grappa alla liquirizia

I've sipped a shot of grappa alla liquirizia in a Calabrian restaurant. Calabrian food is basically hot, but It was fun and enjoy the food. I've tasted three kind of hot paste made with pork, calamari, and shirasu(post larvae) at the first as annibble with spumante. and I choose a plate of appetizers, and castagna pasta with cream sauce. and I ate some cookies, and Granite.

weekend drinks

I had two bottle of wines and one bottle of grappa this weekend. The rose was nice balanced. I think this is one of my most 5 favorite rose. It's made by Yannick Amirault in Bourgueil, Loire. The red was a Barolo, Manzoni vigna Big 1995. I've got a feeling of berries, cherries, little menthol(might be strange expression though) and something. I like the aged wine like this. The grappa was flavored with juniper berry. Very nice scent too!

benanti

I've bought a bottle of grappa tonight. Grappa di pietramarina, Benanti. It's produced in Sicilia. They made some grappa and it's said that this grappa is made from grape for making white wine.

Rinascimento 2000

I've sipped a glass of wine yesterday night. One of Dievole, Rinascimento 2000. This wine composed of a selection of Tuscan native grapes from different vineyards. It's easy to drink. Firstly, It tastes and smelt like jam, I didn't mean that sweet, fruity and juicy, but not so fresh of course. and I've sipped a glass of grappa which flavored with camomile, marolo grappa e camomilla. That's also nice. It smelt strong camomile flavor. I liked it.

grappa distilled by Coffele

I've puffed a cigar with grappa. This grappa was little too sophisticated to me. and little expensive. It wasn't bad, but Well, I prefer more rougher ones. I can buy 2 bottles for the same price. I love their wines though..
The cigar was Hoyo de monterrey, Epicure No.2. It's not so strong type, but I love it.

petit tubos

I've puffed montecristo petit tubos tonight outside of my apartment. and sipped a grappa. I love the cituation like this. I think smoking cigar by myself is the best way to puff cigar. Fortunately, I've seen a shooting star tonight, after years! What a lucky night!

after dinner.

I've eaten out yesterday. I ate salad and orecchiette with pancetta and sedano rape(celery root). the taste was mild and makes me relief. I think it was the first time to eat celery root though, texture is like turnip or potato. and smell little celery. and little celery seed spread on it. a savory dish!
After dinner, I drunk a cocoa. this cocoa is very thicken, more like a potage. it's served with spoon. Actually, I ate it. nice feeling on the tongue. and sipped little grappa. it reminded me the grappa I've bought. funnyly this grappa was made by the same brewer, Berta. I ate a Gianduiotto,my favorite caffarel chocolate, on my way home. It was a happy dinner.

gratin with Japanese ingredients.

I've cooked a gratin with Japanese ingredients,renkon, gobo, maitake mushroom, and 2 sliced buri fish. it's based tomato sauce. It took about 1hour to cook it.
renkon is a kinda lotus root, gobo is a eatable burdock root, and buri is a yellow tail. All ingredient is popular in winter of Japan.

First of all, I've cut gobo into vertically long hangetsu-giri, which means cut into the form of 5 or 6 cm cylinder at first and cut into half lengthwise. you can see like half moon, you know.and cut renkon the same shape as gobo. here are ways to cutting vegetables in Japanese.

Next, I grilled them with a saute pan. pour little olive oil and brown them. salt and pepper surely. and put them aside.

Next, cut buri fish into chunks, salt and pepper, and brown them as well. and put them aside.

then, fry up maitake mushroom and add gobo and renkon back. add some white wine and fry up till dry off fluid.

After that, Just spread renkon and gobo to cover the gratin dish, don't forget coat butter, pour tomato sauce. layer the fish and the mushroom and pour tomato sauce again. and cover sliced Mozzarella and grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano on it. Then put it into the oven. grill it about 20min or so. it's done! nice cozy meal.
Bon appetit!