Jim Brandano takes the best Roma photos I’ve ever seen. Like him on FB here; if you asked us to hire a photographer for your event in Italy, he’d be choice numero uno.
Images
Makeup!
Sawyer decided to wear some tonight. Can’t wait to take this little angel on her first Italy trip.
Treviso
From Italy’s FB page…gorgeous. Who wouldn’t want to go here?
And This Is How We Eat Hummus at Sassi Italy Tours
Jasper wasn’t going to let his sister be the only kid featured on the blog today. He took a break from shoveling hummus into his mouth with his hand (and smearing it on his giant Legos) to let me know. What a handsome fellow!
We’re thinking about taking the kids over to Italy next year. Anyone done a trip with diaper-age kids overseas? Thoughts on the challenges it presents?
Fresh Herbs and Veggies are the Key!
One of things you’ll invariably notice as you travel in Italy is how fresh everything tastes. While you can’t always feasibly duplicate the ingredients list you’ll enjoy in Italy (my meager kingdom for those anchovies and sardines you can get in Venice), you can still get the essence of the Italian palate on your dinner table with the proper sourcing and use of fresh sage, nettles, basil, onions, peppers, tomatoes, artisanal cheeses, etc found at your local farmers’ market or organic grower. One thing I’ve learned–the aromatic ones like basil really profit from freshness and being added to the dish as late as possible. If you toss chopped basil into your sauce while it’s still cooking, the kitchen will smell great, but that great smell is the essential oils being boiled off and leaving little of their joyful flavor in the dish.
Here Sawyer helps daddy by pulling the wagon as I thought about how many types of basil I could get to grow in the back yard. She didn’t seem super enthusiastic about my request to keep moving down the aisle. What’s the hurry daddy?
Azelia’s Bricco dell’Oriolo
A very agreeable buy. $15 at my local liquor warehouse. Not as young as the other Dolcetto I tried last week and thus a bit less acidic as I recall. Try it if you see it.
Pan Seared Tuna
Not a typically Italian preparation given my ingredients list but I’ll share it here anyway as it’s ridiculously tasty.
Olive oil, a pat of butter, and minced garlic in a stainless skillet. Warm it up and toss in the ahi tuna fillets and warm them up. Sprinkle of salt, ground black pepper, and a splash of teriyaki. Wet the butter and oil with a few ounces of sherry. Flip the tuna to cook evenly and add a few capers and a pinch of red curry paste for some spice. When it’s ready to serve toss in the spinach and wilt it, and serve.
It’s good.
Lovely Dolcetto
Our local wine bar had this very agreeably priced Dolcetto. A bit acidic as Dolcetto goes but not unpleasantly so. Great color. If you find it, I’d say pick some up. It’s everything that’s good about Italian wine–light on the wood, savory tannins, and good with food.
Menu at One of Our Favorite Restaurants
Imagine sitting down for a meal here; when you get off the beaten path and find the boutique family-run restaurants, you start tasting the real Italy. Just reading this make me hungry.
Cicchetti In Venezia
I generally disagree with Rick Steve’s assessment that aren’t “non-touristy” restaurants in Venice. But one surefire way to get the flavor of Venice is stopping for prosecco and the Venetian version of small plates/tapas known as cicchetti–fresh ingredients and diverse flavors. Some of the more fun things to eat in Venice.
Sassi Italy Tours 