The Food journey continues in Calabria

As I am now attending culinary classes I will be posting photos of food.  Many photos of food

Quail with saffron potatoes and a grappa soaked deep fried grape.  

Chicken breast with a marsala and cocoa sauce

Simply awesome, Octopus carpaccio with salsa verde.

 Fellow students

From a gala dinner.  Pheasant the decoration is a red colored pasta dried and curved.  The sauce a serious demi glaze or reduction.

Molten lava cake or Tortino

Chef Sabrina's hazelnut gelato with hazelnut sauce.

Bari Italy fun friends and Little Old Lady Street

 I have just visited a few towns around Italy's Puglia region. Had a few days off from school and traveled as a group of five.  We rented a car and toured around.  Yes! A needed break.  We drove to Bari, Alberobello  and Cisternino.

  Beautiful Bari, a city of about 1 million people.  On our travel day we saw 3 different seas.  The coastline of Bari is beautiful and lined with pretty buildings as compared to the towns of Soverato which were built in the 50's with no regulations.  Bari has a feel like Chicago and I think that is why I loved it so much.  It has a beautiful Old village within a stone wall.  These buildings are white and the streets are so narrow a vespa and a person traveling opposite each other would have to squeeze by one another.

 

 As we wondered the first night the streets are lit up so it is quite bright from the white of the buildings and white stone streets.  This ancient village or "Little Old Lady Town" as we called it was bright and full of life.  We called it a special name because each street is lined with buildings that have doors that open from the street  into kitchens. These kitchens are where the little old ladies make their famous  Orecchiette

This is Angela our new friend making hers.  We watched her make large or Gigante and piccolo versions.  She was a great teacher explaining the method and even suggested a recipe and sent us to the shop for a particular cheese to grate over it.  It was a dried ricotta.  I'm glad to have attended a little language school because my attempts to speak with people make the day very interesting and they all seem to have a great laugh at my expense.  Angela was very patient with me as I asked for clarification and we used our best sign language to assist us to become fast fans of each other.  Andi took a great video I am hopeful to post.

One of the many little streets

 The town is situated along a coastline that stretches far and hosts a few small harbors as well as a large one. Bari  has a nice combination of modern and traditional.  

I just loved the feel here.  Looks a bit like Lake shore drive.

Andi and Zdenka two of my traveling buddies for this trip.  We just tried to crash a private yacht club where the views were superb. Beautiful shot by Andi a traveling buddy.

This was the deja vu of all finds.  Before I moved from Chicago I had a dream to open a place that looks just like this and serves in the same manner.  A pastry coffee and champagne place.  It has beautiful Pastries, gelato, chocolates, biscotti, and a daily selection from a savory menu for lunch or dinner.  It also has an area for a quick Italian style coffee (standing) or other areas to sit.  It stays open late night and is exactly what I had dreamed of opening.  Turns out one of the chefs just spent 12 days staying at the congress hotel and loved Chicago. Thats him to the far left.

A second area upstairs with food bar area.

the view to the back dining area

The back dining area upstairs

Fish market and restaurant.  Here we enjoyed Ricci or sea urchin.  We had been encouraged to try it by the owner of a coffee and tea shop we spent a few hours chilling out in.  We had wanted to try it before this particular day but the shop had been closed.  So we went in in the morning and told the owner it was our first time.  He piled a cake platter high with many and we kept saying " no 3 or 4"  and he would take one off then one more smiling the entire time.  Im certain we provided the equivialent of a months worth of reality TV for the family who ran this place.  The father came over to show us how to eat and with exaggerated movements gave us a lesson.  The son seemed to be so thrilled it was our first time to eat this that he brought out Prosecco.  We also saw tiny little scorpion fish and he showed us how to clean them without getting poisoned.  They were quite entertained by this merry band of tourists.

Ricci, they taste of the sea.  Like beautiful sea water and some sweetness.  we ate them like a spread and scooped them out of the shell with bread.  when i used to scuba dive in Hawaii the dive master would crack one of thee open and all of the fish would swarm around to eat it, now I know why.

 Dinner in Cisternino.  Me,  Patrick, Avi, Zdanka and Andi took the photo.

 The cool coffee shop that had coffee pairings and tea pairings, with me, Zdanka and Andi.

 For Berit, Here is one of many different hot chocolate I am experiencing this time.  It seems to be more popular this trip or it is because it is in the winter people actually know what Im asking for or even have it churning behind the coffee machine.

A walk along the river- Florence

I must say I really am enjoying touring by foot.  I would love to be seeing more by car but this walking opportunity has helped me to see the details that I might otherwise miss on a bus or in a car.  I see this river daily at least once if not twice.  I am beginning to learn the various characteristics it has in the daylight and at night or in the rain vs the sun.  I think I often move by life so quickly that I forget to see life and to really look at it in detail.  

Just a few glimpses.