Castellina de Chianti- A Tuscan Italian Adventure

While I was staying in Italy the three of us girls decide we are "just going out for coffee" and mistakenly I leave my camera back at the apartment. I have used other pictures from my trip to help narrate my story. But here goes the story of a really unexpected day. So, while we are having our espresso and crossaint, we see a bus out the window. Our friend, a current resident of Seina insists we must take take it because its a great day trip and adventure, why not!? So we drink down our espressos and  just get on a bus that our friend hyped us up about. The destination the place to get amazing olive oil and and Chianti, a little castle in the Tuscan hills just 45 mins away. SOUNDS AMAZING to me!

So we start the journey, and I will just say any bus ride or car ride you take in Italy, you will kiss the ground after you arrive safely. Anyway, I know nothing about olives, and I regret to say I don't really like them. I know a little about wine, but nothing about Chianti or what I am to expect. I am excited to hear from the hostess that Chianti is a wine that only comes from the  Chianti Hills in the Tuscan region between Florence and Seina. This highly prized wine traditionally comes in a stout bottle with a straw case around the lower area of the bottle. We are going to to wine country, right up my alley, and I am interested to learn more about Chianti!!

So we arrive in Castellina de Chianti, an ancient civilization in my eyes. It takes you someplace very hard to explain, but its humbling to know how people used to live and the things they did to protect themselves from each other. Walking into the "castled in city" is absolutely incredible. There is an underground tunnel that goes under part of the walled in city that has guard windows to look out in case of intruders. Within the walls is a quaint little city with bakeries, espresso, gelato, wineries, artists galleries, gift shops and a whole lot of history and vibe to it.

A very hot day in August at the top of a very dry area in Italy calls for some gelato, so we stopped to get a  few bowls and headed on our way. Italy if already didn't know is gelato heaven. Mountainous heaps of color and flavor taunt you as you walk by gelato booths that are strategically placed... EVERYWHERE! MMMmmmm.... Gelato! After a bit of that we checked out the incredible tunnel and view from the guard windows of the grape vineyard and olive tree covered hills below.

Next we stop at a winery and olive oil shop with Classico Chianti that is over 100 years old and still using same techniques to continue to make traditional Chianti wine. We had some great tasting and bought a few bottles to enjoy at Campo de Piazza in Seina later that night. I did try the olive oil and it was hard to resist buying some. The olive oil is so light and delicious and taste laden, it is almost drinkable. Since I couldn't buy the olive oil, I instead bought myself a little cutting board made from an olive tree cut down there in the area. It was just too cool to pass up, and I use it everyday still. It brings me good thoughts of this day in Castellina De Chianti.

On the way back to our bus, and a pretty quick jaunt of the city we stopped by a very authentic pizzeria. This is where your pizza  is cooked on a wood burning stove and very true to Italy. See my pizza recipe, where I have given my best efforts to replicate this amazing pizza for you at home. We had to eat quick so we didn't miss our bus. We tried to take it with us with permission from our waitress, but the Italian's do not "do" to go food. You do not ask for a box at the end of your dinner. Your chef will be insulted if you send food back to their kitchen, which is hard because they give you food, and a lot of it! I swear we paid and ate a few bites, and had to practically "steal" our own pizzas to get out of there with them!

We barely caught our bus, munched down the rest of our tasty pizza and chased it with some Chianti before our ride back to Seina. I'd say we had a pretty awesome accidental adventure, but lesson learned when in Italy, don't go anywhere with out your camera! I hope you enjoyed your visit with me in Italy! 

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave me a comment or question below! I'd also really appreciate it, if you like this blog, if you'd follow me?
 -Stacy

Italian Marinara

In 2011 I took a trip to Italy and became inspired, how can you not?! Italy is the culinary heaven!  I learned a lot about the Italian way of life while I was there and think America should adopt these old world techniques that have somehow gotten lost how to grow and appreciate flavorful foods.

1) Small refrigerators means less storage, so less food in the house. Many Italian's go to the market every day to get just what they need for the meal they will be preparing that day.

2) Your day is a five course meal, not really but kind of. Breakfast is just a snack and consists usually of an espresso, a light pastry, and a piece of fruit. (my favorite a macciato, a croissant and a peach, mmmm...) Lunch is an appetizer with cheeses, breads, meats, pesto, balsamic, tomatoes. Dinner is dinner and often eaten out late, at around 9 pm people start meeting up for supper and it lasts for hours. Unlike American restaurants where we eat, drink and converse in 40-60 mins and are given our ticket (hint, hint) and on our ways. Dinner starts with sparkling water, wine and bread, then you move through the courses, salad, pasta, meat, dessert and in the meantime spend hours enjoying your food, wine and company, and the staff at the restaurant is not trying to bustle you out, if you don't know to ask, you will think your wait staff to be rude, because they will never bring you your ticket, until you ask.

