Inspiration from an Italian Spice Market: Chai

Does anything taste better on a cold winter afternoon than a cup of chai? Hot, peppery, spicy, sweet, milky - it is the perfect winter warm up. Brewed Chai is not a typical offering in Italy, and the available Chai tea bags just don’t approach the taste of the real thing. There was only one solution, I needed to learn to brew it myself !

A trip to an outdoor holiday market in December gave me just the inspiration I needed to work on my chai brewing skills. A big basket of star anise and another of tiny cubes of candied ginger first caught my eye. There were also displays of cinnamon sticks, whole black peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods. It was impossible to see all of these spices and not think of chai!

I have experimented with several different ways of brewing chai. I’ve used whole, ground, and crushed spices. I’ve tried making batches of spice mix ahead of time to keep on hand. In the end I have found that the easiest method, and the one that achieves the flavor I crave, is to brew individual small batches of chai using whole spices, pieces of crystallized ginger, and a good strong base of black tea. Whole milk is perfect for chai, though 2% works pretty well too. There are lots of possibilities for sweeteners - I tend to use stevia.

The brewed chai will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, just reheat as needed.

The recipe is flexible. Like more pepper? Just increase the amount to taste. More cinnamon? Throw in another stick. Don’t like cloves? They can be eliminated all together. No cardamom on hand? It will still taste great without it. The ginger, cinnamon, and some black pepper are essentials though. And a good, strong black tea. And while I have tried powdered spices, they just don’t work as well.

As I write this I have a batch brewing and my apartment is filled with the wonderful aroma of chai spices.

Simple Chai Recipe (makes 3 cups)

In a saucepan, cover 3 black tea bags (or an equivalent amount of loose black tea) with 3 cups of boiling water.

Add the following:

3 cinnamon sticks

1 ounce of crystallized ginger, either thin flakes or cut into small bits (note: ginger varies a lot in intensity - this is a starting point, adjust to taste)

3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

12 whole cloves

15 cardamom pods, cracked

4 whole star anise pods

Steep over lowest flame x 45 minutes and then strain to remove the whole spices.

Add sweetener and milk to taste (4 ounces of milk is about right)

Bring to a simmer and enjoy!

A hot cup of chai provides inspiration for writing too!

Wrapping Up 2022 A Year in Pictures

Easter Celebration in Florence. April 2022

I don’t make new year’s resolutions. Probably because they are too easy to make yet too easy to abandon.  I already know that I should exercise more, eat healthier, be more patient, study Italian much harder, work on personal growth, etc, etc.  No once-a-year resolutions required.

 I do however set goals and make plans. In 2022 (hard to think of that as last year yet) one of my goals was to get back to traveling, something I was itching to do after two years of COVID restrictions. 

As a bonus, several friends planned trips to Italy in 2022 and sharing travel with friends as they discover Italy, and as they see just what it is I love about living here, is fun for me.   Looking forward to their trips gave me months of pleasure. And their arrivals in Italy made for lots of fun this past year.

Villa Torregiani, Lucca. April 2022

So, before I move on to my plans for 2023 (you can bet travel is still on the list), I am taking a few moments to think back on this past year - the new places I’ve experienced, the favorite places I have revisited, and the Italian adventures I have shared with friends and family.  It was a great year for Italian adventures and I have some photos to prove it!

Above: A good friend introduced me to Florence’s Iris garden, which sits high above the city and is open for only a few weeks each spring. May 2022

Above: Exploring Liguria, including Camogli and Portovenere with my daughter and 2 oldest grandkids. June 2022.

Below: Ravenna and its spectacular mosaics. October 2022

My wish is that these photos, along with the past year’s blog posts, will inspire our travel goals for 2023.  January can seem like a long and somewhat dreary month after all the excitement of the holidays, that makes it the perfect month for travel planning. Let’s get started!

Sunrise at Agriturismo Cretaiole, Pienza. October 2022. A week long stay at my favorite agriturismo with good friends from New Mexico.

Pontremoli, November 2022.

 Buon Anno !    Happy New Year !    Happy Travel Planning !

Paris at Christmas

One last holiday post – this time from Paris!  

Traditional Yule logs in a Paris Bakery

Paris is magical at any time of year, but especially so during the Christmas season.  There are beautifully decorated shop windows, sparkling lights all around the city, and an abundance of Christmas markets.  Add in the Eiffel Tower, a museum visit, stunning Parisian architecture, and wonderful French delicacies in pastry shops around town and it is all pretty perfect. 

Along with all of that, the air is crisp (well, that is putting it gently – Paris was incredibly cold in December), the early sunset means the lights come on by about 4 pm, and everyone seems to be in a festive, friendly mood.  Street musicians play Christmas music and people dressed up as Santa dance in the streets. Fun!

Vin Chaud (hot mulled wine) at the Christmas market in Place St Michel.

Some seasonal highlights:

The Christmas Markets. 

Visiting the holiday markets was the main reason that my friend and I went to Paris in winter. They did not disappoint!  The biggest
Christmas market is at the Tuileries Garden, along Rue de Rivoli and surrounding the Ferris wheel that takes passengers high above the rooftops of the city.  The market includes a large food court filled with German and French specialties.  Picture roasting sausages, large pretzels, escargot, raclette, vin chaud (hot mulled wine), and steaming cups of hot chocolate. There is a carnival-like atmosphere with lots of rides and games for children, an artisan market with handcrafted items, and Christmas decorations galore.  

 My two favorite markets were both near Notre Dame.  The first is a Parisian institution - Le Marché aux Fleurs (The Flower Market) in Place Louis Lépine.  Open year round as a plant and bird market, in December it adopts a holiday theme. The stalls are filled with gorgeous wreaths, trees large and small, ornaments, candles, and garden items.  This is THE place to get your Parisian Christmas tree and holiday decorations.  It is enchanting and festive and very Parisian.

