Park and aperitivo
Milan is not a city full of spaces for great outdoor activities; people just make the best of what is available! The biggest park in the center of town is Parco Sempione, bordered by the Sforzesco Castle, the Triennale, the Arco della Pace and the Aquarium. It’s no wonder it has been central to Milanese leisure time activities since its creation in 1888.
So even if it’s not comparable to the beautiful (and unique) London parks, it constitutes a very good and effective outlet for kid’s energy. They can run, ride bicycles and play football, and on the side nearer Arco della Pace there is a nice playground with big climbing structures that will appeal even to the most experienced kid. Nearby there are kids’ electrical motorbikes and cars — the dream of every preschooler, and a cute (and old) electrical train that will be the joy of the younger ones. (more…)
Double Dipping
I’m quite sure that in Europe we are a tad bit barbaric, because before living in the USA I wasn’t familiar at all with the term ‘double dipping’. In fact, in the Netherlands nobody really thinks much of it when you put your carrot in the dipping sauce a second time, or if you dip your nacho in the sauce after having already bitten in it. I don’t say this would be the standard for an official dinner party, but on an evening with friends nobody would really care. Or, better said, nobody would really notice!
In the US I did learn about double dipping, and obviously adjusted my whole dipping technique. I mean, even though in Europe we sometimes say the Americans have germ phobia, it’s probably true that if, at a party, everybody would freely dip their crisps over and over in the same sauce, you might as well be French kissing the whole party!
And this is probably exactly what my American friend thought last week when I served her a dumpling out of the steaming basket with my own chopsticks!! She told me so too, which I must say I appreciated – here in the Netherlands we prefer each other to just say things as they are. (more…)
Cooking with flowers
I’m spending the month of August on the Seiser Alm in the Dolomites region of Italy. It’s a lovely place and extremely kid friendly, so definitely worth a trip if you like the mountains and enjoy hiking. It’s full of little restaurant huts scattered throughout the valleys, where you can try many local delicacies… but there is one delicacy in particular that is truly unique.
At Gostner Schwaige, chef Franz Mulser does something very few people do: he cooks with flowers. Many flowers are in fact edible, and each of them has a particular flavour so they can be used in cooking – a bit like “regular” herbs. Franz has studied for sometime and has now developed a full menu where flowers play a decisive role. He picks what he finds locally and grows everything else he needs. All his dishes are extremely well balanced – a modern take on traditional recipes and local ingredients, and all of them involve the use of flowers.
Creme de Violette
Call me a sentimental old fool but since I have a baby called Violette, I find myself drawn to anything with a violet flavour or scent. Fortunately for me there are a lot of violet-flavoured items around France. Some smell so bad that they might as well be the content of little Violette’s nappy, while others are really nice.
This is how I discovered what I have decided will be the drink of the summer for me: a Violette Kir. A Kir is a classic French aperitif – white wine mixed with a fruity liquor called a Creme. Traditionally and most commonly you use a Creme de Cassis.
A Violette Kir (made with Creme de Violette) is a derivative of the traditional drink and it is delicious. An even fancier version is the Violette Kir Royal, where you replace the white wine with champagne! The perfect way to toast a perfect little girl!
I found my bottle of Creme de Violette in my local Nicolas.
- Emilie
How to wean?
The other day I went to an Italian pharmacy (admittedly in a little village lost in the mountains of Liguria). They were selling baby food, and, as my youngest is getting closer and closer to the weaning age I was interested to see what they had to offer…. And the answer is, I kid you not: horse meat.
A happy smiling horse all mashed up, ready to feed a 4-month-old! Too funny, and who knows, maybe it’s the horse meat at a very young age that has earned Italian men the reputation of Italian Stallions??
With my eldest daughter I got slightly fixated with what she should eat first. We had just moved to France and I couldn’t find any of the products recommended in my UK books and I was going crazy. I could not find rice porridge as described in the books and I did not have a blender as we were in a temporary flat. I remember spending hours mashing up green beans with a fork and trying to grind rice with a coffee grinder to make rice porridge. (more…)
Vive le café
Every country has its own coffee etiquette. The US has given us the coffee chains with the ubiquitous paper cups in different sizes. The Italians have given us the no frills espresso and the cappuccino. But what about the French? What is the difference between a noisette, a crème and a café au lait? What is the difference between ordering at the bar, in the sitting area or on the terrace?
