Cooking with Christina!

In my food class we have the pleasure of working with Christina, chef of Glass in Trastevere.  We have three classes with her- one for rice and pasta, one for fish and meat, and one for dessert.  This past week I had the second class, in which we learned how to cook fish and meat.  Going into the lesson I was not concerned at all since I often cook things like salmon and chicken at home.  However, cooking meat and especially fish in Italy is very different than in America!  The dishes she chose were an anchovy sandwich and veal marsala.  I've never worked with veal before, but it was very similar to working with meats like chicken.  My real problem was dealing with the anchovies.  Before we started cooking, we purchased our meat and fish from fresh markets around Campo Dei Fiori.  Little did I know, we would not simply be cooking fillets of fish, but actually taking the heads off and cleaning anchovies in order to make our sandwiches! It was quite a struggle for all of us at first to clean the anchovies!  Christina literally grabbed the fish with her bare hands, ripped the head off, then stuck her finger in the fish and slit it all the way down, taking the intestines and guts out of the fish.  First of all, we all demanded that we get plastic gloves.  Secondly, none of us ripped the heads off ourselves- we all used knives.  Even with these things, the process was very difficult and disgusting to all of us!  Christina was laughing at all of us and said that any Italian would have no problem doing this, as this is how they prepare most fish.  Once we got the hang of cleaning the anchovies after the first few it wasn't so bad!  We fried the anchovies and then put them on fresh bread with large chunks of mozzarella cheese and sundried tomatoes.  We all went into the cooking class with the expectation of hating the salty anchovies, but after trying the sandwich I was very surprised that I really liked it and ate the whole thing!  The veal marsala was also very good.  I'm not usually a big veal eater, but the meat was very tender and the marsala sauce gave it a great flavor.  I will definitely be trying these dishes out at home!

Anchovies

Veal Marsala

CiriPizza Pizzeria!

Another one of my hilights during my Cilento trip was going to CiriPizza Pizzeria.  Going to this pizzeria was a really fun experience because we not only got to try the pizza, but we also got to see how they made all the different types of pizza.  One of the specialities of the restaurant was their vegetable pizza, whose dough was made out of many different vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, onion and garlic. 

 The Ingredients of the Vegetable Pizza

We also got to see their normal pizza dough and whole grain dough.  In the picture below the far left is whole grain, the middle the vegetable dough, and the far right the normal dough.  It was cool to see these different types of dough and the ingredients that go into them, as I am only familiar with the classic pizza dough. 

Next we got to see how the pizza is made.  They make all their pizza in an extremely hot wood-burning oven. We saw them make several pizzas for us to sample and it was amazing how quickly the pizzas would cook!  They literally only stayed in the oven for a minute or two and then came out perfectly done.  The dough was flat, yet soft and doughy rather than crunchy- it was delicious!!  They make a variety of pizzas, including a classic one with mozzarella di bufala and basil (shown below.)  They also made some pizza with smoked mozzarella, which we got to sample.  The smoked mozzarella had a very unique flavor and I really liked it!

 Wood- burning oven

 Mozzarella di Bufala and Basilico Pizza

The last part of the pizzeria tour was the best- actually eating the pizza!!  The pizzeria had numerous types of pizza that all looked delicious, so we got to sample a few different types, and ended the meal with a nutella pizza.  One of my favorite types that I sampled was a calzone style pizza that had smoked mozzarella in it.  The smoked mozzarella was surrounded by two layers of dough and was soo good!! I also actually really enjoyed the vegetable pizza (which they called sunflower.)  When I first heard about the vegetable pizza I automatically assumed that I wouldn't like it as much, but I actually found that it was my favorite!  The dough was light and fresh tasting, and the pizza was topped with cheese, tomato, and basil, for a healthy, yet delicious combination.  The nutella pizza was also amazing!!!  It was so rich, but I still think I could have eaten a whole pizza for myself!  Overall, I really enjoyed this pizzeria experience.  I really enjoyed all the pizzas I sampled and appreciated the thin, yet soft dough as compared to some of the crunchier, thicker pizzas that are available in Rome. 

 Smoked Mozzarella Calzone

 Vegetable Pizza

Nutella Pizza

Mozzarella Di Bufala!

One of the most famous products I've learned about in my food classes is mozzarella di bufala!  Mozzarella di Bufala is produced mainly in the Campania region in Italy, and is mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, as the name suggests.  I had heard about mozzarella di bufala and even seen some restaurants in Rome that offered it, but never fully understood what the big deal about this product was until I went on the Cilento field trip with my program.  On this field trip we visited two farms where we saw buffalo.  My favorite part of the trip was our visit to the second farm, where we got to see how mozzarella di bufala is actually made!  The owners of this farm had extreme pride in their buffalo!  The first thing we saw was their "buffalo community."  Compared to the buffalo we saw on the first farm, the buffalo living on this farm were extremely civilized and intelligent.  In this "buffalo community" each buffalo had their own bed, brushed themselves by rubbing up against an automatic brush, and even waited in line to milk themselves with the help of a high-tech machine.  It was actually incredible how well behaved/trained these buffalo were!  We learned that the vast majority of the buffalo were women and only 3 or 4 men were kept alive, as only the women were profitability due to their milk.  The rest of the male buffalo were skinned in order to produce leather.  

 Buffalo!

 Buffalo Community

After seeing where the buffalo lived and how they were milked, we got to see how mozzarella di bufala was actually made!  The texture of the cheese was such that the workers simply had to rip the cheese and shape it into balls with their hands in order to produce the shape.  We also saw a worker make a mozzarella di bufala braid, in which he stretched the cheese into a long, narrow strip and then braided it. They let us sample their mozzarella di bufala and it was absolutely amazing!!  I honestly have never tasted more amazing cheese in my life.  The cheese was extremely fresh, and the milk of the cheese gushed out with every bite.  We learned that the milky the cheese the more fresh and better quality it is!  

