You Say Focaccia, I Say Yum

This weekend was spent exploring Cinque Terre National Park along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Our first afternoon was gorgeous and sunny-- so of course we headed straight for the beach! Kim and I indulged in strawberry daiquiris and took in the beautiful surroundings.

For dinner our first night I absolutely had to go for seafood. I chose a scampi and truffle gnocchi and it was absolutely delicious! I am still getting used to the whole head-on-shrimp arrangement, but am no longer so grossed out that I can't enjoy every bite of the more edible sections. The gnocchi was obviously homemade and the shrimp were probably caught mere hours before. There is nothing like fresh seafood. Nothing.

We awoke early the next morning to start hiking between the five towns. While this is a food blog, I must go on a brief tangent about the glorious hike. The views were to-die for, the terrain rugged yet manageable, and the weather perfect. My favorite hike was the final one between Vernazza and Montorosso. This was the most physically difficult hike, but I thought the most fun. There were trails where you had so suck in your stomach for fear you would tumble down the seaside hills and rocky stairs that ascended seemingly into the heavens. I got an adrenaline rush, combined with beautiful scenery, mixed with a pretty good workout!

After all that hiking we were ready for some lunch! We turned to The Bible aka Rick Steve's Italy Guide. He recommended a little bar off the beaten path in Vernazza called the Pirata Caffe. I had a very yummy lemon cream cannoli (life's short-- eat dessert first!) and a mozzarella, tomato, and arugula sandwich. Our server was an absolute hoot and we took a picture with him before leaving.

We also caught site of something amazing-- the cafe gets Rick Steve's Christmas cards! Only study abroad students would be so excited about this haha :)

We finished out the hikes and did some shopping around the quaint little towns before showering off a pretty solid layer of hiking grime. Our dinner reservation wasn't until 8:30pm and we were starving! So we decided to snatch a piece of the North's famous focaccia bread. Words cannot be spoken. That good. Get it with cheese. Even better.

I resisted canceling our reservations and just eating piece after piece of focaccia. So it was with still-rumbling bellies that we made our way to a little trattoria in Vernazza. I ordered pesto, another very regional dish, made with homemade pasta. It was definitely better than the Barilla pesto in a jar!

The feeding fare in Cinque Terre was certainly worthy of a return trip... So I have no problem with the fact I will be returning in just over a month to re-explore with my family! The best part? You hike enough that you can't even feel guilty about having an extra slice of focaccia!

Oh give me a home, where the bufala roam...

This last weekend was spent eating my way through the Cilento region of Italy. We went on a school trip to learn and experience the Mediterranean diet, and let me tell you-- it was a success. I think I had two types of cheese at every meal! We also had the opportunity to visit a bufala cow farm where they make authentic mozzarella di bufala cheese. I love bufala!

The bufala had nice little scratch pads in their stables. What pampered cattle! But happy cows make happy cheese (even though Wisconsin is the ONLY cheese state), and the mozzarella that was made from these cows was delightful!

The farm was also famous for pudding and they didn't need to ask me twice! I had one unfortunate chocolate pudding incident at Wendy's as a child, but have luckily recovered over time and was able to scarf down a delicious helping of dark chocolate in the cutest container I have ever seen-- a sweet and a souvenir!

That same night (though I vowed I would never eat again) we toured a pizzeria that specializes in gluten-free crusts and organic ingredients. The gluten-free option tasted remarkably similar to the original and there was another special crust made from veggies, flax seed, and other surprisingly yummy and wholesome ingredients.

We then decided to throw away our whole healthy pizza meal with a Nutella dessert pizza. But really... can you blame us?

The weekend was most definitely a culinary success. Even better? It was FREE! Well... as free as a study abroad program gets ;) Now back to my chicken and salad in an attempt to make up for the extreme weekend damage to the waistline.

Ciao!

The Things I Would Do For Cheddar Cheese

So far this blog has been dedicated to my foreign culinary experiences and delicious meals along the way. However this journey is as much about the food I am not eating as the new things I am trying.

I miss American food.

There. I said it. I miss big breakfasts with pancakes and sausage and hashbrowns. I miss buying skim milk by the gallon. I miss Taco Bell. I miss cheddar cheese. God, do I miss cheddar cheese! I want a big bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats. I want to buy taco seasoning for less than $5. I want to order pizza at 2am. I cannot wait to eat Jif with a spoon. An entire package of graham crackers will be consumed in record time. A Chipotle burrito will be dominated. Johnsonville brats will be eaten with an animalistic voracity. I missed Shamrock Shakes this year :(

Trust me, I still have my perspective. I would rather be here and not eating these things. That being said, the week of June 13-20 will be a gluttonous time of catch-up. My mouth is watering with anticipation.

