Trivia # 1

Apologizing for the absence in my blog...guess what's that thing?

Answer in the next post

Expat nostalgia

As a former expat in Germany and Netherlands, I do sometime miss some snacks I could have just there.
It has always been interesting first of all to find globally some snacks but with different names, changing according to the local perception of a naming.
Even more interesting was to discover new snacks or chewing gums I couldn’t have in Italy.
With my surprise, some became popular here too, sold in vending automatic machines, like the chocolate crunchy balls Maltesers
But some are so peculiar, it is not so common to find them here in Italy.Yesterday I stopped at my fave shop “La Deutsche Vita” where I could find Hanuta (sweet sandwich with solid Nutella) and Yogurette (chocolate bars with Yogurt filling and strawberries, a pleasure for 72 calories each)
I remember instead Chocomel times in the NL. I agree, just milk with chocolate powder. Though, it was nice to have it handy!
Bifi instead was and still is terribly German: a portable single-packed salami stick.
Thirsty? Then drink on it, with Mezzo Mix: produced by Coca-Cola HBC, it’s like Coke with orange juice. Amazing discovery: I need to thank my Mum brave enough to try it first while buying it and I felt in love.As per beers go ahed, laugh about it but I loved Beck’s Chilled Orange and Green lemon. I had them in Bremen of course, where Beck’s is produced by InBev brand.

समोसा Samosa

I still can remember my first time at an Indian restuarant, at the Bombay (Daniel-von-Büren-Straße 29, 28195 Bremen).

Once again it happened during my German year: I was there with one of my ex boyfriends celebrating my birthday. That is why I can still remember it was on 17th July 2007.

That day, my taste buds discovered something new, and hey guys I am not refering to a new snack nor to a new dish but the world literaly opened to different flavours that I never had the chance to experience before. What I liked most about the food served there was the tandoori chicken and the naan, that particular Indian bread.

What thickled my curiousity was for sure a baked appatizer pyramid-shaped.

That was my first samosa.

It is also common to fry them. Best way to describe them: a pastry with spices, onions, potatoes, peas, coriander, lentils (daal), chicken and sometimes lamb (I don't eat lamb though)

Try it yourself. There gotta have an indian street food shop or restaurant around the corner.

I would like to visit India once I grow up mature a little. At the moment I'm too afraid to face poor people on the street, living in bad condition and dirt all over. Let's be clear: I don't want to see the posh side of India, I am willling to see the real India and maybe the pink city of Jaipur. But now, I am not ready enough...

Where to eat in Aachen

Kartoffel, Kartoffel… that is probably the first word a person knows when approaches German.
You imagine a land, not so vast, full of pork and potatoes.
Well, in Aachen I left my heart at Pomm'Pös the house of potatoes in the Nordrhein-Westphalia region where I could taste the best Flammkuchen ever. This dish is from Alsace a borderline area between France and Germany. Its name can also be tarte flambé even if I prefer the hardest Flammkuchen.
At Pomm Pos I experience the one with shrips, spinach and sour cream. Delicious!
If you come to Aachen you should also consider to pay a visit to Rose Am Dom, where you can be delighted by German food. For those who cannot believe it as a worthy culinary experience, just trust me or try it yourself.

Pomm'Pös
Krämerstraße 7,

52062 Aachen, NRW- Germany

Rose am Dom, right behind Aachen’s main Cathedral
Fischmarkt 1
52062 Aachen, NRW- Germany

http://www.roseamdom.de/

a typical Flammkuchen

S'more

Give me three words: marshmallow, chocolate and buiscuits.

There you go, with the help of a bonfire while camping or thanks to a modern microwave oven, you obtain a delicacy called s'more. Its name reminds one's chewing while saying the way too long sentence "(I would like to have) some more".
It is really popular during summertime, I personally had my first s'more on 4th of July with some American students durign my exchange studies in Germany, strange to say.What I like most about smore is not its taste rather the way to prepare it together with friends, be patient and careful while warming the marshmellows and ready to take it away from the fire before burning it, then squeezing it layiring it as in a sandwich made by Honey Graham's crackers' very similar to our Digestive buiscuits and "glue" it to a thick chocolate bar to be melted by the hot temperature. Wonderful.

