Archives for: July 2007
PAOLA FORNARI C.V.
Writer, EFL teacher, trainer, and translator, I was born in Tanzania, have lived in a dozen countries over three continents, and describe myself as an ‘expatriate sin patria’. Wherever I go I make it my business to learn the language, get to know the local people and customs, and discover the country’s remotest corners. I became interested in writing in mid-2006, did a short Open University creative writing course and a Writers’ Bureau course, and began getting articles published in 2007.
Golfing in Montevideo
First published in International Living, 30 July 2007. Sidebar with prices was included. Would you believe, they cut out the first paragraph and a bit and started at 'Situated...'
If you are a golfer, you are probably familiar with the story of the Argentinean player, Roberto de Vicenzo. In the 1968 Masters he birdied the par 4 seventeenth hole, but his playing partner Tommy Aaron mistakenly entered a 4 instead of 3 on the scorecard. DeVicenzo signed the scorecard without checking it, and according to the Rules of Golf the higher score had to stand. If not for this mistake, de Vicenzo would have tied for first place, and would have had a chance to win in a playoff the following day. His memorable, modest remark after the incident was: "What a stupid I am!"
Cartagena, Colombia
(published in The Buenos Aires Herald, December 2007)
January 2007
On the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia, the colonial city of Cartagena is neatly enclosed within walls and fortifications built by the Spanish in the eighteenth century. Flowered balconies deck the well-maintained, brightly-coloured colonial buildings. Horse-drawn carriages click down the narrow streets, jostling with fruit-filled carts for space. Smiling hawkers sell crafts and coconut milk. The warm Caribbean air is heady with passion-fruit, mango and iodine.
The Headstand
In an effort to lose weight and get fit, I have been exercising daily for the last three weeks. The exercise is varied, but none of it is too strenuous: gentle bike rides, gentle strolls with the dog, gentle swims, gentle circular folk dances, and gentle yoga.
Circular Dances
(First published in Women's E-news, June 2008)
When I arrived as an expat in Uruguay almost four years ago, I was suffering from the combined symptoms of culture shock, menopause, and being away from my children for the first time. However, I did my best to drag myself out and get involved in activities.
I heard about circle dancing at an expat spouses’ meeting, when Rosa, a psychologist, was trying to drum up support.
It's a Long, Long Way from Here to Clare
Published in 'Ireland's Own'September 2007
I scour the map of Ireland and find a dot marked 'Gort' close to the west coast, at the end of one of the long green spiders' legs fanning out from Dublin. My brochure says 'From Belfast take southern route to Gort'. Detailed instructions follow from there. But Belfast seems to be linked to Gort only by a complex faint orange spider's web behind the bright Dublin-Everywhere Else legs.
My 29th Wedding Anniversary
Nelson's Nags
First published in 'Go Nomad', February 2008
September 2006
Castro is the shabby, colourful capital of the fertile archipelago of Chiloe, two thirds of the way to the southern tip of Chile. The Chilote are an independent island people. They fish and farm, and live in shingled houses. Chiloe boasts an array of wooden churches, many over two hundred years old, which are UNESCO world heritage sites.
Colds and Cooking
Woke up even more stuffed up than before, with a stiff neck and swollen glands to boot. Am so fed up with lounging around - yesterday I knitted the whole back of a jumper for me, watched an amazingly disturbing but brilliantly structured and acted film on DVD 'Little Children' with Kate Winslet, read hundreds of pages of various books, and slept a lot. Today I've decided to upload recipes onto my blog
20 July
This is Day 9 of a really rotten cloggy cold - yesterday I gave in and called the doc who put me on antibiotics - seems every time over the last week that I've tried to do anything vaguely normal like go out of the house, I've come back to a huge relapse. So today I didn't set foot outside. Instead I read, slept, and played around with photos. If you would like to see a new, mixed collection, have a look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolafhanna/sets/72157600929047687/
Perdida
This is the real Perdida photo link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4832&l=4418c&id=664241054
19 July
I had a real fun activity today: going to a local 'bilingual' school to do some activities with the IB students (17-18-year-olds), who have been studying 'Nervous Conditions' by Tsitsi Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean writer I'd never heard of.
