New thing

This was my first try on labne and it did turn out real nice!

A plum morning

Plums are good at the moment. 
I made a simple plum and ricotta crumble from some small dark plums and that is what we are having for breakfast.

Mediterrano calling

The call of Mediterranean is something we can never resist as one can see from this picture.

Winter fun

Winter is heading our way - nice!

It means pears with ricotta, honey and biscotti's for breakfast for us.

Back here!

Cooler weather, asparagus and me we are all back!

As we were travelling for a while there has been a lapse in postings.
Hopefully I will catch up with blog soon.

The fist new season asparaguses came onto our plate in a stracciatella omelette.
It was finger licking good!

Napolitan eggplant

I once read a book about pizza making in Napoli.
It did change my life.
This salad is a variation of one pizza topping from that book.
Basically, it is caramelised eggplant and feta with fresh mint and it is delicious!

Persia and Georgia

I found this recipe in one Persian cook book. Pomegranate seeds are the most significant bit of this dish but freshly roasted almonds and fresh mint are also important.

It becomes even better when paired with classy Georgian red wine.

Flowers on background

like that…

or on foreground like that…

Roasted peaches

Rocket and roasted peaches salad is good for summer evening's dinner.

Omnivore

I have two favourites from the opposite ends of the world at the moment.

The first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd42N-FdnOQ

The second:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-pzyueKIvE&list=PL9RHkvYTK5RJFzP29q60sc2XTNT0Q27Nx

I am somewhat an omnivore when it comes to arts.

Not so Medieval beans

Boiling beans, fresh ones in this instant, with some garlic does add a good twist to an old staple.

And mango for a desert is always a winner.

A real Oldtimer

I got the recipe for this dish from a book about Medieval eating in Tallinn.
It may look rather ordinary but tastes truly good, Medieval or not. 
It is flat beans boiled with bay leaves and garlic and then mashed with some olive oil, lemon nice and parsley.

Mango, mango, mango

Local mangoes are ready!

And these roses were just irresistible!!!

Childhood favourite

This baked slice does not look amazing but it does taste so!
We call it "karask".
It is simply a barley flower and buttermilk dough baked in quiet oven and of course everyone does it a little bit differently but I can proudly say that mine is just as good as my grannie's!

Flowers again

I have always loved flowers. They do make our life better.

Chill(i) time

Hot food for hot weather. 
My garden is giving me one chilli after another, so tonight I made a chickpea, paprika and chilli dish.

Melon balm

A bowl of melon with some lemon balm is rather sufficient for a hot summer day's lunch.

I got some really lovely melons straight from a farmer today, too.

Hungry!

I was very, very hungry by the time I got home tonight. So - pasta and beans it was! 
Of course I added a lot of garlic and some parmesan.
I do LOVE garlic!

Dvorak

I heard this when driving home and almost veered of the road - it's beauty always fills me with yearning for the Old World.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc2RsoJ0ljc


Not to mention that Prague is one of my all time favourites and not only because it's fabulous food and bakeries.

Bunch of peppermint

A bunch of peppermint or rather a bouquet…

Stringy beans make a lovely dish with walnuts and garlic. 

Cauliflower power

It is 23.00 and still 32C, warm, warm, warm.
So it is that for dinner a salad is more than sufficient.
Tonight it was a roasted cauliflower salad with lemon juice and garlic - absolutely lovely, even if it is just me saying so.

Oh, fig it!

The fig season is here!!!
Figs and natural yoghurt make a delicious and nutritious breakfast.

Just add chilli

A chickpea and broccoli stew kind of a thing is really good with some additional chilli and garlic.

Hand picked

I picked these figs myself, so of course they did taste extra delicious!

I do have a stiff competition from parrots when it comes to figs. They were telling all sorts of nasty thing about me in a very loud voice while I was picking the fruit.

Just add chilli

As chillies are getting ready one by one in my little garden I made another chillied up dish.

Chilli makes a regular pasta much more summery, in my opinion.

Flowers galore

There is no two ways about it - I do love flowers.

Luckily our Farmers Market has a fabulous flower stall.

Fencoli

One thing I have grown fond over time is fennel.
This fennel, pear and toasted walnut salad with some provolone piccante turned out very tasty and refreshing.

Zesty start

For me, breakfast is very important. It really sets the outlook for a day.
A banana, red currant and ginger smoothie is a very good and invigorating start for the day.

Chilli and coriander

There is a tandem that always packs a punch - chilli and coriander, especially when they come from my own little garden.
So, this time they complimented chick peas fried with garlic and olive oil.

Rocket

Some combinations seam to always work. One of them is pear, rocket and toasted walnut.
So, that is what I had for dinner tonight with some (quite some) garlic and parmigiano.

Flowers

Gardenia has started blossoming again and the roses keep up their good work.

Melissa officinalis

As today we had a somewhat cooler evening I made a tea out of fresh lemon balm - it is lovely, milder sister of a peppermint tea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_officinalis

Market day

I do love market days. 
Now, the stone fruit season has started for real and I am taking the full advantage of it.

Summer winner

It was a winner for a summer night - pasta with tomato, basil (from our own garden) and goat cheese.
Kytrien is a small local goat cheese maker who's cheeses are just lovely. 
They are my first choice when it comes to goat cheese here.

Tropical brekkie

Today we had my favourite summer weather - about 30C and overcast with moisture in the air.
To match the tropical feeling we had a banana, mango and ginger smoothie with some granola for breakfast.

Happy New Year!

New Year festivities imposed an hiatus on my blogging.
Now, we turned back to one of our old time favourites - buckwheat porridge.
It is still very, very good!