***Happy Christmas Holidays, friends!***

I’m not sure how is it even possible that I’ve never shared a Slovenian biscotti recipe here. How silly of me. Thanks to Blair over at Slovenian roots quest I finally baked and photographed these festive, delicious biscotti that are easy to prepare and that everyone will love!

I use my mother’s recipe, and in case you’re wondering how we call it in Slovene, it’s štručka domači prijatelj. Domestic friend loaf, literally. Now that’s a curious name for a cookie, right? I personally love it. Why loaf, you ask? Check the photo below. The dough is shaped into loaves which are then sliced almost immediately after baking. We don’t twice bake them and that’s what makes them different from Italian biscotti.

If you’re fond of biscotti you might want to try this recipe. My mother only uses crushed walnuts and aniseeds in her biscotti, and apart from those I used also some rum-soaked raisins and chopped dark chocolate. I intend to experiment with other ingredients, too – and when I do, I’ll definitely report back here.

And now for the recipe!

ŠTRUČKA DOMAČI PRIJATELJ (SLOVENIAN BISCOTTI)

Basic ingredients:
100g unsalted butter, softened
200g sugar (I used blond cane sugar, ground in coffee grinder with an addition of 1/2tsp vanilla seeds)
4 eggs (L)
approx. 500g a-p flour
13g baking powder
finely grated peel of 1 untreated lemon

Additional ingredients:
a handful of chopped walnuts
15g lightly crushed aniseeds
50g chopped dark chocolate (60%)
50g raisins (soaked in rum and drained)

1. Using a wooden spatula (or an electric mixer), mix together the softened butter, sugar, eggs (adding one at a time) and grated lemon peel until smooth, then add flour (previously mixed with baking powder). Try not to overmix.
2. Preheat the oven at 180ºC. Use your hands to divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Add the other 4 ingredients, one to each dough portion, work them in until evenly distributed. Shape into loaves and place on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Leave enough space between them (they will expand a bit).
3. Bake on the middle rack for about 30′, or until nice golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool for a couple of minutes, then using a sharp bread knife cut into slices (about 1.5cm thick). Let cool (if you can!), then store in airtight tin. They keep well for up to 1 month or so. But I’m totally sure they will disappear very quickly. They do in our house, anyway.

These days, I find myself rediscovering good old foods from the good old days… when we used to eat what our forefathers did. And nobody made any fuss about food. We ate everything that was being locally produced, we were healthier and happier. Now we have hundreds of types of food diets and probably that many types of food allergies as well(!). We prefer to eat “super-foods” from the other side of the globe instead of “super-foods” that grow literally on our doorstep.

After banning staples like butter, eggs and pork fat from our diet, they now say that they are “good for us” again – can you believe it?? My mum certainly doesn’t, nor does my grandma. No matter how hard I try to persuade them that eating 2 eggs per week won’t make their cholesterol levels skyrocket and that butter is healthier than margarine – they just won’t believe it. They had been persuaded by their doctors and through media that these natural foods are unhealthy. And now it’s supposed to be the opposite… no wonder people got confused. Myself including! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reading about it. Here’s what I’ve come to believe: one should eat everything in moderation, and more specifically everything that grows as close to one’s home as possible. As simple as that.

Pork fat has been a staple in our diet for generations. I almost forgot how an egg fried in pork fat with finely chopped pork rind smelled or tasted like… until some days ago when I treated myself with it. It instantly brought back the memories from my childhood. In traditional Slovenian cuisine, there are a number of tasty recipes using pork fat and rind that I intend to rediscover and hopefully share with you here. But first of all, let me tell you about fennel and red beet salad with pork rind fried polenta triangles. What a long name for such a simple dish, right?

For this delicious plate that looks and tastes splendid enough to include it in your Christmas menu, you will need to prepare the salad a bit in advance. Shave or finely slice the fennel and coarsely grate the red beet. Place in a salad bowl, season with salt, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and white balsamic vinegar. Let the salad soften for a couple of hours.
You will also need some cooked and cooled polenta. You can cook it with an addition of turmeric powder (like I did) which enhances the yellow color of polenta. Once cooked, spread polenta onto a plate and let cool. Polenta for this salad can be prepared a day ahead, covered with cling film and refrigerated. In a frying pan, melt a bit of pork fat along with some finely chopped rind and fry the polenta, sliced into triangles, for 3-4 minutes on each side (medium-high heat). Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel (so that it absorbs some fat).
To assemble the dish, spoon the salad onto serving plate(s) and decorate with polenta triangles. Don’t forget to sprinkle with the remaining pork rind. You can serve this salad plate as an appetizer or as a main dish. Enjoy!

