The Runaway Cook

A diary of culinary adventures

A Picnic Through Austria with Mr. Australia

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, July 12, 2011 comments (2)

Goodbye Italy. I already miss the golden sheen of your ever flowing olive oil and the seductive swirl your red wine makes in my glass. What will I do without your markets and men who truly believe they are irresistible when they utter the word “Bella”?  Absence shall only make me grow fonder of your every curve and crazy cabby that drives upon it. Ciao my darling country. 
The long journey to Germany has begun. I have not slept for over 24 hours now. Going to the Opera In Verona made for a late night. Too late to catch the last train so I had to wait for the first train of the new day. This meant again “sleeping” in the station at Verona. Fortunately, this time I was nearly a seasoned train station dozer and almost literally rested with one eye open. When I did almost fall asleep, I had the pleasant surprise of loud Italian cursing. Pulling an all-nighter here was cake!  
I thought that there was a train that went straight to Munich from Venice. The truth is that the train to Munich leaves from Verona. Wouldn’t that have been nice to know before this whole fiasco. I would have willingly slept in a bed instead of cuddling up on that dirty bench. 
Despite my sleepless night, things seem to have a way of working out. Serendipitously, I am now seated next to a fine Australian man, whom I met at my hostel in Venice, and is now enduring this 7-hour train ride with me. 
The sun has been relentless today and being without air conditioning in this metal box is a bit challenging for us. Luckily, I have packed refreshments. Within my never ending bag-lady-like backpack is a picnic filled with my last bits of Italy. One perfectly ripe nectarine, a crisp pink apple, two strange but delicious oblong yellow plums, an apricot, soft camembert cheese, slices of salami, the end of a baguette, and half a plastic bottle of pinot gris that is quickly turning sour in this heat. 
I have to say, this train ride picnics could be the best I’ve ever had. I shared my food with Mr. Australia and in return, he bought us coffees to keep us awake.
I love to eat soft cheeses like Camembert with apples and salami is perfect with stone fruits. I told this to my friend and he gave me a kind of are-you-serious look mixed with a dash of try-not-to-look-alarmed-or-you-will-insult-her grin. He braved my advice and found my combinations of fruit, cheese, and meat to be a good match. His eyebrows raised as he swallowed, “Wow! I would have never thought to put those things together. I figured I wouldn’t like it when you told me to eat that together, but I do.” 
As we munched and crunched our way through our simple dinner, the scenery changed from terra cotta to gingerbread. Signs no longer read of Italian words with too many L’s and O’s, but rather with very long foreign German words with far too many S’s. Intensely green mountains have appeared where flat pastures had once been adding a mystic feeling to the already surreal change. The sun has now dulled just but and the breeze seems to be getting cooler with every kilometer forward. 
I can’t help but shiver with goosebumps from the chill and excitement. What new exotic adventures will you provide Munich? I can hardly wait know.

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Lets Go Get Some Food!

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, January 18, 2011 comments (0)


The morning is still young, my swim suit is on, map in my hand, Norwegian at my side and get with my backpack on his back. We are headed to the beach today, but not until we have picked up our breakfast and lunch at a market that is said to have exceptionally fresh fish and produce.

Just inside a large brick building with wide open walls, is a sea without water. My eyes can't stop staring at the glossy creatures laid out shaved ice. So many suction cups and so many scales! From prawns and shrimp to giant fish and octopus, there's so much of everything, even bins full of snails.  It's hard not to just buy a fish with the sound of the Grand Canal swishing next to us.

Our goal is to make a picnic today so we must press on to the produce. Every stone fruit you could imagine is here. Cherries, nectarines, round peaches, flat peaches, purple plums, and even these amazing little oblong yellow plums. All these Italian grown stone fruits are spectacularly delicious and my absolute weakness, even more than gelato and pasta. The hazy skin of a plum and the bright red of a nectarine beckon my euros and leave my fingers wet and sticky from their sweet juice. Needless to day my breakfast today was a peach.

Men behind the tables yell in multiple languages convincing locals and tourists alike that their food is the best. Remember no touching! Just tell the person behind the table "for today" or "for later" and they will give you what you need. But if you are eyeing what seems to be the perfect peach out in front they'll let you grab it.

