Photo of the Week: Roman Cauliflower

Photo of the Week: Roman Cauliflower

Also known as Romanesco broccoli, this stunning fractal* vegetable originates from Italy. The first time I saw it at my morning market, I was so blown away that nature could produce such an incredible and edible treat that I had to buy one. I mean…it’s a science project you can eat…or observe, if that’s your thing. With most things in Italy, my first instinct is to eat it. So I did. It was so good! It tasted more like cauliflower than broccoli and that is how I tend to approach it when considering it for a meal. Bonus, it is high in vitamins C & K. Any way you can cook regular cauliflower can be applied to Roman cauliflower, but here is a very simple recipe, should you find this fractal friend in your local grocer.
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Photo of the Week: Panettone & Pandoro

Photo of the Week: Panettone & Pandoro

If you plan on spending Christmas in Italy, there are two words you need you know: Panettone and Pandoro. These are two somewhat similar looking (but very different tasting) traditional sweet breads that are enjoyed during the holiday season. They are sold in large cardboard containers or exciting packaging (as pictured above) and come out in the hundreds, piled high in grocery stores, and lining the walls of bars and bakeries all over Italy.

Panettone is a sweet bread from Milan and is shaped like the cupola of a dome. The process to make this seemingly simple desert is actually rather lengthy and difficult, requiring many days and at least three separate dough risings. The final product, a fluffy, light dough, is filled with candied fruits and/or raisons. It is usually served with a sweet drink, often hot, and with mascarpone on top.

Pandoro, or Pan d’oro (bread of gold or golden bread), is a yeast bread baked in the shape of an 8-pointed star. Equally flaky and light, but without the candied fruit, many brands come with powdered sugar that is sprinkled all over to create a “snow-covered” effect. Like the panettone, it can also be served with mascarpone, a chantilly cream, or even gelato.

I personally enjoy my Pandoro dipped in coffee the morning after. Next time you’re here, make sure you try it. It only comes out once a year!

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So you think you know tiramisu? Try this recipe…Tiramisu al Martini

Since we can’t get enough of Davide (Florentine restaurateur extraordinaire, see here for more info), we are having an extra special Select Study Abroad feature…our first Select Study Abroad Italian food recipe!!Following the life rules we here at Select Study Abroad always adhere to, we begin this little adventure with dessert. This particular dessert is a Davide special. In fact, I think he invented it because I can’t find a single recipe for it online! It is Tiramisu al Martini. Spoiler alert: there is no coffee in this recipe! It is, as the title indicates, made with martini mix…or vermouth rather. Some of you may be shocked. As an avid coffee drinker I thought I wouldn’t like it. I was severely mistaken. Honestly. Would Davide ever lead us astray? Never. Here’s the back-story: Continue Reading…

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Florence’s best kept secret and the city’s best restaurants

If I had a euro for every time someone asked me “what is your favorite restaurant in Italy?” or “where was the best meal you ever had,” I would be a wealthy woman and probably have purchased my own villa by now. Fortunately, my answer to all of these questions is the same – Davide’s. Now, for those of you who have had the pleasure of eating at Davide’s in Florence, Italy you know what I am talking about. You would also know that Davide’s is not the name of an actual place; it is instead wherever Davide Sama (restaurant owner extraordinaire) happens to be on any given night. Impressively, he owns and manages many restaurants in Florence…4 and counting. They are not chain restaurants. While the menus and ambiance at each are similar (i.e. friendly, cozy, welcoming, and always beyond satisfying), they are unique and serve a variety of different delicious Tuscan specialties. Chances are you will not find these establishments listed in your Rick Steves’ or Lets Go! guides. Trust me, this is a good thing. Correction: this is a great thing.

These places (listed below) are generally unassuming smaller restaurants, outside of the Florence city center (where restaurants are filled with over-priced and underwhelming tourist menus) and filled with happy locals (see map below). Continue Reading…

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Roma! Roma! Roma!

After all that Florence talk I feel I owe something to my other great love…ROME! Here are just a few tips, some of my favorite spots to eat, and some must-see sites in this glorious city.

**TIPS**
Ok my inner-mom requires that I say, just for the record, that the buses are a little more dangerous in Rome. So just in general BE AWARE. Watch each other. If someone is getting too close and looks sketchy take note. If they are up to no good and see that you see them, they will usually back off.

—> Ok. THINGS TO DO!!!:
There are so many things to do in Rome it is pathetic. I also think it is one of the best walking cities so you could just roam the streets of Rome (hardy har har) for days and do nothing, per se, and be ridiculously content. My absolute favorite thing to do is wander around at night (in safe areas, obviously, and never alone!) The city is a golden color during the day and at night it seems to somehow absorb that glow and use it to light itself from the inside at night. It is just beyond magical. But there are some places you just have to go inside to experience. Continue Reading…

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