Pots and Frills

Easy Yogurt Cream with Bloody Oranges Sauce

2017-04-02T16:40:00.001-04:00

This is an extremely easy dessert. It is made in no time but it is still entirely homemade. It is made from yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, and table (single) cream. Then the cream is baked in a low-temperature oven for a short time. I called it yogurt cream because the delicately sour taste of yogurt is detectable even after baking.

The cream is served with fruits in their own sauce. I used blood oranges which are in season right now, but any other fruits such as pomegranate or berries can also be used. I pureed some fruits with a bit of sugar and used the rest in pieces to make a nice finish. If you wish to make this cream even more satisfying, serve it with your favorite biscuits.

Yogurt Cream with Bloody Oranges Sauce

Ingredients:
1 can (12 oz) sweetened condensed milk,
1 cup whole yogurt,
1 cup table cream,
2-3 blood oranges, or 1 and 1/2 cup any berries,
2 tbsp sugar

Preparation:
1. Pour both milk and yogurt in a medium bowl and mix well with a whisker.
2. Divide mixture between 8 small ramekins and place them on the baking form.
3. Set oven temperature to 200F and without preheating, place the form in the oven.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes until the cream is set but not too firm.
5. Remove from the oven and cool down.
6. Cut out segments of oranges from the membrane, mix with sugar and cook until sugar dissolves.

If you use berries puree half of them with sugar and heat until sugar melts. Add rest of the fruits and cool.

7. Serve cream portions with fruits on top and accompanied by cookies, if you wish.

Upside-Down Tart with Red Onion

2017-03-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

This onion tart has become popular at my home and also quite appreciated when I serve it to my guests so I would like to save this recipe here. The tart is so nice thanks to that perfect dough it is made with. It is flaky as puff pastry but ;not so dry. It is also slightly short and sandy. Because the dough is baked on top of the tart it is not get the moisture from the layer of vegetables and remains crunchy once baked.

This particular tart with red onion is a kind of cold weather dish, but it can be made with a different vegetable depending on season turning it into a spring or summer version. It also can be made with fruits as a dessert. There are no eggs or cream added to the filling just a little bit of goat cheese, and an apple which adds the extra sourness to the tart.

Upside-Down Red Onion Tart

Ingredients:

For the dough--for a 10-inch shallow baking form:
1 cup all purpose flour,
1 stick (8 tbsp) cols unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
4 tbsp iced water,
1 tsp salt,

For the onion layer:
2–3 red onions peeled and sliced in a medium thick slices,
1 cooking apple, preferably sour, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges,
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese,
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme,
salt and pepper to taste,
olive oil for frying.

Preparation:
1. Sift flour onto a working surface. Add salt and butter. Coat the butter with flower. Using fingers smash butter with flower until you get pieces similar to cornflakes, with as much flour as possible incorporated in the butter.
2. Sprinkle cold water on top of the mixture and start to make a ball scraping the dough using a scraper or a wide blade knife. Make a ball by scraping, pressing and folding the dough until almost a smooth ball forms. It can still have some visible pieces of butter in it.
3. Finally, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic foil to an inch thick layer, fold in three and put in a refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll it out again with a rolling pin to an inch thick disk and fold in three again. Repeat two times. When the dough is folded for the third time wrap it in a plastic foil and chill for 20 minutes in a refrigerator.
5. To prepare the filling, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion slices and fry until slightly brown. You can try to preserve the whole slices for a nice presentation, or just mix them.

6. Transfer the fried onion from the frying pan to the bottom of the baking form coated with oil. On the same frying pan heat one tbsp of olive oil and fry apples until soft. Spread them on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper and finish with thyme.

7. Preheat oven to 375F.
8. Roll out the dough to a 10-inch circle. Transfer it on a rolling pen to the baking form so it covers the onion.

9. Pierce the dough a few times with a fork and bake for about 40 minutes until the top is dark gold.
9. Cool the tart slightly, cover with large serving plate and flip over on the plate. Cut and serve.

Hazelnut Cake with Ricotta and Pears Filling

2017-01-29T19:10:00.000-05:00

The base of this cake is made from egg whites only and it was one of the reasons I got interested in this recipe, because I was wondering what to do with the leftover egg whites that I had in my refrigerator

Besides that purely technical aspect, I thought the recipe was worth trying because the cake turned out delicious. It was very light and moist.The base is baked with ground hazelnuts which adds a nice flavor. It is a layered cake and between its two layers there is a cheese and pears filling. Originally fresh ricotta is used for the filling, but if fresh ricotta is not available, it could be replaced with mascarpone. The moisture comes from the syrup that is obtained from cooking pears and is drizzled over the cake at the end.

