Holy Cannoli! The Adventures of the Sweet Couple

Yesterday, we went into the fields to learn about the vineyard, something I had been looking forward to. In coming to a winery, I was more interested in the production of wine and the fields than in the cooking. I am happy to be in a kitchen some days, but I really enjoy learning about something I feel I do not know enough about. When in the associate's program at school, we had to take a 3-week wines class that really just touched the surface of the world of wine, but it was enough to interest me. This played into my decision into coming here to study for 3 weeks.  Right now is when the vines are pruned, as they will begin growing shortly. The red grapes are pruned to have 2 buds per branch, while the white, like Chardonnay, has 3 buds per branch. This is because the red grapes need a better quality to produce a richer wine, while the white is a little more about quantity and freshness.   This little red looking tie is to help with insects. The vineyard is ...

The First Few Days at Winery Tormaresca If you have been following our journey so far, you know that Logan and I began a mini "externship" last Wednesday. We chose to study at Winery Tormaresca located in Minervino Puglia. We are about three and a half hours from Ugento, where we studied for twelve weeks. Since being here, we have had one day of work, a snow day, and a weekend. Here is what we have experienced thus far:  On our first day, we worked in the kitchen on the estate for a banquet, hosting eight people. The chef, Laura, had us do a lot of different things from making focaccia to slicing potatoes. I started the day with making a focaccia that uses "burnt" flour; this is a flour turned to "ash" by baking it at a high temperature. It contributes a unique flavor to the focaccia unlike any other. I was very excited to make this as when we visited with our class about a month ago, we had this delicious focaccia. It is pretty simple to make a...

Well, it is that time we were all nervous for - heading to our externships in Italy. Logan and I will be traveling to Winery Tomaresca, about 4 hours from here on Wednesday for three weeks. Then, on April 10th, we head to Rome for a day. On April 11th, we begin our flights home! Until then, I would like to continue sharing my experience in Italy with all of you, in more of a laid-back way, not every day, but at least weekly!  For this post, I would like the share with you my experience in the kitchen at the Castello and all the other things that came along with studying abroad here with the CIA. I want to start off by saying how grateful I feel for this experience, as I have been changed by it. Studying abroad really opens your eyes to the rest of the world and allows you to think about what you really want in life. This was important to me as graduation is coming up quickly at the end of July. I believe that I have made the most out of my experience here through my travels an...

Today we held our second lunch at the Castello for outside guests. This time, my group was in charge of the pass horderves and the appetizer. We decided to create the horderves based on the ideas of what we learned in class.  The first was a fried potato chip with a fava bean puree and fried artichoke. These 2 flavors go very well together and as a group, we felt it represented the top 3 things we felt was seen most in what we learned.  The second was called Sciatt, a fried buckwheat cheese ball. We changed the cheese because we felt the original did not melt well and that it did not have a strong flavor. We chose a cheese that was stronger and brought forward more flavor.  Our main appetizer represented the simple cuisine of Italy and the lightness of the dishes of Puglia. We had a poached sea bream on a garlic and sponsali (sort of green onion) puree, mussels, fresh veggies, dehydrated fish skin, and a parsley foam. This was a simple dish that was very delic...

The regions of Abruzzo and Molise used to create one larger region, also including Circondario di Cittaducale, which is now part of Lazio. Today, the Italians still refer to Abruzzo and Molise as one. Here is some history I researched about these two regions: During the time of the Normans, Abruzzo constituted one single justicor, an administrative district of which the Kingdom of Sicily was divided. Then during the Angevin period, the province was divided into 2: the Abruzzo Ulterior and the Abruzzo Citeriore. There was a river flowing between these two areas, forming their natural border. During the Napoleonic and Murat reforms in the 19th century, Abruzzo Ulterior was turned into another 2 districts: Abruzzo Ulterior I and Abruzzo ulterior II. This means that at this time, there were 3 provinces creating one Abruzzo. During the reign of Frederick II, the territory of Molise was constituted. Although it struggled to have administrative autonomy, Molise began to be considered a ter...

Umbria is located in central Italy, right between Lazio and Marche. This means that there is no coast, but there are rivers, which is where they get their fish. The region is very hilly, with only a few flat lands right in the middle, therefore their economy is not really affected. The Etruscan people populated this region, after conquering the Umbri people. After Umbria, the Etruscans traveled to Naples along the coast. With such deep Etscan roots, it is important to note their love for food. As we say in Tuscany, the Etruscans loved food and the wealthy ate twice a day. They had huge banquets with a lot of food and women were even invited. This is important to the culture of Umbria as this is what their society was mainly built upon. Here is some more research I did on the history of Umbria: Like we learned today, there were 2 major tribes in Umbria: the Etruscans and the Umbri. The Umbri had settled in the region first, dating back to 1,000 BC, then the Etruscans came. The Tevere...

The wonderful and delicious region of Campania! This is a region located in southern Italy and is the third most populated region of Italy, but based on land mass, it is the most densely populated region of all of Italy. Campania was an important piece of the Magna Grecia, or Greek civilization. The land of Campania has a very rich culture, with deep traditions, especially when it comes to food. Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Velia are all ancient archeological sites within the region as well. The name Campania  comes from a Latin derivative, Campania felix, meaning "fertile countryside." I felt like today I did not learn very much about the history of Campania, so I decided to look more into it. Here is what I found: The original group of people who inhabited Campania was made up of three different groups: the Osci, the Aurunci, and the Ausones. Although they were three different groups, they shared a common language. Around the 8th century BC, the Greeks came and est...

Logan and I traveled to Milan this weekend, a mini weekend gateway! It was really nice for just the both of us to travel the two of us. On our trip, we had a lot of delicious food and experiences. I wanted to share a bit of our journey through photos below!  First stop: L'ov Milano  This was a small little restaurant/cafe' with excellent food, staff, and atmosphere.  Pasta cabonara: No it was not really the way Chef taught us in class, but it was absolutely delicious. Seasoned to perfection, al dente pasta, and an egg "sauce" like no other.   Logan & I shared a ceasar salad... no this was not like any other ceasar salad that I have ever had, but it was very tasty. There was chicken, apple, and dill on both radicchio and lettuce. The dressing was a creamy dill, which had a very fresh and fragrant taste.   This was a "flourless chocolate torta," but really it should be named best dessert in Italy. The bottom was more of a cookie cr...