h.o.m.e.

home is, for me, the best place on earth. it's where i'm allowed to relax, feel comfortable, wear knit socks without worrying about style, burn as many candles as i like each night and reload my batteries. mostly, i don't feel lonely at home. because it's my home and i. so who's really happy to be just this: at home, tonight, huh? righty!

for now, happy weekend, lovelies.

ps 1: those scrabble cushions are so cute! if you want them, too, get them on etsy.
ps 2: my new living room table that we ordered is on its way from the netherlands! it's supposed to be here on monday. i will keep you posted.

bread pudding

on fridays (given that i will be at home, and not out and about somewhere else) i usually stock up on ready to bake bread for the weekend's blissful sunday morning. not always will i use this bread, and i often find it hard to throw it away. so i experimented with a version of this bread soufflé (and i think it's time to finally share it indecently easy, measure-free recipe with you).

bread pudding

ingredients:
butter to grease
1 a few days old bread, or a ready to bake bread, pulled apart
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract, and / or
1 vanilla bean, extracted, and / or
1 leaf of vanilla sugar *
1/4 cup brown sugar
maple syrup to serve

directions:
preheat the oven to 220 degrees. mix together the milk, eggs and vanilla extracts. grease an oven proof gratin pan. distribute the torn apart bread parts, and pour the milk-eggs liquid over the bread. let soak for approximately five minutes. sprinkle with the sugar. place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the bread mixture is slightly firm, golden-brown and crisp-looking on the outside. serve hot, with a drizzle of maple syrup on top.

* i'm a bit of a vanilla junky, so it might be i'm not really representative, but i honestly used all three: vanilla extract, vanilla bean and vanilla sugar. yep, i like my puddings super-vanilly...

vegetable wheat soup

this week was crazy, overwhelming, intensive and a bit successful, too. the result being: i was simply too busy and exhausting to cook anything that took up more than one pot. soup is the ideal on pot dish. plus the pot cooks on its own! major plus! another plus side of soup is that you get to use all the spare vegetable halves and quarters from your fridge.

nothing easier than this soup. though, when you love your soup, and put enough of that love into cooking it, then it will still turn out to be a reasonably good soup. not unlike minestrone. but really just simple, healthy, wholesome and soothing. and maybe, if you cook it for someone, you will get a foot massage in return. i'm just stating this, as the possibility might arise (i'm never one to complain).

vegetable wheat soup


ingredients:
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/4 leek
1/4 celery root
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 rondini (round zucchetto) or any other zucchino, chopped into cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic, minced
2 cm piece of peperoncino, minced
300 g green beans, cut into thirds
1 small tin pelati or any tinned chunky tomatoes
1 tin precooked borlotti beans, drained and washed
1 cup precooked wheat (or ebly)
2 liters or more of water
vegetable bouillon
4 tbsp. olive oil
salt
pepper
1 cup flat parsley, chopped
1 cup marjoram, chopped
parmesan cheese, freshly grated, for garnish

directions:
in a large saucepan heat olive oil and put in onion, garlic, peperoncino, carrot, celery and leek and sweat for a few minutes. add the water, bouillon and the other vegetables: green beans, borlottis, peppers, zucchino, as well as the tinned tomatoes and the precooked ebly. cover with the lid and let cook for 15 minutes. then season with salt and pepper, and add the herbs (i add them earlier only in soup, because i love how they infuse the broth). cover again, reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

serve with a little grated parmesan on top. and afterwards wait for that foot massage to start.

best sachertorte

not every chocolate cake deserves the predicate 'sachertorte'. i tasted a few with this title, and not every one was worth it... however, as a kid i was lucky to know the best sachertorte. maybe it was even better than the real one from the hotel sacher, or, think again, nope, better than that one. how and where, you ask? well, my mother used to do do this soft, spongy, really humid chocolate cake with apricot marmalade and a shiny chocolate glaze on top; a sachertorte par excellence (i have to disappoint you though: that's not the cake you're seeing here). 

instead, last week or so, my mom and i made some kind of a cooking party together. we wanted to try a new version of sachertorte. it was really exciting, and i couldn't wait to taste the result later, and guess what: the so far best sacher cake had to give way to this newbie one, that i'm sharing with you today. i decided instantly that this sweet, moist and handsome (yes, i like to think of 'him' as that) cake is sacher perfection. 

