Friday, September 16, 2016

Trying the Italian Pantry through Try the World

Part of the adventure when traveling is trying local  cuisine from the place you are visiting.  But traveling  is  not always possible due to financial issues or  schedule issues.  That doesn't mean you can not try different cuisine because Try the World  make it possible to  do so with their subscription boxes.  I have never been to Italy  but I have tried some Italian menus in the past.  I'm very excited  receiving this Italy box  from Try the World because I get to  try making some of the dishes that I only see on food  shows on TV.  
There are 8 specialties from Italy  in the box  including  Hazelnut cream by Maison della Nocciola, ground coffee by Giuliano Caffee, Persto Sauce by Cascina San Cassiano, Classic Amaretti by Marabisi, Truffle Zest by Zabatino Tartufi, Mushroom Risotto kit by Terrigena, Balsamic Vinegar by Societa Agricola, and Egg Pappardelle by La Pasta de Aldo.
The very first thing that we tried or my daughter tried  was the classic amaretti.  She told me that it has weird  taste so I  tried it myself and she was right, there was that initial shock when you first but into it, it is very strong.  We didn't find it  very good but it was nice to try it.
These cookies  are made of almond so I had high hopes that it will be awesome since I love almond.
I seldom use pesto in a dish, I think I only   made one dish with it  before.  So  when I saw this  pesto, I got excited because I always see Italian pasta dish on TV with and I thought I would be able to  try it.
Making this pesto was easy, I only added green peas  to it to make the egg pappardelli pasta.
It was a really nice dish with an added  cream cheese since I did not have  mozzarella balls.
The pasta dish was a perfect combo for the pork BBQ I made that day.
Hubby and I  stopped drinking coffee because of his hyper acidity issues   last year.  Sometimes  we  miss having coffee in the morning so this ground coffee will be great  for chilly weekend mornings.  Having coffee once in a while would not be bad I guess so I am glad to have it.
In fact, I already tried it but did not  tell my husband yet lol.  It was a really blend, it wasn't that strong.  Through this Italy box, I have a learned that Italians  have followed  unspoken - but strict - rules  about how to drink it.  It said, never to mix  it with milk unless it's for breakfast and always drink straight shots of  of espresso in one sip.  Very interesting!
This hazelnut  spread is my favorite  among the eight products.  I thought I would be disappointed like the  almond cookie but I was wrong, it's delicious!  I don't eat bread with spread frequently but  this  spread is addicting.  I even  used it for  my English muffin and it was delicious!
Now, let's talk about risotto.  I have never   made risotto before  but thought that it would be easy since it is like  rice but it's actually quite different than I anticipated.  Rice is a lot easier to prepare  and I love it.  The risotto on the other hand  takes a little longer time to prepare  and it wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  I still prefer rice over risotto, maybe because that's what I am used to eating.
But anyway, it was a great experience making the risotto with my daughter.  It was a good pair for the pork tocino that I made and the roasted mushrooms.
Last but not the least is the balsamic vinegar.  I use balsamic vinegar all the time because my daughter love  tomato salsa and I always add balsamic to it.  This  specific balsamic vinegar is quite different from  what I've used in the past.  It was really good one, even my daughter noticed that I used a different balsamic, she liked it too.

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

29 delicious comments:

Nancy P said...

Yummy! Those all look delicious! I'm a huge sucker for risotto and almond cookies!

Stacie said...

Try the World sounds like a great subscription box for any foodie. I love trying new foods, so this would be perfect for me.

Paula Schuck said...

How fun! Italian food is some of my favorite. I think a subscription box featuring the flavors of the world sounds amazing.

Nikki said...

Trying new foods is also a great way to taste new country's food culture. My favorite is Italian pasta. Those foods are yummy for sure, they're the best.

Jeannette said...

What a wonderfully honest post! I love almost anything almond but I was raised on these, so I think I might like that cookie, but I want to try the rest of this too. I love trying different flavors.

Amanda said...

I absolutely LOVE Italian food so this is one of the Try the World boxes that I think I would actually enjoy. I love risotto and your pictures made it look delish--I choose that over rice any day of the week.

Eloise said...

well dang, can I come over for a dinner like that, jk : ) looks like an authenic great set, I'll have to check it out!

Elizabeth O. said...

How awesome is this subscription box! I love tasting the different flavors that each country has to offer and how can you resist anything Italian. They're very good with food!

Marie said...

Would love to try anything Italian, especially that pasta dish and risotto! <3

Unknown said...

These boxes are too neat looking. I want to try one out!

Jenny @cookeatgo said...

I love subscription boxes like this!! Everything in your box looks amazing, the dish you made looks delicious!

Unknown said...

I have been hearing a lot about this subscription box. It looks really cool and interesting. I need to try it out soon.

Ann B said...

I am always looking for a new subscription box to try. Try the World would be a great gift for my Sister.

krystal said...

Since I am part Italian I would agree that this is a great idea for a subscription box. I will buy all of these. Love eating all Italian!

Cook with 5 Kids said...

This box looks awesome! I love Italian food, and there are so many great options in the Try the World box!

stephanickety said...

This looks like a delicious box of food! My favorite food is definitely italian, so I'd love this.

MidgetMomma said...

These look delicious! I love trying new foods!

The Cubicle Chick said...

I need to check this out. I love me some pesto especially in my eggs with bacon and brussel sprouts. - Yolonda

The Flying Couponer said...

This look really fun and delicious! I love Italian food, I definitely need this subscription box.

Lisa said...

I'm not sure if subscription box (style) is available in the Philippines. Your food looks delicious and yummy. Mahibalo unta ko magluto pod. hehe

Lynndee said...

You had me at risotto with the tocino and mushrooms. Yum! We love Italian food. Would love to try this.

papaleng said...

Kakagutom naman. though never ka pang napunta sa Italy, at least you've tried some of their great dish.

Unknown said...

What a fun idea - I love this! A great way to sample different products!

Gabriel said...

Pesto is a funny flavor, sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's a disaster

Miss Angie said...

I've been meaning to try this box! I love this stuff, and YUM, that looks good!

Travel Quest said...

I love Italian food anykind of pasta is fine with me. You have a great stuff right there so lucky.

Adriana said...

Such a yummy meal! I love pesto sauce. This looks like a great dish and I bet it's not too hard to make! Great option, thanks for sharing!

Maria Teresa Figuerres said...

It's really nice to get exposed to different cuisines. Glad to hear that you have products in the package that you really like!

Ckrusch said...

I love the idea of trying different flavors of the world! Your box looks amazing!

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