shrimp, broccoli and greek yogurt spaghetti.

Greek yogurt is quite cheap here in Glasgow, which totally helps because 1. making breakfast can be a hassle sometimes 2. it's good for you...well, at least better for you than grilled cheese. Anyways, one night I really wanted to have some sort of cream sauce pasta, but I knew it would be a very bad idea if I bought a pot of heavy cream. What about yogurt? It's pretty heavy and not flavored (the Greek kind, at least) so I can do whatever I want with it! Yay for art student creativity!

I started with garlic and olive oil, as always. Broccoli went in next, then the shrimp (I always cut the backs open so the flavor seeps into the shrimpies a little more), followed by a couple of dollops of yogurt. It got a bit runny when heated, so I added some flour to give it a more creamy texture. Through many attempts, I have discovered that sifting the flour into the yogurt makes it creamier and not as chunky (flour chunks = always gross). Add some salt, pepper, sugar (negates the tangyness of the yogurt a bit), veggie stock powder, and voilà, dinner.





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tomato and leek spaghetti.

On the farm, I literally ate spaghetti every other day (pasta on the others...). You think I would've gotten sick of it, but I had some serious spaghetti-withdrawl when I got back. I bought myself a pack of wheat spaghetti (hence the color being a bit spaghetto)...and then realized that I don't eat tomato sauce enough to merit the purchase of a whole can of tomato pulp. So I chopped up some normal tomatoes (took out the seeds because it makes the sauce kind of bitter) and sautéed them in olive oil with garlic and leek. And then I added a squirt of ketchup, which helped the tomatoes turn into a saucy consistency. It tasted like a slightly sweet and leeky tomato sauce. Yum!




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butternut squash spread.

And sadly, the same night as the granola and salad/roasted potatoes dinner, I made one more thing...butternut squash spread.

On the farm, Maria made this delicious pumpkin jam-spread. I used to have it almost everyday for breakfast, with pieces of her bread. It. Was. Phenomenal. I don't think I've ever enjoyed pumpkin that much (aside from pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread and...okay, so I enjoy pumpkin). I went to the store but they didn't have pumpkins (or I couldn't find it...Saino's can get pretty confusing sometimes), so I bought butternut squash. I've made butternut squash muffins before, so I figured that if that came out fabulous, this shouldn't be too bad.

I boiled the butternut squash into oblivion (Maria said she baked the pumpkin) and made a huge pot of mush. I boiled some apple along with it. Some cinnamon, brown sugar, honey, salt, lots of mashing, and TADAAAAA.



Pretty darn good on bread with butter; it's still a bit too savory though. Honestly, the pumpkin would've worked better.
AND THEN I THOUGHT WHY NOT PUT IT IN A TART?
(this post to come later)


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dinner #1: salad and roasted potatoes.

The same night as the granola-making, I also made dinner for Ariel and I. I wanted to experiment with some of the things Maria used to make on the farm.

First up was the salad. I threw some leaves in a bowl, and chopped up some tomatoes and feta cheese. A handful of mellow-tasting edamame went really nicely with the sharp feta.


For the dressing, I made something Maria used to make for almost every salad. Instead of just pouring olive oil on top of the leaves, she would put some in a metal bowl, toss in some chopped garlic, and let that cook. She took it off the heat right before the garlic was going to brown. I did the same (with less tasty olive oil, unfortunately), and added a little bit of pepper. It really adds flavor to the olive oil, enough so that you don't need balsamic vinegar or whatever other dressing you would usually add with olive oil. Now that I think about it, I bet adding some red hot pepper flakes would've give it more of a kick. Hmm, maybe next time.


For the main dish, I made roasted rosemary potatoes! Maria made this a couple of times, and I know it's nothing exotic, but I really hadn't thought about making it before. I sliced the potatoes as thin as I could, and put them in a bowl. After adding some of that olive oil concoction I made earlier, I drizzled even more olive oil and freshly chopped rosemary. I spread all of that onto a pan, crushed some sea salt on it, and put it in the oven. After a bit, I flipped over the potatoes so that both sides of the potatoes had a relatively roasted skin on it.


