Garlic tomato soup

Baby, it's cold outside...
I know, it is almost winter, but I still I miss warm days that I didn't have this year.
But I'm not complaining. This soup is delicious. You may be surprised with amount of a garlic, but it isn't very hot or garlicky, it's healthy and it can save you from a cold. So don't worry and keep peeling the garlic. 
The soup recipe comes Ania's blog. It's her grandma's recipe. It also appeared in New York Times :)

Garlic tomato soup
(Serves 4)

• 1.5 kg fresh tomatoes (or canned)
• 3 garlic bulbs
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• salt 
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2-3 cups of vegetable stock

Peel the tomatoes and cut them into cubes.
Separate garlic clover, peel them and cut it into super thin slices.
In a big pot heat the olive oil.
Add the garlic and sauté for a few minutes (garlic can't get brown).
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes.
Stir in the stock (it should just cover the tomatoes), add the sugar and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove the soup from heat and puree with a hand blender. Taste it and salt it just a little. Serve hot with a croutons.

Roman holiday

Sorry for my absence. I know it's rude to disappear from a blog without a word. But I'm back. I was in Rome and I strongly believe one should have an extra week of a holiday after a holiday.

Rome is a busy city, with many tourists even in November, heavy traffic and cars parked everywhere. At the beginning you think cars try to run you over, but later you learn they will stop finally, but very close to you. But there is also other side of Rome, the one with quiet, little streets, lovely piazzas, beautiful city views and history hiding around every corner.

History is everywhere. It is incredible how buildings survived so many centuries. Everything we build now is so brand new, so filmsy. The beauty of buildings and sculptures is breathtaking. You want to ask yourself questions - where are you going, why do you hurry up, are you doing anything meaningful in your life that will survive you?

Food

But let's get back to food. Even though I haven't eaten as much as I wanted, but I can tell you Italian food is exactly as I imagined - simple, fresh and delicious. Italian national talent is preparing delicious food with as few ingredients as possible. 

I love Italian bars and its sounds - people exchanging news over a cup of caffè and dolce or panino, glassware is chinking. 

Gelateria

We did our best in trying ice-cream. We went to Palazzo del Freddo - the oldest ice-cream factory in Rome. It is quite off the beaten track, so you could see mostly Italians in their winter jackets eating ice-cream. You can see the list of flavours on the big colourful board. The portions are huge so look out. My favourite flavour was red orange.

Palazzo del Freddo

Via Principe Eugenio, 65  

Rome, Italy

But our favourite gelateria was Gelateria del Teatro (you can see it next to the cat photo). Small gelateria we have found wandering around. It's opened long hours and flavours are changing. I changed my opinion on chocolate ice-cream. In Poland I was mostly vanilla ice-cream girl, but ithere I was converted to chocolate ice-cream. They were heavenly good. They tasted like the best dark chocolate and they had flavours like - chocolate&wine, truffle, etc.
And nope, a cat wasn't owned by the gelateria. We met it at cat's shelter provided in the remaining of old temples. This particular cat was the biggest beggar, he didn't take an eye from food!
Gelateria del Teatro
Via de San Simone 70,
Rome, Italy

Pizza

Pizzeria Buffetto was recommended by Tomek's cousin. She found it in a French guide. We needed to wait for a table in a quite big line, but it was worth it. We were sitted with a nice Italian family. The pizza we have got was extra thin and delicious.

Pizzeria Baffetto 
Via del governo vecchio 114 
Rome, Italy

Arancini

The best things I have tried in Rome were arancini. Arancini are fried rice balls coated with breadcrumbs filled with with ragù (meat sauce), tomato sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas. I tried it with ragù and mozzarella. It was soooo good. But remember good arancini are really good, they aren't too 

Mondo Arancina

Via Marcantonio Colonna 38

Rome, Italy

Market

We visited Mercato Trionfale, a market recommended by David Lebovitz. He described it as "Not as well known as the more showy markets in the center of Rome, this is a pretty authentic market" and it's exactly like this. I think we were the only one who were making photos not shopping. 

Mercato Trionfale

Via Andrea Doria 3

Rome Italy

And a little bit of window shopping. Enjoy it.

Peanut and chocolate chip muffins

So far, these are the cutest muffins I have ever made! A trick of adding peanuts and chocolate at the top of the muffins at the end of baking makes them so lovely. The muffins are moist, really nutty and a little bit crunchy. And if that isn't enough they contain chocolate :) So, come on, find yourself a reason to bake them.

Peanut and chocolate chip muffins

Makes 12
(recipe from a book - Food lovers "Bread&muffins")

• 150 g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 g caster sugar
• 100 g dark chocolate chips (or dark chopped chocolate)
• 6 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 116 ml sunflower oil
• 1 large egg
• 175 ml milk
• about 50 unsalted peanuts, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
If you are using a silicone muffin pan, just skip this step, your muffins will nicely pop up from the pan, otherwise butter a muffin pan or line them with paper cases.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar and 50 g of chocolate chips and stir together.
Put the peanut butter, oil, egg and milk in a large bowl and mix together with a fork.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.
Divide the mixture equally between the muffin cases.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and the peanuts on the top of the muffins and bake for further 5 minutes, until the muffins are firm. Leave to cool on a wire rack.