Risotto a la Italia en Espana!

I made risotto for Jennifer and her boyfriend, Manuel tonight!

I cooked based off of my memory of the risotto my hosts in Venice made for me (I peeled the squash!). It turned out well! I lost the cord for my camera so I am unable to download photos right now but I felt encouraged to write regardless! I have decided that I will keep this blog updated when I am unable to travel by posting worldly recipes and vegan rants when I have use of a kitchen wherever I happen to be "home" aka for now, my mama's or my daddy's!

Squash/pumpkin risotto:

-Get a large saucepan and drizzle olive oil in the bottom of it

-Dice up your preferred amount of garlic and onions (I used half of a sweet, white onion ( I am new to onions!) and 4 cloves of garlic)

-Peel and cut a full half of a butternut type squash into squares. They are very difficult to peel so pick one with a good shape!

-Put saucepan on burner and turn to medium heat and put all of the veggies you've cut up into the pot

-Stir and keep on burner about 10 mins, add 1/4 cup water, and keep cooking for about 10 mins, squash should be tender

-Measure out desired amount of rice ( I apologize that I am not definitive with measurements!) I'd suggest around a cup and a half for half of a squash, and put into the saucepan

-Stir in oil and veg mixture for about a minute and then pour a cup of water into the mix, keep stirring!

-If you're using a nonstick pot then you don't have to stand over it however if you aren't you need to stir quite a bit and be near at all times!

-The process takes about 30 mins but every 10 or so minutes add a cup of water until you have added 3-4 cups

-Simmer and stir until the rice is cooked. Add seasonings to taste and let sit 5 mins before serving!

( I added salt, olive oil, and pepper during the course of cooking...per usual)

The land of 500 cheeses

Nope, not a rumour 'tis true! France has MORE than 500 varieties of cheeses! It's just harder to eat in some places... c'est la vie.

My time in France has been brief but I am spending the night in Montpellier, unplanned, before I embark on my journey to Spain tomorrow. After some consideration of the short time I have left here in Europe, the weather up north and the romance of Paris I have decided NOT to go to "The City of Light/Love". All the more reason to come back another time! There are just some things I don't want to do alone so hopefully one day in life I will be so lucky to venture to Paris with an equally lucky someone. I could go alone, and had every intention to do so but after looking over my calendar and seeing that I had unintentionally planned to get there today (Valentine's Day) the girl in me just screamed "NO!!!!". I tend to torture myself but enough is enough. Not only would it be torturous to my chronic singledom but can you imagine the crowds?!? EEK.

C'est la vie...TMI? I can't help it; Europe has such a romantic vibe...moving on. I spent the last few days in Lyon, France... a place hardly touched by Americans according to the locals and the lack of English knowledge in the area. My friend Jessica lived in Lyon for a year and is OBSESSED with it so I HAD to go. I found a couch to surf, with a vegetarian from England who is planning on turning vegan once she gets back to the UK in the summer. We discussed veganism and the difficulties France presents for a vegan more than we actually ate. I drank more wine than I ate real food and well I have nothing particularly exciting to share on the food front! Lots of baguettes and an interesting chestnut spread were consumed but nothing remarkable or noteworthy. The dreaded peanut butter craving is definitely sinking in right about now. Amy, my CS host, did share a vegetarian restaurant with me but when I made my way there it was already closed! Oh, Europe... so I am not completely to blame for my lack of interesting food info. HOWEVER, I do know how to get there if any of my readers and future readers have an interest in going I would really love to hear about your experience! It's a cute little place not far from a well-known Metro stop:

Toutes Les Coleurs

26 rue Imbert Colomes

Take Metro "C"/yellow line to Croix-Paquet

Walk up and out through stairs, go to the right and continue walking up another set of stairs. Turn right when you get to the street and as it forks go left. You will be on Rue Imbert Colomes and the restaurant is basically on the corner on the left side. I can see it in my mind, now!

It retrospect, because today's journey led me to an unplanned night in Montpellier I could have stayed an extra hour in Lyon and had lunch at Toutes Les Coleurs but then again it is Sunday and everything is closed because France, and much of Europe, really does practice "the day of rest"! Next time...

Lyon is a really cute city, just the right size. I thought I had seen the last of my snowy days but because it is in the more northern part of France I met my new friend Snow once again! Snow plus wind is really something...

