post_vacation food.

so i haven't felt the need to blog since the conclusion of the trip updates..
but for the sake of updating.. more from the kitchen of madam issa.

upon returning from vacation, our kitchen and cupboards were bare, besides whatever was already in the freezer, and i had to return to work the next day, so T had to pick up groceries for the week. For vegetables he picked up what was fresh.. which was only carrots and mushrooms. go figure.

above we have an osso bucco with funghi al tartufo orzo, beef shank braised in red wine, herbs, carrots and mushrooms with a side of mushroom orzo.

just back from italy and we could never tire from italian food, i made a ribollita later on in the week as well.. but it doesn't photograph quite as well. and for father's day i made fettuccine with assorted mushrooms and truffle oil, beef braciole, caprese salad, and a side of sauted spinach. again sorry for the lack of photos.

below:
a) cornish hen with an apricot glaze and a side or roasted carrots and mushrooms
b) beef and chicken fajitas! i had a craving.
c) penne rigate with italian sausage and mushroom vodka sauce.

London.

best foods: indian cuisine

London. Our quick visit with family was just that, too quick. It would be nice if we could have had a longer stay and sightsee a bit more here. But for the stay we did have it was grand. Once we got back here after Italy, I was so used to saying Grazi! and Ciao! to everyone that I had to hold back to urge.. it was fun while it lasted. Cheers!



ofcourse we were mainly in London to see this cutie (no not ewan)...

Roma.

When in Rome...
we pretty much tried to squeeze in as much of the italian experience in 2 weeks, and i'd have to say we did a pretty good job. and finally we were in rome, and seeing the roman ruins from the Colosseum to the Caesar Forum was simply amazing and just being in a big city that is just sooo different from any big city anywhere else in the world.

Vatican City.

Vatican City, from the vatican museum to St. Peter's Basilica...
a beauty beyond words.

Assisi.

Assisi. Home of St. Francis. Another beautiful city with even better views, unfortunately for us, it was raining the majority of the time we were here. despite the rain and cold weather we started our short trek to st. francis basilica, where the clouds decided to disperse if only for a few hours. 'shhhhh silenzie.'

the best foods: piccione (pigeon)

Orvieto.

This was my favorite town of the trip. I really liked how the town was very medieval and renaissance-like. the views of the countryside was outstanding. and the minimal amount of tourists here was also a major plus. it was just amazing and relaxing to experience such a town. it also happened that we were in town when they were having their annual pentecost celebration, specifically we were there for the festa della palombella. the town was full of locals as the paraded towards the duomo, so we joined in and got to see the 'wood pigeon' descend to the duomo followed by an explosion of fireworks. this is where i begin my truffle obsession.

the best foods: spaghetti al tartufo (pasta with black truffle), cinghiale (stewed wild boar)

Siena.

siena. the first hilltown stop of the trip. a beautiful town, with a bountiful amount of tourists. our room was in an old building with chateau doors. the room key was enormous. the husband played paparazzi here.


the best foods: cognilio (roasted bunny)