Birdwatching at the lake

Birdwatching along the lake at Calolziocorte - viewpoint #3

Birdwatching still remains to be one of my favorite pastimes and it was the thrill of a lifetime when I spotted my very first Martin pescatore (Martin Kingfisher) over the weekend. I joked with my husband that with all of the time and money spent traveling to various parks and sanctuaries in Italy, how odd to have made the pleasant discovery of the one bird that has eluded our binoculars for all this time; right here in town. Never mind that the sky was heavily overcast on Sunday morning, binocular and camera were both trained on the flutter of blue wings as it flitted from tree branches to rushes along the water's edge. My husband even had the fortune to witness the bird in action as it captured a tiny fish! I just wish that I had proper camera equipment because my old film SLR and 210mm lens doesn't cut it when it comes to long-distance bird photography. For the photo below, again I relied on wildlife photographer, Raniero Massoli-Novelli. His images are exceptional. Another great close-up shot can be seen here at www.parks.it.


Martin pescatore by Raniero Massoli-Novelli @ www.massolinovelli.it

Another species seen was the folaga, or coot in english. Until the roll of film is developed, I won't know if any of my shots are good. Surprisingly there is also a Hawaiian Coot, unbeknownst to me. Why I've never spotted one is not too disappointing, considering that wild chickens have pretty much taken over the island.

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Saved comment(s)

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Yeah, more birdies from Rowena!!! It has been too long!!!
bea | Homepage | 02.27.07 - 3:36 pm

Hi Rowena,
Enjoyed your bird watching Post. Does Dario share your bird watching hobby,or down at the lake does he view birds of a different feather?
Ciao,
Bruce | Homepage | 02.27.07 - 9:19 am

How cool that you saw the martin kingfisher...it is gorgeous! What a special occurence and, you're right, to find it in your own backyard is even more amazing. More happy bird sightings to you!
jackie | Homepage | 02.27.07 - 8:25 am

When i was at the bird park, i had problems taking pictures of the birds too. They were too fast and too far. Only those which aren't afraid of humans are the ones i managed to capture. :/ I wanted to blame my camera for it. LOL
piccola | 02.27.07 - 4:05 am

Wow - what a beautiful bird! The color is amazing - how exciting for you! Have you ever tried videotaping birds you've seen? I don't have a video camera, but I remember that my brother was really able to zoom in with his.
Cathy | Homepage | 02.27.07 - 3:42 am

I want a kid

Now hold on...before thinking in terms of "new addition to the family" "ticking biological clock" (at my age yeah) or heaven forbid, a proposition, hear me out. Upon our return to Italy I've been meaning to seek out festivals within Lombardia in a sort of quest to see how many of these food celebrations we could attend in a year. Unfortunately, since making that statement back in November, events have come and gone without notice as they were held during the work week. One of these food fests occurred only a few days ago on February 21st (Ash Wednesday) with La Bigolada in the town of Castel d'Ario. A big crowd of people queuing up for a portion of the 1000 kilos of bigoi (a type of spaghetti) flavored with anchovies, butter, and olive oil. True, this is peasant food; poor man's food if you will; yet behind the celebrated plate of humble pasta there is a history behind it all. To get an idea of how hard the chefs were at work, check out this link to view some images. I love that top right photo where individual pots of bigoi are cooking over a fire. Imagine the aroma of anchovies sizzling in oil!


But back to wanting that kid. In July there will be the Race of the Golden Goat. Heh heh... a kid! In the town of Cavriana (Mantova), participants in the Palio della Capra d'Oro urge their billies and nannies in a mad dash to the finish line. It's all hooves, beards, and... thank goodness losers don't get eaten, even if goat meat is quite good. The "golden" part I don't get, and not just anyone can join in on the race, but the idea of having a pet kid wouldn't be so bad if it (along with the requested donkey and chickens), would only stay out of the garden...

