Hello April!
Slow living is my motto for this month. My body and my mind need to take everything gently and calm. I would like to enjoy every moment of my favorite season and for some reason, sometimes, everything is going so fast around me. I’ve tried a few tricks during my day, like, for example, trying to eat and drink slowly, and also biking to enjoying the trip more than just reaching the office. My previous experience with yoga lessons taught me how important is feeling your breath inside your body and be able to free your mind every time you feel overwhelmed. Since my flat is my habitat and nest, it should be a ritual the moment you are back home after a long day: usually, I like warm lights (adjustable) and burning some papiere d’armenie or an aroma diffuser with eucalyptus essential oil or lavender. I also enjoy a lot putting my cd “Japanese Melodies – the Flute Collection” which is so far the only music on earth capable to erase any concern or thought from my mind. Liturgic. Over the weekend has become a nice habit to buy flowers and styling them. Ranunculus, peonies, and chrysanthemums are just perfect to bring joy to your eyes with their gentle elegance. And eucalyptus branches purify the air so nicely that it’s impossible every time to do not buy some. Even if the sun is finally back in Berlin some days are still a bit cold, so it’s time for the last soups of the season: “macco di fave” is a Sicilian recipe that I simply adore for its simplicity and for the intense flavor. Broad beans are impossible to find here in Berlin, so I’ve opted for the dry ones that I can easily find in the Italian grocery close where I live. This creamy soup can be delicious in different ways: with some toasted bread, or cut spaghetti, or with fresh peas and artichokes (my mom’s version)!
‘Every day a little life, a blank to be inscribed with gentle thoughts.’
Samuel Rogers
Macco di fave
Ingredients
- 300g dry fava beans
- 1 or 2 onions
- 1 tbsp miso
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- fresh herbs (if you can find it locally: wild fennel)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
Directions
- soak the beans overnight. This will help to reduce the cooking time the day after.
- sauté the onion on a pot with 1 tbsp olive oil
- add the dry fava beans and cover with water
- add 1 tbsp miso
- cover with the lid and let it cook for about 50 minutes at medium heat
- add salt and pepper and more water if necessary
- for the quinoa add a bit of oil on a pot
- add 1/2 quinoa and toast it until you can hear the quinoa popping (this procedure will reduce the bitterness of the quinoa)
- add 3 x 1/2 cup of water and a tsp of salt and cook until the water is completely absorbed
- once the fava beans are cooked, remove from the heat and with the immersion blender mix only one side.
- add the fresh herbs.