Blackberry Doughnut with Custard and Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Ice-cream
I enjoy cooking with my daughter Jess, although it is unusual for us to find time to have a cooking session nowadays. She is a chef in a local pub and on her days off is not often in the mood for long cooking sessions with her mother! I managed to tempt her with this enticing-looking recipe for BlackberryDoughnuts in BBC Good Food Magazine. Personally I give doughnuts a wide berth if commerically made, but home-made they are completely different.
Cooked Doughnuts
Rosie Birkett includes a recipe for quick blackberry jam for filling these doughnuts, and suggests serving them with Bay Leaf Custard. In the end we went for home-made vanilla custard, and I had one serving with a portion of Strawberry Ice-cream with Balsamic Vinegar (a Delia Smith favourite recipe of mine).
Home-made Blackberry Jam
Jess, my daughter, insists on having a proper deep-fat fryer, so we had to give that a good clean up before using it; I don’t like the stickiness of fryers, so insist on keeping it in the shed!
Cooked and Filled Blackberry Doughnuts
We did find that it was difficult to get the frying temperature right for cooking the doughnuts all the way through but not burnt on the outside, despite heating the oil to the suggested temperature of 180 degrees C. In the end, we put them in the oven for about 7 minutes, after frying them.
The verdict was positive all round, and we would definitely make these doughnuts again, maybe using different varieties of home-made or good-quality bought jam to suit the seasons. We were lucky enough to have some freshly-picked blackberries for making the jam.
The other recipe I made from Rosie’s selection was Slow-cooked Marrow with fennel and Tomato. I love marrow, although many people seem to either treat it as a joke or a burden, or an over-grown courgette. I do think that stuffed marrow is good, but that it is great to ring the changes, having marrow as a side dish or main course vegetarian dish. Rosie describes this dish as a little like caponata. She serves it with some sourdough bread and soft goats’ cheese. On this occasion I left out the bread and cheese, but I think that it would be great served in this way as a first course.
I have no photo of my version of this dish, so you will just have to imagine it! I shall be making the other dishes featured in this article sometime soon: Braised Squid with Fennel and Tomatoes , Devilled Prawns and Corny Polenta and Cacio e Pepe with Runner Beans.
I am seriously tempted to buy Rosie’s book, which is featured below. She uses seasonal, fresh produce and simple store cupboard ingredients.
This very attractive blackboard notice was the one source of useful information in our holiday apartment in Sardinia. We were impressed that it was written in English, given that our host’s mother, who was local and available to help us out with any issues, spoke very little English.
It was indeed remarkable that there were so many refuse collections during the week. Only problem was, someone had to remember to take the relevant bag to the collection point on the road the night before. Waiting until the morning would usually mean that we had missed the boat! At home in the UK we don’t have to put out our bins, as we are able to leave them in a spot from which the bin men can collect and return them.
Putting out the rubbish is never a popular task, so it became a bit of a game! ‘Who fancies putting out the organic and glass tonight?!’ (don’t all shout at once!) Organic is not a great one to miss, as you don’t want rotting peelings and scrapings from the dinner plates festering for too long. How convenient that they collected this cateogory of rubbish three times a week!
Paul had this clever idea that the blackboard could double up as suggestions for Wedding Anniversary gifts! After all, for the 1st Wedding Anniversary, paper gifts are quite traditional (we have a paper category on our blackboard) , for the 2nd Anniversary, fruit and flowers are suggested (trash category?) and then there is crystal or glass for the 3rd year (empty wine bottles only on Mondays for some reason).
Are we the only people to have these ridiculous flights of fantasy?
This is the kind of cookery book to persuade meat eaters to eat more vegetarian food! I am a confirmed omnivore but love vegetables and meals without meat. Yotam Ottolenghi is a particular favourite of mine, with his Middle- Eastern slant on food. He was born in Israel, and is Israeli-British. I probably identify with Yotam as he is not a vegetarian either, but was asked to write this book by The Guardian.
This book is beautiful in itself, and, like all of Yotam’s books, is a high-quality hardback with a substantial cover rather than the traditional boards with a dust-jacket. Inside there are beautful line drawings of vegetables as well as really enticing photos of every dish.