That is why I wouldn't like to buy the Hershey's smore, it would all lead to a regular junkie food in a plastic bag.

Look at this nice math formula:

Kartoffelpuffer

What could Kartoffelpuffer sound like? Absolutely German!
Although Poland and Czech Republic have their own ways to serve the potato pancakes, these are have their reason to be in Germany eaten espacially outside the Christmas markets.

I had mine in Bremen, then I tasted them once again here, in Turin at La Deutsche Vita.

People like it as a salty dish, I personally love it as they should be eaten so along with apple mousse to give an extraordinary combination of flavours.

Kartoffelpuffer can also be tasted with garlic or mashroom sauce, with sour cream as topping and so on. They're a pillar in the Jewish cuisine where they're know with the name latkes.

Visit this link to watch a video showing how to prepare Kartoffelpuffer, in German of course.

Macarons

Eating a macaron is like walking on a cloud, immediately sets you in a good mood with the prettiest pastel colors and an intense flavor.
It’s also a matter of harmony: while picking the fave taste one’s already thinking about how they will look in the box, matching the perfect colors as in a painter’s palette.
This example of cute pastry has its origin in Comery, a city in France.
As time passed we got used to La Durée brand, Pierre Hermé, Pascal Caffet and so on.
I personally prefer La Durée and I got admit I adore the boxes that like a coffret, hide these mysterious beauties.
Once in a while I select the redfruits, even if I tend to pick the extra chocolate, caramel, almond or pistachio ones.
They were beloved by important ladies in the world history such as Caterina de Medici and Marie Antoinette.
You can even watch the latter eating macarons in Sophia Coppola’s alike named movie, interpreted by a marvelous Kirsten Duns!
The bravest may try the flower ones, instead of fruits.
You will be enchanted by Pierre Herme’s rose taste.
A supporter of PH macarons? For sure miss Blair Waldorf in the TV series “Gossip Girl”.
When Meester’s character is upset about the disappeared Chuck Bass (performed by Ed Westwick) on the last episode of season two, he gives her a reason to have been spotted in Paris: just to buy her the macarons she loves the way he loves her back.

Romantic kiss.
Curtains down.

The end

Tuna auction in Tōkyō

築地市場（つきじしじょう、つきじいちば）とは、東京都中央区築地にある公設の卸売市場。東京都内に11か所ある東京都中央卸売市場のひとつだが、その規模は日本はおろか世界最大（広さでは大田市場のほうが広いが、取引金額は大田市場より大きい）であり、代表的な卸売市場である。この項では外郭に存在する築地場外市場商店街（通称：場外、場外市場、築地場外、築地場外市場）についても記述する。なお、ニュース番組等で、しばしば築地市場の場所を指して「つきじしじょう」と呼ぶことがあるが、場所を指す場合は「しじょう」ではなく「いちば」である。


Ok. I am just kidding, let's go back to English and let's forget about Wikipedia already.
Once upon a time, or actually every day since the Edo period before the dawn, Tōkyō captures the attention of the tourists for its famous Tsukjii fish market ( 東京都中央卸売市場) .
I dare to write about it even if I've never been there since a new aquaintance from work, told me about this wonderful experience.
It's something that once in my life I would like to try.
Beyond the smell of fish and the wake up alarm set at a very annoying time, I can only think about the bright side of it and I can even predict how sweet and mouth watering would be a sushi or sashimi eaten there, freshly fished and .. in the morning, for breakfast.