Hazelnut Cake with Ricotta and Pears Filling

Ingredients:
4 egg whites,
3/4 cup roasted hazelnuts,
1/3 cup all purpose flour,
2/3 stick unsalted, room temperature butter,
2 pears peeled and cut into small pieces,
1/4 cup water,
1/4 cup rum,
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra 2 tbsp,
1 cup fresh, drained ricotta (or mascarpone) cheese,
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream,
1/4 cup icing sugar to finish.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. 2. Place hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them into sand-like consistency.
3. Add flour, sugar and butter to the nuts and run the food processor until well blended.
4. In a separate large bowl whisk egg whites until stiff. Fold them into the nut mixture.
5. Grease with butter an 8-inch round baking form with a removable wall and line it with wax paper. Spread the nut mixture evenly and bake for about 20 minutes until firm. Let the cake cool down.
6. In a medium bowl mix water, rum and 1/2 cup sugar and bring it to boiling. Add cut pears pieces and simmer them until soft. Drain the pears and let them cool.
7. In a medium bowl whisk ricotta, 2 tbsp sugar and whipping cream until fluffy. Add pears and mix gently.
8. Place the cake base on a serving plate. Cut in half and spread the cheese filling over the bottom layer.

9. Cover it with the second layer, press gently so the filling spreads between the layers. Drizzle the top of the cake with the rum syrup, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Pasta with Roasted Walnut Pesto

2017-01-15T13:55:00.001-05:00

Pasta is not only very easy to make but can also be made from almost any ingredients. After the excesses of holiday cooking I now enjoy very simple dishes that can be made from whatever I have in my kitchen. This pasta is a perfect example of what I mean. It is made with walnuts, which are easy to store and I always have in my pantry. Walnuts are one of the most healthy nuts, a source of omega-9 fatty acids, zinc, selenium and antioxidants. My kids do not appreciate walnuts so I made this pasta to smuggle walnuts into their menu.

The recipe is my own combination of different walnut sauces which I tried from various Italian cookbooks. It can be made similarly to a traditional pesto sauce with just an oil, or it can be enriched with a little bit of cream. It is best served with spiral type of pasta which gets nicely coated in pesto.

Pasta with Roasted Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:
1 box of fusilli or rotini pasta,
1 cup of roasted walnuts pieces,
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs,
1/3 cup fresh parsley,
1-2 garlic cloves,
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
2-3 tbsp warm water or table cream,
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan,plus extra for serving,
a pinch of grated nutmeg,
salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Cook pasta in plenty of water.
2. Roast walnuts in the oven or on the frying pan until light brown. Rub between hands to remove dried skins.

3. Place walnuts, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and oil in a bowl of a small food processor.

4. Run the engine until the content of the bowl turns almost into a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add either water or cream, until the sauce reminds a thick cream.
5. Season the pesto with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Pour over the hot pasta, toss, and finish with shredded Parmesan on top.

Nuts and Persimmon Couscous

2016-12-04T20:26:00.001-05:00

There are many recipes for couscous dishes in the Mediterranean cuisine. Some are savory, with vegetables, and some are sweet, with nuts, fruits, or raisins. Today, here is my version of a traditional nut couscous dish. It is spicy but also almost sweet. It can be served with grilled meats, vegetables, or as a dish on its own. I like it on its own the most, because it is very pure and this way you can taste better its rich ingredients: the butter and the saffron, and better appreciate the flavor of the nuts in the couscous.

This type of couscous is also made with dried fruits, besides nuts. But instead of dried fruits I decided to use fresh persimmons, which are now in season. Because persimmons can be very sweet at the peak of the season, to contrast their sweetness, I added preserved lemons to the salad. Here it is a very simple yet flavorful dish.

Nuts and Persimmon Couscous

Ingredients:
1 cup couscous,
1 cup hot water,
1/4 tsp salt,
1/2 cup blanched almonds,
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios,
4 dried seedless dates chopped (optional, if persimmons are very sweet),
a pinch of saffron threads,
1/4 tsp ground cumin,
1/4 tsp cinnamon,
1/4 tsp ground cloves,
1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds,
a pinch of cayenne pepper,
1 persimmon, peeled,
4 slices of preserved lemons, cut into small cubes,
2 tbsp olive oil,
2 tbsp butter,
fresh mint to garnish.