Whatson’s Mango chutney
Vegetable Curry
Stuffed aubergines
Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine
Tomato Salad with Shallots, Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme
Summer Fruit Compote
Summer Fruit Compote
Serves 6
Ingredients:
• 3 peaches
• 6 apricots
• 6 large plums
• 225 g blueberries
• 175 g raspberries
• 50 g sugar
Wild mushroom risotto
Roast Pumpkin Soup
Risotto with peas and shrimps
Prawn and Pak Choi Stir-fry
Prawn and Pak Choi Stir-fry
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 250 pack egg noodles
• 1 tbsp stir-fry oil or sesame oil
• 1 sliced garlic clove
• 1 level tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and cut into four
• 250 g prawns
• 200 g Chinese cabbage (pak choi), leaves removed and white base cut into thick slices
• 160 g Chinese yellow bean stir-fry sauce
Pesto Rice Salad
Pesto Rice Salad
(Serves 4-6)
Courtesy Delia Smith: I love making this with the fresh basil from my garden. I put it in a ring mould, cool it, turn it out, and fill the hole in the middle with cherry tomatoes.
Pea and pepper pasta with goat’s cheese
Pea and pepper pasta with goat’s cheese
(Serves 2)
This recipe calls for frozen peas - to me, the difference between frozen and fresh peas is similar to that between a huge ripe peach dripping with juice, or the ghastly plastic-tasting thing you get in a tin. So if you can be bothered, use fresh peas, and just boil them in a separate pan while you're cooking the pasta.
Pawpaw and Prawn Salad
Pasta with Salmon and Vegetables
Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Red Kidney Beans)
Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Red Kidney Beans)
(Serves 4)
This is a favourite from my childhood - a classic Italian dish.
Creamy Parma Ham and Artichoke Tagliatelle
Creamy Parma Ham and Artichoke Tagliatelle
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 400g tagliatelle
• 500 ml crème fraiche
• 280 g artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• 80 g Parma ham, torn into strips
• 2 level tbsp fresh sage plus extra to garnish
• 40 g parmesan cheese, made into shavings with a potato peeler
Mango and Lime Mousse
Mango and Lime Mousse
(serves 6)
Preparation Time: 15 min, + soaking, freezing and chilling
Lentil and Beef Stew
Iced Lime Mousse with Summer Berries
Hot and Sour Pickled Prawns
Guacamole
Grilled Spanish Onion with Rocket-leaf Salad
Green chutney
Green chutney
Ingredients:
• ¼ coconut
• 1 pod garlic
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 bunches coriander leaves
• 1 tsp tamarind (or lime juice)
• 6 green chillis
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
Traditional Greek Salad
Traditional Greek $salad
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 green pepper, finely sliced
• 10 Kalamata olives, packed in olive oil with oregano, drained
• 200 g pack feta cheese, chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Greek-Style Aubergines
Greek-style aubergines
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 4 aubergines
• 1 egg
• 50 g grated parmesan
• 1 onion
• 250 ml milk
• 30 g flour
• 200 g mince meat
• 100 g peeled tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 80 g margarine
• oil
• salt
• breadcrumbs
Gratin of aubergine, zucchine and tomato
Ingredients
Olive oil
I aubergine cut acrossways in rounds
1 onion cut longways into half circles
2 chopped pieces of garlic
Salt and pepper
4 tomatoes, finely sliced in rounds
2 small zucchini
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh oregano
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs
Garlic Prawns with Courgettes and Mint
Fresh Pawpaw with Coconut Yoghurt Cream
Fresh Pawpaw with Coconut Yoghurt Cream
(Serves 4)
You can substitute mangoes for pawpaws
Curried Coconut Vegetable Rice
Curried Coconut Vegetable Rice
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
• 100 ml vegetable oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 level tbsp black mustard seeds
• 3 level tbsp korma curry paste
• 1 large aubergine cut into 2 cm cubes
• 1 large butternut squash peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 250 fine green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 cm pieces
• 3450 g basmati rice
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 200 g baby spinach leaves
Coriander Chicken with Peanut Sauce
Coriander Chicken with Peanut Sauce
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 4 skinless chicken fillets, cut into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 level tbsp ground coriander, plus extra to garnish
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 2 level tbsp curry paste
• 2 level tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 200 ml coconut milk
Compote of Garlic and Sweet Peppers
Compote of Garlic and Sweet Peppers
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
• 900 g peppers (red, yellow, orange – not green)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lightly crushed cumin seeds
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 5 level tbsp tomato purée
• salt
Chicken with Black-eye Beans
Chicken Tortillas with Guacamole
Chicken sauté with Courgettes and Garlic
Chicken sauté with Courgettes and Garlic
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
• 8 x 150 g skinned chicken breast fillets
• 8 small courgettes
• 2 onions
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 red chillies
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 50 g butter
• Juice of 2 small limes
• Lime wedges, to serve
Cheesy Potato Skins
Cheesy Potato Skins
(Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course)
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 1 ½ hours
Charlotte Cake
Carrot Cake
Caponade (Vegetable Stew)
Caponade (vegetable stew)
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 1 pepper
• 1 aubergine
• 2 zucchine
• 2 potatoes
• 1 small onion
• 1 ripe tomato
• wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 40 g margarine
• a bunch of finely chopped parsley
• salt and pepper
Caledonian Ice-cream
Butternut Squash and Sweet potato Curry
This is an Aynsley Harriet 'low fat' recipe, and is one of my favourites.
Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Curry
(Serves 4)
Braised Lamb Shanks with Cannelini Beans and Tomatoes
Bitteballen (meatballs)
Aubergine 'Pizzas'
Aubergine “pizzas”
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
• 1 large aubergine
• 8 slices square white bread
• 8 slices mozzarella
• 1 egg
• flour
• oil
• 100 g peeled tomatoes
• a pinch of oregano
• 1 tbsp pitted olives
• salt and pepper
Steamed Apple Pudding with toffee Sauce
Steamed Apple Pudding with Toffee Sauce
Ingredients
175 unsalted butter
4 apples, cut into 2 mm pieces
130 g sugar
50 g chopped walnuts
3 beaten eggs
150 g self-raising flour
Angel-Hair Pasta with Thai spiced prawns
Anchoiade
Anchoiade
(Serves 3-4)
Ingredients:
• 1 tin anchovies in oil
• 1 large crushed clove garlic
• 8 black olives
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• A few drops white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 ripe tomato, skinned and chopped
• 2 heaped tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 8 thick slices French bread, cut diagonally
• Extra chopped parsley to garnish
Learning a Language - A Personal Success Story
June, 2005
I can speak Spanish!
I think I can honestly add “Spanish: fluent” onto my C.V.
Six months ago I spoke NO Spanish.
18 July
The Sao Paulo air crash has hit us hard - why do accidents seem so much worse when they're in the same continent? The runway apparently was too short, and the surface bad, and there had been loads of complaints...and now, with 200 dead, the President has ordered that it be resurfaced.
Postcards
In this section you will find short travel snippets - mostly around 500 words.
Perdida la Perrita Mimosa
5 January 2005
In Montevideo, coming up to New Year’s Eve, stalls sprout up on every street corner of every barrio, selling fireworks. People stock up and prepare for spectacular displays in their gardens. Bangers sound all day, and a few fireworks start immediately after dark. At midnight the sky is suddenly ablaze with a kaleidoscope of flashing lights and the show lasts for a good hour. The noise is deafening.
17 July
I've just spent two hours rearranging my categories, then rearranging the stuff in them, by copying, deleting, pasting, and making everything 'draft' so it doesn't clog up the system - now I suppose someone will tell me there's a simple 'dragging' mechanism for doing it!
Day 4
Day 4 of the Dreaded Diet.
Survived, and have almost reached desired target weight. And we get steak tomorrow - for breakfast lunch and dinner! There couldn't be a better place than Uruguay for steak...
To England's Green and Pleasant Land
First published in 'The Oldie' August 2007
www.theoldie.co.uk
Along with a dozen or so other beggars, Godfrey worked the patch near the traffic lights at the bustling, scruffy Namanga junction near St Peter’s Catholic Church. Hoping for a better life, he had come by train to the capital, Dar es Salaam, five years previously, when Tanzania’s economy had started picking up. He was from Kigoma, on Lake Tanganyika, a thousand kilometres to the west. He had been stricken by polio as a child, and had lost the use of both legs.
15 July
Day 3 of Cabbage Soup
I think I should publish 'The Alternative Guide to Cabbage Souping'
She Sells Seashells
First published in the July 2007 Marine Supplement of 'Practical Fishkeeping'. Thanks, Meg Gurney, for the tip!
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Spotted, banded, speckled, unmistakeable, cowries have been prized for their patterns, colour and shape for centuries.
Perdida
This is a link to photos of the lovely Perdida, mentioned in my yesterday's diary entry: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4832&id=664241054
Atacama Photos
Link to photos of the Atacama desert:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12223&id=664241054
The Ashram
In a moment of madness two years ago, I ran off to an ashram for a week. Read some of my stories of this and other yogic experiences in this section.
