turned to bricklaying ?

No, I didn’t turn to bricklaying (yet). This is just black rice flour resembling cement.

 

Black rice flour - © Paolo Nobile, food stylist Sandra Longinotti

website updated

Just updated my websites with a bunch of new food images (click here).

More to come … .

 

honey, it’s me !

A honey glass jar was what remained from a Vanity Fair (Italian issue) assignment (food stylist: Sandra Longinotti). So I used this strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) honey to prepare an easy dessert made of pears cooked in some water, sugarcane, little cinnamon and Porto wine. Excellent! I love the strawberry tree honey taste: bitterish and slightly resinous.

Arbutus unedo and honey on Wikipedia

 

the dark side of the bread

I love baking bread, it’s gratifying. But when I started baking it for the first time I ran into trouble. And the trouble went on for weeks: although I did everything by the book the result was never good enough. I tried and tried and tried again. Temperature, yeast, water or milk, more salt – less salt, more sugar – less sugar.

At last one day it came out of the oven as if made by a real baker, a pro. I don’t know why because actually all the variations had been minimal from the actual recipe. Since that day the result has always been good, sometimes even excellent. Weird, uh ?

For this one I used all-purpose flour, water and fresh (compressed) yeast.

 

a real estate in Piedmont

If by any chance you are looking for a real estate in the north west of Italy, Piedmont, this property of a friend of mine is on sale:

‘The site is a hill village located 400 m. above sea level overlooking the plain below. 8 km away is the Serravalle Scrivia castle on the Milano – Genova highway. The real estate comprises three buildings:

- 90 square m. manor with medieval tower dated 1400 in need of refurbishment

- 110 square m. house partially refurbished

- 110 square m. house in need of refurbishment

- 100 square m. courtyard

- 60 square m. garden

Both houses lack central heating and are used as summer holiday accommodations. Refurbishment will provide attractive outcomes. Asking price is Euro 200,000. For visits weekends only.

Contact: Mr. Fulvio Canepa, fulvio.canepa@studiogavio.it

 

beer and restaurants

Interesting post by food critic Gigi Padovani (here) about the increasing number of chefs who are adding beers to their drinks selection. The new Guida Espresso has a new “Le tavole della birra” section in which 184 restaurants, wine-bars, etc., have been highlighted – some of which having a high ranking.

For Italian speaking only