The good, bad, and weird of the food in Italy

Several weeks ago, we took a trip to Italy. As is tradition following a trip in our family (thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law), we each take a turn sharing our “good”, “bad”, and “weird” of the trip. Peach and pit? Rose and thorn? They’re essentially all the same, but the “weird” is a fun addition that yields the best reflections.

Good: The pasta. We took a pasta-making class where we made spaghetti with pesto, ricotta ravioli with a sage butter sauce, and gnocchi with red sauce. Did the fact that we were in an Italian villa making pasta dough while drinking bubbly perhaps play into the deliciousness of the pasta? Yes. But it was so delightful.

Bad: At one restaurant I ordered a “carrot pasta”, thinking that I’d get a bowlful of orange noodles where carrot puree was in the noodles. Instead, I got a bowlful of shaved carrots, perhaps the zoodle equivalent of Italy? I am not a fan of any kind of vegetable “noodle”, they’re not noodles and don’t satiate any cravings I have for pasta. Nonetheless, I’m sure my body appreciated the extra veg on a trip that was 99% carbs.

Weird: Whenever we’re traveling in a location that has a great cheese shop, we’ll visit the shop and do a simple cheese dinner back at our AirBnb. For cheese dinner on this trip, we asked for the monger’s Italian cheese recommendations, of which Castelmagno di Alpeggio, a blue cheese, was one of them. Most blue cheeses are made using the bacteria Penicillium roqueforti which, when exposed to the air through a process called needling, grows the blue mold that is characteristic of blue cheeses you see at a market. This cheese was not needled and therefore didn’t have any bluing, yet still had a blue flavor and was crumbly. I’ve been around a lot of cheeses, but have never tasted a cheese like this before…and wasn’t sure I actually liked it?

Orzo al Limone

The 411: Molly Baz’s recipe is cozy yet fresh, a pairing I find myself wanting in the unpredictable season that is spring. This recipe is simple and feels like a big hug in the form of carby, extra lemony and cheesy goodness.

Zoe’s Tips: This recipe is quite simple so I don’t have much in the way of tips, other than that if you don’t know how to properly cut an onion, watch this video to learn how to do so. It takes a little time to master the technique, but is a total gamechanger.

Taste-to-Time Ratio¹: 8:8

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

The 411: My mom shared Kay Chun’s recipe with me one week ago and I have already made it twice, which hopefully speaks volumes to my enthusiasm for a veg sandwich that is not just Caprese. Mock tuna salad recipes feel like a dime a dozen on the internet, but what I love about this one is the omission of mayo. Instead, tahini brings creaminess, coupled with a satisfying crunch from scallions and celery.

Zoe’s Tips: After making the base chickpea salad, my favorite iteration has been in wrap form, with a few slices of cheddar (I skip the parm in the salad that the recipe calls for), tomato, and lettuce. A “tuna” melt was also delicious: toasted bread, chickpea salad, tomato and sliced cheddar under the broiler. Or, you can do no wrong with the original sandwich that the recipe lays out!

Taste-to-Time Ratio: 7:8

1. The Taste-to-Time Ratio is a ratio that evaluates flavor on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) with time on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the fastest). For example, our family favorite mac and cheese that requires 2 types of cheese, toasted baguette breadcrumbs, approximately all your kitchen pans, and 2 hours of baking is a 10:3 - insanely delicious, but not a quick weeknight meal.