Good-Mood Chocolate Cookies

It takes only a slipping knife, and one's world is turned upside-down for days. That's what happened, a knife that slipped, a cut in a hand, stitches, home from work. Me not being able to perform the most stupid, basic, daily tasks, from putting up my hair to washing my face.  From cutting an apple from my oatmeal to washing a salad. From baking bread to doing the dishes.

"I feel like Edward Scissorhands", I told J, while trying to serve myself some salad, failing miserably and spreading corn kernels all over the table. He smiled, helped me with the serving spoons and cleaned my mess. He knows I am stubborn. Sometimes, he lets me try, but he is ready to save the situation before I go too far. "Nonono, Val, leave it, sit down."

I am tired of sitting down already.

One, two, three days at home like that and I start to feel anxious. Sure, I can read. I can use my time to do (pretty useless and yet fulfilling) tasks that I have put on a side for a long time. Re-organize ideas, write those emails saved in the draft file for months –yes, typing with one hand takes ages, but thank god I have anything but time. Take walks and deep breaths. I can take pictures with one hand, although blurry 99% of the times. But.

This is a good lesson. The smallest thing can deeply affect us, our routine and habits. Never take anything for granted. And beware of small, sharp knives, please. You really don't want to end up like yours truly, I assure you.




Anyway, let's stop with my lament. I thought something sweet would uplift the spirit of this post (and mine), so here I am, talking about chocolate chip cookies. What? Me, chocolate, cookies? Yep, you heard me. Chocolate chip cookies and milk is one of the most miraculous cures for lonely souls. Give them to a kid with the flu and he'll feel better in a second. Give them to J and his day will shine of a new light. Oh, give one to me, too, please. Want some? I have plenty. I made them before getting hurt and look how useful they turned out. Another lesson: never ask yourself too many questions while making (a lot) of cookies. They will come handy sooner or later.

Where I Am Living

In a sunny, unexpectedly free Sunday afternoon –I injured my hand at work and got an extra day off– I finally convinced myself to drag my lazy body and my camera to the park and enjoy some sun and some picture-taking.

I realized I told you a lot about where I am (Wimbledon), the park, the foraging and the animals, my long runs through the misty air and the pensive moments staring at the lake, but I never actually showed you anything about it. So there it is, my park, my little green world in the outskirts of London. The place I am living –eating, shooting, breathing, running. At least for now.

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In un’inaspettata domenica pomeriggio libera ed assolata (mi sono accidentata una mano al lavoro e mi sono presa un giorno libero bonus), mi sono decisa a trascinare la mia pigra carcassa e la fotocamera al parco per godermi un po’ di luce, tepore e aria fresca.

Mi sono resa conto che vi ho già detto tanto di dove sono, Wimbledon, del parco, delle erbe selvatiche, gli animali, delle corse nell’aria umida e dei momenti di riflessione passati a guardare la luce riflettersi sul lago, ma che non vi ho ancora mostrato nulla di qui. Ecco quindi, un po’ di foto del mio parco, il mio piccolo mondo verde al limite della città, il luogo in cui sono, esisto, respiro, mangio, scrivo. Almeno per ora.

Buffalo Ricotta and Lemon Linguine || Linguine alla Ricotta di Bufala e Limone

 

I have always been late. Even if I don't start late, I arrive late –or close to it.

But even so, I like joining, sharing, feasting.

Today, I dressed my table in white and joined the flashmob that tonight is going to paint the city of Torino, Italy, in white. A Dinner in White, like the one that have been taking place in Paris for many years and that started to spread around the globe.

 

I wish I was there, dressed in a white linen dress, a flower in my hair, and some white food in the pic-nic basket to share with others. Alas, I am far –but emotionally close. Like me, many other foodbloggers will join only with a recipe, and their thought. I can feel the closeness.

White is a state of mind. It is the positive, the bright, the light. A dinner in white reminds us that we can, even for one night, put dark thoughts and negative thinking aside, and just enjoy the bright side of ourselves.

I tried to do the same, shutting my mind and simply seizing the moment, relaxing, letting my mind wander. When it came back, my white pasta was gone –but a smile was enlightening my face.

 

Buffalo Ricotta and Lemon Linguine

serves 2

200 gr of linguine

2 T coarse grain sea salt

1 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

100 gr of buffalo ricotta

grated zest of an organic, unwaxed lemon

1/2 cup of slivered almonds

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the salt and pasta, cook until two-three minutes before suggested cooking time.
In the meantime, heat oil in a big skillet, add garlic and let the oil absorb the garlic flavor, about three minutes, then discard the garlic. When the pasta is nearly cooked, pour about 1/2 cup of cooking water into the skillet, then drain the pasta and transfer it to the skillet. Add buffalo ricotta and sauté pasta until the liquid is absorbed and the ricotta has formed a creamy sauce. Add lemon zest and almonds, toss one last time. Serve immediately.

