Here’s my first pass: feel free to suggest more!

“E’ buono come un pezzo di pane”
Literal translation: He’s as good as a piece of bread
What it means: He’s a good person, a really nice guy

“Rendere pan per focaccia”
Literal translation: To give back bread for focaccia
What it means: Similar to “an eye for an eye”, it is used metaphorically to illustrate a payback for a suffered wrong

“Avere sale in zucca”
Literal translation: To have salt in the pumpkin, although “zucca” is very often used to mean “head”- so to have salt in the head
What it means: To be smart

“E’ andato tutto liscio come l’olio”
Literal translation: It went smooth as oil
What it means: It went smooth as silk, there weren’t any problems

“L’ho comprato per un tozzo di pane”
Literal translation: I bought it for a piece of bread
What it means: It was a real deal, very underpriced compared to its value

“C’entra come i cavoli a merenda”
Literal translation: It fits like cabbage for the afternoon snack
What it means: It doesn’t fit, it’s inappropriate

“Sei sempre in mezzo come il prezzemolo”
Literal translation: You are always in the way like parsley (referring to the vast use of parsley in Italian cooking!)
What it means: You mingle in things that are not your own, you are always in the way

“Tenero come il burro”
Literal translation: It’s as soft as butter
What it means: It is very tender, it usually refers to meat or other foods, and sometimes to people

“E’ dolce come lo zucchero”
Literal translation: It’s as sweet as sugar
What it means: Pretty self-explanatory, usually used to describe fruit it is also used for people sometimes)

“Sono pieno come un uovo”
Literal translation: I am as full as an egg
What it means: I am stuffed, I can’t eat anymore (very useful when someone is trying to fill your plate yet again!)

“Avere il prosciutto sugli occhi”
Literal translation: To have ham (prosciutto) over your eyes
What it means: To be unable to see the truth, either figuratively (somebody’s trying to trick you and you don’t see it) or realistically (the referee didn’t see the foul as he had prosciutto over his eyes)

“Avere le mani in pasta”
Literal translation: To have the hands in the dough
What it means: To be very well connected, to know how to pull strings

“Questa cosa mi sta sullo stomaco”
Literal translation: This thing sits on my stomach
What it means: This thing is really unpleasant and annoying. Often also said of people (Questa persona mi sta sullo stomaco)

“Essere rosso come un peperone”
Literal translation: To be red as a bell pepper
What it means: To look lobster red- said of a sunburn but also of someone who’s blushing

“E’ facile come rubare le caramelle a un bambino”
Literal translation: It’s easy as stealing candies from a child
What it means: It is very simple task that anyone can do

“Ha la faccia da pesce lesso”
Literal translation: He has the face of a boiled fish
What it means: He looks like someone uninteresting and uninterested, not someone you want to make friends with

“Quella persona ha il pelo sullo stomaco”
Literal translation:  That person has hair on his stomach
What it means: It is said of people who are unethical, reckless, and overall willing to push the limits of legality in business

“Questa cosa/ questa persona e’ amara come la cicoria”
Literal translation: this thing/ person is as bitter as chicory
What it means: Said of something bitter in taste, but also of a bitter person

“E’ rigido come un baccala’”
Literal translation: He is a as rigid as salted cod
What it means: He is not comfortable, he looks stiff

“Avere le mani di pastafrolla”
Literal translation: To have pastry dough hands
What it means: To be unable to hold something without dropping it, to be clumsy

“Questa persona e’ un polentone”
Literal translation: This person is a polenta eater
What it means: This person is physically slow, awkward, goofy

“Mettere la ciliegina sulla torta”
Literal translation: To put the cherry on top of the cake
What it means: To wrap up something in the best possible way (same as the English “Cherry on top”)

“Ridotto all’osso”
Literal translation: Something reduced to the bone
What it means: As bare-bone as it gets- often said of a price during bargaining, or of a family budget, it means it has been rid of the excess, muck like bones used to make stock.

“Questa cosa mi fa venire il latte alle ginocchia”
Literal translation: This thing gives milk in my knees (good one, uh??)
What it means: It is said of something (or someone) boring and exasperating, something that makes you want to get away as fast as possible!

