Summer Spaghettata “con pesto”

If it was up to my husband, we would have pasta every single day for lunch, and … he pretty much does… Spaghetti is his favorite kind of pasta. So this post is all about “spaghettata” an italian word that with the addition of a question mark (spaghettata?), simply stands for “shall we have a bite?” On…

“Agretti”, a short season not to be missed

Agretti, lemony crunchy wonderful vegetable, called Salsola Soda in english… If any of you know a more appetizing english name for this wonderful delicacy, please let me know and I will add it to this post. Fun facts: Agretti are filled with water and fibers making them both diuretic and slightly laxative… 😉 Rich in…

Did you miss me?

If the answer is not “YES!” … keep quiet. Spring is here and it is a time of re-birth, renewal and of course all my favorite vegetables. I brought home the first fava beans, spring peas, spring onions a nice piece of young pecorino and of course some fresh herbs. I was not sure what…

Mamma Cristina

THE BOOK IS DONE!!! Wohoooo! All I have left is a good read through. My sister Elisabeth is helping me with editing. As soon as it is up for sale I will give you a link. Walking to the Chatelain market on Wednesday, we ran into Andrea in front of his restaurant “La Piola“. Andrea…

Vintage Monk Fish

Ciao! It is summer time and I am sure, like me, you are enjoying the best produce season. Tomatoes have flavor, the variety of fruits are endless, in short, life is good. We are in Italy in our wonderful small mountain village in the Central region of Abruzzo and are enjoying warm sun, blue skies…

A cherry on top

Though I am not a free woman (still held captive by my cookbook), I tought I would share this quick delicious recipe with you. Cherries arrived at the market a couple of weeks ago. They started pale and tart then with each market visit they got darker and sweeter and are now perfect. Last Thursday…

An offer I could not refuse

As you may have noticed, I have been missing in action. It was not a lack of love on my part, I wanted to share my stories with you and be with you, I did, I promise! I am however in the final phase of writing my cookbook and that involves cooking and testing the…

Do Ut Des

Give to receive: “Do ut des” … Monday morning, our fridge was empty! Uh-oh… on Tuesday we were expecting another house guest… No problem of course, we headed to the Marché of Van Meenen square. There, Elementerre, the organic fruits and vegetable stand is so popular, you have to take a ticket and wait your turn patiently. His…

Salsifis and the Masochist Shopper

mas’och•is’tic adj. – A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences… Who gave me the bright idea to wake up at 7 am and go to an open air market every Wednesday in the middle of winter in Belgium; endure a wind storm with pouring rain and get a bunch of…

Spicy peperoncino and a snow storm

  In my mind, I was going to be able to go to a great market and share with you the wonders of Italian food. I knew it had snowed and the variety would not be what I am used to but for sure it was going to be better than my little market in…

A Chilling Surprise…

Days are getting longer. I woke up and it was not the middle of the night anymore. The sun was not up yet but the sky was already bright and as I got ready it started shining through our veranda. We have been promised 3 days of sunshine and blue skies… The good news end…

A chilly Wednesday at the market.

I really should not complain as the temperature was still above freezing this morning but half way through my shopping, it started to rain. And not regular rain, the kind of really thin drizzle that gets into every fiber and pore and chills you through and through. A nice cup of Chinese tea with rose…