Jeremy and I just go back from our 17 day backpacking honeymoon through Italy! It was a fabulous time with awesome sights and great food experiences.
As we often joked..."different town, different sight...same outfit."
In fact our motto for the trip "Wandered till we saw something cool to look at or good to eat" kept our trip fun, interesting, and never knowing what was around the corner.
We had many great meals from several restaurants which I will share, but first, my favorite foods were the dishes Rina served up at her B&B http://www.amalfivillarina.it/ in the Amalfi Coast. Everything was homegrown, homemade, authentic and organic from her gardens two feet from our table! Olive oil, figs, lemoncello... YUM!
Jeremy, Rina, and I on the last night of our trip.
Rina's B&B..way up on the hill..in fact 250 steps :) but a beautiful hike!
Rina's gardens surrounded us...fig, olive, lemon trees, grapes, pumpkin, egg plant, tomatoes...and on and on
watching the sunrise from our room
the view!
the best breakfast in Italy...freshly picked figs, deep red tomatoes, crepes oozing with rich maple syrup, homemade fig, plum and cucumber jams, and hard boiled eggs from her chicken range
colorful figs
Jeremy and I liked spreading the figs on the homemade bread
Of course...there was wine. She made homemade white and red.
and seafood...I tried anchovies, sardines, and mussels for the first time....not bad!
breaded anchovies
this had too many tentacles for me
Lambuca fish caught that morning, one of her cooking methods for the fish was called "aquapatza" meaning "crazy water"
She made eggplant and pumpkin pestos...both a nice variation from the traditional basil pine nut pestos
ricotta, chive, arugula stuffed cherry tomatoes
the best pasta dish EVER!
the sauce simmered with carrots, celery, onions, sage, rosemary, and nutmeg...so if you can imagine it was bursting with flavor.
The recipe is a tradition in Rina's family, passed down from grandmother to mother to Rina. Of course the "S" shaped pasta was homemade with semolina flour. the garnish...basil flowers.
a little slice of Heaven...chocolate cake made with lemon and sour cherries
other desserts she dished up were tiramisu and a chocolate mouse
and of course a meal wasn't complete without lemoncello (lemon liqueur) made from the lemons growing above our heads
Bunny, our guard dog, enjoyed eating the lemons too!
waiting patiently for any leftover sardines
more pictures and highlights to come from Venice, Tuscany, Rome, and Cinque Terre!
Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
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