Fammi una domanda July 2024
+ A guide to eating well while living in a construction site
You are probably not living in a construction site, but you I am guessing that you do not want to turn on your oven right now. Or maybe you are in a summer rental or helping to set up a new apartment or house for a new graduate? Moving to a new post and thinking about your air shipment or maybe you are already there in temporary housing with that meager hospitality box? This is for you too.1 This guide of how I cooked without a kitchen for almost 3 months can be used for all kinds of scenarios. I don’t have any tips for making washing the dishes in the bathroom sink any less terrible. Living in a construction site is a logistical challenge but it is also an aesthetic chore. Make sure you have a few pretty things to cheer your spirits when the rest of your living space is less than charming. I furnished my makeshift kitchen with the following things;
4 Buon Ricordi plates. I bought mine here.
4 bowls in the shape of radicchio from the sweet shop near Campo Santo Stefano.
6 cute but sturdy drinking glasses that can be used for water/wine/cocktails.
1 big ceramic bowl, I used this to mix things, serve salad and pasta.
Quarter sheet pans make excellent trays for TV dinners and carrying dishes to the bathroom sink.
My good silver and gorgeous napkins from Liberty and Fab India.
I kept a list of every meal I cooked and prepared. These are the highlights. They are all fast, easy, and only require an induction hot plate, a few pans (I had 3; 2 from Ikea and one Lagostina saucepan) an immersion blender. A toaster, spider strainer, soup ladle, wide walnut wood spatula, and tongs are super useful.
There were always batched martinis in the freezer
Tuna pasta - I never add garlic or capers or olives. Now I really want to add capers!
Rigatoni Amatriciana - I bring guanciale and Pecorino Romano back with me to Venice every time I go to Rome.
Chipotle chickpeas - I couldn’t find harissa paste anywhere in Venice so I used some chipotle paste I had in the refrigerator. (That I just tried to reorder and it is tragically unavailable anywhere!) Next time I am going to make this with Korean gochujang.
Cold sesame noodles. Nothing fancy here. I use spaghetti, Jiff peanut butter, garlic powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, whatever vinegar I have, right now it’s red wine, some grated fresh ginger, and some dried arbol chili peppers that I toast and then cut up with scissors. I usually throw in some green beans.
BLT salad and
’s Chopped salad. Since I live up north now, I used Sopressa and Asiago.The omelet from The Bear. (it’s really from
)Anchovy butter on toast with slices of tomatoes and Sardines/bread/butter
Sliced roast beef/gorgonzola/salad
It was still a little chilly in the evenings when they first took out my kitchen so I made Chili and this Seared broccoli/potato soup before the weather finally turned. I use guanciale and pecorino or parmesan rinds that I fish out before I blend everything. Sometimes I stir in some grated cheddar at the end.
Don’t discount the simple pleasures of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with good bread, a grilled cheese sandwich or the comfort of scrambled eggs and toast. I ate so much toast! I always have giant jars of Jiff peanut butter that I haul back from American in a monogrammed navy blue LLBean duffle bag and jars of sour cherry jam, my favorite is made by Gentilini, the Roman cookie company even though now I live super close to this cherry growing town.
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