Midnight Spoon Blog

Happy Easter!

admin — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:07:46 +0000

Happy Easter!

Wesołych Świąt Wielkiej Nocy!

Fat Thursday

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:30:15 +0000

Fat Thursday

Forget your diet for a day!

Guess what day is today! For some better than any other holiday in the calendar… it's Fat Thursday! Let's celebrate it all over Europe! Let's spread this wonderful tradition. Come on Poles, we can do it! I'm sure all nations will love it! Let's just forget our diets, no-sweets policies and no-fat resolutions for one day. Enjoy your doughnut freedom! Doughnut for everybody!
For those unenlightened… Fat Thursday is a traditional feast marking the last Thursday before Lent (a week before the Ash Wednesday). It's celebrated in Poland and some other European countries (like Germany for example). We eat a lot of sweets that day that are 'forbidden' during the Lent. We consume huge amounts of doughnuts. Oh yes, doughnuts with all possible fillings, jam, lemon curd, advocaat filling, with powdered sugar or icing on the top. Another speciality are angel wings - sweet crisp pastry made out of dough, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh… there are days that I miss Poland so much!
I've prepared a recipe for you for this occasion Polish doughnuts with Italian twist

Gingerbread experiment

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:49:25 +0000

Gingerbread experiment

Memories of December - part 3

Traditional wooden mould used to shape pierniki

When your fingers and toes turn blue with cold after a long snowball fight, try a glass of warm milk and a slice of gingerbread. The mixture of cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger will quickly warm up your frozen bones.
An old epigram by poet from 17th century speaks of four best things in Poland: "Vodka from Gdańsk, Toruń's gingerbread, ladies from Kraków, and shoes from Warsaw". Well, I don't know about the other three, but surely the best gingerbread in the world you can eat in Toruń. Piernik (gingerbread in Polish) is one of the symbols of a traditional Polish cuisine. It's been produced in Toruń since the Middle Ages (the first mention of it comes from 1380!) and believe me, it's truly delicious.
There's an interactive museum in Toruń solely dedicated to pierniki and their history. I've visited it three times already, but I always have a lot of fun. The museum takes you to a 16th century gingerbread factory where, together with other 'apprentices', you have a chance to participate in the process of making the aromatic dough. And while your own gingerbread is baked in a traditional oven you will listen to the legends about the old Toruń.
The process of making traditional gingerbread is complicated and takes time, but I had to try it myself! I combined several recipes found on the internet and came up with something that I hope will turn out delicious. Directly after baking piernik is quite hard, it needs to rest at least two, three days, but I heard it's the best after two weeks. I baked mine yesterday, let's see if it survives two whole weeks :-) I'll keep you posted!

Spices are ready - let's start the process!

My mum helping to sieve the flour

Antonio combining wheat flour and rye flour

It really looks like in a 16th century gingerbread factory!

Please admire the final product :-)

Four best things in Poland: "Vodka from Gdańsk, Toruń's gingerbread, ladies from Kraków, and shoes from Warsaw"

Steak Tartare - a good reason to visit Bydgoszcz

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:15:06 +0000

Steak Tartare - a good reason to visit Bydgoszcz

Memories of December - part 2

Frankly, I'm not a regular in high-class, chic restaurants. Somehow, I always feel a bit awkward there. 'What wine should I order?' 'Am I holding my fork properly?' 'Oh my God, have I just spilt a bit of juice on the table cloth?!' 'Shhh, we shouldn't talk so loud!' Doesn't it stress you? I prefer 'dining places' - so places, where absolutely everything is about food. Don't understand me wrong, the place doesn't need to be an ugly, no-soul inn where the stuff is rude but the food is relatively ok. I would like to eat in a place where nothing drags your attention from the taste of your meal. The decor is nice, subdued, without unnecessary ritz, but with a pinch of charm. The host is friendly, smiling, passionate about the food he offers. I found a place like this in Poland - Kuchnia is definitely more about food than about everything else

I read about it in a Polish edition of 'Food and Friends' magazine and immediately booked a table. 'Kuchnia' means kitchen in Polish and the name fits perfectly to the place. It's really small, some say that it's even claustrophobic, but I somehow like it, it feels cosy. The most fascinating is the concept. The menu is changed everyday - the cooks go to the market every morning and search for fresh, tasty products. If they cannot find an ingredient that they planned for the evening, they simply replace it with another one creating another variety of a dish. The menu is created then and there - among vegetables, meat and fish. Simple, right? I've been always wondering how comes cooks are not bored cooking all the time the same things. Well, in Kuchnia it's obviously not a problem and I think everybody benefits from it: customers have fresh, high-quality meals and the cooks can vent their passion for food and creativity to the plate.

