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Last night I made some more brown soda bread. I fancied a nice soup to go with it, but didn't fancy anything ready made from the supermarket. I found a simple recipe for a quick Smoked Haddock Chowder on the BBC Good Food website. It took me just over an hour to prepare. The recipe is very easy; I just adjusted it a little to suit my taste... 4 bay leaves, a bit of salt and a good amount of freshly ground pepper. I recommend it!
Sometimes I find it very relaxing to prepare nice things even if I'm eating alone. I cooked this Rendang Beef with coconut rice while watching "Master Chef, the Professionals". Very therapeutic and inspiring. All mine and delicious :)
What's going on with the weather? It has been dreadful lately. I realise that it is October, but still... so depressing! My antidote to the grim weather is, as always, good, heart-warming food.
My friend Eirik has brought me this amazing smoked salmon from Norway for my birthday. I love it! 
Roasted leg of lamb. I recommend the half leg of lamb from the salt marshes available at Marks&Spencer. Kind of expensive but unbeatable for flavour and tenderness. I massage it with rock salt and pepper before searing it. Then I rub it with garlic, rosmary and fresh thyme and roast it in the oven for about 40min.
Delicious Sunday Roast :)
One of my favourite places to visit when I am in Sicily is Erice. A walk in Erice is a walk through history, beauty and tradition. I would recommend anyone who happens to be in the Trapani province to go for a day trip there. During the summer months it could be very hot, still, if you are vising in the evening, I would suggest you bring a cardigan. Erice is situated on the top of a mountain and the temperature at night could be a bit chilly. A cardigan would also be handy if you want to visit one of its many churches. In fact, it is not allowed to enter them sleeveless.
Here is me, in blue, and my sister Giulia, in pink. Perfect tourists.
Cobblestones... so smooth and consumed. I wonder how many people have walked on them...
The Tower of King Frederic III of Aragon. The king rebuilt this ancient tower at the end of 1200. It is 28m tall.
Just beside the tower is the Royal Cathedral (Il Real Duomo). King Frederic III built it in 1312.
There are 108 steps to reach the top of the tower. Not too bad, but kind of narrow...
The bells at the top...
Wow, from here they could certainly see any enemy approching! A bit to high for my taste... 
People are buried under the floor of the cathedral. I like reading their names... 
...and the memento mori on their graves.
The altar is particularly beautiful. It dates 1513 and it is made of Carrara marble.
In Erice you can find a lot of little shops that sell traditional pottery.
In many shops you can see the artists hand-painting the pottery.
Hand-vowen rugs and straw bags.
Nice garlic :)
The monastery of S. Saviour. It was a prosperous nunnery from 1296 up to 1866, since the nuns came from aristocratic families of the area. The ovens below apparently still work very well. They were used to bake bread for the monastery and the poor. The nuns also baked very famous local sweets, i Dolci di Badia. Delicious!
The remaining structure still gives an idea of what life in the monastery must have been like.
Erice's narrow streets are enchanting...
Would you believe that this is the window of a patisserie?
Amazing almond paste sweets... I love them all!!!
Ha, ha! I feel lucky today. An open door at the back... the baker must be hot...
I popped my head in and asked him if I could have a look ;) He let me in and showed me how he prepared Cassatine Siciliane (another favourite of mine!). Very friendly :)
I even got one for myself. Truly to die for...
More sweets...
This flight of steps leads to a well kept secret...
Down the alley, passed the archway...
... is Ristorante Monte S. Giuliano!
Beautiful place...
Let's eat!
Old style cafe in Erice's main square.
The other side of the square... a restaurant called Edelweiss?!
Giulia was hot...
More views of the town and its buildings...
Every door hides cool and shady gardens...
More Sicilian frutta Martorana, traditional marzipan sweets in the shape of fruit or vegetables.
In this bottega they like painting their pottery red...
Archways and the Virgin Mary looking down...
Traditional pottery and violets...
More spying into people's homes...
Having a nap :)
Amazing floor...
People should close their doors when I'm around ;)
San Giuliano's church, 1612ca.
View of the Norman Castle of Venus, XII sec.
View of Mount Cofano from Erice. You can see how high up they built this town!
The church of S. John the Baptist, built in the first half of 1400.
More Norman fortifications...
The steps at the back of S John's...
Bells...
What a peculiar shape for a window...
More doors and gardens...
Haha, I love the granpas chilling on chairs outside the bar! Having a chat, watching people walk by. They all have their walking sticks!
Time for a break. Ricotta tart and refreshing almond milk...
I couldn't leave without a real Cannolo Siciliano!
Buying presents for friends back in London :)
So many nice things to choose from!
Oregano!
The gutters are made of terracotta :)
I like Erice because it is like an open-air museum with people living in it. The inhabitants don't seem to mind the constant stream of tourists and they carry on with their daily routine undisturbed. Everywhere in Erice is very peaceful, clean and well kept.
Time to leave. View from outside Erice's walls... I hope to be back soon!
Dinner at Eirik. Western Norway's traditional Christmas dinner. A bit early, but I'm not Norwegian, so I don't have to respect the tradition ;)
Swede mash...
Pinnekjøtt, dried and salted ribs of lamb. You need to reconstitute them by soaking them overnight and then steam cook them. Really tasty.
I like them just steamed, but some people put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit. We had both styles :)
My take on MJ's salted caramel cheese cake. I've changed some of the ingredients and added spooky sweets. Happy Halloween!
