It's all about being spicy

That's right and you know it! Spice not only helps appease our hunger but it also gets those endorphins buzzing and whizzing and tingling all over your body. And boy do I need some tingling and whizzing. The weather has turned foggy and misty (in other words, nasty), I'm feeling pretty blue and missing summertime. This recipe is adapted from the fabuloso Yotam Ottelenghi and his book Plenty. Having grown up on mediterranean/middle eastern food I'm a fan of his most of the time. A lot of the time I find his recipes have so many blinking ingredients that I give up reading what I need before even trying. Yep, that's the type of person I am. Don't judge.

So taking that in mind and having a bunch of aubergines, egg plants to those stateside, a magical creation was formed! One that had the bosses tell me they want it repeated a lot! Brownie points for Jette *happy face*.

One thing you need and can make is the genius that is THE chilli oil creation that is: whacking some dried chillies/chillies going off/chillies looking wrinkly in the blender with some oil. This keeps in the fridge for Yages. Literally yages. Yes, that word is Yages.

Cut into the flesh to make diamonds trying not to cut through the skin. Stick a garlic clove in as many 'x' as you want. I used roughly 3 clove per half an aubergine the first time and then my peeps asked for more.

At only 28 calories cooked per 100g, this is one veggie to keep around. The latin name is Solanum melongena which means 'soothing mad apple' due to it's reputation back in the day of producing 'instant insanity in the unwary eater'. Genius.

Now it's time to whack on that chilli oil. Slather on a good amount as the aubergine is a sucker for oil. Literally. If you like it really spicy make sure you get lots of the flakes in. The longer the oil as has been sitting the spicier it gets!

While we're are on the subject, let's talk chillies for a moment. Now, we all know there are a ton of varieties and every country worth their chilli metal wants to be the one that introduced the world to the chilli. They are a massive source of antibacterial, antiseptic and stimuli properties (did you read the first paragraph about the whizzing and tingling?) Things that chillies are said to help with are: normalising blood pressure, improving circulatory system, feeding cell structures. They contain Vit A+B+C but, they come with a highly addictive warning. You've been warned.

As part of the nightshade family which is a poison you should be afraid. Afraid of how much goodness this veg has. People use it for helping tumours, preventing cancer, the bioflavonoids it contains are great for renewing arteries, preventing strokes and other haemorrhages. It's a pretty powerful thing. Give it a go. Try and put it into your diet at least once a week when in season. The thing I love most about aubergine this way? The crispy bits around the edge with a spicy tang fading to soft flavourful flesh. Nom nom.

RECIPE:

half an aubergine per person

chilli oil

garlic cloves

oven

2tsps greek yoghurt

buttermilk/goats milk/milk

chilli flakes/lemon/coriander

Cut aubergines in half and score the flesh. Peel the garlic cloves and stick into the 'x' of your cuts. Brush with chilli oil. Put into an oven 200C for about 20-30mins. When they are ready they will be squidgy to the touch and a knife will go in no problem. The bigger the aubergine the longer time in the oven.

Mix 2tbsp of greek yoghurt with enough buttermilk/goats milk/milk to turn  into sauce consistancy. Add some more chilli flakes/squeeze of lemon/chopped fresh coriander or all of theses. Drizzle a little over the middle and serve warm.

P.S. If you make too many halves or have left overs. Remove flesh from skin, blitz with a little oil and you have a fabulously yummy dip. You're welcome.

A beautiful Brazilian beach home

There are several continents I've never been to and one is South America. I've been dreaming of visiting Brazil for years and now that I see this ethereal rural coastal home (via Etxekodeco) I have to turn my dream into a reality!! I love the combination of floaty whites and rustic with cool vintage finds and modern art.

via Etxedeco, Elle Decoration UK

Could you imagine spending your spare time here?!

Speaking of spare time, next week the Swedish holidays have officially begun - yaaaaaay! It'd be rude not to do my part so I'll be joining in by spending lots of time with my wonderful family.  I'll still be blogging but since we'll be moving around a little I might have a few problems with internet so bear with me (after Shanghai I'm not taking any chances!).

Before I head off, I had to share with you an exciting mention on the blog of Sweden's wonderful interior magazine Sköna Hem who chose My Scandinavian Home as blog of the week. Tack team Sköna Hem!

