Saturday, October 31, 2009

Spiced Chickpea Lentil Soup

The wonderful Jeanne from Cooksister is hosting this edition of My Legume Love Affair, the brain child of the equally fabulous Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook and having been extremely slack and missed, I hate to say, all the previous editions I wasn't going to let this one slip by.

When I made this soup the weather was cold and miserable and this was the perfect antidote to warm us up but now that I come to post it, just a few days later, it couldn't be more non-soup weather if it tried.

This soup has been conjured from a raid on the pantry and putting to good use those cans of chickpeas and brown lentils. Spiced with a combination of fresh red chilli, ground cinnamon and ginger, it's a soup that has me wishing for cooler weather.

spiced chickpea and lentil soup© by Haalo


Friday, October 30, 2009

Presto Pasta Night #137 Recap


It's the fun part of the week - recap time. I've had a great time feasting on your marvellous pasta offerings, be they soup, stir-fried, baked or steamed, made with vermicelli, rice noodles, somen, or fettuccine, decadent or nutritious, it has been a delight and I'm sure once you peruse the menu, there's something here that is bound to please and satisfy any cravings.

Thank you all for taking part and sharing your dishes with us. The recap has been presented in the order they were received.

So without any further delay, onto the goodness...


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Trofie with Potatoes Peas and Pesto

For this weeks Pasta Presto Night, which is being hosted here, I've found myself drawn to that most typical of Ligurian pasta, Trofie


Triofe© by Haalo


Monday, October 26, 2009

Weekend Herb Blogging #207 Hosting

From homemade mustard to fruit grappa, grape sorbet to carrot halwa you'll find something for every occasion in this weeks recap - thanks again to Yasmeen for hosting.

This week it's a pleasure to welcome back Katie from Eat This as our host.

Entries must be received by

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Daylight Saving Time

If you haven't taken part or it's been a while since you last joined in, here's a quick summary of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative - spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Post should include the phrase Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to your host and to the WHB rules.

You can post any time during the week but remember to send your email by the cut-off time.

Send your entries to:
knorthc AT gmail DOT com
with WHB#207 in the subject and the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 300px wide

Weekend Herb Blogging is always on the look-out for hosts so if you'd like to give it a go please send an email to

weekend.herb.blogging AT gmail.com

and include your blog name and url, your preferred email address and photo requirements.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Baby Broad Beans

Yasmeen from Healthnut is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've found Baby Broad beans!

baby broad beans© by Haalo

You might know them as Fava beans and if you're wondering just how small they are when compared with the common mature form, then the next photo should answer that question.

baby broad beans© by Haalo

Is there any wonder why I couldn't resist them? You can actually eat the whole thing, no need for shelling, just treat them as you would a regular green or string bean.

If you happen to be growing broad beans in your garden, perhaps you might consider picking them at this early stage and incorporating them into your dishes as a substitute for beans or snowpeas.

Rather than provide a recipe as such, I'll show you two ways in which I've used these beans broad beans.

Add a bit more fibre to your breakfast, replace those toast soldiers with steamed baby broad beans.

baby broad bean soldiers with soft boiled egg© by Haalo

It's a fabulous match, warm runny egg and a still crisp baby broad bean. You can prepare the beans at the same time as the egg.

A more conventional idea - a salad

baby broad bean salad© by Haalo


Toss the warm beans into a balsamic based vinaigrette and then present them with a scattering of shaved Parmesan. The combination of sweet and nutty notes plays well against the fresh taste of the beans.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Presto Pasta Night #137 Hosting


It's a great pleasure to have the opportunity to host Presto Pasta Night again - the superb weekly feast of all things pasta, created by the wonderful Ruth from Once Upon A Feast.

The premise of this event is very simple - just post a pasta recipe on your site - hot, cold, baked, stir-fried, salads, soups, there's even been a few desserts offered in the past. If you've used any form of pasta then we want to see it!

Mention Presto Pasta Night in your post with a link to the Presto Pasta Night website and to this post and then send your email to:

hellohaalo AT gmail DOT com
with a CC to ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com

Please include in your email:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • a photo: 300px wide
Presto Pasta Night #137 runs from October 24th to 29th and the roundup will be up on October 30th.


