Two weeks ago, Brad and I enjoyed a nice 3-day weekend. Well, to be honest, it was actually quite packed with things to do. All good things, but packed with busy-ness nonetheless. With Saturday and Sunday completely booked, I demanded suggested that we keep Monday wide open so we could spend some time doing things that we might not be able to do once the baby arrives.
We decided that it was time to revisit one of our first cooking-together experiences as a married couple. During our honeymoon, we spent a few days in Italy and fell in love with the region of Umbria. The place we called home for 2 or 3 nights during our time there offered cooking workshops with a professional chef so I was of course ecstatic about those. I remember the plump Italian lady-chef, her beady eyes hiding behind smudged glasses, shouting ecstatically, “Bravissimo!!!” every time we did something right. I also remember feeling totally enchanted by the kitchen, and especially by the table covered with food we had helped to prepare in true Italian style.
As a souvenir after the cooking glass, we were given a cookbook that had been written in very broken English by the instructor of the cooking class (who was also, incidentally, the owner of the villa where we stayed). While I love the book dearly for the memories it conjures of our time in what seemed like an unreal setting, I have to say that it is the most difficult cookbook to follow when it comes down to actually preparing the food. Measurements such as “a glass of olive oil” or “enough flour for the liquid” make it tricky. Endearing, but tricky.
With this in mind, Brad and I tried to make 3 recipes from the book. We prepared capaletti, stuffed pasta made to resemble little hats, and breadsticks flavored with tomato paste. I tried my hand at making a corn and apple cake made with corn meal, apples, pine nuts and olive oil. Let’s just say the cake ended up in the garbage bin shortly after coming out of the oven. Failure. The capaletti and breadsticks, on the other hand, turned out beautifully. The breadsticks were slightly under seasoned- but better under than over, right? And the dough for the pasta was a bit difficult to work with. Fortunately, Brad had the determination it took to roll it out until it was thin enough and then cut it into circles that were filled with a mixture of ground chicken, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. They were beautifully delicate and perfect with a drizzle of bechémel sauce over the top.
Brad even remembered exactly how to twirl the dough to create fun, twisted breadsticks…
The entire experience was perfect and made me think of how marriage can be. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful and can sometimes seem unreal. Communication can sometimes be fuzzy. There will be failures and victories. But in the end its all about the combination it all that make a satisfying relationship.
Here’s to our next big adventure, coming soon!