I spent a lot of time with Amy but she works nights as a bartender at a nearby pub so the first night when I arrived I met her at work after my train-ride from hell. The second night her flatmates invited me to a "concert" where one of them, Pierre, was playing with 2 of the numerous bands he allegedly works with. It was SOOOO much fun and really reminiscent of California, although I have never felt so uncomfortable language wise it was definitely my kind of scene. It was a house party in Terreaux where Amy and her flatmates live. Terreaux is the alternative, "hippy" part of Lyon. This particular flat (apartment) is apparently an notorious destination for concerts, art expos, etc. The couple who lives there doesn't charge a cover but does provide beer and wine for a euro each. Everyone must take off their shoes upon entering and head upstairs where there is a loft of sorts with art all over the walls, pillows and a loungy vibe. Pierre and his band played Yiddish music, self-written songs in English and some 60's and reggae covers of The Beatles, Marley etc. It was really comfortable if only because the vibe felt so good but it's true, French people are really not the friendliest to outsiders. I didn't want to believe it and I hate stereotypical generalizations but even French people tend to agree! They are, however, very friendly and happy amongst themselves and do not fit the stereotypical "stick up the butt" image they are sometimes known for. Luckily Pierre and Macko, Amy's flatmates, are really chill and know enough English to have some conversation. They tried to make me feel at home but some of the girls there were CLEARLY unhappy about my presence so it was an odd feeling I can't exactly explain but I had fun anyway and I recorded some of the performances and promised the guys I'd get them famous in the states. haha.

I also had the opportunity to meet and hang out with my friend Jessica's friend Florence who she met in Lyon when she studied there a few years ago. She met me in a city square on Saturday, the 13th, and we walked around FREEZING Lyon. We did a tad of shopping (bad Bailey) and then explored the old city across the bridge and had coffee to warm up. We went our separate ways in the late afternoon to meet up later at night and she invited 4 of her friends to get dinner with us and hit up The Smoking Dog Pub, per Jessica's request. Smoking Dog is an English pub and it closed around 1 so after we drove to Boat Q, a club on the river inside of a boat. I was tired and not at all tipsy so after about an hour of dancing to trance music both Florence and I had had enough of the scene so she drove me back to Amy's around 3 and that basically sums up my time in Lyon!

2.14.10

My plan was to get to Montpellier, France and make my way to Barcelona from there. This was going to be tricky because I would have to transfer trains. My original plan was to spend some time in Montpellier because a girl I met on my trip to Israel last year is currently living there however she had left on the 13th for vacation so the timing was off. I woke up and got dressed in a hurry and chose to walk to the train station expecting it to take a max of 30 minutes. I was wrong. The directions were straight away and not confusing but it took much longer than 30 minutes to get there so I missed my train and thus was going to miss the transfer to Barcelona. I got a Subway sandwich, haha, and tried to figure out if there was any way to get to Barca with the aid of one of the station's personnel. There was a way but it was 150 Euros, uhhh, no thanks! So, I hopped on the train and went to Montpellier. Because I had done no research of the place after finding out that Lisa was no longer going to be there I had no idea where to go or what to do when I arrived but I was totally happy to be hugged by warmer weather and sunny skies when I made it to the little coastal town. I found the cheapest hotel nearby and ventured around for a bit and found some food. Unfortunately I have bad news to report regarding the food of choice. I got a pita with veggies and when I was nearly finished a creamy substance started oozing out of the pita. It resembled mayo and upon further inspection I saw that it was IN BETWEEN the pita bread layers? Not even inside of the "sandwich"?!?! So disgusting. Needless to say I threw the rest of it away and didn't figure out the mystery of WTF it was but never had I ever, EVER, seen any sort of creamy substance in pita bread especially since last I checked cream isn't necessary to make pita. It wasn't like a flour and water texture either so the mystery will remain unsolved however I had an icky taste in my mouth and negative thoughts swarming my mind so in honor of V-day I bought myself some dark chocolate with hazelnuts for dessert.

2.15.10

I stayed in a very funny hotel that reeked of something moldy and musky but I eventually got used to it, which isn't exactly a humbling thought! It was nice to have privacy and my own space for a night but definitely not worth the cost. When I checked out I left my luggage at the reception desk and went out to see as much of Montpellier as I could in the 4 hours I had before the train to Barcelona was to leave. I discovered a vegetarian restaurant with vegan options that opened around noon so after I walked around for an hour and a half I had worked up an appetite and made my way to Tripti Kulai. It's location is very easy to get to from the center of Montpellier; it's pretty much a straight shot from the Polygone if you're walking away from the tourist office. I will update links and directions when I do some editing once I am back in the states!

