Vegetable Tart

 I know that we eat with our eyes first!  I think presentation is so important in cooking and plating. I saw a photo of a spiral vegetable tarte and had to give it a go.  The base was puff pastry... easy enough as I purchase the frozen kind.  The filling was ricotta, egg, and parmesan cheese.  I also added oregano and lemon zest.  The vegetables were a little tricky to slice thinly so I used the vegetable peeler.  I had Japanese eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash.  After the filling is added to the partially baked crust, the veggies are put in a circular pattern from the center out to the edge.  It was a little time consuming, but fun nonetheless.  The filling was just a tad bland, so I added some chimichurri sauce that I had made.  That really put the taste level over the top!  I will definitely make it again one day.

Pizza

 As an American, I've had my share of pizza!  Greek pizza, vegetarian pizza, meat pizza, and even dessert pizza.  It is one of my favorite foods.  The only thing I absolutely will not have on a pizza is anchovy.  One little, tiny fish, can ruin the taste of the entire pizza for me.  It really makes no sense because I love fish as well as salty things.

When travelling in Italy, I could have eaten pizza every day!  It was that good!  I had so many different flavors.  They really know how to add toppings to pizza.  Not once did I see a pizza with little bitty chopped bits of ham, mushrooms, or vegetables.  One look at the pizza and you knew exactly what was on it.  

We went to a Pizzeria where you could pick out the pizza slices you wanted and they would box them up right there.  In Rome, I saw where several slices were taken from a particular type of pizza.  It was a potato, pine nut, and pesto pizza.  I had to give it a try.  It was delicious.  Venice had several walk up windows where you could order the huge slices to go!  

In Venice, there is just something about eating pizza while watching the gondoliers float by from your airbnb home.  

I could have eaten it breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but there were so many different foods to try!  I will return to Italy one day if just for the pizza!  

One of my many slices of pizza.                      This was our dinner view from where we were staying.                                             

The great variety of pizza                          Potato, pine nut, and pesto pizza! So good.