Adventures in the South of Italy Part I

Last weekend, Endira and I had a whirlwind trip down South.  We stopped in Naples, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi during the course of Saturday and Sunday. It was crazy and lots of fun too.
On Saturday we took the slow train (3 hours) at 8:14am. If you ever take one of these cheap but long trains in Rome (or from any of the capo linea, the journey starting point) get on the train EARLY or else you run the risk of standing the majority of the journey.  We planted ourselves in the corridor by the steps and had to keep getting up and down whenever the exit was on our side for the various local stops. It was a long trip but we read our books and had a lot of laughs.
However, when we got to Naples, at around 11am I was just a little out of it (that's what happens
when you stay out late the night before an early morning trip) and I thought it was already noon and therefore time for pizza.  This also just proves that I can't do math.  3 hours on a strain starting at 8, what time do you arrive? Alissa's stomach says noon.

I was insistent on getting this pizza.
Best pizza, but remember it's closed on
Sundays!

And I was quite gung ho about getting my Neapolitan pizza fix so we took a walk and figured out that Da Michele, the best pizza EVER was closed until noon.  So one random conversation with a Neapolitan later (note: they'll try speaking to you even if you don't know Neapolitan. A lot of Neapolitans are wonderful, hilarious people, some are crooks trying to con you into something... soo proceed with caution) we decided to go for a walk and see the churches in the area and get a coffee.  I needed an energy upper and Naples is known for its coffee.

beautiful shakerato

It's known for 2 things Pizza and Espresso.  Their espresso is strong and sweet and pretty amazing (other Italians will say their coffee is better but I'm partial to Neapolitan espresso).  We stopped at a cute coffee shop on the corner and sat outside in the warm sun.  We each decided to get a Shakerato which is a type of ice coffee. In Florence it was quite thin and smooth, basically regular espresso, milk and liquid sugar, shaken with ice (hence the name) and served cold.  In Naples at this caffe it was like melted ice cream made tiwh the best espresso in the world. It was delicious and creamy, but incredibly strong.  Stir it periodically!  Otherwise at the end you're going to get a mouthful of super strong espresso that you weren't expecting.  It was refreshing and quite energizing but a little messy.  I would definitely get it again.
Then we stopped into the Duomo for a beautiful peek and after we kept walking for a while.  We found a photo exhibit and a man raising money for a library so that the kids in the neighborhood would ahve a place to study.  He was lovely and the project was a beautiful idea, especially since he's doing it in honor of his 14 year old daughter who was killed by the Gamorah (Neapolitan mafia) a few years ago.  The school down the block is named after her. He's doing a wonderful job keeping her memory alive and positive.  He was a lovely man with a positive message and spirit.  He's also collecting books for the library in any language, so if you want, you can send books for the beautiful cause (I'll add in the address tomorrow).
He also gave us a nearby restaurant recommendation that I'll have to look into next time because I was utterly fixated on getting pizza from Da Michele again, so we went there next.
We got there at noon and there was already a line at the door so I cut to the front to see what was going on.  I wanted to get our pizzas to go so I figured that there was no hurt in trying and well, it cutting the line definitely paid off for us with quick pizzas but more on that in a minute.
Apparently, Da Michele's had been robbed the night before!!The crooks had broken in from below and ruined the bathroom in the process which is why the restaurant still wasn't seating anyone.  I really hope that the crooks get caught and that they didn't get any money.  The sweet, amazing people working that way didn't seem too concerned right then, which makes me think that it probably isn't the first break in that they've faced.

In any case, they couldn't seat anyone who wanted to sit and eat but since we wanted to take ours as takeaway we were in luck.  I asked the man at the counter and he was very sweet and told the guys by the kiln to make us some pizzas. And we got to watch them making our pizza which was excellent.  The older men were amazingly quick and then the pizza was ready very quickly as well.

We got traditional margarita pizzas. Da Michele's only serves 3 kinds Marinara (no cheese), Margarita (the traditional Neapolitan pie) and Doppio Margarita (with double the mozzarella).
Our pizzas were amazing, especially since they were the very first made that day!
They were delicious with the perfect crust and a wonderful balance of sauce and cheese, with just the right amount of basil.

