Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Kristen in the Kitchen - Part One

In case you're wondering, I have not been eating out every night in Florence. It isn't monetarily practical or timely. Plus, if I'm in Italy, where food is its own activity, I should cook. And learn to cook different things!

For the first few nights of cooking for myself, I decided to go easy with salad. I tossed up some leafy greens, cut up red and green peppers, shredded carrots, mozzarella cheese, and emmental cheese. Dressing was a combo of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Along with my salad I always ended up bumming at least a plate of pasta off of people who had made too much for themselves.

The colors look a little better in person. 

This evening, I decided to get a little more daring. For my main dish, I got a pre-made breaded chicken breast with potatoes from the supermarket. But for my appetizer, I made my own bruschetta. The kitchen in my apartment came with pots and pans, plates and bowls, cooking utensils, and even a cheese grater! So, I whipped out the cutting board and started by chopping up two fresh tomatoes. In a bowl, I mixed the tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, freshly washed and ripped up basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.



At il supermercato, I managed to find pre-sliced bruschetta bread. The catch was that it was soft. So I spread some olive oil and garlic on it, put three slices in a pan, and put the pan on one of the stove's heating plates. I watched the slices until they started to brown and harden (flipping them every once in a while). When they were just about ready, I spooned my tomato/basil mix on top of the bread and let it heat a little more.

Preparing my bread in the skillet!

Then it was time to eat. And it was the most delicious bruschetta that I have ever tasted. Definitely gave me the confidence to try cooking more things. And it also gives me something to treat my apartment-mates to at Colgate in the spring.

The finished product!

Close-up! 


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