We tried almost everything that was on the menu that day, but the star of the evening was definitely steak tartare ('tatar' in Polish) which is Kuchnia's signature dish. What a taste! Incredible! To say that it was mouthwatering is not giving enough justice to the plate. Great quality beef tenderloin, seasoned spot-on with marinated green pepper (a new discovery for me) and juicy onion. In fact, I cannot describe it, it was simply breathtaking… I don't know if it's good or bad, but the steak tartare completely dimmed all the other dishes that we tried. They were good as well, but they couldn't compare to it.

Bydgoszcz, is not the most beautiful city in the world, I seriously doubt that you'll ever visit it. But remember, if for any reason you're passing through, don't forget to visit Kuchnia and order a huge plate of tatar.

I've tried to replicate the recipe, still haven't mastered it as much as the guys from Kuchnia, but I'm on my way I think :-) Check it yourself (the best steak tartare)… It's not difficult, the secret lies in good quality beef tenderloin!

Marcin Szukaj, the owner, seasoning our steak tartate with freshly ground black pepper!

...the steak itself...

...and Antonio with the friendly crew...

The charm and spirit of Christmas in Torun

admin — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:14:10 +0000

The charm and spirit of Christmas in Torun

Memories of December - part 1

You think I don't know that I'm late?? :-) But because of the Spoon being down for such a long time, I still haven't had the possibility to share with you the amazing time I had in Poland during Christmas. I went back to my home town - Toruń - the best place in the world to spend Christmas holidays.

I know, I know loving Christmas is a bit old-fashioned and not really hip nowadays, but well, what can I do, I really enjoy it a lot. I might like being always on the move, but at the end of December I tend to slow down and just enjoy real Polish Christmas atmosphere. I love decorating the Christmas tree, buying presents for my nearest and dearest, I love my mum rushing around in the kitchen trying to get everything ready before everybody gathers around the table. And it doesn't matter where I am and whether it's January or even the middle of summer, but whenever I think of Christmas, I remember those incredible aromas and it just makes my heart warm. And then, I long for Poland and its freezing winter nights…

When I was small my Christmas always began approximately one month earlier. My father was spending a lot of evenings with me and my sister making Christmas decorations. I have to admit that they were usually not very pretty and since my manual skills were not exactly developed yet all the decorations had small glue fingerprints on them, but the amount of great fun we were having is hard to describe. Since I'm still the youngest in my family, the honour of choosing and decorating Christmas tree is mine. Well, my father is allowed to help a bit :-) We usually don't follow any colour pattern or any modern, fashionable style - the more radiant, rainbowy and kitschier our tree is, the better…

This year's Christmas tree, all the colours of joy and a lot of presents

The most important feast day is for Polish people 24th December - Christmas Eve (Wigilia). We gather around the table which is buckling under the traditional twelve dishes. The custom says that you need to try them all to have good luck the following year! Every region, every town, every village and even every household has their own Christmas recipes. My family starts the meal with the soup cooked with the mushrooms picked up by my father from the surrounding forests (he always saves the best bits of porcino mushrooms for this occasion). But it's fish which is the main component of our Christmas Eve meal - fried carp and trout fillets, matjas herring 'under fur' (salad of beetroots, potatoes and eggs) and hake marinated jewish-style (under a bed of root vegetables, onion and tomato sauce). There are of course pierogi (kind of ravioli or dumplings) with sour cabbage - dried forest mushrooms filling and all kinds of salads with the Polish a.k.a. Russian salad as a star of the evening. Things that must never be forgotten on the traditional Polish Christmas table - firstly, we always leave one extra place-setting for an 'unexpected guest'- a traveller, family member or a friend that might want to share the Christmas supper with us and secondly, after the First Star appears in the sky, but before eating the supper, we share the Christmas wafer (opłatek) with all the members of the family wishing them all the best of health and luck…

Our Christmas table, the first part of the dishes has already arrived

You know, I always tell my friends that there's no better season to visit Poland, but winter: towns covered with snow, the smell of real Christmas tree, warm and friendly atmosphere and finally, a cup of hot tea with lemon made by my mum after skating outdoors all day…

The famous mushroom soup, a masterpiece of my mum

...and the home-made pasta to accompany the soup...

