Life in Luxembourg

Eating out - Il Palazzotto, Matera

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 16:04:00 +0000

This is an old review lost in our folders.
The food was decent and the restaurant was nice and cozy.

Homemade poppy seeds cake :) - recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:30:00 +0000

Ingredients for the dough:

6 egg whites
100 grams of poppy seeds
100 grams of powder sugar
3 spoons with flour
1 vanilla sugar

Beat the egg whites with the sugar and the vanilla sugar.

Add the poppy seeds, the flour and mix slowly.With a spoon divide the dough in 2 layers.

Cook the layers in a tray on a baking paper for 5-8 minutes at 180 Celsius degrees.

Ingredients for the filling:

6 egg yolks
400 milliliters of milk
100 grams of sugar
50 grams of salted butter
3 spoons with flour
1 vanilla sugar

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the vanilla sugar for a minute.

Add the flour and mix.

Add the milk and mix.

Keep the filling in a pot over a slow fire, until thick like a pudding, mixing from time to time.

When ready let it cool.

Add the butter and mix until well incorporated.

On a plate add the first layer then spread the filling and on top add the second layer.

Above you can add melted chocolate mixed with 2 spoons of fresh cream.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Cheese pie (merdenele in Romanian) - recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 00:30:00 +0000

Ingredients:

500 grams of flour
100 grams of butter
300 milliliters of water
300 grams of salted cheese
1 egg
a few spoons with sunflower oil
half of a teaspoon with vinegar
a bit of salt

Mix the flour with the water, the vinegar and the salt until you have a non sticky dough.

Divide the dough in 8-9 pieces.

Divide the butter in same number of pieces as the pieces of dough.

Now, spread each piece of dough on the table and spread a portion of the butter on it.

Start folding the piece of dough covered with butter like in the photos bellow:

Continue the process until you finish all pieces of dough and butter.
Put them in the fridge for one hour.

For the filling, mix the cheese with the egg and some salt if needed.

Preheat the oven at 220 Celsius degrees.

Take out the pieces of dough from the fridge and spread each one on the table.

In the center add the filling then start folding as shown in the photos bellow.

Turn the pie upside down, so that the folding should be down on the baking paper. Brush the pies with the sunflower oil.

Cook the pies at 220 Celsius degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Trip to Hilton Brussels Grand Place, Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 08:34:00 +0000

The room was nice and clean and the bed comfortable.

Good breakfast and decent food in the lounge area, altough the place is a bit smaller.

Free WIFI and paid covered parking places not far from the hotel.

5 minute walk from the old city center.

Keşkül (almond pudding) - turkish recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 12:56:00 +0000

Ingredients:

450 milliliters of milk
15 grams of rice flour or wheat flour
60 grams of almond powder
3 spoons with honey or sugar
pistachios for the decor

Mix the almond powder with a few spoons of milk.

Mix the rice flour with a few spoons of milk.

Boil the milk together with the honey/sugar .

When boiling add the rice flour and mix slowly, then add the almond powder and mix.

Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until it's thick like a pudding.

Put the pudding in forms and above add some grounded pistachios or almond.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Chicken in the oven

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 22:30:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 chicken
1 onion
2 young garlic
2 spoons with olive oil
half of a bell pepper
salt
pepper
rosemary
paprika

Clean and cut the meat.

Put the meat in a tray.

Above the meat add the onion cut in big slices, the sliced bell pepper, the chopped young garlic, the rosemary, salt, pepper and paprika according to your taste.

Add 2 spoons with olive oil and cover everything with water.

Put the tray covered with a baking paper in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for about 1 - 1,5 hours.

When the meat is tender uncover the tray and let it cook until it gets a bit of color. Be careful not to dry it too much!

Can be served with mashed potatoes, french fries or ... just a salad :) .

Enjoy!

Mixed seeds bread - recipe (includig photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 15:22:00 +0000

Ingredients:

300 grams wheat flour
300 milliliters of water
20 grams of seeds
2-3 spoons of olive oil
1 spoon with sugar
10 grams of fresh yeast
salt

Mix the flour with the yeast (previously mixed with 100 milliliters of warm water and the sugar), the seeds (keep few of them to spread on top of the bread), the salt, the olive oil and the remaining water.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Put the dough in a form and let it rest for another 25 minutes.

