Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Tegamaccio, fish soup in a terracotta pot

@brittarnhild

From Cortona you can see lake Trasimero, a lake which is situated not in Tuscany, but in Umbria. The first day we met Frances we told her that we were planning to drive down to the lake. "You know there is a ferry out to Isola Maggiore" was her reply, and both of us knew that Isola Maggiore it had to be.

The day was very hot. We hoped that the lake would give us some fresh air, and it kind of did as long as we were on the ferry, in shade of the burning sun. Not so on the island.

Frances also told us that St. Frances of Assisi had stayed on the island, and we could still visit his church. Very intriguing of course, so we filled our water bottles and started an island hike. "Let us first walk around the island" I said, "then we can do the churches afterwards.

Cicadas filling the burning air,

colourful critters.......

.......and then we came to a dead end. Danger. Look out for slides. And we had to turn, walking back.

By then we were famished,  we walked back to the village and found Ristorane L´Oso. A good choice, a best choice.......if, I mean when I go back to Isola Maggiore, I know where to go to get my food.

We shared a seafood starter. Oh, is all this true? We looked at one another is disbelief before we started to eat, and soon the huge plate was empty, our smiles broader and broader.

But I still had the highlight. A fish soup. Tagamaccio, a traditional fish soup from Umbria, its name from the terracotta pot, tegame, in which it is cooked. A eat fish soup everywhere I travel, and like to believe that I know a little about fish soups by now. And believe me - this one is GOOD!

Food traveling is a great way to travel. To follow the seasons and the local specialties. I love foodtravel books, and a favorite food traveller is Tessa Kiros. Are you familiar with her? No? Then it is time to do something with that. Buy her books, follow her on facebook and on instagram :-)

I posted a photo of the soup on instagram, asking Tessa if she happen to have a recipe. Her answer, which came almost right away, was:
I don´t have that one - others yes, but different regions. Yours sounds amazing. Will look it up.

Another favourite food traveller is Frances Mayes of course. While I was texing Tessa Kiros, several food pictures appeared on her instagram page. While I enjoyed my tegamaccio, she was busy in her Bramasole kitchen, testing recipes for her next book, See you in the Piazza.

 

We never made it to the churches. I have to go back!

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All this food talk, my mouth is watering.
Good thing our  gardenpizzas are just ready.......see you later.

Frances Mayes´blog

 The homepage of Ristorante L´Oso

Flavours and Traditions of Trasimeno

 

Will it be ok with fish soup

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Being a blog writer means that there are surprises waiting for you around the most unexpected road bends. I have come upon several and I know there are a lot more waiting.

 The comments I get are a daily pleasure. So are the emails, the letters (like the one I got in the mail yesterday from Switzerland, thank you Susan), the postcards, the books sent me from around the world.........but best of all of course are the meetings when I meet a person face to face.

For a long time I've got comments from "Granny" on my blog. After some time I found out that "Granny" lives not far from Trondheim, actually on the way out to our cabin. Many times we have talked about meeting, and we've even tried to set up a date or two, at her farm, or in Trondheim. But never have we succeded. That is, never untill yesterday.

"Granny" invited us to stop at her farm with our guests from California,I spoke with her in the phone the other night to let her know when she could expect us, and just as I was saying goodby she said " Will it be ok with fish soup?"

Ok with fish soup!!!!! Of course it is :-) And as "Granny" is a reader of The House in the Woods she knew of course that fish soup would be the very best thing she could suggest.

A wonderful fragrance met us as soon as we arrived at the farm. The anticipation rose as we took a walk around the place.

Can you imagine having a herb garden with a view overlooking a Norwegian fjord like this. I had to pinch my arm; is this real?

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A few hours and thousands of words later - full stomacks, fresh sunrays around our eyes caused by smiles and laughter, all of us in love with the baby granddaughter, the very first start of a friendship.

Thank you Jorunn and family for giving us such a memorable afternoon.