As a non-vegetarian I make no judgements on the views of others, but personally am not a fan of tofu, quorn and other specific vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes. Maybe ‘meat substitute’ is the wrong expression to use, but I am not sure how else to explain what I mean. Yotam includes very little of these ingredients in his recipes, which for me is a definite plus point. Two of the recipes which include tofu are Gado Gado and Mee Goreng. My answer is to substitute halloumi or paneer, which I love (vegans may not approve!)
Before I go on to list some of my favourite recipes from this book, it is probably worth assessing which recipes are suitable for vegans. I was discussing this subject with my fellow-blogger Niki di Palma (https://westslidestory.com/) who is indeed a vegan! Apparently lots of vegetarian cookery books are not great for vegans, as the recipes tend to use a lot of cheese and yoghurt.
I can see some recipes which could certainly have the cheese or yoghurt removed to make them vegan-friendly. I have made the Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad on a number of occasions, and I see no harm in leaving out the yoghurt, or maybe using coconut milk instead. There are some other lovely salad recipes in the book, such as Beetroot, Orange and Black Olive, Green Bean with Mustard Seeds and Tarragon and Mango and Coconut Rice. On a warm day I think that a selection of these salads would make a substantial meal. Main course recipes which are vegan without adaptations include: The Ultimate Winter Couscous (ingredients include pumpkin, carrots, parsnips and chickpeas), Gado Gado, Mee Goreng (both already mentioned), Broad Bean Burgers, Black Pepper Tofu (despite my aversion to tofu, this one might even have me converted!), Quinoa and Grilled Sourdough Salad and Soba Noodles with Aubergine and Mango.
I am particularly keen on the recipes for: Lentils with Grilled Aubergine (this satisfies my constant cravings for puy lentils and yoghurt), Chard and Saffron Omelettes (did I mention that I also adore eggs?), Very Full Tart (filled with sweet potatoes, aubergine, peppers and tomatoes), Chickpea, Tomato and Bread Soup and Tamara’s Ratatouille (also vegan!)
This book is very adaptable and would also suit a confirmed meat-eater who would like some more interesting ways of jazzing up meat meals. Many of the dishes would go well on a buffet table or work as accompaniments to roasted and grilled meats.
I am still enjoying cooking with figs, although our crop from the garden is nearly finished. I indulged in some shop-bought figs recently and tried this recipe from the Waitrose Magazine. I show you below the recipe from the Waitrose Magazine and my own version. I used soft goats’ cheese instead of taleggio on this occasion. I do love taleggio, but surprisingly had none in the fridge when I decided to make this as part of a selection of tapas last night. It was so good, and I shall certainly be making it again as a first course or on a big platter as canapes. There is something really satisfying about hot canapes.
Split Figs, stuffed with Taleggio, walnuts, thyme and honey
Split Figs, Stuffed with Cheese, Walnuts, Thyme and Honey
The other tapas I made were streaky bacon-wrapped halloumi and chilli crostini topped with finely chopped tomatoes, mixed with olive oil and fresh basil. In the picture you can also see my favourite sweet-pickled herrings and a dip made from Greek yoghurt, home-made mango chutney and smoked paprika.
I have a whole bookcase dedicated to cookery books, and I do actually use them. Apparently this is not always the case; I am told that many people own cookery books and do not cook any recipes from them. This is not to say that I do not sometimes change and adapt recipes or invent my own recipes. You may be thinking that I spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen, and you would be right! I am going to share some of my favourites with you, and am starting by reviewing a selection by specific writers.
Nigella Bites was published in 2001, although I am not sure how long I have owned it. A quick skim through the book and I can count at least 21 recipes I have cooked from this book, many of them on numerous occasions. I love Nigella’s chatty, descriptive style and her suggestions for changing, adapting and even (dare I say it?!) improving the recipes. She is also one of the chefs I enjoy watching on television. My one rule for watching chefs on television is that the content of the programme has to be the pure pleasure of food with no competitiveness. Thus I am not a fan of Masterchef or The Great British Bake Off. Anyway, I digress.
I know that not everyone enjoys Nigella’s style. She is very sexy and attractive and enjoys her food very much. I must admit that I do love gazing at other peoples’ kitchens. I have a very small kitchen, and sometimes try to do too much in it.
The format of Nigella’s recipe books is to organise by themes and menus rather than conventionally grouping together all the starters, main courses, puddings and so on. Some of the chapters in Nigella Bites are: All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, Trashy, Suppertime and Slow-Cook Weekend.
