Cream cheese and hazelnut stuffed mushrooms

Cream cheese and hazelnut stuffed mushrooms
| Eva

Cream cheese stuffed mushrooms may sound like a very easy and cheap combination, and in fact this is a very “student friendly” meal to make. Hazelnut stuffed mushrooms are a slightly fancier twist to this easy classic. With just one more ingredient – the ground hazelnuts – your stuffed mushrooms will turn into a top-class appetizer. The winning element here is the cream cheese hazelnut combination, of course. And according to me, the size of the mushrooms. Continue reading →

Lemon lavender cake loaf

| Eva

Lemon lavender cake is an excellent treat in anticipation of summer. Think a zesty loaf with a subtle lavender scent. The amount of lavender in a cake can vary, but I believe in not overdoing it. Personally, I like the scent of lavender to stay in the background, just to intensify the overall flavour of the cake. But I don’t enjoy sweets that are made with only lavender. A total lavender cake smells too much like laundry soap to me. This is why I decided to pair lavender with lemon to make this lovely lemon lavender loaf. Continue reading →

Zoodles with peanuts and chili flakes

| Eva

I’m new to the zoodle game. Zucchini spiralizers have been out for a while now and I’ve constantly been procrastinating getting one. But now I can finally call myself a spiralizer owner, so let the zoodle game begin. I know you can pretty much spiralize any veggie that will fit the tool, but zucchini were the first I learned about. And the name zoodles is cool. What do they call spiralized carrots or cucumbers? I said I’m new to the game so I still have to figure that out. By the way, if you are newer than me, zoodles stands for zucchini noodles. Cool, eh? Continue reading →

Exploring Trieste’s food and coffee culture

| Eva

The easternmost major city in northern Italy, Trieste lays on that thin stretch of Italian coastline squeezed between Slovenia and the Adriatic sea. Given its geographical position, Trieste’s food culture features layers of influences from the various worlds that converge there. The fishing tradition, the main element of the cuisine of a port city, is enriched with elements from the Slavic and Balkan as well as the Habsburg traditions. This makes Trieste’s culinary identity quite peculiar and unique in the rich panorama of the Italian cuisine. Continue reading →

Sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter

Sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter
| Eva

In Italy gnocchi is a Thursday business. I don’t really know where that originates from, but there’s a saying that goes “giovedì gnocchi”, which translates as “gnocchi on Thursday”. Like Thursday is the day dedicated to this kind of meal. Not just your regular pasta (a feature for any other day of the week): Thursday is for gnocchi. After experimenting this sweet potato gnocchi recipe (and failing it, I have to admit it), I think I know now why it’s giovedì gnocchi. It’s such a hassle that you need the whole weekend to recover! Just kidding, once I got the hang of it I was pretty happy with the result. Continue reading →

Quinoa salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, feta and pesto

Quinoa salad with roasted tomatoes, feta and pesto
| Eva

Quinoa salad is a very nice meal option, and the one I’m featuring in this post can work as starter, main course or even snack. It’s packed with things that are both tasty and good for you, like olive oil and cherry tomatoes, plus it’s completely vegetarian! Switch the feta for a non-dairy cheese substitute and this salad will easily turn vegan. It is my go-to option when I have vegetarian guests, they usually really love it.

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Leek mascarpone pizza bianca

Leek mascarpone pizza bianca
| Eva

Leek mascarpone pizza is the answer to the question “What is your favourite pizza?” lately. Of course my heart will always beat for Quattro Formaggi, especially when I’m in Piemonte. But when I get to make my own pizza at home (and it happens oh so often) leek mascarpone is one of my top choices. I actually like it so much I’ve been making it regularly for months. My life is boring, but it tastes amazing.

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A fondue dinner at Romme Alpin’s Toppstugan

Fondueafton at Romme Alpin Toppstugan, a meat fondue dinner in Dalarna Sweden
| Eva

Fondue dinners are a popular feature at ski resorts in Sweden. The alpine dish well suits the snowy atmosphere of Sweden in winter, especially when served in a skiing context. As you enjoy your fondue bourguignonne surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the Swedish winter you’d swear you’re in Switzerland. Very close to where I live in Dalarna there is the ski resort Romme Alpin. Their Toppstugan restaurant offers fondue nights (known as fondueafton) throughout the season, starting right after the restaurant stops serving Julbord, aka traditional Christmas dishes, a typical Advent menu. Continue reading →

Vanilla butter biscuits

vanilla butter biscuits recipe
| Eva

There was a time in my life when I was being paid to teach a bunch of kids how to cook. Best times ever. I believe in the power of creativity and I think that humans should be trained in the kitchen from an early age. One of the highlights of my days as a teacher was definitely making biscuits. I’d tell my pupils to bring cookie cutters to school the following week and nearly all of them complied. This is how looking forward to my lesson biscuits they were. Continue reading →

Swedish meatballs with cream sauce

Swedish meatballs in cream sauce
| Eva

Remember the Swedish Chef from Sesame Street? It’s a character I didn’t know as a child, but discovered late enough to fully appreciate it. After all, he is Swedish and he cooks, and I love both qualities. In one of his best gags he discovers that  Swedish meatballs bounce. I wonder how the Swedish people react to this desecration of their national dish (I should ask around), but I can see a sense in this silly gag. Swedish meatballs are very firm, and I have the feeling this could have been what made the creators of the Swedish Chef come up with this scene. Continue reading →