Shoot First Eat Later

Recipe: Squid Ink Risotto

I was planning a Spanish themed dinner for my birthday and wanted to serve squid ink paella. I never had luck making paella. The soccorat (crunchy bits at the bottom of the pan) always eludes me. Since I find making risotto easier and something I can make in advance I searched for a recipe online and found this. I hit the jackpot with this simple recipe with outstanding results.

Although risotto and paella are both rice dishes that use short grain rice the main difference is how it’s cooked. Making paella you pour in the broth or water on the rice and don’t touch it until it’s cooked. When you make risotto you pour in hot broth in intervals and keep stirring until the rice is tender and creamy.

I bought the bottle of squid ink, Tinta Calamar brand at Terry’s Podium. The recipe called for plum tomatoes and I used canned whole tomatoes instead. For the white wine I used Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

When cooking squid you either cook it really fast or really long to achieve really tender squid. Anything in between you will get tough and rubbery squid.

Sauté the onions, garlic and celery until tender. Add canned tomatoes, squid, white wine and the herbs. I only used thyme since I couldn’t find the other herbs fresh.

Add the squid ink and simmer for 90 minutes. Yes 1 1/2 hours and I promise you super tender and delectable squid.

This is what it looks like after 90 minutes and the white wine has reduced and slightly thickened concentrated sauce that’s full of flavor.

The squid cooked in squid ink can also be used as a pasta sauce or simply eaten with white rice. Set the squid aside and cook the risotto.

The most important thing when making risotto is to have the stock simmering the whole time.

Cook the rice in olive oil until lightly toasted. I omitted the butter and parmesan from the original recipe since I believed the dish didn’t need it.

Add a ladle of hot broth to the rice and stir until most of the stock has been absorbed. Add another ladleful of stock.

Add the cooked squid to the rice and mix well.

Since I made this risotto one day before my dinner party I kept 3 cups of stock and stopped cooking at this point. Cool the risotto mixed with the cooked squid and store in the refrigerator. A few minutes before I was going to serve this I heated the risotto and continued adding the remaining 3 cups of hot stock one ladle at a time.

So easy to make and it was delicious! It didn’t need lemon or aioli like squid ink paella does. It was good just as it is. I have to say the leftovers tasted even better the next day.

I loved it and I think my friends did too. Hey friends, did you like it?

Squid Ink Risotto
serves 12-14 hungry people
adapted from Chubby Hubby’s recipe

Squid cooked in Squid Ink
1 kg cleaned squid
olive oil
1 large celery rib, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can whole tomatoes
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine
200 g finely chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsely, oregano and thyme)
salt and pepper
2 T squid ink

Risotto
1 onion, finely diced
750 g arborio rice
2 liters (8 cups) chicken stock
1 batch of the squid cooked in squid ink
20 ml dry white wine
salt and pepper

For the squid:
Cut the cleaned squid into small pieces. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onion, and garlic, and cook until soft and golden but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the squid. Stir the squid, cooking it evenly for a few minutes. Add the wine and herbs and bring the liquid to the boil. Set heat to low and add the squid ink. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for about 90 minutes until the squid is tender.

For the risotto:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Sauté the onion and cook until soft but not browned. Add the rice, stirring it for a minute or two until lightly toasted. Add the dry white wine, stirring continuously. Turn the heat to low and add one ladleful of the stock. Stir constantly. When the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladleful of stock, then add the squid that you made earlier. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Then add another ladleful of stock. Continue adding stock whenever the liquid has been absorbed. When the rice is soft but al dente and all the liquid has been absorbed it’s done. Serve hot.

Recipe: Croquetas de Pollo y Chorizo (Chicken & Chorizo Croquettes)

Croquetas (croquettes) are one of the most popular tapas in Spanish restaurants. The kinds of fillings you can use are endless. From chicken to salmon and even Spam. It’s also a great dish to make in advance. You can make a whole batch and keep them in the freezer and just fry as you need them.

Most of the croquetas I’ve eaten in Manila have fillings that are too finely cut that I couldn’t even taste what meat was used. Also some are to rich without much flavor. This is my version of the croquetas and it addresses my two pet peeves.

One of the main ingredients for this dish is chicken breast. It’s important not to over cook the chicken making it hard and rubbery. The best method is to gently poach it. I will also be using the chicken stock for this recipe. I didn’t use all the chicken breast on this plate.

