Squid & Chickpeas

Inspired by a dish at Sa Roqueta in Portixol. Absolutely love it. Just a couple leaves of chopped mint does the trick.

small squid, cleaned

chickpeas, either fresh & soaked prior to cooking (or jarred if good quality)

baby spinach

mint, roughly chopped

EVOO

S&P

lemon

garlic

1. bash up garlic in mortar
2. saute until begins to color
3. add spinach and mint, stir around until wilted
4. add chickpeas, cook at low heat until warmed through
5. meanwhile, cut up squid in uneven pieces; put in bowl, season with S&P, drizzle EVOO and stir
6. in separate pan, saute squid on high heat just until it becomes white and no longer translucent
7. add squid to pan with chickpeas, stir
8. serve on a large oval platter, add some fresh EVOO and a couple squeezes of lemon

Tonight's Dinner

A fun evening had by all, especially me given my eagerness to get back into the kitchen after vacation time away. Farewell to Golborne Road.

• Ricotta, Quince & Dill
• Tomato & Melon Gazpacho
• Mushrooms & Basil Mayo
• Squid & Chickpeas
• Battarga & Chile Spaghettini
• Chorizo & Tomato Salad
• Bibb Quarters & Roquefort Vinaigrette
• White Peach & Buffalo Mozzarella
• Artisan de Chocolat chocolates

Anchovy & Caper Berry Pasta

Possibly the best pasta of the trip, which we had for lunch three days in a row at the heavenly Bagno Sillo near Camogli.

best quality salted anchovies
garlic
cherry tomatoes (6 per person)
caper berries
dried pepperoncini
EVOO
parsley, chopped

1. rinse anchovies very well
2. saute garlic until beginning to color, add anchovies and pepperoncini and saute further until anchovies melt
3. slice up tomatoes into eights, add to sauce
4. cut each caper berry into 4-5 slices, add to sauce
5. cook pasta, drain 3 minutes prior to finished cooking time, add to pan with sauce
6. mix and coat pasta with sauce the remaining 3 minutes, adding some pasta water and EVOO to loosen up if necessary
7. sprinkle parsley and give another quick mix before serving

Liguria Observations

More Ligurian inspiration.

• Trattoria detta del Bruxaboschi (Genoa S. Desiderio): verdure ripiene all Genovese impanate et fritte; fiori di zucchine ripieni di galletti su crema di porri; chestnut piccagge matte al pesto; pansouti alle erbe selvatiche in salsa di noci; Rosesse Riviera Ligure di Ponente 2008
• Da U Battj (Santa Margherita): lasagnette pesto;olive spaghetti; squid salad; Rosesse di Dolceacqua; and the best langoustines ever made in a special mystery sauce
• Oca Bianca (Santa Margherita): vitello tonnato with brandy in the sauce (need to call for exact recipe); some lovely goodness of skinned/de-seeded diced tomato, capers, olives and EVOO to accompany bread; Barbera del Monferrato (La Briosa Montalbera) with a slight fizz
• Bagno Sillo (Siro): the best anchovy pasta ever
• Trattoria Do Spadin (Camogli): only accessible by boat; chopped mussels & pine nuts spaghetti
• Ristorante Da Paolo (Camogli): the only proper place to have dinner in the town center, spaghetti moscardini (baby octopus) very memorable but only available in August
• Da Laura (Portofino): only accessible by boat; literally a cave; best pesto lasagnetta; have yet to make it here
• Fiorella (Camogli): pasta shop sourced by Da Laura's for pesto lasagnetta
• Focaccia & Cheese (Recco): world famous
• Muraglia Conchiglia d'Oro (Finale): mussels and basil pasta

Caprese, Not

There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Spain but good luck finding a Spanish restaurant in Italy. A caprese salad from Fabrica 23 in Palma, made with their funky vinaigrette of mustard, lemon juice and honey. You'd be shot for putting this on your caprese in Italy, but I have to say this somehow works! Fabrica 23 also uses burrata versus mozzarella, and rocket versus basil.

combination of tomatoes, halved and quartered rather roughly
burrata
rocket

vinaigrette:
equal parts whole grain and normal dijon mustard
honey
lemon juice
EVOO
S&P

1. toss tomatoes and rocket separately in EVOO, S&P
2. slice burrata into discs about an inch thick
3. assemble by putting some rocket on a small plate, a disk of burrata on top, and some tomatoes all around
4. drizzle vinaigrette over the whole lot

Green Salad

A thoughtful juxtaposition of green ingredients from Palma's Fabrica 23.

crispy lettuce/bibb
frisee
endives
rocket
green pepper sliced with a mandolin
green apple, thin batons
cucumber, thin batons
basil
scallions, sliced thinly
alfalfa sprouts
celery, sliced thinly
fennel tops (herb only)

vinaigrette:
EVOO
lemon juice
tsp mustard
tsp honey
S&P

1. put all the greens in a large bowl
2. toss with vinaigrette

Spaghetti & Walnut Sauce

An out-of-season dish that I absolutely had to try at Milano's Emilio e Carlo. The air con was on full blast, so I pretended it was winter. No parmesan allowed!

a few fresh walnuts

2 tblsp pinenuts

1 tblsp pesto

3 tblsp chopped prosciutto cotto (or jambon de Paris)

1-2 tsp home-made breadcrumbs

a couple sprigs of parsley

2 tblsp EVOO

1 tsp flour

4 tblsp panna (or light cream)

1-2 tblsp bechamel (optional)

s&p

1. put all of the ingredients in a mixer until you have a paste
2. melt butter, add a thumbnail of flour
3. saute paste, add panna to loosen up, as well as some bechamel, if you like
4. make pasta, drain, add to pan and stir to coat the pasta
5. season and serve