If I’m being completely honest, I really only have myself to blame. It all started with a trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy in 2011. It was there I first discovered the joys of Prosecco and “Aperitivo.” The literal translation is an alcoholic beverage that is consumed prior to a meal with the intention of stimulating the appetite. It almost always involves a few nibbles to have along with your drink, and I’m not talking about a “happy hour” dish of peanuts.
Depending on your location in Italy, the snacks change. In the south it is typically freshly roasted warm salted almonds, a bowl of spicy marinated olives, home made potato chips, or little squares of pizza.
Several years later we visited Umbria in Northern Italy. Aperitivo here meant little crostini topped with pecorino cheese and drizzled with local wildflower honey, suppli (deep fried breaded rice balls stuffed with cheese) and all sorts of amazing charcuterie.
I decided to adopt Aperitivo hour at our cottage. It was recieved quite well by all our visiting friends and family. (What a shock, I know!) It’s gotten to the point that around 6 pm, my husband, children, siblings and friends will ask, “What are we having for aperitivo tonight?” I have conditioned them to expect a little snack along with pre-dinner drinks. Like I said, all my own fault! Truthfully, I love aperitivo hour. Everyone comes together on the back deck, cell phones are put away into pockets and we chat.
I am always looking for interesting snacks that can be put together without too much fuss or bother. A few months ago, my sister Bo sent me a recipe for whipped feta. I filed it away, thinking it would be perfect, spread on some crusty bread for aperitivo hour.
I decided to top the whipped feta with roasted tomatoes. Little grape or cherry tomatoes get tossed with garlic, olive oil, honey and thyme.30 minutes in a hot oven until they are slightly shrivelled and bubbly. You can roast the tomatoes early in the day and just leave them out on the counter until you need them. The whipped feta dip was a recipe from Ina Garten. I adapted her recipe, cut back on the feta and added some whole milk ricotta to the mix. It love the lightness it added to the spread. This can also be made in the morning. Just wrap well and chill until serving time.Start with some really good bread. A baguette or ciabatta loaf are perfect for this. Good quality bread will have big holes in it like this. I bought a ciabatta lunga from Ace Bakery. In bread freak lingo, these big holes are known as “an open crumb structure.” They are achieved by a long slow cold fermentation, gentle handling so you don’t deflate all the built up gas and a high hydration dough.
I like to split the loaf horizontally, toast it gently on a grill or in the oven, and then cut it into serving size pieces before topping them.
Last week I posted about my hiking holiday to the Amalfi Coast. Here is Part 2 of my hiking adventure, where I continue on with my Amalfi Coast top 10 faves.
6. The Blue Grotto
On our second day in Capri we visited the world-famous Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is one of several sea caves, worldwide, that is flooded with a brilliant blue light. It wasn’t until I got home and researched (you gotta love Wikipedia!!) this amazing phenomenon, that I fully understood the scientific explanation behind this stunning azure colour.
Basically it has to do with the lighting conditions inside the cave. Sunlight, passes through an underwater cavity and shines through the seawater, creating a blue reflection that illuminates the cavern. I am oversimplifying. If you are a science geek and need a more thorough explanation, check out the Wikipedia link above.
To get to the Blue Grotto, we took a motorboat. Let me tell you, “The sea was angry that day my friend.” We all felt more than a little bit seasick. Once we arrived we noticed lots of little rowboats bouncing up and down in the sea.
Our guide told us that we would have to climb out of our heaving big boat, into the even more violently heaving little rowboat in order to get inside the Blue Grotto. WHAT?? Once I took a look at the cave opening into the Blue Grotto, I quickly understood. It was only about 5 feet wide by about 3 feet high!
We managed to climb into our little rowboat without anyone going in for a swim. The oarsmen rowed us towards the opening and in broken English told us that when he gives us the signal, we all have to lie down flat on the bottom of the rowboat. WHAT?? I did not sign up for this. I was terrified. He yelled, “DOWN” and we all crouched. Unfortunately, I was just behind the oarsman and he sat on my head when I lay down. I closed my eyes and prayed. The next thing I know, we hit a huge wave and water sloshed into our boat. Everyone screamed but no one sat up for fear of getting decapitated by the rock over the opening.
