European Cuisine
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Italian Cuisine: In the Heart of Tuscany
When an American conjures up an idea of “Italian cuisine,” often what comes to mind is pasta, red sauce, and garlic bread. Pasta, no doubt, plays a large part in most traditional Italian regional cuisine, and few cultures know how to employ a tomato the way that Italians can. However, there are so many distinct styles and trademarks within the different regions of Italy that it is hard to lump together all Italian regional cuisine into one general type of cooking. In reality each region has a very distinct style and taste, and there is really no way to appreciate Italian regional cuisine without visiting restaurants and eateries all over the boot. Tuscany is a region of Italy that takes up a small piece of the western coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Since a large border of the Tuscan… Read more -
Preparing the Perfect Paella
Paella is a saffron-flavored dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood. In the Old French and Catalan languages, paella means frying pan or pot. The traditional paella pan is flat and of large diameter, it can also have handles on each side. In fact, paella is one of the most versatile dishes to make. Paella also has the advantage of being great to clean out the fridge and use up leftover meats and vegetables. Any combination will eventually be great the secret is in the chemistry. Paella is a dish that is generally made to feed several people. Moreover, paella is quite flavorful the next day as the tastes have had time to mix together and become stronger. First the rice Select a type of rice that you are comfortable using. Feel free to experiment… Read more -
Lobster Bisque Soup
The lobster bisque is very rich, so a small serving (about two-thirds cup per person) is plenty. At the restaurant, this is baked in individual crocks, with puff pastry on top. Ingredients: 2 lb boiled lobsters, medium sized 2 1/2 c fish or chicken stock 1 onion, sliced 4 celery stalks, with leaves 2 cloves, whole 1 bay leaf 1/4 c soft butter 1/4 c flour 3 c milk; heated 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 c cream; hot but not boiling 2 tablespoons sherry 1/8 teaspoon parsley; minced 1/8 teaspoon paprika Directions: Remove the meat from boiled lobsters. Dice and reserve the body meat and mince the tail and claw meat. Crush the shells and add them to the stock along with the onion, celery, cloves and bay leaf. Simmer these ingredients for about 30 minutes and strain the stock. Combine the flour and soft… Read more
