The Art of Italian Antipasto

I leave in less than two weeks to study abroad in Florence, Italy for the upcoming spring semester.  I am living in a homestay and studying through Syracuse University.  As you have probably guessed, the food I am about to experience is one of the many reasons I chose to study abroad in Italy!

Growing up in the Woolbert Household has truly been a treat (particularly for my stomach) because my parents have perfected the art of Italian Antipasto.  Since I am about to embark on a culinary exploration of my own, I thought it would be appropriate to show how my family has mastered Italian antipasto.

Although antipasto is second nature to me, it is most likely unfamiliar to the average 20-year-old.  In Italian, antipasto means “before the meal” and is traditionally the first course served before a formal Italian meal.  In our house, we serve smaller scale antipasti before dinner and create elaborate spreads for Italian lunches.  On many family vacations, it is characteristic for us to travel to a local grocery store or market and select a series of cheeses, meats, breads, olives and pates to bring on picnics.

Generally, antipasto can include cured meats, olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, cheeses, and vegetables.  Every culture has it’s own form of antipasto, whether it be Spanish tapas, Meze in the Middle East, or hors d’oeuvres in France.  My favorite part of antipasto is that these fresh ingredients are always paired with wine!

Below are a series of antipasti dishes that have all been prepared at my house.  Take a look and feast with your eyes.  If your mouth is watering like mine right about now, I suggest driving to the nearest supermarket and creating your own antipasto!

The Things I’d Do for a Cannoli

Another highlight of my trip to Boston was going to Mike’s Pastry!  Located on Hanover Street in the North End, Mike’s Pastry is a dessert destination for those of us with a sweet tooth.  Usually packed to the brim, this pastry shop is known for their specialty Italian pastries, cakes, cookies, eclairs, pies, biscotti…and the list goes on and on.

As we entered the store, I wasn’t surprised to see customers squished side by side sardine style.  The key to being efficient at Mike’s is not being afraid to be aggressive.  Thankfully the service is speedy so Richie and I made our way to the counter in less than 10 minutes.  We decided to be Italian for the afternoon and ordered cannolis and cappuccino.  Choosing the type of cannoli wasn’t an easy decision because the options are endless.  They have plain ricotta, chocolate cream, chocolate chip, pistachio, caramel, espresso, chocolate mouse, limoncello, peanut butter, chocolate covered, etc.  After thorough contemplation, Richie and I chose chocolate chip ricotta and chocolate covered cannolis.  After devouring our delicious treats, we ordered enough for his roommates and made it back to his apartment just in time for a food coma nap.

The Perfect Lobster Roll

Earlier this semester I visited my brother in Boston for a long weekend.  He is a senior at BU and I thought it would be fun to visit him and his friends before they graduate in May :( (while also enjoying the good eats of Bean Town)!

One of our first adventures entailed finding the perfect lobster roll.  Normally when I visit Richie we have to go to the Neptune Oyster House.  This place is famous for their lobster rolls slathered in butter served on freshly toasted Italian bread.  They open every day at 11:30 am, don’t take reservations and are notorious for long lines of people waiting outside their coveted restaurant.  As you may have predicted, because my brother and I are young adults and enjoy sleeping into the late hours of the afternoon, we arrived at around 1 pm and soon learned there was a two hour wait to get in.  As we walked out with our egos a bit bruised, Richie suggested another idea.

We walked a few minutes down the same street to The North End Fish Market.  A little more discreet compared to Neptune, this market is easily missed and overlooked, but a true treasure.  After immediately entering, you will see sushi being prepared as well as a boatload of freshly caught seafood on display.  At a reasonable price of $12.50 each, we ordered traditional lobster rolls with mayonnaise.  Let’s be honest, lobster is a delicacy and most places will rip you off by charging a steep price for a wimpy sandwich with barely any meat.  On the contrary, our rolls had large chunks of fresh, delicious lobster meat (as you can clearly see in the picture)!

I can honestly say it was one of the greatest, if not the best, lobster roll I have ever consumed.  If you’re ever in Boston and are looking for a classic lobster roll, without having to deal with annoying lines or crowded spaces, The North End Fish Market is the place to go!

Back home to study or to eat?

Since finals week is quickly approaching, I decided to come home for part of this week to prepare.  I live only an hour away from Lehigh so it’s convenient to be able to come home and study before my first exam.  Another perk of being back at home is eating my Mom’s cooking!  Tonight she is planning on making a roast chicken with sweet potatoes and asparagus.  I offered to take a break between writing English papers and analyzing aggregate demand curves to help her cook.

