So this was my summer….

So this was my summer...

A scene from the floating villages around the Tonle Sap lake, Cambodia

Lovely red curry from The Secret Garden at Otres Beach, Cambodia

Lovely red curry from The Secret Garden at Otres Beach, Cambodia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very little time, a faulty iPad, tragedy in my kitchen and a broken foot: these are my excuses for nearly four months of amazing adventures but deafening silence, in which I kept on posting on Instagram and Twitter, but without updating my blog.

So what happened? In May I was in the States on a business trip with my father, promoting his excellent wines from our Castello di Neive winery through our awesome importers, the Winebow Group. New Orleans was definitely the highlight of the trip, with its creole cuisine and an amazing crawfish broil one hot afternoon.

The amazing poached egg with fried oysters  at Stanleys in Jackson Square

The amazing poached egg with fried oysters at Stanleys in Jackson Square. And fried oysters were actually really light…who would have thought!!!

Singing the jazz

Singing the jazz

the best voice from this lady every afternoon outside Rouses supermarket!

the best voice from this lady every afternoon outside Rouses supermarket!

The incredible crawfish boil!

The incredible crawfish boil!

The man and his daughter come back from a hard day's work

The man and his daughter come back from a hard day’s work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I was off for nearly a month in Thailand and Cambodia: quite a foodie trip during which I would have loved writing more if it were not for my iPad’s screen packing up and leaving me without a mean to write comfortably.

As soon as I arrived in Bangkok I was lucky to attend Thaifex, a massive fair of everything food-related which took my breath away. I found the amount of processed foods quite staggering but I was taken aback by the sheer variety of food coming from every corner of the globe. There was also a small selection of organic and healthy products and some wonderful stalls with fish and seafood.

Shucking action at the seafood stall

Shucking action at the seafood stall

Big Tuna Fish!!!

Big Tuna Fish!!!

Some big fat oysters at the seafood stall

Some big fat oysters at the seafood stall

The sights in Cambodia have been fantastic, from the Khmer temples in Siem Reap, to the beautiful south coast at Sihanoukville and Koh Rong Samloem. Phnom Penh was just bustling with energy and I am only sorry I didn’t spend long enough there.

Some of the carvings in the dawn light at Angkor Wat

Some of the carvings in the dawn light at Angkor Wat

The stunning colours of the Preah Khan temple at Angkor

The stunning colours of the Preah Khan temple at Angkor

The sky alight. Otres Beach

The sky alight. Otres Beach

Tranqulity beyond belief. Koh Rong Samloem

Tranquility beyond belief. Koh Rong Samloem

A market in Phnom Penh

A market in Phnom Penh

Preparing sugar cane juice on the streets in Phnom Penh

Preparing sugar cane juice on the streets in Phnom Penh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, the street food in both Thailand and nearby Cambodia was amazing and in Cambodia I was also delighted to find restaurants run as projects to help street kids, where the cooking was just phenomenal. The overall flavour of their curries was so sharp and the aroma of their Kampot fresh pepper so tasty, I actually found it even better than my favourite Thai dishes!

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A stall selling grilled mushrooms of every shape in Bangkok

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Selling meat in Bangkok streets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Haven restaurant in Siem Reap

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Lovely green curry at Haven

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Grilled fish with mango salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grilled marinated frogs in the streets of Phnom Penh. They were deliciously aromatic and loved every bite

Grilled marinated frogs in the streets of Phnom Penh. They were deliciously aromatic and loved every bite

Kimchi in the streets of Phnom Penh

Kimchi in the streets of Phnom Penh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also took a class in Khmer cuisine, which was instructive and fun, especially for a visit to the market where I could finally get enlightened about the use of several mystery roots and greens.

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Crickets!!! yes I had some…why not?!

Happy market seller

Happy market seller

Ready for class

Ready for class

...and the one of the creations

…and the one of the creations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was then in London for a little while, but we had a problem with our fuse box which kept on tripping, and it took us two weeks to find out it was a fault with the LED wiring on the kitchen top. So, again, very little chance to cook and no posts.

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Roast duck from our pizza oven

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Pea and fava bean spelt risotto at nearby Primeur restaurant, Canonbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least in my list of misadventures has been breaking my foot while dancing at a wedding: for a month now I have been unable to move around and it turned out it’s quite tricky to cook something elaborate while hopping and standing on just one foot.

And here is my bionic leg

And here is my bionic leg

It’s a pity really, because I had lots of free time, so now I’ve decided I’m gonna make up for the lost updates by posting even about my simple one-foot-only breakfasts and light meals.

A simple egg with Italian black truffle. Because good taste doesn't need to be complicated ;)

A simple egg with Italian black truffle. Because good taste doesn’t need to be complicated 😉

Healthy fruit breakfast

Healthy fruit breakfast

Pea, courgette and ricotta omelette

Pea, courgette and ricotta omelette

And a seafood feast in nearby Leigh on Sea

And a seafood feast in nearby Leigh on Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel I’ve committed the ultimate blogging sin, not updating my site. But since I do this as a hobby and definitely not as a job, I decided to forgive myself. I really hope you can do the same. So see you again very soon.

Carolina Stupino

3 Comments

  1. Anne on August 4, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Hello Carolina.. We all feel like this about blogging but as it is for fun , you are forgiven. Well what a super summer you have had , with amazing travels. You certainly are an adventurous traveller. I know your father’s wine and it fabulous. Thank you for getting back to your blog and sharing your trips, all very interesting.

    So sorry about your foot 🙁 I know what it is like as I broke my ankle in 3 places in 2011 , impossible to do many things. Hope it heals well and very soon. Anne

  2. debs on August 4, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Welcome back! Love all the pictures. It’s been a proper adventure.
    Hope you get both feet back in the kitchen soon.

  3. debs on August 4, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Welcome back! Love all the pictures. It’s been a proper adventure.
    Hope you get both feet back in the kitchen soon.

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