Archivi per la categoria ‘Vegetables’

My Greek dinner: moussaka

martedì, 16 febbraio 2010

Those who follow me on Twitter or on the fan page of Juls’ Kitchen on Facebook know that this Valentine’s Day was an opportunity to finally have a Greek dinner … you may ask, and what about that? Simple, do you remind Toula from My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, I think I’m so similar to her! The bundle phase, being a girl with a single thick eyebrow, a little different from the blondie girls with their snack made of white bread and ham, getting shy and clumsy in front of representatives of the opposite sex ... But this means being strongly tied to my noisy and large family as well, an ancient and powerful force that flows through the veins of us, a passionate and creative relationship with food, part of our traditions, of our history and track for our future.

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Pubblicato in Greek, Second Course, Vegetables, World recipes | 6 Commenti »

Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: cardoons

mercoledì, 20 gennaio 2010

As promised, here it is the perfect match for last week capon braised in tomato: cardoons, or, as we call them in my area, gobbi. Now you can find them quite easily in whatsoever supermarket – even in my town supermarket, not the best furnished shop in the world! -  but in the past farmers made them working directly on an artichoke plant, taking away new sprouts. New artichoke sprouts could be cooked, if tender, in an omelette or a flan.

At the end of summer, the sprouts left on the plant were wrapped in a thick yellow paper and tied up, let grow in the dark, so that they remained white. Winter time is the perfect season to eat cardoons!

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Pubblicato in Eggs, Italian Recipes, Second Course, Tuscany, Vegetables | 5 Commenti »

Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: bread soup

mercoledì, 2 dicembre 2009

Bread soup, also known as black cabbage and beans soup, it’s one of the most popular dish in Tuscany, during cold months, it is an old recipe, typical of farmers of all times, one of those dishes you could make each and every single day for months!

It wasn’t so typical at home when my grandma was a child, as her dad didin’t liked it too much, but it was extremely appreciated by her mum and all her family. She used to make it with black cabbage, but she loved it with chard too, as the soup flavour gained sweetness and softness.

Making this soup has been a dive into the past, back to the end of the Nineteenth century, because this white and blue soup tureen belongs to Tommaso and Adele, my grandma’s grandparents, who inherited it when they left the house where they used to live with Tommaso’s brothers and sisiters and Maria and Giuseppe, the oldest ancestors we can reach in my grandma’s memories.

I’ve been witness of a powerful stream of consciousness, where pepole life were told through their objects and trasures, while my grandmother was making this dish.

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Pubblicato in First Course, Italian Recipes, Tuscany, Vegetables | 7 Commenti »

Baked sweet potato and beetroot

venerdì, 13 novembre 2009

Some days ago I found by chance some sweet potatoes at supermarket, such an unusual thing in my small village! I baked a batch of sweet potato muffins, good but not extraordinary… a few foodblogger friends suggested me to bake them as normal potatoes and to eat them as a side dish. So, the day after I went searching for sweet potatoes again, and there they were! And, oh, look! They were just beside beetroots, the first time I had the chance to find them in the vegetable department just picked up, and not cooked and sliced in a vacuum-sealed pack.

Beetroots are really intriguing! Nice, rustic, they reminds me of earth and fields. And, let me say this, they reminds me of Jamie Oliver… he’s not rustic, not at all, but he uses them often in his recipes, as they are an usual ingredient for English cooking!

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Pubblicato in Vegetables | 2 Commenti »

Carrot Soup

lunedì, 9 novembre 2009

Good morning, good morning! And Good maniac monday too! Can I write a rapid post, can’t I? It’s such a frantic and happy period, lots of things to do, and I love doing things, being occupied with the things I love, and with my friends, too! On Sunday I organized a brunch for a friend’s Bday, it’s so amazing do what you like with your friends! I mean, cooking is great, but cooking for someone you care andseeing them happy for what you do, it’s glorious!

So, since I’m in a hurry and I got a cold, again, let’s warm the day with a velvety soup, with a warm and appetizing color, a soft and smooth consistency, a spicy and tempting flavour. (continua…)

Pubblicato in First Course, Vegetables | 1 Commento »