Foods You Will Force Me to Make You: The Suppli

I'm starting a series on Roman foods that I will learn how to cook here so that I can cook them for you when I get back to the states! I think you all are looking forward to some down-home Roman goodness, aren't you?

I haven't talked about this yet, but I recently became a babysitter for two adorable twin girls, both two years old, and I frequently hang out with them and their awesome mom, who happens to be an incredibly talented writer and blogger who knows a lot about Italy, having lived here for 10 years. I encourage you to check out her blog at http://unamericanaaroma.com/.

Anyways, today while we were going on a walk around the neighborhood, she treated the girls and I to something I had once heard of, but had yet to try. Let me introduce you to...the Supli al Telefono! (Unfortunately I did not take any photos so I had to resort to online pictures)

The Suppli consists of cheese surrounded by flavored rice, which is then deep fried with a bread coating. 

Shelley explained to me that it is called a Supli "al telefono" because when you crunch into the supli, the cheese will stretch out and resemble a telephone cable. haha, cute! There we sat on this rainy afternoon in the pizza and supli shop, watching the wet, cool rain while crunching on our hot and tasty suplis. Quite a treat :)

Although it's not the healthiest snack, its quite delicious fresh out of the frying pan

Shelley told me if we had time she might teach me how to make one! I am so excited. If there's one thing I came to Rome for, it's to learn how to cook authentic Italian food!

I think making it would go down something like this

Molto amore,

Kaori <3

Boy Am I Being Spoiled! Fresh Open Air Markets in Rome

If there's one thing I'm going to miss the most about Rome, it's Rome's fresh, affordable and delicious fruits, vegetables and meats from its open air markets! Since food is a big part of who I am, being someone who LOVES to eat and LOVES to cook, my experience in Rome has been hugely influenced by what kinds of foods I have been eating :)

Camy, Isaac, and I at Mercato di Testaccio

I am going to miss Rome so much for this reason. Camy, Isaac, and I have already visited Mercato di Testaccio, Mercato di San Cosimato, and I have personally visited the market at Campo Di Fiori. I like the market at Testaccio best because it has the greatest range of fruits and vegis, all at an affordable
price.

Bell pepper, mixed greens, zucchini, basil and tomatoes from Mercato di Testaccio

apples and peaches too!

I tell you-- nothing beats the taste of a perfectly ripened fruit, eaten on the day you purchased it from a fresh market in Rome. I almost die every time I bite into that perfect peach or nectarine. How could God above create something so sublimely sweet, yet perfectly tart, with ample softness but tangible firmness? One time, I accidentally purchased tasteless, MUSHY peaches. It was a nightmare. I got jaded for a little while, but then realized that I should smell peaches before I buy them. If they smell sweet and ripe, they should be good :)

I think most people gain weight when they visit Rome because they eat lots of pasta and pizza and few vegetables or fruits. But when you live in Rome long-term, you come to see the benefits of shopping at fresh markets. The food you buy at a market is not only super fresh, it is very local, very affordable and very delicious. When I came to Rome my thoughts went along the lines of "I'll eat everything I want here, all the pasta and pizza I can eat, and then go on a diet when I get back to the U.S." I thought I would gain a lot of weight while I was here. And for a while, I believed that pizza and pasta were the only things you could eat here. WRONG. Markets have allowed me to eat so much healthier and to enjoy my food so much more. I've already cooked and experimented with quite a few dishes while I've been here.

homemade chicken soup. so good. 

What I needed to make pesto pasta: olive oil, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, onion and spaghetti

making my pesto

done! next time I need more pesto sauce :)

fresh shrimp "gamberoni"  from mercato di cosimato and zucchini

My take on minestrone ;)

Camy and Isaac just LOVE that I cook for them :P hehe

The reason why I'm going to miss this the most is because in America we don't really have fresh markets. Well, we do. But our farmers' markets are usually overpriced or we have to resort to stores like Whole Foods. Either way, both choices are only fit for the bourgeoisie of society. No wonder poor and middle class Americans have to resort to their supermarkets and other chain restaurants like McDonald's. Being healthy is unaffordable in America. But in Italy it is probably the most affordable. Where has America's common sense gone? I would like to hear your thoughts about this as well. I am disappointed in the American food market. Our goal should be to make eating healthy both delicious and affordable for all people. Maybe then our obesity problem will go away.

Yesterday Camy, Isaac, and I went to the biggest open air food market in all of Europe, "Campagna Amica". There were foods from all parts of Italy, fresh vegetables and meats. Yesterday it was slightly empty because it was a Friday and everyone was still at work. Today, the lady I'm babysitting for and I drove by the Circus Maximus (where it is being held) and there were throngs and throngs of people. It was packed! Obviously, Italians care about what they are putting in their stomachs and where it is coming from. Can I hear an amen?!

