Green pasta salad with parsley & thyme vinaigrette

in Savoury, Taste -

I am a little bit obsessed with this green pasta salad with parsley & thyme vinaigrette- I’ll be making it all summer long and I hope you will too.

Green pasta salad with parsley & thyme vinaigrette

Like with any good salad, it all starts with a delicious vinaigrette- which, in this case started in the same way most of my dishes begin: with a pinch of this and a dash of that, with whatever I had in hand and thoughts of how flavours and ingredients pair nicely together. The first time I made it, I had a plate of wholewheat penne and a can of tuna to play with. As simple -and frankly- as boring as it gets. [READ MORE]

Strawberry, avocado & cucumber giant couscous salad

in Savoury, Taste -

A refreshing strawberry, avocado & cucumber giant couscous salad perfect for summer days and nights, when the living is easy.

Even though it’s not entirely so, in my mind summer arrived in London about three weeks ago; since then, I’ve been in a constant state of excitement over all the beautiful late spring and early summer beauties available: crisp and refreshing cucumbers, sweet juicy strawberries and delicate fresh greens, all begging to be left as they are, merely tossed with some fragrant herbs, a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of salt flakes, or a dollop of thick honey or drizzle of thick golden olive oil. [READ MORE]

Baked chickpeas with capers, olives & orange

in Savoury, Taste -
These simple and delicious baked chickpeas with capers, olives & orange only need friends to share with and lots of crusty bread. 
Baked chickpeas with capers, olives & orange
Of all pulses, chickpeas are easily my favourites. Their smooth taste makes them irresistibly versatile and a great addition to so many dishes from silky hummus and veggie burgers to chunky soups and fragrant curries. Possibly my favourite way to cook them has been tossing them with olive oil, lots of spices and herbs and cook until very crispy and utterly irresistible. Like so, they add texture and lots of flavour to fried eggs and veggie wraps- though to be honest, I mostly just eat them straight from the pan, while they are still almost too hot to touch.

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Pea, pesto & egg salad with radishes & sourdough

in Savoury, Taste -

A pea, pesto & egg salad with radishes & sourdough as colourful as spring and as beautiful and fresh as the seasons inspires. 

Pea, pesto & egg salad with radishes & sourdough

Somewhere between spring and summer (as it usually is the case in London- the weather jumps from winter to blasting heat and back again and again), I find myself overwhelmed, inspired, too hot to cook, too enamoured with all the beautiful fresh produce available (strawberries! asparagus! baby potatoes! peas!) to choose. In the last few days, I’ve been mostly gravitating towards tartines, eggs and salads; some are simple and hastily tossed together with extra virgin olive oil, a touch of balsamic and fresh torn basil. others are a tad more elaborate, still however following my basic rule for spring and summer cooking- and eating: spend as little time in the kitchen, and especially over a stove- as possible. [READ MORE]

Quinoa, red bean & mushroom veggie burger

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Generously flavoured with chipotle honey and herbs, these quinoa, red bean & mushroom veggie burger is delicious and a damn looker too!

Quinoa, red bean & mushroom veggie burger

Inspired by the promises of delightfully warm, hot even, weather and bright sun at last, I’m sharing my favourite veggie budget recipe yet; as much as I love beef burgers, I so much prefer a veggie version: I find that there’s infinite possibilities for improvising, adding a variety of ingredients, spices and herbs, depending on what I have at hand, cravings and flavour profile I’m after. [READ MORE]

Feta, spring onion & dill pie (tyropita)

in Savoury, Taste -

This feta, spring onion & dill pie (tyropita) is always one of my favourite things to make from scratch. Bear with me, it’s so worth it!

Feta, spring onion & dill pie (tyropita)

As I’ve mentioned here, making Greek pies from scratch is my favourite thing and the one ambition I’ve had since I clumsily, impatiently started cooking. For some it’s a soufflé, the perfect omelette or an elaborate cake with many layers and fluffy, smooth frosting. I certainly wouldn’t mind perfecting all of the above, especially a cake (my impatience usually gets the better of me and I somehow end up slathering the frosting on and hope for the best). [READ MORE]

Mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa

in All recipes, Savoury, Taste -

My latest food crush is these mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa. So much flavour, so many colours, never enough tacos!

Mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa

My Easter Lent adventure is coming to an end this Sunday; it’s been both hard and not a big deal and I’ve been kind of a good sport about my (almost) vegan diet in the last 50 days or so. There has been moaning, even despair at times (I have a flair for the dramatic more than I care to admit). Mostly there’s been a lot of delicious favourites and experimentation too featuring the following: pulses, tahini, fresh and cooked veggies, nuts and a fair amount of prawns. While I normally eat lots of fish, in the absence of it, I rediscovered how much I love seafood: I devoured this pasta a couple times and made delicious steamed mussels with lots of garlic and a hearty side of toasted bread; yet, the dish I enjoyed the most during this period are these tacos. [READ MORE]

Smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs (and a giveaway!)

in Savoury, Taste -

This delicious and filling smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs lives almost exactly between winter and spring.

Smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs

Winter had made an unexpected and very prominent come back to London this week. The days are very cold, deceivingly sunny and filled with beautiful snow. It seems like the seasons are at odds with each other: spring is attempting an early take over, gifting us with persistent brightness, while winter is firmly standing its ground with temperatures below zero and bitter gusts of wind. I love it all the same. The days are longer already, the snow is as always a sight for sore eyes and the cold nights beg for warmth and comfort. These may come in different forms (I love a fragrant hot toddy, a warm bowl of morning goodness and of course a slice of seasonal delight) but soups are almost always my go to. [READ MORE]

Beet & kumquat salad with maple & blood orange dressing

in Savoury, Taste -

The prettiest beet & kumquat salad with maple & blood orange dressing, perfectly finished with delicate greens, almonds & feta.

Beet & kumquat salad with maple & blood orange dressing

I love this salad so much! It’s filled with so many different colours and textures and hits pretty much every note: sweet and salty, lightly bitter and sweet, fresh yet filling. The beginning of it all were blood oranges, those precious winter beauties with the impossibly pretty colour and lovely juice; and from there, I just started adding layers and layers of favourite ingredients: delicate green and purple leaves, some thinly sliced bittersweet kumquats from my seemingly endless supply and quickly pickled red & yellow beets. All those colours… I mean! [READ MORE]

Spicy savoy cabbage & shiitake miso soup

in Savoury, Taste -

This spicy savoy cabbage & shiitake miso soup is filled with all the vegetables and all the goodness & is perfect for winter weather & nasty colds.

Spicy savoy cabbage & shiitake miso soup

Not surprisingly, this cold and gloomy weather is just heavenly for a house cat like myself. I spent the whole of Sunday between the couch and the kitchen, between dreamily gazing at the snow, sleepily watching bad TV and hungrily devouring carrot soup, more grilled cheese than I should admit and spicy soft cookies baked straight from the freezer. My belly was full, my feet warm and I felt only mildly like a guilty sloth. All in all, a very satisfying winter day. And even though I will probably not have one like it for a while, I can always think about it fondly and enjoy warming, spicy and comforting dishes, like this colourful and fragrant miso soup. [READ MORE]