'But above all I am besotted by dogs.'

Questions we ask in many phases of our lives are connected to love. If we are lucky enough we ask parents in very early stages of our lives how much they love us. The answer much or very much is usually not satisfying as in our small heads we need exact, measurable answer. We need to know exactly in grams or in kilometers how much is much or very much. To the Moon and back was and still is one of my favorite answers.
Two years ago four legged, furry companion who we named Ito joined our so called human community. She changed our daily routine in the best imaginable way. She jumps up on all four legs and very often walks on two. We met on a street and saw each other few more times until one Saturday morning we walked home together. My mother has a theory that she ran away from the circus.
Ito is very charming and funny. Each morning around seven she jumps into bed and starts talking. She has different voices but the morning one tells she is ready to go out and sniff a day. Ito thought us to think less and observe more and to go usually where she drags us. It makes me happy when she runs madly from one room to the other and smiles with her pinkish tong out, when she wags with her palm tree like tail or when she rolls on the floor. Ito likes body lotions, soaps, creams and used paper tissues. Once, she grabbed a soap and we waited in fear for bubbles to replace barking. She is the only person whose snoring makes me calm.
I love her unconditionally and I know she feels the same about food.  

homemade tree ingredients cookies

one big banana

two heaped table spoons of peanut butter

about 2 cups of oats flour (uncooked oats blended in a food processor or blender) 

In a bowl mash the banana with a fork and add peanut butter and beat until you have smooth mixture. Keep adding the flour to create the dough. Don't use all the flour at once, keep adding in batches so you end up with the dough that is not sticky but combined and ready to be rolled out. 

Flour the surface and roll the dough out. Cut the dough into desired shapes and place cookies on parchment paper.

Bake cookies in the preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.

Recipe adopted from homemade peanut butter banana dog treats.

chestnut magic before hibernation

Only hibernation can justify me being away, absent, inactive.

Hibernation is a state of inactivity. Inactivity is a state of being absent. Absence is a state of being away and away is a state of not being present.

Even winter is still present, but only by calendar, I am glad I am waking up from a so called winter dream where I got trapped this last month or so. And like in almost any winter dream one must use stored energy. Before entering in this state of 'hibernation' I made and ate this delightful chestnut soup packed with warmth and delicate, sweet and nutty flavor.

CHESTNUT CREAM SOUP 

360g roasted and peeled chestnuts 

one small potato

1tbsp sunflower oil

1/2 onion

1/2 apple (granny smith, peeled and diced)

150ml milk

1l hot water

salt and white pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp heavy cream to serve with 

In November I was lucky enough to find very good raw chestnuts in a shop. I bought some for roasting to be eaten right away, but rest of the fruits were stored in a freezer. I scored each chestnut beforehand and roasted in a preheated oven on a high heat, 220ºC for about 15-20 minutes and while they were still very hot I peeled them. 

For this cream soup I used chestnuts from freezer, roasted chestnuts.

Peel and chop the onion, potato and half of the apple. Cook chopped onions over a moderate heat in a large pan with a tablespoon of oil. When the onion is soft and translucent add the chestnuts. Let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced apple and potato and pour in milk and hot water. Bring everything to boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer and let the soup cook for about 30 minutes.  

Blend the soup in a blender or food processor. Strain the soup through a strainer for smoother texture if desired and season with salt and white pepper. 

Divide the soup between bowls and serve or add few drops of heavy cream to each bowl for some extra creaminess. 

A rich soup brimming with flavour is more than a meal in itself.

purple passion fruit pavlovas

It was December when I saw it for the first time. They were 'pushing' each other in blue cardboard box, covered with plastic foil. Although the box was deep it was fully packed with these little purple creatures and some of them were able to 'swim to the surface' and attract a curious buyer. By then I only saw it in cookbooks, and on internet. I was surprised and excited at the same time.

'I know you. You are suppose to be acidic. But this is the first time we meet in live and I am not sure if you should look like this.'

I once again reached for the label where it was printed in capitals PASSION FRUIT.

I took only six. They were so light, these six purple fruits weighted something under two hundred grams. And when I got home I only observed them for some time. Day after, I cut one in half and  sour-sweet pulp vibrant in color attacked me. Since that very moment I've been infected with exotic passion, tender passion barely controllable.

Purple Passion Fruit Pavlovas

for 10-12 mini pavlovas

3 egg whites, room temperature

pinch of salt

175g white sugar

1tsp starch (cornflour), sifted

1tsp lemon juice

250ml double cream ; 6 purple passion fruits

Preheat the oven to 140ºC. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until firm peaks are formed. Add sugar in additions, slowly, and continue beating until you've got a bowl of snowy meringue. Sift in starch (cornflour) and add lemon juice. Gently and patiently fold until everything is mixed in.

Draw 10-12 circles of approximately 8cm on baking paper. 

Spoon the meringue, 2 tablespoons, onto the baking paper into the each circle smoothing the sides and the top using back of the spoon or spatula.

Place them into the oven, turn the temperature down to 110ºC and bake for about one hour. Turn the oven off and leave them in to cool.

Once they are ready for assembling, whisk the cream and dollop it on top of the each meringue. Smooth the cream with the back of the spoon and place passion fruit pulp on top.

Play Martin Denny Exotica on repeat for unique and exiting pleasure!