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Labne is a strained yogurt 'cheese', to make it you just need plain yogurt (I used a pot Straight Up from The Collective Dairy). To strain the yogurt I used a cotton cloth, not too fine, but finer that a muslin cloth or cheese cloth. Place the cloth in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, spoon the yogurt in, close the cloth over it and top with plate that will fit the shape of th
Nothing could be easier, and with only two ingredients (and yes, two of my favourite NZ products: Fresh As and The Collective Dairy). I used many different Fresh As powders and freeze dried fruit slices (you can find a few recipes here) in the past, but this time the choice was mango, as I like mango ice cream, and I guessed that mango frozen yogurt would be good too! I mixed 3 tsp of mango p
I am thrilled to feature in the Autumn-Winter edition of New Zealand Fashion Quarterly Entertaining with ten pages of Italian vegetarian recipes.Thank you to fashionable Fiona, FQ editor, and art director Marcel (he found some beautiful props too!). It was great working with you guys! tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
In Uruguay, Chile and Argentina I ate a lot of dulce de leche, the delicious caramelized milk that you find in almost every sweet dish, from the famous alfajores to flans, from cakes to ice creams.This is a variation of my classic vanilla cupcake recipe, and in New Zealand if you cannot get dulce de leche you can use a can of caramel. Some people even make caramelized milk by boiling down a can of
There is a reason why there aren't photos of wine here (except a strange medio y medio). Well, two reasons really: first I didn't drink much wine, it doesn't really go well with active traveling with kids, second, there is good wine in South America, especially Chile and Argentina, but I mostly just drunk a glass at night in dimly lit restaurants, and the photos were too dark to publish.But I can
Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums!Alpine (wild) strawberry smoothieIngredients:All the wild strawberries you can findOne bananaNatural apple juicePhotos and Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Before going to Cusco we were advised by a number of friends who had been there to take it easy about altitude. Don't drink the night before, relax for one day in the hotel, drink coca tea... all good advice that helped us to adapt to the altitude. And in fact as soon as we landed in Cusco we felt it: one set of stairs had us puffing! We arrived at the hotel and the first thing they did was to off
When we arrived in lima the sky was grey and the air humid. I asked the taxi driver if it was going to rain and he told me that it never rains in Lima. "Never?" I asked again, "Never!" he replied. Wondering if my Spanish was failing me, over the next two days I kept asking everyone I met the same question: at the hotel, the tour guide, the friends we meet for dinner... Apparently it doesn't r
CuscoSaksaywaman, outside Cusco and at 3,701 m highInca terracesThis is an interesting image for a vegetarian blog, but some of you may be interested in seeing it: roasted Guinea pigs, a delicacy in Peru, where they are raised just like any other farm animal, i.e. for food.Machu PicchuPhotos by Arantxa Zecchini Dowling © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Can you see the white stuff on the cactus? And the black stuff in the bowl with the red wool ball? That is cochineal, or natural colour E120 (found in lots of red and pink food). Yes it is an insect, I have seen the dried ones before when I was studying textile arts at University, but never the 'live' insects. But before I get into this, a little intro to natural dyes.We were all impressed by the
If you go to Cusco look out for this place, the name is Mercado de Wanchaq, it is mostly a food market and there are hardly any tourists here (they are all in the craft markets in the touristic part of the city), but plenty of locals selling and buying food. Arantxa found it on the map and took us there, maybe later on she will let me publish some of her photos! I only took photos o
April 29 was my birthday, and a very special one too, since we spend it in Machu Picchu.I always wanted to visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, and what an amazing place it is! We got up at 3:30 in the morning to go from Cusco to Ollantaytambo to get the Machu Picchu train; a long trip, but worth it! Here is my birthday card, some coca leaves to chew, and some p
