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Reflection time
It’s reflection time again. This weekend in England we fell back an hour, preparing ourselves for shorter days, colder temperatures, and often times, less travel. I thought this week could be about reminiscing. Turning the clocks backwards and forwards is kind of like that isn’t it? It slows us down, makes up think a bit harder about time lost or gained. It’s like traveling in time - except only for one hour. Although we can’t actually turn back time, having an extra hour of sleep does make a slight difference. But since we’ve slightly traveled in time, I thought we could relive a summer holiday I haven’t shared with you (at least not in this space).
Over the summer we took the ferry from Ponza (after an amazing week of sailing) to the island of Ischia. I guess you could call it one of the little siblings to Naples. I’m almost hesitant to share the island and all its beauty with you. It’s a place so magical that, in reality, I’d like to keep it all for myself. Fortunately, for you, I’m not that selfish and, in fact, would love to bring you all to this beautiful island in my suitcase if I could. But lets just say, if you stick around this space over the next few months, you may just find that my suitcase might be big enough for a small group of you…
But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s go back in time. Back to the island of Ischia. Where, even though we spent only a few days, we left knowing we’d return. A place that made an impression on us. The volcanic island, located in the Gulf of Naples, is like a dream. The landscape is rugged and lush, full of beautiful greenery and surrounded by the Tyrrhenian blue sea. We set off on a scooter, winding through the hilltop villages, stopping off in quaint bars in search of the best sfogliatella and the sweetest lemon ice.
It’s a place that embodies water. Not just because it’s surrounded by it, but because of the water that seeps from its crevices. Natural thermal spas and hot waters bubble and boil up from the sea and spew from the volcanic grounds. Especially loved by ex German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, the natural waters are said to have healing properties. Many, in fact, travel long and far to experience and help heal anything from skin issues, arthritis, and rheumatoid to respiratory issues, allergies, and even sciatica. I admit, I was a skeptic. How could this water heal me? It seemed like a far cry from the waters I was used to swimming in - no offense, I love the Atlantic Ocean but healing me from arthritis? I don’t think so. But there we were, at the entry of the thermal spa, waiting to be cured like Angela Merkel herself.
The instructions were simple. Wash in the water for 15 minutes at a time. After washing and standing under the water, allow yourself to dry in the sun (no towel drying allowed). And no need to shower later that evening - especially not with soap - so to allow the healing qualities of the water to penetrate into your skin. We did as we were told. We enjoyed a day full of warm showers, beautiful views out towards the sea, a quick nap under a fig tree, and sips of water from the source itself. We left feeling refreshed and even with a bottle of water to take home with us - just in case we needed to top up after an afternoon of constant bathing. To our surprise, our skin automatically felt smoother, more hydrated. Later that evening we found each other touching our skin in awe - HOW is it so smooth? It was incredible. In fact, many people at the spa were there for intensive skin issues and now we understand why. The water is special and I believe it is healing. Even our host, whose home we were staying at, told us some tales of the curing waters. My favorite was that her father mailed her the water from Ischia to the north of Italy during Covid so that it would help her during recovery. And on that note, Marianna, can you mail us some Ischitana water to London?!
Apart from the incredible healing waters that the Island has, it’s also overflowing with the most kind hearted people. Southern Italians and more specifically, people from Naples, have a complicated perception around their “kindness”. Even Italians from the North have made up their minds about people from the South. But this is true everywhere in the world. It sounds to me that stereotypes about Northern and Southern people exist on almost every continent. Whether you live in Italy, the US, or the UK (I name these 3 parts of the world as they’re the only places I’ve lived). My love for southern Italy isn’t just because my life is entangled with a southern Italian person, however, it’s more rooted in the feeling the people give you. They’re warm, outgoing, sometimes outlandish, full of life, energy, and noise. I guess it’s in my blood as well. My family’s heritage is from Campania, the region where Naples is located. And my family is very loud. Maybe, after all, this is why I feel at home when I’m in southern Italy. So when we were deciding on a place to stay on the island, we knew we wanted it to feel home. A nice base to return to after long days of exploring, a feeling of home. And we found just that. We discovered a place and it’s people who were incredibly kind and welcoming. Our host, Marianna of Il Giardino Salvatico, invited us to Sunday lunch with her family, Ischitana style. What came next was the most incredible meal, a recipe for this Ischitana classic, and a lovely new friend who introduced us to this beautiful island, its waters and so much more. Grazie infinito, Marianna.
Coniglio all'ischitana (Marianna’s mother’s recipe)
This recipe is for coniglio (rabbit) all’Ischitana. However, I understand that many of you might not enjoy eating rabbit or, on the contrary, it might be difficult to find where you shop. I’ve written the recipe as per how I’ve learned it (from a true Ischitana) but I’ve given you the option to try the recipe with chicken instead. Although, if you’ve never tried rabbit, I suggest you give it a go – especially in the Ischitana way.
Ingredients
4 tbsps of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Handful of parsley stems
500 g of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup of white wine
Few leaves of basil
1.5 kg of coniglio (rabbit) or chicken thighs - keep the bone on
Salt and pepper to taste
Water as needed
Method
In a deep pot or sauté pan which has a lid, add olive oil, 1 clove of garlic and a handful of parsley stems. This is your base, the soffritto. Gently cook to release the flavor into the oil. Season the rabbit or chicken with a bit of flaky salt. To the pot, add the rabbit or chicken pieces and given them a gently browning. Add the white wine and allow it to evaporate. Add the tomatoes and basil, and a few splashes of water (about 1/4 cups). Cover with a lid and gently cook for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size and amount of protein you’re cooking) or until the protein is cooked through and to temperature. After 45 minutes of so, remove the lid and if most of the liquid has evaporated, add a few splashes of water (about 1/4 cups). Cook for another 10 minutes with the lid off to allow for the water to evaporate a bit and create a tasty sauce. Serve with crunchy bread or oven roasted potatoes.
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige
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Need a happy moment?
The moment the suppli turns into a telephone cable, that’s when you know you’ve hit the jackpot! I realize we now live in a world without telephone wires…will the suppli al telefono stand the test of time? Will generations after ours still refer to the phrase, suppli al telefono? Only time will tell…