One afternoon..

I decided that it was time to have my very own web header.

So i snatched couple of my sister's colour pencils and immediately started doodling on a black recycled paper.

Hope y'all like it,
i think its not bad

Melazane alla Griglia "XVII"

There is no set dinner today.

I have decided to leave cooking to the domestic maid.

My apologies for that, im just taking a small break for today.
A series of incidents in camp have left me exhausted. Jesus, whats new?

However, i did mange to squeeze in a little tasty dish, not bad at all i think.
Melazane alla Griglia, grilled aubergines.

It was easy, but it took some time before all the bitter juices were drained from the aubergine. I had a sprinkle a shit load of salt and squeeze them out one by one, hell it was worth it.

And for prove i did all the dishes and photography in the blog myself, heres what some of you very sad people want to see:

Totally unedited,
There, you just made me feel sillier.

Forecast of the week

Set dinner for 10 tomorrow, my shot at french on Saturday and step by step recipe follow through on Sunday :), until then, have a nice one

Teglia di patate con cipolle "XVI"

Teglia di patate con cipolle "XVI"
Originally uploaded by uncle_bleu

Oven baked potato and onion slices

was made for dinner to accompany some roast duck. My mom said it was nice; that means it was totally mediocre and to me it kinda meant that it sucks. Normally, nice dishes leave her speechless.

No, nothing went wrong in the cooking, the seasoning was perfect, potatoes creamy and the onions were sweet, so this can only be concluded that the recipe isn't working.

This will be my very first misjudgement of recipe; i've always expected alot from all of my recipes from the sous books, now i've learnt that potatoes and onions don't go very well alone in the oven.

That aside,

Getting to my camp from home would take about an hour if driving and an hour and a half if taking public transport.

I've been booked-out since Friday and will be shortly returning to back camp then i will book out on Thursday again for the nation's public holiday then book back in on the night itself. I will then book out again on Friday to g.... so on and forth.. i be going in and out of camp extremely often this week. Transport time and money gonna consume me like a paranoid girlfriend.

Sadly, I might just miss a dish or two for the week..

see you soon

Tagliatelle con ragù di salsiccia "XV"

This is one champion crowd pleaser, firstly it looks like one and the aroma's just brilliant.

Very tasty and it can get much more flavourful if you put in some good sausages, namely the italian herbed ones or england cumberland.

I can't reveal the recipe, but just a few tips.

You can use any tomato base ragù and add sausages in, skinning and slicing them into appropriate sizes first, tossing it with some fresh tagliatelle.

If you can't get hold of tagliatelle try using other egg based pastas for this one, it will taste much better imho.

re: project trattoria

As you've known by now, i am putting advertisements and affiliations up on the page.
Yes. I needa generate some bling to buy my groceries, pay for my course... and er, get some booze.. but mainly groceries, cause' i am afterall earning a low military wage.

If you have also realized, i have recently revealed a couple of my recipes to share with everyone. But please do not be disheartened if i don't, for i will be setting up a trattoria in time to come and i do need to keep my recipes secret, it is just business. Thank you for your understanding and for the lovely emails you've all sent(thought it would be great if you'd put it up on comments instead).

Have a nice one, lotsa luv

Fagiolini in umido "XIV"

There's nothing like starting off your weekend with a bright sunny day, after a rainy and dreadful week in camp.
Class was great and i managed to pay full attention throughout despite having a crazy ass tequila hangover.
And mom got a buncha accessories from some kitchen sale at Metro's with a discount ticket, they are pretty nifty i must say.

Feels like one of those pre-army days.

To further brighten the mood, the Ursala Ferrigno stew i made earlier on in the afternoon went really well and it gives you an unexplainable heart warming sensation. Jessica calls it, "the happy stew."

If you feel like making this tasty and hearty stew, here's how you do it:

serves 6
3 tbsp evoo
1 red onion, finely chopped(F.C)
3 garlic cloves, F.C
800g chopped tomatoes
600g french beans
small handful chopped parsley for garnishing
10 basil leaves, torn
S&P

Saute onions in evoo through low heat till golden.
Add garlic & tomatoes. Simmer for a few mins.
Add beans, basil and 500ml hot water.
Season with s&p.
Bring down the heat.
Cover and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time, adding additional water to keep it from drying too much.
Rip over parsley and (optional)drizzle evoo. Serve