Happy Monday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!
I was watching TV the other day and the announcer said that it was "National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day." This took me by surprise. It was not in my calendar and I had spent the entire day without anyone wishing me a Happy National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. And just learning this fact at 11 p.m. was also disconcerting - where the heck was I going to get a pumpkin cheesecake in the next sixty minutes? I felt like I missed out on the festivities!
Who decides these "National" food holidays anyway? Is there a committee? Is it like the triumvirate of witches on American Horror Story: Coven? Are there secret meetings where everyone wears a hooded robe and they throw darts at a board to determine that Tuesday will be National Foie Gras Day?
Hopefully the Secret Society of National Food Holiday Namers will not come after me with pitchforks and darts when they hear that I am announcing that it is INTERNATIONAL PIG WEEK on LilyOnTheLam.Com! Yes, I am going rogue and declaring this week of Monday, October 27, 2014 - Friday, October 31, 2014 on LilyOnTheLam.com to be filled with Porcine-themed blog posts. I am drunk with power and no one can stop me!
In honor of the FIRST blog post of International Pig Week, I take you to the hauntingly beautiful streets of Budapest, Hungary.
I love Budapest. It is like Austria by way of Moscow. The old world European culture cut with a dash of Communist regime. As we get further and further from the fall of Communism in Hungary, I suspect in maybe another 10 years you may not even feel the traces of the former life under Communist rule. But for now it is an interesting mix.
I was walking around Budapest, about a block in from the gorgeous Danube. I had been woefully behind in my Million Step Challenge (10,000 steps a day for 100 days) and was grateful for this work trip to Budapest where I was averaging 10 miles a day of walking before the actual work started. When I stumbled upon this sign at a restaurant behind the Danube facing Budapest Marriott Hotel.
Divin Porcello - FRIENDS OF HAM with a cute little pig silhouette with a curly tail. WHAT? I want to be a friend of ham!
Later back in my hotel, resting my tired feet, I looked up the reviews of Divin Porcello. Evidently there were a lot of friends of ham and they all loved Divin Porcello! I was determined to join the club!
So when my one of my staff from the UK said "Where should we do dinner tonight?" I screamed out "DIVIN PORCELLO - FRIENDS OF HAM!" in an overly enthusiastic voice that probably shattered any managerial credibility I may have once had. Sigh ... we're talking about pork here- it's hard to stifle my enthusiasm.
I did a fantastic food tour with the amazing food and wine tour company Taste Hungary when I was in Budapest. Our tour guide said that when the Turks ruled Hungary, the Hungarians' diet included a lot of pork because that was the only food supply that the Muslim Turks would not take from the Hungarians. Even though the Turkish occupation ended in 1699, you can still see the heavy pork-based diet in menus in the city.
In fact, Hungary has made it a mission to revive the once rare Grey Cattle and the hairy Mangalitsa Pig and elevate them to high gourmet foodie-loving popularity. I had my first taste of Mangalitsa pig at a local Tampa restaurant who did an awful job of it. When I went to Budapest, I had a "steak" of Mangalitsa pig that was stuffed with ham (Pork stuffed with pork!), cheese and onions and it was AMAZING. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. Darn you, Tampa restaurant for spoiling my first try of Mangalitsa pork!
(Side note: The pig is actually called a Mangalica but you pronounce it Mangalitsa, so the Americans said "screw it" and spell it phonetically. So if you're looking for this delicious gourmet pork in Hungary, look for the Mangalica.)
With pork on my mind, I dragged my UK team member to Divin Porcello. I had very high expectations. The restaurant didn't bill itself as "Casual Acquaintances of Ham" or "Former School Chums of Ham;" it said FRIENDS of Ham.
Upon walking in, I was already impressed. Although the restaurant was relatively new it was designed like an old school wine cave but with modern art work. Plus the restaurant had little rooms adjoining each other so you could have a lot of people dining but still have a small cozy feel in each room. I loved the crisp, clean, modern decor in an old world feel setting.
The menu arrived - attached to a mini cutting board- and we were overwhelmed with all the great choices.
There were ham and wine from various geographic locations as well as salads and entrees. We were given a free bruschetta starter.
As I have learned in Spain and Italy, you can do a lot with just tomato and bread. The Divin Porcello's starter was in line with the great European tradition of making something amazing out of simple ingredients. The fine bread had a nice crunch and the smooth olive oil and tomato had so much flavor. It was a promising first start for a Friend of Ham!
Next came a loaf of bread in a cute little paper bag.
Again taking something so simple - a folded over paper bag - and yet it was so cute! The bread inside was amazing too. I usually try to stay away from the bread course as my diet is too carb-laden as it is, but this bread was worth the extra starch and calories!
As I had made it my mission to try gulyas (a.k.a. goulash) in as many places as possible, I started with DiVin Porcello's gulyas.
