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We are sipping espresso from a tiny purple cup while I marvel at the warm and cosy wooden house Peppina has patiently arranged and styled from the day they bought it – a mere frame- nearly twenty years ago. From the window I can see to the garden and imagine peaceful breakfast under the soft Finnish summer sun. From a bare wood-beam in the ceiling, a little elf is staring at me with a whimsical smile!

It’s our “koti tonttu” (House elf) ; it’s been there forever, making sure the kids finished their plates!

she laughs! How ingenious.. I’m tempted to ask her to patent the idea for all of us parents out there struggling with picky eaters!

The table is covered with the freshest looking ingredient, and among them a bowl filled with red lentil peacefully resting. On the stove a large pot is already steaming, and all around, a joyful multitude of spices & oil are grouped as if on a family trip! When she announces me that she could not decide on only one dish to feature and would cook a whole menu instead, I cannot contain my joy!

Not only is Peppina an accomplished cook, she is also a professional food stylist. She started by working with props for TV commercials and over the year for closer to food to finally full engage in what might be the dream job for any food lover! Perceptive, and generous, she recounts about how her many travels around the worlds influenced her “sea to table” cooking style. While I observe the expert movement of her hand peeling the carrots, the hypnotic and regular almost nonchalant gesture allows me to fall deeper into the peaceful moment. There is a suspended second, a calmness and sense of wholesomeness as she pours gently the golden potage into the bowl in front of me. Time seems to slow down and all is good again.

Peppina’s warming Lentil & carrot soup:

Ingredients:

2.5 dl of red lentils , rinsed, soaked for an hour & drained
1 large onion peeled & diced
1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
5-6 medium size carrots, peeled & sliced
1 tablespoon of good butter
1 liter of organic vegetable stock

Steps:

In a deep pot, brown the onion and carrots in the butter,
Cover with the stock, cook for 20 minutes,
Add the lentils & cook for another 10 minutes
leave to rest for 10 minutes away from the heat
liquidize into a velvety & creamy texture, add some crushed mixed peppercorns to taste

She serves the soup in large bowl, with a drizzle of basil olive oil or shaving of Parmesan the saltiness cuts with the creamy and soft texture of the lentil