During the past several weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time creating Christmas wreaths. Holiday mood has hit me early this year, indeed! We haven’t put up the Christmas tree yet but I did start decorating around the house already. I truly like the simple outdoor window sill decoration I made with small tree branches, mini glass bulb ornaments and cotton wool (1st photo).

I brought some bush branches from a walk by the river close to our home and arranged them in a tall vase that I borrowed from my grandma. I decorated the branches with dried orange slices (recycled from previous Christmases) and cotton wool. I put a small LED light chain around the vase and our corridor now has a lovely, natural decoration (2nd photo).

The aforementioned wreaths you can see on the photos below. Two of them were particularly time-consuming (you can totally guess which ones) and I’m really proud of them. Let’s just say I won’t be buying/making/eating any popcorn for a while and also, I’ve stashed all my wool yarn supply somewhere where I’m not likely to stumble upon it anytime soon. Ahem. The good thing is, these wreaths are going to last for many years to come and they really are all beautiful in their way. I hope you like them, too!

And now it’s high time I start preparing Christmas goodies! I’ve already made a batch of chocolate hazelnut balls which are sooo popular with our family and friends. Polvorones and mazapanes are on my list, too… as well as many other favorites (snickerdoodles? Truffles?? Mmmm!).

Have a nice weekend, folks!

Autumn is the best time of year to make apple compotes. I feel very fortunate to be able to eat old, traditional varieties of apples that grow completely on their own, without any kind of chemicals. Some years our apple crops are abundant and other years scarce. The skin of these apples is maybe not too pretty to look at and more often than not one will find out that the apple contains a certain uninvited guest – but all this is of little importance to me. I prefer to eat these apples, as they are, even if I need to peel them sometimes and cut out some parts of the fruit… than to eat those shiny, huge and impeccable apples that look like fake fruit. Nope, thanks.

Apple compotes, right! I enjoy mine with a loooot of cinnamon because I’m crazy about cinnamon. I like to pair cinnamon with cloves and green cardamom, too. The other day I even added star anise to the spice mix and the aroma was awesome. And because I like to experiment, I said to myself “why not!” and cooked a batch of apples in rose bud infusion. If you ever tried to make infusion or “tea” with lovely rose buds, you know what to expect. They make such a soothing drink, hot or cold, and it can be drunk any time of the day (p.s. it makes a particularly great infusion for good night). Its taste is mildly sweet and delicate and I had a hunch it would enhance the aroma of my apples.

So, I used those 7 apples you see on the photo, and I cooked them in a 1/2l rose bud infusion (1 heaped tablespoon of rose buds). I like to cook my compote on a low heat to preserve as many vitamins as possible. Once the liquid starts simmering, I turn off the heat because the apples I use don’t need much cooking either. Ow, and by the way: I suggest using sweet or semi-tart variety of apple for this particular compote. Please, no granny smiths.

For an extra color kick, I added a few strands of high-quality Spanish saffron to the compote and because I wanted to get the best of the flavor, I ate it without any added sugar. And the taste?

Wow. It almost left me speachless. Rose buds and saffron – the loveliest couple. Costly (I know!) but so worth it. This is not your everyday compote… more like a special treat. Hey, you deserve it, too! What would life be without some little treats here and there, right?

Have you ever tried chestnut jam? It’s delicious! If it’s not prepared with too much sugar, that is. I haven’t tried making it at home yet (I can imagine what a time consuming preparation it must be!), but I tend to search for it whenever I’m visiting Italy. From one of the trips earlier this year I brought back home a jar of crema di marroni, sweetened with raw cane sugar and vanilla bean. Tempting!

I truly adore everything involving chestnuts, you see. So this week I decided to put my chestnut jam into good use, and as I enjoy preparing verrines (desserts served in glasses), I came up with this recipe that has Autumn written all over it. Even if chestnuts are available in all forms and all year round, to me they are an Autumn and Winter affair.

In case you don’t wish to use ground black sesame seeds, that’s OK – they can be omitted. I personally like them ever since tasting my first black sesame gelato in Toscana (if you ever find yourself there, search for it, you won’t be sorry!).

