Flowers for Pinterest

I have been loving my garden this summer, and all the flowers I can bring into the house! 

Photos  by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Christchurch, la città dei giardini

Ogni anno vado a Christchurch, anche due o tre volte all'anno, sicuramente non è la mia città per me, troppo pianeggiante e con un clima ballerino, ma in compenso ha dei bellissimi giardini. Comincio con quello dei miei suoceri, visto che questo post è soprattutto per mia mamma e gli amici/parenti in Italia: ecco qualche foto.

Vicino alla loro casa c'`e Jellie Park, che è molto carino, ma nulla confronto ad Hagley Park, il parco principale nel centro della città.

Pieno di turisti, molto inglese, addirittura con il 'punting' (che fra l'altro avevano cominciato i cugini di mio marito molti anni fa - ne hanno poi cominciato uno a Melbourne, in Australia), ma con alberi bellissimi, un grande giardino botanico e il più antico roseto pubblico del paese.

Devo dire che preferisco il punting alla spiaggia di Christchurch, nella quale non sono mai riuscita a fare il bagno, o prendere il sole, e neppure a fare una camminata decente per via del vento.

Le ortensie a Hagley Park sono spettacolari!

E anche le dalie.

Il roseto, i giardini botanici e la serra sono bellissimi, la parte del parco con le piante native un po' meno interessante per chi vive ad Auckland o in altri posti della Nuova Zelanda con il "bush" (come viene chiamata la foresta nativa qui). 

Nel parco c'è un caffè e anche un ristorante spagnolo nel vecchio Curator's House, che oggi da il nome al ristorante, dove ho mangiato molto bene (anche se c'erano limitate scelte vegetariane).

Ciao Christchurch, magari la prossima volta vengo in autunno :-).

Photos  by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Miso Ramen with flowers

This is a quick and easy dinner: I used a mixture of gai lan (Chinese broccoli) which have edible yellow flowers, and broccoli, carrots, onion weeds and two types of seaweed (nori and tororo kombu, a kind of 'hairy' seaweed perfect for soups. I cleaned the vegetables and keep the gai lan and onion weed flowers aside. For the stock I cooked the carrots, broccoli, gai lang stalks and leaves and onion weed bulbs in a litre of lightly salted water, then I lifted the vegetables out and added miso paste (don't boil at this point, just simmer to mix the miso.  I cooked the ramen noodles in another pot, then lifted them out of the water directly in the ramen bowls. Then I topped the noodles with the vegetables and covered everything with miso soup. To finish I added boiled eggs, all the seaweed, and the gai lan and onion weed flowers.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Onigiri with Poppies, cornflowers and nasturtiums, and a Poppy Tea

Many of the flowers I plant are edible, and this year I also have poppies! They are beautiful and delicate to look at, and perfect for the kitchen. You can also make tea (it is supposed to help you sleep) but just use a few petals, from one or two flowers... only if you know enough about herbalism and/or botany you can adjust the dose to your body type. The taste is a bit like rose tea, I just add a little hot water and then let it stand until cool (it is a hot summer here). 

The petals leave a beautiful pattern inside the cup :-). 

For the onigiri: Wash the sushi rice (or Japanese rice) several times in cold water, until the water runs clear, and then cook it by absorption. The doses are about 1 and 3/4 (three quarters) cups of sushi rice for 2 cups of water, but that depends on the type of pot. You need a pot with a good lid, or you will loose too much steam. I kind of regulate myself by ear now, since I know my pots and pans. Bring the pot to boiling point, lower the heat and simmer until all the water has been absorbed. While the rice is cooking pick the flowers and clean the petals well, you can rinse the cornflowers and nasturtiums, but not the poppy petals, if you need to just spray with water and pat dry. Cut the petals in small strips with scissor and set aside. Once the rice is ready pour it into a bowl, add some unrefined salt and toasted black sesame seeds and stir it with a wooden spatula. Taste to see if it is 'salty' enough for you, then let it cool down a little. Then add half of the petals and stir. Fill a bowl with cold water and wet your hands, then pick up a handful of rice and shape into a ball. Repeat. Roll the rice balls in the rest of the petals. Serve cold, with Japanese pickled and soy sauce.