SO. GOOD. Ariel said it was the best batch of roasted potatoes she's ever had (win!). None of the garlic/rosemary/salt/pepper flavors were too strong; I hate it when one taste overpowers the others, it's kind of distracting. I really liked that the thickness of the potato slices were varied, so that you got the mush bites and the crunch bites all on one plate. x

granola.

Usually, when I get home from traveling, I take a nap or some other delightful non-activity. This time, I ran the store and bought food (granted, I was quite hungry considering I didn't have anything substantial to eat during the my sleepover at the Bristol Airport). The moment I got home, I went straight to work.


During my time at the farm, I had a lot of thinking time. A lot of thinking time. I thought about my life now and what I hope to be doing in the future...and of course, what I hope to be eating in the future. While swinging on a hammock in the warm Italian sun, I had little brainstorming sessions of things I could make. A lot of them were based on things I ate on the farm. The idea to make my own granola was based on the fact that my favorite travel snack, granola, is stupid expensive.


Porridge oats, honey, a bit of sugar, vanilla, crushed almonds and a dash of cinnamon mushed together, chucked in an oven. I added some dried fruit mix....which wasn't too great. The raisins/sultanas weren't bad, but the cherries were terrible. Ugh.


It's not too sweet, which means it's perfect with yogurt! I usually have it for breakfast with greek yogurt, so its more hearty than it is a sugary snack. I had it with mango/papaya/passion fruit yogurt this morning, and the yogurt itself was insanely sweet so the granola kind of toned it down. Great with a cup of coffee, that's for sure.



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spring break food part 4: prague.

From Italy, I flew to Prague to stay with mah best frieeend, Karen. It was my first time in Eastern Europe, so I was excited; heard Prague is beautiful and who knows what kind of delicious things I would discover!


The night I got in, I was starving. Karen picked me up from the airport and on the walk back, we stopped by one of those food stands to get a Smažený sýr...aka a fried cheese sandwich. ohmygod. I have photographic evidence that I ate it..which may be a good thing. But honestly, it was delicious.

The next morning, after loading my memory card into Karen's beautiful camera, we set out to take on Old Town Prague. We stopped by Bohemia Bagel to get breakfast bagels...which is something I haven't had in forever! And for some reason, kind of associate with Karen. I had egg and cheese on a spinach bagel (really good!) and two cups of coffee.



The city of Prague is beautiful. I don't even know how to describe it. So here's a photo.



The main square still had Easter celebration things going on - lots of hand-painted eggs and candy and stand treats. Here's trdelník, sweet dough wrapped around a hot rod, rolled in sugar, cinnamon and almonds. Great food for sharing.



I also wanted to try this smoked cheese rope that Hannah (who studied there last year) recommended. It was okay...it was too waxy tasting for me, although I really did enjoy the consistency.



After more roaming, Karen took me to one of her favorite teahouses. It was on a main street, but it was very relaxed and quiet inside. We sat down on little stools and perused through their enormous tea collection. Then we rang a little bell signify that we were ready (SUCH a good idea! I hate being hawked on). I picked a black tea that was stored in bamboo; I was scared that it was going to be too bitter and woody, but it was actually perfect! I definitely tasted the bamboo, but it wasn't overpowering. It reminded me of home.



We walked over the Charles bridge, towards Prague castle (which I explored the next day). Karen lead the way to a really nice restaurant...that was normal priced? After the Norway trip, it was very surprising to get a really filling and delicious meal for a cheap/reasonable price. Anyways, being pescatarian is a bit difficult in Prague. Aside from the salad options, my options were either a pasta dish with vegetables or fried cheese curd with potatoes.



