“Antipasto” is an Italian word that translates into English as “before the meal”. It essentially describes an appetizer course, coming in the form of a small course early in the meal for diners to partake of while they wait on their main dishes. In an Italian household, the antipasto course may be a casual thing wherein they get a bit of salami, cheese, and bread out of the refrigerator while their meal is prepared. On more special occasions, the hostess may plan a more elaborate antipasto course with meat, fish, vegetables, and breads, the likes of which you might expect in an Italian restaurant.

When you dine out in Italy, you can generally expect some variety of antipasti. There may be a buffet, or you may be able to order up an appetizer from the kitchen. Some of the finer restaurants will make more of an event out of their antipasti, offering some elaborate specialty dishes to whet your appetite.

At Amaro Bistro in Bothell, we offer a variety of quality antipasto dishes. Try some sauteed calamari, beef tenderloin, bruschetta, white prawns, and more!

Amaro Bistro will be offering a special holiday menu for both Saturday and Sunday for Valentine’s Day weekend, February 13th and 14th, 2016.

(click menu below to view larger image)

Pancetta is, in many ways, similar to conventional bacon. In fact, it is not uncommon to see one used in place of the other. However, pancetta is a distinctly different item with properties that make it a stronger choice for certain dishes.

Pancetta is like bacon in the sense that it also comes in the form of pork belly meat. What makes it different is how it is prepared. Bacon is invariably cut into thin strips, while pancetta will either appear as a thin strip or be cut into small cubes. Further, pancetta is cured with salt and possibly an assortment of spices and aromatics to give it the enticing flavor that fans love it for, while bacon is cured and smoked. Chefs will reach for bacon when they want to give their dishes a smokier flavor, and reserve pancetta for a flavorful but non-smoky alternative.

You can try the great taste of pancetta for yourself at our Italian restaurant in Bothell in the form of our grilled chicken romaine salad, prepared with chicken breast, whole leaf romaine, kalamata olives, tomatoes, sweet peppers, parmesan, and pancetta.

Heart disease is a scary concept, one that is lurking around the corner for many of us. Fortunately, doing the right thing for your heart does not always have to mean cutting back on the things we love. According to a recent scientific study, you can do wonders for your heart by simply dunking your Italian bread in olive oil.

This study took a selection of participants and added twenty milliliters of olive oil to their daily diets. After as little as six weeks, it was found that the subjects experienced a dramatic improvement in the chemical signals in their bodies linked to coronary artery diseases. To enjoy these same benefits yourself, you only need to include a modest amount of olive oil in your diet; this may amount to a modest olive oil-based salad dressing, or the small amount you might get by dipping your bread into the oil.

If you’re looking for other delicious ways to make olive oil a bigger part of your diet, come and visit our Italian restaurant in Bothell. You can find this heart-healthy oil on our margherita pizza, our caprese amaro, and other old favorites.

Throughout centuries of agriculture, many of our crops have been hybridized in order to isolate their more marketable qualities. Generations of crossbreeding the various types of tomato, the tomato gene pool has been heavily homogenized. As the species loses its diversity, we are not only losing an exciting array of culinary options, but we are also leaving our remaining tomatoes vulnerable to pests and disease. This is why it is so important to protect our heirloom tomatoes.

Heirloom tomatoes are not, by themselves, a tomato species. Rather, the term can be applied to any type of tomato gene pool that has been preserved and passed down for an extended period of time. In commercial agriculture, an heirloom tomato can be any open-pollinated tomato variety that has been in circulation for at least fifty years.

Unfortunately, many surviving heirloom tomatoes are disappearing as small family farms shut down. The good news is that an increased demand for such tomatoes is better assuring the survival of remaining varieties. At Amaro Bistro, we are doing our part by making use of heirloom tomatoes in many of our dishes. Visit our Bothell Italian restaurant for an heirloom tomato formaggi today!

No celebration in Italy would be complete without a hearty meal, and Christmas in Italy is marked with not one, but three traditional meals.

• The Vigil: Also known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, this meal is enjoyed on Christmas Eve. Historically, it was the custom to forego meat on this day, so people began to turn to seafood as an alternative protein. Many households will indulge in a selection of fish-based dishes, and then go to Midnight Mass.
• Natale: The most important of the traditional Christmas meals, this is generally a lunch eaten on Christmas Day. It is a lavish occasion, where hosts will expand their tables to entertain their friends and families.
• 28: The day after Christmas is known as Santo Stefano. Those who hosted Natale are likely to call upon their more distant relations. Some people will eat leftovers from the past two days, while others will take a break and go to a restaurant.

If you would like to add a bit of Italian charm to your own holiday season, consider a visit to Amaro Bistro in Bothell.

Quinoa is a seed that is native to the Andes Mountains has been cultivated as a food source since ancient times. Though not itself a grain, it is often used as a substitute for nearly any other grain. To this end, it possesses many advantages both as a food and as a crop.

As quinoa is related to spinach, it possesses many strong nutritional attributes that have made it popular as a health food. It is a rich source of protein, potassium, iron, dietary fiber, and an assortment of other important vitamins and minerals. Further, its delicate taste allows it to blend in nicely with a wide variety of dishes.

Agricultural speaking, quinoa is very easy to cultivate. It has evolved to thrive in harsh mountain environments, growing even in bad soil, dry climates, and high altitudes. Today, it is largely grown in the mountains of South America and the Colorado Rockies.

At Amaro Bistro’s Italian restaurant in Bothell, you can enjoy the strong benefits of quinoa in the form of our quinoa and asparagi salad. Try it out tonight!

If you’re like most people, you’re familiar with two main varieties of olive: the black ones, and the green ones. But do you know the difference between the two? Indeed, both types of olive have distinctly different tastes and uses.

The first thing to realize is that common black olives are genetically the same as the common green olives. The green ones are simply less ripe than their black cousins. After the green olives are harvested, they are typically soaked in a lye solution, then fermented in brine to make them more palatable. This gives them a dense texture and bitter taste that complements a stuffing of pepper, garlic, or cheese.

Black olives are soaked in lye and cured in brine much like the green olives, but it is rare to see them stuffed. The end result has about half as much sodium as the green olives, and more of the healthy olive oil that makes them such a valuable addition to any diet.

At our Bothell Italian restaurant, you can enjoy olives in many of our delicious Italian-style dishes. Join us for dinner tonight!