Easter in London and homemade Gnocchi

I was never quite sure whether my mum loved or hated cooking. I think she did like to be adored like the only one that could feed me and dad, but she would have happily put some quicker meals on the table rather then the  Sunday lunches my dad xpected her to. 

The place where I come from in Italy  is all about traditons an when my mum arrived from Eastern Europe (the neighboor called her Bulgarian, Polish and Russian never getting it right) she had to learn quickly from my auntie as my father would not eat any nonsense ethnic stuff. My mum did not know how to cook an egg which was lucky in a way as she did not have her own way to cook and she just picked the Italian one quite quickly.Sunday was normally all about the traditional homemade pasta,"cappelletti" for years. I remember quite clearly that one fine Sunday mum did some gnocchi, an it was as revolutionary as it could get in her kitchen.

On Easter day I have done them just the way she toughed me, boiling the potatoes, mashing them and adding 1/5 of their weight in flour mixing in a dough when the potatoes are still warm. Then I rolled out some ropes of dough cut in  bite size gnocchi and rolled them with my thumb on a fork.

My mum used to do them with fresh tomatoes and basil for me and with ragu' (bolognaise sauce) for her and my father, and they were the most delicious thing ever (or so I remember them to be)

Now I always say to my friends that live in the UK  that thy sould  make them as there is no comparison between the potatoes back home and the ones they have in Britain which are far superior, it's easy and you friends would love it, although I very raely eat potatoes this is my favourite way to use them.  

I did my gnocchi at Easter with an easy easy rocket pesto:

1 bunch rocket

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup pistachio nuts

Blend the rocket and garlic and salt add 3 tbs olive oil and taste.

Blend the pistachio nuts, mix with the rocket and add olive oil if you need to preserve it in the fridge (it will keep for 3 days).

Otherwise  put in a sauce pan when your pasta (or gnocchi) is ready add 3 tbsp or more to the pesto of the boiling water to thin it down and

 add the gnocchi to the pesto mixing thoroughly, add dry yeast if your vegan and if you like the taste of it. You can add cashewnuts to the pistachio for a different flavour.

Once again don't buy a jar of pest already made! It's disgusting is not fresh the oil they use is cheap and it would never be as good s you make your own and have it straight away.

The cost of home made:

organic pistachio nuts 1£ for 85gr

olive oil maybe 20 pence for three tbsp

rocket you could grow it on your balcony

salt not sure maybe free if you get it from the neighboor, 50p in Portobello Market.

the waitrose pesto is not vegan and it's 1.99, so fresh is better isn't it? You can obviously add parmesan if you eat dairy but it would still be nicer, and soon you'd be able to do it with basil (ehm it was snowing this morning!)

a guest has a suspicious approach to the rocket pesto :)

A gourmet holiday? The Gambia

Friend: So how come you have not been cooking lately, nor you have been talking about some boring farmers market in London?

Glowing happy blogger: I have been to Gambia

Friend: Where??

Glowing happy blogger: Gambia West Africa near Senegal.

Gambia is an inspiring place. Food is probably not what is known for, but the experience of street food or even the family food that was cooked at our compound was truly excellent.

The Gambian food is mainly based on one grain that could be other rice, cous cous or millet, and root vegetables cooked in palm oil. Cassava is what you are more likely to eat every day.

I have to admit that having the vegan version of the Gambian food made me feel a bit of a spoilt child but our guesthouse was vegan so no fussing or embarrassment.
Nyima was our cook, she is an exceptionally beautiful young woman that has been cooking for this very special place for ten years.
My favorite bit of cooking was bought from the street vendors by our host for breakfast we had Accara (fried bean flower) accompanied by what is literally a baguette and some spicy sauce.

Having fried food first thing in the morning is not really the healthiest of things but it seemed perfectly suitable when I was there…

Some other guest requested porridge and they were served a delicious Chura (millet porridge).

In the evening I had different sorts of stews and vegetables but never took any picture after 6PM as I was too hungry to wait! I particularly enjoyed Benachin that is rice cooked with tomato sauce (same principle as a risotto the rice is cooked for absorption) topped in the same pot with some vegetables (or fish for the non-veg).

Generally food is very hot and the chillies are of those kind that you find almost only in Brixton Market and are illegal anywhere else ☺

Interesting food facts from the Gambia:
for a cost reason everything in

Gambia is packed in small plastic bags, rice, sugar, even ice cream come in those!

ice cream in bags

Fans of peanut butter will love Gambia! The groundnut paste is sold everywhere and it’s delicious
Those that avoid sugar will find difficult to explain to Gambian friends why, Gambians are amongst the sweet-toothest people I

ever met.
If want to know where you can learn to drum (djembe’ but also other drums on request), eat vegan food and maybe learn how to cook some west African delicacies just check here

lovely food shop