The interior of Tripti Kulai is adorned with calming pastel colors and Buddha statues. The women who work there are very nice and all clad in colorful saris. They offer a menu of the day that comes with an appetizer and a main course. I probably would have been fine and dandy with just a meal sans an appetizer but when I come across these places my excitement truly gets the best of me! I ordered the plate of the day "Tofu a la mexicaine, riz, salade verti" and decided upon the pate instead of a salad as my appetizer because pate is an integral part of French cuisine. I was so full! Although my meal was good it was definitely not up to my taste buds' standards of "mexican" it was actually rather bland and in need of sriracha but I am getting used to blander food and there was no pepper in sight. I hadn't had a good source of protein in a few days so it was definitely fulfilling to have tofu in my system! The pate was really good and I will definitely be adding pate to the list of things I must make once I get back to a kitchen at home. They even offer some vegan desserts at Tripti Kulai but because I was without someone to roll me out of there I asked for my check once I was done with my meal and didn't try the tarte, sadly.

Vegan Pate

"Mexican" tofu and rice

http://www.triptikulai.com/

Rain, rain go away...

... I want to thoroughly enjoy my Roman holiday!

When I was a child the sound produced by a storm or a passing train always comforted me and as I'd try to analyze why I'd eventually fall asleep and wake up in the morning to the squawk of a nearby rooster, a sound that didn't comfort me so much, haha. I am not exactly sure why I liked the sound of trains and thunder as a kid (feel free to psychoanalyze) but I must admit that the childhood feeling of comfort I'd get from a storm didn't make it into my adulthood. Storms somewhat terrify me now and my mind races to tsunamis, floods, and hurricanes immediately without intention. Last night I slept very little and very terribly thanks 1) to the cot excused as a bed I've adopted whilst here in Rome and 2) because the storm making its way thru Rome was one of the most intense I've heard in awhile! It's now morning but the aftermath of the storm has left the streets wet and vacant so before getting myself together and venturing out I will give them some time to dry, and also try this blogging thing again....

So, I've been in Italy for five days! I arrived in Venice by way of Zurich and Milan on Monday via my favorite method of transport, rail of course. Not only was I thinking of the environment when I opted to purchase a Eurail pass pass instead of various flights some months ago but I was also really looking forward to experiencing European "countryside" through the window view trains provide. The ride from and through Switzerland to Venice was phenomenal! I can only imagine how much prettier these two countries are when the weather is better and the existence of greenery is present. Italy and Switzerland may provide some of the best camera-ready panoramic views in the summer and spring, as seen in many movies, but winter is real 'round these parts so snow adds a true characteristic of its own and although it deterred somewhat from film images I've seen many a time it was still beautiful and enjoyable and alas, novel for my California-American eyes.

2.1.10

The Santa Lucia train station, not to be confused with station Mestre, in Venice is easy to find and provides for a landmark by which to navigate yourself around in the city that is famous for its canals, bridges and gondolas. I arrived at Santa Lucia and was by some miracle,apparently, able to find my hotel/ hostel in about 20 minutes after arrival. After checking in I made my way to my room of 8 beds to find no one there so because it was nearing dinner time and as usual on a day of train transit, I had yet to eat a meal, I left the hostel in search of a supermarket. My goal was to find something I could easily prepare and consume without the use of a stove, microwave, plates etc. I found Coop market without confusion and began to wonder if the horror stories I'd heard about getting lost in Venice were all just myth? Venice is shaped like a fish and therefore rather circular; how hard can it be? The market was fascinating and just like I pictured; very "Italian"! I am such a food and travel dork that it may or may not always be amusing to you but I was happy. There are rows of wine and olive oil, a fresh olive bar with a man in a big white chef hat to serve you, fresh-baked breads of every sort, and a non-smelly meat department that I could only appreciate for not only the lack of stench but also because it made the visual I had imagined complete in reality. The best part for me at the time is that in the fresh and vibrant produce section I found pre-packaged salads sans meat, eggs, or cheese (you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a simple vegan salad in Europe) and there next to the salads were cute individual bottles of olive oil infused with various vegetables including pepperocinis and garlic... mmmmm! I settled on a vine-ripe tomato, half a baguette, a salad, oil w/ garlic and 2 clementines for dessert and headed back to the hotel eager to eat the fresh veggies but let's face it I was more excited about the bread and oil... this is Italy after all! When I got back to the room I again found nobody else there so I tried to eat as cleanly as I could at the end of my bed. As I was finishing my dinner up a girl from Ukraine named Anastassia came in; we shared conversation about travel, life, education and politics over the clementines that we had each separately purchased. Time flew by and it was nearly bed time. As we were brushing our teeth and getting ready to sleep two guys from Japan came in with the intention to drink a liter of Heineken and inquire about our lives in between hysterical laughter so, it ended up being a typical hostel stay! haha...