Our Spanish school organized a trip in the countryside, about one hour from Montevideo, horse riding. I cannot ride, I have been on a horse before but that's all, but I had a wonderful time and did pretty well considering that they gave me the tallest horse! Did you know that in Uruguay you hold the reins with one hand only? I guess that the other one is for holding mate! When we arrive
In Uruguay I have discovered this vegetable, and I thought of using it to create a pasta sauce before going back to New Zealand (where I guess that I could use zucchini or small marrows??? We'll see).Ingredients3 zapallitos1 tbsp butter500 ml vegetables stock2 garlic cloves, peeledHalf cup parsley leavessalt and black pepper to tastePastaParmesan to serve (optional)Wash and cut the zapallitos, the
Leaving the port of MontevideoBuenos Aires is only 3 hours by ferry from Montevideo, up the delta of the Rio de la Plata. I have been here once before, about 15 years ago, and truly enjoyed it. This time I revisited some places, like La Boca and the Teatro Colon (below), and discovered some new ones...Teatro Colon... like the new developments in Puerto Madero. In the Port there is even a legendary
Palermo SohoPalermo Soho was one of my favourite spots in Buenos Aires. Monica took us there for dinner and it was lively and full of funky restaurants, bars, shops and a night craft market. Arantxa bought some of these hand made spooky dolls and I promised her that I was going to take her back the day after for lunch and a stroll. Eating is easy for vegetarians, (I recommend the smoothies), and t
Have you heard of yarn or wool bombs? A sort of colourful graffiti/street art done ( usually secretly at night) around objects (or trees) in the streets. These are in Buenos Aires, aren't they cool? Do you have yarn bombs in your city?Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
I love old doors, I have a pin board on Pinterest only for doors (and one for windows too...). In Montevideo there are so many beautiful doors, although they are so high that they are difficult to photograph. Anyway, if you are also a "door pinner" here is my collection!Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Because I am traveling in South America, I don't have an oven and I have very little time for cooking, but I really wanted to take part to Sweet New Zealand. So I am recycling an old recipe that never fails to impress, specially because it is easy to assemble and takes very little time. You will need two pieces of sponge cake/trifle sponge. Place one piece in a container and drizzle with your favo
This is real 'cucina povera', a simple dish made with humble ingredients and leftovers. Chop two red onions and sauté with a couple of tbsp of olive oil and some fresh thyme. Add 1 litre of vegetable stock and one or two crusts of parmesan cheese. Simmer until the onions and the parmesan crusts are soft.At this point you can either remove the parmesan crusts and cut off the softest parts (to put b
Now is autumn in Uruguay, possibly a good time to visit the famous Punta del Este and the other summer resorts in the Maldonado Department. The weather is still nice but there are no tourists around. This is Piriápolis and we are not on the Atlantic Ocean yet, but still on the delta of the Rio de la Plata. From Piriápolis we took the coast route to Maldonado, the road was
15 years ago I was in Argentina and I bought a mate and a bombilla to drink yerba mate. I saw many people drinking "mate" in the street and I really liked the look of the mate (gourd) and bombilla (straw), but I never used them. My husband was also presented a set a few years back, time that we learned what to do with it!Until a week ago I thought that Argentinians were the biggest
A couple of days ago I showed you a market in Montevideo and introduced the zapallito, a vegetables that looks like a round zucchini. Today I will show you a recipe we made during an Uruguayan cooking class. Faina is like a flan, but be aware: this is not like the faina that you get in pizzerias here (which is more like an Italian farinata made with chickpea flour - lots of immigrants from Liguria
There is a market on Tuesday morning, 10 minutes walk from home, and the prices are much better than the supermarket, of course, and the choice much better. It is quite similar to an Italian market, possibly with lightly less choice, but still many more varieties that you can find in NZ. This post's photos where taken by Arantxa.Among the fruit we found some feijoas, The name in Uruguay is g