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:
350g sweetened chestnut jam (crema di marroni)
260g full fat yogurt
250ml whipping cream
1 large (chocolate) cookie, crumbled (I used a home made buckwheat and cocoa cookie with walnuts)
2 Tbsp (or to taste) ground black sesame seeds
4 gelatine sheets

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream in a large bowl until soft peeks begin to form. With a help of a whisk, mix in the yogurt and chestnut cream.
2. Add the crumbled cookie and ground sesame seeds, mix to combine. Place the bowl in the fridge.
3. Soak the gelatine leaves in a skillet filled with sufficient amount of cold water (the gelatine needs to be completely submerged in water) for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards, pour out some water and leave only a few tablespoons. Heat gently on the stove, stirring with a whisk continously until the gelatine leaves are dissolved. Do not bring to boil! Remove from the stove and allow to cool off a bit.
4. Pour one third of creamy preparation in the skillet with dissolved gelatine and stir well with a whisk, then pour it back to the rest of the creamy preparation. Give it a good stir.
5. Prepare the verrines/dessert glasses and fill them with this delicious chestnuty cream. Allow to set in the fridge (4 hours at least). Enjoy!

Summer has waved adieu, friends! It’s time to start making soups, stews and other hearty dishes eaten with spoon. I missed them, and you?

I’d like to share with you this minestrone soup that I cooked a few days ago and I believe you’d love it as much as I did! All the vegetables, except for corn, came from our garden – and I’m sooo proud of that(!) I couldn’t have found a better dish to combine these beautiful summer vegetables. As you will notice, my minestrone recipe includes no pasta, but you can use it if you wish to. And I’d choose conchiglie if I were you. (wink wink)

To prepare this tasty end-of-summer soup you will need:
string beans
fresh corn ears
fresh green peas
young carrots
young leeks
onions
garlic
potatoes
tomatoes
ground beef
coconut oil (or olive oil)
sea salt
ground black pepper
dried marjoram

1. Peel the tomatoes and puree them in a blender. Wash, clean, shuck, chop and cut all the other vegetables.
2. In a large cooking pot, heat a generous amount of oil and sautee the vegetables: carrots, beans, potatoes, onion, garlic, peas, corn kernels and finally, leeks. Add tomato puree and enough water to cover the vegetables. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with sea salt and marjoram (to taste).
3. Meanwhile prepare the meatballs by combining ground beef with salt, black pepper and marjoram. Form small, bite-sized balls, heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs in batches until nicely browned on all sides. Add them to the soup and simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove minestrone from the stove and let sit for 10 minutes, then serve with some crusty bread on a side (if you wish).

The other day, when I was talking to grandma about my lunch, I mentioned my affection for cabbage salad (or coleslaw), and she asked me if I ever put boiled potatoes in it. My answer being negative, she encouraged me to try it next time, assuring me the salad would taste much better. And make sure to eat the salad while potato is still warm, she added. I didn’t quite understand why this would be so important, however I didn’t wish to oppose and prepared the salad following my grandma’s instruction to the letter.

I loved the result so much that I just had to share it with the world. I also created two more recipes using cabbage, both very tasty and handy when you find yourself with larger quantities of cabbage in the fridge. So, take a look at these three beautiful dishes, and who knows… maybe you will find inspiration for your dinner tonight!

1) CABBAGE AND NEW POTATO SALAD   (appetizer or light supper)

Shred cabbage leaves as finely as you can and place in a salad bowl. Prepare a simple dressing (olive oil, vinegar and salt) and add to the cabbage. Toss to combine, cover with a lid and allow the salad to stand at room temperature for an hour at least. Boil potatoes until soft, peel and slice them. Finally, add (warm!) potato slices to the cabbage, toss gently and serve immediately.

Note: If you’re looking for a finer presentation, you can serve this salad with a little help of a tall pastry ring.

2) SAUTEED CABBAGE WITH YOUNG CARROTS AND TOMATOES  (side dish)

Heat some olive oil (or coconut fat or clarified butter) in a large frying pan. Dice some onions and (young) carrots (I used orange and yellow carrots from our garden), coarsely chop some cabbage leaves and saute at medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add peeled and chopped tomatoes, season with salt, chopped savory, cumin and coriander powder and let cook at medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Give it a good stir every few minutes, to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom. Serve warm as a side dish to chicken/turkey steaks.

