Gingerbread biscuits (piparit)

My friend Nina came over tonight and we made lentil soup and baked gingerbread biscuits (or pipareita, as they are called in Finnish). I confess, we cheated and used the ready-made pastry! But give me a break. It's a tough week and I'm short for time. I'll make it my mission to make gingerbread dough from scratch next Christmas.

Tähtitorttu - Finnish Christmas plum pastries

Christmas is only a few days away, but I've been so busy with other things this year that I haven't had time to get into the Christmas mood at all. No presents bought, twinkle lights remain hidden away in some closet, and so on. Tonight, however, I got a glimpse of that feeling. My friend Maria and I made Finnish Christmas star-shaped plum pastries. I wonder how we managed to eat them, considering they were preceded by double portions of risotto!

More Christmas spirit in store tomorrow: My friends Nina and Tina are coming over to make gingerbread cookies. Time to go cookie mould shopping...

PS. I am travelling soon to China for two weeks, where I won't be doing much cooking, but I'm hoping to post some culinary tidbits during the journey. When I get back in mid-January, it's back to Plenty and the daily delight of cooking!

Plenty: Lemon and aubergine risotto

By now I am ready to swear that the amount one cooks is directly proportional to one's stress levels and other measures of a good life. It's been a busy month in anticipation of a big day, which is now behind me. Christmas is approaching and friends are visiting home, hence lending one opportunities for communal cooking.

This evening my dear friend Maria came over. Maria is also a recent Ottolenghi convert. Together we tried a newbie from Plenty together: Lemon and aubergine risotto. Easy, fun, delicious. The recipe was for four, but we shamelessly finished it all between the two of us! Absolutely heavenly.

Lemon tart à la Välimäki

I was going to make lemon pudding but ended up making a lemon tart for the first time. It just so happens that the day before I was browsing Finnish chef Hans Välimäki's book Välimäki and came across this super rich but delicious looking recipe (amerikkalainen sitruunapiiras). And it really is rich: 5 eggs, 2dl of cream and lots of sugar. But who cares! Treats are treats. And this certainly was one. I love lemon desserts. They are sweet, yet tangy, fresh, and a little bitter, hence the perfect way to cut off and end a meal. I'll definitely be making this again!

Moroccan vegetable couscous

I love this meal for many reasons, not just for its wonderful flavours, but because it reminds me of my childhood. I usually make this with carrots, onions, leek, zucchini or pumpkin, chickpeas, red pepper and raisins. It's a feast of vegetable goodness cooked in with diced tomatoes and spices like cumin, coriander and tumeric.