The Good Life - Wood Hedgehog and Penny Bun Cep

Once again prior to departing the little village of Courviere, in Franche Comté, we decided to take a look at the cattle in the pasture and go for a walk in the woods. The walnut collection program was somewhat miserable, and after targeting a number of places we had collected them in previous years, the collection barely covered the bottom of the basket. Corinne described the experience in French as follows: "nous avous fait choux blanc". The vast majority of the walnuts are still contained within their fleshy skin. The occasional rain and drop in temperatures will cause this skin to break down over the next week or so, and la récolte des noix can begin in earnest.  For the moment we consoled ourselves with a trip to the woods.

Some locations were better guarded than others

The forest is at 850 meters above sea level and largely made up of sapins, or coniferous, with only a few deciduous trees to be found. Over the previous few days there had been light showers, and the forest air and floor was mild and damp. Walking among the neat rows of tall sapins we could see many different varieties of mushrooms; all of different shapes, colours and sizes. In some parts of the forest small mushrooms could be seen growing just about everywhere, in others brigthly coloured mushrooms stood out in an unnatural and eerie way on the forest floor

Amanita Muscaria is extremely toxic and often found growing in similar conditions to boletus edulis

At different levels in the forest, along the slopes, different conditions appear to pervade, and therefore certain types of mushrooms or fungi can be found depending on light, ground conditions, terrain and moisture. The verdant mossy floor of the forest produce some remarkable mushrooms, and the first clearly identifiable mushroom we happened upon was the wood hedgehog, hedgehog fungus or pied de mouton, known officially as Hydnum repandum. The growing pattern was typical of this type of mushroom, growing in small patches not distant from each other. They were quite young and consequently in very good condition. One notable characteristic of the wood hedgehog is that they are resistant to various larvae, and other infestations which plague other edible mushrooms.

The wood hedgehog or pied de mouton among the moss and pine needles on the forest floor

The wood hedgehog is reasonably rare in Ireland and England, but appears to be less rare in France due to its proliferation in markets. The season for this mushroom is from late september to late autumn, or until the first frosts. The cap is quite distinctive because of its irregular shape; it is not flat but as a somewhat undulating, folded appearance to its surface. It is normally found measuring 5 to 15 cms. However, it may be found incorporating one or more caps of its neighbouring mushrooms, because it can often be found growing in compact groups. The colouring of the cap varies over the entirety of the surface, with a mixed colouring of white and downy hue, to a yellow ochre. Underneath the cap can be found white or cream coloured spines where the white coloured spores are released from.

Along the perimeter of the forest we found a number of the much sought after boletus edulis. It is more popularly known as, depending on where you may find them, penny bun cep, cep du Bordeaux, bouchon de champagne, and porcini. This is probably one of the most identifiable mushrooms, however you have to be quite alert to spot them when young, because their bulbous foot is often buried in a thick layer of moss leaving only the small brown cap visible. These mushrooms can grow to be quite sizeable with the cap measuring up to 30 cms in diameter, and weighing in excess of a kilo. Unfortunately, the boletus family of mushrooms can be full of parasites, and are often found in a partially eaten state. Slugs devour them!

A young penny bun cep or boletus edulis growing in moss

We cooked our perfect little ceps à la creme upon our return home. This is a simple recipe, and one which I believe captures their rich characteristics of their flavour very well. We brushed clean our four penny bun ceps and sliced them thinly. Selecting two shallots, they were also sliced thinly, and fried in butter. Once the shallots had softened, the sliced ceps were added to the pan. The pan was covered for a few minutes to allow the ceps and shallots to soften and cook, and thereafter the pan was taken off the heat to add approximately 20 cl of full cream. Once replaced on the heat the contents of the pan were allowed to simmer for a further 5 to 10 minutes to reduce, and salt and a little freshly ground pepper were added to season.