3) Fresh, local, and organic. In Europe you know you are eating quality food because they do not allow GMO's and have not modernized their farming. Many farmers drive their produce into the city daily and  are using property and technique that has been passed through generations for ages. Everything tastes ripe and full of flavor, cooking with these ingredients makes for amazing meals, the Italians are onto something and old world technique will survive in Italy as long as they continue to keep their traditions in the fields and in the kitchens. One rule if its not in season, you won't find it at the market!

So anyway I suppose you would like to learn how to make some marinara as well. But I do want to describe my inspiration on this, the sauce we buy in the store is NOT like the sauce in Italy. The marinara in Italy is fresh, slightly watery, and full of flavor! The sauce here is tasty, but too "tomato pasty" flavored and the sauce is usually thick and overbearing. My sauce inspired by the sauce I had in Italy is as close as I could get to recreating the unique flavors and consistency I experienced eating real marinara in Italy. Deliciouso!!!

Marinara Ingredients:
10-12 Ripe fresh tomatoes

1 bunch Fresh Basil
1/2 cup white wine
2 crushed cloves of Garlic
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of pepper
Fresh Italian herbs such as thyme,
rosemary, oregano



Directions:

1) Add light coat of olive oil to a sauce pan at medium high, lay halved tomatoes face down to saute for about 10 mins. Traditional Italiano style is to de-seed them and de-skin them, but I personally like the seeds, its up to you how you want your sauce. If you are going to de-skin them you will need to blanch them for 5 mins in boiling water and remove by peeling off. To de-seed, scoop out with finger once its cut in half.

2) Reduce to medium heat and add wine, start smashing tomatoes when they start heating up, so they are cooking in their own juices and the wine. Continue mashing throughout the process. 

 3) Cook down for about 30 mins and add all spices and any sauteed vegetables you would like to add.

 3) You can freeze, can, to store for months or use the sauce within 10 days of creation. Enjoy!

Listed below are many of my recipes you can make with this marinara:

Savory Mini Calzones

Pizza

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chicken Parmesean

Savory Stuffed Pastries AKA Healthy Homemade Hot pockets

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves 4
Oven heated at 350 degrees

These calzone shaped mini pastries are great with a hearty side salad or by themselves and are quite filling. The great thing about these pastries are they are extremely versatile, if your making them for breakfast you can use bacon eggs and cheese, you make a bunch at once and freeze them for "healthy hot pockets," and this is also a fun "party dish" to allow your guests to create their own unique combinations. Whatever you decide you will love them so much you will want to make them again and again.

Options for my guests were:

-steamed brussel sprouts

-broccoli, sauted onions and peppers,

-marinara

-feta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

-cooked chicken sausage

Ps they are a huge hit with the kiddos, especially if they get to choose the fillings and be a part of the process.

Ingredients for Crust:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 cube of real butter (cold)
2 tsp salt
1/4-1 cup of water

Ingredients for Filling:

Depends on what you want to fill them with!!


I tried a few flavors and variations, you can try my'n or you can always create your own, most of all HAVE FUN!!!


On hand ingredients you can use;

-Veggies of any kind, cooked up
-1 red or yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
-2-3 cloves of garlic
-marinara or cooked down tomatoes with fresh diced garlic
-10-15 steamed brussel sprouts

-1 head of steamed broccoli
-Several kinds of cheese
-Prosciutto, bacon, sausage, chicken. 

Directions for making Crust and Savory Pockets:

1) Crust is a tricky one, butter must be cold!!! Mash cold butter with pastry tool into flour and get as small a possible. Add salt.

2) Slowly mix in water until sticking, kneed together, the right consistency will be sticking without falling apart.

3) Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and create 4-6 inch circles. Cut these in half and put aside.

4) Fill with ingredientts, and cut away edges create semi circle shape.

5) Use fork to stick edges together and place on floured cookie sheet to bake.

