Last week I was in Italy for a business trip.? I?m not bragging or complaining, just stating the facts.?
Most of my friends and family have become accustomed to me bringing my DSLR camera?to restaurants, making sure that every plate is photographed before anyone touches their food.? My husband is no longer embarrassed by my intrusive photos, but I knew that?traveling with co-workers?for my business trip may be?a different story.?
Prosciutto and melon
Ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers
However?I was going to be spending a week?eating in Italy and I wanted to practice my photography skills?on the?colorful vegetables, deep red wine, bubbling prosecco, prosciutto?with melon, layers of?tiramisu,?zucchini flowers and the?assorted rice and pasta dishes that we shared around the table each evening.??I warned my colleagues in advance?that I enjoy taking pictures of?food and posting them?on my blog.? Thankfully they?were good-natured enough to endure?my photography practice sessions each night.?
Seafood risotto
Jumbo breaded shrimp
Instead of trying to describe each meal, I have collected all of my pictures from the week?in one big?photo tour.? It is my version of Jen?s What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) , which I call ?What I Ate In Italy?.
Shrimp with melon
Italian beer
This post needs the following disclaimer: I did?NOT drink or consume every item featured in this post.??I have included photos of dishes my co-workers ordered, desserts they devoured and bottles of wine that we shared.?
Whew, I am glad I got that out there.? Otherwise you might think that I all did on this trip was eat and drink? a lot.?
Pizza with parma ham
Wine, water and prosecco
One of my favorite things about?dining out in?Italy is starting each?meal?with a glass of prosecco.?We toasted with this sweet, bubbly wine on our first night in Italy and again a few nights later.?
Penne pasta with meat sauce
Seafood risotto
In Italy, it is common to have 3-4 course meals every evening along with prosecco, wine and coffee.? You start with an appetizer, which in our case was?often bruschetta, prosciutto with melon or?zucchini flowers.? Then you order the first course which is often pasta, risotto or rice.?
Large grilled shrimp
Fried zucchini flowers
Roasted fish with potatoes
The second/main course is usually meat, fish or seafood like the large shrimp and roasted fish with shown above.? ?We mainly stuck to fish, veal and shrimp as our main course instead of beef, because we were?warned that beef is often served very rare (almost raw)?in northern Italy.?
Almond tart for dessert
- The best tiramisu I have ever tasted
If we were not too stuffed at this point, we would order dessert?and coffee?after our meal.? In my opinion, the desserts?in Italy are not?as super?sweet or as rich as americanized desserts.? You will not find?a giant slab of chocolate cake big enough to feed the entire?table on the dessert?menu in Italy.? Instead you visit the dessert?cart and select an apple or almond tart, tiramisu, Panna cotta or berries with gelato.? In my opinion, the perfect ending?to a large meal.
Water and more red wine
Fresh bruschetta
More prosciutto and melon
Fusilli pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil
This night we were seated next to a large window in the restaurant, which meant the evening started out with bright, crisp photos.? As the sun went down, I lost the light and my pictures were not as clear.? Then I had to switch to the flash, which does not produce high quality pictures in a restaurant.? On the bright side,?the food this evening was very colorful, flavorful and delicious.?
Fresh grilled fish
Grilled vegetables
Fish with roasted, shredded potatoes
Cappuccino
In Italy we were?7 hours ahead of Dallas time (central time zone), which?of course leads to jet lag.? I?m not sure if this cappuccino or my jet lag was to blame, but after dinner this night I could not fall sleep until after 3 AM!? Unfortunately I still had to be up at 7 AM for?meetings the next day.
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Because it is a?long trip to Italy from Dallas, we tried many things to stay awake on the?first day we arrived.? Like drinking EXTRA LARGE beers (mine was the smaller one), eating macarons and making multiple stops for gelato.??
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Pistachio macarons
On the last day of our trip, we finished up our meetings by mid-day and decided to take the train north to Lake Como.? For dinner that evening, we?ate on the terrace of a restaurant with breathtaking?lake views against beautiful sunny skies and delicious authentic italian cuisine.??
More water and wine
Ravioli stuffed with polenta
Risotto with lake perch
More ravioli
Enjoying the view of Lake Como
Lemon sorbet
Panna cotta
My last dessert in Italy...
It was a week full of amazing food?in Italy.? I returned from my trip with a few extra pounds, needing a few extra hours of sleep and with?more than a few ideas for recipes that I can ?healify? for Food and Fitness 4 Real.
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Source: http://foodandfitness4real.com/2012/07/25/what-i-ate-wednesday-italy-edition/
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