Kiwi fruit: green, gold and ruby red

Well, it may seem silly but I never seen kiwi fruit disappearing so fast as when they were served this way! And I swear that they taste better sliced like this that eaten with a spoon...

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

 

Ricotta with strawberries, manuka honey, edible gold and cornflowers

 

I have been on a diet recently so this is a pretty low-fat dessert: ricotta with strawberries marinated with lemon juice (a mixture of regular strawberries and tiny Alpine strawberries from the garden) and a tiny little bit of mānuka honey. For best effect the dessert is decorated with edible gold and cornflower petals. It was stunning to look at, and delicious!

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Colourful beet salad

 

These baby beets (and a couple of baby purple carrots) were boiled and then peeled (the skin comes off easily) and dressed with olive oil and salt, plus a sprinkle of fennel leaves. I added onion weed, borage and calendula petals to complete the salad. Very yummy, and pretty! 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Banana blossom and carrot salad

 

I usually just have the banana blossom 'heart' for salads, but this time I have included a few of the little flowers that are found under the Petals. Cut the banana blossom from the bunch of bananas (leave them on the tree if they are still green) and peel off the outer pink petals, collecting the little blossoms and dropping them in cold water and lemon juice (I added some to the sink). 

Prepare another bowl with water and lemon juice and cut the banana 'heart' into small slices, dropping them quickly into the lemon water so that they don't brown. If you want to add the flowers you will need to remove the style and stigma, and the papery outer part of the flower. This takes a long time and this is why I only do it for a few of the most tender flowers. The more central flowers, which are completely white (no pink) can be eaten whole.

Rinse well and drain, then place in a bowl and add lemon or lime juice, about 2 tbsp, soy sauce, about 1 tbsp, and half a tsp of grated ginger. Press down with a plate or a second bowl and place a weigh on top (you can find an image in this recipe here). Leave overnight, or even a couple of days (like I did, it was perfectly fine!), then rinse under cold water, shake well and place in a clean bowl. Grate one large carrot and dress with lemon juice, salt and olive oil, then fold in the banana flowers. Mix well, taste for salt, and scoop into the banana petals for serving. I also decorated mine with Vietnamese mint flowers. 

It was very good, but next time, if I have the patience and time to clean all the little flowers, I'll tray to cook them. The 'heart' is definitely much nicer! 

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Pumpkin Coconut Curry (and pumpkin soup for the day after)

 

Bake the whole pumpkin in the oven and then slice and remove the outer peel and centre, slice and set aside. Chop two shallots and one green pepper and sauté with a little vegetable oil,  then add red curry paste (as much as your taste buds suggest) and a can of coconut cream, plus the water from rinsing out the can. Bring to a simmer, then add the sliced pumpkin and some Vietnamese mint leaves and flowers, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Top with fresh Vietnamese mint flowers, and also chopped coriander and Thai or lemon basil. Serve with rice, it is delicious!

If you have made a lot you can also blend it into a soup, easy as!

  Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Omelette with cheese and dried cornflower petals

 

It is winter here and no so many flowers in the garden, but I have plenty of dried cornflower petals, which keep a beautiful blue colour and are fun to use in the kitchen.

For the frittata: beat three free-range eggs with a little water and a pinch of salt. Grease a fryingpan with olive oil and when the oil is hot add the eggs. Spread the mixture well (I make four 'cuts' on the sides to spread the eggs well) and sprinkle with cornflower petals. 

Add a couple of slices of Edam cheese and more petals.

Fold the omelette and then cook for one more minute on each side. Then add a few more petals on top.

Serves two. Yum!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Apple cupcakes with dried flowers

 

I have a selection of dried petals: blue cornflowers, red petals (a mixture of rose, verbena, dianthus) and orange and yellow (marigold and calendula), ready to add to a cake or cupcakes or muffins.

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes/muffins

4-5 Oratia Beauty apples

40 ml water

10 ml lemon juice

120 g salted butter

3 eggs

130 g sugar

A few drops of pure vanilla essence (optional)

200 g self-rising flour

Dried flowers

For the icing:

100 gr butter

100 g sugar

more dried flowers

Preheat the oven to 175°C. 

Line a 12-muffin tray with cupcakes paper cups.

In the meantime place the water and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, peel and slice the apples and drop them directly into the lemony water.

Melt the butter in a jug, either in the microwave or in the oven (while the oven is warming up for the cupcakes). Place the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk, using an electric beater, until the mixture looks light and pale yellow in colour. Slowly add the melted butter and the vanilla essence, if using.

Keep beating at a low speed now; add half of the flour followed by half of the lemony water from the apples. Add the rest of the flour and water and keep beating making sure that there are no lumps. Add the apples and the dried petals. Divide into the cupcakes paper cups.
 
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until golden brown at the top. You can also check by inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes: if it comes out clean the cupcakes are ready. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them cool down. The icing is optional, I just mixed some melted butter with sugar and used it to top the cupcakes, then sprinkled more dried petals on top. 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Zucchini with marigold vinegar and marigold fresh petals

 

This is a delicious starter or side dish. Cut the zucchini in thin long strips and pan fry with olive oil on both sides for just a minute (don't let them brown, they just need to soften). Chop plenty of Italian parsley and garlic with a pinch of salt and add to the zucchini, with a tbsp or two of marigold vinegar (recipe here). If you don't have marigold vinegar just use some white balsamic or white wine vinegar (but consider making marigold vinegar too!). Let the zucchini marinate for at least two hours, more if possible, then lay on a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh marigold petals. Serve at room temperature of chilled.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Onion weed and Parmigiano fritters

 

Yeah onion weed time again!! Pick some fat one, as many as you can, wash well the juicy bulbs and chop finely, adding some green stalks and a few flowers. Mix three eggs with 2 tbsp of self raising flour and 3 of grated Parmigiano, add salt and pepper to taste and then the chopped onion weed. Fry in olive oil until golden and crispy. So yum!

