Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Fuchsia, Fandango and Purple



I have prepared my photos and recipes, but to be honest I am not in the best mood for posting. There has been another big earthquake in Christchurch and I have just seen a friend of mine on the evening news getting some bottled water from the civil defense. Many homes are without water and electricity, and many are badly damaged. All you can think is 'Oh no, not again!'. Then there is this volcanic dust cloud over New Zealand and many flights are grounded, tomorrow my daughter (12) is supposed to be flying to Wellington for the Kids Lit Quiz Nationals (last week her team from Glen Eden Intermediate won the Auckland round, beating 54 schools) and we don't know yet if they will be able to go. It would be so sad if they cannot, those 4 kids are looking forward to it, and they really have a very very good knowledge of children literature. I'll keep my finger crossed for them but, most importantly, I hope hope hope that this was the last earthquake ever in Christchurch.




An now to the recipes, and another palette to colour my winter. I used red beetroots to make two different salads and some fuchsia eggs. The first salad has the classic combination of beetroot and feta, plus the addition of carrots, which take on a lovely pink hue, and some coriander for a bit of zing! The second salad was a hit with the kids: wasabi mayo is easy to make and can be used not only for beetroots, but also for potatoes, pumpkin, kumara, beans, and any other vegetable that you like to turn into a creamy salad.

Which one do you prefer???



Red Beetroot, Carrot, Feta and Coriander Salad.




Wash and boil the red beetroots until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Let them cool down and then peel them (keep the peels aside to colour the eggs later on). Cut them into cubes., then add a grated carrot, cubed feta cheese, chopped fresh coriander, olive oil, lemon juice (optional) and salt and pepper to taste.



Red Beetroot with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Pink Eggs.






Wash and boil the red beetroots until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Let them cool down and then peel them (keep the peels aside to colour the eggs later on). Cut them into cubes, then add one big tbsp of mayonnaise and a little wasabi (to taste). Stir. Boil the eggs, peel and colour using the beetroot peels. You can either rub the peels directly onto the eggs, or place them in a bowl of water and immerse the eggs in it for 30 minutes. Serve with the beetroot wasabi mayo salad.


Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©



25 comments:

  1. Io prendo tutto!Tra la vegetazione lussureggiante e questi splendidi colori..non pare porpio autunno lì!bacione
    PS:ABBIAMO VINTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :D

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  2. ALessandra carissima che soddisfazione!, sono contentissima, altro che sberla? questi sono schiaffoni a ripetizione, ma sta tranquilla che nons e ne va, lui continua a comprare deputati e avrà sempre una maggioranza parlamentare, anche se ormai è netta minoranza nel Paese, non sbagliano a chiamarlo "colpo di stato democratico" non sarà facile levarlo da Palazzo Chigi....
    Questo piatto di verdure è stupendo, io mangerei barbabietole rosse sempre mi piace quel leggero aroma di terra, io ho fatto un dolce al cucchiao con le rape rosse, ti metto il link http://unpezzodellamiamaremma.blogspot.com/2010/07/cupolette-rosa-alla-vaniglia-con-miele.html, è buonissimo... wasabi si può fare in casa o va comprato? un abbraccio

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  3. Saretta e Tam... yeah!!!! Vinto! Sono troppo contenta!!! Almeno questa!

    Tam, io ho usato il wasabi giapponese in tubetto (non e' fortissimo) ma se hai la fortuna di trovare la radice fresca puoi grattarla e usare quella. O anche il rafano.

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  4. Sul serio c'è stato un terremoto da voi? Ma perché di queste cose in Europa non si parla? Spero non sia stato troppo grave...
    Molto colorate queste verrines, hai scelto una tinta proprio vitale per riscaldare il tuo inverno a testa in giù ;-)

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  5. Cara Alessandra mi dispiace per il terremoto, ultimamente se ne sentono tanti, troppi. Ho visto anche i disastri che sta facendo il vulcano, terrò le dita incrociate perché tua figlia possa andare al suo atteso e meritato appuntamento!
    Per le ricette le preferisco entrambe, sono troppo appetitose! Grazie per i meravigliosi fusilli! Un abbraccio

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  6. You are right, the first thing that came to mind when I read news of the earthquake at Christchurch, Oh, no, not again!
    Hope situation there is better now, and they barely recovered from the last earthquake.
    Hopefully your daughter will manage to attend the quiz competition.
    Your beetroot salad looks wonderful and a great idea to colour the eggs with beetroot!
    Regarding the Chinese Flowering Chives, yes, you can stir-fry it without prawns, you may add in carrots cut into julienne strips and use vegetarian oyster sauce. Hope you enjoy it.