Two pieces of chorizo were sufficient for giving the chicken a flavor burst.

I used a food processor to cut up the chicken. You can also chop it by hand. This size is good and not any smaller. By chopping the chicken this size you can actually taste the chicken and feel the texture when eating the croquetas.

I cut the chorizo a little bigger and rendered the fat by heating it in a non stick pan without oil.

chorizo bits

Combine the chicken and chorizo bits in a large bowl and set aside.

Spanish croquetas are made with a thick bechamel sauce and not mashed potatoes. Some may think it’s mashed potatoes probably because of the super fine cut of the filling which I detest. There are some croquetas that use mashed potatoes but it’s not the same as Spanish croquetas.

I used the oil from the chorizo and olive oil (not extra virgin) and sautéed chopped onions. Add the flour and let it cook until bubbles form. Add milk and stock. Whisk til thick and smooth.

Most recipes I found on the internet used only milk. By adding chicken stock the sauce was more flavorful and less rich but still very creamy.

Spoon the sauce into the chicken mixture and not the other way around.

Your mixture should not be too dry or too wet. Any extra sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Just make more filling and use the sauce for a new batch of croquetas. Refrigerate this mixture until it hardens a bit.

Form the croquetas into cylinders and set aside.

Dip the croquetas in flour, egg then panko bread crumbs.

At this point the croquetas are ready to be fried or you can freeze the them which I did a week before my dinner party. When the croquetas are frozen you can transfer them into a zip top bag and store in the freezer for months.

Poached Chicken Breast
2 – 3 chicken breasts
water
1 bay leaf

Place chicken breasts in a small pot. Arrange them in a single layer. Add enough water just to cover chicken breasts. Add a bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce heat to low so that the water is barely at a simmer. Cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat completely and allow chicken to remain in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Keep cover on the pot.

Croquetas de Pollo y Chorizo (Chicken & Chorizo Croquettes)
makes about 30 pieces

4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped (not too fine)
2 cups chorizo, chopped

Bechamel Sauce:
1 onion minced
1/4 cup olive oil plus chorizo oil
2 cups milk (fresh or low fat)
1 cup chicken stock (canned or from poached chicken)
1/2 cup flour
nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Coating:
eggs
flour
panko breadcrumbs

Procedure:
1. Chop cooked chicken breast into about 1/4″ pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Chop chorizo and sauté in a pan without oil for a few minutes until the fat has rendered.
3. Add chorizo to chicken in the bowl.

Bechamel Sauce
1. Heat the oil and chorizo fat in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until soft but not brown.

2. Turn the heat down and gradually stir in the flour and cook gently, stirring regularly with a whisk until it loses its raw flavor. This should take about 8–10 minutes.

3. Gradually add milk and stock beating it in well with a whisk until you have a smooth paste. Cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add some nutmeg and pepper. Taste the sauce if it needs salt.

Making the croquetas:
1. Add sauce to the chicken and chorizo mixture. Add just enough sauce so the mixture is not too wet. Let it cool then refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to handle.

2. Take a spoonful of the cold chicken mixture and form into small cylinders using your hands.

3. Put the beaten egg, flour and breadcrumbs in individual containers. Dip the croquetas in flour then into the egg and finally roll in panko breadcrumbs.

4. Heat the olive oil (not extra virgin) in a large pan to 350F or 180C or until it begins to shimmer. Fry the croquetas in batches for a couple of minutes until golden brown. Reheat the oil after every batch so all the croquetas will be crisp. Transfer into a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

5. Serve hot with aioli (a quick version is to add chopped garlic to mayonnaise) or sweet chili sauce (not Spanish but yummy).

Other croquetas fillings: (you can even mix and match ingredients)

chicken and spinach

ham

tuna

bacalao

salmon

bacon & cheese

ground beef
Spam (I’ve actually eaten Spam croquetas & they were good!)

Spanish Themed Birthday Dinner

I cook only once or twice a year. This year the first time was last month when I treated my friends for my birthday celebration. For dinner I decided on a Spanish theme to reminisce on all the wonderful tapas and Spanish food I ate on my recent trip to Spain.

One of our favorite discoveries in Spain was the boquerones or anchovies marinated in vinegar. I did so much research trying to find out what anchovies were in Filipino. With Rochelle’s help and her marketing skills she found these big dilis in the market and that’s what I used.

