First Harvest!

Upon moving into my flat last August, I discovered that out front there was a trough full of strawberry plants that the previous tenants must have left behind.  I have taken care of them and finally this week I was rewarded with my first harvest!

I haven't had a strawberry straight from the plant since I was a kid, and man, heaven!  So tart, and most importantly, red on the inside.  Looking forward to more ... I hope I get a good crop!

Pizza Vesuvio

Perhaps you know, probably you don't, but I have had a little bit of a "beautiful cookbook" obsession going on.  My most recent purchase has gotten a considerable workout this week.  I got the book Buonissimo! by the Italian Gino D'Acampo.  Lots of pretty food pics and full of simple ingredient meals I would (and did) find loads of pleasure making.

So, Saturday I set out the ingredient list - squid ("cleaned and ringed"), red chili peppers, leeks, turbot fillets, Parmesan, sea bass filets, lemons, cherry tomatoes, rocket (arugula), dry yeast ...   My four recipes for dinner this week were going to be sea bass carpaccio, roasted leeks with turbot fillets, squid/chorizo/chick pea salad, and a pizza vesuvio - all four from the book.

All are deemed successes.  How fun!!  Had a couple friends pop by last Saturday, and fortunately for them they got the sea bass carpaccio - whoa, delicious.  Raw fillets, sliced thin, covered in lemon juice, and then topped with slivers of red chili, fresh thyme leaves (didn't need to buy herbs because the herb garden is growing strong!), served with crackers.

Then I made the roasted turbot fillets Sunday night, quite pleasing.  Turbot is one of those really thin fish that swim horizontally, like a flounder, so if was cool to see my local fish monger actually cleaning this thing.  This was my first encounter working with leeks, though I know I have eaten them many time pureed in soups.  I actually had to google how to cut and wash them.  Slap all this on a tin pan, squeezed with lemon juice, joined with cherry tomatoes, and broiled it up.  Yum.

Monday's chorizo and squid salad was easy and healthy (well, as healthy as chorizo can be), a full meal because of the white beans.  The closer tonight - the pizza vesuvio - was exceptional.

Made my own homemade crust from scratch (though it didn't really rise like I expected - must be a latitude thing), and topped with kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, fresh grated Parmesan, basil leaves, and of course a bit of the chorizo.  Bingo!  Man, I had been thinking about eating this entire pizza in one sitting all day!  Done, and since I ate fish and veg all week, well deserved.

Accompany these by the Riesling out of my wine 'o the quarter club and one needs no more.  I have to say, these Saturday meal and shopping sessions have made me question seriously what travel is truly worth missing it for.

Wine Club

It should be of no surprise to anyone reading this blog that I am a wine-o.  Not only do I enjoy the drinking process, I do really enjoy the science behind how growing and production conditions can really drive out different flavors from the same grape.

I have had my favorites for quite some time (Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and just about any red out of Northern Italy) but do like trying pretty much anything.  There is a cool wine shop near my house called The Sampler that has various tasting machines around and you put credits on a card and can taste at will.  Makes for an enjoyable weekend afternoon.

Last weekend in the store I noticed a box of wine with a bottle of Amarone - no matter the situation this word will stop me dead in my tracks.  Amarone is a a form of Valpolicella that allows the grapes to actually dry on the vine before pressing, causing more concentration of the sugars.  Anyway, this box had one in it and I needed more information on how to get my hands on it.

Thus ... I am now a member of the wine club!  Each quarter a case of twelve carefully selected wines will arrive at my doorstep, decked out with information and food pairing suggestions for each one.  Sweet.  Combined with my new cookbooks, this is going to make for a very pleasing summer.  Now taking reservations.

Can't resist ...

The kind of place, if you had the fortune of not knowing anything else existed you would never leave.

On each occasion I have been here I have been awed, spun around with wonder.  My past few trips (because I have to be here often for work) I have spent an intentionally spare morning or afternoon sitting in the plaza, dining at one of the many cafes that line the walls.

Winter or summer, the sky is always emerald blue and the sun like a diamond in the sky (hey, now I know how they came up with that song,).  I sit here, eating a 3 course meal with a 3 course wine (if you know what I mean) and simply reflect.

The people-watching here is remarkable, since it is quite a touristy spot (which typically I avoid, but honestly there is simply something spiritual about this place) and to some degree I think that adds to the joy - people popping champagne at 2 in the afternoon, couples making out under an umbrella, and tourist groups of young people walking in to see the splendor for their first time.

Ah Plaza Mayor ... I can't resist.  
P.S.  Thanks for the sun burn.

Introducing the English Rose

It is clear that the star of the garden for May is the rose.  The wisteria is gone, blue bells are too.  Make way for the sweet, tart smell of the English rose.  Not joking, again it seems that every yard has over the top amounts of roses.  The bushes are full of them, and even my own flat has two bushes weighted down with peach and white blooms.