There are some recipes in this book which I shall probably never try. I am not a fan of pomegranate seeds: I have tried them and find them completely bitter and indigestible. Pomegranate molasses is a different matter – I love it and use it frequently. I am also not keen on the Jewish way of making chicken soup, so I’ll not be trying the version in this book. Another recipe I am not tempted to try is the Ham in Cocoa Cola, however much it might be recommended! Some of my favourite recipes are:
Welsh-Rarebit Muffins – cake-style savoury muffins which are wonderful for breakfast.
Double Potato and Halloumi Bake – a really excellent vegetarian dish which is good for everyday as well as being special enough for a party dish.
Chocolate Fudge Cake – one of many chocolate cake recipes by Nigella; this one has a lovely squidgy chocolate icing made with plain chocolate. At this point I need to show you the evidence that I have made this cake on many occasions. See the state that this page is in, in my book!
Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry – this is one recipe I turn to again and again. I sometimes serve it with basmati rice, or I have made it more soupy and just served it in big bowls.
Bitter Orange Ice-cream – again I have made this on many occasions. It is the easiest orange ice-cream ever to make, being completely made from cream rather than from a custard base. Nigella also helpfully has instructions for making either with seville oranges (only available for a short time in the winter) or with sweet oranges and limes.
Soft and Sharp Involtini – this is a wonderful Italian vegetarian dish of stuffed aubergine slices. It is easy enough to make for a mid-week meal, although some may dispute this (I spend a reasonable amount of time preparing evening meals and am also very quick at putting meals together once I know a recipe well).
Bream with Anchovies and Thyme, served with the following recipe of Chick Peas with Chilli, Garlic and Thyme. Nigella uses two of my favourite ingredients in this medley – anchovies and chick peas.
Chocolate Pots – I show you below the photo of my pages, which have been stuck together with chocolate. A good thing I more or less know the ingredients! This is the easiest of cold chocolate pots to make and can easily be adapted for larger quantities.
Chocolate Pots recipe
I hope that you enjoy this cookery book as much as I do. It really is worth having a look at, and none of the recipes contain ingredients which are difficult to get hold of. Simplicity is the key in this book.
We are staying in a small but very modern and clean apartment in Lu Bagnu in Sardinia. This year I found the property through Airbnb, rather than the usual Owners Direct. I had to make some compromises, as property was more difficult to find at a reasonable price than on the mainland. I suspect too that there are more apartments than villas, and so we have had to go with some shared facilities, including the pool. I do love my swimming, and prefer a private pool. This time I could not find anything suitable, and, before we arrived, I had no idea how many apartments we would be sharing the pool with. No matter, we are also a short walk from the beach, and I do love sea swimming.
Anyway, back to the apartment itself. It is basically a kitchen/lounge/dining room with a separate bedroom and a shower room. This in itself will be a challenge, as my daughter Jess will be arriving for the second week of our holiday here, and so we’ll have to get out the sofa bed. There is nowhere for her to store her clothes and other belongings – could be interesting!
What is it about the Italians and kitchen equipment, in particular, sharp knives for cooking?! Five years ago in our villa in Tuscany I wrote a blog piece about the lack of sharp knives and the fact that I was given short shrift when I enquired if some could be supplied! I thought that the average Italian loved cooking and would demand the best equipment! Admittedly our host in Sardinia is a businessman who does not spend much time on the island. He has been very helpful and relaxed, and assured us that his mother would be here to meet us. We were also advised to let them know if anything at all was lacking in the apartment.
First problem is that my Italian is almost non-existent, Paul’s is limited and Mrs Alberto’s is practically non-existent! (I still have not found out her name! We do not even know Alberto’s surname). Well, I could write a long list of what I could do with in the kitchen, but that would seem rude and not my style at all. For me the bare necessities lacking were sharp knives and wine glasses. There is a picture in this piece of the steak knife I tried to use (miraculously not slicing off any fingers in the process, as it slipped) for chopping vegetables, and of the carrots consequently very badly cut.
I duly rang Alberto, who expressed surprise that I had not asked his ‘mom’ for help. I then explained about the language barrier, and he became much more relaxed and willing to help. I have to say again though that I only asked for knives and wine glasses, not pointing out, in typical British fashion, that the corkscrew was also inadequate! The next day, he e-mailed me to say that his mother would be calling by with some new equipment, and that he did not want her to leave it outside the door as it was all very expensive. Oh goody I thought! Lovely Sabatier chef’s knives!
