Ode to Pancakes...

Soo I live in Florence, Italy... There is an abundance of fresh amazing food available to me at all times and yet sometimes I really find myself missing certain "American" foods. Foods that don't exist here, or if they do exist here... well, believe me... It's just not the same...

Like PANCAKES! I miss plain pancakes with fresh syrup and whipped cream.... Chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry, strawberry... Yeah. That would be fantastic right now.
Mind you there are specialty stores that carry pancake mix (overpriced) and there is one restaurant (sadly, only one The Diner) that serves pancakes... But in the end they still don't taste quite the same... There's somthing missing.
Mind you, I might just be missing the amazing company of my Jersey girls but honestly, I think the pancakes just aren't as good here (the same way I don't think mozzarella is as good in Jersey as it is in Florence lol).

Baked Omelette AMAZINGNESS

I mean, I guess it's not just pancakes I miss. It's good, amazing breakfast foods in general.  Italians aren't big on big filling breakfast and brunches. They do the expresso and a pastry thing. Which, mind you... I LOVE! But still on a Sunday morning I wake up at around 11 wanting Brunch.
Eggs, pancakes, bacon. You know, the standards!
I was already having cravings when my besties back in Jersey met up with my mother for brunch. Kindly Sherna took pictures of the food... I am jealous... I WANT BRUNCH...

Eggs Benedict

I want crispy bacon, and poached runny-ish eggs...
I want pancakes like woah. Yeah....
So I think this coming weekend I may attempt to make myself an American-ish brunch. I'll make a western omelette.. and hopefully I'll be able to get a hold of some yummy bacon (pancetta is delicious but most certainly not the same lol).

My mom and the amazing crispy bacon...

Oh cravings...

~Raspberry Truffle

Frozen Pizza Take 1

While living here in Florence I generally only eat pizza in restaurants, made by real Italians, preferably real Neapolitans. Hey, if it's a realistic option, why not? If and when I ever make it to the states I am going to be seriously spoiled!
But tonight, my new roommates (4 Italian girls from all over Italy) convinced me to do frozen pizza. Let me tell you, after the amazing Neapolitan pizza from Gusta Pizza the night before, frozen pizza did not sound overtly appealing.
But I let them talk me into it, and began to come up with the perfect scheme to make my ordinary frozen pizza margherita more interesting. I would not be having plain, boring, frozen pizza from a box. Granted, it's still not the same as freshly made pizza... but it's something :)

Spicy Cheese pizza
What you need:
1 frozen pizza (your favorite brand)
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes to taste
Olive Oil
1/4 of an onion diced
1 clove of garlic diced

Bake your cheese pizza in the oven according to the box instructions.
In a skillet caramelize the onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes for some kick.
When the pizza is done, cover with parmesan cheese and then drizzle the spicy onion mixture on top while still hot, which should melt the parmesan.
Eat subito!!


Simple, but definitely added some punch to my frozen pizza.
I really do love being creative with my food. I can think of a lot of variations and things to add to frozen pizza to make it fresher and more delicious, and a lot less like it came out of a box.

~Raspberry Truffle

Restaurant Review: Baldovino (Firenze)

The cozy comfort and elegance of Baldovino

There are so many wonderful things I can say about Baldovino.  I've been going to this restaurant since 2006, the first time I studied in Florence and in 2011 I'm still going back.
I don't remember who told me about Baldovino but there's a lot to be said about this little restaurant tucked away behind the Dante Statue right next door to Santa Croce.
The restaurant is beautiful with beautiful colors and a very warm homey feel. When you first enter the restaurant seems small, but if you walk further back there are several other spacious rooms away from the main door. 
The waiters are friendly and always willing to speak Italian or English whichever your preference. As a first time visitor expect a menu in English! It vaguely bothers me, but I understand the impulse. Now that I've gone so often, that I call the waiters by name and get greeted with kisses and the general "how are yous?" and the occassional scolding of "You haven't been here in forever!" So they know to give me the menu in Italian.
However, for most first timers English menu and then the amazing waiters will ask which language you'd prefer to hear the specials (I mean honestly, even if I wasn't fluent in Italian I'd ask for the Italian! It makes everything sound so gorgeous and fluid and although the waiters' English is not generally bad, there is a certain amount of chopiness that comes with speaking your non-native language).
The menu is fairly large with antipasti, primi, secondi and pizza (plus of course desserts and such!). Now, I'm a creature of habit. I always get pizza when I go to Baldovino and I very rarely stray from my usuals.
Of the antipasti, I believe I've only tried their Tuscan-style Hummus, but it's to die for and if you're really hungry, you should definitely go for it!
Believe it or not, I've never gotten pasta or meat at this restaurant, although my mother and many of my friends have tried various dishes. I've heard nothing but good things and the menu rotates with the seasons. If you're in Florence during the winter months, I would seriously suggest trying something involving cinghiale (wild boar), rabbit or duck.
And now onto pizza!  I have tried many of the Baldovino pizzas, although I inevitably always go back to my two favorites.

