No real reason for posting except that I’ve cooked these tasty dishes in the last couple of days. The first recipe could be made with things grown on the plot; the second couldn’t.
Patate e Carciofi (potatoes and artichoke hearts)
Ingredients: Potatoes; jar of artichoke hearts; an onion; clove garlic; oil for cooking
Cube potatoes into 2cm chunks and parboil.
When they’re nearly finished parboiling, chop the onion into small pieces and sauté. Turn the heat up and add the parboiled potatoes. Chop the artichoke and garlic roughly and, when the potatoes are showing some colour, add them to the pan. Allow the artichokes to heat through and serve.
Nuala and I had this dish in Rome, just after coming out of the Vatican Museum. We’d left the daughter with her grandparents and headed off for an afternoon together. When we came out of the Vatican we went to catch a bus but got sidetracked by some food and a coffee in a lovely wee café down a side street.
I know this should be the place for putting up some pictures of sumptuous Vatican art, but instead here’s a picture of a wall by the café.
quite a lot of vegetation for masonry
Rosemary flatbread
First time I’ve made bread…
1 and 3/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup bread flour, .75 plain)
1 tbs chopped rosemary
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil + more for brushing
flaky sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 230C and put a heavy baking tray in there.
2. Stir together the flour, rosemary, baking powder and salt.
3. Make a well in the centre, add water and oil, stirring into the flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
4. Knead dough on a surface 4 or 5 times. Divid dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece to 10 inch diameter. This is tricky when you have about 12 inches of counter space in the kitchen, but I like a challenge. Keep the other pieces under clingfilm.
5. Put a piece of baking parchment on the tray, lightly brush the top with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then repeat for the other two pieces and use new baking parchment each time.
Eaten with humous and then a big bowl of minestrone soup…
18 Saughton Mains, no more! 
The flatbread recipe came from here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/crisp-rosemary-flatbread/ but I didn’t tell you that when I asked you to make it :)
love both the recipes … Laila http://limeandlemon.wordpress.com/
i think i’m going to make the potato and artichoke one on Tuesday when my parents arrive. it will go very nicely with the barbecued steaks we’re planning. Your timing is excellent!