Caprese, Capri and Street Corners

I recently put together the most delicious Insalata Caprese. This is a salad from Capri traditionally comprising fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. It was first made to resemble the colours of the Italian flag.

The recipe I adapted was from the inspirational book Fast Fresh and Simple by New Zealander Donna Hay which is full of recipes to remind you of summer.

The secret of this dish is the quality of the cheese. Mine was soft, creamy and quivered like jelly. It was purchased from the enticing delicatessen in Deal High Street oddly called "No Name Shop" which stocks a marvellous array of French produce nonameshop.co.uk

Of course caprese originates in Italy and making it got me thinking about a wonderful trip to Naples some years ago which included a ferry crossing to the Isle of Capri.

No visit to this region of Campania is complete without seeing the life and times of Pompeii the ancient Roman city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.

What particularly sticks in my mind were the similarities to our life today "a takeaway on every corner" said our guide - picture the pitchers of wine on the counter and whole chickens hanging from the wall and there really was one of these on every street corner.

We made the most of exploring the steep, narrow streets of Naples finding local produce, market stalls and shops built into the wall selling religious artefacts and fragrant lemony limoncello. The food was exceptional with seafood and melt in the mouth pasta being especially memorable.

Favourite Spanish Places

Andalusia has started to become a firm favourite for a short break.  La Villa Marbella with its beautifully converted old town buildings and superb service from Marcos and his team means that we and others return again and again www.lavillamarbella.com/

There is plenty to do and see in this stunningly beautiful region of Spain think Moorish style buildings, Sierra Morena mountains, bull rings, flamenco, more sunshine than anywhere else in Europe and the classic towns of Cadiz, Seville and Ronda

Then of course there is the tapas. Its night one and our traditional first stop is La Taberna de Pintxo. We sit outside on high stools looking out on people strolling along the wide plaza and beyond that the
 sea. You help yourself to tapas inside from inside the bar picking from a wonderful wide selection.

In the more traditional cool narrow streets of the Old Town giant sherry barrels form the Tapas bar tables this feels authentic and more traditional. Octopus and thinly sliced serrano ham provide the perfect snack.

We had heard good things about Malaga old town in the heart of a sprawling modern city. The cathedral, palace, roman theatre and strenuous climb to the fortress filled an enjoyable few hours. The real highlight though was lunch.

Recommended by the marvellous Marcos, El Pimpi close to Teatro Romana was an amazing find. Packed tables inside and out, live music in the square and a general sense of fun and contentment. The baby squid was delicious and tiny deep fried whitebait served over melting red peppers and egg possibly the best dish of the holiday. We would return to Malaga for the El Pimpi experience alone.

Souks, Spices and Street Food

The sights, smells and sounds of vibrant Marrakech captivate and charm. There is so much to explore and experience. Visit early evening as the sun gradually sinks behind the Koutoubia minaret and the Medina in this walled city is bursting into life.

Snake charmers, musicians, acrobats, fortune tellers and henna tattooists entertain the throngs while the square becomes one enormous open air restaurant full of aromas to tempt and tantalise.

Behind the Medina is a shoppers heaven of the maze like souks. Ceramics, leather work, shoes, olives, mint, herbalists, wool, carpets, chickens and wonderful spices.

At dinner in the square we were crammed together on trestle tables watching the chefs at work while the smoke of the food stalls rises and music plays all adding to the mystical atmosphere

There was soft fresh bread, succulent olives and spicy tomato dip then aromatic vegetable couscous, and mixed kebabs all for a reasonable 140 dirham or £10 for two

Marrakesh is full of energy, colour and charm. The people are warm and welcoming. There is plenty in this walled city to fill a few days. Bartering in the souks is part of the fun and I am pleased with my purchase of these delicate tea glasses a reminder of a very enjoyable break in the sun.

Bags of Style in Bexhill

A blustery February Saturday was the perfect day to sample the fascinating delights of Bexhill's Eras of Style www.erasofstyle.com/. This vast emporium of antique and vintage furniture ranges from the elegant to the bizarre with something to suit every taste.

Located in the former Bexhill West Station the array of merchandise is cleverly arranged in a series of indoor and outdoor rooms. The old waiting room contains a good coffee shop showcasing the vintage style and has comfy sofas and plenty of reading material.

We enjoyed a tasty lunch of brie, bacon and cranberry bagel and a fresh parma ham, tomato and rocket ciabatta washed down with generously sized hot lattes.

Since my last visit there is a welcome addition of a food hall selling a range of local produce including meat and cheeses together with a full selection the Cook range cookfood.net which produces from its kitchen in Sittingbourne Kent.