I opened the door on Monday morning to find a whole pile of equipment in boxes outside the door, and Mrs Alberto soon appeared to show off the shiny, new purchases. What had arrived then? A big box of saucepans, a cruet set, two salad bowls, two packs of glasses, both tumblers and wine types, a new set of cutlery, salad servers, a kitchen roll holder and an iron and ironing board! (no cuddly toy!) The ironing board did come in useful, as you will read in a later blog post! Where were the knives? Confusion arose, as Mrs A was extremely crest-fallen that I seemed to be disappointed. Luckily I know how to say thank-you in Italian, indeed I can say ‘Grazie Mille’ (many thanks). She then resorted to google translate on her phone to try to find out what we needed. We had to pass the phone back and forth between us, as we could not get any wifi on our phones! I was somewhat aghast when she wrote on the screen ‘tutto quello che mi hai dato è spazzatura completa’ (everything you have given me is complete rubbish), indicating that this is what I was trying to convey to her. ‘No, no’ I said. I then had the phrase, ‘I just need some sharp knives for chopping meat and vegetables’ translated into Italian: ‘Ho solo bisogno di alcuni coltelli affilati per tagliare carne e verdure’ (in case you ever need that phrase!) She showed me the steak knives in the drawer, and we told her that they were no good. Does this Italian lady cook anything at all, or has she bucked the trend? I decided to use body language to indicate a preference for small, medium and large.
One consequence of having to wait for the knives was that we ended up with an extremely stale loaf of bread, as we could neither tear it with our hands nor cut it with an eating knife! No matter, I am a dab hand at making delicious food out of stale bread.
The positive end to the story is that later that day Mrs A brought some brand new knives for me, and all is well. However, the wifi is still pathetic, and I have a long list to make of other equipment that Alberto needs to buy for his apartment (a can opener for instance would please many visitors!) I get the feeling that he is quite new to this business.
If you read the link to my review of his property on Trip Adviser which I shall be writing later on, you will understand that this is a good property and very pleasant, as well as being in a great location.
The pattern of our long jaunts in Europe for the past few years has been to spend a week travelling and staying in hotels (we did try camping a few times, but have reverted back to hotels now!), two or three weeks in a self-catering villa or apartment and then another week travelling home staying in hotels.
I am always responsible for booking the self-catering accommodation, as I have exacting requirements regarding the kitchen and swimming pool. Paul plans our routes using the Atlases and Google maps, so he books the ferries and hotel accommodation. He always books a range of hotels, some of which are very cheap and some of which are mid-range or upmarket. Booking several months ahead means he can find some excellent deals and discounts. He has been in the habit of booking somewhere really special and more upmarket for our last night. For instance, last year we stayed in a Parador in Spain, which was an incredible experience!
We arrived at Maison Ailleurs late afternoon on Friday 25th August. We could tell immediately that this was going to be a completely different kind of experience. Yes it was our treat, our posh hotel, but this was not a hotel with a restaurant or bar or grand public areas. There was no pool or spa. This was truly a home-from-home, although nothing like our modest cottage! Madame Valerie Genique came out to meet us, and we were able to park the car very conveniently in the courtyard. She explained to me the next day that they do not believe that it is good practice in a small hotel to have reception staff sitting at a desk, rather that the greeting process should be more personal.
The Staircase at Maison Ailleurs
Valerie showed us our suite, which is one of three in the hotel, Chambre Le Jardin. As you can see in the photos, the decor is beautiful, and the colours happen to be my very favourite, a blue/turquoise reminiscent of the sea. The suite comprises a large bedroom, a walk-in wardrobe, a separate toilet, a dressing room/shower room and a kitchenette. The ceilings are very high and the beautiful turquoise curtains are floor-to-ceiling- maybe about 15′ high. As we live in a cottage in which we can touch the ceilings without standing on a ladder, this was a bit of a novelty. There are such beautiful, personal touches everywhere: proper glasses and a welcome bottle of water by the bed; large towels, dressing gowns, a choice of seating and a writing table and beautifully wrapped soap. In the kitchenette you could make yourself a decent cup of coffee with the machine provided, or even prepare some simple snacks before going out for dinner. I do welcome fridges in hotel rooms. It amazes me how many hotels in the mediterranean provide extra blankets, but no fridge. What I really want after a hot journey is a long, cold drink and the facility to chill more drinks.
