A TRIP TO ISLAND OF CAPRI AND THE BLUE GROTTO

On our last day in Sorrento we took a public ferry to visit the beautiful island of Capri.  Again, there were many private options on offer and one needs to spend some time to comb through all of them and select the most suitable.  It is far more expensive, of course than using public transport but each has its own benefits.

"FIRST THING WE WANTED TO DO IN CAPRI 

IS TO  SEE THE BLUE GROTTO"

Anyway, the ferry was big and was able to collect everyone from the pier and quite comfortable.  We got a window seat and were able to enjoy the view all the way to Capri, the trip lasted around forty 

minutes.

Our highest priority was to see the Blue Grotto so once we had disembarked from the ferry, we went straight to another pier where got on a board a privately operated boat which along with many others was ferrying people to and from the Grotto itself.

If you never heard or seen the Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurro in Italian) it is a sea cave on the island of Capri and is famous for the unique blue colour of the water which owes its colour to the rays of sun passing through an underwater cavity and in turn, shines through the sea water.  If the sea is rough and the winds are strong, it is impossible to get past the low entrance into the cave.

Even on a calm day it is open only for a few hours hence there is always a small flotilla of boats bobbing around the entrance waiting for their turn to send their passengers into the Grotto.

Unfortunately, nobody explained to me before hand that in order to get into the cave, you have to step over the side of the boat that you are on into a tiny dinghy that can hold no more then four people at a time and we all had to sit on the floor of the dinghy or our heads would be smashed by the rock hanging over the mouth of the cave.

While we were patiently waiting for our turn, I was watching how people from other boats were getting into the dinghies and to my total horror I realised that while every woman was wearing some sort of pants, I was dressed in a short white skirt which was obviously the wrong choice under the circumstances.  Luckily for me, our captain was a true gentleman and helped to get down into the dingy without me losing my dignity.  To get down on the bottom of the dingy was another challenge but I had no choice so I just did what the boat man told me to do.  I must say it was quite fun too.  

After a few strokes of the oars, we neared the mouth of the cave and he shouted to us to tuck our heads low until his next order.  When it was safe to look up, we and few other dinghies were inside the Grotto and the water around us was so blue that I suspected that there some trick behind it.

A couple of people slipped over board for a quick swim while the rowers started singing O Sole Mio on the top of their voices.  After a short ride around the grotto, we left the cave in the same manner and returned to our boat.

As our boat was the last to see the Grotto that day, so we towed a dingy that had taken us inside the Grotto, all the way back to the marina.

We didn't have much time left to wander around the island knowing that the last ferry was leaving Capri quite soon and we wanted to get to the top of the island to Anacapri, the highest elevation of the island which provides a sweeping view over the island and the Bay of Naples with  Mount Vesuvius beckoning in the distance.

We hurried to the nearest bus stop where we saw a long queue of people who obviously wanted to do the same thing.  We had no choice but to join them and wait patiently for the bus to arrive when, out of the blue, a couple approached us and suggested that we share the cost of a cab that was parked nearby.  We agreed without hesitation and jumped in.

The cab was  a Fiat convertible that gave us a great option to have 360 degree view of the area as the car sped up the mountain.  As with the our previous driver who took us along the Amalfi Coast, this one was highly skillful taking the hairpin bends without slowing down much to both our horror and delight. 

The view from Anacapri was absolutely breathtaking, we felt we were on top of the world.  On the way back the queue to get on a bus that would take us down to the port was so long that in order not to miss the boat, pun not intended, we approached some random people sitting in an another convertible cab and asked them whether they wouldn't mind if we jumped in and shared the ride.  They happily agreed and so we did.  After another crazy ride, we found ourselves on the pier just in time to board the ferry to return to Sorrento.

It is become customary of me to share with you a recipe from MY COSMOPOLITAN KITCHEN cook book and on today's menu is fresh, crisp and super healthy Salad of Oranges, Fennel and Rocket Leaves that is served all over the Med.  My vegan daughter swears by it.

Enjoy!!!

Until then

A VISIT TO A GHOSTLY RUINS OF POMPEII

During our stay in Sorrento, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to visit the ghostly ruins  of ancient Pompeii.

This time we declined the services of a tour company and went on our by simply walking for five minutes to a train station and catching a local train from Sorrento to Pompeii which took us slightly over an hour.  When we disembarked at the station, we decided that we would be better off joining a tour group than wandering around on our own.

I learnt about Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius at school but somehow I always imagined a small town with a population of a couple of hundred people living there but as our tour started and the tour guide told us some basic statistics about it, then the magnitude of this place dawned on me.

The remnants of Pompeii is one of the most engrossing archaeological experiences.  When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it didn't blow the city away but rather it got buried under a thick layer of burning pumice stone and ash.  

