Pasta all’Amatriciana

On a tastecation in Rome, I fell in love with the simple sauces of the region that utilize ingredients grown nearby. One of these was Bucatini all'Amatriciana which originated in the town of Amatrice. Like many recipes, it started with a bit of pasta and ended with whatever common people had in their homes. I'm not Italian, but I'm really into this way of cooking.

As it so happened the other day, I had tried out Lucca Ravioli in my new neighborhood and had gotten pancetta, pecorino romano, and fresh fettucini. All I needed were some roma tomatoes from the corner market and I was ready for some tasty pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 lb guanciale, cut into small pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 5 roma tomatoes, blanched and crushed
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 - 1/2 C grated pecorino romano
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/2 lb fresh pasta

Instructions:

Sauté the guanciale in the olive oil over medium high heat. I had pancetta on hand, so I used this instead, cutting it into small pieces before cooking.

While the meat is cooking, blanche the tomatoes. Remove the tomatoes from the water and reserve the water for the pasta. 

When the meat is crunchy, remove from the pan and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic till translucent then add the blanched and crushed tomatoes all at once. If you don't have good, fresh tomatoes or if you're in a hurry, simply use canned tomatoes. Add the vinegar and pepper and watch as it bubbles down. The sauce will pick up the flavor of the meat and the balsamic vinegar will add a bit of sweetness.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. When the pasta has returned to a boil, spoon about 1-2 C of the pasta water into your sauce. It's pretty important to use good pasta here so that the water will be nice and starchy, making a thick gravy.

Drain the pasta and add the cheese to the sauce. Stir until the cheese melts. Then add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Top with the crispy meat. Optionally, sprinkle with cracked pepper and Italian parsley.

Tastecation: Rome

I went to Rome because of the rich history and figured when in Rome... eat as the Romans do. Smart choice.

What really appealed to me about Rome was the amount of layering of everything in the city, almost like an artichoke, where each yummy layer yields an even yummier layer beneath. There are thousands of years of history in Rome, ranging from brutal to beautiful, one generation layered on top of the next.

The Romans have a lot of pride in this history. What is wonderful is not only that they try to preserve it, but they try to do so in an authentic way. While on a bike tour, I noticed that you could tell where they had fixed some of the ancient buildings because they used entirely different building materials. I asked my guide if he preferred this way or if he thought they should have tried to make it look like the original. Basically, he told me that he liked the former because it was more honest.

And that's what most impressed me about the food in Rome. Unlike French cooking (which is delicious in its own rite), the food in Rome didn't consist of fancy sauces. The food couldn't hide - it had to be good enough to sit on a plate by itself. Therefore, I had dishes made of the freshest ingredients, mixed simply and quickly. In one word, it was honest.

In this vein, I tasted food like amatriciana and carbanara, which start with good pasta and to that is added very simple ingredients.

Of course, the ingredients are typically pretty local. While the city is very touristy and restaurants have to cater to tourist expectations, they do try to celebrate the food of their region and the dishes that have come from that food. In Rome, that included cheeses and tomatoes, all with roma somewhere in the name.

Near the center of the city, you can find traditional shops. Here, you can find tasty wines, cured meats, and fresh pasta that are made and served by people who have been doing this their whole lives.

On another bike tour that took us out of the ancient center of the city out along the Appian Way, we stopped at what used to be a beautiful villa but had become a sheep farm. Inside, the owner had created her own cheese cave. She served us the freshest pecorino I've ever tasted as her sheep watched in the distance.

Within this layered city are layers of daily food production that we would normally associate with country living.

How civilized!

Simple arugula and peach salad with fresh lemon dressing

My first full day in San Francisco and, of course, I had to start investigating the local food scene. You can't get more local than your own back yard. I don't mean this in a metaphoric sense - we actually have a gorgeous lemon tree in our backyard, which is AWESOME because of how much I use lemons.

So I decided to grab a few more California grown and made items to make my first meal in San Francisco.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb baby arugula
• 1/2 white peach
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil (preferable Italian as its spiciness works well with arugula)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 lb Mt Tam cheese from Cowgirl Creamery (any soft, creamy rind cheese will work)
• Chunk from a fresh baguette

Instructions:
In a salad bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cut the peach into crouton-sized chunks. Add the arugula to the bowl and toss. Add the peach chunks and toss. Serve with the cheese sliced and the chunk of bread.

Moving Day (or when the chick moves her nest)

As you can tell from the lack of posts for the last two months, I've been pretty busy. There's the usual work trips, vacations, and summer adventures that have certainly kept me busy. BUT, add to that moving across country to the beautifully eco-centric San Francisco! I'm very excited for the cool new ways that I can be green in one of the greenest cities in the US.

But in the process of moving, I realized that there are also green things you can do during the move. Here are some of my tips.

Empty and recycle condiment containers

I don't care how hard you try to eat everything before moving, unless you're feasting on ketchup soup with a side of creamy pickle and mustard salad, you are going to have a fridge full of condiments. These are honestly not worth moving across country. But don't just wait to the last minute and throw them out as you rush out of your apartment to chase after the moving van that forgot one of your boxes. Instead, a few days before you move, take the time to empty them all and recycle the containers. (Hint: you may also want to do the same thing with toiletries.)

