I must confess: I am a shopaholic.
Mine is not the usual brand of shopping addiction. Neither exclusive boutiques nor designer names get me hot under the collar; my obsession is much more mundane: groceries.
Don’t get me wrong. When we’ve run out of milk and I have to dash to the store, it’s chore, not cherish, time for me. But walking into a well-stocked grocery store with a list and a fistful of cash does get my juices flowing. As I see ingredients, my weekly menu takes shape. It is usually in the produce section that I go bonkers. I can’t resist fresh, quality food so I always buy more than I should then rush to cook it before spoilage.
Recently I’ve taken my grocery obsession to an international level. I love exploring different ethnic markets and have turned it into a family outing. The foodie in me swoons at new possibilities. The prices are almost always much less than you’d find in a traditional grocery store and there are products you just can’t find at national chains. Bringing the kids along exposes them to different cultures and opens them up to a broader world view right from our backyard. The best part is that it’s not over when we leave. Our souvenirs from the day are ideas, recipes, and ingredients to taste a different flavor of life.
This Saturday we visited an Italian Market, Laurenzo’s in North Miami Beach. An Italian grocer might not seem very exotic, but trading Hunts for San Marzano tomatoes and a rubbery block of mozzarella for a fresh ball made right before our eyes brought Italy a little bit closer to our table. The best part of our visit were the extremely kind people creating a warm family atmosphere: from the pastry lady slipping our boys free cookies to the deli lady tracking me down to volunteer a special order, to the mozzarella man making a show of making cheese. It was a wonderful afternoon and we have a bag full of groceries to prove it.
Here are some pictures, although I didn’t have my good camera with me and the dim lighting and glare from some cases made it impossible for me to get some of the best shots of the mouth-watering cheese and antipasti cases.
Doesn't it look so fresh? I've never cooked calamari before, but I want to.
Max's free cookie. I bet his dimples swooned the lady behing the counter.
A few feet of an amazing aisle of olive oil.
Rachel Ray taught me not to fear these nutty little fish. IN MODERATION.
Reputably the best tomatoes in the world, aka dinner tonight!
Here's a surprise: a nice stock of Asian pantry staples.
vino vino vino
Amazing fresh pasta. We bought some spinach gnocchi.
I've been learning how to make pasta at home, so I'm very impressed by this which looks very different from my clumsy attempts.
Confession time: I was DYING for amaretti cookies, which is why we went here in the first place.
One of the few pictures from the deli case that turned out. How beautiful are these olives!
charm.
Fresh produce is located across the street. I'm not sure why.
I don't cook without lemons anymore.
This is the curd used to make mozzarella.
The first step is to break up the curds.
Several additions of hot water are added with a watchful eye on the temperature.
Mix
It's starting to come together.
Pulling only takes a few minutes and the whole cafe was mesmerized.
The final product we sampled and purchased seconds after it was made! SO YUMMY!
Fun find: bike shaped pasta for Andres the Cyclist
Spaghetti with a perm!
I can’t wait for our next adventure in shopping. I suspect we’ll be headed to the Far East. Stay tuned.
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