1. Place shrimp in bowl with garlic and 1-2 Tbs of oil.  Set aside

 2.Place a small amount of oil (about 1 T) in skillet.  Saute onions until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes  Season with salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes. 

3. Add about ¼ cup of either broth, sherry, or white wine.  Let it slightly reduce (3-4) minutes. 

4. Add asparagus and let cook 1-2 minutes before adding the shrimp.  Add shrimp to pan and cook until almost done (3-4 min).  Add spinach and peas and cook until spinach wilts.  Add chopped basil and goat cheese.

Serve with pasta and add grated parmesan if you like.

The Handsome Man

The Beautiful Baby Girl

Wine Trips to Santa Barbara::

Beautiful Babies and Sunflowers

Posing Nicely

Holes have been frantically dug at the beach….

And then naps were taken….

Apples were picked in Julian

Hope to be back…

Fideos is a traditional Mexican or Spanish dish.  The name comes from the term fideo, which refers to a special type of noodle that is similar to vermicelli.  The method of this dish is very similar to risotto in that the noodles are toasted and then finish cooking in a liquid.  There is no limit to the variations that could be made on this dish.

Fideos (adapted from a recipe found on What Did You Eat?

4 to 5 cups stock, see below
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces thin egg noodles
salt and freshly milled black pepper
1/2-1 cup crumbled queso (if you can’t find Queso use feta cheese)
1/3 - 2/3 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

Stock:

1 onion, chopped (can use red or yellow onion or a combination of the two)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T cumin (less if you are not as fond of cumin as I am!)
1.5 jalapeño chiles, seeded, veins removed, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (preferably fire roasted)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)

Garnish:
Fage Greek Yogurt/sour cream
chopped parsley or cilantro

For the stock, I chose to use the base of my tortilla soup, but you could use any stock you wanted adapting it to your desired degree of spiciness.  To make the stock, saute onion, garlic, and jalapenos for 3-4 minutes in a large pot. Add cumin and mix well. Stir in reserved chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Using either a blender, cuisinart, or immersion blender, puree broth.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, add the oil to a wide skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the noodles and cook, stirring and lifting constantly until the noodles are browned–about 3 to 6 minutes.   Remove to paper towels.

Add 4 cups of the stock to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and and simmer until most of the liquid has absorbed, and the noodles are no longer crunchy and cooked through, about 10 minutes.  If they are still crunchy or the liquid boils away before they are cooked, begin adding more of the stock.  Preheat broiler.

Season noodles with salt and pepper and sprinkle cheese on top.  Broil until the cheese has melted.  Garnish with sour cream and Parsley.

We ate it too quickly for a picture-Oops!

Radda was adopted from the Helen Woodward Animal Center as part of Iams Home 4 the Holidays, a worldwide pet adoption drive that runs from October 1st through January 5th, 2009.  The goal for this year’s adoption drive is to have 1 million animals adopted into loving forever families!

If you are looking to adopt, check out one of the 3,200+ shelters participating in the Iams Home 4 the Holidays program to help an orphaned puppy, kitten, dog, or cat find their forever home.

Inspired by a recipe in Eating Well

I had come across this recipe awhile ago and have been wanting to try it. Since I just recently found a reliable fish market here, this was one of the first recipes that I tried. It came out quite good. You can really taste the mojito flavor in the fish. I happened to use swordfish but I am sure it would be good on any white fish, shrimp, scallops, or even chicken.

2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup rum
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt

1. Combine ingredients is a bowl or in a ziplock bad.

2. Add fish (there is enough marinade for 1-2 pounds). Marinate for 1 hour.

3. Cook fish to desired “doneness.”

What is most unique about the garden are the banyan trees with their exposed, large, hanging roots.  Neither of us had seen anything like it.

Interested in reading more???  Check out our related posts or the New York Times’ recent article:  36 Hours in Palermo.

Related posts:

Palermo:  Are we really in Italy????

Palermo, Sicily, Kebabs, a horrible hotel, and a really expensive glass of wine

Coffee is a huge part of life in Italy. Cafe’s are on every street corner and everyone starts their day off at their preferred cafe. We quickly got into the routine of a morning caffe and an occasional pasta (pastry). The beauty of the caffe atmosphere is that it is quick and cheap. Forget about spending $10 at Starbucks in one trip! We tried a few different caffes, finally finding our favorite: Caffe Fiorella, right off the Campo. Despite it’s touristy location, Caffe Fiorella was always filled with locals, the prices were great, and they served the best caffe in all of Siena. Next time you are in Siena, check out Caffe Fiorella, you won’t be disappointed!