Today I'm doing all the talking. Peter and I pick out fruits and I dig through out pooled euros and get what we need. Then the precious bags get slipped into the backpack and we move to the next table.  Everything is going pretty smoothly and then I see them, grape tomatoes on the vine. More red than a tub of grandma's lipstick these little orbs look fantastic. I ask to see them and am offered a taste. The skin taught skin popped from the pressure of my teeth. Sweet and sour juice explodes over my taste buds and I buy two bunches. More than I need but I just can't help myself. Indulging in tomatoes isn't really an indulgence is it?

Next we step into a cheese shop, Casa Del Parmigiano . Here cheese is practically a food group on its own. Hanging in the doorway are long plastic garlands to perhaps ward off pigeons. Two small graying men stand behind two conservative-looking, clear cases of cases filled with rows of cheese. Four bookshelves hold rounds of hard cheeses accompanied by a couple of prosciutto legs hanging from the ceiling. Today Camembert, Asiago, and salami are the winners. Sweet smiles come from behind the counter and accented laughs give way to a ciao as we step out the door.


Our pack is getting full but we have got to get some bread. I'm thinking focaccia or something with a crust that crackles. Just a few steps away is a little bakery with exactly what I want. Peter and I pick out bread perfectly crisp baguettes.


The backpack is full and now it's time for the beach. Until next time my friends! Now where are those tomatoes?


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Granita & Mr. Japan

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, October 26, 2010 comments (0)

It's the last of my time in this beautiful town and about time I stock up on some food before everything closes again. I can already feel myself missing this place in the future. Someday I will come back to you Amalfi.

As I walked out of the small grocers I happened to bump into another tenant from my hostel. I almost always find this soft-spoken gentleman carrying a  large backpack and on his way to climb these gargantuan mountains. But today Mr. Japan has spotted me. As we chat, we both share our sadness in our impending leaving. Then with a twinkle in his eye and smirk in the corner of his mouth he tells me to wait.

He asks me, "Have you eaten granita?" Though I have walked many times up and down this street, I never happened upon this stairway that lead to a little shop selling lemon granita. Outside the door couples and children gather in small wooden benches among the crates and baskets of lemons. Each person, holding a cup of pale, yellow slush covered with their choice of fresh fruit.

"You have to try this" is all that comes out of Mr. Japan's mouth, over and over even after I am convinced.

Soon a clear cup is in my hands, with a smorgasbord of fruits nearly overflowing from the rim. Fresh pineapple, strawberries, melon, kiwi, and of course a fresh plum-colored cherry on top. Each bit was sweet from the oozing syrup-like fruit juices and tart from the slush of fresh lemon crystals.  It's nothing like the granita I've been taught how to make at school, smaller crystals and more juice.  Each bite is different, lovely, and mouthwatering

Thank you Mr. Japan for enlightening me to this sweetly sour ice.

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A Love Story . . . and Wine

Posted by Elizabeth Monday, October 18, 2010 comments (0)



I Am Smitten
I walk alone the hot black-top road dragging my finger along even hotter caramel-colored stones that form the edge to this dramatic turn, and I can’t help but feel the romance here. The warm sun kisses my skin as the breeze plays with my salt-soaked strands of loose hair. Furore, laid out like a pearl necklace coiled back and fourth agains itself on a vanity, is another town just up this row of disobedient mountains that stray from the mainland. 
Perhaps the charm of this small village is what has captivated me, or is this dizzying affect from the many turns it took to make my way up here? Maybe it’s that so many of the walls are painted with murals of life and love? Either way I am smitten and certain that this is only the preface of the love story written here. 
From the outside, one would hardly suspect to find what is hidden behind the unpretentious sliding wooden doors of Cantina Marisa Cuomo. Through the glass panes  only glimpses of the shining metal, glossy bottles, and white boxes. If it hadn’t have been for impeccable directions and a bus driver that recognized the name, I might have missed it completely.  And I’m think the camouflage of this winey is so great because it’s really an extension of a small-town family home. 
A Dangerous Romance
Let me start at the beginning of this true tale as it was told to me by Dorotea Ferraioli, the daughter of wine makers and owners Andrea Ferraioli and Marisa Cuomo. 
It was in the midst of WWII when Dorotea’s grandfather, on her mother’s side, had left his family and fiance back in Italy. In the midst of battle in Croatia, a bullet changed everything. 
Our soldier was wounded and surely fearing death when he was saved by a local family. As he healed from the shot, this Italian boy fell in love with beauty who nursed him. With desperation and passion now pumping through his veins, Dorotea’s grandfather risked imprisonment and smuggled his beloved into Italy, dressing her as a dead soldier. 
Once back to Furore, the lover broke off his previous engagement and married his Croatian bride. Dorotea ended the story saying that that her grandparents had 13 children. Her grandfather made many of the tunnels through the mountains here and the first man he sought to help him was the spouse of his x-fiance. She also mentioned that her aunt married the son of this other family. “You need a big family to pick the grapes.” Dorotea said with a smile. 
Another Love Story

