The anal, perfectionist side of me finally caught up. With the (little?) spare time I’ve acquired recently after the end of school, I decided to embark on a project – a quest to manually readjust the levels of all the food photographs currently in the gallery. (Eh heh..) While time consuming, I find it so rewarding to see the food come alive, further appealing to the visual senses. First stop: Europe photos.
On that note, I present Food Porn #4, the beginning of the Italy series. Photos were taken during my Fall 2007 study abroad in Florence. Part One focuses on what most people associate Italian food with - pasta and pizza! And what delicious pasta and pizza it was. Mindful of the unfavorable euro exchange rate and the need to save money for my travels around Italy and Europe, I tended to stay in and cook more often than eat out. When I could afford to pamper myself the one or two nights a week with restaurant food, I often had to restrain my meat instincts and order instead the cheaper (but still delicious!) pasta dishes.
Pasta cooked al dente is the absolute best, and I grew to love Rigatoni Bolognese, delicious thick tubes of pasta drenched in savory minced meat sauce. I also tried my first plate of creamy risotto – who would have thought to combine cheese and butter with rice to add new flavor and texture? The only rice I had eaten before was the white rice my parents made every night for dinner.
And hello fettucini alfredo with bits of prosciutto. Too much of a good thing in the case of that dish though, and I could only take so much of the rich velvety sauce. Gnocchi topped with tomato sauce was also delicious, though a bit on the heavy side as well. Always top pasta with a fresh grating of parmesan cheese. =) Nom nom.
While Florence itself isn’t known for its pizza (leave that skill to Naples), my roommates and I had a delicious meal one evening at Il Pizzaiuolo, a Fiorentina pizza restaurant operated by a Naples-native.
While I unfortunately have no pictoral documentation of that meal, I still remember the delicious classic margherita (buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil) pizza I had that night. The extra cost from the buffalo mozzarella was worthwhile (always get buffalo mozz if possible!!)
I've been told that a certain smile breaks across my face whenever the subject of food is brought up, a smile that radiates the purest forms of delight and happiness. Food transcends beyond the smell and taste of what's presented in front of me; it's an experience to be enjoyed, indulged, shared with those I love. Working and living in NYC continually opens culinary doors, from hole-in-the-walls to upscale (even stuffy) dining. I never take any morsel of food for granted, and I'm often THAT girl at the table found licking her plate at the end of the meal.