The Food and the Places to Eat

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
Eating is an important part of life when you travel or live in Italy (as it is for a Norwegian bloglady to live her slow, simple life in her House in the Woods). The Italian kitchen......another passion of mine. Small restaurants along the canals in Venezia. Sitting down for a fish soup fpr lunch. Putting my sunglasses, my htc-desire toy, my camera and my diary on the small table only to watch the sunglasses falling into the canal. Luckily it was not my camera, not my cellphone, not my diary.

When I told Mauro about my minor misfortune he opened his cell phone to call a diver.........I stopped him :-)

 

Long mornings at the food markets.......dreaming of all the heavenly meals I would make if I lived in Italy.......collecting recipe for The Blue Cafe

 

First night in Venezia, pizza at Zattere. A tradition! Which I have become to love deeply!

 
Spaghetti vongole or frutti di mare with Mauro. Another passion!!!!

 
....and Mauro coming up with tips and ideas for my blog......"look at this waitress Britt, you must show her t-shirt in your blog"

 
Lunch along the Brenta Canal with Antonella. Eight different courses........

 
Italia.......I love you.

 
And then.....the best meal of them all.......prepared in Mauro's kitchen.......by Mauro the chef.......

 

Long hours of eating together with Mauro, Barbara and their kids.........

Yes, I have a passion for food.

And for people.

Food for travels

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

You know my favorite food for travel, don't you?

Yes, fish soup. Always fish soup.

I have tasted it in a variety of countries, in several parts of the world. You will find a few of them following this link, but there are many more. I am in the process of organizing my almost 2000 blog post to make it easy to find them in the correct cathegories, but this might take some time. A long time.

I am on the road again, in Norway. One hour by plane south of Trondheim. I was sure to find spring when I came here yesterday morning, but was unable to find any signs of it. Will make a search again today, and might have better luck :-)

I became hungry during my spring search, I had been up very early to reach the plane, and as soon as the charming, elegant canal restaurant opened, i was the first guest to order lunch.

Fish soup of course. With cod, shrimps and aspargus.

Fish soup followed by cappuccino and creme broulé. Coffee and dessert together as a typical Norwegian always do. While waiting for the treat I followed a seagull on the sailing ice. Travel dreams.

To travel tio world like this!

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Welcome back tomorrow, to see if I have found any signs of spring.

Fish soup and A Room with a View

My last night in Florence, dinner alone, and I decided to give myself a treat. Dinner at Golden View Open Bar, with a look right over to where Lucy Honeychurch stayed in her Room with a View. Jane's husband told me about this restaurant, and after enjoying a meal there I am sending a kiss his way :-).....no, I'm sending three kisses, the Italian way!

As soon as I saw that they had fish soup, or actually hot seafood soup, I knew what to have for a starter. I had a hard time when they forgot to give me a spoon at first, and I didn't want to ask for it, what if they eat fish soup with fork and bread in Florence........ I did a pretty good job but must confess it was all much easier when the waitress came running over with a spoon for me. So much for my stubbornness!

Thank you very much for your comments on yesterday's post. It is good to know that I am not all alone here in the blogging world. I must tell you though that the hotel room you saw is not the one where I sleep, but the livingroom of Hotel Scoti, where I write my blog and my emails, and where I meet my family on Skype.

Today I am on my way up to Venice by train. I'll meet Mauro, Dagmar is coming down from Austria, I'll have a walk with dottore Carlo Feli, and on Saturday I'll meet Antonella, a blog reader who has invited me to spend the week-end with her and her family.

I'll try to get online, but don't know if I'll manage.

What a day!

Saturday and mom's party was only the start. My oldest brother, Frode, turned the magic 50 in February. He lives up north in Norway so none of us met him then, but as he and daughter Kamilla was coming to stay with us for the week-end in connection with my mother's huge feast, I decided it was time to celebrate him as well. Yesterday we had a party in The House in the Woods with 18 people gathered around 2 tables.

Frode is a priest, but his main hobby, well, except from travelling, is cooking. (easy to tell that he is my brother, isn't it :-)) Not only cooking, but gourmet cooking. A dinner with alot of different courses, all made from scratch, is what he loves.

The menu has occupied my mind for several weeks. Cooking for 18 in a small kitchen is a challenge, how many courses would I be able to make? We are an active family, and since brother Torodd would be leaving Trondheim in the afternoon, for a conductor job up in Bodø, we had to start our meal already at 4pm, which gave me another challenge.....the time available to prepare it all.

