Jesen, listje in barve življenja

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Zadnja stvar, ki sem jo objavila, je bila verjetno že dobrega pol leta nazaj. Za nekaj časa sem poniknila. V želji, da dokončam študij. Preblizu koncu sem bila, da bi odnehala, vendar kar nisem mogla videti tiste luči na koncu tunela. ”Res ne bo lahko, ampak na koncu ti bo uspelo!” so bile besede prijatelja, ki so mi le vlile nekaj upanja.

In tako sem se odpovedala svojim hobijem, predvsem pisanju in fotografiranju, po nesreči zabredla novim hobijem naproti, in zaključila obe diplomi. Bila sem srečna. Breme, ki sem ga leta in leta nosila, je naposled izginilo. A ostal je grenak priokus. Priokus po izgubljenem času. Zima se je sprevrgla v pomlad, pomlad v poletje, poletje v jesen. Nenadoma je izginil vsak spomin na vse, kar se je pripetilo v tem času. Prazna, brez vsakršnega občutka, izgubljena.

Ko sem pred dnevi hodila po ulici, sem spoznala, da so drevesa povsem gola. Zazrta v sivo megleno nebo, sem pod nogami čutila mehko in toplo listnato preprogo. Globoko sem vdihnila. Zima. Tisti poseben trenutek, ko si rečeš: ”Voham zimo.” In končno sem začutila, da sem jaz spet jaz.

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Juha iz buče in sladkega krompirja

Sestavine (za 3 – 4 osebe):

  • 1 velik sladki krompir (400g aprox.)
  • 1 velika hokaido buča
  • 2 veliki šalotki
  • 500 ml mleka
  • 150 ml smetane za kuhanje
  • voda ali jušna osnova (po potrebi)
  • sol, poper
  • olje za kuhanje
  • muškatni orešček
  • 400g gob – bukov ostrigar
  • pol stroka nasekljanega česna
  • 200g tofuja (jaz sem uporabila I Like Tofu korenček-ingver)
  • 100g ajdovih testenine
  • svež petršilj
  • rdeči poper

Priprava:

  1. Pečico ogrejemo na 220ºC. Operemo, olupimo in zrežemo na večje kose sladek krompir, bučo in šalotke. Pokapljamo z oljem in posolimo. Pečemo v pečici, dokler ni zelenjava povsem zmehčana (približno  40 min).
  2. Pečeno zelenjavo skupaj z mlekom in smetano zmešamo v blenderju. Po potrebi dodamo vodo ali jušno osnovo (odvisno od gostote, ki jo želimo – meni je všeč bolj gosta juha). Prelijemo v kozico in na štedilniku med mešanjem segrejemo. Dodamo muškatni orešček, sveže mleti poper in po potrebi sol.
  3. Med tem narežemo tofu in gobice. V dveh ponzicah segrejemo olje. V eni prepražimo tofu. V drugi gobice, ki jim dodamo mali česna, posolimo in malo popopramo.
  4. Segrejemo vodo in skuhamo ajdove testenine.
  5. Na juho naložimo testenine, pražene gobice in tofu. Posujemo z nasekljanim petršiljem in zdrobljenim rdečim poprom.

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Sweet potato hummus

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Since you can not buy neither go to the Lebanese to have some, you have to learn how to make it on your own. Luckily! Hummus is a rare treat at my place. Except if you’re in Ljubljana and you go to the best Falafel in the town. Anyway, apart from a classic, a sweet potato hummus is a must.

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Everyone is talking about superfood these days. But they are leaving out one of the most important ones. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and carbs to give you energy. They have a low glycemic index (which is great for diabetics) and are rich in fibers. Normally making hummus from the scratch involves soaking the chickpea for couple of hours, but if you’re in a rush, the canned one will do either.
And what’s the trick to make a really silky and smooth hummus? According to Jerusalem, after soaking, the drained chickpeas should be sautéed with baking soda for a few minutes, before dumping in the water to cook them through.

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Why sweet potato? It adds a nice flavor… It must be the sweetness. My grandma was always saying that adding something sweet to your vegetable dishes will enhance the flavors. I has a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes – around 50, more fibre and there’s approx 23 g of carbs in 100 g of sweet potato. There are many different varieties, but normally you’ll find purple, white or orange sweet potatoes. I like the orange ones the best, but it’s true that the choice depends on the purpose and preparation.

Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) are often confused with caraway (Carum carvi). In slovenian cumin stands for carvi. So the real cumin is something that is hard to find here. I always get mine when traveling. In hummus you need to add the real cumin seeds. I’m also using black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa) to garnish which are actually not related to cumin.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 big sweet potato (approx 200 g)
  • 240 g chickpea
  • 2 Tbsp tahini
  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 big tsp freshly ground cumin
  • salt
  • pepper
  • black cumin seed and olive oil to garnish

Preparation:

  1. Cut sweet potato in two, add some oil, salt, pepper. Bake in skins at 220°c until soften.
  2. This step only if using dried chickpeas
  3. Remove potatoes from skins.
  4. Put all ingredients in food processor and mix at high speed.
  5. Transfer in a large bowl, make a hole for olive oil and garnish with black cumin seed.
  6. Serve with pita bread or wholegrain sesame crackers. Carrots work well too.