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Saved comment(s)

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I love how you're always taking time out for those sagre. I have yet to go to one. The running of the goats! Pretty great.
Susan in Italy | Homepage | 02.26.07 - 12:27 am

When I clicked on the link I was prepared to see one huge pot, but that whole line of them was really impressive! Love the golden goat - did you draw him? Makes me think a little of the baby goat, pig, and duck races they have here at the Montgomery County Fair (here are some photos). These little guys are all owned by the same person - still lots of fun though!
Cathy | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 10:03 pm

What a cool festival! and also, if you get your own "kid" you might be able to make some goat's cheese...wow!
kat | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 8:51 pm

My Celebrity Look-alikes

How is it that one week has gone by and I haven't had anything of substance to blab about? I am going to point my finger at this winter climate, and blame the particulars that come along with it. Naked trees out my window does nothing to inspire my passion for cooking. Neither does the temperature, which is really moderate for this time of year although still friggin cold for a person raised on a tropical island. Recent dinners have been instant soup mixes and quite a few trips to the pizzeria right up the road.

What to do with some spare time? See who you best resemble at MyHeritage.com. I'm familiar with 3 out of the 5 so does this mean there's still hope at being discovered? A chance at fame and fortune? Hardee-har-har...

Furikake breakfast bagel with smoked salmon

This doesn't necessarily mean that these bagels aren't great at any time of day because I'm having another for lunch — they are s-o-o-o-o furikaking good! The idea popped into mind this morning probably due to having visually eaten my way through a sushi cookbook last night. Sushi and sashimi... how I miss that stuff. (The California rolls did me in, for sure.)

The bagels are from a basic recipe using both all-purpose and kamut flours. Organic kamut flour, I've recently noticed, is now put out by Italy's pasta producing giant, De Cecco. Packages of 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) sell for 3.98 euros (I get it at Esselunga) — rather expensive at the U.S. equivalent of around $5.17. But until kamut makes my wallet kaput, replacing modest amounts of all-purpose with this ancient egyptian grain won't break me.

Bagel recipe

This recipe yields 6 bagels. Best eaten on the day they're made.

2 cups all-purpose flour (italian tipo "00")
1 cup kamut flour (or wholewheat)
1 package instant dried yeast (about 2½ teaspoons)
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup warm water
Aji Nori furikake or whichever seaweed mix of choice

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the oil and water; mix with a wooden spoon until all comes together and commence kneading on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic; about 10 minutes. Place dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Allow to rise for about 90 minutes in a warm place until proofed to 1½ times the size in bulk.

[Just before the next step, bring 6 cups of water to a boil and stir in 1 tablespoon of coarse salt. Maintain heat at a gentle simmer. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.]

After the initial rising period, punch down dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope of 10 inches in length, tapering the ends slightly. Bring the tapered ends together and overlap by 2 inches. With the end that is facing outward, wrap and enclose the other end and pinch to seal. Set aside on a lightly floured surface, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Note: At the time of this project, the temperature of my kitchen was about 65°F. If your cooking environment is running a lot higher, the resting period may or may not need to be shortened a bit. This I learned only through trial and error. It is very important that the bagels DO NOT overproof! Otherwise they'll turn into big, fluffy doughnuts.

[Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and a light sprinkling of yellow cornmeal.]

After their brief rest, the bagels are placed into the simmering water for about 2 minutes, flipping them over with a slotted spoon halfway between cooking time. Remove and place onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with furikake and bake for approximately 25 minutes or to a light golden brown. Cool for several minutes before slicing.