Letter from Letterkenny
first published in 'Ireland's Own' August 2007
July 2006
I’m in the main street of Letterkenny, on my way from the Internet Café to the Post Office. The pavement is busy with shoppers. It’s pouring with rain, but warm. It feels almost tropical. My pink cardigan is sticking to me. A smiling black man, handsome, early twenties, approaches me, hands me his umbrella which I gratefully accept, and fishes out his Oxfam I.D. and various brochures. He starts chatting about his work. Good English, a slight accent which I can’t place.
Grilled Coriander and Lime Chicken
Pasta with Courgettes
This couldn't be simpler - if you'd like to make it a little more elaborate, add half a glass of white wine and a couple of spoons of single cream after step 2.
Mango and Lime Mousse
Spicy Rice
My Recipes - Bon Appetit!
This is a bit of an experiment in how to lay out my blog - but if anyone actually tries any of these, I'd love your feedback. I don't know where most of these recipes came from - should I make this 'protected' just in case?
Spaghetti all Puttanesca
Spinach Balls
Lentil Salad
You can add pretty much anything to this: fresh coriander, spring onions, fresh sweetcorn...the more colourful the better!
Pawpaw and Prawn Salad
Pawpaw and Prawn Salad
(Serves 6 as a starter, 3 as a main course)
The very small sweet pawpaws are best for this easy dish - or you can use a mango!
Chilli sin Carne (veggie chilli)
Chili sin carne
(4 servings)
This is a deliciously healthy winter dish: I often add fresh sweetcorn to it.
Diet: Day 1
Anyone for a swim?
First published by International Living, June 2007
www.internationalliving.com
June 2007
It’s a crisp, bright fall morning in Montevideo. I’m getting used to the back-to-front seasons here, with the shortest day in June and the longest in December. I have just returned from a swim at my local pool, having cycled the two miles each way through quiet, leafy residential streets.
Uruguay from Above
March 2007
Uruguay is a flat country. Rarely can you get a view from above. But flying in to Montevideo from Buenos Aires, you will clearly see one of the city’s characteristic features, the Rambla, which stretches twenty kilometres along the Rio de la Plata from the port to the smart suburb of Carrasco, where your plane will soon land.
Sierra de las animas
First published in International living, May 2007
www.internationalliving.com
April 2007
If you live in Montevideo, and feel like going for a walk, your obvious choice is La Rambla. This is a wide road, which has a comfortable sidewalk all along the river side, stretching twenty kilometres from the port eastwards to the leafy suburb of Carrasco.
Fine Cuisine in Montevideo - Delnorte
February 2007
In the heart of Montevideo’s historical old town, tucked in a quiet street around the corner from the craft sellers in the bustling Plaza Matriz, is a small, simply decorated restaurant, Delnorte. It is a welcome contrast to Montevideo’s innumerable parrillas – barbecue houses – which serve huge quantities of excellent meat and offal, but little else.
Posada las Perdices
First published by International Living, May 2007
www.Internationalliving.com
Published in The Buenos Aires Herald December 2007
April 2007
“So what makes a good holiday?” my husband asks. We’re just passing Pajas Blancas International Airport in the Central Sierras of Argentina, not far from the place where the Latin American revolutionary icon, Che Guevara, spent his adolescence. The area is famous for its well-preserved Jesuit missions. It’s seven o’clock, and clumps of pampas grass glint in the evening sunshine.
A Tale of Two Beaches
First published in International Living, March 2007
www.internationalliving.com
Perched on a small headland just thirty kilometres north of the glitzy swinging resort of Punta del Este, on the sandy, duny Atlantic coast of Uruguay, sits the exclusive hamlet of Jose Ignacio. Unlike Punta, there are no highrise apartment blocks here, no casinos, no nightclubs. Martin Amis owns a house in Jose Ignacio, and Ralph Lauren and Naomi Campbell often choose to relax here.
Lamb with Spicy Couscous
Artigas Day
Artigas Day - 19 June
First published in International Living, June 2007
www.internationalliving.com
A bit of history, first published in International Living on 19 June
www.Internationalliving.com
June 19 is a national holiday in Uruguay, in celebration of the birthday of the country’s greatest hero, José Artigas, ‘the father of independence’. In the center of Montevideo’s most important square, Plaza Independencia, just outside the gate of the Ciudadela, the gate to the old city, stands the imposing 50-foot statue of Artigas mounted on his horse. Below street level, his remains are under twenty-four-hour guard.