Suddenly all was silent. We sat up and looked around. It was eerily calm and the water was still and the most beautiful azure blue you can imagine. Then the oarsmen broke out into a rousing rendition of “O Sole Mio”. After rowing around the cave for about 5 minutes we crouched down again to exit and the whole thing was over.
Before we visited the Blue Grotto, I had heard that the oarsmen had a reputation of being rude and most unpleasant, so I was quite surprised to hear him belting out the tunes. When I asked our guide about this, she started laughing. Apparently our oarsman was cursing up a storm in Italian at his fellow oarsman, something about not getting a big enough tip from his last boatload.
When I got home and googled Blue Grotto, I found that someone had posted a video of the entering of the Blue Grotto. You have to see this!
7. Aperitivo Hour and Bar Snacks
When we got back to our hotel after our Blue Grotto adventure, we needed a drink in the worst way. We stopped by the bar and my husband was quite impressed with the Macallan Scotch selection. We decided to go back to our room have drinks on our little balcony overlooking the sea.
My glass of Prosecco arrived chilled, with a little napkin wrapped around the bottom so the condensation would not mar the furniture. With our drinks they also sent several little bowls filled with potato chips, pistachios, hazelnuts, marcona almonds and olives. In Italy, apparently, this is how drinks are always served, with snacks, even if you don’t order them. How civilized!
8. Buffalo milk yogurt
On the 5th morning of our adventure I made a discovery that kind of startled me. At the breakfast buffet in Ravello there was a bowl filled with ice. Resting on the ice were little containers of Buffalo milk yogurt! I’m not sure why this shocked me so much, after all, they make buffalo milk mozzarella, so why not yogurt? Why not indeed! Thicker than even greek style yogurt and not quite as tangy, buffalo milk yogurt was… well not life changing, but certainly morning changing! I get so excited when I discover a food I have never heard of or tasted before.
I gushed on and on about it to my daughter but she just rolled her eyes at me and helped herself to the regular cow’s milk yogurt. I mixed mine with diced peaches, ripe berries and granola. I need a buffalo.
9. Sentieri degli Dei
In English this translates into “Path of the Gods”. On the fourth day of our adventure we got a glimpse of what the path to heaven looks like! We drove high up into the Lattari Mountains and began our hike in the town of Bomerano. There we met our guide for the day, Amalfi naturalist Nicola, or “Mountain Man” as we nicknamed him. I was very excited to begin our hike since today was the first day we got to use our hiking sticks! I felt so athletic swinging my stick until Nicola warned us not to swing it too high or we might poke out the eye of whoever is behind us. Oops, sorry my darling children.
The path, about 1900 feet above sea level goes from Bomerano to the town of Nocelle, and then straight down, 1500, steps into Positano. It is a rugged goat path along the coastal edge and not for the faint of heart or those who suffer from acrophobia. Nicola pointed out wild fennel, wild arugula as well as about 25 other kinds of flora and fauna. He thoughtfully pointed out poison plants and ones that, while they may not kill you, will leave you itching and crying for mercy for several days. We carefully stepped around those. The views of the Mediterranean Sea were breathtaking.
He explained how the steep mountainside had been carved into terraces over the years to allow farmers to grow olives, lemons, nuts and grapes. The fact that this had been done, and still continues to be done, in current times, with hand tools and paths that can only be accessed by donkeys and mules is nothing short of astonishing.
Our guide had told us that we would be having lunch along the way. I kept eyeing Nicola’s backpack and it did not look like it contained anything close to lunch for six hungry adults. I must admit, I was a little worried that lunch was going to be trail mix and water. However, around 12:30, we rounded a corner and came upon an oasis in the middle of the mountain.
