Nashville bound

Ok folks, since I've just had a fire lit under my ass to keep this a steady blog as not to lose readers, I want to give you a heads up that I will be heading to Nashville for the weekend.  While I'm there, I will eat good food, drink great beer, and take photos.  Of course, when I return I owe a few blogs about my eating adventures in Italy, so that comes first.

So, I will see you all in a few days and maybe I'll be able to work on my blog while I'm on my trip.

Ciao!

Porchetta - How Italians enjoy pig!

Porchetta - How the Italians perform magic on pigs.

Disclaimer-If you are a Vegan, Vegetarian, or would much rather see a pig as a pet, rather than on your plate, you may want to skip this blog.............Ok, I warned you, this delicious blog will discuss what Italians do with a Suckling Pig.

The description will not be pretty, but the end result is delicious and believe me, before your life ends, you will want to put this on your list of things that you must stuff in your face.  Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless Italian pork roast.  In Umbria, traditionally the pig is stuffed with Garlic, Wild herbs, fennel, intestines, and tripe.  In Treviso, a pig, typically one year of age, is stuffed with salt, pepper, wild fennel, garlic, and white wine, after being deboned and gutted. And in some places in the US, it is served on bread and topped with Broccoli Rabe or Spinach.  

The meat is tender and juicy and so full of flavor, you’ll want to punch someone.  However, the truly magical part, which if you have a great sandwich maker will come as a crunchy surprise.  Sometimes, the sandwich maker will top that Porchetta sandwich with the crispy, crunchy, flavor filled skin!  That is where the magic happens.  In fact, if I could have one sandwich with just meat and another with only the crunchy skin, I would be content to go to the afterlife because I’m not sure what could possibly be better than that experience.

So, imagine my surprise when I went to Rome and was wandering the streets, when I come across a little Enoteca(wikipedia that term because in upcoming blogs about Italy, you will see different descriptions of restaurants), with a sign in the window reading, porchetta panino, Euro 4!!!!!  I wanted 20 of them, right then and there!  There was no waiting here, I made a B line for the counter, “Ciao! Buon Giorno!!”, “Parlo un po’di Italiano”, “Sto studiando”, “Vorrei uno porchetta panino, per favore.”, “Grazie, Ciao!”  And the next thing you hear is my unwrapping the brown butcher paper that was surrounding this sandwich.

As I unwrapped my glorious gift, I caught a whiff of the fresh baked bread, which you know, fresh baked bread has a distinctive smell.  And the crust had a fresh warm crust with a soft white interior.  This beautifully fresh baked bread held inside perfectly roasted porcine delights.  The meat was glistening, which sadly does not show at all in the photos, but it was.  Maybe the glistening were actually tears of the angels that were singing as I unveiled this amazing sandwich.  In fact, I’m sure that’s what it was!  I did manage to snatch a few photos, but I didn’t care about that, no, I wanted to eat this and eat it immediately! 

The flavor, it was porky.  There was seasoning, but it didn’t cover the flavor of the roasted pig.  You could tell there was garlic and fennel involved, but with the next bite I caught a little bit of skin, and it was all over.  I knew, at that time, this was the best sandwich I will have had the pleasure of eating.  The skin was crisp, salty(but not too salty), garlicky(but just enough), and roasted almost giving it a bacony flavor.  After that second bite, the rest of the sandwich had an equal amount of meat, bread, and skin and all was right with the world!  I can honestly say that panino had more flavor with no fuss, no toppings, just meat and skin, than the most decorated sandwich I’ve had.  I was reduced to tears.  I would go back to Rome just for that porchetta again!  Thank you da LUCA, Via Urbana 15, Roma for this experience and thanks to the Hotel Raffaello, Via Urbana 3/5, Roma, for being located just stone’s throw from da LUCA.

You can find porchetta here in the US, you just have to look for it.  If I were you, I’d do just that.  Make it a point to find this product, try this product, and enjoy it.  I promise you will not be disappointed and you will love me forever!

Buona Notte!  

Whoa!!!!! I think I have it.

Of course, leave it to me to be slap happy, exhausted, and having to work tomorrow to finally figure out how to insert photos and resize them!  I feel like I've reached a milestone!!  I hope this makes things more interesting for people.