This could be served plain as pictured above but I sprinkled some crunchy chili garlic on top for more flavor. My friends loved this. I had to refill the plate twice.

boquerones (anchovies marinated in vinegar)

In Spain I noticed a lot of tapas were made with small pieces of bread with different toppings. I bought baguette from Lartizan in Santi’s deli and toasted them until crisp and spread three citrus marmalade and thin slices of Manchego cheese (also from Santi’s). Fig jam would also taste good.

bread topped with three citrus marmalade & manchego cheese

I encountered this yummy combination of chocolate and chorizo at Beso Cucina Vinoteka and replicated it using Crumpy chocolate spread (or Nutella) and the Joselito Bellota Iberico chorizo I bought in Spain.

bread topped with chocolate spread & chorizo

I’ve had some really bad croquetas in Manila and Spain and I was determined to make mine better. I must say based on my friends’ reaction and consumption I succeeded. Recipe to follow.

croquetas de pollo y chorizo (chicken & chorizo croquettes)

My cook actually made this. Just sauté garlic in olive oil, add shrimp, red pepper flakes, pimenton or paprika, splash of white wine and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Easy peasy.

gambas al ajilo

What’s a Spanish dinner without sangria?

sangria

Caprese salad is an Italian dish and Rochelle’s favorite discovery in Rome so she made this simple salad made with mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, basil leaves, pine nuts and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. So simple but delicious.

caprese salad

Instead of cochinillo I served my new favorite Chinese roasted duck from Annapolis Seafood Palace. Yes it’s not Spanish but who cares?

roasted duck

I bought a whole slab of frozen beef belly or short plate from Unimart and tried my hand at roasting it using El Cirkulo’s recipe. It turned out pretty good!!!

slow roasted beef belly

I served horseradish and mustard with the steak. No gravy needed. I also brought out a bottle of Whisk onion balsamic marmalade and my friends just loved the sweet, tangy onions with the steak. It’s a match made in food heaven.

photo from Whisk’s Facebook page

I don’t have luck making paella and I did try making squid ink paella one week before. It didn’t pass my taste test so I looked for a squid ink risotto recipe and it turned out wonderful. It almost tasted as good as my favorite paella in Barcelona. Recipe to follow.

squid ink risotto

I saw these ridiculously simple dessert wontons on Donna Hay’s show and it was just super delicious.

Chocolate and Cinnamon Wontons

The cheese plate below contained manchego cheese in olive oil (in bowl) from Terry’s, fig bar from Montserrat, apricots, dates, nuts and my latest discovery cassava lace cookies from Cassava Creme.

A pack of 20 super thin cookies cost only P100 and it’s sooooo good. Crisp, buttery and with a texture similar to oatmeal but using cassava. Really ingenious.

Cassava Lace cookies

I also served cheese, langka and macapuno cassava tarts also from Cassava Creme.

I was given one of my favorite cakes from Becky’s Kitchen.

Becky’s Kitchen prune cake

Debbie gave me a box of mini cakes from Shangri-La Makati’s Sinfully Circles bakeshop. I didn’t even know they had such good French cakes.

cakes from Sinfully by Shangri-La Makati at Greenbelt 5

My favorite was the green tea opera cake.

green tea opera cake

I was so excited to hang a flag I found in my luggage from Europe since I thought it was a flag of Spain. It was only Pat who asked, “isn’t that a flag of Italy?” And since no one believe her I didn’t take it down. Silly me.

my victims, este, friends

Only Debbie loved my fat dachshund, Coffee.

Debbie & Coffee

Almost all the food I served was prepared one to two days in advance. Only the steak was roasted on the same day. Even the risotto was half cooked the day before and I just finished it when my guests were ready for the main course.

Here are some of the recipes. Others will be posted tomorrow.

Boquerones
1 kilo fresh anchovies or dilis
White wine vinegar
Extra Virgin olive oil
Garlic, smashed
Salt (optional)

1. Remove head and tail of the fish. Discard innards and bones and rinse well.
2. Pat fish fillet with paper towel to remove extra moisture.
3. Place a layer of anchovy fillets in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with salt and pour white wine vinegar over fish until well covered. Add smashed garlic on top of the fish. You can put as little or as much as you want.
4. Soak in vinegar overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Pour off vinegar and rinse fish fillets gently in water.
6. Arrange fish fillets on a serving platter and pour extra virgin olive oil on top and serve. Top with crunchy garlic if desired.

