I have been working this weekend, so you will have to forgive me with what is going to be a short post on two subjects I quite like - my kitchen and cookbooks.
In the past five years, I have lived in three different places and therefore cooked in three different kitchens. The first was in my flat when I lived in Glasgow. I had a really tiny eclectic kitchen which I absolutely fell in love with. I made a little film of it before packing up for our inevitable move to Wales. Then we had the kitchen in my rented abode; and finally our new place also in Wales, it's not my dream house or my dream kitchen - but it is home and its where I want to be most of the time.
So I share with you a glimpse of my kitchen from the hallway. Some posts you may be interested in reading that are related to my new Welsh kitchen and more recently vegan month in my kitchen. I do have to point out, although I have started to get back into cooking again, I have come to realise that I am not in 'into this space', as I want to be. Its simply because its dark. The window looks out upon a wall, the wall that separates our home from the neighbours. So I am not looking out at the garden or a pretty view, but this mostly disappoints as there is hardly any natural light coming in, which means the light indoors always has to be turned on when I am in the kitchen, even to make a cuppa tea, so it feels really un-natural and brings me down a little. And please don't be deceived at how bright it looks in the picture above, the flash was on and the shutter was real slow to catch the light.
Anyway, to brighten it up more and make it more welcoming to my psyche, I have ordered some wall paper border. I hope to share it with my readers when it arrives, I am pretty excited about it, small things make a big difference and slowly I will put y stamp on it.
Next the prompt for Vegan Mofo yesterday was favourite cookbook, its hard to choose one - but I a huge fan of the vegetarian chef and cookbook writer Nadine Abensur. Nadine Abensur is perhaps the number one vegetarian cook who has influenced me and got me cooking out of the so-called vegetable box, injecting bold beautiful flavours into traditional fare, but also experimenting with worldly ingredients. If you haven't checked out her cookbooks and your a veggie, then I would recommend that you do so. She to me is what Ottolenghi is for some cooks.
I discovered Nadine Abensur - Queen of the Greens accidentally through a cookbook called Cranks Fast Food. Its a vegetarian cookbook that helped me through my student days, but it also instilled in me confidence and a love for experimental vegetarian cooking. This cookbook opened my eyes to new ingredients such as black sesame seeds, couscous, harissa, preserved lemons, sumac, tahini - ingredients that we as vegetarians an =d vegans take for advantage now, as well as innovative recipes with chickpea flour, pesto made with greens other than basil, and interesting eats for the early 1990s like Beetroot Risotto and Sweet Potato chips.
Here are other recipes that happen to be vegan from some of Nadine Abensur's cookbooks.
Spiced Aubergine, Tomato and Chickpea Pancake
Courgette Pakoras in a Spicy Tomato Sauce
Aubergine, Chickpea and Coriander Salad
Strawberry, Lettuce and Black Pepper Salad
New Potato and Green Bean Salad
Some of my fellow bloggers have been nudging me to show my new digs. So here are a few pictures.
This is my new kitchen, albeit it rented for the next couple of years.
None of my crockery, pots or kitchen related things match the faint apple green colour. I'm not that fussed though. I am just thankful for the space to both accommodate an display my kitchenalia, many of which was once hidden in cupboards.
I am for once able to get out my white kitchen gadgets: bread maker and food processor. I will use them a lot more now.
Looking back from the kitchen, you may notice that the food processor has been moved. I am still shuffling things around. The kettle has been moved five times already.
In this house, you can actually step out into the garden. I think this is wonderful. I have always dreamed of a herb or kitchen garden, and the dream is coming true. This morning, D dug out the herb patch by the backdoor. No herbs in it yet, I know but it won't be long. Ah I wish I could have brought that rosemary plant with me, the lavender, the sage....
Around the corner from this seat arch is the patio area. Oh I do feel rather privileged. I've never had a place with a patio before. Now I feel like bit of a madam. I can get some deck chairs and just chill under the sun. Highly unlikely, as I do not like sun bathing.
The patio area is presently occupied by my rescued pots and containers from the old flat. I am so glad I insisted on bringing them along with me. We even managed to bring our bird bath with us. Its of sentimental value to us really as we inherited it from D's late father. I dare not show you what's over the wall: a mattress, rotting wood, bricks and rubble. The landlord has assured us that these will be disposed of. He has been true to his word, the pile is shrinking slowly, but surely.
If you keep walking round the patio area, you will find where I have put my recycled cold frames. I mentioned them yesterday. They are made from an old bed frame that came in two pieces, and then stapled with recycled plastic sheeting.
Here's a peek underneath the cold frame. I've sowed loads of seeds this afternoon: beetroot, squashes, peas, climbing beans and so forth. I would have continued, but I had run out of both seed trays and compost. We will start up again with trying to make our compost. My father has an extra compost bin that he is happy for me to have. Making compost will take a while, and as we are starting of growing again, we will need to get some, so its going to cause a bit of a dent in our pockets. As its one of our shared hobbies we've agreed that its an essential expense and worth it in the long-run. We don't need to worry about getting manure though, we've sourced a place that gets rids of the stuff for free, only you have to go and get it. I'm looking forward to shovelling the stuff and stinking out our little silver car - not!
We also have all this space to grow in. I haven't measured it yet, but its massive and goes right round to the front door. It has lots of potential. I am already seeing lines of bean and pea frames.
I have to share, there is absolutely no way that we would have been able to afford living in such a house with such a large garden. There are two reasons why it has been made possible. One the landlord is a friend of the family; secondly the house (as you may be able to see in one of the above photographs) needs rendering, so rent was negotiated. It's not perfect by any means, but it suits us for now and the last couple of weeks has been heart and home warming. Its not what the place looks like that makes it a home, its the people inside of it. Just moving here has lifted our spirits. Let's hope good and fair employment comes our way too (and the flat sells soon). For now we have plenty of new distractions. The weather has been reasonably good to us too, as we have been out and about exploring.
