Kiwi Carpaccio with Manuka Honey and Pecans

I am currently on holiday, travelling around New Zealand for a month, but I didn't want to miss this exciting event. A group of blogger friends from all around the world are throwing yet another virtual baby shower. This time the mummy-to-be happy mum is lovely Zita from Zizi's Adventure. She's expecting a baby boy very soon. I've just received news that the baby was born a few hours ago! So huge congratulations to Zita and little Adam! I'm sure she and her boyfriend Ivan, will be fabulous parents. I wish both parents and Adam all the best.

I've known Zita for a few years. We had been following each other's blogs and twitter for quite some time before we finally met in person. I invited Zita and Giulia and to stay with us during Food Blogger Connect 2011 in London. Just a few months later P. and I visited Zita in Hungary. She was a fantastic host, cooking delicious vegetarian food and showing us the best ice cream and little cafes in Budapest. I wrote a blog post about this trip to remember and share all the lovely places we visited and food we ate. She knows her city really well and is an expert on local produce and artisans. If you plan to visit Budapest you should definitely check out her blog or get in touch for great tips.

I wasn't sure until the very last minute if I would be able to participate in this great event since there were a few obstacles making blogging difficult. First and the most tricky one was almost complete absence of mobile signal and internet connection during most parts of our trip. On the other hand, that makes New Zealand a perfect holiday destination. Another issue was a kitchen and props. Travelling with just a suitcase and my camera meant I was hoping to find good accommodation with a decent kitchen and props.

Finally, I succeeded in Coromandel where we found a great backpacker place called Lion's Den run by Abby and her son, a professional chef, Sy. What a coincident! Sy who's been a chef for years working in UK, Germany and New Zealand, was so kind to share his knowledge about traditional New Zealand ingredients. He even made a small tasting dinner for us featuring some of them. New Zealand cuisine is very hard to define. More than traditional dishes, you would find traditional/local ingredients which many of them Maori brought with them when they first arrived in New Zealand. Kumara is probably one of the most typical and known one. It's kind of sweet potato but it's very different from European sweet potatoes as we know them.  Their texture is creamier and taste is completely different. There's obviously quite a strong British influence so fish & chips, pies and roasts are very common here. The only dish I don't probably have to mention is Pavlova. Although there are still different opinions on the real origin of the recipe, it has apparently been proven that Pavlova was first invented in New Zealand.



However, to keep things easy, I decided to make something very simple, using another local and seasonal ingredients. Kiwi fruit is currently in season here and you can buy a big bag of kiwis from a road-side stalls for almost nothing. Travelling in a Kiwi country also made my choice of the main ingredients quite appropriate.
Another New Zealand product which I really like is local Manuka honey. Manuka honey is well known for its powerful antiseptic and antibiotics qualities and many other benefits for overall health and wellness. This carpaccio takes literally 5 minutes to throw together and is perfect for a summer picnic, garden party or a simple healthy snack. It's for you Zizi!




Don't forget to check out what have other girls made for the party. Here's the complete list of their blogs and dishes:

• Giulia: Scarpaccia, a Tuscan sweet zucchini cake
• Regula: Nourishing Stout & Oat drink
• Bethany:
• Jasmine: Whole wheat flour cocoa cookies
• Artemis: Kasopita - the easy cheese pie from Epirus
• Sarka: Kiwi carpaccio with Manuka honey and pecans
• Emiko: Ricotta and dark chocolate cake
• Sneige: Pomegranate Curd with Seedy Pine Nut Crust
• Simone: Pistache-almond cakes with rosewater whipped cream
• Karin: Fresh Pea Souffle with Goat Cheese

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Kiwi carpaccio with Manuka honey and pecans
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
5-6 kiwis
1 tablespoon Manuka honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 hanful pencas

Method
Peel and thinly slice kiwis. Arrange the fruit on a plate.
In a small bowl, mix together honey and lemon juice. Taste and add more honey or lemon juice if you prefer sweeter or more sour dressing. Sprinkle pecans over the kiwis and drizzle with honey and lemon syrup.
Serve immediately.

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Cocoa Brownies and Happy Easter

The only advantage of current weather is that I can enjoy a piece of brownies with a cup of hot tea without feeling guilty. This freezing cold weather simply calls for a comfort dessert and these chocolate brownies really hit the spot.

Spring is nowhere in sight. This winter has been too long but it just won't let go. Weather forecast predicts freezing temperatures and more snow all over Europe. So instead of cleaning and decluttering houses or preparing gardens for the return of warm spring days, most people spend time shovelling snow, defrosting cars and snuggling up on a sofa with a cup of hot beverage in hands. 

