Covid-19
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time + alcohol + time + cleaning + time + creativity +  time + new kitchen + cravings
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Revival of The Medical Gourmet.

Just over a year ago the last sign of life made it to this blog….the horror! It’s not like I didn’t cook for 365 days and lived off of take away… on the contrary, I still love spending time in the kitchen and getting creative – I guess commuting, outdoor adventures and travels came in the way.
But, thankfully we now have Corona in our lives, which is forcing us to stay at home and generously bestowing us with the chance of really getting to know ourselves, our brilliant sides and our flaws. Or, if you already feel you have connected with your inner self and are content, you can finally focus on all the cleaning and cooking you have never done before.
I am one of the lucky bunch who gets to work “normally” during this pandemic (ah, how I dream of home office days in pyjamas). It is fascinating to see what our healthcare system has managed to create in the shortest period of time. Apparently all specialties suddenly CAN work together. It is admirable to see multiple teams become one, have each others back in all situations, and pass on their knowledge. In my hospital we set up a new ICU ward, trained all staff necessary to run it, changed rota’s, gave up holidays and weekends, all in time for day X, as we called it.
The illness is no fun and is definitely no normal flu as many people seem to think. Granted, working in the ICU I only see the worst end of the spectrum. It causes insane inflammation, an intense cytokin storm, an impaired gas exchange which can’t keep all organs trying to function in form of an ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and probably leaves its survivors with life long impairments. It can be lethal. And putting someone on a ventilator, as one reads in the news, doesn’t solve the problem. They need a break/help from breathing for about 2-3 weeks whilst in an induced coma, which brings along potential failure of other organ systems with it. So when you are told to social distance – please do.
Back to the food business. What is a period of isolation without a warming piece of baked deliciousness? Not even worth trying out! So if you are on a back log in the baking department, here is a slightly spiced zucchini bread attempt of mine. My new oven did surprisingly well – I am sure yours will too.

Zucchini Bread

inspired by Butter with a Side of Bread

You’ll need

1.5 cups flour
0.5 cup caster sugar
0.5 cup brown sugar
1 egg
0.5 cup vegetable oil (sunflower or rapseed)
0.5 tsp salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1.5-2 tsp ground cinnamon (yums!)
0.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
1 large zucchini, grated

1. Grease a 25cm loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Chill until needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan assisted.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the zucchini and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the grated zucchini and continue mixing until you have a smooth moist dough.
5. Pour into your prepared loaf tin and bake for about 50-55 mins.
6. Enjoy with a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, good company (at a distance of course) or a movie.