italy

I just back from Italy- it was really really nice to go back. (I studied abroad in Sorrento many years ago) We stayed in Praiano-- a small town just past Positano on the Amalfi Coast in a villa perched high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was awesome. You can see all 217 photos, including the kitchen, here if you like. I did quite a bit of cooking there and am including two recipes... they aren't exactly recipes though, because they are painfully simple, but tremendously delicious.

recipes:

homemade pasta
This is hardly a recipe- just start with a pile of flour and a pinch of salt I use about a cup per person and make a well in the center. Crack in an egg for each person . Whisk the eggs with a fork and slowly start pulling in flour from your pile until you have a nice dough. (there will be flour left over) Knead the dough a bit and then run through a pasta machine or roll out with a rolling pin and slice thinly (as pictured) Let dry out a bit (I rarely have the patience to really do this) and drop into a pot of salted boiling water. When the noodles float they are done- it should only take a few minutes. Toss with olive oil, fresh tomatoes and basil. Yum.

fennel with sorrentine lemon
Again this isn't exactly a recipe but it's my new favorite snack. Thinly slice a bulb or two of fennel either with a mandoline or with a knife. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice from your villa lemon tree... that's me eating my fennel salad on the villa balcony at sunset.