Cow neck prosciutto

A really simple dinner, a friend bought white pizza (pizza cooked with nothing on it) and we ate with prosciutto. The star is the cow neck prosciutto, which is made and brought by his mother from south of Italy. That is priceless because you can’t buy it anywhere, but eat at his mother’s place.

Spicy hot chocolate

One bar in Rome offers this brand of hot chocolate with 12 different tastes. I tried the spicy hot chocolate. It was very creamy but not spicy at all. Maybe spicy in Italian means different than what I used to.

Mirto Drink

I saw these berries in the countryside of Rome and later found out what is it.

“Mirto is a liqueur popular in Sardinia and in Corsica, obtained from the myrtle plant through the alcoholic maceration of the berries or a compound of berries and leaves. Myrtle grows freely in Sardinia.

Mirto rosso (red) is made with the berries and is sweet.
Mirto bianco (white) is made from the leaves.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirto_(drink)

Parmesan cheese with truffle honey

I tried it for the first time in Rome and I love it!!
Parmesan cheese with truffle flavored honey, simple but delicious! I have never thought about eating cheese with honey!

Medlar fruit

I saw these weird fruit in Brussels and bought 2 of them. But they were hard so I carried them for a few days till they got soften. I ate them like a fruit. They are dry but very sweet, perfect for making jams. In Amsterdam, I also saw a Medlar tree in someone’s backyard.

“Medlar fruit are very hard and acidic. They become edible after being softened ("bletted") by frost, or naturally in storage given sufficient time. Once softening begins, the skin rapidly takes a wrinkled texture and turns dark brown, and the inside reduces to a consistency and flavour reminiscent of apple sauce. They can then be eaten raw, often consumed with cheese as a dessert, although they are also used to make medlar jelly and wine."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mespilus

Chicken with mixed nuts

What a pleasure when a guy cooks for me!
My Italian friend Roberto in Athen is a talented translator and great creative cook! He picked some existing ingredients at home and created this wonderful dish: chicken with mixed nuts. We enjoyed it with some salad on the sunny warm balcony, accompanied with Italian conversation in Athen! What an experience!

Salmon with red current cream sauce

I met Christophe (From Paris) through another friend. He happened to be on his holiday in Brussels, just like me. And he decided to create an interesting dish for me. Not only he knows everything about wine but also very creative when comes to cooking.

One pot with mushroom slowly shimmered down while the other side red current is melting with the fresh crème. I love the red current sauce: creamy, sweet and sour. Very interesting combination with the salmon!


On the side, a mix green salad with plum and cashew nuts. That is our luxurious holiday lunch!