The Dressing Room in Chambre Le Jardin at Maison Ailleurs
The Bedroom at Maison Ailleurs
Valerie explained to us that breakfast would be served either in the room or out in the garden if the weather was fine. She also told us that in Chartres throughout the summer season there is an amazing festival of lights around the city, and pointed out on the local map the best place to look for restaurants.
We had a wonderful night’s sleep, and were pleased to make use of the excellent shower twice; many hotel rooms have really inadequate showers, and many a time have I flooded floors or stood under a freezing or too-hot jet of water. By the morning Paul had persuaded me that I should interview Valerie for my blog piece. I was feeling more confident about my French speaking skills, as always happens when we stay in the country. In fact the owner of the previous hotel had complimented me on my language skills.
We had a delicious breakfast; yoghurt, granola, a superior strawberry smoothie, a small, delicious cake, croissants and plenty of good quality bread with butter and jam. We turned down the offer of eggs. Oh, and not forgetting a generous cafetiere – I do love my coffee! This was all served by Monsieur and Madame in the garden.
Paul enjoying his Petit Dejeuner dans le Jardin de Maison Ailleurs
I chatted to Valerie in French for about 20 minutes after breakfast. We sat in the beautiful garden. What is most appealing about the garden is that it is divided into little rooms, rather than having an expanse of lawn with beds. It was a great compliment to me that it emerged from the conversation that her husband is in fact English! He made some coffee and left us to it, and she did not speak in English at all. Maison Ailleurs has featured in magazines and guides, including some of the Alastair Sawday guides (excellent source of high-quality hotels and B and Bs).
The couple have four young children; we did not see them at all. They obviously take up a lot of time, but Valerie still has time to run an amazing establishment with her husband. They bought the house in 2012, and started living there in 2013. They completed many renovations and redecoration of the house and have three rooms for paying guests. Chambre Le Jardin, the suite we stayed in, is in fact the smallest. There are two other suites, Chambre L’Eveche on the same floor as ours, and a family suite, Chambre Charles V. This suite apparently occupies most of the second floor and is very extensive and ideal for a couple with a baby.
Maison Ailleurs is open all year round, but there is a quiet period from November to May. Usually the family takes a holiday for one week in July and one week in August.
Valerie and Sarah in the Garden of Maison Ailleurs
During the conversation, the other English couple who were staying came over to say good-bye, and I had a friendly conversation with them. I felt I had to tell them that I had photographed their car, as for us it was a rare event over our 4 week holiday to see another GB registered car!
Obviously the Geniques employ a housekeeper and gardener, but it is clear that they are very hands-on and that this is what makes the hotel so personal and unique.
By the way, we did go to the Lumieres show, which was spectacular. See the pictures below.
Chartres Cathedral – Les Lumieres
Les Lumieres by the water in Chartres
If you travelling through Chartres or even plan to stay for longer, I cannot reccommend this hotel highly enough. It is a little bit of luxury that I think we all need from time to time! Have a look at the website to make a booking: http://www.maisonailleurs.com/index.html
Some Roman Bridge or other in Alghero with a bit missing
Whenever we drive right into the middle of a city along a cobbled street which looks as if it should not be accessible to cars I always say, ‘oh well we’re tourists!’ Not that anyone has ever challenged us. We once famously drove right under the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, completely unintentionally. Although there seem to be fewer pedestrianised streets in Southern European cities than in the UK, driving under the aqueduct was not meant to be an option! We think that locals are so bemused by seeing a UK registered car in such unlikely places, that generally they take no notice and do not challenge us!
Anyway, back to my original question. I decided that my best place for research would be amongst my Archers Appreciation friends on Facebook. They are such a lovely, witty, intelligent and friendly bunch of people that I often turn to them for ideas. Okay, I am a librarian by profession and know about the value of reliable research and what a wide range of sources there are. However, this article, like most of those on my blog, is meant to be fun and light-hearted. I shall not be referencing using the Harvard system.