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Maffra Dargo Walnut

Orange Cheese - Yum or Yuck?

maffra dargo walnut© by Haalo


Read more at the Cheese Blog

Monday, October 19, 2009

Weekend Herb Blogging #206 Hosting

Flavour is on show and well as fascinating new ideas in this weeks recap - from a gluten free pizza made with potatoes to cabbage spring rolls. Many thanks to our wonderful host Cinzia for putting it all together.

This week it's a pleasure to welcome Yasmeen from Healthnut as our host.

Entries must be received by

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 8am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Daylight Saving Time

If you haven't taken part or it's been a while since you last joined in, here's a quick summary of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative - spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Post should include the phrase Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to your host and to the WHB rules.

You can post anytime during the week but remember to send your email by the cut-off time.

Send your entries to:
YasmeenHealthnut AT gmail DOT com
with WHB#206 in the subject and the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 350px wide

Weekend Herb Blogging is always on the look-out for hosts so if you'd like to give it a go please send an email to

weekend.herb.blogging AT gmail.com

and include your blog name and url, your preferred email address and photo requirements.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Kiwi Fruit Jam

Cinzia from Cindystar is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've got myself some Actinidia deliciosa

kiwi fruit© by Haalo

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Sweet Azuki Bean Paste Wontons

When I recently made the Sweet Azuki Bean Paste I was immediately struck by just how similar in flavour it was to chestnut puree. This started me thinking, always a dangerous occurrence, of just how interchangeable they could be.

One of my all time favourites are my mothers sweet chestnut ravioli and in theory it should work using the bean paste. Having Chinulille at a recent dinner reminded me just how good they were and was a signal that I should go ahead and experiment.

In my mothers original version she uses the same dough as she would for crostoli. For the filling, chestnut puree is mixed with berry jam, cocoa powder and roasted nuts. The dough is rolled out and cut into rectangle and formed into ravioli like shapes. This is then deep fried until golden and puffed.

For this experiment, I'll be using wonton wrappers for my dough, substituting the sweet azuki bean paste for chestnut puree and forming tortellini-like shapes that after deep frying look like this:

sweet azuki bean paste wontons © by Haalo



Monday, October 12, 2009

Weekend Herb Blogging #205 Hosting



Honey Lavender Biscotti, Potato Fenugreek Paratha, Sourdough Bread Pudding just a small sample of what you'll find to tempt you in this weeks recap - many thanks to Susan for great work in hosting.

Weekend Herb Blogging is advancing ever closer to its fourth birthday and this week we welcome back Cinzia from Cindystar as our host.

Entries must be received by

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 8am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Daylight Saving Time

If you haven't taken part or it's been a while since you last joined in, here's a quick summary of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative - spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Post should include the phrase Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to your host and to the WHB rules.

You can post anytime during the week but remember to send your email by the cut-off time.

Send your entries to:
cmc AT cindystar DOT it
with WHB#205 in the subject and the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 300px wide

Weekend Herb Blogging is always on the look-out for hosts so if you'd like to give it a go please send an email to

weekend.herb.blogging AT gmail.com

and include your blog name and url, your preferred email address and photo requirements.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Corn Cakes

Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have corn.


Sunday, October 04, 2009

Weekend Herb Blogging #204 Hosting



What do Hu Tieu Saigon and Behi Buztanak Anda Coriren Zaltzan have in common? Well, you find them and other delicious offerings in this weeks recap - many thanks to Marija for hosting

This week we welcome back as host, Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook

Entries must be received by

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 8am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Daylight Saving Time

If you haven't taken part or it's been a while since you last joined in, here's a quick summary of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative - spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Post should include the phrase Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to your host and to the WHB rules.

You can post anytime during the week but remember to send your email by the cut-off time.


Send your entries to:
thewellseasonedcook AT yahoo DOT com
with WHB#204 in the subject and the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 400px wide

Weekend Herb Blogging is always on the look-out for hosts so if you'd like to give it a go please send an email to

weekend.herb.blogging AT gmail.com

and include your blog name and url, your preferred email address and photo requirements.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Blueberry Semolina Yoghurt Cakes

Marija from Palachinka is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I'm celebrating the return of fresh blueberries

blueberries© by Haalo


Thursday, October 01, 2009

Tagliatellini with Anchovies and Salsa Verde

Presto Pasta Night founder Ruth is hosting this week and I'm back with another quick pasta. This time I'm using tagliatellini

Tagliatellini© by Haalo


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