Variations to try:

Calzone- Canned or homemade marinara, warm on low with wine, minced garlic and seasonings.
Sauted Veggie and Feta

Broccoli Cheese and Brussel's
Chicken Pot Pie- fill with cooked peas and carrots, cream of mushroom soup w/o milk and cooked chicken diced small and cheddar cheese
Philly- Sauted onions and peppers with strip steak and provolone cheese
Breakfast- bacon, eggs, and cheese

Homemade Pizza- from start to finish by scratch

After travelling to Italy in August of 2011, pizza has been one of those things that will be hard to eat the American way again. In Italy the ingredients are so fresh and delicious and the way a pizza is made in Italy is hard to recreate. After trying every pizza place in town to re-live my fetish has not gone over well unfortunately. Its seems I have become a little picky about "what I am looking for" now. Every detail is important when it comes the amazing pizza in Italia, and you will learn it all here, how to make the fresh dough, homemade marinara, and a fabulous pizza that will show you what pizza in Italy is all about. (see my recipe and story about my authentic pizza and my visit to Castellina de Chianti)

Ingredients:

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 20 mins Serves: 2-4

Marinara

10-12 Ripe fresh tomatoes

1 bunch Fresh Basil

1/2 cup white wine

2 crushed cloves of Garlic

1 tsp of Salt

1 tsp of pepper

Fresh Italian herbs such as thyme,

 rosemary, oregano

Directions

1) See my full recipe for marinara HERE, Start marinara first, while its cooking down, you will work on pizza dough.

2) Cut tomatoes in half, de-seed (I don't but Italian's do) place in large saucepan on medium heat

3) Add seasonings to taste, cook for 30 mins, stirring occasionally 

4) Now get started on dough and return to this project.

Pizza Dough

4 cups of 00 Flour*

1 tsp Quick rising yeast

1 Tbsp. olive Oil

2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Water

* Use this link here to buy 00 pizza Flour from amazon, this is the flour you will want to re-create a truly Italian Pizza experience.

Directions Continued...

5) Measure out flour and lay in mixing bowl as you see in image with x in flour, makes it easier to get ingredients thoroughly mixed.

6)  Stir rest of dough ingredients into flour, if it doesn't pick it all up that is ok, lay on floured board or wax paper if you don't have one. 

7) Knead dough for about 5 mins. 

8) Set aside to rise in a warm area with  a clothe on the top, and stay quiet... shhh... for about 30-40 mins. (*Note: do not pre-separate dough, leave all together to rise)

9) Return to marinara, put in food processor or blender to make into sauce consistency slightly clumpy.

10) Return to burner on low, taste, add more seasonings at this time if needed.

11) You have a few mins right now, so start prepping your toppings. Also, you will want to preheat the oven to 425 degrees (*The hotter it is the faster it will cook, in Italy pizza is made on a brick oven so it cooks within a few mins. and the bricks creating some blacken areas on the pizza adding a rustic flavor, if you have a pizza stone put it in the oven to pre-heat too, but don't do this if you are using a baking pan.)

Traditional Toppings and Pizza Ideas:

Traditional margherita 

Fresh basil

Fresh Mozzarella slices

Fresh minced garlic

Olive Oil 

Pizza Prosciutto e Arugula

Fresh Mozzarella

Olive Oil

Arugula

Prosciutto sliced thinly (*last 2 go on after pizza is done)

Pizza Con le Verdure

Grilled red onion, artichokes, red bell pepper, zuchinni or other squash. If you are going to make this pizza, start cutting and sauteing your veggies now. ;)

Directions Continued...

12) After you have your toppings prepped get back to your sauce and turn it off.

13) Check on dough, once it has doubled in size its ready to work with, you will make into two balls or more, and stretch them with your fingers, turning the dough in circles while you spread your fingers, stretching the dough, and attempting to make it a circle. You will want it to be 1/4 to a 1/2 inch thick, you can use a rolling pin too if you so choose.

14) Once this is ready, get out hot stone from oven, add a light coat of flour. Put flattened   dough on hot stone and start adding your toppings. 

15) Add a light to medium coat of sauce to your pizza, I also used store bought pesto as you can see.

16) Add basil and other toppings to pizza first, then add a light coat of mozzarella, and a drizzle of olive oil to the ingredients on the pizza.  

17) Put in the oven, cook about 5-10 mins, or until center is not doughy and cheese is bubbling.

If you make your pizzas small enough you can also eat you pizza the traditional way, which is not by the slice unless you are getting it from a shop where you don't sit to eat. When you eat "out" in Italy you order a pizza to yourself, you cover it in Parmesan, and eat it from the  inside of the circle out with a knife and fork leaving the crusts behind. Interesting for sure, but amazing to say the least. I hope you enjoy creating your pizzas!!

Come back soon and see what we are up to next,
Thanks,
Stacy