1st November muse and a bowl of warming soup with mustard toasts

Hi, are you cold after a long walk and a muse at a cemetery?
I am...Although, I've lived far away from homeland for several years, every year, traditionally, I go to the cemetery nearby to put a candle on a group grave, or ideally on a grave that's been long long forgotten and neglected. There is lots of beautiful cemeteries in London. Those on which celebrities are buried, those with Egyptian alleys and the local, smaller, more anonymous... and those I like the most... They're full of family histories and where gravestones often reflect the lives of their owners. The narrow lanes between the tombstones, century-old trees and their branches displacing gravestones from the ground and benches where you can rest for a while. I was enchanted as usual by the most beautiful grave of a little girl and the old man, whose dog is still standing at his feet.

I light a candle in the cemetery chapel for those who have gone, I have a moment for reflection... I remember!
It's freezing and I'm coming back home to enjoy a bowl of hot potato and leek soup with mustard toasts. There is nothing better to warm the soul ;) I warm my homemade broth and throw a few potatoes and leeks. I'm warming up the oven to bake few thin slices of bacon and baguettes. Then just to quickly blend my soup and... I'm warming up in this cold afternoon of All Saints...

Potato and Leek Soup with mustard toasts

(Inspired by BBC Good Food)

50g butter

10 rashers streaky bacon , chopped

5 large leeks sliced

2 large potatoes, cubed

1.2l vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

300ml milk

handful chopped parsley

For toasts:

1 long thin baguette

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the bacon and fry it until it is just starting to colour. Add the leeks and potatoes, then stir well until they are glistening.
Add the stock and bay leaves, season and bring to the boil. Partly cover and simmer for 15 mins, until everything is cooked. Fish out the bay leaves, then purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan and stir in the milk. Reheat gently and season to taste. Add more stock or water if the soup seems too thick (this will depend on the size of your potatoes). Sprinkle with parsley to serve.
Make the toasts: heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut the baguette into thin diagonal slices. Mix the oil and mustard together, then brush over both sides of the bread. Spread them on a large baking sheet and bake for 10 mins. Serve with the soup for dipping. They can be baked earlier in the day and served cold or warmed through in the oven.

Have a lovely and calm evening!

Cheesy happiness - Welsh Rarebit

If you've ever been to Krakow, then you know where to go for the best ever roasted baguettes with mushrooms, melted cheese, ketchup and chive. For those who don't know, this is called ‘zapiekanka’. Located in the very heart of Kazimierz, in the middle of a grocery market square in Plac Nowy, right next to popular pubs and clubs such as Singer or Alchemia. As long as I can remember, this place always had a vibrant social life from the morning to the late night. Decadent bars and clubs where we used to stay to very late night or even very early mornings were always full of local people and international guests. We, people of Krakow enjoyed this absolutely scrumptious food prepared personally by Endzior – owner himself. There was nothing as good as a night out with a pack of friends, couple (or more) of beers in a pub and a crunchy zapiekanka with salami, or chicken. Even though, most of what they sell are roasted baguettes with different toppings (pol. zapiekanka), and burgers, there was a never-ending queue every night. 

But who has not been to UK before, then you do not know that the English have their own brilliant cheesy toast. Although, you can’t buy it ‘take away’ on the street, nor I haven't come across it in any of those decent British pub, it is in the minds of the Welsh, especially those who were poor over the past centuries, who often couldn't afford the cheapest piece of meat. So, for the average Welshman, the toast dripping with melted cheddar cheese was like a feast of roast rabbit. I do not know why, today, instead of 'rabbit' they tend to call it 'rarebit'. I personally prefer the original one. 

A genuine 'Welsh Rabbit' is a thick slice of bread, covered with a creamy mixture of cheddar cheese (or Gloucester cheese or Cheshire cheese) and egg, mustard and stout. Then grilled and eaten straight from the oven.

Although, there are hundreds ways of preparing welsh rabbit, we still hold on to this one, just basic, simply delicious!

