Other Foods from Milanese Living

 June 1

Pasticiotto, Pistachio, somewhere in Porta Romana

• Originally from Puglia
• Light cake / shortbread filled with pistachio cream!

June 6

Mercato Centrale

• Crostatine Crema - puff pastry with plain hazelnut spread (not chocolate), pastry cream, berries
• Rolled Cake with pistachio and ricotta, cold rich filling reminds me of mooncake

June 8

Gelato, Accademia 64

• Basil and Pinenut - slightly savory, pinenut round out flavor and provide some sweetness
• Dark chocolate - good chocoaltey bitterness, but not very fragrant

June 21

Gelato, Accademia 64

• Salted Pistachio - nutty and balanced! not too sweet, tastes basically like a pistachio
• Crema stregata "bewitched" - made with some liquor

Goat Milk

It's sweet at the beginning, like cow's milk. It gets funky at the end when I swallow, at least for cold milk.

Fennel

It loses some anise / licorice flavor when cooked and become closer to celery.

Beautiful Tomatoes - Pomodoro Cuore di Bue

Sweet and fragrant. Didn't require any salt or sugar. So pretty too!

Squacquerone

Originally from Romagna. Pretty soft and spreadable. Tanginess from curd, slightly bitter from whey. Overall mild cheese.

Gelato, Accademia 64

• Almafi lemon
• Amarena croccante - amarena is like cough drop cherry...

Gelato, Pistacchio Naturale, Mancuso

Not very sweet, though not as salty as pistacchio salata. Not really the pistachio ice cream flavor I expect. Extra creamy as usual

Barattiere

Melon! From Puglia! Usually eaten unripe (green), described as honeydew+cucumber. Reminds me more of cucumber since only slightly aromatic and otherwise flavorless. Very crisp and crunchy though. 

I had it with Quartirolo Lombardo, slightly salty firm cheese, like feta but perhaps slightly less strong (and with cow's milk instead of sheep's). Good to have balance of sweet and salty.

Chicoria (Chicory)

I had it simply - boiled with some oil and salt. Slightly bitter but some sweetness too.

Primo Sale

Since it is described on Wikipedia as a pressed, young sheep's milk cheese, I was expected it to be similar to feta. However, it is less crumbly and closer to mozzarella in texture (springy). Otherwise sweet and mild.

Red Currants

Tart and refreshing. Flavor and little seeds remind me of pomegranates, but less dark in flavor.

Preserved Lemons

I made it myself! Only let it soften for a month. When not cooked in a tagine, like I've had before, it still has a bright flavor. But the salt definitely changes the flavor profile. Reminds me of Chinese aged orange peel.

Cooked (minced) with spinach, branzino

Granita Siciliana, La Siciliana

Typically served with brioche bun for breakfast in Sicily. Extra filling when topped with whipped cream. Pistachio - pretty creamy (small ice crystals), probably mixed with some milk, reminds of mung bean filling, loved the texture. Gelsi (mulberry) - a little less creamy, closer to what I think of as sorbet, since fruity but perhaps not as hard. Ideally, it is semi frozen.

Horse Meat

Common throughout Italy and eaten in part for their healing properties (high in iron, etc.). Available in steak, stew, or shredded (sfillaci) form.

I had a thin steak, simply salted and pan-seared. Definitely a rich iron/mineral flavor. Almost like liver.

Also marinated with soy and balsamic (approximately 1:1) - less minerally flavor, but not too much soy or balsamic flavor

Tone

Chocolate Babka - not too sweet, sourdough like dough

Bun with custard and peach - the custard is almost like egg tart, not really pastry cream

Gelataria Prossima Fermata

Gooseberry sorbet - super smooth! best sorbet ever! fruity sweet & sour refreshing-ness!

Hibiscus mint gelato - mint is sweet! like vietnamese mint!

L'impasto

Torta salata - dough enriched with fat, reminds me of spanikopita but less flaky

- filled with spinach and crumbled goat cheese, like feta

- filled with artichokes and cheese

Lasagna con salsiccia e funghi - rich bechamel tying together, almost like cheese, rather thick and gooey, fennel sausage, mushrooms, oregano, bits of celery and carrot

Other lasagnas without tomato sauce - pumpkin and sausage, radicchio and scamorza affumicata (smoked cheese)

Gelato, Accademia 64

Though I had more gelato than normal during this last week, I couldn't hold myself back.

Mascarpone al caffe - just tasted like a mild coffee gelato, nothing too special

Crema catalana - honey notes, cinnamon, lemon - wonderful! based on dessert from Catalan, which is similar to a creme brulee. so the honey notes that I tasted was more likely caramelized sugar. nonetheless, it was sweet and fragrant!

Trattoria San Filippo Neri

Farro salad with olive oil, bell peppers, peas, mozzarella

Tiramisu - zablagione didn't seem to have too much mascarpone, sponge cake instead of lady fingers. interesting that a nonclassic tiramisu is sold in Italy

Martesana

Venetian pannetone

More bready in texture than what I'm used to - can see the strands of gluten (like challah, etc)

But still soft and tender

Only candied oranges and crunchy sugar on top