I suggested we use Ina Garten’s recipe, Jeffery’s Roast Chicken.  When I first created my blog I replicated this recipe and it was delicious.  I’ll keep you posted with how our chicken turns out tonight but below I have included the recipe and pictures of when I made this dish on my my own!

Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken

The original recipe that I have replicated for this meal can be found in Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten on page 122. What is highlighted in red is what I changed from the original recipe!

For the Roast Chicken (serves 3)

• 1-Roasting chicken (4-5 pounds)
• 2- Lemons
• 1-Whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2-Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
• ½ cup- Dry white wine
• ½ cup- Chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon- all purpose flour
• Good olive oil

Procedure:

–Preheat the oven to 425°.

–Remove and discard the giblets.  Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

–Place two lemon quarters inside the cavity along with the garlic. Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

–Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

–Place the chicken in a small (11×14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too big the onions will burn.)

–Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken. (I skipped the bowl and just mixed everything in the pan with the chicken!)

–Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. (I used a 7 pound chicken so it took closer to 2 hours.)

–Remove the chicken to a platter, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

–Place the pan on top of the stove over medium-high heat. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits.

–Add the stocks and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens.

–Add any juices that collect on the platter under the chicken and taste for seasoning.

–Carve the chicken onto the platter and spoon the onions and sauce over it. If the lemons are tender enough to eat, serve them, too. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot or warm.

Almost immediately after placing the chicken into the oven the entire house smells of roasted onions and lemon.  I recommend making the sauce for this recipe.  It came out thick similar to gravy- it was to die for.  When cutting into the chicken I could see how juicy and tender each piece was.  Ina Garten named this recipe “Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken” because it is her husband’s favorite way that she prepares chicken.  Make this for your friends or family and trust me they will be impressed too!

Roast chicken served with scalloped tomatoes

The World of Competitive Eating

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My favorite aspect of my Journalism class is that we get the opportunity to meet and interview interesting individuals from the Pennsylvania area.  Last week, we interviewed William “Wild Bill” Myers, a professional eater who is ranked 35 out of 50 in the MLE (Major League Eaters).

I’m going to be honest; I’m not the biggest fan of professional speed eating.  Personally, the sight of people forcing vast quantities of food down their throats as fast as possible is not appealing to me. What ever happened to savoring every bite of your food for its delicious flavor?  However, I will say that I learned a great deal about the sport of professional eating and gained a newfound respect for the eaters involved.  Let’s just say, it’s not as easy as it looks.

"Wild Bill" Myers
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Myers, 47, has been involved in professional eating for six years and has competed in over 80 food contests.  He first got involved in speed eating after seeing a food competition on TV.  Myers told our class that after watching he thought, “I can do that.”  His first competition was Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in May 2006.  Myers explained that at the contest he told reporters he would eat 20 hot dogs when in reality, he finished 11.  As I said, it’s much harder than it looks.

There are many techniques that contestants use during eating competitions. Some competitors will wear headphones to tune out the voices of the commentators and their competition.  Sometimes contestants are permitted to dunk food in water to create more space inside of their stomachs.

On the morning of a contest Myers likes to eat a light breakfast and stays hydrated throughout the day.  He said the strategy to eating quickly is “bite, swallow, repeat.”  Most eating competition time frames vary from 6-12 minutes.  Once Myers finished 16 hot dogs in 10 minutes!

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During the interview, Myers cleared up some commonly held misconceptions regarding speed eating.  For example, I was unaware that there are strict rules forbidding at-home training because of health risk factors.  Some professional eaters perform water training, which is when someone consumes one or two gallons of water and regurgitates it to stretch their stomach.  Myers argued that this damages human’s electrolytes.  Also, if a contestant throws up during a competition they are immediately disqualified.  “I don’t eat to the point where I feel physically sick,” he said.

Joey Chestnut
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Many of my classmates and I were curious as to why the most successful professional eaters are typically small and fit women (Sonya Thomas) or athletic men (Joey Chestnut).  Myers explained that people who are overweight have a layer of fat lining their waistline that prohibits their abdomen from expanding.  Thinner competitors do not have this “belt of fat” and are able to stretch their stomachs further to consume more food.

I respect that Myers is a part of professional eating for the social and travel aspects of competitions.  I also admire his success and realize that I would never stand a chance against him in a competition and I definitely understand what makes professional eating as popular as it is today.  Still, I can’t say that I’m going to be taping food contests on my DVR anytime soon.

Below is a video that displays the rivalry between two of the greatest professional eaters, Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.

The Right Way to Snack

Our "Snack Box"

Every college student is familiar with the art of snacking.  Whether you’re studying into the late hours of the night or you’re too lazy to get out of bed to walk to the dining hall, keeping snacks in your dorm room is key.  Like most people on my hall, my roommate and I have a “snack box” where we store our favorite foods and goodies (see above).