I spotted some beautiful yellow daffodils emerging in parks and gardens, bringing a little bit of colour into grey and gloomy days. But it's still not enough and I'm longing for warm days filled with sunshine. 

If I can't have sunshine, I can have chocolate! I found this brownie recipe at honey & jam blog when I was looking for a fast and simple, moist and gooey brownie recipe which I could bring to a friend's house. It was still slightly warm when we ate it the first time. Everyone loved it and these brownies disappeared in minutes. I made them a few more times and it was always a great success.

Making these brownies was a great opportunity to use my new favourite GIR (Get It Right) spatula for yet another task. I got this lovely spatula about a month ago and I completely fell in love. It became one of my favourite kitchen tools. It's beautiful and functional which are, for me, two main properties of any good product. And here's why I love it so much. I already mentioned they are beautiful, right? They come in eleven colours (wish I had a teal or lavender one) and have a perfect shape. But most importantly I use it for shallow frying, sautéing or stirring hot food which is something I had never imagined using a rubber spatula for (because they normally melt). This spatula can be used at any temperature! I always used rubber spatulas only for stirring and mixing ingredients or scraping bowls. I think all my wooden spatulas have been a bit jealous and feeling abandoned since I got this one. It did a great job even with my brownies.

You might have noticed that I try, after a long break, get back to regular blogging. However, I'm might not be able to update my blog for a while, since we are currently packing for a month holiday in New Zealand starting on Tuesday. I'll definitely post many photos from out trip on my instagram and try to post some here as well when I get a chance. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy Easter!

PS: I don't normally do product reviews and nobody asked me to write about GIR spatula, but I love the product so much that I thought I would mention what a great job folks over at GIR did designing it.

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Cocoa brownies

Adapted from Alice Mendrich's Bittersweet via honey & jam


Note: I like my brownies a bit thicker so I used a smaller pan and increased baking time. If you prefer a standard thickness, use a bigger pan about 20 x 20 cm and bake only for 25 to 30 minutes.

Ingredients

140 grams unsalted butter

280 grams light brown sugar

90 grams unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 large eggs

65 grams plain flour

Method

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 170 ℃.

Line a 16x19 cm baking pan with parchment paper.

In a medium heatproof bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Alternatively, set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't  touch the water), stir occasionally, until butter is almost melted.
Remove from the microwave / saucepan and stir until butter is completely melted and all ingredients are incorporated. It will look fairly gritty at this point.

Stir in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add in flour and stir until fully incorporated. Then stir vigorously for a few seconds.

Pour the batter into a lined baking tray, spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until a wooden screwer or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out slightly moist with batter, 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove brownies from pan using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool before cutting. 

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The Jewelled Kitchen Cookbook

It's me again. I can't believe I managed to write two blog posts in one week! There's a very good reason for it though. In my last post, I mentioned my friend Bethany's cookbook, which I photographed last year before Christmas and promised an update.  I'm thrilled and proud to announce that the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

It feels almost unreal that this time has finally arrived. I'm looking at the cover (which I also photographed) and thinking of this time last year when I moved in with Bethany to the West Country for a few months; helping her with recipe testing, cooking, baking, tasting and taking photos for my pitch all while dreaming of photographing this book. My dream came true and fast forward a few months, Bethany moved into my house to help during her book photo shoot.


Photo courtesy © Sukruti Staneley

Ten days of cooking, styling, shooting and eating leftovers passed very quickly and I can honestly say that I can't wait to hold the book in my hands. It was an amazing experience working on this book and bringing many months of Bethany's work to life with my photos. We had fun, we laughed but it was also hard work and we took it seriously. Needles to say, it was a team effort of talented folks which made the photo shoot such great experience. Big thanks to my two wonderful assistants Joslin and Sukruti without whom I couldn't do it!


From left: art director Gabriella Le Grazie, book author Bethany Kehdy, assistant food stylist Natalie Thomson, prop stylist Lucy Harvey, me, food stylist Emily Jonzen, photo by my amazing assistant Sukruti Staneley.

I leave you with a couple of photos from the book as a little teaser of what you can expect.

 Images by Sarka Babicka for The Jewelled Kitchen © Duncan Baird Publishers 2013. 

Trust me, I'm not biased, these recipes taste as fantastic as they look. ;) Hurry and pre-order now!

UK edition: The Jewelled Kitchen
US edition: Pomegranates & Pine Nuts

Honey Roasted Salmon and Poached Egg Salad

Here I am again. Wait, it is 2013 already, March? This must have been the longest time I have not been blogging.  I must confess, I was even contemplating whether I should post again after such a long break. But I could not stop thinking of my blog. I have been missing it a lot.