 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

A Vegetarian in Mexico

Mexico City

Mexican food is amazing, from street stalls to fancy restaurants, and even the 'tourist' places provide a good fare. Plus there is plenty for vegetarians. But let's start with simple cafes, this is a typical breakfast in Mexico City: eggs on a tortilla, with spicy sauces (although most of the time I just had coffee with pastries, I am Italian after all).

Then, no matter where you go, you will find guacamole! We basically ate it daily... with a variety of beers!

Then quesadillas (often the 'make your own' version)

And my favourite: nopal, cactus leaves!

 

Ok this IS quite ‘touristic’ but it is also beautiful, and full of locals! If you are in the city centre you can pop in just for coffee and to enjoy the ambience, and for dinner it has an English menu and a few veggie options. Usual veggie fares in most Mexican restaurants seem to be the blue corn enchiladas (usually with mushrooms or zucchini flowers) and the cheese stuffed peppers, all quite cheesy really, and with beans on the side also super filling. No much without cheese a part from the Mexican rice and the guacamole, or the egg dishes, I am sure I am putting on weight!! Anyway, we had a great evening here, I don’t care about being a tourist sometimes, after all in Venice I still like going to the Florian just for the pleasure of being in an historic cafe, so I happily recommend Café de Tacuba in Mexico City 😊

Café de Tacuba

Café de Tacuba

Café de Tacuba

Cantina La Coyacana was our lunch after visiting Museo Frida Kahlo (La Casa Azul) If you are in Mexico City for a short time and must choose among the many many beautiful museums, and you want some colourful photos, then you should definitely choose La Casa Azul, and the Cantina La Coyacana is just a short walk away! Here I had the best nopal (cactus leaf) so far, the guacamole was good, the refried beans a little dry, but the selection of green and red sauces which appear on every restaurant super yummy and spicy! Amazingly good value for money for the huge amount of food you get, plus good ambience and service.

Cantina La Coyacana

Cantina La Coyacana

Floral experience at Corazón de Maguey in Koyoacan, Mexico City. Quesadillas with zucchini flowers, tacos with hibiscus flowers (these are a little sweet, just to let you know in case you don’t read Spanish) and my flan had rose petals... or where those hibiscus too? After Mezcal not quite sure. We ate with our Mexican primos, they choose the place and we loved it. One of the best places I have tried in Mexico City, with great service too 👍 

Corazón de Maguey

Corazón de Maguey

Corazón de Maguey

Corazón de Maguey

Elegant dinner in an elegant and historic restaurant (a converted hacienda) in Mexico City: San Angel Inn. After aperitif in the courtyard (with pianist - more musicians were inside - kind of “classy mariachi”, and so good!) we moved indoors for dinner and I tried the famous Huitlacoche, a black fungus which grows on corn, here served in crepes, and also stuffed chilies (well, more like green capsicums, just a little hotter). And my first Mexican wine. But the best was the dessert trolley - I couldn’t choose, so I let my hosts choose for me a light and creamy bavarese.

San Angel Inn

San Angel Inn

San Angel Inn

Guadalajara

The best eating experience in Guadalajara was at Alcade @restalcalde - although there is not much for vegetarians what was available was so good that I can still taste it. We had the raisin beetroot with vanilla poached grapefruit, macadamia nuts and cotija cheese cream (and this is not a dessert but a starter - amazing), the purslane, nopal cactus and mint salad with burrata (OMG) and the best cheese tamale ever, with chili, stuffed spinach, toasted almonds, shredded macadamia and mushroom powder. We kept asking for bread (excellent) to mop up all the sauces because they were just spectacular - never mind etiquette, we could not waste a drop! I drunk a Mezcal Tommis cocktail so after that I went for water, but Peter did have some sort of Tequila while the rest of us shared the four desserts available, which arrived after a sorbet palate cleanser. The desserts were super! From the traditional Jericalla (like a cooked crème) with vanilla ice cream and shredded macadamia to a chocolate ganache with cacao ice cream and zapote negro (looks like a black persimmon) and hoja santa (a bit like kawakawa?). But the two best were the tres leches with guava foam, lemon meringue and raspberry powder and the rice pudding with cinnamon ice cream, soy milk flakes and toasted chocolate (how do they do that?!?!?). Dreamy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  I would go back to Guadalajara just to eat there again

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

Alcade

We were in Guadalajara for the book fair so, a part from Alcade (and an insect restaurant, which I won't report as there was very little for vegetarians there - I just managed with the usual veggie tacos, sans bugs!) we didn't eat out much except at the hotel (nothing special except for the breakfast, and the margaritas at night!). 

 

Tlaquepaque

Tlaquepaque is a must visit to buy art and craft, and here too is full of tourist restaurants and cafes, but also simpler food stalls

Pastries and juices

Making tortillas

More guacamole in Tlaquepaque

Bucerías

In Bucerías we stayed at La Hacienda Bucerías with our hosts Debora and Ramóm

We spent our last great last few days in Mexico laying on the beach in Bucerías, with more food from street-side family restaurants and food stalls. I have to say that with all the tourists around, especially from Canada and the US here, many cafes have menus in English AND more Vegan and Vegetarian offers! The markets too have a great variety of vegan tacos, including jackfruit. 

Hot and cold snacks at the beach - all the lunch I needed!

Vegan at the market

Big avocados!

Vegan tacos in simple road-side cafes

Condiments

Lots of beans...

Jackfruit at the market

Vegan tamales


Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©