At the end of July, the beginning of our long summer holiday, I asked them: ‘What is the difference between a tourist and a traveller?’ I agreed that I would quote their comments and mention them by first name. These are some of the responses I had. I shall then decide whether on balance their responses can prove definitively whether Paul and I are indeed tourists or travellers!
‘Travellers are nice people like us, tourists are other people.’ (Andrew)
‘A traveller is a pretentious tourist.’ (Jean)
‘Delusion.’ (Gina)
‘I travel, you are a tourist, he is a day-tripper.’ (Kate)
‘A traveller thinks they are better than tourists and thinks they are keeping it real! Travellers may wash less often – unless I am travelling! (Niki)
‘We like to think of ourselves as travellers – probably a bit pretentious I know – because we tend to travel for long periods and get close to the lives of real people as we go, rather than just going to see some attraction. I usually take the trouble to learn at least a little of the language if possible.'(Les)
‘A tourist is someone else, making the crowds bigger and the queues longer; a traveller is me, not part of the crowd or queue, just caught up in them.’ (Jamie)
‘A tourist pays for their holiday, a traveller has it paid for by their parents.’ (Dinsdale)
Reply from Helen: ‘Even in middle/old age?’
Reply from Jamie: ‘Oh god no, those yoof backpackers are decidedly tourists.’
‘A tourist takes a photo every 5 minutes, a traveller is content just to look.’ (Joan)
‘Travellers never stay at all-inclusive resorts, they are strictly for the tourists.’ (Louise)
‘I would say a tourist wants to look at places, and a traveller wants to experience places.’ (Sarah)
‘We are travellers; they are tourists. Probably working class. Or American.’ (John)
‘Tourists go where they are led. Travellers go where they will. Tourists seek comfortable situations. Travellers put up with whatever comes their way.’ (Di)
‘I spent 7 days in Petra and visited the site 5 times from different angles and loved talking to the Nabataean; they realised I wasn’t going to hire their donkey so used to just chat about life and drink mint tea.’ (Rachel)
‘Round here, travellers set up their caravans in the local park and leave mountains of rubbish and human poo behind when they depart several weeks later.’ (Deb) – As Les pointed out, this could be the wrong sort of traveller!
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions and contributions from my lovely Archers’ friends. In a way I think that Andrew, Kate, Jean, Gina and Niki have hit the nail on the head. I don’t like to think that we are better than other people. Paul and I talk about ourselves being ‘travellers’ in a jokey way. I do like to visit the attractions of the city, the places that everyone else wants to go to. For instance, when we arrived in Bilbao at the beginning of our journey, we spent several hours in the Guggenheim museum. According to Joan, I am definitely more of a tourist than Paul, as I do take a lot of photos. For our 4 week holiday this year, I have probably taken about 1000 photos, and it is going to take a long time to sort them out! I also like to do silly things, such as standing in the same pose as a statue and getting Paul to photograph me!
Flowery Dog outside the Guggenheim
Sarah with Garibaldi in Palau
We do like to plan our holidays, and always book accommodation in advance. We wash every day, and always eat in restaurants or I cook proper meals in our villa. We do not eat street food or walk around eating – something to do with my upbringing I daresay! I actually love the look of street food, but just want a table and chairs to complete the experience! The planning is partly because we like home comforts, and partly because we often travel at peak times – getting decent accommodation in August last minute is not easy! We also like self-catering, and this is really not practical or even possible to book last minute.
Louise points out that a traveller would never stay at an all-inclusive resort. Okay, at this point I had to make my confession to my friends that we did do this for our honeymoon in Cuba! (July 2004)To be honest, I think that most of the hotels in Cuba are all-inclusive, and it may have been difficult to do otherwise. We did love the holiday, but it is the only time we have ever stayed in a hotel for 2 weeks and not done any cooking at all! I am not sure we’ll ever do it again, although one of my ambitions is to go on a cruise; my dream holiday is a world cruise for several months! If Paul reads this, there is a great one advertised in the back of the Radio Times – 120 nights departing in January 2019. Passenger 1 pays from £15,999 and passenger 2 goes free!
Rachel’s comments about her experiences in Petra sound very much like our idea of making the most of a place. We often return to a favourite city, and sometimes just wander the streets, not visiting any museums or cathedrals. My favourite activity is to sit in cafes and restaurants and watch the world go by. When we went to the Alpujarras a few years back, we went to Granada several times at different times of the day; once we went early morning, and another time we went in the evening just for dinner. On another visit we did go to the Alhambra Palace, although the intense heat nearly defeated me!