One of the reasons for my absence was that I have been quite busy with my work. I am incredibly grateful for that. I really love and enjoy my job and the more I work, the more I love it.
This week I finished shooting a second cookbook so I finally have time I can devote to my blog. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you might have caught some behind the scenes photos from the first cookbook shoot I did before Christmas. My dear friend Bethany from Dirty Kitchen Secrets will have her debut cookbook The Jewelled Kitchen out this summer. I was very honoured to photograph the book. I obviously tasted many of her recipes and can honestly say it's a book you don't want to miss if you are interested in Middle Eastern cuisine. The book will be available for preorder very soon, so stay tuned for more info.

If you read this blog you know I never post complicated recipes. I like simple recipes bursting with flavours. Nothing has changed in 2013 and my next recipe is also fast and simple. Fresh flavourful salad was exactly what I needed after my Saturday Pilates class. I was home alone and didn't feel like cooking a proper lunch. On my way home from the class, I stopped at our local fishmonger's and bought a piece of my favourite honey roasted salmon and some fresh eggs. I just added fresh mixed leaf salad and lunch was ready.





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Honey Roasted Salmon and Poached Egg Salad
Serves: 1

Ingredients

For the dressing:

4 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, crashed
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp golden cane sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


For the salad:

2 handfuls mixed salad leaves (spinach, lettuce, watercress)
1 spring onion, sliced
20g feta or goat cheese, crumbled
150g honey roasted salmon, flaked (or smoked salmon)

For the poached egg:

1 egg
1tbsp vinegar

Method

Put all ingredients for the dressing in a small jar with lid and shake well until mixed. You can keep any leftover dressing in the fridge.

Add a little water into a medium saucepan  (fill the saucepan about 1/3 or so), pour in the vinegar and bring to the boil. Break an egg into a small bowl. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to minimum. You want to see only tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pan. Create a whirlpool with a spoon and carefully slide the egg in the middle of the pan. Cook for 3 minutes (if you like runny yolk). Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen paper towel.

In a bowl, mix 2tbsp of dressing with the mixed salad leaves and spring onion. Arrange the salad on plate, scatter the feta/goat cheese and salmon over and top with the poached egg.

Note: You can substitute the honey roasted salmon with a regular smoked salmon.
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Leek and Feta Filo Tartlets

I've been absent on this blog for what seems like ages. I was hoping to get back to blogging after the busy summer. I'm not even trying to talk about things like regular blogging, because let's be honest, my blogging frequency is not very high and it's certainly rather irregular. However my work schedule didn't allow me to spend time working on my personal projects. Or maybe it's just an excuse.

Anyway, I have a very good reason to be back today. I'm very excited to participate in a little surprise baby shower for Emiko who is expecting a baby girl soon!

I met Emiko in person last year at FBC, shortly before she moved from Italy to Australia. She is such a sweet person and I wish we could be with her celebrating this exciting time of her life. Although the distance makes is quite complicated to get together, no distance can stop food blogger friends from sharing their love through food and blogs. Since we all live in different places, we decided to organise a virtual baby shower. Together we have created a baby shower menu to celebrate Emiko's soon-to-arrive bundle of joy.

These mini tartlets are for you Emiko, I hope you would like them. I wish you and your husband joy and happiness in your life with your precious baby girl!



Here is the final menu for the virtual baby shower:

Giulia: Birthday sponge cake
Regula: Cobnut brandy
Jasmine: Cookies
Zita: Vegan pumpkin chocolate cookies
Karin: Flourless chocolate cake with pears - La Belle Helene
Rosella: Soft cheesecake
Valeria: Gingerbread banana muffins

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Leek and feta filo tartlets
Makes 12 tartlets

Filling:
30g butter
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp, chopped parsley leaves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
300ml creme fraiche
salt and freshly ground pepper

Filo cases:
40g butter
4 filo pastry sheets 30x35cm
85g feta cheese, crumbled
2tbsp toasted pine nuts

Melt the butter in pan add the leeks and garlic and sweat gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and nutmeg. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Lay one sheet of filo pastry on a flat surface, brush lightly with the melted butter and cut into 9 squares (10x10cm). Lay three squares of pastry on top of each other, turning each square so they don't line up and create a star shape.  Press into a buttered muffin tin. Repeat with another sheet of filo pastry to make 12 cases.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with creme fraiche, season with salt and pepper. Divide the egg mixture among the cases. Spoon the leeks on top and scatter with crumbled feta cheese and pine nuts. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the filling is set and the filo pastry is lightly golden.

Let cool slightly, remove from the muffin tin and serve.

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