Woodsmoke and Wild Strawberries

Musings and Culinary Endeavours: because blogs and food should be more satisfying than a rice cake.

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Punchy Potato Salad

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I have a mental list of “nostalgia foods” that bring me back to a feeling from my childhood or other poignant, memorable instant.  On this list are a number of foods that can be so evocative but which I am afraid of eating regularly lest they be a let down and overwrite my memories.  This list is not exhaustive clearly, but it goes something like this:

  1. linguine con vongole (inguine with clams) – my absolute last supper
  2. melanzane alla parmigiana
  3. marinated herrings with chopped hardboiled egg and onions
  4. charred peppers with parsley (a typical dish we eat in Italy)
  5. chicken broth with a scrambly egg and grated parmesan drop dumpling stirred throughout called  “brodo con stracciatella”
  6. roast chicken and potatoes all with garlic and rosemary
  7. cauliflower sauteed in garlicky breadcrumbs
  8. apple fritters with vanilla soured cream
  9. bruschetta with plenty of oregano

…and somewhere on there right alongside Polish Wjejska sausage, is my mother’s take of potato salad.  …

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5 a Day? 10 a day, more like: Aubergine and Sweet Potato Comfort Food

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Version 2Our nationally touted strapline “have you had your 5 a day?” is soon to be obsolete.  Or at the very least superceded by “10 a day”, as that is much nearer the reality of what constitutes a healthy diet. This isn’t a newsflash, it being so much in the air, what with Meat free Monday and vegan diets all the rage, but I am really trying to change the animal protein to vegetable consumption ratio in our house…  For my mid-western husband it has been quite a slow dawning that a meal need not necessarily include animal protein to be substantial and tasty.  In order to eat like this as a family, turning him around has been a key factor.  I remember the first time he came home to our town in Italy and my mother had prepared a light but typical Italian Summer supper.  We had just surfaced from our late evening Ryanair flight and made it via hairpin bends all the way to our beautiful Penne (in the Abruzzo), and we sat down to eat a tomato salad and fresh bread and a selection of cheeses.  After polishing off a vast amount, my husband said something which is now a piece of family folklore, he turned to me, knowing what a fabulous cook my mum was, with “wow, that was amazing, I wonder what your mum has chosen for the main?”. 

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Virtuous-o Kale and Quinoa Salad

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IMG_6609The only drawback to preparing this dish is the amount of ingredients you have to line up which then clutter your worktop, but I make the effort worthwhile by making a whole mound, then dressing it in batches as needed so that the bulk of it keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.   It is a really great standalone salad, perfect for any lunch.  It is a particular hit with my girlfriends as it is a modern, wheat-free variation of taboule with an abundance of green and herbs, the latter being the dominant in the ratio to carbs.

Crucially, it is an absolute winner in the lunchbox (Yay, at LAST!) as the kale has body, doesn’t wilt or shed water too much and the rice and quinoa provide further bite and substance.    The key is to use as much kale as you can as it does lose some volume, so don’t be shocked by my quantities.

I haven’t quite figured out how to work in a neat and un-cluttered way in the kitchen.  The more ingredients and dishes at once the lower my self-esteem when I cast around the countertop.  …

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