Digging in the Dirt... in Piedmont

Truffle hunting has been on my mental “must do while living in Europe” list for quite a few years… which is why I was ecstatic when I finally found a set of friends who wanted to give it a go?

What’s not to love about the concept of following a pig or a dog around in the woods all day and digging in dirt.

We found a lovely house for the 7 of us atop a small hill in a very small town in Piedmont where we stayed for 4 glorious nights in October, prime-time truffle season.

We met our truffle hunter and translator at 7am in Alba, where we then followed him by car to his top secret truffle hunting grounds.  Shhhhh

                                       

A few in our group had researched truffle hunting prior to our trip and were slightly worried by some people who’d said that it was obvious that the hunter simply “planted” a few truffles for his dog to find, but that it was more of a “theory” based hunt versus an actual, found-for-the-first-time-fresh truffle hunt.   So we were a little deflated upon hearing our guide, after a few steps out of the car, say that it was a little late in the day for truffle hunting and that you typically will have more success very early (4 or 5am) in the morning.  He therefore warned that we may not find any truffles on our hunt and he had planted 2 truffles to make a simulation just in case we didn’t come across any during our time together.  Hmmm

So seven eager, slightly anxious wellington-clad people followed the translator, the truffle hunter, and his trusted canine, Lila (renamed Truffie by our group) into a hazelnut grove.

Truffie was off running between the trees... every once in a while, the truffle hunter whistling or chanting to her in Italian (Perhaps, "Psstt - I planted it just over there!!").

Soon after we arrived in the grove, she was digging in one spot.  Before most of us could run over to where she was, the truffle hunter was pushing her away and enticing her with a treat so that he could then show us the next step – digging up the truffle.

 I hadn’t counted on how delicate the digging process is – but if you dig too close to the actual truffle, you could easily damage it.  So you dig around it, slowly and patiently, with a small tool until the soil around it is loosened enough to pull the truffle out.  The truffle hunter taught us how to dig up the first one and we were all quite merry to have seen the whole process.  

                                       

One of the crew had brought a flask filled with sloe gin, and poured some for our new-found hero, the truffle hunter, and the man who helped us to understand him, his translator.

Amazing how sloe gin can inspire a far more prolific truffle hunt!  Within minutes, we were following the three of them to another hazelnut grove – most likely his REAL hunting turf.  There we found endless truffles.  Each one of us had the pleasure to dig up one of our own!  An incredible experience – quite fun to be so hands-on and learn so much about one of my favourite indulgences.

Smells like truffle!

 How can something that looks like this taste so delicious??

Once we all had had a turn in digging up a truffle that Truffie had found for us (just by simply sniffing around the grove), we said our grazies and arrivedercis... but not before purchasing a handful of our day’s work (well, two hours' work to be fair) in the grove.  We later found a lovely shop in Alba with homemade pastas and enjoyed the feasts of our labour later that night, accompanied by a spot or three of Barbera d'Alba.  Mmmmm

London Summer Barbecue

My neighbours may have been a bit puzzled this past Saturday morning, when whiffs of barbecue greeted them at 7.30am.  I suppose it's nearly like waking up to the smell of bacon... nearly.  Thirty minutes before, I was fast at work rubbing two sets of ribs in preparation for an end of Summer party we were having.  The early start was well worth it, as the ribs seemed to get pretty good reviews - the brilliant thing was how easy the recipe was... no faffing around with boiling or homemade marinades, yet the end result is fall-off-the-bone, barbecuey goodness.  The recipe comes from my vegetarian aunt from Michigan:

Baby Back Ribs


1 rack baby-back ribs
1 bottle favorite bbq sauce
salt and pepper
any steak rub


1. Rub ribs with favourite steak/meat rub and salt & pepper, and grill 6-8 minutes per side. (Can stop after this step and wrap ribs in fridge until ready to cook.)
2. Let ribs cool slightly until safe to handle. Cut into individual ribs. Place ribs in a roasting pan and cover with bbq sauce.
3. Bake for 5-6 hours at 110 degrees Celsius (225 degrees F) until falling off the bone.


I also made some salsas, using the ever trusty Salsa Bible - Mark Miller's The Great Salsa Book.