For now... I will settle with carbonara, gelato, risotto, and tiramisu :P

Churros in My Chummy

I spent this last weekend in beautiful Barcelona, Spain. I was going in pretty blind (my limited knowledge of Spain came from high school friends' Spanish classes), but I was so excited to learn about Barcelona's rich history, culture, and food. We spent the weekend bronzing on the beach, marveling at Gaudi (the reason for the word "gaudy") architecture, and absolutely stuffing our faces. Following are a few of the trip's culinary highlights:

SANGRIA: Sorry, Italy. Spain wins this battle. This wine beverage was so delicious and refreshing and drinkable. The apple and lemon chunks added so much to the flavor and we might have even stuck forks in the pitcher to grab some saturated chunks when no one was watching. At least... I hope no one was watching :P

PAELLA: This delicious rice concoction definitely exceeded my expectations. While I have heard so many amazing things about it, I thought it sounded gloopy and a little bit casserole-y for my liking. I was wrong. The rice had contrasting texture to the veggies and the flavors had created some sort of complex mind-blowing meld. Perhaps oddly, the peas were my favorite part. Maybe that's because I haven't had any since arriving in Europe and it was nice to throw in a different green vegetable.

CHURROS CON CHOCOLATE: Words cannot be spoken. Doughy. Fried. Chocolatey. Soft. Warm. Sugary. If you toss in a delicious adjective, it described these churros. Clare's brother who had studied in Barcelona recommended this little joint on Las Ramblas and I have to say it's in my top five culinary Study Abroad pleasures. Amazing. I can't say more. Just go. Cafe de L'Opera. #74 Las Ramblas.

You cannot go to Spain without getting tapas. Marisa's friend took us to a very authentic Catalan bar that had a great menu and we all ordered and passed around a myriad of dishes. Pictured from top are patatas bravas, fried artichoke, and spinach fritters. The spinach was the best. It was kind of like tempura-- definitely fried but not heavy or too greasy. Yum! I also had some tasty bread, a salty white fish of some sort, and some smoked cheese. I was stuffed and was so excited to try so many different traditional dishes.

Barcelona was amazing. I am so lucky that my travels are taking me to new, exciting places and expanding my palette. Down side? Now that I know how good churros are, I may never stop eating them!

Eiffel In Love With Paris

Let me tell you, it's a good thing that I didn't study abroad in Paris. For many reasons:
1) I would not have come home
2) I would have been more broke than I am from Rome
3) I would have gained a gazillion pounds

Seriously. The food was amazing! The first must-share meal was a croque monsieur, or open-faced ham and gruyere sandwich. It was a favorite of mine the first time I went to France, so I knew I had to have another one. We went to a small bistro near Centre Pompidou for lunch and their croque did not disappoint!

 Even after that delicious lunch, I had one more craving that needed to be satisfied. A nutella-banana crepe was in my near future. I made myself wait through our catacombs visit but then gave in. It is truly a combination made in heaven! Though I am pretty sure it is only Americans who order this (the French are actually more into savory crepes), I didn't mind being a typique tourist. In fact, I was so ok with it that I had one of these crepes each subsequent day left in Paris!

 Pure delicious-ness right there!

My favorite dinner was in the Latin Quarter near the Sorbonne. We gorged ourselves on a pot of fondue with potatoes, bread, and assorted meats. The fondue was amazing. Long after I was full I kept putting fork to mouth because I literally could not let such a delicious feast be wasted. I also tried escargot this night and it was actually pretty good! Of course, put enough butter and pesto sauce on it and I will eat just about anything :P

I look so excited in this picture haha. That's how good it was. I was rejoicing for my mouth!

My last night in Paris I decided to have a very authentic dish. Coq au vin is a traditional meal of rooster in a red wine sauce. Rooster, funny enough, tastes a lot like chicken. The sauce was very good too-- you could definitely taste the wine! They gave me a lot of dark meat, which isn't my favorite, but it was still delicious! It was also fun to try something I had been reading about since I took French beginning in 8th grade.

Paris is truly my favorite city in the world. It changes you. If you have ever been there, I am sure you understand. It also changes what hole your belt fits in. But it's worth it-- promise!