If you ever have a chance to pass through Naples, I highly recomment Da Michele.  I also recommend you explore the rest of the city because although it's quite nitty gritty and the city is highly underrated, in reality it's a gorgeous city with lots to see (the coast, castel d'uovo, spaccanapoli, the archaeological museum just to name a few) but do be aware of your belongings because there are some shady characters roaming amongst the friendly.
After eating our pizza in the piazza by the train station, we got onto the circovesuviano for 1 hour and 15 minutes of hot stuffy train to Sorrento....
That being said it was TOTALLY worth it.

Want to read more about my adventures down south?
Part II here
Part III here

Spinach Turkey Burger 2.0 and Strawberry Peach Bellinis

Spinach Turkey Burgers served with salad and a grilled tortilla

So the other day I repeated my Fresh Spinach Turkey Burgers except I used shallots instead of red onion (I would have preferred red onion but I didn't have any, so shallots worked just as well, except there was a little less kick).  I made them for a friend and they came out just as well the second time.  Delicious with lightly toasted tortillas and a fresh salad on the side.  It was light on carbs and super healthy.

Strawberry peach bellinis

Afterwards I made delicious strawberry peach bellinis with fresh strawberries, peach juice and
prosecco.  They were wonderfully refreshing and very easy to make.  I froze the fresh strawberries the day before and put them in a blender with the peach juice and prosecco. After blending I served in a low glass (although a flute would have been more classy) and topped off the glass with a little more fizzy prosecco.  So good.  I want more!

Coming Soon

Alright, I'm always way too busy for my own good, but I've started writing in my notebook and just have to find type to type and publish a couple of blogs.

What to expect:
Spinach Turkey Burgers 2.0 and Strawberry Peach Bellinis
My Weekend in the South of Italy (3 or 4 parts since we went to Naples, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi and we ate in all 4 places!)
Restaurant Review Rome: DaRemo
Restaurant Review Rome: Angelina (Brunch)
Restaurant Review Rome: PortoFluviale
Restaurant Review Rome: Novecento (possibly multiple parts because I've eaten there so often since getting to Rome)
Restaurant Review Rome: Life
Restaurant Review Rome: La Cuccaracha (Mexican in Rome!)
Restaurant Review Rome: Piccola Molise
Restaurant Review Rome: Doppio Zeroo
Recipe: Mustard Pork with Onion Gravy

And probably a bunch of other refreshing recipes too!

Craving: Watermelon

So I had my first watermelon this year a couple of weeks ago. I bought a little one at the market and it was delicious... and I want another one!!
I don't know why, but today I'm just craving watermelon.
Juicy, refreshing, cold watermelon... Preferably seedless, but I would deal with the seeds for the thirst quenching fruit...
Hopefully, I'll get to the market!! The baby ones were only a Euro a couple of weeks ago!

Restaurant Review: Gelateria la Romana

A couple of weeks ago I tried a new gelateria for the first time.  It's on Via del Ostiense and at night it that good or if the line was just because it's a new gelateria in an area that doesn't really have a gelateria has a line going right out the door.  I wasn't sure if the line meant that the gelato was
Well, I discovered that it is really that good.  The gelato is rich and creamy and the ingredients are fresh.  The gelato is made right in the back a couple of times a day as they run out of flavors.  They also have some really unique flavors that are spectacular.

The first time I went (it's so good that, yes, I've gone back a few times) I tried a large cup with 4 flavors and chocolate whipped cream.  They have 3 types of whipped creams: panna montata allo zabaione (a more traditional whipped cream), panna montata al cacao (chocolate whipped cream), and panna montata al caffe bio (organic espresso whipped cream).  The chocolate whipped cream was delcious but quite heavy and dense. It was almost like a 5th flavor of gelato.  I would get it again with lighter, fruity flavors rather than the flavors that I actually had.

