Changes Afoot: A Fruitful Holiday in Sicily

I feel like my posts of late have begun all too frequently with apologies. Apologies for the infrequent postings. Apologies for the lack of recipes or for the lack of originality. After a solid two weeks since you last heard from me, I believe another apology is in order, and perhaps an explanation.

For the past three years, I have inhabited the District of Columbia, our nation’s capital. However, the past four weeks have seen my life thrown up in the air, with the pieces landing all in a mess; some semblance of order has begun to take shape over the past few days. I’ve taken a leap across the Atlantic, briefly popping into Iceland, embracing a mindful week of yoga in Sicily, and finally starting as a master’s student in geography in the UK next week. What this means is that changes are afoot.

Considering all of this, and a probable paucity of blog-writing time, My Munchable Musings will also experience some scaling back. I’m going to attempt to post a couple of shorter items and one longer thought piece weekly and see how it all goes. With new surroundings, there should be no shortage of material! In the meantime, let’s play a bit of catch-up.

Sicilia. Yes, back again. This time, though, the island managed to outdo itself in seasonal produce. Fruit was in abundance. I was pleased to see that the peaches and plums I had only just abandoned in the US were still plentiful at Sicilian markets. Figs were on their way out, but I was able to get in my fill of nature’s candy. And then there was the melone giallo. We likely would not have given it a shot, a second thought, had the previous visitors not left one in our house. It was juicy, sweet, and absolutely delicious. What’s more, they were grown and sold everywhere!

In fact, these melons (Paceco Cartucciaru) are so plentiful, they are literally left to rot in the fields. They are also exported around Europe (still in markets here in the UK!), and they can hold up two months, just getting sweeter and more flavorful, like a good aged wine (?!). I'm leaving you with a recipe, albeit not one related to melons.

Orzo con Ficchi e Mandorle

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pint ripe figs, quartered (about 1 cup)

½ cup toasted almonds, chopped

1.5 cups barley, soaked overnight

2 cups water, plus more as needed

1 tbs olive oil

Salt to taste

1.     Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook about five minutes until translucent, adding garlic after 3 minutes or so.
2.     Pour in water, salt lightly, and bring to a boil. Pour in barley and cook covered for about 20 minutes until tender and water has all been absorbed. Add additional liquid if the barley isn’t done and the water is gone.
3.     Cook another five minutes with the figs and almonds. Serve warm with a delightful citrusy salad.

Back to it – Wellness Weekends and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!

Thirsty Thursday: Cool Down

Summer is flying by at an alarming rate. It's hot and humid, and often all I want at the end of a long day is a cool and refreshing drink. Luckily, summer is full of juice-dribbling-down-your-chin goodness to combat the heat of the day.

This weekend I came across some exciting new fruits to play with this summer. The Delice de la Table, or Delight of the Table, is a French heirloom variety of cantaloup melon. It dates back to the 19th century and is a rare find in the U.S. 

 

It is the resurfacing of such interesting agrobiodiversity that really differentiates a farmers market from a grocery store. Most people seem contented with a narrow range of apples, bananas, and oranges, perhaps with a melon thrown in during the summer. But there is such a wide world of  flavor profiles, shapes, and sizes within the world of fruits and vegetables, that is seems such a pity to limit ourselves (check out farmer E. on NPR's heirloom tomato segment). One of the beauties of trying locally-grown heritage varieties is that you are branching out beyond the realm of mass-produced, grocery industry, to something akin to purchasing a handmade piece of jewelry. So enjoy the fruits of summer, and try going out on a limb to try something new.

Summer Melon Cooler

1/2 small cantaloup (or other melon variety you might find at market)

1 very ripe peach or nectarine

1/2 cup sparkly water

1 tsp agave nectar (optional)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)

1 splash lemon juice (optional)

1. Blend all ingredients together until it reaches the desired consistency.

Find more tasty and healthy summer treats on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends.

On another note, for the next couple of months the blog will be in low production mode. I am attempting to study for the GRE and start working on graduate school applications, and need slightly fewer enticing distractions. Look for at least one post per week, and hopefully we will return to normalcy come fall.