Scrumptious Sicily: Part 2

It's really the simple things that make a good holiday a great holiday. In this low-cost airline era, getting to a decent beach given the right time of the year, is hardly a challenge. The challenge is finding those small, and seemingly easy details which need to be done well to elevate the holiday standards. And these were my highlights on those "icing-on-the-cake" touches..

Granita & Gelato

We try to be jack-of-all-trades these days, it's not nearly enough to just be darned good at one thing. Sicilians (and indeed Italians) laugh in the face of this, especially when it comes to these icy deserts, judging by how many graniterias and gelatarias are located all over the island.

Who can resist this glossy, full-bodied and profusely indulgent ice cream variety. I say "variety" of ice cream because it's not really like the regular stuff, is it? If gelato was a lady, it would be the generously busty, wholesome and magnetic opera-singing diva on stage!

Yet another Sicilian special, granita. Much less full-bodied, this is the bikini-clad, flippant fling you only have when it's a beach holiday. I love how both gelato and granita come in infinite flavours, there are whole boards filled with every possible imaginable and unimaginable flavour. Above was a flirty cherry granita with chopped bits of the fruit mixed in, a perfect apres-sun cooler!

Tuna

No surprises that an island bears great fish, it's a particular type of tuna that fills these waters though. Off the North West coast of Sicily are the Egadi Islands, of which the largest is Favignana and is a sublime little day trip. We chanced upon an adorable semi-Tunisian style cafe called Camarillo Brillo, and these two fantastic tuna dishes kept us smiling:

Super-duper tuna burger! Not sure that I've ever had a tuna burger before, this was the real business. The pate was firm but succulent, and had roasted pine nuts mixed in. Slightly sauteed chips with fresh pesto was a darling accompaniment,

Tuna with raisins, almonds, tomatoes and balsamic glaze. Sounds incredibly simple, but again it was like tasting the earth and sea on a plate. Remember, it's all in the small details!

And finally, I completely digress food-wise with this highlight, but it was so worth showing:-

Favignana is one of those beautifully unspoilt and untouched tiny islands where time just stands still. The shore is still amazingly shallow even 100 metres into the sea, so you can walk a fair bit into the sparkling azure waters. What better post-lunch rendezvous?

Scrumptious Sicily: Part 1

The August Bank Holiday ends, we have a London Tube strike and the days will now get shorter. Call me Little Miss Happy right now! Despite the uncomfortable truth, I'm still basking in the glory of the most awesome mini-holiday in Sicily.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and it's rich historical influences of Arabic, Asian and of course European provide the scene to many Italian food heroes. You know these suspects: arancine (risotto balls with fillings such as cheese, vegetables or meat), granita (the icier version of sorbet, in more flavours than there are fruits) to caponata (chopped aubergine stewed with tomatoes usually served with as an appetiser).

I debated about what to blog about with Sicily, it's a true foodie di-, even multi-lemma when literally all that comes into contact with your gastro senses is truly mind-blowing. For me, Italian food is a direct product of it's fertile land, glorious weather and stunning coastline. As Sicily is an island, seafood is the prima donna with vegetables and wine being its starlet chorus!

So I decided to report back on my top two discoveries from this trip, and what a job. It was like picking the winner of a beauty parade of palate pleasers. In a special two-part series from Hungry Female, here are the first two highlights...

First, my new favourite pasta shape: Busiate!

This curly number is a pasta sauce dream. Essentially it is tagliatelle with a perm, and a tremendous friend to all kinds of pasta sauces since its twists and turns collect any chunky or smooth bit of food it can tangle with. As a result you get ideal quantities of food and pasta in one mouthful, genius!

 

Above, this was my first taste of busiate: aubergine roasted to tender awesome-ness, tuna, in a tomato stew. Below, full-on seafood busiate!

Busiate makes appearances all over Sicilian menus, one sauce I didn't get around trying was pesto alla Trapanese, which I assume refers to it's birthplace of Trapani, a port town an hour away from San Vito.

We were lucky enough to chance upon some busiate making, by a quintessential Italian mamma:-

These tiny delicatessens are adorably independent. Our little cook was drying pasta ready for the next day, and all that was in her matchbox shop was pasta and pasta sauces. One type of twist I could do again and again.

