Let's marniate!

can we talk about mozzarella for a minute? - as much as i love heaps of it on a pizza, cuz it makes it go all goey - or even better comes oozing out of a calzone - you dont hear me shout hooray when i am confronted with a plain simple ball of mozzarella. not too much taste, right?
dont get me wrong here: nothing beats the creaminess of a buffalo mozzarella but whenever i eat it i cant help but dip it into some pesto or cover it with loads of salt & pepper because i feel like mozzarella just has to come with something or it's a total loser on a plate.


but then i just cant help but live off salad capreze during the summer, because it's such an easy recipe and i also think a sunkissed tomato doesnt really need much more than a sprinkle of salt & pepper. but still: in goes mozzarella.
so while being in a small "mozzarella crisis" the other day i raided my herb garden, mixed it all up with some lemonjuice and olive oil and chucked in some mozzarella. the secret ingredient wasnt the basil though. just a little bit of peppermint in combination with the lemon rind makes this a very fresh & summery affair. or finally a mozzarella with taste.


RECIPE

2 oval shaped mozzarella balls
3-4 sprigs of oregano
2-3 sprigs of basil
2 sprigs of rosemary
1-2 sprigs mint
some red pepper
some chili flakes
a little bit of salt
zest of one unwaxed lemon
juice of a lemon
about 300ml of olive oil

slice mozzarella, chop all herbs, cut lemon zest in fine strips. add lemon juice & olive oil to a large preserving glass, mix. then add herbs, chili, red pepper & just a dash of salt. stir well & add sliced mozzarella. mix well & make sure the cheese is coated well. let marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

keeps in the fridge for about a week. use for salads, pasta dishes or pizza.


about time i join the gang again. this is my entry for this weeks WHB, hosted by dhanggit's kitchen this week. head over to her blog for the roundup & more recipes using veggies, greens & herbs.

it's PIMM's o'clock, baby

i tend to eat in phases. i have had the weeks of brownies, lasagne, fruit tarts, meringue rolls, days filled with one pastadish after the other - oh and let's not forget my focus on mascarpone-recipes that lasted for months. i blame my job and my greedy nature for this.

that also means: whatever i have to cook for my job i dont want to eat in my private life. currently that is heaps of meat, everything with full fat cheese and double cream or fruit that's been drowned in kirsch. i.dont.want.to.eat.any.of.that. - really, get out of my face fullfat cream!
after a day in the kitchen slathering meat with marinade, arranging a broccoli for a picture just the way you'd want to lick the picture asap and building towers of cupcakes all i want to do is just walk away from it and have - let's say - toast with butter. a pack of cookies (3 packs in 4 days, i call this quite a performance). everything that doesnt require heating up a pan or oven. tear open a package - that's a deal. count me in.
but then where is the fun in that? also i'd like to think you'd have to have at least 5 seconds of fun preparing your food (pack of cookies open in only 2 secs) and there is that thought of things like vitamins. proteins. fibres.

i entered a new phase this summer when i visited my beloved friend T in london. on that very summery sunday afternoon i entered the PIMM's phase in his backyard and i have this feeling it might turn from phase to beloved habit, cuz really: PIMM's is just about the best thing since sliced bread.

i like to think PIMM's is the oscar de la renta among drinks. PIMM's is chic. it's a proper ladies drink that even guys like.

and just like oscar's dresses PIMM's comes with a whole lotta accessories, too. there is a PIMM's sunchair, a PIMM's pitcher - oh hallelujah! - there is even a goddamned PIMM's picnic blanket that i ordered in 1,2,3 and i can-not-wait to finally organize a proper PIMM's picnic. you know, all dressed up & some sandwiches in a basket.

to find out more (and order your own picnic blanket) head over to the PIMM's webpage. in the meantime, here is my current diet

RECIPE

icecubes
PIMM's
homemade lemonade (see recipe below)
orange slices
fresh strawberries or raspberries
sticks of cucumber
fresh peppermint

fill glass halfway up with ice. add orange slice, cucumber, raspberries and some peppermint. fill with two part lemonade and one part PIMM's (you lushs may tweak proportions...). the more PIMM's you add. the more bitter it will taste. i like my PIMM's ladylike with just a dash of that magic stuff.

RECIPE HOMEMADE LEMONADE

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
juice of 6 lemons
2-3 cups of water
icecubes

heat sugar and 1 cup of water in a small pan until sugar has dissolved, let cool.
then mix with lemonjuice, rest of water and fill into jug with icecubes.