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The Magic of Abruzzo Blog

"We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us."  Anonymous

5 Ways to Order Italian Food

7/18/2019

 
Table set for a typical aperitivo with wine, olives, salumi, pizza and bread.
​It’s sometimes difficult to figure out an Italian menu especially on your first trip to Italy.  What the heck is a primo piatto and why are the meatball separate from the pasta?  My husband Domenico has taught me so much about how Italians eat and the order in which we eat.  I’ve explained here what was explained to me.

First of all if you go out for an aperitivo, it means you’re going out for pre-dinner drinks.  Italians never drink without food so there is always some sort of nibbly served with your drink.  This could be anything from peanuts or olives to mini-sandwiches or salami. 

Dinner Is Served!
  1. Antipasto is like the appetizers.  They can be hot or cold and includes everything from bruschetta to frittata.
  2. Primo Piatto is the ‘first plate’ and is usually pasta, risotto ‘rice’, polenta, or gnocchi.  This dish is meant to be sort of a side plate – not a main meal.  It is rarely served with meat such as meatballs or sausage like you may be used to back home.
  3. Secondo Piatto comes after the pasta dish and is called the second plate.  This is where the meat comes in to play.  Grilled lamb, pork or chicken or oven baked dishes can be served.
  4. Contorno is served after the meat or with the meat and is usually the vegetable side dishes.  Potato, spinach, carrots, zuchini or salad are typical contorni.
  5. Dolce is the dessert.  Typical sweets include panna cotta, tiramisu, crostada or gelato.

Unless we are going out for a special meal, we usually order either the first or second plate but not always both. When you order the primo piatto only they usually give you a little bit extra.

Extras
Digestivo is intended to help digest your meal and settle your stomach.  The ones usually served in Abruzzo are Ginsiana and Rataffia.  The first is very bitter and drank in a shot glass the former is swetter but still a bit bitter.  Other after dinner drinks can include
Cafe is only ordered as espresso or possibly with a bit of milk.  Cappuchino is never ordered after a meal as it is considered a morning drink.
Bread is always served with your meal but it’s probably better not to eat too much of it because the meal will be filling!
Wine is ordered and served just before the first plate arrives.  

Breakfast is Served!

2/9/2019

 
This recipe popped up on my FaceBook page from Fatto in casa da Benedetta and I said, when sharing it to my Page, that I’ll like to try these breakfast savory breads to serve at our B&B.  A friend of my Page, Dawn, asked if I could translate it into English so here is my best shot!  I’m steadily learning Italian but I am by no means fluent yet, so I may have made of few mistakes. Please bear with me.  I think you can get the idea of how to make these yummy breads. 
Yummy Savory Breads (usually served at Easter) but now served daily at  La Rocca Mia House B&B
Ingredients
1 uovo (egg)
300 ml latte tiepido (luke warm milk)
10 g sale (approx. 1 t salt)
60 g olio di semi (sunflower oil)
50 g pecorino grattugiato  (grated pecorino cheese)
1 bustina Lievito di birra Mastro Fornaio PANEANGELI  or  7g (Brewers Yeast)
20 g zucchero (approx. 2 T of sugar)
550 g farina (meglio se metà manitoba e metà 00)   Bread Flour or (its better if you use half bread flour and half 00 flour)
1 tuorlo per spennellare (egg yolk for brushing on top)
semi di papavero per decorare (facoltativi) (poppy seeds for decoration)

 
Method
1.  In a bowl we prepare the flour by adding 1 sachet (7 g) of Brewer's yeast (Mastro Fornaio PANEANGELI), with two tablespoons of sugar and mix well.
2.     In another bowl, break the egg, add a teaspoon of salt, warm milk, sunflower oil and grated pecorino.
Mix well with a fork then start to incorporate the flour a handful at a time continuing to mix.
3.    When the dough becomes firmer, continue to knead with the hands on the floured work surface.  Knead well until all the flour is used. The dough should be worked for a long time to reach a soft and elastic consistency.
​4.      Form a ball to be placed in a floured bowl. Make a cross on top then cover with the film wrap.
 5.     Let it rise until doubling the volume. It will take about an hour.
 6.     Then work the dough for a few minutes, divide it in half and spread it with a rolling pin to obtain a 1/2 cm thick dough. Try to get a rectangular shape.
 7.     Prepare the pan with a sheet of parchment paper. With a wheel, cut the dough into 8 strips.
 8.     Roll each of the strips to form a swivel to place on the pan.
 9.     Roll out the other dough but this time we turn the strips into braids and close on themselves to make donut shapes.
 10.    Cover the pan with a film and let rise for about half an hour.
 11.    Brush with egg yolk. On some swivels you can add some poppy or sesame seeds.
 12.    Cook for 20-25 minutes at 180 ° C or 350F

 
I tried this myself today (as usual, I never do it right the first time when cooking baked goods) but anyway they turned out terrific!  I’ll need to practice to make them even better and to work on shaping them but I think I did pretty good for the first time. (The photos in this blog are mine).
Visit us at La Rocca Mia House B&B and try them for yourself!
 
You can find the original recipe and the video at:  https://www.fattoincasadabenedetta.it/ricetta/girelle-pan-brioche-al-formaggio/
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    About the author

    This blog is curated by Margaret Gigliotti, B&B owner, teacher, explorer, wine drinker and creative writer.  

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email us at: la.rocca.mia@outlook.com
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  • Home
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