blogfromafar

  So we were a little leery. We love living in the hinterlands unmentionably north of LBJ, but often bemoan the lack of non-chain restaurants. Friends recommended Grimaldi’s at the new Watter’s Creek shopping center in Allen, so we bit.

We walked in, and at first glance, thought we’d wandered into yet another “Pizza-ville” restaurant. Cute, but pre-packaged. Then, the waiter didn’t know if the “Montepulciano” wine was Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, or Montipulciano d’Abruzzo. Bad signs. (more…)

Fall comes to a Texas town, where leaves turn brown
But butterflies soar in the skies, orange and black.
Fall and death hold the seeds, the compost of life that renews each Spring.
And life goes on, (more…)

       Art in East Texas?  Well, I can say it, since I have roots there.  Not exactly the most liberal mindset.  But go east, towards Edom.  A couple of hours away, it’s a nice day trip, especially if you venture off I-20 to get there. 

For starters, how to lure your not-so-artsy friends?  Try The Shed Cafe, recently named the best restaurant in East Texas by Texas Monthly.  That’s your Coconut Dream pie pictured above.  I tell you, the cream filling is unctuous, framed perfectly by the crunchy coconut uptop, and the graham cracker crust below.  If family friend and Gilmer native Ola Williams were alive today, I’d have to challenge her to a bake-off!  A piece will set you back less than $4, and way better than those “too much going on” desserts.  Just perfection.  Oh, and for the actual meal?  Chicken fried steak, pure and simple.

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On our search this fall to find the roots of the Donatelli family in Abruzzo, we stumbled upon, and fell in love with a little town called Pescocostanzo, mother lode of Donatellis now and in the past.  Its mountainous setting and architecture with iron railings and window boxes place you a world away from golden Florence or floating Venice. 

Standing center left of our group is Domenico Gizzarelli, owner of the local grocery store:  an impromptu ambassador who adopted us and our cause, helping us search city hall records for Grandfather Antonio.  His open spirit also helped us to learn a little more, penetrate a bit deeper into the soul of the city.  (more…)

   Yep, we’re exploring those less-expensive cuts of beef this week!  Turns out, we had to get a butcher to cut the beef shanks used in this recipe just for us, which made us feel somewhat connected and hip!  This is a great dish, self-actualized as it simmers in the oven for a few hours, filling the house with rich and complex aromas.  Here’s how:

4 Beef foreshanks, about 2″ thick each
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 yellow onions, 2 carrots, and 2 celery stalks, all cut into 1/4″ dice
4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 can cooked cannellini beans
1 jar Tuscan White Bean Appetizer from Flavors From Afar $9.99.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season shanks with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour.  In large dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm oil.  Brown shanks on all sides 10-12 minutes.  Transfer to plate. Add onions, celery and carrots to pan, cook 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic, tomato paste, 1/4 cup parsley and thyme; cook 1 minute.  Add broth and wine; bring to boil.  Add shanks; cover and bake in oven, turning occasionally, 2 1/2 – 3 hours.  Transfer shanks to platter; tent with foil.  Skim fat off braising liquid and simmer liquid over medium-high heat 15-20 minutes. Add can of cannellini beans and can of Tuscan White Bean Appetizer, mashing some into sauce. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serves 4.Inspired by Williams-Sonoma Gastropub cuisine.

     In retrospect, it was a simple thrill. Whenever our high school played the Paschal Panthers in football, we’d pile in our 1970-era sedans and make the pilgrimage to Joe T Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant beforehand. Feeling quite grown-up, we’d head out on what was the Fort Worth Turnpike at the time, queue up in front of the simple white frame house, and wait in a line that snaked around bubbling vats of beans in the kitchen before seating. The wait was worth it. Even teenagers could stop mid-bite, mid-gossip, and appreciate the difference from El Chico’s. (more…)

One of our favorite foods we found in Puglia is what Kyle Phillips calls Friselle. It’s the ultimate in portable food – made back in the day when laborers would set out in the fields to harvest olives, grapes, whatever, and not return until nightfall.

When we sat down to lunch one afternoon, bowls of water were placed in front of us on the table and we’re thinking, ok, handwashing ritual? Then the Friselle were brought. Here’s the trick: you hold the bread underwater until you start to see bubbles, then pull it out. The weird thiing? It’s not soggy, no, ……rather, perfect. Wonderful with the loads of antipasti for which the Pugliese are rightfully known. Want to try at home? Try Kyle’s recipe. We will, and we’ll let you know how it goes!

       Due to the kindness of new friends, and a fortunate set of circumstances, we found ourselves celebrating this year’s Palio victory at a nightly dinner in the “Bruco” neighborhood of Siena.  Rains threatened and finally came, but failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the locals, who sang songs to the rain in addition to their neighborhood “fight song”, and the song of the evening:  “Glory, Glory Hallelujah”.

 You see, the Brucos won first place in the Siena Palio, a horse race that careens around the Siena’s central Campo, in August this year.  They have celebrated every night since, as they will be through October 11.  Each night since victory night, the neighborhood, or “contrada”, holds a dinner for 600 people or more in its private garden, hidden from street view by Siena’s high, dark walls.  Each dinner features a different theme and song:  the night of our visit was “stool” night so everyone brought a stool, some decorated in the green/gold/blue colors of the contrada. 

 ”Stool?” you say?  In Italian parlance, a stool is a lowly person, someone of no count.  Prior to this year’s win, and three others since 1996, the Bruco contrada hand’t won in ages, so were considered by some to be “stools”.  Even the roots of the “Bruco” contrada are humble; “bruco”, meaning “caterpillar”, symbolizes the neighborhood’s origins in the silk trade, harnessing caterpillar power in the tedious, manual process of spinning silk.  So,  on “stool” night, the Brucos were saying, “Sure, we’re a stool!  We’ve only won the Palio four times in 12 years!” (more…)