Our wood hedgehog or pied de mouton ready to be cleaned on a board

For the wood hedgehog, we decided to preserve them in vinegar. The mushrooms must be fresh, of good quality, and preferably young, to make this process worthwhile. Any damage or undesirable parts should be pared away, and the pine needles and soil brushed away.  Many of our mushrooms were small enough not to be sliced, but of the larger ones were cut in half. The cooking process will cause the mushrooms to shrink to nearly half their original size, so if in doubt do not cut them.

To begin the preserving process, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Place the cleaned mushrooms in the boiling salted water and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring some white wine vinegar to the boil. The vinegar should be diluted with water by one third to reduce its intensity, and there should be enough liquid boiled to cover the mushrooms in the preserving jars. The preserving jars and lids should be clean and sterile. The preserved mushrooms benefit from adding herbs and garlic. You can add a combination of yellow mustard seed, pepper corns, bay leaves, and basil if you choose. Due to a combination of lack of resources and a lack of time, we opted for the simple combination of a slice or two of a garlic clove and a bay leaf. Once the mushrooms have been boiled for five minutes, they should be strained and placed in their jars, and thereafter the boiling vinegar mixture can be poured over them, and the lids put in place. This process should preserve the mushrooms for six months.

The mushrooms preserved in their jars

It is imperative to always positively identify a wild mushroom before you eat it. If there is any doubt about the identification of a mushroom it should not be picked or placed in your basket, because the toxins may contaminate other mushrooms you may have picked. Get a good book or find a good guide.

Sailing from Palermo to Palma - 3

A computer generated chart with weather overlay for 0000 hours Sunday 12th September

As we came on deck to commence our watch at 0000 hours on Sunday 12th September the lume of the lighthouse set up on Isola Del Toro was still visible behind us. The sky had cleared as the Sardinian coastline, and illumination from that landmass had slowly vanished behind us. The moon had set early in the previous evening intensifying the darkness. Gazing into the dark firmament above, our star identification was somewhat lacking, given the multitude of stars to chose from; However, Venus shone brightly directly above our position, and the clearly visible milky way stretched forward towards the western horizon.

The lively chatter during the watches made the time pass very quickly and enjoyably. As Fenix was under mainsail, genoa, but principally powered by her engine, and steered by autopilot (the eight crew member always known as George), there was little to do apart from chat, do a token bit of sail trimming when required, and plan lunch and dinner for the day ahead.

The next watch from 8 a.m. to 12 midday was just as easy going because the wind continued to moderate. Once breakfast had been dispensed with, time was allocated for the raw recruits to partake in knot school. Before long all concerned were coping with the bowline, sheet bend (and variations thereof), clove hitch and reef knot. There was a clear blue sky above, but we were nicely shaded by the sails, and the line of the horizon was unbroken; nothing in the way of shipping was sighted. Approaching midday we saw a sea turtle paddling in the water. The turtle casually turned and looked at Fenix. It then wheeled itself around as if to give chase. There was an anxious moment, or two, as we thought it would get fouled in our fishing lines. Unfortunately it did so for a few seconds running out over 50 meters of line and thankfully got free. We continued to spot sea turtles along our route during the day and current reported sightings stand at five in an otherwise empty sea. One short of a dinner service!

While preparing lunch, I overheard Steve and Moritz discussing some distant cloud formation which had appeared on the horizon off the Starboard bow. Steve inquired what Moritz’s view was of this isolated strange cloud formation. It could only be one of two things; incoming weather, or land. On the basis that the cloud formation was too small for weather, Steve quickly concluded that it must be cloud associated with land. Minorca was the only potential candidate. Luckily enough, where there is land there is also a headland. Applying the headland rule, Steve suggested to Moritz he should select the wine for lunch to ward off all evil spirits, keep the gods happy, and ensure a safe arrival in Palma. The Sicilian chardonnay produced by Planeta was released from the fridge, and immediately deposited on the table.