However, when it comes down to it, I know that I am more of a tourist than Paul is. I adore tourist shops and buying souvenirs and gifts to take home. I send about a dozen postcards to friends and family whilst we are away. Paul is in his element when visiting archaeological sites, and has a particular passion for Visigothic sites (okay, my little joke! I believe there are not actually that many Visigothic sites world-wide!) I am convinced that an interest in the Visigoths is not common among tourists! This summer there were many interesting archaeological sites to visit in Sardinia, and I do enjoy these experiences, just not in the heat! Paul very kindly found places for me to rest and amuse myself whilst he went exploring. Luckily he was usually able to find me a beautiful beach with crystal clear sea, and my favourite activity on holiday in August (yes, it even comes above going to the shops!) is swimming. Now, would you consider swimming to be a tourist activity? Certainly on our travels, we came across very few UK visitors, and we did not see another GB registered car for many weeks (not until we reached Chamonix). However, there did seem to be a lot of local tourism.
Les makes a really good point about learning the language. I do feel less of a tourist in France because I speak French (could be fluent if I made the effort!) In fact, I was very pleased to interview our host at our final hotel in France, conducting the entire conversation in French (watch out for my future blog post about Maison Ailleurs). Paul also speaks French (not as well as I do!) and has a smattering of Italian. We both speak a few words in Spanish and can just about manage menus in Italy and Spain. We picked up a bit of Portuguese too, last year. Sometimes I get utterly confused and have spoken short sentences partly in French, Italian and Spanish!
Our mode of travel is probably unusual to some. We very rarely fly (I cannot remember the last time we went on an aeroplane – maybe 7 years ago?) This year we went on 5 ferries – Portsmouth to Bilbao, Barcelona to Sardinia, Sardinia to Corsica, Corsica to Genoa and finally Caen to Portsmouth. On ferries 2, 3 and 4 we were the only UK travellers as far as we could make out! Ours was certainly the only GB, right-hand drive car on these ferries, something which did confuse some of the ferry staff! Now, I ask you this, would a tourist travel all that way by 5 ferries and hundreds of miles of driving?! My daughter came to join us in Sardinia for a week, taking the more conventional route from Heathrow to Olbia!
So, what do you think? Are we tourists or travellers? Does it really matter?!
We often joke that our beautiful, rented cottage should be called Fig Cottage rather than Vine Cottage. The fig trees that you see in the picture are really prolific and yield plenty of fruit each year. The vine sometimes yields a good crop of grapes, but they are pippy and do not taste good. I have tried juice, jelly, wine…. you name it, but nothing is worth the effort!
Anyway, to return to the fig trees. The only way of harvesting ours is to climb up a ladder, as they are too high up to reach and inevitably they drop splat on the ground when ripe! This is our first serious year of harvesting figs, as although we have lived here for 12 years, we did not invest in the ladder for a few years, and then kept failing to erect it in time for the fig season. I am not a great climber, so this task is left to Paul in our great way of the household division of labour. After all, you would not catch him standing over the stove making a tasty dish from home-grown figs. The cottage is not very tall, which is a good for the task of climbing up to pick figs. It was a gloriously hot day when we tackled this task, which was most welcome, as, having just returned from a month of almost non-stop sunshine in Southern Europe, we were glad not to be confronted by a typical English August.
Here I am with the basket of figs. I shall then give you the recipes for the dishes I made from them, with one link where I used someone else’s recipe.
Sarah with a Basket of Figs from Vine Cottage
For lunch that day I made a salad, which I am sure is very similar to fig salads made by many others. Here is my version:
Slice some fresh figs, and drizzle with honey and olive oil. Grill for about five minutes until soft, slightly charred and hot. Add a few slices of soft cheese; I used Chaource, but taleggio or goats’ cheese would be good. Grill for a few more minutes until melted and oozing. Serve with parma ham or prosciutto cotto, dressed with a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Grind over some black pepper and sea salt. You could have some lovely ciabatta with it, or some linguette flatbreads, which we love. I was very restrained and had neither, just choosing to have another salad of tomatoes and avocado to make my complete lunch.
