MTC Challenge: Indian Style Fried Chicken / MTC Challenge: Pollo fritto all’indiana

Another month, another MTChallenge. Last challenge, the macaron, literally brought me to my knees and made me regret having a willpower which is close zero. Friendships, relationships…working hard on myself I learned the salutary principle of “Letting go” and understand that everything, EVERYTHING, in this brief life simply comes to an end. Not with the MTChallenge, I simply can’t let go. Like in the most cliché relationships which are ruled by a strong, and constant, imbalance between love and hate it’s impossible for me to desist. Kathy Bates in “Misery” you name her…MTChallenge is far worse than her smashing Paul Sheldon’s legs, I simply can’t get out of it! Last challenge’s winner was Silvia, not a surprise if you go taking a look at the recipe with which she won. It was virtually impossible for her to lose. I immediately said to myself: “She will bash us, she will”. Indeed, a massive bash arrived. Silvia’s fried chicken! So you think that frying is easy don’t you? You couldn’t be more wrong. Being quite experienced with frying (I think my closest friends have heard me billion times instructing them on double frying) I took courage and decided to use an ingredient I’ve never used for frying before. Almonds. Scared about its humidity content and surely quite fearful of burning them I never, EVER, used nuts to coat anything that needed a good old frying session. Of course it took an MTChallenge to throw myself into the boiling cauldron and overcome anxiety. The inspiration for the recipe came from India, as soon as I read Valentina’s original recipe. Blame it on the marinade (spices and spicy!), or the idea of accompanying the chicken with a sauce (firstly my mind went to a yogurt based dip and then moved on to an inevitable chutney, which I decided to mix with yogurt :D), but for certain if chicken is involved, at least where I come from, you have to venture into indian cuisine.

MTC Challenge: Celeriac, Turmeric, Apple and Onion mini pies with dill brisée pastry/ MTC Challenge: Tortine al sedano rapa, curcuma, mela e cipolla con brisée all’aneto

For this month’s MTC Challenge Elisa challenges us with a basic cooking preparation, brisée pastry. At first I thought I could not participate because the guideline called for the use of Michel Roux’s recipe. Fortunately, after writing to MTC’s staff I was reassured that in cases of allergies and health problems we were allowed to use other ingredients to substitute the ones indicated in the given recipe, so I decided to try out my first vegan brisée.

Twelve Loaves October: Apple and cinnamon pull apart bread muffins / Twelve Loaves Ottobre: Muffin di pane alla mela e cannella

Last few months have been a mess. I for holidays with all posts for the blog scheduled and ready to post automatically for at least two weeks (thanks to my innate swissness) and confident I would go immediately back to my routine in the kitchen. But the unexpected consequences of the accident in Copenhagen (luckily resolved within two month or so of physiotherapy) and a bad flu got in the way. Add a last minute collaboration, a personal project to develop and Food Immersion Festival and you’ll have the perfect recipe for disaster. My whole routine scrambled up. So much to think about, and I forgot the usual deadlines to submit a recipe for Twelve Loaves’s bread collection. It has been a long time I hadn’t taken part to it. This month, with the excuse of going to my sister’s on a visit, I took the challenge and its theme: apples, and put together a quick recipe. Just a simple recipe for my niece’s Ada afternoon snack.

MTC Challenge: Onigiri filled with Courgette Jam wrapped in Apple “seaweed” / MTC Challenge: Onigiri dolci con marmellata di zucchine e “alga” di mela

It seems like ages since the last MTC Challenge, with the epic Piada Menu challenge. Such a long time that I almost forgot that in September it would all start again. And, like every month, anxiety sets in. This month not a recipe to be reinterpreted but an ingredient, as it was for the legendary chestnut challenge (remember my ravioli?) thrown by Serena, aka Miss Pici. This month Acquaviva challenged us with rice. She restricted our choice to three methods of rice cooking, which she illustrated in a very thorough post on the subject.

Sourdough Surprises: Sourdough, Saffron and Black Pepper Apple Fritters, diet can wait! / Sourdough Surprises: Frittelle di mele allo zafferano e pepe nero…e la dieta può aspettare!

I admit it, when I read this month’s Sourdough Surprises theme I was very pleased, and not pleased at all at the same time! It no secret to those who know me well and see me on a weekly basis that I have gained weight. Not a lot, but still those 2 almost 3 kilos one starts to gain without noticing and then it’s almost too late. For a long time my weight has been more or less stable but probably at 33 I should take a little more care about what I eat. Well luckily summer has hit Switzerland with a terrible heatwave and I’ll probably be able to shed off the extra weight I put on. Frying was not really in my book, oh well it surely was in one book…the black one! But these fritters, oh these fritters!

Merry Belated Christmas and a latecomer recipe: My Mum’s Mincepies / Tardivi Auguri di Natale e una ricetta in differita: I Mincepies di mia Mamma

Merry Belated Christmas! Working in a shop around this time of the year means no time to blog around and unfortunately little baking and cooking too. But I am back, and cannot exempt from leaving one little traditional recipe even though it’s a latecomer.

Christmas is nothing without traditions. I grew up with a weird mix of Father Christmas meets Joan Baez in front of the manger scene. But I guess that’s our tradition.

Holidays+Fridge=Apple & Red Berries Curd / Vacanze+Frigo=Curd di Mele e Ribes

Sometimes I do miss my old self. Planning my holidays in every single detail, bagagge accurately packed two to three days before. Everything under control. Not anymore. Improvising has become part of my daily life…and I must say quite to my delight. Having no schemes and schedules (ok not so many schemes and schedules, I still need some!) provides me with unpredictable tasks, problems to solve, in one word: excitement.