I was traveling through Cinque Terre with friends from my program, and we were staying in an Airbnb near the coast. We had been swimming and spending time by the water, and the restaurant was also very close to the sea. Eating seafood there just made sense. I expected the shellfish to be something I would tolerate because it was part of the dish, but instead the whole pasta dish ended up being my favorite one I have eaten since coming to Italy.
Vitello tonnato was another dish that pushed me outside of what I would normally order. Since Torino is going to be my home for four months, I wanted to try something that actually came from Piemonte (Piedmont in English). I decided that not being sure about tuna or veal was not a good enough reason to avoid it. I was glad I tried it because the tuna flavor was much milder than I expected, and the soft veal worked surprisingly well with the creamy sauce.
Cappuccino and aperitivo feel different because they are not really one-time experiences anymore. They have become part of my routine. I already love coffee, so getting a cappuccino after class has become one of my favorite small habits here. Aperitivo has also become a nice way to spend time with friends during the long gap between lunch, which might be around noon or 1:00 p.m., and dinner, which often does not happen until around 8:00 p.m.
Trofie is made from a simple pasta dough that is rolled into short, twisted pieces. The shape works especially well with pesto because the sauce gets caught in all of the curves. Traditional Genovese pesto is made with fresh basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and cheeses such as Parmigiano and pecorino.