Local wines had always been made and consumed, but the first to be bottled was under the brand, Gran Furor Divian Costiera. Began in 1942, wines bottles under this brand were considered IGT quality and “low quality” according to Dorotea. 
But in 1980, a marriage would change everything. Andrea Ferraioli, son of a local renowned family of winemakers, married Marisa Cuomo.  As a wedding gift, Ferraioli who was just over twenty years old, bought the Gran Furor Divian Costeria as a wedding gift for his bride. 
“[My] mom never worked before in wine, but my father was good because his family worked grapes and made wine.” Dorotea said as she explained that the road to where they are today was full many mistakes. She said it took a while but, “step by step” the honed their skills and worked to make what they have.


Step by Step
In 1995, the Marisa Cuomo winery received D.O.C. recognition as one of three sub-zones in the Costa d’Amalfi. D.O.C. is a status of quality given to only particular vintners who meet a set of agricultural and wine making standards. This designation was only a milestone. Fervent work continued on make the perfect cuvee (blend) of juices to make the best wine the region could offer. 
All their work paid off in 2006 when their top white wine, Fiorduva of 2003, received the “Oscar” of “Best Italian White Wine of the Year” by one of Italy’s most famous publications. This award brought the eye of the world to Marisa Cuomo and was only the beginning of many awards to come
Between 2005 and 2006 Marisa Cuomo wines received Three Glasses from Gambero Rosso, two silver medals for the Furore Rosso Riserva, and the a gold medal in Los Angeles for the Fiorduva.
Recently their 2008 Furore Bianco received the gold in the category of “white blend” for the international wine competition called the Golden Glass Wine Competition. 
A Walk in the Vineyards
So what’s to grow grapes off the steep cliffs of Furore? Consider it tedious, hot, and full of tradition. 
Summers here can be quite warm with an excessive amount of sunlight and little. This means the small amount of land they do have here is great for growing grapes that need to be stressed to produce a strong wine rather than an irrigated wimpy wine-like beverage. But when your town is small, your means of transportation are limited and bust be used across cliffs and ocean, one has a desperate need for growing more meal-friendly produce. This precarious predicament made for an amazing symbiotic relationship. 
To protect their gardens from the bright sunlight coming down and being reflected up, the people of the Amalfi have planted their garden’s under a canopy of trellised vines (called a pergola). But there’s a problem with planting vines in the same ground a vegetables. Vegetables need plenty of water and vines need little water. This problem too has been solved. The vines here are planted into the walls of the terraced land. 
To me, this unique agricultural technique is astounding. I love how clever this is and how the land is used to its fullest potential. I can’t wait to somehow implement this in my own garden. 

Marisa Cuomo is quite small, with only 3 hectares of their own grapes and purchased grapes from other famers all totaling a mere 16 hectares. Dorotea says that although they are small and trying to grow, it's hard to find produce or purchase more grapes and keep the same quality. Marisa Cuomo pays a higher price than most wineries and picks only the best vineyards to produce the grapes for their wine. 

It's not just the vineyards that make these grapes so valuable. It's the vines themselves. All Marisa Cuomo's grapes are from original rootstock of the historical grapes vines used in this area. This means that unlike most wineries around worldwide that graft the original vines to American rootstock for protection of an American louse that nearly wiped out the whole of Europe's vineyards, they use the whole plant un-grafted. This makes for some vines that are very, very old.

The Wine
Hidden deep within a cave formed from chipping away the mountain behind the winery, are barrels and barrels of precious wine.  What was once the home of this family is now a great wine cellar, the product of tedious workmanship and patience.  It is not only gorgeous in here but naturally temperature and humidity controlled. Yet, beyond the cellar and her beautiful barrels, is the earthy wine that pools within. 

Famous for both white and red wines, I have decided to list several of the most well know below along with information on where you can find these delicious wines in The States.


Furore Bianco
Grapes: 60%Falanghina & 40% Biancolella
Grown between 200-550 meters above sea level on a southern facing slope in dolomitic limestone rock, these grapes are hand-picked the first ten days of october. The wine is matured in Stainless steel tanks for four months. 

