Sophia Lindop - A Unique Food Experience

Quick and easy!

 

I produced this incredibly easy and amazingly yummy salad the other evening.  I served it with Paddy's famous smoked chicken - it was especially complimentary!  Here's how -

Serves two as an accompaniment

Ingredients
A handful of fresh asparagus
One small papaya
A mixture of baby spinach, rocket and watercress
Roasted seeds
Grapeseed oil and Balsamic reduction for the dressing

Method
1.  Heat some grapeseed oil in a pan.
2.  Wash the asparagus spears and pat them dry.
3.  Toss them in the hot pan until they are al dente.
4.  Wash the greens and spin them dry.
5.  Cut the papaya in half and remove the pips.
6.  Peel and cut into slices.
7.  Toss the greens in a vinaigrette (mix 3 portions grapeseed oil to 1 portion balsamic reduction).
8.  Add the asparagus spears and papaya, and toss.
9.  Place on a beautiful platter and sprinkle with roasted seeds.

This was a winner! 

Yip, another 'quick and easy recipe' from the kitchen of 'Sophia Lindop'!

Wander lust...

OK, so back to our trip to Europe with my folks...  It was everyone's (except my mom's) first time to Europe, and we were like sponges soaking up everything.  We landed in Madrid - a city we all fell in love with!  The architecture, the Prado with all it's masterpieces, and so much more, were new and exciting and left us in awe.  I must say, we didn't enjoy the Spanish food though - too oily and rich.  Then we drove (or should I say, "I drove..."  Yes, the designated driver!) to Zaragoza where we had too little time.  I believe it is a beautiful city, but we arrived in the middle of a festival, and saw very little.  It was disappointing.  Anyway, our travels took us across the border and into France to stay in a medieval village called Carcassonne - what a treat!  We stayed inside the actual old village, and Paddy and I woke up before sunrise the morning to explore...  He did a lot of drawing - in fact, he kept a sketch diary of all the places we had visited - and I was manned with my new camera.  I walked around alone, and experienced the city waking up - the sounds, the smells of coffee brewing, cats peeping out the windows sleepily, the smells of breakfast, proprietors arriving at their restaurants, opening up to allow the stale smells from the previous night to escape, making space for new ones, the sound of them sweeping...  It was an unforgettable experience!

From Carcassonne, we drove to Montpellier - I loved the city and the food!  We met a young man from London who was working at our hotel, and he showed us around while we enjoyed one another's company.  After two nights there, we were off to Barcelona.  I had such high expectations of Barcelona, and I must say, it was our least favourite!  I did, however, greatly enjoy the fresh produce market on Las Ramblas - it was an experience of a lifetime! - as well as Gaudi's work in the form of the Sagrada Familia!  Anyway, we boarded our ship, the Norwegian Gem, in Barcelona, and sailed off into the sunset...  The ship was unbelievable!  And, it kind of became our home - we could unpack for a week after the nine days on land, living from our suitcases.  The staff were top class, the food, all 24-hours worth of it, was amazing, and we had a bonding and special time with my parents!  Our first port of call was Valetta, Malta (where I also lost my heart).  Then we were off to Naples where we drove for the day to Sorrento.  Our third stop was Civitavecchia and we drove to Rome, where we spent the most frustrating day in a queue at the Vatican, seeing almost nothing else!  We will have to go back there!  Fourth stop was Livorno and we spent another awesome day in Firenze (Florence) - another place we will have to go back to!  Our second last stop was Nice, Villefranche, where I once again lost my heart and planned my retirement!  We docked again in Barcelona and embarked on our journey home...  After a very unpleasant 24-hour delay, we reached Cape Town and had to hit the ground running. 

It was an unforgettable 16 days that I will treasure for as long as I can! 

And, as I mentioned before, tomatoes were plentiful and the one common ingredient!  Here's another amazing Spanish (this time) recipe using this amazing fruit -

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
6 tomatoes
6 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
6 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
Sugar

Method
1.  Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2.  Place the tomatoes on their flattest side.
3.  Cut just above the middle and empty the contents.  Set the tomato pulp aside.
4.  Season the tomatoes with salt and a pinch of sugar each and turn them upside down so that the liquid runs off.
5.  Turn right side up and fill with the finely chopped mixture of garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, paprika and olive oil.
6.  Roast for 20 minutes.

