Here in a Sicilian courtyard, under a palm we speak of times past with Anna in the garden and her beloved forgotten fruits the sorb apple, quince and mulberry we bloody our hands with juice and pick less forgotten figs high up in the tree we are surrounded by 1000 …
I heard the cicada’s sing in the tall cottonwood trees, midday today. For them the conditions were delightful. It was a sign. There are cucumbers in the garden, as well as scallion and dill, perfect for a cool summer evening soup. It would be refreshing and fit the sunset hour. I thought, if it’s hot enough for them to sing, it’s hot enough for us to eat cool cucumber soup.
In Amalfi, we found ourselves off the beaten path and in the kitchen of a dear friend’s mother, who taught us to make a traditional Pasticciotto Napoletano,
Fishing in the Black Canyon, a video by Graham Markel.
Recipe: Pesce Mediterraneo
1 lb of fresh white fish
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives
2 cloves of garlic, smashed, sliced
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
a splash of white wine
salt and pepper
to taste (remember the olives)
or: use a bit of crushed red pepperoncino for pizzazz!
Our first morning sail took us around to the south side of Procida, to see the panoramic pastel houses that grace the island, all bunched together like a bee colony.
SHAPE sniffs out the best cooking schools in the most alluring settings around the world: “Immerse yourself into a world of exquisite luxury, bucolic beauty, heady hospitality and a symphony of tastes with Peggy Markel’s adventures.” What’s Cooking In Paradise? SHAPE Middle East Magazine June 2011 Read more.
The honey colored beaches of Morocco’s Atlantic coast stretch out, scalloping around rock promontories, offering seemingly endless miles to nowhere.
Mubarak took us up the long winding trail above the Kasbah to the closest village called Ammand. Breathtaking in everyway, the splendor of white on white is a freshness that penetrates the dullest of senses. White cherry blossoms in the green valley, practically holds hands with a snow capped Mt. Toubkal at 13,655 ft. The sky is beyond blue. The call to prayer bounces off the nearby mountains as the runoff rushes full on in a waterfall down to the valley below.
Yet, this time, there was some worry about arriving amid political unrest, which is quite rare if ever. After Tunisia and Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Algeria and Libya followed suit. Some of these North African countries fared better than others during the protests, and Libya no doubt was like upsetting a hornet’s nest.