"Morning Memories"

When I was a kid, my mom used to make me scrambled eggs with onion and tomato. It was my favorite way to eat eggs. This morning, I felt like recreating that with a twist - roasted tomatoes and cheese. This version is actually a sandwich, since I used to eat it with tortillas.

So I started slicing 3 plum tomatoes (1/2 inch slices) and put them on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and coarse salt. Oven was at 350 degrees and tomatoes were in...right after that, I finely chopped about a third of an onion, put it on a pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. While the onion was getting translucid, I whisked 3 eggs in a bowl, added salt and pepper. When the onion was ready, I poured in the eggs and mixed softly, turning the eggs only once so they develop a light crust on both sides. When eggs were ready I put the toast on a plate and got some shreeded cheese (pick your fave, goat will be ideal).

Okay so here you go: Toast, roasted tomato slices, scrambled egg layer, shreeded cheese, toast. Put it back in the oven to get the cheese nice and soft. By the way, these ingredients are for 3 portions.

A couple of minutes and you're done. Hot coffee, please! The darker the better.

I can't tell you how much I remember the smell of onion and tomato as I was going down the stairs to eat breakfast made by Mom. And this morning, I felt the same thing. Perhaps, my son will remember that same smell one day.

"Green Love"

Today, for some reason, everything I wanted to eat was green. Fava beans, green beans, and mixed greens.

Everything started when I got to the grocery store in company of my son Emilio, who happens to love green beans. He grabbed one and said "isn't it beautiful?, look at this other one!" and we took a pound of those. Then, as we were walking the aisle, I saw these big bright green favas that reminded me about an episode from Jamie Oliver when he prepared a very English "mashed beans" spread over grilled bread. It didn't take me too long before I had about a pound of those and then I thought about getting some goat cheese to be the perfect partner of the mashed fava beans.

Let me share with you what I ended up preparing; but first the ingredients:

1 lb of fava beans
4 Tbsp of herbed goat cheese (2 for the mix and 2 for serving on top of bread)
1 minced garlic clove (a little one)
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper to taste (don't be afraid use a little more than usual)
3-5 slices of french or ciabatta bread (to be toasted in oven or grilled)
1/4 cup of shreded parmiggiano (or pecorino)

First, shell the beans and take the white membrane off. Put them in the food processor with the goat cheese, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour in the olive oil as you pulse; and add a little more if needed. The end result should be a smooth texture, like a spread. Use more lemon, salt of pepper according to your preferences.

Grill the bread or put the slices in the oven until they are crispy/and or with grill marks. Spread the Fava Goat Chesse mixture on each slice, then add a couple of pieces of the goat cheese, and arrange all of the bread slices on plate; to finish, drizzle a little bit of olive oil and add the parmiggiano before serving - By the way this looks great on the plate! creamy, green, fresh, can you pass me one?

We ended up pairing this very refreshing appetizer with a lemony Pinot Grigio. On a humid day like today, it was the perfect way to cool off. Just in case you were wondering what happened to the "other beans" and the mixed greens, they ended up adding a really nice crunch to a Nicoise salad with Tuna.

"Home Soup Home"

Soup. The quintessential comfort food. How many memories of a good soup do you have? Perhaps one from your mother when getting back from school; or maybe one you had during a cold winter day; or one that you had no idea you were going to like it but ended up loving.

Soup is definitely one of the toughest things to make the right way. Maybe because it is so simple, and the simpler, the better.

This past weekend, we moved into a new place. After packing, sealing boxes, moving stuff, throwing stuff away, etc. We were blessed to get a pot of soup from a friend of ours. It was the perfect way to help us transition into our new home.

After we had a chance to sit down and chat for a few minutes, we decided to go for it. The pot was still hot, the lid ready to open up the flavors. As soon as we opened it, the aromatics were there; bay leaf, good thyme - and I say good because it was so aromatic that it reminded me of the smell you get when you are in an open land full of wild herbs.

