Peggy Markel

Alumni Story: Natalie's "Rule of Yes"

2012-01-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

When describing our culinary adventures, we always tell potential guests to "Expect surprises!" but it can be hard to explain the exact quality of unexpected moments that pop up throughout a trip. When Natalie Beck, a friend of a friend from Boulder, pulled Peggy's phone number out of her pocket and joined the 2010 Amalfi sailing program last June, the course of her European vacation was

Aniello Sposito: The Poetic Portmaster of Amalfi

2012-01-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

Call it love at first sight. Call me a sucker as it happens more times that my fingers can count. Sometimes it’s romantic. Sometimes it’s not. But magic it is. Being on a sailboat is one of life’s great feelings of liberation. Pulling into port has it’s own metaphor, right out of The Ancient Mariner. The going out to sea.. the coming home. There is a sending off and a welcoming back that is as

Recipe: Tagine of Blue Foot Chicken and Dried Cherries Soaked in Wine.

2012-01-08T22:04:00.003-07:00

The tagine is my choice of an unglazed clay pot, especially in winter. Its terracotta top and bottom create the perfect environment for developing slow-cooked flavor. Being a great fan of Morocco, I most often stick to the traditional dishes. Moroccans themselves are quite creative, but the buck stops when it gets too out of the box or out of range for ingredients out of their reach. Last

A New Year's Letter for Adventures to Come.

2011-12-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

A splash of holiday color along the Lungarno. As the year comes to a close, like many of you I am full of gratitude. For love, health, safety (after miles of traveling), family and friends and the kindness from all those who keep these programs afloat. To quote poet David Whyte, "I am twice blessed to have a first love as a work, but also, ultimately, to see it as no work at all,

Alumni Story: The Ravioli Crisis

2011-12-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

When all is said and done, what we do here at PMCA is all about people. Those we meet and those we travel with. The ingredients that become familiar and the recipes we learn bloom into larger stories, even after we have returned home. During this 20th Anniversary year, we are making it a priority to collect and share stories from our alumni, about the moments that stand out and the ways

Announcing the 20th Anniversary "Trip of a Lifetime"

2011-12-13T13:52:00.003-07:00

June 11-20, 2012 In honor of our 20th Anniversary year, we have designed a trip to commemorate all of the chefs, artisans, farmers, estate owners, and characters that we have worked with for nearly 2 decades. A once-in-a-lifetime culinary tour of Florence, Liguria and the 'Bay of Poets', and the island of Elba. With an optional sailing extension around Procida and the Amalfi coast.

Holiday Recipe: "Pick Me Up!" Tiramisu

2011-12-13T08:07:00.003-07:00

A few years ago, our friend Moya told us a story about her Tuscan mother-in-law, who used this phrase in a sentence when her husband told a bit of gossip. She said, “Tiramisu le calze!! Well, pick up my stockings!” It’s our favorite elegant dessert and always pleases. Ingredients: 3 large eggs, separated 3/4 cup sugar 1 (8-oz) container mascarpone cheese (1 scant cup) 1/2 cup chilled heavy

Explore Morocco with us this March!

2011-11-14T15:09:00.001-07:00

Morocco: A Feast for the Senses March 18-27, 2012 When I meet fellow Americans traveling abroad here in North Africa, I ask them, "What did you expect to find here?" Almost without exception, regardless of the way they express it, the answer reduced to its simplest terms is: a sense of mystery. ~ Paul Bowles. Email us or call our booking coordinator, Merete, at 303-910-0897 to

Recipe: Francisco Lillo's Sweet Potato Fritters

2011-11-07T16:02:00.001-07:00

Croquetas de Boniato (A great alternative to Thanksgiving sweet potato pie!) > 3 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed) > 2 tablespoons butter > 1 teaspoon salt > 2 eggs > 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon > 1/2 teaspoon vanilla > 1/4 cup sugar > 3 eggs (beaten for egg wash) > 1 1/2 cups crushed almonds > oil for frying Heat safflower oil in a deep frying pan. In a large bowl thoroughly mix together

