London & Paris

Last morning with tea in bed from my wonderful husband this morning, at least for the next 6 mornings, I'm off to London and Paris for the following 6 days (work trip). I'm super excited to get out and about see whats new with the stores and hopefully try some new delicious places to eat at the beginning, middle and end of each day...

Packed for every eventuality of weather, credit card is hidden...Paris & London apps on phone.

Veg Patch

A quick update on the orto, we spent this past Saturday morning with our wellies on at the veggie patch, the sun was out this weekend so enthusiasm was high but the energy levels were soon struggling in the midday sun, we did dig out a couple more trenches and cleaned the soil for the crop mounds, aswell as laying some of the hose ready for the water supply...when it comes...

Finally we can use some of the string I've been hoarding and saving...

Tuesday

...and the last day of our four day weekend, I think we enjoyed our food this past weekend seeing the post contents...but the access we now have to better produce and choice since we moved out of the city is quite unbelievable, obviously our priorities have changed, we've made a conscious effort not to eat out so much, to enjoy cooking at home and eating organic and buying local as much possible, and trying to stay within season...we're both loving this new experience and life we're having in Italy...and not 7 km from Verona.

My day started with such a treat...a Yoga & Mediation class 20 metres from our front door...our landlords wife is an instructor in Kundalini Yoga, I've never taken a class or practiced Kundalini before, as you know I'm an Iyengar girl.
What a fantastic hour, a completely different experience to my Iyengar class, concentrating more on breathing, meditation and chanting...if only everyday could start with a private yoga class.

Today was all about making...I'm off to London on Friday and have to get a baby gift finished for our friends who are expecting their first baby in June - super excited to see them and the tummy bump. The sewing machine was going great guns all morning.
Torrential rain dampened any idea we had about going to the veggie patch and doing some digging.
Instead it was all about my first ever pie making experience...thanks to a great gift PieMinister Cookbook, I thought I'd give it ago, I've always been a bit nervous about pies...I think it's the pastry...something else that could go wrong...but now everything comes pre made and ready to wrap, drape and cover....have no fear...

I was very excited, with how it turned out...and Michael was equally as excited to eat it... 

Chicken & Leek Pie

...left overs for Wednesday night too...

Monday

 I was home alone today, Michael had to head into the office, I spent the day faffing, no better way to put it, popped over for afternoon tea with my friend, and found ourselves in the fabric shop...dangerous, picked up some great fabric for summer, but at the moment its 'project babies'...all my friends are expecting and due in late spring...I need to get sewing...
I don't know what's up with me at the moment, I just want to stay home a cook, I think it must be all the amazing fresh produce in the stores.
I was super excited to see fresh beetroot in my local store, it takes me back home and the smell of beetroot simmering away in my Mums kitchen, freshly picked from the garden, it's the first time I've seen it in Italy like this, so it had to come home with me...quick phone call to my Mum for the VERY simple instructions...it's ready and waiting in the fridge now.

Lurking in back of my fridge have been these knobbly Jerusalum Archichokes, I don't think I've ever even tasted them...let alone cooked with them, but once again thanks to the inspiration of Nigel Slaters Tender: Vol 1, I decided to take the plunge...I have to admit though the recipe came from Hugh and The River Cottage...

:: Jerusalum artichoke & spinach gratin ::

One tablespoon of sunflower oil


A knob of butter


Two onions, finely sliced


Three garlic cloves, sliced


500g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into 3mm rounds


One teaspoon of chopped thyme


200ml double cream

100ml of vegetable stock or water

100g of spinach, roughly chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

:For the topping:



A handful of porridge oats


Three thick slices of stale bread, torn into little pieces



25g of melted butter


30g of Cheddar cheese or hard goat’s cheese, grated

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, add the onions and the garlic and cook gently until soft and starting to take on a little colour. Add the artichokes and thyme, then season well with salt and pepper. 

 Cook, tossing occasionally, for about five minutes. 

Pour over the cream and water or stock and simmer gently until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the nettles or spinach, then transfer everything to a greased gratin dish, levelling it out as you go.

