To go meal #9 11/11/08

So I went to Da Rocco Trattoria this morning and I got some Lasagna, a side dish of mixed veggies, and a dish of eggplant with mozzarella. I had already eaten there and it was really good. I like how they make their food fresh everyday because I wanted some chicken but they didn't have any and they were pulling food out from the kitchen as they were setting up for the day.
The lasagna was just ricotta and mozzarella with tomato sauce of course. I liked the eggplant because it was cooked in tomato sauce topped with mozzarella. I used to never eat eggplant because I didn't know how to eat it but now I have a better idea of how to eat it. I finished my meal with some Vino Nuovo of this year. I am so happy that I am distinguish the smell the wine. It was butter/butterscotch and it has a sharp initial attack with a medium dryness and a smooth finish. It leaves my mouth watering and it has a very unique and smooth taste.
Overall this meal was very satisfying because it was considered light being that I didn't have any heavy proteins to digest.

Home cooked meal # 8 11/09/08

Today I cooked a simple but yet hearty meal. I had five eggs, a zucchini, a quarter red bell pepper, and Pecorino Toscano cheese. I topped everything off with black pepper and cooked everything with generous quantities of butter. I had a side of yoghurt and a carrot, the yoghurt over here is so different. I used to not really like yoghurt from the states but this one is very different because its not bitter and its more creamy, not to mention the fact that it actually tastes like the fruit that they say on the outside.
It's crazy I know but true. I doesn't taste like chemicals or preservatives. Then the bananas have this extra rich sweetness that I had never experienced before.
I used to not be able to eat eggs without ketchup but since there is no ketchup over here I learned to eat them with other stuff and I think I like it better this way. I can actually taste the chemicals and preservatives in the ketchup. I am so spoiled ahhh I don't know what I am going to do when I go back to the states and see and taste all the weak foods.
Oh the eggs are a thick orange color and they are sold at room temperature...which means that they are not injected with preservatives so that they last longer. I am also going to go on a limb and say that they don't force the chickens to lay eggs four times a day. They are smaller eggs actually so they are probably naturally squeezed out of the chicken.

Home cooked meal #7 11/08/08

So today I cooked up the tortellini that I got from the market and the half of a kilo of chicken. I prepared half of the chicken one way and then the other half another way. I then cut it up into pieces and served it all together. I had made a "contorni" side dish of grilled zucchini and bell peppers. I then topped it off with some parmesan cheese and ragu salsa. I am impressed with the chicken its so juicy, I don't know why. But anyways I served it all together and then added some Chianti Extra Virgin Olive Oil. My roommate ate it with balsamic vinegar and oil.
We never figured out what kind of tortellini it was but it was really tasty. It had a gritty texture kind of like tuna but I don't think it was tuna. Then it had spices and stuff, we think it was potatoes.
We ate it with Vino Nuovo and it was a nice compliment even though we were suppose to drink white wine with this dish. It wasn't too salty and there was enough of a mix in the dish that no one ingredient over powered any other ingredient. I was very satisfied and relaxed after eating this meal.

Home cooked meal #6 11/06/08

After going to the market I cooked up some fresh ravioli with spinach inside of them. I was careful to not all salt or any other ingredient that might give it salt. I cooked up the pasta and at the same time I cooked up some zucchini in butter with black pepper. When the pasta was done I put it all together and mixed it up. I served it on my plate and added some cold ragu sauce and sprinkled it with parmesan cheese.
I found it to be perfect with salt, but it lacked a certain kick. I forgot to add the olive oil, that might have been it.
I liked the ragu's meat it was evenly distributed and I really liked the melted cheese. I learned that more isn't necessarily better. A little bit of sauce goes a long way, in this manner I am able to actually taste the ingredients and enjoy the meal.
I really liked what the butter did for the dish it gave it enough salt and a nice smooth feel. I found the fresh zucchini to be very tasty and fresh which was

Pesto Spaghetti and Proscuito

Home cooked meal #5 11/04/08

These are my ingredients: Semi-Dolce proscuitto, spinach, parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes, butter, olive oil, pesto sauce, and spaghetti.

I cooked up some spaghetti and then heated up the proscuitto, parmesan, spinach, dried tomatoes, pesto sauce, and the butter. Half way through heating up I realized my mistake. It was going to be too salty.

So it was very simple: I put the spaghetti in the pan and mixed it all up. It was no surprise when I took the first bite. It was a bit too salty. I now want to learn how to balance out foods, I know that potatoes absorb salt but I don't know what else can do that too.

I figured I would eat it with some bread and that was good. It was a quick meal I made in about 30 minutes.

I think that the pesto sauce was too salty to begin with. I remember from a previous meal where I put too much pesto sauce and it was too salty.

But when your hungry you eat anything and I shared this meal with one of my roommates who cooks some good meals.
What I like the most of this meal was that the meat just melted in your mouth. It was semi-dolce so it wasn't too sweet or too salty.