Hubby made pesto the other day as our basil is beginning to get “leggy” and may have to be cut back soon. I know some of this post will be repetitious to longtime followers, so do bear with me. I’ve previously mentioned, Hubby grew up in a small Georgia town and I in small Louisiana towns. In my case, North Louisiana, which at that time did not embrace Cajun/Creole dishes the way they do now. On the other hand, both of us enjoyed the standard Southern fare of fried chicken, homemade biscuits, a can of bacon drippings on the stove to use as seasoning, etc. In other words, our culinary experiences did not expand significantly until we left our respective homes.

As I may also have explained, there are not many Army personnel in Italy, more Navy and Air Force which is why we never expected to be assigned there. Notwithstanding the intensely difficult professional positions we were in, there was most assuredly personal pleasure in spending 18 months in Tuscany. One surprising thing we discovered about Italian cooking was how very regional it is. Pesto is a good example. Predominantly a dish found in Liguria, especially around Genoa, there were only one or two restaurants where we lived that carried it on the menu. The same was true of something like veal saltimbocca – very popular around Rome and rarely seen where we were. Certain others, such as frito misto (the fried seafood mix) was common almost everywhere as was pizza.

The other thing we hadn’t realized was how quickly sauces were created and how few ingredients were often used; the key being freshness more than complexity. What we call marinara was usually referred to as pomodoro. Garlic, olive oil, crushed or diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and that was it – maybe fifteen minutes to prepare. Stir in cream and it became a rose sauce. Although the demands of our jobs didn’t allow us to travel as much as we would have liked, we did make it to Venice where other delicious dishes awaited us. Okay, I didn’t care for the varied ways of offering cuttlefish, but Hubby thoroughly enjoyed them.

Hubby had a Camera Club gathering in the Everglades Sunday afternoon. While he expected to be back around 7:30, our regular dinner time, they do sometimes get caught up in post-gathering discussions. We’d already planned to do swordfish, but rather than grill as usual which meant waiting for him to get home to start, I mentioned we hadn’t done Vera Cruz style for a while and we did have a can of tomatoes with green chilies in the pantry. We agreed that was the way to go.

He had a good time with the Camera Club and called me with his estimated arrival which did happen to be close to 7:30. In putting the finishing touches on dinner – used some leftovers for sides and made the usual salad, I commented on the first time I had snapper Vera Cruz – snapper being the most common fish used in the dish. In a moment of digression, being raised in a small town in Northwest Louisiana in the 1950s-1970s, Mexican food was Tex-Mex and seafood was not in the mix so to speak. Our part of Louisiana is 230 or so miles north of the Gulf and local restaurants carried only freshwater fish and frozen, breaded shrimp. Someone would occasionally bring in a load of fresh shrimp, but it wasn’t common then. Anyway, when I was in California for a few months while on a special assignment in the Army, it didn’t occur to me there was a difference in Mexican food. Was I in for a surprise. A pleasant one of course and snapper Vera Cruz was one of those first dishes I tried. Shredded beef instead of ground was also different as was a heavier use of cumin and a couple of other spices. Being here in Homestead with lots of Mexican restaurants, I was happy to see they have a variety of regional choices depending on what mood we’re in.

There is a charming place, Cauley Square, about 25 minutes north that I have written about in previous posts. It’s a ten-acre, beautifully landscaped historic area filled with small shops and two main restaurants. The one up front is quite well-known and enjoyable. The second, the Village Chalet, is tucked back into tropical foliage and you do have to walk to get to it. Like the other buildings, it is in an old house brought in. It has a wrap-around porch to allow for outside dining and is cozy inside. It has passed through multiple hands over the years and the latest version is FIGAT Chefs Kitchen.

FIGAT is Federation of International Gastronomy, Art and Tourism. It’s an international organization that celebrates the love of food. Chefs are rotated every so often to different places and the reason they are in Cauley Square is because of the proximity to Redland which has unique agriculture. While they are not precisely Farm To Table, they focus on fresh. At the moment, their menu is heavily influenced with Spanish and Caribbean. They are not inexpensive, but portions are generous and worth what you spend. There will also be culinary workshops and events in the near future. Service is impeccable. This is not a place to dash into for a meal. It is intended to be leisurely and the sort of place where one has wine with lunch. Interestingly, their array of desserts (at least for lunch) are shooter size with choices of mousse, key lime pie, multiple flavors of cheesecake, and yes, the coffee is delicious. I will be sitting down with the lady in charge soon to write an article for the paper. They are involved in programs with various levels of students as well as entities associated with tourism. Unless we specifically wish to travel into the Keys to dine on the water, this will be our special occasion place if we want to go beyond our city limits.