i must admit we had to use a few utensils that you might not have at home (like i did). like a cake lifter (this flat thing to lift a sideways halved cake), a good mixer (desperately longing for a kitchen aid, yup) and a metal spatula (for the perfect, shiny glaze). you can improvise, but as a said: not every chocolate cake deserves the predicate sachertorte. i'm just saying.

sachertorte

(we made two small cakes out of one batch, so this recipe here will make one bigger one, of approximately 24cm diameter)

ingredients

for the biscuit:

butter and ground hazel nuts, for the form

200 g dark chocolate

8 eggs

100 g sugar

200 g soft butter

150 g icing sugar

150 g flour

50 g ground hazel nuts

for the glaze:

200 g dark chocolate

200g sugar

150 g apricot marmalade

directions:

for the biscuit dough, grease a round spring form pan and spread with hazels. put aside. chop the chocolate chunkily and melt in a bowl over hot water. separate the eggs, and beat the egg whites until stiff, whilst adding sugar by and by. preheat the oven to 180 degrees (celsius).

combine the butter and the icing sugar in another bowl, and beat until frothy. begin to add the egg yolks, alternating with melted chocolate, to the butter cream. then carefully fold in the egg whites. continue to add the flour and the hazel nuts. fill the dough in the pan and bake in the middle of the oven for about an hour (in case you make the cake smaller, the baking time is shorter, of course). take out and let cool slightly. dissolve from the pan and let cool entirely on a baking rack. 

for the glaze chop (the other 200 g of) chocolate. melt in a saucepan with 1/8 l water and the sugar while stirring continually, then let simmer for 5 minutes. take from the heat and let cool a little. 

half the cooled biscuit cake (sideways) and lift with a cake lifter (see above). heat the marmalade with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and strain through a sieve. brush the lower cake half with half of the apricot marmalade. place the upper part on the lower part of the cake, and brush the upper part with the remaining marmalade. after that, cover the cake with the chocolate glaze. start in the middle, and pour a part of the glaze on the cake. it is liquid enough, so it will pour down the sides on its own. smooth down with a spatula. let cool and dry. 

you should, obviously, serve this awesome sachertorte with cream (mymomsays). whipped cream. or double cream (i go crazy for crème de gruyère... i am willing to do almost anything for a good double cream, really). you are not easily fooled, so you see that there is no cream on my plate. duh! i always forget something. i'm sorry. but it was delicious anyway, cream or no cream. and less calories, too! (note to self: okay, that one was vain. just give the best sachertorte the honor it deserves and say goodbye now, scarlett, please? fanks...). 

charred red peppers

i recently headed out of the agency for a quick lunch in solitude, not exactly knowing where it took me. it so happens i stopped in front of a tiny moroccan take-away place. aside from couscous and other mezze stuff i also got charred peppers. they were so lovely, spicy and sweet, that i soon after reminded to do them as a side dish to a pasta dinner. just because.

charred red peppers


ingredients:
2 longish red peppers, washed
4 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. acacia honey
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
4 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole
1 tsp. black pepper pearls
1 tbsp. fleur de sel

directions:
preheat your oven with the grill function to 220 degrees. put some parchment paper on you baking sheet. place the peppers on it, brush with olive oil, drizzle with the salt and pepper as well as the honey (right on top, not around) and place the thyme, rosemary and garlic (the latter three ingredients are just for infusing the peppers, and can later be thrown away) around the peppers. roast in the oven under the grill function for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peppers are slightly charred and soft. put aside (either on a plate or in a baking form) and let rest. peppers are best served at room temperature as a side dish to pasta or to eat with a nice foccaccia or flat bread. plenty of options there.

aubergine steaks with mint ricotta

it's been a crazy week... and tomorrow one of my oldest and best friends will come for dinner. i'm so happy! going to cook a few pretty rondinis and giant portobellos. oh, and stay tuned for my sacher chocolate torte!

but in the meantime: you'll have noticed that my craving for aubergines is unstoppable... i have no clue what started it. maybe because i'm so boring. and maybe because it's such a grateful veg. just so versatile! what with it's ability to transform into a charred, dryish (in a positive way) texture when rosted or grilled? that makes it so versatile (uhm, yeah i said that before, sry).