Sellers display what they fished starting from 4 a.m. while shops clos around 11 a.m.
My colleague tells me that he had sushi on a counter in a place "something called DA"
I admit I only had several Japanese language lessons at evening school, but I bet there are many "da-thing".
Rogerio, that's the name of my new colleague, kindly provided me with some of the pictures he took on the spot that I would like to share with you.

How to get there

From Tokyo Station
Take the Marunouchi Subway Line from Tokyo to Ginza (3 minutes) and transfer to the Hibiya Subway Line to get to Tsukiji Station (3 minutes). The fare is 160 yen.
From Shinjuku Station
Take the Oedo Subway Line directly from Shinjuku Station to Tsukiji Shijo Station. The one way trip takes 20 minutes and costs 260 yen.

Son altesse, le Croque Monsieur

I miss baking or grilling with the oven as my cosy flat in Turin (tiny and untidy bohemian style) doesn’t have one.
Apart from skewers of meat or a descent fish, I would like to cook in it the perfect croque monsieur.
If you call it toast, I can easily get offended. This little crusty crunchy cheesy thing is one of the few things I like from France. Let’s put it this way: Paris is beautiful, French language is so chic, but French people aren’t that nice towards us Italians (my French friends of course are ok and bounding as friends kills all prejudices and shortsightness)
In 2009 while at the movies, I was with Carina watching "It's complicated" starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin. The film is hilarious and spontaneous.
Streep's character served Steve's one a croque monsieur. I never heard about it previously and I immidiately asked myself "What's that thing?".
The following year, while visiting Magali in Limeil-Brevannes, in Paris' suburbia, I had the chance to try a croque monsieur in Paris city.

Emmenthal or Gruyère cheese melted on a thick slice of bread, with beachamel spread on it and ham layered on. Here you have, His Highness, Croque Monsieur.
Of course you can have it on the grill or make it in the pan though to do it in the oven, I think is the best option.
Depending on further ingredients added, the croque monsier becomes a croque madame if with egg on top, croque provençal if with tomato, croque tartiflette if contains potatoes and Reblechon chees and so on.
Nowadays it becomes also Croque McDo, at the fast food chain McDonald's though, it's a simple toast with one extra slice of ham and guys, I do not see anything gratin in there!
First try it in France, maybe in a typical parisien bistrot. Then try this at home.

Cremino Fiat

No, work still hasn’t driven me that crazy to confuse my blog all around food with automotive.
This picture portrays what was the Tipo 4, launched in 1911.
The same year, its manufacturer Fiat based in Turin and still important nowadays outside the Italian borders thanks to its merge with Chrylser LLC decided to start a challenge among chocolate producers to create what would have been the new Cremino Fiat.
Previously, the cremino was three-layers chocolate but the company Majani from the city of Bologna, invented a 4th layer.
The taste is unchanged and still remains unique. Its dark layer is Gianduja, a sweet chocolate containing hazelnut paste common in Piedmont, while the white layer is from almond paste.
Next trip to Italy, or to Turin precisely, do not miss to have a bit of Cremino Fiat.

Preview #1

Restaurang Movitz

While wondering about Stockholm, I feel like recommending a spot right in the old city center where you can find affordable and tasty food in a romantic atmosphere.
My friends and me ordered a three-course-menu for 199 Swedish Crowns (at that time almost 19 €).
We chosed the fish proposals, as we wanted to try the Salmon as we were in Scandinavia –what a cliché!
Our expectations were fulfilled.
To tell the truth, I now see that the prices have risen: I think this is due to our European crisis or the normal growth of prices from time to time: I’ve been there in 2007.
To eat or drink cheaper, impossible not to mention that Movitz has a separate area dedicated to its pub.





KÄLLAREN MOVITZ

Tyska Brinken 34
111 35 STOCKHOLM (Gamla Stan)
Tel: 08 - 20 99 79
Fax: 08 - 10 08 96
Epost: hovmastaren@movitz.com

Semla

February has come and this time of the year reminds me of the first (and unfortunatelly only one) time that I visited Stockholm.