These recipes are so simple that I wasn't even sure if to publish them, but sometimes we need simple, quick and filling food, and since these dishes taste great and are very healthy too, I thought that some readers may like them. Also FYI, in NZ it is very difficult to find fregola, but Israeli couscous is readily available in many shops now, and can be a great substitute. Quick Fregola di ve
We are in Uruguay now, based in Montevideo. On Sunday we drove to Colonia del Sacramento (but usually referred to simply as Colonia), a small city with a beautiful historic centre. Colonia is the oldest city in Uruguay and has been both a Portuguese and a Spanish colony. I was here over 15 years ago, during my first visit to Uruguay on a day trip from Argentina, and I was really keen to come back
We only had one day in Santiago, so the sightseeing was a bit rushed (and it is a big city!), but we still managed a stroll in the city centre in the afternoon, a museum the morning after, and a special dinner with a Chilean Food Blogger (scroll down for more!).Check out was at 12 so we went to La Moneda Palace, which was very close to our hotel (el único hotel de Chile que cuenta con una esc
Street ArtArtists love cats......and dogs!BuildingsDoors and windowsStairsSweets treats Photos by Arantxa Zecchini Dowling © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
So many things to do and see in Valparaiso! And to learn! First I learned that in Chile cappuccino coffee is a strange coffee drink with whipped cream on top, and if you want something similar to an Italian cappuccino or flat white you need to ask for a cafe cortado (and hope for the best). Sometime the cortado seems to be a filter coffee with some frothy milk on top, and other times it is good li
We are here, fantastic city, so colourful and artistic, full of history and interesting sights.This is the view from our hotel's terrace, and this is from our bedroom's window.We spent a day just touring the streets, will post more photos in the next few days.Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua!To all my readers and blogger friends, have a great holiday! I am going to South America, I will resume posting soon, for the time being... Ciao!!!From Party Food for Girls, eggs colored with natural vegetable dyes,recipe by Alessandra Zecchini (in the April Dante Newsletter), photo byShaun Cato-Symonds tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Unfortunately I won't be in New Zealand for this class, yes, I am off traveling again, will keep you posted... see if you can guess where I am going! But I really need to share this because I had other classes and dinners with Eri and she is really talented. Just look at this Vegan cake!And what about this one? Eri made this Chocolate Vegan Cake a while ago in a Vegan Pastry Class for Slow Fo
Well, I couldn't resist and I bought it, I never seen it before! The first thing that I tried is a classic risotto and the verdict is that this is not rice for risotto :-). Anyway, here it goes: sauté the onion in butter, add the rice, add a glass of white wine, and then slowly add the veggie stock ladle by ladle and stir until the risotto is cooked. The taste was nutty and interesting, and the co
CeleryNew potatoes... there are always new potatoes in the garden because I thrown in potato peels all the time!Wonder of Venice Bean Mizuna, Japanese salad, very easy to growSome crops are flops, but I still eat themLots of carrots, but so ugly... must sieve that soil a bit better!This year the zucchini are terrible, so small! Maybe it was the lack of water?This year my peach tree made only
One of my best crop this year is Bean Wonder of Venice Runner from King Seeds, I have a few plants growing so high that they are reaching the nearby trees, so much that the bamboo support poles are bending (great stuff bamboo, it bends!!)Wonder of Venice is yellow and delicious, and not stringy. I don't like to boil beans, I rather stew them slowly. For this recipe I just sizzled some ga
Kimono TangoWhen I was in Japan in January I met my old friend Chizuko, and she presented me with these beautiful cushions (she calls them pillows), plus some table runners. They are all made by hand using kimono and obi (Kimono belts) materials, and you can get them from her cottage industry shop Komono Tango. I think that it is a fantastic idea to recycle kimono fabric: the materials are be
Last night I went whit the Slow Food Waitakere group to Cafe Abyssinia for dinner. What a great evening, I even got a chance to wear my Abyssinian skirt! Do you like Ethiopian food? For more photos click here.Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
