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 ©