Vin Santo in the Making
Only the essence of what’s left after drying is good enough to press for Vin Santo. Deep honey notes like a kiss on the lips.
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Sicilian chocolate and… caper ice cream?!?
On both our trips to Sicily in the Spring and Sicily and the Aeolian Islands in the Fall, we have the opportunity to prepare dishes using traditional Sicilian ingredients, including an expectedly delicious twist on ice cream – with salty, pungent capers.
Capofaro: A whitewashed paradise
Capofaro. A whitewashed paradise on the island of Salina in the Aeolian islands off the northeast coast of Sicily. It’s one of those places you want to get away to.
In Morocco on 9-11
I was in Essaouira, Morocco on 9-11, 2001, drinking tea in a cafe near the beach. I was entertained by this old Moroccan man who came to the bar with his donkey.
Cibreo Vivaio, or Florentine musings
Fabio Picchi of Cibreo fame, has realized yet another dream ~ a small organic supermarcato + vivaio (nursery) on the terrazza next to mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. Love at first sight to see an unbelievable variety of fruits all named and spread artfully on the table. I wanted to pull up a chaise and lounge, paint or just study. Plants and seeds are available.
Recipes: Chutneys ~ Coconut and Coriander
When in New Delhi, India for our Culinary Adventure in Rajasthan, we visit the home of our friends Shoba and Mohan for a family style meal where coconut and coriander chutneys are always favorites. We learn from Shoba some of the dishes that she prepares for her family and she shares some of her favorite recipes with us. While Shoba cooks vegetarian meals, these two delicious chutneys she taught us made with fresh coconut and coriander (cilantro) are simple to prepare and will elevate any meal, vegetarian or not.
One man’s temple is another man’s palace
Devi Garh, our Palace fortress up above the village waits with a silver thali on a low marble table that looks over the valley, beds with white linens and a view. The food is very similar, just presented differently, yet we are not cut off from one another. We are close and smile and, able to share a kind word.
One man’s temple is another man’s palace. Namaste.
There’s more to sailing than sailing
There’s more to sailing than sailing. Sailing is what you do after everything has been done, like lift the sails, check the direction of the wind, wind the ropes… just like having a fire after you have chopped the wood and set it aflame.
Start Close In — A poem by David Whyte
David Whyte is not only a poet I admire, he is a friend. For several years, along with a few other friends, we accompanied him on a sort of annual pilgrimage, having good conversations about whatever particular harvest one might be experiencing in one’s life while roaming the Tuscan countryside.