FEATURE | RECIPES
Tasty Travel
CHEF SIMON WEBSTER Palestine Living
Living in Texas you get used to the long hot summers . It may have been a little too hot this summer so I hope you have the chance to get away on vacation and maybe visit somewhere cooler . Sometimes , it ’ s not just the location that ’ s cooler , but also the cuisine . Discovering new ways to cook familiar ingredients is part of the fun of travel as different regions and cultures teach us to enjoy food in ways we never imagined .
I started traveling at a very young age when my family moved from England to New Zealand . Talk about a huge difference in both culture and cuisine . Going from cold and damp England to sunny island life in New Zealand piqued my interest and gave me the desire to explore more countries and their food .
Barely out of school , I left New Zealand in 1984 and was off on an overseas adventure with a one-way ticket and $ 1,000 . Back in the day , this is something a lot of young people did for a year or two before settling down . I , on the other hand , never went back and in a way , I feel like I ’ m still on that faraway adventure – many years later – settling here in Texas .
Just recently , Christine and I just came back from one of our Chefs on Tour trips to Italy . We usually only go to the Amalfi Coast with our groups , but this time we had some guests ask if we could also visit Tuscany . It ’ s so interesting to see just how different one country can be . The landscape and scenery changed dramatically as we drove from the seaside cliffs of Positano in Southern Italy to central Tuscany , where we stayed near the city of Cortona .
Not only did it look different , but the food was vastly different , too ! As Americans , we often think of Italian food as meaning one thing – pasta , pizza , lasagna , alfredo . But we ’ ve learned from visiting there , that ’ s not the case . On the Amalfi Coast there ’ s a lot of fish , light wines , fresh tomatoes , buffalo mozzarella and citrus trees everywhere . Around Rome , very regional pasta dishes , artichokes , lamb and sheep ’ s milk cheese . In Tuscany there was wild boar , Chianina beef , red wine and handmade pici pasta .
Trying so many new things really makes your tastebuds come alive . It was a regional and seasonal adventure and experiencing so many new flavors helps inspire new dishes we can create here in the restaurant and new recipes to share with everyone .
You don ’ t have to be in Italy to enjoy some of these delicacies . If you have a garden at home , you may be growing zucchini , or as we call them
The landscape and scenery in Italy change dramatically between the seaside cliffs of Positano in Southern Italy to central Tuscany . Not only does it look different , but the food is vastly different too .
COURTESY PHOTO | PALESTINE HERALD-PRESS
back home – courgettes . Even if you don ’ t like the vegetable , grow them just for the flowers . The blossoms are edible and delicious in a salad , or stuffed with cheese and fried in a light beer batter . Everyone always complains they have too many zucchini or yellow squash , but if you eat some of the flowers , then you won ’ t have that problem . To go with the flowers we have a recipe for Lemon Honey Mayonnaise that is light and creamy and also doubles as a salad dressing .
For those zucchini that do grow to full size , there is a famous pasta dish on the Amalfi Coast that combines fresh pasta , cheese and lightly seared zucchini slices . It ’ s so simple , but really delicious . It ’ s perfect for hot summer nights .
Next time you travel don ’ t just let the scenery inspire you , pay attention to the food , as well . You may come home with a few ideas that can make dinner at home a delicious departure from your everyday cuisine .
10 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022