3) CABBAGE AND POTATO PATTIES (starter or main dish)

Coarsely chop some cabbage leaves and cook in salted boiling water until softened. Drain well and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Place in a bowl. Boil some potatoes until soft, peel them and mash with a fork. Add to the cabbage (cabbage : potato = 50 : 50) and season with salt, ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, ground cumin and a dash of turmeric powder. Mix in an egg yolk and start adding spoonfuls of ground rolled oats (run them in coffee grinder). The moister the cabbage and potato mix, the more ground oats you will need to mix in. The mixture should be still a bit sticky but easily shapeable. At this stage, place the patties in the fridge for a few hours for the moisture to be absorbed properly. Coat the patties with breadcrumbs and brush them with olive oil on both sides. You can bake them in the oven or fry on the stove. I prefer the oven because I use less oil and it’s less messy. Place one by one on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake until golden brown. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve with a salad on a side.

Summer is here (or so they say!) and it’s time to indulge in frozen treats. Silky home made ice cream, anyone? Last year it’s been all about frozen fruit and yogurt for me, and this year I’ve had very good results with Mascarpone-based ice creams flavored with gianduja, pistacchio paste, coffee… and roasted stone fruit.

Apricot ice cream has been on my list for a couple of years already, and when I first made it, I used whipped cream and yogurt. Despite using very ripe fruit, the result wasn’t too satisfactory – I craved for more apricot-y flavor. Then I discovered roasted apricots, and man what a difference did it make!

I used 10 or 12 small, locally grown apricots (those with lots of red dots, NOT those enormous, pale-looking and tasteless ones), I pitted them and arranged the halves on the bottom of an oven-proof ceramic dish. I drizzled them with agave syrup (which is my to-go liquid sweetener for home made ice creams and for most of other desserts as well) and roasted them at 180ºC for about 20 minutes. I let the apricots cool in the dish, then I transfered them (together with all the yummy liquids) into a pot of a blender. I added about 300g good quality Mascarpone cheese and another squeeze or two agave syrup and I processed everything until very smooth. I poured the delicious creamy preparation into an ice cream container and let it freeze.

I loooved it! The taste, the color, the texture! It wasn’t overly sweet and so I was able to appreciate the apricot flavor better. This was, without exaggeration, one of the best ice creams I’ve made at home.

We had such a pretty-looking lunch earlier this week – and tasty, too! It was a cloudy day and, as always on such days, I felt the need to add some colors to our meal. Luckily, it’s that time of year when I can pick lots of vegetables in the garden. And there, in the garden, it is usually where I get nice ideas for our meals. This is what I came up with the other day: young potatoes and sliced chicken breast, fried in duck fat, steamed string beans and peas, a few slices kraški pršut (Karst ham) and fragrant basil leaves from my window sill. Arranged on an oval plate the dish looked almost too good to eat!

I served it with ajvar and mustard (my absolute favorite summer condiments!), but I think this dish could be made into a warm salad as well, seasoned with e.g. honey and mustard vinaigrette or parmesan and roasted garlic dressing… Mmmm, sounds delicious, doesn’t it? I hope I gave you an idea for today’s lunch or dinner… 

It’s been a while since I’ve made a tart – and I’ve never made one with strawberries yet, so here it is: a simple strawberry tart to celebrate these first days of summer.

For the tart dough (28cm round tart pan with removable bottom):
150g flour (I use white spelt flour, type 630)
50g ground hazelnuts (or walnuts/almonds)
100g cold butter, cut into pieces
50g cane sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
a pinch salt
a couple tablespoons of cold water, if needed
a knob of butter, to grease the pan

For the tart filling:
200ml whipping cream
3 sheets gelatine
1 cup strawberries, cleaned and pureed
100ml agave syrup
1 cup strawberries, sliced (to decorate the tart)

1. Prepare the dough by combining flour, ground nuts, salt and sugar in a big bowl. Add butter and rub it into the flour mixture until you get coarse crumbs. Finally, add the beaten egg and knead until the dough comes together. Should the dough appear too dry, add a little cold water (it really depends on the flour you use.) Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven at 180-200ºC and grease the tart pan. Roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic film and line the tart pan with it, trimming off the excess dough (if needed). Prick it with a fork and bake in the hot oven for cca. 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely.
3. Prepare the tart filling by whipping the cream and mixing it with agave syrup. Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water very gently and place the gelatine in a pot with strawberry puree. Place on heat and stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Allow to cool, then whisk in the whipped cream. Pour the creamy strawberry mixture into the cooled tart shell and transfer to the fridge for a couple of hours.
4. Before serving, decorate the tart with strawberry slices. Enjoy! The tart will keep well in the fridge for a day or two (covered).

