Travel

Italian Style Cheese Plate

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Now if you have spent any time with me you would quickly learn that there are certain things I absolutely love. Some of those things include wine, cheese, olives, and bread. One could imagine my excitement when I dug into my first Italian style cheese plate. I knew before visiting that Italians loved their mozzarella, but I had no idea that they really truly appreciated a wide range of fine cheeses quite as much as they did. I saw an incredible amount of amazing cheese plates fly by me in restaurants and every time just their whizzing image was enough to make my mouth water.

An antipaste plate served to us during our wine tour in Tuscanny

The typical “rules” (I use this term loosely, because I never follow them) for a cheese plate are that it should contain a variety of cheeses with different consistencies, some crusty bread or crackers, something crunchy, such as nuts or pickles, and something sweet such as fruit, dried fruit, a sweet spread or honey. Seems simple enough right? Well, let me tell you, the Italians make it even simpler, while casually tossing in an appetizing array of cured meats. But, of course, they do.

A typical afternoon snack at our apartment in Rome

Most of the cheese trays that I saw contained only 2 to 3 types of cheese including a mozzarella (sometimes a smoked mozzarella, which is my personal favorite or a combination of the two), a gorgonzola, and a pecorino. Next, there were a similar number of meats, which were typically salami, prosciutto, and bologna. To accompany the plate there was typically some good crusty bread, or toast, and almost always a few olives, or an olive tapenade.

This combination of flavors is simple and rustic, much like the majority of the delicious Italian meals that we had throughout our trip. I think that the simplicity of this type of cheese plate, as well as its flavor combination, is one of my favorites. It’s definitely something that we will be trying out more often now that we are back in the states.

Notes on the Italian Lifestyle

By Jessica

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Going to Italy was a wonderful experience, we ate wonderful food and saw some amazing sights, but it was the little cultural differences that struck me the most. During our trip, I took some notes that I thought would be fun to talk about them on here.

First and foremost English is not the primary language, while plenty of people spoke English, there were plenty of times where the language barrier was present. All I have to say is thank goodness that most people get the awkward pointing and hand signs.

Tiny tea cups was another thing. Maybe it’s because they prefer espresso, but all the tea, coffee, and water cups were tiny. I’m used to a solid 12 to 16-ounce cup of tea in the morning so paying 2,50 euro for less than 6 ounces was a real shock for me. Having an entire apartment in Rome was a life saver.

One of my favorite things about Italy is that there were gardens everywhere. Whether we were in the city or the countryside, everyone had a garden. Even in Venice where there was very little grass to be found flowers and herbs were in nearly every single window, porch or patio. In the countryside, the gardens were larger with lots of vegetables and roses.

Good food matters. I think this one was to be expected, but I think the gardens and potted herbs in the city shows how important local fresh food is to the Italians. We did a wine tour and were told that many of the locals in the countryside grow their own olive trees and have the olives pressed to make their own olive oil, again showing how much they really care about fresh food. I also think the fact that they typically take a 2-hour lunch break each day to partake in several course meals says a lot.

Breakfast is small. A croissant and coffee or hot chocolate is a typical Italian breakfast. For me it was a little lack luster, I like a good croissant but for desert, I much prefer the big breakfast of potatoes, eggs, bacon, toast with endless cups of tea and juice. Needless to say, I’m used to a big breakfast with a smaller lunch, quite the opposite of Italian tradition.

Continuing the food conversation, restaurant etiquette is a little different as well. For starters, the portion sizes are smaller because tradition is to order multiple courses at a meal. It actually took us a few days to get this, and we ended up going to bed hungry before we figured it out. Additionally, waiters do not typically get tipped so that means they aren’t running over to ask you if you need anything, however, they will pay attention and make sure your wine glass is always full. They also will not bring the check unless specifically asked, I think this is because Italians like to linger, relishing their wine and desert, and really who could blame them? Altogether I think dining in Italy is a much more relaxed and potentially pleasant experience than it is in the states (at least the area I’m from).

Now to talk about the puppy dogs: While there weren’t a ton of dogs around the ones we did see we were wonderfully well behaved. Many of them followed their owners around town without leashes, some even waiting patiently outside stores while their owners shop. I pride myself on my own well behaved pup, but these dogs were pros. What amazed me the most is that it is something that we noticed in every place we visited.

These were just a few of the things that we noticed that were very different from our lives here in the northeast. I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting but I can always add to this list later right? If you ever get the chance to visit Italy I totally completely suggest that you do, it is a wonderful and beautiful place.

