Warm-weather eats

With the TV stations and weather reports trumpeting the coming of spring, my thoughts turn, naturally, to warm-weather eating. In between writing about posh serviced apartments and equally posh shopping malls I find myself dreaming of food. It may have something to do with the travel programme currently on TV at this very moment - I hear Samantha Brown waxing orgiastic about Sorrento in southern Italy while I sit tapping away on my laptop.

September 2005: my first visit to Italy. I was with several friends, and we were in the center of Florence. It was searing hot that day. The cobblestoned streets were radiating heat in waves. It didn't stop tourists like us from trudging from one painting and marble statuary to another. Arms and legs bare, glistening with sunscreen. Everyone festooned with bottles of Pellegrinos, oversized sunglasses and straw hats. But after hours of oohing and aahing over the marvels of Florence we needed a break. We needed L-U-N-C-H.

You can only take in so much art - the stomach demands its due. We limped and drooped our way to a trattoria near the Uffizi Museum and top of the agenda was -- after ice-cold beers -- a salad. A caprese to be exact.

Easy enough to reproduce. It's better if you can get hold of really top-quality tomatoes, oils, olives and cheeses, but even approximations can be wonderfully restorative.

* about 4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
* 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick
* ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
* ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
* 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

On a platter, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices and basil leaves, sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add olives as desired.

We also enjoyed a tasty pizza with tons of mozzarella and a crispy crust:



With sharp and mild cheeses and perfect globes of grapes...



The meal could have ended there, but a generous slice of almond pie was the perfect finishing touch.