WHEN IN CALABRIA...

Innamorata della Calabria...
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STRUNCATURA - a PASTA WITH A HISTORY, and LEARNING THE ROPES

Struncatura: a dish, created from scarcity, that evolved into a timeless dish integral to modern cuisine.

Round loaf of bread with a pattern sits on a cooling rack. The bread has a flour-dusted crust and rests on a wooden table.

My first 50-50 WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD, or: COW PAT, as my husband called it...

A fantastic bread recipe from an expert baker, ruined in the hands of Eva. However, not everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong

Frothy mocha espresso banana cocoa tirami su milkshakes

MOCHA BANANA TIRA MI SÙ SMOOTHIE

Mocha Banana 'Tiramisu Su' Smoothie: great for jumpstarting your morning, and the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

ROASTED CURRIED FENNEL, or: Fennel haters, prepare to be converted!

Warm spices transform fennel into a flavourful, exotic dish, infusing the grey winter months with the vibrant colours of the rainbow.

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Finally cut into it this morning: gummy irregular crumb with large holes and a dense gummy layer on the bottom 🥺 It also looked so pale this morning. Stuck it back in the oven, which fixed the colour of the crust but not the crumb. Way to go! 🤪 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #wheatsourdough #sourdoughstarter #mysourdoughjourney

Tortino Zucchini, Mozzarella & Anchovies… 🌻
Too flat, wrong cheese, flavour ok, and not quite there yet… but definitely a ray of sunshine on this semi-grey Saturday #zucchini #anchovies #mozzarella #testingrecipes #whenincalabria

Struncatura, a pasta with a history… 🌶️
Recipe on whenincalabria.com
#stroncatura #struncatura #whenincalabria #calabria #cucinacalabrese #pasta

Spring has finally arrived #cactus #spring #whenincalabria #mygarden

Spring has finally arrived #nespole #spring #whenincalabria #mygarden

Spring has finally arrived… #spring #strelizia #birdofparadise #whenincalabria

🍋🐝 #lemontree #lemon #spring #bee #pollination #lemonflower

Protecting our beach? #beach #statue #whenincalabria #driftwood

Winter beaches… #whenincalabria #beachlife

Nature #calabria #winterwalk #whenincalabria #patternsofnature #patterns #coloursofnature

Moros y Cristianos (Moors & Christians): Cuban-Style Black Beans & Rice, with a side of broad beans sauteed in red onions and Austrian smoked bacon - because the weather is asking for it… 🌧️ ☔️ #morosycristianos #blackbeans #brownrice #runnerbeans #cubanfood #mytropeakitchen #comfortfood #cookedfromscratch #pantrystaples

And finally: Pane Casereccio: our first home-made sourdough bread in Tropea: the sourdough starter over the last few days, and following a twice-daily feed, went wild, so decided to give it a go and made a light sourdough bread for breakfast - waiting to be smothered with a thick layer of nutella 🥰 #panecaserecciocalabrese #panecasereccio #sourdoughbread #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #baking breads #sourdoughstarter #dutchoven

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF! 😊 Day 11: Following a complete collapse for several days with not even a single air bubble, finally since yesterday morning there is a visible rise. Now will feed it for a couple of days to make it stronger and see it double in volume faster. Meanwhile collecting flour and bread spices… so happy! 😊 Reviving Sourdough Starter Day 11: Same procedure: move 25g of starter to fresh bowl (discard rest), add 25g flour, 25g water, stir vigorously, cover and leave until it doubles in volume. Feed twice a day from now if necessary #sourdoughstarter #revivingsourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

My Tropea Kitchen: Reviving Sourdough Starter Day 4: Status: more small bubbles, no visible rise. Same procedure: move 10g of starter to fresh bowl (discard rest), add 10g flour, 10g water, stir vigorously, cover and leave for 24 hours #sourdoughstarter #revivingsourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

My Tropea Kitchen: Reviving Sourdough Starter Day 3: Status: tiny bubbles (very surprised - but let’s not celebrate, they could be good, bad or ugly…). Same procedure: move 10g of starter to fresh bowl (discard rest), add 10g flour, 10g water, stir vigorously, cover and leave for 24 hours #sourdoughstarter #revivingsourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

My Tropea Kitchen: Reviving Sourdough Starter Day 2: Status: no visible action (non expected). Move 10g of starter to fresh bowl (discard rest), add 10g flour, 10g water, stir vigorously, cover and leave for 24 hours #sourdoughstarter #revivingsourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

