Half way, already???

Today

Blogger is back! (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html)

Class (just me today!): Gnocchi

-gnocchi means "dumplings" --little balls of "something" that can be boiled, fried, or sometimes baked

-learned the basic recipe for gnocchi (potato, flour and egg) and then did 2 variations, in addition to two other dishes that are gnocchi-esque because of their shape

• Gnudi (Spinach Dumplings)
  • Spinach mixed with ricotta and some other cheeses, rolled in flour and boiled
  
  Gnudi
  
  
• Parigini Crema di Pistacchi e Tartufo Nero (Parisians with Pistachio Cream and Black Truffle)
  • Fun to make the puff-pastry and they smelled incredible when they came out of the oven (just like popovers!)
    
    
    
    Piping the parigini
    
    
  • Can be used in either sweet or savory dishes, this one was more savory.
  • Tartufo is incredible.

Parigini Crema di Pistacchi e Tartufo Nero

• Gnocchi di Patate alla Piemontese (Potato Gnocchi, Piedmont Style)
  
  
  Boring
  
  
• Gnocchi Fuscia allo Zafferano (Fuchsia Gnocchi with Saffron)
  • Gave gnocchi a fuchsia color using pureed beet root in addition to the standard ingredients
    
    
    
    Beet root gnocchi with saffron sauce
• Gnocchi di Catagne (Chestnut Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce)
• Used chestnut flour instead of regular flour
• This was my favorite of the 3 gnocchi dishes; chestnut has a very smoky flavor though which I don't really like.
  
  
  
  Chestnut Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce

Afternoon

• Uffizi Gallery
  • pretty huge, lots of paintings, lots of Jesus.
  • Favorite was probably the Botticelli room: including The Birth of Venus and Primavera (Allegory of Spring)
  • No photos are allowed inside The Uffizi. I snapped this one and got yelled at
    
    Inside the Uffizi
    
    
    
    Palazzo Vecchio from The Uffizi courtyard
• Museo Galileo
  • Math and science museum
  • Lots of scientific tools and artifacts
  • Well-done museum
  • Saw 2 of Galileo's fingers, his thumb and a tooth, preserved in a bell jar on display...awesome
• Had a date on the Ponte Santa Trinita
• my feet were exhausted and I needed a snack :)
  
Punny

Evening

• Just had dinner at home with the family.
• Galileo eats my leftovers from class every day for lunch and whatever he doesn't finished gets served again at dinner--I love it (and apparently so do they!)

Lesson of the Day

I don't really like gnocchi.

Photo of the Day

Manuela showed me this place on our walk home last night. I took a photo on my phone at the time, but went back today to take some more photogs and walk around. Up until 20 years ago, it was the Florence male prison. Today, it is a bunch of flats, shops and cafes.

From prison cells to flats

Not quite sure how I just noticed these flowers. I walk by this garden at least 3 times a day.

Pretty flowers

The Count

Glasses of wine drinken: 31

Pasta dishes eaten: 23

Days gone without gelato: 3

Photos taken: 1305

Tomorrow

Spending the day in Fiesole (nearby Tuscan town)

PS- How is it that I've already been here two weeks? These past few days have flown by!