A spicy lesson in Calabrian Cuisine

My latest cooking adventure was in Calabrian cuisine (southern Italy).  The menu is typically very simple and contains red pepper....yum!

None of the cooking could have been possible without this little guy

 First item up was N'duja (sounds very similar to andouille)

  We started with the tart crust....

We made the tart filling and strained only 1/2 of it.  Personally, I thought the strained filling tasted better. 

 

Do you ever have a little pastry dough left over?  This is a great idea!  Make tiny little biscotti to go with your espresso!

 

Next up.... meatballs and pasta with bread crumbs and anchovies!  Ok so for the past year I really thought spaghetti and meatballs didn't exit in Italy!  I haven't been to Calabria yet so that is why I didn't realize the dish existed here. 

squeeze the water out of the soaked bread

Buon Appetito!!

Santa Catarina del Sasso and the Duomo in Milan

We had an opportunity to host our friends Mike, Amy, and their kids Lexi and Kenny for a long weekend.  Mike took a job in the UAE a few years ago and on their move back to the USA, they made a stop over in Italy to see us! 

After the rain cleared, we took a boat ride across the lake to Santa Catarina.  I forgot how pretty Arona is from the water looking back on:

So what is Santa Catarina del Sasso, you say?  On the eastern shore of Lago Maggiore, there is a Catholic Monastery on the edge of the cliff.  You take a boat road over, view the monastery, and there are some nice hiking trails around it. 

Monastery

Old Wine Press

The next day we took a train into Milan for the day.  Of course we saw the Duomo and climbed the stairs to the top.

Mike, Kenny, and Matt

Good luck on your return to the USA, friends!