Campagna Amica, located in the Circus Maximus

Lots of yellow tents!

I thought these dried peppers looked cool

Tonight, I came back from 8 hours of babysitting, excited to pan-fry the fresh salmon and vegetables I had just bought on the way back from the lady's house that I babysit for.

look at this beauty. I ate it all up!

I am so grateful to be here, because, well, I'm in ITALY, of course, but I also feel that I am learning so many important things about how to eat better, with fresher and tastier foods. If I take away anything from this trip abroad, it is that making a little more effort to obtain healthier, fresher, and tastier food is so worth it!!

thanks for reading!

<3 Molto amore, 

Kaori

Part 2: Riomaggiore and Manarola

Hey everyone! Kaori here :) After visiting both Vernazza and Monterosso on our first day in Cinque Terre, we decided...that we were gonna visit each of the five towns! So on the second day after our beach trip to Corniglia we took the 3 minute train ride to Riomaggiore :) Each town had a unique feel and flavor to it, and each was beautiful in its own way. Also, today was September 20th, my 24th birthday! I was grateful to be in the company of awesome people for my birthday and to be in such a beautiful place!

I must say I love people-watching :P 

small but tall multi-colored houses :)

First thing we did when we got to Riomaggiore was wander the small meandering streets as well as grab a HUGE Margherita pizza at a local pizzeria. It was only 10.50 Euros for this pizza for 5 people. Thick slices of pizza dough topped with tomato sauce and lots of mozzarella. yum :) We were ready for our trek to Manarola after our meal!

Isaac looks hungry, but Su-Won just wants to take pictures!

See Camy's post for a beautiful description of the Via Dell'Amore :) It's hard to describe Riomaggiore and Manarola in words or even pictures, I really suggest that if you go to Italy, you make it a priority to visit Cinque Terre! You won't be disappointed for a second!

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday in Italy :) After we arrived in Manarola, we found many delicious looking restaurants and a dock by the sea. We all took a pleasant nap for about an hour on the dock, surrounded by the lapping greenish blue waves, Italians and even a little naked boy that was running around. It was like a dream <3. When I awoke, Camy and Isaac had gone for a walk and Kaneko was watching Su-Won dive from a huge boulder into the water. I sat there and absorbed everything :) Then about an hour later, we all watched the sun set together. Wow.

Amazing view

glad I could spend it with this girl <3

     

Wow. Just wow. 

 And that's not all~ to celebrate my birthday we went to a cute little restaurant that served absolutely amazing pasta and seafood dishes. 

Happiness pervaded <3

pesto lasagna...omg so good

fettucine ai batti batti aka "lobster"

hazelnut tiramisu. so yum!!

                            

happy birthday to the ground! -camy
we surprised Kow with a nice hazelnut tiramisu with a birthday candle!

La Via Dell'Amore: The Trail of LOVE

This was one of my many favorite memories of Cinque Terre— La Via Dell’Amore: from Riomaggiore to Manarola.

It is a place of love. You can just FEEL it. Love is expressed in almost every language. Names of couples carved into everything & anything on the path, from rocks, to plants, to walls, to the benches. 

It was cute to see all the names of the couples that were dated from decades ago still ingrained in this path. I wondered if they were still together. I hope so! 

Cinque Terre, meaning "5 lands" are separated and you can go to each of the different lands via hiking, taking a ferry or taking a tram. 

We took a ferry from Vernazza to Monterossa & tram to get to the other terre, but from Riomaggiore to Manarola we decided to "hike." 

But this path in particular was a leisure stroll. That's why i LOVED it! I was not looking forward to the other intense hikes. But I hear it is a must do since there is a beautiful view from the top~ 

During this hike, Isaac & I wrote our names; as well as Alan & Kaori and Su-Won & Kaneko. Hopefully when we come back decades later, it will still be there! :D

 -Camy 

Cinque Terre (5 Lands) Part 1

Typical train station in Cinque Terre. The awesome scenic view begins not off but on the train! 

After Milan and Genova, we had the chance to visit Cinque Terre with our friends Su-won and Kaneko. Cinque Terre, literally translated to "Five Lands" or "Five Towns," was without a doubt our favorite vacation spot during this week! It is a very touristy spot composed of 5 little towns along the coast of Italy. The train traveled along a ledge next to the ocean...and it was beautiful!

Vernazza, the town we stayed in

We got to stay in the 4^th town out of the 5 called Vernazza. This was the smallest and cutest town out of the 5, probably averaging a population of about 1,000 people, although it seemed more like 200. Our hostel host “LuLu” (the hostel was named ‘LuLu Rooms’ after his baby daughter, but we called him LuLu) seemed to be everywhere we went within the town!