4 large slices of bread 

200g cheddar or Leicester cheese 

1 egg 

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

Pinch of cayenne pepper 

½ tsp of mustard 

30 ml stout 

A little bit of butter 

Preheat the grill to medium-high, and toast the bread on both sides. Beat the yolks into the bowl together with grated cheese, add all other ingredients and seasoning and mix them thoroughly. If you find your mixture too dry you can add one more egg. Then spoon the mixture on to the toast and cook until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately as hot as you can stand.

*** Nice article about the pleasures of cheese is here, I recommend it. 

Comfort Food and positive feelings...

A few days ago, I found myself preparing an Italian pasta with sardines and baked bread crumbs for a dinner, and somehow I discovered the taste of childhood, the taste I haven't been able to revive for years. When I was a child, my Grandma often made for us a homemade pasta with fried breadcrumbs... it may sound strange, but this poor in ingredients dish brings a lot of great moments and warm memories and a smile on my face to this day... It reminds me of homemade pasta noodles laid in Grandma's living room on large sheets of paper to dry... oh, happy days... it was our little 'comfort food', which we used to eat only at Grandma's and she only did it best... Not without reason, many Internet sources and literature defines comfort food as this, prepared according to traditional recipes that may have a sentimental and nostalgic appeal. While successive nutritionists argue and chase in inventing more and healthier food combinations that do not necessarily make us happier, most of us returns to the traditional, typically associated with home warmth and close to us people, meals. This is what make people feel they belong. Macaroni cheese, chocolate pudding, and grilled sausage are maybe not the best for our coronary arteries. And it’s no secret that we consume 'comfort food' during periods of increased stress or negative emotions. But recently I came across a very interesting article in the journal of 'Psychological Science', in which the study of D. Troisi and Shira Gabriel proved that so-called 'comfort food' combats feelings of loneliness. The authors wondered whether the 'comfort food' can make people think about their loved ones and can contribute to their well-being. The results, indeed confirmed it. In one experiment, participants had to write for six minutes about the fight with someone close, to induce a sense of loneliness, while the other control groups had emotionally neutral writing assignment. In each group, most participants wrote about the experience of eating 'comfort food', while others wrote about eating the newly invented dishes. In the next stage of research, each group had to answer several questions to determine their level of loneliness. Participants in the experiment who wrote about the fight with a close person showed high levels of loneliness. But those who generally feel safe in their relationships, as measured before the start of the experiment, was saved from loneliness by writing about food. 

The study author, Jordan Troisi says ... “We have found that comfort foods are foods which are consistently associated with those close to us,” says Troisi. “Thinking about or consuming these foods later then serves as a reminder of those close others.”

In his essays, most of the participants wrote about the experience of eating with family and friends. The authors concluded that the food described as a 'comfort food' can serve as a great and simple way to alleviate feelings of loneliness. In another experiment of the same authors, eating chicken soup by participants, caused intense thoughts about the relationships, but only if the chicken soup was considered by them as 'comfort food'. 

We do not feel lonely tonight, however lack of sun and a storm outside made us crave for something relaxing, rich in calories, and above all tasty... Thus, using the variety of the British 'comfort food', we gave an old cauliflower gratin a little contemporary twist by adding a little bit of garlic and sweet potatoes. Simple, fast, delicious and perfect for long winter evenings with someone close. 

Cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potatoes gratin with cheddar and garlic sauce. 

Ingredients for two portions:

1 cauliflower 

1 broccoli 

2 sweet potatoes 

200g half fat cream 'fraiche' 

100g extra mature 'cheddar' 

Salt and pepper 

2 large cloves of garlic 

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower until just tender, about 5-6 minutes. Mix the crème fraîche, cheese, salt and pepper and toss with the vegetables. In a separate pot boil sweet potatoes until soft. Then cut the potatoes in slices and pile them in a heatproof dish. We used two deep heat-resistant plates. Pile the veggies with sauce on top of potatoes and top with handful more cheese. Grill until golden in 180 degrees. Serve hot. 

Enjoy your meal with someone very close!