Above the dough you can brush a beaten egg yolk or a few spoons with milk and then add the remaining seeds.

Put it in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 40-45 minutes or until ready.

Enjoy!

Flower shaped sweet bread - recipe (with step-by-step photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 15:59:00 +0000

Ingredients:

350-400 grams of crushed walnuts
300-330 grams of flour
150 milliliters of milk and additionally 2 spoons with milk
60 grams of butter
65 grams of sugar
15 grams of fresh yeast
3 spoons with cocoa powder
2 eggs
zest from half of a lemon

Mix the 150 ml of warm milk with the fresh yeast and 1 spoon with sugar. Add 1 spoon with flour and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Add the remaining sugar, the flour, 1 entire egg and 1 egg white.
Mix well.

Add the grated zest and mix until well incorporated.

Add half of the melted butter and mix until well incorporated. Repeat the operation with the other half.

Mix well for about 10 minutes.

Let the dough rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

Divide the dough in 5 equal parts.

Mix the crushed walnuts with the two spoons with milk and the cocoa powder and divide it in 4 parts.

Spread one piece of dough on the table and above add 1 part of the crushed walnuts mixture.

Spread another layer above the walnuts, then a layer of walnuts and repeat the operation until you finish the walnuts and the dough layers.

To finish, add the last layer of dough put a glass upside-down in the center. Cut the bread from the center towards the margins to form 12 equal parts.

Now, take 2 neighbouring parts and twist them parts in opposite sides one to another.

Bring together the edges of the sweet bread. Spread one egg yolk over the sweet bread and then put it in the oven at 170 Celsius degrees for 25 minutes or until ready.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Trip to Leuven, Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 19:06:00 +0000

A small and livelly UNESCO town, very close to Bruxelles .

Homemade gluten free chocolate cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Ingredients for a 20x20cm tray :

150 grams of dark chocolate
90 grams of sugar
60 grams of butter
6 eggs
a bit of lemon juice

Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius degrees.

In a pot, add the chopped chocolate and the butter and let it melt.
Put the pot aside to cool.

Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.

Whisk the egg whites with half of the sugar and the lemon juice.

Beat the egg yolks with the other half of sugar until they double the volume.

Mix the beaten egg yolks with the cooled chocolate.

Incorporate little by little the wisked egg whites into the egg yolks/chocolate mix.

Pour the composition in an oven pan covered with baking paper and let it bake for 30-35 minutes.

When ready let it cool and then spread some cocoa powder above (don't worry about the aspect from the photos below, because when you slice it, it will look OK - it's normal because it has no flour nor baking soda).

It´s excellent with some ice cream.
Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Creamy zucchini soup - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:24:00 +0000

Ingredients:

200 milliliters of water
2 medium zucchini
2 spoons with sunflower oil
1 onion
1 potato
1 clove of garlic
1 laurel leaf
some parsley
salt and pepper

Clean and cut the zucchini in small cubes.

In a pot, add the sunflower oil and when hot, add the chopped onion and the chopped garlic.

Let them simmer for a few minutes.

Meanwhile clean and cut the potato in small cubes. Add it in the pot and let it simmer for a minute.

Add the chopped zucchini and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes mixing from time to time until the water from the zucchini evaporates a bit.

Add the laurel leaf and the water. Cover the pot and let it boil at slow fire for 20-25 minutes or until the potato is tender.

When ready, take out the laurel leaf and add the chopped parsley, the salt and the pepper.

Mash everything together with a blender.

If you want you can stray the soup and you will have a fine, silky soup. But if you blend well the result it´s the same :) .

You can serve it with some croutons or some crispy bacon.
Enjoy!

Homemade orange liqueur- another recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 08:52:00 +0000

Ingredients:

200 grams of alcohool
100 milliliters of water
100 grams of sugar
the zest from 4 oranges

Mix the zest from the oranges with the alcohol (before that leave the oranges in water for 2 hours, so that the zest is clean).

