Focaccia del Turista

When summer arrives, our ways change. We wear sandals, skirts and dresses with no tights (what a relieve !). We exchange baking cakes for making salads and summer soups. We eat outside, where the last rays of sun shine and the blackbirds prelude the night.

Since last summer we have the habit of eating a pizza on Sunday nights at our favorite restaurant in Argegno.
They have the greatest pizza's there, the dough is different from any other pizza place and the ingredients are super fresh and delicious. I am especially in love with the 'Focaccia del Turista', a pizza with leeks, fresh salmon, cream, mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. How good does that sound!?

As I'm still only good with one arm, my shoulder is healing slower then expected, I tried to make a simple dish with leftovers. It turned out to be a delicious version of my favorite Argegno pizza.

Here is the recipe:

You will need for 1 big pizza:
1 sheet of store bought puff pastry
1 small leek
150 grams of smoked or fresh salmon
100ml of cream
1 small ball of mozzarella
2 organic medium eggs
a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
(I had some left over mashed potatoes that I added, but this is not necessary at all)

Preheat the oven on 180 degrees Celsius.
Roll out your sheet of puff pastry and fold 1cm of the edges to the inside to make a border.
Finely slice and wash the leeks and sprinkle on top of the pastry. Add slivers of the salmon and mozzarella, poor over the cream. Break the eggs onto the pizza, one on each side. Add the thyme leaves and some salt and pepper to season. For some more body you can add some cherry tomatoes or small potato cubes. You can also leave the eggs out, if you don't feel like them.

Bake the pizza for about 20 minutes and eat right away with a fresh salad!

Buon appetit!

Focaccia del Turista

The real thing!

Weed Lover

Last Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, we planned a long bike ride near the lake if Varese where our Dutch friends live. We were well on our way and just coming down a beautiful curvy descent. In the middle of the narrow road there as a big, fat, black car. 4 riders past the car without problems, I was planning to do the same...a door opened right in front of me and all I could do was BREAK! And up my back wheel went, down my face, flying over my bike who parked herself nicely into the bushes. I on the other hand landed on the asphalt head and shoulder first.

The first thing I did, surprising myself, was shout as loud as I could at the driver, then I realized what had happened and I tried to localize my bike and my boyfriend who was already on the phone with 911, trying to explain where we were, which turned out to be rather difficult.

The ambulance came, took me to the nearest hospital going back up all the windy little roads we just did in the descent, which made one of the volunteers feel sick. I didn't feel anything but my shoulder, which was bad enough. In the meantime my friends talked to the police, another friend picked up our bikes and yet another friend came to meet us at the hospital with clothes and food. I was lucky to have so many helpful people around me, if not, what do you do with your bike and how do get home from the hospital...

I think I met 100 new people in that hospital, taking me to different rooms every other second.

The doctor confirmed nothing was broken and I could go home, rest for two weeks keeping my arm in a sling-up and my shoulder iced. So that's exactly what I've doing for the last week. Nowhere to go, nothing to see...except for weed. In the garden and on my little stroll around the block I saw some very beautiful species that I just wanted to share with you.

It was the first time I fell and after all I'm happy it didn't turn out as bad as it could have been. 

I hope it will make me an even safer rider, being aware of these dangers. I can't wait to get back on my King 3 though...!