grow some grass

Here is my mid week inspiration:  get some seeds, grow spring sprouts! I put them into my salads and soups, and into my dog Shei's bowl. She never leaves any on her plate...in fact I just caught her having an early snack from a plant pot on the balcony, full of wheatgerm...a cow of a dog she is!
Luckily it grows back pretty fast.
This is what it looked like...

...before this happened.

She doesn't look too guilty.

I also have rye sprouts, lemon mint, and cockooflower...

Lots of cockooflower. It tastes a bit like chives.

   Give it a go!                                      All photos by Galeria Rocco

tart-rustic

A moody, blue hour photo of a very edible Sunday shortcrust tart filled with mascarpone, dates, almonds...tiny bits of green candied pomelo and cantelupe melon, just because I had some...grapefruit juice...topped with apricot jam...all true blue, as we say in Australia. 

    photo by Galeria Rocco

gomashio

I just prepared the Japanese sesame salt, or gomashio, a delicious condiment I periodically make and always keep. It consists of sea salt and unhulled, fresh sesame seeds, roasted, and then grinded. It will add so much oomph and flavour to your dishes, you will never look back...Sprinkle it on anything just like salt - veggie dishes, eggs, meat, salads...my sweet cherry tomatoes never tasted this good before.
And it keeps in a dark, cool place, or a fridge, for many weeks.  So here goes:

First roast two tablespoons of sea salt on low heat for 3 min. (this time I run out, so I used Himalayan).
Next, add half a cup + two tablespoons of unhulled sesame seeds (white or black, or mixed):

Keep stirring and roast it for a while, until they are a little darker. Make sure they don't burn.
Then grind the lot in a mortar, enough to release the flavour, but not too much, so some seeds are still whole:

Cool and put in a airtight jar. Done!

         All photos by Galeria Rocco

December apple pie

My version of Charlotte cake for the month of December looks like this:

      photo copyright Galeria Rocco


         Have a great weekend!


         

Alice in Wonderland Cookbook

Being an Alice in Wonderland fun I couldn't go past this vintage find - an out of print Alice in Wonderland Cookbook. With the Lewis Carrol quotations and Sir John Tenniel's delighful illustrations, it is quite priceless. Drink Me Soup or Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts anyone?

                                                                         Amazon Books

                                                               courtesy of  Brain Pickings

     

Take the recipe for Looking Glass Cake:

1 pound flour | ½ pound butter | 4 ounces currants | 4 ounces mixed peel | 3 ounces raisins | ½ pound castor sugar | 2 teaspoons baking powder | 3 eggs | 1 teaspoon mixed spice | milk

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Beat eggs and whisk gradually into the creamed mixture.
3. Sift flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture by degrees.
4. Finally mix in fruit and spice.
5. The mixture should now be of such a consistency that it will drop easily from the spoon. Add milk only if necessary.
6. Turn into a cake tin approximately 7 ½ inches in diameter lined with greaseproof paper.
7. Bake for 2-3 hours in a slow oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, Gas Mark 2.
8. Test with a skewer to see if cooked. Insert it in the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready to be placed on a wire rack to cool.
9. Cut it first and hand round afterwards.

                                                        Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts

And took them quite away."

berry red, berry blue, berry-licious

They come and they go. You have to be quick. Have them while you can, enjoy them while they last...here's to berry-licious summer splendor!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

chilli peppers love

 My love affair with chilli peppers started in India, and never stopped. The fiery things are actually really good for you!  They are widely used in Asian countries for their antioxidant and antiseptic properties, to preserve food, and - surprisingly - to cool the body. They also contain an amazing level of vitamins and minerals, and can be powerful healers. Good article here.
Best still, they are so easy to grow!

       They grow in summer, they grow in winter, they grow on your window sill and some bear fruit all       year long. They look great in a tropical garden, and they look even better in a pot, against a snow covered window, pretending they are a Christmas decoration. And there are so many kinds!

 

    I dry them or pickle them in olive oil or vinegar (try adding carrots and honey...)
    Good recipes here and here. I still have to try homemade chilli jam!

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco

Santorini found objects

A little post-Santorini mood board from mediterranean plants and artifacts to offset the rainy day at home. Try lavendula, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and yellow flowering santolina - they  smell divinely of windswept Aegean hills each time you run your hand against them. 

Try to mix coarse salt for your grinder with mediterranean herbs to put an extra kick on baked potatoes, salads, marinades, grilled meat or soup.
Ah, and Argyros wine is just divine!

mylelia-sea-salt-aromatic-herbs-and-peppercorn
Santorini wine from estate-argyros.com

All photos copyright Galeria Rocco