Farmer's Market Edition

I am not a big fan of grocery shopping, even though I have a great neighborhood farmer's market on saturdays (grand lake) and the Berkeley Bowl, the best grocery store EVER, within 5 miles from me. I put grocery shopping off for as long as I can every week. I have a Whole Paycheck Foods across the street that beckons me, but I do my best not to succumb to those high produce prices, although I must admit, I too often find my self getting "one thing" just to tie me over until I go to 'the bowl'.

This last weekend was beautiful and I needed to get out of my house (and head), so I went to the Grand Lake Farmer's Market. It was lovely as always. I stopped at Anfilo, an Ethiopian coffee house in the market--featured in this video.  The coffee is strong, but smooth and tasty and it is served in a communal atmosphere outside. They are opening a cafe on grand in a couple months, so be sure to check it out.

So, I spent about $20 and bought a bag of arugula, a pound of English peas, a bunch of red curly kale,  carrots and leeks and this made about 5 - 6 meals for me, check it out:

 The kale, pictured here with my favorite portrait models, clay birds from Nicaragua.

I sauteed it with carrots and red onions and added walnuts and raisins (its actually better with toasted sliced almonds, but I ran out). 

Fresh English peas

Sauteed in butter with pancetta and carrots, with a poached egg.

Leek and pancetta tart. I had leftover tart dough in the freezer, so not much work at all. This is a sweet pate brisee, which has always been hard for me to make for some reason. But this time, it worked out really well. Very flaky and easy to roll out. Ive never understood the instructions for tart dough--that its supposed to look like cornmeal when you mix it, but with pea sized butter. So rather than doing it with the food processor, I made it by hand, cutting the butter with two knives and a fork. This made all the difference. The butter stays chunky, which gives the dough its flakiness. Yum!

The tart with an arugula salad.

The salad has toasted sesame seeds and slices almonds and a blue cheese/olive oil dressing.

Broccoli

Broccoli-leek soup with carrots:

Alinea

Reading Grant Achatz' memoir "Life, on the Line" last year, I was so impressed by his incredible creativity, imagination and drive, that I was determined to eat at his restaurant. Mr. Achatz is one of a handful of American Chefs known for their avant garde (modernist) cuisine, inspired by the Spanish Chef, Ferran Adriá. Here is a link to an interview with Chef Achatz on Fresh Air last year.

So first I found a conference to go to in Chicago that I could attend (so that the trip would at least be tax deductible), second I made sure my friend, colleague, and fellow foodie Jessica could join me.

The taxi pulled up to a predictably dark, brick building, with no signage. The only clue that it was a restaurant were the valets standing out front. Once in the doors, we were led down a Kubrick-like tube-shaped hallway glowing in pink lighting . The decor was modern, with subdued lighting and neutral, dark colors. We sat in a small room on the entry floor, near the kitchen, not in the main dining room. There were four tables in this room, making it an intimate dining experience. There was a giant block of ice with three holes in it as a centerpiece on our table and we spent much of our time making predictions on what it would be used for, knowing that it had to fit into our meal somehow. We had three main waiters and every once in a while, someone new would show up for a particular course. I was happy to hear that the meal would be a surprise, with no menus, until after the meal.

Regarding wine, the sommelier was very flexible and allowed us to pair wines as we went along, rather than agreeing on the 10 glass wine pairing. We ended up having about 5 small glasses each throughout the meal. A bit on the sommelier. He looked like he got plucked from an art school somewhere. His hair was a big bird's nest-like cloud sticking up from the top of his head, had a nerdy/hipster look about him and he looked younger than 30. He was definitely quirky, but he seemed to know about the wine on the list and talked about the wines with confidence.

I did not take pictures, but now a days who needs to take pictures? I simply googled the name of a dish and 'alinea' and found a couple blogs featuring photos of the dishes I had and one blog that had entirely the same meal! And, he shot it with a professional DSLR camera with fancy fast lenses!

Summary: I was most impressed by the creativity, fun and playfulness of the meal. Despite the modern, staid decor, eating at Alinea is relaxed and fun. The waiters were personable, while also being professional.
The food highlights were Char Roe (layers and balance of flavors, rich/satisfying and interesting combo of roe with coconut and curry), scallop in dashi broth (custard scallop, rich but simple broth and again the balance of flavors), Hot potato/cold potato (loved the hot/cold dichotomy and creamy truffle--also the presentation) and ginger 5 ways (amazing how 5 mini cubes of ginger can vary in flavor). A close second because although very, very good, the presentation really was what made the dish:  the venison (see this blog, go to the 9th course and he shows the steps involved in this course), anjou pear and dark chocolate (same deal with this one, check out the last course on this guy's blog for a series of photos and make sure to note the square liquid puddles) were .