Wine: Dull straw yellow color with delicate fruit aroma tart but fleshy. Both in the nose an mouth is a distinct flavor imparted by the soil of this region, dark, moist and earthy. The flavor is balanced, dry, and acidic.  Something I personally love about the wines of Amalfi is the strength and zest they have, even the whites. In fact, if your eyes were closed you might think this was a red at first sip. 


Fiorduva Furore Bianco
Photo from KLWines
Grapes:  30%Fenile, 30% Ginestra, 40% Ripoli 
Grown between 200-550 meters above sea level on a southern facing slope in dolomitic limestone rock, these grapes are hand-picked the last ten days of october. The juice is fermented in oak barriques for three months. 

Wine: Bright yellow with golden hues, this wine reminds one of apricots, broom flowers, and a subtle hint of tropical fruits. The flavor carries the aromas through showing apricots, sultanas, and candied fruits.

Furore Rosso Riserva
Grapes: 50% Piedirosso (knows as Per and Palummo locally) & 50% Aglianico
Grown between 180-600 meters above sea level on a southern facing slope in dolomitic limestone rock, these grapes are hand-picked the last ten days of october. The juice is left with the skins for an intense 21 days, then undergoes malo lactic fermentation in new French oak Barriques. The wine is then matured for one year in new French Oak.

Wine: Red with dark ruby hues, the aromas are intense: blackberry, brambles, black currants, and blueberries. In the mouth it is smooth and well balanced with an aromatic finish of brushwood and spices.

To purchase these wines click here
Wine notes and information are from Marisa Cuomo unless noted.


Happily Ever After

In the end, it's never an end. Just as Marisa Cuomo has become a renowned winery, deemed the best winery on the Amalfi coast by many, it is ever changing, growing, and moving forward. Dorotea and her brother are constantly learning and helping to push their family tradition to the best it can be. I wish i could show you all the smile on Dorotea's face as we looked at the grapes that hung from the frames of the pergolas. or the ways her eyes lit up when she talked about her dreams fro the future of her family's legacy. 

I've come to the conclusion that this village in itself is filled with love stories. Those of smuggles lovers, young teammates, big families, sweat and struggle,  and of course the charm of the past and it's pull on the future. (sigh) . . . oh the romance.

To visit Cantina Marisa Cuomo's Web Site Click Here

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Limoncello in Ravello

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, October 12, 2010 comments (0)

This morning I have purchased the cheapest watch in Atrani along with tickets to the mountain town of Ravello, taken the bust to the top of this winding road, and gotten off at the end of a large arched stone.

The Storefront 

Just beyond the tunnel is a piazza with a chapel on the right, the most magnificent view straight ahead, a map down the roadway to the right, and to the left- the way to the Limoncello Factory. It's still early here, most of the shops haven't opened yet so I am waiting too. These streets seem so old with their crooked stones, tiny steps, and thin walkways. This town nestled up in this mountain seems like it's somehow separate from the rest of the world, even from time. So this morning when I saw the young mothers of this town pushing their babies up and down the rocky slopes in tricked out modern strollers just seemed ironic.

The factory
As the sun rose higher and the morning moved on, it was time to step in the doors of this tiny shop.  The large front window lets one passing by see all the sparkling vessels placed in neat rows. Each level of shelving home for a different color and flavor of valuable liquid.

Here at the Limoncello Factory, a recipe that surpasses time is still being made. According to Alessandra Mansi, a director here, this drink was and still is traditionally concocted at home. She says it's hard to tell where and when the first recipe came about. She however, has been making limoncello here for the past 18 years (starting two years after the business began). The Limoncello Factory boasts to being one of the first factories in the famous Verona Exhibition.

The Lemons
At the Limoncello Factory, their liqueur is made from a the lemon peel of local IGP certified (organic and hand picked) lemons. Much larger than those we find at home, these yellow fruits look more nerf footballs than lemons and are apply named Sfusato Amalfitano, which means "long" and "of the Amalfi Coast."  After the peels are removed 96.5% alcohol de melasso is added (alcohol made from sugar beets). The alcohol and peels are kept together for 10 days. The skin is then removed and both sugar and water are added until the mixture is at the desired alcohol content.

Mansi says there are two easy qualities to look for in a good limoncello. First, there should be a hint of green oil on the surface. Second, the alcohol content should never be less than 30%, instead it should be between 32-35% alcohol by volume.