And by the way, I would like to thank everyone for reading!!  And please, feel free to subscribe.  I'm really interested in knowing where people are from and what your area has to offer in the area of food.  Is there anything that stands out?  Something that your town, county, state, country, etc is known for in the culinary realm?  If there is, then I need to put it in my face and write about it!!

Ok all, I'm off to bed, so I can properly perform my duties tomorrow.  Of course that's after a nice big cup off coffee to jumpstart the day.

Thanks again, and my next blog will come shortly!!!

Uninspired writing, Inspiring food!

I've take a bit of a sabbatical from writing to catch up, well, on me.  Every Summer, I go, go, go and miss out on things happening around here.  This year, I had decided to spend a bit more time here in Chicago to see what the hubbub was all about.  I've discovered many things happening, I've met people, I've seen things that I haven't seen in 7 years of living here, etc.  And let's be honest, I rack up a ton of miles on my vehicle, visiting everyone, but I've also realized that the road goes both ways.  I love my friends and family, but this guy needs to experience the city before I leave.  That issue will be a separate blog altogether though, for future discussion.

Now, about the new blog.  This year, I turned 40 and I decided that this year, I would change things and I have, well, except for the being single thing, but I think that might just be something that I have to live with.  But, on a positive note, I did some travel, for me, with me, for my birthday.  This is a trip that I needed and a trip that I wanted.  I totally stepped outside of my comfort zone on this trip and have tried my best to continue to live like I did while I was abroad.

On my travels, I visited Germany and Italy, with a brief stop in Austria.  With my writings here, I won't be discussing every detail of this trip.  No, instead, I will be discussing the food, because, well this is a food blog, right?  I will tell you though, hostels are awesome!  Just wanted to add that little note.  I do apologize though, this writing seems and feels to me a bit uninspired, but I needed to get this out, so I could work on my next one.  So please, read, enjoy and if it inspires you to travel, go!  And I invite and encourage you to please check out the websites of any of the places that I mention.  Now, on to Germany.

I had one night in Munich, which is not nearly enough time to truly experience all of the culinary delights that Munich has to offer.  I was still a bit nervous about this solo international travel, it actually kind of curbed my appetite.  But I was still on a mission for sausage and beer, and I could smell it in the air, it was there, within reach.  So, I left the hostel, in search for my first experience and it was a disappointment.  But I have no one to blame but myself.  I was impatient and nervous and I just wanted sausage, dumplings, and beer!

I found myself lost, in a residential area as the time grew later.  I didn’t feel unsafe, but I knew it wasn’t where I was supposed to be.  It was taking me away from the sounds and the smells of the area around the hostel.  So, I turned around and headed back to the area that I was staying.  I walked the sidewalk, looking at the restaurants along the way, and nothing appealed to me.  I didn’t want pizza or sushi in Munich.  No, I wanted Sausage!  I looked across the street where, and that is where everything was happening.  What was it?  Why were there people there, laughing, talking, skating, and just hanging out?  I crossed the street, only to realize that it was the train station that I had left earlier.  But it was more than the train station, it was the hub of activity in the immediate area.  And why was that the case?  Because this was your one stop shop for food and drink.  They had a large food court, much like food courts we have here in the US, without the chain nonsense.  With the large selection you’d think it would be easy to find sausage and beer.  Nope, not as easy as that, but I finally did.  There was a small kiosk, that was run by a Korean woman, and she had what I was looking for.  Well, part anyway.  She had Currywurst and that made me happy.  Currywurst is pork sausage, sliced and seasoned with warm curry ketchup,  It doesn’t sound like much and might not even sound appealing, but it was a damn good sausage!  Not like what I’ve had here in the states.  Here, you go to a shady hot dog stand and get sub par product, there, I could taste the pig actually playing in the pen, before being prepped to be turned into delicious, fragrant sausage.  I’ve smelled that smell before, during Chriskindlemarket, so it was very reminiscent for me, and I liked it.  And a great way to finish off this grand dinner, was to wash it down with a few Augustiner’s at the bar in the Euro Youth Hostel, Munich.  Oh, and I can’t forget the ice cold shot of Jagermeister, which I don’t typically drink anymore, however this was a must have to finish off the night. 

