Weekend cooking project. Pea soup
Weekend cooking project. Pea soup
Two classics collide in today’s recipe, turning a Tuscan side dish into a delicate soup. Plus, meet Steve and Linda and their bagels from Rome.
Here we are with another weekend cooking project. Today’s post dates back to 2016, that is also the last time I’ve been to London. In that post, I also shared why I love London so much:
I try to visit London quite often, but it’s been almost two years since the last time I was there. In London, I realized that the dream of turning my blog into my daily work was more feasible than I thought. Here I’ve found valuable friends, the thrill of independence and exploration, the freedom to decide my destiny. In London, I overcome my shyness. If the Tuscan countryside is my daily inspiration, London is a breath of fresh air, the sparkle that triggers new ideas, turns on projects and makes me more motivated.
How I miss travelling!
In today’s letter, you’ll also find a short interview with Linda and Steve, two friends from Rome who launched a new - delicious! - project.
Pea soup with pancetta and mint
On the market stalls, you spot the fresh peas from afar, the first sign that spring is coming. After fresh peas you’ll have sunny days, lighter fare, fresh flowers, and country walks. In Tuscany, we eat fresh peas now when you can also find the fresh garlic: piselli alla fiorentina, Florentine peas, are a classic seasonal side dish. They represent Florence and its love for well-cooked vegetables. Add a piece of bread to mop the juices that the peas will form while you stew them over low heat, and you have almost a whole meal.
On the other side, British cuisine often combines peas with mint, as in the ubiquitous English pea soup, a column of their culinary tradition. Two classics collide in today’s recipe, turning a Tuscan side dish into a delicate soup.
Find the recipe for this pea soup with pancetta and mint on the blog.
If you decide to take part in the weekend cooking project, share the results with us on social media by using the hashtag #myseasonaltable and tagging @julskitchen on Instagram. It will be a way to shorten the distance in this time of social distancing.
If you have questions about the ingredients or the recipe, if you have a special request for one of the next cooking projects, or if you just want to have a chat, just reply to this email.
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Meet Linda and Steve, and their bagels
Coronavirus has affected small businesses in Italy at various levels: for Linda and Steve, it meant closing their hostel in Rome, The Beehive, for months.
I met Linda and Steve years ago, we have cooked together with their daughters several times, and they even joined one of our Creative Gatherings sharing their experience as creatives, travellers and wonderful human beings. Today I want to share with your their new project, something I truly love!
Find Linda and Steve on Instagram as @thebeehiverome and @beehivebagels.
Book your staying at The Beehive in Rome here. Order their bagels here.
1 - You have a hostel in Rome, The Beehive. How was born the idea of Beehive Bagels?
It wasn't planned, that's for sure! When the second wave of the coronavirus hit Italy back in October and the few reservations we had had over the summer and the little income we had disappeared, we really had no idea what we were going to do. One day I asked Steve if he would mind if I posted on our social media accounts a photo of his bagels and that he could make bagels, sourdough bread, crackers, tortillas by order for people. From there, it just exploded! We immediately had loads of orders for bagels, and also people really liked them. So before we knew it, a new business was born! Shortly after, we teamed up with a friend and local pizzaiolo in our neighborhood, Emanuele Piga. He's our partner now, and we produce the bagels at his pizza al taglio shop. Steve and Emanuele make the bagels together in the morning.
2 - How can we order the bagels?
We currently make bagels Monday through Thursday, but orders have to be made in advance because we don't have a shop where we can make bagels all day. In Rome, there's no minimum for pick-up, and you can also order a minimum for delivery. We also ship our bagels throughout all of Italy. For shipments, we only ship by the dozen and only bagels are available for shipment and not our other food items. We have a lot of regular customers in both Rome and also in other parts of Italy. We have also shipped to other EU countries, but the shipping price is a bit more costly than within Italy. Unfortunately, since we are not an Amazon, we don't get any discounts on shipping costs. Our shipping costs within Italy and within the EU cover the shipping and about a euro or so extra for the packaging costs. We don't profit from the shipping.
3 - Which is your favourite way of having a bagel?
My favorite bagel is our onion bagel which is made with dried Tropea onion in the dough, which then hydrates during the bake. It has an amazing smell. The best way to eat any bagel is toasted. With the onion bagel, after I toast it, I just put some butter on it, and that's it. So good!
And this is also my favourite one! We tried their bagels with a rainbow trout gravlax, cream cheese and pickles: divine!