Image courtesy of Eater SF

When was the last time you sat down for a nice lunch, in the Financial District, and spent less than $25? Including tax and tip? Well, you can imagine why my excitement for lunch at Barbacco was laced with a whole new level of satisfaction once I got the bill. None of the desserts were over $5, a scoop of ice cream was $2, they have half glasses of wines on the list- so you can still sip on your favorite beverage and go back to work without being buzzed- or worse, wasting a half glass! I love the concept behind this new enoteca: informal, lunch-oriented, small plates and big flavors seems to be the staples of their offering. And the food is pretty good!

My favorite dish by far were the bruschette- 3 for $8 were enough to calm my cravings, and the house cured sardine one was to write home about.

We also ordered the Burrata, which was served with a half-sized rucola salad (yum!) and a beet salad, before moving on to the rotolo pasta (you can see Barbacco’s full lunch menu at this link), which we didn’t love but was okay. And of course no meal is complete without a dessert (dulcis in fundo, the most quoted Latin proverb by Italians: sweet in the end!)- so a scoop of ice cream made its way to our table. I am using the Food Gal’s pictures, as hers turned out a lot better than mine did! Here’s the gelato- really, really good!

Barbacco
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111-4301
(415) 955-1919

It is that time of the year again!! Spring is here, VinItaly just wound up, and Donato is hosting another of his marvelous wine and food events at Enoteca in Redwood City. 100 Italian wines poured by the glass from all the best US importers, including many varieties of Barolo and Barbaresco and many lesser-known wines, like Teroldego and Vermentino. All are not to be missed!

The best part, for a foodie like me, is the chance to try out Donato’s porchetta, along with many other little hors d’ouevres. I am hoping for bruschette with cinghiale (wild boar) and black seafood risotto! Yum!

WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 1-4 p.m.
VIP Preview: 12-1 p.m.
WHERE:

DONATO ENOTECA
1041 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 701-1000
Note: Caltrain Redwood City stop is across the street from the restaurant.

COST: VIP Preview – $70
General Admission – $55
Early Bird General Admission – $50 (limited)
TICKETS: To purchase a ticket, visit www.donatoenoteca.com.

So, you have to wonderful, yet another place that claims authentic Neapolitan pizza? Well, yes, but also so much more! The three brothers that own Acqua Pazza are from Naples, and are very proud of their heritage! Their offering is not limited to pizza, but to the whole range of Neapolitan cuisine, including a burrata that gets shipped from Italy, caponata, arancini, a plethora of mouth-watering fish dishes and vegetable-heavy suggestions. Anything that is not directly from Italy comes from local producers: the vegetables form Half Moon Bay, the fish from Monterey- that’s always nice in my book!

We started with what I think was the best dish I had- a Caponata di verdure that would be able to resuscitate the dead!! Delicious sweet peppers and eggplants with capers and olive oil, marinated till they can be spread over bread- I found this impossibly good! Served witha  bread made of pizza dough, warm, it was really a perfect way to be entertained while we were scouring the menu!

Next stop was a mixed antipasti platter that showcased an imported burrata as its main feature. The texture of the burrata was soft and delicious, and the crostini with fava bean puree were a really nice side. I did not care for the diced beets- while I usually really like red beets, these were a bit bland… but the dish did not miss them!

We then ordered a margherita pizza, made the traditional Neapolitan way with double zero flour from Mulino Caputo, San Marzano tomato sauce (San Marzano tomatoes are protected by the DOP seal!) and imported mozzarella di bufala, with a touch of basil. The dough was delicious: springy and soft at the core, just a perfect consistency, and the tomato sauce was delicious. The only fault Amy and I found in this pizza was the amount of cheese: we both agreed we’d ask it with less mozzarella next time, as it felt like it overloaded the dish and made it a bit too heavy.

We ended lunch on a high note with a delicious Baba’ al Rum, a Naple’s special to be remembered (although I could have done without the whipped cream- which is saying something, considering how CRAZY I am about whipped cream!).

Acqua Pazza
201 E. 3rd Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94401
P: 650-375-0903

Few items are as omnipresent in Italian pastry as crema pasticcera, the egg custard that fills morning cornetti, layers pan di spagna, and makes the basis for fruit tarts and zuppa inglese. It is simple, delicious, versatile and tasty! I made a batch at home and have made tarts, crostate, brioches and vol-au-vent desserts for a whole week, and then some.

