I think this is a good place to talk about the book reading prep  I have done for the trip to Italy. Not just this time, but over the years. I love to read and cook, except by now you know I’ve been doing the Nutrisystem thing since January 1st, I have that day etched in my mind,  so I just read the cookbooks for now.  I’ m saving up the eating part for Italy.  My book choices are varied because I like history and mysteries too and of course I have to read the books that talk about people who have actually moved to Italy.  There are lots of books to pick from, but these are the books that stuck in my mind. Years ago I read  Underthe Tuscan Sun, At Home in Italyby Frances Mayes, after I saw the movie.  I knew then and…

Provolone cheese facts:

• Provolone originated in southern Italy, and has been made there since Roman times. However, it is currently mainly produced in northern Italy.
• Provolone cheese has two distinct types. Provolone Dolce is aged for 2-3 months and has a pale yellowish white color and sweet taste. Provolone Piccante is aged for more than four months and has a sharper taste. In America, most Provolone is Provolone Dolce.
• Provolone is high in calcium and protein but  is also high in sodium.
• It is a full fat cow’s milk cheese, but also can be made from buffalo milk.
• Provolone is semi-hard and smooth to the touch, and has a mild, smoky flavor because it is aged in a room next to an open fire.
• Due to its mild, buttery flavor, provolone cheese is versatile and is often sliced and used for sandwiches, grated onto soups, pizza or salads, or melted…

Whenever we talk to students about their study abroad experience after coming home, there is a recurring theme that each and every student will talk about for hours.

Food.

Whether it’s Italy’s  pasta, Spain’s churros, or Asia’s curry, the tastes of our destinations stick with us. Like an old song, we seek out those forgotten flavors in hopes of recreating our experiences abroad. But no matter how great the corner bakery may be,  it’s just never the same as snagging a market baguette in Paris, is it? Not.Even.Close.

Instead of paying oodles to try (and fail) to recapture what you ate while abroad at an American restaurant, I suggest making it yourself.

When I was in Rome, I had the unique opportunity to take a weekend cooking class with a few other students through my host institution, the Lorenzo de Medici. Our chef/teacher/guru was Giordano Franci, a professor at LdM…

Let’s go get them… 

At springtime Puglia’s outback is at its best, the usual very dry landscape becomes all intense green. What better way to enjoy all this beauty  hunting wild asparagus?

My experienced, 80-yaers old friend told me to look near the muretti in secco, they hide overthere because they love rocky land.

Surprised as I was I found a whole lot of them, eventough others came before me, found a lot without top, Italians don’t waist any nature’s gift…

Recipe

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Let’s honour them in a very simple risotto

(You can easily use the normal, green asparagus)

Ingredients:

• Asparagus
• 1/4 dry white wine
• Parmigiano
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• About 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (you can use a knorr square melted in water)
• salt
• some parsley
• rice for risotto (carnarolo is the best ricetype to make risotto)

Method:

1. Fry the shopped shallots  in some olive…