things we eat and drink, at home and out and about
We stayed in an “agroturismo” in the first days of our Italian holiday. Which meant staying in farm house-style accommodation, being quite close to nature, and hence everything was a bit “rustic” and a bit more “alive” than usual!
We spent a week in Italy last month—some days near Lake Bolsena, and then a couple more days in Rome.
It’s well known that Italy is such a foodie haven and this has been true the three times I’ve been there so far. The other aspect that I really love about the country is the huge variation between regions, and the joyous diversity and richness it entails. And essentially, it means there’s always something new to learn and taste each time you go to a new place, which is amazing if you ask me.
Sometimes, and with that I really mean very extremely rarely, I’m happy that summer is over. When I see demons like this “paella kit”, animated by the “spirit of summer”, for example!
? This is a guest post by none other than Devvers! ?
The other Sunday we finally had time to do some slow cooking, and after looking through “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan, we decided to make ragù and polenta.
For those of you which are not familiar with this book, it is an encyclopaedia of Italian cooking; there is a section talking about ingredients and techniques and every recipe is detailed and precise. It truly is kitchen essential, and definitely worth investing in.
The ragù took about four and a half hours to make, so it can’t be rushed. We served the ragù on top of the polenta and grated plenty of parmesan cheese on top – delicious!
So, to the recipes: Continue reading “Ragù e polenta”
Paella is a very simple dish that Valencian peasants would cook using cheap, fresh and widely available ingredients. Yet despite its innate simplicity, people repeatedly misunderstand and complicate it, causing us Valencians a great deal of stress in the process, because we know it could be so much better and yet people keep insisting on bastardising our national dish in every possible way! ?
Also if you, like me, do not live in Valencia and hence do not have access to some of the “niche” local ingredients, I will also provide acceptable replacements that follow the original spirit. I live in the UK, so my suggestions will reflect what I can find in local markets and supermarkets. If it’s not in my list, it quite probably is not acceptable, so don’t add it ?
Hope you enjoy it!
Continue reading “Paella (traditional Valencian style)”