I hope you all have a wonderful couple of days, see you Monday!

Inspiration from Muuto, Copenhagen

Hello everyone! Last week I visited the new Muuto headquarters in Copenhagen where I met some of the talented Scandinavian designers behind the latest products in the collection and understand more about New Nordic design. As promised here are a few pics......

My Scandinavian Home

Incredible headquarters for an incredible brand! The vignettes around the headquarters were arranged by my clever neighbour and her team from all the way to paris (ATWTP).

Head over to the Muuto website to take a peek at the new collection, or buy some of their fab products here.

Sorry again for the radio silence this week. I've been in Shanghai (amazing city!) and had no access to blogger or Facebook! I'm back in Sweden now, a little jet lagged but happy :)

Good to see you all again!

Beautiful Göteborg home

I just wanted to check in and say sorry for my absence, I have been away on a holiday and haven't been able to access blogger. I will be back Thursday night unless my flight delays. To follow up this little blog post here's a little home tour in a beautiful Göteborg apartment. Hope you enjoy and talk to you soon!

via Alvhem

In a right Pickle

It's summertime. I don't blame you for not realising, noticing, seeing the sun. I haven't in a long time.. This Irish summer is supposed to better than the last 2 years. Heaven help me, and all the Irish, thinking this is better than last year. Wow.

With summer comes the new things. Buds, sprouts, summer veggies and while there is this abundance why not make the most of it and get pickling. In America they call it canning. And while I kind of get this, I do not use cans, I use jars so I'm going to stick with pickling.

Today it was cucumbers. Bright green prickly baby cucumbers. They are crunchy and sweet with a bitter taste on the peel. It's the perfect time while they are at this stage to get them in a jar.

I did three separate jars with three varieties of flavours. A crushed garlic and peppercorns. A chilli flakes and a wild garlic. It's pretty idiot proof. Three sterilised jars. Make sure they are sterilised. Should I say this again? MAKE SURE THEY ARE STERILISED.

Cucumbers are hugely alkaline and rich in minerals that neutralise blood acidosis. This lowly green member of the gourd family is the best natural diuretic known and rather than excreting waste through our skin it allows waste to be excreted through the kidneys. It's also known to contain erepsin, an enzyme which helps to digest proteins meaning that it is a beneficial digestive aid and for those of you with worms, it helps. A lot. If you've got high or low blood pressure you should eat a lot. This summertime veggie is high in potassium. There are a huge number of benefits to eating this crunchy green thing so get to it!

RECIPE:

As many cucumbers as you can squeeze into the jar you have (I used 4)

3tbsp white wine vinegar

½-1 tbsp salt

Add any flavour to taste, I used 4 garlic cloves in the first one, 6 chilli peppers. The second one I used 1 tbsp chilli flakes. The third jar I used a large handful of wild garlic.

Topped up with filtered water.

This recipe hardly seems a recipe. It's easy peasy! Promise. Literally put everything in the jar. Make sure you pack in the cucumbers. Once everything is in the jar, top up with filtered water. Every 12 hours turn the jar upside down. Enjoy after about a week. Enjoy.

Finnish inspiration

Some light inspiration from Finnish brand Iittala today who have branched out into the world of interiors and launched a new storage system and light for spring / summer. I love the clean lines and the way the spaces have been styled around the products.

What do you think of these new pieces? Do you own any Iittala glasswear?

I had a great time in Copenhagen yesterday evening visiting the new Muuto headquarters. We got to see the latest Muuto collection and meet some of the talented designers behind it. We also enjoyed hot dogs and champagne on their roof terrace! I can't wait to get my photos sorted so I can show you some of their latest collection, it's all very exciting (you can buy fab items from Muuto here). Afterwards I went to Tivoli Gardens and went on some of the scariest rides I've ever been on eeeeeek! It was so much fun though! Have you been to a funfair lately?

It's Midsummer in Sweden tomorrow so I'll be off to dance around a May Pole with my family! I hope you all have a wonderful Midsummer and see you Monday!

Do you remember a while back….?

