Thursday, March 31, 2011

a Mediterranean leap to the past

3-31-2011 Thu. chilly,rain


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with wheat gluten sauteed in confit vegetable broth
AFTERNOON-TEATIME
--- apple
DINNER --- (at Oreste and Francesca's) Pomodorni Ripieni: cherry tomatoes stuffed with spices, garlic and bread | pickled lemon, Lupini beans and Egyptian green olives | Wine: Falanghina from Campania, a region of Naples || Pasta e Fagioli alla Toscana: thick soup with Roman beans, pasta rosmary, garlic, and spices | Wine: Chianti Classico || platter of Mediterranean cheeses with homemade Mediterranean flat bread | Wine: Salice Salentino, from Apulia





  • a meal of recipes and wine with trace back to ancient Mediterranean. the Tuscan bean and pasta soup is made by Oreste a slightly Mexicanized version. the Italian crushed red pepper and the smoked bacon are replaced with smoked Mexican peppers which have much more balanced spiciness and a beautiful smoky scent. there are also interesting small dishes such as pickled Mediterranean lemons, pickled Lupini beans, and Egyptian aged buffalo cheese.