I left Munich, unsatisfied.  I know that I must return and spend a little more time there, to get the experience that I was looking for.  But, on to my next destination, Marktschellenberg and the Hotel Lampllehen.  From what Max, my cousin’s husband had described, the hotel was amazing and the food, even better.  This is why I took three days from Italy, to spend in Germany instead, and he knew that, so he was under pressure.  But I was not disappointed in making my decision.

The Hotel Lampllehen was such an amazing experience.  The surroundings were incredible, the hotel was clean and comfortable, but you are here to read about food, and it was amazing!  I checked in with Lubomir Rehak, the owner of this fantastic place and he informed me that dinner would be served after 5, so I had plenty of time to relax, take in the view and freshen up before having my first, real German dining experience.  And that’s exactly what I did, took in the view from my little deck, and listened, to nothing but peace and quiet. 

Dinner time came quick and I was ready!  I went to the dining area, Lubomir sat me outside, and gave me the rundown of what was being served that night.  I opted to go with the dinner package when I reserved my room because I assumed that would be the way to get the most authentic experience.  The first dinner was Braised Steak au Poivre in Red Wine, Spatzle, and some pear slices with a berry compote.  The Braised Steak au Poivre was amazing.  I am not a person that enjoys a piece of beef cooked well done.  In fact I think it’s a sin, however this piece of steak was tender and full of flavor!  Braising uses a combination of both moist and dry heat.  After a quick sear, you finish the cooking in a covered pot with variable amounts of liquid.  This process breaks down touch connective tissue in meat, miraculously changing a tough cut of meat, to a tender, palatable and flavorful treat that you will never forget.  The sauce was a great balance of peppery flavor, enhanced by the aroma of cooked red wine, thickened perfectly to cover this steak but not weigh it down.  And the spatzle, what can I say?  I’ve never had it before, and Lubomir explained it is German gnocchi.  How could I say no?  On the plate it had the appearance of Mac and Cheese, but the flavor?  I can’t describe it because I’ve never had it before.  It takes on a flavor of it’s own.  This was served in a traditional German cheese sauce.  Once again, not the weighty cheese you get from Kraft, but a light coating, using Emmentaler cheese.  Of course I could’ve made a meal just from the spatzle, but I had to try everything that was offered to me.  The pears, were simple, fresh, not gritty, with a fresh berry compote.  It made for a great palate cleanser.

I did forget to mention the soup.  The soup was a traditional Bohemian Czech Potato soup called Bramboracka.  This soup was not your typical cream based potato soup.  No, it was a clean and light potato soup.  There were wild mushrooms swimming around in the broth that complimented the flavor of the broth.  There was an essence of bacon, however no pieces of swine were to be found and I was ok with that because there was enough potato and mushroom, I didn’t need any other texture to add to the mix.  And in the blink of an eye, my soup bowl ran dry.  This was a sad moment in my life.  I inhaled it, because I had not yet learned a very important lesson that the majority of Europeans are taught very early in their lives.   But, you will have to read the next blog to learn that lesson.  Right now, I have to tell you about dessert.  Simple and amazing is all I can say about dessert.  It was a Koblihy, which is similar to a Polish paczki(pronounced poonchkey, easiest way to spell it out).  This tasty piece of fried dough was filled with a fresh made plum jam and topped with whipped cream and fresh rasberries, then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  How I did not gain 10 pounds that first day there is beyond me.

Day 2 began with a simple continental breakfast and then a 4 hour hike to a mountain top church and bar.  Of course the descent only took 45 minutes, but by the time it was all said and done, I needed a shower and good hearty food!  So as I arrived back at the Hotel, I went straight for my balcony to take in the peace and serenity of my surroundings.  And suddenly, that peace and quiet was interrupted by the sounds of hammering.  It was coming from directly below my room, so the thought of a quick power nap was out of the question, so I had to investigate to find out what this noise was.  I hopped out of the shower to find Lubomir, to find out what the racket was all about.  Lubomir welcomed me, once again to the dining area, and promptly seated me outside, where he informed me that on the menu tonight would be spicy sausage and potato soup and schnitzel and boiled potatoes.  

