Chicory: A specialty of Rome and probably a vegetable you should know

Raw chicory bundled from the market

I've heard about chicory before... well, at least I think I'd heard about chicory. I honestly had no idea what it was exactly until getting to Rome two weeks ago.  Chicory or Cicoria is a specialty here (along with artichokes). It is a leafy green vegetable, similar to spinach but more bitter, almost like a broccoli rabe.  It is utterly delicious but is somewhat particular.
I love it.  I've tried it a bunch of times now and I can't get enough. I honestly wish I had known about it sooner because it's a great addition to my vegetable repetoire. It's a leafy green like spinach, broccoli rabe and kale, so it's very, very healthy and packed with vitamins.
Chicory is a somewhat woody plant with beautiful, bright blue flowers. Upon seeing a picture of it in the
wild, I wouldn't naturally think that it's an edible plant, but now that I've tried it, I know better. The leaves are edible raw in salads or cooked down like spinach while the roots can be baked, ground and then used as a healthy coffee substitute. It is far more common in Europe which is why it isn't very well known in the states but it has recently started being cultivated in North America and Australia. It's becoming more widely available which is definitely nice. I would really hate coming back to the states and not being able to eat it all of a sudden. It's slowly becoming a staple in my diet.

Ripassata served at "Il Secchio" in Rome Center

I love how it's prepared in Rome. It's either prepared "all'agro" which means cooked down in a pan with some olive oil and salt and then drizzled with freshly squeezed lemon juice. The lemon works quite nicely with the bitterness of the chicory leaves. The other popular preparation of chicory is "ripassata". Basically the fresh chicory leaves are cooked down in a pan just like all'agro except it is cooked with olive oil, whole cloves of garlic and a small quantity of red pepper flakes. It is absolutely delicious and my favorite way to eat it. I even taught myself how to prepare it.  It's super easy to make and utterly delicious.

what I started with in my pan...

The only thing to remember is that like spinach, it is a very deceiving vegetable. When you first put it into a hot pan it looks like you're going to be making a lot of it. However, by the end of the cooking process, the leaves loose their water and shrink down. So I suggest always making more than you think absolutely necessary so you have enough to eat. It is utterly delicious but you always need to make more since it shrinks.

what I wound up with...

Chicory has been around for a long time, even Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) a leading Roman lyric poet through 65 to 8 BC ate chicory. It's been a cultivated crop for centuries but is still a delicious staple in many people's diets. I strongly recommend giving it a shot. Add it to your diet for its lovely flavor and the healthy addition it makes to your diet.  It is a great vegetable so try cooking it for yourself or if you're in Rome, you should absolutely order it as a side dish to go with your meal. It's usually very affordable and I've never had it poorly made. Believe me, I've tried it in a lot of restaurants. It is generally really, really good.

As part of your New Year, give it a chance. Try something new!

A Weekend in Germany

Well, a couple of weeks ago I got to have a great weekend in Germany. I met my half-sister and her family for the first time ever (long story which I won’t go into now) and it was wonderful. We got to talk and hang out. Plus I got to see a castle and eat some really good food so it was a really great weekend.
It's crazy what a busy weekend I had running around with my sister, her husband and her son.

On the first night I had german food at The Big Emma or Zur Dicken Emma.  I really enjoyed my first taste of fabulous German food that I wrote a review for here.  It was so good and soooo much food. We went home stuffed and watched movies until late.
The next day we woke up late and my sister made us a camping breakfast with eggs and potatoes cooked and scrambled together. I added some cajan to the mix for some spice and gobbled it up for a day of just chilling and catching up.

