Pork stew with cumin, peas, arugula and dark chocolate

We all know how well dark chocolate goes with pork, right? For this reason, when I was developing my "Cooking with Chocolate" class, I decided to feature a pork stew as the meat-course of the evening. To have the best end result, I needed a cut of pork that would stay moist during braising and that didn't require that long to cook (time limitations are unfortunately paramount in hands-on cooking classes). I resorted then to my favorite cut: pork shoulder. I really love its balance of fatty richness and lean tender meat. I usually find it in the form of steaks and oftentimes, I simply love to pan sear them and then smother in strong extra virgin olive oil and zingy lemon juice or better even, lemon salt. A treat for those nights when I am too bored to cook anything more involved.
In the recipe I developed for the cooking class, I decided to use the earthy aroma of roasted cumin as the spice of choice to lace this stew. I chose peas to be the vegetable component since I wanted a little more sweetness in the final dish, beside they pair greatly with cumin.
The dish needed a little vibrancy though and so, to keep it simple but still flavorful, I decided to add some arugula to it. I really like the peppery and slight bitter notes of this leafy green, it really cuts through the richness of the stew.

Dark chocolate is a great ingredient for savory dishes and I really had fun coming up with recipes featuring it like the one I am proposing you today.

Castagnaccio - Tuscan chestnut "cake"

Chestnut flour is still an unusual ingredient in our kitchens, unfortunately.
To mill chestnut into flour, they are first dried over wood fire and this imparts the resulting product with a delicate and distinctive smoky aroma that make this flour pretty unique.
Being a nut´s flour, it doesn't contain gluten and so it is an useful ingredient for gluten-free pantries.
In Italy, chestnut flour is a traditional ingredient of the center-north portion of the peninsula. In Tuscany, notably, chestnut flour is used in a savory-sweet cake called Castagnaccio (castagna being the Italian for chestnut).
This cake is usually enriched with flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts and rosemary but the main variation point in local recipes revolve around the use of cocoa powder in it.
Chestnut flour, with its deep rich sweet and smoky aromas, is just a perfect companion to chocolate and the use of a little cocoa powder in the Castagnaccio can only do it good, in my opinion.
I personally, simply adore rosemary in my Castagnaccio. When baked to crispy perfection, this herb lends its heady green-field aromas to this earthy densely satisfying cake; a perfect reminder of Tuscan sunbathed fields.
Try it once, and you will be hooked. You have been warned!

Going on with my day - Version 2

Going on with my day - Version 2 by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Up above Florence, the hill bearing the famous viewpoint Piazzale Michelangelo is also where the church of San Miniato is; just at the end of these stairs.

Symbol of power

Symbol of power by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The Lily is the famous symbol for Florence since ages, you can find it plastered allover the city. This stone bas-relief is in the cloister area of Santa Maria Novella.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Gothic art is simply amazing, it never cease to inspire me!

Paccheri with Pomodorini and marinated Red Onion

Paccheri with Pomodorini and marinated Red Onion by Alessio Fangano on 500px

For my upcoming cooking class I wanted to create a recipe that would highlight the sweet richness of Paccheri pasta. As it is often the case, simple is best, when you have such great pasta to start with.

Penne with pumpkin-sage sauce crispy bacon and amarettini crumbs

Penne with pumpkin-sage sauce, crispy bacon and amarettini crumbs by Alessio Fangano on 500px

For one of my cooking class I wanted to develop a recipe inspired by the famous "tortelli di zucca" done in Emilia-Romagna in Italy. Pumpkin, sage, bacon, amaretti is what I came up with. Inviting enough? What do you think?

In St. Louis en l'Ile

In St. Louis en l'Ile by Alessio Fangano on 500px

In the little charming Ile St. Louis in the center of Paris lies a hidden gem of Parisian churches: St Louis en l'Ile. This is an example of what you may find inside (more to come).

Doubtful Future

Doubtful Future by Alessio Fangano on 500px

In the courtyard of Lyon Beaux Arts museum lies hidden a real jewel of a city garden. Modern and antique sculptures punctuate its green scenery. I found this one to be particularly captivating, don't you think?

In the backyard

In the backyard by Alessio Fangano on 500px

One of the pleasure of Couchsurfing when traveling is that you get to experience the eveyday spaces of local people. This was a lovely installation I stumbled upon in the courtyard of one of my Parisian hosts in 2013.

Stairs by the Croix Rousse

Stairs by the Croix Rousse by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Lyon, town of many hills... and this, by the Opera house, is one of its most charming squares.

Going on with my day

Going on with my day by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Up above Florence, the hill bearing the famous viewpoint Piazzale Michelangelo is also where the church of San Miniato is; just at the end of these stairs.

Even in adversity

Even in adversity by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The surprises you find on a winter walk are hard to predict, even in a urban town like Paris.

Naked walk

Naked walk by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Even if with almost frozen hands, getting around Paris during that snowfall was a great decision.

What is left

What is left by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The little island of Ortigia constitutes the center of the old Greek town of Siracusa. The island is laded with remnants from its past many of which hidden in small courtyards like this Medieval staircase.

A Parisian stroll

A Parisian stroll by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The square facing Notre Dame cathedral is always a very buzzy place on the Parisian nightlife. Let's take a stroll...

Inside Fourviere

Inside Fourviere by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The Fourviere basilique can really fill up half of your day to take it all in, but it is worth it.

An old walk

An old walk by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Dream a dream of sunbathed shores, blue sky, fresh fish. So it was once, so it still is... Sicily.

Kings and Queen

Kings and Queen by Alessio Fangano on 500px

During the French revolution, the original Gothic statues of the kings of Judah were beheaded because believed to be representation of French kings. You can find the original heads in the Cluny museum in Paris while this is a lovely and faithful XIXth century reconstruction.

Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas II by Alessio Fangano on 500px

This must be my favorite statue in the whole Florence: Verrocchio's Doubting Thomas. Nestled up in Donatello's marble niche, the point of view you get on it is really fascinating.

Sea of Contrasts

Sea of Contrasts by Alessio Fangano on 500px

The Sicilian sea can be pretty moody at times, don't you think?

Looking up at Him

Looking up at Him by Alessio Fangano on 500px

As a photographer, oftentimes something catches my eyes but from that to make a decent shot.... Well let's say I visited Lyon last year.

Catch a ride

Catch a ride by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Sometimes while walking through your neighborhood you can find something inspiring. This, for instance, was in Lyon.

Sunset in the Marche

Sunset in the Marche by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Look at this! The less-known Marche region, in the center of Italy, has definitely as a charming landscape as the better known Tuscany to me, don't you think?

Color contrasts in Florence

Is anybody missing something? by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Cellini's Perseus is one of the masterpieces that adorn Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Having been restored only in the recent past, we are now able to enjoy it in all its original magnificence.

St. Peter and the Xmas lights

St. Peter and the Xmas lights by Alessio Fangano on 500px

Outside Siracusa's cathedral photographing one of its guardians: St Peter. It was Christmas time and the town was all a twinkling of lights; the perfect compliment to a Baroque symphony.

A little bedtime story

Sometimes we don´t realize what is happening to us, sometimes we feel as if everything is normality itself.
The little troubles we have on a daily basis, have become so embroidered in the tapestry of our life that we don´t even notice them as extraneous anymore.
It is hard to believe that we actually might not be what we have become.