Around the World : Competizione per il cibo

Ciao! Buongiorno! So I know everyone is going to love this post today because I am only going to be talking about food!
    So today during class we talked about Italian cuisine and the mediterranean diet. My teacher Donatella handed out a packet explaining all about the cuisine (of course in Italian). On one of the handouts there was a food pyramid of italian cuisine and it was very different then the United States food pyramid. If you have a minute look at the pyramid I attached below. Yes, olive oil is a category, protein is not very important in their diet and of course vino is included in the pyramid. I found this to be very interesting. We also talked about the food of Salento (the region Lecce was in) and then we learned about common dishes people make for dinner.
    After class I went to the market and fruttivendola and bought fresh fruits and vegetables as well as yogurt for breakfast. When I got back I made a small salad with my friends and we talked about all the food there still was to try in Lecce before we left. Two of my friends and I also discovered fresh fruit plants growing in our courtyard. There was a lime tree, a peach tree, and a fig tree. We picked fresh peaches (that need a couple of days to ripen), a couple limes, and fresh figs. I am so glad I ate a light lunch because I was able to eat the fresh figs right off of the tree. They were delicious. My friends and I decided to keep the discovery of the fruit trees a secret, that way not all the fruit disappears. My two friends and I (3 musketeers) also did a light workout before the cooking competition.
    Oh right I have to explain what the cooking competition entails. From 16:30-1930 there was a cooking competition between the three classes. Each class was provided the ingredients to make three dishes that were given. Then we would be judged on the presentation and quality of each dish. My class gathered in the first apartment and cooked for three hours. It was a lot of fun and relaxing. We listened to music, drank wine, chopped up vegetables, and added olive oil to everything. We made orecchiette con cime di rapa (broccoli raab), cianfotta (similar to ratatouille or stew) and orecchiette alls crudaiola (cold pasta dish with tomato, cheese, basil and olive oil) Although we did not win I thought everything came out amazing and in my eyes we won. When I get home I will be making my favorite dishes for my family, that way they can actually taste all the great food I am trying.
    After the judges ate their food, we were allowed to eat our dishes. It was a free for all, and everyone ate almost everything. I had never seen so much food disappear so quickly. Our program director Ellen even provided dessert, a gelato torta (cake) (one was pistachio and one was cafe). I had the tiniest bite of the cake because I was so stuffed from the main course. My favorite dish was the orecchiette con cime di rapa.
    Now that everyone was in a food coma, we all washed the dishes, and went back to our apartments to study for our midterm tomorrow. I have been doing my homework every night and reviewing so I do not think it will be too hard. I just reviewed for two hours and then went right to bed. I think I actually had a food coma.
Before you scroll down and look at the pictures, I am just here to warn you, if you are not hungry already, you are going to be hungry after you see this. I miss everyone, love everyone, and I send my best to everyone.
Con tanto amore,
Samantha

Here are the dishes I have made so far. I hope you enjoy the presentation and maybe get inspired to make the same dish.

Tuna salad with carrots, celery, tomato, balsamic and fresh bread

Balsamic egglplant, fresh tomato, red pepper and pesto on a fresh piece of mignon bread

Fresh peaches and tomato with balsamic on bread with greek yogurt

Peach and tomato salad with balsamic with a fresh piece of bread with tomato and balsamic

Tuna salad with tomatoes, balsamic, carrot and fresh bread

Farfalle pasta al dente with balsamic mushrooms

Same dish as above with homemade bruschetta

Another tuna salad with tomatoes carrots balsamic and warm bread

Stir fry: eggplant, tomatoes, hot peppers, hot pepper flakes, chick peas, and tomato paste

Drum roll please, here are the dishes from the competition. At the end the pictures are what the dishes are supposed to look like. I think my class did an amazing job! What do you think? I also attached the recipes to the three dishes. You just have to click the underlined text. I hope you enjoy and now go grab some food to eat.