Holy Cannoli! The Adventures of the Sweet Couple

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...

When I was younger, my mom often made stuffed peppers for dinner. My sister and I, only about a year and a half apart, only ate the inside of the pepper: a mixture of rice and beef. My brother who is about 10 years younger than us, now does the same thing, passing on a tradition of only eating the stuffing of the pepper. Anyways, today I made another type of stuffed pepper, peperoni ripieni , which is not made with beef or rice. Here is what this pepper is stuffed with: Tuna fish (one that was in oil) Breadcrumbs Eggs Olives Capers Parmigano Reggiano Parsley Yes, this was definitely not the way my mother used to make it and one that I would not have even touched when I was younger. But still, it brought back the memories of the one my mom makes. These peppers had a unique flavor, as the pepper was sweet and the filling had a savory taste. If I was to make these differently or even just in the states, I would probably not use tuna. I think it gave a different taste to th...

The region of Puglia is truly unique, with many different traditional dishes and products. I really enjoyed the last couple days studying the land of Puglia and would like to share with you some of what I have learned. First, I would like to give you some history, agriculture, and other information about Puglia, then another recipe for you to try at home! Puglia has been an important part of all of Europe for many centuries. The Messapians were the first to inhabit the region, then came the Greeks. Both of these populations made an impact on the land, but unfortunately, the Romans came next and destroyed almost everything. From this point, the land of Puglia has done nothing but built on its rich history from agriculture to everyday life. The Travoliere di Puglia is a large flat land that dates back to ancient time. This land is very fertile and grows a lot of different things, from durum wheat to fruit and vegetables. I did some additional research on this large flat plain and ...

Cavallo  is a common dish served here in Puglia. One of Chef Odette's friends came today who stressed that she was not a chef, just an Italian mother who cooked for her kids. She was such a nice lady who was there to show use the traditions of Pulgiese cuisine. She will be back again tomorrow and I will go into more of the history, but for now I want to share a dish we made today so you can try and created a similar one at home! Italian Word of the Day: Cavallo = Horse (Yes in Italy, they eat horse) Recipe Title: Braciole di Cavallo al Ragu'  con Orecchiette  Ingredienti (Ingredients)  8 horse slices 800 grams Orecchiette 500 gram tomatoes, canned & crushed 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 1 glass of red wine Salt & Pepper 100 g Grated Parmigiano * These amounts are just estimates, follow my steps below for a better idea.* Method  For Filling & Rolling you need these ingredients from above: Salt, pepper, parsley (minced), carrot (min...

Calabaria is a region located at the "foot" of the boot, as if it was kicking Sicily. This region was part of the Magna Grecia, meaning the Greeks settled on this land and while they were there, it thrived. The Greeks came from Greece not to get away, but to expand and create something more. They brought with them intelligence, artists, food, culture, etc. Down the center of Calabria, there are high mountains and along the coast, it is pretty steep. This is a perfect place for terrace farming because of the steepness of the land. There are very few flat lands in this region, but they depend on their production of wine, liquirizia , peperoncino, cipolla di Tropea, potatoes,   and citrus. Let's dive deeper into each of these products because the land of Calabria is poor and their economy relies heavily on these products. Liquirizia (or Liquorice)  Liquorice is used in three different forms: stick form, cube form, and candy form. The stick form has a lot of antioxidants t...

Sardegna is an island off of the west coast of Italy, north of Sicily. It is obviously surrounded by water, but land is very far from the island. They have some high mountains in the east, while also having some hilly lands where grapes are grown in the west. The land of Sardegna was inhabited by the Nuraghe people, over 4,000 years ago. There are buildings shaped like cones, that archeologists have looked into to find out more about this interesting population. It is at times difficult because this population of people is extremely different from some of the other populations that lived in Italy. The Nuraghe people were good mariners, which made sense being an island in the middle of the sea. The Greeks, Phoenicians, Croatians, and Spanish all influenced Sardegnian culture through trade. There was also trade with the Etruscans as well, which inhabited Tuscany. This Sardegnian people traded wine with the Etruscans because were not growing grapes yet. This population was very s...

South Italy is made up of many regions including Puglia, where we are staying. I am looking forward to making the cuisines of these regions as I believe they will be more fish based than the regions of Northern Italy. My father's side of the family is Italian and I remember how much fish we used to eat when I was younger. My grandfather loves to fish and he tells stories of making it before I was born. I believe there will be a lot of influence from Greece in these regions because when they first came to Italy, the inhabited Puglia and Sicily. I am intrested to see how cured meats are different here than in Northen Italy because it is a lot more humid in the south. There is also a huge influence from both the Ionian, Adriatic, and Mediterrean sea that there is not in North Italy. Here is to a great next 3 weeks learning about Southern Italian cuisine! We are now moving into the cuisine of Southern Italy, beginning with Sicily! This region is the largest in Italy with a lot of peo...