Cooking together is alot of fun. Frode made the first starter - a risotto wrapped in parma ham. Already right after breakfast the seducing smell from the risotto filled the kitchen and soon also the whole house.

When Marta finally woke, she had a hard time to find a place where she could decorate her cupcakes.....the kitchen was all busy.

I started the day helping Frode, making the majonaise for the risotto, trying to learn his cooking secrets, but also had time to take alot of photos.......

 ......but as the hours went by I became more and more busy, doing the table, making The Blue Café's very special fish soup, cooking the lamb, making the gratinated potatoes.....

When I uploaded my photos to my laptop this morning I realised that after serving the fishsoup there were suddenly no more time for photos.....

I could have asked Terje or Marta to take photos, or one of the guests.......

 .....but I never learn. I always believe that I am able to make it all myself.

There is one thing I do know though: memories can't be created my myself alone. I need my family, and I need my friends! Thank you to everyone for a lovely week-end!

  

Fully recovered, and food redesigned .-)

The three long naps on the coach on Saturday, and an eleven hours sleep during the night from Saturday till Sunday, did wonders. I am fully recovered. I had a great Sunday. I am looking forward to a full week at work, ending with the week-end in Copenhagen for the climate meeting.

I started the Sunday with a garden walk, after breakfast, as soon as it was light enough. Not much to see now when everything is frosen, but the walk was a good one for planning what to do in the garden next spring, next summer.

Terje and Marta kept on with their Christmas cookies. Marta's singing, father and daughter's chatting could be heard from where I sat at the diningroom table, writing the Christmas letter of 2009.

Saturday I had invited the kids home for a fish dinner. Yesterday it was time to do something with the leftovers. Redesign the food. We have used leftovers always, nothing is ever thrown away in The House in the Woods. I'd never heard of redesigned food though, untill a friend wrote about it on facebook not long ago.

Redesigned food. Sounds quite chic :-)

I decided to make a fish soup. Having observed my father in law so many times, having some ideas of my own. The soup turned out to be a winner. Bjørn Amundsen, my friend who has written the book " Jorda rundt på 80 fiskesupper" (around the world on 80 fish soups), had his birthday yesterday. I could send him a facebook greeting telling him that I ate some extra soup just for him. And I had to promise him the recipe.

 
I plan to have the recipe up in the new The Blue Café as soon as it opens. The old one, over at blogspot, has been closed for some time now, a new one here at typepad will open some time, hopefully soon. Why don't you visit my other blogs while waiting; Trondheim Through all Seasons, My Year in the World, The Blue Garden, The Blue Bookshelf, they are all active these days. Caffe Avec has a little break but will be updated soon, I have an exciting coffeeshop-visit in Mexico City in mind.

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I got a surprise in my mailbox the other day, an email from Linda Olsson, the author of Astrid & Veronica (Let me Sing you Gentle Songs) and Sonata for Miriam. I wrote about her books some time ago, when I was in Krakow, and now she wrote a thank you note :-) Through her email I discovered that Linda has a blog:

Linda Olsson

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The knitted ornament giveaway will continue every day during advent. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post, tomorrow another name will be drawn.

 

Today's winner: Marilyn

I couldn't resist the fish soup.....with update

 

Our Oslo day was a huge success. We had some busy hours trying to reach everything on our list, and Marta was all smiles and chatting during the day.

 

I hope Marta will write a blog post about our day, meanwhile I couldn't resist sharing the fish soup I had for a late lunch/early dinner. We ate at the opera restaurant, the most posh place we could think of. And with a fish soup on the meny and a view out the Oslo Fjord from our table, it couldn't have been better.

 

If not my friend Bjørn already have used the idea "around the world on 80 fish soup"I think I would use it :-) I wish he could translate his book into English. You would LOVE it!

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What is your favorite soup?

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I love to hear about your different soups. Makes me want more soup. May be I shall make one day a week a special soup day? What do you think? And may be we should make our own book of soups?????? Does anybody have a recipe and a couple of photos to start with? I can post it over in The Blue Café.