Curious Appetite

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Aperitivo + Dinner Event: Vogue’s Fashion Night Out September 17th 2015

(credits: dariawiki.org. “The Fashion Club.”)

Vogue’s Fashion Night Out is basically the night where I realize how much I am not “with it,” my outfits probably make no sense and that I should eat rice cakes and fat free yogurt for the rest of my life. It also painfully reminds me how much I cannot wear heals and how Florentines put the icing on the glitz and glamour cake. I may sound like an embittered Daria, but let’s face it- Italians and their well-dressed immaculate put-togetherness makes us question our outwardly presented existence. Unless you are one of those people who moved here and learned how to emulate the well-dressed gods who grace these Renaissance streets, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. To be diplomatic at best, it is a night filled with flashy events, openings and shows, albeit shoving along the jam packed boulevards getting from one palazzo to the next. Continue Reading

Aperitivo Snacks- Mozzarella with Truffle Honey and Pine Nuts

One hope in my gourmet work, is that I promote the revival of some food traditions that are seemingly becoming garbage, such as Aperitivo. Why is it becoming garbage- there are more and more bars boasting Aperitivo more than ever. Precisely!

To me, the concept of Aperitivo is to have a snack and a light appetite-stimulating drink (socially) before dinner. Aperitivo is not dinner and I shun the current wave of “aperi-cena” Continue Reading

Aperitivo Snacks: Gourmet Crostini with Ricotta + Pistachios

I occasionally cook, it is the root of my love affair. Not to suggest I am great in the kitchen, I simply appreciate the work that goes into cooking. And to be frank, if I am paying someone else for that work- it better be worth it.

One of the things I love to make the most when I host people are aperitivo snacks. If you’ve read anything on this blog, you’ve hopefully gathered by now that I’m aperi-obsessed.  I could have a whole dinner just on finger foods and aperitivo snacks. You can be creative and arrange beautiful looking spreads, while creating a social atmosphere around eating.

I invent things mostly on what I think flavors would go together- I like to experiment. A recent experiment brought me these crusty crostini chunks of delight:

Aperi-Crostini

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Aperitivo Time in Florence: Basics and Tips

Tasting sparkling wine from Valle D’Aosta (méthode champenoise) at Le Volpi e l’uva (Firenze) (Photo Credit: Flavia Cori of Tuscanycious)

 

If you haven’t gathered by now- I love aperitivo time in Italy. I adore food and wine pairing. In Italy, there are many rituals and unwritten “rules” about food and drink consumption. Personally, I believe that these rituals are what make Italians part of one of the smartest culinary cultures on earth. As an American, I notice that we lack ritual and tradition around food. As a result, I firmly believe that is one of the causes to our overall unhealthy relationship with food and alcohol.

Recently, I caught up with Tuscanycious and took them around to my favorite food and drink haunts in Florence to break down the basics in Aperitivo and basic guidelines about food and wine pairing. The link is below:

Aperitivo Time in Florence: Basic Rules and Tips

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/tuscanycious/aperitivo-time-in-florence/

The greatest message I want to convey is not that there are rules, but that one should take food and drink imbibing step by step. Make it a social event, and most importantly- eat and drink like you give a damn!

For the love of a daily drinking habit,

The Curious Appetite

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A Florentine week of eats: countryside, street food and aperitivo

In the last week in Florence, I have been overwhelmed by flavor. Overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings. I have decided, being in Seattle for the last several months was nothing but good. Now, I can appreciate my surroundings (and tastes) with a clean slate or yet- a fresh palate. It is good to take breaks from monotony. Think of places which have summer year round due to being near the equator, do you think people there appreciate the beach and sun as say those living in Germany?

Without further rambling, here are some new food findings I have discovered in Florence thus far: Continue Reading

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