Weave a Thousand Flavors

Broccoli, Leek & Dill Soup with Goat Cheese & Herb Oil Drizzle

Done right, broccoli soup is lovely. I do however favor the au naturel version of this soup v/s the heavily cheesed up, rouxed up one.

A challenge however is to end up with a soup that is creamy in texture rather than a gritty pureed boiled veggie type version. The addition of a tiddly bit of cream does wonders for this but the true magic lies in the addition of fresh dill in the puree.

I find that cooking dill for however little amount of time kills the fragrance of this gorgeous herb. So I've opted to add it to the soup at the very end, just as is.  The herb drizzle oil, a simplified version of a basic pesto is lovely especially paired with the creamy goat cheese.

All in all this is a dressed up version of what is otherwise a homey comfort soup. But then again as we women know, accessories make all the difference!

Darling 'coz You're 10! Chocolate Hazelnut Pave Cake to Celebrate

February is invariably chocolate month in our home. This, for two main reasons - our oldest munchkin's birthday and Valentine's Day.

This month our little, not so little one anymore boy turned 10! Two-digits and that is scary for me as a mum. Because now everything that was in his future - the-far-away - one-day-future doesn't feel so far away anymore.

All of a sudden I can't help thinking that before the decade's out, he'll have a bobbing adam's apple, and hair - loads of hair - all over, and there'll be loaded looks between him and girls and that's not all - no longer the "ewww she's a girl", not to mention in a heart beat he's about to be taller then me which mind you is no great achievement considering I'm all of 5 ft, 2 inches. But nevertheless, how do you discipline a kid who is a ft taller than you? Oh I know, I'll definitely be putting than step ladder to good use. This by the way, is already the butt of family jokes - mom on a step ladder flaying her arms all around - snigger, snigger....

Not to mention - the driving. He'll be driving and I'll be sitting in the passenger seat. I need to take up crocheting or knitting just so I can keep my hands in my lap and have them do something other than clench. Not to mention him off to college and then into the world. You hear me, into the world.

And all I can think while all this is banging around in my head is that he isn't ready for the world. There is so much he has to learn, so much he doesn't know, so much I don't want him to know so soon. So I am holding on to the snippets of what will be  some of our best memories and I relish the meals I cook for him and the joy on his face when he sees me baking his birthday cake. The cake he says I must bake because "Oh mum, you bake the best cakes in the world"!

I hold on to these beautiful precious moments and bake this cake, because before long he won't just be my little munchkin but a young man and then, a man. And I think of him stumbling upon this post decades later, and reading my words, seeing the snapshot of this cake and hopefully just for a moment he'll bask in the sunny memory of the day - the day he was 10.

A time when life was simple and uncomplicated.

I hope. I love.

A Prayer, Answered : Rustic Butternut Squash & Spinach Quiche

At the heart of this recipe is a conviction,

Food will not meet it's death in my refrigerator

Nothing fires me up more than the thought of my refrigerator turning into a icy coffin for those wayward bits of veggies that have been neglected in the bottom tray below the bottom shelf. I am sure it feels half way to Hades down there.

Bits of vegetables and what-nots continue to rear there heads unexpectedly which goes to show that I am obviously not in control of my pantry and fridge. Though my body and soul may have recovered from my bout of recent  PTGS - Post Traumatic Guest Syndrome, my fridge obviously hasn't.

I hope Mum isn't reading this because if she is, I expect the phone will ring any time...now.

I am therefore determined to put half the butternut squash and spinach to good use, before one gets moldy and the other wilty. if you don't know which ones going to do what I suggest you spend a lot more time with your greens...and start a multivitamin  regime immediately.

For me the thought of a root vegetable quiche is exciting at so many levels -think buttery flaky crust nestling sweet roasted butternut squash, roasted red onions and spinach is a creamy parmesan custard. Not quite sure it will work but we're nothing if not daring!

Now you know me enough to know I will always advocate making your own crust but just this once I don't want to scare your away and keep you from experiencing this mind-blowingly delicious quiche so alright, buy a store pie crust if you must...sigh..

Unfussy Home Style Italian Fish With Peas from Rome

Here's one from my poor student, uni days.

Thinking back, no wonder I was always broke - seems like I was feeding the whole dorm on any given night. I have always loved to cook but more than that I love to feed. Call it maternal instincts on overdrive with a dash of cultural idiosyncrasies.

I think such is true of almost all old world cultures - we are feeders!

Don't ever make the mistake of telling us you're full because chances are we're going to shovel another heapful onto your plate at that precise moment. Kid you not.

Speaking of student days, Mum had the foresight to pack some of my trusted cookbooks along with everything else. And thank goodness she packed my tattered , no frills Italian cook book by Nika Hazelton. Long before Batali, it's thanks to Nika that my love for home style honest Italian cuisine blossomed.

I still flip open the old girl every now and then and she never disappoints. This recipe however is an adaptation of one she makes with whole halibut. However, I've been making this simpler and economical version forever and it doesn't disappoint.

What more, its healthful and perfect for even the low-carb dieters.

I'm hoping to pass on my tattered cookbook to my boys when they're off to uni - the real question is how long does sticky tape hold and will they ever bother to open  its archaic pages? I'll let you know in about a decade!

Valentine's Day ~ KARMEL SUTRA Tartlets

The first bite should give you hope,

the second lust &

by the third you're in love!

~

Luscious Chocolate Ganache & Caramel Mingle in a Graham Cracker - Almond Crust

Say it ain't so!

Pillow-Soft Honey Corn Bread - The Definitive Answer To Our Corn Bread Woes

~Dear friends ~

If the only corn bread you've ever met came pre-prepared from a plastic container at the grocery store or from a cardboard box then I am sorry to tell you that you have been depriving yourself one of life's simplest edible pleasures.

The joy that comes from biting to into a warm, moist, full of sweet golden corn with the taste and scent of rustic cornmeal and the the sweetness of honey, corn bread. Simple. Honest. Period.

But I come bearing good news with the definitive answer - home made corn bread with corn. Did you hear what I said? with corn. How many corn-breads that you've eaten have actually had little morsels of golden corn in it?

Not many, I'm sure.

For me during my growing up years, a trip to LA always included - a trip to Marie Callender's for their apple pie, corn bread and spaghetti & meatballs. Things have changed however - on my end or their end.

Now, there are only few places I where I adore the corn bread and that I believe has largely come about from me developing an actual opinion on the subject. For one, I know I like mine sweeter than savory. I also like mine moist rather than dry and crumbly. I also like mine to be made from scratch, slathered with butter and warm out of the oven.

Now in case you are wondering why I bake mine in a muffin pan?

That would be

1) impatience (they bake quicker) bringing me closer to warm & slathered with butter.

2) Because I recognize that # 1 is a very bad thing for me & my hips and so muffin pan = muffin sized portions = portion control.

It's taken me years of trial and error and pans full of mediocre corn bread to finally declare that I now have - THE Definitive Answer to End Our Corn Bread Woes.

Before you think I've bitten off more than I can chew on this subject, fix it-eat it and then drop me a line.