An old renovated stone hut sat on a plateau in the middle of nowhere and our hosts greeted us like long-lost relatives. The stone BBQ was hot and smokin’ and the smells emanating from it were intoxicating. All my worries about a trail mix lunch evaporated away. On a hill, above the hut was a picnic table positioned perfectly to take in the view. The table was set and platter upon platter of grilled foods were presented to us. We began with grilled onions and potatoes, then grilled zucchini and grilled pumpkin appeared. Homemade thinly sliced salami was served with meaty green olives and fresh mozzarella. A beautiful platter of Caprese salad disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, grilled homemade fennel sausage and grilled smoked scamorza cheese with lemon appeared. We murmured, ever so quietly, that we couldn’t eat another bite but somehow, the sausage and cheese disappeared too. The homemade local red wine went down way too easily and the ceramic pitcher it was being poured from was magically refilled more than once. I felt like I was at a Hogwarts feast.
10. The Italians name geological formations after food!
As we were walking the Path of the Gods, our guide pointed out a huge rock formation with a cave at the bottom of it. She said it was called “Grotta del Biscotto”, (cave of the biscuit), so named because the craggy surface of the rock resembles the local specialty biscotto. Biscotto is a hard small bread that is baked twice, so that it dries out and lasts for an entire year. Then it is soaked in water and eaten, usually in a soup or part of a salad. I just love that food is so embedded in Italian life and culture, that it extends into nature as well.
I recently had the good fortune to spend a week on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. My oldest son just graduated from University and we decided to take him and our daughter on a holiday. We have been planning this for a while now. Typically, our family holidays tend to be of the beach variety with very little physical activity and a lots of reading time on the beach. We are all avid readers. We decided to shake things up a little.
In its initial inception, this was going to be a biking holiday. However, after a bit of time and reflection, my husband wisely decided to drop the “B” and add an “H”. So biking became hiking. He realized that we would not get very far if I were along for the bike ride. The decision of where to hike was an easy one. We all wanted to go to Italy. With the help of our wonderful travel agent, Linda, and Butterfield and Robinson, we mapped out an itinerary. Two days on the Isle of Capri, two days in Positano and two days in the town of Ravello. We hiked by day and ate and drank in the evenings. A plan that made everyone happy.
We quickly became immersed in the Italian culture and lifestyle. Here then, in no particular order are my top 10 Amalfi faves:
1. Autogrill!
If you have ever driven on the Autostrada (system of roadways) in Italy, no more needs to be said. If not, well let me tell you, Autogrill is quite the Italian experience. Basically, Autogrill is a rest stop along the highway. But a totally different species than the North American rest stop. No mere Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s.
For the uninitiated, here is my Autogrill 101 Primer:
First of all, you must go inside. The concept of drive through is totally foreign to Italians. Once you go inside there is quite a disorderly scramble at the cash. No lining up like polite Canadians do. You need to know what you want, so take a minute to peruse the display case.
In addition to sandwiches, they have pastries, brioche and croissants. Then, join in the communal push towards the cashier and tell them what you want. Depending on your Italian language skills, some pointing may be required. Don’t worry, they are quite used to it. Then you pay and take your little ticket over to the service counter. Again, some mild pushing and surging forward is required. I discovered later that it is good form to take your little ticket and place it on the counter, weighted down with a few coins (as your tip). They will ask you again what you want and, again, some pointing will be required. If you order one of the sandwiches, make sure you gesture towards the giant Panini presses behind the servers.
We had Caprese (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil) Paninis on very good baguette. The cappuccino would put Timmy’s and Dunkin’ Donuts to shame. Once you get your order, you find an empty cocktail height table and stand and eat your food and sip your coffee. Italians don’t do take out. They are a very social people and the mere thought of eating in your car would cause most Italians to shudder.
The bathrooms are usually downstairs and while very clean, all the toilets in the woman’s washroom are missing seats. So you have to, sort of precariously perch yourself above the bowl and hope for the best. There is usually a bathroom attendant,or if not, a little basket, where you are expected to leave a little tip. Here’s a little tip, “How about toilet seats for women?! ”
2. Stylish Transportation
Although we spent most our days hiking, to get from town to town we needed a method other than our feet. The Italians like to travel in style! To get from Naples to the Isle of Capri, we travelled on a very speedy cabin cruiser. I felt like I was in a James Bond movie. Once we arrived on the Isle of Capri, a convertible taxi whisked us from the port off to the upper town square, where we walked to our hotel. Cars are banned from most of the Island.
