THE steak of steaks....

In Florence, they are known for their Bistecca a la Fiorentina, a steak, similar to a porterhouse in the United States. On almost any menu you can kind it for a huge price tag. The trick is to ask a local and see where they would eat it. The steak is supposed to be as thick as two fingers, and we were told be from a 'teenager' cow-not veal but not beef. When we met up with our couchsurfing host, we asked him to suggest a place. I had eaten at a place with my Dad and he told me it was good there, but he told us to wait a second and he would make some calls. Ten minutes alter we were informed we would eat at his friend's restaurant and he would prepare the meal for us. No better way than that!

The Restaurant, Il Vecchio e Il Mare, is situated just on the outskirts of the downtown area. The son, Pasquale and his father own and operate the restaurant. They have a pizza chef from Naples and serve mostly seafood since they are also from Southern Italy. We never saw a menu and had everything ordered but goodness it was good. I actually don't even think they have Bistecca a la Fiorentina on the menu but had ordered it just for us. Earlier that day, Lexi and I hiked to the top of the Duomo (463 steps!) so we felt as if we could indulge a bit in dinner. Boy, did we!

First at our table was some lovely focaccia bread from their pizza maker in house. 

In Italy, focaccia is different then home. It is what they make their pizzas on most of the time. This particular one was light and fluffy, warm and delicious!

The pizza maker and his oven

Next, we received some Fried Porchini Mushrooms, a yummy start to the meal.

You can find a similar recipe here

For much of the meal, Pasquale, the son, sat and ate with us at the table. He was also quite a good Chianti pourer!

After we ate the mushrooms came the main event. THE steak. We each had our own, ranging from about a half a kilo to a kilo. It is cooked till just brown on each side and only flipped once. The result is a very pink, tender and delicious piece of meat.

I managed to get through a large portion of mine. So so good! We thought we were full to the brim until this little gem came out of the kitchen.

Chocolate souffle with a cream sauce. Served with some amazing dessert wine it was a perfect way to end this amazing feast.

Firenze

I think I need about two blogs to document the food that Lexi and I ate in Florence. Though very touristy, even still in October, we were able to find some amazing food just off the beaten paths. If you read my last post, you will know that I was writing as I was leaving Rome on a train with no food and a large appetite. So the second we got to Florence, we hit the ground running. We found a delightful rustic cafe called Pallottino. Established in 1911 it has old heavy wooden tables and a glorious smell wafting rom the kitchen. Plus a great deal for the menu of the day! We ordered a first course of pasta, Pennette all creama de spinaci, and vegetable soup, Passato a verdure con pane dorato then both got the chicken, Pollo in forno con patate. Delicious!

After we felt re-charged and ready to tackle the city, especially to find lodging for the night. We are couchsurfing but my phone did not want to have service ANYWHERE in the city, making communication with our host difficult. No sooner as we got the receipt for the hotel for the night as it was getting dark did my phone ring, with our host on the line. We decided to just stay in the hotel to have one night in the downtown area to walk around, then move up to his hillside place the next day. At this point, I was again hungry, so we decided to head out for dinner. On a trip to Italy with my Dad two years ago, we stopped in Florence for a few nights and had some great food. Determined to find some of those places again, I took Lexi on a wild goose chase to find a really good restaurant near the Duomo. After some walking in circles, we found the place, only to find a two hour wait. So we put in our names and went out searching for a nearby apertivo, or wine with free appetizer buffet! The best thing.

Finger sandwiches and wine!

The selection, we both had a great glass, but didn't write down what we ordered...

The lovely little place, Coronas Cafe

The packed Caffe!

We set off back to the restaurant, Caffe Coquinarius. Part of the Slow Food world, they have some great food-easy pastas and very fresh salads. We ordered a starter of Crostini with Goat Cheese and Fig, and for dinner shared a Papparadelle with a Rabbit White Ragu sauce and a yummy Grilled Vegetable and Smoked Cheese Salad. To top it off for dessert, we had the most decadent Dark Chocolate Cake with a small glass of a dessert wine called Aleatico.

