Plenty: Garlic soup with harissa

Yum yum yum! I don't know why I didn't try this garlic soup with harissa earlier. You might be a little skeptical about the 25 cloves of garlic that go into this... but don't be. You cook them and they lose some of their potent flavour. It's still garlic, of course, and if you like garlic, this is a feast. I was a bit lazy this time and skipped the harissa. Maybe next time. Harissa from the shop sufficed this time around. It's an easy one, so do try. Vegans, no yogurt. It's not really necessary anyway, to be honest.

 

Kale speltotto with goat's cheese

Kale this kale that. I've been reading about kale for a good two years or more and finally came across it in my local supermarket. I promptly bought a bunch and came home to dig for a recipe. This is the one I ended up with by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from his River Cottage Veg Everyday (am currently unable to find a link to the recipe.. maybe later). It's basically a risotto, but made with spelt, hence the name speltotto. I made it from pearl barley however so I guess mine was more of a barlotto! Anyway, it was interesting. I can't say it was my favourite experiment, though my lack of enthusiasm may have something to do with the nausea I've been feeling after meals due to the intake of strong antibiotics. Still, both kale and barley have flavours very much their own -- ones that I'm not quite sure what I think about, put together at least. It did look very pretty though, and smelled great, and that counts for something, surely.

 

Plenty: Crunchy pappardelle

I'm finally back from my travels and back in the kitchen. Hurrah! I'm still keeping Ottolenghi's Plenty close by. Last week I had a go at the crunchy pappardelle, made crispily crunchy with Japanese Panko breadcrumbs. Delish. How I missed this book of spells!!