Bring on the Beef!

I know you have all waiting for a blog post about all the Italian pizza and pasta we ate on our two weeks (at least that's what I'm telling myself...), and believe me, there was a lot! So, readers, wait no more. Read on and let your taste buds water. 

I could easily write numerous posts about the food we ate in Italy, but instead, I thought I would highlight some of the best meals we ate while away. But thinking more, I might have to narrow it to a few different meals in each city. Not every meal was a winner, I have to admit, and with so many restaurants to choose from, you sort of gambled each time. But with menus posted outside each restaurant, that certainly made deciding a bit easier. And our guidebooks warned us to stay away from the tourist traps, the restaurants that posted their menus in several different languages, or had a set Tourist Meal. I think we did pretty good on that front. 


But there were a couple recommendations that we received from friends before leaving, and one place in particular sticks out in Florence. The place to head was Il Latini, known for its beef, and both Matt and I were very excited to visit. We made reservations well in advance, and with only two seatings, one at 7:30, the other at 9;30, we wanted to make sure we got a table. Turned out, however, that reservations meant very little, but a little elbowing sure goes a long way. And we made sure to have a small lunch that day to show up extra hungry. 


And its a good thing we did! After being seated at a table of 6 with two other couples, the waiters arrive with food. A bread basket with oil and vinegar await us at the table, along with a large bottle of red wine, but we're careful not to fill up on that. First to arrive is a plate of prosciutto, then a plate of bruschetta with chicken liver, and, do you believe it, we ate it! Ok, we tried it. It wasn't that bad... Next, a caprese salad of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, and lastly, a plate of sun dried tomatoes. Talk about an antipasto course! And each dish was so flavourful and wonderful, that we just couldn't stop eating. 

I should note that there is no menu at this restaurant. After the antipasto, the waiter returns and asks what kind of primi pasta you want. We had a choice between ravioli and penne bolognese, so we took one of each.

The portion sizes weren't overly large, but they sure were delicious! Some of the best ravioli bolognese I've eaten. You could really taste the fresh ingredients in the sauces and the stuffing, plus the pasta was amazing. The waiter returned, took these plates away, and shortly after returned with this gorgeous piece of steak. And when I say piece, I mean one kilogram of grilled steak, crusty on the outside, pink and juicy on the inside. 

I don't know how we managed to pack away all that meat, plus the side of roasted potatoes, but we sure did do a number. I think the waiter knew what he was doing when courses were spread out with some digesting time, time to enjoy another glass of wine and some great dinner conversation while taking in the surrounding. I'm sure we sat there for at least 2 hours, drinking glass after glass of wine and eating the food that was put in front of us. When we thought there was no more, the waiter brought out a plate of biscotti, a dessert liquor to dip them in, and a couple glasses of Moscato, a lovely and sweet dessert wine (we're now on the hunt for it back home at our local LCBO). 

You can bet that we left that restaurant happily full, pretty drunk, and very satisfied. We talked about that meal for several days after, remembering both the food and the experience. If we knew what was in store for us that night, we probably would have passed on the pasta option, but then again, we would have missed out on a wonderful part of that meal. 


Oh, and the best part? When the bill arrived, we were expecting quite a hefty price tag, but it turned out, it was a flat fee for all that food and wine. Score! 

Viva Italia Yarn!

Matt and  I just got back from a wonderful two week honeymoon in Italy. It was by far the best vacation I've been on, and Italy had lots to offer. I'd be lying if I said we didn't partially pick Italy because of it's very attractive and delicious food, but the sights we saw were equally as wonderful. 


I'll be sharing more of said food and gelato and coffee in coming posts, but I'd be remiss if I didn't post something on the Italian wool I picked up in Florence. Prior to leaving for Italy, I finished reading the sequel to Friday Night Knitting Club, in which some of the club take a trip to Italy. I didn't know this when I started the book, so it was a nice surprise and made me look forward to our trip even more. Of course, when they mentioned knitting and the yarn in Italy, I thought I should do a bit of research to see if there were any good shops in the cities we would be visiting. 


Turns out there was. I had read about a little shop by the Duomo, and after a quick bite to eat one afternoon, we stopped in to see what their selection was like, and to see what an Italian wool store compared with ours back home. It was a nice little store, and the selection was pretty good. Most of the yarns didn't have labels on them, so I didn't necessarily know what I might be purchasing, but there was a lot to choose from. And the prices... really unbelievable! We got to the store about 12.30, just a few minutes before their afternoon closing, so luckily we didn't have to come back (I think Canada should adopt the afternoon seista closing hours!). 

My eye was immediately drawn to this lovely grey yarn; the different shades intertwined together I thought made such a great find, and the sign said only 1.50 Euros/50 grams. Not sure how much one ball would weigh, I took it up to the sales clerk to ask. Turns out, each one is only 50 grams, so I picked up three in the hopes of knitting myself my very own Italian...something or other. I limited myself to only three balls, but in hindsight, at that price, I should have picked up way more (you know my history of running out of yarn, afterall...). 

