A Tale of Two Cheeses...How Yoga Enables Me

I've been a yoga guide (teacher) here in Italy for the past three years. Jokingly in the class I tell all of the students I only practice yoga so I can eat more Italian food. This past month, we've been working on a sequence I call "Twist and Flow." A detoxifying vinyasa sequence, which I tell the class not only brings fresh blood and oxygen to our internal organs...but it also whittles away inches from our mid-section thus allowing us to eat more Mozzarella di Bufala. Three weeks ago a couple of my Italian students pulled me aside and began to rave about a cheese they claim is MUCH BETTER than my beloved Bufala.(Above) It's called Burrata. The expression on their face while describing this Italian delight from the Puglia region of Italy, was one of overwhelming delight. My class ends at 6:30pm and I was already hungry before they started talking of this creamy cheese from the heavens. They kept repeating..."It's just like Bufala, but better!" As the name would suggest, this cheese is made with butter. Well...I like Bufala...and I like butter...so this immediately became a "must find, must have" Italian food. I asked several of my Italian friends. They'd never seen the cheese in the Vento. Well...I found it! At the Camisano market, where I have been buying my cheese for the past three years. There it sat right next to the Bufula. The price was much higher than my beloved milk of buffalo cheese. As I stood in line, my mouth began to water. Were the two ladies in my class right...could there be a cheese that is better than what I have been coveting for the past three years?

When I cut into the Burrato, I could easily see the difference between the two cheeses. Burrato has a more pronounced crust than Bufula does. Also, you can quickly tell this cheese uses "butter." It almost looks as if someone stuffed bufula with even more delicious cheese. While cutting this wonderful piece of cheese, I noticed it was "sticky." What I mean is, it stuck to my fingers. Quickly, I began to smell the butter. I was ready to get this stuff in my belly and quick! I prepared a couple of plates, each with both Burrata and Bufula on them. I dressed them like I always do and then of course poured some wine. The Burrata lived up to it's "butter" taste. Although it was very creamy, it had a ton of texture too. It looked fantastic, smelled fantastic....BUT, I'm not converted. Not by a long shot! Don't get me wrong, the Burrata was very good, but no where close to as good as Bufula. I might have to put some of this cheese on a pizza to see how it tastes there. Here is a pic of my lunch.

Why Not Be Yourself For A Moment...Cheap Beer Review

I've decided to embark on a new gastronomic adventure...in beer! Everywhere you look there is some guy touting about the latest and greatest beer du jour! I admit...I do like to read about those beers and drink them too. However, after a year of living in Italy...away from many of such beers, I've decided I should do the opposite. What about those beers...no one drinks nor blogs about? What about those lack-luster beers? Well...they are everywhere here in Italy! Long gone is my huge selection of German, Belgian, and Czech beers. Everywhere I look...cheap beer from the "non-beer" making countries.

"Why not be yourself for a moment," is the catchphrase from what appears to be a pedestrian, middle-class, non-descript Swedish beer maker. This beer has been in production since 1965. I found my Norrlands Guld (7.2) at my favorite home away from home....IKEA, for 1 Euro. Roughly $1.35!

My eyes first were drawn to the word "DYNAMIT" on the very top of the can. I thought maybe this can was packed with explosive hops and barley. Then the three trout caught my attention. What advertisement agency told these guys..."Hey...put three fish on the can if your really want to sell a lot of this beer." Of course the magnificent Swedish landscape that rounds out the can puts me at ease. Will this beer have notes of fish, spring water, and dynamite?

Here is the review. I was completely ready for a crap beer that possibly might be made from left over IKEA meatballs. However, that was not the case. The beer is a whopping 7.2%, but it went down like a 3.2%. It has a delightful ashy and fruity taste. The head was thin and deflated only moments after the pour. Very little after taste. In all...a pretty good beer. I guess I will have to go back to IKEA and try it with those famous meatballs! The beer was almost as good as their advert campaign. Please enjoy the Swedish commercial!

Roasted Turkey Stock

This is what I make every Thanksgiving. It is sooo super yummy. I use it for my turkey and stuffing. Then with the left over turkey I make a killer soup. You'll just have to make your way to Italy if you want to taste. If youplan to stop by, please call or e-mail first. Feel free to drool. Just clean up your mess.