Sangria
A bottle (750 mL) of red wine (I used Franzia wine in a box 😀 )
1 to 2 cans Sprite or 7up
1 shot (1 1/2 oz) brandy (optional)
1 lemon
1 orange
1 apple
1 lime (optional)
1/3 cup sugar, to taste
1 pitcher or larger drink container

1. Squeeze juice from orange and lemon into your pitcher then slice the fruit and toss it in the pitcher for more flavor depth.
2. Cut apple into small cubes and add to the pitcher. Add Sprite and brandy. Pour in the red wine. Add sugar to taste. Mix well. Refrigerate 24 to 48 hours before serving.

Slow Roasted Beef Belly (El Cirkulo)
1 pc. boneless beef belly or short plate, about 3-4 kg,
1/2 cup whole peppercorns, crushed
1/2 cup rock salt
2 heads of garlic, peeled and minced

1. Preheat oven to 280 degrees F.
2. Combine crushed peppercorns, salt and garlic into a paste. Rub on top of beef.
3. Place beef on a rack and onto a roasting pan. Place in oven. Cook at 280F for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.

IMPORTANT: oven temperature must be this low in order to break down the connective tissues of the beef resulting in a melt in your mouth succulent roast beef.

Leslie’s note: I used Kirkland’s Mediterranean sea salt & freshly ground tellicherry peppercorn for the spice mixture. I also added dried rosemary and fresh thyme to the mixture.

Chocolate and Cinnamon Wontons (Donna Hay)
16 wonton wrappers
2 tbsp butter, melted
16 small squares dark chocolate
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp fine sugar

Lindt dark chocolate (inverted)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush the edges of the wonton wrappers with a little butter and place a chocolate square on one half of each wrapper. Fold over the wrappers to enclose and press to seal.

2. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush wontons with butter and sprinkle with combined cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

I only release my inner Martha once a year since it’s a lot of work planning my menu, shopping for ingredients and cooking. But this year I think it was worth it since everything turned out well. I enjoyed eating the leftovers the next day even more. Happy birthday to me!

Sinfully by Makati Shangri-La
2nd Level, Greenbelt 5, Greenbelt
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: (+63 2) 729-6626
Facebook

Cassava Creme Royale
277 P. Guevarra Street, San.Juan City
8 Examiner St. West Triangle, Q.C.
telephone: 571-8677, 421-7353, 921-7197
Facebook

Florence: Salvatore Ferragamo Museum & Santa Maria Novella Train Station

On our last day in Florence Rochelle and I rushed to the Salvatore Ferragamo museum to see all the shoes they created for stars in the past.

The entrance fee was €5.

The museum had an exhibit that paid homage to Marilyn Monroe which lasts til January 28, 2013. We got to see the clothes she wore and the shoes Ferragamo created for her. What really caught our interest were her letters and journal entries which showed how smart she was.

Photography wasn’t allowed so this was the only picture I was able to take. If you’re going to Florence before January 28, 2013 I suggest visiting this museum and you’ll be fascinated with Marilyn like we were.

Before going shopping at the outlet our driver brought us to small ticket office to buy our train tickets to Rome.

There were several machines where you can buy tickets but nobody was using it. I tried to use it and a one way ticket to Rome cost about €50 so I joined the line to buy tickets.

The line wasn’t long and our one way, restricted (no changes possible) to Rome’s Termini cost only €29 for a first class seat. Now I know why people didn’t use the machines.

Before buying your ticket make sure you know the names of the station you will ride from and the station you will arrive at. Each city has several train stations. Find out which station is nearest your hotel to save time and money.

It’s a good thing we already had our train tickets when we arrived at the Santa Maria Novella (SMN) train station. If you will buy your ticket at this station make sure you arrive with enough time to your desired departure. You can check train schedules at TrenItalia’s website.

The trains are just beyond the doors.

There was a big store at the station with restaurants and food stuff you can buy.

They even had a salad bar.

These frozen coffee drinks are popular in Florence.

I saw these displays of Café Zero all over Piazza Duomo and I was curious to what it tasted like.

It’s a frozen drink that has the consistency of a thick milk shake crossed with granita. It was just ok for me. It had some kind of thickener added to it.