The soup was an interesting mix of vegetables, fish and pasta. The potatoes gave it a really comforting feel to it - think chicken soup or a good chowder. The veggies gave it the texture, soft peas and crunchy garbanzos. The pasta, orzo and tiny pearls (cous cous or fregola from Sardinia) provided the perfect combination of silkiness and hints of nutty flavors. The salmon must have been poached, it was flaky but still firm, and gave the soup its personality.

We decided to pair it with a good glass of Vermentino di Sardegna, a very aromatic white with very minerally taste. I couldn't have asked for more. On this type of wine, my favorite is "La Cala" from Sella & Mosca which comes from a region that is famous for its wild herbs. Natives say that it is in a part of Sardegna where the winds infuse the grapes with the fresh flavors of the sea.

A good soup is like a trip to a place where nothing matters more than the flavors you have in your mouth. It is warming inside out; it makes you feel pampered. No matter what the recipe calls for, play and try new things, just remember that veggies, aromatics and protein get along really well.

Thanks to our friend Beatriz for a wonderful soup and for making us feel so good.

"Sparkling Shiraz"

Red wine and bubbles. What an exciting combination. A couple of years ago, my wife and I had the privilege of attending a dinner prepared by Ms. Giada [Di Laurentiis]. A dream come true, a never-thought-it-could-happen-to-me experience.

Long story short, the dinner was scrumptious, it started with a Caesar salad with polenta croutons, a lemon vinaigrette, followed by prawns over rigatoni in a silky butternut squash sauce; the main entree, a fillet Mignon with Parmesan mashed potatoes....you might be thinking and where is the Shiraz? Well, actually, it was at the end. A chocolate souffle-like dessert with raspberry and Sparkling Shiraz.

I've never heard about it. But it was a big success. The spicy notes of a Shiraz go extremely well with chocolate. The bubbles were like a reminder of the perfect combination of these two ingredients. The best part was that the wine ended up being a very affordable one. PARINGA from Australia is available for less than $12/bottle. Since then, I have brought it to many parties and potlucks. Consistently, it ends up being a winner. Give it a shot. It will make your guests talk about it.

Think Chocolate and berries, the rest will be take care of by a bottle of Paringa Sparkling Shiraz. --they have a non-sparkling Shiraz that is also very good bur certainly not as interesting as the one with bubbles.

"There is Always a First Time"

Today, I finally decided to have a food related blog. However, this not the first time I think about it. I find myself constantly thinking, dreaming, talking and playing with food, not to mention eating and cooking. I love food.

I want to share my passion for food with my friends and make new friends along the way. I believe in the power of a good meal; on the beauty of fresh ingredients; on how they can transform you; and the way they become part of your life.

If I can get you to experience this in some way, shape or form, what a great way to connect.

So let's get this started...

One of the most memorable pasta sauces that I can recall is named "alla Chiantigiana". We tried it at Trattoria Antellesi, a tiny place on Via Faenza in Florence. I actually read about it as we were planning that trip back in 2000. The name called my attention, Chianti and pasta, a familiar combination but now in a different form - a sauce.

We found out that the Trattoria we were looking for was just steps from our hotel. And after a delicious Crostini Toscano, we got the spaghetti alla Chiantigiana, which turned to be a very aromatic dish...picture tiny cubes of steak (say chuck perhaps) mixed with this deep red sauce that had the acidic elements of tomatoes mixed with the berry/blackberry notes of a good Chianti. It was finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a few shavings of Parmiggiano. I could eat it right now!

My wife and I liked it so much , that we went back to have it again before leaving Florence. We have recreated the recipe a few times at home, making us remember the moment all over again.

If you are feeling like doing so, just prepare it the same way you do a meat sauce, just replace the ground meat with tiny cubes of chuck steak and add a cup (or adjust accordingly) of good Chianti. Let it simmer 30-40 minutes.

If you happen to be in Florence, make a stop at Trattoria Antellesi, if not, make your home feel like it.