One in particular seemed to be a crowd-pleaser and it's the first salsa I ever made from this book (so also a personal favourite, and brilliantly not much chopping required):


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 lbs roma (or plum) tomatoes, blackened
• 4 teaspoons finely minced roasted garlic
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1. 1
   Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium heat until lightly smoking, add the onion and saute until carmelized, about 10 minutes or so.
2. 2
   Transfer the onion, half the blackened tomatoes and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add the cilantro and chipotle chiles and pulse again to mix.
3. 3
   Peel, seed and chop the remaining tomatoes tomatoes and fold in along with the remaining oil, vinegar, salt and sugar.
4. 4
   Serve chilled or at room temp with chips, red meat or chicken.

The Grampy Bread

There's something really satisfying about making things with your hands - breads, pastas, doughs.
My grandfather passed away two years ago today and I named this bread after him. The weekend of his funeral was quite tough - knowing that my whole family was there in Michigan and I wasn't.  I found solace in cooking and baking... but for some reason, I only wanted to make things that I had never made before and I chose fairly time-consuming recipes.
One recipe I tried that I have now made many times over is a Carmelised Onion and Thyme Plait, featured in one of Waitrose's free seasonal magazines (back when they had them).

It's actually quite easy to make - it just takes time given that it needs to rise twice.
I make it as an accompaniment to soups or stews, but it would also be nice served up with some cheese.
This bread is now my favourite bread to make, and lovingly renamed after my grandfather: the Grampy bread.

Caramelised Onion and Thyme Plait

Rediscover the pleasure and satisfaction of baking your own bread. Our crisp, crusty plait is simple to make and delicious to eat – especially when served with a hunk of cheese.

• Nut Free

Preparation time:

40 minutes, plus proving

Cooking time:

40 minutes

Total time:

1 hour 20 minutes, plus proving  

Serves:

 8 - 10

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
• 1 ½ tsp celery salt
• 75g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 750g red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/3 pack lemon thyme, plus extra to sprinkle
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Maldon sea salt

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, celery salt and cheese in a bowl. Add 3 tbsp of the oil and about 325ml of hand-hot water. Mix to a soft, but not too sticky, dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
2. To make the filling, heat another 3 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and stir in the onions and caster sugar. Fry for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until they’re soft and lightly caramelised. Chop the thyme and add to the pan with the garlic and plenty of black pepper. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Spread over a baking sheet to cool.
3. Grease a large baking sheet. Punch the risen dough to deflate it and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into three. Roll each piece into a long, thin strip, measuring about 35 x 10cm. Spoon the filling down each strip to within 1cm of the edges. Lightly dampen one long side of each strip and bring the sides up over the filling, pinching the dough firmly together. Turn the strips over so the joins are underneath.
4. Starting from the centre, braid the three strips loosely together, working towards one end. Pinch the ends together firmly. Braid the other half in the same way. Lift onto the baking sheet, tucking the ends underneath. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7.
5. Drizzle the dough with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and scatter generously with salt. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Scatter with plenty of thyme sprigs and bake for a further 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

A saucisson that cuts the mustard

How was my picnic fare or charcuterie plate ever complete before finding Waitrose's incredible saucisson!
I think I discovered this 4-5 months ago and I've been making up for lost time.  Ho-hum saucisson transformed by some mustard seed and paprika - brilliant!

Thin slices are best and it's tasty both room temperature or straight out of the fridge.
Yum!

Food Discovery from Italia

On a quick weekend away to Rome, we had a lovely dinner in the Trastavere district.  An antipasti plate came with the typical fare of meats, olives and cheeses - but there was one unique combination I'd never tried before.
   

Pecorino with truffle honey - it's a revelation!  Such an incredible combination of flavours - the Pecorino, a hard, salty, ewe's milk cheese ... mixed with the sweet (yet savoury) taste of truffle honey.  We picked up a jar of truffle honey while in Rome now serve this winning combo as a nice starter for dinner parties.   The best part is that such a small amount of effort (chopping up some cheese and spooning honey from a jar) can deliver such a big wow factor!
It's the first time we've successfully replicated the exact food we've had while on holiday.  Enjoy!

When in France...

Some good friends who are planning their honeymoon just asked for some tips on France.  I figured I might as well pop it up on the newly formed blog!:

For a short driving holiday in France, there's nothing better than taking in two of the best regions for both wine and cheese..... Champagne and Burgundy.  Take the car ferry from Dover to Calais and first take in some sights and imbibe some local potions from Champagne.

