A Foodie Blog

This was the sky yesterday and the prunus in my neighbours' garden..... I get to share in its beauty as  some of the branches grow over the fence.

Today the sky was a grey duvet. It has rained non stop. My umbrella left a big puddle on the kitchen floor when I came home.

It's still raining now. And the wind is rattling the windows.

I stayed in the kitchen all afternoon with the oven on - roasting things - messing about with whatever I could find in the fridge, in the cupboards.

I made jars of

 Almond Butter,

Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed Butter,

Tahini ( the over-roasted, dark,burnt version) - tastes and looks a bit like Marmite,

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread ( the separated-out, oily, won't spread, version) tastes like a 70 percent dark chocolate, gritty, copy of Nutella....I might make it into biscuits.

I made 

Roasted and Sun-dried Tomato Relish with Basil and Garlic

and  even though it isn't Christmas,

Chocolate Dipped Mejoul Dates Stuffed with Almond Butter and Walnuts. For presents.

As this is a foodie blog I'm including some things I've eaten or cooked in the last few weeks.

Rice salad lunch on the balcony in the Algarve....I couldn't finish it before the rain came and had to retreat inside.

The wonderful roasted almond biscuits made by a local woman who supplies the little supermarket where I walked to every day -  rain or wind or cloud.

Hot chocolate and the ubiquitous Pastel de Nata - usually very fresh and creamy in this particular cafe  on the beach - but this one was disappointing as the pastry, which should be crisp and flakey, was tough and chewy.

A delicious cheese filled dosa pancake made with rice flour, and vegetable curries in an excellent Indian restaurant in Lisbon. 

Followed by this fabulous pistachio kulfi ice-cream and fresh mango and raspberry garnish.

Steam rising off this melt-in-the-mouth organic baked purple sweet potato and stir fried veggies which my friend and I cooked for supper one night in Lisbon. 

Say no more....

 Avocado and tomato Sourdough crostini,

with the Saturday Guardian Food Supplement ....sun slanting in through the patio doors.

Food to share with friends on Sunday... my feta and asparagus oven baked frittata,

and friends' gorgeous salads.... and rosemary and garlic roasted, bashed new potatoes, 

which were so delicious that I was inspired to cook some for my supper tonight - nipping out to the garden in the pouring rain to snip spikey sprigs of rosemary to add to the pan. 

My usual Lemon Polenta cake but this one is dairy free.  I forgot to buy butter when I was doing my shopping earlier and couldn't face going back so I substituted olive oil for the butter. A good one for my dairy and gluten free friends.

And now I will have to dream up recipes for all the bounty in my fridge tonight. Which is good as I'm in a phase of not being very inspired or motivated about what to eat or cook at the moment when it's only me I need to feed.