That evening we actually went and got Mexican food of all things. I was a bit skeptical but it was the going away party for some of the soldiers so I was happy to go. It also worked out wonderfully because the

Mexican food was quite delicious. We went to a place called Cantina Mexicana in Kaiserslautern, Germany. 
I got chimichangas with extra spicy sauce.  The chimichanga was crispy with a moist chicken filling.  Great flavor and a wonderful shell.  I didn't love the hot sauce because it was almost a bbq sauce in flavor but it did have a nice kick to it so I used most of it. The restaurant had a fun atmosphere and was a great place for a fun going away party especially because the margaritas were so utterly delicious. They were just strong enough and full of flavor. I tried the mango and drank two of them because they were so light and tasty.

After that wonderful dinner we went over to the military base and saw a German market where we got hot mulled wine and chocolate. It was really nice and warming especially since it was so chilly outside in the open air. After a little shopping at the mall we went back to the house for some warmth and movies and then off to bed again after drawing a tattoo out for my sister.
The next morning we had more campers breakfast and slowly woke ourselves up with lots of coffee. Then we went over to a castle and walked around for the afternoon. The castle was incredible with its brilliant red bed rock. It was quite beautiful surrounded by trees and mountain views. It was definitely a good day.

Then we went back to the house and I made us an Italian meal so they could try eggplant for the first time ever!! I was shocked, they'd never tried eggplant before so I promptly decided that I would prepare Eggplant Rigatoni.  My sister tried the eggplant as I was cooking it and really enjoyed it so I was quite glad. It was quite delicious and came out quite well. Everyone ate it up.
my
The next morning, bright and early I had to go back to Rome but I had a wonderful trip visiting with my sister and her family. And I got to eat and try a lot of new food while sharing some of my favorites with them as well.

Happy New Years!

Wow, I cannot believe it's already 2014. This year has equally dragged and flown by and I can't quite believe 2013 is finally done and over. So it's time for a new year and a new adventure. But before I can do that I figure I should celebrate the last and first meals of 2013 and 2014.
It's been a good two days of eating.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Last night I went with my girls (and Steve) to a lovely Korean noodle restaurant right off of Bergen Boulevard. I'll have to write a full review of it when I figure out its name and what all of the dishes are called

The traditional noodles in a delicious brown sauce

in Korean and how to spell them in English. :D We got a delicious sweet and sour pork and then each of us got different noodles.  I tried a new spicy variation of my favorite which was truely spicy. It started out mild but the heat built as I ate. My mouth was on fire in a good way by the end. Steve got the non spicy, traditional version of my noodles. It's bathed in a brown sauce made with beef, onions and sometimes potatoes. Saucy and delicious. Angela and Andrea got a combination platter that was so big they couldn't finish. It was half spicy seafood soup noodles and half traditional noodle in the brown sauce that Steve got.  We were soo ridiculously full after all this food that I have no idea how we decided to get coffee and dessert afterwards.

Angela's Capuccino

We went to a coffee shop on Broad Avenue in Palisades Park where I got an incredibly large mocha coffee

A lovely slice of Pistachio Cake

to keep me awake to dance the night away. Ang and Steve got a slice of Pistachio cake to share. I was wayyy to full to try any but it looked utterly delicious. Everyone got some form of coffee as well, all of which was quite delicious.  We took our time just hanging out and talking while waiting to go dancing.
And then off to the club we went. It was a lot of fun dancing the night away with some of my best girls (and Steve). We went to Mariachi, a night club/lounge in Palisades Park. It had wonderful music and some decent drinks. We weren't hungry but when we bought our tickets there was a promised buffet. It kind of sucked so I'm really glad we had eaten so much beforehand. There were only cold chicken fingers and french fries available. Needless to say we didn't try any because we were all so stuffed. The music and DJs well made up for the lack of food. We had a lot of fun goofing around and dancing like fools. I only had to complain a little at the end when they took forever and a half trying to find my credit card. They were not overly organized in terms of that. We stayed till around 2:30 in the morning and probably would have stayed even later except that it got so ridiculously crowded at that point.