2.2.10

I was able to secure a place to stay with Marta from CouchSurfing who had responded to my somewhat desperate request in record timing. Her and her flatmate, Gaia, are studying for their Masters in Contemporary Art and have nearly identical schedules during the day that allow for a mid-day siesta, of course. We had arranged to meet at their place between 1 and 2:45 pm. I checked out of the hostel at 10, left my bags behind and made my way through "streets", across bridges and over canals to spend the morning in Piazza San Marco. I walked around and inside the basilica most commonly known as St. Mark's Basilica, the namesake of the piazza, took in the sight of Doge's Palace that was undergoing typical winter renovations and took in the breathtaking view of Venice. The piazza is not only a central meeting grounds in Venice, full of history, but it provides a great vantage point of experiencing the ways of the water transit system as it opens up into a lagoon connected with The Grand Canal, Venice's main waterway. The sun was shining and the Vitamin D immediately had a positive and sunny affect on me and my zealous photo-taking!

L to R: St. Mark's Clocktower, The Basilica and Doge's Palace AKA Piazza San Marco!.. the stages around me were being set up in anticipation of Carnevale.

View from the water's edge at Piazza San Marco

After visiting THE piazza, I continued walking and came across the Royal Gardens and went to The Accademia where I paid a 10 euro entry fee to only find out that the pieces of art I wanted to see most, particularly those by Bellini e.g. Madonna and Child Blessing, were being restored and many of the rooms were closed! I love art, don't get me wrong, but there are only so many pre-19th century, faded, depictions of Jesus Christ and his disciples I can look at in silence before I crave running through the halls hoping to find something modern or contemporary, to no avail. After I completed my hour in The Accademia I started heading back toward the train station to orient myself in order to find Marta's flat. On my way to Santa Lucia I felt some hunger building up so I started checking out menus at the street cafes I was passing and instead chose a "self-service" ristorante because the prices seemed decent and the food looked appetizing! I ordered fettuccine and mushrooms doused in oil and parsley. The color was a bit yellow so I was sure to ask if it was oil and not butter used and if the noodles were eggless. The woman who served me spoke English pretty well and understood my broken Italian so I trusted her answer! It was really quite yummy for being cafeteria style! Also it was nice to have a place to sit and read w/ a really awesome view of the bustling Grand Canal.

My "self-serve" meal of fettuccine and funghi. I wrote down the name of ristorante but the page fell out of my planner... hopefully I'll recall it soon!

After my solo-lunch ( I am getting really professional at eating alone) I headed back over the canal, through the windy streets and to the other side of Venice where I was to meet my hosts. The other side of Venice is basically the right side of Venice as you walk out of the Termini train station. The left side is definitely the more touristy side whereas the right side is more residential and university oriented. Marta and Gaia met me near a bridge near their flat (explaining directions if you haven't been there is really pointless so I'll spare you!) and we went upstairs for some chit-chatting before we separated them, for class and me for some book reading at a cafe nearby. When we met back up at their flat later we went out to a local bar and I had my first "spritz". A spritz is basically a wine spritzer and not really a favorite of mine but when in Venice, I had to!

2.3.10

I spent the better part of the day doing random activities with Marta and Gaia. Marta took me to the bottom part of "the fish" aka Venice where you stand on this really small peninsula and are surrounded by water on both sides. It was a really awesome view and this particularly famous statue locally translated as "naked boy holding frog" was being guarded by a very awkward guard man who was even more awkward than the idea of a naked boy child statue.

On our way back to the flat we stopped to buy ingredients to make pumpkin risotto! My hosts thought intently about what we could make that fit into vegan parameters. It was really delicious, simple and I am happy to have a new recipe to add to my worldly collection!

Gaia and Marta peeling the squash for the risotto; I helped too!