Preparation:
1. In a small pot bring to boil water with olive oil and salt. Take off the heat, add couscous, mix, cover, and set aside for about 10 minutes.
2. Heat the butter in a medium-sized frying pot. Add saffron and nuts and fry stirring until the nuts are brown.
3. Add dried spices to the nuts and cook for about a minute. Toss in the couscous and heat everything together for two minutes.
4. Cut persimmon into quarters and then in halves, and mix with the couscous.
5. Add preserved lemon cubes and mix everything together. Garnish with chopped mint.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Easy Apple Cake

2016-11-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Apple cakes are one of my favorite fall desserts. Easy and seasonal they are always appreciated. I have recently tried a recipe for a traditional Italian apple cake. The cake was so easy that I managed to make it quickly on a Saturday morning to be ready for a morning coffee.

I used local Golden apples but a more sour type would work better as the base of the cake is quite sweet. Besides the apples the recipe calls for golden raisins and pine nuts. Raisins were a nice addition to the cake but I think that, instead of the pine nuts, I would prefer it with almonds, because they are more crunchy.

Easy Apple Cake

Ingredients:
3-4 Golden apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thick slices,
3/4 cup all purpose flour,
1 cup sugar,
2 tbsp pine nuts or slivered almonds,
1/4 cup golden raisins,
6 tbsp unsalted, melted butter,
3 eggs,
1/2 cup milk,
1 lemon,
1 tsp baking powder,
1 tbsp butter for the form,
1 extra tbsp flour to dust the baking form with.

Preparation:
1. Grease a 10-inch baking form with butter and dust with flour.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Soak the raisins in a warm water for about 10 minutes until soft.
4. Break the eggs in a bowl of a standing mixer. Add sugar and beat them until they are mousse like.
5. Pour in milk and cooled butter, then add shaved lemon peel and flour mixed with baking powder. Mix briefly until smooth with a mixer.
6. Add the drained raisins and nuts and mix with a spatula. Transfer the batter to a baking form.
7. Arrange the quarters of apples on top of the cake and bake it for about 45 minutes.

Let it cool down and serve.

Baked Rice with Pumpkin and Feta

2016-10-19T20:22:00.001-04:00

This light and colorful rice dish is a perfect recipe for this pumpkin season. It comes from the Mediterranean cuisine. I found it in one of the Italian magazines which I brought from Italy. The dish is quite similar to risotto and calls for the risotto type of rice, preferably Carnaroli or Arborio. It is started as risotto, but because it is then baked in the oven, it does not require constant stirring. It is made with Feta cheese instead of Parmesan and finished with two garnishes—fried sage leaves and pine nuts. Sage adds extra flavor and aroma to the delicate taste of rice, pine nuts bring in some crunchiness to a smooth texture of the dish, so it is worth adding both to obtain that full and rich taste at the end.

Baked Rice with Pumpkin and Feta

Ingredients:
1 cup risotto rice (if available Carnaroli),
1 lb peeled and cut into small cubes pumpkin,
1 medium onion, chopped,
1/2 cup white wine,
2 and 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock,
1/2 cup Feta,
1 tsp hot pepper flakes (optional),
2 tbsp roasted pine nuts,
3/4 cup milk,
salt,
2 tbsp butter,
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
12–16 sage leaves.

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Add pumpkin cubes and fry for about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 325 F.
3. In the same frying pan heat another 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add onion and fry until transparent. Add rice and toast together for 1–2 minutes. Pour in wine, and let simmer until wine evaporates.
4. Add pumpkin and stock to rice, season with salt and bring to boil.
5. Transfer rice to a large baking dish and bake for 20–25 minutes.
6. In a medium bowl crumble Feta and mix with roasted pine nuts and hot pepper flakes if used.

7. In a small pot bring to boil 2 tbsp butter. Add washed and dried sage leaves and fry for 2 minutes.
8. Remove rice from the oven. Pour in milk and gently mix and bake for another 10–15 minutes.
9. Once again remove rice from oven and spread Feta crumbles on top. Bake for 5 minutes until Feta melts.
10. Remove rice from the oven, finish with melted butter and sage leaves and serve.

Zucchini Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce

2016-09-03T09:40:00.001-04:00

A few years ago a friend gave me as a gift a spiralizer, a simple tool which makes any long vegetable into spaghetti threads. At the time I got it it was not available in the US stores. In the past year or two a spiralizer became easily available in many American stores so today I decided to post a recipe for a vegetable dish with the use of a spiralizer.