The main excavation of the site began in the late 18th century and when a group of explorers started digging the site looking for artifacts, they found that the ashes acted as marvellous preservative preserving the city of Pompeii almost exactly as it was 2,000 years ago.

And as you walk along the ancient streets and roads, listening to the tour guide, explains to you what this or that ruin used to be: a pizza shop, a wine cellar, a house of a rich merchant, even a brothel, the life of Pompeii unfolds in front of you. The whole site is about 44 hectares and it is impossible to cover it in one day.

With just a little help of some imagination you can picture the life of the people who used to live here thousands of years ago.  

Bearing in mind that everything around you as far as your eyes can see, was once covered by thick ash and pumice stone and then painstakingly brushed off inch by inch made us appreciate this archaeological discovery is unique and thus was declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

The official tour lasted for about 4 hours after that we felt totally exhausted and were quite happy to walk back to the train station.  Although some people chose to stay behind to mingle more around the site and some even planned to hike the mount Vesuvius once the air cooled a bit.

I leave you with a mouthwatering dessert from MY COSMOPOLITAN KITCHEN cookbook and urge you to give it a go.  Your guests will love you for it.

Believe or not but all the credit for this amazing Italian dessert should go to British chef,  Gordon Ramsey and his Home Cooking TV show.  As I was watching him making it dessert, I was fascinated of how easily and quickly he whipped up such a lovely sweet treat. So I gave it a try.  It turned out to be exactly as easy to make as in on the screen and it tasted every bit delicious as Gordon promised. So here it is, my new sweet hero.

The semifreddo (Italian for half-cold) is a bit like a cheat’s ice cream.  The genius of it is that you don’t have to make a custard base or churn it in an ice cream maker; you simply combine beaten eggs, whipped cream and your flavouring and freeze it.  It makes the perfect make-ahead dinner party dessert.

One more point to consider:  although the recipe calls for 10 people, I can guarantee you that it can feed more, just cut the slices a bit thinner.

To serve it to 10 people you need:

Oil or butter for greasing

275g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) plus extra for decorating

4 medium free range eggs

100g of caster sugar

500ml of double cream

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod (I used 1 tbsp of vanilla essence)

100g pistachio nuts, loose skin rubbed off

Method:

Lightly grease the inside of a 1 kg loaf tin with oil or butter then line it with two layers of clingfilm, leaving a generous overhang.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (the bowl should not touch water).  Heat until melted, then stir well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in another bowl and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until pale, think and fluffy.  When the whisk is lifted, the mixture should leave a trail on the surface.  

Stir in cooled chocolate into the egg mixture.

Put the cream and vanilla seeds in a separate bowl and whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks.  Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture, then fold in the pistachios, pour into a prepared loaf tin, cover with an overhanging clingfilm and freeze overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.  It should stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks before you use it.

Remove the semifreddo from the freezer 10 minutes before serving in order to soften it a little.  Run the back of your knife around the inside edges of the tin, then peel back the top clingfilm and turn the semifreddo onto a board or serving plate.  Remover the rest of the clingfilm, then grate a little extra dark chocolate over the top before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!!!

SORRENTO AND AMALFI COAST

Hello again my dear readers and fellow bloggers.

In my last post I was telling you about our last day in Marrakesh which marked the end of our stay in Morocco.  Since then, we crossed the Mediterranean and landed in Naples where we hired a car to take us to Sorrento, which then became our home base for the next five days while we were exploring the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and the gorgeous island of Capri.

It was dark when we checked into our hotel but when we woke up the next morning and came down for breakfast we had to stop to take in the magnificent view overlooking the Med, blue and sparkling under the hot southern sun with Mount Vesuvius beckoning to us from the distance.

As per our traditional pattern, the first thing we always do when we arrive in a new destination, is to get on a Red Hop On Hop Off bus to get the feel of the place and map future potential points of interest.  If you never been or never heard of the Red Bus before, it is a double-decker sightseeing tour bus with an open roof and traditionally it is equipped with an audio system in multiple languages that allow the passengers to listen to the taped city guides while enjoying the highlights and landmarks along the way.  You can get off the bus whenever you want, wander around, get a feel of the place you liked and when you feel that you have had enough, get back on the next bus to continue your tour.

It was such a lovely warm and sunny day and choosing the upper deck of the bus seemed like a splendid idea.  The bus route took us around Sorrento central and then followed winding clifftop roads passing the olive groves and fragrant orange and lemon groves.

Sitting on the upper deck was a little tricky as we had to watch for the branches hanging over the road, but on the other hand, we were able to get a magnificent and uninterrupted view of the whole city and the Gulf of Naples lying below.  The whole tour ran for about two hours and gave us plenty of inside information and ideas of what to do and see in Sorrento and its surrounds.

