Keeping it Fresh in the Kitchen

Homemade Tomato Sauce
- just in a recycled Prego jar

One of the most vexing things about wanting to eat healthier, is that healthy eating is not always convenient, and it is definitely not cheap. A KFC snack pack costs less than a salad, a good healthy soup can be hard to find and buying a slice of cake can be less aggravating than buying a slice of watermelon from my regular watermelon guy. I mean, watermelon guy, while I appreciate the compliments and yes, maybe I am your angel who has fallen from heaven, I am still not going to marry you. lol. I just want a slice of watermelon.

I decided against eating out this weekend, which of course meant putting in some effort in the kitchen, cause if you want to do it right, you often have to do it yourself.  I really was not in the mood for doing it myself but was not in the mood for taking a drive to get it either, or spending a lot of money to do so. So I sucked it up, and ventured into the kitchen, on a hot Saturday afternoon.

I decided in the name of freshness and ease, to make my own pizza yesterday, where I could control the type of crust (whole wheat, as opposed to white), the amount of cheese (a drizzle as opposed to a torrential gooey downpour), the toppings (fresh as opposed to crap from a can), and the tomato sauce, which in the whole quest for freshness, I decided to make from scratch, rather than buying. I must say, my tomato sauce was da bomb. Using fresh tomatoes, awesome amounts of fresh garlic and basil, salt and black pepper to taste, and no sugar or preservatives, I now have a Prego jar (the last insult) filled with this awesomeness.

I also had a fresh, light pizza without all the gunk, and a lot of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach, with some bits of deli beef and feta to keep it sexy. And since I am also not drinking alcohol still, I used the last of my grapefruits to make a fresh non-alcoholic spritzer, with fresh grapefruit juice, a bit of ginger, Angostura bitters and club soda. Small yaay. And I did not have to get dressed up or leave my driveway to get it.

Read more »

Great Pizza is Back: Bacco Pizzeria Italiana

The wood burning pizza oven
Photo credit: Bacco Trinidad

When my girlfriend and her husband decided to return to Trinidad from Italy, in addition to the warm and fuzzy friend feeling, there was also a deeper, more primal longing and sense of relief - the return of good Italian pizza.

Since they have left, we have improved on the Italian food front here in Trinidad, with places like Buzo and Emiliana, but in the Southland, if you wanted a pizza and did not want to drive, your choices were still nasty commercial American pizza (Pizza Hut, Domino's) or "face the oven" homemade pizza, which I had last week and it was great!

(My homemade pizza is da truth!)

Anyway, Bacco Pizzeria Italiana opened last night and before the first bag of flour could be opened, I was there with the troops. And believe me when I say, there is no bias or favouritism here, but the pizzas are just damn good. See for yourself.

My proscuitto e funghi pizza

Salmone pizza

Diavolo pizza

There was a steady stream of pizza lovers coming in to the place but I feel like I need to say something here cause when one of the patrons who had ordered this awesome looking and awesome smelling pizza, called for KETCHUP, I thought I would jump over the table and strangle him myself. Trinis' fascination and sloppy habit of putting ketchup on pizza (or on anything for that matter), really bites me.

Other than that moment of lunacy, it was a lovely evening and now knowing that I do not have to brave the highway just to get a taste of Italy, I welcome Bacco and the Montis with open arms!

You can find Bacco Pizzeria Italiana at 183 SS Erin Road, Duncan Village, San Fernando.

Read more »