Melanzane Pizza

Lunch was served in the main saloon and consisted of a platter of cold meats and salamis, cheese board and three pizzas. We had bought part cooked pizza bases in Palermo, and there was considerable debate what the formulation of the three pizzas would be. Normally I would not be a fan of a pre prepared dough or base but theses were very good. I adore anchovies, and there are few places better than Palermo to source them. However, I was not convinced everybody would share my opinion. The tomato sauce to be used was the left over of the tomato and vegetable sauce, which had matured overnight. To secure some consensus and allow a certain amount of token democracy enter the galley, I asked Moritz to nominate his skipper’s pizza of choice. I decided to keep everybody else happy with two renowned crowd pleasers. Moritz chose the unique prosciutto and pomodorini pizza. This pizza is cooked without mozzarella, and was finished with a mixture of grated pecorino sardi, parmesan, and garnished with three handfuls of rocket. The second was a melanzane with mozzarella, garnished with the same mixture of grated cheese and freshly chopped parsley. The third was a cinque fromaggi consisting of a mature goats cheese, mozzarella, and an Italian blue cheese (the name of which sadly escapes me now). Once removed from the oven this pizza was also garnished with the grated pecorino sardi, parmesan and freshly chopped parsley.

The "book club"

Following lunch the entire crew returned to their favoured pursuits for the day. The ladies opted for the book club reading and giggling at “A year in the merde” by Stephen Clarke and other good reads. Fishing was also actively pursued. Everybody employed their own favoured method or technique to land the catch of the day. Unfortunately, there was to be no giant fish landed, or any fish for that matter. Tuna fishing bans have been discussed for the last few years to be put in place in the Mediterranean because stocks were so low. Whether they were implemented properly, or observed, is unclear and a matter for ongoing debate. Such a ban could damage the economies of small communities, but the price to pay is clearly extinction of the blue fin tuna. Having spent Easter in Palermo this year, and admittedly it was a little early for the arrival of the tuna, the indications were that there would be very few tuna seen during the coming season. The days of the mattanza are long gone, and in this era of modernity large factory ships employ helicopters to spot the big schools of tuna. The consequences of this assault on the blue fin tuna mean the schools are taken in their entirety; nothing is allowed to escape. The swordfish or spada does not share the same value at the market place, but its destiny must also be in question.

A deadline of had been set for 1800 hours, before a fine cut of roast beef was placed in the oven. Between 1800 hours and 2000 hours the deck entertainment continued. It was our last evening at sea. The sun set was quite spectacular as we sailed westward. Slowly the sun descended to the unusually clear and crisp line of the horizon, leaving graduated layers of orange, red, pink and blue above it, and the growing crescent of the bright moon with Jupiter close by. To our great amazement, not long after sunset Steve had sighted the island of Mallorca. The gods of the headland had to be appeased, traditional obligations invoked, and once again Moritz was called upon to select a bottle of wine. A Beronia Crianza 2005, an excellent Rioja, appeared to accompany dinner.

Being Sunday, some attempt was made to produce a traditional English repast. With the ingredients selected from the markets in Palermo certain departures from the traditional menu were made. Served up with the roast beef were roast red and while onions, roast potatoes, griddled courgettes, and boiled fagiolini and borlotti beans lightly pan fried in butter with garlic and parsley. We only ran out of gas once!

A computer generated chart with weather overlay for 0130 hours Monday 13th September

The deities of the headlands had seen to favour our passage after our initial beating on Friday. Our final forecast prediction had 20 to 25 knot winds descending from the Gulf du Lyon, which threatened to upset the final hours of passage. The expected time of arrival of the wind coincided with our landfall at Punta Salinas. As the afternoon had worn on, high altitude cloud resembling horses’ tails had appeared and we believed it was only a matter of time before the wind would arrive. This was not to be the case. We continued unmolested on a calm sea to Punta Salinas, and the short distance to Cabo Blanco. The bright constellation of Orion slowly rose sideways over the dark cavernous eastern horizon behind us. Our progress was only momentarily impeded when we thought we saw emerging before us in the dark water a net and floats stretching out across our path, but Fenix was not to be snagged so close to her final destination.

