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Welcome Autumn

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Welcome Autumn. Tuesday here saw the start of Autumn. Falling leaves,changing colours and chilly temperatures on their way.

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There are so many wonderful changes in the garden.Leaves,seedpods,

berries, acorns and with all these wonderful changes to the eye there’s the changing

acoustics, the rustling leaves of falling freely, crunching and kicking of leaves

underfoot, changing melodies of Winter birds.

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“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting 
and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
–   Stanley Horowitz

Autumn wreath 

This Autumn wreath was made with all the findings of this time of the year from the garden and we’ve just starting harvesting our corn crops. Hence these rustic looking corn flowers,made from corn husks, one hint on making these always remember to spray them with hair spray or fixing spray, otherwise beasties will eat them and the wreath won’t last for the following year. I love the natural colours of the corn flowers, however they can be spray painted also.

corn flowers

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Because a garden mean constantly making choices,
it offers almost limitless possibilities for surprise and satisfaction.
–   Jane Garmey, The Writer in the Garden

Hope you’ve all had a good week my friends…I’ve linked to the DIY Show Off, Fall Festival , have a look around and find some wonderful and magical Autumn/ Fall ideas.

Yvette…x

#3 Butterscotch Pudding

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Handwritten Recipes

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This recipe was handwritten and sent to me from one of my dear special friends.We’ve known each

other from college boarding school days and have kept in touch since then.

I have to admit I was a fish out of water with this recipe as I’d never before made a self saucing

 pudding…what’s the right dish to use? what should the sauce look like before pouring on top of

the pudding mixture?…

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…but trusting my friend, knowing she had made the effort to write down this recipe and send it

over the seas… I continue on her directions…

…continuing every five minutes checking the oven, I was thrilled at the result.This is absolutely

mouthwatering and I’ll admit it I went back for seconds.Read on for the recipe…

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Roasting chestnuts

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Nothing like a change of weather. With a continuous drizzle, windy and overcast grey day we decided to warm our stomachs with fresh roasted chestnuts.

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Roasting until the skins charcoal and split…

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An afternoon spent with family, roasting chestnuts a chat and some laughter…

 

Yvette…x

A Hunting we will go….

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Times passed, imagine getting dressed up like this to go hunting for Sunday’s dinner!

The hunting season here is starting soon, the hunters and their dogs have been looking around our area for any signs of rabbit and hare burrows or the beautiful pheasants that they might catch a glimpse of. I dislike immensely the sounds of guns,whistles and hound dogs on a Sunday morning and with that -No further Comment!

Why all this?…To explain the meaning behind the dish Chicken Cacciatore…

Chicken cacciatore is one of the dishes I remember when I was little, but I can’t remember anyone mentioning this name. After reading the ingredients of this recipe some time ago and making it more than once, and after tasting the flavorsome sauce it all came back in a flash of tingling taste buds.

Cacciatore is Italian for “hunter”, and refers to the heavily flavoured sauce that covers the meat. Cacciatore (the original recipe) composed of onions,mushrooms,herbs and chicken or rabbit  and would have been the main dish of the hunters expedition,maybe a wild,wet and windy day just like today…. A slow stew.

As wild game tends to have a certain “taste” the bold flavours of the hunters sauce,  and the long cooking time,we’re talking a couple of hours my friends achieves the desired tenderizing effect and covers the taste of the meat.We’re talking meat falling off the bone.It’s that tender.However I don’t overcook mine.

Today, chicken cacciatore recipes are a mixture of slow cooker, modern techniques and ingredients and a touch of the old world seasoning .chicken cacciatore 005

   Read on for the recipe…

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In pursuit of the slug…

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My friends you can scream run,run, run but snails are just slow!

For some there is the night ritual with torch in hand to find and get rid of  these “little” creatures munching on lettuce, cabbages and other veggies ,and finding them on the delicate foliage of freshly planted flowers.

However, from the south to north of Italy there are over 400 fairs and festivals where the main attraction is indulging in the “delicate” eating of snails.

We too take part in this ceremony, and not once but twice this year we’ve enjoyed with friends a dinner of snails and Prosecco.

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These “boys” have been friends forever…and each dinner was a race to see how many they could find and later eat…this round fifty snails.

However the traditional cook was my sister in law. Who has made her mark as the all round top chef in cooking these slippery little suckers.

Her recipe is the traditional “ Lumache alle bourgiognonne” Snails cooked in butter,breadcrumbs and a variety of fresh herbs, parsley,sage,thyme.

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To be able to enjoy snails with secured calmness ( as the slugs can contain harmful substances) it’s necessary to complete the cleaning process. It takes time and patience but secures the enjoyment of the rich flavour, of each snail. The cleaning process takes from 4-5 days, boiling them in salted water and vinegar, changing the water and repeating the process 2 or 3 times. Then boiling the snails for at least 2 hours in a pressure cooker. At this stage they can be frozen. If not there are many traditional recipes or even a few new ones.

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Some of the recipes with snails are fried snails with cornmeal (polenta), soup of snails (very creamy),ravioli of snails and tagliolini (pasta) with a fried snail sauce,kebabs of snails with a herb dressing,the more traditional herb crusted and baked in butter (alla borgognona) which we enjoy and finally snails baked with a tomato and herb sauce.

So don’t think only of the French but also the Italians who enjoy eating snails…

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Yvette…x

Harvesting of Grapes

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This week on the land is a busy time for us. It’s the start of our grape harvesting.Our vineyard is divided into two types…so not all the grapes are ready at the same time…

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Apart from ourselves, a few family friends come to help us out. There’s something about grape harvesting that brings everyone together.The vineyard is a buzz with activity,there’s the continual chatter among the workers, the snipping noise as the clusters of grapes are picked, the hum of bees as they flock to the sweetness of the sugar, the smell of the fermenting grapes and the laughter and smiles of a great harvest, don’t worry about the aching bones…

The first part of the harvest taking about two days, is all picked by hand. The Prosecco grapes will be ready in another couple of weeks.Read on for more…

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Verona -Italy

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Verona is a wonderful easy one day visit, from where I live. A two hour train trip. Verona is a city of love,music,theatre, art and culture.Taking my Aussie friends, for a look at this special place, it was obvious that one of the first stops would have to be Juliet’s house…Just a bit of romance thrown in to start off the day…Read on for our day adventure…

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Baci di fichi *figs dipped in chocolate and hazelnuts

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What’s more appealing than a little chocolate and a love message. All over the world Baci chocolates are given as tokens of love. A whole hazelnut covered with granules of hazelnut and dark chocolate with a magical message of affection. My childhood memories are vivid of these “special” chocolates, everyone opening these petite chocolates and one by one reading the message…nothings really changed in my adult years.

I came across this recipe and just couldn’t resist the indulgence! Figs dipped in chocolate and hazelnuts. Divine!

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