And they smell ... great ... like roses.  Unlike the roses that you get in the stores (even good ones) in the States that have very little aroma, these babies are uh-mazing.  I am sure I will inhale a bee some time in the next couple of weeks as per cliche', one must stop and smell the roses.

Our neighborhood garden, De Beauvoir Sqaure, is a properly designed English Rose garden and it is just about in full bloom.  Great place for knitting in the sun!  They are simply stunning, and this is just in my own neighborhood.  I must go see the Queen's gardens!!

P.S. after today, I am convinced many locals are painting their front doors the exact same hue as their roses.  Note, two examples here on one street.

These ones are mine!

The Real Food Festival

Had an awesome day today ... just wondered around the "Real Food Festival" here in London.  It was full of local / sustainably produced food venders, all offering tons of tastes and all open to great conversation.  I learned about making honey, using Himalyan salt blocks as serving trays, that it takes 600 liters of milk to make one 38 kilo wheel of Parmesan cheese, and infusing oils with lobster essence (no need to spend all the money and fuss with shells, just take a spoonful of that stuff!).


In between nibbling on cheeses, sausage, chocolate, breads, olive oils and vinegars, mustard, salmon, and langostino pate' I ate a locally raised, grass fed burger with mature cheddar, English mustard, and homemade ketchup.  Whoa.  For dessert, a sour cherry frozen yogurt gelato.  Double whoa. After that I was ready to dive into some wine and spirit tasting.  I told ya ... awesome day.

As if it wasn't already good enough they had sheep!  And lots of them, all different varieties and were doing shearing demonstrations.  So cute!  I signed up to potentially win a trip up to Scotland for a "real farm holiday" where you actually, as your holiday, get to wake up before dawn, work on the farm and help birth lambs.  Hmm ... not sure about that one.  I think I took about 40 sheep photos. Something about those guys!

I ended up buying a beautiful bottle of truffle oil (and getting information on a possible weekend of truffle hunting in Italy), a small bottle of super tasty olive oil, a chorizo from a French man that was really into his art (I have been eyeballing a squid and chorizo salad in my new cookbook this will be great for), a racy bottle of Rose', some smoked trout, a nice steak for barbequeing tomorrow, and finally some super cute cupcake decorating supplies and British bunting for a fest I am going to throw in July.

If I weren't off traveling next week I would have bought tons more! Woo!  Leg kick!

Weather Contrast: U.K. +1

Reading the newspaper this weekend I see "Hottest April for 350 years" and that gardeners should prepare for "hosepipe bans" because it has been so dry.  Whoa.

Never being here this time of year, I really had no idea what to expect weather-wise and have no ability to conclude if it was cooler/warmer than average or quite typical.  All I can say is, as I was waking to another sunny morning I thought, jees, the weather here isn't all THAT bad!

Seems I lucked out this month.  We have had several warm days, reaching the upper 70s, and no doubt last week we had a few in a row that were at the 80 mark.  I have been spotted in the tube top trying to catch up on my Vitamin D deficiency.  I think we had about 2 hours of rain - oh wait there was that one night.  Ok, 12.

In contrast, Chicago has had the most snow on record in an April ... I'm pretty sure of that based on my Chicago friends' groggy mifts at the weather on FB.  OK, the London "blizzard" at Christmas that shut down Heathrow is now forgiven.  Come on May!!  Wish you the best as well Chi-town. (Miss you!  sniff, sniff).

River Thames to Kew Gardens

Earlier in my London experience I asked the small group of people I had met what one must do in London, and a trusted voice said, "you must see the Bluebells in bloom in Kew gardens ... they blanket the floors ... Amazing."

So, with that, the fact that my Mom & John would love a boat ride, and the convenient time of year I thought it would be great if I could take them down to Kew Gardens, near the town of Richmond, for a day.

One can catch a boat at Westminster Pier, right under Big Ben, for a two hour journey down the river Thames.  It truly was delightful, running past the house of Parliament, Chelsea, the course of the Oxford / Cambridge boat race, and numerous antiquated river pubs and house boats.  our tour guide was of the old school, highly opinionated type, which we all could appreciate.

It was interesting to expand upon my knowledge that the river that runs through London is actually a "tidal" river, which means it experiences high and low tides, and twice a day.  The difference in water levels is around 7 meters (23 feet!) between its highest and lowest.

Pretty amazing to see that several pubs en route actually expect that their floors will be wet parts of the day and have special tidal entrances for such an occasion.

Upon "alighting" at Richmond (the word I have learned means "departing"), there is a charming river front area where we had lunch, comprised of typical British fare and a couple of Guinness.  Because the town of Richmond was a bit too "high street" (mall-like), the trip over to Kew Gardens was a better decision.

Like most in England, the park was huge, with several distinct sections and even great art museums.  Alas, in the end, and on poor tired feet, we did get to the section of the park with the Bluebells.  The angle of the sun made for great ambiance and pictures.  The air was sweet ... a beautiful walk.

Fortunately, the train back to the city was just a short stroll away.  Yes, if ever in London in Spring, one must see the Bluebells in bloom at Kew Gardens.