RECIPE: Schiacciata – Italian Flatbread

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Foodie International Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment

Everyone say it together: Skee-ach-ATTA – Like the bread itself, the word “schiacciata” looks much more difficult than it actually is. This oily, salty Tuscan-style flatbread is a Florentine staple and one of favorite things to make. It’s best described as a cross between pizza bread and a focaccia. The recipe I’m passing along to you was taught to me by Signora Popi fifteen years ago in Florence, when I was a student abroad, living in her home. She taught me to work with my hands, rather than measurements – an inherent Tuscan kitchen alchemy that transforms the most basic ingredients into culinary magic. Read more

RECIPE: Pasta al Tonno e Pecorino

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Foodie International Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments

Welcome to my Brand New “Foodie Friday” Recipe Series!

When people ask me if I cook, I usually respond, “I’m an eater, not a chef.”

I spend the majority of my time eating out — way out, from Austria to Zanzibar — but the super secret truth is that I do cook. I just don’t talk about it. I invent my own recipes, inspired by my favorite flavors and weird international cravings. There’s that time I stood painfully on crutches — days after major surgery — chopping cabbage slaw so I could have authentic fish tacos. In the kitchen I transform into a creature that is part mad scientist, part improv artist…and I drink. A lot. By the time whatever I’m cooking is plated, the floor is slick with onion juice and streaks of olive oil drip down the refrigerator door. If I’m lucky, a Band Aid isn’t necessary. Read more

Catching the Ultimate Caffeine Buzz in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Foodie International Posted in Ethiopia | 2 Comments

Getting Jacked up in Ethiopia: Coffee’s Ground Zero

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – Welcome to the center of the caffeinated universe. In Ethiopia, coffee is much more than a cup of “joe;” it’s a key element in social life, a cultural cornerstone and a daily ritual. According to legend, this is the land where coffee was born. Ethiopians love their caffeine, and what strikes me as amazing is that most of the time, the coffee here is made from scratch. I’m talking about the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, where raw green coffee beans are transformed into a deep aromatic brew before your eyes. This isn’t an occasional practice; it happens multiple times per day. In Ethiopia, inviting someone to share a cup (or three) of coffee is the equivalent to extending a hand in friendship. If you’re a visitor like me, be prepared to accept many caffeine-laced invitations. Chances are, you’ll be jacked up for days. Read more

Maxelâ: Rome’s Hot New Meat Restaurant

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Foodie International Posted in Italy | 1 Comment

Rome’s newest restaurant is hot; sizzling, in fact – like fresh-ground hamburger hitting a grease-coated grill. This choose-your-own meatventure breaks from the traditional Roman culinary mold, appealing to a hip, carnivorous crowd. Maxelâ Ristorante Macelleria is a brand new meat-lovers paradise, a butcher shop-themed eatery helmed by Piero Fazi — a charismatic mad scientist of meat. Read more

Gelateria del Teatro – The Best Gelato in Rome

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Foodie International Posted in Italy | 2 Comments

Gelateria del Teatro

ROME, ITALY – On Via dei Coronari, a picturesque cobblestone street near Piazza Navona, a large, painted wooden ice cream cone marks the way to Rome’s best gelato. Though Rome’s most famous gelaterias like Giolitti, Grom and San Crispino can be identified by long, winding queues 25 tourists deep, it is Gelateria del Teatro that has me coming back for scoop after scoop of ice-cold ecstasy.

Gelateria del Teatro produces edible art – mind-bending gelato flavors made daily, sourced from organic local ingredients. Each bite is a Picasso, a Van Gogh, a Renoir. On any given day you can find up to 40 different flavors ranging from dark chocolate and Nero d’Avola (red wine) to garden sage and raspberry. The complex, inspired, flavors are seasonal; a crisp fall day might yield a scoop of creamy chestnut; on a sweltering August afternoon, tangy white peach. The flavors are intensely real, there’s no other way to describe the sensation that washes over the entire mouth with one tiny plastic spoonful. Read more

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