Obviously I chose the fried cheese curd with potatoes (by this point in the trip, I'd given up on eating right). The word "curd" is really gross and off-putting. I think it's because it's so close to the word "turd", but that's just my personal theory. I figured I'd give it a go...and if I didn't like it, there was a whole mound of potatoes to devour anyways. Luckily, I really enjoyed it! It was really nicely crunchy on the outside and..kind of like a hard goo? of cheese on the inside. I almost finished the entire plate (yikes), but I had to leave 3 curds (hah) because after a while it got to me. Kind of like eating too much smoked cheese. You know?

Karen had Moravian sparrow, which was actually pork. I had a little nibble (when am I ever going to try Moravian sparrow?!) and it was actually really good! If I remember correctly, it was in a dark sauce that wasn't too heavy, but kind of sweet. And then it just tasted like pork. I was grossed out so I went back to my cheese curds. Hmm. Now that's a weird thing to say.



After the feast that we ate, we were way too full for dessert. We decided to walk home (not that big of a trek...) and then indulge in my final czech food conquest...MEDOVNÍK.



It's Czech honey cake. When Hannah first told me about it, I pictured a light-colored sponge cake - maybe some whipped cream with honey drizzled over it or something. Ohnonono. It's a multi-layered cake of honey sponge and sweet cream....covered in fine honey cake crumbs and walnuts. Every bite was a perfect amount of sweetness, although after a while it did get kind of strong...perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, I think. It kind of tasted caramelly. It also kind of tasted like being granted the power of flight. Apparently it's very difficult to make. I can't wait to try! x

spring break food part 3: italy (firenze).

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.

The Big Return-To-Firenze Food Update.

So after my 10 nights in the farm were up, I packed my backpack and headed out early for Firenze. It was a beautiful day, so it was kind of a bummer I didn't get to spent the nicest part of it outside, but on the bright side, I saw lots of beautiful green on my million (4) hour train ride.

Why this part of the trip was a big deal: 'cause I studied there exactly a year ago...and I've been pining ever since.

The moment I got to Santa Maria Novella train station, I felt like I had never left. Sans map, I walked straight to my friends' flat (Hannah and Ashley, some of my closest friends from uni)...which was on the same street I used to take Italian classes. Weird. I spent the rest of the day roaming and reminiscing.

On the train to Firenze, I made sure to make a list of things to do eat. Sadly, I'm not kidding.

uno. aperitivo a Art Bar.

Okay, so it's not really aperitivo. Art Bar has these amazing fruit cocktails for 5 euro (before..9pm?) and unlimited chips/olives. My. Dream. I went there on the second to last night I studied in Firenze, and then I beat myself up afterwards for not going earlier. They overload the drinks with fruit chunks, too. Amazing. This time around I had a mixed berry mojito, but last year's banana daquiri was great too. The atmosphere is so cozy and dimly lit - so perfect for a catch-up chat with friends.

due. nocciola yogurt.

Weird thing to miss, right? The States don't have this flavor. Italy is all about it. Sure, I could crush up some hazelnuts, plop them in some vanilla yogurt, refrigerate overnight and pig out the next morning, but it wouldn't be the same. müller's nocciola is so outrageously creamy and not overly nutty. IT'S A PERFECT BALANCE. UGH.

tre. un café a Sieni.

Literally the only espresso of which I've ever actually enjoyed every sip. Sieni, one of the oldest cafés in Firenze, uses Illy...which is delicious, but the guy who pulls the shot makes it even better. He's all smiles and...well, I've had Illy espresso at other places before and they definitely did NOT taste as naturally sweet as this guy's. I could probably have five. The lady behind the pastry counter was scary-looking and snappy as usual, but I guess that's part of the experience.

quattro. un panino a Antico Noë.

