....is Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chile

My sweet neglected blog has taken a back seat to my portrait photography endeavors but when I find a good dish I can't help but share. I found a wonderful recipe for Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas and Chile in Ottolenghi's cookbook 'Jerusalem'. The sauce is greek yogurt based and maintains a nice creamy quality without feeling heavy. If you can't find a larger shell pasta (Conchiglie) there's an alternative, Lumache. Essentially, you want to make a place for the peas inside the pasta or you will be chasing them around your bowl. I think the secret to this delicious is the spicy pine nuts (or walnuts in my case), the original recipe recommended Turkish or Syrian chile flakes, I used the red pepper flakes I already had and they were wonderful. I used a little over half of what the original recipe called for (2tsp) and was pleased with the result, a little smoky and a touch of heat.

Time to get back to snapping photographs. On another note, if you're looking for a photographer for any occasion please feel free to contact me here.

....is a Green Flash Double Stout Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

 

This cake is what happens when you're heading home Monday night and decide you MUST make a cake for St. Patrick's Day. It turns out so good that you know you have to immediately share it on your extremely neglected blog (because your recent focus is on photography and yoga teacher training). And, you decide on this fantastic blog post idea needs to happen immediately you take a picture of your cake, at work, with your phone, on a paper plate (which is admittedly better than the brown paper towel you thought you might have to use as a background). All of that said, this cake is wonderful you should go home and make it tonight.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Adapted from Nigella's Chocolate Guinness Cake