Island food needs tasting
Bye bye London Town for a week! I will chat to you soon bloggies, but I must depart this fair city for the Mediterranean ocean for a short while.

I will be eating and drinking on some lovely islands and examining some underwater creatures with my snorkel gear. Ciao, ciao for now! Will have some food adventures to share next week!

In the meantime, try this strawberry and balsamic vinegar recipe from the New York Times, it sounds amazing.

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/featured-recipe-strawberries-with-balsamic-vinegar/

Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Time 15 minutes

Mark Bittman

Caleb Kenna for The New York Times

Summary

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar will not hold for any length of time. You can sugar the berries an hour or two before serving them, but no longer. Sprinkle on the vinegar and pepper, very judiciously, just before serving. Feel free to mix in some blackberries or blueberries for color; their addition is a striking one. The berries, of course, can be served solo, but for an even more elegant presentation, add a few crisp cookies or a slice of pound, sponge or angel food cake.

Ingredients

• 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 pint blackberries or blueberries, optional
• 1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional

Method

• 1. Toss strawberries and other berries, if using, with the 1/4 cup sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes or longer. Do not refrigerate.
• 2. Sprinkle with the vinegar; toss gently, then taste and add more sugar or vinegar if necessary. Sprinkle with the pepper, toss again, and serve, garnished with the mint, if you like. Spoon into a glass or bowl, and serve next to cookies or a piece of cake.

Ali's Salad
Ingredients: toasted pine nuts, arugula, organic lettuce, brussel sprouts (I passed on those), fried courgette, leftover thanksgiving chicken and a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the dressing. Divine.

Ahh Terroni

After a long day with Shoot - the Shoot Team including the 'events manager' and I went to Terroni. We were tired and starving...not a good combo when you try to get a table in a busy , popular restaurant. I think it was all the gay jumping we did.



My pics for dinner:

Funghi Assoluti
Baked oyster mushrooms with parmigiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, garlic and parsley served on a bed of arugola. So simple, yet so delicious, you can make this at home (in the past I have added bread crumbs to this recipe) under your oven's broil setting. Impress your friends.

Spaghetti al Limone
Home made spaghetti with spinach, capers and shavings of parmigiano in a lemon and extra virgin olive oil sauce. I loved this as it was refreshing and light - perfect for a warm summer evening.

We LOVE this place and were so hungry we did not take pics but instead wolfed down this meal and rolled home as we were so tired from our day.

Go there if you want real, southern Italian food.