The white snow combines so well with its warm colors.
It was a quarter past
three and the warm light of the low sun was shining on its red breast.
The red
seemed to glow in this light.
It sat there just for
a few seconds, long enough for me to observe its proud heartshaped red chest, its fragile
legs to keep its plump body upright and its refined small beak that sings a
fine song.
The summer is passing...
My pastel-colored sneakers are in the washing machine before they go in the wardrobe for their winter sleep. Summer silks are being put to the back and autumn-cashmeres are coming to the front of the closet.
I must admit that the sky is still mostly blue here in Como and the temperature still allows me to wear my short riding pants, but it feels different. The light changed, the colors of the trees are turning.
There is one big, big advantage to the change of seasons...it means that my all time favorite veg is back in town...the Pumpkin! How I love Pumpkin!
Every year I try to think of new recipes with it, but I keep coming back to the heart warming soup. I'll post the recipe below.
To tell you about my summer, this summer we went to the Cote D'azur, not only with our bikes but also with a 'to eat list'. There are many things one can simply not NOT eat when in France.
'To Eat in France List'
Baguette
Eclair
Tarte au citron
Crepe
Croissant, pain au chocolat, pain au raisin
Tartare
Salade chevre chaud
Moules avec Frites
bouillabaisse
Salade vert avec vinaigrette
Regional wine
Usually I manage to check at least half of the deliciousness on my list, but this summer I was very successful...
Fresh croissants and baguette with marmalade for breakfast at our little charming hotel in Gassin, looking out over the hills and the bay of St. Tropez.
A rich creamy coffee Eclair on the beach...I know this is a fairly odd place to bite into an Eclair but it was a surprisingly comforting experience to read a book, feel the warm breeze of the sea on your skin, and eat an Eclair.
Earlier that morning I discovered a patisserie in Lacroix-Valmer, even though I was just supposed to run into town to get some cash. But as soon as there is a bakery close by, this is the direction you'll see me walking, if not running, in.
That evening two growling stomachs brought us to one of the cute restaurants in the charming centre of Ramatuelle, another small village close to the coast.
On our last reserves we ordered a 'steak tartare avec pommes frites' with the seemingly stressed waiter.
After a lot of confusion and about one and a half ours later the waiter got so desperate that he did not know the difference anymore between pommes frites and fried potato slices....so he brought us both.
It was the best steak tartare I ever had I must say, so worth the wait.
As we were passing through Ramatuelle a lot to get to our hotel we stopped over to eat also the next evening. I had a mission that evening, I needed a salade chevre chaud, something I've loved since I first went to Paris with my parents.
This was a satisfying version and to keep on track we had a Crepe for dessert (and a scoop of after eight ice cream, but this no one needs to know).
The local dish Moules avec frites (how I love those pommes frites when they are done well!) we had in the heart of St. Tropez with our friends. And only because our friends speak French and know how to deal with these, sometimes, difficult French waiters. They were delicious as always, we all finished our plates within a record time of about 15 minutes (which is a big challenge as you're eating them one by one using a single mussel shell).
But as always I'm happy to be back home, in my own kitchen, cooking away!
The last two weeks we've practically been eating pumpkin every single day. Reading up on it, it proves to have high amounts vitamin A and C and the anti-oxidant Beta-carotene...not bad!
All you need for Pumpkin soup:
1 green or orange pumpkin or squash
2 cloves of garlic
a pinch of peperoncino (dried chilli peppers)
100 ml of cream
5 table spoons of olive oil
a small bunch of basil, finely chopped.
1/2 a liter of chicken stock
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven on 200 degrees Celcius.
Peel the pumpkin and take the seeds out. Cut it in big cubes and put on a baking tray with the olive oil, peperoncino, the garlic pressed through a garlic press and salt and pepper. Mix well together and put in the over for about 25 minutes until browned and soft.
Put the pumpkin in a soup pan and add all the oil on the trey. Add the chicken stock, so it just covers the pumpkin. Puree the pieces with a stick blender until smooth, see how thick it is and add stock if you want it to be more liquid. Add the cream and the basil and stir in well.
Taste the soup and see if it needs more seasoning, usually not.
In winter I love to eat this with some home made toast and Gorgonzola...Mmmmm!
Since I have my new De Rosa I have been baking a lot less...
It's not just because of my new passion, it's also the heat that makes you not want to turn on the oven.
Since a week or two the sun heats Como up till 32 degrees C! Baking is not an option in these temperatures so I tend to buy the delicious home made cakes from the bistro at work to stock up on calories for the weekend.
I have a new computer on my bike and it tells me exactly how much calories I burn and how much fat.