Whatever the weather no trip would be complete without a walk along the impressive Bexhill seafront with its shingle beach and today its stormy seas.

Finally a there was a new discovery that I will certainly be returning to called Starlings Art and Craft Collective. This is a great idea, a shop which contains a beautiful selection of work by a number of crafts people www.starlingsgifts.co.uk

Of course I couldn't resist a small purchase

Cocktails at Christmas

On this the most abstemious week of the year it is fun to look fondly back at the holiday celebrations.

Anticipation is always high as the big day approaches and Malcolm decides on the ingredients for this years Christmas cocktail. Always with something fizzy and a touch of gin.

This season saw a proliferation of plump juicy raspberries with the summer crop moving seamlessly into autumn and picking continuing for some four months.  Plenty for puddings, jam, the freezer and for raspberry gin.

What fun to enjoy the fruits of the summer crop in the middle of the winter months.

The mix is straightforward 300grams of raspberries, 300 grams of caster sugar, 1 bottle of gin (I used supermarket brand). Combine the ingredients, seal the bottle and store in a cool dark place shaking occasionally.

It will be ready to drink in three months and improves with age assuming it lasts any longer of course.

As you can see the sugar took a while to dissolve in the small bottles. Next time I will use the larger kilner jar which on this occasion was already occupied with a large amount of sloes also steeping in gin.

These were picked and kindly donated in the autumn by Bexhill friends. The sloe gin and provided an equally popular Christmas addition to the sparkling Spainish Cava.

The Malcolm mix for both drinks is one part gin and four parts fizz - delicious

Roast and Conch Leeds

For this new restaurant it was week one day six when we experienced the delicious flavours of their St Lucian cocoa inspired cuisine.

As long term fans of Hotel Chocolate (particularly in the half price sale immediately after events and landmark dates & those lovely samples as you browse) a leaflet arrived advertising Rabot in Borough Market and Roast and Conch in Leeds. www.hotelchocolate.com/uk/roast-and-conch

The Leeds venue just had to be tried and niece Amy was the willing volunteer on our early Christmas night out.

The restaurant is in an ideal location in Boar Lane on the main route from Leeds Station to the shopping centre and the integral hotel chocolate shop is a real draw. 

In the bar you choose from coffee, various chocolate concoctions and real drinks. We opted for gin based from the cocktail menu assiduously prepared by the young newly trained bar staff. Cocoa Gin Martini and Rabot G&T both with an orange twist were perfect,

As we sipped away the manager chatted with great enthusiasm about the Caribbean concept, the early days and the on site chocolate making, all fascinating.

Then upstairs to the restaurant dark but inviting and the staff were just fab. It was great to hear about the tastings over their two week training and the matching wines to the superb food.

So what did we eat, first there were the crunchy cocoa beans with their savoury nutty flavour. 

Then tuna ceviche in coconut milk with chilli and lime pickle and cocoa-nib crisp bread was a delicious choice. Heritage pickled beet carpaccio with cocoa balsamic and goats cheese also went down well

For main courses a Roast and Conch hamburger for Amy made from hand chopped rump steak with no bun (as usual) but instead she was offered creamy mash with. My tuna salad was meltingly soft seared tuna with cocoa pesto. A signature salad from Boucan St Lucia

We were full but not too full to visit the Hotel Chocolate shop 20% off voucher in hand and yes chocolate was purchased and eaten later.

The flavours of both the drinks and food were distinctive and different I hope is does well and I plan to visit sister restaurant Rabot in Borough Market London very soon.

Seafood in Spain

A few days away in the sunshine of Marbella in southern Spain has given plenty of scope creative blog ideas so here is a taste or what is to come.

First of all Marbella is just delightful. A wonderful old town with cafes, fountains, churches, piazzas and exploration down narrow streets revealing fabulous traditional tapas bars.

The subject today is central to my foodie interest it is seafood and we certainly enjoyed an extensive range.

It is night one in Orange Square, still warm enough in October to sit outside in short sleeves and our shared starter was tender juicy octopus served on soft thinly sliced potatoes and sprinkled with piementon

Prawns came in many shapes and sizes from these giant ones succulent in light tempura batter to the Spainish favourite of Gambas Pil Pil sizzling in their sauce of garlic, chilli and white wine.

Sitting at El Pozo Viejo http://www.restauranteelpozoviejo.com/ a favourite spot for a drink before dinner and where we were made to feel so welcome we were brought simple tasty tapas including this favourite of sweet anchovy drizzled with olive oil.

This was Spainish seafood at its delicious best