The Fashion Police

You know you are in a fashionable country when even the police look fabulous. In Italy we have Polizia who are the regular police and we have the Carbinieri who I refer to as the super duper police. I think they are actually a branch of the military but they act as police. Rumor has it that their uniforms were designed by Valentino. Don't know if it is true, but they look so great it is certainly believable.

I see them almost daily in town but I was too afraid to take a picture so I pulled these from the Internet-- thanks wikipedia.

Tuesday Tastes: Herbs de Provence

This is not Italian but it is something I first discovered in Europe. I learned about herbs de Provence while on a culinary tour in the south of France and have been using them regularly ever since. They are good in everything. . . chicken, pork, potatoes, veggies. It is a combination of tyme, sage, marjoram, basil and rosemary. . . and is absolutely fabulous (and smells like France).

I can't find the herbs here (Italians are not really big on importing food) and I have used all I bought in France. Luckily my Belgian friend who lives here has a huge canister of herbs of Provence from home and shared with me. She gave me so much it will last until our next trip to France. So nice. In Texas, I know you can buy them at Central Market. They may have them at other groceries too or you can just ask your Belgian friend :-)

One of my favorite simple dishes using herbs de Provence is with chicken or pork chops. Here's what you need. . . slice up a couple onions and several potatoes. Layer those in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with lots of grated parmesean (fresh grated of course) and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. Then over that, add bone in chicken or bone in pork chops. Season the meat with salt, pepper and herbs of Provence, add some more parmesean, cover with foil and bake an hour at around 200 (400 F) or until done. Serve with a salad and bread and dinner is finished!

I made this recipe when my parents were here and my dad went with me to the butcher to get the meat. The butcher didn't have any pork chops that day so my dad convinced me to buy a whole chicken. I say convinced because he really did have to talk me into it. . . the chickens are truly whole here as in feet and everything. Ick. Luckily the butcher cut it up for us. Still, I don't need to see the feet of something I'm going to eat. Gross. So who's hungry for chicken now?

Lunedi Lovelies: It's the Little Things

The architecture is so inspiring here. Right down to the door hardware. With such gorgeous detail the door knockers and handles are almost art themselves. The aged pieces are the most beautiful. They are everywhere, on almost every door. Just to regular offices, banks and apartments.

It is one of my favorite things as I walk through the streets. Every one is different and the beauty in each is extraordinary. I know I will have to bring some back when we finally return to the States. Hmmm. . . how do you think the first photo will look on the door to a home in the suburbs? Perhaps I'll use them inside as art.

Neve

Snow day Wednesday. Lots of snow. Like half a meter of snow.

Even though it snows as often as in Dallas (except for this year), life continues as normal. Nothing closes and no one rushes out to stock up on groceries.

walking to school


Our garden was gorgeous but I'm ready for spring.
I just love the snow "hat" on this bust in our garden.

Tuesday Tastes: Aceto Balsamico

Balsalmic vinegar. . . another regional specialty. The best is produced in Modena right down the road from us. The most common (and what we usually buy) is not aged but the aged vinegar is fabulous. . . and expensive. It is thick and syrupy and so good you can eat it with just crackers.

There is no such thing as a bottle of salad dressing here. No Ranch, no Ceasar, and certainly no Italian dressing. The only thing available is oil and vinegar but when it is this good, what more do you need?

My favorite recipe using balsalmic is a fabulous bruschetta from my friend Jen Flood. It is completely simple and completely addicting. Enjoy!

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill. Serve with crostini.

Lunedi Lovlies: Il Castello

We have had a fabulous weekend with good friends in town. I love showing guests around and acting like a tourist in our own city. It is a mystery to me how Ferrara is not more of a tourist destination. It is popular with Europeans who are really into art but is virtually undiscovered by North Americans. I mean, we have a 14th century castle with a real moat, real drawbridges, and a courtyard filled with the original catapult balls. Hard to beat that.

So on Sunday we toured the castle and just about had the whole place to ourselves. No lines, no crowds like in Roma and Florence. Just the four of us and the kids. Amazing to wander through the rooms as if we owned it. Except for the dungeons. . . I don't love being alone down there.

This is the Este castle. If you took European history classes you know the Estes. They ruled Ferrara for hundreds of years and did amazing things for the city. They were huge patrons of the arts and Ferrara has some very important art because of them. Da Vinci painted two of the Este princesses. They built libraries and palaces that were way ahead of their time and were pioneers in city planning. More on that in another post.

Anyway, I love the castle. From the frescoed ballrooms to the dungeons with the original graffiti done by the prisoners. Seriously, this is the kind of thing people wait in endless lines to see in more popular cities. Perhaps we should keep it a secret. . . Y'all don't tell anyone.


prison wall


view of city and moat from castle

Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain. . . a nice trip. A bit more work than we had expected but still a lovely time. We saw the amazing Gaudi architecture. I've never seen anything to compare. Much like Alice in Wonderland meets Dr. Suess. Truly crazy but truly amazing.

Gaudi's Park Guell

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia

We wandered tiny alleys through the gothic center. I found my favorite cathedral in all of Europe. Amazing gothic architecture with a center open air courtyard filled with beautiful live white geese and lush greenery.

We walked the Ramblas to the harbor where Columbus landed when he sailed back from America. Facinating to be in such a place of history. Loved the harbor but I prefer the gothic alleys to the crazy busy Ramblas.

We ate paella and tapas and sipped wine at sidewalk cafes.

Now, that was the lovely part, here is why it was hard. . .

I always think we live in a big city because it is always busy, there are people everywhere and we have a Max Mara and at least five Benneton stores. I realize now that in comparison, our city is quite small and quaint. Little did I know, Barcellona is the 6th largest city in the EU. And so of course with that comes lots of gypsies, and lots of litter, etc. Just wasn't expecting that. Also wasn't expecting it to be so hard to get around. . . Our hotel was not convenient. I was not able to find a hotel in the historic center that would accomodate the four of us so we stayed in the neighborhood next to the center called Eiample. Did not love Eixample. It is the area with the Gaudi archecture but I didn't think it was a lovely area. Perhaps I am spoiled by where I live.

Anyway, we also learned (too late) that the M on the Barcellona map stands for museum, not metro. This resulted in a 10 mile walk through Eiample to get to park Guell. . .all uphill. Okay, my husband says it was not 10 miles but it did take an hour and was all uphill. Serious hills. By the time we got the park, we were tired, but the views were amazing!

So, was it worth all the trouble? Definitely.