Food & Wine Archives - Page 2 of 6

Aperitivo Snacks: Gourmet Crostini with Ricotta + Pistachios

March 20, 2015 / Aperitivo snacks/Finger Foods, Food & Wine, Recipes / 0 comment

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:

Continue Reading →

Aperitivo Time in Florence: Basics and Tips

March 13, 2015 / Florence, Florence, Food & Wine, Food For Thought, Gourmet Press, Italy, Travel Tips, Tuscany / 0 comment

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

Like what you see? Go on then, subscribe to The Curious Appetite blog by scrolling and clicking up right! I also post regularly on Instagram and Twitter. Cheers!

Where to get solid panini (and carbs) in Florence.

March 11, 2015 / "Street" Grub, Florence, Food & Wine, General Eating Out, Hole-in-the-wall / 0 comment

May I confess something to you? I love all things that are baked. I think baked goods are an expression of love- so much works goes into making the stuff and it creates so much joy as a result. I go crazy when I find either a shop full of owners with passion and love to make delicious food for good pricing. Continue Reading →

Food and Community- examples from Emilia-Romagna

January 17, 2015 / Food & Wine, Italian Food and Wine Travel, Italy / 3 Comments

As part of a monthly bloggers group I am apart of, Italian Food and Wine Travel, we journey through the world of Italian Food and Wine, one region at a time. This month the topic is Emilia-Romagna and in the past for this blogger’s group, I’ve written quick cheese guides. This month however, I decided to dive a little deeper and closer to my blogging roots. And that is- cross cultural examinations and analyzing food ways.

I have been in Seattle for nearly 6 months after a very challenging 2.5 years of establishing a life in Florence. I am just a few weeks away from being back in Florence after this little hiatus and I have been busy reflecting and observing my home country in comparison to my new one. Continue Reading →

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo vs Vino Nobile/Rosso di Montepulciano

November 18, 2014 / Food & Wine, Italian Food and Wine Travel, Italy, Tuscany / 3 Comments

Sangiovese grapes IN Montepulciano, Tuscany. NOT Montepulciano grapes in Abruzzo. Photo from Georgette Jupe when we went on a Montepulciano field trip

I have noticed that a lot of people who travel to Tuscany note that they really like Montepulciano and want to do Montepulciano Wine Tours. Which surprises me because that is a pretty specific wine area and yet when I mention Brunello, they don’t seem to know what that is. Which makes me have a sneaking suspicion that people are thinking of the red wine that is one of the most common table red wines served in Italian restaurants across America: Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. While I hope they are talking about Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, this post is a general explanation of the 2 wines since even when I have been with clients in the Montepulciano wine country, I get this question: Is this wine made with Montepulciano grapes?

Continue Reading →