Do you always crack your eggs in a separate bowl before transferring them to the mixing bowl? I do. It was one of my grandma’s golden rules of baking to avoid a) small egg shell pieces in the batter and b) the worst case: a hastily cracked open but rotten egg in the batter, spoiling all the other ingredients. Because I tend to crack open my eggs snappily – still working on my skills to master the neat one-hand-crack – this precaution is an indispensable one for me. Over the years I have asked myself and in light of ever improving quality assurance, whether the latter reason for using a separate bowl still applied. And I have never, really not ever, cracked open a rotten egg. What are the odds it’s going to happen these days? Or have I been extremely lucky to not face such a nasty and disgusting experience yet?
“I have a confession to make…” were Oliver’s words when he entered the room. “How many?” I fired right back at him. I exactly knew what had happened. I heard him walking towards the kitchen earlier where he couldn’t possibly have overlooked something deliciously simmering on the stove-top, and really, how could he not be tempted? I jokingly call him the food mobster, since you really need to hold on to your plate and never dare to leave the room and your food unattended. Afterwards he’ll claim it was never there to begin with. This time he had gotten hold of an Italian specialty from Calabria, ricotta balls (polpette di ricotta) cooked in a “fake sauce” (per the original meaning). Salsa finta, its actual name, arose from the fact that this tomato sauce contains no meat, which Italians seem to have considered key for a “real sauce” back in the days…
When our friend Uli asked us about our vacation situation and if we would like to join her and some friends for a sailing trip in Greece we were excited! Turns out, however, that the only party pooper appeared to be our working schedule for the time in question. Luckily the work issues vanished into thin air (for the most part) and we were able to secure the very last berth on a beautiful sailing yacht. Yay! Our friend and well-experienced skipper Georg had booked the Sheria, a boat he had been crossing the Atlantic ocean with a few years ago and a fact, that gave everybody on board a strong sense of security. Altogether we were eight on board of a 15 meter yacht and it didn’t feel crowded at all, but how would we all get along?
I am all for simple things. That’s why it’s a bit of a shame to admit, that I don’t remember when I last ordered a Greek salad or made one myself before we embarked on our journey. The ingredients list is more or less known to everybody, every item is a true pleaser to my palate and yet – why is it, that despite its simplicity the biggest food surprise of our holidays is this basic salad?
We have had the pleasure to spend some wonderful days with friends sailing the Aegean Sea (more on the trip soon) and eating our way through the Greek cuisine. Take my word for it. Our friend and skipper Georg, who knows the region like the back of his hand, guided us well from the most beautiful, deserted coves to pristine islands and local, tourist-free taverns. Ah yes, the food! If you think, that all Greek cuisine brings to the table is fat-dripping and heavy, think again. The most unbelievable and amazing dinner we had at a little tavern Georg had been to before and the few words he exchanged with the waiter – he simply said “You decide!” – left us both totally clueless about what was going to happen and excited!