Let it rest for 1 month in a closed jar.

After 1 month melt the sugar at slow fire until caramelized.

Don´t let the sugar burn otherwise the liqueur will be bitter.

Add the water and simmer for a few minutes. Let it cool!

Add the mix from sugar and water over the alcohol/orange mixture and let it rest for a few days.

Enjoy!

Romanian soul cake ("coliva") - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:30:00 +0000

"Coliva" is a soul cake from boiled husked wheat mixed with crushed walnuts. It is used in various death-related events (when somebody dies, when somebody is commemorated in church, etc).

Ingredients for a small cake:

700 milliliters of water
250 grams of husked wheat
100 grams of ground walnuts
35 grams of sugar
rum
salt

For decoration

50 grams of ground walnuts
4-6 smashed biscuits
6-8 halves of walnuts kernel
candies

Wash the wheat 5 times in clean water, each time changing the water, until the water after wasthing remains clean.

Add 700 ml of water, the sugar and the salt over the husked wheat and boil it until the wheat is tender and there is still some water left in the pot. Let it rest in the fridge until the next day.

Add the crushed walnuts and the rum (according to your taste) and mix.
On a plate, add a detachable circle and add the composition. Let it stabilize in the fridge for a few hours.

Pour the ground walnuts and the smashed biscuits above the cake.

For decoration you can add candies, walnuts or chocolate.

Boema cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 07:21:00 +0000

Ingredients for the chocolate layer:

200 grams of wheat flour
150 milliliters of sunflower oil
130 milliliters of milk
120 grams of sugar
50 grams of cocoa powder
3 eggs
half of a teaspoon with baking powder

Ingredients for the chocolate filling:

150 grams of dark chocolate
150 grams of fresh cream
1 spoon with sugar

Ingredients for the syrup:

150 grams of sugar
250 milliliters of water

Ingredients for the glaze:

100 grams of dark chocolate
100 grams of fresh cream
20 grams of butter
1 spoon with sugar

For the decoration:

150 grams of fresh cream
1 spoon with sugar
cherry syrup or chocolate syrup
grated chocolate

Prepare the chocolate layer:

Beat the eggs with the sugar for a few minutes until fluffy and creamy.

Add the milk and the sunflower oil over the eggs and mix.

In another bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and the cocoa powder and pass it through a strainer over the eggs composition. Mix well.

Put the composition in an oven pan and let it in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 17-18 minutes.

Prepare the syrup:

Caramelize the sugar with 2 spoons with water.

When ready, add the remaining water and keep it on slow fire until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool.

Prepare the chocolate filling:

Mix the chocolate with the fresh cream and the sugar and let them melt at slow fire.
Let it cool, then put the filling in the fridge for two hours.

Prepare the cream for the decoration:
Mix the fresh cream with the sugar and keep it in the fridge until you use it.

Prepare the glaze, just before using it:

Mix the chocolate with the fresh cream, the sugar and the butter and let it melt over a slow fire.

Assembling the cake:

Cut the chocolate layer in small rectangular pieces and pour the syrup over them.
Put it in the fridge for 2 hours so that the layer absorbs the syrup.

Add the glaze over the cubes and put it back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Add the chocolate filling over the glaze and on top the cream. You can decorate with grated chocolate, chocolate syrup, etc.

The original recipe can be found here

Risotto alla carbonara - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Ingredients:

700 milliliters of soup (from boiling chicken or vegetables)
250 grams of risotto rice ("rizo Arborio")
150 grams of bacon
150 grams of fresh cream
100 milliliters of white wine
100 grams of cheese (Grana Padano)
3 egg yolks
2 spoons with olive oil
pepper
salt

Beat the egg yolks with the cheese.

Add the fresh cream and mix.

Put some vegetables in 1 liter of water and let them boil (carrot, onion, parsley, celery, etc). When ready put the pot aside.

In another pot boil some water and put on top the pot with the egg/fresh cream, mixing continuously ("bain marie").

Fry the bacon in the olive oil. Take out the bacon without the liquid fat.

