Summer is coming and the temperature is slowly creeping up.
I love being awoken by the sun again in the mornings, and hearing seagulls in the distance.
It’s going to be a delightful summer – I can tell.
Come summer, my love affair with mango goes into overdrive; I think it’s because I’ve loved mangoes more than I’ve loved any other fruit.
Mangoes and summer have a certain likeness – both are vibrant, exotic, sweet and sticky.

Since mangoes aren’t native to these part, I’m always looking for the next best thing.

I was so delighted to find this refreshingly creamy and delicious mango sorbet from Trader Joe’s, just in time for summer.
I’m hooked… it tastes fresh, like perfectly ripened frozen mangoes, makes the best smoothies too.

As far as treats go, the ingredients aren’t bad either; mango, water, cane sugar, corn syrup, guar gum, xanthan gum, citric acid and beta-carotene for colour.

In the past year, I’ve made more ‘pesto’ than I thought possible – I’ve experimented with all sorts of greens and vegetables; dandelion, carrots, beets, parsley, arugula, spinach and of course basil
I love how these sauces are incredibly easy to make, all you need are a few ingredients, and the only equipment needed are a food processor or a mortar and pestle.
Chopping the ingredients by hand using a knife or mezzaluna would give it an authentic feel, although it takes a bit of time.

I decided the give this roasted red pepper pesto a whirl, it’s roasted red peppers with toasted walnuts, basil, sundried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.
It turned out to be a zippy versatile sauce – It’s delicious tossed with pasta, as a spread for sandwiches, as a dip, etc.
It’ll keep in the fridge for several days, or the freezer for later use.
I usually keep a batch in the freezer for those quick weeknight meals.

One evening, I had leftover roasted (yellow and purple) cauliflower, a bit of forbidden rice and this pesto, I was just emptying out my fridge by throwing stuff together but it was oh so good…

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Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

(adapted from Girlichef)
INGREDIENTS

• 6 – 8 red bell peppers
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ cup olive oil (or, more or less as desired)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut (washed & patted dry) peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes
3. Arrange them in a single layer on a foil lined baking tray
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, use brush or hands to rub oil and salt in
5. Roast for about 20 minutes, do not let it blacken, wrap in foil and set aside
6. Using a food processor, pulse garlic and walnuts until finely chopped
7. Add roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes and basil, and process
8. As the food processor runs, gradually add in oil, then add crushed pepper flakes and process until all the ingredients are well combined, make it as smooth or as coarse as you want it
9. Add salt and ground pepper to taste
10. Enjoy!

I had no plans to visit the Ladurée in New York.
Hard to believe, I know, but apparently there wasn’t room in our bloated itinerary of things to do in New York for a trip to ‘a sweet shop’.
So there I was, having a nice stroll in Central Park on my way to Belvedere Castle when I spotted a cute couple perched atop a rock having a little picnic, I stopped when I spotted the pale green bag… and with a daringness usually reserved for people I know, I asked them where the Ladurée shop was.
“71st and Madison” they said, “it’s pretty close too, you could be there and back in twenty minutes tops”
That’s all I needed to hear – I cut through the park, meandered through the Upper East Side and minutes later I was in pastel coloured confectionery heaven…

The macarons are flown from Paris everyday, which I guess works, because macarons are best eaten two days after they are baked.
Luckily, the wait wasn’t long; they were unfortunately out of the salted caramel (my favourite).
I went for the classic vanilla, pistachio and rose.
The macarons were delicious – smooth, slightly chewy and soft.
And I added another jewellery box to my collection of cute Ladurée boxes.

Maison Ladurée
864 Madison Ave
(between 72nd St & 71st St)
New York, NY 10021
(646) 558-3157

The year I was born, my dad built us a house in the middle of nowhere on a patch of forest land that belonged in his family.
He painted the little house an unsuitable shade of yellow that looked so spectacularly out of place, you’d think nature was playing a trick on you.
He moved us out there, intent on becoming a farmer, and this was my home for the first years of my life.

