In my kitchen: February 2021

Before Covid, I had never managed to keep anything alive in the garden. I was infamous for my brown thumbs, I'd even killed succulents that required "no maintenance". 

For this very reason, it is so precious and exciting for me that I have taken up this new hobby of gardening! I just love digging in the soil and getting dirt under my fingernails. I love watering the garden in the early morning. Most of all, I love looking out into the garden and enjoying a little oasis of green. 

Here are a few things I managed to grow this month! 

Japanese eggplants and bitter melons 

 Wonky zucchinis 

Lots of beautiful, juicy and sweet cherry tomatoes 

Heaps of chillies

And finally, the star of the garden - one ginormous pumpkin (orange for size comparison) - S and I named him Alfonso. Isn't Alfonso sweet? 

On the cooking/baking front 

Might be the warm weather, but the dough seems to rise extra well. Here it is on a beautiful local hardwood chopping board I bought from my friend's friend. 

This pesto and cheese star was visually stunning and a cinch to make! I'd seen these on Reddit and wanted to make it for a while. I think a sweet version with cinnamon sugar would also be spectacular. 

Nothing screams summer like fresh tomato and fresh basil. I've been having these simple homegrown dinners (here with chickpeas for extra protein), where I put the spaghetti on to boil and then go to the garden to pick the basil! 

Onto the Food and Music series...

My string quartet had a break in January as the cellist was away for holidays. Just before she left, we had a feast and ate these spectacular humongous fresh prawns - we are super blessed in Australia

We ate these with the first movement Brahms Piano quintet in F minor, followed by the Schumann Piano quintet. Piano quintets are really the epitome of chamber music - so much richness that comes from 5 people, the sound is incredible. 

Here are some rose shaped peach tarts (simply sliced up peaches rolled in puff pastry) I made for my piano duet buddy. We have actually finished the Beethoven project! We played all of the 4 hand transcriptions of his string trios and quartets. 

Finally, the curveball, two cute little ladybugs snuggling on my chilli plant! Maybe there is hope in the world after all!

I'm sending this to Sherry of Sherry's Kitchen, who hosts the monthly In my kitchen series. Thanks for hosting Sherry!