Oranges, olive oil and black pepper

This may sound like an odd combination but it is a Sicilian favourite! I can recall my grandfather eating this in his garden on sunny summer afternoons. He always had a little paring knife he would use to carve at fruits and vegetables he would pluck from his garden. The sun is shining in Londontown and everyone is outside enjoying picnics in the park, pints on the patio and eating lots of lovely fruits and ice creams. I have had this little combo a few times with some lovely oranges from Spain. Long live summer….

Try it yourself, you will be surprised. Happy Weekend x

Island food needs tasting
Bye bye London Town for a week! I will chat to you soon bloggies, but I must depart this fair city for the Mediterranean ocean for a short while.

I will be eating and drinking on some lovely islands and examining some underwater creatures with my snorkel gear. Ciao, ciao for now! Will have some food adventures to share next week!

In the meantime, try this strawberry and balsamic vinegar recipe from the New York Times, it sounds amazing.

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/featured-recipe-strawberries-with-balsamic-vinegar/

Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Time 15 minutes

Mark Bittman

Caleb Kenna for The New York Times

Summary

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar will not hold for any length of time. You can sugar the berries an hour or two before serving them, but no longer. Sprinkle on the vinegar and pepper, very judiciously, just before serving. Feel free to mix in some blackberries or blueberries for color; their addition is a striking one. The berries, of course, can be served solo, but for an even more elegant presentation, add a few crisp cookies or a slice of pound, sponge or angel food cake.

Ingredients

• 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 pint blackberries or blueberries, optional
• 1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional

Method

• 1. Toss strawberries and other berries, if using, with the 1/4 cup sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes or longer. Do not refrigerate.
• 2. Sprinkle with the vinegar; toss gently, then taste and add more sugar or vinegar if necessary. Sprinkle with the pepper, toss again, and serve, garnished with the mint, if you like. Spoon into a glass or bowl, and serve next to cookies or a piece of cake.

Easy sweet potato soupAn easy and quick soup to make for a cold winter's day. You only need to chop things very roughly as at the end you just blend it up with a hand blender or a food processor. Have a big batch in the fridge and just had a bowl - so delicious. I usually only make it with potato but adding sweet potato completely changes the taste.

• Leeks - 1-2 stalks depending on how thick they are
• Potatoes - 1-2 regular sized (I only used a tiny one in this recipe)
• Sweet potatoes - 1-2 regular sized (as they are usually larger than potatoes
• 2 Onions
• Chili pepper to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and chop up everything roughly (remember to peel the potatoes)
Throw into a pot cover it all with water and let boil.
After 20-30min test to see if your potatoes are cooked through to the core - if they are then voila your soup is ready.
Use a hand blender to blend it all together add salt, pepper and chili or other spices as you wish.
Serve with crusty bread.

So simple!

Pic of sweet potatoes, in NZ they call sweet potato Kumara (said Kumera) in the Excited States of America they call them yams.

Happy Saturday!