Our Italian Vacation

By Jessica

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I have plenty of stories to tell, but for the time being I thought you guys might like to see some photos.

Our trip started in Venice.

Then we visited Florence.

While in Florence we went on a wine tour to the Chianti Classico countryside.

From there we spent one night in Siena. This was the view from our room.

Rome was our last stop.

Including a trip to the beach.

Authentic Italian Carbonara, with Sun Dried Tomatoes

By Jessica

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By now I’m sure you guys are dying to see pictures from our trip to Italy, and I promise that they are coming soon. I just have to get around to going through the photos. But alas, I am still sitting on a cloud over here, daydreaming about the amazing trip we just took. So, instead of editing photos, for now, I’ll just tell you about this amazing recipe that I made while we were there because you know, when in Rome.

Carbonara is one of Chuck’s favorite things to eat, and I have tried to make it for him for years. Until now I thought I was doing a pretty good job. How naive was I? After trying it in several places in Italy I realized just how silky and lusciously creamy the sauce, made traditionally, really is. I knew I had to re-perfect my recipe.

While staying in Rome, we chose to go through Airbnb and get an actual apartment. This way we could cut down on some of the food costs, wash some clothes, and have a bit more freedom. It was totally the right idea, we really enjoyed the freedom and the extra space, that it gave us, especially the opportunity to cook. One of my goals for this trip was to cook with fresh Italian ingredients while we were here. I shouldn’t say goal, it was a long time dream. Raw ingredients in Italy for Italian food are so incredibly different from what you find in the U.S.

We found a great little farmers market in Campo Fiori, Rome where I bought everything that I needed to make this carbonara. I loved walking through the stalls and watching the locals haggle with the stall keepers. This is the way shopping is supposed to be. Everyone has their specialty, and everything is fresh! So fresh, you can smell the earth from which it came.

This recipe is based on a dish that we had during our stay in Florence, just days before. The sauce has an utterly silky texture that is full of rich flavor pulled in from the fresh eggs, pancetta, cheeses, and sundried tomatoes. I chose sundried tomatoes because of the extra sweetness. They add a certain depth to the simple dish. This sauce is tossed with a thick pasta cooked aldente, so there’s a bit of firmness to it. You need a thick pasta what will really hold onto the sauce and stand up to the other ingredients. It’s topped with a bit of fresh cracked pepper because, well, that’s how it’s done. The pepper brings a contrast not only in color but flavor to the overly rich dish.

With it, I served a simple Caprese salad over arugula. You need something lighter to balance out all that pasta. Of course, there was also a bottle of Chianti wine. Chianti was kind of the theme wine of our trip, so it made an appearance quite a bit.

Authentic Italian Carbonarra, with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound dry spaghetti
8 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed
½ cup sun dried cherry tomatoes (or large tomatoes, chopped)
4 Large, fresh eggs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package instructions to al dente (cooked, though slightly firm). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining and set aside.
In a medium size bowl whisk together the eggs and cheese until well blended and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. The pancetta should begin to brown and crisp.
Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for another minute.
Stir in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water until well combined. Add the pasta to the pan and toss lightly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture, stirring quickly so that the eggs do not have time to scramble. As you stir and toss the pasta the eggs will thicken into a sauce. If the sauce becomes too thick slowly stir in more reserved pasta water.
Top generously with pepper and serve immediately.

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My Italy Bucket List

By Jessica

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I have to admit I’m falling behind on planning for Italy. I planned everything to a T when we went to Ireland but honestly I don’t have it in me this time. I just want to get there already. I want to be drinking wine on a side walk at a little café. I mean doesn’t that sound delightful?

While I don’t have our transportation, or plans set in stone yet I do have a few things that I know I want to do. I thought it would be fun to share that list with you.

Eat gelato every day

Wander through ancient ruins

Source: cntraveler.com

Eat Seafood & Drink Spritz in Venice

Go on a wine tour in Tuscany

Spend an evening strolling through city streets as the sun sets

Buy fresh ingredients and cook a meal on my own

Go to an authentic trattoria

source: trevifountain.net

Get a photo in front of the Trevi Fountain

Eat Pizza

Visit some epic Dan Brown movie sights, because why not? (eg. The Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, etc)

Eat Pasta (Basically we are eating all the things here)

source: en.wikipedia.org

See the Vatican

Go to a gallery and see some beautiful art

And there you have it my bucket list. We aren’t really looking for anything ground breaking here, but it was a fun little post to put together. Happy Friday!

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