Limoncello
The simplicity of this recipe may sound like it would make a simple product but the opposite is true. The lemon flavor is allowed to show all its dimensions. With aromas of mild flowers and rich lemon this liqueur seems alluring and nearly etherial. However the taste is a complex series of vanilla, white blossoms, and lemon zest with a good kick at the end. Thick and rich, nearly creamy, this limoncello is by far the best I have tried in the USA and Italy. The difference from this complex and fruity drink is like night and day to the acetone-like shams I've experienced. ( for purchasing information click the links at the bottom of the page)

Crema di Limone
Along with limoncello, this specialty shop makes Crema de Limone. This is made just like limoncello except milk and cream are added instead of the water. The alcohol content is lowered a bit more but the favor is even more amazing, something like a lemon Baileys. It's creamier and more mild on the tongue with flavors of creamy vanilla custard, citrus flowers, and ripe lemon that linger long after it has left one's lips. The aroma is nearly powdery with vanilla and candy lemon. This was by far my favorite drink of the day!

Other Liqueurs
Popular twists on this classic include using juices and extracts to make fragole (strawberry), melone (melon), finocchio (fennel), and pianta (anise) these are made in both the styles of clear liqueurs and the crema versions.  I found these beverages to be very strong with the strawberry tasting like jello and the melon like bubblegum. However the fennel had a strong and interesting herbaceous and nutty quality that could be a unique addition to a mixed drink. 


The Limoncello Factory- http://www.profumidellacostiera.it/default.asp
California Distributer of the Limoncello Factory-http://www.vinitywinecompany.com/


photos provided by http://picasaweb.google.com/jared.byer/Ravello# 

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Lyche, Rubber, Dragon Fruit OH MY!

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, September 14, 2010 comments (0)

What looks like an oversized green javelin, hangs from a tree, is filled with stringy pouches of flesh that envelop large seeds, and is the largest fruit in the world? If you said, "What the heck?!" Then you and I have a lot in common. This colossal piece of produce is call the jackfruit.

Jackfruit is actually a very popular fruit in this part of the world, growing not only in Malaysia, but a also in Thailand, Cambodia, China, and India. In fact It's so popular in Indian that there's about as much jackfruit as there are mangos or bananas. It's said that nobody really knows where exactly this fruit oirgionates from, but today it can be found even in the Caribbean and parts of Florida. Availible in two types, sweet and soft, or crisp and less sweet, it is a delicious treat found in nearly every market. Today's variety was crisp and refreshing, I actually liked this kind better than the sweet variety I had tried in the markets before. I think that's because the sweet kind is a little reminiscent of durian in that it has a hint of onion in the mainly banana taste. This kind is much lighter in flavor and has a hint of pear to it.

Today our class visited a fruit farm that included, a pit stop of mowing down a whole Jackfruit. YUM!

Below are photos of the lovely fruits we found as we toured the farm.
Above: Jackfruit
Above L-R: Jackfruit, pinang, starfruit
Above: Dragon fruit
Above L-R: Mangosteen, Cacao pods, Ylang Ylang flowers
Above L-R: Jackfruit in leaf basket to keep bugs away, Red Rambutan, stinky bean, bilimbi aka sour cucumber
Above L-R: Pinapple, Pineapple, Mango, Cacao tree
Above L-R: Green (different variety from red) Rambutan, Durian, Rambutan cut open


RUBBER TREES
After touring and tasting we made a b-line for the rubber trees. Now, I don't know about you, but when I hear the words "rubber tree" I get this image of some cartoon using this spring-like tree to catapult himself somewhere. In reality, these trees are not like rubber. They don't bend, boing, or bounce, and they can't catapult anyone to a far away location simply by running into them at full speed. Instead they are a lot like maple trees.

Rubber trees are tapped for their white rubbery sap. Over a very regimented schedule, and extremely skilled man takes what looks a little like the child of a crowbar and a machete and makes a curved incision into the bark. Within seconds the white liquid flows from the cut and into a cup.

Now this stuff just needs a little kneading to make it feel stretchy and rubbery. For large sheets of rubber, doing it all by hand is nearly impossible. Click this link, Traditional Rubber Making, to visit my Youtube channel and watch as our guide shows us how to make rubber the traditional way!

Today was amazing. I can't believe I'm going to have to give up all these delicious foods and go back to the states. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes. Better to not know what you're missing that to have known it and be kept from it. . . Maybe I'll have to make a road trip to Florida just for another blissful bite.



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