here this dish was inspired by smittenkitchen, adapted only slightly. i simply roasted the chunky aubergine discs in the oven until lightly charred, and then topped them (still hot) with a sort of salad/salsa/pesto made of tomatoes, black olives (instead of capers), garlic, peperoncino, scallions, mint (i think i added this as i went), basil, olive oil and fleur de sel. and on top i added a bit of ricotta. i imagine this being very nice with feta cheese, and maybe dried tomatoes, too. next time...

side note: admittedly the ricotta i got for this is rather a commercial, humid one, i'm afraid, and not very good to 'crumble' on top of things, like aubergine steaks... but hey, nobody is perfect, right?

porcini alla griglia

there is no getting around porcini when in como in fall. it's like a drug. i will always order porcini alla griglia (with nothing else) when they're on the menue. because really, what's better than porcini alla griglia? i loved the way they served them here, with a carved in grid that both, looks beautiful and provides a nice grill crust together with a juicy core. the italians... bloody great at grilling porcini, they are.

note: i wouldn't know, of course, but my guess is they were grilled and then spiced with a little vegetable broth, some garlic, a bit of chopped flat parsley, really good salt and the best italian virgin olive oil from the region. it's only a guess. but you know i'm a bit paranoid when it comes to food, really obsessed, in fact. so my guess might be quite to the point of the teeny tiniest drizzle of olive oil. yup. i'm a foodie freak like that. and when it comes to porcini guessing, this can be quite handy an obsession. 

ebly risotto, caramelized pumpkin & chicken

another of my mum's glorious feasts. it's a risotto, but made out of ebly (the same way you would make a risotto). the pumpkin slices on top are caramelized, sweet and spicy in one. and the chicken was marinated with something like a secret sauce (i think it was yogurt and harissa, but i'm not entirely sure). i will have to ask her for detailed directions - and you will just have to make do with this here picture. you don't think i'm mean, do you? it's called teaser, in my profession.
xo

home-made foodie gifts II

some more food gifts i would love to make for any upcoming gifting occasions. i love the home-made vanilla essence. i know so many people who could make do with one of these! or simply re-packaged tea, it's so impactful. i gotta make sure to somehow remember to do more at home.

aubergines & pumpkin ratatouille (with saffron)

basically, this is a version of this aubergines dish here (which many of you told me they like just as much as i do). major changes: i wanted to incorporate the first pumpkin this fall (i used a butternut). plus, i wanted something fast, so i chopped the aubergines and pumpkins in small cubes (that's why i call it a 'ratatouille'). and roasted them. the yogurt sauce is the same as in the other dish. plus i used only mint and some chopped scallions to give it a little extra fragrance. serve tepid, with bread, to soak up all excess saffron yogurt sauce. it's so lovely, you'll need it.

home-made foodie gifts I

i know it's probably a little early to think about christmas gifts, but i still have a few things (mainly home-made foodie goodies) in mind. i particularly love the s'smores kit! you could gift it with a tag that says 'we wish you a happy holiday and so much s'more...', for example. huh, ain't that cute?

ps: the one on the bottom right is a sewing kit, actually. but still cute. and it's got my favorite white-neutral color scheme. so, do not chew it - but sew it (or something...).

credits: nutella by becominglola, s'mores kit via merrybrides, lemonade via ohhappyday, cookie mixture, sewing kit.

grilled peaches (with spicy caramel & vanilla yogurt)

i'm a keen believer that desserts should make up a whole meal. that's when i like a good, heavy cake or a bowl of ice cream, or just something really sugary and heaven: as an actual meal. not just the third course. most nights, after an extensive dinner (like for example this one of risotto ai funghi), a lighter dessert version is sometimes welcome (i'm not talking about myself, clearly, but there happen to be people who's sweet tooth isn't exactly as developed as mine, apparently...). anyway, these grilled peaches are a fruity dessert, you know, with not much dough and carbs in them. grilled peaches is a proper enough dessert to be called one, and still not very heavy. it's sort of a win-win situation (for me and my not-so-sweet-toothed guests, that is).

grilled peaches (with spicy caramel & vanilla yogurt)
serves 4

ingredients:
4 sweet peaches, halved and pitted
1 cup sugar
1/2 orange juice or cranberry juice
1 cinammon stick or 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon (or both)
3 star anises
5 cloves
2 cardamom pods, crushed in a mortar and ground
2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 cup natural greek yogurt
1 vanilla bean, abrased, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pack vanilla sugar
2 tbsp. extra sugar
1 cup blueberries, washed
8 soft amaretto cookies, crumbled

directions:
heat a grilling pan, and when really hot place the peaches cut sides down in the pan. don't move for about 3 minutes, then slightly pick up to see if they're already browned a little. from the heat, peaches get to caramelize and develop much more fragrance. try to leave them rather longish and don't spoil the grilling process too early. when done, turn halves on the other side, now with the cut side looking to you, and shove them to one side of the pan.

