Five a Day

With the weather changing from a non existent summer to almost full blown winter, I am obviously in the mood for soup.  This soup is great because it has so many veggies, (broccoli, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery; basically you get your five a day by eating this.)  Making soups is quite easy and very satisfying, here are some other soups I have posted in the past: http://www.americanina.com/2012/08/lentil-love.html, http://www.americanina.com/2012/03/cauliflower-comfort.html, http://www.americanina.com/2011/05/one-potato-two-potato.html, http://www.americanina.com/2011/04/zuppa-de-pesce.html

Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and add chopped onion and carrots (also celery but I didn't have any today)

Peel and chop 2-3 potatoes

After the carrots and onions have become soft add 4-5 cups of broth (I used veggie but you could use chicken) bring to a boil

Grate roughly two cups of cheddar

After the potatoes are tender add 2/3 cup of milk a spoonful of cornstarch and the chopped broccoli.  (Note to self chop broccoli smaller as it doesn't take as long to cook and smaller bites are better anyway.)

After the broccoli is soft add the two cups of cheddar

Finished product

Great tip: collect all your trash/scraps in a bowl as you work and then throw it all away at the end of cooking, keeps your work space neat

100% Design

Paddington station is lovely as it is above ground, so the platform feels fresh and light

The last time I attended this design exhibition I had to fly over the Atlantic Ocean.  Two years later I only had to hop on the train for an hour or so and then catch the underground.  100% Design while not extremely groundbreaking, helps one to understand what trends have hit the mainstream and have staying power.

The Earls Court exhibition center entrance

Upon entering the show you pass through this lit corridor 

An overhead view of a portion of the show, while not a huge exhibition this makes it easier to navigate and see everything

These wall hangings were made out of a felt material....lots of wool blends and felt seen this year

Stainless steel that has either been lasered or chemically etched, they would not reveal 

Mercedes was a main sponsor of this event

Lamps made of plastic and feathers...love the gold accent

A beautiful display of wood veneers

This artwork was displayed in the bathroom/kitchen area, maybe milled out of a Corian type material

White Gold

A peek-a-boo view of the white mountains

When we come to Italy we are in the Massa-Carrara area.  Yes, the place where Carrara marble comes from.  Yet in all these years we have not visited the quarries.  I have to admit I am not a fan of heights so this has been the deterrent, but for some reason for this trip I became brave.  We drove up to the Fantiscritti valley to take a tour of the inside of a working quarry.  (The other two main valleys are called Colonnata and Ravaccione, in fact Ravaccione is where the marble of the David statue was dug.)  The setting inside was absolutely another world, "lunar" could describe it.  In fact the mine hosts photoshoots, fashion shows and concerts.  It was quite cold inside, 16 C, but apparently the temperature remains constant all year.

The mine entrance, the company was called I love Marmo, you can see more here: http://www.marmotour.com/marble-quarries.htm

Everywhere you look is marble, as you are literally inside the mountain

Because mining is taking place also outside on top of this inside mine, four pillars for stability always remain in place

A recently cut block, value approximately 60-80,000 Euro

One of the bars near the mine entrance

We walked to the nearby village of Colonnata, that is famous for lardo

Colonnata view of of the marble mountains

As we were trying to find our way to the center we spied this iconic view

You can see in the image the entrance to a "larderia"

If you have been wondering what lardo is, this is it, basically salted pig back fat sliced extremely thin for panini.  Now panini literally is any sandwich not just the toasted one we think of in the US.  

Lentil Love

Even though it is technically summer here in England, we have dark and cloudy days that call for a soup.  I have recently discovered this simple lentil dish that the longer you cook the better it gets.  And of course lentils are awesome for your fiber intake and I am sure other good shit too.

Here I used a shallot in addition to my regular onion, because I only had one onion

Saute in olive oil of course

I had some green chili on hand so I threw these in too, but if you have jalapeno or something else try this too

This is the secret to make the lentils taste "meaty" my husband doesn't know I add this, but he loves this dish if he knew he would say he doesn't like it because the soy sauce is not an Italian ingredient....stronzo

After you cook down your veg add a tin of diced tomatoes and broth along with the lentils and bring to a boil

You then put the pot on simmer and can leave it there for like six hours, but rule of thumb to is cook for at least two

My end result is more like a stew, so if you are after  a proper soup add more broth...simple!  But simple is always best!

Cocomero Days

Cocomero (watermelon) is served in slices along the Lungo Mare

July in Marina di Massa, Italy...I have yet to experience such until now.  I have caught a glimpse into my husband's extremely fortunate childhood days.  Those times included waking up, walking to the beach, stopping to purchase a rosetta con la coppa (roll with a kind of salami) then onto get the pink paper (which is the Italian sports paper called Gazzetta dello Sport, which he now despises but that is a a totally different post) and finally onto Bagno Fifi.  (In Italy different bagni line the beach, this is a business that sets up chairs everyday for clients.  Some have bars as well, but most of the beach is "owned" with only a small area that is public.)  Marina is much more lively in the summer with most of Italy's inland residents and tourists flocking to the coastal areas.  A true getaway from the non-existent summer that is the midlands of England.

One cocomero stand that started as a side of the road stop that blossomed into a full blown bar 

The cabina (where you change into your swimsuit) at Bagno Fifi

Every inch is dotted with chairs

This coastline to the Cinque Terre has been dubbed the "Tuscan Riveria"

My sister-in-law has kept the reserved chairs in the family for many years, therefore her chairs are very close to the water, not toward the back

A post about Italy with no food, nonsense!  Here are fresh mussels my mother in law prepared for lunch one day

Basil growing in her terrace garden, she has so much of it that with a breeze you catch a scent of it

After eating one of these cherry tomatoes off the vine, I know what the sun tastes like

Focaccia from Paula's http://www.americanina.com/2011/11/pane-di-paola.html (even in the summer fresh bread abounds)

A sunset at Bagno Fifi, where most beachgoers are home to clean up before going out for dinner around 9