
February 05, 2010

February 01, 2010


Later, after the dishes have been washed, the lunches for the following day have been made, we retire to the living room. I've got The Concise Gastronomy of Italy by Anna Del Conte in hand. I'm studying terms and techniques. I ask Roberto "Is this right?" I slide the book over, point to the word fondo, defined as cooking basics or juices, '...the mixture of flavourings that gives the dish its particular flavour.'
Much later, I dream. I dream in Italian. Can this be? I am speaking, quite emphatically—gesturing with my hands, and understanding.
Morning arrives with a flourish. I am up early, milling San Marzano tomatoes and chopping garlic before heading off to work...
January 31, 2010

January 24, 2010




January 20, 2010

January 16, 2010


January 13, 2010

Okay, I did a little research and found some recipes for pasta with sardines. I think this is what we should eat tonight. We'll make it like we make pasta with tuna. And a nice sprinkling of toasted bread crumbs to finish it off. I'm thinking this will be the next post.
01/12/10 02:12 PM
That sounds good. :)
Something to look forward to. I would need a plentiful bowl sprinkled with freshly toasted bread crumbs. A nice glass of cabernet. Some olives to pick at here and there between bites. A nice dusting of parmesan. Rapturous delight.
Once home, it was a flurry of methodical prep.
Garlic, shallot and parsley were chopped. A tin of sardines, opened. Water on the burner to boil. A half lemon at the ready. A bottle of white, a grigio. The salt, the pepper, the crushed red pepper, the extra virgin olive oil.
Roberto pulled fettuccine from the cupboard. "I think we're running low on pasta." He said, jokingly.
"I know. I'm starting to worry." I replied, jokingly.
We crack ourselves up.
Roberto dropped the pasta into the boiling, salted water, and gave it a quick stir. He proceeded to ignite another burner, doused the pan with a generous shot of olive oil, the garlic, shallot, and crushed red pepper. Once this was sufficiently heated, he added in the sardines which he proceeded to break apart with tongs.
Parsley.
A nice splash of white wine.
A healthy squeeze of lemon juice.





