That being said, I got some wonderful flavors.  I tried the cioccolato fondente, dark chocolate, my usual go to flavor.  It was rich and dense but not too sweet which is just how I like it.  I also tried the marscapone al caffe e cioccolato fondente. It was a cream based gelato made with sweet marscapone cheese (weird I know, but taste it! It's delicious) with a swirl of espresso and dark chocolate running through it.  It was rich and creamy and the flavors worked beautifully together in a great balance. The third flavor I tried was bacio di dama con mandorle tostate, a hazelnut gelato with toasted almonds.  It wasn't my favorite flavor but it was also quite good. For me, it just wasn't as memorable as the other flavors.
My favorite flavor was the croccante all'amarena. It was a delicious cream based gelato swirled with cherry and some crunch (I have no idea what the crunch was made of but it was amazing). It was a beautiful combination that wasn't too sweet or too heavy.
Another night I got a smaller cup with 3 flavors and their panna montata allo zabaione (plain whipped cream).  The plain whipped cream was quite good and definitely a little lighter than the chocolate whipped cream but it was still denser than I like.  I prefer my whipped cream even lighter and more airy (the way that I make it). I decided to stick with the croccante all'amarena and the cioccolato fondente because they were so good and I only tried one new flavor.  I decided to try their pesto di pistacchio, or pistachio ice cream.   They call it a "pesto" because there is freshly crushed pistachio in their gelato. It was so amazingly good and utterly delicious. The pistachio was lighter than the dark chocolate and full of fresh flavor.  It was one of the best pistachio gelatos that I've ever tried.  I highly recommend it.
Then two days ago I went again in the heat of the afternoon with my cousin from Torino. We decided to try their granita which is quite traditional in Sicily.  It's essentially flavored crush ice.  Different places serve it in different consistencies but I like it best when it has the consistency of a slushy.  Gelateria la Roma had amazing granitas. I tried the peach granita and the lemon granita in one large cup.  It was so delicious and I could probably drink/eat a gallon of it.  The peach granita was smooth and had the consistency of a lovely slushie except it had pieces of fresh peach in it. It was refreshing and amazingly creamy.  I could really taste the freshness of the peaches. The lemon was also really good and refreshing.  It was a little more icy than the peach but equally flavorful. I really, really recommend trying both because they're great in the hot sun.  They also had a coffee granita that I didn't try, but I imagine it's also delicious.
If you go at night, it is absolutely worth waiting on the line!

bright, clean and beautiful

Mozzarella and tomatoes

It's been incredibly hot in Rome recently. Humid, muggy, sun blazing down, no clothes (but of course you have to wear clothes) weather.
And it, sadly, makes me lose my appetite.
I never fare well in the heat.  I never had.  I don't love summer.  I like it when I'm on the beach under an umbrella, or playing in the water... Which really doesn't happen often enough.
I know, I know, everyone hates summer in the middle of a heatwave, they go from complaining about the cold to complaining about the heat in a heartbeat. But I don't complain about the cold, even when there's a polar vortex (with the exception of one evening where I was just dressed inappropriately because I never listen to my mother).
If I could go to the beach everyday I probably wouldn't complain all that much about the heat, but sadly I'm at work everyday so I can't throw myself into the sea and cool down when I'd like.
And the heat just saps my energy so when I get home from work I don't want to do anything. I don't

My gorgeous caprese with dried basil

want to kick or turn on the stove. I don't want to eat. It's just to hot and I'm lackluster.
So my solution has been an insalata Caprese, which is the Italian for a mozzarella and tomato salad. I think the salad must have origins in Capri (an island near Naples in Southern Italy) but I'm not sure.  But with ingredients fresh out of the fridge, the salad is delicious and refreshing.
And it requires amazingly little effort. It's so easy.

With balsamic vinegar

All you need are fresh tomatoes, mozzarella (preferably bufala because it's divine), basil (fresh or dried), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (although if you don't like balsamic that can be skipped). A traditional caprese doesn't use balsamic vinegar, but I love the added tang.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, layer them onto a plate and drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Garnish with basil and maybe a little salt and pepper. It's simple but really wonderful in the heat.  And if you're not a fan of tomatoes, you can also serve your mozzarella on a bed of arugula. It's equally delicious and equally refreshing for summer
I've been eating it pretty consistently for days now.

mozzarella on a beautiful bed of fresh rucola