She Might Be In Tangier

2011-11-06T17:16:00.011-07:00

"If you see her, say 'hello', she might be in Tangier..."This Bob Dylan song came to me, along with "Boots of Spanish leather," while crossing the strait of Gibraltar a few days ago. It was no different than any other ferry crossing, just more significant. Leaving Tarifa, Spain's final beach, for the minarets of Morocco follows the thread of many a famous traveler. I frequent ferries in

Cooking in the Alpujarras, Spain: Chestnut Soup with Sherry

2011-10-29T11:16:00.003-06:00

The end of October is definitely chestnut time. The air cools and the spiny balls drop to the ground when the wind blows. Its a bit of bother getting into them, but well worth it. If you find them on the ground, you can put your foot on top of one and just apply pressure, rolling over it carefully, until the nut pops out all shiny and and brown. There are several areas of Andalucía

Spain: Marketing in Malaga

2011-10-28T17:54:00.006-06:00

Kim, Anne and I started our journey with six culinary enthusiasts in Malaga on Friday. Hitting the outdoor covered markets we gathered all that we could think of to create the menus that Kim had devised for our next six days in the mountains. Each student received a list and fulfilled it on his or her own. Not one of them spoke Spanish, including me—and my Italian can only go so far. So what to

Spain: Recipe for Smoky Eggplant with Yellow Peppers and Red Onion

2011-10-24T23:11:00.000-06:00

Bearing left at the bridge, we leave the GR142 and follow the right bank of the Rio Trevelez, almost immediately crossing a stream over large slabs of smooth stone. Beyond the stream, a yellow waymark indicates a rough path that zigzags up through big bushes of retama. We follow this path, crossing an erroded, rocky section and climbing towards a small chestnut tree where theres a very old dot

Upcoming Program: Tasting Royal Rajasthan, India

2011-10-19T15:33:00.000-06:00

This February 5-17, 2012: Tasting Royal Rajasthan India: Tasting Royal Rajasthan February 5-17, 2012 Feel a culture beneath your feet as you walk the noble hallways of Indian palaces. Stop and gaze through a windows at villages, dotted with baby blue houses painted in Krishna's honor. Walk streets of turbaned shop keepers selling chai and spices. Become familiar with ingredients and

Relaxing with "Thé Petales": Rose Petal Tea from Perfumer Miller Harris, London.

2011-10-16T11:11:00.006-06:00

Paul Grimes smelling the roses at Jalil Belkamel's aromatherapy garden in Marrakech. "My name is Peggy Markel and I haven't written a blog in over 15 days". This is what I imagine a meeting at Bloggers Anonymous would sound like. In this case, I confess that I can't keep up with blogging, or other social media word flow. My life moves fast in the "slow food and travel" lane. Just this late

Sicily: These are a few of my favorite things....

2011-10-01T15:39:00.000-06:00

A basket of small pears.. purple cauliflower next to chicory and a pink graffiti'd wall.. baked onions who's aroma beckons you near... Fruits we never see with names that twist our mind... a color-coordinated melon seller.. when the train strikes.. when our feet hurt.. when we're feeling tired... we simply remember some fabulous things and then.. we don't feel.. .so tired...!

