Sicily and Almonds

I talked already about Trapani and Erice here, so I won't go on about it, just a few pics, because this time my husband came with me, and because I am crazy about almond sweets! I got this one in Erice.

My husband liked Erice, in particular the temple of Venus, the ancient walls (I really like Daedalus' walls!) and the view.

A part from almond sweets there is coral and ceramic to buy in Erice, but I feel a bit funny about buying coral, I asked in the shop if they can fish for coral and they say yes, if you go out and deep enough. I decided to go for the ceramic.

And then something new for me too, one day we took the ferry and went to the island of Favignana. It rarely rains in that place, and guess what! We rented bikes and started touring the island and got drenched! It was quite funny (in retrospective) as there was so much water and not a single place or tree where to take shelter! Pedal pedal we got to a seaside resort with a little bar and walked in, so wet that everybody sitting there looked at us and smiled (or laugh!). And then, after two barley coffees and a beer the cloud moved towards Trapani.

The sun came out and I felt like incy wincy spider, drying up again (well, my hair took a bit longer but at least my dress wasn't see-through anymore!)

Incredible, after the tempest the sky was really blue, and Favignana looked really pretty and shiny!

The rest of the time we stayed in Trapani, and visited the old city centre and the seaside front.

The city centre is small and easy to walk around. I found it interesting how this looks and feel so different from the 'almost pueblo' style of other parts of the city, even the part were where we stayed, which was just a five minutes bus ride to the centre. Here the view from our window...

And here the city centre:

On our last day I really wanted to take home some almond sweets, so I went in this famous patisserie in the city centre (I don't remember the name... Enza???) which they told me was very good.

I did get my sweets, and some marzipan fruit too, once again my husband could not believe how I could queue for 25 minutes just to buy some sweets (and there were only two customers in front of me!) I guess that he doesn't share my obsession for almonds sweets...

He did have cannoli though, and ice cream, and I had granita (mulberry) and more ice cream in a brioche... and basically most of my diet in those 5 day in Sicily consisted of sweets... and I think that I still have about 100 types still to try. That will be another trip :-)!

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Coconut and Eastern Herbs Pumpkin Soup

One day long time ago I started adding coconut cream and fresh coriander to my pumpkin soup... and my life changed!

The fact is that I always found creamed pumpkin soup a little... predictable?

It always tasted the same to me!

This time I also added some Vietnamese mint (one of the few herbs still alive in my garden) and the result was a fragrant pumpkin soup.

Another thing that I have to say about pumpkin is that I hate cutting it! So this time I roasted the whole pumpkin first, in the oven, for well over an hour... can't remember really, but I was baking other stuff and I thought of putting in the pumpkin too, and after a while I added an onion, peeled.

In the end the pumpkin was so soft that I could cut it with a spoon! I removed the skin and seeds and placed it in a pot with the onion. I added vegetable stock and then I blended everything. Finally I added one can of coconut cream and simmered it for 15 minutes. I turned the stove off, then I added some fresh chopped coriander and a couple of stalks (with leaves!) of fresh Vietnamese mint (to be removed before eating).

This is my number one pumpkin soup, definitely!

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Cheese making class with Natalie Carrard

Upcoming Slow Food Waitakere Event

Cheese making class with Natalie Carrard - Sunday 7th November

Come learn the art of cheese making with Natalie Carrad at her family farm near Helensville. Natalie will cover how to make mascarpone, panir, four types of yogurt and yogurt cheeses, cottage cheese, quark, cream cheese, slipcote, feta, haloumi, andricotta. Notes will be providedfor all the cheeses.

For the very reasonable price of $55, not only will you learn about how to make these cheeses you will also get to take home some haloumi, ricotta and a Caspian seayogurt starter, and the following week some feta will be available.

The morning will mostly be demonstrations and the afternoon is hands-on and with everyone working as a team to make the feta, haloumi and ricotta. There is lots of tasting so please don’t to eat too much for breakfast!

Please bring a spare pair of clean shoes to change into at the door to wear in the cheese room. Crocs or jandals are easy to slip on and off but anything so long as they are clean is fine.

There will also be consumables and equipment available to buy on the day for those who want to go home and make their own cheese.

Milk (BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINER) $1.20 per litre

Freeze dried yoghurt starter $5 starter packet

Freeze dried cheese starter $5 starter packet

250 ml calf rennet $20

Floating dairy Thermometer (glass) $40

Plastic tubes for slipcote or camembert $2 each

Where: 1882 St Highway 16 (approx 35 mins from centralAuckland - see map at bottom of email)

When: Sunday 7 November. Starts at 10am, finishes at 5pm

Bring some thing for a shared lunch (bring a plate to eat off)

Cost: Slow Food Members $55, Non Members $60 ($10 Slow Food donation towards Terre Marde fundraising). Payable on the day - please bring cash or a cheque (made out to Slow Food Waitakere). There is noeftpost available.

