The cold weather’s finally kicked in and I celebrated its arrival by indulging a liiiittle too much in comfort food…I’m talking about all those Northern Italian hearty dishes I missed so much last year, when I was in Florida. Cooking or eating polenta, frico con le patate, or salame con l’aceto in hot and humid weather just didn’t feel right. Some dishes are meant to be eaten when it’s cold out — which reminds me of that time when I ordered a soupe a l’oignon in a restaurant in Paris on a particularly hot summer night. I’m not sure how my friend Raina was able to keep her composure in front of my regretful and sweat-dripping face.
The other day, in an effort to satisfy my body’s cravings for a leaner type of meal, I made this tasty warm farro bowl, grilling some of the vegetables I had at home: carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, and some pretty long, thin and purple eggplants (similar to Chinese eggplants). Farro is a type of grain whose nutty and hearty flavor make it an ideal base for seasonal fall salads. I love its satisfying texture — I’ll trade any quinoa salad for a farro one any day of the week!…
My mom’s hot chocolate has magical powers. When she makes it, everybody suddenly appears around the kitchen table. Seriously. It’s like the house is empty and all of the sudden it’s loud, festive, and crowded with cousins and aunts. I can’t blame them. I can’t resist its powerful attraction either — her hot chocolate is juuust perfect. It’s not too sweet and it’s thick enough to give you a mustache when you drink it too fast. (Ok, maybe that only happens to me.)…![My Birthday Cake [molly cake + wild strawberry jam filling + cream cheese frosting + dark chocolate glaze + sugared crabapples + crushed amaretti cookies ] | veryeatalian.com](http://www.veryeatalian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Birthday-Cake-Very-EATalian-10.jpg)
I never sat down and did the math but I’m pretty sure that, at this point in our lives and since we met, my husband and I have spent more days apart from each other than together. This sad fact, merely due to work reasons, has a silver lining: our reunions and time together are always extra-special. When he told me he was going to come visit me in Italy after 4 months we spent apart, I was anxious about planning a PERFECT vacation.