It arrived in a Friends of Ham cup that I wanted to steal. ("Is that a goulash cup in your purse or are you just happy to see me?") The gulyas was hot and peppery with melt in your mouth bits of beef and vegetables. It was very good.
My UK dining companion started with the foie gras. As I was still trying to maintain some managerial composure, I did not shove my iPhone into her food and take a picture like I do with my friends when we dine out. So sadly I have no picture of the foie gras, but Mrs. UK said that it was amazing. The French may never tell you this, but Hungary is known for their foie gras. In fact, Hungary is the second largest producer of foie gras in the world and the largest exporter of it. If you do not have an ethical issues regarding foie gras, you must try Hungarian foie gras because it is really top notch.
I had already been in Budapest for six days before Mrs. UK and I had dinner. I admitted that I had barely eaten any vegetables and my body was revolting from the veal porkolt (stew) and sheep's curd noodle diet I had been feasting on for days. I decided to go for a salad, but of course being from the Midwestern United States originally; the salad had to have cheese on it. I picked this lovely Burrata salad. (Side note: my favorite place to get house made burrata in Tampa Bay is Cafe Ponte in Clearwater. It is overwhelmingly good.)
This salad of apples, vegetables, fresh bell peppers and a creamy luscious orb of burrata cheese on top was to the moon fantastic. My body thanked me for forgoing veal for one night in Budapest!
But you can't be a Friend of Ham without indulging in some ham, so I had this delicious buttery prosciutto with Divin Porcello's fantastic bread. You can see a bit of Mrs. UK's steak in the background of the picture. She felt like she was missing out on the pork by having foie gras and beef, but I said maybe she was being a Friend of Ham by not eating the pork!
We had a lovely Hungarian Pinot Noir with our dinner. I have to say that Hungary has come a long way in a short time to restore a more artisanal methodology to their wine-making. When Communism came into power in Hungary, the wine business was changed from quality to quantity. Mass production of cheap, less flavorful wines was the only way to make wine under the Communist rule. After the fall of Communism in Hungary, the wine producers went back to their former ways of producing smaller batch, higher quality wine. The fruits of their labor are now readily tasted in the fine Hungarian wines being produced.
After our wonderful meal in the cozy Divin Porcello, Mrs. UK and I went for a walk along the Danube. With pork in my belly, a song in my heart and the gorgeous bridges of the Danube as my backdrop; I can't think of a more perfect way to spend a night in Budapest.
Stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.Com as International Pig Week continues!
I was watching TV the other day and the announcer said that it was "National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day." This took me by surprise. It was not in my calendar and I had spent the entire day without anyone wishing me a Happy National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. And just learning this fact at 11 p.m. was also disconcerting - where the heck was I going to get a pumpkin cheesecake in the next sixty minutes? I felt like I missed out on the festivities!
Who decides these "National" food holidays anyway? Is there a committee? Is it like the triumvirate of witches on American Horror Story: Coven? Are there secret meetings where everyone wears a hooded robe and they throw darts at a board to determine that Tuesday will be National Foie Gras Day?
Hopefully the Secret Society of National Food Holiday Namers will not come after me with pitchforks and darts when they hear that I am announcing that it is INTERNATIONAL PIG WEEK on LilyOnTheLam.Com! Yes, I am going rogue and declaring this week of Monday, October 27, 2014 - Friday, October 31, 2014 on LilyOnTheLam.com to be filled with Porcine-themed blog posts. I am drunk with power and no one can stop me!
In honor of the FIRST blog post of International Pig Week, I take you to the hauntingly beautiful streets of Budapest, Hungary.
I love Budapest. It is like Austria by way of Moscow. The old world European culture cut with a dash of Communist regime. As we get further and further from the fall of Communism in Hungary, I suspect in maybe another 10 years you may not even feel the traces of the former life under Communist rule. But for now it is an interesting mix.
I was walking around Budapest, about a block in from the gorgeous Danube. I had been woefully behind in my Million Step Challenge (10,000 steps a day for 100 days) and was grateful for this work trip to Budapest where I was averaging 10 miles a day of walking before the actual work started. When I stumbled upon this sign at a restaurant behind the Danube facing Budapest Marriott Hotel.
Divin Porcello - FRIENDS OF HAM with a cute little pig silhouette with a curly tail. WHAT? I want to be a friend of ham!
Later back in my hotel, resting my tired feet, I looked up the reviews of Divin Porcello. Evidently there were a lot of friends of ham and they all loved Divin Porcello! I was determined to join the club!
So when my one of my staff from the UK said "Where should we do dinner tonight?" I screamed out "DIVIN PORCELLO - FRIENDS OF HAM!" in an overly enthusiastic voice that probably shattered any managerial credibility I may have once had. Sigh ... we're talking about pork here- it's hard to stifle my enthusiasm.