I could write a book about our adventures; a sweeping saga of our struggles, the delicate art of farming, and how we underestimated the land.

But today’s tale is about the radishes and other vegetables we grew that first year.
The first year was probably our best year; we had running water, chickens in the coop and the vegetables grew, and we’d yet to experience the gnawing hunger that’ll come.
We grew vegetables that year; and when my mom and siblings were away at work and school respectively, my dad spent the day tending the land under the quiet harsh sun, while I played away nearby underneath the breezy shades. He swears this is where I came to love solitude.

We grew everything… sweet potatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, black-eyed peas, bananas, radishes… the mango and papaya trees just grew on their own.

“Too much radish!” that’s how my mom remembers it; we harvested more radish than we knew what to do with them. As baskets of radish piled up, she feared we’d have to eat radish for the remainder of our lives on the farm… a pity since we weren’t really radish eaters, I don’t think we even liked them. Luckily we found a few restaurants and hotels to take them off our hands.

I thought of that story when I found this salad, it’s the first salad (or anything for that matter) with radish that I’ve been tempted to make. I loved the idea of this salad too much not to try it.
How could I not want to make this? – it makes me want to grow my own vegetables, and although I don’t really remember that first year, there’s still that nostalgic tinge; perhaps from all those stories I’ve heard.

It’s a simple rustic salad inspired by this black chickpea verrine from La Tartine Gourmande, flavourful with thinly sliced beets, carrots, apples, onions and radishes, the dressing is refreshingly citrusy and peppery. I loved the heat from the ginger and pepper flakes, subtle sweetness from the honey tempered with the tartness from the vinegar and lime.

I used brown chickpeas in this salad, which I found in the bulk bin section under ‘heirloom beans’ at my local Whole Foods.
Brown chickpeas are usually smaller with a deep nutty flavour, they take a little longer to cook, are sturdier in texture but can be used just like you would the regular pale yellow chickpea.

This salad can also easily be made vegan by using avocado in place of smoked trout, and agave or maple syrup in the dressing instead of honey.

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Brown Chickpeas, Smoked Trout, Beets, Apples & Radish Salad

INGREDIENTS
Vinaigrette

• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (I used Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (coriander)
• 2 (heaped) cups of cooked brown chickpeas
• 300 g smoked trout, (I used 4 cans of Trader Joe’s Smoked Trout)
• 2 medium carrots finely diced
• 1 medium roasted golden beets, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 large red apple, cored and finely diced
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 4 small radishes, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, to taste
• 1/4 cup roasted pecans (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon large-flaked finishing salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine sea salt, lime juice, ground ginger and garlic in a small bowl
2. Add vinegar, olive oil and honey, and whisk to emulsify
3. Season with red pepper flakes, taste and check the seasoning
4. Stir in cilantro and set aside
5. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, smoked trout, carrots and beets
6. Add apples, onions and radishes and toss gently
7. Add dressing and toss gently
8. Sprinkle with black sesame salt, roasted pecans, finishing salt and serve
9. Enjoy

Nutella is one of those condiments I always have around the house; I alternate between periods of eating copious amounts of it, putting it on everything, and proclaiming it’s the best thing ever.
And then there are those other times when I’m indifferent to it, and it languishes in the cupboard for months.
Despite what the commercials suggest, I’ve never thought of it as healthy or good for me, it’s definitely not a ‘health food’ – all you have to do is look at the ingredients.

I’ve often thought about making my own; with roasted hazelnuts, cocoa powder, coconut milk and sugar – I’m a little hesitant it wouldn’t turn out as creamy, smooth and chocolaty.

Nevertheless, it’s okay to indulge now and then…

I recently discovered another use for Nutella – making hot chocolate, now why didn’t I think of that?
It’s a twist on the classic hot chocolate; a warm hot chocolaty drink with subtle hints of hazelnut.
It’s quite heavenly!

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