Mexican Memories

On Saturday I couldn't resist another visit to Pallant House Gallery to see the wonderful artwork by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.  Chichester is the only UK location to benefit from this major touring exhibition from the Gelman collection.  Originally scheduled to finish on 2nd October the date has been extended to 9th October, so I may just manage one final trip before the vibrant and thought-provoking exhibition moves on.  I'm no art afficionado, but these paintings were reminiscent of a fabulous holiday I had in Mexico, starting in Mexico City and seeing the huge Diego Rivera murals in situ at City Hall, experiencing the largest and oldest cathedral in Latin America with the heady smell of incense, to exploring the ancient city and archaeoligical site of Teotihiacan.  After the intensity of Mexico City flying to Cancun to meet my dear friend Tim and collect a hire car meant we were then free to experience the delights of the Yucatan Peninsula.  From the pyramids at Chichen Itza, to the colonial architecture of Merida and glorious coastline complete with Mayan ruins at Tulum, one particularly special place to stay was the Hacienda Temozon.  Wealthy sisal plantation owners used to have amazing properties built, some of which have been converted to luxury boutique hotels with stylish accommodation.  Offering total comfort, authentic cooking and the best Margarita cocktails you'll ever taste, the Hacienda Temonzon provides hospitality in the same way guests would have experienced in the heyday of the Mexican southeast.  Consequently I'm inspired to dust down my Lourdes Nichols cookery book and prepare some suitably Mexican dishes to recreate the flavours of the sunshine and happy memories.  As a more recent advocate of Mexican cookery I'm a fan too of Thomasina Miers, but Lourdes is the mother of Mexican food in the UK and originally blazed the trail that introduced the British to the delights of Mexican cuisine.  With some unseasonally warm weather forecast for this week, it's the ideal opportunity to cook up a personal fiesta and make the most of it.

British Food Fortnight

British Food Fortnight runs from 17th September to 2nd October to coincide with Harvest Festival and the traditional time of year for celebrating our food.  I've been musing on this lately, as an appreciation of UK-produced seasonal produce should ideally be ongoing and not just a marketing initiative, although perhaps it is a timely reminder and provides focus.  The ancient festivals of Lammas in August marking the beginning of the harvest season, followed by September's Harvest Moon we experienced with last week's full moon, then culminating in Michaelmas at the end of September, provide much opportunity for giving thanks.  Our ancestors would have been far more in tune with the rhythms of the year and working together as a supportive community to ensure farmers were able to successfully bring the harvest home, thereby ensuring food supplies through the Winter months.  Re-connecting with this wonderful natural cycle provides a sense of being centred and grounded in life.  The abundance at  my local farmers' market on Saturday was wonderful.  I always get carried away and buy too much, added to which I've recently been given a glut of damsons, as well as a basket of green tomatoes, so have been busy making jam and chutney for the first time in years.  Something about the simple process of preserving nature's bounty is such a rewarding experience, especially being able to share the outcome for family and friends to enjoy.  I felt inspired to bake some bread too and the uplifting smell of the loaf in the oven was a simple pleasure that I shall recreate more often.  We are truly blessed that everything we could possibly want to eat is available in the shops or online, but even better to be mindful of where it has come from and give thanks for the joy and sustenance that good food lovingly grown and prepared provides.

Holiday Memory

On a grey, dismal Sunday evening it's hard to believe I was enjoying the warm Italian sunshine just a couple of weeks ago.  To capture the moment of a chance event on the beach that made me smile I wrote the following piece for the Daily Telegraph "Just Back From" travel writing competition.  Unfortunately the judges didn't choose my entry, but rather than consign it to the bin I thought it was worthy of exposure on my blog.  I hope you like it:

Serried ranks of green and yellow parasols shade neatly paired deckchairs on the sand, the rhythmic sound of the waves on the shore gives a sense of timeless continuity and bronzed bodies of all sizes and ages set the scene.  Fervent games of football using improvised goalposts at the water’s edge; the whistle of the Salvataggio lifeguard warning swimmers against the sweeping current; small clusters of older generation holiday makers playing cards; much chatter; teen preening and flirting; babies idolised.  The beach is truly a microcosm of Italian life. With instinctive side-taking, worthy of the Montagues and Capulets, a group of bikini-clad girls is up in arms about their much rehearsed holiday dance routine.  Practised daily at the side of the Annita Bagno beach café, the young group has been perfecting their Summer moves, but there is dissension in the air. The mini-me versions of their middle-aged parents start gesticulating wildly.  Finger wagging and foot stamping, folded arms and frowning, the youngsters take their disagreement so seriously you would imagine their very lives depended on it.  Tears and tantrums followed by much consoling and plotting, then the rebels defiantly walk away from the impromptu stage.  With a backdrop of painted wooden changing huts; an assortment of inflatable Lilos to toy dolphins and rubber rings; plus multi-coloured patterned towels out to dry in the sun, at that very moment the makeshift set was the centre of their universe. 

I walked by on my daily visit to the new ice cream parlour on the pedestrian boulevard edging the beach.  Late afternoon and a queue had already formed, as if in line for the hottest nightclub in town.  I remember the phrase ‘dolce far niente’ – sweet doing nothing, or delicious idleness.  There is no hurry. All good things are worth waiting for and the few minutes deliberating on choice of flavours before my turn to be served are well spent.  Having ruled out the temptations of hazelnut-studded chocolate Baci; to cherry-packed Amarena, I choose a luscious raspberry gelati and scoop of intense pistachio for good measure.  Life is for living, holidays are a celebration and for that instant my ice cream was the sole focus of my attention.  The hot sun soon starts to take its share melting my indulgent treat more quickly that I can eat it.  I stand in the shade to savour the moment and watch the world go by.

Minutes later returning to the beach I pass the group of youngsters, their beach tiff seemingly resolved.  On cue the music starts, smiling dancers enter stage left from the side of the bagno café and strut their stuff to the CD player.  All is well, the ebb and flow of beach life goes on.    Another sunny day in Tuscany.

Gelati in Bella Italia

One of the many compelling reasons to visit Italy is the ice cream.  Simply the best in the world.  The Italians' passion for which knows no bounds and evening queues forming outside the newest gelaterias in the Tuscan beach resort I've just returned from rivalled those of the hottest night clubs.  My holiday read whilst I was away was very apt - "The Empress of Ice Cream" by Anthony Capella.  I really enjoy his books and have read all four.  This latest novel, set in the 1670's, spans the court of the Medicis in Florence where Carlo Demirico learns the secret art of making delectable ice creams from his Persian master, to Paris and the court of Louis XIV, then to London during the reign of King Charles II.  An evocative insight to life in the 17th Century and an ideal book for devouring on the beach.  Thankfully I combined my appetite for the plot with the indulgence of a daily treat of freshly made gelati, the only dilemma being which flavours to choose.  After much deliberation and comparisons between hazelnut-studded Baci; seriously dark chocolate; cherry-packed Amarena; creamy vanilla with crushed biscuit folded through; to chocolate-chip Stracciatella, my favourite combination was a scoop of pure pistachio partnered with intense lampone (raspberry).  Heaven in a cone for only 2.70 Euros. Delizioso!