Back in 2007, Laura, Gaspare and me traveled together from Lubeck to Skavsta airport. The vision of the frosty city and the thousands of islands in the lake was marvellous.
Too bad for us, we only spent the time there from a friday night and departured on Sunday to fly back to Bremen, Germany, the city of our Erasmus student exchange program.
Beyond Gamla Stan, the historical center too much crowded in Italian population for my taste and the regret not to have seen the reindeers in Djurgården, a very common Seven Eleven store offered me a great memory of course related to food.

I am refering to semla or its plural semlor a sweet bun cut into two halves made by cardamom wheat with milk, almonds and whipped cream. On top everything is even sweeter

thanks to powdered sugar. I always thought its flavour was given by poppy seeds but I was mistaken!

The tradition finds its reason to eat these sweets on Mardi Gras and the autenthic receipe is a field of battle to make win every year during Carnival one bakery against another to reach the perfect semla. Even a Semla academy is born.

Here below a short clip from a Swedish tv commercial: poor guys these semlor testers' huh?

Pastificio De Filippis

With this post I would like to start a good habit to suggest you places worthy to visit under a culinary stand point.
A good foodie needs to know where to go, anywhere.
My anywhere is unfortunately limited to Europe, at least so far. It wouldn’t be honest to recommend places friends suggested me while I have not tried on my skin.
I’ve been in Tunisia once so extra European borders, though the resort I visited was in the middle of nowhere and I couldn’ t visit too much.

Today’s location is PASTIFICIO DE FILIPPIS. In a central pedestrian area in Turin, this shop for homemade pasta is now flourished into a cosy place to eat.
The menu is changing every now and then. They serve plin (small tortellini tipical from Piedmont)with melted butter and cheese, risotto c’est a dire rice with fresh artichokes and lil squids both priced 12 € each, flan with bagna cauda and anchovis, tagliatelle with sausage from Bra, selection of cheeses and so on.
Of course their specialty- as the name suggests- it’s the handmade pasta.
Here some pictures of yesterday’s dinner with my best friend Carina. Plin (on the left) and the above mentioned risotto (on the right)




Pastificio De Filippis

Via Giuseppe Luigi Lagrange, 39 10123 Torino
Turin - ITALY
011 542137

La gula del Norte

"Do you want something from Spain?" asked my best friend Carina.
My answer was pretty clear.
Anguriñas:commercially known as "La gula del Norte". A canned good that looks like worms (I know it's not pleasant), whose name in Spanish sounds like little eels but is indeed made by a different mixture of fishes. You could say they're fish pasta, sold natural taste or added in garlic.
Quick to cook when warmed in a pan: a matter of 2-3 minutes time.
I have to admit the dobubtful origin made first me, then my family hesitate a while. It is indeed artificial food, still everyone should try it to see if they agree to say how gula is wonderfully tasty.

FOR EVERY 100 GRAMS:
· Calories: 156,7 Kcal (654,1 KJ)
· Protein: 10,5 g
· Carbohydrates: 7,3 g
· Fat: 9,5 g

We love panelle

If you can tell you're in Montecarlo because you see lots of banks, you can easily say you're in Sicily on the number of ice cream sellers.

Beyond that, you can really be 100% sure you're walking on Sicilian territory if the street food you have in your hands is panelle.
They were a great surprise for me the first time I tried them. They're often in triangle or squared shape, obtained with gram flour, coming from ground chickpeas and at last deep fried.

They're perfect with a dust of pepper and some lemon drops squeezed. I can assure you the flavour is unique!

Ascot loves food

Ascot is the famous british horse racing taking place over 300 years and mostly known for the exagerated, funny, sometimes pieces of sculptures artistic hats on the ladies.
The catwalk of these skinny beautiful preppies this year was, strange to say, all around food.

Caption could be: how to have an icecream and not gaining pounds of your body or how to meet friends with Celebrations' stock on your head!