Vermont-y Dinner & Visitors from the North

Super Vermont-y dinner tonight -- delicious chorizo sausage from Jericho Settler's Farm, a new kind of spinach from Half Pint, and a Revolution flatbread pizza (on the grill!) from American Flatbread.
Some Canada geese we saw on the way out to see our new apartment. The little guys were making quite a racket!

stale pita crisis averted!

A while back, I was in the mood for a pita sandwich (I absolutely love a good turkey pita with lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and a little ranch) and I picked up some pocketless pitas at the grocery store. I immediately made a sandwich when I got back home, and was disappointed to find that they were a little bit stale. But, don't worry, it wasn't a complete loss. With the remainder of the package, I made personal pizzas throughout the week for my lunches. It's a great base for a variety of toppings -- you could add roni, go veggie, use pesto instead of tomato sauce -- I even made one with vodka sauce! It's a quick option, and I didn't even miss regular pizza crust. Crisis averted. =)

Good Food & Good Talk

A few weeks back, a friend and I were in serious need of good dishes and good dishing. We were short on time, so I started with storebought pizza dough, layered on slices of juicy plum tomatoes, chopped (canned) artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, slices of creamy smoked mozzarella, and grated parmesan and kasseri cheeses. I topped the whole thing off with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few cracks of fresh black pepper.

Here's the pizza before finding it's way to the oven...



















The pizza after a few minutes of intense heat...














I served it up with a Greek-style salad of mesclun, tomatoes, cukes, and feta, all dressed in extra virgin olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, smoked salt, cracked black pepper, and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence.

Pizzería Cervantes (Madrid)

Located on Calle de León, 8, Pizzería Cervantes serves up a delicious selection of salads, pastas, risottos, meats, savory crepes, and of course, pizza pies! Almost all of the items cost less than 10,00€.

In the foreground, my Pizza Rúcola (tomato, arugula, parmesan and olive oil) and in the background, Nat's Pizza Cervantes (tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, roasted red peppers, ham, olives, and oregano -- but Nat got it sin anchoas).

Pizza Jardín

If you're in the mood for pizza, check out Pizza Jardín (c/Goya, 5, and other locations). They, of course, have classic combinations, like sausage and onion, or mushroom pizza, but if you are in the mood for something a little more daring, you'd be in the right place. They have everything from the classic Margherita to the Cuatro Estaciones ("four seasons" -- tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, York ham, shrimp and tuna -- a regular item on pizza menus here), the Calzone (which includes olives and asparragus), the Piamontesa (goat cheese, onion confit and apple), the Jamaica (which includes roquefort and banana), the Texas (chicken & BBQ), and the Hawaiian Tropic (which has not only pineapple, but mandarin, too). Last night, I opted for La Cosa Nostra (tasty cheese pizza topped with stuffed mushrooms -- filled with ham & garlic), and my friend had the Texas. All in all, they have more than 25 different pizza options, as well as salads, pastas, entradas (apps), and fondues. Their desserts are quite tasty, too -- try the chocolate fondue with fresh fruit. =)

Wagaboo, take 2!

Went to Wagaboo again... Definitely loving their Pizza Mikonos (see earlier post for description). Delicious... =)

Wagaboo

Excellent dinner last night! We ate a Wagaboo (General Martinez Campos, 26 -- check out the site for their other locations). Talk about "fun eating"! The atmosphere is really chic and fun, with low-hanging lighting and brightly colored everything. The food was really delicious. I had a the pizza Mikonos -- super thin crust with pesto, topped with raw halved cherry tomatoes, raw arugula, chunks of feta ("feta" here is not really the salty feta I know and love, but it was delicious anyway), and a few curls of parm. Ended the meal with a few scoops of light mango sorbete. The food was great, service was quick (to say the least), and you can watch them make your food (the kitchen is enclosed only by glass). They have a number of locations in Madrid... Pick one and check it out!

La vita é bella

La Vita é Bella is a TINY Sicilian take out place located at Plaza de San Ildefonso, 5 in Madrid. While the location is small and you can't legally eat inside, the food is abundant. They have a great selection of portioned pasta dishes, pizzas, and desserts. I recommend the mushroom "mini-pizza" (a giant thick-crust square piece). Check out pix here. And hey... once you try their stuff, life is good.

Cenamos en Gino's...

For dinner tonight, we went Italian @ Gino's on Gran Vía. My friend had the pizza margherita (thin crust, of course) and I had the Fettuccine Pirata -- small shrimp over fresh egg pasta with a spicy cream & tomato sauce. Tasty!!

Pesto Pizza!!

I was looking for an easy dinner idea after a long day, and came up with this pizza. I started with a storebought pizza dough, stretched it out, and spread it with pesto. I added caramelized onions, roasted artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and drizzled the whole pie with olive oil. Tasty... :)