The cathedral, a distinctive landmark on the skyline of Palma da Mallorca

We entered the Bay of Palma as the sun rose and docked a little after 7.30 a.m. Despite their size and weight the sails were quickly folded and bagged before we disappeared into the town of Palma for further exploration, and a gin and tonic. Corinne just about managed to control her patience as I brought her on a personal tour of my favourite patisseries and art deco buildings around the town.

The past few days were a fantastic experience and adventure, sailing with great friends. The trip commenced with a dinner with Alexej Paladino and the crew in Arenello, near Palermo, at Casa Tonnara Vincenzo Florio, where we ate a magnificent array of dishes including ricci, caponata, and spada tagliata. We ended the adventure with a meal in Cellar sa Premsa, in Palma da Mallorca, feasting on their local dishes of frito mariniera, sobrasada, calamarines frigit, caracoles and merluza, accompanied by their unlabeled and unpretentious house red wine. We are off now to gather walnuts in Franche Comte!

A detail from the Art Deco inspired dental Clinic building in Palma da Mallorca

Sailing from Palermo to Palma - 2

Departing the Bay of Palermo

The arrival of September is almost akin to a gate closing in the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas; the weather becomes unpredictable and storms become more frequent, and increasingly violent. At this time of year, examination of the forecasts and route planning are key to a safe passage. We delayed our departure a little longer, to let some wind blow through. Mid Friday morning, I decided to set myself my first test of seamanship; making a batch of crème caramels in the galley. While it was easy to begin with, obviously fishing a bain marie from a hot oven in a lively sea has its interesting points.

Just after midday we motored out of the Bay of Palermo, and were not surprised when we passed Capo Gallo to find winds which were not favourable to our intended course. This was in fact expected, and forecasted, and we beat our way out to the island of Ustica accompanied by a pod of small eager dolphins. We tacked just to the south of Ustica just before 1800 hours.

Lighthouse marking the western point of the Bay of Palermo at Capo Gallo

Our new course would keep our track a good safe distance seaward of the north west of coast of Sicily, and was sufficiently far enough north for us to take early advantage of the expected lift in the wind. By sunset, thunder clouds had begun to develop and roll in towards the Sicilian coast. Heavy gusts of wind preceded the cloud systems, however we avoided much of the rain which was destined for the shore. The wind increased continually through the night, and coupled with the sea state, the conditions provided a challenging environment for preparing food and indeed eating it. Needless to say there were a few casualties, who found life difficult, but a small few did enjoy the lasagne which was hastily portioned out into bowls and passed around on deck.

Approaching Ustica on port tack

There was only a few percent of the moon visible and this thin crescent set early in evening. Without the normal illumination from the moon the night was very dark and sinister. The night was made even darker by the low dense cloud cover, but gradually the clouds began to light up. At the helm, as the wind passed your face, you could feel the rapid changes in temperature giving some indicqtion the air was highly charged. From midnight to 4 a.m. the sky was continually alight with flashes of lightning, as the thunder clouds all around Fenix released their charge, sometimes with extremely dramatic effects. A phenomenon which never ceases to amaze me, and this night was no exception, is that you go an entire day and not see a ship. However, in stark contrast at night you may sight many ships and vessels, as you monitor the horizon, and closely follow their respective courses.

The next 12 hours on Saturday 11th proved to be slightly windier than forecast, and we made good progress towards Sardinia, the eastern coast of which we finally sighted at about 1 p.m. Lunch was a minimalist affair in the circumstances, and wedges of monreale bread filled with salami, cheese and tomato were well received by those that wished to partake in that feast on deck. Some did not.

Fenix beating into the setting sun as the wind moderated

By 1600 hours spirits on board began to improve because the wind had moderated, and begun to move into the north as it was forecasted to do. We had intended to pass close enough to Sardinia to update our weather forecast, and our course closed in upon the Isola Dei Cavoli, and the Golfo Di Cagliari. The news was good and we continued our way along the southern Sardininan coast parting with it just after midnight.

