I just returned from the most beautiful springtime trip to Ireland – think impossibly green pastures, the beginnings of wisteria blooms on old manor houses and hundreds of just-born lambs hopping around the hillsides. These are all things I expected from the trip, to some extent, but what blew me away was the food. This was one of the best eating trips I’ve ever taken, hands down, and I can’t wait to share the details with you.
It’s no secret that I own…a number of cookbooks. I can’t bring myself to count them so I couldn’t tell you the exact number, but it’s probably embarrassingly large and might have three digits. I do try to keep a lid on the buying and it hasn’t gotten to the point where I’ve actually altered my home to fit them, but I think we are nearing maximum capacity. I’ve taken to hiding the new ones that arrive and sort of blending them into the existing collection when no one is looking.
I’ll preface this by saying that while I haven’t been to Macedonia (YET – it is on the list!), I spent two glorious weeks exploring its neighbor, Albania. And while southern-Balkan-born people everywhere may balk that I am even comparing these two countries, from the perspective of someone in the United States or western Europe, there is a theme to food of this region. It’s hearty, simple and, above all, fresh food that has no shortage of flavor. It’s made with love and care using the freshest, humblest ingredients. It’s cozy to the core.
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