Il Primo

There is 34 degrees outside and I have just entered my happy place of kitchen. My hands are full with freshly cut herbs from our magical, though yet sparsely planted, garden and I’m thinking to myself that I should get one of those cute small rattan baskets to put my harvest in. I have the habit of at least once a week going to the many mercatinos — used markets — located nearby us here in Salento to bargain. It is fun, but also necessary, for having moved from a space of 32 square meters with a balcony to one of 85 square meters with a terrace and 1 230 square meters of land, there are things needed and spaces to be filled (with pots and plants, furniture and pillows, quirky salentinian stuff and traditional pugliese merchandise). Next time, a rattan basket will be on the list of things to look for. The herbs smell great and the small peppers that I harvested just before herbs are as picante as deep in its yellow color. We have invited our darling new friends Liam and Gaynor for aperitivo and primo piatto — that is, for some appetizers and a first course — and I am eager to get started with the cooking. Let alone, with the styling of the food and the photographing thereof, and not to be forgotten, with setting the table and to make the creativity of my cooking mirror my passion for all things beautiful.

The aperitivo was inspired by two posts on instagram that I recently saw; the first being crushed potatoes marinated with mustard dressing and the other mozzarella-filled aubergine envelopes. As seen below, I got inspired to cook, not necessarily exactly what saw, but rather to get that cooking vibe put into action. What commonly happens is that I get inspired by the use of a specific vegetable, sometimes just the bare color thereof, such as that of aubergine. Other times, I occured touched by the flavour of a specific savour or the sense of texture. That’s what happened with the crushed potatoes with 100% plant-based pesto that I made, for seeing the photo of the potatoes on Instagram, I tasted the pleasant aroma of mixed basil with pines on the smooth texture of (s)mashed potatoes. My appetite was tickled, my inspiration triggered and our guests readily invited.

Zuppa di Zucca

Walking by the pumpkin at the grocery store, reminiscent to me became one of the dinners that I had at Thais’ when doing fieldwork with her for my master thesis. We did a pumpkin soup topped with peanuts, and knowing the warmth memories of childhood that monkey nuts evokes in Gaynor, to make zuppa di zucca for our Salentino Wine & Dine was a done deal. So was it to serve it with two bottles of really good and locally produced red wines. Liam is namely bit of a hobby sommelier, and while I am far more skilled when it comes to cooking than to wine tasting, I cherish sharing wine with other appreciative drinkers of sorts.

I fancy a spicy and garlic infused soup, so I put 5 chillies and as many cloves of garlic into the mix. A fistful of dried herb spice containing menta, parsley, thyme and chives was thrown into it too, not to forget the fresh oregano from our garden. Once cooked to soft texture, the pumpkin was drenched with extra virgin olive oil from MenhirSalento. Made from olives cultivated in the Fasano area, the oil contains the olive cultivar of coratina which is my favorite. It is quite a sharp cultivar and adds tastefully to the spicy character of the soup. Naturally, me eating at least 3 dl of extra virgin olive oil a day, the soup obviously became dressed with the oil as well. To make it a bit more full, and that particularly with reference to nutritional sources such as protein, red lentils were boiled and added before the ingredients were mixed smooth. With a silky touch and spicy flavor, the soup was enjoyed with histories of how Gaynor as a child performed with neighborhood kids during Halloween, wishing for candy and getting monkey nuts.

Zucchini & Mung
Bean Bundles

Oven cooked to a crusty perfection, these mung bean filled bundles act a delightful pairing with zuppa di zucca. Like most of my food, it becomes prepared by an extensive, though not excessive, immersion in extra virgin olive oil*. This as one of the many great benefits of cooking with extra virgin olive oil, is that it enhances the flavour of foods, such as if used to fry or oven roast. Fan of garlic and fresh herbs as I am, the bundles where savored with mortared cloves and finely chopped chives, parsley and basil.

Peppery stacks

The deep purple peel of the eggplant turned into peppery tofu stacks. Flavored with fresh menta, basil and topped with cherry tomatoes from our land, these delights had our guests dazzlingly surprised. It was the very spicy yellow pepper hidden between the layers of baked slices of aubergine and tofu that so delightfully jolted them into marvels. Now, 100% plant-based as my cooking occurs, the mozzarella-filled aubergine envelopes that I saw on Instagram some days ago acted only a spark to cook. More specifically, they sparked the idea to oven roast slices of aubergine and stack them with something. As I love the texture of tofu and had to harvest the peppers, well, one thing led into another and an inspirational pic turned into a dish to cherish.

Crashed Pesto Patate

Potato potato, coming from a working-class family in Sweden, potato constituted the bread and butter of dinners growing up. However pronounced, potato constitute staple food in Sweden, and versatile of a food as it is, I just could not sense the taste of savoring pesto on crushed potatoes without making them as an aperitivo (though they could make for an entire dinner if you were to ask my husband — he absolutely loved these smashed smithereens of nibbles). Being on the topics of staple and aperitivo, olives is an aperitivo staple, and much as my husband likes to nibble pesto-drenched crashed potatoes, nibbling of locally produced cellina olives makes for a treat as good as any. I buy these from the producer of L’Olivicola located in Taurisano, just 30 minutes drive from us, and though they taint my teeth worse than those of my so beloved glasses of reds, I happily indulge and that with a stained but oh so delighted smile.

Buon appetito amici!

* I make use of all oil, so the oil that is not soaked up by the vegetables becomes used either to dress the dish or for other cooking purposes. This goes for all ingredients that I cook with, because all food stuff is far too precious in its making to waste.

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