Thanksgiving in Piemonte
   
      In a few hours (yes, at this God-awful, early time) I will be heading off to Spain for my last study trip as part of my university studies. As excited as I am to eat 12 servings of churros everyday, I also can't shake the little feeling of sadness over missing Thanksgiving...PSYCH! We already celebrated Thanksgiving last week in anticipation of our last journey. Thanksgiving abroad was definitely an odd experience. Riding my bike with a 20 lb. turkey in the back...unpleasant. Fitting said turkey into a baby, Italian oven...maddening. In the end, all the blood (metaphorically), sweat (literally), and tears(hard to say) were worth it; many of my friends enjoyed Thanksgiving for the first time that day. Was the dinner perfect? Far from it, but the company was grand and peckish European appetites resulted in copious amounts of leftovers. Here's a look at the festivities: 

(Photo: Nicole Martorana)

(Photo: Nicole Martorana)

(Photo: Nicole Martorana)

(Photo: Nicole Martorana)

(Photo: Nicole Martorana)

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

(400F for 15 min. --- 350F for remaining 50-55 min.)

     

 Crust (Adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

• 2 1/2 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
• 1 cup (227 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
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• Filling (adapted from Savory Sweet Life)
• 
  
• 2 cups pureed pumpkin
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup heavy cream

     First, make the crust at least 6 hours before you plan on making the pie. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the sugar, salt, and butter until it forms a paste. Cut the remaining flour in and add the water slowly, reserving the last two tablespoons in case of a drier mixture. Form the dough into balls and refrigerate for at least a few hours. 

     To make the filling, again, you should start in advance. Peel, cut and roast your pumpkin pieces at a low tempurature (200F) for 2-3 hours until they have darkened and shrunk. Add them to a blender with a few tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Add more water if the mixture isn't blending properly. Add the spices and the evaporated milk. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the salt, sugar, eggs, and cream. Once everything is mixed well, pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish. Bake until lightly set, about 60-75 minutes. Serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream. 

     Giovanni Apple Seed

     Gossip Girl style confessional: I have only had one mildly good apple here in Italy. That is to say, there ain't any fine eatin apples in this place. Sure, there are plenty of baked things I could make with these specimens, but if you recall from an apple post about a year ago, I really prefer raw apples. I guess that means I will no longer try to be healthy and eat an apple a day; instead, I'm going to bake apple goodies everyday and probably fall into a fructose-induced coma. I'M SORRY, MOM, I'm meek of mind and heart, I was never meant for this world! I thought it best to start out slow with this hybrid recipe. I can't get too crazy, seeing as our Thanksgiving in Piemonte is this Thursday! Wish me luck in educating my little corner of the world on why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Persimmon Applesauce

To be honest, this post was also a vehicle  for testing out some photos. I'm really trying to improve on this aspect of blogging, though I do not profess to truly enjoy or thrive at food photography. Would interpretive dance be more clear? Maybe? 

Mmmmm, back lighting only possible during school hours...wait...

So natural! 

     This recipe, if you can even call it that, is as simple as they come. Peel, core, and dice your apples. I went with a mix to balance sweet and tart flavors. Next, peel and dice your ripe persimmons. They should be fairly soft. I also removed the slightly fibrous middle because I clearly don't care about food waste. Add both the persimmon and apple cubes to a pot, cover with water, sprinkle in the sugar, and let the lot simmer for an hour. I included two cloves and some cardamom, but you could use any warm spices you like. A pinch of salt at the end really lifts all of the fruity goodness. Lastly, you can leave the mixture chunky or smooth, but I was feeling smooth that day. If you're like me, make sure to remove your whole spices before blending. There you have it, go forth and eat your baby food in supreme, autumnal happiness. 

Recipe

5 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced 

2 persimmons, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

2 whole cloves 

1/4 c of sugar

pinch of salt

water to cover

PS- If your fruit still needs to cook a bit but the water has evaporated, add a bit more until you reach the promised land. 

 

      Far East Piñatas, Italian Halloween, Pumpkin Horchata

     I have to say, Halloween leaves continental Europe completely dumbfounded:
          "You want me to wear a COSTUME to your party?"
          "This is not good party music...what is this Monster Mash??"
          "Why are there worms in this dirt pudding?!??!?!?!?"

     Needless to say, my Halloween party was a smashing success, Jack-O-Lantern and all. My only regret was the aggressive amounts of face paint I used which ultimately resulted in conjunctivitis. I've kind of been a hot mess as of late. Since I was feeling pretty down about my weepy, disfigured face, I felt like it was a great idea to attend a Mexican food inspired birthday bash. Naturally, I made horchata for the event and added pumpkin to make it more #fallbasic. I hope that starts trending. It was worth the effort, which means it was perfection because I always forget how much I hate making horchata. The party also came equipped with a home-made piñata! Instead of filling the devil, they just pelted us with the candy. A nice touch. Later that week, I told my new roommate about the festivities and he became curious about the piñata's origins. That's when it happened. That moment when you hear something you can't un-hear. Piñatas, are in fact, FROM CHINA. I can't, I just can't. I hope to God this coming week is less traumatic than this last beast. Here's the recipe for the horchata, if you too feel like hosting an ethnically ambiguous birthday party. 

Spiced Pumpkin Horchata

     So, this is not my first time 'round the block with horchata. For this reason, I don't really follow a recipe anymore. However, since I'm not a monster, I will create one for you. To begin, add the rice, cinnamon stick, and almonds to your container of water. Cover, place in the fridge,and let sit overnight. The next day, blend the mixture (after removing the cinnamon stick) and strain it a few times until the liquid is smooth. Italy does not support canned pumpkin puree, so I steamed and pureed my own. After it was pureed, I reduced it on the stove for 30 minutes until it deepened in color and flavor. I then added 1/3 c of condensed milk to the pumpkin puree and mixed until incorporated. Let this mixture cool. Once it is cool, you can add it to the almond/rice mixture and stir to combine. The last step is adding a pinch of salt, a 1/2 tsp of cardamom, and milk of your choice (I surprisingly used normal cow's milk). Give everything a strong stir and allow it to chill for at least an hour. It really is at its best icy-cold with a baby splash of rum (or, if you're trashy like me, Malibu). I reckon it will keep for about a week, but why would you take so long to consume such a delicious gift of the gods? 

Recipe

750 ml water

2 c white rice

1/2 c almonds

1 large cinnamon stick

1/3 c condensed milk

1 c pumpkin puree

500 ml milk of choice 

1/2 tsp cardamom

pinch of salt