Places are limited to 12 people so book soon!

Bookings are essential - email or phone Sue Greig on 817 8297 orsudanhairdressing@xtra.co.nzto secure a place.

Natalie’s number: 027 2757 212

Kind regards,

The Slow Food Waitakere Committee

http://slowfoodwaitakere.blogspot.com/

www.slowfood.com

Senza Parole, Without Words

Photos (et all) by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Fin

Writing a Cookbook Part 6: photography

Photography is expensive, but few cookbooks do without it today: good photos can sell a book, and set standards of style and innovation that sometime text alone cannot reach. A good picture can say a lot, and its impact is instant.

I was introduced to my photographer by my publisher, it was up to me to choose if I wanted to work with him, of course, but after meeting him, and seeing his work in other books, and talking about what I wanted, I thought that his style of work suited me. Cookbook publishers may work with different photographers, and a good publisher will introduce the photographer they may think more suitable for your style of work, or for the type of book.

As an author you generally have to pay the photographer or, as in my case (and most cases I know) split royalties. It may sound strange: a writer spends months writing and cooking and the photographer just a few days shooting and adjusting the photos, but this is the reality of the trade, and it is the same for magazine work.

With royalties both author and photographer work on a risk: if the book sells well it is good for both, otherwise it was an expensive exercise. But as I said before, you don’t write a book just for money, you write a book to share something, for profile, and self-satisfaction. This is true for most photographers also: a photographer who has worked on books has something important to show in his portfolio, and there is nothing that has as much weight as a book. And the photographer becomes the co-author, his or her name running along side that of the author.

If you are a photographer and you would like to do a book, send your CV to a publisher (actually, send it to different publishers) and offer your services. Usually an author sends a book proposal or manuscript, and photographer a CV.

I am on my third book with the same photographer now. The publisher knows that we work well as a team now, and that we will deliver.

Shooting is hard work and you need to work well together, and to have similar tastes. But not too much!

I’ll give you an example: I don’t like over-propping, and I don’t like close-ups that are so ‘close’ that a piece of cake is as big as the page and you can’t understand what the cake was supposed to look like. In this we are alike. But I can be quite ‘girly’ at time, and I work well with a man photographer because he keeps me in line when I go too ‘pink’. We may look at props together, I see a lovely flowery pattern and go “ohhhh!” and he goes “mmmh”.

Other times is the opposite, he likes something ‘quirky’, and I go ‘mmmh’! The end result is always good because it is something we both like and that work for that particular picture. I also like a photographer who has a good eye for styling and colours, and as a bonus my photographer can iron (lots of ironing involved here, but I will talk about that in another post).

Bloggers are usually both photographer and writer, some blogs look good, of course, but for books I think that it is better to split jobs. If you are both a food writer and a photographer… well, fantastic! But a book is not a blog, and you will probably need to get another person involved to help you, either a stylist or a cook to prepare the food to be shot. Two minds are better than one, and four eyes better than two.

More about photography and styling in the next post.

Ciao

A.

Writing a Cookbook Part 5: writing and... living!

First: I would like to say that there are very few writers who live exclusively on their books. Most of us have other jobs, sometimes part-time jobs (and a supporting partner with a full time job!), many are also writing for magazines, or cooking for a living, or teaching, or developing food for clients.

Some even write books for clients, a blogger told me that, as it takes months to write a book, he prefers to do it with a sponsor. I did some writing for clients, but this is a different topic, these posts are about writing your own book, without sponsors, without brands, without advertising.

But research and recipe development can be expensive, and time consuming (and then you still have to write it all down!). Usually I take a lot of notes as I go along, at first I used some exercise books that got so messy and full of corrections, abbreviations, language mixes and cancellations that only I could (barely) understand what I had written. Now I have a laptop that I can take to the kitchen, and it makes life easier! A digital camera for my own experiments is also a bonus, and sometimes I wander how I did write my first book without these gadgets!

Yes, you have to invest a little to write a cookbook, but at least you can eat what you cook!