The courses that did not work so well were squab inspired by Miró. Basically 10 spoons laid out in an abstract pattern in front of you, each with a different taste. The squab itself was really good, but the rest just didnt work. The mussel--chorizo was overpowering and the mussel was overcooked. Wild mushrooms-the well known dish where the plate is placed on a pillow that leaks out pine-juniper-forest scent. The scent was way too powerful for me and I couldnt taste the food for the fake pine smell. Razor clam-shiso and soy overpowered it.

So, if you want a course by course break down, continue reading...

On to the food! Each course came with an introduction; a description of the dish and directions on how to eat it. The most striking part of the experience was that it was fun, playful and interactive. The diner interacts with their food in different ways-often we used our hands, sometimes no hands or utensils at all.  The presentations are meticulous, as one would expect, but each course is a surprise. Everything was very good, not everything was excellent. Everything made you think and feel. It was an experience.

First course: Char Roe, carrot, coconut and curry
This was a little portion that packed lots of flavors. A great balance of sweet and salty. The curry and coconut made it rich and cozy-warm. My first clue that this wasn't going to be a strictly intellectual experience.
The second course took me to an ocean tide pool. And reminded me of a dish at Atelier Crenn, which I have not been to yet--but high on my list. It was drift wood draped in seaweed (the Atlantic kind with the strands of bubbles--which Jessica proceeded to pop to relive childhood memories). The smell of the seaweed was wonderful. On the seaweed were (in order that we were instructed to eat them: an oyster with a leaf in mignonette sauce (second from right in photo). Yes, a leaf! This leaf made us all laugh just because it fit the criticism of fancy, pretentious food. "Its a leaf for Christ's sake! How much are you charging me for this?!" Not only that, this oyster leaf from Scottland, flew in the face of the slow food movement- of eating local, sustainable, etc. However, it was really cool! The leaf really tasted like an oyster! Amazing--even if it was probably the most expensive green Ive eaten and the carbon footprint was large.
king crab with passionfruit, heart of palm and allspice. The photo does not do this little guy justice. Maybe this is a little better. The crab meat was a nice sized bite and beautifully adorned with a flower and other micro things. This one was my favorite of the four bites because of the layers of flavor and balance. The passionfruit was a great surprise with the crab.
Mussel with saffron, chorizo and oregano: This was not as well balanced as I would have liked. The chorizo totally overpowered the mussel. My mussel was small too.
Razor Clam with shiso, soy and daikon. Also not as balanced as it could be. Too sweet and didnt get any taste of the razor clam.
Third course: Woolly Pig with fennel, orange and squid. This little bit is sitting at the end of a long wire and we were encouraged not to use our hands. In fact the bite was at the level of our mouths, so all we had to do was lean forward and put the morsel in our mouths. Another layered with flavor one. the orange, fennel, squid was followed by jamon Iberico. Nice.
Scallop acting like agedashi tofu So, before the wooly pig, one of the waiters places on the table, a glass vacuum coffee maker on a burner, only that instead of coffee, there are various aromatics in the top chamber. He turns the heat on and for the following 10 minutes, the dashi broth for this dish brews.If you are curious to see how a vacuum coffee maker works, here is a cute video. So, the broth gets poured over the meticulously arranged food in the bowl and extra broth is poured in a tea cup. The scallop is made to look like tofu, but thank God it's a Scallop! It was soft, like custard. And the little clumps around it all made it taste a little different. The broth was the most memorable though, I have to say.
Ice!  Finally we get to find out what that big block of ice is for! We were given big glass straws and told to slurp up the liquid from the holes in the block of ice. Here's another one where we were asked to interact differently with our food. And slurping from straws is not typical behavior at a four star restaurant. So two of us got up and sucked down the beet, hibiscus and licorice liquid together. It was fun, interactive and tasty.
After this, we each get a beautiful new wine glass and a new wine, even though we still have wine in our other glasses. Hmm...what could be next?
