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.
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.
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.