Pizza, Pizza, Pizza

Then, of course, there were the pizzas. Bar some arancini and a cheeky Mcdonalds (where they served Miami Fries...?), we ate nothing but pizza. In Rome it's often baked in large rectangular trays and sold in square slices by weight. This is known as Pizza al Taglio and the sheer abundance of it, that too in vegetarian varieties, made each mealtime choice a bittersweet one. Artichoke or asparagus, olives or onion, which to have? I'd take mental note of aaaaall the combinations (sometimes 5+) I'd liked to have tried and tell myself that I'd come back the next day - this never happened though, as the next pizzeria on would just add another 5 contenders to my toppings-to-try list. Yes, my eyes are alot bigger than my stomach.

Now, I was about to indulge you in yet another picture overload but I stopped dead in my tracks when I realised, no matter how beautiful, you all know what pizza looks like. Plus I wouldn't want you to think me... odd, photographing all this food when there is... well, so much history, culture, colour & wonder in every corner of the city. It does seems to happen all too often that I return home with more photos of food than of places and people. But I guess it's just as well because they sure come in handy on gloomy days, should I be reminiscing, and in need of a visual aide to recreate the essence of sunnier memories. 

I've [already] tried reworking some of the fabulous combinations I encountered (call it pizza withdrawal) and I will follow up with recipes but for now, I think, enough about pizza. 

SL x

Do As the Romans Do

You didn't honestly think I was going to start with anything BUT the food, did you?? Of course not. This is Italy we're talking about and quite frankly our days were planned around pizzeria perching and punctuated with stop-offs at various gelaterias. A typical day, really, went something like this:  
Breakfast. Coffee. Gelato. Pizza. Gelato. Gelato. Pizza. Gelato. I'm going to come to the pizzerias another time (trust me, they deserve an ENTIRE mention of their own) because today I want to focus on ice-cream, ice-cream and only ice-cream. Luckily for us it was a scorching 32°C throughout the holiday - even luckier, then, that our daily route from Ostiense (where our hotel was) to the Colosseum and beyond (Via Del Corsa, Trevi Fountain etc) was lined with quaint little ice-cream parlours vending every variety of gelato under the sun - from pecsa to panna cotta, limone to liquirizia, they had 'em all. 
What's baffling, though, is that no two gelaterias seemed to have the same selection - some favoured sticking to the traditional recipes (like hazelnut, coffee, chocolate & strawberry) whilst others' USP was innovation and invention. The prize for the wackiest we found goes to The Gelateria Punto Gelato...

I can imagine some of you recoiling at the very thought of this curious concoction, but, I tried it (how could I not?) and I assure you, it was the lightest, most refreshing sorbet I could've ever imagined. Sure it was peculiar, distinctly tomatoey and bordering on savoury... but it had a subtle sweetness and... well, it was just delicious really! 
I made a point of not having the same flavour twice and boy was that a good call 'cause I can't remember disliking a single one of them. Here are a lot of pictures of gelato for you. Try not to drool. 

SL x
Gelateria Punto Gelato, 00186 Via dei Pettinari 43, Roma, Italy.

When in Rome

It seems, given the opportunity to gallivant for a few days, I'll end up in Italy 9 times out 10. Let's face it, I think I've been to Italy as many times as I have India. I don't know if it's the warmth, architecture, people, culture or simply the Italian way of life in its entirety (most probably the pizza and gelato actually) but its appeal grows with each successive trip. I s'pose it's a bit like a kid in the park - never wanting to go home once they're there ("just five more minutes mummy, please please please?").

Alas, less than a week was all I had this time. As I was a little young to have much recollection of the last time I was in Rome - the only resonating memories being of sweet watermelon, coconut gelato, a lot of steps (y'know, the Spanish ones), the Vatican City and, of course, the Trevi Fountain - it was somewhat alarming when a strong sense of deja vu took over whilst wandering the streets. I've some spots worth sharing with you and also a few... well, mini-minute-revelations if you might. For now though it's time to enjoy what remains of the weekend. Stay tuned. 

SL x

Some More Brunch: Beetroot Risotto

I've had a thing for beets since the very first time I saw them nestled in at the Pizza Hut salad bar, glinting conspicuously in the light like purply-pink jewels. But I was a little young then and my palette only stretched as far as croutons and cucumbers. Unfortunately, my memory too had been tainted by the boiled, soggy mass that'd once been served up for "school dinners" (it had proceeded to dye my mash a lucid shade of mauve - I went hungry that lunchtime). So it was only recently when mum bought some home, fresh, that I figured if it looks SO beautiful, there must be a way to make it taste just as good, right?

It didn't take a lot to be honest - once [not soft] boiled, salted and peppered, it's brilliant in salads, as a side or just a snack. So tasty, in fact, that for a long time there was little temptation to experiment at all. But it has fast become a weekly grocery staple and as autumn steers us from summers salad to simmering stews, what better for weekend brunch than a super simple, mega comforting risotto?

What you'll need - 

50g Butter 1 splash Olive Oil 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped 400g Arborio Rice 1.2 l Vegetable Stock (2 Oxo cubes dissolved in the same amount of water does it just fine) 500g Fresh Beetroot 100 ml double cream  1 Handful Freshly Chopped Dill Salt & Pepper (& cayenne pepper, entirely optional) to taste Squeeze of Lemon Juice 2tbsp sugar
What to Do - 
1. Heat the oven to 180C. Peel & trim the beetroots (use kitchen gloves if you don’t want your hands to get stained) and cut into large wedges. Place them on a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Then, toss them with 1 tbsp olive oil and seasoning, and cook for 1 hour, or until the beets are soft.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a non-stick pot over a low flame. Don't heat the pot first and then add the butter as it will burn and smell funny. Once the butter's melted, tip in the onion and garlic and cook until slightly translucent and wonderfully caramelised. (N.B. the desired effect is mellow sweetness, not intense flavour).
3. Add the rice, stirring until coated in the butter and then begin adding the vegetable stock, 300 ml at a time. It's important to stir at least once a minute or so and don't be tempted to add all the stock at once. 