Then a platter of two whole Scup fish on a puddle of mint sauce, served family style with a side of caponata and panella (fried chick pea dough). The presentation was completely different from the other courses and the waiter said that Chef Achatz is thinking of making a Sicilian theme at Next and that this may show up as one of the courses for that. Our waiter also advised us not to eat the whole thing, because we were only halfway through the meal. We all had the same reaction--you are telling us to waste food?! A whole fish? It just went against our principles and it bugged us. We tried to eat as much as we could while still leaving room for the rest of the menu, but we sent a lot of it back. The fish was crispy on the outside and moist inside. The caponata was not prepared in a traditional manner. It was lighter, with a fresher texture. I have never had panella before, so dont know how they are supposed to taste like. These were very light, crispy with a dusting of parmesan on top.
 Hot potato/cold potato (with black truffle and butter) I loved the hot/cold dichotomy and creamy truffle taste and texture. Oh, and you could really taste the potato! This dish is presented in a little dish with a metal pin going through it. When you pull the pin, the potatoes drop into the truffle creamy goodness. You hold the little dish to your lips and drink it in.
Wild mushrooms-juniper, sumac and shallot-this is supposed to take you into the forest. It took me to a dessert I had at Coi (cant find anything on that particular dessert) that made me think I was eating a bar of Irish spring. All I remember is the scent and it wasnt until I saw the course on that guy's blog that I recalled the food that went with it.
Venison, red cabbage, mustard and paprika. This had multiple steps to it and was verging on gimicky, but it tasted really good. So this course started with these mysterious 'flags' set on the table maybe before the wild mushroom course. They were red cabbage leaves but looked like thin slices of raw meat. Kinda gross/weird. Then this and this came out when it was time for this course. The waiter then built a cabbage wrap by putting all the ingredients in the cabbage like this. It was very tasty. The venison was moist and tender. We ate it with our hands, so again, a different take on 'formal dining'.
Black truffle explosion--need I really say any more than that? Notice that the dish does not have a bottom. Its just sitting on the spoon. The description says it was with romain and parmesan.
Squab inspired by Miró. Basically 10 spoons laid out in an abstract pattern in front of you, each with a different taste. The squab itself was really good, super tender and flavorful (imagine cooked sous vide) but the rest just didnt work. Just conceptually--were the flavors supposed to be appreciated separately? And then there was a weird one that was like a paste. I dont know, just didnt work.
Anjou pear deep fried with caramelized onion and brie on a smoking cinnamon stick. Perfect lead-in to dessert! The smoking cinnamon did not smell like cinnamon. It just smelled like burning bark-which was a bit much, but the food stood up to the smell. I think the idea was to put you in autumn, with burning leaves. He describes a similar dish on the fresh air interview.
Ginger five flavors. This was way cool! Check out how tiny the cubes of ginger are! They were supposedly 5 different kinds of ginger, with the last one being the most common to us. I have to tell you that the last one was the worst! They were each so different and complex. I still dont get it and dont believe it was only ginger.
Winter in New Hampshire - Candied fruits, gelee, peppermint snow. Served on river stones frozen by liquid nitrogen like a little diorama. A cup of clear distilled hot chocolate is served on the side. The hot chocolate is CLEAR! and was one of the best Ive ever had! Crazy! The other things were good, interesting and the peppermint snow wasnt overpowering. This also reminded me of the diorama dishes at Atelier Crenn. (in case you missed the link the first time ; ) )
Balloon--helium and green apple. Another fun, interactive one. Tasted pretty good too! Everyone got one stuck to their place at the table. Hard to eat without getting it all over your face and hands.
For the last course, Dark Chocolate, a chef comes out (some nights its Grant Achatz himself-he was at Next the night we were there) and puts a latex table cover on the table and proceeds to 'paint' with butternut squash, stout beer and lingonberry sauces, which magically form squares when poured on the cloth. Then a dark chocolate balloon goes on the table and liquid nitrogen gets poured inside. The chef than drops the chocolate and since its frozen, it shatters on the table letting out all these goodies--and then leaves silently. Chef guy did not speak much, even when asked questions. The typical back of the house guy. Having now read that Achatz is the guy who does this where he is there, I wonder if this was the chef du cuisine-the second in command, and basically the guy making the food. . .
Anyway, there was nutmeg 'snow', little nuggets of toffee, some fruit roll-up things that I forget what they were-but they were oh so much better than fruit roll-ups! Oh, and there was pumpkin pie 'snow', which was the best. All of it was really good and really fun. We did not have utensils and were instructed to use the shards of chocolate to scoop up all the goodies. We finger painted and played with the food a bit and ate a lot of it.
So that was it! We were then led into the kitchen, which was being cleaned since we may have been the last table in there.