What’s in our ‘snack box’? 

• Quaker Oatmeal
• Skippy and Jiff Peanut Butter
• Nature Valley Granola Bars
• Crackers
• Chocolate covered blueberries
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Campbell’s soup
• Popcorn
• Pretzels
• Candy: sour patch kids, Reese’s peanut butter cups

Now that you’ve had a sneak peak into the types of food my roommate and I keep in our room, you might be wondering if we’ve gained 50 pounds since the start of the school year.  Not to worry!  I have come up with a few tricks to avoid overeating and snacking unhealthily:

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1)    It’s all about moderation.

• It’s okay to indulge in your favorite unhealthy snacks…once in awhile.  If you keep them in your room you need to have enough self-restraint not to overindulge.  Someone who can’t help but devour pounds of candy in one sitting should only keep fresh and healthy options in their “snack box.”

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2)    Avoid vending machines.

• Junk food lives inside of vending machines.  It hangs out in there for days at a time, waiting for someone to press a few buttons to rescue it from its glass cage.  These snacks are processed, artificial, stale and unhealthy.  Let’s be honest, after numerous trips to the vending machine, you will be getting fatter as your wallet gets thinner!

3)    Choose drinks from Starbucks wisely.

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• Whenever I go to Starbucks I am always tempted to order a delicious iced frappuccino drink topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  However, a Grande blended mocha frappuccino has 278 calories.  The calories in one frappuccino are equal to the calories in 697 ml of beer and 149 grams of ice cream!  This website displays different foods that equal approximately 300 calories.  Next time you go to Starbucks order a tall non-fat Caffè Latte (100 calories) or a Tazo Tea (0 calories).

4)    Ziploc bags are your best friend.

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• After the first few weeks of school I realized that what I missed most about my kitchen at home was the easy access I had to fresh fruit and vegetables.  As a result, I started to bring small Ziploc bags to the dining hall to collect fruit such as grapes, pineapple and melon slices as well as fresh watermelon.  I also filed the bags with veggies from the salad bar section like celery sticks, carrots, fresh cherry tomatoes, cubed squash, corn and olives.  Soon enough my dorm room fridge was stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables to snack on!  This also saved me a ton of money because I utilized the food from the dining hall instead of paying money at the grocery store.

5)    Make homemade trail mix.

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• A great way to satisfy hunger during the day is to carry a small Ziploc bag filled with nuts, granola, dried fruit and chocolate chips.  All of these ingredients can be purchased at the local grocery store and it is super easy to assemble individual bags in the morning before class.

French Quarter Fest 2012

When most people think of New Orleans they typically think of Mardi Gras, the Saints and a city filled with people who know how to have a good time.  I on the other hand fantasize about beignets, gumbo, Po’ boy sandwiches, crawfish and jambalaya.  Since my aunt and uncle live in New Orleans I’ve had my fair share of Creole and Cajun cuisine.  Louisiana’s food has influences from French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Native American and African cooking and is world-famous for its unique and rich flavors.  New Orleans is also known for its music and food festivals.  In fact, my lucky parents got the chance to go to the 29^th annual French Quarter Festival last weekend!

The French Quarter Festival is a free, annual music festival located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.  It is the largest free music festival in the South with this year’s attendance at approximately 574,000 people.  French Quarter Fest features traditional New Orleans Jazz and Blues music and some very good eats.  Known as ‘The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch,’ hundreds of food vendors sell various southern specialties.  Typical dishes ranged from savory crawfish pies and chicken & andouille gumbo to sweet banana foster!  Here’s a list of the vendors and what they offered this year.  As you will see below, my mom was sure to email me an abundance of pictures from their weekend!

The Fest!

Ticket and Info Booth

Musicians performing

Buying crawfish platters!

Hungry festival-goers

Crawfish

Jambalaya

Crawfish Pasta

Alligator Sausage Sandwich

Below are some dishes they ate while dining out in New Orleans!

Oysters

BBQ Shrimp

My Favorite…

SEAFOOD DISH

Legal Sea Foods

Cioppino: $27.95

Legal Sea Foods is known for its fresh fish and famous clam chowder.  My personal favorite dish on their menu is the Cioppino: a heavenly assortment of lobster, scallops, shrimp, calamari, littleneck clams, mussels and scrod in a light tomato broth.  Served with bread to dunk, what more could a seafood-lover want?

