The most impact…

The most impactful pizza experience I’ve had yet took place in the hot & humid back room of a pizzeria in a small town in Cilento, surrounded by half a dozen Italian family members running their business as they do every night – the Classic Italian Old School Pizzeria.

It was living a twilight-like dream. There was the Grandmother, calling the shots & dressed in a white cap & olive green dress, with twice the energy of her grandson (who she introduced us to — he’s sixteen & single in case you were wondering). There was the grumpy “baker,” heaving round disks of dough covered in fine toppings into an old-school large flat oven, a tad flustered by this crowd of glassy-eye Americans invading his workplace. There was the proud hotel-owner-turned-pizzeria-family-member-by-way-of-marriage-in-some-kind-of-confusing-very-Italian-way. There were the Aunts & the Customers & the rebellious Niece. The head honcho, who has since passed away, her photo framed in gold & displayed with such pride you can feel it in each sweaty bead that back-oven makes.

It was a joy. & the pizza! Oh, the pizza. If only I hadn’t eaten so much that day. If only I wasn’t stuffed to the gills before making my way to this lovely little place. & yet, & yet, I made the room. I ate the red pepper pie. & the classic margarita. & the artichoke salad pie. It was tough. It was worth it. The Grandmother, the ruler of it all — she had a sparkle in her eye you buy plane tickets to Italy to witness firsthand. Few are so lucky to see women like this in action — commanding the kitchen, force-feeding Americans she met ten minutes earlier as if they were her own blood.

It makes eating all the better. Really, it does.

And this pizza — oh my, how authentic it was! Authentic Italian pizza, in Italy no less. Can you imagine? Thick, doughy, fresh out of the oven. Dense & packed with flavor, rustic & warm.

Travel to Italy. Deal with the schlepping of the luggage. The time zones. The lack of ice. Deal with all of it for this moment, this Grandmother kissing you on each cheek as you leave her family’s ancient pizzeria with your soul filled right up to the brim. Surrender your waistline, ladies. It’s worth it.

The Dinner Party; a Rite of Passage

Well, I’ve attended a formal sit-down dinner party hosted by friends. It’s a first. To most I’m sure it seems silly to consider this a “rite of passage” of sorts, but honestly, knowing I’ve reached an age where we can just put together a three-course meal complete with vino has to count for something. Are you with me?

The food was divine. My friend Ben is a fantastic cook, and served as Head Chef for the night, putting together a menu of homemade pies, (chicken & lobster) sautéed broccoli rabe, onion bread, savory rice & even homemade donuts.

We all agreed: the Lobster Pie stole the show. All at once comforting & elegant, the lobster itself was just tender enough, & not at all chewy. The homemade pie crust was just dense enough, just flaky enough, and all around begged the loot of us for seconds. (Please note: Ben schlepped himself to a seafood market to get live lobsters for the pie!) He’s a serious cook. Not sure I’m quite ready to kill a couple of double-clawed sea creatures just yet, but kudos to Ben for making dinner all the better!

He kindly shared his recipe, which I’ve posted down below.

A friend brought her fantabulous edamame-beet-goat cheese salad, & I toted spinach & artichoke dip, hot out of the oven.

 

The last course: It went out with  a bang – homemade cinnamon sugar donuts! We gave ourselves a few minutes to rest after the main course, then watched as Ben plop pieces of fried dough into a vat of hot oil. My inner foodie was giddy! How I love homemade donuts…He shared this recipe too, stay posted for it!

All in all, it was a great night of food & fun, complete with late-night laughter & plans for future themed dinner parties (murder mystery, anyone?).

{Recipe}

Ben’s Lobster Pot Pie, adaptated from The Barefoot Contessa

{All You Need}

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)

1/2 cup chopped fennel (1 fennel bulb)

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups fish stock

1 tablespoon Brandy

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup half and half

3/4 pound cooked fresh lobster meat (about 3 medium lobsters)

1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

{Pastry}

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

8 tablespoons vegetable shortening

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or heavy cream, for egg wash

Directions:

Saute the onions and fennel with the butter in a large saute pan on medium heat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Port, salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the half and half.

Cut the lobster meat into medium-sized cubes. Place the lobster and parsley in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the mixture and check the seasonings. Set aside.

{Crust}

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the lard and butter and pulse 10 times, until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each half to fit a 9 or 9 1/2-inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Place 1 crust in the dish, fill with the lobster mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with the egg wash. Make 4 or 5 slashes in the top crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Thanks for Stopping By!

-HerMoveableFeast-

Hanging with the Food People

On Sunday afternoon I made my way to the Washington Convention Center for the Metropolitan Cooking Show. Didn’t really know what to expect, seeing as it was my first food show. Metro Cooking boasted over 300 vendors, (i.e. 300+ free samples) a string of Food Network Stars (who cost far too much to see…I opted for a general admission ticket – no Paula for me), a cookware coated Christmas tree, & a guy in a turkey suit.

 {glimpse of paula from afar} 

Picture a massive room filled to the brim with cooking demos, cookware, & cooks. My friend & I showed up with goals to divide and conquer the room one free sample at a time, but by our third hour of grazing, my friend admitted he’d actually gotten sick of eating! I disagreed…but just barely.

What I ate (and enjoyed):

As I’ve already mentioned a dozen times, these cooking shows offer loads & loads of free samples. Primarily loads & loads of dips – Barbecue flavored, five-spice blended, mayo based, oil based. Dips were everywhere! I guess I was a sucker, ended up buying a few mixes from Heavenly Dips, their Memphis Ranch and Bacon Horseradish being the most notable. Feeling a dip-centric dinner party in my future…

 

Also fell in love with these edible flowers! Yes, these are real-life, garden-grown flowers. They’re crystalized & are the perfect cake topper…it took me a while to realize they weren’t molded from sugar. Such FOOD BEAUTY.

Another interesting food: CaviArt. Think caviar, but without the fish eggs. What? Yep, it’s made from different types of seaweed. Interesting stuff…

Also grabbed this holiday herb trio! The plants were only a dollar apiece, and have livened up my windowsill quite a bit!

 

I was happy to see the event had a few gluten-free vendors!

Thanks for stopping by!

-HerMoveableFeast-