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Ingredients:

4 1/2 ounces (4 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 small Yukon Gold potatoes (10 ounces total), peeled and diced
1 leek (white part only) finely sliced
5 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, and with your hands, squeeze out all the excess water. Chop the spinach finely; set aside.

2. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the potatoes and leek. Cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the skillet.

3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the spinach, potato mixture, chives, and cumin.

4. In the skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, without stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes or until the top is still slightly runny but the bottom is set.

5. Run a knife or rubber spatula around the edges of the tortilla and slide it onto a plate. Cover it with another plate. Hold the plates tightly and invert them. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Slide the tortilla back onto the skillet. Cook for 5 or 6 more minutes or until the bottom is set. Cut in wedges or into smaller pieces as finger food. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Via: latartinegourmande.com

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You need:

Baby beets*, peeled and finely sliced with a mandoline
Brown rice flour
Pinch of ground coriander
Fleur de sel
Vegetable oil, for high-temperature frying, like canola oil

*Any types of beets will do

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Steps:

Pat the beet slices dry between towels.
Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with brown rice flour and a dash of ground coriander. Shake off the excess flavored flour.
In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil on high heat. When hot, add the beet slices, making sure that you are not overcrowding the pot. Let the beets fry for a few minutes, until they look crispy.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer onto paper towels to cool.
Repeat until you run out of beets.
Once cooled, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

Crust:
200 grams petit biscuits
100 grams of margarine

White Cream:
1/2 kg of fresh cheese
3.5 dl cream
1 gelatin
2 vanilla sugar
150 grams of sugar

green Cream:
600-700 grams of kiwi
200 grams of sugar
2 gelatin
a few drops of green food color

preparation:
Weight: Easy

For surface grind ground cookies and mix with melted margarine. Pressed into a round mold.
Cream break with 2 vanilla sugar and 150 grams of sugar. 1 = 10 grams of gelatin to put in a half ounces of water to swell. The cream add 1/2 pound fresh cheese and stir. When gelatin swell, about 10 min, warm up in the microwave to melt some 10-odd seconds. Pour in white cream and cream cheese and combine. Cream spread on the surface. A round bowl with plastic wrap and wrap imprinted in the middle of the cake. Leave cake in a bowl and place in refrigerator to chill for a 2-3 hours.
Clean 600-700 grams kiwi, grind it in a blender and put to boil with 200 grams of sugar. When Kiwi cooked-about 10 minutes, you can turn a little grind in a blender (if you have other big pieces of the 1st time), add a few drops of green food color for Kiwi cooking loses a nice green color. Leave the mixture to cool.
2 gelatin put in 1 deciliter water. When the swell and put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to melt and combine it with kiwi. Cool in the fridge for about 15-20 min.
Container out of the white cream-bit will be the cream on film, but very little, and then into the hole and the remaining white filling pour mixture of kiwi. Leave in the fridge to chill and cool down at the end garnish with small meringues of cream cheese.

Via: Only Great Recipes

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(For 9 servings)

You need:

For the chocolate cake:
5 tablespoons salted butter (70 g)
1/2 cup blond cane sugar minus 1 tablespoon (85 g)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 eggs
3 oz dark chocolate 64 % cocoa (85 g)
1/4 cup amaranth flour (30 g)
1/4 cup quinoa flour (30 g)
2 tablespoons hazelnut flour (15 g)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup shelled green unsalted pistachios, chopped coarsely

For the topping:
7 oz raspberries
2 tablespoons blond cane sugar or confectioner’s sugar
7 oz mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, seeded

Note: if you prefer the cream lighter, whip 1/3 cup cold heavy cream and fold it in the mascarpone preparation.

