sharing the love...the love of food.

i am a kitchen dweller....as much as i always thought i would grow up being (what i thought) a "feminist" .(which in my head meant staying out of the kitchen, wearing a power suit to my fully-fledged career, not having children and never getting married. woah. how wrong was i?)

cooking and creating in the kitchen calms me. it's the one place i feel in control. i have two young girls that listen to me 30% of the time (on a good day) and surviving in a world where as much as you don't want it to, you are being judged. on your looks, parenting and financial status...it shouldn't be that way, and i try and surround myself with like minded people. but sadly it seems to be that way.

anyhoo...cooking. yes. love it. i totally own what i make.

so i shall share recipes that rock my boat when they come to me...in which ever form that may be, recipe books, tele, friends or just when you have to get creative from what lurks in the fridge that day...and the magic happens and i stumble across something worth sharing.

today i had one of those days when i stole 5 delicious minutes away from my girls (i'd like to thank Dora) and dived into my cook books. mmmmm. i needed something quick and easy to give me a sense of productivity. it's the last week of holidays for my eldest daughter from montessori...and let me tell you it has been killer.

so thanks Annabel langbein for these two beauties of the day.

Tuscan herb oil. ~ Annabel Langbein. Eat Fresh.

3 large handfuls of basil leaves, stems removed.
2 peeled garlic cloves
the finely grated zest of a lemon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

whazz it all up in the food processor. and it keeps for 5-6 days in the fridge or you can freeze it.

it's awesome stuff. i have it over anything and everything. summer veges, roasted veges, fish chicken. i love it over pasta too.

homemade mayo ~ Annabel Langbein, the free range cook.

1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper ( i use cracked black pepper)
3 tsp lemon juice (i guess-timate so i prob use more)
3 fresh egg yolks
2 cups oil. i use 50/50 grapeseed/ olive oil.

put all the ingredients in the whizz, except the oil.
bend the ingredients, and then slowly ( painstakingly slow) while still whazzing...add the oil.
i found i had to add about 1/4 cup of hot water as it got too thick. this smooths it out nicely.

you can also roast a head of garlic in foil and add that. or add chilli jam or herbs. nom.


i also had a forced 'creative' moment this evening when i looked in the fridge...hmmm carrots. and an abundance of yellow and green courgettes from my plants that just keep on giving.
so i made fritters. and i called them rainbow fritters...my girls ate it up...literally. :)

rainbow fritters ~ emma style

1 grated green courgette
1 grated yellow courgette
1 grated carrot
1 chopped red onion
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 finely chopped garlic clove
i slosh of beer. (just happened to be having a beer...you could use a slosh of soda water) just enough to loosen up the batter.

heat up a pan to medium heat and add some oil . when that is heated add teaspoon heaps of mixture. i did about 5 at a time. cook until golden.

so tonight we has rainbow fritters with chilli jam, new potatoes tossed in tuscan herb oil, and some tossed in mayo. happy days.