After having innumerable visitors come to stay with us and witnessing the confusion when ordering a coffee, I have decided that it is time to shed some light on the situation. (more…)
White asparagus
It’s that season again! Currently, white asparagus is available all over the Netherlands…
Originally from the south of the Netherlands (which is considered the asparagus epicenter of the country), I remember that as a small child eating the first asparagus of the season was considered a ’special meal’! And this special meal usually took place at my grandmother’s house…
Traditionally we eat white asparagus with thinly cut gammon, hard boiled eggs, tiny new potatoes and a butter sauce… Delicious!
Now, if you can get your hands on some nice, fat and fresh white asparagus – here is what to do with them… The Dutch way! (more…)
A week in Milan
Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.
Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.
Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewellery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour. (more…)
Manners: Hands above the table!
Every child in the Netherlands heard the phrase ‘hands above the table’ on a regular basis as part of their upbringing. In the Netherlands, when sitting at a table, your hands are supposed to be above the table leaf at all times – knife in your right hand and fork in your left (but elbows on the table are not allowed)!
To me ‘hands above the table’ is one of the most basic manners I can think of, together with keeping your mouth closed when eating or not making smacking sounds.
Imagine my surprise when I moved to the States about 7 years ago… My husband-to-be and I went to a cute looking Italian restaurant in our new, exciting neighbourhood (Cobble Hill in Brooklyn at that time) and sat down at the table to have our meal. It wasn’t long before we noticed that each and every person around us was not only eating with just a fork, but also had one hand sitting in his/her lap!!! My gosh, what neighbourhood did we end up in? What awfully rude, barbarian and unmannered people!!! (more…)
Manners: Bon appétit?
In the Netherlands, there is a rule to starting a meal: you’re supposed to sit quietly at the table, napkin in your lap (don’t let it linger on your plate!) and enjoy a nice conversation until everybody has been served. When everybody has food on his or her plate, you’re supposed to say ’smakelijk eten‘ (bon appétit in Dutch) and only then are you allowed to pick up your cutlery and start your meal.
Last week, Emilie wrote about an article in the NY-times regarding French Etiquette, and in his last ‘lesson’ the journalist points out that saying ‘bon appétit’ at the start of a meal is really not done in France.
Now I wonder. Why does this French saying exist at all if you’re not supposed to proclaim it? Does it only exist to give the English a feeling of chic when they start their meal? (more…)
Egg warmer
My friend Martine came by the other day and she gave us these adorable, home made ‘egg warmers’ — cute little bunnies made from felt. They’ll make my Easter table look very festive!
I especially like the bright colours (Courtney would call them Dutch colours) and the flappy ears…
Have a great Easter!
xxx Esther
Pasen
Pasen in the Netherlands involves hiding chocolate eggs, but the only lamb we eat is in the shape of butter!
Traditional Dutch Easter brunch takes place on a beautifully decorated table with candles, yellow flowers, brightly coloured eggs and an ‘Easter Tree’ (a few willow branches decorated with chocolate or wooden eggs). There are the typical Dutch breakfast items like bread, cheese, cold cuts and sweet spreads, but this time we add a few typical Easter dishes.
Paasstol (easter bread) is a sweet raisin bread with almond paste inside. We also serve scrambled eggs with dill and smoked salmon. Smoked eel is good too.
Cress tastes really good with the hard-boiled eggs, so I always have it on my Easter table!
Pasqua
Easter is quite an important day in Italy given our Catholic inheritance.
It comes at the end of Lent — a period during which for religious reasons (or simply for tradition) many people make sacrifices and give something up… like sweets, or shoe shopping! During lent it is also quite common not to eat meat on Fridays; fasting is instead prerogative of the very religious.
