SWEDISH CHRISTMAS FAIR

As Christmas approaches, it is time for fairs and markets!

Famous (?) Swedish hotdogs welcomed us at the entrance...

I must say that it was really good :)

There were many stalls selling Swedish products. All the staff were dressed in traditional clothes...

There were a lot of hand-made, cute Christmas decorations...

The butcher...

The church had been transformed into a tea hall!

Everyone sat on the church benches and enjoyed tea, coffee and home baked cakes...

The parish grannies prepared all kinds of traditional cakes and sandwiches...

It felt a bit strange to sit and eat in a church... a good idea, but a new experience for me. All around us reminders of where we were...

Candles and sacred hymns...

Below is my slice of Princess Cake. A piece of heaven in your mouth! Light sponge with cream and marzipan :)

Traditional prawns sandwich...

Commemorative canvas tote bag (I got one!)

The bread stall... a lot of gingerbread for sale!

Julbocks!

More decorations :)

Traditional Dala horses. I like them!

Unmissable glogg :)

Textiles...

More julbock... I've always found them a bit scary... they remind me of the wicker man somehow... Well, they are all of pagan origin, I suppose...

Walking sticks... I like the crow's head one.

Time to go! There is more glogg and pea soup (?) outside.

Better not, we had enough treats for today!

400 WOMEN

400 Women is a project driven by human rights artist Tamsyn Challenger. The exhibition commemorates the lives of more than 400 women brutally murdered and raped in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the past two decades. Over 200 international artists have taken part and have painted one of the murdered or missing women each.

The exhibition is on until 5th of December at the Shoreditch Townhall (in the Basement), 380 Old Street, London, EC1V 9LT. Entry is free.

I have seen a documentary and read a lot on line about Ciudad Juarez. I felt horrified, scared and angry. If you have never heard of it, this is a link to a quick sum up. This is by no means a cheerful exhibition, but an eye opener to a brutal reality. In Tamsyn Challenger's words " I see the project as a political statement against gender violence around the world. There's a bigger picture. Ciudad Juarez is like an open wound".

Life is good and the world is wonderful, but not for everyone. It is important to keep this in mind, not to forget and honour their memory.

Hope you can make it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN :)

Spooky head to toe :D





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!

SPEEDY CHOWDER

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!

DINNER FOR ONE

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 :)

CHEER-UP FOOD FOR GRIM WEATHER

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!

I decided to bake some nice brown soda bread to go with it. It turned out very well.

I used malted brown flour. It tasted amazing. I'll post the recipe soon :)

Perfect partners!

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 :)

ERICE

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!