 

Strawberry Polenta Cake | Torta di Fragole e Polenta

I wish I had an emotional story full of childhood memories behind this recipe. I don't. What I have, is a story of daily life in the green outskirts of London. Hope you like it anyway -or else, just give a try to the cake, it deserves your attention.

After working my morning shift, between the daily run and a blog roundup, I often squeeze-in a trip to the local grocery stores to see what is appealing and most of all, on special. A key aspect of living in such an expensive city is being extremely cautious in terms of expenses: any way to lower the weekly grocery bill is a good way. This, of course, without compromising my eating habits and health –my mental sanity is already compromised enough. So, I try to save some time to explore my options in terms of quality/price ratio at all the possible supermarkets out there.



On my way from Wimbledon Park to Wimbledon town centre I encounter one Food Coop, one Waitrose, one Tesco, one Morrison's and one Marks and Spencer (I didn't count Whole Foods, where I often buy some key-ingredients after my shift). I enter each and every of them to spot the deals, and I already have notes about which has the best ingredients at the best price. The oil is better here, the dried fruit there, etc –what a perfect suburbs desperate housewife I would be! Anyway, since all these stores mark down their produce at the end of the day, that is the moment when I get into action and I fill my basket with local and organic (otherwise very pricey) fruits and vegetables. The last deal was about local strawberries: initially at 4 £ per 400 gr (yes, you heard me), they were marked down at 1.99£ AND had a 2 for 1 deal. Can you imagine my happiness? Naturally, I took two, and I started to picture cakes, scones, muffins on my way back home.

We ate some straight from the box, as there is just nothing like a ripe, juicy strawberry still wet from the washing water. But, as I mentioned before, I cannot consume raw strawberries in big quantities without becoming red and dotty. So, we roasted some again –we are definitely in love with them, and we thought to save a handful to make a cake. I had never made strawberry cake before, and it was a good time to try.



I pinned, noted and scribbled so many recipes but in the end, as it always happens, I made up my own, using my mental taste buds and my pantry ingredients. I used polenta for a touch of extra-rusticity and because I like its coarse texture in baked goods –it's my Venetian gene coming out, here. If you know me, you also know that this is my kind of cake: down to earth, crunchy, fruity, not too sweet and light. Its simple flavors match well with the sunny season, but it is easy to twist using seasonal fruit. It makes for a nice weekend breakfast along with yogurt and fruit, or for a fairly light dessert at the end of a meal –this is how we had it in the past few nights. It just put a smile on our face at the end of some long days. Unfortunately I have no picture of it.

Roasted Fruit & Morning Bowls

I am trying to make the best of this prolonged spring that sometimes goes back to late winter but never goes far enough to turn into summer. I am enjoying the best of this season which often lasts just a blink of the eye, eating as much spring fruit as I possibly can. Finding local rhubarb along with strawberries give me the greatest happiness, and I can never get tired of having them around, fearing that sooner or later they will be gone, disappeared from the market stalls. With rhubarb, in particular, after looking for it for so long in Italy, I feel as I should make the best of it –I'm trying.



To tell you the truth, I am a bit allergic to strawberries, but I just can't help eating them. I love biting into their meaty flesh and enjoying their tart, sweet and refreshing flavor, closing my eyes and thinking of summer memories. I have to pause myself or else my face would be covered with red dots. It is not easy, I am sure you understand. I am not even trying that hard –if worse comes to worse, I will have some cute freckles for a few days. That's fine.

My fridge has a limited capacity and it surely couldn't host my compulsive shopping of strawberries and rhubarb, therefore making compote, jam or roasting part of the fruit was pretty much mandatory. I went for the latter option, that sounded the best as far as effort/result ratio goes. No complaints. I was so shocked and amazed by the result that I wandered why I never thought of it before. The roasting process enhances the natural sweetness and tartness of the fruits. Adding only a couple of key ingredients to the pan, I obtained two very different yet equally tasty results. I chose to pair the rhubarb with vanilla and strawberries with balsamic, and sprinkled both batches with a little raw sugar for some added sweetness.

I loved both equally and I used them insatiably on my morning bowl of cereal, which is one of the ways you can use them. I imagine them being perfect on pancakes, waffles, french toast, biscuits, cakes, inside muffins or scones, or even as a side for your cheese platter. I believe rhubarb would go well with pork, too. The clear advantage of roasting fruit, besides enhancing their flavor, is that it prolongs their shelf life and reduces the amount of space they occupy in your refrigerator –which is especially important if you have a small one like me. Plus, you rinse and chop just once, and you'll have a pot of fruit handy and ready to use anytime you want.

As for me, the roasted rhubarb made for the perfect topping for my bowl of steel cut oatmeal, while the strawberries ended in my overnight muesli bowl. Both combinations are delicious, but of course you can swap or use your favorite breakfast cereal recipe, or any of the options mentioned above.