in another corner of the pan, pour the sugar and let sit for a few seconds, until the sugar caramelizes (it starts to brown around the edges). when it's brown, add the liquid (orange or cranberry juice, or water will do, too, if you don't have anything else at hand, as well as the maple syrup). the caramel will sizzle and bubble and turn rather hard at first. patience! immediately add all the spices (cinnamon, anise, cloves and cardamom) and cook with the caramel slowly, for about 2-3 minutes, to infuse, until the caramel 'dissolves' again.

in the meantime, mix together the yogurt with the vanilla bean extract and the sugars. when finished, place the peaches on a plate (not on a too small one, like i did...) and pour the remaining caramel sauce over them. add a whip of vanilla yogurt, cover with some blueberries and crumble 1 or 2 soft amaretti on top. serve immediately. enjoy - and don't forget to lick your fingers afterwards.

grilled zucchini antipasti (with something like a black olives pesto)

i'm in love with veggies. especially antipasto style grilled ones warm my stomach, uhm, and heart, too. these zucchini have been sliced (thinly), grilled (in the oven) and dressed in the best (late) summery ingredients (combined to something like a black olives pesto). i was surprised at how good this actually tasted, and would love to include it in every lunch or dinner for the next 4 weeks.

grilled zucchini antipasti (with something like a black olives pesto)

ingredients:
1 large, slightly chubby zucchino, sliced in fine rounds
3 sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil), minced
1 handful black stoned olives, minced
1-2 garlic cloves (depending on size), minced
1/2 red peperoncino, minced
1 handful flat parsley, chopped
1 handful mint leaves, chopped
1 handful basil leaves, chopped
1 lemon, a bit of the zest and a bit of the juice
1 tbsp. acacia honey
1/4 cup olive oil
fleur de sel
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, yellow, green and red, halved, for decoration


directions: 
heat the oven to 220 degrees and turn on the grill function. cover the baking sheet with some parchment paper. brush a little olive oil on it. carefully place the zucchini rounds on the sheet, and brush the upper side of the zucchini with some olive oil, too. place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the zucchini are shrunken and a little browned around the edges. take out, sprinkle with good salt and pepper and leave to cool at room temperature.

in the meantime, make something like a pesto out of the other ingredients: the olives, the sun-dried tomatoes, clove, peperoncino, herbs, lemon juice and zest, honey and the rest of the olive oil. salt lightly (as the olives and the dried tomatoes add some more saltiness, already). sprinkle over the now cooled zucchini, and decorate with the halved tomatoes.

cover in cellophane foil if you don't need it immediately, and leave at room temperature until needed. serve with really good bread, such as a focaccia or ciabatta, as a starter, together with some arugula salad or with other antipasti. a really quick, beautiful looking and not boring at all veggie dish, that also meat-lovers tend to enjoy. buon appetito!

whitespiration

lately, i've come across such a lot of white... it struck me that white is not only white, but has a multitude of shades, depending on texture and light, from rose to grey. it would be lovely to live in a white textured home, i reckon. planning on using this mood board as a shopping-guide for myself: everything that would not harmonize with this does not find it's way into my home. or something?

tableware organisation

while other women collect shoes or handbags... well, i collect tableware, since, well, actually ever since (of course you knew that already, duh! you probably read it here, here, here and here). i honestly can't remember when it started. but, as a food blogger, there is no getting around fancying tableware, stoneware and basically any vessel or plate to nicely display food on. so, in a way i was destined to become a food blogger (huge grin placed on my face here, i like to be a bit ironic about myself).

anyway. so my collection isn't as big as you'd expect it or as i would like it (sigh) to be. but it's getting bigger by the year. no doubt i will come to a point where a serious re-organization of the storage has to take place. so far, i've only got this pretty treasurer here - but it won't hold all my treasures much longer... what do you think about these visible kitchen-based display and storage options? love the white concentration and rustic but chic vintage appeal.

happy weekend!

picture source from top left to right: scandinavianretreat, white-old-vintage, seidenfein, meandalice, lifeofpolarnper, unknown.