In that fat left in the pot from the bacon add the rice and let it fry for a few moments at medium fire.

Add the wine and mix until the wine evaporates.

Add 500 milliliters of soup and let it boil until the rice absorbs the broth.

Mix the egg mixture with the remaining soup and add it over the rice. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Add the fried bacon, salt and pepper according to taste, and let it simmer for another few minutes and the risotto is ready.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Manti (turkish dumplings) - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 06:45:00 +0000

Ingredients for the dough:

250 grams of flour
110 milliliters of water
4 spoons with olive oil
1 egg
a bit of salt

Ingredients for the filling:

250 grams of chicken meat (could be lamb or veal)
1 onion
salt
pepper

Ingredients for the white sauce:

400 grams of yoghurt
3 garlic cloves
salt
pepper

Ingredients for the red sauce:

12 spoons with bell pepper sauce
3 spoons with olive oil
2 mushrooms
a bit of chili
salt
pepper

First prepare the filling:

Cut the chicken meat in small bits, then mix it with the chopped onion, salt and pepper.

Prepare the dough:

Mix the flour with the water, the salt and the egg.

Add the olive oil and mix until well incorporated.

Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in 3-4 equal parts.

Spread each part on the table and cut it in small squares:

In the middle of each square add a teaspoon with meat mixture.

Fold two of the opposite corners and then to the same with the other two, so that the meal is well sealed inside the dough.

Put the dumplings on a sheet of baking paper and keep them in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a bit golden.

Let them cool!

Separately boil some water and when it starts boiling, add the dumplings (as many as fit into the pot and then repeat the process with the remaining ones). Let them boil for about 10 minutes .

When ready, take the dumplings out and strain them well.

Prepare the white sauce:

Mix the yogurt with the crushed garlic, the pepper and the salt.

Prepare the red sauce:

In a frying pan add the olive oil and let it heat. Add the bell pepper sauce, the salt, the pepper and the chili, as well as the fresh mushrooms cut in small pieces, and let everything simmer for a few minutes.

Spread the dumplings in a pan and cover them with the white sauce, then the red sauce and now they're ready to be served.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Irish bread - recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 14:10:00 +0000

Ingredients:

450- 500 grams of flour
400 grams of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 spoon with sunflower oil

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
Mix the flour with the salt and the baking powder.

Add the buttermilk little by little and mix.

Add the oil and continue mixing until you obtain a non sticky dough.

Spread the dough in an oven pan.
The dough should be at least 3 cm thick.

Put it in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

The original recipe may be found here

Corn flour pancakes - recipe ( including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:32:00 +0000

Ingredients:

120 grams of corn flour
35 grams of rice flour
60 grams of yogurt
200 milliliters of milk
25 milliliters of sunflower oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons with baking powder
salt

Mix the corn flour with the rice flour, the salt and the baking powder.

In another bowl, mix the milk with the egg, the sunflower oil and the yoghurt.

Combine the two compositions and let it rest for 20 minutes .Fry each pancake at medium fire for a few minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Mutabal (eggplant dipp) - recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 15:04:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 grilled eggplant (the entire eggplant is turned on each side for a couple of minutes over a wooden / charcoal fire)
80 milliliters of yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
1 spoon with tahini
1 spoon with lemon juice
1 spoon with olive oil
mint
salt

Mix the tahini with the crushed garlic, the yoghurt, the lemon juice and the salt.

Separately mash the grilled eggplant and add the mixture above (tahini/yoghurt). Mix until everything is incorporated.

We decorated with olive oil, some pomegranate and some mint.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Car review - Wolswagen Touareg

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 May 2017 15:27:00 +0000

We had it rented for a week a couple of years ago.

The car is very heavy, so it did not accelerate very fast, which can be a problem when you need to overtake on national roads.

It's spacious inside, but the trunk did not have too much room.

The seats and suspensions are not very comfortable for a long route.

Overall, we would never spend the money to buy one - there are better cars out there for the same price.