Many vegetables, for example carrot, squash, cucumber or zucchini can be spiralized. My favorite became green zucchini which I make often in the fall when local big zucchinis are available. And in that case the bigger zucchini the better. I make a zucchini spaghetti which is a simple dish of fried zucchini with tomato sauce on top. This is not only an easy dish but also almost entirely made of fresh and pure vegetables, an excellent dish for any fastidious vegan and gluten- or lactose-free diet believer. I shred some Parmesan on top of the sauce but the dish is very tasty also without it.

Zucchini Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
6 large green zucchinis,
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
4 medium tomatoes,
1 small onion, chopped.

Preparation:
1. Blanch tomatoes in hot water, peel off and cut into cubes.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot and add onion. Fry on a medium heat until transparent. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Spiralize the zucchinis.

4. In a large frying pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add minced garlic and fry until gold. Add spiralized zucchini and fry on a high heat tossing it often until all the water evaporates. Zucchinis should be cooked but still firm. Do not salt them as they will release too much water and become very soft and overcooked. The bigger zucchinis the less water they will release.

5. Turn off the heat and season the zucchinis with salt and pepper. Transfer them to the plates, spoon the tomato sauce on top and serve.

Cauliflower in Tahini Sauce

2016-05-22T18:44:00.001-04:00

The start of the cauliflower season prompted me to write today about a very simple yet delicious cauliflower dish. It comes from Lebanese cuisine. I have made it quite often ever since I tried it first at my friend's the past summer. Almost everyone who tasted it complemented an interesting and unusual combination of cauliflower and tahini. I have been often asked for the recipe, which I share today.

The whole secret of the dish lies in the right combination of the tahini sauce ingredients. The sauce should be not too thick and rather tart in taste to contrast the mild taste of the cauliflower. Cauliflower can be cooked or roasted, and it can be just white or, in one of the now fashionable yellow or purple color to make it more fancy.

I make this dish often just as a lunch dish and eat it with pita bread, but it can also be served as a side dish to accompany grilled meats.

Cauliflower in Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower,
4 tbsps tahini paste (available at Middle Eastern groceries),
3-4 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice,
1 garlic clove, minced,
salt and pepper to taste,
fresh chopped parsley.

Preparation:
1. Cook cauliflower until soft but still firm. Drain.
2. Pour tahini paste in a medium bowl. Add 4 tbsps of water, then start adding lemon juice, alternating with more water to obtain a creamy sauce with the consistency of a heavy whipping cream. Add minced garlic and season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and finish with chopped parsley.

Coconut Pudding with Exotic Fruits

2016-04-24T22:08:00.001-04:00

This coconut pudding, coming from the Brazilian cuisine, is another dessert that is very easy to make and is also very attractive in presentation. It is an ordinary pudding, just flavored with coconut milk, which gives it an exotic taste. It can be garnished with all kinds of fresh fruits sauces, including ones made of strawberry or raspberry, but I think coconut goes very well if paired with passion fruit and mango, or either one, especially since both of them grow in Brazil.

The whole secret of the preparation is in the right proportion of liquid and starch. It should be set but not too hard or too runny. The original recipe that I found in one of the culinary magazine did not work too well and the pudding collapsed after being removed from the dish. I added then an extra tablespoon of cornstarch which helped to make it more firm. If you like, you can add shredded coconut flakes to the pudding, or if you like it smooth you can do without them. It is also handy that this dessert can be made even two days ahead.

Coconut Pudding

Ingredients:
(For six servings)
2 cups whole milk,
1/2 cup coconut unsweetened milk,
1/2 cup half and half,
1/2 cup sugar,
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (optional),
3 tbsp corn starch,
2 fresh passion fruits,
2 champagne mangoes.

Preparation:
1. Pour all the liquid in a medium pot. Add sugar and cornstarch and mix until blended.
2. On a medium heat bring the liquid to boil mixing constantly until bubbles start forming. Simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and add coconut flakes, if used.
4. Dip 6 small dishes (you can use ramekins) in a cold water to prevent the pudding from sticking to them.
5. Divide the pudding between dishes and cool down to room temperature, then chill in a refrigerator until well set, preferably overnight.

6. Peel off the mangoes, cut two slices of flesh from each and slice into strips.
7. Cut passion fruits in halves and using a spoon remove the seeds and juice.
8. To serve, flip over the pudding on the plate. Divide the passion fruit content on top of each and finish with mango slices.