After long months of experimenting with buckwheat flour, I can say now that I’ve found a perfect recipe for buckwheat bread. I’ve tried it with buckwheat flour alone, then I started adding seeds (ground flax and hemp) and spices (ground cumin and anise). While the taste was good, there was still something missing… Then one day I laid my eyes on chestnut flour in the pantry. I normally use it in my GF pancake mix. It has a very particular sweet flavor that I grew to love this past winter. I had a feeling it would pair well with buckwheat and man, how right I was! Also, the fennel seeds were a much better choice than cumin while poppy seeds added a nice crunch and texture. For personal convenience, and because this is a GF flour I’m dealing with, I prefer to bake buns instead of loaves, however, you could also spoon the flour mixture into a rectangular bread mold (+ increase baking time).

Ingredients for 6 palm-sized buns:
200g buckwheat flour (as a happy owner of a grain mill, I grind it fresh just before using)
100g chestnut flour
25g ground poppy seeds
a pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200ml sparkling water
150ml milk
40g melted butter/non-hydrogenated margarine/coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven at 220ºC and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the buckwheat and chestnut flour into a bowl, add poppy seeds, salt, fennel seeds and bicarbonate of soda. Stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Pour in the liquids (sparkling water, milk and melted butter) and again stir with the spoon. The flour mixture will be quite moist and, being gluten-free, kneeding would be pointless. At this point you can let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes before baking.
4. Use the wooden spoon to take amounts of mixture, shaping them into 6 buns directly on the baking sheet. Leave some space around the buns because they will expand during baking.
5. Bake them for 30-45 minutes, then allow to cool on a kitchen rack. If you’re not going to eat them all in one day, I suggest you freeze them in a ziplock bag and take them out when needed. Eat them with your favorite spread (for example ajvar, as on the photo below). They will be equally delicious with savory as well as with sweet spreads.

Every now and then there comes a time to do a pantry inventory. I did one at the beginning of this week and boy, what a good (and much needed) piece of work that was! I decided to prepare myself a meal containing some of the ingredients that had to be used up. There was a small amount of quinoa left in the jar, as well as some buckwheat kasha and flax and hemp seeds and just a bit of chickpea flour… As I like to make patties, that was what I set myself up to do. All I needed was a salad to complement my dish.

I opted for a colorful carrot and asparagus salad. To give it an even cuter look, I created a couple of radish mice (they have been on my list like forever!) which I ate (yes, I know!) after photographing the dish (I had doubts, believe me – they were really too cute to be eaten!).

So, what do you think? Sounds like a nice lunch?

For salad you need:
carrots of two (or more!) different colors
thin green asparagus spears
simple vinaigrette: extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, white balsamic vinegar

For patties you need:
50g (white) quinoa
100g buckwheat kasha
sea salt, to taste
half a leek, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
1 zucchino, finely grated
a bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
2 eggs, whisked
1 Tbsp flax seed, freshly ground*
1 Tbsp hemp seeds, freshly ground*
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground
1-2 Tbsp chickpea flour**
olive oil

*I grind the seeds together with rolled oats using my coffee grinder
**optional; you can use any other type of flour (or even breadcrumbs) that you have in the pantry – if the mixture looks dry enough already, simply omit the flour

Salad:
Prepare the salad in advance: peel the carrots using a julienne peeler (if you have one, and if not – don’t worry and use a normal grater). Place the carrots in a salad bowl. Carefully slice the asparagus spears in half and blanch them for 1 minute in lightly salted boiling water. Drain immediately and place asparagus in cold water. Like this it will retain its beautiful green color. Add the asparagus to carrots. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the carrots and asparagus and mix gently to combine. Allow to marinate in the fridge for an hour at least.

