Last month, I had my first KitchHike at home.
“KitchHike” is a web service which allows you to treat your homemade food to people who want to try it, or on the opposite, to try other people’s cuisine at their house.
As a cooking-lover, I definitely had to try it! Then, I prepared a homemade Italian full course for the three people who visited me.
Here you are the menu!(^o^)
Starters
- Shellfish au gratin (clams and surf clams)
- Octopus salad
- Zucchini with vinegar and mint
- Homemade ricotta cheese
Pasta
- “Paccheri” with shrimps, squid and fresh cherry tomatoes on cream of green peas.
Salad
- Oranges and rocket salad
Dessert
- Semolina and chocolate tart
Home baked bread
- Tomato and oregano bread
- Rye bread with walnuts
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Mainly, I cooked some dishes my mum used to prepare at home in Florence (but they’re not always typical Florentine dishes) and some from Tuscany cuisine.
My grandmother used to prepare gratin of mussels (or scallops) almost every year for our family dinner at Christmas. Unluckily, I didn’t find them this time, so I had to change a little the recipe using clams and surf clams (“hokkigai”) instead.
(By the way, this is a photo of scallop
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Octopus salad and vinegar&mint zucchini are also dishes that used to be served frequently at home.
Concerning the ricotta cheese, since it’s quite expensive to buy it here in Japan, I think it’s better to make it by yourself. It’s not even too difficult ♪
“Paccheri” (a kind of pasta) with shrimps, squid, tomatoes and green peas’ cream is not really a typical Italian families‘ dish, but my mother prepared it many times and we all loved it, therefore it might be considered a “typical dish” at my home.
I think green peas and large pasta like paccheri go very well with seafood 🙂
Then, oranges and rocket salad.
You see, fruit is not always a dessert.
Garlic, parsley, black pepper and olive oil made it a fresh salad perfect for summertime.
…Here I realized I used garlic, Italian parsley and black pepper almost everywhere for this time menu…
I’m growing herbs (basil and parsley) at home, but they weren’t enough 
Lastly, Tuscany’s semolina tart! (“Torta di semolino”)
Semolina is a kind of flour which is usually used to make pasta. In Italy, you can also find it in other dishes, for example in this tart.
Topped with chocolate ganache and pine nuts it’s irresistible! (^ω^ )
Are you full after reading? XD
If you’d like to try it, you’re always welcome to my kitchen!
イタリアン家庭料理/Italian Home-cooked meal
It’s not just about eating good food, you can also meet many different people and talk with them, and your world becomes bigger 🙂
It was the first time for me to use KitchHike, so I was a bit nervous, but it was really fun!
I’ve invited friends at home many times, but it’s not that common that some strangers come and have dinner at your place…(^^)
It is also a good occasion to hear objective opinions about my cooking, or just to meet and discuss with other food-lovers. I think I could learn a lot from this ^^
Well, I already have to prepare for next KitchHike!
*Photos from KitchHike
Paopu Cake 