 Mix all the topping ingredients together. Sprinkle over the artichoke mixture and bake in an oven pre-heated to 190C or Gas Mark 5 for about 25-30 minutes, until 

golden brown and bubbling.



 



I served it with a tomato, capers & red onion salad, with a dressing of lemon, olive oil, & mint.

Sunday

Up and out fairly early Sunday morning as we were on the hunt for some bargains at our favorite Antique/Flea Market...

We didn't actually find what we were looking for, but did come home with some other treasures for our house.

Our first Persian rug, which now looks perfect at the end of our bed, storage for downstairs...finally...with this blue cupboard

persian rug & blue cupboard

We also purchased a beautiful for a Moroccan rug for our spare room, I think it's using a technique called brocade, but I need to do a more research, and it needs a some TLC.... as it's a little grubby, a new botanical poster also found it's way home with us...how this happens I don't have a clue...which also needs a little attention...pics to follow.

Saturday

Crikey!! I've got a lot of catching up to do...after a four day weekend, and no blog updates.

I have to say we didn't get up to anything too exciting, the weather wasn't particularly inspiring, although the excuse to stay in because of rain made lazy days easier to justify, taking advantage of being at home and enjoying it.

The kitchen was a hive of activity all weekend, it was such a luxury to have the time to shop locally and prepare our food, no rushing in from work and manically trying to get to the store before it closes....

Season wise we are now running parallel with asparagus & strawberries which are viing for our attention at the greengrocers.

Breakfast

Supper

Tried out a another new Asparagus recipe Saturday night - thanks to my new favorite recipe book

Nigel Slaters Tender: Vol 1, although I did subsidize, the requested broad beans (one of my fav) for peas...it was all I had. 

:: Asparagus, Broad bean(Pea)& Mint Pilaf ::

Couple of handfuls of broad beans

12 thin asparagus spears 

120g white basmati rice 

50g butter 3 bay leaves 

6 green cardamom pods lightly crushed 6 black peppercorns 

Cinnamon stick 2 to 3 cloves, 

no more Small pinch cumin seeds 

Couple of sprigs of thyme 

4 thin spring onions 

3 or 4 sprigs parsley

To accompany the pilaf

2 Tbsp chopped mint

2 Tbsp olive oil

200g yoghurt

Trim the asparagus and cut it into short lengths. Boil or steam for three minutes, then drain.

Cook the broad beans in deep, lightly salted, boiling water for four minutes, until almost tender, then drain.

Wash the rice three times in cold water, moving the grains around with your fingers. Cover with warm water, add a teaspoon of salt and set aside for a good hour. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds and sprigs of thyme. Stir them round in the butter for a minute or two, until the fragrance wafts up. 

Drain the rice and tip it into the warmed spices. Cover with a centimetre of water and bring to the boil. Season with salt, cover and turn the heat down to a simmer.

Finely slice the spring onions.

Chop the parsley. After five minutes, remove the lid and gently fold in the asparagus, broad beans, spring onions and parsley. Replace the lid and continue cooking for five or six minutes, until the rice is tender but has some bite to it.

All the water should have been absorbed.

Leave, with the lid on but the heat off, for two or three minutes. Remove the lid, add a knob of butter if you wish, check the seasoning and fluff gently with a fork. 

Serve with yoghurt sauce: stir 2 Tbsp of chopped mint, a little salt and 2 Tbsp of olive oil into 200g thick, but not strained, yoghurt.

We had plenty of leftovers for lunch on Sunday too.

Day of Liberation

It was Liberation day here on Wednesday, commemorating the end of the WWII. Fortunately the rain that we've been having everyday for the past 2 weeks disappeared and the sun came out again...hip-hip-hooray!!

We took ourselves for a lovely walk along the river, stopped off to pick up some fresh blueberry muffins and headed home for a well earned cuppa in the garden. This is how I'd like to spend every breakfast at least for the next 5 months of sunnier day, it was the perfect way to spend our Liberation day morning.