Swedish Chef

People have different opinions about IKEA and I respect them all.
I also understand the love-hate relationship others have with the place and what it represents.
But we have to congratulate the IKEA chaps on their new coffee table book. It is so clever and beautiful and inspiring.
Have a look here: www.demo.fb.se/e/ikea/homemade_is_best/index.html

Gigantic

No I am not going to start waving flags suddenly, believe me this came as a surprise.
As a kid I used to hate gigantes, those farty big beans that my grandmother would cook with such pride, devotion and zest.
Then I loved them suddenly , one hot summer night in Ios, with ouzo. But I was drunk so I forgot everything about them.
Last weekend a friend came over to stay with us which was a good excuse for a BBQ and a little dinner party. He offered and cooked Gigantes beans in the oven, 'plaki' as they call them in Greece. My boyfriend went ballistic. Why have I never cooked that masterpiece for him in the past?
Well this weekend I finally did. Being lazy, I used canned butter beans, nothing of the patient soaking overnight process that grandma loved and was such an important part of her 'Gigantes' ritual.

Ingredients

300 grams gigantes beans or butter beans
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and blended or 1 can of whole tomatoes (500 grams)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup white dry wine
1 cup of parsley, finely chopped
2 stalks celery ribs, finely chopped
3 big carrots, finely chopped
fresh oregano, finely chopped
A few sprigs of dill, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon thyme honey (optional)
2 cups water

Directions:

Soak beans in plenty of water, overnight. Or use canned beans if you are lazy like me.
Drain and add fresh water and bring to a boil and remove any froth with a slotted ladle. Drain them again and add fresh water and bay leaves and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked (about 1 hour and 30 minutes) and then drain and discard the bay leaves.
Preheat oven at 180o C 350o F.
Heat olive oil in a sautéing pan and sauté onions and garlic until translucent.
Add chopped celery, carrots, parsley, fresh oregano and beans and mix.
Add wine, honey, tomato, salt and pepper and water and mix.
Cover the sautéing pan or cook in a casserole dish in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes until the beans are soft and the sauce is thick, mixing at regular intervals.

Serve with olives, feta cheese, tzatziki and bread.

Bananarum A

There is nothing worst for a woman's silhouette than being pregnant + discovering that apart from cooking, baking is amazing too.
It 's all downhill from now on my friends, all the way to Fatland.

First ever attempt to bake was more than successful, boyfriend suggested to get a stall at Broadway Market and sell them. Ha, as If I don't have anything else to do on a Saturday!

So for gluten free Bananarum-a Muffins you will need:

Ingredients:
100g Caster Sugar
100g Butter (at room temp or microwaved for 5 sec.)
2 Eggs
3 Large Ripe Bananas
170g Rice flour
50g Corn flour
1 tsp Gluten free Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 shots of Dark Rum
chocolate flakes


Preheat the oven to 200C. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Use a small electric hand mixer. Add both eggs and mix well until you have a smooth light & airy mixture.
Mash the bananas one at a time and add them. Mix well between each banana until they disappear into the mixture. These hold the muffins together really well and allow this recipe to be made without xanthan gum or another binding ingredient.
Mix the rice flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl. Sift this mix into the butter and egg mixture bit by bit, mixing in between until you have a thick but even consistency and all the flour mix has disappeared into the wet mix. Pour in the rum gently. Add the chocolate flakes and mix again very well.
Spoon into muffin cases until even. The baking powder will make them rise so don't make them overflowing.
Bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown.

Elderflower I Adore You

Being pregnant is good for my liver but oh how I miss you alcohol!
There are always ways to trick myself and the super non-alcoholic champagne I got from Fresh & Wild can be used for this cocktail.
Normal people of course can use proper champagne.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Champagne
  
• 2 oz elderflower liqueur or cordial
  
• club soda or soda water
• lemon twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the liqueur/cordial and Champagne over ice in a chilled glass.
2. Top with club soda.
3. Stir well
   
4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Sweet Potato Mash with Haloumi and Chili

Dead easy this one. And a winner.
Steam the sweet potatoes and the parsnips and then mash them with a fork and add a bit of butter and milk. Play it by the ear, that is the easiest method for the best mash. If it looks thirsty, feed it with more milk and salt and pepper.
Fry the sliced haloumi till it goes dark on both sides and put on top of the mash. Prepare the 'sauce' separately by chopping the chillies and fry them for a few minutes, squeeze the limes and add the lime zest. Then just pour on top of the mash and haloumi.

All in all you will need:
3 big sweet potatoes
3 parsnips
milk
butter
chilies
haloumi
1 lime

Oh What A Joy : At Bonnington

There are not many advantages about staying temporarily South of the river. Commuting to work to begin with kills me. But beggars can't be choosers and until I move back East later on in the Summer I have to stay South, enjoy the fact that I am not paying rent and not moan. In other words 'shut it'. With places like the Bonnington Cafe this can be truly very easy.
I paid a visit today in the afternoon on my own and it was so enjoyable I am dying to take all my friends there and share the experience.
A few minutes walk from Vauxhall station, this lovely place has a different chef every day and serves vegan and vegetarian food which was the best choice for one of the hottest days of the year. Today Ana ignoring the heat wave had cooked a menu that made me want to order EVERYTHING. In the end I got the delicious carrot and ginger soup for just £2 and a watermelon and lime fresh juice for just £1,50. I also got a takeaway polenta with walnuts for later on, which i enjoyed in the park. Then I was smiling like an idiot for the rest of the day.
I am going again on Tuesday!

Would Pinchy Want It That Way?

Oh yes, I had something like the perfect day last Monday. To begin with I had the day off and was feeling physically well after a very long time. I met an old friend who was in London for business in the morning, then had a very long walk, then went to the cinema and then found myself at this restaurant alone, menu in hand, just because of the poster on the wall: JUNE! LOBSTER MONTH. I am such an easy target sometimes.
I did call my partner to join me, who is a vegetarian, 99% of the year . He did come but did not try the lobster. I did. And it was delicious. But I must admit that it looked very cute and I found myself feeling a bit like Homer Simpson. And in reality it was not as delicious as the lobster I had in Crete 5 years ago, or the one my friend caught in 2003. It was a lobster that was designed to end up in my plate and that was a very sad thing to realize.
But I have no regrets. It was part of the almost perfect day Monday.