The ALL New "Two Great Tastes...That Taste Great Together!"

You may or may not know my son only eats a limited diet. Shelly and I have joked about buying him a shirt with "I Love Carbs!" on it. Two of Ollie's favorite foods are French Fries, (who doesn't love them?) and Pizza. We had our fair share of fries in Germany. I'm a firm believer Germans make the best fries in the world. Now of course we live in Italy...where many would argue you can find the best pizzas in the world. Imagine the joy in my foodie heart when I discovered the unthinkable. Imagine the silent thought proccess of the possibility of this unthinkable possibility in Ollie's mind. By now I think you might be thinking what Ollie and I were thinking...Is there a new "TWO GREAT TASTES THAT TASTE GREAT TOGETHER?"

OH YES! IT IS TRUE! WE HAVE FOUND THE FOODIE MECCA...at least Ollie's.

Notice how Ollie's amazement changes to uncertainty as he slowly maneuvers the first piece of what could do for his food enjoyment, what Einstein did for science. CHANGE THE WORLD! It wasn't long before he discovered the truth. FRENCH FRY PIZZA IS "THE NEW TWO GREAT TASTES THAT TASTE GREAT TOGETHER!"

Maddy soon followed in this discovery. And while I can't prove this, (becuase the pictures were deleted by the very adults eating this pizza; which Ollie and I believe might also create world peace) many adults at the table either enjoyed this awesome pizza...or at least smelled it's heavenly aroma.

Yummy Italian!

OK! So we've been in Italy for almost a year and I'm now just getting to my first Taste This! blog. Suffice to say I've had my fair share of: wine, risotto, bruschetta, pizza, parmigiano, mozzarella, speck, soppressa veneto, balsamic, and soups...which I will post about later.

My first blog begins now...

The other day I duped Shelly into a trip to a small shop in our town. It is very small and non-descript...with the exception of what appeared to be a large jug I've seen locals fill with wine. Lots and Lots of wine. I've been trying to get Shelly into one of these stores...called an Enoteca for awhile now. (FYI, you can also buy fresh milk this way too!) Today was my lucky day. We walked into the enoteca and it was decked out with old fashion radios, wine, olive oil, balsamic oils, and even some beer. (Of course I bought that too!) Along the side wall were four giant tanks. They kind of looked like old gas pumps. Then the mecca! The back wall had 40-50 taps. The tanks and taps all had different types of local/regional wines. YEP! This place is like Costco, except they only sell wine in bulk. Here's the kicker! IT IS SUPER GOOD & CHEAP! You pick the wine you like, and give the owner the vessel of you choice. No lie, someone brought in a water bottle and filled it up! You can buy as little as a water bottle up to 50 liters. We opted for the 5 liter option. (Roughly 1.3 gallons.) Of course the fun didn't stop there. We then had to buy bottles and lids...and as you can tell, drink a few glasses before we made the transfer to small 1 liter sized bottles. The price per liter for this wine is about $6. If were to buy this wine in a bottle at a regular store the price would be around $12. Shelly and I have been drinking this wine all weekend. It is sooo good in fact, I was suppose to go TDY for an overnight trip, but stayed home and drank this wine instead. Of course I had to get up super early the next morning for my news story coverage.

The fun in the store didn't stop there! The owner was very hip and happy to speak English to us. Our Italian is waay bad still. He told us he loves to drink and eat. Shelly and I thought to ourselves..."We Do TOO!" He said, he only likes to eat and drink the best, so that is why he has this store full of only the best. He brought us over to the olive oils. There were three different levels available. Light (leggero), Medium (medio), and Intense (intenso). Normally, we pay about $4-6 for a large bottle of olive oil. The oils here ranged from $15-50. Thankfully, there was a sample pack. We spent the majority of Sunday eating bread with these oils and drinking our new wine. It was a good Sunday!

There was also a nice selection of balsamic vinegars. Some aged up to 30-years. The owner was very nice to us and gave us two samples of 30-year vinegar. We've not tried it yet. We also bought a case of some Italian beer that has won several gold/silver medals in world-wide best beer contests. More to come on the beer!