I worked on a cook book? Neven Maguires Cook book to be exact. It seems like such a long time ago, but it was only 1 month gone. I can't believe it.
During my time with them, I took the opportunity to do some little interviews with the talented people in charge of every stage of the book so that you can have a little sneak inside peak at what it's really like to work in this seemingly glamorous world!

Who'd a thunk that 12+ hour days in a kitchen would be made seem so sexy and fanciful. It's actually bloody hard graft and all the work and energy that goes into creating a cook book is extreme. We worked from 8am to 6 pm non stop, churning out dish after dish, photo after photo all to make beautiful images and tasty food for you, the people to try and get excited about.

My first interview comes from  Joanne Murphy, the food photographer…oh hurry the day when I have a book and I can have Jo working on it!
She is freelance photographer but specialises in food. And how did she get into photography? An old boyfriend gave her a Nikon after seeing Jane Fonda with one and she thought 'why not give it a whirl, it's seems a romantic career'. The rest, is history. Please have a look at her work, she really is an amazing photographer and a lovely lovely person.
Her work can be seen in these books….
McNean Cookbook - Neven Maguire 2012
Sophie Cooks - Sophie Morris 2012
Blazing Salads Cookbook 2013
ICA Cookbook 2012…
and many more!




1. What type of equipment do you use?

 I use a Canon 5d mark ii and a Hasselblad.

2. When and how did you get into food photography?

 Whilst working as Art Director/staff photographer for The Dubliner I met Domini Kemp who was the restaurant critic and I started to photograph restaurants and food for her column, the rest is history...

3. What are your 3 top tips for us instagramers/bloggers who try to make our pictures beautiful?

 Use natural light, get a piece of white card to reflect light back onto your food and think about what you put the food on. Textures are key!

4. What is your favourite food to photograph and why?

 Cakes, buns, all things sweet for obvious reasons.


5. Any tips on how to get into being a photographer?

 Assist a photographer. Its the best way to figure out if its for you. And keep taking photos, even if it's just going on instagram you'll start to see your own style emerging.



6. Any exciting future projects we can know about?

 I'm really excited about a project that will be published for Christmas 2014, thats all I can say for the moment... Also I have a couple of personal projects including one with Terry (Two Wooden Horses)

7. Favourite project you've worked on and why?

 Oh thats a tough one. I've loved all of the cookbooks I've worked on. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the best people in the business. I love the feeling of being part of a team and its such a lovely feeling to hold the final book in your hands. 

8. Is there another photographer you really admire and why?

Ditte Isager is an amazing Danish photographer also Michael Graydon a Canadian photographer.

9. One person you haven't worked with but would love to photograph or do the photography for?

 In Ireland I'd love to work with Racheal Allen, in the Uk Jamie Oliver. 


10. If you weren't a photographer what would you do?

 If I wasn't a photographer I'd love to be a painter or an archeologist!

11. Can I come and work with you?

 Yes please!

A fab mid-century home in Berlin

A mid-century treat today with this incredible 1957 bungalow 'atriumhaus' in the middle of Tiergarten Park, Berlin. It's been a while since I posted a home in this style, I don't know why as I'm a big fan of mid century and have nicked more than a few mid-century Scandinavian pieces from my generous parents in law's attics (coffee table here, drinks trolley here!).

 

BFS Design via Blissful Blog

What's your take on mid-century? Is this your kind of home?

I am heading off to Copenhagen this afternoon to attend an event hosted by one of my favourite Scandinavian brands, Muuto. Very exciting! I'll have to fill you in once back over the bridge.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

A stunning skåne home

Hello! I'm so excited to share this home with you today! It belongs to Josephine Ekström who owns the beautiful shop Lily & Oscar in my Father-in-law's home town of Höganäs here in Skåne, South Sweden. Her home, which was formerly a general store, is a true reflection of the type of items she sells in her shop - beautiful unique pieces with a vintage or antique touch. Truly lovely space.

With kind permission from Josephine Ekström, Photography: Anne Rosén Rösio for Elle Decoration via French By Design. 

The style of this home is right up my street, how about you? I think my favourite space (although it's extremely hard to choose) is the hallway with the stunning tiled floor. I also love the wood rafters against the white in the bedroom and sitting room.

Do you have a favourite room or feature?