Quick post today, and two food ideas (ideas rather than recipes...)I make fruit salad with watermelon and blueberries quite often, I really like the colours together, and there is no need for sugar. This time I also had some Cape Gooseberries and some Alpine strawberries in the garden, so I added them in. Very effective, and a sugar free healthy dessert!The second idea: (and I just wished that I h
This is the first thing that I read when I opened Bite, the food insert NZ Herald this morning:In the paper this morning...I read it again. Can this be possible? The recipe itself is Pan-fried polenta, ripe tomatoes and Mexican salsa, and it consists of instant polenta, fried and placed on a bed of cut tomatoes, and served with some store-bought Mexican Salsa Verde (yes, store-bought, this is
Passion Fruit MeringuesI like making meringues more than I like eating them. I mean, they are nice and all, but I am not crazy about them. Or at least, I wasn't until the other day, when I had 3 egg whites in the fridge that needed to be used and I decided to make meringues with them. I used caster sugar, and didn't measure (I tend to go by ear, it mostly works...) and decided to try to add a pass
According to Blogger my page views have increase dramatically in the last three months, in February they were almost 60,000 (and it is a short month) and looking at them again today they counted over 76,000 in the last month. I have a couple of visitors' counters too in place, and they did show a considerable increase (although never agreeing, and often showing different countries online!), p
I had half a pumpkin to use, but just a little bit of Thai herbs mix (ginger, lemon grass, chili, garlic and coriander), certainly not enough to give my pumpkin a spicy flavor! Still, I felt like coconut, so I cut the pumpkin and two celery stalks with leaves and put them in my pot, then I added one can of coconut cream plus one can of water (to rinse the cream out), the remaining Thai herbs mix (
This is for the boy, as he prefers to "drink" his cereals in the morning (takes less time!)Ingredients:Half glass pouring yogurt (I use boys'nberry - yes, a different spelling from boysenberry, good for boys!)Half glass milk1 Weet Bix1 banana (I use All Good Bananas)1 tbsp blueberriesInstructions:Blend and drink. It makes one glass and half of thick and filling smoothie!Photos and Recipes by
Yesterday I posted about this citrus fruit, which I believe to be a Rangpur "lime" (technically not a lime!). And as promised, here is the recipe:Panna Cotta with Rangpur agar agar toppingingredients500 ml cream (if you are Vegan use Coconut cream, I am sure that it would go very well with this citrus topping!)2 tbsp sugar1 level tsp agar agarfor the topping4 Rangpur limes2 tbsp sugarWaterHalf lev
Sue brought me some organic citrus fruit from a friend's garden in Coromandel, she told that they were Tahitian limes. I heard this before in NZ, I think that this is the common name here, but they don't look like limes, more like yellow mandarins, and they taste a bit like grapefruit. So I did a quick search and found that they probably are Rangpur, a cross between a mandarin and a lemon.What to
This is an incredibly simple and quick recipe that makes an amazing apple cake! IngredientsRind from 1 lemon, plus the lemon juice5 apples (I used Oratia Beauty, from the orchard down the road)150 g butter200 g sugar4 eggs250 g self raising flourIcing sugar to dust (optional)Peel, core and slice the apples, spray with lemon juice.Melt the butter and wish with the sugar. Add the eggs, flour an
Still in yogurt mood, and why not, it is hot and summery and I feel like eating refreshing food.I love making this yogurt sauce, I call it raita when I serve it with Indian food, and tzatziki when I serve it with Greek-Turkish food. The only difference is that when I make tzatziki I like to add mint.You just need some thick yogurt (otherwise strain it) salt to taste, finely chopped cucumber, and i
1 can chickpeas1 tbsp Moroccan spices1 pinch saltA few cherry tomatoes4 tbsp natural yogurtA few mint leaves1 tsp extra virgin olive oil1 apple cucumber80 g mixed salad leaves to finishDrain the chickpeas and place in a bowl with the Moroccan seasoning and salt, mix well and then place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake on medium for 10 minutes, adding the tomatoes at the last two minu
Today I went to the Cuisine CheeseFest at The Langham, New Zealand’s largest cheese event. The event is also open tonight, greatly recommended if you are in Auckland and love cheese. This is a chance to taste our NZ award winning artisan cheeses, and to buy some cheese at great prices (I did!). Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
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