All hands were on deck for dinner at 1900 hours, which commenced with a large platter of prosciutto, brescaola, capocollo, and various salamis, served with olive oil and bread. Technically, because we had passed a headland, and not wanting to offend the sea gods and the deity of the headland (a close and revered relation), we opened a bottle of wine to procure further good fortune and ward off evil spirits. A Sicilian chardonnay produced by Planeta was sourced from the chiller for this purpose.

A more leisurely approach towards the south western tip of Sardinia

The main course was an epicurean affair, preparations for which had commenced two hours earlier with the production of the tomato and vegetable sauce. Four onions and three cloves of garlic were cooked in olive oil salt and pepper. To this was added a thinly sliced red pepper, pomodorini, about seven salad chopped tomatoes, a thinly sliced bulb of fennel, a tin of tomatoes and half a tin of tomato concentrate. This melange was cooked for an hour, and then blended and left to stand. At the same time the onions were being chopped, two bulbous Sicilian aubergines were thickly sliced and sprinkled with salt. After an hour they were washed and patted dry, and placed into a hot oven with olive oil and seal salt. The accompanying sauce and side dishes prepared, attention was turned to the fresh ravioli filled with ricotta, speck and radiccio. Dinning was al fresco, and all the crew were served with a bowl of ravioli, topped with tomato and vegetable sauce, roasted aubergine, and grated pecorino and parsley to garnish. All bowls were returned to the galley both empty and spotlessly clean as we advanced towards Cabo Spartivento and Cabo Teulada, and a glorious sunset. Only 275 nautical miles remained to Cabo Blanco on the south eastern corner of Mallorca.

A computer generated chart with overlay for Saturday 12th September at midnight

Sailing from Palermo to Palma - 1

 A computer generated map with weather overlay for Friday 10th September 8 a.m.

Travelling from Trapani to Palermo is always interesting. Your path weaves through the rolling hills of north western Sicily, and through time, passing ancient Greek settlements of Erice and Segesta. From Winter through to the start of Summer the countryside is a rich verdant green with brightly coloured wild flowers in the pasture. In September the landscape is of a different hue. The heat of the Summer has parched the earth and scorched any life out of the grass. The arable crops have been harvested. The typical hilltop farmhouses blend into this earthy landscape. Many fields are bare from the harvest, and some have been ploughed revealing the rich dark earth. The only green foliage visible in some of the fields are vines, olive trees, and narrow cultivated channels of green randomly dotted with bright yellow melons, and bloated pumpkins, which ripen in the sun and devour every drop of rain and moisture that penetrate into the soil.

A selection of tomatoes from the market

Prickly pears

Having arrived in Palermo on Wednesday, we spent most of a rainy Thursday afternoon wandering around Palermo purchasing the food for the passage. There were no artichokes in the market this time. The stall that normally sold them in the Spring was selling romanesco and fresh green olives. With the change in the seasons came a change in the produce available; stalls were now largely selling courgettes, peppers, melons, tomatoes, pumpkins and beans. Seasonal fruit such as various varieties of plums, grapes and peaches were in abundance. The provisioning also included a visit to Giglo, our favourite producer of fresh pasta in Palermo. A stop there resulted in numerous purchases of ravioli; melanzane, radiccio and speck, and pesto basilico.

The bow of an old Palmeritan fishing boat going through a lengthy restoration project

The current plan is to leave 9 a.m. on Friday morning. This should be late enough to delay our progress and avoid a possible encounter with a forecasted mistral wind running down the west coast of Sardinia and into the Strait of Sicily. Our aim is to sail in a direction which should allow us close in upon the Sardinian coast, and gradually the wind is forecasted to shift to a more northerly direction making our passage a little easier. In closing the Sardinian coast we can also potentially pick up a detailed forecast for the remainder of the passage, but the forecasts we currently have to hand all suggest the wind should continue to moderate requiring us to possibly motor for the final approach to Palma. Fishing lines and rods are currently being prepared for action.