While I can't highly recommend the hotel where we stayed for its romantic atmosphere or memorable views, I can recommend it for its location right next to a champagne house, its ode to frugality, and its Spartan decor.
This Hotel Porte Mars was in a walkable location to the centre of Reims and offered parking close-by so we could keep an eye on all the wine stored in the boot!  We didn't have the chance to stay in Epernay (everything was fully booked when we were headed there) but I have heard that it's quite a nice place to stay - and walking distance to some of the big champagne houses.... we made a trip there to Moet et Chandon... it was nice to see the caves underneath Epernay and any of the big champagne houses would give you this chance.

Here's two champagne makers we really liked:
Henry Bourdelat - not to be confused with the other Bourdelat just across the road from this one.  This is a small family-owned business, as most of them are... We knocked on the door and it a took a while for anyone to come as Henry and his mother and father were in the middle of labelling  bottles downstairs in the basement.  Henry junior walked us all around explaining how they make champagne - thankfully my partner speaks French but I think Henry can speak a little bit of English (enough to give you a tasting!).... he ages his champagne for far longer than the legal minimum most big champagne houses use....  his champagne's delicious and we left with many cases.
Here is their website which might help find them.
They were sweet enough to pose for a photo:

Also Waris Larmandier - not only do they have excellent champagne (including a nice blanc de blancs - made from 100% Chardonnay grapes) - but their bottles are hand painted and each one is like a piece of art!  Sadly the husband of this family business passed away about a year ago - he was the mastermind behind the champagne-making and now his brother (also very knowledgeable) has been pitching in to continue to business... The wife is an artist and this is why there are such beautiful bottles.  Here is their site


While in Champagne, you're really close to the home of Epoisses cheese - a glorious wash-rind cheese.... buy some, leave it at room temperature for 2 hours, cut the lid of it off and dip in with bread, veg or fingers - delicious, fondue-like cheese. The St Marcelin was also a standout.  Both are terrific for picnics.

Cheese Glorious Cheese!!!
                                                  

Making sure to buy our cheeses, meats and breads before the shops closed, we had quite a few picnics - it was easy enough to find a hilltop and a view.  We also hired bikes one day in Cluny and had a great time biking along a flat green path.

 (We cycled from Cluny to Cormatin - our curiosity somehow took us on some wrong turns and we ended up cycling through a big industrial bakery!... looking at the map every now and again probably would be helpful)

Next head down to Burgundy... Beaune is a lovely town to stay in.. if you decide to stay overnight - definitely dine at Cheval Noir - my review here.

The vineyards in Burgundy are plentiful as are the various regions - it can be pretty intimidating due to how many little regions there are.  A book that really helped us to know which regions sounded good for our tastes was: French Wines by Robert Joseph (Eyewitness Companions). We also used it when we came back with all our wine - as it tells you how many years wine from various regions should be put down before you drink it.... some regions are drinkable quite young but some really need 3-10 years before they are at their best. We enjoyed wines from Cote de Nuits Villages, Nuits St Georges, Macon, Meursault for whites, Morgon for reds, Pommard, Saint Amour, Volnay, Vosne Romanee... and the whites on the Aloxe Corton are quite good - though we could only afford a few of those! - These were the regions that worked for our taste, but again - the book explains what each small region offers and then you can choose which places are best for you.

As you continue further South, you likely will pass through an unassuming big town called Tournus.  One of the best meals we had in France was at an off-the-beaten-track resto across the river there.
First explore the town, but then definitely drive across the river and enjoy an incredible lunch here.

But for le grand finale of your trip, I'd recommend staying in St Amour at the Auberge du Paradis - a bit of a splurge but worth it!

It's just lovely and you must book one night, if not two, at their restaurant which is memorably delicious.



Bon appetit et Bon Voyage!

Borough Market - The Best Day Out in London, hands-down

I get it that visitors to London have a few sights that they need to see to check the box - Westminster Abbey / Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London... there's also likely a few quintessential English foods and drinks that need to be tried such as fish & chips, a Sunday roast, and some English lager.  But I'd be hard-pressed to think of a better day out in London than making a trip to Borough Market.  A food market, yes, but like no other I've seen before - vendors from all over Europe set up stalls here and it's open to the public Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (check the hours before you go).  I recommend getting there on Saturday before 11am or be prepared for some serious crowds.  There's the direct way of doing Borough Market (get to London Bridge Station, and walk to market), or the recommended indirect way of doing it - taking in some great views of London and seeing some parts of the city that could otherwise be missed.

