culinary creations

I keep thinking I should get a hobby. Take a class, join the gym, do something social and stimulating. But the thing is, I already have an entertaining preoccupation. I am absolutely obsessed with food.

Which is odd, considering i spent the first 23 years of my life being the pickiest eater in the world (no vegatbles, no condiments, no seafood, no sauce of any kind but pizza, no food can touch each other, no fruit but apples and grapes, and pretty much anything with vibrant colours is suspect.) I ate a lot of chicken and mashed potatoes, and sometimes ramen noodles.

But now, I am a gastronomic fiend. I know all the best menus in town, I concoct elaborate three course dinners, I peruse cookbooks in my spare time, and actually tinker with reciepes to improve them. It's becoming a problem.

Part of it is the perks of my psuedo-glamourous job is being wined and dined in rooftop gardens, burnt out castles and chic bistros.

Part of it is a combonation of my health problems and my legacy as green champion mean I am more concious of my ingridients so I am sourcing all local, organic produce to create amazing options.

Part of it is I just grew out a lot of my self inflicted barriers and complexes when i jumped ship and started this new life.

Now, I could wax poetic about my current top five favourite recipies I make brilliantly:

- roasted sweet potato, rocket, & walnut salad with garlic-lemon chicken
- sweet red peppers stuffed with puy lentils and mozzerlla
- homemade strawberry shortcake
- baked pumpkin cheesecake
- homemade leek and sweet potato soup with chili cheese croutons.


or my five favourite edinburgh foods:
- edmame beans sauteed in soy sauce & ginger with a hint of chili
- italian flat bread with carmalised balsalmic reduction
- a top sirloin with rocket on multrees walk
- pechkam's platter of grilled halloumi, pineapple, courgette and breads with a selection of dips: houmous, red pesto, green pesto and peanut satay
- spinach, artichoke and chili chicken dip

But i am really very excited about my vegtable box - my weekly delivery of local produice straight to my door from the nice farmers down the road of this seasons harvest. My first shipment included:
-3 pears
-3 apples
-3 bananas (they have a greenhouse)
-2 kiwis
-2 onions
-1 sweet pepper
-6 carrots
-6 fat cup chestnut mushrooms
-1 giant head of purplish spinachy lettuce
-2 ears of corn on the cob
-and one massive bundle of rhubarb.

I am so excited. I have never had rhubarb. So I have supplimented this list with a jaunt to the local farmers market for meat, bread and the rest of the veg so tonight is going to be a burger feast (with sauteed mushrooms and corn on the cob) followed by rhubarb and raspberry crisp with toasted pecans. it's fucking amazing.