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...
I absolutly love baked ziti but don't ask me why. Though its made with the same ingredents as regular spagetti there seems to be something about baking it. I usually added a lot of hot sausage to mine but maybe I will give this "cheesy" recipe a try. I absoluty enjoyed being able to see the end result its what pushed me over the edge in terms of trying it.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try it with sausage...that sounds really good. I think the next one will be lasagna...any input??
ReplyDeleteOMG I am literally drooling right now, I love pasta and Baked Ziti happens to be one of my favorites! Growing up vegetarian all of the pasta dishes we ate were made with only cheese. Stuffed shells were made with cheese and spinach, ravioli was stuffed with cheese, lasagna was again all cheese. These dishes are just as good without meat belive it or not and there are even "fake" meats that you can use in these dishes that almost taste like the real thing. Not that you would ever want to do that but just a thought since you seem to be enjoying the more cheese/less meat recipe.
ReplyDeleteOk now I'm hungry, thanks!