Homemade Farfalle

There's nothing quite like making homemade pasta right?!  The texture and richness of the noodle is hard to replicate with dried pasta.  Easy enough to do - like most homemade foodie treats it's a matter of practice and plenty of trial and error.

We made farfalle or bow tie noodles a few months ago - again not that difficult once you get the sizing and "pinching" figured out.  After the flour-dust settled we agreed that rolling the pasta to a thinner consistency would have made it even better - don't think you need to have it thicker to make the shape.

We enjoyed it with a very simple tomato sauce, parmesan and olive oil to finish.  As our Italian mentors preach - simple is best with great ingredients.  So don't be afraid to experiment and have fun with homemade pasta - find a dough recipe that works best for you and keep practicing - it's worth every trial and error along the way.  Mangiare!!!!!!

BTW - if you love good olives - very good olives then Cerignola olives are the way to go.  Pictured below - the sweet green are almost unripe and very "green" in flavor - the more traditional semi-ripe and delightfully brined are the "bella di" on the right.  Grazie Mario for the introduction!

Longo's Muffuletta and Pickled Peas

I like food and I like Longos.

They have a knack of coming out with some great stuff - good quality, simple and at what I would say a good value.  Longos likes to test things and is usually promoting different products on their shelves before other food stores.  Sometimes their own private label and sometimes other brands - nice to see new products and innovation.

Two examples pictured below.  The Muffuletta antipasto is a spicy olive relish that is awesome on it's own, on crackers, in a sandwich, on eggs.....as they say I put that #@%& on everything!  The Pickled Peas have only been out for a couple of months I believe - add these to a salad and you are an instant hero, trust me!

Eyes open at Longos - it's a treasure hunt.

Amsterdam

I had the incredible fortune of experiencing Amsterdam at New Years and as advertised it was like a war-zone.....not that I've ever been in a war-zone however this is what I would imagine it's close to - wow.  There is a tradition in Amsterdam of making your own fireworks and then setting off your fireworks it seems wherever you freaking like....anywhere at anytime.  On New Years eve the fireworks in the Centrum (downtown) started around 11pm and ended around 3:30am....non stop.  This was unlike anything I'm ever likely to see again anywhere.

The beauty, history and pride of Amsterdam was a true delight.  A crossroad of many cultures and religions coexisting amidst the perfume of pot, hash and fries with mayo.  Great beer of course with any and all types of cuisine readily available.  Being able to buy great beer just about anywhere at anytime was a luxury that made me giddy with delight and truly felt like we were on an exotic vacation - I know what you're thinking, simple needs for the simple right? Pictured below shows what I called "my cathedral" of Heineken - a smallish corner grocery near our apartment - what a set up!!!

It was cold at nights and during some of the days - icy cobblestones did not deter anyone on a bike and by the way everyone rides a bike because they make it safe and easy to ride a bike.  What a wonderful concept.  This isn't progressive it's just smart.  We need to learn from this here in North America and learn quickly please.

I can't wait to visit Amsterdam again.  Not for New Years but when the tulips are out and me riding a bike won't require a doctor's note.