Oct 26
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Awestruck after witnessing “Citizen Chef, Global Foodie” and prolific cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi, British-based and Jerusalem-born, along with head chef Ramael Scully of the flagship London restaurant NOPI at the Chicago Humanities Festival. This accolade-winning culinary twosome discussed food, drink, global influences, home and restaurant cooks and kitchens, flavors, Mother’s cooking, Alice Waters, Nigella Lawson, first food memories, bad foods, favorite recipes and last meals. Topics included tofu, Parmesan semolina dumplings, cauliflower, turnips, rice and lentils, Moroccan carrot salad, salmon and spinach with dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend), ramen, lemongrass, miso, curries and much, much more. An amazing amalgam of Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Heartened to know there is a dessert cookbook in the making—expect two years. Excited for my upcoming reservation at NOPI in January. Can’t wait to experience their brilliance firsthand.

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Aug 25
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DAY AND NIGHT TEN – The beginning of the end of my gastronomic escapade Feeling the pressure of my last day/night of my northeastern Atlantic culinary adventure, I squeeze in a bucolic jaunt to the south of Dublin, then dinner at Chapter One, one of Dublin’s finest Michelin star restaurants, located in the basement of the Dublin Writers Museum in Parnell Square. First the food, with homage to Chef Ross Lewis and Martin Corbett, Proprietor and Maitre D’Extraordinaire. Chef Lewis’ food is inspired by “the Irish landscape, seasons and artisans”. Thanks, Ross and Martin for the kitchen tour! On the tasting menu: Pearl tapioca with goat’s cheese, Irish peas, mushrooms and truffle juice. Poached Clarenbridge oysters with smoked haddock and seaweed jelly. Wicklow lamb with braised peas and broad beans, Madeira sauce and capers. Rose petal and lime jelly with poached rhubarb, white chocolate ganache, yoghurt mousse and ginger crumbs. Next, the art. Chef Lewis created ProjectArt in 2011 as a “collaborative expression of the creative connectivity among art, food and customers and to promote young, emerging Irish artists”. Check out his book and menu cover. Alas, I must bid farewell to a delicious few weeks of tasting and drinking throughout Portugal, Spain, France, Great Britain and Ireland: adeus, adiós, au revoir and good bye. Until my next culinary caper, keep reading my musings from the fitfoodpro. India is calling …

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Aug 22
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DAYS SEVEN TO TEN –Dining and drinking like the locals—and then some Well, the Celtic Sea formed a defiant wall of waves that blocked my safe arrival to Waterford. After some heavy-duty carbs to temper my rolling stomach, I shakily made it to Dublin. It was well worth the discomfort. I still managed some modern Irish fare based on traditional ingredients used in non-traditional ways (note the beet salad and a pail of the day’s catch, replete with cod, crab, crayfish, mussels, oysters and winkles (small, edible sea snails). Guinness followed at a local pub where Chicago folk songs energized the crowd and felt like home. The following day I pre-arranged a food and drink walking tour. I visited celebrated Irish coffee and pastry shops, a cheese monger, butcher, baker, vegan soup and salad deli, classic Victorian pub, enclosed gourmet city market and chocolatier. Did I mention fish and chips with smashed peas and more Guinness for lunch? Or the splendid architecture, literature and history galore, or that I fought paparazzi to access my hotel (a famous rock group shared my address)? One final meal capped my very memorable stay. Check back for every morsel!

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Aug 20
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DAY SIX – The Isles of Scilly—no laughing matter There lies a small archipelago of islands that reside off of the southwestern coast of the UK named Scilly (that’s right!), just begging my exploration and tasting. Since 1975, these isles have been designated for their outstanding natural beauty. Only 2,200 residents on just five inhabited islands share their splendor. I spend most of my time on St. Mary’s–the largest, St. Martin’s with its flower farm and vineyard and Tresco, home to world famous sub-tropical Abbey Garden. There are rare, migrating birds, exotic plants, archaeological sites and plenty of organic foods and beverages to be experienced. To start, Cornish pasties with beef, potatoes, swede (yellow turnip or rutabaga), and onions at a local café–with tea and local, organic milk, of course! Then local wine tasting at St Martins Vineyard, the most south-westerly vineyard in England, with mostly white varieties – Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine. The vineyard and production are small, but intensive. A real passion by a former science teacher! Lunch in Hugh Town, the main town of St. Mary’s, is a visual and organic feast! Check out the freshly made brown bread, golden butter and redder-than-red tomato soup. And the morning-caught fresh crabmeat salad with just-picked veggies from the neighboring organic farmers’ fields. I grab some lemon marmalade, gooseberry jam and heavenly scones for the lazy jaunt back to port. But first, I squeeze in a steep climb to Star Castle, an eight-pointed star former fortress on a rocky peninsula, originally built as defense against the Spanish Armada. A pot of English breakfast tea and biscuits and this friendly seagull says it all. Now to cross the Celtic and Irish Seas and on to Waterford and Dublin. Anchors aweigh for the rocky route—still the rewards are worth it. All aboard?

