Flying again

Newark Airport, The Food Hall
OK, some longhaul flights are on again, first from Newark to Amsterdam with Delta and then from Amsterdam to Cape Town with KLM. I am looking forward to the KLM flight as I have not flown with KLM in such a long time. Delta.......on the other side I have no high expectations as I have flown plenty times in the States and it is just another bus trip from A to B......which it was. The food was nothing to write about, I made a photo of my space age looking lasagna, ok I have to admit it still tasted nice, but look and texture was really nothing that finds any followers.
The one interesting part was the wine, served in 1 liter Tetra packs. Nothing wrong with it as wine is never anything special in the tourist class section, so why not serve in Tetra packs, save storage and waste and still be able to serve a good product, I enjoyed my glass or two of the white and the red wine.

KLM on the other side was a dream, good service, own TV (Delta was a communal thing) and good food which was beautifully presented. I think KLM wins hands down. Everything from check in to the arrival in Cape Town was perfect. They came ever so often with refreshments, something that was non existent with Delta, So yes, I do like KLM a lot.


The of course the comparison of the airports, yes well.... I really don't want to elaborate on Newark, I had to spend far too long on an airport that has absolutely nothing to offer....again with the one exception of a take away serving Oxtail, beautifully braised Oxtail. I could not believe to see this lovely dish which smelled great and tasted great. I have to say as well that they are busy renovating the airport, let's hope it will improve!

Amstardam Schipol is tops, good facilities, great shopping, a central kids station where parents can go with their little ones while waiting for the next connection. There are plenty of nice restaurants, just everything is great and the flight connections are easy to find.

Back in Bermuda

Yes, we are back in Bermuda, actually once per week we are here in Bermuda, sometimes for two days, sometimes even for three days. We decided to go out a little bit, as we have 6 hours off for a change. We took a different approach this time of getting around, even so we love the ferry. So we hired a scooter. What a fun way of exploring Bermuda. One has to be a bit careful with the traffic, but otherwise it is absolutely fantastic.

We wanted to go all the way to the north to see the caves. I did not think it would be that far, but we ended up driving for a full hour till we reached the destination. Like I said before, Bermuda is not cheap. The entrance fee is $20.00 per person, quite steep and the caves are……nice but not the huge halls with stalagmites and stalactites like I expected, but still nice. If one spends a week or so on the island I think it is for sure on the “to do list”
We had a little bite to eat, some fish cakes and a hamburger. The lady who cooked our meal looked a bit like an operation nurse, green pants and overall, like she is ready for ER. Food was good ad filled our tummies.

On the way back we had the chance to have a glimpse at the beautiful beaches, again, to have a scooter is the very best, just stop wherever and enjoy the sunny weather, sandy beaches and great scenery. We just had too little time to stop and raced back to our home away from home, the beautiful Celebrity Summit.

Overall Bermuda is great, I love every moment we are here. When I am back in a couple of weeks we will go and swim with the dolphins and no….no recipe with dolphin!!!!!!


But I think we will have a really special Bermuda Seafood Salad!!!

Boston and Clam Chowder

Oh yes, I love Boston. It has been many years since I have visited this beautiful city last and I am lucky enough that we are paying a visit to Boston while on the way to Bermuda. So there is of course no way that I will stay onboard and do nothing, I have to get out for at least a couple of hours.

I think it is the history about this town that fascinates me, the mix and match of old and new buildings, just the whole atmosphere this town has. I read the book 1776 about the liberation of the United States from England, a great book, so I feel the history here!

We went out to go shopping a little bit and of course to do the touristy thing of going to Quincy Market. Quincy Market is sort of the absolute center of town, it is easy to explore the inner city from there and there are plenty of good restaurants. We actually just ate at Quincy Market in the Food Hall. There is such an abundance of food, the variety, just everything. It is actually difficult to make a choice. We found this absolutely stunning sweet shops and of course went a bit wild in buying these humongous Brownies and Coconut cookies. Then we needed one of these chocolate chip cookie sandwiches……so sweet one can actually hardly eat them.

For the savory we went for a pizza, even so the sausages looked delicious too, the “Quattro Formagi” with 4 types of cheese on it. The bottom was so nice and crisp, perfectly baked, the topping of course beautifully juicy, it was just fantastic. Some of our friends went for Indian food, but being from the country themselves, they were not overly impressed. We loved so every bite from the Pizza.

Now of course the big question, will I give you a recipe of a pizza? No, of course not; that recipe we can do another time. Being in Boston, I have to give you a recipe of a typical Boston Clam Chowder. The recipe is enough for 10 friends. I feel especially with a hearty soup one can always make a little more and warm it up later if required.

450 g (1 lb) Clam meat
1 l (1 quart) Clam juice
1 l (1 quart) Cream
450 g (1 lb) Potatoes
250 g (0.5 lb) Leeks
250 g (0.5 lb) Onions
125 g (4 oz) Celery
300 ml (10 oz) White Wine
60 ml (2 oz) Pernod
Chives

Cut all vegetables in small dices.
Heat the butter till foaming, but not brown
Add the vegetables and sweat till onions are slightly translucent
Add the diced potatoes, then clam juice, white wine and Pernod
Simmer till the potatoes are nice and soft, the soup will thicken.
Add the clam meat, simmer for another 5 minutes, thicken if needed with a little corn starch or rice flour

Bermudas and grilled Salmon

We are now on the cruises from New York (Bayonne) to Bermuda. I love Bermuda, just the way everything is, so British on the one side, so un-British on the other side. Walking through Hamilton one sees the Businessmen in their Bermuda shorts, the long socks and fancy shoes, a sight one should see at least once in a life time. Everything is very clean, and “pink” the houses are mostly beautiful, one can see that this is a Tax Heaven here and of course everything cost a bit more than usual.

We explored Hamilton just a little bit and then went out for a lunch. The restaurant was beautiful, more towards the fancy Bistro type and food was very good. My salmon didn’t just look good, but was delicious to eat. So I think I will write down a little recipe with salmon.

We docked a bit away from Hamilton and had to take the ferry. A lovely way to get around the islands, it is not too expensive and very relaxing. Another way is of course the public bus system. It is most probably the cheapest way to get around and one can get in any corner of the island, but one needs time as the bus stops often and there is a lot of traffic at all times.

The island is small and very populated; there is no real empty spot, just houses, houses, houses.

Fried Salmon with Pesto pasta

800 g (2 lb) Salmon fillet
30 ml (1oz) Olive oil
Salt and pepper

650 g (1.5 lbs) Fresh Tagliatelle
60 lm (2 oz) Basil Pesto
120 g (4 oz) Sun dried tomatoes

120 g (4 oz) Peppers
120 g (4 oz) Beans
120 g (4 oz) Sugar Snap Peas

Blanch the vegetables till still crisp.
Cook the pasta till al dente.
Rub the salmon fillets with olive oil, season, then grill.

Before serving toss the pasta in the pesto and sun dried tomatoes,
Toss the vegetables in a bit olive oil, season to taste.
Plate the pasta on the bottom, top with salmon and garnish with the fresh vegetables.