i won!

 

not much, but i did win the competition!!!
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/competitions/article2461554.ece

santa lucia

Today in Sicily we celebrate Santa Lucia.

Santa Lucia helped the Sicilians to recover from a famine in 1646,

by 'sending' a ship full of wheat...if you believe in miracles.

It is tradition that on this day no pasta or bread should be eaten,

but rice, in the form of Arancine and Cuccia, a dessert made with boiled wheat and ricotta cream.

Today I am preparing Arancine, not because I am devoted to the Saint,

but because when you leave far from your country of origins

sometimes you do miss those delicacies typical of that place.

To make about 20 Arancine you will need:

100 g mince beef

1 chipolata

1 small carrot

Half small onion

1/2 glass of wine

Tomato paste

500gr Arborio risotto rice

50 g grated cheese like Parmesan

80gr butter

300ml milk

50 g flour

250 g mozzarella

125 g ham

3 eggs

Flour

Grated nutmeg

Breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

You will also need a small bowl (5cm dia) and some cling film to assemble the Arancine.

I find in fact that the Japanese cooks are much more advanced when dealing with rice

and from some cookbook I have noticed they use the cling film to shape their rice bowls.

Good idea!

Method:

First of all prepare a small amount of meat sauce with

the carrot, onion mince + chipolata, wine

tomato paste and let cook for 1 hr

In the meanwhile boil the rice with a teaspoon of salt.

Also prepare a béchamel sauce with 50 g butter, 50 g flour and 300ml milk

you will need a pretty dense one. When ready add salt pepper and a little bit of grated nutmeg

When the rice is cooked dress it with 30 g butter, 2 spoons ev olive oil,

50gr Parmesan, 1 egg, salt & pepper. Saffron if you have it. I do.

Let it cool.

Add the thinly chopped ham and mozzarella to the béchamel sauce.

Prepare the ingredients in order of assembly

rice : small bowl covered with cling film : meat sauce : ham/béchamel sauce:

flour : beaten eggs : breadcrumbs :

NOW

Place about a spoon of rice on the cling-filmed bowl

and spread to the side making sure you have rice at the bottom as well.

Place condiment (meat sauce or béchamel sauce) with a teaspoon in the bowl.

Cover condiment with 1/2 spoon rice. Cover with cling film (do look at picture above) press and form a ball.

Flour the ball, pass it in the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Place on a tray waiting to be fried.

When they are all ready heat some veg oil in a small deep pot and deep-fry the Arancine in small batches.

Drain excess oil with kitchen paper.

Serve.

Enjoy!

chilli con carne

last night i prepared chilli con carne!
if you wish to prepare same way i did it you would need:
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 carrots
2 courgettes (to make it lighter)
1 can borlotti beans (i prefer them to red kindeys)
1/4 tube of tomato paste
500 gr mince beef
1 glass wine (mine was champagne)
1 glass water
garlic powder half teaspoon
smoked paprika half teaspoon
tumeric powder a very tiny amount
cinnamon powder a very tiny amount salt and 1 oxo chicken stock cube ev olive oil about 3 spoons 50 gr corn
200 gr rice
100 gr grated cheddar
how to do it: chop the onions the carrots and the garlic into fine pieces, sweat them slowly in a 3l cast iron pan for about 5 mins add the mince and brown it for 5 mins. add wine, stock cube, water, tomatoes pure and the powders let cook on a slow heat for 1 hour. then add the chopped courgettes and a pinch of salt over them cook for further 30 mins. add the can of beans and simmer gently for 10 mins. in the meanwhile you should have boiled some rice grated some cheddar cheese. now the fun part begin: heat a spoon of ev oil in a heavy bottomed pan when hot hot hot add the corn COVER THE PAN and let it pop shaking gently the pan all the time!!
when popcorn is ready add salt to it.
how to serve it:
layers:
rice
chilli
cheddar
popcorn
i also added some sour cream with chives to complete the layering...
aaaaaaah!!!.... and i left the chilly bit of the chilli to individual taste.
i added to my own portion a very generous amount of west indian west pepper sauce.
NEVER WITHOUT ENCONA!
below: popping the corns

and the other biscuit

lebkuchen...or sweet meatballs

yesterday I visited my friend and daughter and we made christmas cookies.
3 varieties, a kind of almondy butter base with dark chocolate glaze;
with lemon glaze and
lebkucken aka meatballs for their aspect.
but they taste very good!

aubergine and squash curry

paola-thai style

yes because it takes inspiration from thai cusine, 

but it is heavily influenced by me not being capable of following a recipe.

haringey

on my path today:

a heart of orange and an abandoned photo...
LOVE and UNLOVED. 
both the product of careless dumping.

 

coffeemates

they are making me company when having breakfast

for mari

for a lovely child
fishes, ready to be cooked
but painted

autumn leaves

autumn gives us such beautiful colours

homage to the great photographer...