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Aug 20
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DAY SIX – The Isles of Scilly—no laughing matter There lies a small archipelago of islands that reside off of the southwestern coast of the UK named Scilly (that’s right!), just begging my exploration and tasting. Since 1975, these isles have been designated for their outstanding natural beauty. Only 2,200 residents on just five inhabited islands share their splendor. I spend most of my time on St. Mary’s–the largest, St. Martin’s with its flower farm and vineyard and Tresco, home to world famous sub-tropical Abbey Garden. There are rare, migrating birds, exotic plants, archaeological sites and plenty of organic foods and beverages to be experienced. To start, Cornish pasties with beef, potatoes, swede (yellow turnip or rutabaga), and onions at a local café—with tea and local, organic milk, of course! Then local wine tasting at St Martins Vineyard, the most south-westerly vineyard in England, with mostly white varieties – Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine. The vineyard and production are small, but intensive. A real passion by a former science teacher! Lunch in Hugh Town, the main town of St. Mary’s, is a visual and organic feast! Check out the freshly made brown bread, golden butter and redder-than-red tomato soup. And the morning-caught fresh crabmeat salad with just-picked veggies from the neighboring organic farmers’ fields. I grab some lemon marmalade, gooseberry jam and heavenly scones for the lazy jaunt back to port. But first, I squeeze in a steep climb to Star Castle, an eight-pointed star former fortress on a rocky peninsula, originally built as defense against the Spanish Armada. After a pot of English breakfast tea and biscuits there, this friendly seagull says it all. Now to cross the Celtic and Irish Seas and on to Waterford and Dublin. Anchors aweigh for the rocky route—still the rewards are worth it. All aboard?

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Aug 20
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DAY FIVE – The best of Brest food and cidre—with windswept moor photo ops Now for a different taste of France, far west of Paris…the thriving port of Brest, France. With its tower, castle and1,700 year history (mostly naval), Brest is home to the French national fleet. And thanks to its proximity to the western tip of the Breton peninsula, Brest serves as Europe’s #1 food industrial area. I am in GORGEOUS food land here, with Brest’s vast array of apples and apple cidre, macaroons, pastries (like Kouign-Amann, Breton butter cake and Traou Mad, traditional butter biscuits, akin to Scottish shortbread), outrageous fruits and vegetables and a profusion of shellfish, or “fruits de mer”. If hard apple cider is to your liking, French apple cidre is primarily brut, with about 4.5 percent alcohol and doux, which is sweeter and milder at 1.5 percent. But the real celebrity here is the Breton crêpe. The local market has delectable versions—plus, you can study their execution! Pity I have to move along from this French food stupor. The Isles of Scilly, UK are calling. Just listen …

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Aug 18
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DAY FOUR – El Ferrol and Betanzos—tenacious and tantalizing! There’s a true grit mentality here. In the 17th century, El Ferrol was the most important arsenal in Europe and strategically positioned in one of the rias (inlets) of the Atlantic. Betanzos, a medieval Galician port, dates back to the 13th century. El Ferrol was also the birthplace of Francisco Franco, the Spanish general and dictator and Pablo Iglesias, the founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Imposing, both. But you, my FB friends, came here for the food and drink. Come select freshly snatched oysters, then bring your catch into a local restaurante and pair with the house vino. If you’re not a fan of mollusks or crustaceans, there’s wild boar or roast veal. Grab a handful of lush, ripe cherries for snacking or crystallized in desserts. And don’t miss the little Pementos de Padrón that range from bright green to sometimes red, customarily fried in oil and served as tapas. Padrón (godfather) is lovingly referred to as the occasional very hot pepper. Regrettably, this very hearty dining and late night eating fades as I head to northwestern France—specifically to Brest, for Brittany’s famous delicacies. See you there!

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Aug 18
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DAY 3 – Looking for gold and precious stones—and did I say seafood? Made it to Vigo, Spain, fishing port of the north Atlantic par excellence! History has it treasures are sunk in the bay along with the seafood! The world’s largest fishing company, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the Galician canned fish industry all reside here—who knew? Note that the wines have changed from Portuguese to Galician wines, featuring the prized Albariño white wine from the D.O. Rias Baixas, the Mencia red wine of the D.O. Ribeira Sacra and Galician Aguardiente (fire water) liqueurs. So has the food. Eggs still appear, now in the omnipresent traditional Spanish tortilla. Of course there are fresh, raw oysters from the old fish market, and fishermen’s seafood rice with clams, mussels, prawns and squid—still tasting like the ocean. Shellfish are farmed right in the bay, especially the mussels, a Denomination of Origin Mexillon de Galicia (Mussels of Galicia). So glad that I’m headed to El Ferrol and Betanzos tomorrow. Haven’t had my fill of gutsy northwest Spain, birthplace of Franco!

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