Types of Coffee:
Caffe (espresso): a small cup of very strong coffee, i.e. espresso
Caffe Americano: American style coffee, but stronger; weaker than espresso and served in a large cup
Caffe corretto: coffee “corrected” with a shot of grappa, cognac, or other spirit
Caffe doppio: double espresso
Caffe freddo: iced coffee
Caffe hag: decaffinated coffee
Caffe latte: hot milk mixed with coffee and served in a glass for breakfast
Caffe macchiato: espresso “stained” with a drop of milk; small version of a cappuccino
Caffe Marocchino: espresso with a dash of hot milk and cacao powder
Caffe stretto: espresso with less water; rocket fuel!
Cappuccino: espresso infused with steamed milk and drunk in the morning, but never at lunch of dinner!
Granita di caffe con panna: frozen, iced beverage topped with whipped cream

During these hot summer days, a nice cold coffee is always a good idea:

Caffe Freddo Recipe (Courtesy of Bleeding Espresso):
Make a large pot of espresso or other coffee of your liking. After the coffee is done, add sugar, stir completely, and let cool. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night. After the espresso has cooled completely, add ice cubes and milk to the cold, sweetened coffee. Yum! Do not drink this before bed time!

They set off on a Sunday morning in October from the Forum heading in the direction of Circus Maximus, a large expanse of green that was once used for chariot racing and as a venue for various forms of entertainment for Etruscan Kings. “We need to go up that hill” the first traveler said while pointing towards Aventine Hill, one of Rome’s seven hills. “It’s not as large as it looks. No, really, it isn’t!”

The road climbed up past beautiful Roman homes and a blooming Rose garden. The three travelers stopped just past the rose garden to enjoy sweeping views of Rome. “It is beautiful” they said to each other; the four legged traveler sniffing nearby grass. The road continued passing Chiesa di Santa Sabina and finally arriving at the crest of the hill and the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, home of the crusading order of the Knights of Malta.

“Here it is” the first traveler said to the second. “We are finally here. Right over there, that’s what we have been waiting to see. We need to look through the keyhole in the yellow gate.”

A few seconds later…..“Wow!” the second traveler said. “It is amazing!”

The above picture is from the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta Web site.

The dome of the Vatican perfectly framed by the hedges…Go see it for yourself next time you are in Roma!

The three travelers sprinted into Messina Centrale; they needed one-way tickets to Siracusa and they needed them in a hurry. They had fewer than five minutes to purchase the tickets, find the train, and board the train.

They heaved their heavy bags onto the train waiting at binario 1 with minutes to spare. The four legged traveler struggled to climb the steps while carrying his Outward Hound backpack stocked with food. Within minutes the train was on its way towards Catania, a volcanic city at the base of Mt. Etna. The train rumbled along, passing steep cliffs covered in cactus to the right and the expansive ocean to the left. As the train carrying the three intrepid travelers approached Catania, Mt. Etna, capped with snow, loomed on the horizon.

The temperature was noticeably warmer as the three travelers stepped off the train. Catania Centrale was on the edge of the bright blue ocean, with only six binarios (train platforms) separating the station from the sea which was dotted with fishing boats. The travelers were hungry; they had only had time for a quick pasta (pastry) and espresso hours earlier back in Messina. “You stay here. I’ll go find us something to eat” the brave traveler said. Within minutes he was off, crossing the main intersection that was congested with cars. “It was like being in a game of frogger” the traveler exclaimed while handing over two pieces of greasy Sicilian street food.

There was less than an hour before the travelers’ train for Siracusa left. They headed out away from the congestion, pollution, and leering Sicilians, to the binario to await the train. “I’m going to take the four legged traveler for a walk” the brave traveler said. “I’ll only be gone for a few minutes.”

The other traveler sat down on a bench to read the guidebook. Minutes later the sound of dogs barking echoed throughout the station. The traveler looked up to see a pack of stray dogs surrounding the two other travelers. Then the travelers were gone! Minutes later they reappeared at the train station and make a mad dash into station.

The travelers could not reunite just yet. You see the pack of stray dogs were very smart. They spread out; each guarding one of the staircases. But the travelers were still smarter……

The travelers breathed a large sigh of relief as the train destined for Siracusa pulled into Catania Centrale. They quickly boarded the train at the first open door. But wait, what is the train attendant saying? It is difficult to understand his Sicilian dialect over the noisy commotion. The travelers don’t quite understand everything but they understand that they can’t ride this train. The train attendant is saying that this is the wrong train. How is this possible? They have their tickets!

Dumbfounded they step away from the train as it pulls out of Catania Centrale. “This is horrible” the one traveler says. “There is not another train for hours. What are we going to do?” The travelers meander towards the ticket counter. Sure enough, the worst case scenario is confirmed: they need to wait for the next train to Siracusa.

A few hours pass and the travelers board the train. This time it is the right train! As the train pulls out of Catania Centrale they glance out of the dirty train window to see a few of the stray dogs sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun. “What a close encounter with the Catania Centrale Dog Gang” the travelers exclaimed to each other. Meanwhile, the four legged traveler sighed and fell asleep.

An excerpt from the travelogue/photo album that we are currently writing about our experience living, traveling, and studying in Italy….stay tuned.

Related Posts:

From Boot to Toe:  The Drive from Matera to Messina