Crostini

Grilled veggie Salad topped with Smoked Cheese and Arugula

Papardelle

If Heaven was in Chocolate Form

Yummy sweet wine, Aleatico

 We left fully satisfied and as we walked home past the Duomo, it was hard not to be so appreciative of where I was. Such a beautiful city with amazing food with one of my best friends Lexi.

OK, so I DO need two posts on Florence. The best and most fun meal we had there is deserving of a single post. So look out for that soon!!

Joyeux Anniversaire

Joyeux Anniversaire, Happy Birthday...to me! Yesterday was my 22nd birthday and it was a day full of celebration and good food! Within minutes of meeting Albert a month ago at the airport, he told me he made a mean paella, as long as he had the reason to make it. I thought it was a match made in heaven, blending my love for Spanish food on my birthday in France! So the plans were set and we sent out invitations to some of their closest friends to come celebrate. It was more then my birthday, but a celebration of summer, a celebration for the end of the tourist season, and a celebration of good food.

Not a bad place for a birthday party!

We started out with Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup and also Spanish! It has origins in Andalusia, in the 18th century, to feed the field hands.  It is a raw soup, nice and crisp for a hot summer day!

Gazpacho for 15!

You can find the Epicurious recipe we used here. The only change is the addition of cumin to give it an extra little kick!

Paella is a traditional Spanish dish, created in Valencia sometime in the mid-nineteenth century. There are many variations, with all meat, all seafood, all vegetable, green, red, and a combination of it all! The Paella that we made was a mixture, with shrimp, mussels, scallops, chorizo, chicken, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and green beans. The secret ingredient to all Paellas is the saffron and smoked paprika. Yum!

Below, is a picture step by step of how we prepared our Anniversaire Paella!

Browning the Chicken

Adding the Stock, Spices and Rice

Seafood!

Add back the chicken and chorizo on top

And ENJOY!

This is the basic recipe we used, adapted off of The Spanish Table's recipe. Make it however you want, just a suggested preparation!
1/2 Cup uncooked Valencia Rice per person
1 Cup chicken stock, per every 1/2 cup rice used
5 threads Saffron per person, dissolved in 1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons or more olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan
1 peice of chicken (thigh for example) per person
1/2-1 soft chorizo per person
1 teaspoon smoked paprika per person
1 clove garlic minced per person
1/4 cup chopped onion per person
1/8 cup grated tomato (cut in half and grate, discard skin) per person
2 shrimp/prawns per person
2-4 small mussles and/or clams per person
3-5 small scallops per person
red peppers cut in strips
artichoke hearts, green beans and/or peas
lemon wedges for garnish

heat stock and keep warm. Toast the saffron gently in a small pan, when aroma is released, add the white wine. Allow to come to boil and remove the heat.
Heat the paella pan over medium heat, add olive oil and fry the chicken. When the chicken is golden, add garlic, onion and saute till translucent. Add chorizo and cook until heated the remove the chicken and chorizo.
Add the rice and stir until well coated with oil (about a minute), add the paprika and grated tomato, stir in saffron flavored wine and hot stock, being all to a boil, then add the red pepper, artichoke heart, green beans and peas.
Adjust the heat to a slow boil, after five minutes, add seafood then place the chicken and chorizo  back on top of the paella mix
Cover, and cook about 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Don't ever stir!! The goal is to get a caramelized layer of rice on the bottom of the pan. If doing it on a BBQ, the fire should start to die down as the rice is cooking. On a stove, you may have to stir the paella or move the pan around over the burner(s) to not burn in one place.


So delicious! The full dinner included lots of wine, and fresh tomato and zucchini salads from another guest's gardens, and of course, a lot of vino!

bon appetite!

They got me a lovely cake for dessert, complete with Joyuex Anniversiare Duck-Girl written across the front.

Paired with champagne, what more could a girl want?

The cake was caramel flan on top, with a layer of thin slices pears both perched over a walnut crumble base, officially called the Louvre Cake. Amazing!

I could not have asked for more for my first birthday outside of California, away from my friends and family. The food was amazing and the people were lovely, and it put a perfect start to my 22nd year.