Food and Fashion Fun

If you have ever traveled to Italy you will know the pleasure of Italian open air food markets and cozy restaurants where dining is art. If you have ever carried your suitcase up a flight of twenty-one steps to catch the train from Florence to Rome, you will also know the value of packing a tiny bag of minimalist, mixable fashion.

One of the many remarkable elements of Italian cities is the abundance of tiny town squares tucked in open spaces between shops with apartments above. There may be a fountain trickling drops of water over moss covered stone while residents rest on the rim and catch up on the local news. There is often an open-air market under awnings of fluttering canvas.

For someone like me who loves to cook the food markets are irresistible. With no access to a kitchen the alternative is to take many photographs and imagine the smell and taste of these wondrous fruits, vegetables, and cheeses!

And, possibly to take a pastry and coffee break and write in my journal about the experience.

Then, of course, when you have walked and seen as much as your eyes can hold, there are innumerable places where you can stop and talk about what you have seen while enjoying the food with your fellow diners. The overheard conversations and invitations to join in are as delightful as the repast. This outdoor café has the added feature of a canvas awning which rolls over when the sun becomes intense. It reminds me of the way the lemon trees are protected here by nets rolled across wooden scaffolds.

Sitting outside a restaurant in a cobble stone courtyard on bentwood and rattan chairs with tables covered in soft peach cloths…a fountain trickling…this is exquisite.

In Rome we were given one of two hotel rooms on the floor with the rooftop restaurant and plant filled patio. Many nights we ate at this table and looked across the street to an art filled apartment with an outdoor garden.

It was a grand experience eating in this old-world restaurant with arched ceilings, rustic beams, and an idyllic garden fresco painted on the far wall.

Tucked between two rows of buildings, we dined at a communal table covered with a checked cloth and placed in the street outside the restaurant kitchen. How strange to have a taxi whiz by so close it ruffled my skirt. Towards the end of the meal as the sun was setting it began to sprinkle lightly and we paid for our meal and walked down two doors to a gelato shop for a dark chocolate gelato with almonds.

Here in the Texas Hill Country we have a private meal in our tiny walled garden with a fountain. Marcela Hazan’s recipe for fettucine Alfredo is marked in my cookbook as “THE” fettucine recipe.

Sometimes we give our fettucine a local flavor by adding bacon wrapped, jalepeno stuffed, shrimp on top!

You might mix your salad and charcuterie with a plate of prosciutto, parmesan popovers, and slices of melon.

Cioppino is a family favorite. It is basically a tomato-based soup filled with seafood. We like to include scallops, clams, mussels, shrimp, and white fish. The empty bowl is for the shells.

This cookbook was a given to me as a gift. Mimi Thorisson and her family moved to Italy where she had the opportunity to expand her knowledge and experience with Italian cookery. Old World Italian is a gorgeous book (photographed by her husband) with unique recipes from many regions in Italy.

Here is the Torta Pasqualina or chard and egg pie made from her recipe. This is delicious and was well received even by some who don’t especially like chard.

You might want to try her pine nut covered custard tart, the Torta Della Nonna or Grandma’s Cake.

We love grilled salmon; roasted bell peppers topped with burrata cheese is a tasty accompaniment.

What about a tomato and black olive tart with those garden-fresh tomatoes? We always buy too many and roasted tomatoes are positively sublime. 

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As to the fashion…do you ever look at fashion photos and consider what you already have in your closet? These photos of a Dior suit with a tulle net skirt and belted bar jacket inspired me to create a similar look with my own clothes.

This wasn’t a look to wear out on the land in the Texas Hill Country, but it worked well for a family birthday celebration at a local Italian restaurant in San Antonio! I put a belt around a tailored suit jacket and paired it with my tulle net skirt and some heels!

Love what you eat and what you wear!