Travel


Those of you who been following this blog for awhile probably know I love spending time in the Alps and in particular the Haute-Savoie. This département of France is breathtaking, home to the Val d’Abondance, the lakes Annecy & Leman, Mont Blanc and the haunting Aravis massif. It’s also the place where much of France’s most interesting cooking is happening at…

  Semolina Bread from Sicily (Adapted from Piano, Piano, Pieno: Authentic Food From a Tuscan Farm)   As one ventures into the mezzogiorno or southern Italy, bread takes on a golden aspect as if it has spent more time in the sun than its northern cousins. This is especially true in Sicily where much of…

With a couple of days left on the island our plan was to drive around Etna, cross the Nebrodi Mountains and head north up the coast to Termini Inglese where we had a reservation for the ferry back to Civitavecchia. Approaching Etna we realized she was acting up. The volcano was spewing black lava dust…

Seventeen years ago Michael and I shipped a brand new VW camper van to Sicily from Ontario.  When it arrived  we got on a plane, flew to Palermo and took a taxi to the port. Amidst a sea of containers, we located the one holding our camper and with surprising ease drove off to explore…

  Matefaim, are what happen when you cross an Italian frittata with a French crêpe. These are delicious eggy pancakes made in various parts of southeastern France as well as some alpine regions of Italy and Switzerland. Seldom found in restaurants, matefaim use a variety of local ingredients including cheese, potatoes, spinach, apples, ham and sausage. The…

   A Gratin of Cheese and Potatoes from the Aravis Massif Once again, we are in the French Alps.  The Aravis massif is an impressive chain of mountains situated between Annecy and the elegant ski resort of Megeve. Forming part of the eastern border of the departemant of Haute Savoie this is part of the area…

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog where I will try and post a weekly account of what I am cooking, growing, and most importantly what I am learning from La Petraia.  I will also share with you my stories of the places I travel to and the people I meet who inspire me….