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8 x 8″ pan and line it with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie; set aside.
In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and cocoa powder; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and light in color. Fold in the flours, and then the melted chocolate/butter. Mix until just combined.
Add 3/4 of the pistachios.
Pour this batter into the pan, and add the rest of the pistachios on top. Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Insert the sharp blade of the knife in to see if it is cooked — it should come out almost dry. Let the cake cool on a rack. Cut the cake in squares.
Mix the mascarpone with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until smooth and spreadable. Spread over the chocolate squares, and top with raspberries. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2¾ pounds 2-inch tomatoes (or Roma tomatoes), halved and seeded
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon choppedfresh oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pie pastry for a 12-inch tart
Extra sprigs fresh oregano (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 12-inch French tart pan with removable base and a rimmed baking sheet.

2. In a skillet large enough to hold the tomatoes, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook to dissolve it. When it starts to caramelize, add the tomatoes, cut sides up. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes release their juices.

3. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook 2 minutes more. Leaving the juices in the pan, arrange the tomatoes in the tart pan, cut sides up. Sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper.

4. Roll the pastry and with scissors, cut it into a 12-inch round. Place it on top of the tomatoes, tucking it in at the edges. With a fork, make small holes in the pastry.

5. Set the tart on the baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

6. Let the tart sit for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pastry to loosen it from the pan. Set a large plate upside down on the tart and using pot holders, turn the plate right side up so the tart comes out. Cut into wedges and garnish with oregano.

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Béatrice Peltre: website

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Cook Lip-Smacking Lasagna At Home!

My friends and relatives consider me as some sort of a food connaisseur. I love to travel to various places right round the globe, and have this hobby of learning about the cuisines of different nationalities. During last summer, I had been to Dublin, Ireland with my husband, Andy Steven, and our son, Nick. It was one of the best vacations I had ever spent, and we had dined at all the leading restaurants in the city. The well-known Toscana restaurant, in particular, really captured my imagination. We had ordered for beef lasagna, pasta, grilled chicken and tiramisu at Toscana, and had been well and truly bowled over by the delightful tastes of all the food items. I even got in touch with their head chef, Suzie Mitchell, to get an idea about how these dishes are prepared. A lovely restaurant indeed!
An energetic chef that I am, I decided to surprise my family-members and pals, by whipping up a delicious lasagna preparation, as a part of our traditional festive dinner. Here is a description of the recipe that I followed for making the lasagna:

Things I used:

- Fresh sausage (about one pound)
- Ground beef (lean)
- One egg
- Seasoned tomatoes, along with tomato paste/puree
- 10 packets of lasagna noodles
- Fennel seeds and basil leaves (chopped)
- Black pepper, garlic and onion
- Italian cheese (grated)
- Cloves
- Salt
- Water

Once I had made sure that my hubby had bought all these ingredients, I settled down to cook the lasagna (on St Patricks Day). It was an easy enough process, which included:

- Putting the beef, together with the onion, sausage and garlic, in a baking pan. The pan was put to moderate heat, and I stirred its contents until they turned golden brown.
- Next, I added the salt, sugar, fennel, pepper and other seasoning items to the cooked beef. The mixture was constantly heated for about 90-100 minutes. As a late inspiration, I also added some parsley leaves!
- I then cooked the lasagna noodles in a separate utensil. After boiling for around ten minutes, I drained the excess water. I also mixed the cheese and the egg on the side.
- Now comes the part that required maximum care. I spread out the sauces on a lasagna pan (yes, you need to have one!). Then, I laid out the boiled noodles on the sauce. The grated cheese was then added to the noodles, along with the extra lasagna sauce that I had.
- Now, I heated the pan at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit, for about a quarter of an hour. After that, I allowed the preparation to cool for fifteen minutes or so, before tasting it. In case you were wondering… yes, I did manage to bring that ‘yum’ factor to my homemade lasagna!
I delighted my guests (not to mention Arthur and Nick!) with the lasagna that I prepared with care, dedication, and a whole lot of affection. Are you game to try cooking this Italian delicacy at home too?