A breakfast for... people who read cookbooks before bedtime. The leafy green tucked in between the onion and salmon is arugula. Cream cheese is a must. The oj is freshly squeezed of course, but they were Washington navels (grown in Sicily) this time around. Italian coffee and pistachio biscotti to end a fine beginning. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Saved comment(s)

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Mmm! Homemade bagels! I'd been considering giving it a go for a while, but now it's official: once i get back to Italy i have to try this...thanks for the recipe!
Jackie | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 12:46 pm

Your bagels look great! I've had kamut in cereal, but haven't tried cooking with it. I'll definitely have to try this - thanks Rowena!
Cathy | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 2:26 pm

Ooh, these bagels look great! And I like how you put the furikake ontop, next put teriyaki-something in the middle, I think that would be cool too!
Kat | Homepage | 02.14.07 - 6:04 pm

Looks wonderful! I, too, have been thinking of trying my hand at bagels, and I have a stash of furikake!
Madam Chow | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 3:15 pm

Furikake bagels! Brilliant!! I love furikake on everything, so this is right up my alley. Yum!
wendy | 02.15.07 - 3:59 pm

That looks so "furikaking" good! (sorry, I just had to) I've been wanting to try my hand at home-made bagels for a while now! Thanks for the inspiration.
Susan in Italy | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 7:30 pm

I've never thought of incorporating furikake anywhere other than into musubi. Very inspired! -- Love your food photos.
Cari | Homepage | 02.15.07 - 8:28 pm

They are absolutely tempting, miam I think that is it, you convinced me to try! Yum yum!
bea | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 4:56 am

Wow you made your own bagels! And with arugula, I never thought of that! How impressive and creative! Salmon/cream cheese bagels is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches/breakfasts. I remember when I was living in London, I would have this at least once a week.
Christine | Homepage | 02.16.07 - 7:28 pm

Scrumptuous! and furikaking hilarious too!
danny from toronto canada | 02.17.07 - 4:38 am

Danny/Wendy,
I eat to live (and not the other way around) and I write to amuse myself. I treat my bottle of furikake with reverence. Kinda like a "magical elixir" that'll perk up most anything...but especially rice!
~rowena~ | 02.19.07 - 11:53 am

Rowena, I've been having sesame bagels for breakfast for the past 10 years and I'm so grateful for your recipe! You've been in my thoughts and it's good to visit again.

Fortunately there's an excellent sushi place not far from where I live...here in the mountains of all places...miracles will never cease. I also discovered that I'm allergic to caviar. Go figure.
Stephen Newton | Homepage | 02.21.07 - 1:29 am

Apostle's Fingers

In Italy there is an expression mangiare le mani (to eat the hands), which, when one is in an agitated state, is equivalent to "biting your nails" in english. I've been biting hand and nail for the past week as the phone service to our building complex has been inexplicably cut off without notice. Oh the stress! The absolute despair!! I hope the lines are down simply because the phone company is working on supplying us mountain folk with DSL. Otherwise, Telecom, you SUCK!


This leaves me with a lot of time on my hands {heh heh} and as usual, I had to think of something edible to work into this post. These Dita Degli Apostoli or Apostle's Fingers, are a sweet treat that I've only recently learned about through an italian trivia game show. All they amount to really, are crepes stuffed with a ricotta filling and rolled to resemble fingers. And since I am without access to a search engine, it's anybody's guess as to WHY they're named as such. I mean, how did an apostle become the target anyway? Was it renamed (by the church) to cover up some pagan delicacy that only heathens would dare to eat? The almond "fingernails" are a nice touch but... oh I should just shut up already. Curse my analytical mind. [Posted by remote secretary]

For the crepes:
7/8 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon honey
Make the crepes by sifting together the flour and powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and add to the flour mixture, beating until combined. On a heated crepe pan, melt a dab of butter and pour a scant 1/4 cup batter onto the center. Swirl to coat the pan evenly and cook on one side until light golden brown. Carefully run a wide cake spatula underneath crepe to release and flip onto the opposite side to brown.

For the filling, combine the following:
16 ounces ricotta (preferably fresh if available)
6 oz. mini chocolate chips, or a good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted free of lumps
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped (optional)
**Whole almonds for garnish

Form the apostle's fingers by placing 2 heaping tablespoons of filling along the center. Fold one end (that is perpendicular to the filling) to enclose. Now fold over one of the longer sides to completely cover the filling, then continue to roll crepe into a cylindrical shape. Garnish open end of crepe with a whole almond. Finish with sifted powdered sugar or cocoa powder. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 large fingers.