Mango and avocado cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 May 2017 13:27:00 +0000

I wanted to try something new and for those who want to do the same...this is your chance :)

Ingredients for the layers :

100 grams of flour
40 grams of sugar
3 - 4 spoons with cocoa powder
3 spoons with honey
3 eggs

Ingredients for the mango filling:

250 grams of mascarpone cheese
3 spoons with sugar
2 grams of gelatin sheets
1 mango

Ingredients for the walnut filling:

250 grams of fresh cream
100 grams of sugar
60 of crushed walnuts
2 grams of gelatin sheets

Ingredients for the avocado glaze:

30 milliliters of water
30 grams of white chocolate
30 grams of sugar
1 avocado
the juice from a lemon

Prepare the dough:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Mix the egg yolks with half of the sugar and the honey. Beat the composition for a few minutes.

Separately beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar.

Mix the two composition above.

Add the flour and the cocoa powder. Divide the composition in two.

Put one part of the composition in a tray and put it in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 10-15 minutes or until ready.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Prepare the mango mousse filling:

Clean and cut the mango. Mash it and put it on slow fire with the sugar for a few minutes. Just until the sugar melts.

Meanwhile put the gelatin sheets in cold water.

When the mango is cooled, but still warm, add the hydrated gelatin sheets and mix until well incorporated. Let it cool!

When cooled add the mascarpone cheese and mix.

Prepare the walnut filling:

Caramelize the sugar and pour it in a thin layer on a baking paper when ready. Let it cool!

Mash it and mix it with the fresh cream, the hidrated gelatin sheets and the crushed walnuts.

Prepare the avocado glaze:

In a pan add the white chocolate and the sugar and let them melt. Add the water and let it simmer for a minute.

Meanwhile, clean and mash the mango. Add the juice of the lemon and mix.

When the chocolate is melted let it cool! Then add the avocado and mix.

Assembling the cake:

In a detachable circle add one dough layer, then the walnut filling, the other dough layer, then the mango mousse and the cover the cake with the avocado glaze.

Above the avocado glaze I put some petals of lavender flowers, just for decoration.

Enjoy!

Red smoothie - recipe (including photos)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 May 2017 13:41:00 +0000

Ingredients for 2 big glasses:

250 grams of strawberries
250 grams of redcurrant
250 grams of raspberries
3-4 spoons with honey
ice

Put all the fruits together in a blender and run it for 20-30 seconds until you have a nice homogenous thick juice.

In a glass, add half of the juice, 2 spoons with honey and some ice and you have the perfect, healthy drink.

Enjoy!

Smart chocolate cake - recipe with step by steo photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 May 2017 22:30:00 +0000

Ingredients:

500 milliliters of milk
125 grams of butter
100 grams of sugar
65 grams of flour
40 grams of cocoa powder
4 eggs

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they double the volume.

Melt the butter and let it cool!

Add the butter over the egg yolks and mix.

Add the cocoa powder and the flour and mix.

Add the warm milk and mix slowly until well incorporated.

Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius degrees.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and incorporate them in the cocoa composition.

Put the composition in an oven tray and let it bake at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until ready.

Do not open the oven while baking!

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Pork forestier - recipe with step by step photos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 May 2017 17:24:00 +0000

Ingredients:

500 grams of pork
200 grams of fresh mushrooms
150 grams of bacon
150 milliliters of Burgogne wine
50 grams of flour
30 grams of butter
20 milliliters of cognac
10 shallots
4 spoons of olive oil
2 big onions
2 carrots
1 garlic head
thyme

First you have to marinate the pork:

Chop the onions, the carrots and the garlic.

In a bowl mix the strips of pork meat with the garlic/onions/carrots mixture, then add the wine, the cognac, the butter and the olive oil. Let it rest for 24 h in the fridge.

The next day, in a pot add the meat, pour the flour above and let it fry for a few minutes until golden.

Pour the marinade and add the thyme and let it cook at slow fire for 1 hour, covering the pot and mixing from time to time.

Add the chopped mushrooms, the bacon and the shallots and let it cook for another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

The recipe from the book:

2017 Flower market, Rodemack, France

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 May 2017 17:46:00 +0000

The flowers were very expensive and most of them were the same as those you can buy from DIY stores at much cheaper prices.