Andy Steven (https://twitter.com/andybpd07) likes specialty dishes of different geographical locations presently residing in Edmonton for the completion of higher degree on tourism management. Various types of Italian and Tuscan dishes are his favorite, he ate from restaurants and then finally try to prepare it at my home. I hope my above mentioned recipes would be less time consuming to prepare as well as healthier. I strongly believe life is a small journey, so lets enjoy it to a fullest. This recipe is solely prepared by Flora steven with sole guidance from his husband Andy Steven by getting inspired from the head chef Suzi Michael from Toscana Restaurant.

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The images are solely used with due permission of Dee Butuci owner of Toscana restaurant

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For 4 people

You need:

8 large tomatoes
Sea salt
1 pound ground pork (or veal)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped in a food processor
1/4 cup blanched watercress, finely chopped in a food processor
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 large egg
Olive oil to drizzle

Steps:

Cut a small hat for the tomatoes. Using a melon spoon, scoop out the flesh and seeds. Season inside each tomato with salt.
Place the tomatoes, cut face down on a cutting board so that they release some juice. Leave for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
In a large bowl, combine the meat, shallot, carrot, watercress, ground coriander, parsley, tarragon, and ricotta cheese.
Stir the egg in and mix until the preparation is homogeneous. Season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the tomatoes with the meat and place the hats on top.
Arrange the tomatoes in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve with a grain like rice or quinoa, or mashed potatoes on the side.

View more at latartinegourmande.com

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For 6 popsicles

You need:

For the fruit:

5 1/4 ounces (150 g) raspberries
5 1/4 ounces (150 g) strawberries
3 1/2 ounces (100 g) red currants
3/4 cup light syrup*
8 leaves of orange-flavored mint

For the light syrup:

1 cup water
1/2 cup blond cane sugar

Steps:

In a pot, combine the water with the sugar. Bring to a simmer so that the sugar dissolves. Stop the heat and let cool. Refrigerate.
Purée the fruit with the cold syrup and mint. Pass through a chinois, or fine sieve, and divide the fruit mixture between the popsicle molds.
Freeze for 30 minutes. Insert the wooden sticks and place back in the freezer again until completely set.

Via: La Tartine Gourmande

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You need:

Olive oil
4 green purple green asparagus, sliced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Sea salt and pepper
1 tablespoon lemon Juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 cup (160 g) cooked quinoa
1/3 cup (60 g) blanched and peeled** fava beans
1 punces (30 g) red grapes, halved
1 orange, peeled and sliced in fine membranes (without the white skin)
3 pink radishes, finely sliced with a mandoline
1 ounce crumbled fresh soft goat cheese
A few radish shoots (I used some from my garden) or micro greens

Steps:

In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add the asparagus. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the garlic and cook for one more minute–the asparagus need to stay crunchy. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and tahini. Season with salt and pepper.
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and whisk to emulsify. Add 3/4 of the mixed herbs and set aside.
To assemble the salad, in a bowl, toss together the quinoa, fava beans, and asparagus. Add the grapes, orange, radishes, goat cheese.
Toss gently with the dressing.
Transfer to a plate and finish with extra fresh herbs and radish shoots.

**Once cleaned, the fava beans only need 1 minute cooking time in boiling water. Cook in ice water bath and then peel from their small shells.

Via: La Tartine Gourmande

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Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sour cream (I used light)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 cups cooked, shredded skinless chicken breast (about 3 boneless chicken breasts, OR make it really easy on yourself and just use a rotisserie chicken!)
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4 10-inch flour tortillas

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together mayo, cilantro, scallions, celery, sour cream, and hot sauce. Add chicken, toss to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over each tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Scoop 1/4 of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla, like so:

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Roll up, and spray all over with cooking spray.

Coat a non-stick skillet in cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Seam side down, cook 2 wraps until golden brown 1-2 minutes. Turn the wrap over, and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with the remaining 2 wraps.

Cut each wrap in half with a serrated knife, and serve immediately.

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