Pasta Puttanesca - Is one of my favorite pasta's

We had this pasta dish way back in April 2013 at Fontane Del Papa, 1 and 1/2 hour north east of Rome in the rolling hills covered with ancient olive tree above the port city of Cititavecchia ... now it is one of my favorite go to request for my beautiful Sandy to cook for me.

It is such a hugely fragrant sauce, the smells that waft through our kitchen takes me straight back to exciting days cooking in so many Italian kitchens. Puttanesca bursts with flavor and typical of many a good italian pasta, it is just so easy to prepare and if your are like me you  will be craving this pasta every other week. The super-fragrant sauce is made with a generous amount of cherry tomato, onion, garlic and black olives that will have you addicted right away. Traditional italians use anchovies, but after my throat incident in Italy I have a nervous phobia (in my head only) which to this day still plays silly mind games! 

Use canned tuna, the one with a chilly in it adds a little heat, be sparing with how much of the chilly you use if you are not a chilly person. 

But for me, the true star are the capers they add a briny saltiness to the dish. 

                                             Soooooooo YUM!!!

April 2023 - End of Covid Hibernation!

I'm back! 

My travel Blog, like so many others has been gathering cyber dust! so I thought it is now time to sit down and write just a few words about what's been happening in our world. God only knows that I have had ample time to do this prior to now but I just felt that I didn't want to put fingers to the keyboard. We all suffered through and so many are still suffering through the impact that Covid has had on and upturning our lives. 

So where (insert you own swear word!) has that 3 years and 3 months gone? and ... what a crazy ride we have all been on .... Good, bad and indifferent I would have to say. It certainly has given us all some time for reflection and even more time to reevaluate what's important in our own lives, our own stories and the impact on us and the people around us.

 

You who have followed my Italian Cooking Trip (extended gap year blog) would know my travel stories thus far. Now, travels will be defined as Pre Covid or post Covid.

Pre Covid we were flying back into Malaysia from Dubai early January 2020 after a cruise around Sri Lanka and up west coast of Indian when at Singapore airport we were greeted with a thermometer to the forehead to check our temps, at that point Sandy and I were impressed with what a proactive country about incoming passengers health but unaware of The Covid ! it was not until we arrived back into Australia later in January that we heard the news and then ... ours and everyone's worlds stood still.

My beautiful and oh so supportive wife of 36 years this coming Anzac Day (give the lady a massive medal) and I have been so lucky and privileged to be able to traveled the world and then in 2013 I started this travel Blog. 

We live in Tamworth, regional NSW Australia, where we were so lucky in the lockdowns as we have a big garden to wander and a great raised bed vege patch to keep us in some fresh produce, but our small boutique accommodation business The Retreat @ Froog Moore Park suffered greatly, it has bounced back but in a different format to that of pre Covid. So now it's time to rethink of what our new lives and future will look like. 

During Covid we built a holiday house in Cygnet, Tasmania ... probably not the best time to build with lock downs, lock outs and the rising cost of building materials, but we needed something to keep our creative minds busy.

So Port Cygnet House was born! Check it out www.portcygnethouse.com.au

Fun, quikey and fabulous! 

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, adults only accommodation.

With great views over Port Cygnet and the boats bopping around on the water,

 so relaxing.

So with Port Cygnet House now completed and ready for people to enjoy it's time for Sandy and I to do some exploring around Australia, hit the roads again and continue extending our "gap year".

Where to and what to do now? 

Drink cocktails in fabulous Tasmania bars like here in The Birdcage in Hobart. 

Tag along for the ride ... Cheers Peter and Sandy XX

Now I like Ginger Flowers!

So good things come to those who wait.

I discovered that if you put ginger flowers with a cocktail called Haliatini it is magically transformed into a perfect combination.

 A Haliatini is Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin, Cointreau, Homemade Halia Essence (a secret ginger syrup) & hydrated Pink Ginger Flower. (the bitterness it brings to the drink is stunning) and when that is teamed with a spicy dish WAM and WOW

A friend from Tamworth recommended being foodies that Sandy and I needed to try this restaurant called Violet Oon. 

WOW what fabulous food it was.

So teamed with a Sambal Eggplant Nyonya - Wedges of fried eggplant topped with a spicy & sour sambal sauce

It's a marriage of food heaven and cocktail heaven.

2020 is The Year of The Rat

The decoration for Chinese New Year are everywhere and today the Hotel started to decorate one of its outdoor spaces.

 By night the white trees all light up red

The rat meaning also indicates wealth, abundance, and fertility, similar to the rabbits meaning. 

Interesting internet reading on the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, I'm born in 1963 and here is a bit of what it says!!

Rabbits are earnest with everything they do; they just ask that others treat them the same way. 

Yep that's true do go on.

Personality and characteristics.

 To outsiders, the Rabbit’s kindness may make them seem soft and weak. In truth, the Rabbit’s quiet personality hides their confidence and strength. They are steadily moving towards their goal, no matter what negativity the others give them.

Hmmm not sure I would totally agree "quiet personality"

With their good reasoning skills and attention to detail, they make great scholars. They are socializers with an attractive aura. However, they find it hard to open up to others and often turn to escapism.

Hmmm love a bit of fantasy to escape too!

A plain and routine life is not their style.

Soooooo true.

 Though conservative and careful in their actions, they need surprises every so often to spice things up. 

Yep bring on the surprises and some spice!

1963 Rabbits had financial hardships during youth, but are able to turn unfortunate events around. During the elderly years, money must be spent to preserve longevity.

So I'd better save some pennies for a nursing home to help 

"preserve longevity" can it be over looking the ocean?

It's amazing what you google when you have 6 hours layover in Sydney because the flight out of Singapore was late to land and we missed our connection by 20 mins .... a wee tad pisses off but now it's only 9 mins till the bar opens at the lounge so life's not too bad.

Goodbye Hotel Jen

Sitting and enjoying the borrowed landscape view from our room onto a beautiful garden on the roof top of the next building 13 floor up over Orchard Road, the view from here makes you feel that you are on the ground.

But stand up and  re position where you are you can see Orchard Road way below.

View out the other direction onto Orchard Road from our room at Hotel Jen and what a view from the desk as I do my blogging.

11th Jan our 3rd and last Malaysian Cooking Class

This is our last port and we took a cooking class with Sara in 

Kuala Lumpur at 

The Malaysian Kitchen Cooking Class.

In the berbs, herb garden in the shadows of the high-rises.

Picking herbs with Sara before we cook.

More "ANT" flowers!!!

Sara's Beauty out shines the food here, and the dishes were STUNNING

WOW What a beautiful lady

Felt like I was on a film set for Miss Saigon

 Here is a traditional home so no shoes, this is a challenge for us Australians who always where shoes in the kitchen so Sara is happy as long as they are new. We have carried a new pair of shoes each all around the world for this our last cooking class,
now that’s dedication to the craft!

  

Sadly I have to leave the blog here as we only have a few hours left to take in Singapore prior to flying out tonight at 
7pm 14th Jan 2020.

I may get some time at the airport later to post some of what we cooked with Sara.

So for now I will leave this section of the blog with

 Miss Saigon. 

And sorry Sara, the Ginger flower buds still taste like ants.

Everyone is getting ready Chinese New Year

The streets are adorned with red lantern which were for sale everywhere this morning at the markets.