And the weird thing is that it just makes me want to eat more...I had no idea you could burn twice your daily allowance of calories in a day, cycling up some mountains!
So eating carbs is not just a way of comforting body and mind but became a real necessity.
After my first ride on the Cornizzolo, I've been trying to get myself trained for any future races and rides with the group that my Love rides with since a long time. A varied mix of younger and older man and one woman, but she rides just as fast as the men and inspires me to get faster so I can keep up with her.
One good training was the Gran Fondo (amateur race) Felice Gimondi in Bergamo. We drove to Bergamo the night before because the start was at 07:00...Why so early??
And stayed at this strange 'do it yourself' bed&breakfast, without breakfast. We were all confused by the codes on doors, no keys, which means that you have to remember the code when you go to the bathroom in order not to lock yourself out. I'm better with old fashioned keys, but it seems this is an upcoming thing in Italy.
Weather forecasts have always been unreliable since I moved here, only when you don't want it to be reliable it is....like the day of the Gimondi. It said thunderstorms on meteo.it and as soon as we opened the shutters at 5am big fat drops of rain came from the sky.
The rain never stopped that day and I rode for 4 hours, soaked until the inside of my Giro d'Italia socks, to make it to the finish after 101km.
Still it's one of the best rides I did. What an adventure to leave the start with so many people at the same time, all with one goal..to finish first.
I finished second in my category and ninth overall. But seeing my name halfway the list of all participants made me even happier, I beat about 500 men went through my head. I was a bit shocked about the competitive side in me that raised to the surface.
I even started a list in excel with all my rides, just to keep track of what I've done and to see any progress....
At the foot of the Mortirolo. We were there just before the Giro d'Italia did the same climb.
I bought a new bike...not just some old bike, no, it's a really beautiful black and white De Rosa King 3 racing bike in carbon fibre!
I bought it second hand at this bike shop called Conti in Lecco. They have a lot of old/new bikes as the men in this area like their bike to be the latest in fashion and in the newest/lightest materials. So after a year or two on a brand new bike they replace it with something even newer.
When I picked my bike up, a week after having ordered it, it looked so pretty and fast with the white handle-bar tape and the white saddle, black wheels and tires! I couldn't wait to take her to the road.
The day after it was Saturday, sunny and 28 degrees outside, the perfect conditions for an inauguration!
I rode to Menaggio to meet my Love and his cycling friend, they took the boat from Bellagio, a beautiful way to see the lake!
The next day our friend who is the owner of the Mitchumm Cycling Team invited us to do a race in Erba, 20km from Como. This would be my very first race, but I was feeling confident with my feet clicked into some fast pedals, so I joined.
After mistaking the road and being escorted back to the bottom of the climb by the last motor, I started to make my way up to the 12km long track to the top of the Cornizzolo. One of the steepest climbs in the area.
Nearly at the top with my tongue on the floor the guys came see how I was doing and guided me on my last meters to the top. After proudly passing the finish I dived into the pieces of banana, warm tea, cookies and slices of fresh blood orange to reload myself with energy before descending back home. Delicious!! It's a whole new way of enjoying food, the real need for it makes it taste so good!
I have the feeling my next post will be a foody one...
Oh, and I have to tell you all about the garden..it's starting to look pretty now!
My investment in FUN: De Rosa King 3
In cima, view from the Cornizzolo
Opening of the Villa Olmo 'summer exhibition'
Cappuccio in Milano
Pretty notebooks at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milano
Como has been my home for the last two and a half years now. I've experienced the change of the seasons quiet a few times now, but every time spring comes it surprises me. It just pops up one day, smelling delicious and making the birds sing out loud again!
I smelled it for the first time this year on the 14th of February, Valentine's day. I don't do Valentine's day, to me it's just a commercial feats, I celebrate being with my Love every single day. And I don't need to buy him presents to show him that I care.
But still it made the start of Spring a little more romantic.
Immediately I started to work on my garden, we planted some roses in pots and I cleaned out the little patch of ground in front of our house. Ready to be filled with some white and blue Hortensia and maybe some vegetables. I will have to find out how they will grow here in my new garden.
But first we have make the most of the winter and try to go for 1 or two more skiing trips! We often go to Livigno where they have beautiful slopes and stunning views. But last week we went to Andalo, to meet our family. We took al long weekend to enjoy the bright sun on our noses and the sauna and outside pool in the Spa of the hotel. It seemed that we had been away for a week!
As spring is still trying to make it's way through, I will now jump on my bike to say good morning to the sun!
Beautiful grappa bottles in Livigno, where we often ski.