Pizza Fiorentina

The first pizza I ever tried at Baldovino, back in 2006 was the Pizza Fiorentina.  It's still one of my favorites and I can't describe just how much I love this pizza. Delicious white pizza (no tomato sauce) with mozzarella, ricotta, spinach and an egg cracked and backed on top to gooey perfection. Egg on pizza? Yes, I know it sounds kind of strange, but honestly the egg is what makes this pizza special. The egg is essentially baked to the point of over easy, so you wind up with something similar to the consistency of eggs benedict. The egg yolks are just runny enough to blend perfectly with delicious tastes of cheese and spinach. It's light yet filling, so perfect for a Friday night meal with a glass of red wine.

Pizza Giardiniera

My second favorite pizza and the one I have continually gotten the last few months at Baldovino is the Pizza Giardiniera, or the garden pizza. It utilizes a small amount of tomato sauce and lots of fresh mozzzarella but the calling card of this pizza are the fresh vegetables lightly cooked on top. It has fresh peppers (either red or yellow), slices of red ripe tomato, red onions, mushrooms and black olives (that I either give to friends or request not put on my pizza since I don't eat olives). It's another refreshing and healthy pizza that makes me smile. It doesn't hurt that the pizza is absolutely gorgeous to look at as well. Also for this particular pizza, I usually request olio piccante (spicy olive oil) to drizzle on top because the slight heat is quite complimentary to the other ingredients.

If I'm with friends I love to end my meal with dessert! My favorite is the chocolate cake. It's dark chocolate smooth richness on a plate and is covered in homemade whipped cream, usually accompanied by fresh strawberries. Mmmm... I just made myself hungry.

La Torta Cioccolata: Perfect to share with friends

Finish off your meal with an expresso or even better a limoncello!

~Raspberry Truffle

So you have to wonder...

I absolutely had to laugh reading my last post... Part of me really wants to go back and edit it, but I'm just a little too lazy. Plus, it's far more comical like that. I come off as a hyperactive advertiser! Which I'm not normally, but for some reason I got really happy about my salad that day.  Sometimes I just get happy about my food and get a little silly.

That's my excuse. No need to wonder about my sanity.  I swear!

But I also realized as I read through the post, that I probably wouldn't be so hyperactive about food if I wrote here more often.  So I'm going to try to post more often again. Goodness knows I take enough pictures of food! So I have plenty I can post about.

~Raspberry Truffle

Let's talk SALAD

The beauty of a healthy salad for lunch

serious nutritious yummyness

So I know quite a few people who think that salads are boring and unappetizing... But really, that's not true!

Who says a salad can't be delicious and gorgeous, and just as much fun as other foods?

Yes, plain lettuce is a boring salad. So dress it up! Add in beautiful colors with other veggies and proteins. Keep it simple, healthy and nutritious with fresh ingredients.

I've been on a bit of a health kick recently and decided that salad would be a great lunch option... But only if I could figure out a way to make my salad delicious and well, not boring.

So, the salad that I perpetually go back to is healthy (and gorgeous, if I do say so myself!) and packed with all sorts of beneficial nutrients.

Spread out on a larger plate in all its colorful glory (here with Romaine lettuce)

I used arugula (although, if you don't enjoy the slightly bitter taste, I would use Romaine or even regular lettuce for a more mild taste). I then added corn, freshly sliced tomatoes, and a hard boiled egg (although some of my Jersey girls insist that one egg just isn't enough for a salad lunch xp). A little salt, pepper and oregano and then dressed with a drizzle of Italy's finest olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And that's only one variation!  If you don't like hard-boiled egg (I know it's kind of particular), I sometimes add chickpeas to my salad for protein kick! If avocados are in season, I love to add half of one for some healthy fat to the mix (yes I know, quite the conundrum, healthy fat... lol). Beets could add a kick of color and sweetness. Red onions also work (although I prefer my onions sauteed and juicy). If you're bored of normal lettuce varieties, fresh spinach is a wonderful substitution! OOooo Also, never forget the power of adding cheesy yumminess! Mozzarella, swiss, gouda, feta, ricotta, and so forth and so on.  Or nuts!  I love to add walnuts to my salads! And others tell me almonds and peanuts are great additions as well (I dislike both varieties sooo I'll stick to my walnuts!).
But you can always go further out of the box and create an amazing salad with ingredients you wouldn't think to put in a salad. Like fruit!  I love adding fresh rasperries or strawberries to my salads. And sliced apples or pears work wonderfully if you're also using nuts!  Oranges make a great juicy addition too. (There's an amazing Sicilian salad that I'll have to write up a recipe for using only fennel, onions and blood oranges! It's gorgeous and delicious!!)

As for dressings, I mean really, the options are limitless!  I mean there are your creamy Italians, drool worthy Russians, saucy Frenches... wait... I may have just gone off on a tangent... I'm describing salad dressing, NOT men... :P
Yes, so, as I was saying dressings. There's the stuff you buy in jars and then you can always get creative and make your own. Add a little dijon mustard to your balsamic and olive oil for a little tang. Sometimes heating up some honey to drizzle on top is also amazing (My friend Kim makes this wonderful dressing by melting feta, honey, olive oil, and pine nuts all together in the oven before serving the amazing concoction over arugula and pears).

And now that I've successfully given myself a salad craving, I'm off!

~Raspberry Truffle