The recipe for crema changes for each region, for each town, and even for each family! I have been following my friend Laura’s recipe- since I have tested it multiple times in her delicious profiteroles, pastries and desserts- and since Mom still guards our family recipe…

Ingredients

180gr of flour –> roughly 0.4lb of flour, or about 1.5 cups of flour

400 gr of sugar –> about 2 cups of sugar, or about 14oz

3 egg yolks  and three whole eggs

1 l of milk –> 1 quart of milk, roughly

Optional: a bit of lemon rind, grated, and a hint of vanilla

What to do

Warm up the milk, and meanwhile use a mixer to mix flour, sugar and eggs. When the milk is near boiling, pour it in with the egg and flour and sugar mixture and transfer to a thick-bottomed pot back to heat. Lower the heat to medium and stir till you find the texture thickens- you can choose how think you’d like it to come out, but make sure it doesn’t taste like flour once you take it off the heat! It is crucial to keep on stirring to prevent lumps from forming and the bottom from sticking- it should take about 5-10 minutes from the time you transfer it to the heat to the time the crema is completely done.

Tips

Resist the temptation to eat the crema while it is warm- it gives you a stomachache and it makes you noxious! (That’s what Mom used to say when I was a kid, I thought it was a scam to make me wait… but no, she was right)

I finished the crema with a hand mixer before taking it off the heat, to work out any lump.

Fill anything you’d like with the cooled off crema- use a pastry bag with a medium tip, or a syringe, to fill in anything you can think of with crema: eclairs, profiteroles, brioches and croissants. For cakes, you can just use it as a filling, and for fruit tarts, your fruit will taste delicious on top of a layer of crema on your pie crust!

You can also serve crema pasticcera as a stand-alone dessert in a small cup, with a ladyfinger cookie or a slice of ciambella… delicious!

The recipe for the brioche pictured at the top is coming…

Pulcinella was a recommendations of friends, and I went out and explored with one of my favorite pizza-buddies. This is the first review-worthy escapade I have had with Amy, so we were both beyond thrilled!

We had the pleasure to converse with Dario, the manager and, in our case, our server, about the restaurant, when they opened, why pizza and so on- it is a worthwhile conversation, and by all means follow his recommendations when it comes to selecting a pizza! Not everyone knows that fried pizza and stuffed pizza are pretty common in Naples. Fried pizza is unheard of in northern Italy, but not in North Beach, where Luigi and Dario really strive to deliver a truly original pizza experience…

In any case, we had a pizza with sausage and rapini, and a pizza Vesuvio following Dario’s recommendation: a stuffed pizza that looks like a margherita up top, but it is filled with ham, mozzarella and many more delights… It was quite simply phenomenal!!! The dough had the right elasticity, a bit crisp but chewy, and the ingredients… I still dream of the tomato sauce!

I am going back this week because the experience has been noteworthy, and repeatable! I was stunned, and can’t wait to have another of their unusual and delicious pizza.

Amy and I also had a chance to try the Pastiera Napoletana, possibly the most reputable dessert in Naples. Order it “unadulterated” of ice cream and chocolate sauce and you’ll be transported to a different world!

Pulcinella Pizzeria e Ristorante Italiano (NOTE: The website not only has music, but you can’t even stop it! Luigi, Dario- please take the music off!)
641 Vallejo St
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 829-7312

When I found out Vinicio’s having a show in San Francisco on March 12th, I almost flipped over with joy- Vinicio!! In San Francisco!! In March!! Vinicio will be a guest of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura on March 11th, and he’ll be in concert the following night at Bimbo 365, in North Beach. You’ll find me there, around the first row, singing every single song out loud!

SOLO SHOW SAN FRANCISCO (USA) BIMBO’S 365 CLUB $25
Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
1025 Columbus Avenue (at Chestnut Street)
Time: 9:00pm (Doors open @ 8:00pm)
Tickets: $25

Box Office, or (415) 474-0365

A few examples of Vinicio’s work (he’s not really into doing videos, so there isn’t much…):

Every now and then there is one recipe that keeps on sneaking upon me- maybe because people compliment it so much, or maybe because I have had it at a friend’s house and I cannot get it out of my head. Well, this special focaccia belongs to the latest- my friend Arianna made it a few times when I was at her place, and I have just ever since tried to duplicate it. I have realized my “regular” focaccia dough would not work, so I simply follow Arianna’s recipe for the best result. Here’s how it is done:

Ingredients

500gr flour (possibly double zero, I use the Central Milling Company organic unbleached flour that I find at Costco)
300ml water
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 bag of yeast
2 teaspoon of salt

What to do

The secret to this delicious focaccia is the fact that it is left to raise twice. I begin by using the dough maker on my bread machine- I start with water, then I add the oil, the salt, and the flour, with the yeast last. I let it go for the full cycle (it is a 1.5hr process where the machine warms the basket to start the first raising, but you can simply use a kitchen aid or make the dough by hand). The point is to let the dough raise at least for 2 hours. After the first raising, take the dough out, and roll it on a cutting board sprinkled with flour.

