Donne

Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls;
for, thus friends absent speak.
- John Donne

Arugula pesto in 4 acts

When I made arugula pesto last week, I thought I would have to freeze most of it and eat lots of pasta to finish off the rest. But wow, there are so many things you can do with pesto.

Add it to scrambled eggs.
Sautee veggies and toss with pesto. Add some orzo to the veggies.
Cook some peas, puree with some of the cooking water, add pesto (and cream if you have it) and voila, a yummy puree.

I never froze any of it and will finally be using up the very last of it tonight on some penne pasta. I love it when I'm proven wrong in my approach to cooking. Every day I learn something new.

Recipe for Arugula Pesto: (this is the same as with basil, so you can use this for basil pesto as well)

2 cups fresh arugula
1 clove garlic (or less if you prefer)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbls pine nuts (I also sometimes use walnuts - a little cheaper)
1/2 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender, mix everything but the oil. You can add a little to get things going but reserve the rest for the end. Once its all mixed, slowly add remaining oil. Add a little salt and lemon juice. The lemon juice is an acid to keep the arugual from turning brown. Also adds a nice fresh flavor.

Should last in the frig for about a week. Or you can freeze it. Freeze it in ice cubes so you only have to take out a little at a time. Because a little pesto goes a loooong way. Enjoy!

Venezia

Get lost in Venice. Just get off the train or the boat and start wandering around and let yourself get lost. Don't worry, you'll eventually find your way back to the water. Of course you will want to see the main attractions: Piazza San Marco, Ponte Rialto, Basilica di San Marco, and the Palazzo Ducale di Venezia. But for at least a few hours, enjoy the beauty and history of Venezia by exploring the side streets and alleys - I promise you will find something wonderfully unexpected.

I hadn't planned to get lost, it just happened. We were enjoying the Piazzo San Marco when it started to rain. Since it was my only day in Venice, I wasn't about to let a few raindrops spoil my adventure. We ducked down to find a bathroom. In Italy you have to pay an attendant in the more touristy areas. Its usually 1 Euro. Look - by the time you find a bathroom, you're too eager to get in the bathroom to argue about a Euro. So once we left the bathrooms, we lost track of the way we came. After trying a few streets, we became even more lost but just at the moment of panic, we came across una chiesa piccola. It was in a small square with a fountain and no one else around. In the craziness of tourists, we find solace. We saw all of the major attractions and I was stunned and awed and deeply moved by them all but the one thing I remember most about that day in Venezia is this little church in the tiny square that was ours alone to enjoy.

So get lost, throw out the map (or stick it in the bottom of the fannypack) and see what you discover nella Venezia!

Roma - che bella cittá

Rome had been a dream. It was something I fantasized about while watching Roman Holiday, wishing I was Audrey Hepburn getting the modern haircut from the adoring hairdresser and buying sandals from a street vendor while eating a chocolate gelato. It would be fabulous and worldly and I'd wear large dark sunglasses and take an espresso in a sidewalk cafe. Semplicemente favoloso!

But to understand the beginning of my love affair with Italy we have to go back to an episode of Bewitched. In one episode, Darren has to learn Italian in order to impress a potential client. Well, if you've seen even one episode of this classic tv show, you know this is the point where Endora peeks her head in and puts a spell on her not-so-beloved son-in-law. And yes, the spell backfires and What's-His-Name finds that he can only speak and understand Italian. Hilarity ensues and this little girl can't imagine speaking anything but Italian. Ever. In fact, I put accents on every word to make is sound Italian and sometimes I even made up words and pretended I could only speak Italian. Che bella lingua! I was hooked and that passion never died.

Many years passed, years of Italian classes, and even though I never lost my passion for Italy and all things italian (food, film, music, literature, language), I could never make it to the actual country. I went to Paris, London and Madrid but Rome usually got put aside. It always seemed like a good reason at the time - not enough money, there's an art exhibition in London I wanted to see, free ticket to Madrid. Rome was so illusive and became such a fantasy that in some way I put it off for fear the reality would not love up to the Rome I created in my heart.

Last summer, 2007, I finally arrived in the Eternal city and it was fabulous and the sun was bright and real and burned with the fire of the city. It is Eternal because it lives on with its history to explore and culture and people to experience. Its simple existence that stays with you when you leave. Walking through every street, every alley that would allow me to grasp the structure and foundation of this new reality of Rome. I ate creamy chocolate gelato and bought brightly colored scarves from the street vendors and sat on the Spanish Steps, feeling a little like Audrey Hepburn with my own Gregory Peck at my side. It was my own Roman Holiday and the magic was every bit that I imagined.