Sell items that you can easily and inexpensively get in your new home city
This one is really hard for me. I have a tendency to pack everything because I hate throwing things away. But you don't have to throw things away! Try selling things on Craigslist. Or take them to Goodwill. Of course, be thoughtful about this. If you give away all your pots and pans and then order new ones on Amazon, then you're not really saving any carbon miles or any money.

Ship items via parcel post with USPS
Packing up a truck or pod is great, but invariably you'll have a bunch of stuff left over that you will want to take. (I had an entire box of mason jars that I just didn't want to send to recycling hell.) Fight the urge to just roll up to the airport and check it as baggage. Most airlines charge a lot for extra bags (JetBlue charges $75 for the third+ bag). Instead, go by USPS, throw the equivalent of a medium bag in a box and they'll charge you about $25 a box, depending on how heavy it is and how far you have to go. They even have a handy online calculator to help you estimate. Just remember to ship it parcel post. AND if you have a bunch of old family cookbooks, make sure to put them all together in one box. Books, videos, and dvds have a special media rate.

Reuse your boxes

I know, when you've unpacked all your stuff, you really just want the boxes out of your house. But moving boxes are made to be reused, so do it! Post an add on Craigslist in the Free section to have someone come by and get all your boxes off your hands. In fact, try finding boxes on Craigslist or go by your local liquor store and pick up used beer boxes. (Hint: if you plan to ship a box via USPS will not allow you to ship with a reused liquor box.) If you want them off your hands immediately, try taking them to your local Uhaul location. Many of them have a place where you can give (and take) used boxes.

Be creative with your packaging materials

It is important to protect breakable items from breaking. You don't want to move things across country only to have to throw them out when you get there. Very, very wasteful. Uhaul has lots of great products to help you protect your stuff including biodegradable packaging peanuts. They also have a wide assortment of specialty boxes so you can do crazy things like pack a plant.

While the specialty packaging is worth it, you can get creative with things you have around the house. While the organization freak in me wants linens in one box and kitchen stuff in another, all that really does lose the opportunity to use linens and towels as protective packaging. But it doesn't end with that. You can also do things like nest glass cups in plastic cups. Or wrap mason jars in cloth napkins. Or place washcloths in-between plates.

Of course, the trick with all these tips is to give yourself time to pack. When you wait to the last minute you're more likely to cut corners and waste things in the process.

Tastecation: Paris

I apologize for my long absence. After three weeks in Europe for work and other travels, I had a bit of a hard time acclimating back to being at home. But I'm back now to tell you all about my Tastecation.

First stop, Paris.

Ahhhh, Paris. If you're on a European Tastecation, you can't miss Paris. French cooking is at the center of all things gourmet. It is famous for its complex (and delicious) sauces, based in butter, or some other delectable fatty substance, typically smothering some exquisitely prepared meat or vegetable. This has, of course, led researchers and lay (fat) Americans to wonder how those annoying French can eat such decadent food and stay so freaking thin! Perhaps it's what some speculate - the wine. Oh, the wine! How can anyone talk about France without mentioning the wine? But I digress.

All of these things are wonderful, and I did enjoy a number of classic French meals, from flambéd crêpes at Crêperie Josselin, to scrumptious crayfish and melt in your mouth soufflé at Aux Lyonnais, to classic Niçoise salad and the most amazing espresso crème brulée (and I don't like crème brulée) at Le Comptoir du Relais. My mouth waters just thinking about this wonderful weekend in Paris. Mmmhmmm.

These things are obviously an important part of a successful tastecation, but my favorite part of Paris is the marketplace culture. In sharp contrast to the complexity of most French meals, you can walk down streets where you see these amazing French dishes in their most basic forms.

Oh you lovely little, squirming crayfish. I will eat you later and suck the delicious buttery goodness off of every surface of your tiny, crustacean body.

And you, my fungal friends, don't think I won't have you sautéd with white wine and butter.

Yes, I do talk to my food. Don't judge me.

But really, you have to go to a market street. And I really mean street.

While the French also have the insanely huge super grocery stores that we have in the United States, they also have a thriving culture of specialty stores and outdoor markets. As a result, an entire street will be lined with specialty stores from meats to cheese to fresh fruits and veggies to bread and, of course, wine. This creates the same convenience of an all-in-one store, with the expertise that comes from specialization.

In addition to the brick and mortar shops are the booths of the open air markets that are only open selected times during the week (also, most of the shops are closed a couple days a week, so make sure to note the hours of your favorite). Here you can get similar food to what you find in the shops in addition to other specialty foods. My favorite is the olive booth. Beautiful and delicious.

As a result of all this specialization, you are guaranteed the best food. You will get a freshly baked baguette from the boulangerie. You can taste the housemade tapenade before purchasing. And my favorite part, you can watch the cheese monger in the fromagerie as she gently squeezes the cheese to make sure it's ripe for you.

You will also find the pride that the French have in French food. No one has to tell them to eat locally. They've been doing it for years (they probably assume that no one knows food as well as they do). And in a trip to the market, you'll see that much of the food is from different regions in France.

And seasons are important, too. When I walked into the fromagerie near my hotel, I immediately saw the sign that said "Le fromage de chèvre, c'est de saison!" Yum. Goat cheese season! We tend to think of just fruits and vegetables as having a season. But spring also brings fresh goat milk and the start of fresh goat cheese. I couldn't pass that up.

So we took our goat cheese, a fresh baguette, and a bottle of wine to the Champs de Mars for a lovely afternoon picnic.

THAT is quintessential Paris life.

And I love it.