thaw a bit so that they are moist
-Proscuito
-Garlic
-Tomato Sauce
-Zucchini

Start by dicing the proscuito into small strips or squares. Fry them in a pan with a little olive oil and the garlic (diced or whole cloves if you love the flavor). When the garlic has browned and the meat is crispy pour in the zucchini (diced) and the peas. The moisture of the peas will let them cook quickly and the zucchini should cook through by the time the peas are ready. when the veggies are almost ready, pour in the sauce. (feel free to also cook up some basil with the rest) Hopefully your pasta is ready to go now, and so when you have served the pasta, pour the heated sauce over the top. Garnish with a hard cheese (parmigion works great) and serve with a red wine (i chose some Nero D'avola, but play around) I think this could be delicious with some onion, and as with all experiments in food, play around and see what wonderful flavors you can find.

Arrivaderci my friends!