Lamb stew with potatoes, carrots, onions and sweet-corn

Perhaps it is the influence of my recent visit to Prague (known for their hearty cuisine) or perhaps it is the onset of cold weather, but I’m craving comfort food. Today I made a delicious lamb stew for dinner. I have never made soup or stew from scratch so I was a bit apprehensive about taking it on but decided to go through with it. I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com as a basic guide, but cut it in half and made several alterations. I used lamb instead of beef, oregano rather than parsley, added a bit of white wine, skipped the celery and added a small can of corn instead and about quadrupled the amount of cornstarch for thickness. I had a little difficulty at first (I let the broth simmer at too high of a heat and so most of the water evaporated!) but after adding more broth and turning the heat down on my second try it was amazing. The meat was so tender it practically melted in my mouth and the broth was incredibly flavorful. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

Pork and dumplings with sauerkraut

This weekend I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to the Czech Republic and visit a good friend of mine studying in Prague. I had an amazing time. Prague is a beautiful city and full of things to do and see. I also loved the food! Typical Czech cuisine is very heavy, consisting primarily of meat. They are famous for goulash (a type of beef stew) and pork, both of which I was able to try (and enjoyed). They are usually served with a side of dumplings, either bread or potato based, with which to mop up the sauce, as well as cabbage or sauerkraut (and of course, beer with which to wash it down). Prague is famous for Pilsner Urquell, a beer brewed in nearby Pilsen, and the original golden beer. We also tried the beer at two pubs and microbreweries, U Fleků  and Pivovarský dům. U Fleků is possibly the most well-known pub in Prague and a tourist hot spot. It was therefore overpriced but has arguably the best beer in the city. The atmosphere is very traditional, with long wooden benches and loud locals singing traditional patriotic songs. Pivovarský dům is less well-known and therefore much more reasonable. They promise to offer at a minimum 8 kinds of beer. We got the sampler, with dark, light, wheat, coffee, sour-cherry, banana, vanilla, and nettle beer.

Czech pancake with blackberries, sour cream and whipped cream (and mint garnish)

I also got to try a variety of traditional desserts, such as the sweet dumplings, which are filled with fruit (usually plum) and covered in a sweet cream-cheese sauce. Delicious! Pictured above are traditional crêpe-like pancakes covered with blackberries, sour-cream and whipped cream.

Spaghetti with mushroom cream sauce and involtini (meat rolls) stuffed with sage and pancetta

I know, I know – it doesn’t get much more American than apple pie. However, after many requests from my roommates and a few tweaks to my favorite apple pie recipe I caved. Delicious as ever!

Baked bread-bowl with troccoli pasta (from Puglia) and tomato-meat sauce

Today a friend and I took a day trip outside Padova to Verona, fabled home of Romeo and Juliet. Verona is a gorgeous city and one of my favorite places in Italy. Choosing a restaurant was difficult as it seemed that there was a quaint ristorante, trattoria or osteria around every corner we turned. We finally decided on Osteria Pane & Panella di Puglia (Via Ponte Nuovo, 7 – 37121), a cute 5 table osteria just a a few shops down from the river Aldige. Although not typical Venetian cuisine (it serves food typical of Puglia) we couldn’t resist the charming atmosphere and adorable decor. The restaurant specializes in bread, in particular baked bread bowls in which they serve all of their soups and pasta dishes. All of their pasta is homemade and jars of other homemade goodies line the shelves along the wall (see picture below). I ordered troccoli pasta (similar to tagliatelle) with a tomato-meat sauce. Everything tasted very fresh and it was a delicious meal. It wasn’t until later that I realized I wasn’t entirely sure what type of meat I had been eating. I have a sneaking suspicion it might have been horse-meat (which is surprisingly common in Italy!). Lesson learned – ask next time!

Preserves and other canned goods

From top to bottom: (1) Thanksgiving buffet table (I made the corn pudding in the bottom right corner), (2) The turkey, and (3) My plate

Chicken with tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella

I don’t know about you, but I love bread. One of my favorite parts of Italian cuisine is the bread. There are usually at least two bread shops on every block where you can buy fresh bread every morning. Pre-sliced packaged loaves that you can stick in the cupboard and leave for weeks have fortunately not really worked their way in to the Italian lifestyle yet. I could probably live off of just bread – rolls, loaves, white, multigrain… mmm. However, seeing as that probably wouldn’t be very practical, I am all for a recipe that calls for bread as a second utensil. Why is it that in America it is so frowned upon to use your bread to help push frustrating escapees onto your fork? Or to sop up the remains of your pasta sauce or soup left in the bowl? Ahh well. Here is a recipe that allows you to do so (in a country where no one will look down on you for it!). I used chicken I had left over from yesterday and chopped it up into small cubes. I then added the rest of the can of tomatoes, a few spoonfuls of pesto, and half a ball of mozzarella (diced). Mix it all together, cook over the stove, and deeellliccccious.

Chicken breast cooked in white wine and tomatoes

This recipe is surprisingly easy. I emptied about half a jar of tomatoes into a pan and heated them up. I then added a whole chicken breast and let it cook right in the tomatoes. It is best to puncture the breast with a fork several times in order to help cook the meat and for it to fully absorb the flavor. I added a bit of white wine, covered the pan, and the result was very tender and flavorful.

Salad with homemade croutons, caesar dressing, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and Parmesan flakes

In an attempt to eat a bit healthier lately I’ve been replacing my usual bowl of pasta with a bowl of salad at lunchtime. As I quickly learned, however, salad can get tiresome fast if you don’t find ways to mix it up a little bit!

Solution number 1: To make my salad a bit heartier and filling I decided to make my own croutons (which don’t really exist here). What better way to use day-old bread lying around the house that you would otherwise throw away? Just cut into cubes, mix with a bit of olive oil and salt (as well as optionally Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary), spread out in a single layer and stick in the oven (at around 350) until slightly browned.

Solution 2: Italians usually dress their salads with olive oil, balsamic and a bit of salt. While the combination is simple, easy and delicious, after a while it gets a little bit boring. Aside from a few German imports dressing is impossible to find in your average Italian supermarket. I therefore decided to brave the long list of ingredients in this traditional caesar recipe and make my own. I was a little hesitant about mincing anchovy filets by hand (yuck!), but boy, did it pay off. There was more than enough for a few days worth so I simply poured it in a jar to keep and stuck it in the fridge for future use!

Other suggestions for making a more exciting salad? It’s all in the toppings. Play around with various combinations of fruits, veggies, nuts, meats and cheeses! Apples, mandarin oranges, avocado, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, corn, onions, olives, peppers, toasted pine-nuts, walnuts, Parmesan, pear, gorgonzola, feta, cranberries, mozzarella, bacon bits, sliced salami – the possibilities are endless. So don’t get stuck in the boring salad box!

From top to bottom: Chocolate “salami” (a traditional Italian dessert), rows of colorful truffles, and “rusty” chocolate tools