annavalinski

The “Italian Way” of Wine Making & Drinking

Most Italian’s perspective of wine is influenced by their culture, such as the history and traditions. The Italian culture focuses on art, family, architecture, music, and food. Within the Italian cuisine, wine is occasionally used as an ingredient for many classic dishes. Wine is also the drink of choice for many Italians! Wine is viewedContinue reading “The “Italian Way” of Wine Making & Drinking”

New England Wine

Last week, I decided to switch things up by creating a presentation about a local winery, instead of writing a long blog post. You can view my presentation by clicking on the PDF file below! I encourage you all to check out Squamscott’s online store, found on their website: https://www.blueheronwines.com/. I bought a bottle ofContinue reading “New England Wine”

Moscato

Italy is recognized to have some of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. There are over 500 different varieties of Italian wine produced throughout the entire country, making Italy the world’s largest producer of wine. Some types of Italian wine are only produced in one region, but most can be found in multipleContinue reading “Moscato”

Health Benefits of Olive Oil!

The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by a ton of different cultures, and almost all of them share a similar way of eating. This diet, known as the Mediterranean diet, focuses on high intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and most importantly olive oil. Luckily for them, olive oil is one of theContinue reading “Health Benefits of Olive Oil!”

Preparing Fresh Pasta at Home

Have you ever wanted to make fresh pasta at home? I know I have! And this weekend I was finally able to. The pasta dough was very easy to throw together, and only required two ingredients that are commonly found in most kitchens. The most challenging part for me was cutting and shaping the pasta.Continue reading “Preparing Fresh Pasta at Home”

Olive Oil Tasting

Olive oil is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet. The abundance of olive trees and the versatility of this oil are two reasons for the high popularity in Italy. The traditional olive oil process began by handpicking olives. This was because producing olive oil is a delicate process, and damaging the olives in anywaysContinue reading “Olive Oil Tasting”

Making Sourdough Bread

This past week, my class and I had the opportunity to visit a local bakery. L’assalto Ai Forni is located on the ground floor of a beautiful building, but before it was a bakery, it was the home of the owner, Lorenza for many years. Sadly, an earthquake in 2016 caused the whole building toContinue reading “Making Sourdough Bread”

Pizza Making

Last week, my classmates and I had the opportunity to make Napoletana pizza (also known as Neapolitan pizza) at La Nicchia Ristorante & Pizzeria! This type of pizza must follow a few guidelines to be considered “authentic”, such as type of flour, the preparation, the ingredients used, and the type of oven used. The pizzaContinue reading “Pizza Making”