Grilled Figs, Prosciutto and Chaource with Honey
Dejeuner dans Le Jardin
My next idea was to make fig rolls. I have to say that I have never enjoyed them when bought in the shops, or have possibly just looked at them and thought ‘yuck!’ The idea of making them with fresh figs seemed a good one, although having done it once, I think I’ll do it again with dried figs. This time I needed some help, as when making cakes and pastries, for texture and consistency I prefer to leave the research to the experts. I turned to Felicity Cloake (@felicitycloake) in The Guardian for this recipe, as I have often enjoyed her ‘How to make the Perfect….’ series of recipes. Here is the link to her excellent recipe: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/may/05/how-to-make-the-perfect-fig-rolls The only change I made was to use fresh figs. Also, I was out of soft plain flour, so used strong plain instead, which was fine. My other flour was spelt flour. We had fig rolls warm for pudding in the evening, with a scoop of home-made banana ice-cream – wonderful combination!
Fig Rolls made to Felicity Cloake’s Recipe
For dinner last night, before consuming the fig rolls, I decided to make a seasonal dish of chicken with figs and honey. For this , I jointed a chicken and so we had a breast, and two legs divided into drumsticks and thighs. We did not finish it all between the two of us, and there is still a breast and some wing pieces for more chicken dishes. If you have never jointed a chicken, give it a go! It makes for some really economical meals, rather than buying chicken pieces separately. I have a big sharp knife and a pair of poultry shears for the job.
I roasted the chicken joints with olive oil and rosemary and a few mushrooms. At the same time I prepared a dish of new potatoes and fennel. I parboiled some sliced new potatoes and an onion, then layered them with a raw sliced fennel bulb and a drizzle of olive oil and some creme fraiche. I baked this in the oven with the chicken at 180 degrees celsius for about 40 minutes. After this, the potatoes continued to cook and I added a drizzle of honey and half a dozen sliced figs to the chicken dish. I then covered the potato dish with foil and turned up the oven to finish cooking the chicken for 15 minutes. To finish it off I took the chicken, figs and mushrooms out of the tin and boiled up the delicious juices with a glass of cider. This happened to be from a bottle that we bought in Spain on our travels.
This chicken and fig creation was declared good, and definitely one to be repeated (even with some shop-bought figs!)
Figgy Chicken with Baked New Potatoes and Fennel
All of these dishes were made from the basket of figs that you see in the picture above, and there were still a few left for breakfast for me; my standard breakfast is Greek yoghurt and honey with fresh fruit.
Salmorejo, as I am sure you know, is a Spanish recipe, but that is no reason for not making it when on holiday in Italy. I used to wonder what the difference is between this soup and the more commonly known Gazpacho. I have come to the conclusion that salmorejo includes bread, whereas gazpacho does not. They can both be smooth or chunky, and have essential ingredients of: tomatoes, olive oil, a bit of spice and some fresh herbs. They should also be served very cold with some toppings for extra texture. I give you below my latest version for Salmorejo. If you are making gazpacho, you can include other finely chopped salad ingredients such as cucumber and fennel. Some people may protest that this recipe is not authentic, but who cares?! It tasted good and used up some of the stale bread.
Recipe to Serve Two People
First cut up, or hack or tear your bread, depending on tools available. I used half of an average-sized crusty loaf. Blitz it in a blender or food processor, although large crumbs are best. If your loaf is not as stale as mine was, you could just tear it into small pieces.
Skin 6 large, juicy tomatoes by pouring boiled water over them and pulling off the skins with your hands. Add these to the blender with the bread still in. Add half a can of tomatoes, a glug of olive oil, half a handful of parsley and the same of basil, a teaspoon of hot, smoked paprika, some rosemary leaves and some tabasco if you have it. You could add a splash of any type of vinegar. Add a can of water and plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend it all together until it is not too smooth. Put into a jug in the fridge and add a few ice cubes if you have them. Chill for at least an hour. Meanwhile hard-boil two eggs, fry some chopped bacon with some cubed bread and chop a few cherry tomatoes. Chop some more parsley and basil. Serve the soup in bowls with the chopped garnishes on the side for people to help themselves to.
You will have noticed that this soup contains a little meat. The good news is that if you remove the bacon, it becomes a vegetarian recipe! Furthermore if you remove the eggs it becomes a vegan recipe! So simple! Enjoy!