Second up, something they call Sicilian caviar, Bottarga.

(image from whatdoyouthink.wordpress.com)

As Sicily's main fish is a variety of tuna, fish roe is obviously an easily acquired item. It is massaged, dried and cured with sea salt to form a tube or slab. It can then be sprinkled as a topping or ingredient, such as in the heavenly pizza above. Those familiar with the Chinese, Spanish or Portugese kitchen will understand the concept of dried salted fish as a flavouring, the advantage of this is that it's instant, uber, fish-a-licious-ness! No hydration required to get the sea salt hit. 

Hang on for part 2! There was really so much to write about these magnificent flavours. If you ever find yourself on this dreamy island, you must visit Dal Cozzaro (where I had the aubergine and tuna busieta), Syrah (the seafood busiate) and Il Timone (for pizza). Service is always relaxed, friendly and oozing with charm. The average price for a pasta or pizza was between 8-10 euros. 

“In France food is all about the genius of cooks, in Italy it’s all about the glory of God.”

How true!

Wow Simply Japanese

Crouch End may not be the most obvious place for mind-blowing Japanese, but that's what we love - the unsung, the underrated, the unexpected.

Friends A & H suggested Monday night to try their local Japanese, Wow Simply Japanese. We jumped into our little rented Connect car and drove through leafy Hampstead to Crouch End. They had been given an inside tip from the waitress. Come on Monday night after the weekly delivery and be prepared to be in awe.

This waitress wasn't kidding...

Crispy Tofu steak: Genius. Covered in an irresistible panko shell, the steak was of the firmer tofu variety, elegantly fried and drizzled with teriyaki. 

Miso coated Aubergine: Marinated in dark miso, then baked, the aubergine was in effect a spread when it arrived in its own case. I love the caramelised flavours that miso produces when baked. 

Sea Bass tempura: Wonderfully fresh fish, coated in a light and feathery tempura batter. Interestingly, served with a dark soy and a spicy sauce.

Crab gyozas: The only disappointing dish of the selection. Gyozas should be slightly charred from being flash-fried then steamed in a pan. Though the filling was decent, it tumbled out in a soggy fashion from its casing. This functional flaw just means you get lots of mish-mash floating around in the dipping sauce and not much in your mouth!

Tempura scallop in seaweed, served with mayonnaise: One of the little surprises. Crunchy seaweed, heightened by that same feather-light tempura, the scallops inside were cooked perfectly. I'm always amazed at how tempura saltiness can be successfully offset by a creamy, tangy mayonnaise.

(Top) Tofu Nigiri and (Bottom) Special Wow maki rolls: Business time! Tofu Nigiri was the classic sweet tofu-skin case over sushi rice. What was really impressive were the tempura fried house rolls, filled with avocado, crab and mini ikura (caviar).

(Top) Spicy tuna rolls and (Bottom) Scallop sashimi: Bouncy and super fresh tuna and scallop. I'm certain there is something about this Monday night theory.

Bonanza! Isn't that a sight for sore eyes? Describing this regal selection of sushi is quite a challenge, but I can at least summarise the highlights. Tuna and salmon were exceptional here; melt-in-your-mouth doesn't even begin to describe these great pieces. Do also try the squid nigiri or sashimi, it starts with a crunch and then dissipates on the tongue. And finally, the green caviar coated rolls are the Fried Salmon Skin Maki rolls. Fried fish skin may sound slightly disturbing but believe me they are magical. Talking about roll reversal (pun intended): soft little caviar bubbles outside make way for the crunch inside!

Banana tempura and ice cream: This tempura is endless! Majestically presented, we can't escape this alluring batter that makes everything great. Admittedly the banana itself isn't sweet, but it's all about the batter.

In all glorious cringe-worthiness, this place will make you go wow. Another reasonably priced, hidden London special, it's worth a trek if you make it to this North London 'burb. If I haven't made it obvious enough, tempura and the crunchies are the house specialities. At £25 per head for all our dishes, free-flow green tea amongst four people, it's also a lesson in being friendly with the waitresses!

Caravan

I've become somewhat of a camera snob since getting my SLR. Can you blame me though? Not quite an expert yet but am sure you'll agree it has the edge over these Blackberry ones. Apologies from Hungry Female Management, she will endeavour to not forget the SLR again!