Despite this period of abstinence, the windows of patisseries and confectionery shops are full of chocolate in the shape of eggs, rabbits and lambs, all in very sweet pastel colours resembling the coming of spring. Children open their eggs on Easter morning and find a little surprise in them. If you have something special you wish to give on Easter day, you can ask a confectionery to prepare an egg especially for you and insert your little gift inside (quite romantic I must say). Egg hunts are not part of our tradition here in Italy. (more…)
Breakfast!
When I was living in New York City, my typical breakfast would exist of a black coffee, no sugar, and a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese, that I would pick up daily from the Greek café 3 buildings east from where I worked and that I would consume while starting up my computer and checking my emails.
Fact is, I’m not much of a morning person – I’d rather stay in bed an extra 1/2 hour than have a proper breakfast.
Lamb brain and pig trotters
One of the things I would miss the most if we were to move away from Paris would be the Parisian food markets. Every single neighbourhood has at least one, if not two, that are open at least a couple days a week (check out the link to see the locations and opening times). They are amazing, especially if you are used to shopping in supermarkets as I was after 10 years of living in London. The food is always fresh and beautiful to look at, and you can find anything from lamb brain to incredible smelly blue cheeses and fresh lobster. The best part is that after going for a while you get to know the market sellers and they get to know you. My daughter comes home stuffed full of goodies when we go to the market as everyone is always trying to fill her up with cherry tomatoes, little bits of cheese and chocolate. She gets really upset if I even think of going without her. (more…)
Cupcakes!
Cupcakes are big in America (I’ll never forget my first bite of a Magnolia Bakery cupcake… mmm), and they are becoming more and more popular. Bakeries are opening up across the U.S. selling “freshly made and hand-frosted” cupcakes. They’re the new “it” treat!
They are perfect for birthday parties (if you have the Magnolia cookbook, you can even bake them yourself), and always a hit at baby showers (which is also very American, so I suppose they go hand-in-hand). I just LOVE them!
So you can imagine my disappointment when we moved to London 4 years ago and there was nothing here that could compare. Unlike America, handmade cupcakes didn’t seem to be on the rise.
Thankfully, Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas of Primrose Bakery are taking charge, and London now seems to be catching up!
The (unknown) object of my desire.
If you have ever lived in England, the US, South Africa, Australia, or Mexico, chances are you know the vegetable pictured on the left: butternut squash. It belongs to the cucurbitaceae family, like pumpkins and courgettes.
It’s very versatile; you can roast it and eat it like potatoes, or puree it and make a soup. It’s good with sesame seeds and also with cheese. I still have not tried a pasta sauce recipe (from Courtney’s husband) which mixes butternut squash with garlic, red pepper, sage and pine nuts… but it sounds yummy!
I love butternut squash! It must be the flavour (which is less sweet than pumpkin) together with the colour, which reminds me of summer even on the darkest winter days. (more…)
It’s Carnival Time!
Carnival season has officially started! Although celebrations will peak on martedi’ grasso (mardi gras on the 5th of February), you can already see kids in the streets wearing costumes and throwing confetti and “stelle filanti” (ribbons of paper).
But most importantly, bakeries and patisseries are filled with carnival sweets, which you can have to accompany lunch, dinners or afternoon tea! (more…)
Oliebollen and Fireworks
In the Netherlands, old year’s eve is usually celebrated at home with friends. Board games are played, a comic show is watched and loads of oliebollen are consumed. (Free translation of oliebollen = oil balls; sounds good, don’t you think? They’re basically like donuts and taste darn good)! Of course a decent amount of alcohol is consumed as well – to make the board games more entertaining and the comic show really amusing. (more…)
Money and lentils
Tonight Italians will sit down with friends and family to enjoy a multi-course dinner and welcome the new year. Depending on the region, on the menu there will be fish or meat, some will have dinner at home, some at restaurants. What all these dinners will have in common is the Italian good luck dish (that is often served after the champagne toast at midnight): zampone and lenticchie.
Zampone is stuffed pig’s trotter which is simmered for hours and it’s served with lentils that are supposed to bring loads of money for the New Year. The money promise is often enough to convince even the kids to eat at least a spoonful of them!
Enjoy your dinner and Happy New Year!
Michela
