My husband and mom would tell you, there are 2 things you never want to deprive me of; sleep and food. Yesterday, I was seriously in need of both, and “Cranky Megan” as my husband would say, made her first debut of the trip! It was pretty mild since I still don’t know everyone that well, but nonetheless, not pleasant.
It was mostly a travel day and after arriving at our gorgeous hotel ( I have a view of the Adriatic Sea from my bedroom) we went out for a late lunch. I was so tired and hungry that I could barely order my meal. I then proceeded to freak out every time a bee came near me, and the 2 bottles of wine plus the vodka with lemon sorbet didn’t really help the situation. Afterward, I sat by the pool at our hotel for an hour or so, then went to my room and fell sound asleep. In a rush of confusion, I awoke at 9 pm, to find myself on top of the sheets, still wearing my bathing suit. I got up and got dressed, just to find out that I had missed the bus to dinner. I decided to forgo food altogether, brush my teeth and get back into bed. I slept for 14 hours and feel MUCH better today. I guess this trip is taking a bigger toll on my body than I thought.
This morning we tasted panettone in the hotel lobby which was the best I’ve ever had. The packaging is beautiful and it is perfect for the holidays.
Next on the agenda was ANOTHER olive grove, yeeeeeaaaaahhhh………. (can you sense my enthusiasm?). Seen one, seen em all, right? Well apparently not, this place was so breathtaking I actually felt guilty for my snarky internal monologue! We drove out into the oldest part of the property where the trees are approximately 700 years old. Unlike all of the other olive trees we have seen, these have not been trimmed and pruned for their entire lives, instead, they’ve been allowed to grow into these giant magical creatures, each with a life of its own. Although this makes them much harder to harvest, they produce an intensely flavored oil. The company produces 3 different oils, a mono variety, a blend, and lemon oil. My personal favorite was the lemon which would be incredible on top of a piece of grilled fish!
We had dinner at the olive oil producers facility and enjoyed some tasty dishes including a beet and tuna purée with mozzarella balls…I have to say when it came out as the first dish, I was pretty skeptical, but with a drizzle of lemon oil, it really came together. They also served these cute little ice cream cone cups filled with sweetened ricotta and lemon oil, which was a lovely finish to the meal.
Tomorrow we have another easy day with just 1 producer visit. I’ve been really appreciative of the slower pace. We need to recuperate because in 2 days the driving really begins with 6 to 7 hours in the van every day!!
Ciao,
Megan
After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America with her Culinary and Baking & Pastry Arts Degrees, Megan joined the family business and opened Palmer’s Bakery & Palmer’s Catering. Megan loves cooking & entertaining, dancing, gardening, skiing, and spending time with her daughters and husband.
