This Is My Happiness » Food

My Favorite Dishes

Jenna — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:42:21 +0000

The theme for this week’s FriFotos on Twitter is “dishes,” and what better excuse for me to share some of my favorite food photos? I love food and have had some excellent food both here in Northern California (especially in Napa and Calistoga) and in Florence over the past year. Here are some of my favorite dishes. Let me know what you think!

One of my favorite local dishes: flavorful fish tacos at Centro in Sacramento

An extraordinary appetizer of eggplant, local cheese, tomato, and basil on top of a crostino at J.K. Place in Florence

Seared scallop risotto with local wild mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, & a balsamic reduction at All Seasons Bistro in Calistoga, CA

Part of one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time: yellow beets, arugula, pickled fennel, feta cheese, and pistachios at All Seasons Bistro in Calistoga, Napa Valley

The best salmon I’ve ever had. This was the welcome lunch for Florens2012, in the center of Florence

The “7 seasons” pizza (the chef’s choice of 7 toppings) at O’Munaciello in the Oltrarno district of Florence, Italy.

A dish full of miniature molten chocolate cakes followed by another dish of panna cotta with seasonal berries? That was a dessert to remember at the Meritage Resort and Spa outside Napa.

Fresh pasta with broccoli–so simple, yet so delicious. At the elegant J.K. Place in Florence.

A meal with a view: Salmon with risotto, parmesan, spinach, and pea shoots on the Wine Train in Napa, California

Seasonal food dictates at Zuzu in Napa…this tapa is the perfect mix of local peaches, arugula, garroxta cheese, and orange blossom honey.

I can’t imagine a more perfect breakfast dish: local, seasonal fruit at Grace’s Table in Napa

At Oenotri, southern Italian cuisine is prepared with the finest fresh, seasonal ingredients from nearby. Proof: this beautiful beet salad

Tell me: where have you experienced excellent food? What are some of your favorite dishes?

Oxbow Public Market in Napa

Jenna — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:35:17 +0000

I had heard a lot about Oxbow Public Market. People said that it was a place not to be missed, so I had pretty high expectations when I finally went there recently. At first, I was a little surprised that it wasn’t as big as I had imagined. However, the more I looked around, the more I liked it. I only wish we had come when we were hungry instead of after a late lunch at the end of a busy day trip to Napa Valley.

The market is full of purveyors specializing in local, artisan products. Oxbow Wine Merchant is a great place to grab a drink; a fine selection of cheese, nuts, and even fig cakes caught my attention. Behind these windows is a riverfront patio.

Next time I’m definitely treating myself to some of these beautiful chocolates from Anette’s.

Next to Anette’s Chocolates is La Crepe!, a cute option for quick, tasty eats.

Everything at Ca’ Momi looked delicious. I think this place will be my new lunch stop in Napa Valley. It has Neapolitan pizzas (yuuum) and an amazing selection of authentic Italian pastries. They are also open for breakfast at 7:30.

Gourmet cupcakes? Yes, please.

My son loved the peanut butter chocolate ganache from Kara’s Cupcakes.

I love the tradition of sitting down over a slow cup of tea. All the merchants are open like this, so you can view everything as you walk by or can easily enter to get a closer look. We don’t have a lot of indoor markets like this in the U.S. It reminded me a bit of the covered markets in Italy or Brazil, where you can browse the local products and see community gathering for their daily shopping.

There are many more merchants, including upscale food at the Kitchen Door, organic ice cream, Venezuelan food at Pica Pica, a taqueria, and an oyster bar. The center of the market is full of long tables with benches, giving the place a casual community feeling. There are evening events, like Happy Hour and Brewer’s Night, and a farmer’s market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. I’ll definitely be back!

Have you been to Oxbow Public Market? What are your favorite indoor markets?

(This post is part of this week’s photo series at Budget Travelers Sandbox and Delicious Baby.)

For the Love of Cod

Jenna — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:03:28 +0000

Brazilians love their cod. It’s not the kind of cod you might be thinking of. Instead, it’s the kind “from the old country” (in the case of Brazil, that means Portugal). Bacalhao is dried and salted because that’s how they used to keep it from going bad before refrigeration. My mother-in-law plans meals around bacalhao months in advance. It’s that special.

Bacalhao is usually eaten on holidays and other special occasions. The last time I was in Brazil, our family planned a big family dinner for my son’s birthday party. First, we paid a visit to the huge indoor Municipal Market in São Paulo.

My mother-in-law was on a mission to get the best quality main ingredients: the dried cod and beautiful olives.

Before the cod is cooked, it is soaked in several changes of water at least overnight to remove the salt.

Much of what Brazilians eat seems to be straight out of Southern Europe. The olives are no exception.

Back at my in-laws’ house, my husband’s mother, sister, and brother-in-law spent most of the morning cooking. We had several platters of food. The bacalhao dish consists of pieces of cod cooked with lots of onion, potatoes, tomatoes, red peppers, olives, parsley, olive oil, and tomato sauce. Because no recipe is followed, it never looks or tastes exactly the same.

And my brother-in-law made these fried delights: cod, mashed potatoes, and herbs, all rolled together and fried in olive oil:

Brazilian food varies a lot depending on the region. If you spend time with Brazilians in São Paulo or other parts of southern Brazil, you are sure to come across bacalhao. You may even find yourself sneaking pieces of it back in your suitcase! Or not

This post of part of Expat in Germany’s Food Friday series –click to see more posts about food.