Along with the yarn, I noticed a big Italian fashion trend for bulky sweaters, scarves, and hats, for both men and women, and found this to be quite interesting and great for inspiration. I snapped a few photos to bring home for later use. You can see that grey is the IT colour for fall.  

Upon returning home, I had ideas of a cabled scarf similar to those I'd seen in the window displays, but my first attempt told me this wasn't the yarn for that (on revisiting that attempt, I think the needles were too small). My next thought was to knit a plain vest pullover, but after knitting several rows of that, I quickly realized I wouldn't have enough yarn to complete the project. So, idea number three is currently on the go: a moss-stitch scarf. I know, not the most exciting, but when I wrap it around my neck on a cold winter's day, I'll remember our time in Italy. 

Fat Friday - Canteen

We're back to diner style meals for this week's Fat Friday (actually, did we ever leave?), and for that we headed to the newly opened Oliver & Bonacini's Canteen, located on the main floor of the newly built TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

We've been watching this new condo building grow taller and taller over the last several months, and with the TIFF arriving in town, they were on a deadline to have the theater space and restaurants open for the grand opening. The Canteen had opened about 2 weeks ahead of schedule, and from the first day, it's been a busy hot spot, crowded with locals and tourists. We stopped by one morning to see what the menu was like, and were delighted to find out that not only do they have an eat in section, but they do take out, too. Our eyes darted to the pastry list on the Grab & Go board and immediately noticed croissants. And if you remember our hunt for the best croissants, we had to give them a try. But we were full that day, so we tried them a couple weeks later. They ranked right up there with some of our favourite croissants, and with being only steps away from the condo, well, that could be a deadly combination. 

But for dinner last night, it wasn't about croissants. It was about tasting their every day dine-in servings. Stepping inside the canteen, you really do get a bit of a cafeteria feel, with  closely-spaced tables and an open kitchen along the back. Servers wear plaid blue shirts, very casual, and the menu is not overwhelming, a few selections of salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and mains. To be honest, there wasn't a whole lot that caught our eye. We opted to skip the pizzas that night, and I never consider a salad (hello, FAT Friday....), so it was something from their pasta or mains. 

The steak frites seemed to entice Matt, and the Thursday Special (grill) was also a steak - Hammered Steak with Potato Pancakes. He opted for the steak frites with a cesaer salad to start, but agreed we'd have to come back another Thursday for their grill special. The salad was good, but do you see that the fries come sprinkled with Parmesan cheese?!?! Matt didn't even add vinegar to them; a rarity for him, indeed. The steak came with a green pesto of some variety, and his thoughts: "quite good." 

Myself, I ordered something from the pasta menu. The gnocchi really was tempting, but it came served with lamb, and I've never actually had lamb before. The Canteen probably would have been a really great place to try it, but instead, I went for the Mac & Cheese with Quebec aged cheddar and smoked ham, sprinkled with basil (my best guess) bread crumbs. Matt wondered how it compared with the one from The Counter, and, at the time, I said I liked it a bit better because of the added smoked ham, but now that I look back at my previous post, I think The Counter might be a notch or two better, and I think that has to do with the triple cheese factor and the spiral noodles. Regardless, you can't really screw up mac & cheese (unless you add mushrooms), so it was still a winner. 

Saturdays are their burger specials, so we will be heading back to see how they compare to our every-expanding list of best burgers.... and of course, the croissants. 

Recipe: Arugula Pesto

To use up some of the food still in my fridge, I realized I had all the ingredients to make a delicious pesto (not having tasted it, I'm only hoping that it will be delicious). Pesto is relatively new to me, but the few times I've had it, be it on chicken or pasta, I really liked the flavour. Of course it has cheese in it, so that could be part of the reason. And I know that pasta can be made with many different green leafy vegetables, and since I had almost a full tub of arugula from our pasta dish the other night, I thought why not? 

So I pulled out my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (actually, it's Matt's, but I have claimed it as my own). The pesto recipe in there called for the traditional basil, but I just swapped that out for the arugula. 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups arugula

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds

1 large clove garlic, quartered

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 olive oil

DIRECTIONS

COMBINE arugual, cheese, nuts, garlic and salt in a blender or food processor. Cover and process or blend with on-off pulses until a paste forms, making sure to scrape the sides throughout. 

SLOWLY add the olive oil while the machine is running and blend to the consistency of soft butter. 

And that's really all there is to it. 

Since I knew we wouldn't be using this pesto for at least a few weeks, I had read that pesto is a great little sauce to freeze and use later. So to do that, I emptied and dried one of my ice cube trays and filled the cups with pesto, then covered it with plastic wrap and stuck in the freezer. So the next time we want to add a bit of green to our pasta, we just pop out a cube or two and warm in a pot, then pour over the pasta.

