Welcome to 2023! December 2022 was quite a whirlwind, let's take a look together in my kitchen.
Starting in France...
I started December in Paris visiting S. My music friend also came over from Vienna for the weekend, and we had a really nice catch up - we haven't seen each other since COVID!
Black forest cake from a very, very fancy patisserie Mori Yoshida
I almost always buy artichokes when I'm in France since they are hard to find in Anglophone countries.. these were so delicious and fleshy.
A lovely rose that S' friend brought him all the way from Israel. The flavour was quite unique, tart and complex.
Back in Toronto...
I tried scoring Christmas trees into my sourdough...
8-strand sourdough challah for a music gathering one Sunday afternoon. How I love plaiting dough.
Lovely gingerbread cookies made by my friend. They are just perfect in texture, slightly soft with a great chew.
Then, I got sick. I was sick for the last 10 days before I flew out to Italy for Christmas... I was so sick that I took 3 days off work, something that I don't ever remember doing. Here is the takeout S ordered me thanks to Ubereats (he was still in France) - my favourite congee, fresh rice noodle rolls with shrimp, and spicy turnip patties.
And though I was sick, I was committed to the sourdough panettone project. I was so happy with how they turned out!
Christmas in Italy...
There is nothing in the world like fresh pasta.
I shaved the zucchini with a veg peeler and marinated it in some of his mother's home grown lemons. The antipasti mix we bought from the fantastic pasta shop Artusi in Padova.
Sole fillets we roasted in the oven in a bath of lemon juice and olive oil, topped by sage freshly picked from his brother's garden. This was so simple and so delicious.
Roasted carrots with he lemon-oregano-parsley oil left over from Christmas dinner, and braised brown lentils with beautiful local cabbage
This was part of the Christmas spread - swordfish and artichoke hearts.
Spaghetti con vongole - freshly caught clams with the taste of the sea...
And can one EVER have enough pasta? This pasta is cut to order, so it is literally as fresh as you could make yourself. The sauce was excellent. I could just move into that shop...
The Curveball
So the curveball this month is a special snippet of Venice - what a beautiful view of the water, with a cute little bridge.. The big white building in the background is actually the most insanely ornate hospital I have ever seen. What a romantic place to get engaged, right in front of the hospital ;)
Thanks to Sherry for hosting the In My Kitchen series, which has given me so much joy in revisiting my food photos every month. Thanks also to the community of food bloggers out there who keep this tradition going, for sending your encouraging comments. Happy 2023!