I’ve been unable to find the origin of the spicy sausage and potato soup, and frankly, I don’t care, it was that good.  The broth, had a slight creaminess to it, with a hearty, meaty flavor and a little spice.  The sausage, while I’m not sure what kind of sausage it was, it was great!  With as warm as the temps were, I thought I’d be finished after having this soup, but it was pleasantly refreshing.  And there was some fresh baked bread to help get rid of the left over broth that I refused to slurp from the bowl.

Up next was the schntizel, the source of the pounding noise that I kept hearing.  As I was eating my soup, I heard it again, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.  I knew that the chef was working on my schnitzel and I knew it would be good.  It was brought out, simple presentation, on a white plate with a slice of lemon on top and boiled potatoes next to it.  This was nothing fancy, but so delicious.  I sliced into the pork schnitzel, revealing a thick slice of pork, still juicy with a crisp breading.  No sauce needed here because it had an incredible amount of flavor.  I bit into my first bite and immediately began singing  lines from “My Favorite Things”.  But there were no noodles with this schnitzel, just potatoes.  The potatoes, also, not fancy, just boiled with salt, pepper, and a little butter.  This was not a heavy meal, but it was hearty, comfortably filling, and traditional.  After dinner, everything seemed perfect.  I vaguely remember dessert and drinks that followed, but it wasn’t because it was bad, it was because I was in a zone.  A great zone that I didn’t want to leave.  A zone that made me want to throw all of my friends and family on a plane and have them there with me, right at that moment, so they also could have this experience that I was having.  To be able to meet Lubomir and his family and stay at his hotel, filling the rooms and the hallways with laughter and good vibes.  This is Germany, and I want more!

Euro Youth Hostel - www.euro-youth-hotel.de/

Hotel Lampllehen - www.lampllehen.de/

I'm here, I'm here, I promise.

I swear to you all that are still keeping up with me that I am still here.  I've had such a busy year that my blog has suffered, however I promise that now that I've got my travel plans set, I will turn some attention to this blog.  It's a great outlet for me and to have people that read it, has helped my self esteem.  So, for now I will stop, rest up, and get ready for another beautiful day in the city and get my writing brain working.  I have some words written, I just need to finish it off.

Coming soon.

I promise, the next blog is coming.  Since I last wrote things have been a bit on the hectic side with visitors and trying to get caught up from Christmas.  And let's face it, the weather has been less than Winter like, so I've been out, trying to get ready for this half marathon thing next Saturday.  So, have a bit of patience and I'm on it.

Meanwhile, enjoy a photo of me in Costa Rica.

The Great Pizza Debate! Part 2

Welcome back to part II of Pizza Wars. For those of you that haven’t yet but you are reading this, follow my blog, comment on it, well, any of them. This blog is a touchy subject, especially to those die hard Chicago style pizza lovers. But they are forgiven for not knowing any better. Now, onward and upward into the unknown styles of pizza in this country.

Let’s get the ball rolling with Bar Pizza. Having lived in a small town for most of my life, my idea of Bar pizza was frozen pizza, heated up in a small pizza oven. There were two typical pizzas that I always saw served, Tombstone and Butch’s. Little did I know that there was much more to Bar pizza than a cardboard plate and plastic wrap. Bar pizza is very thin crusted, baked in a gas oven. This pizza is made with commercial mozzarella, topped with canned mushrooms, standard pepperoni, and sausage. It’s a simple, easy bit of pizza to snack on to help soak up the beer that you will consume throughout the night. The most famous Bar pizza in Chicago, Vito and Nick’s at 8433 South Pulaski Road. Opened in 1952 at a location at their tavern at 79th and Carpenter, relocated 13 years later to their current location on Pulaski.

The Italian Bakery Style pizza is a blend of Grandma and Sicilian pizza’s. It is square, baked in a large sheet pan, and cut into rectangular pieces. This pizza varies from bakery to bakery, but if you are in an Italian bakery and you come across this pizza, grab a slice and enjoy it. So, the next time you are in NYC, the pizza capital of the USA, hop on the N or the Q train, uptown and go to Ditmars Boulevard, the last stop on the line. When you make your way down the stairs to the street, make sure you visit Rose and Joe’s Italian Bakery, 2240 31st St, Astoria, for a slice of Italian bakery style, and I promise you won’t be disappointed in this pizza. The cheese is light, but the sauces is rich in flavor and for $1.25 for a slice, you can’t beat it.

