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Lemons have always played an integral role in my cooking and I find that they are a constant companion in my kitchen. I'm continually using lemons in salads, dips and dressings or preserving them to use in Moroccan dishes such as tagines. I also tend to use lemons in sweet tarts, crostata and sorbet.


The other day I was given a rather large bag of unwaxed, organic lemons from one of the mums from school. I might add that there were close to eight kilos of lemons in that bag. I kid you not, just take a look at the photo below.


Now this is where you come into the picture. I was hoping to get some of your lemony suggestions and ideas. So, what do you think I should do with this bag of lemons? Do you have a particular recipe to share with us, that involves lemons? If so please leave your suggestions and recipes in the comments section below.

I was thinking about making Alison's famed local Limoncello or maybe some of Bron's lemon and blackcurrant syrup shot popsicles - but I am open to your suggestions. 
 
Come now, don't be shy. I need your help as these lemons are begging to be transformed into something bracingly brilliant!

The last couple of years we have managed to escape the Melbourne winter by flitting over to Malta to bask in the warm Mediterranean sun and enjoy time with family and friends. Unfortunately, due to family commitments here we were unable to go to Malta this year and so we've had to endure the cold and wet. Needless to say it has been a long and gloomy winter and we're all well and truly over it!

Our little girl Lucia despises winter and many a cold and miserable morning she has raised a tiny fist at the storm clouds and cried 'when will it stop mama, when will the sun shine'? Hence the other day when she asked the same old question, yet again I quickly replied 'when you see blossoms on the trees sabiħa, that is when you will know that spring is around the corner'.

And so the other day while I was in the car doing the mad dash to get the kids to school in time Lucia screamed at the top of her voice 'LOOK MAMA BLOSSOMS'! Her older brother Dante calmly responded with 'I guess that means it's time to start making ice cream again mama'.

And so the chocolate and mint gelato recipe below is an adaptation of Marcella Hazan's famous gelato di cioccolato del Cipriani. Hence, if you have yet to try 'the world's best chocolate ice cream' then you haven't really lived!

Last year while I was in Barcelona I not only went a little overboard with the camera, but I also managed to go a little crazy with my flip too. Consequently I have hours of video that I seem to have forgotten to share with you!

Hence, the video below was filmed whilst I was stuffing my face on a bocadillo at the Mercat de la Boqueria. Please note that this amazingly talented crêpe artisan was filmed in high definition, so please be patient with her while the video loads as it'll be well worth your while.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of food around here. It's not like I've stopped cooking or eating, but rather I just haven't had the time or the inclination to collect my thoughts and pen down a recipe.

And secondly I just wanted to thank you all for being so terribly patient with me. I am still around and we're all OK (thanks for noticing and for asking), it's just that I've got a fair bit on the go at the moment, all good and all very, very exciting.

So, as things continue to fall into place and I begin to find my groove again I promise to pick up both camera and pen a little more frequently and share with you some of the things that I have been making in my kitchen.

I'll leave you with this perfect nutmeg and maple cream tart. Hence, I stress the word 'perfect' because this tart is just right as is. Don't be tempted to tweak or tinker with this one. Just show some restraint and follow the recipe to the letter and do add the nutmeg and the tiny touch of sea salt.

Trust me on this one and you won't be disappointed!

There is a part of me that would love to run away and live in a plush hotel like Eloise as I'm all for king sized beds, dream duvets, elegant furnishings, deep, sunken baths, room service and movies on demand.

Baharat is an exotic North African spice blend that is also used in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan. This popular spice blend is added to recipes in much the same way, as Indians would use garam masala. Getting the balance of spice is important in baharat as no single flavour should stand out and dominate, but rather each spice should make it's own distinct contribution. Hence, the end result should be aromatic and sweet, yet at the same time warm and pungent.

Typically you would use baharat as a dry rub to season lamb prior to grilling or roasting. It is also used to enhance the flavour of fish and chicken or you could add it to lentil dishes, pilafs, soups, tagines or vegetable casseroles.

In this instance I added it to some mushrooms that I had softened gently in olive oil, before tossing through some fresh spinach. I could have eaten these sweet smelling, aromatic mushrooms on some lightly toasted sough dough bread, but instead I chose to make a coiled filo pie similar to this one. Alternatively, you could also make individual filo cigars as opposed to one big pie.

How about I leave it for you to decide.

Each day as I read the facebook status updates from both family and friends in Malta, brag about their glorious sun drenched days spent lazing at the beach, I grow more and more frustrated about our decision to not return to Gozo this year.

*Sigh* there is always next year!

One of the things I enjoy most about cooking is that it can be all at once both ordered and precise yet at the same time fluid and creative. Hence, if you were to follow a given recipe correctly you can be quietly confident that in no time at all you'd have recreated something entirely delicious with little to no fuss.

I've often viewed life at times like one great big cookbook, unconsciously following the simple recipes handed down to me, taking on board what resonates and throwing out all the stuff that doesn't. I follow my instinct, make decisions on the run, dodge a curve ball, fall down, get back up, but all along I continue to mix, blend, stir, fold and whisk.

With a trustworthy recipe to depend upon, you then gather your ingredients, follow the method and more often than not, you end up with a picture perfect version of what you see reflected in your trusted cookbook. Hence, there is a part of me that greatly appreciates clear instructions and precise methodology.

To say that I have been eagerly awaiting Silvena Rowe's latest book would be a complete and utter understatement as I have been an admirer of her cooking style for some time now. Hence, her latest book Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume is an appreciation of Silvena's rich culinary heritage as she takes the reader on a wonderfully rich, culinary journey through Eastern Mediterranean history.

Accordingly, Silvena manages to capture beautifully in both word and picture the food of this region that speaks so clearly of the celebration and festivity of everyday life, whilst also giving her own personal twist to the classic recipes of the Ottoman tradition.

If you enjoy the subtle interplay between sweet and sour and the fresh and the dried, and if you draw immense pleasure from the flavours of cinnamon, saffron, sumac, honey, scented rose and orange blossom water, then this book is definitely for you.

When I was growing up our soup options were fairly limited, as mum would alternate between brodu, which is a thin, watery, clear broth and aljotta, which is a rich garlicky fish soup with tomato and fresh herbs. Understand that I'm not complaining about my mothers cooking, because had she been a fabulous cook I would probably have never taken an interest in cooking myself.

Both brodu and aljotta are traditional Maltese soups and they have their place in the Maltese kitchen, as they are wonderfully comforting and have an almost medicinal effect in the colder months. Yet when that's all there is on offer year in, year out over the long wintery months (as was the case for us when we were children) you can then begin to appreciate the need to gird myself with a long list of soup recipes to see us through the winter.

So those of you in the northern hemisphere currently enjoying all of summer's bounty, please excuse my current soup preoccupation. I make no apologies for my love of soup, especially in the colder months, but unlike my mother I do prefer to mix things up a bit so to keep things interesting for the little people in my world.

Hence, the latest addition to my soup repertoire is this spicy Moroccan carrot soup with vermicelli noodles. This soup is suitable as an evening meal because of the inclusion of vermicelli noodles, which gives it a little more oomph and substance.

Needless to say, this soup was a complete hit with child #2 and an utter failure with child #1. Here's hoping my continued antics in the kitchen will have a positive influence on both Hoover and Fussy in the years to come.