Spinach and Jerusalem Artichokes Salad

2016-04-17T08:55:00.001-04:00

Almost always around this time of the year I post a recipe with Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes). Although in certain stores they are now available all year long, a true season for them comes in the early spring.

Today, this is a recipe for a simple salad. I came up with idea to roast Jerusalem artichokes like I roast beets. If the are young and fresh they do not need to be peeled and only require a good wash. If they are bigger and softer it is better to peel them off. Then they should be coated with olive oil and lemon sauce and roasted until slightly brown. I mix them with baby spinach, toss some roasted walnuts on top and sprinkle with lemon dressing. And the salad is ready.

Served with good prosciutto or beef carpaccio it can be served as a nice starter. Served on its own, it can make a nice lunch dish.

Spinach and Jerusalem Artichokes Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb Jerusalem artichokes, finely sliced,
one 6 oz bag of baby spinach,
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted,
2 tbsp olive oil,
juice from one lemon,
2 tbsp. walnut oil,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix olive oil with juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and salt. Pour over the sliced Jerusalem artichokes, toss them well and spread on a baking tin.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes until the Jerusalem artichokes are light brown.

4. Cool them down. Transfer Jerusalem artichokes to a bowl and mix with spinach.
5. Mix the rest of the lemon juice with walnut oil, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the vegetables. Mix gently. Finish with walnut oils and serve.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Onion Tart

2016-04-03T18:04:00.001-04:00

This tart is very popular in my home and always appreciated when by my guests. Probably because it reminds a pizza, which almost everyone loves.

I make it on a short crust base, but without the typical for tarts high walls and creamy egg filling. Instead, it is rather flat and the topping is made just from vegetables and cheese.

However, it requires a special touch that makes the whole difference--a homemade crust. I always make the dough for my tart crust in a food processor but the secret of the crust's delicate and flaky texture comes from rolling the dough several times afterwards and letting it chill in a fridge.

You can finish it with any topping you like. Sometimes, I just spread onion with herbs and pancetta, or seasonal vegetables. In any event, it always tastes great served with green salads and a glass of wine.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Onion Tart

Ingredients:

For a 13-inch pizza dish crust:
2 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour,
1 and 1/2 stick unsalted butter,
1 tsp salt,
3/4 cup iced water,
2 tbsp lemon juice.

Topping:
3 bell peppers,
2 large onions sliced,
1/2 cup sour cream,
1 cup of grated Gruyère or Cheddar,
fresh thyme leaves,
2 tbsp olive oil,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Crust:
1. To make the crust, put flour, butter, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until crumbs form.
2. Pour in water with lemon juice to the crumbs and pulse for about 30 seconds, until a sticky dough forms.
3. Transfer the dough to a flour dusted surface and roll to a large rectangle. Fold the rectangle in three, cover with plastic foil and refrigerate for 20 min.
4. Roll the dough again on a dusted surface and fold in three. Repeat rolling and folding three times, then again cover with foil and refrigerate for the second time for 20 min.
5. Repeat rolling and folding again and chill the dough for the third time for 20 minutes. Once made, the dough can be refrigerated up to one week prior to use. Take it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Topping:
1. Preheat broiler to very high and char the peppers on all sides. Transfer to a dish with a lid, and let cool to room temperature.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions until transparent.
3. Peel off the peppers, remove seeds. Cut into strips and add to the onion. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the tart:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Roll the dough on a flour dusted surface to the size of the baking form.
3. Grease the dish with butter and transfer the dough to the form.
4. Spread the cream on top of the dough, and then spread the mixture of peppers and onion on top.
5. Cover the top with grated Gruyère and thyme leaves.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the sides of the crust turn gold.

Serve cut like a pizza with green salads.

White Beans with Greens and Tomatoes

2016-03-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

Although dry beans often come to mind as a winter, comfort food, today's recipe for a bean dish is a perfect transitional dish from winter to spring. It is not a very rich as a bean dish can be, thanks to fresh herbs, spinach and tomatoes.

Bean dishes are quite popular in the Mediterranean cuisine, especially northern Italian. The inclusion of Feta cheese suggests that this one comes actually from the Greek culinary tradition.