Fried carp and trout fillets - my personal favourite this year. They were fished the day before Christmas

And for the dessert - a poppy seed cake!!! Yummy!!! Mama, where are you?!

Just a spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:57:22 +0000

Just a spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down

My first article on The Rambling Epicure

I'm a huge fan of honey. Every time I come back from Poland I find myself carrying jars of this truly marvelous golden liquid that my mum buys from a local beekeeper. She believes that honey can cure almost everything and she's an absolute trove of honey recipes, remedies and home-made cosmetics. That's why I choose honey as the hero of my very fist article on The Rambling Epicure. Check the TRE website to read it http://www.theramblingepicure.com/archives/29009

And anyway… what is The Rambling Epicure? It's a daily international food chronicle, and the first online newspaper to follow global food trends and news. I check it regularly for interesting articles and news on various topics connected with food - mindful, responsible approach to real food shopping, cooking, and eating, as well as food politics, safety, history, art, literature and philosophy. If you're passionate about food that's definitely a must read for you. http://www.theramblingepicure.com/

When in Rome, eat like the Romans do

admin — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:08:14 +0000

When in Rome, eat like the Romans do

How to walk 50km and still gain 2kg :-)

There's no place like Rome in the springtime - warm days, blossoming parks and uncrowded trattorias; and the best way to enjoy Rome is to walk. You don't need anything more, but a map in your hand, a few euros for a plate of delicious pasta and your eyes wide open. Get a deep breath and start your love affair with Rome, its vibrant streets and squares, the charm of its masterpieces, the shades of its monuments and its radiant sunsets. Every corner, every stone, every sound uncovers a mystery, brings the wind of history and the sweet breeze of tomorrow. Rome speaks to you in thousands of different ways and the more you plunge into the city, the more your love for it is requited.

The fame of the Roman cuisine is well merited. Each plate is simple, but boosts with the richness of flavours. Each dish looks incredibly appetising, but not because of an overcomplicated food presentation. It's the colours and the mouthwatering smell of it that makes you want to grab a fork and bite into it. The difference between an amazing carbonara and a mediocre one is not the recipe or skills of the cook. The secret is high quality ingredients and all Roman recipes rely solely on one thing - the genuine and excellent products provided by the rich and fertile soils of Lazio hills.

Roman cuisine offers variety of dishes that can satisfy all demands. Appetisers include bruschette alla romana (roasted bread with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil) or carciofi alla giuda (deeply fried artichokes) which are the signature of Roman Jewish cooking and the specialty of restaurants in the Roman Ghetto. Pasta plays a leading role in the Roman cuisine and its huge selection is a real paradise for all pasta-lovers. My personal favourites are: bucatini all'amatriciana (with a sauce based on guanciale - dried pork cheek, pecorino cheese and tomato) a recipe originating from the small town of Amatricie from the montainous part of the Lazio region, delicious rigatoni con la Pajata (rigatoni with stewed calf's intestines, tomato sauce and a pinch of rosemary), simple but mouthwatering spaghetti cacio e peppe (the ingredients include only pasta, pecorino cheese and a huge amount of freshly ground black pepper) and the famous spaghetti alla carbonara (pasta dish based on eggs, cheese, becon and pepper). The second courses are dominated by stewed, roasted or grilled lamb. The most famous recipes are abbacchio al forno (roasted suckling lamb) or abbacchio alla romana (Roman-style lamb with anchovies, garlic and rosemary), but other meats are used as well like in the toothsome coda alla vaccinara (an oxtail stew flavoured with various vegetables) or trippa (tripe of various animals braised with white wine and tomatoes and topped with pecorino romano). I must admit that after each meal, which consisted of several antipasti, hearty pasta and a meat dish I never managed to find even a small space for a dessert. Most of the times I enjoyed a shot of liqueur or an espresso, but I heard that sweet Roman ricotta recipes are to die for!

