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Simple Joyful Food

Kitchen confidence made simple.

have a good time

How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables.

February 2, 2015 4 Comments
DeNigris 1889 vinegars How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables (c)nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor

Content sponsored by #deNigris1889

Have you ever travelled to Italy?

I have to admit that the boot-shaped country never was on any of my bucket travel lists other than the vague notion of “go somewhere internationally” that might have covered it. In 2009, ten of our family members packed up our suitcases and boarded a flight from Northwest Arkansas, to Memphis, to Amsterdam, to Rome. For twelve days we created a temporary home in a small working-class Mediterranean seaside town called Sabaudia. Halfway between Rome and Naples, it was both exotic and comfortably familiar.

Our hotel was one of those all-inclusive resorts, yet push away any thoughts that you have of Cancun, Bermuda, or Jamaica. This place was different. Hotel la Dune was all-inclusive in only the way an Italian can do it: homemade pasta, all you can drink sparkling water, red wine, white wine, and a bounty of fresh fruits and overflowing and incredibly tasty vegetables.  Since we were a large family with a two-year old baby in the midst, the staff at the hotel went out of their way to treat us like their family, ensuring we always had a table reserved for our family and servings piled high.

Hotel le Dune Italy - DeNigris 1889 vinegars (c)nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor

Mealtime was my favorite memory of Italy.

Can you blame me?

Every day for lunch and dinner we started off with antipasto, a before-the-meal spread that included an array of lettuce, toppings, cured meats, and appetizer vegetables and grilled eggplant.  I was amazed by the bowls of freshly torn romaine, butter lettuce, radicchio, arugula, shredded carrots, scooped cucumbers and sliced onions they placed in water to take the edge off the bitter. Dressing options were kept minimal with olive oil, balsamic, and white wine vinegar finished with a twist of pepper and salt. There was no rush to complete this antipasto and I learned the joy of a simple salad, enjoying leisurely conversation, and just being in the moment.

DeNigris 1889 vinegars - Hotel le Dune antipasto bar (c)nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
 The rest of the trip was spectacular of course, what’s not to love about Italy? But as we settled back home and back into the routine of life, each day the visit became more and more of a memory stuck in time. That’s what vacations mostly are, aren’t they?  They are the memories.

The one thing from Italy that became a new lifestyle habit for us was that antipasto salad array.  Six years later a recreation of sorts is still a part of us, as it taught us to keep a mixture of lettuces, scooped cucumbers, olive oil, balsamic, white wine vinegar, and a twist of pepper and salt at our fingertips.

I also have a new Italian experience to share with you.

I am pretty excited to tell you that I will be sharing recipes each month for De Nigris, an Italian vinegar company that has been around since 1889. They have a portfolio of vinegars from organic, white wines, glazes, and balsamic that span the percentages of grape must that go best with light dishes, to hearty meals, and as finishing touches to desserts.  If you’ve been following my blog for any time, you already know that I am obsessed with balsamic as it always pops up here and there in my recipes.  Look for more of them in the coming months.

In honor of my Italian ramblings of that magnificent antipasto Hotel La Dune salad spread and De Nigris 1889, I decided to recreate it.

The next dinner party I have… this is happening.

The next dinner party you have… why not recreate it too?

DeNigris 1889 vinegars - How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables (c) nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
Add pepper mills, olive oil and De Nigris balsamic, De Nigris seasoned white wine vinegar, onions in water and arugula
DeNigris 1889 vinegars - How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables (c) nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
romaine, shredded carrots, butter lettuce, arugula
DeNigris 1889 vinegars - How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables (c) nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
Radiccho, scooped out cucumbers, onions in water
DeNigris vinegar How Italy taught me to eat more vegetables (c)nwafoodieAD #ItalianVinegar #DrizzleFlavor
The only thing missing is the Tuscan yellow tablecloth (still searching for one!)
Eat well, my friends.

 

Lyndi

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De Nigris vinegars, a year in review. Pan roasted sweet onions with balsamic. AD Sloppy Joes with a kiss of apple cider vinegar - main (c)nwafoodieHow to make a delicious Sloppy Joes, with a kiss of Italian apple cider vinegar.

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Recipe Rating




  1. Debbie Arnold says

    February 3, 2015 at 3:43 am

    Awesome post! I could so live in Italy—love what I have experienced of that beautify country. Wonderful people, incredible heritage and culture. And the food —well! Yum!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      February 4, 2015 at 1:22 pm

      Agreed! Do you remember how deeply rich the soil was there?

      Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    February 3, 2015 at 4:48 am

    Yum!
    And your pics are amazing!!!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      February 4, 2015 at 1:22 pm

      Why thank you — they tasted even better. 🙂

      Reply

welcome

author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogHi, I’m Lyndi Fultz and I have a passion for the simple.

I believe that planning, prepping, and cooking meals can be a joy and not a daily dreaded chore.

If you are overwhelmed and feeling guilty that you’re not eating better and are tired of deciding what to cook, join me as I share how to capture kitchen joy by focusing on simplicity.

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