Recipe: Cranraisin and Lemon Scones

Mildred Pierce, a well-known restaurant in Toronto based loosely on a classic American film noir from 1945, has a lovely brunch cookbook, which, surprisingly, my husband owned before I met him (granted, it was a gift from his mother). She naturally browsed the recipes in the book prior, and after, and told me about a great recipe for scones. I had been meaning to bake them for a while now, and the perfect occasion arrived. I was looking for a little thank you gift for Diane, and what better way to show our appreciation than to bake up a recipe I know she already likes! 

So, off to the market I went, gathering the ingredients I didn't already have in the house. The original recipe called for dried currants, but finding none in the store, I settled on cranraisins instead. I also needed to pick up some shortening and cream (this is by no means a low-fat recipe!). I wasn't sure how intensive this recipe would be, seeing as it involved rolling out the dough and cutting it, but it turned out to be very easy and pretty quick! And I even found a new use for my ravioli cutter - biscuits! 

After rolling and cutting the scones into small biscuits and layering them on a sheet, I was surprised that they didn't rise more once out of the oven, but they turned out so uniformly that I didn't really mind. Sure, there is something to be said for more rustic-looking scones, but for presentation, I think these ones looked quite lovely. They were a gift, after all. Plus, the little rippled edge from the ravioli cutter turned out to be a very nice touch. And the cranraisin peaking through the dough added a nice touch of colour.

I, of course had to sample one (or two) before giving them away (no great chef sends out a dish without a taste test), and they really were a light and fluffly snack, not too sweet, and the hint of lemon/orange really came through. This recipe yielded me about 24 scones, so I gave the majority of them to Diane, a few to my mom and dad, and kept a few at home for us (they packed quite easily in our carry-on for a quick snack on the go). 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup shortening, cold

1/3 cup dried black currants (or other dried fruit of choice)

1 tbsp grated lemon zest (I also added a bit of orange zest)

1 cup 35% cream (I substituted half and half, 10%)

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees.

USING a coarse grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the shortening, and with your fingertips, break it up into small pieces. Combine the mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Stir in the currants and lemon zest. Add the cream, gently working the mixture until the flour is incorporated and the dough forms a ball. 

TURN the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 1" thickness. Dip a 2" round cookie cutter into some flour and stamp out the scones. Press any scraps together and repeat. 

PLACE the scones 2" apart on a parchment paper-lines baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops with some cream and sprinkle with a little sugar. 

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes until the scones are lightly golden on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Best served hot from the oven. 

Fat Friday - Mercatto

It's been a while since I've posted a Fat Friday, and be honest, it's been a while since we've enjoyed one! But we went to Mercatto about 2 weeks back and thought it was due time to post the review. Although I neglected to take any photos while I was there, hopefully you can envision the meals as you read on (ok, forgot wasn't really the right word. It was more of "it was a really small and crowded place, and I felt slightly odd taking photos of our food. But on that note, a great place for people watching! We thought the couple next to us were on a first date and imagined that their parents set them up, as they seemed to have nothing really in common.) 

Though the restaurant was small, it was quaint, and you definitely had to be OK with letting people in to your personal space, as tables were set closely together, something I find many Italian eateries have in common. But that seemed to make it really cozy and intimate, and we enjoyed our candle lit dinner for two, a great way to relax after a long week at work. 

Matt had read some great reviews about Mercatto, and in particular, their antipasti choices, so he was excited to taste test, as was I. Their Antipasti Misti lets you choose 2 verdu (vegetables), 2 salumi (meats), and 2 formaggi (cheeses) from a selection of six options. We also got a chance to practice some Italian! So the platter we put together consisted of raddichio and barbabietole (beets) for our verdu; prosciutto and bresaola (cured beef) for our salumi; and Piave (12 month aged hard cow's milk) and burrata (fresh buffalo milk) for our formaggi. The platter that arrived looked similar to the one on the left (an image I found on Google), with a couple changes to the verdu choices. 

Eating that platter with the fresh bread and olive oil supplied at the table really made for a great starter. We loved the meats, as we knew we would (we are carnivores, after all), and the cheeses were a really nice compliment to the saltiness of the salumi. The verdu part, however, we didn't love. The beets were nice, but the radicchio salad was a little too bitter for our tastes. Next time we should ask if we can just skip the verdu and have an extra salumi and formaggi.... ha! 

On to the main course (which I already knew I wasn't going to be able to finish). We both were in the mood for pasta, and Matt had no problems deciding on his dish - Bucatini. Fresh pasta served with tomato sauce, pancetta, smoked Italian bacon, and pecorino cheese. Matt really likes the spiciness of the dish, and this is usually a favourite of his. As for me, I went back and forth between a couple dishes but finally decided on the Taglietelle with almond pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and arugula. I went outside my normal comfort zone to try the almond pesto, and it was good! 

With more pasta choices on the menu that peaked our interest, I'm sure we'll head back there again. Plus, there was a whole Pizza menu we didn't even look at!