Now, I personally think after a dozen or so varieties of pizza, you start grasping at straws. Take for example the Trenton Tomato Pie. It’s a thin crust, layered as follows, crust, cheese, toppings, and sauce. Similar to the Grandma pie or the upcoming Detroit Pizza. This pie is found in the capital city of New Jersey, at DeLorenzo’s.

Not alot is known about this next style, Old Forge style pizza. It’s origin is Pennsylvania. It’s made of a medium thin Sicilian dough, made in a pan that has been oiled with Peanut oil, so the dough is kind of fried during cooking. And the cheese used is 100% Wisconsin White Cheddar. If any of you have had it, please give your opinions because the photos I’ve seen, it looks like a frozen pizza.

So, Detroit, a dead metropolis that once was booming because of the auto industry. Yet, in the culinary world they are making a comeback. I don’t think that Detroit Style Pizza will put them on the map, but wikipedia has an entry on this style, and we all know that if it’s on wiki, then it’s real. It’s a simple square pizza, with a deep dish crust, sometimes twice baked and sauced last. Easy and sounds ok by me, except for the deep dish part.

Much like politicians come and go and much like quite a few people can tolerate politicians, drunk, so they enjoy DC jumbo slices as well. This is truly a local enjoyment, but from what I read, it’s enjoyed only after a night on the town. Similar to a New York Slice, but it appears to be the thinnest of the thin and it just doesn’t have the grease that we’ve all come to enjoy with our New York slice. I think this may be a single term pizza.

The New England states appear to have the market cornered when it comes to pizza. Of course, when the Italians were coming to America, they all filed through New York City. Some left the region and some didn’t. I’m thankful for this because I love the North East and I love pizza, so I’m ok with New England and their pizza developments. So, on that note, New England Greek Pizza is our next brief stop. A little thicker than a New York slice, because the dough is allowed to rise, it’s actually lighter than a NY slice. The dough is pressed out into olive oiled pans with a small rim. Dough is pressed flat and then sauced, then the pans are left out to rise, only a little. The pizza is then cheesed and placed in the cooler to stop the rising. The base cheese is mozza and provolone. You could always ask for more mozza. Another important thing with the Greek, is that it must be cut with a blade, not a roller cutter. It’s important to maintain the integrity of the outer crust.

The next style may take some getting used to, but once again, it’s a local thing. Ohio Valley style is what I’m talking about. Once again, square pizza, square slices, but the rest is what takes some getting used to. The cheese isn’t melted all the way and the uncooked toppings are put on after the sauce, base cheese, and dough are cooked?? The sauce, well it isn’t much of a sauce at all, it’s more like stewed tomatoes. And the crust is more like focaccia. This is probably the last on my list to run right out and pick up, but I will try it because that’s what I do.

Was there any doubt that California had to make a mark in the pizza world? California style is more pizza for the people that aren’t into pizza. It’s a thin crust pizza, but that’s where the similarity ends. With toppings like Duck, Salmon, Tuna, Sprouts, Avocado, Goat Cheese, Blue Cheese, etc, I think you get the idea.

Finally, the last style is St. Louis style. It’s a crude looking pie, but it tastes great! Imo’s in St. Louis is said to be the originator. The crust, very thin, unleavened and it’s topped with a special three cheese blend(provolone, Swiss, White Cheddar), or course you can have mozza tossed on there for good measure. And a great accompaniment to this pie is any local brew from Shlafly.

Now folks there are other styles, but it’s time for me to quit and work on my next blog, but I recommend that you explore all of the pizza possibilities. You’ll have your favorites, I do. I think being exposed to Chicago style everyday, is my reason for not being all over it. Yeah, I think it’s burn out.

By the way, some other styles that you may want to check, Nashville style, Roman Style, Indian(Middle Eastern), Israeli, Kebab style, Alsatian, Anatolian, Levantine, and Provencal.

Now go, eat pizza, because let’s be honest, who in their right mind doesn’t like pizza!