risotto ai funghi

doesn't the idea of finding your own mushrooms sound all appealing to you, too? i would so fancy to be some sort of a wild herbs and mushrooms witch, knowing everything about nature's food offer. unfortunately, the only encounter i made with our own mushroom from the forest was when i was a kid. we picked a whole basket full of (rather unknown but pretty looking...) mushrooms. we decided it would be best to wait until the other day and bring them to a control office first before eating them. with the result that the next morning, there was nothing left of the mushrooms but a greenish, sticky looking sauce. the mushrooms we believed were edible vanished, sort of evaporated in the air. it was strongly obvious that these mushrooms were, in fact, not edible after all... 

so today, i guess i stick to buying mushrooms, or ordering them with my mom. this sunday we had guests (who brought along some great, great news, too). a good occasion for a classic dish like risotto ai funghi. 

risotto ai funghi

serves four

ingredients for the risotto:

2 cups of excellent italian risotto rice

1 to 2 liters of (home-made) vegetable broth*

2 cups of champagne or prosecco

1 white onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

olive oil

3-4 tbsp. butter

1 cup parmiggiano reggiano, grated

1 pinch porcini salt* (i got mine at marinello in zurich)
1 pinch porcini powder

salt, pepper
1 organic lemon, zest and a little juice
thyme sprigs for serving

for the mushrooms:

2 kilos of mixed mushrooms**, cleaned and sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion
1 piece of peperoncino, minced

5 sprigs of thyme, picked

1 bunch of flat parsley, minced
olive oil

salt
5-7 twigs thyme
porcini salt, fleur de sel
frehsly ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable broth

directions: 
prepare the broth and keep it on low heat, ready for the risotto cooking. in a large saucepan, heat some olive oil and a half of the butter. add the onion, clove and porcini powder and sweat briefly. add the rice and sweat and stir the rice, too, until every grain is lightly covered in the fat (i.e. until they are shiny). then deglaze with the champagne (i feel there can never really be enough of it in a risotto). from now on, add liquid (broth) whenever the liquid has evaporated, while constantly stirring and turning, on medium heat. you can prepare the risotto half through (the rice grains will be very al dente), cover it with enough liquid, close the lid and forget about it until 10 minutes before you want to serve it. simply reheat it the, add liquid, stir well until heated through. at the end of the cooking, add a bit more butter, the parmiggiano (be careful not to salt it too much before adding the parmiggiano, since it will add a lot to the saltiness), and season with salt and pepper. drizzle a few drops of lemon and a bit of the zest into the risotto (it adds freshness, my mom says).

the mushrooms have to be rosted separately. i'm sorry, it means a lot of work, yes. but you'll find it's worth it, later. since some mushrooms are full of water, they will not roast well. those mushrooms will turn out 'sautéed', meaning it's more like a ragout, with some excess liquid. so, i begin with the biggest mushrooms: fry them in a very hot frying pan with some olive oil and a twig of thyme (you will have to take them out after each portion, so they won't burn, and renew. throw them away after frying, it's just for a nice perfume). fry every mushroom portion per portion, with patience, and place on the side. season with porcini salt and fleur de sel. at the end, heat a little more olive oil, sweat the onion and garlic cloves, peperoncino, parsley and thyme, for 1-2 minutes. add the broth, and now drizzle this mixture over your fryed mushrooms, so they won't dry out and become too tough. the mushrooms can be prepared well ahead, too, up to here. then you'll simply have to place them in the hot (not too hot) oven to warm them, and mix them under the finished risotto or place them on top of it.

drizzle an extra pinch of porcini salt (or normal fleur de sel) on every portion, add a thyme sprig for decoration and serve with additional parmiggiano reggiano on the side.

* re. broth: my mom taught me to do my own broth. for a long time, i never had the courage or the nerves to do that too, though. but in the end, it's so very simple and it tastes much better than any bought one. i'll use a few roots that i have at hand (parsnips, carrots), a handful of greens and / or a piece of leek, the stems of the herbs at hand (here it would be parsley and thyme), and also the mushroom 'waste' (i.e. the stems) that you didn't use for frying. plus a few dried mushrooms, too, for extra flavour (i used shiitake, since they're extra fragrant). chop everything, and cook for 10 minutes or so. then drain through a sieve and keep the broth ready in a saucepan on medium heat. salt lightly. the broth is ready for processing!