And now some compositions from the garden. 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Gnocchi with asparagus and onion weed, and a garden full of colours

The recipe is very quick, since I used bought gnocchi (to make your own click here). Pick some onion weeds, remove the bulbs, wash them and chop them finely. Keep some flowers aside for decoration (and to eat, make sure they don't have the seeds inside yet, these are quite hard!). Wash the asparagus, chop off the very ends and then cut the stalks into bite size pieces. Keep the spears (tips) asides. Gently fry the onion weed bulbs and asparagus stalks with a little olive oil, then add a little vegetable stock, just enough to cover them, and cook until the liquid has reduced to half. Add the asparagus tips and cook for 5 more minutes.  Cook the gnocchi, when they are ready lift them our with a slotted spoon and place in the pot with the asparagus. Add a knob of butter and stir well. Dish and sprinkle with onion weed flowers.

And now a few images from my garden, and a couple of flowers composition for my Pinterest Board!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

(Alessandra's) Terrine of vegetables ‘in scapece’ - and sharing recipes for free on the internet

A friend told me that I should put my recipes on Instagram, in same ways she is right, I spend a lot of time on Insta (more than with blogger) but I don't want to give up my (numerous) blogs the Blogger blog, they are a great archive, a diary, and collected thousands of free recipes, which have been made and shared many times, and also a source of inspiration to a number of people in the food business. Of course many of these have also been 'copied' (without credits of permission) even by some 'sort of famous' food writers and chefs... but I don't mind, I blog to spread the gospel of good, fresh, simple vegetarian food, and it is working. If the the same recipes ideas reach people through AB instead of me just because AB is well know, I am happy for it! Plus in my job I give a lot of recipes away, or consult or write for others. Easy. 
But I admit that sometimes I raise my eyebrows if I see one of my recipes in a magazine (and without permission).  It may be lightly adapted in wording and newly photographed, but I still know, immediately that it was taken from one of my social media because I am well aware of which recipes are mine, down to what percentage, if part traditional of inspired by others. But mostly it tells me more about the people/companies who re-use these resources for their own gain, and to the fact that if you put something online then you should let it go! 

So I am not sure if I will find the time or energy to publish recipes on Instagram as well, I'll start with one of my most loved creations and see what's happens. After all if one of my recipes ends up in a magazine or someone else blog I usually find out because one of my readers tells me, which means that others notice it too, so best to share the best!

Like this one for example, which I first published on this blog 10 years ago with the name of Torta di Verdure in Scapece. Scapece is an Italian way of 'marinating' food, (like escabece in Spanish) but I know that this torta/terrine is my own. I shared it with an Italian food forum and went down very well (as well as it goes down at the table) and I made it many more times since so it is truly tasted. Then a few days ago a took a photo and decided that since it is such an amazing vegan recipe I should share on Insta and with an English name, terrine of vegetables ‘in scapece’. 

I truly do hope that chefs, and everyone else, start making it, it tastes soo good that it has to be shared! Someone may even re-publish it, I don't mind, and perhaps they will choose to add Alessandra's on the recipe? Or maybe a credit in the book? Or send me a box of chocolates and a thank you note :-). Who knows... 


Anyway, I copy and paste the recipe from Insta, try it!!

The best dish of the Holidays is this terrine of vegetables ‘in scapece’. It takes an afternoon to make and at least two days in the fridge after that, but it is AMAZING ❤️🧡💜💚 

Fry many (many many) eggplants, zucchini and coloured capsicums slices in olive oil. Place on kitchen paper and add salt as you work. Peel the capsicums after frying. Layer the slices in a terrine adding chopped Italian parsley and garlic, plus breadcrumbs, after each layer and spraying with some white balsamic vinegar. Press down as you assemble. Use lots if parsley and garlic! Don’t skip layers! Press down well before covering - add a weight on top if necessary. Refrigerate for at least two days before tipping out. Slice and serve 😋 #sharingmyrecipes#vegetarianvibes