SUSHI

Asian Bistro

Bethlehem Roll: $12.00, Salmon Sashimi: $2.25 each

Located on E. 3^rd Street, Asian Bistro is a popular Lehigh spot for sushi.  If you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks, the Bethlehem Roll is a specialty roll made with shrimp tempura topped with sliced avacado and smoked salmon.  When dining with a friend, I suggest adding a few fresh salmon sashimi rolls, $2.25 each.

UNHEALTHY SNACK

Red Robin

Onion Ring Tower: $7.99

In my opinion, onion rings are the perfect comfort food.  If I decide to indulge in an unhealthy snack, I usually crave something salty instead of sweet.  If you’re like me, you’ll love Red Robin’s Onion Ring Tower.  These flakey and flavorful onion rings are lightly battered in oil.  Plus, you can’t deny that the tower presentation is too good to be true.

HEALTHY SNACK 

Oikos Greek Yogurt

Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt (sold at Upper Food Court in the UC) is rich, thick and creamy.  It’s also high in protein and calcium.  I love to add fresh raspberries, strawberries or blueberries to the vanilla flavored yogurt.  Oikos is also super versatile and can take the place of sour cream in recipes.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

This recipe is courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network.  It is also one of my favorite meals my Mom likes to make when I come home from college.  After coming out of the oven, the cheesy rigatoni is crispy and the luscious bechamel sauce is bubbly and creamy.  The addition of prosciutto makes this dish hearty!

Following Your Passion

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I’ve always been a huge fan of the TV series, “The Next Food Network Star.”  On the show, a group of talented cooks compete to host their own television cooking show on the Food Network.  Each week the contestants have to endure different challenges that test their cooking and camera skills.  I love the show not only because I wish I could be crowned my own corner of the Food Network but also because there is just something so entertaining about mixing competition with food.  The obscure cooking challenges and fierce rivalries definitely keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

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Last month when I heard that Whitney Chen (Lehigh alumni 05’ and 5^th place finalist on season 7) was coming to Lehigh, I didn’t miss a beat before reserving my spot at her event!  Chen performed a cooking demo and spoke to students about the importance of following their passion.

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After Chen graduated from Lehigh with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 2005 she worked in New York City as an engineering consultant for four years.  She then decided to quit her job to attend the culinary school, L’Academie de Cuisine, in Maryland.  Once she received her culinary certificate, Chen worked the line at Thomas Keller’s restaurant, Per Se in New York City.  She told the audience about her experience working the line at the top kitchen and created two dishes that she loved to eat in college, with a gourmet twist: grilled cheese with prosciutto and a vegetable lasagna called “vegetable tian.”

During her demo, Chen had the audience entertained and laughing the entire time.  I couldn’t help but love her bright and relatable personality and her effortless way of cooking delicious smelling dishes.  Take a look below at an interview between Chen and Lehigh 11′ Karl Brisseaux.

Also if you have time, listen to Lehigh Valley Live’s Five Questions with Whitney!

So long, Subversions?

Subversions is a favorite Lehigh lunch spot known for its delicious wraps, subs and sandwiches.  It is located on the top floor of Grace Hall next to the post office.  Subversions is perfect whether you’re looking for a sit-down lunch or you need to pick up a sandwich on the go.  They have plenty of options and speedy service.

Some of Subversions’ most popular sandwiches and subs are the Classic Italian, Turkey Diablo, Sub Style Roast Beef and Bacon and the Subversive Club.  Subversions offers fresh rolls and breads as well as a large variety of toppings and dressings.

My go-to sandwich is the Turkey Diablo.  It’s made with golden turkey breast, jalapeño cheese, roasted red peppers and southwestern mayonnaise.  I like to add lettuce, tomatoes, pickle slices, salt, pepper and oregano.  I always ask for my bread to be toasted.  To me, nothing is better than a sandwich with crispy bread and melted cheese.  I never leave Subversions hungry.

Turkey Diablo on a Wheat Roll

Student placing an order

However, as many Lehigh students sadly know, Subversions is closing to make way for a major renovation project in Grace Hall.  My Journalism class had the opportunity to interview Pat Chase, the director of facilities planning and renovation at Lehigh.  Chase told our class that starting this summer, a new wrestling facility is being built on the top floor of Grace Hall.

This area will house training equipment, a lounge and a Hall of Fame.  The post office will be moved to a vacant building in campus square, between Johnny’s Bagels and The Cup.  Most importantly, Lehigh is planning to expand the Hawk’s Nest kitchen and add healthier options (similar to Subversions) to the menu!

I’m sure we will hear more information soon about these construction plans.  In the meantime, I know one thing for sure:  I’m going to Subversions as much as I can before it closes!

Honey Ham and Honey Mustard on a Wheat Roll

Turkey Diablo on a Wheat Wrap