Frittelle di Mele (Apple Fritters)

Its hard to believe that four weeks have already gone by and tomorrow I will be back in the United States!  In an effort to procrastinate packing my suitcase I am going to leave you with one last recipe from Italy, and I have definitely saved the best for last (I will be posting more once I get back home, so keep checking back).  I came to Italy with only one request from my dad, "have Elda teach you how to make apple fritters".  So this one is for you dad, as a thank you for funding not one, but all six of my trips to Italy! 

Portofino and the Cinque Terre

This last week has been pretty busy and I want to apologize for not putting up any new posts!  I had a friend from the United States who was in Italy come and stay with me for a few days, so we were busy enjoying the beach, shopping, and visiting different cities together.

Portofino

The first place we went and visited was Portofino.  Portofino, which is located a little more than a mile away from Santa Margherita used to be a small fishing town but is now where all the wealthy people come to vacation with their huge yachts, and I mean HUGE!!!

Tiramisu

Tiramisu, which literally means "pick me up" in Italian, is one of my favorite Italian deserts.  It is a simple cake that is made from savoiardi, a type of lady finger, dipped in coffee and topped with a sweet mascarpone cheese mixture.  My aunt serves hers in a single layer at her restaurant, but you can make your tiramisu as many layers high as you would like following this same recipe.

Minestrone

Minestrone Ingredients:
2 potatoes, cubed
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed (you can use half of a normal sized one)
2 zucchini, cut down the middle and then sliced
1 cup peas
1 can of cannellini beans
water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 cup ditali pasta (or other small round pasta)
1 tbsp pesto 

In a large pot combine potatoes, garlic, onion, eggplant, zucchini, peas, and beans.  Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add the bouillon cube and olive oil and stir.  Let simmer on the stove for at least three hours.  Taste stock and add salt to taste.  Before serving, add pasta and cook according to time on package.  Finally add pesto and stir.

Pesto

I'm back from staying at my aunt's restaurant for a few days and have so many new recipes to share with you!  Since my family is from Liguria, and the regional dish here is pesto, I thought it would be fitting to start with that.

 

Formaggio Fritto and Basic Pasta Dough

Formaggio Fritto (fried cheese), is a simple antipasto (appetizer) made with a basic pasta dough and filled with two types of Italian cheese.  Since I will be using the same pasta dough in different recipes, I'm going to go ahead and separate the recipe for the dough and the Formaggio Fritto.

Il Ristorante della Mia Zia (My Aunt's Restaurant)

Bocca Moa

Yesterday I finally made it to my aunt's restaurant and got my first cooking lesson after being put to work.  I think all of her customers enjoyed learning how to say things in English, while I got a little experience of what it's like to have to cater to large groups of people.

Torta di Patate

After being in Italy for a week I am finally posting my first recipe!  I am going to apologize now though, because I realized on my way to the airport that I forgot to bring my measuring cups with me.  Not to worry though, I am going to teach you all how to cook like a real Italian without measuring things out exactly.  Also, just to let you know, most of the recipes that I will be posting are typical dishes from Liguria, the region in Italy where my family is from.

Torta di Patate, Potato Torte, is a typical Ligurian side dish similar to scalloped potatoes with a layer of prosciutto and cheese between the potatoes.  It is not however Baciocca, which I will be posting a recipe for at a later time.

Ingredients:
olive oil
7 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt, divided
5-6 slices of prosciutto
Fontina cheese, sliced
dash of nutmeg
2 eggs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover bottom of 9 x 12 x 1 inch baking pan with olive oil.  Cover bottom of pan with a layer of potatoes, overlapping to make sure entire bottom is covered.  Sprinkle layer of potatoes with 1/4 tsp salt.  Cover layer of potatoes with Prosciutto and then with Fontina cheese.  Add another layer of potatoes, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

In a separate bowl mix together a dash of nutmeg, eggs, Parmesan cheese and milk.  Pour mixture evenly over potatoes.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and potatoes are cooked thoroughly. (Side note: the ovens in Italy measure temperature in degrees Celsius so cooking time might vary.  If cheese starts to become too brown on top, cover with foil and continue baking)

Italian Accordion Music

Just a typical night out in Italy... I would have taken a longer video but I didn't know these people and I felt awkward just standing there.

Un Giorno Alla Spiaggia (A Day At The Beach)

The view I had while tanning

After all the rain and thunderstorms we have been having, today was a perfect day to go to the beach!  Luckily today was Monday, and everyone was back at work, so when I arrived around 10:00 this morning I was the only person there.

The public beach, which is free to use

The private beach, which you have to pay to use

Two Things You Have To Try While In Italy

Just thought I would share with you what I ate today...

Una pizza, called Genovese Bianca, made with Stacchino cheese and pesto and...

Un grande gelato!  Tomorrow I start my diet ;)

These are two things we have in America, but are SOOO much better in Italy!

La Mia Famiglia

So yesterday was an eventful day!  I had a wonderful lunch with most of my family and decided on the dates I am going to go learn how to cook at my aunt's restaurant!  If everything goes according to plan I will be cooking my heart out this Tuesday and then go back again on Sunday and stay there for a few days.  So be on the lookout for pictures of mouth watering food and recipes!

Intorno Santa Margherita (Around Santa Margherita)

My luggage finally arrived today and the first thing I did was break out my shorts and comfy sandals and go for a walk.  The weather here has been overcast but it is extremely humid, so I was glad to trade my jeans and tennis shoes for shorts and sandals.  During my walk I decided to take a few pictures of things I love about Santa Margherita to share with you.

Saluti da Italia! (Greetings from Italy!)

Santa Margherita Ligure (My home for the next four weeks)

Ciao tutti!  After almost missing my connecting flight in Munich, I made it to Italy.  Unfortunately my suitcase couldn't grow legs fast enough to run through the terminal with me, so it missed the flight.  And of course with my luck today had to be a holiday so it will not be delivered to me until tomorrow.

On a lighter note though, did I mention there is nothing like waking up in the morning to the sound of scooters and motorcycles driving by!  There is just something about it that puts me in a good mood, maybe because I miss my scooter so much.