Traveling to the Food

The Culture

While reading an article on Tuscan woman cook, they discuss cooking perfect pasta.

Four couples took their journey around Italy to experience the culture and the quality food that comes with Italy. The combination of rest and relaxation, good food, cultural experience is a recipe for a good trip. Furthermore the couples were introduced to locals cooking instructors, who in turn gave them the Italian experience.  Dale Curry explains how the cooking in this experience goes hand in hand with the culture. She writes:

With a view of the medieval village of Montefollonico on the next hilltop, Giger and friends spent mornings in the kitchen of an 18th century manor house on a farm named Belagaggio. Located 45 minutes southeast of Siena, the house and several stone cottages were converted to accommodate cooking classes with living quarters meeting comfortable hotel standards but with the feeling of being in someone’s home.

Curry shows how the trip incorporates the culture through out the entire adventure in Italy. I think this is quality way to encounter the Italian culture, while I believe Italian cooking is strongly influenced by the Italian culture. Furthermore, this would an informing journey for me. Already, I am just thinking about the Italian experience and how it would be a Blast!

The Cooking

This article shows how this blog is Relevant! Building on this point, I can reveal my second cooking tasks, Baked Ziti. For this recipe, my goal was to keep it as cheesy as possible. For this reason I allowed the ricotta took the lead and the mozzarella tided up the loose ends. Normally I use a larger about of meat, however I wanted to see how powerful the cheese could be. Well I can say it did a great job. I tested the Ziti out on my friend, who lives and dies by ground beef (FYI I used ground turkey). Surprisingly, he enjoys the new direction I took. 

Normally, my mom cooks her baked ziti with meat having the leading role. This was the first time I cooked the ziti without her guidance. I can say I did a pretty decent job. Not to mention, I thought it tasted somewhat close to the way hers taste.

Until the next meal...

Small Steps into Italian Cooking

Spaghetti is clearly a basic Italian meal. While being a very widely used meal, it is prepare it rather differently depending on who you are.

While on the journey to the first dish, Spaghetti, forced me to think of some different way I've seen spaghetti used. The one that stood out to me oddly the dish is used as a quick "cheap" meal. In addition, spaghetti is used to get through hard times for some families. In short people use spaghetti as a convenient meal that is inexpensive. 

Originally in Italian culture the sauce and noodles are left separate until preparing to make the plate. The creativity in cooking, as we discussed in the last post, is essential. With respect to this last statement, the drifting away from the original way of preparing spaghetti shouldn't be done. 

Picture yourself walking into the cafeteria as you approach the counter, you see spaghetti, it is the noodles with the sauce. What is the first thing that runs through your head? How long has that been sitting there? 

Or maybe you'll think about every time they scrap a scoop of spaghetti, the noodles are now all chopped up, while the flavor of the sauce seeps into the noodles. 

When cooking spaghetti obviously you boil your water, season the meat, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. However, when you start to get to the point of making your plate, it is effective to mix the sauce and the noodles prior to preparing the actual plates. For instance if you have a large family then it is helpful for you to mix the sauce due to the fact that you can stretch the food more. For example, when there are big greedy males in the home, you have to extend a meal, money maybe tight. 

The Point

On one hand you have those who leave the noodles and the sauce together for the convenience I just discussed above.  On the other hand there are the people that stick with the guidelines of Italian food, and mix the sauce and noodles when needed. I disagree with mixing the spaghetti up due to the fact that when the sauce sits in the noodles, the food does not taste as fresh.

Accordingly, I cooked my spaghetti with the influence of the Italian food. 

Be Creative With Your Cooking!

I did some reading on Italian Cooking. What is it exactly? Where did it start? 

I was surprisingly shocked at my findings. Anna Maria Volpi, clearly explains how the history of Italian cooking is rich, while having a strong sense of diversity. 

My whole life I have heard it said that cooking is difficult. This in reality is the one reason I've delayed my cooking experience. Not to get off topic, while it isn't hard to believe, it is only true to some extent. Cooking is much like anything else we do, practice makes it better. With that being said cooking implies a sense of creativity. 

"Many non-Italians identify Italian cooking with a few of its most popular dishes, like pizza and spaghetti. People often express the opinion that all Italian cooking is pretty much alike. However, those who travel through Italy notice differences in eating habits between cities, even cities only a few miles apart. Not only does each region have its own style, but each community and each valley has a different way of cooking as well."

- Anna Maria Volpi "What is Italian Cooking"

It is evident that this statement rains true in a number of cases:

1. Recall the way your mom's macaroni tastes, Now think about how your aunt's macaroni taste.I'm guessing DIFFERENT?
2. Cooking calls for an imagination beyond the recipe. (the recipe is just a guide line) 
3. I've noticed while reading this article, Italian cooking originated from diversity. So lets be different.

I wholeheartedly endorse that cooking calls for a sense of personality. To put it in another way, NO ONE COOKS EXACTLY THE SAME! This goes back to my example of your mother and your aunt.

Volpi makes it very clear that Italian cooking has progressed over time and I believe mine ( and yours) will follow that pattern. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE...makes it better!

As I start on this adventure, this is one thought I will keep in mind (AND I HOPE YOU DO THE SAME).  

Welcome to my World

So... I think I'm in love with cooking. Its crazy I continue to find myself in the kitchen, not to mention looking at interesting recipes on food network. My mom and grandmother have to think I'm using them for their cooking knowledge...well maybe there is some truth behind that. On the other hand food gives me an excuse to call them constantly, so I'll go with that if needed. 

Blogging is new to me, hopefully I can learn to make sense to someone other than myself (i.e. rambling). I want to cooking Italian food, so that's what I'm going to do. As I embark on this adventure, I hope your feedback can be an effective tool for me. 

BASICALLY...TELL ME what you think, give me your honest opinion. 

I need your help on this project as I try and cook some Italian food. I'm excited for you to come with me on my journey to a wonderful world of cooking. 

SO ....LETS COOK!