Our host LuLu

The boat we took to travel to Monterosso

Vernazza was very cozy, but there wasn’t too much to do there. We grabbed a nice pasta and swordfish lunch, and decided to move on to the next city, Monterosso. We agreed to take the boat which came every half an hour or so, but this was not the best idea. City people like us get sea sick pretty easily, and by the time we got off (like a 10 minute ride…haha) we were kissing the ground thank you!

Monterosso

One of the greatest attractions of Cinque Terre is the various hiking trails that lead from one town to another. We, however, didn't want to be too main-stream, and decided against hiking everywhere. (We actually didn’t have walking shoes…and were lazy) Monterosso was very beautiful as well, but the best part was our spontaneous night swim in the beach! People were staring at us as if we were…either very fun-loving people, or borderline insane. But we didn’t care! It was quite refreshing to be the only ones at the beach, close to pitch darkness. 

The towns people having a chat...and staring at the Americans

 
The BEST part of Cinque Terre, and all three of us will agree, was Town number 3, Corniglia (Cor-nee-lia). Now, according to our Cinque Terre guide we got off the internet, this seemed like the most boring out of the 5, especially since it told us that in order to reach the town from the station, we had to climb 450 stairs-- obviously we didn't want to do that. So we didn't! Call it luck or fate, or whatever you want to call it, but we met Zio Antonio, a retired Navy who loves adventure. He offered to take us to paradise, to the land of milk and honey, to give us an unforgettable experience. (He didn't actually say that, but he was speaking Italian, so who knows?) We came across a what seemed like an abandoned train tunnel, which any normal person would have refused to walk through. However, we had Antonio, who adeptly guided us through the literally pitch-dark tunnel. We walked through that tunnel for at least 15~20 minutes. It almost seemed sketchy, until...

Camy smoothly conversing with Antonio in Italian

Our Indiana Jones moment in the pitch black tunnel; don't be deceived, there is light only because of the flash of the camera!

Paradise

We reached the other side, and were greeted by THIS! (See Pic) We had to climb down some vines and a steep cliff to reach this place, but it was definitely worth it. "Sometimes you have to struggle through the dark times in order to get to the light at the end of the tunnel" - Kaori Becker

The water was clear blue, the weather was perfect, and the best part, we were the only ones there! (Well, there was an old couple there, enjoying the beach "naturalist" style...if you know what I mean) So that's how Corniglia turned from the lamest town to the absolute best town without us setting foot into the actual town!

The Crew

To be continued...

Isaac

APERITIVO time!

This is probably one of my favorite concepts in Italy. I’m not sure if they have it in other European countries, but it is very common in Italy. “Aperitivo” is similar to Happy Hour in America— except way better! Basically you pay for a drink (ranges from maybe 6Euros-8Euros usually) and then you get access to a free buffet! There are many different types of food depending on the bar/café that you go to. My favorite so far is Primo Café.

  

 

Passion Fruit Colada! 

                               

Isaac & I enjoying the food!

It was the first Apertivo experience for me, and since then, no other Apertivo place has been up to par. Some have gotten close but not quite! The reason why Primo Café was my favorite was because of the delicious drink! (As you can see in the picture) Not only that but the food was gourmet and absolutely delicious! And on top of that, it was only 7Euros. There was salami and mozzarella, skewers of fresh fruits, couscous with shrimp and just amazing finger foods. I can go on and on!

We thought that Aperitivos were always drink+buffet, but apparently they are not. The food is not always gourmet, and it is not always a buffet style. We experienced this in Milan. Some places only offer olive bread, chips and maybe dip. We paid our 7 Euros at the bar and we just got a small drink and a small plate of focaccio for the 3 of us-- and it was not a buffet style. We were VERY disappointed. Make sure that it is buffet before you order. They were very rude about our misunderstanding. 

Aperitivo place in Firenze! 

On our last day of traveling, we went to an Aperitivo place in Firenze! We wanted to redeem our experience in Milano. It was amazing! The drinks were okay. But the food was delicious. Once again, there was a variety of gourmet dishes: chicken curry was one of our favorites, spinach ravioli, olive dips etc... 

There was a nice candlelight for when it got dark. This was my second favorite aperitivo place! 

We went to a few other aperitivo places in Roma. One was in Bar Orologio & also a Bar in Campo di Fiori. The one in Campo di Fiori was nice. The food was all organic and my piña colada drink was pretty good!

Aperitivos are mostly for socializing and enjoying each other's company as well as the food!  If you are ever in Italy, take advantage of the Aperitivos! It is definitely worth it. If you don't like alcoholic drinks, you can always get it without it ;)

-Camy