My girls and me at the club

Overall, we had an excellent night and danced a ton!
Then this morning we got up around ten and headed to Gotham City Diner for brunch with Andrea and Inch. It was on the crowded side but we were seated right away and had a blast. We all got different breakfast foods and Gotham was up to its usual lovely standard of delicious. I had sooo much coffee and Eggs Benedict too. So much good breakfast food. And then Angela got half a cantalope filled with vanilla ice cream. It was pretty crazy and yet looked delicious.
We had a blast just talking about the night before and about the coming week. I have to make cupcakes for everyone. I've decided it's a good idea. I think my friends agree. :)

Mom's beautiful meal!

After we separated, I rested and watched tv until Mom called me for dinner. She made Baked Breaded Shrimp and spicy baked sweet potatoes with a salad. The salad was delicious with mixed greens, honey roasted, avocado and tomatoes in a peach balsamic vinaigrette. She made with the vinaigrette with the peach balsamic that I bought during the summer at Carter and Cavero Old World Olive Oil Company. It was refreshing and delicious and I couldn't get enough. The shrimp was great too. Crispy but not greasy because it wasn't fried but there was a lot of flavor because of the breading.  I also put tobasco on it for a little extra heat. They really went well with the richness of the sweet potatoes.
It was a really great mom made meal and I'm so happy she cooked for me. I really need to cook for her before I head back to Rome because she's amazing and deserves some pampering for all the good things she's done for both of my brother and I. One meal is definitely not enough, but I have all year to try and give her back a little of what she's given us.  Everybody have a wonderful new year filled with laughter, good food, love and fun!

Restaurant Review Germany: Zur Dicken Emma

On my first night in Germany my half sister and her family took me to a German restaurant in Ramstein and I really enjoyed it.  It’s called The Big

1 liter of soda

Emma or Zur Dicken Emma. Ok, let me just say, portions in this restaurant are huge! Everyone always says that portion size in the USA is large but, this restaurant wins by far. I would love to go back to Germany and try some other German restaurants to see if this is true of all German restaurants.  The smallest portion is called a ¼ size which was 8.8 oz, the ½ size was 17 oz and the full size somehow even more ridiculously large at 35 oz. The sodas came in liter containers and the largest beer available was 3 liters! I wish I had gotten a picture of that glass! It was insane, I have no idea how the men ordering them were able to drink them. They looked heavy to say the least. They also have a food challenge in the restaurant. If you finish a full portion platter and 3 litres of beer you get a free meal.  I don’t think I could ever succeed. I would literally have to be starving to finish even half of their full size portion.

Jägerschnitzel

schnitzel with french fries

I wound up ordering a ½ size of Schnitzel (I was really hungry since I hadn’t eaten anything since 11 that morning). Schnitzel is fried, crispy pork. There was plain schnitzel and then 9 other kinds with different sauces so I ordered Jägerschnitzel which had a sauce made with jager, mushrooms and bacon. It was delicious! The outside was a bit crunchy, while the inside moist and juicy.  It was huge and I finished every bite. It took a while to finish but I didn’t get French fries or soda so that didn’t fill me up. I got a small side salad and some wine to drink which worked out really well.  My sister and her son

both got ¼ size portions of plain Schnitzle with French fries on the side.  It was served with lemon slices on top which really complimented the saltiness of the fried surface.  The portion was still really large but considerably smaller than the piece of meat I ordered.  It was also quite delicious but I’m glad I got mine with a sauce. I don’t think I could have eaten the pork all by itself without the creaminess of the sauce to help.

My sister's husband ordered a half portion burger and it was gigantic as well. 8.27 inches! Crazy. It looked good but impossible to finish. In fact he only ate half and took the rest home. 

the giant 1/2 sized portion

A lot of people were eating the largest portions and I was incredibly impressed that they were able to finish because I would have never been able to eat that much, even as hungry as I was. They were also drinking the largest beers I've ever seen in my life. 3 liters!! Giant, giant glasses that could probably be quite difficult to lift for some people. They even had a challenge: 1 kg of schnitzel, steak or burger and 3 liters of beer. If you can eat and drink all of that, you win a "Yes, I did it certificate" which I found utterly hilarious.

