Recipe for Five Leaf Pesto from Our Cooking Vacation in Spoleto
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes Italy
If you had to spend time in lockdown, then perhaps the Umbrian countryside was an ideal place to do it. Last week our friend and partner Richard di San Marzano described his family's experience during the past year in Italy (you can read it here). It included a lot of seasonal foraging and fabulous food, as. you might expect in Italy. Try one of Richard's recipes, fruit of his foraging… Read
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My Experience in Italy during the Lockdown
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Travel Tips Italy
Our friend Richard di San Marzano in Spoleto is contributing a guest post for us letting us know what life has been like the past year in one of our favorite Italian regions, Umbria. Italy's national lockdown began on March 8, 2020 (although there were regional quarantines before then), and it has continued, like much of the world, with varying levels of restrictions since then. If you've wondered about what… Read
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History of the Margarita and a Recipe for a Classic Margarita Cocktail
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Wines & Spirits Mexico
Happy National Margarita Day! The margarita cocktail is a bit like the Italian dessert tiramisú. There are many different stories for how it got invented and by whom! And there is not even consensus on how the name of the cocktail came about. One thing there is consensus on? That it is one of the world's most beloved and recognizable cocktails. So what is a margarita? It always includes three… Read
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How to Make Gougères, or Savory Choux Pastry
Filed Under Cooking Videos, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, What's Up at TIK France
Anyone who bakes has probably at least heard of pâte à choux, or choux pastry, that airy, delicious pastry that is the base for such French treats as eclairs and cream puffs. But you might not have heard of gougères, which is a savory, cheese-infused version of the same type of dough. Learn to make choux pastry on a cooking vacation in France. Choux pastry is one of those baking… Read
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Why Molise "Doesn't Exist" and Other Fun Facts about Our Authentic Italy Culinary Tour
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Travel Tips Italy
There's a saying in Italy. "Molise non esiste." Molise doesn't exist. It's a running joke among Italians to pretend Molise doesn't exists due to its small size and relative obscurity, even among Italians. If you ask your average Italian to tell you something about Molise, don't expect much (if any) information! But it's also a running joke among Molisani, the quirky inhabitants of Molise, who seem to enjoy the absurdity… Read
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"Thursday, Gnocchi!": All About Our Favorite Italian Dumpling
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Travel Tips Italy
"Giovedì gnocchi, venerdì pesce, sabato trippa." So the saying goes in Rome, that Thursday is gnocchi day, Friday is fish day, and Saturday it's tripe! It's not hard to understand the "venerdì pesce" – this is a Catholic country after all. But why gnocchi on Thursday? I've always heard that it was to load up with a heavier meal the day before the Friday fast, and that it worked well… Read
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