{from the kitchen this past week}

kind of chocolate-y whoopie pies with a yummy mascarpone&raspberry jam filling.

a cock-a-leekie inspired soup, with chicken, leeks, carrots, onion and chineese pasta.

and this wonderfully yummy comfort food. i love baked eggs and as soon as i saw this at one of my favorite foodie blogs, i had to try something simillar. it was creamy and super tasty. i used olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the ramequin, added bits of bread, 2 eggs, some lovely rosted pumpkin, bits of cheese (use a flavourful cheese) and sprinkled some salt, pepper and oregano. put in the oven and patiently wait for a yummy meal. :) 

{caramel latte}

i used a recipe amanda shared on her blog, to make my own homemade caramel  sauce and it's perfect for caramel lattes or caramel frapuccinos. you can use it in any fancy or simple way... on pancakes, as an apple dip, icecream topping, you name it.

 

for the caramel latte you can use 1 shot of hot expresso (i actually used decaf), 1 cup warm or hot milk, 2 Tblsps of the caramel and cream to top. yum.

{a kinda middle eastern meal}

yesterday i felt like having middle eastern for dinner, so, this is what i came up with to satisfy my cravings:

i thought i had canned chick-peas for a real hummus, but necessity is the mother of invention and i had to adapt according to what i had. but you can find a recipe for the real thing here (where i adapted mine from) or here.

'altered' hummus

1 cup canned lima beans

drained juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried coriander

1 1/2 tbs. tahini paste
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs. olive oil 

blend all ingredients really well. cover and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes before serving. add a bit of paprika and olive oil for garnish. 

.........

labneh  [yogurt cheese]

about 150 g. greek yogurt

a pinch of salt

olive oil+parsley for garnish

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a simple lettuce, onion, red pepper and bulguhr salad.

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and, of course, some lovely, warm pita bread. the recipe was a mix beetween this one and this one.

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and a nice cup or two of fragrant mint tea with orange peel and cinnamon.

spur-of-the-moment

* greek yogurt * raspberries * dried mint * brown sugar *

on things-in-jars still...

i might just start a series... things-to-keep-in-jars. here are two more.

just peel some garlics, wash and dry them. then toss them in a clean and dry jar and cover with olive oil. this is a great way to conserve your garlic for longer and you end up with a really fragrant olive oil. you can also add some dried herbs, like oregano, for instance. if it's too hot, you can put the jar in the fridge, taking in account that the olive oil will become solid. that's no problem. 

good old apple sauce to have as is or with yogurt and some cereal or even in cake recipes and such.

{bittersweet}

o lemon curd era daquelas coisas na lista do "must try sometime". aliás, a primeira tentativa (há uns 10 anos atrás) não correu muito bem. pronto, não correu nada bem. pela má estrutura da receita e pela minha aversão, na altura, a tudo o que estivesse minimamente ligado à físico-química. a curiosidade e a vontade têm-me ensinado, entretanto, que cozinhar tem muito de ciência. chegou hoje a segunda ronda e esta já correu bem, com a ajuda desta receita descrita de uma forma tão simples e de um saco de limões da sis.  agora faltam-me os scones. 

é verdade que é preciso tempo e paciência, mas as recompensas valem a pena:

:: o aroma delicioso dos limões. as mãos impregnadas dele, no silêncio de uma cozinha desarrumada.

:: o facto de não termos que gastar dinheiro num produto que, por ser importado, fica sempre mais caro que o desejável.

:: a satisfação de fazermos nós. de raíz. 

[e isto faz-me continuar a pensar numa série de outras coisas que, com algum planeamento, se poderiam evitar da lista de compras cá de casa - desde as bolachas ao shampoo]  

{homemade pizza and nostalgia}

pizza caseira é daquelas coisas que traz nostalgia agarrada ao cheiro do fermento a levedar a massa, agarrada ao movimento terapêutico de amassar. é como se voltasse a ser miúda e o meu pai estivesse na cozinha a trabalhar com as suas mãos hábeis.

para a massa segui esta receita, no entanto deixei a massa descansar mais tempo. 

fiz um molho de tomate com tomates maduros, alho, azeite, pimenta preta e sal. triturei um pouco e deitei por cima da massa depois de a ter esticado. por cima - cebola, milho, atum, azeitonas verdes, queijo emmental e oregãos.

a massa fica super fofa e alta, sem ser gordurosa. vai para a lista das receitas favoritas.

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 homemade pizza makes me feel nostalgic. it's like i'm a kid all over again and my dad's in the kitchen with his skilled hands.

for the dough, i followed the instructions in this recipe (although i did leave it to rest for longer).

to spread on the stretched dough, i made some tomato sauce with ripe tomatoes, garlic, black pepper, olive oil and salt. then i added corn, tuna, onions, green olives and emmental cheese.

the crust so soft, without being greasy. this is definitely on the fave recipes list :) 

{like taking a bite at a cloud}

pavlova shouldn't be allowed to be so tasty! i had my first Pavlova last year, in Ireland and have been meaning to try making it since then. it takes a little bit of time, but it's worth it - like eating fluffy clouds.

pre-heat the oven to 180 ºC

so, all you need is to beat 6 egg whites. add 300 g of fine sugar, slowly, like a spoonful at a time. add a wee bit of vinegar (maybe about a Tblsp). on a tray, and over some parchment paper, pour your merengue. put it in the oven. turn it down to 150 ºC and let it cook for about an hour.

let the merengue cool a bit and then top it with whipping cream and your choice of fruit. but i must say wild berries work wonderfully (especially if you can get them fresh).

a few notes

:: the vinegar is supposed to help create a crispy outside, yet a goey, marshmallow-y inside

:: you shouldn't open your oven until an hour has passed

:: there are all sorts of pavlova recipes. the one that served as a base for this one, was one by Nigela. i think she's so funny. the way she talks poetically about food, how unpretencious she is and how she loves to eat :)

:: sis is posing here, giving the first few bites (because yummy stuff must be shared)

:: the day after i made this one, i made another one while visiting my parents and brothers (you know, that thing about sharing... and also because i had to have another piece before starting a diet)