The. Best. Sandwich. Ever. (4.50 euro) (yes, I am eating it on the Arno River).
This grilled sandwich was so good, it confused my brain the first time I had it. It was around the corner from where I used to take marble sculpting class (no joke), so obviously I went there for lunch every Tuesday. The guy serving you is this older Italian man with a very large upper body. Seriously, his arms are enormous. He's got "leonardo" tattooed in this average gothic font on his inner arm and a giant symbol of Firenze on his bicep. Go ahead and judge, but I don't because of his sublime panini. The place is located in what is basically a hole-in-the-wall-of-a-crack-alley...again, I don't judge. Pictured is "my usual" - #20 (brie, artichokes in extra extra virgin olive oil, veal), but instead of the meat I get sundried tomatoes, eggplant (again, in extra extra virgin olive oil) and spinach. Careful, you're drooling on your keyboard.

quattro. un gelato a Vivoli.

It's hard to make people understand how serious you are when you say something is the "best" you've had in your life. Which is why this time I brought Ashley to inhale some gelato with me. What's a trip to Italy without un copetto of their famed cold treat? The deal with Vivoli (shortened version) is that someone sent the place a postcard with the address "Vivoli" and it got there. No joke. It's up in the restaurant. They make their flavors daily, and it's momentously delicious. I've tried a bunch of flavors (obviously), but my favorites are hazelnut, banana (with real banana chunks; it doesn't taste like artificial flavoring..because it's not.), and extra dark chocolate. Here, I indulged in all three (in front of La Basilica di Santa Croce). Don't judge.

cinque. qualcosa delizioso per la cena.


(something delicious for dinner)
I met up with Tori again (with Ashley) and she took us to this famous pizza place, Il Pizzaiuolo, that's big with the locals. She told us of tales where she tackled a giant fried-stuff+cheese appetizer plate...so of course we ordered that. Fried risotto balls, pizza pieces and corn mush all served around a HUGE burrata (mozzarella filled with cream). It. Was. Amazing. I do not exaggerate when I state that I barely had enough room for my pizza (tomato, mozzarella, olives, eggplant and artichoke). I had a bite of Tori's seafood pasta (should've gotten that one!)...and then I felt sickly full. Thank you Tori, for taking the leftovers.

sei. Hemingways.

I finally got around to going to the famous chocolate bar! Like Art Bar, the atmosphere was cozy. Too bad the drinks were kind of expensive, or else it would've been a great place to do work. I had a shaken coffee with dark chocolate...or something...like that...honestly, it was more visually appealing than it was tasty. My friend Lili got the best one...it was hot chocolate (molten chocolate) with chili. The sweet and the pepper balanced really well.

sette. pera yogurt.

One of my last Italian indulgences....pear yogurt. Again, I haven't seen this flavor outside of Italy, which is a huge shame. The world seriously sucks. Sapori di Vipiteno is slightly more expensive than müller, but it's totally worth it. It's not as creamy, but the yogurt does a really good job of not being overpoweringly peary or sweet. They also make other wonderful tastes like plum, peach + apple, and raspberry + rhubarb.


Oh, Italia. x

spring break food part 2: italy (pescosolido).

After Paris, I flew to Italy. I got in late to Pisa airport, so I took a bus to Firenze and stayed with my friend Tori. I left relatively early the next morning for Rome, so I didn't really spend too much time with her (we caught up at dinner when I went back, to be discussed in the upcoming post).

On the way to the train station the next morning, I stopped by my dear old Il Forno bakery and the Mercato Centrale (daily fresh food market) to grab some breakfast. I ate my two bite-sized pastries, one sfoglie (my absolute favorite, although I like them without chocolate), and giant apple on the train. When I tasted the olive oil in the two little guys, I definitely felt some gastronomical nostalgia (why does that sound like a disease?).




So once I got to Rome, I took the metro to Anagnina and then hopped on a bus that took me to Sora (2 hours). Why? Well, I decided that since I was way too lazy to plan 3 weeks of spring break travels in Europe (woah, spoiled much? geez), I'd camp out in one place for a while. I perused www.workaway.info (kind of like wwoofing) and found an agriturismo in Pescosolido (total countryside, next to the Abruzzi National Park) that was willing to take me for 10 nights. In return for room and board, I'd have to work for 4.5 hours each day. Most of the work I did was farm-related (feeding, digging, planting, gathering), but there was also plenty of cleaning and dish washing to be done. Washing dishes after a meal for 18 is surprisingly not that terrible.