So here's the recommended Best Day Out in London, rated as such by sample size of 1.
Get to Waterloo Station and then head to the Thames.  Stay on the southbank and head East along the water.  You'll pass by the Royal Festival Hall (you can pop in for a takeaway tea or coffee if needed), then the National Theatre which hosts outdoor theatre/art installations from July-September in an area called Watch this Space (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/wts), eventually you'll pass a lovely alfresco secondhand book store - nice for a brief wander.  Continue walking along the bank, taking in sights of London to the north such as St Pauls.  You'll eventually pass the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre...  the Thames path ends at a nice pub called Anchor Bankside.  Follow all the rest of the people weaving their way down a road that continues eastward... after you pass London Dungeon, take a right and you are at Borough Market.  It might not look like much from that first angle you're entering - but 2 minutes of exploring it will start to enthuse the senses!
I could write several entries about all of my favourite stalls - but here's some pics I took on my first visit there to whet your appetite.

You can sample some prepared foods there or take some of the fresh meats, seafood, cheeses, and produce home for a scrumptious meal!  Once your senses are satiated, you can head back to the pub on the river (Anchor Bankside), grab a beverage and sit on the water for a bit of relaxation.  Once refreshed, head back along the Thames path (the way you came) until you get back to the Tate Modern  You might want to pop in this museum as much of it is free and worth a look, even if to ponder how some pieces made it into the permanent collection.
Next, walk across the Millennium Bridge, called the wobbly bridge by locals as it was improperly built the first time round and wobbled to the point that they had to close it down for some years before re-opening to the public.

You might wish to pop into St Pauls for a look - they do charge you to have a wander but it's worth it if you brave the steps to the top for a stunning panoramic view of London.
Get to the Thames path along the northbank and now head West until you get to Embankment Tube Station. Walk through it and head up the small road, typically filled with pedestrians and the occasional car.  On your right, look out for Gordon's Wine Bar - London's oldest wine bar. After braving the narrow steps down, head to the bar for a glass of wine and then try hard to get a seat in the "cave" - you will know it when you see it.  After 3pm on any day, the cave tends to fill up with people - but if you lurk near one of the entries to it, you shouldn't have to wait too long for a seat - it's well worth the wait (and the shame of being a lurker)!

And this concludes the Best Day Out in London - after all that walking and wine drinking, a siesta is highly recommended... no, we're not in Spain, but with places like Borough Market and the atmospheric Gordon's, you won't feel like you're in London either.

Little Venice - An Escape from London, In London

This past weekend, I had a nice walk beginning in Little Venice and ending atop Primrose Hill.  Little Venice is a wonderful, somewhat hidden gem in London.  Closest tube stops are Warwick Avenue or Royal Oak.  When you get to the canal, reminiscent of Amsterdam or Bruges, it's worth stopping at either the Waterway or the Summerhouse - owned by the same group. Both are right on the canal and have good food. On this occasion, we sat in the garden of the Waterway for a pint of Hoegaarden and some sun.
http://www.thewaterway.co.uk/
We then sauntered up to its very close sister, pop-up restaurant The Summerhouse (60 Blomfield Road, Maida Vale, W9 2PD)

Despite some reviews saying it had simply "decent" food - we really enjoyed our grilled swordfish and sweet potato fries - service was nice and relaxed too.
From there, we continued walking along the canal, taking in the beautiful and peaceful scenery.

While you can walk all the way to Camden Town, we stopped off at Primrose Hill - grabbing some cupcakes from a little market and a bottle of cold Prosecco to enjoy with the view.

A perfect Sunday!

A 5 year-long siesta.. and finally back to writing

Having lived in London for 5 years now, I do look back and wish I'd had the foresight and tenacity to write a blog from day one of arriving here... the experiences would be fresher, more vivid.. and there wouldn't be such an enormous backlog of trips, adventures, and memories to recount.  But here goes, because it's better late than never.
I suppose I have to start with the lovely town where I live - Richmond - a small leafy town on the southwest edge of London.  When I first moved here, I had to find a flat quite hastily and didn't have time to really explore the area.  So I was dumbstruck when I took my first walk around as a resident and saw this, the view from atop Richmond Hill:

 and this (Richmond Bridge):

and these cute fellas, running round Richmond Park:

all within 10-15 minutes of my flat!  After 5 wonderful years of living here, it truly feels like home.  It might not make the first round of places to see or visit while in London for someone making a short trip, but it sure makes a great day out of London... it's a great way to escape all the hustle and bustle of a big city, yet only 20 minutes train journey from central London.