Archive for the 'Inspired by Italy' Category
Snacking Peppers | A Ritrovo Slow Fast Food
At first we weren’t convinced: looking at the leathery, deflated, deep red goat’s horn peppers sandwiched in their plastic sack, nothing really very appetizing came to mind. Michele Ferrante, our contadino friend from Controne, had just presented us with this new “snack” from his fields. “But wait,” his wife Antonietta said, “let me cook them [...]
Read More..>>Ribollita and Friends
Dark greens, celery, carrots, root vegetables. Winter in Seattle is made of these. It might seem a bit dreary after the glamour and glory of summer tomatoes and fresh artichokes, fluffy basil bunches and tender green beans. Soup, like the hot Maida Golden Tomato soup we presented a few weeks ago, can be the answer. [...]
Read More..>>Bagna Cauda
Last Saturday, on a visit to Portland, we stepped out of the frigid 3 pm cold and darkness into the warm, breathy atmosphere of House Spirits Distillery (www.medoyeff.com). Hidden in Portland’s riverside warehouse district, the distillery was hosting a tasting of grappa, aquavite, vodka, and spirits makers from all over Oregon. Local chocolate and fruitcake [...]
Read More..>>Orecchiette with Farina Arsa from Puglia
Last year on our visit to Tenuta Cocevola — makers of wonderful DOP Terre di Bari Extra Virgin Olive oil and taralli crackers –we were wined and dined at a local restaurant called Antichi Sapori on the outskirts of Andria. Antichi Sapori had the exact feel of a slow-paced, trattoria-style restaurant, with rustic wood and [...]
Read More..>>Pizza for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving 1993- We had just arrived for what we then thought would be a year-long stay in Rome (it lasted six). We had found ourselves a 2-star hotel room in the cheap Termini Train Station zone of Rome (in the days before the 2000 Rome Jubilee, a fairly low-rent area) and proceeded to learn the [...]
Read More..>>RITROVO Fundraiser for the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation
RITROVO & DISTINGUISHED FRIENDS TEAM TO TAKE A BITE OUT OF PARKINSON’S On October 28, 2008, RITROVO ® ITALIAN REGIONAL FOODS LLC assembled six of Seattle’s finest chefs to form the centerpiece for a remarkable evening. RITROVO’s 1st ANNUAL TAKE A BITE OUT OF PARKINSONS fundraiser, co-sponsored by PIKE BREWING COMPANY and held on behalf [...]
Read More..>>Saline di Cervia
Ceriva is not a spot on the usual Italy tourist track, nor foodie path. Located between the pulsations and expositions of Rimini and the mosaics of Ravenna, and not far from Venice, Cervia is a low-key seacoast town. Not so centuries ago when Rimini, Ravenna, Venice and the Papal State all struggled for control of [...]
Read More..>>Artichoke Heaven
“Carciofi crudi,” my fellow teacher informed me as I crunched delightedly on a bite of a bitter and cheesy, green yet buttery serving of a mysterious antipasto arrayed on a clean white plate. I had never seen or tasted before such a dish, served at an elegant osteria in the Umbrian city of Perugia. “Raw [...]
Read More..>>The Rituals of Domenica (Sunday)
When we lived in Italy, Domenica or Sunday, became the most satisfying and recharging day of the week. It was unstructured and spontaneous, breaking up an otherwise busy work schedule for us; customarily, no solid plans for Domenica were made other than our respective choices of newspaper to read and discuss during acCapuccino-punctuated, Sunday morning [...]
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