Once the dough is rolled out, you can put the filling in. I use a black olive tapenade, but a spread of butter and anchovies is also really good! Next, roll the focaccia from the long side and cut about 1.5 inch slices.

Put the rolled slices in a baking pan sprinkled with oil, and let it raise a second time for at least an hour- more if you have time! Find a place where the dough will not suffer breezes and air- I usually cover it with a clean towel and put it in a closed cabinet- or in the oven if I am not using it!

After the second raising is the time to bake! Set the timer for 30 minutes, oven temperature 400F, and try not to open the oven before the 30 minutes are up. Check for a golden finish on the focaccia- if it is not there, continue cooking at five minutes increments.

Enjoy with good friends and good wine!

The owner-chef Rocco is from Emilia Romagna, like yours truly. He has worked in Porretta Terme, and at Babbo in NYC before heading out to sunny California and infuse this uber-small and quaint spot with the Italy I grew up in. A simple sandwich, a tasty salad, a few zeppole are all it takes to bring me back to the flavors of home, and I love every bit of it!For example, the one above is what in Italy goes under the name “tuna salad”. The disappointment in ordering one if you’re expecting the other is quite evident, and it works in both directions!

I peruse Tootsie’s for breakfast as well, as the cappuccino and espresso are just great- not to mention the staple of the Italian breakfast, the cornetto (aka: Italian croissant). Rocco spins the cornetti in their delicious Nutella variation, a reason alone to head there in the morning! Now I am trying to get Rocco to start offering bomboloni… and then I can have perfection right in my backyard!

Tootsie’s At Stanford Barn
700 Welch Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 566-8445

A few of my favorites are below- mostly are from Italy, or used in Italian cooking (surprise!), and a few are just fun little great products!

I loved the colorful lay-out of the Etruria products, but even more than that I absolutely LOVED the honey vinegar- aceto di miele, a descendant of idromele (well, a quick search showed me the English name for it is none other than mead!), one of the oldest beverages in recorded history (and a dead one, at that!). Giuseppe, the owner/ producer/ chef of Etruria, was at hand to explain all about his products. The honey vinegar is made with water and homey, and let to ferment. Giuseppe produces honey vinegar from three different types of honeys he produces himself, and all three are impossibly OUTSTANDING. I can see them on puntarelle, or even mixed with soda water for a digestivo… delicious. You can find Giuseppe’s products online at Chefshop.com and also at several shops around the Bay Area. I am dying to get some samples to try out in my kitchen- will write more once I get them!

Oregon Growers and Shippers has a delicious, scrumptious cherry and Zinfandel jam I am dying to get on a crostata. My husband will be making me one with a sample I got from them, I can’t wait!! More reviews (and a crostata recipe!) to come.

Bertagni pasta was a delicious find. I am not a fan of refrigerated pasta, but sometimes I cave for convenience. (Fine, I said it!). If only I knew what I was missing out on when I wasn’t scouring out Bertagni!! Delicious dough texture, and really tasty fillings make of this pasta the next best thing to a rolling pin.

Ricotta is always a favorite, and finding a decently-priced, reasonably tasting ricotta is always a challenge (unless my friend Rosetta makes it for me!). I find Cantare’ a really good store-bought one- and each little package comes in a draining basket. The presentation they had at Fancy Food was beautiful!

Truffle salts were a big trend at the show, and I got a few samples to try out. I am not quite sure how to use them, but I am going to have a taste-off as soon as all the samples are in!

Now, this was one of the weirdest thing I have ever tried- smoked olive oil. The whole show was talking about it, and I found it kind of interestingly wacky!

A product I am looking forward to put to the test is Bread Armor: a plastic bag designed to keep your favorite artisan bread from getting hard as a stone (I am sure it happened to you too!). An innovative product with some unusual characteristics that make our lives easier. What’s not to like there?