4. When the rice is al-dente, and the beets are well-roasted, remove them from the oven. Whizz ¼ of them to make a purée and then chop the remainder into small pieces. Stir the beetroot purée, chopped beetroot, salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar ( cayenne optional) through the risotto and leave to bubble for a few moments.   
5. Finally, plate up, top with fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream should you so wish. Don't, no matter what, be alarmed by the vibrant colours on your plate - that's how it's meant to be!  

Now, I know very well that beets are something of a love/hate thing (and let's face it, they do turn out an alarmingly pink risotto) and I'm yet to meet someone who doesn't enjoy a long, lazy brunch. So yes, turning this out on the table may seem a little dicey, as the last thing you want is a less-than-comforting meal. Though I'm in no doubt, if you are perhaps accompany with these twice-baked potatoes, or some Mexican scrambled eggs? 

Enjoy! SL x

Change of Heart

Jodi Picoult has long been a favourite. And whilst I wish I had a more plausible explanation as to how I've been whiling away an abundance of time during this long summer recess... I'm at a loss, really, as to how laying in bed or on the couch or in the park or anywhere else for that matter, reading novels, can be glorified. Yup, even flowery language fails me here as it's been nothing but indulgence. Here's what it is - bar my weekly dose of Devious Maids (I admit to being one of those clicking, re-clicking, reloading and refreshing freaks, awake in the early hours of Monday morning awaiting the finale to materialise online) and the odd soap here and there... well, I guess I've felt a certain void in my relentless show-watching-marathons. Yes, you remember. Now, as tempted as I was to embark upon the Breaking Bad Bandwagon (how did I miss this?!) I figured I should give it a break and... well, you've probably gleaned, read instead.

Change of Heart, the latest of my Picoult conquests, makes for truly compelling reading - I couldn't tear myself away, even on holiday (hang on, I'm getting there!) - any free moment on the bus, train or plane and I was straight onto it. Now, I'm not saying you should read it... but you know... I'm just informing you that it's a good piece of writing, y'know? And I wouldn't want you to miss out. Oh no. That'd be awful...y'know? Say no more. 

I've just come back from Rome and, incidentally, with a change of heart too. More tomorrow. 

SL x

Life's Full of Dramedy

So the 'desperate' became the 'devious', 'housewives' exchanged for house'maids'... but hats off to Marc Cherry for filling the HUGE Desperate-Housewives-shaped-hole in my life since I devoured 8 seasons worth of the show in... well, about 8 days if I'm honest. Remember this post? Yeah, same reason for my latest AWOL. My secret is out. And yes, in case you're wondering how a mere 8 episodes of Devious Maids has kept me SO busy... erm... I sort of pelted through New Girl, Pretty Little Liars and re-runs of DHs (yes, I need to get a life) before discovering the DMs...

Happy Weekend. 

SL xx

Well, Hello There...

...Just popping by to wish all the Indians out there a very Happy Independence Day - hope you're going crazy! 
SL x
P.S. Speaking of India, anyone lucky enough to go to the Holi Festival last weekend? VERY JEALOUS. 

Yes, I know...

...I've been AWOL yet again, but if the sunshine arrives when you least expect it (remember July in England last year...?!) and with no promise as to how long it might stay.. well, you just have to get out there and make the most of it really, don't you? London is glorious in the summer, beguiling in this heatwave. The river glistens, the pace of the City seems more languorous and alfresco dining, whether a rooftop BBQ or a waterside lunch, seems obligatory. 

But, I do indeed have a lot lined up to share with you so when I'm all sunned out (read fed up) and this, what appears to be a temporary phase of writer's block, evaporates into non-existence, I promise this time we'll hit the ground running. Stay tuned. Happy Summer days guys. 

SL xx

Whooooooooah...

...what a weekend ey?!? Warm evenings, Wimbledon and {albeit way too much] work; they definitely don't get much better than that. It is officially THAT time of year again - deep summer heat and long balmy nights filled with BBQs and mango gorge-fests. Who thought I'd ever say this - Happy Monday guys! 

Sl xx

Pinch Punch...

Yup di dup, it is indeed the first of the month second day of the month... Yerrrr, I hear ya, ALREADY?! What's goin' on?! Well, seeing as this year's Spring clean was more of a Spring move, for me at least, it seemed more than befitting to welcome in the better half of the year (yeah, you heard me - summer holidays, Indian festivals, 3 family birthdays, Christmas...) with a fresh start and a facelift. Erm, that would be a fresh start for me and a facelift for my surroundings, in case you were wondering.

There's a strange sense of relaxation to be found in the smooth, swift strokes of bold colours going onto blank walls, don't you think? Paintotherapy, if you ask me. And so it was with great ardour that I began picking out paint swabs and cutting images from magazines for inspiration and a means to create a space that is entirely 'me'. 

As I'm in a little bit of a hurry (/dying for a shower following session 3 of the Couch to 5K plan), I'm going to leave you for now - but I will be back soon with some before/after pictures, ideas that can really inspire you and tips on how to create a space that reflects your personality down to every last inch. Stay tuned. 

SL xx