Bold and beautiful

I have a confession to make – I am addicted to The Bold and the Beautiful (don't tell anyone). I plan my whole morning around it. I have breakfast ready by 8 so I can eat and watch my favourite soapie at the same time, then have just enough time to get to work by 9. I love the Forresters. So help me, I do!
Thorn's a few screws short of a toolbox, but never mind, he doesn't really need a personality, just more Permatan, bless him. Then there's Eric – what a wally. But a rich wally, so he can stay. Then there's Nick, the sailor, who fancies himself a bit of a crooner (but nobody's told him he actually sounds like a Backstreet Boy with his bits in a vice), and Taylor (whose lips get bigger and poutier every year).... Of course, Ridge and Brooke are the real stars. Here's a précis version of their dialogues at the moment:
RIDGE: Brooke, let's get married – again. I know it hasn't worked out the last 56 times, but I've got a feeling – a really lucky feeling – that this time we'll make it work. Nothing will EVER stand in the way of our happiness again...
BROOKE: No Ridge. I don't think you're ready yet for such a big commitment. I don't think you've really accepted that my egg was accidentally implanted in your ex-wife Taylor's womb, and fertalized with my ex-husband – and your half-brother – Nick's sperm, meaning I am the biological mother of Nick and Taylor's child. Can you really live with that?
RIDGE: Er...

Those crazy writers! How do they come up with the plots? I imagine they lock themselves in their boardroom with a bag full of acid and the complete works of William Shakespeare (and maybe a Backstreet Boy) for a weekend.

All this has absolutely nothing to do with the cupcakes I made this weekend, which might be described as bold, but not really beautiful. Cheeky, perhaps. I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I do find baking very therapeutic. These were made from a pretty bog-standard recipe, but I put in about 50% more butter than was called for (and it was a GOOD thing). You can use any ol' spongecake recipe – there are, like, a bazillion on the internet – and then tweak it. As everyone knows, though, the best part of making cupcakes is decorating them...

Calitzdorp in pictures

Sometimes a woman (this woman) gets a deep, primal craving that only a 1.5kg pack of msg-laden Cheese Curls (with 50% extra cheese) will satisfy... And since I stopped smoking, I've given myself permission to indulge my most despicable, craven desires (food-wise, you naughty reader). Surprisingly, this has not resulted in any creativity in the kitchen, so I'm going to slap on some pics from my recent visit to Calitzdorp, a little dorp in the Klein Karoo where my folks live. I banged them together in Photoshop to make a rather natty collage ('natty' is my new favourite word, as you may have noticed). I seem to enjoy taking pictures of doors for some reason...

Natty nut sauce

This is an excerpt on Tocco di Noci ('touch of walnuts') from The Painter, the Cook and the Art of Cucina by Anna del Conte (I’ve also encountered other versions where butter is included, or herbs such as parsley – it's so easy to adapt to your own taste):

Fred Plotkin writes in his excellent book Recipes from Paradise that tocco di noci is the traditional dressing for pansoti, the herb-filled pasta of Liguria. ‘But,’ he continiues, ‘the walnut sauce is also very good with gnocchi, tortellini or even with boiled meats such as boiled pork or veal.’ And I couldn’t agree more, adding poached chicken to the list.

Tocco di Noci

Makes about 225ml

200g/7oz shelled walnuts
25g/1oz unflavoured breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
30g/1oz finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch minced fresh marjoram
175ml/6fl oz prescinseua (Ligurian curd cheese) or 150g/5fl oz fresh ricotta diluted with 2 tbsp tepid water
60ml/2.5fl oz extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to taste
sea salt (optional)

Place the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle to form a paste. Alternatively, place these ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until they form a paste. Transfer to a bowl if you are not using a pestle and mortar. Add the Parmesan and marjoram, then the prescinseua or diluted ricotta. Finally, add the olive oil to the mixture, a little at a time, stirring to combine the ingredients. Serve on hot pasta.