A Soup.... and a Goodbye!

Words just don't come easy.
Thoughts are still cluttered in my mind.
It is hard to believe, to accept the truth.
It is hard to put the thoughts and the words together without tears, without pain.
What I held to as a pillar in my life is gone and never will be back.
Never did I think that the three days at Easter would be the last three days together. And still I had to let him go. Had to let him find his piece and rest in my heart... forever.
...
I used to tell him I was his Sun... I used to wait for him to get back home from work, impatient to sit in his lap and every time told him: "You know, mummy didn't give me anyyyyyything to eat today!" just so I could stay in his lap and have dinner together.
...
It seems like ages have passed since those days and yet the years have gone by far too fast.
Part of my heart is locked now. It's where I want to keep jealously all the love my parents have given me. Both gone too soon. Both had so much life ahead to live, so much to share, so much love to give...
When I close my eyes I hear my daughter's words... Now grandma is not alone anymore, they will never separate again.
...

It is strange to sit now and go back to everyday petty things, food, writing. Does it really make sense?
My father was a person who enjoyed life, enjoyed good food.
It is for his memory that I don't want to stop writing on my blog. I know he would be proud of me. And many times still will I think, If only Daddy was here, he'd love this.
I wasn't given a chance to cook this for you, but I'm sure you would have loved it.
Love you, Daddy.
Love you, Mom.
Watch over us all...

Chickpeas and Apple Cream of Soup

* 500 g precooked chickpeas
* 2 organic apples - Golden 
* 1 small onion
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon turmeric spice
* about 1 liter vegetable stock
* extra virgin olive oil
* salt
* pink pepper corns
* fresh chive



Finely chop the onion and cook on low heat with 2 TBspoons EVOO until the onion is soft (a couple minutes).
Cut the unpeeled apples into small cubes.
Add the apple cubes to the pot with onion and saute together for 1 minute.
Add the drained chickpeas, the turmeric spice and a little salt.
Sautee shortly, then pour in the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Take a couple ladles of chickpeas and apple cubes and set aside, and puree the rest with a stick blender until smooth.
Adjust the density according to your taste (add a bit more stock if too dense, or let cook a bit more if too liquid).
Distribute the soup in four soup bowl and add part of the chickpeas and apples you set aside.
Sprinkle with crushed pink pepper corns and chopped chive.
Serve this soup warm.

Vellutata di ceci e mela

* 500 g ceci precotti
* 2 mele Golden non trattate  
* 1 cipolla piccola 
* 1/2 o 1 cucchiaino di curcuma
* circa 1 litro di brodo vegetale
* olio extra vergine d'oliva
* sale
* pepe rosa in grani
* erba cipollina fresca



Tritate finemente la cipolla e cuocetela in una pentola con 2 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d'oliva a fuoco basso finché diventi morbida (un paio di minuti).
Tagliate le mela NON sbucciata a cubetti.
Aggiungete i cubetti di mela alla cipolla e lasciate insaporire per 1 minuto.
Unite i ceci scolati dal liquido, la curcuma e un po' di sale.
Lasciate insaporire brevemente, poi aggiungete il brodo caldo e portate a bollore. 
Cuocete il brodo per 20 minuti. Togliete circa due mestoli di ceci e cubetti di mela, e frullate il resto con un frullatore a immersione.
Aggiustate la densità della vellutata, se troppo densa aggiungete un'altro po' di brodo.
Distribuite la vellutata in quattro piatti o ciotole. Aggiungete in ogni piatto un po' di ceci e mele tenuti da parte.
Cospargete con pepe rosa schiacciato e l'erba cipollina tagliuzzata finemente.
Servitela calda.

Krem juha od slanutka s jabukom

* 500 g kuhanog slanutka
* 2 jabuke Golden (po mogućnosti bio/neprskane)
* 1 manja glavica luka
 * 1/2 do 1 žličica kurkume
* oko 1 litra povrtnog temeljca ili vode
* maslinovo ulje
* sol
* ružičasti papar u zrnu
* svježi vlasac

Sitno nasjeckajte luk i pirjajte ga na laganoj vatri s 2 žlice maslinovog ulja dok ne omekša (par minuta).
Narežite neoguljenu jabuku na kockice.
Dodajte je u posudu s lukom i pirjajte skupa 1 minutu.
Dodajte ocijeđen slanutak, kurkumu i malo soli.
Pirjajte kratko, a zatim zalijte toplim temeljcem ili vodom i ostavite da zakuha.
Kuhajte oko 20 minuta. Izvadite 4-5 žlica slanutka i jabuka i ostavite sa strane, ostatak smrvite štapnim mikserom u kremu.
Podesite gustoću juhe po želji, tj. ako vam je pregusta dodajte još malo juhe.
Rasporedite juhu u četiri tanjura ili zdjelice. U svaki dodajte dio slanutka i jabuka koje ste ranije odvojili.
Pospite grubo smrvljenim ružičastim paprom i nasjeckanim vlascem.
Poslužite juhu toplu.

Uz ovu juhu možete poslužiti i kockice od integralnog kruha: 4-5 kriški integralnog kruha kojima ste odvojili koricu narežite na kockice. U tavi zagrijte 3 žlice maslinovog ulja i popržite kockice kruha sa svih strana. Malo ih posolite i popaprite. Maknite s vatre, pričekajte 1 minutu, a zatim ih pospite s 2 žlice sitno naribanog parmezana. Promiješajte i ostavite kruh da se ohladi prije nego ćete ga poslužiti uz juhu.