So, Caravan. There's a song in there, something about being on the Caravan of Love? There is definitely a whole lotta food love in this place, it's a journey of many cultures, gastro-clashes and culinary mash-ups if there ever was. And it all works, which is why my heart (and tummy) swells with excitement when I recall our visit to this Exmouth Market newcomer.

How can I describe it? Since identifying the tapas trend in London, I see it going a step further. Caravan has a distinct influence of Chinese and African influence to the little and wholesome dishes it churns out. It's real talent to bring a unique take on such well-known and familiar dishes. Too many places in London have tried to "re-invent" a cuisine, only to do the food equivalent of a nightmare X-Factor contestant trying to become the "next" Madonna. Some things just don't work. This so does. 

A little complimentary amuse bouche to start, Cauliflower and Chorizo soup: A lovely flavour pairing. For me, spicy chorizo to creamy cauliflower is the sizzling sun to a white, sandy shore. 

Peanut and Blue Cheese Wontons with a Hoisin Sauce: Now on paper, this could have been a total disaster. Oh, quite the opposite! Crunching into the crispy skin, was a soft mash of peanut and blue cheese. This combo of nutty and creamy was a great balance of the two types of saltiness. Small dips into the sweet hoisin sauce was great too, I think this worked on the principle that salty and sweet succeed in cheese when the "weight" of both are similar. Kinda like manchego and quince?

Sharing platter of falafel, caponata, hummus, manchego and flatbread: Both dips were chunky and not refined,  really good textures and flavours. Cheese was as good as you can get. Now I'll come back to those falafels in a bit...

Seared tuna, salad with sesame and chilli dressing: the softest, non-sashimi tuna with the chilli dressing on the salad was just divine. A slight nod to Japanese with that sesame/tahini punch.

There are way too many falafels which are dry, uninspired and just sand in the mouth. These were marvellously crackly to bite into, and oozing with Middle Eastern chickpea magic inside. The combo of hummus and sweet chutney on the top really brought it together.

Lamb Chop with Broad Bean Puree: now this is how good it gets. The chop tore apart upon biting into it, the puree on top was robust and full of earthy goodness. It was like Cesc Fabregas in the Spanish football team, even this star was fighting to shine amongst the other greats.

Squid Pancake: Not the best picture, but this was one of the really interesting plates. We think it may have been like a pajeon (a Korean pancake) in how bits of chopped squid and vegetables were wrapped in a light crispy dough and dolloped with a sweet and nutty topping. Delicate, yet strong, the fishy, squid taste had infiltrated the pancake perfectly.

Oxtail with Polenta: Aye Caramba! This was super fusion. We really couldn't decide if this was Italian or Chinese. The oxtail sat in a mushy stew of polenta, which really looks like baby food (especially in this pic!), but it was an awesome punch of all kinds of flavours. I could get star anise, cinnamon, and even evaporated milk (I agree with you, Best Friend M!) from this crazy melange.

Spicy Pork Bun with a Spicy Relish: My jewel in the crown. For the cognoscenti, this is a Char Siew Pao on steroids. A beautifully roasted bun containing a porky, spicy filling, going in heavenly harmony with the sardine, shallot and chilli relish next to it. Then I hear that Usher song. Oh. Mah. Gawwsshhhhh.

Black Pudding and Rabbit Pate: Now by this time I had died and returned from heaven after that Pork Bun. I regrettably admit I don't actually have a strong memory of this dish. Perhaps this meant our taste buds had been saturated, or maybe we'd finally found an average dish?! I can remember it being decent, just not stunning.

(Top) Fruit & Ginger Cake, (Bottom) Chocolate Pud with Elderflower Sorbet: Oooph. Short and sweet, these desserts were little delights that ended on the right note. My favourite was the dark, sticky chocolate dessert which got a light uplift from the sorbet.

Ab Fab! For all those gems, the damage was £35 per head amongst four, including 1 bottle of bubbly and 1 red. Related to the Providores in Marlyebone, Caravan has made waves and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It seems to cater for all occasions: its casual buzz and service makes it great for catching up with friends, an adventurous bite after work and definitely a fun date place. Honestly, it's so good, are you ready for the time of your life?