 Fenix in the port of Palermo

The Good Life - Mini Harvest 4th September

We are going away on vacation this week and consequently we have not taken too much from the plot today. The sun finally came out on Saturday evening allowing me to take a few photographs. The rain showers during the early part of the weekand on Saturday were much needed and the plot looks great in the evening sunshine. We had a few quite visits to the plot during the week taking a few items for the pot. On Saturday we dug up a few of the remaining potatoes, and also should have displayed one of our giant parsnips in the harvest shot, but it was not possible because the sun had almost set before Corinne had excavated it from the bed. The fresh growth of raspberries continues and we have a tart but tasty feast every time we arrive at the allotment.

Sensational sunset over Malahide estuary during the week

The recent rainfall has reinvigorated the unwanted weeds and we spent a number of hours digging these guys out of the beds. Weeding also provides a good opportunity to tidy up and clear some of the beds. The majority of the peas and runner beans have been cleared and these beds will be prepared and manured in the coming weeks. Elsewhere winter cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli have been newly planted and winter leeks will also require some space to be planted.  Among the more mature cabbage and Brussels sprouts radiant green caterpillars, ospring of the small cabbage white butterfly, have appeared. We spent a good half hour hunting for these caterpillars which can not only munch their way  through the entire foliage, but into the heart of the plant as well.

 A view through the allotment, the dwarf yellow beans, purple kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, corn, and Jerusalem artichokes.

During the week I also made my rose hip and apple jelly. I had gathered only half a kilo of rose hips and decided to use a recipe that maximised the flavour of the rose hips. Apple jelly on its own is not one of my favourite preserves. It can be a little lack lustre and the flavour is not strong enough in itself to provide interest, but combined with mint or thyme it produces a great flavoured and richly coloured jelly for cooking or serving with meat.e

My jar of rose hip and apple jelly

For my jelly I used a half kilo of rose hips and an equal measure of cooking apples freshly pilfered from a nearby orchard. Given the quantities used, the yield will be quite low. Normally to make process really worthwhile it would be advisable to use a minimum of 2 kilos of fruit. The rose hips take up to an hour to render down and so it is advisable to cook both fruits separately. To prepare the rose hips cut off the flower end and the stalk and put the hips in a stainless pot with 300 ml of water. Simmer gently to render down and add more water when necessary to prevent the pot drying and burning. The apples must be washed and quartered. There is no need to peel and core them. Thereafter they can be put in a pot with 300 ml of water and simmered until they are soft. Both fruits should be sieved or strained separately through a muslin bag and nylon sieve overnight to obtain the juice.

I was disappointed with the quantity of juice from the apples and gave the apple pulp a second boiling with 150 ml of water. This boosted the quantity of apple juice somewhat, but it is not a process that should be employed with the rose hips. To make the jelly I add the same weight of sugar to weight of jelly. Some techniques call for a pound of sugar to a pint of juice but this can produce over sweetened and stiff jellies. To begin the process, heat the sugar in the oven set to 100 C with the clean jars, which should be sterilised in advane of potting the jelly.

Heat the combined apple and rose hip juice in a preserving pan, and once the juice is warmed through add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then boil the liquid rapidly. After about 7 or 8 minutes begin testing for setting point. Setting point can be identified by dropping a little of the boiling liquid onto a cold saucer. If the liquid cools forming a wrinkled skin, or offers a little resistance, when you draw your finger though it, you can be satisfied setting point has been reached. The boiling liquid should then be poured off into sterile jars and sealed down to be left overnight to cool. This is a soft set jelly and can take 24 hours to set. The end result tasted very good when I was testing for setting point. It was not too sweet and produced a deep golden honey hued colour. A real benefit from this jelly is the fact the rose hips are extremely rich in vitamin C and this should ward off any Winter colds.

Corinne working in the plot attaching the last of this year's peas to their canes

We shall be away for nearly two weeks and will be looking forward to tasting upon our return freshly ripened tomatoes, cabbages, the lolla rossa lettuce, and the last of the corn. A few of the artichokes have begun to produce their fleshy flowers again, and the Jerusalem artichoke crop will also be almost ready. Hopefully the weeds, butterflies, blight and butterflies will stay away!