 ...that is my brother:

www.mimimollica.com: en route to dakar 

and he is so young!!!

frieze art fair

...and no camera!

flying images from (crap) mobile phone:

street related

brazilian street food in harlesden:
street photography now book launch:
street photography inspired photo:

accidental pairing of colours

M O R I T O

i have been to morito today for a quick check finally!

so:

food is nice, i had the puntillitas (baby fried squid)

and the padron peppers.

and my opinion is that:

puntillatas: EXCELLENT, as they are also bit difficult to find in london.

padron peppers: GOOD, but i prefer the Moro's ones.

ambiance OK, informal enough to make it a quick detour on your route home.

only thing : service could be smoother, because they did not seem overly efficient, even if friendly.

i am sure it will improve as they learn to operate with each other.

nothing to bad however and so many other things to try....

will go back soon!

full day

after visiting:

• the newish Susd development in willesden junction, as part of open house. http://www.susd.co.uk/developments/highwood-court/
• Rachel Whitehead drawings at Tate Britain
• the photographers' gallery launch of STREET PHOTOGRAPHY NOW book by Thames and Hudson http://www.thamesandhudson.com/9780500543931.html

it feels really like a full day out

much Prosecco and Brazilian street food.

niiiight

fried pizzette

friday night
at home
this means getting old


i prepared an yeast dough 
just for starter...
but was too much and became dinner
250gr plain flour
80gr durum wheat flour
dry yeast
lukewarm water
olive oil
prepare dough to dry yeast sachet instructions
let rest 1hr in a slightly warm oven
prepare condiment: chop 8 de-seeded cherry tomatoes,
add EVoil, salt, pepper, 1tsp jar pesto, and in this case,
some cottage cheese.
roll mini dough balls flat and 
DEEP FRY in veg oil
i know: shameless
when golden on both sides
dry on kitchen paper
sprinkle with maldon sea solt
place on plate, spoon condiment on pizzetta
enjoy ASAP

rainbow and soup

mobile shots:
couple of weekends ago in islington;
and today's soup from the gym's machine vendor
(later complemented with a salad and rivita+nutella)

plum cake

another day, another cake
today is late summer plum cake

• 120gr butter
• 120gr sugar
• 180gr plain flour
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 spoon baking powder
• 8 plums quartered

mix butter and sugar;
add eggs 1 at time
add sifted flour + baking powder
when mixed place on paper lined cake tin
and cover with the quatered plums 
slightly pushed into the dough
bake at 180 C for 45 mins.
take out of the oven and sprinkle with extra sugar
plums can be bitter!

aromatic cake

simple aromatic cake

• 150gr butter
• 150gr sugar
• 30gr almond flour
• 180gr plain flour
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/2 spoon baking powder
• zest of an orange with a bit of juice to moisten the dough, if dry

simple because it is all in one pot. not whipping the egg whites.

only need to have all ingredients at room temperature. and the butter almost melt.

butter+sugar first, add eggs later, one by one, add sifted flours, baking powder and zest.

place on a paper lined tin and bake at 180 C for 35 mins or so.

gnocchi for 1

today i have prepared gnocchi
1 portion: 

• 400gr potatoes
• 80g flour
• pinch salt

boil the potatoes, peel them, mash them
add sifted flour and a pinch of salt.
hopefully they will be nice. 
to be eaten with plenty of butter and grated cheese.

end of august

soup and new buildings

summer is over here in england.

we are left to warm up with soup

and urban splashes of colours.

i like this one a lot

i like the soup and i like the photo
shot not-with my camera...
maybe i should upgrade.
anyway soup was simply made by 
boiling water with 2 tsp of marigold reduced salt bouillon
adding 50gr dry short pasta (i am on diet yes)
and int the last 5 mins of the pasta cooking time (see packet instruction)
add the chopped lettuce (about 1 small heart of).
separately chopped 4-6 cherry tomatoes
and mix with a little salt, pepper and 1tsp olive oil
add this mix to the soup when in the bowl
and scatter with parmesan shavings.

i should have ironed it!

i should have ironed the tablecloth

it is not crisp! and look at the sweetcorn

in the tuna pâté!!!

i took too many shortcuts here...

coffe cup

this is my favourite

strawberry granita

first time ever i have done this and

i'm proud of the result.

it is really good and easy

you need 500gr fresh strawberries

300ml water

200gr sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp orange blossom water (only if you have it at home)

method: make a syrup by bringing water+sugar to a boil.

turn off. let cool.

minipimer the washed and hulled strawberries,

add the juice of a lemon

and the cool syrup

put in an adequate container in the freezer and stir every hour.

serve with a sprig of mint and freshly whipped cream.

diet

diets are not necessarily unpleasant.

the 1500 kcal per day diet i am 

following seems to me well balanced 

and allows me to enjoy a lot of vegetables.

will it work?

....

and i'm off to the gym!