Most of the evenings we did what the locals do, took a leisurely stroll up and down the main pedestrian strip of Sorrento, Corso Italia, stopping here and there for a scoop of gelato, a cup of coffee or a shot of limoncello, a locally made liquor hugely popular in this part of Italy.

It was during one of this walks then we came across the brightly illuminated charming Villa Fiorentino that was hosting an exhibition of Mark Chagall's paintings and photographs of the gorgeous Sophia Loren in a retrospective.

The following morning at exactly 10 in the morning we were informed by the hotel's front desk that our driver was waiting for us downstairs. Before we left Sydney, we had contacted Amalfi Coast Private Tours, one of the numerous touring companies operating in Southern Italy, to organise a private tour with an English speaking driver/tour guide to take us for a drive along the Amalfi Coast.

Again, the weather was kind to us, the day was warm and sunny and the fresh clear air was perfect for sightseeing the spectacular vistas that were sprawled in front of us at every turn.

The road along Amalfi Coast runs along the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula and is one of the most dramatic and glamorous spots in Italy.

The Amalfi Drive is famous for its hairpin bends, zigzags and narrows at some parts to a point where the drivers have to fold their side mirrors to pass by.  It was built high on the cliffs at a very steep angle that makes this drive not only the one of the world's most beautiful drives but also one of the most exciting.

Our driver, Ellio, was not only an extremely knowledgeable and polite tour guide with a perfect command of English but also an excellent driver and every time he would take yet another hairpin bend with the ease and confidence of a pro, my heart would skip a beat and I would feel grateful that we both had agreed not to drive ourselves.

While he was skillfully navigating the intricacies of the road, we were enjoying the view on both sides of the road as we were passing the villages which clung to the high and steep cliffs on one side and on the opposite, the ever changing shoreline glistening under the sea cliffs.

When we felt hungry we asked Ellio if he could recommend a nice place to eat. He suggested lunch at a small restaurant Da Ciccio Restaurant, an ancient trattoria run by the same family since 1931 and famous all over the world for its traditional dishes that have been one the menu since ever since. He also recommended us to order the restaurant's signature dish called Cavatelli (home made pasta) with seafood on lemon flavoured mash potatoes.  Looks humble but tastes sublime.

Although it was already the end of September, every town that we stopped at along the way was packed with tourists.  The towns are relatively small and their historic parts are just in one or two narrow and winding roads that lead to the main square where you can  find an old church with a dome covered in beautiful Byzantine  mosaic.

In fact, the art of mosaic is widespread along the Amalfi Coast and we saw some amazing examples of their skill and imagination.  Some of the factories are so good that they claim that the colours of the mosaic they use in making the outdoor tables willl last for 100 years.

AMALFI COAST IS ONE OF THE MOST 

FASCINATING IN THE WORLD

FOR ITS LANDSCAPE

PESCE ALL'ACQUA PAZZA

This is one of the most popular fish recipes you would find on the menus of the myriads of restaurants that are dotted all along the Amalfi coast of Italy.  Among Italians it is known as Pesce all'acqua pazza or Fish in "crazy" water, referring both to the aromatic herbed broth it is cooked in and the generic recipe for poached fish.

Traditionally, this method calls for small fish such as bream or snapper, however after some experimentation, I came to the conclusion that the fish fillets work just as well.  Not only you don't need to deal with the bones especially if your household includes children but also the portions seem to be more of an even size, they present well and are easy to cook. Above all that, the fish tastes delicious which is exactly what we are after.

To feed 6 people you need:

200ml dry white wine

200ml water

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

2 small whole bream or snapper, 500 each, cleaned and scaled

or 6 fillets of any white fish about 250 gr each

1 punnet (250g) of cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp basil leaves, torn

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp flat parsley leaves, torn

1 lemon, quartered

Method:
Cut the tomatoes in half.  In a large frying pan, combine the wine, water, salt and olive oil and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then gently slip the fish into the broth, add the cherry tomatoes, basil, lemon zest and capers. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 3 minutes, if using fillets.  If you are cooking a whole fish, cook it for about 5 minutes on each side.  Carefully turn the fish over and simmer for another 3-4 minutes, depending on the size.  It is cooked when the flesh parts from the bone at the touch of a knife.

Remove the fish onto warm plates, bring the broth to the boil and spoon over the fish.  Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

The broth is so good that you definitely don't want to waste it, so the best way to serve this dish is with young boiled potatoes or a bowl of plain pasta laced generously with extra virgin olive oil.

If you like this simple but delicious recipe, you can find it and many more in MY COSMOPOLITAN KITCHEN recipes book.

Enjoy!!!

Enjoy!!!