Rome offers you countless possibilities of dining from fine restaurants to street-side trattorias. But be careful when choosing the place to eat, you can easily wind up in a dining room packed with tourists where the prices are high and the food is second-rate. The best is to follow the locals and choose small modest trattorias where you can find simple and tasty dishes at reasonable prices. Don't expect fancy presentation, but be prepared for an unforgettable culinary experience and taste that will take you for a journey through centuries. Following the suggestions of my Roman friends, tips from the Lonely Planet guide and my own nose I have chosen the top 4 places to eat in Rome, although, I'm sure there are many more...

Da Gino (Vicolo Rosini, 4, next to piazza del Parlamento, tel. +39 06 6873434) is definitely on the list of my favorite restaurants! Located off the tourist beaten track in a narrow hidden alley, it offers a perfect eating experience after full day of sightseeing in Rome. Reservations are highly recommended; we called Saturday morning and could fit in only for the second part of the evening on Sunday! Everything one might say about Da Gino is for sure an understatement. Forget about posh interior design, silver cutlery and fancy place setting, this trattoria is all it should be about - food. If you look for authentic Roman cuisine Da Gino is a place for you. Our meal was hearty and delicious, we ordered some Roman antipasto misto, rigatoni con la Pajata, penne al sugo di carne, coda alla vaccinara, trippa and a carafe of rough house wine. We finished off with a shot of amaro and we paid only 50 euros! Why Da Gino doesn't open a branch in Brussels? :-)

Sora Margherita (Piazza delle Cinque Scole, 30, tel.+39 06 687 4216) and Cacio e Pepe (Via Avezzana 11, tel. +39 06 321 72 68). I wanted to recommend only one place for the best pasta in Rome, but I have to admit I couldn't decide which one I liked more. They're both similar in style with their crowded tiny rooms, simple interior, close-set tables and no menu policy. Sora Margherita is placed in the ancient ghetto and it's one of the smallest and well hidden trattorias in Rome. All pasta is home-made with loads of eggs added to the dough which makes all pasta dishes delicious and enough for a full meal. One tip - don't order red house wine there, it's to be avoided :-) Cacio e Pepe is a humble trattoria located near the Vatican. Don't forget to try their carbonara, it's the best one I've ever had!

Bar il postiglione aka Ewa and Claudio bar (Via delle Fornaci, 13, tel. +39 06 633410). Our bed and breakfast was located not far from the Vatican City on Via delle Fornaci. Just one elevator ride and a few steps from it there was this magic breakfast place run by an Italian, Claudio and his Polish wife Ewa. It's open from 5 am to 8 pm and not only does it offer breakfast but it's also used as a restaurant during lunch time and dinner. However, for me it was a cappuccino-and-bombolona paradise and the best way to start a long sightseeing day. Such a breakfast puts you always in good mood. Moreover, it's a real value for money: two cappuccinos, a bombolona (doughnut) and a cornetto alla crema cost us only 3,60 euro!!!

On the top picture - Spoon in Rome. Heading to the next restaurant unseparated from the map and the camera.

Gino welcomes you to his place of magic food

As you can see Da Gino is recommended by everybody

A plate of delicious trippa

The entrance of Sora Margherita

Early spring vegetables

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:08:54 +0000

Early spring vegetables

Eat or not to eat?

Early spring vegetables feed our eyes with vivid colours, provide us with vitamins and minerals and revive our pallet with crisp, tasty choices. Popping up in grocery stores and markets, they are calling out to be bitten into. Flavourful and juicy, they’re a long-awaited change to the root vegetables available during endless winter months. Especially because at the beginning of spring, our bodies crave for a vitamin boost and a bit of variety in our everyday diets. But are the early spring vegetables really so healthy?

Chemical fertilisers - Mendeleev's table
Unfortunately, despite their beautiful colours and memorable fresh taste, the early spring vegetables may contain many chemicals which stimulate their growth and artificially enhance their healthy fresh appearance. Early vegetables are usually not grown in natural conditions, they lack sunshine and therefore, need to be heavily fertilised. Many of them contain harmful compounds - nitrates, nitrites, lead (found especially in vegetables grown near traffic) and pesticides.
Many common vegetables such as celery, radishes or beetroot contain nitrates, but the real problem occurs when the nitrogenous substances are artificially accumulated in vegetables. When fertilised, plants don’t absorb as much nitrates as they need, but as much as they get. These substances are not hazardous to the plants themselves, but in humans, they can be converted to nitrites and then to cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines.