3. Mandorlati from Gelateria Buonocore
While touring the town of Capri on our first afternoon, we couldn’t help but notice the huge line up outside a window of a little shop. When we asked our guide, she told us they have the best gelato in town. Of course we joined the line and soon we were greedily licking gelato from homemade waffle cones. Between the four of us we sampled coffee, pistachio, almond, coconut and raspberry. It was creamy and refreshing, just the thing to revive us from our jet lag stupor.
That night, after dinner as we were strolling back to our hotel, we walked by Buonocore again. Of course there was a huge lineup outside at the gelato window. But inside, the shop was empty. I decided to go in to see what they sold besides ice cream. We picked out a small sampling of about 6 different little cookies. We started to snack on them as we continued on our way back to the hotel. The pistachio cookies were yummy as were the lemon ones and the pine nut ones, but the almond cookies stopped me dead in my tracks. Fragrant and chewy these were reminiscent of almond macarons but more intense, sort of souped up macaron, studded with chopped almonds.
I was back at the bakery again the next morning and again that night for more. I was addicted. I discovered that they are called Mandorlati and they are a traditional Italian almond cookie. I was unsuccessful in getting the recipe from the family (a closely guarded secret!), but I plan to play around with egg whites, ground almonds, chopped almonds, almond paste and confectioners sugar and come up with my own version. I’ll share it with you when I figure it out.
4. Lemons on steroids
The Amalfi coast is known for lemons and they are everywhere. We had dinner our first night at da Paolino. The entire terrace has been converted into a lemon grove and you dine under a pergola of lemon trees. An incredibly magical and romantic setting, spoiled only by my worry that one of those ginormous lemons would fall on my head, or worse, into my glass of Prosecco. We were assured by the waitress that before service each evening they shake the trees very well to remove any loose lemons.
Everywhere we hiked we encountered lemon trees. At markets everywhere we saw 2 main varieties of lemons, regular ones and ones which I can only describe as lemons on steroids. They were huge. Apparently these giant ones are used in baking and the making of Limoncello, the most popular export of the region. I was so looking forward to trying this lemon liqueur and sadly, I have to say, I did not like it at all. I subsisted mainly on Prosecco, not that I’m complaining!
5. Rigatoni on Steroids (Paccheri)
I had my very favourite meal of the trip at da Paolino in Capri. I am still dreaming about this pasta dish. I had Paccheri with smoked mozzarella and fennel sausage. Paccheri is a large hollow pasta, similar to rigatoni but bigger. It sort of resembles short pieces of a garden hose. ( To hear this pasta name pronounced, follow this link.)
As with most pasta shapes there is a legend about how that particular shape came to be. The fable of paccheri goes something like this:
In the Renaissance era paccheri was created as a vehicle to smuggle banned garlic cloves from Italy, across the Alps into Prussia (modern-day Austria). Apparently Prussian garlic was puny and weakly flavoured, while Southern Italian garlic was large and pungent. Prussian princes (not to mention the commoners) favoured the stinkier garlic and sales of Italian garlic were robust while Prussian garlic sales languished.
The Prussian government, trying to protect local Prussian farmers, banned the import of Italian garlic. Incensed, the Italian garlic growers worked closely with Sicilian pasta makers and paccheri was created. Each tube of paccheri was perfectly shaped to hide about 4 cloves of garlic and thus the black market trade of garlic into Prussia flourished.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Salt and Serenity hikes the Amalfi Coast.
30 minutes in a hot oven until they are slightly shrivelled and bubbly. You can roast the tomatoes early in the day and just leave them out on the counter until you need them. 
The whipped feta dip was a recipe from Ina Garten. I adapted her recipe, cut back on the feta and added some whole milk ricotta to the mix. It love the lightness it added to the spread. This can also be made in the morning. Just wrap well and chill until serving time.
Start with some really good bread. A baguette or ciabatta loaf are perfect for this. Good quality bread will have big holes in it like this. I bought a ciabatta lunga from Ace Bakery. 
In bread freak lingo, these big holes are known as “an open crumb structure.” They are achieved by a long slow cold fermentation, gentle handling so you don’t deflate all the built up gas and a high hydration dough.
