March30
Can you remember ever having a menu ordering accident? That is to say, you ordered a dish but realised when it arrived that you had misinterpreted what was stated on the menu and had to eat it anyway? Exactly this happened to me when my husband and I were dining in Positano Italy this past fall.
Near the Norman Cathedral of Monreale (Palermo)
We started our Italian adventure in Sicily and one evening our host ordered a sumptuous dish in Palermo. We had just toured Monreale and were in the vicinity of the Palermo train station when we happened upon Antico Bar and Ristorante in the Piazza Giulio Cesare. Concetta had ordered anchovy and fennel pasta and the forkful that I tasted was divine-an unusual blending of salty and savoury.
The Antipasto that night-missed taking a pic of the entrees
Days later and on our own on the Amalfi Coast we asked Luigi, the wonderful owner of Hotel Le Fioriere in Praiano where his favourite restaurant in Positano was. With his advice we headed out for Da Vincenzo’s.
Under the Canopy
We did not have reservations but considered ourselves lucky to get a table outside but under a canopy as it had just started to rain. We began with a calzone and this basil, mozzarella and tomato salad.
The Salad Plate
Remebering that single taste in Palermo, I ordered the Anchovies and I got just what I ordered but not what I was dreaming of.
Just Anchovies?
Kath’s quote: “
The peasants of Sicily, who have kept their own wheat and make their own natural brown bread, ah, it is amazing how fresh and sweet and clean their loaf seems, so perfumed, as home-made bread used all to be before the war.”-D.H. Lawrence
March29
La Fiesta Cafecito is owned by Jose and Sonia Valdez who are from El Salvador. Since Daughter #2 travelled to El Salvador to do humanitarian work a couple of years ago, we were happy to learn more about their regional cooking. Pupusas are at the top of the list of their signature platters so we knew that would be one of our selections. But because we love to try little tastes of lots of things we decided to order a combination platter that included two Pupusas, one chicken burrito and one beef enchilada. The meal started with a chicken tortilla soup which satisfied my craving for a comfort food because I was nursing a cold.
We are accustomed to this recipe with lime, chiles and cilantro but this was a savoury alternative. We detected a sprinkling of Tajin Classico in the bottom of our bowl which is one of our regular purchases on trips to Mexico.
We were quite sure that Jose indicated that we were getting one Queso Pupusa and One Chicarrones y Queso (pork and cheese) Pupusa but when we forked into the non-Queso one, it was definitely filled with Frijoles (beans). I preferred the Queso one and my bean-loving (and deprived) husband preferred the Frijoles. The chicken burrito was stuffed with a savoury mixture of onion, rice and chicken. The beef enchilada though was unusual with a ladle of a “beef bolognaise style” sauce on top of a flaky pastry shell style base. On top of this sat a wedge of hard boiled egg! When in Rome…. Daughter #2 returns from South Africa in the next couple of weeks and we plan to return to La Fiesta to recreate her El Salvadorian adventure.
Kath’s Quote: “This recipe is certainly silly. It says to separate the eggs, but it doesn’t say how far to separate them.”-Gracie Allen
March23
Sister # 3: “While the traditional regional cuisine on Isla Mujeres is amazing, there is also a huge variety of fare available because people from around the world have discovered this little Island and now call it home.
March 2010
Olivia’s Israeli owner/operators offer a nice variety of good Mediterranean food including moussaka and kebab.”
Added by Kathryne: We were so excited to try Olivia’s in March 2008, that we accepted a table right in front of the restaurant’s open kitchen. The result was that we were engulfed by the smoke from the open fire. This did not dampen our appreciation of their well made mojitos or carefully prepared food. We tried their spanakopita, moussaka and Moroccan fish on couscous.
Moroccan Fish
In February 2009 we were fortunate to make a reservation for the best table in the house. There is a beautiful, large square table at the rear of the restaurant which is under a thatched canopy where enjoyed another lovely dinner .
Sisters 1-3 Under the Palapa
On my next visit, I intend to try their Shawarma. This was one of my favourite meals when I travelled to Israel a decade ago. I still recall the glistening juices as the meat portion was shaved off of the rotating spit. We had stopped at a roadside diner outside of Jerusalem. Their version was served with crunchy veggies and a variety of sauces-the memory of the taste is still very vivid.
Kath’s Quote: “Don’t take a butcher’s advice on how to cook meat. If he knew, he’d be a chef.” -Andy Rooney
March17
Each year we gather on Isla Mujeres for a couple of weeks in the sun and sand as an escape from the snow and cold of Winnipeg. What started as a week away for the three sisters has turned into a significantly larger gathering. Other family members and friends have joined us each year and we continue to make great friends with people we meet on the island.
Whenever we meet someone new or are preparing friends for a first time trip, we spend a significant amount of time discussing the food. By now readers of Kathryne’s blog can see that our family’s life revolves around food. However it is not our preoccupation with food that causes our obsession with the food of Isla, it’s the food itself. Ask anyone who has spent any time on this jewel of an Island and they will tell you that the food is as magnificent as the beaches and as lovely as the people. 
This 5 mile long island is made up of sand and coral and salt water lagoons dominate a big part of its land mass, leaving little room for agriculture. Yesterday our new friends Jeff and Kathy from Minneapolis told us they saw a cow, but I myself have yet to see any animals except beach dogs, street cats, iguana, geckos and the occasional roaster. So you would think that this little island whose main industry is fishing would only be able to boast about delicious fish and seafood, but you would be amazed at the food offered up here.
March15
I recently had a conversation with my son and his wife about shopping at only the outer rim of the grocery store. That is the dairy case, fresh fruit and veggie section, bakery, etc. in order to buy only whole and fresh ingredients and to avoid the processed food that is contained in the centre of the supermarket. Newly inspired, I made brownies last night and here is the from scratch recipe: 
Place 4 squares of baker’s chocolate and 3/4 c butter in a glass bowl and microwave at full power for 2 minutes. Remove and stir until chocolate is well blended. Stir in 2 c of sugar (1 c at a time) . Then blend in 3 eggs and 1 t of vanilla. Next blend in 1 c flour and 1 c chocolate chunks (I used a mixture of chocolate chips, chopped milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate). Pour into a greased 9 x 12 pan and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. My husband likes his brownies goey in the middle so I removed them at this time but for a more cakey brownie bake another 5 minutes.
I learned this: “The name for the cocoa tree is theobrama, which means ‘food of the Gods’. I know that chocolate is meant for us, however, because the melting point of chocolate just happens to be the temperature within your very human mouth.” –The School of Essential Ingredients
On my last trip to Mexico I purchased Nestle’s Abuelita hot chocolate. Coincidentally Abuelita plays a key role in The School of Essential ingredients. If you love an authentic hot chocolate (not made from powder) you will love this. Imagine the hot chocolate that was made in the chocolate shop of the movie Chocolat-mmm.
The brownies were delicious especially because I accompanied them with a fine glass of Chilean Merlot. If you have not tried red wine and chocolate together-you must.
Today I was at a meeting and a friend brought brownies for dessert. I had to have a taste to compare them to my mine. I especially enjoyed theirs and when I requested the recipe I was told that the mix was from Costco! Perhaps I should rethink the outer rim of the grocery store strategy.
What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.”
Katherine Hepburn