I did a fantastic food tour with the amazing food and wine tour company Taste Hungary when I was in Budapest. Our tour guide said that when the Turks ruled Hungary, the Hungarians' diet included a lot of pork because that was the only food supply that the Muslim Turks would not take from the Hungarians. Even though the Turkish occupation ended in 1699, you can still see the heavy pork-based diet in menus in the city.
In fact, Hungary has made it a mission to revive the once rare Grey Cattle and the hairy Mangalitsa Pig and elevate them to high gourmet foodie-loving popularity. I had my first taste of Mangalitsa pig at a local Tampa restaurant who did an awful job of it. When I went to Budapest, I had a "steak" of Mangalitsa pig that was stuffed with ham (Pork stuffed with pork!), cheese and onions and it was AMAZING. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. Darn you, Tampa restaurant for spoiling my first try of Mangalitsa pork!
(Side note: The pig is actually called a Mangalica but you pronounce it Mangalitsa, so the Americans said "screw it" and spell it phonetically. So if you're looking for this delicious gourmet pork in Hungary, look for the Mangalica.)
With pork on my mind, I dragged my UK team member to Divin Porcello. I had very high expectations. The restaurant didn't bill itself as "Casual Acquaintances of Ham" or "Former School Chums of Ham;" it said FRIENDS of Ham.
Upon walking in, I was already impressed. Although the restaurant was relatively new it was designed like an old school wine cave but with modern art work. Plus the restaurant had little rooms adjoining each other so you could have a lot of people dining but still have a small cozy feel in each room. I loved the crisp, clean, modern decor in an old world feel setting.
The menu arrived - attached to a mini cutting board- and we were overwhelmed with all the great choices.
There were ham and wine from various geographic locations as well as salads and entrees. We were given a free bruschetta starter.
As I have learned in Spain and Italy, you can do a lot with just tomato and bread. The Divin Porcello's starter was in line with the great European tradition of making something amazing out of simple ingredients. The fine bread had a nice crunch and the smooth olive oil and tomato had so much flavor. It was a promising first start for a Friend of Ham!
Next came a loaf of bread in a cute little paper bag.
Again taking something so simple - a folded over paper bag - and yet it was so cute! The bread inside was amazing too. I usually try to stay away from the bread course as my diet is too carb-laden as it is, but this bread was worth the extra starch and calories!
As I had made it my mission to try gulyas (a.k.a. goulash) in as many places as possible, I started with DiVin Porcello's gulyas.
It arrived in a Friends of Ham cup that I wanted to steal. ("Is that a goulash cup in your purse or are you just happy to see me?") The gulyas was hot and peppery with melt in your mouth bits of beef and vegetables. It was very good.
My UK dining companion started with the foie gras. As I was still trying to maintain some managerial composure, I did not shove my iPhone into her food and take a picture like I do with my friends when we dine out. So sadly I have no picture of the foie gras, but Mrs. UK said that it was amazing. The French may never tell you this, but Hungary is known for their foie gras. In fact, Hungary is the second largest producer of foie gras in the world and the largest exporter of it. If you do not have an ethical issues regarding foie gras, you must try Hungarian foie gras because it is really top notch.
I had already been in Budapest for six days before Mrs. UK and I had dinner. I admitted that I had barely eaten any vegetables and my body was revolting from the veal porkolt (stew) and sheep's curd noodle diet I had been feasting on for days. I decided to go for a salad, but of course being from the Midwestern United States originally; the salad had to have cheese on it. I picked this lovely Burrata salad. (Side note: my favorite place to get house made burrata in Tampa Bay is Cafe Ponte in Clearwater. It is overwhelmingly good.)
This salad of apples, vegetables, fresh bell peppers and a creamy luscious orb of burrata cheese on top was to the moon fantastic. My body thanked me for forgoing veal for one night in Budapest!
But you can't be a Friend of Ham without indulging in some ham, so I had this delicious buttery prosciutto with Divin Porcello's fantastic bread. You can see a bit of Mrs. UK's steak in the background of the picture. She felt like she was missing out on the pork by having foie gras and beef, but I said maybe she was being a Friend of Ham by not eating the pork!
We had a lovely Hungarian Pinot Noir with our dinner. I have to say that Hungary has come a long way in a short time to restore a more artisanal methodology to their wine-making. When Communism came into power in Hungary, the wine business was changed from quality to quantity. Mass production of cheap, less flavorful wines was the only way to make wine under the Communist rule. After the fall of Communism in Hungary, the wine producers went back to their former ways of producing smaller batch, higher quality wine. The fruits of their labor are now readily tasted in the fine Hungarian wines being produced.
After our wonderful meal in the cozy Divin Porcello, Mrs. UK and I went for a walk along the Danube. With pork in my belly, a song in my heart and the gorgeous bridges of the Danube as my backdrop; I can't think of a more perfect way to spend a night in Budapest.
Stay tuned to LilyOnTheLam.Com as International Pig Week continues!
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