Everything in moderation
Despite some disadvantages, don’t avoid eating early spring vegetables! They’re full of vitamins and minerals; they give us the foretaste of summer and improve our mood. Even just a variety of colours on your plate will make you feel so much better. If you buy your vegetables from an unknown source, you should fear the harmful consequences of chemical substances only after eating large quantities. A spring vegetables salad once in a while will do no harm to our health. Moderation is the key - have a balanced diet and consider early vegetables as a nice and healthy addition to your spring meals. Eating vegetables is so much better than not eating them at all, just make smart choices - be aware of what you buy, where you buy and how you store.

What are the smart choices?
1. Go organic! Organic vegetables are free from artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. Organic crops are subject to careful control from fertilisation to growing, right up to packaging and labeling. Organic vegetables are predominantly more expensive, but it’s a choice worth considering...
2. Grow your own...if you’re lucky enough to have a garden. The best would be a small piece of land located at least 100 metres from a busy road. Besides, growing your own vegetables equals not only chemical-free salad, but also a lot of fun!
3. If you’re unfortunate enough to live somewhere in the city centre, you can still have a small garden on your window sill. Cress, chives and even radish can be easily grown in pots. Those plants don’t require too much care; they just need sufficient sunlight and frequent watering.

Some tips for buying and storing
If you have no means to grow your own vegetables, here are some tips that you can follow when buying them.
1. Carefully choose your vegetables. They should be fresh-looking with no signs of mildew. Smell the vegetables before purchasing. Obviously, they will never smell as intense as those picked in the middle of summer, but they should have a nice, delicate aroma.
Root vegetables like radishes or carrots should be firm and smooth and have intact greens. Unless they are organic, avoid the temptation of buying overgrown radishes - large and shiny ones probably received a lot of chemicals during intensive fertilisation. Lettuce should have green leaves and be crisp - if you see any evidence of decay or discolouration, better not buy it. Good-quality spring onions have green, crisp tops and white necks, avoid the ones that are yellow or wilted.
2. Proper storage is important. Don’t keep your vegetables in plastic bags, they accumulate the moisture and accelerate the conversion of nitrate to harmful nitrite. Wash the vegetables thoroughly before eating - lukewarm water will help remove some of the harmful chemical substances. Lettuce and spinach should be washed and dried before being stored inside the refrigerator, this will remove excess moisture.

The article was written for Sunbeams It's a website sharing information on an eco-friendly lifestyle with the expatriate community in the Brussels area. Sunbeams writes practical articles, organises presentations by specialists, and helps exchange information among each other. Subscribe to their newsletter!

Unfortunately, this time the photo is not taken by me but by photographers who contribute to http://www.sxc.hu

Tree Planting Event 2012

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:41:22 +0000

Tree Planting Event 2012

When you do something that matters…

I was more than excited when Ben from reason2.be asked me to create a nice, organic soup recipe for the Tree Planting Event 2012. I absolutely love these kind of initiatives! Beautiful scenery, right into nature and hundreds of enthusiasts with the same goal. Do you know any better way to spend a spring-like Sunday morning?

This year's campaign was dedicated to Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist who died in September 2011. She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organisation focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. She also inspired the UN billion tree campaign, which encourages all sectors of society to plant at least one billion trees worldwide each year. The Embassy of Kenya - present at the event - planted trees as a tribute to her passion and her efforts.

The event itself was a great success! All the tree lovers gathered in the Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud in the outskirts of Brussels, close to the castle of Groenendaal, Hoeilaert. School kids, families and other participants planted together 2400 trees in one day! Reason2.be contributed, as well as donating 20 trees as part of their CO2 offsetting scheme. One of those trees was planted by me :-) I hope my small tree will grow up to the sky and bring us lots of oxygen and energy!

