AH-HA! Now I’m Cooking With Broadband

The food here is very different from what one might find in the States. All the fresh fruit and vegetables and meat are organically grown/raised (we know what our paterfamilias thinks of this, but I’ll let you make up your own mind: Read this for a short, objective evaluation of organic farming vs. non-organic farming). You can tell the difference, both in the taste of the food and how it makes you feel. There are few pre-packaged, processed foods, and a lot less meat than an american is used to. I would have to say that, while all aspects of the food culture here in Italy have affected me, the things that I’ve noticed most (and will most miss) are: 1) fruit products: The fruit stuff here is so delicious!! The yoghurt, jam, flavored honey…you name it, it’s more delicious. and 2) the “real” chocolate. Perugia is home to the original Perugina chocolate factory (which is now unfortunately owned by Nestle, but still makes chocolate that can make you cry), and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to eat american chocolate again. I really can’t rave enough, but mentioning everything I see on the shelves in my local grocery store would take a little time, so I’ll just add one more comment:

1 litre olive oil: $7.30 (yes, dollars, not euros).
Getting 1 litre of olive oil for $7.30: Priceless.

This I blatantly stole from E-how. Sorry. However, everyone should know how to do it.

1. Select a heat source. Peppers are best roasted over a live fire, such as a gas burner or a charcoal or gas grill. Lacking those, you can use a broiler.
2. Turn the heat to High (or turn on the broiler).
3. If using a broiler, cut the pepper in half and remove the stem, veins, and seeds. Place the pepper, skin-side up, on a broiler pan.
4. Coat the pepper lightly with oil.
5. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, or, using metal tongs, place the flesh of the pepper directly in the flame of the burner or as close to the heat source as possible.
6. Rotate the pepper as the flesh closest to the heat blackens and blisters.
7. Remove the pepper when it has blackened completely.
8. Place it in a bowl and cover to allow it to steam (or put the peppers in a paper bag and close it).
9. After 15 to 20 minutes, scrape off and discard the blackened skin.
10. Remove and discard the seed pod, stem and inner ribs before using.

First of all, if this recipe were a paper for school, it’d be considered plagiarism. I “stole” it from Umbria In, because it’s a traditional Umbrian dish, modified Elly-style. Because of my lack of modern conveniences, I’ll put up how I did it, with notations on how it probably should be done.

This recipe should be delicious even to those who are not fans of peppers. I’m not exactly sure why, but it ends up tasting quite meaty.

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Okay…christening this board now. Thanks, Joe! Maybe now that I’m using it, you’ll start using it too

Okay, so I’ve been living in Italy for the past 4 months, sans microwaves, measuring cups, and potato-masher. It’s been an adventure, and by no means a bad thing…it has taught me to be free-flowing and creative while cooking, and in my flowy creation, here is one thing I have invented. No one has ever thought of it before, ever. I say it, so you know it’s true. I used miele di castagno: it’s a certain kind of honey that, here in Italy, is cheaper than what we americans would think of, quite simply, as “honey.” I found it to be particularly appropriate because it’s got a much more musky flavor, with more of a bite, than traditional honey. However, I’m not sure it’s available in the States, so you may have to use normal honey. How sad. Anyway, here it is.

• 1 whole chicken, or various parts of chicken, as desired.
• 3-4 large spoonfuls of miele di castagno.
• Rosmarino (powdered rosemary)–enough to make an opaque layer on top of the honey.
• Several tablespoons pineapple juice.

Put the honey in a bowl, add the rosemary. Then, add enough pineapple juice to dilute the mixture and add its flavour, but not enough to make the solution too liquidy. Put the chicken upside-down in a pan and drizzle with half of the mixture; flip it and drizzle with the rest. Cover with aluminum foil and put in an oven preheated to ~350°F for about 45 mins to an hour or so (keep your eye on it, though…just cook it till it’s done). For the last 5 minutes or so, uncover. It’s so delicious I can’t even tell you. Anyway…enjoy!