** re. mushrooms:  i'm not entirely sure which mushrooms i got here... sorry. sure sure there were king oyster mushrooms, a lot of conventional chanterelles, a few pleos, 1 or two porcini, a handful of black chanterelles, a variety with a beautiful purple stem and a white and brown, slim, stacked one i've never seen before.

baked figs with goat cheese

autumn is approaching rapidly, yet again. and i love the coziness it promises. complete with lovely colored leaves, hot chocolates in a warm sweater, chestnuts, pumpkins and... figs. figs must be one of my favorite ingredient for special occasions, like this lamb and fig recipe here.

figs are best when baked, like i made them here together with goat cheese. nonetheless, this starter recipe doesn't have to be à la minute - you can prepare and bake the figs ahead and serve at room temperature all right.

baked figs with goat cheese (and salad)

serves three

ingredients:

6 figs, washed and cut cross-wise

3 tbsp. acacia honey

salt, black pepper

directions:

cut the figs cross-wise on the top. put in a heat proof pan. pour the honey over the figs. add a pinch of salt and pepper on each fig. place in the hot oven for around 15 minutes. serve with goat cheese and salad. no bread (if you're on a diet, which i only about now decided i must rather be... sigh). amazing how i always succeed in mentioning the most interesting parts in the last sentence... uhm yeah.

sobas with blue cauliflower

lately, i've been lacking a bit of energy... my analysis revealed that it's probably due to too much goings on. still, whenever it comes to cooking, i feel like i burst with energy and enthusiasm. i'm almost never too tired to whip something together in the evening when i get home.

one night, with my two lovely colleagues for dinner, i experimented with a colorful cauliflower and some staple soba noodles. result is super yummy! you could also try it with conventional cauliflower, or broccoli, even. 

sobas with blue cauliflower

ingredients:

1 pack of soba noodles

2 cups of cauliflower, washed and prepared

1 cup fried tofu, cut in batons

1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

3 spring onions, chopped

2 tbsp. sesame oil

4 tbsp. black sesame

for the sauce:

2 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 chile, minced

1 garlic, minced

3 lemongrass stems, 'stripped' to the core and minced

1 handful shiitakee mushrooms

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup of water

1 tbsp. acacia honey

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 pinch sriracha hot sauce

2 limes, one for juice and one for decoration

directions:

cook the soba noodles according to packaging briefly in salty water. drain and chill under running cold water. put on a big plate, sprinkle with the sesame oil and toss, so the noodles won't stick together. in the same water, cook the cauliflower roses (the water will turn blue so be careful not to stain your clothes with it) until al dente. drain an chill, too.

in the meantime, prepare the sauce. for that, heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan. add the grated ginger, chiles and garlic, and stir for a few seconds. add the lemongrass, soy sauce, vinegar, water, honey, brown sugar, sriracha and lime juice. add the shiitake mushrooms. quickly heat through for a minute or two (the main purpose is for the spices to develop their fragrance and for the sugar to dissolve). let cool. 

when the sauce is cool enough (i never have the patience for things like that...) toss together the noodles, cauliflower, tofu and sauce. sprinkle with the sesame, spring onions and cilantro. decorate with lime slices. 

panzanella (bread salad)

often, a salad is insufficient as a dinner. i feel like it has to be accompanied by a lot of bread (though maybe i always do). the italians came up with the perfect carb craving salad: panzanella. in a way, it's like a greek salad - combined with roasted bread crumbs, that soak up the olive oil dressing. make advantage of summer's fragrant tomatoes and cucumbers and try one, it's simple and effective.

panzanella
for one big plate

ingredients:
1 cucumber, halved, deseeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup basil leaves, thinly chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained and washed
1 handful of black olives (pitted ones)
1 medium bread, cut in slices and then in chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
butter
salt, pepper
a little harissa or sriracha
figue or simple white vine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey

directions:
first, combine the bread chunks with some olive oil, salt, pepper and one garlic clove. then, fry in a lot of butter and olive oil, until slightly golden brown, while tossing regularly. in the meantime, toss together the chopped veggies, chickpeas, onion, olives and the fresh basil. make a dressing out of olive oil, the other garlic clove, a special, sweet vinegar, a little harissa and honey. toss everything, also the still slightly warm bread, together. ideally, let the bread soak up the dressing for a few minutes. i never succeed.