Writing style: just a few words

Everyone has his/her writing style, and I believe that the best thing is using it. Trying to write differently, like someone else, like following a trend, is unnecessary, and insincere. Of course there are set standards to follow with recipes, and your editor will tell you. For example, presenting the ingredients in chronological order, or using metrics rather than imperials, or both, or not using cups… it all depends on the publisher’s style and on the market. The terminology has to be clear and appropriate, unusual terms, ingredients and techniques explained in a glossary. But a part from that, use your own style, and don’t copy. I know that it all sounds logical and sensible, but believe me, I heard far too many people saying things like "I want to have a book that looks like Donna Hay's but 'fun' like Jamie's and with my grandmother's recipes"

Wow!! Wouldn't it be easier to make your own book?

(This also reminds me: as much as I appreciate your emails and FB messages, please do comment on the posts, I tend to lose track of who is asking me what, and if I am not shy talking about this topic on the blog, you shouldn't be shy in commenting here. It also looks good if there are more comments :-))

Finally, I believe that the most important thing in writing is to be always respectful to the readers: never assume that they know what you are talking about, and at the same time never talk down to them like they know nothing. You don’t know who is opening your book, and even if you writing, lets say, a book for beginners on how to boil eggs, aspire for your readers to feel comfortable, not lectured. (Did I lecture you here? hahahah!)

And if in doubt my rule is: trust your editor, always. It makes life easier, and writing proper!

Next time: photography!

Writing a Cookbook Part 4: Sign that contract!

I would like to apologize for being so late with part four of my ‘Writing a Cookbook’ series, but I have been very busy… writing the cookbook! Will you forgive me? Thank you XXXXX

In this post I wanted to talk about the contract that you will sign with a publisher. The publisher will send you the draft of your contract: read it well, every page, since it is possible that you will have to sign every page!

Remember, this is only a draft, if there is anything that you would like to change, talk about it with your publisher, and if there is something that you don’t understand don’t be afraid to ask: sometimes the terminology can be a little ‘obscure’. If you have friends in the book business, ask them for their advice. Most first time authors have unrealistic expectations from a contract, especially in regards to royalties and rights. If you are famous, a cooking star, your lawyer or agent will check everything for you, but if you are not… well, you can always use a literary agent to help you with this step (actually, a literary agent can also help you finding a publisher in the first place) but remember that agents with take a percentage from your royalties.

Ask your publisher how many copies they are hoping to print, and if they are planning to export. Ask for a realistic picture. Then ask if you can have an advance on royalties, if you need it to work on the book (but don’t expect too much… unless you are a chef star, that is!).

Also set a realistic date for delivering the work: a good author respects deadlines. How long does it take you to write the book? And to supply the images? It is likely that you will be asked to supply the manuscript first, and then the images shortly after. Then you will also agree to check the proofs and make the necessary changes required by the editor and the designer.

For me? It takes me at least one year to make a book, but often by the time I am looking at the contract I have already started writing. English is my second language so I need to take time, not like blogging, for a manuscript I need to present something readable. It is a good idea to ask someone to read it at least once before sending it to the publisher.

But the thing that takes the longest is planning the recipes. Next post will be about writing.

Ciao for now!

Lego Venice

The day we went to Venice it was raining so hard that I could not take good photos, and we spent most of the time in museums. Anyway, I have already written a guide to Venice here,

so no need for a new post except... well, call me proud mum, but I loved the fact that my kids got home and started making a Venice out of lego.

Here the gondola going through the Grand Canal, weeeeeee!

Did you know that Venice has been built on 118 small islands connected by 354 bridges? The things you learn when you have kids!

and to finish Max did an installation for the Venice Biennale :-)

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Milano

What I like most about Milano is that it is full of hidden art. Of course there are the usual landmarks, not as many as in other Italian cities, but still landmarks, full of tourists.

Yet, for example, not far from the Duomo there is the impressive Villa Reale, which host the Museum of Modern Art, it is free and... empty! No tourists go there, they all look at the Duomo/Galleria/Last Supper, a few go as far as the Castle...

I highly recommend this place, The palace itself is beauriful, with lovely gardens, and there are some amazing paintings inside, like this Van Gogh Les bretonnes et le pardon de pont Aven, 1888-1890 ca. The last painting in the gallery is one of my favourite, which I didn't feel like photographing... it felt kind of wrong, don't know if you can understand what I mean, sometimes it happens when I am looking at something I really feel for. Anyway, it is here.

And if you look closely you find Art everywhere in Milan, and not just 'design', also alternative, pulsating, live art, like street art.

I find the one below very funny...

And of course I have to finish with a visit to the studio of painter Marco Teatro :-) One of the things I will miss most from Italy will be Art, Art with the capital A, and Art everywhere.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©