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  7. So sorry to hear of yet another tragedy in Christchurch. My thoughts are with you.

    I just LOVE the eggs!

    AND ... I'm slowly entering the 21st century and am now following you on Twitter!

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  8. Golly Twitter, I am getting just used to it myself!

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  9. Ma lo sai che di questo terremoto non hanno parlato nelle news? incredibile.
    Mi spiace tanto, spero che sia davvero l'ultimo.

    Il piatto e' splendido, ma sono innamorata delle pink eggs :-)

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  10. Ciao ragazze, confermo per i terremoto...non ho sentito nulla! Spero non abbia fatto danni tremendi, soprattutto alle persone......le tue insalate sono di un colore stupendo! Le assaggerei tutt'e due!

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  11. I hope your daughter and her teammates are able to attend the competition. It is such an honor and not being able to participate would be a real shame. I hope there are no deaths or physical injuries associated with the latest quake. Those poor folk have already had enough trouble to last a lifetime.
    Both your recipes are lovely. My personal preference would be for the more classic version. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  12. Le tue uova sode sono strabilianti,d'avvero d'impatto!

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  13. Thank you all for your kind thoughts. It is 5 in the morning now and my kid is on her way to the airport, but news are not good, as for now all Jetstar flight are cancelled. :-(

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  14. accidenti, un altro terremoto! non avevo letto...

    mi dispiace, e spero che sia l'ultimo, veramente!

    per i piatti, l'uovo rosa è troppo bello...

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  15. ciao Alessandra, spero davvero che tua figlia potrà partecipare alla sua competizione.
    le tue insalate, anche se non avevi troppa voglia di cucinarefotografarepostare,sono molto belle a vedersi e la maionese al wasabi la uso spesso (con la maio di riso però) per condire insalate, in molte varianti :)

    un abbraccio :)
    Bibi

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  16. Latest news for my daughter and her 3 team-mates: they managed to change flights, by paying $2,500 more, and they will have to stay the night in a hotel in Wellington. School and parents will have to find the money. They may arrive a bit late at Parliament for lunch, (Close Up TVNZ, should be there) but they will make it for the competition!!! So far a good result for getting up a 4:30 and waiting around at the airport for hours! Keep your finger crossed for them please :-)!

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  17. Last update: Spoke with my girl, unfortunately they didn't win, but they had a good time. The four kids were so tired that as I am writing this they are already deep asleep in a hotel in Wellington. Back tomorrow, and with a day off school!

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  18. Those dyed eggs are brilliant idea for pasrties specailly when kids around!

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  19. Hi Alessandra! Thank you for your kind words. You have some very tasty blogs. I'm going to have to follow you here. And feel for you and everyone over there regarding those earthquakes. We know all to well about earthquakes here in California. Thanks again and take care.

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  20. Oh dear I heard the news about Christchurch a few days ago and I really felt for them. Haven't they been through enough? :(

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  21. Favolosa l'idea di colorare le uova in questo modo! Una chicca da "rubare" subito ;)

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  22. I am sorry to hear about the earthquake. I know how you must be feeling; we recently had massive destruction here in Alabama, USA as a result of tornados. It's amazing what mother nature (aka God:) can do! We will be praying for you!

    On a lighter note- Thanks for following Be Well! I have been reading your blog for a while now and was so excited to see you as a follower:)

    I love your colorful pictures of the beetroot salad!

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  23. @nerodiseppia: ruba pure perche' questo e' un trucchetto che faccio da molti anni e le uova vengono davvero bellissime :-).

    E poi magari mi metti il link cosi' conosco altri italiani ;-).

    @ Be Well
    Thank you, your blog is informative, I like the blog roll to, I just read about the doctors in US doing 'quality testing'. Horror!!!

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  24. Now that's a fun idea! I'm going to try this. Thanks, Alessandra!

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