Ah, and the soup. Do you remember the celeriac and parsnip cream soup from last week? We worked hard to cook about 30 litres of it, to warm up the participants of the Tree Planting Event. It was a challenge for sure and I need to especially thank my friend Zoi whose moral support and help with cooking, stirring and blending of the soup was priceless. The final result was amazing! Ask the participants, they will tell you… The soup was an absolute hit among the kids. Have you ever seen a soup (moreover a celeriac soup!) that children would love and ask for more? If not, you need to try this recipe then. I was surprised myself seeing one 5-year-old coming at least three times to our stand to ask for top-ups. Unbelievable but true. For me, the thing that did the trick was the crispy onion, a bit sweet, a bit crunchy working really well with the soup. Have a look at the recipe and try it yourself - it was tested by 150 people!

It was such a busy weekend, but I felt so happy when I came back home after the event. I knew I did something that mattered…

To see more pictures form the event, visit the Tree Planting Event album on my Facebook profile.

We do it at night

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:00:02 +0000

We do it at night

A morning visit to the Mabru market

There are different reasons why people wake up early in the morning (or in the middle of the night if you like). Some rush to take an early morning flight, some to meet deadline at work, some to study for an exam. But why somebody would voluntarily wake up at 4 am?

Mabru - the morning wholesale market for professionals has existed in Brussels for over a century. Originally, it took place in Grand Place and surrounding streets, but in 70s it moved to Laeken. It is known for its quality products and an excellent choice of fruits and vegetables from Belgium and abroad. For me, a guided tour in Mabru was an excellent reason to set my alarm clock a bit earlier than usual…

If you're an early bird

My friend and I headed to the Mabru market at around 4 am. The only two things that were keeping me awake was a cup of coffee swiftly drunk before and a promise that I would see some food magic later on. Brussels was as quiet as it can be at that time of the night, trams not working, few cars on the street, no passers-by, a bit of fog and rain and that's it. Without any traffic jam we reached our destination quite quickly. Our guide was waiting for us in front of the market gate, next to the petrol station. From that perspective Mabru market looked to me like a fortress - cars driving in and driving out, passing a checkpoint in front of the gate. All that commotion seemed coordinated and organised thoroughly. As it was freezing cold, after a quick welcome we entered Mabru…

Spoon in a wonderland

It was surprising to see such a place buzzing with activity in the heart of sleeping Brussels. If not for the surrounding darkness, you could easily imagine it was morning or afternoon. On one side, hundreds of people buying, selling, negotiating, tasting, choosing, vaunting their merchandise - on the other cars, lorries, fork lifts, boxes and packages - everything rushing to supply Brussels' restaurants before lunch time.

Marbu is divided into 5 huge covered halls with 250 stands and 1400 people working there every night. Working hours are impressive, the market opens at around midnight and the most of the stalls close at around 8 in the morning, however, some merchants are occupied even until noon. If somebody longs for a coffee or a warm meal during the 'lunch break', Marbu has three cafes and a restaurant - everything you need to spend a regular working day.

Known as a supermarket for professionals, Mabru has a huge offer of vegetables, fruits, meat, charcuterie, poultry, game, fish and shellfish, cheese, wines and anything else a food lover could imagine to cook an amazing dish. Everything there is incredibly fresh with amazing colours and flavours. It's one of the best places in Brussels to make new culinary discoveries. We were riveted by trumpets of death - dark, almost black mushrooms that look rather unattractive, but, as we were told, have a very good flavour. I've already found a mouthwatering Polish recipe for pierogi (Polish dumplings) stuffed with the trumpets of death. (Sounds a bit like a dish for your mothers-in-law :p)

Erwin

After an exciting morning walk our guide offered us tasty breakfast with crispy croissant, fresh orange juice and delicious jams. Erwin, although busy with the regular activities of the market, found a bit of time to chat with us. Graduated from economy, shortly after finishing his studies he realised he wouldn't like to work in a big corporation, so he has devoted all his life to high quality food. Erwin's true love are mushrooms, he travelled a lot sharing his passion all around the world: San Francisco, Istanbul and Paris. But his real dream is to live in Italy, preferably next to Lake Garda. Eh… who wouldn't like to live there?

We even didn't notice when it was 7 am - time to leave the market and come back to the real world. It was an incredible adventure. I only wished there was a retail market like this. I wouldn't mind waking up so early from time to time.