 The Marché de Noël Notre Dame Market lies just across the Seine in Square Viviani.  This is not the largest holiday market in Paris but it is surely the most beautiful.  Père Noël greets visitors at the entrance to the market which is arranged around a central winter wonderland.  Artisan and regional specialty booths offer beautiful crafts, wonderful scents, classic foods, and lots of opportunity to buy gifts.  This was definitely my favorite Christmas market.

 Shop Windows and Shopping Centers

 The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is amazing even when not decorated for Christmas.  The 100 year old building is crowned with an ornate stained glass dome and ringed with arched balconies around an open central area.  At the very top is an outdoor viewing platform with spectacular views over Paris.  The building itself is one of Paris’s top attractions. At Christmas it becomes even more incredible. There is a giant Christmas tree rising from the main floor towards the dome.  Throughout the store are holiday themed displays sprinkled among the exclusive brand name merchandise.  It is a unique and very glamorous Christmas experience.

 By contrast, the smaller shops throughout the city have displays that are more restrained but very charming.  This includes the pastry shops with their Buche de Noel (Yule logs), gingerbread cookies, and other delicious looking confections as well as wine shops, and a host of other merchants. 

 The Lights

Christmastime on the Champs-Elysées

It is hard to imagine how Paris, the City of Lights, can shine even brighter. 

And yet, at Christmas, the addition of lights overhead and in trees along famous boulevards adds an extra measure of brightness.  

 My Christmastime visit to Paris was a brief 4 days, just long enough to give me a taste of the holiday season. Walking through a very cold Paris, from one market to the next, past churches, monuments, and beautifully decorated shops, was a joy.  Taking warm-up breaks with a glass of hot chocolate, a coffee, or a glass of wine was a much-appreciated necessity in the frigid weather.  Sampling wintertime dishes (onion soup!) was part of the fun.  And while I am now back at home and ready for my Lucchese Christmas, I very much enjoyed my brief Parisian holiday escape.

Christmas in the Piazza

Piazza San Salvatore, Lucca

The historic center of Lucca has a medieval street plan which includes narrow streets, stone and brick buildings, towers, and a series of piazzas. The warmly colored buildings and the open spaces of the piazzas provide a perfect backdrop any time of year, but especially during the holiday season.

Each piazza in the historic center has some type of Christmas display. From traditional Christmas trees to oversize ornaments to metallic trees and old fashioned Christmas markets, the holiday vibe is everywhere. Overhead, the streets and piazzas have strings of lights and luminous stars. The ancient amphitheater has a projected light show on its curved walls, not to mention a giant Babbo Natale which delights the kids.

Piazza Napoleone is home to an ice skating rink and a Christmas market. The sounds of blades on ice, happy voices, and laughter accompany kids of all ages (and a few brave adults) as they skate around the rink. This is also where the carousel, decorated for the season, whirls kids and parents round and round.

Just beyond lies Piazza del Giglio, where the theater glows with lights and an oversize Christmas ornament lights up the piazza at night. The kids particularly like that they can walk through the ornament. As for the grownups, well there seem to be a lot of couples who stop inside for a photo or a kiss.

This year a group of artists were invited by the city of Lucca to create unique expressions reflecting Christmas themes. Their creativity fills the squares, streets, and even stretches to underneath the historic walls. Many of their creations are non-traditional or abstract, bringing a new sense of fun to the season. Pictured below: a recycled Christmas tree made entirely of plastic in Piazza Scalpellini and a very abstract tree, by Francesco Zavattari, which anchors a holiday chocolate market in Piazza Guidiccioni.

Piazza San Giovanni hosts a modern take on a woodland forest. Designed by local artist Emiliana Martinelli, it is edged with LED lights that cycle through a range of colors. Quite a contrast with the ancient church as a back drop.

Piazza del Duomo is host to one of my favorite installations. Designed by Michel Boucquillon and Donia Maaoui for the Alessi design company, this 18 foot high metallic tree, decorated with large round ornaments and a star at the top, is red on one side and silver on the other. During the day it reflects the surrounding buildings and at night it glows with reflective lights.

In the center of Lucca, the church of San Michele provides the backdrop for the largest Christmas tree in town. Locals turned out for the tree lighting ceremony on November 25th, a fun start to the Christmas installations throughout town. Under the loggia just across the square is a life size precepe (nativity scene). In Italy, nativity scenes include whole villages of people and this one is no exception. The figures are the work of the historic Giovacchino Marchi company, makers of nativity figurines since 1930.

Not all of the magic happens above ground. Underneath a section of the wall is a modern fairyland of snow and stars, another work by Francesco Zavattari. It is an unexpected surprise when taking the shortcut under the walls out into Lucca beyond the center.

Cold nights, bright lights, and Christmas magic - a perfect time for a walk through Lucca.

Piazza San Frediano

Christmas Windows

Christmas has arrived in Lucca.

Throughout the historic center there are signs of the holiday everywhere. Piazzas large and small are home to Christmas trees, oversized ornaments, and beautiful light displays. The streets glow with overhead sparkle. It is just cold enough to feel like winter, but not too cold to be out at night enjoying the festive atmosphere.

And the shops!

Shopping is all the more fun for the whimsically decorated windows and elegant indoor displays. One of my favorite window displays is in the historic shop Taddeucci (below).

Instead of words, today I will let the photos do the talking with pictures of Lucca’s wonderful shop windows.

Christmas for grownups at bar Des Artes !

Elegant Christmas decorations from Casantica, Lucca

Babbo Natale even paid a visit to this shop, delighting all the kids that passed by.

Traditional Christmas Panettone in tins designed by Dolce & Gabbana decorate the window of a local butcher.