Ill remember this meal for a long time. I am grateful that I had a chance to splurge on such a cool experience with friends.

croquetas

Creamy bechemel, breaded and deep fried. It does not get much better than that...oh yeah, it does, when eaten with a nice glass of white or sparkling wine.

I love bechemel. Im all about that creamy texture thing: ice cream, custard, bechemel... And although I usually stay away form deep fried food, there is something irresistible about that crispy/creamy contrast. 

I did not grow up with Kraft macaroni and cheese.  (I must admit, my mom would regularly buy packaged Lipton creamy fettucini that my sister and I would scarf down as an after school snack, followed by a Little Debbie's Nutty Bars®.) The memory I have of "mac and cheese" is my mom's penne with bechemel, baked in the oven until brown and crispy on top.  Unfortunately, it was also her way of getting rid of leftover ham. A bite of cheesy, creamy noodles would be interrupted by a salty piece of chewy ham.  Life could be worse I suppose, I just picked it out.

I first heard of croquetas when my mother talked about an early food memory of having her mother's croquetas; particularly one that involved a lamb chop coated in bechemel, bread crumbs and fried. Two of my favorite things together, coated with crispiness! Sounds good, but also like a heart attack waiting to happen.  Surprisingly, despite speaking fondly of these croqueta memories, she never made one. It wasnt until I went to Spain in 2006 that I actually had one. That kind with lamb continues to elude me.

They can be horrible, pastey, gooey messes. But when made well, they are delightful! Usually, they have jamon in them, which I do not mind like I did the ham in my baked penne, because the jamon doesnt disrupt the texture. There is a vegetarian version made with 'roquefort', which in Spain is the generic name for blue cheese. My last night in Madrid I had really good ones with ground morcilla sausage mixed into the bechemel. Talk about cholesterol!

Anyway, when I came back, croquetas were the food that I missed the most. So, naturally, I made them. The first recipe I found, is actually a keeper! I got lucky. I am also lucky that I brought back this really good chorizo salami from a recommended store in Madrid. I love the smoked paprika (pimentón) flavor that comes from using this chorizo in the croquetas.

 

The recipe is adapted from a recipe by lisa and tony sierra.

Olive oil is used for almost everything in Spain. Where butter or vegetable oil would be used by other cultures, in Spain, its olive oil. Not sure why that is. Here, olive oil is used for deep frying and to make the bechemel (butter is the 'traditional' ingredient). Olive oil has a lower boiling point, so it burns and breaks down at higher temperatures, so I would rather use a light vegetable oil, like grapeseed or something. The bechemel can be made with butter of course instead of the olive oil, but I dont know what the proportions would be and it doesnt make much of a difference in taste I dont think.

• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup (107 gr) flour
• 1/2 cup (100ml) chicken broth, warm
• 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) milk, warm
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• dash of ground pepper
• 1/2 cup finely minced prosciutto or jamon serrano or chorizo
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• bread crumbs for coating
• vegetable oil for frying

Makes about 20-30 croquetas.

Heat the 8 Tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is incorporated and cooked, but not brown.

Gradually add the warmed milk and the chicken broth, stirring with a whisk without stopping.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and smooth.You may need to add more liquid (2-4 Tbsp) if it looks too stiff. It should not be quite as thick as mashed potatoes, but not loose like a sauce. It will get harder when chilled.
Add the minced ham and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes on low heat, continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

 Spread out on a dish or another flat surface and refrigerate until it is cold.

When ready, use two spoons to make cylindrical 'logs' with the bechemel. Coat the 'logs' with the egg/water by dipping them in a bowl of the egg/water mixture. I found using a fork is easiest. Then coat them with bread crumbs. I put them in a bowl of breadcrumbs and roll them around with another fork to coat them.








(Once coated with breadcrumbs, they can be frozen on a tray, in a sealed bag if doing this ahead. If using them frozen, you would want to defrost them a bit before frying them. Defrost just enough that they are still holding their shape and chilled, but no longer frozen.)

To fry: Heat enough vegetable oil in a medium frying pan --just high enough to barely cover the croquetas.

Heat the olive oil for frying to about 355F degrees.  Now, I dont have a thermometer, so i heat over medium heat and use a crumb to test it. If the bubbles from and it crackles right away, but does not burn or smoke the crumb, then its ready. Try with one croqueta first, to test the temperature. It should bubble and turn brown quickly. Turn it once or so until brown. Cooking time is maybe a minute or two. Dont cook too many at once, you want them to have enough room to move around and get brown. Definitely do not overlap them in the pan.