Café Zero Espresso €2.60

I wish we had Lavazza coffee vending machines in Manila too. Sosyal!

Lavazza vending machine

Sede Museo Salvatore Ferragamo
Piazza Santa Trinita 5 50123 Firenze
Tel 055 3562455/417/846
website

Florence: Trattoria La Madia

For our last meal in Florence we took a chance by randomly picking a restaurant that looked appealing to us. We were lucky it proved to be a good choice.

On our last night we just decided to walk around the city and look for a restaurant that looked authentic so we stayed away from the area near the Duomo. This area was still within walking distance though.

It’s funny but our criteria was simple. Did restaurant have enough diners and were those people Italians and not tourists like us? There were many restaurants in this area and we chose Trattoria La Madia.

Trattoria La Madia’s menu (click to enlarge)

Instead of bread there were packaged bread sticks. Not bad but we prefer good bread.

grissini

We all finally gave up on pasta so this will be a carb free post.

tomato salad €8

Sharon had this lovely veal dish.

lombatina di vitelia (veal steak) €16

Rochelle wanted to eat light so she just had this chickpea and mushroom soup with bread floating on top.

passato di ceci e funghi (chickpeas & mushroom soup) €9

I ordered stuffed chicken pie and was surprised when this came out. I guess it was a translation error but nevertheless I loved it.

coscia di pollo ripieno (stuffed chicken pie) €14

How can I not love chicken breast stuffed with spinach, prosciutto and gooey mozzarella cheese?

Trattoria La Madia
Via del Giglio 14 50126 – Florence, Italy
telephone: (0039) 055-218 563
website

Florence: Robiglio

I wish we had more days to try out all the coffee and sweets shops in Florence. After Caffé Gilli we tried Robiglio next.

We didn’t stand at the bar this time because we were hot and tired and wanted to sit and rest for a bit.

Those marzipan looked like real miniature fruit were too adorable to eat.

fruit marzipan

From Barcelona to Florence fruit jellies are really popular.

fruit jellies

candies

Almost all the stores we saw had panforte, a traditional Italian dessert containing dried fruits and nuts similar to fruitcake.

panforte

I don’t know what these two pastries are called but I can assure you they taste as good as they look!!

Yum, yum, yummmmmmmm!!!!

We bought 1 amaretti to try and I regret not buying more. It was by far the best amaretti cookie I’ve tried.

amaretti

As you can see the prices of our drinks are much higher since we had it on a table. Rochelle had the hot chocolate and she said it was terrible. It tasted like weak Milo.

cioccolata €4

I ordered an espresso but requested a glass of ice and made my own iced coffee. An espresso taken at the bar usually costs €1 only.

caffe €3

Robiglio
Via dei Servi 112/r Firenze, Italy
telephone: +39 55212784
website

Florence: Caffè Gilli

Florence had a lot of museums and cultural attractions but they also had several pasticceria and confetteria which drew me like a moth to a flame.

One of the oldest sweet shops in Florence is Gilli located right across the Savoy hotel.

So many types of candies! Ok… not tempted.

OMG!! These cookies were just what I wanted to try but where do I start? The choices were too overwhelming.

More goodies inside the store.

They sold packs of cantucci or smaller biscotti.

Rochelle chose the cannoli, Sharon had the croissant and I had two little cookies. Boring me.

Thank goodness Rochelle shared her super yummy cannoli. The outer shell was crisp and not oily. The mascarpone filling was light and heavenly.
cannoli – €3

Hmmm…. why did I choose these boring and forgettable cookies with a whole store of sweets? I hate myself sometimes.

cantucci & amaretti

cafe latte €1.70

When we ordered our sweets and coffee they kept asking us if we were going to consume them at the bar or at a table. We told them we will stand at the bar. An espresso cost €1 aat the bar and €4 at the table. This is a good tip to remember when in Italy. Stay at the bar and save big bucks.

The guy behind the bar even gave us samples of coffee granita to try.

The next day I bought a simple but delicious ham and cheese sandwich from them for a quick lunch.

If you sit outside Gilli these is what you see.

Caffè Gilli
Via Roma 1/R – 50123 Firenze, Italy
telephone: 00394430482
website

Florence: La Capanna Pizzeria Trattoria

After two museums we walked around looking for a place to have lunch and spotted this pizzeria. When we looked around we were surprised to find it was just next door to our B&B. That’s how near all the sites were to each other.

