Poutine oui ou poutine non?

I believe every country has its own good share of fats and unhealthy foods. Sometimes the fattier and more caloric it is the better it tastes. Of course there are exceptions - and I would immediately list the Glasgonian deep fried Mars-bar...

This national Quebecois snack seems to be perfect after a long night out and many pints of Labatt as it is salty, fatty, and tasty. To be honest I was expecting something worse than what it was - possibly having experienced the deep fried Mars bar - as every time I mentioned poutine everyone rolled their eyes and sighted. Somebody even admitted that she allowed herself to indulge in it once a year - which made me think that this poutine was deadly poisonous. All it turned out to be was a plate of chips soaked in gravy and covered with crumbs of cheese curd. C'est tout? Oui, c'est tout! So I reckon that a medium portion has only 600cal which in the end is the equivalent of a very loaded pizza.

Poutine seems to be the French variation of the English pudding, clearly not the sweet version but the savoury one like the Yorkshire pudding that is typically eaten with roast beef. Possibly in origin there were no chips but more something like a batter that was then covered with cheese and topped with the gravy from the roast.

I must recognize that the look is not the most inviting but the taste is not bad - if you like those sort of things once in a while. We had ours sitting on a bench in one of the lovely roads of old Quebec City.

 

 

It was cute to find "posh" versions of poutines -"gnocchi and fois-gras".

Clearly I'm not going to give you a recipe for this but I might have inspired you to concoct something new next time you come back from the pub.

Canada in a tart

Hopefully this will be the first of a series of posts on Canada. I am sure that many won't expect gourmet dishes from the northern cousin of America but to our surprise we discovered many delicacies which I want to share with you.

 

Of course maple syrup was at the top of our gourmet trail being probably Canada's n.1 symbol. There are several ways in which this golden gloopy syrup can be used and we had great fun in discovering them. The most fun thing though was to discover how it can very in taste, colour, and smell- a bit like wine, really!  And that most Canadians seem to have an uncle who produces it...

The trees get wired up with a series of tubes that are then channeled into a main pot where all the sap gets collected, then directed into a massive cauldron and boiled for ages until it acquires the desired consistency. And the purer it is the more expensive it gets - and by purity I mean not been mixed with the syrup from previous years or from different batches - so no cuvees please!

One gets so convinced that maple syrup is simply everywhere that I was deadly sure that it was one of the main ingredients of these wonderful tarts...perhaps the trick is given but a combination of muscovado sugar, cream, and butter. These little crumbly melt-in-the-mouth gems that are sold almost everywhere in Ontario - there is even a "butter tarts trail" around the town of Kenilworth where bakeries claim to seel thousands a week - are tiny cases of pastry filled with a mix of  butter (obviously!) and cream that becomes one of the most delicious filling - it is so oozy that there is no point in cutting a tart into half to share the guilt, you've got to have it all or the syrup will form a big lake in your plate leaving even more traces of your gluttony!

  

Simple pleasures - a slice of ciambellone

I am often asked what I like cooking best. Certainly not meat and not so much starters for some odd reasons. Pasta, rice, and cakes are probably on top of my list. There is always something so rewarding from making a rich and velvety sauce or to see magic being made under the light of the oven when all of sudden something rises and becomes gold!

 

In my first months of motherhood I was baking like mad. Not sure why. I have calmed down a bit now to the displeasure of my husband though but I'm sure to the benefit of his waist! And I'm afraid I don't believe in making cakes light by replacing butter with margarine or sweetener instead of sugar...you either do the proper thing or nothing!

I ricciarelli di Siena - outside of Christmas

I could blame my absence from this blog on my little 7 months old son and the time he needs from me...but in reality it is simply because I started doing other things which distracted me...and perhaps it has also been because I lost a bit of enthusiasm about this blog...so come on, do leave a comment, it'll give me a push!

So I am back. After two months of absence. After all it is not that long if you think about it. But it is an eternity compared to my food blogger friends who seem able to cook, photograph, and write about their dishes almost every day.

Migliacci and a Wine Festival

I must start - erm, once again - by apologizing for my long silence. I admit I have been distracted by many other projects (including my almost 5 months' old son) and frankly I have not realized how quickly time has gone. November has literally flown away!



Back in October we went to Tuscany. I have always loved visiting my home region at that time of the year, not only because the roasting heat is gone by then, but also because the hills around Siena turn into a multitude of colours and home tables see some of the most wonderful products like porcini, marroni (chestnuts), truffles, and the first harvested wine.

A Seasonal Focaccia - sweet bread with grapes

I cannot believe that it is the end of October already. Autumn has arrived sneakily with its colours, made a few carpets of leaves here and there, and almost taken them away with it. Halloween is tomorrow and then All Saints will mark a new month. I have always felt that grape is Autumn quintessential ingredient - together with figs, walnuts, and mushrooms. 

This sweet bread is one of those things that you need to know where to buy as otherwise it can be alluring at the look but deeply disappointing at the taste. And of course even better if you have a bit of time in your hands and decide to make it at home.

Soft amaretti - no more secrets

There is nothing more rewarding than hitting upon the right proportion of ingredients for one of your favourite things. Soft and sour amaretti are those sweets that you would eat one after the other, and as it takes only one bite to devour these little jewels it gets pretty difficult to keep a full jar for more than two days...our it's almost half empty and I do have restrained myself!

Maremma, Maremma!

Too often we underestimate what lays just a stone’s throw from us. I grew up in Tuscany and spent most of my summers on its coast. Maremma was the region that hosted all my swims, sun-tans, and afternoon ice creams and for years I simply took it for granted.  But only recently have I fully appreciated the beauties that this region offers to the curious traveller, a tourist who is in search of peace and old flavours. 

 

  

It is not surprising that the New York Times describes it as one of “the best destinations for those seeking nature, clean waters, and tranquillity”. Maremma is the wild heart of Tuscany, a region of melancholic beauty where white cows resting under olive and cypress trees and the butteri, the traditional shepherds, leading herds of buffalos along gentle sand dunes, and among pine trees and chestnut woods. Those who are able to ride can even join them at dawn and watch them working.

Dining al fresco

...and another summer is almost gone! To tell you the truth I am not entirely sure we even had one this year. June and July have been wet and windy and August has mixed some sunny muggy days with rain and clouds. I knew I should have planned a Spring baby and fly away a few months after! Lesson learnt for the next one!

In the meantime though I don't miss any opportunity to sit in the garden and enjoy a glimpse of sun. This lunch we put together at the last minute opened a window onto a luminous pier we were strolling along this time last year in Liguria, enjoying the singing of the seagulls and the screams of children running for their third ice cream of the day.

Linguine con le cozze is a "must" in our family in the Summer. And it is not the mussels cooked in the French style; oh no, they are as simple as possible with just those few ingredients that enhance the smell and taste of salt and sea. I can almost hear the waves crushing against the rocks.

  

Perfumes of Lavender

It is certain that if I say lavender you automatically think of the south of France. Fields of purple waves touched by warm sun and busy bees. True that even the word itself derives from Old French lavandre and that therefore this association would not seem entirely wrong. However, also England can claim a large handkerchief of its land of this blue flower that fills up the air with its pungent and distinct smell.

And here goes also with its uses. Added to sage, rosemary and thyme it enriches the meat of a chicken roasted in the oven or, if the temperature dictates, on the barbeque. Mixed to the flour it makes some classic scones a surprise to enjoy for a truly Summer tea. And like in this case, infused to milk transform some banal cupcakes to something new.