Find me one person who doesn’t like Italian food. Then find me someone who completely understands it. THEN bring me some Italian food- because it doesn’t really exist. Continue Reading →
Italian food
Zucchini flower recipe: Frittata-style (fiori di zucca)
My love affair started with Italy 10 years ago. My love for food started as soon as I could say spoon. For those of you new to my blog, it is called “curious appetite” because I wanted to write about all the things I was curious about: food, places, drinks, cultures and such. If something is unique, I want to order it. If I see something new and/or seasonal in the market, I want to cook it. Like finding fiori di zucca/zucchini flowers. I’ll try anything at least once. Seize the day- there are millions of flavors out there in the world waiting to be loved and loathed! One of the intentions of my blog too was to write about restaurants I was curious about. I wanted to write about places that did something different and with grit. And to give my humble opinion about eateries that were on everyone’s lips and yelping finger tips. So here it is- a mix of experimenting in the kitchen and at eateries around the world, mostly the US and in Europe. 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 →
Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi from Tuscany
Gnudi- the ‘gn pronounced like gnocchi’s, is a dish I absolutely adore to make. In Florence, I also work assisting cooking classes. Thanks to the patience of lovely mamma cooks, I learned a few recipes for peasant dishes like this: Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi. Continue Reading →
Quick Cheese Guide to the Veneto
I am starting a theme with quick food guides (like Tuscany) to each region so that my readers who travel to Italy, can actually know what the heck is in the deli cases when they inevitably visit a food market. And if you go to Italy without interest in visiting a food market, then there is something wrong and you should please leave my blog. Oscar Wilde said it best: “I can’t stand people who don’t take food seriously.”