La Cucina: How low can you go?

The last time I posted about kitchens, La Piazza friends thought I had already hit the bottom of the "cucina barrel" when I contrasted my kitchen in Cincinnati with the one I borrowed from a friend on the Italian Riviera.

In case you missed that post, here's my kitchen at home::

Where I have more than everything I need and I am more than happy.

 

 

 

 

This is the kitchen at my friend's apartment:

Simple, but temporary, and I was happy.

Michele and I have bought an apartment in Savona recently and when you buy a home in Italy you buy the walls, the floors, and almost nothing else.  I'm still waiting for IKEA to install the kitchen at the end of the month and for the last several weeks I have used a small table and a microonde (microwave), washing my dishes in the bathroom sink (thank-goodness they got that installed before Michele left for the United States).

OMG, what am I going to do with this?

I am happy to report that it can be done.  You can buy Chinese take-out and there's at least half a dozen wood-fired Neapolitan pizzerias within walking distance where I can grab a Margherita to go for 4 Euros - and it's ready in 5 minutes. 

But I prefer the taste of food I make.  And, believe it or not, 4 or 5 Euros is an expensive meal compared to the way Michele and I eat at home.  So the other day I made an investment in a box of recipes, "Microonde, Le Migliori Ricette" for 5 Euros and after a week it has already paid for itself three times over.

And I am happy.

The Italian version of the microwave is very different from its American cousin.  It comes equipped with a special grill feature, a grill pan and rack that makes all the difference.  Yesterday I made a Risotto con salsiccia e peperoni.  Today I did a Parmigiana di zucchine that should have been enough for three meals, but will only last two because it was so good.  Of course, like all things Italian, cooking with the microwave takes a little longer than it does in the States.  It took me almost an hour to batter and grill the zucchini, make the sauce, and meld the flavors.  But it was worth it.

Ladies, the most important thing I've learned from this moving between cultures is that it's the lowly refrigerator that's the most under-appreciated of all the kitchen appliances.  It doesn't have to be a Sub-Zero.  It doesn't have to have a water dispenser in the door. But cheese gets moldy really fast without one and mine cannot arrive too soon, no matter how many grocery stores are on my block.


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