Once brown and ready, take them out and drain on a cooling rack on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

The oil can be saved (once cooled) in the refrigerator until the next time you fry. Do not throw down the drain, instead put in a container and in the garbage (or compost).

Enjoy!

a day in the life of a restaurant

So a few months back, I was sitting in a very popular and busy tapas bar in Granada. I loved watching the bartenders dance around each other while they dashed from the service window to the customers. The staff joked with each other while still being on top of all their orders. After a while, I thought "I'd love to capture this activity and teamwork with my camera".

So, when I came back, I asked my friend Mike if he would let me come into the restaurant he manages to shoot the project. I went in twice, both on during Sunday brunch service. I got a tour of the kitchen from the chef, who seemed very happy to have someone interested in what he does. Mike gave me a tour of his 'front of the house' world, including the wine cellar, which is what he is most proud of as the wine buyer.  I met all the staff as well and they quickly got used to me following them around taking pictures of them.

So, this was the first time I ever did a photo essay like this. There are things I wish I would have captured more of (portraits of staff) and shots I wish were technically better, but in the end it was really fun and a great exercise. My intention was to make this like an editorial, so 10 pictures that tell a story (which is actually generous). I started with over 400 shots, narrowed them easily down to 120, then down to 40 and well I posted 33 to flickr as for the set. Three times over my goal. I have new found respect for editors.

But here, I want to try and get it down to 10 14. Again, the intention being behind the scenes of a restaurant, life during the shift. So here goes....

 

 

 

  

 

 

Trippa

Tripe.
Not the most popular cut of meat (in this country), I know, but I like the chewy texture and I love it in a stew. I really fell in love with it when I had the Trippa Napoletana at A16, a modern Italian restaurant in the Marina district of San Francisco. I haven't been there since the chef, Nate Appleman, left to open a pizza place in Manhattan, so I don't know how it is now, but I do know this dish is still on the menu. I was introduced to A16 by a date , back in the good 'ole days of online dating, before the economic crisis, when I could get invited to a nice meal! One of the VERY few perks of online dating (for a woman anyway).....

Okay, on to the tripe!

I have never made anything with tripe before and when I found the A16 recipe here (and you can find it here) I was excited to try it. After going to Whole Foods (only because it's across the street), Berkeley Bowl (best grocery store ever!) and a fancy meat market, I finally found the tripe at a Korean supermarket 2 blocks away. Figures you have to go to Asia to buy pieces parts. This is also where I found the pig trotters, which I added to the recipe based on mom's recommendation. Isn't the little hoof cute?

The changes I made to the A16 recipe are the following: reducing the initial cooking time of the tripe (because when I followed the instructions to cook until the fork punctured the flesh easily, it was only about 40-60 minutes), adding the meat from a pig's foot  and adding chickpeas.

The chickpeas I added because I liked them in the tripe dishes I had recently in Spain. They add a nice nutty crunch texture that contrasts nicely with the chewiness of the tripe. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, I cooked them  separately in water with carrots, celery, onion and quarter of a pigs foot until they were barely crunchy, about 2 hours.

The pig's foot that went into the tripe dish I boiled with the tripe, and left it cooking in the boiling water for an hour longer than the tripe.

Trippa Napoletana-- adapted from the A16 recipe that is referenced here.

2 pounds honeycomb tripe, cleaned and ready to cook
1 pig's foot/trotter
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
½ red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
⅔ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
¾ cup dry white wine
2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes with juice, coarsely chopped
2 cups water
1 cup garbanzo beans- reconstituted dry beans are the most yummy
1 egg
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Serves 8 as a first course, or 4 to 6 as a main course

The tripe sold in stores these days has already been cleaned and partially cooked. So, it does not need to be cooked for very long after you buy it. Ask the butcher how much it has been processed when you buy it.

Rinse the tripe under cold running water. Put it and the pig's foot in a large, heavy bottomed pot and add the vinegar, a few generous tablespoons of salt, and enough water to cover it by several inches. Bring slowly to a boil, adjust the heat so it simmers, and skim off any foam from the surface with a ladle. Boil the tripe until it can be easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Remove the tripe, but keep cooking the pig's foot for about 30-40 minutes more, until the flesh starts coming off the bone. Allow the tripe to cool in some of its liquid.