Maria did all the cooking. Her food was simple but very delicious and filling! I definitely took mental notes on everything I ate, and since then have tried my own variations. I didn't take too many photos, but here are some of my favorite things:

For breakfast, the volunteers got bread (that Maria baked) and jam/marmalade/jelly. Sometimes Maria made her own, and this one was legitimately the best jam of my life. I asked her what was in it, and she said pumpkin and sugar. That's it.


Here's the bread that Maria makes. I helped her make it once; I think we made 5 loaves. Here's a pitcher of the wine that Guiseppe (Maria's husband, 65, only speaks Italian...I mostly worked with him doing farm things) makes every year. It kind of tasted like a more fruity cider (as in, the alcoholic kind).



He also makes olive oil, from the olives in the groves. It had a VERY strong olive oil taste and was already slightly salty. It complimented the ricotta cheese that Maria would always make from the goats milk that I would bring in every morning from the barn (sounds romantic, doesn't it?).



Here's Giuseppe's olive oil with sprigs of Sicilian basil. I swear, I'm doing this at home. Next to it is a jar of peperoncino aka hot pepper, a favorite of Giuseppe's. He always stressed that everything he made was biologico and had no chemicals.



Aaaand the final photo? The baby goat (yes, from the farm) that the family ate for Easter, next to the fire it was roasted on.




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spring break food part 1: paris.

I just came back from a three week easter break (SO LONG!). As I uploaded my photos onto my computer, I realized that most of them were of food...I think this food obsession is getting serious.

I started my break with two nights in Paris, France. I stayed with my dear friend Anna. She is spending the semester there, attending various schools (so I understand?) and living by herself in a cute little apartment in the eleventh arrondisement. I wish I had taken photos of it, but obviously I was a bit more focused on food.

After I dropped her off at school the next morning, I went off to explore the Marais (third) district with an almond croissant in hand (that was WAY too sweet!). Last time I was in Paris, I ran around doing all the very touristy things, so this time around I felt less pressured to do that. I'm really glad I explored the Marais, because I hadn't before, and one full day was perfect for it! My morning started with an espresso and map reading. I still don't think I enjoy Lavazza espresso. It's a bit too bitter for me.



I met up with Anna and we decided to track down some lunch. Walking through the Marais, we decided to hit up this falafel place that had a huge line with lots of Japanese people. We Japanese do hardcore research before going anywhere, so I knew it would be fabulous. Oh, and it was. Best falafel of my LIFE. There was a perfect balance of creamy, spicy, sweet, and crunchy. AND there was no funky aftertaste, which is a HUGE plus.



Although the falafel had no terrible aftertaste, we had to get some dessert. Neither of us had ever eaten at Ladurée, so we decided to splurge and get ourselves one of those famous double-decker macarons.



We thought the price was a bit outrageous, but once we took a bite we realized why...they were perfect! I got the vanilla and Anna got violet. I could totally taste the vanilla (and not just that crappy vanilla flavoring, but the real stuff) and the consistency of the meringuey top with the marzipany middle together was the perfect soft crunch.

The next day Anna took me to a quaint vegan café.



Anna got the pumpkin one, with what I think were azuki beans on the bottom. I got the slice of satsuma potatoes with carrot shavings on top. Both were in a (kind of dry...) whole wheat crust. The fillings were perfect though! I might have thrown on a bit of sesame salt, but I love salt, so I think otherwise it would have been fine.

And of course, dessert follows lunch! So we bought a slice of apple pie-ish thing. I was expecting something sweet (I feel like all apple pies are overly sweet), but this one was just right! And that's coming from someone who was kind of sick at the time. I think we agreed that a little dash of cinnamon or nutmeg on top would've given it a little extra something, but what we got was pretty damn good. I think there was a layer of oats below the apple. I just wished the crust weren't the same as the other savory slices we got earlier.



All of that with unlimited anise tea (which, surprisingly, I enjoyed). x