La Capanna has been open since 1906 so it must be good right?

La Capanna’s menu

We were given a plate of pizza crust to nibble on. It was super thin and crisp so I had a really good feeling about the pizzas we ordered.

They had a lunch special of a pizza with a bottle of water for €8 so that’s what we all ordered. The pizza was big but since the crust was super thin and there was barely any topping on it one person can easily finish it. It looks so unlike the pizzas in Manila filled with toppings. You can literally count the number of sausage on this pizza.

Pizza alla Salsiccia €8

Even though the toppings were sparse we enjoyed the rustic pizza. The crust was thin the way I like it and super crispy. The tomato sauce was flavorful and the cheese very gooey.

Pizza al Prosciutto e Funghi

Look at the dry crust, no oil at all yet very crisp.

No coperto, no extra charges. Simple, straight forward and good food.

La Capanna
Via Cavour 112/R – 50129 Firenze
telephone +39 055 210095
website

Florence: Uffizi, Accademia & Ponte Vecchio

Among the many attractions in Florence the most popular are the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia and Ponte Vecchio.

The most important tip before you go to Florence is to buy your tickets to Uffizi and Accademia online and way in advance. I bought our tickets and audio guide from TickItaly more than a month before leaving Manila. I was able to choose the date and time of entry. This site let me print all our tickets which we just showed at the venues.

Uffizi ticket

Cameras were not allowed in both venues but I managed to take some shots using my iPhone 4s. The Uffizi Gallery was huge and the number of art works left me amazed and dazed.

Uffizi Gallery

The beauty of our B&B’s location was it was walking distance to all the attractions, shopping and restaurants. Right after the Uffizi we went directly to the Accademia. Even though we had tickets already we still had to wait in line for a few minutes. Imagine the line for those without tickets.

lines at the Accademia

And this is the reason for the long lines, Michelangelo’s David. The detail was definitely impressive when seen up close.

Michelangelo’s David

Michelangelo’s David, pink and blond, by Hans Peter Feldmann

Our next stop was Ponte Vecchio.

We passed by some stall selling leather goods which I suspect were made in China.

I took these pictures of the Ponte Vecchio from a window in the Uffizi which had the perfect vantage point.

You can see the reflection on the glass. The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval arch stone bridge on the Arno river lined with jewelry shops.

The first store I saw was T. Ristori and I was attracted by their display of Marco Bicego jewelry which I’ve admired for a long time.

According to Angela they are the only store in Ponte Vecchio who sells Marco Bicego jewelry.

I was able to buy earrings made by the designer Mr. Daniele, pictured below, for the Ponte Vecchio Gioielli brand. He just happened to be there so I had a photo op with him.

T. Ristori, Ponte Vecchio- Mr. Daniele, Ponte Vecchio Gioielli. Ristori, Ponte Vecchio-009

Florence: Osteria dell’Olio

We finally had a good meal in Florence thanks to Mary’s recommendation to eat at Osteria dell’Olio which was very near the Duomo.

I forgot what this bread was called but I really, really loved the nutty taste and chewy texture. Does anyone know what this is called?

Everything on this plate was good and fresh.

Il Gran Toscano €14

I had a bite of this breaded veal cutlet smothered with mozarella cheese and it was fabulous!!

medaglinoni di vitella alla sorrentina €18

Somebody always orders mushroom pasta and so far this was the best version.

le fettucine al porcini freschi €14

Rochelle and I shared this black squid ink pasta with cod fish fillet in a seafood broth and it was by far the best pasta we’ve eaten in Italy. The pasta was very al dente and already flavorful on it’s own.

tagliolini neri al bianco di baccala e ristretto di crostace €14

My dessert was this crispy Italian pastry stuffed with Nutella cream filling that I bought in a pastry shop nearby. Thanks to Cheryl of Dragonfly Desserts for telling me about sfogliatelle otherwise I wouldn’t have tried it since it didn’t look appetizing. It tasted much, much better than it looks.

sfogliatelle

At this restaurant the coperto was €3 each. I liked that the bill showed how much each person’s share was in case you want to split the bill which we did. I recommend this restaurant to those who are going to Florence.

Osteria dell’Olio
Piazza dell’Olio, 10r. 50123 Firenze, Italia
telephone: 055 211.466
website