Once cooled off, cut the tripe into 2-inch-wide ribbons, then slice the ribbons crosswise into thin ¼-inch-wide strips. When the pig's foot is ready, take it out and cut off meat and cartilage and set aside with the tripe. Dispose of the liquid that the tripe and foot were cooking in.




In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, parsley, garlic, chile flakes, and a teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has turned opaque.

Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, like this:

Pour in the wine and stir, making sure to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom and reduce the mixture until it is almost dry. Add the tripe, pig's foot, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and water and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the tripe has absorbed the flavor from the sauce and is tender, but not too soft or mushy.

At this point, it should be the consistency of a thick soup or stew. If it is too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up. Keep in mind that it thickens a little more once you add the egg and the cheese. 

With a fork, beat together the egg and the Parmesan until blended. Stir the mixture into the tripe stew and heat, stirring just until the stew thickens. Serve warm with crusty bread. It might also be good served on creamy polenta.

I can not emphasize enough what a difference it makes when a drizzle of olive oil is added at the very end, or on top of the individual servings. Also, I found that it was a little too acidic on my first taste, but that the flavors really came together after it rested for a bit. This is definitely a dish I will add to my winter repertoire! 

arancini

One of my favorite bars in Oakland is Adesso. It is a simple bar opened by the Dopo people ('now' and 'after', respectively) and it has a nice modern decor, but still manages to have a warm feeling to it--maybe the lighting or the fuz (fooz?) ball table in the corner? The crowd is definitely from the neighborhood, although there are also people that come down from or over the hills to try the great charcuterie plates. Adesso serves fancy (and tasty) cocktails, pretty decent wine and snacky kind of food--a can't call it a restaurant. They specialize in charcuterie and patés, which are all home made and artisanal. Adesso also serves nice salads and raw oysters (which has always seemed random to me).  The salumi and paté that I have had is always good and the salami in particular is nicely inventive. I ordered the lamb prosciutto once too and loved it--you have to love lamb though! The wines by the glass list changes regularly  I have my own little complaints about the place, one being that it's just too dang expensive! Im always shocked at my bill when I walk out of there. I do like their 'free' aperitivi happy hours--twice daily! I guess if one is smart and a teetotaler, one could leave there satiated and happy spending less than 10$.  Well, not I. Especially since Im addicted to their arancini and a sucker for a good cocktail.

Arancini are Sicilian deep fried rice balls. I dont think that makes them sound as good as they are, so trust me. Anyway, a couple weeks ago one of the nice bartenders explained to me how to make them in detail and even showed me one that hadn't been fried yet so I could really check it out. Im not much of a deep fryer, but these and croquetas have won me over.

So I went home and I tried it. Take a ball of cheesy risotto, stuff it with ragú (mine was left over from the lasagne), roll it around in some bread crumbs and drop in a pan of hot olive oil and deep fry until golden--a kind of orangey color actually, which is where they get their name. At Adesso, they are little, like the about an inch and a half in diameter. I dont know whose little hands can make them that size, not my paws though.  The verdict? Well, not nearly as hard as I thought and pretty darn good! They werent as cheesy as Adesso's, next time I will have to add more parmesan to the risotto. I had added what I consider to be a 'normal' amount, about ¼ cup and put a small slice in with the ragú, but next time Ill put more. Also, their ragú is different...I have to investigate some more. The crust on mine was nice and crispy though and they were very flavorful. The secret is to have everything cold, or else the balls will come apart. I even chilled the balls again after I breaded them. Here's what they look like inside:

Lasagne e Bologna

Lasagne alla Bolognese, as the name indicates, is from Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, not far from where my father was born and raised. It is a beautiful medieval city known for its food (ragú, tortellini, lasagna) and university- the oldest existing in Europe. When people go on about how great Florence is, my response is typically, "yeah, well, I prefer Bologna". They usually have not been there (except to the train station to change trains on their way to Florence from either Milan or Venice), so they can't argue with me. I like that the sidewalks are in colonnades away from the street, so you dont have Vespas or cars zooming by you and you don't have to negotiate passing other pedestrians walking in the other directions like you do in Florence. I love the color of the buildings and architecture.

There is a food market area, of the kind where certain streets specialize in selling particular foods- fish, produce, pasta, etc.

I also like that it is a university town, so there is a young, edgy, artsy feel to it and there's some good graffiti as well--especially by the train tracks which I didnt capture last time I was there unfortunately. But here is an example of a mural and more that I took in 2005. 

On to the lasagne....