Sicily: Same and Different

2011-09-25T05:03:00.001-06:00

This September's program in Sicily was our first in two years, and in many ways we were unsure about what we would find. We were pleasantly surprised to see how Fabrizia Lanza is tending her mother, Anna Tasca Lanza's exquisite garden and cooking school. This was the first trip since the passing of Anna Tasca Lanza, great friend and renowned cookbook author, whose estate, Regaleali was—and

Catania, Sicily: An Endangered Market, Alive and Well.. for Now

2011-09-20T11:54:00.000-06:00

The Fontana di Amenano, built by sculptor Tito Angelini in 1867, owes its name to the underground river it takes its water from. The jet that causes the water to cascade is nicknamed "the fountain of the blanket-like water." From here, one descends beyond the veil, down the stairs, into the belly of the Catania fish market. Old men and young, stand behind make-shift stands in old clothes

Sicily: Beach Club Bingo

2011-09-14T09:58:00.002-06:00

Twenty minutes from downtown Modica is a golden beach with sand as fine as flour. The Mediterranean sea lapped warm and shallow close to the boardwalk where I was met with open arms by my old friend, Innocenzo Pluchino, entrepreneur and chocolatier, who was once just a curious young Sicilian who loved to travel. Now, he is a successful young man, who takes a keen interest in creating

A Poem, Under Anna's Palm

2011-09-11T16:07:00.003-06:00

Here in a Sicilian courtyard, under a palm we speak of times past with Anna in the garden and her beloved forgotten fruits the sorb apple, quince and mulberry we bloody our hands with juice and pick less forgotten figs high up in the tree we are surrounded by 1000 acres of vines and olive trees with a canopy of blue sky that fades slowly into dusk with a pink blush that matches

Breakfast Bruschetta

2011-08-22T10:04:00.001-06:00

Every food has a story. This morning I saw the bread from yesterday and wanted toast. I thought, "this isn't just any toast. This is Maorizio's rustic loaf perfect for bruschetta". I don't usually eat bruschetta for breakfast..but a flat of my good friend Michael's heirloom tomatoes were staring me in the face. They are so sweet and delicious, I thought to myself, "better than jam". Bruschetta

Cool Cucumber Summer Soup from The House of Dreams

2011-08-18T16:46:00.000-06:00

I live in the House of Dreams, "La Maison des Reves", right here in Boulder, Colorado. It rivals any French garden. Although it has been a temporary home, my desk overlooks a rushing creek that flows into a pond, where geese fly in and out and the occasional wild bobcat or bear tend to visit upon occasion. The land that slopes down to the pond is dotted with black eyed Susan's, lavender, dahlia,

Fishing in the Black Canyon, a video by Graham Markel

2011-08-09T12:27:00.001-06:00

A Letter from Spain, via Chef Kim Schiffer.

2011-08-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

Cherries. Ripe cherries, screaming to be picked and eaten right there on our hike; so beautiful and iridescently rose-y with the sunlight shining through them. Who knew we would fine this unexpected gift?! We were high in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucia, in the midst a cooking adventure at Casa Ana. It was the end of June and hot. The peaceful quiet was interrupted only

Recipe: Pesce Mediterraneo

2011-07-23T19:49:00.002-06:00

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Recipe: Ajo Blanco

2011-07-21T17:31:00.004-06:00

Ajo Blanco: Chilled Spanish Almond Soup Serves 4 > 1 slice of stale bread, crust removed > 1/2 cup water > 1 garlic clove > salt > 1/4 cup blanched almonds > 1 Tblsp sherry vinegar > 1/2 cup olive oil > 2 cups ice water > 24 grapes, green and seedless Soak bread in water for 1 minute. Squeeze dry. Pound garlic with salt into a paste. Grind almonds in a food processor until

Ventotene... No wind? I dare say, it's where the wind comes from.

2011-07-10T17:55:00.013-06:00

Our first morning sail took us around to the south side of Procida, to see the panoramic pastel houses that grace the island, all bunched together like a bee colony. Historically, the various house colors had a purpose. A sailor could spot his house from afar and see if his wife was waiting for him in the window. Sunny with a bit of good wind, we calculated our sail to Ventotene, 16k away at 8

Aperitivo Time!

2011-07-07T13:20:00.001-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite aperitivi. I did not write this article, but compiled this info some years back and did not get the author's name. An English mixologist, no doubt...most unfortunate as it's well written. Enjoy.