tagged ‘basil’

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]

Blueberry, basil & lime yogurt cheesecake

in Desserts, Taste -

A light and fluffy blueberry, basil & lime yogurt cheesecake, made with cottage cheese, yogurt and the pretties blueberries.

I spent many of my teenage years dreaming of making the perfect cheesecake; the inspiration was Miranda, a friend of my parents. Everything she made, and still makes, was delicious, beautifully presented, utterly satisfying and warming, the way only a meal made with lots of love and attention can be. My favourites were her cheesecake and tiramisu. I marvelled at them for years, their perfect shape, layers of goodness and flavour- my god, so much flavour! [READ MORE]

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]

Beer, bacon & fennel seed bread

in Savoury, Taste -

In celebration of baking, picnics and all things summer, a beer, bacon & fennel seed bread I’ve been in love with for quite some time now.

beer-bacon-fennel-seed-bread

In my mind, I love baking; going through my fridge and cupboards, flipping through recipes or eyeing fresh produce of the season. Then slowly, sometimes reluctantly, others barely containing my self, forming a plan; it is often in the form of a challenge, but mostly I’m a slave to my own appetites and even more so to the people I have in mind when baking. I made these cookies for a friend leaving London for Portugal via Berlin and five different cakes for another friend’s birthday. There needs to be a reason, even if it’s just an overwhelming desire for pie or the juiciest tomatoes I could get my hands on. [READ MORE]

Summer potato salad with bresaola, tomatoes, radishes & avocado

in Savoury, Taste -

A summer potato salad with bresaola, tomatoes, radishes & avocado, which is as beautiful, simple, refreshing and filling as it gets. 

Summer potato salad with bresaola, tomatoes, radishes & avocado

When we were wee bit babies, our mom had an array of nicknames for us; amongst my favourites were ‘little potato chip’, for me, and ‘little shrimp’ for my sister. We were quite similar for sure, as identical twins can be, yet also quite different, as much as siblings usually are. I was the rounder one- hence the little potato monicker, which I always loved- even when I didn’t like my chubbiness, even when I decided I didn’t care much for potatoes. [READ MORE]