Patties:
Cook quinoa and buckwheat separately in lightly salted water or stock. I like to add a dash of turmeric powder to quinoa while it cooks – you can do that to, if you like turmeric. Place the cooked quinoa and buckwheat in a big bowl. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the vegetables (leeks, carrots and zucchini). Season with salt and add the veggies to the quinoa-buckwheat mix. Mix in the chopped coriander leaves, whisked eggs, ground flax and hemp seeds and rolled oats. Mix the mixture with your hands. If it’s very wet, add a bit of flour. I let the mixture rest at this point, so that the dry ingredients absorb the liquid ones. Then I shaped the patties (you will get 9 medium-sized), placed them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, brushed with olive oil and then they were baked in hot oven until golden brown.

Note: patty mixture or shaped patties can wait in the fridge, covered with plastic foil, and can be baked the next day. They taste yummy with ketchup or home made tomato sauce, and I think they would go great with some creamy mushroom sauce, too. However, don’t forget the salad!

Lemon balm (melissa officinalis)

Chocolate mint (mentha x piperita)

Coriander or cilantro (coriandrum sativum)

Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis)

Marjoram (origanum majorana)

Lemon verbena (aloysia citriodora)

Thyme (thymus vulgaris)

Lemon thyme (thymus citriodorus)

Sage (salvia officinalis)

The herbs I used for my risotto: lemon thyme, coriander, sage, lemon balm, rosemary and lemon verbena

I stir-fried the herbs in butter and mixed them with cooked risotto just before serving. Asparagus sauteed in butter made an excellent garnish, and young radishes from my garden decorated the dish beautifully – don’t you think?

Ingredients for 2 servings:
200g basmati (my favorite rice)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
chicken or vegetable stock, freshly cooked
salt, to taste
1/2tsp freshly grated nutmeg
fresh herbs (lemon thyme, coriander, sage, lemon balm, rosemary, lemon verbena – you can, of course, use other herbs if you wish)
8 asparagus spears (or more), cleaned and trimmed
young radishes (for decoration – optional)

1. Melt a tablespoon of butter in your favorite risotto pan and add rice. Stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the boiling stock, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a lid and let the rice absorb the liquid. I always cook my risottos like this, using the so-called absorption method. The rice should be cooked “al dente”. Once cooked, check for salt and add the freshly grated nutmeg. What a wonderful aroma!
2. While the risotto is cooking, melt a tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan and sautee asparagus spears on medium heat. Flip them around every now and then. They should be done in 7-10 minutes. Season them with a bit of salt and transfer onto a plate.
3. In the same frying pan melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir-fry the fresh herbs. It will take 10-15 seconds. Add the fried herbs to your risotto and mix to combine. Serve and garnish with sauteed asparagus spears. Top the risotto with radishes, if you wish. Enjoy your spring dish!

Looks tempting?

One of my favorite hobbies at the moment

Our yellow magnolia tree is in full bloom these days, and dandelion flowers have taken over our yard

It’s asparagus season and I can’t stop eating it!

This delicious soup makes an elegant appetizer, specially when served in glasses… Can you guess what’s it made of?

Asparagus, yes! Plus quinoa, chestnuts and chicken stock, all pureed in a blender and topped with fried asparagus, pancetta and fresh coriander from my window sill. Sounds tasty?

We really loved it! It was prepared in no more than 15 minutes (I had cooked quinoa on hand)

We used red onion skins to dye our Easter eggs and they turned out beautifully

***HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF YOU!***

Yes – another savoy cabbage and brussels sprouts recipe. I know what you’re thinking… But be sure I wouldn’t bother writing these lines and taking photos of this dish – if it wasn’t SO incredibly tasty!!

Still with me?

I’ve been cooking this dish once a week for a while now and I’m thrilled. I always keep a jar of unhulled sesame seeds in the pantry and I use them mainly in Asian-inspired dishes. But then one day in January I sprinkled my roasted brussels sprouts with some sesame seeds and I immediately loved the combination! Next time I stirred in a couple of spoonfuls of dark tahini… and the rest is history (as they say).

Ingredients for 1 serving:
2 leaves savoy cabbage, chopped
15-20 brussels sprouts, halved or whole if small
1 Tbsp coconut oil
sea salt, to taste
1 Tbsp dried savory leaves
2 Tbsp (dark) tahini
1-2 Tbsp (unhulled) sesame seeds

1. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Stir-fry the savoy cabbage and brussels sprouts for 5-7 minutes, season with salt and savory.
2. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Mix tahini with a small amount of water and pour over the vegetables. Cook for another minute of two, then serve immediately.