I liked the atmosphere as well and our waitress was really friendly and helpful even though I don't speak a lick of German. 

I really enjoyed the restaurant and would very much like to go back if I get back to Germany. It was really good food and I had a lot of fun with my family. 

Restaurant Review Ostia: Ristorante Cipriani

Last week we had our Christmas for lunch and it was fantastic. Even though the trains were striking, we made our way to Ostia Antica (which I need to absolutely explore more thoroughly). The restaurant, Ristorante Cipriani was about 5 to 10 minutes from the station. It's a hidden gem, recommended by one of the students at our school. It's near a castle and ancient ruins down a small, quaint alleyway that wouldn't normally get a second glance.
I really enjoyed it because it was reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. I couldn't believe it! There was a fixed menu including a pasta first, a meat second, water and coffee all for €10.

 It had limited options but everything we ordered was fantastic.
The first dish options were cavatelli con sugo di spuntature, pasta e lenticchie, e tonnarelli cozze e pachino.  Cavatelli is a type of pasta while sugo di spuntature is a tomato based sauce made with ribs. Paste e lenticchie is pasta with lentils and it is almost like a thicker soup. Tonnarelli is a traditional Roman noodle that is similar to spaghetti but

considerably thicker and it was served with muscles and small tomatoes.  I had the cavatelli and it was rich but not heavy. The sauce had a lot of flavor and it was just the right portion size so I was able to eat my next course. I did cover it in cheese, but that's really only because I love cheese. It's cold out right now, so I would love to have some more. Laure and Ashley ordered the Tonnarelli and they really enjoyed the seafood because it was super fresh and had a lot of flavor. I didn't try it because I don't always love seafood. Sian tried the pasta with lentils which had a nice wintery feel to it. It was quite warm outside but I think it would be the perfect cold weather meal.
A little after, our seconds arrived promptly. There were also three choices and we tried them all.  I tried the

salsiccia e fagioli which is sausage and beans. It was utterly delicious, the sausage was a flattened patty and full of a ton of flavor while the beans brought me back to childhood. Grams prepared them so similarly. I really enjoyed the dish. I even used bread to sop up the extra sauce. So much good flavor.  Tanya, Laure, Ashley and Sian all tried the filetto di Orata which is a fillet of sea bream. It was served with a mini salad that Ashley was thrilled to have (she had a long weekend sadly lacking in vegetables). I didn't try it (I wish I liked seafood more) but everyone had good things to say about
it.  The only complaint I heard was about the small bones, but I find that fairly typical of dishes in Italy.  Endira on the other hand tried the Spezzatino. We had been expected a sliced cut of meat but it turned out to be chunks of meat cooked in a stew. Lots of flavor and warmth. It was quite good even if not quite what expected.
I really had a good time at our Christmas list. Good food, good company and good service as well. It was really quite lovely.
And then we ran off to work (literally for me... gotta love those mad dash sprints)!

Christmas Dinner

So mom made us a wonderful Christmas dinner.  I'd like to say I really contributed, but honestly I was just too tired to be of much assistance.
It was dinner for 2 plus visitors.  Mom and I ate around 5 but then I had some friends come over a little later on and we fed them a little bit.
In any case, we had a wonderful dinner thanks to the Mamma Bear

The Menu:
Baked Ham with Apples
Green Bean Salad
Spinach and Zucchini Pie
Sweet Potatoes with Butter and Brown Sugar
Apple Berry Crumble

We kept it simple and healthy but delicious and I'm glad.
However, I will say that I kind of missed the havoc that is usually our house during the holidays. Normally my house is jam packed with friends who are family. We usually serve a feast that lasts for hours with hilarious comings and goings.
This year, Mom and I decided to just keep it quiet since I was only arriving a day before the holidays. It was odd just having a few of my friends drop by, instead of having a ton of people popping in and out.
But all in all it was a good day and we definitely had a merry Christmas!