To serve
Cut a baguette into thick slices (two per person) and brush with olive oil.  Toast them in the oven on both sides until they are golden brown.  Rub one side with a clove of fresh garlic.
On the side, put the tomato pulp in a blender, and add some olive oil, garlic, salt and a pinch of sugar.  Blend together.
Place two slices of toasted baguette on each plate, smother with the blended tomato and top with a stuffed tomato.  Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.  (Serve one or two per person, depending on the size of the tomato.)

More 'easy recipes' from 'Sophia Lindop'...

Apple of love...

Is it a fruit?  Is is a vegetable?  Well, it's kind of a fruity vegetable.  In cooking we use it as a vegetable, although thea tomato is classified a fruit. 

Here's some background - tomatoes originate from Central and South America.  They were originally thought to be poisonous because people associated their red colour with danger.  As a result, they were not consumed as food until around the 1800's.  The tomato plant first came to Europe in the 16th century.  It is not clear who brought them in the first place, but it is thought that they were brought back from Central America by the Spanish.  At that time, they were known as the 'wolf's peach' and 'Peruvian apple'.

Later they became known as 'pomi dei mori' in Italy (not sure of spelling??) - or 'apples of the Moors'. When uttered out loud, this sounds remarkably like the French 'pomme d'amour' ('apple of love'). Because of this, the humble tomato became known as the 'apple of love'.

Tomatoes are easy to grow, they can grow in small gardens in containers (they need a lot of sunshine and water), they can be eaten raw or cooked, they are extremely healthy to eat, versatile, and, let's face it, very good looking!  Other than red, tomatoes can be green, yellow or even brown (kumatoes).

You might ask why I am sharing this?  Well, it's because the one common thread that I found running through the food of Spain, France and Italy is...the tomato.  The varieties were amazing!  There were specific ones to use in sauces, others to use fresh in salsas, others to stuff...  It was amazing.  I made the fatal mistake of picking up one of the sexiest tomatoes I have ever seen from a market stand - well, the little old Italina man slapped me on my arm, grabbed his produce from me, shook his head and mumbled something in Italian which probably sounded like, "Stupid woman!  I'm sure she can't cook!  Doesn't she know these are sacred??"  My ego took a blow, but I survived!  When we docked in Firenze (Florence) in Italy, I broused around a small nursey where the owner explained every variety of tomato to me and what to use them for.  So I bought two packets of seeds and hid them in my luggage - and walked confidently through customs in Johannesburg with my husband looking guilty behind me in fear that someone will sniff them out and lock me up for bringing seeds into the country...  As soon as it heats up a little, I will sow them.

The only thing I asked for on our trip, was a recipe book from every country - my wonderful Paddy obliged!  And so I thought I'd share a couple of tomato related recipes with you...

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Basil

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g spaghetti
1kg ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
I onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
A handful of basil leaves
About 1T oil and a blob of butter
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

Method
1.  Wash the tomatoes, chop them and place them in a pan with the garlic, the onion cut into quarters, the basil, the carrot, the chopped celery, and a little salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil.
2.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
3.  Pass the sauce through a vegetable mill (food processor), and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
4.  Bring the water to the boil, and add the salt and speghetti..
5.  At the same time, in another pan, heat the oil and butter and cook the tomato sauce for five minutes.
6.  When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce together with a few basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

Yum!  Good, simple Italian cuisine - from the heart of Napoli!

Another 'easy recipe' from 'Sophia Lindop'...

It's been a while!

   

Hola!  Bon jour!  Buon giorno!  It's been two months, one week and one day since my last... (No!  Not drink!!) POST!  I cannot even blame Blogger's Block - I was simply so busy with functions that I had no energy left at night to tell you about them!  But then Paddy and I have just spent nine days driving around the Spanish and French countryside with my parents, followed by seven days onboard The Norwegian Gem, cruising around Italy, so here I am again, ready to take up my keyboard and tell you all about it!

I must say, Spanish food left me a little cold - I found it too rich and oily.  However, being in France was like a pilgrimage to the Foodie Holy Land and I left there inspired!  And that's exactly how I felt leaving Italy - the simplicity and excellence was amazing!  Then there was the food on the ship...  So much to tell!

So, stay tuned for the first chapter of tales of my first visit to Europe...  I look forward to sharing Europe with you as seen through my lens and experienced by my taste buds.