2008

Avocados

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We’re totally obsessed with avocados lately.  Guacamole at least once a week at our house.  I can’t eat enough tortillas either.  Man, I love eating food that’s wrapped in those chewy white rounds.  Especially leftover guacamole and sliced turkey.  Oh, yum.

A couple of weeks ago (still working out of my February 2008 Bon Appetit until my new subscription kicks in [thanks Aunt Joan!]) I made the Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado.  An attempt to get avocado into the week in a new way…I couldn’t find baby spinach at the supermarket, so I just got regular spinach and turned the cold salad into a warm salad by wilting the spinach right before serving.  We happen to be going through a ginger addiction as well, so this salad had all our favorites.  Luca was skeptical when he saw the ingredients, but was begging for more at the end of the meal.

Becoming Jane

I was so excited to see Becoming Jane after hearing so much about it.  The Friday before last I decided to get myself a video rental card and was so excited when they had the film I’d been waiting to see for months.  But what a letdown.  It wasn’t anywhere near as good as I had been hoping!  Bummer.  I think perhaps I built it up too much in my mind, and it would have had to have been another Anne of Green Gables in order to live up to my expectations…

Vah beh.  Better luck next time.  It’s exciting to have my own movie card!

CioccolaTò & The Mole

On Sunday we went to Torino to experience their annual chocolate festival, CioccolaTò. I have to say, it wasn’t as impressive as I was hoping.  Torino has several famous chocolate making companies–Venchi, Streglio, Peyrano, etc. — and a couple new, smaller artisan producers like Giraudi are popping up now that the city is promoting its chocolate history.

There were a few free samples and lots of hot chocolate (too bad it was 70 degrees out!), but nothing really creative or new, at least in the stands that were in the main piazza.  Maybe next year I’ll have to check out the laboratories.

Afterwards we went to the Mole to check out the National Museum of Film.  There was lots to see and a sort of magic glass elevator that took you up to the top to see the few of Torino from above.  Groovy.

Educational Dining

On Tuesday night I went to a teaching dinner at Apro with some of my ex-colleagues from AlbaBarolo.  It was really fun, and the food was great.  Basically, once a month, the school invites a chef from a highly-respected restaurant to be a guest teacher for a day.  The chef comes up with a menu and explains the preparations to the students, who then work together with the chef to prepare the meal for 40 people.  Each dish (there are usually four or five courses) is paired with a wine from the region.  The wineries are invited to the dinner and present their wine at the beginning of each course.  Since Apro teaches front-of-the-house-management as well, the waiters & waitresses are all students.

The guest chef on Tuesday night was Massimo Dellaferrera from La Coccinella (the ladybug: what a coincidence!) in Serravalle Langhe.  I hadn’t been to his restaurant before, but after sampling his work at the school, I feel we’ll be visiting the restaurant itself soon.  Yummers! Here’s Tuesday’s dinner menu:

Ostriche al lardo con polenta e salsa allo spumante

Oysters wrapped in lardo (like prosciutto) with Polenta and Champagne Sauce

 –

Frisse di capocollo di maiale con verza e salsiccia

Shredded Capocollo with Cabbage and Sausage

Individual Lasagna filled with veal tripe, fresh tomatoes and parsley pesto 

Lasagnetta di trippa di vitello al pomodoro fresco e pesto di prezzemolo

– 

Roasted Duck Leg with braised Scallions 

Coscia d’anatra stracotta con scalogni brasati

– 

Soufflè di melighe e zabaione con sorbetto agli amaretti

Cornmeal soufflè with zabaione center served with Amaretti Cookie Sorbet

Wines

Piemonte DOC Spumante 2004 Pinot Nero – Aziena Agricola Castello di Neive – Neive

Barbera d’Alba DOC 2006 – Azienda Agricola Filippo Gallino – Canale

Barbaresco DOCG 2003 – Cantina Produttori del Barbaresco – Barbaresco

Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2007 – Azienda Agricola Bera – Neviglie

Valentine’s Day 2008

The Valentine’s Day party was a big hit! The last guests left at 3am…

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Valentine’s Day 2008
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Claudia shows off her sexy outfit–
note the fishnet stockings, lace gloves,
Southern Belle hat, and fur pimp daddy coat
Andrea & the Elephant Underwear
Andrea wins a special pair of elephant underwear
with googly eyes.
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Serena’s guess of how many conversation hearts
were in the jar was only 143 off!  (She was the closest)
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Yes, even Bruce Willis came to the party.

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Patrizia does a little dance.
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Paolo enjoys the Chicken Salad Patè a Choux Puffs. 
The Chicken salad had sundried tomatoes, apple, 
Spring onions and plenty of black pepper.
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Marco comes dressed as a porn star…
or is this his regular attire?
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Before the party…Claudia & Fabrizio enjoy the candlelight
 

Louisa
Louisa wore a sexy black satin outfit for the occasion.

The games were a big hit (for details see the Valentine’s Party Ideas page).  As was the chocolate fondue (with strawberries, bananas, brownies, and heart shaped cookies to dunk) and whipped cream in a can.  (I’m still enjoying the whipped cream in a can a week later…it’s amazing how much they fit into those little bottles!)

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