don't read this if you're hungry (make yourself a sandwich and a cup of tea first)

i do realise that if you don't LOVE food, this blog must be turning into a slightly boring read recently. but i promised you 'random thoughts and inspirations', you see.

might well be that the wind is turning again sometime soon and i'll be going on about philosophy, potato beetles or charlotte gainsbourg. you just never know. i so believe in the versatiliy of the human mind.

anyway. since some of you were asking, here are two recipes for a fig balsamic chutney that i found.

number one here
i shall be giving this one a whirl - sounds and looks spot on.

number two here
ok. this is from bon appetit magazine and has fabulous ratings. but honestly, the combination of ingredients sounds like a bit of a car crash to me. why oh why black and green olives with figs? or am i too much of a conservative mind (ha, joke for those of you who know me in person)? what do you think?

while browsing for recipes, i came across really nice recipes, and it seems not only really nice, but also really useful. lots of basic recipes, simple typography, no advertising, lots of step-by-step images. here are some recipes and chapters that caught my eye:

a wholemeal loaf
how to make brioche
desserts
sauces
potato recipes

p.s.: while you're at it and if you don't know it already, you should also take a look at xavier encinas' food blog. an absolute favourite.

just quickly

i'm über-busy but fine. could do with a bit more sleep and a bit less pressure. but life is good.

the cat's always busy too, as you can see (and if she isn't busy playing or watching the street from the window sill, she's busy sleeping. as you do. - these pictures were taken with my praktica ages ago.)

oh, and i'm looking for recipes for preserving fruit and vegetables, for chutneys etc. i've already found some contenders for a fig and balsamic chutney and a rhubarb chutney, but i'm grateful for any tips, book recommendations and links.

happy weekend everyone!

last weekend

i'm very happy to report the garden is alive and very well. we have so much spinach, lettuce and rocket! i spent a lot of time there on saturday, loosening up the soil, planting and watering, i was limping around with sore muscles on sunday. oh, and i found a good way to cycle there, which takes me an hour each way.

also made some strawberry jam, and tried my hand at baking a simple white loaf from nigel slater's 'appetite'. it turned out huge, and quite pretty. have any of you tried his recipe for olive foccaccia?

what was your weekend like?

you can still enter

took these pictures a few weeks ago on a walk on a very windy day. spectacular skies. we walked along the river spree for a bit and had coffee at the house of world cultures. i really love that little pavilion tucked away behind the main building. the tiling is so cool.

oh, and before i forget: just a quick reminder that you can still enter for my giveaway on the occasion of my onehundreth blog post. three winners will be drawn at random on monday.

otherwise: have a wonderful weekend! what are you up to? snuggling up with woolly socks and a book on the sofa? or out for a autumn walk? making pumpkin soup? baking an spiced apple sauce cake? whatever it is: enjoy!

p.s.: i've been thinking about organising a little swap here. i'd put up some goodies i'm happy to swap - and who knows, maybe something catches your eye. what do you think?

corner view: best kept secret

the weather here has been a bit of a rollercoaster these past few weeks, some days we had rain and sunshine and temperatures ranging from between 18°C and 28°C all in one day. last weekend i was sick but had to work, and took that cloudscape photo on my way home. i'm feeling much better now, but somehow the clouds in my mind don't really want to blow away. and being in a bad mood is something that's not typical for me at all. heyho, it'll pass.

as to my best kept secret, well, i'm not sure i have many. but i do really like to cook. preferably for many people. and my favourite thing ever is using fresh ingredients from a farmer's market, as well as making sauces and dressings. so maybe i'll let you in on my raspberry vinaigrette secret. does that count? i like it with seasonal greens, ideally tender ones or a good mix of green leaves, herbs and edible flowers. in winter, it's delicious with lamb's lettuce and apple slices, caramelised in brown sugar. and of course some fresh bread.

raspberry vinaigrette

(enough for several servings)*

take a table spoon full (or two) of fresh or frozen raspberries and mash them up gently with a fork

add a tea spoon of dijon mustard and stir well

add a little water, some white balsamic vinegar and stir well

add in some fairly liquid honey, salt and freshly ground pepper and stir well

add a generous amount of good, but not too overpoweringly strong olive oil, stir well

taste and see if you need to top up any of the ingredients, you should be able to taste the raspberries and end up with a slightly sweet yet tart dressing

* stored in the fridge in a small screw-top jar, this dressing will easily keep for a week (if you can manage to make it last that long) 

for more corner view secrets and revelations visit jane at spain daily. corner view will take a summer break in august - back in september! regular blogging here will go on though, so feel free to drop in, i'd be delighted!

p.s.: since i don't have a picture of my raspberry vinaigrette i'm sneakily trying to get away with some tomatoes i saw at a market in france two weeks ago. generally, i can tell the difference between raspberries and tomatoes...