happy sunday, my happy sundays.
whilst i wouldn’t say spring has sprung quite just yet, the first birds are certainly a-chirpin’ and our darling vespa denise has been in much more constant use again. maybe this spring awakening is partially thanks to the myriad of swiss fasnachts (is that the plural? fasnächt? fasnachten?), the purpose of which is to expel the mean winter spirits and free up space for those lovely, warm spring fairies. as per, i have attended many a carnival’s event, including, for the first time ever, the liestaler chienbäse, during which participants carry burning bundles of wood through our canton’s capital’s old town and spectators try desperately to a) leave with their eyebrows intact and b) cook their klöpfer (swiss sausages) over the passing sources of heat. quite the spectacle. in addition to tentatively welcoming spring, i also spent yet another weekend embracing winter in the swiss mountains. verdict: snow tubing is as exhilarating as it is fun.
an aforementioned sausage cooking attempt. 
homemade and deliciously pillow-y gnocchi. 
a sweet potato cake with cinnamon whipped cream and a smoked paprika caramel. 
a little sunday bake (still currently filling my kitchen with smells of sugar, butter and flour): date and hazelnut cake with caramel and brandy. 
the central african republic is yet another country i had little to no knowledge of before starting this blog. nestled in the central of the african continent (as its name aptly suggests), central african republic is one of the poorest countries in the world, with many of its 5.5 million inhabitants struggling with hunger on a daily basis. central african cuisine is thus often compromised of filling starches such as rice and millet, locally grown vegetables and only the occasional bit of meat, oftentimes bushmeat. finding a recipe to cook thus was both a challenging and humbling experience and yet again left me feeling incredibly grateful for the abundance of wealth and food i get to partake in in central europe.
after some searching, i eventually settled on bouillie, a sort of peanut butter rice porridge. the preparation of this sweet and hearty dish was rather straightforward: i boiled rice, then mixed it with peanut butter, sugar and some spices. topped with some toasted peanuts and caramelised bananas, this was a scrumptious and, for a non-dairy dish, super creamy feast. we ate it for breakfast, but its sweetness would certainly warrant bouillie’s place as a dessert. an empty bowl and 85 pesh points later, rice is now certainly in my repertoire as an oat replacement for a quick and hearty base for all sorts of toppings.
next journey: georgia.
geoculinary. 