Sampling of Mozzarella di Bufala at the Farm

In addition to seeing the importance of mozzarella di bufala to farms in the south, its importance was very evident in the surrounding towns.  Along our drive through Cilento, I saw mozzarella di bufala advertised outside of several restaurants!  It was also on the menu of every restaurant we went to in Cilento!  The first meal we had as a group our appetizer was a gigantic Mozzarella di Bufala ball.  We were all shocked by the size of the mozzarella at first, but many of us actually almost finished the entire thing!  Mozzarella di Bufala was also offered on many menus on pizza.  After the trip to Cilento,  I have a new appreciation and love for this product!  It is not only delicious, but also a very respected and important product to those living in the Campania region.  

Mozzarella di Bufala Appetizer

Fresh Markets In Rome

 Fresh Fruit at Campo dei Fiori

Fresh Meat Market in Campo Dei Fiori

One thing that I really love about Rome is the abundance of fresh fruit, fish, and meat markets!  In America, its safe to say that the majority of people shop at large supermarkets.  Most Americans don't go to individual fresh markets, but rather trust these large superstores to give them fresh products.  Living in Rome, I've definitely eaten out a lot, but also done a lot of cooking at my apartment.  For the first couple months, I got all my fish, meat, and fruit from the supermarket doing the street, Simply Market.  However, recently I've become very interested in these specialty fresh markets.  Perhaps one of the most famous fresh markets in Rome is the daily market in Campo Dei Fiori.  Just recently I've started getting fruit and spices from there on the way home from the school.  I can't emphasize enough the difference between the fruit that I've gotten from Campo with that from Simply Market.  Everything is much more fresh, ripe, and just overall of better quality.  My favorite fruit to eat right now is strawberries since they're in season now!  I got strawberries from Campo the other day and ate the whole container on the way home because they were so fresh and sweet!  I also recently visited fresh meat and fish markets with Christina, our cooking teacher.  She is a chef at a very upscale restaurant called Glass, located in Trastevere, and said that her restaurant always goes to fresh fish and meat markets in order to get top quality products.  Just to see if I could taste a difference, I got chicken from one of the fresh meat markets the other day and made it.  It was so much tastier than the chicken that I've gotten at simply!  It was much more tender and had much more flavor!  I've found that these fresh markets located all throughout Rome are integral to many Italian families and restaurants, providing the fresh ingredients that are key to making a delicious meal!

Hostaria da Tonys!

One of my favorite areas to eat out in Rome is hands down Trastevere!  The food is really good and affordable, and most of the restaurants have a fun, quaint atmosphere.  I've tried out many restaurants in Trastevere, but one of my favorite restaurants I've been to is Hostaria da Tony's!  I've been there twice now and had amazing experiences both times!  From the outside, the restaurant does not look like much.  It appears rather small, has some tables outside with checkered tablecloths, and the inside almost looks like a fish/meat market at first (check out the picture.)  However, once you step inside you realize that the restaurant is actually quite large, with seating in multiple rooms.  One of the best things about Tony's is the atmosphere!  The restaurant looks straight out of an old Italian film with the checkered tablecloths and walls lined with pictures of the "regular customers" and Tony, the owner.  Also, Tony himself makes the experience ten times greater!  He is the nicest, friendliest Italian man and jokes around with all of us every time we're there.  He has one of those really inviting and fun personalities that makes you want to keep returning to the restaurant.  He also often gives tables free focaccia bread or desserts to try out!  However, even beyond the fun service and atmosphere, the food at Tony's is great!  The first time I went, I ordered the tomato bruschetta and rigatoni cacio e pepe.  The bruschetta was really good and unique.  It was unlike any other bruschetta I've had thus far.  The bread was perfectly toasted and topped with tomatoes, olive oil, and finely chopped celery.  The finely chopped celery added an extra crunch to the bruschetta that I loved!  The rigatoni cacio e pepe was also amazing!  It's one of my favorite pasta dishes that I've had in Italy so far.  First of all, the portion is huge!  When I go to restaurants, I usually just order a first plate of pasta, rather than a first and second plate, so I really appreciated the hearty portion.  The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and coated with a creamy, cheesy sauce that had a bit of a kick from the pepper.  The ingredients were simple, but perfectly proportioned and fresh.  For dessert, Tony gave us free lemon sorbet for dessert, which was perfectly sweet and refreshing!  The second time I went to Tony's I decided to try the salmon bruschetta and chicken parmesan.  The salmon bruschetta was  once again really unique and delicious!  The bread was coated with a white, creamy sauce, which seemed to have a cream cheese flavor, and then smoked salmon was on top.  The smoked salmon was so fresh!  I also absolutely loved the chicken parmesan!  Perhaps a reason that Hostaria da Tony's appeals so much to American students is because it is slightly Americanized.  I haven't seen chicken parmesan offered at any other restaurants, and loved the familiar American dish with an Italian spin!  Contrary to American chicken parmesan, the chicken was sliced extremely thin and coated with a fresh tomato sauce and heavily coated with melted cheese.  The restaurant also gives free pitchers of water- which all us Americans love!  Moreover, this is a restaurant that I recommend to anyone in Italy if you're looking for good, affordable food in a fun atmosphere!  Its especially a great place for American students to go in order to get an Italian dining experience with some American comforts. 

 Chicken Parmesan

 Fresh Meat Used

Free Lemon Sorbet Dessert