My Tropea Kitchen: Reviving my Sourdough Starter Day 1: take 1/2 tsp dried starter, add 1 tsp water, leave to rehydrate for 1 hour. Add 1 tsp strong bread flour, stir vigorously, cover and leave for 24 hours #sourdoughstarter #revivingsourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

My Tropea Kitchen: Reviving my Sourdough Starter Day 1: when we moved to Calabria in 2020 I dried my Teenage Starter (born in 2012) in preparation for the move. Following one previous failed attempt to revive it (it might have been too hot outside?) and with only 1 tsp of dried starter left, I am going to give it another go… wish me luck, I will need it! #sourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #sourdough #mytropeakitchen #bakingbread #sourdoughbread

When in Calabria: all things purple 💜🐙#cipollarossaditropea #whenincalabria #mytropeakitchen #polpo #pulpoallagallega #inthemaking #saturdaycooking #octopus #galicianoctopus🐙

When in Calabria: all things purple 💜 #purplebasil #grownfromseed #whenincalabria #mytropeagarden #purple #basil #herbs

When in Calabria: all things purple 💜 #purplechili #whenincalabria #mytropeagarden #mytropeakitchen #chili #purple #allthingspurple

SPINACH AND FETA FILO PIE #whenincalabria #filopastry #spinach #feta #tropeaonions #cipolladitropea #cipollarossaditropea #summervibes #tomatoes #vegetarian

Sunday: Ragù di Polpo… 🐙 #polpo #octopus #octopus🐙 #octopusragu #whenincalabria #calabria #calabriafood

Strawberry Day🍓🍓🍓A match made in heaven: Strawberries and Mint: mix with a spoonful of sugar and leave to macerate in the fridge for a couple of hours (or until you can resist them no more) #strawberries #mint #thesimplestthingsarethebest #whenincalabria #fruitsofcalabria #localproduce #calabria #vegan #plantbased

Strawberry Day🍓🍓🍓Strawberry Smoothie: apples, bananas, strawberries, and a handfull of heart-healthy oats (dont tell to il marito, because he hates them…) #strawberries #whenincalabria #fruitsofcalabria #localproduce #calabria #vegan #plantbased #smoothie #strawberrysmoothie

The great thing about Calabria, and Italy in general, is that there is an abundance of seasonal fruit and vegetables… picked up a couple of trays of strawberries… so Strawberry Day it is! 🍓🍓🍓#strawberries #whenincalabria #fruitsofcalabria #localproduce #calabria #vegan #plantbased

He‘s got his priorities right! ☺️ End of winter beach #beachlife #fishing #whenincalabria #foundonthebeach #calabria #beer #beercooler

End of winter beach: Work in progress… #ombrellone #beachlife #whenincalabria #foundonthebeach #calabria

End of winter beach: Abandoned… #beachlife #whenincalabria #foundonthebeach #calabria

One pot and a few local ingredients, or: just my idea of lazy warm weather cooking: recipe on #smittenkitchen: ‘one-pan farro with tomatoes’ #farro #spelt #dinkel #tomatoes #garlic #onion #chili #basil #onepotmeal #whenincalabria @smittenkitchen #veganrecipes #vegan

Nespole Strudel… or: me against the birds… 🦅 Luckily we took most of them yesterday… the few we left on the tree have all been heavily molested by the birds… like us they wait until the moment they are ripe… 🙈🤣 #nespole #strudeldinespole #japanesemedlar #loquat #japaneseplum #chineseplum #calabria #fruitsofcalabria #whenincalabria

Pineapple experiment 🍍 Not that I’m expecting to grow pineapples but I keep seeing this, so thought to give it a go… ☺️ #pineapple #whenincalabria #tropea #calabria

Basil 🌿 Seeds from last year’s basil plant… #basil #grownfromseed #whenincalabria #calabria #herbs

Estragon 🌿 Can’t find it in the shops here, so decided to grow my own… #estragon #grownfromseed #whenincalabria #calabria #herbs

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WHEN IN CALABRIA...

STRUNCATURA - a PASTA WITH A HISTORY, and LEARNING THE ROPES

My first 50-50 WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD, or: COW PAT, as my husband called it...

MOCHA BANANA TIRA MI SÙ SMOOTHIE

ROASTED CURRIED FENNEL, or: Fennel haters, prepare to be converted!

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