2022 is here! I hope with all my heart that it is going to be a different year to the last... and whatever the pandemic brings, I hope that we will face it with love, openness and the ability to find joy in the little things of everyday.
In my garden...
The last of the carrots were pulled out of the ground... my dad visited me with his puppy and he was also super interested in the carrots! Of course he got one for being a very good boy...
These last ones were for my dad's Christmas present
The purple beans are coming along nicely. I love their vibrant colour, though they do turn green as soon as they are cooked.
In the kitchen...
I love carrot greens pesto! It's simply the tops, blanched quickly to wilt them a bit, then blitzed together with olive oil, cashews and sometimes a bit of parmesan. I can't get enough of this mixed through pasta or just on a piece of bread.
I brought back so much chocolate from France and I've really enjoyed sharing them with family and friends.
I love the presentation of our Christmas hotpot lunch - you see it is 3/4 vegetarian which I love. Some of my favourite things are baby king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, rice cakes (top left), lots of Chinese veggies, and tofu skins, fresh tofu and black fungus (bottom right).
This was our dinner the next day on Christmas day. Fresh pan fried pork & chive dumplings made with Barney my sourdough starter who has also been living at my dad's for the last 3 years or so.
Some Christmas baking...
The curveball this month is this pastry brush I brought back from Paris, which has beautifully soft and fine bristles. This stray carrot had arms so I thought they had to have a little hug. Because we all need some love in these crazy times.
Love to everyone in the world and especially the IMK community. Thanks also to Sherry for hosting the In My Kitchen series every month. It is really a wonderful way to revisit all the photos I take of food, and to have a visual memory of what is happening in my life.
Growing carrots looks like a very amusing way to find funny looking vegetables. The "normal" carrot just isn't really found in nature, I gather. Your new brush looks very useful. Have a great year in 2022.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I absolutely love your food photos and the garden ones as well. Love those carrots! Your breads are world class, so pretty.
ReplyDeleteLove to all in the IMK family from me as well. It's cool we can all communicate despite being so very far away from one another.
Tina
xo
I have a brush like that and it is very handy indeed! Love the carrots in your garden too :)
ReplyDeletelove the carrots and the puppy and the Paris pastry brush. and your baking is wonderful. those jam-filled stars ... And the dumplings and the carrot-top pesto. all too wonderful! Sorry i didn't get to IMK in January. A break was needed for me. feeling much better now.
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry
I'm revisiting youor post here to say I tried Mary McCratney's recipe for a vegetarian hotpot and it was wonderful. I had thought about you making one before.
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