White Bean Baked with Greens and Tomatoes
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound dry cannellini beans, which must be washed and soaked overnight in water,
1 medium onion,
1/2 bunch of spring onion, finely chopped,
1/2 cup chopped dill,
6 oz bag of baby spinach,
1 lb plum tomatoes, cut into small cubes,
1 cup crumbled feta cheese,
6 tbsp olive oil,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Put the beans in a large pot, cover with water and cook on a medium heat until beans are cooked but still very firm. Drain the beans and save about a cup of water.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. In a large frying pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add chopped onion and fry until transparent. Toss in spinach leaves and cook them until wilted and water evaporates. Add chopped spring onion and dill and cook together for about 2 minutes.

4. Mix the beans with cooked greens. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to an oven proof dish.
5. Drizzle the remaining 4 tbsp of olive oil on top of the beans. Pour in about half a cup of the leftover water from cooking the beans. Cover the top of beans with chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with crumbled feta.

6. Cover the baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for about an hour, until the beans are soft. If the water evaporates and beans are still hard, add extra water and let it bake a little longer.

Serve hot alone or with country breads.

Celery Root Mousse with Mortadella

2016-02-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

Celery root is a popular vegetable in Poland, so I have known it since my childhood. In Poland, it is mostly used to prepare soups and a vegetable salad with mayonnaise. Celery root is also quite popular in French cuisine. For instance, I ate a celery root gratin and a marinated celery root as a salad. Recently, I also found some recipes with celery root in the Italian cooking magazines.

During my recent trip to Italy, in one of the restaurants I visited, I saw a celery mousse being served. It looked very interesting and elegant so I tried to recreate it at home. Celery root has much more flavor than celery stalks and it takes a somewhat sophisticated taste to appreciate it. In this particular dish it tastes very pure and almost bland, but it complements the dish very well as it contrasts the taste of a flavorful mortadella. A small bowl of mousse served with bread of can make a great dinner started or Sunday lunch.

Celery Root Mousse with Mortadella
(Makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:
1 medium celery root peeled and cut into smaller cubes,
2 small shallots,
2 tbsp olive oil,
1 cup light cream,
salt and pepper,
4 slices very thin cut imported Italian mortadella,
2 tbsp slivered Pistachios.

Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a frying pot, add chopped shallots, and fry until transparent.
2. Add pieces of celery, cover with water, and cook for about 20 minutes, until celery becomes soft.
3. When the celery is already soft and water almost evaporates, add cream, salt and pepper, and let it all simmer for about 2 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, cool down slightly and purée with a hand blender.
5. Divide mousse among small glass serving bowls and cool to room temperature.
6. Cut mortadella slices in half, then into strips and top the mousse.

Sprinkle with pistachios and serve with bread.

Chocolate Cream

2016-02-14T12:33:00.001-05:00

This chocolate dessert is so impossibly simple and wonderfully delicious at the same time that it can be served to finish any elegant dinner. I make it very often for my kids who love everything chocolate. Good chocolate is all you need to make it. And it can be the chocolate you favor.

It can be made with bitter chocolate or, as I like it, milk chocolate, or combination of different pieces that I usually find in my pantry hidden and forgotten. I used recently leftovers of Swiss and Belgian chocolates and it turned out to be sublime. Obviously, you can eat those pieces hard but I think eating molten chocolate with a spoon is even more indulging.

I serve this dessert in very small glass cups that my friend recycle for me after desserts she buys, but small vodka or liqueur glasses would work as well. I sprinkle it with salt to bring out the taste of chocolate.

Chocolate Cream
(Makes 6-8)

Ingredients:
8 oz good quality chocolate (about 2 tablets) broken into smaller pieces,
1 cup light cream,
3 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature,
3 tbsp grated chocolate to decorate,
Fleur de sel or Himalayan pink salt.

Preparation:
1. Pour the light cream and 1/4 cup of water in a small pot and, on a low heat, bring it to the boiling point.
2. Add the chocolate and stir until chocolate melts completely. Take it off the heat and add butter. Stir again until a smooth cream forms.

3. Divide the cream among small glass cups and let chill for 4 hours.
4. Serve decorated with grated chocolate and sprinkled with a tiny amount of salt.

Orange and Olive Oil Cake

2016-02-07T13:46:00.001-05:00

This is a very easy cake. It is good by so un-fancy that it can go with your morning coffee. It seems perfect for this season as beautiful oranges are on display in most food stores. There is nothing complicated or unusual about this cake other than that it is made with olive oil rather than butter. And I would like to believe that this also makes it healthier. The olive oil also gives it an almost savory flavor, contrasting with its sweetness. And it is even better on the next day when it catches some extra moisture.

Orange and Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:
4 large oranges, preferably organic or as many as needed to squeeze out 1 and 1/2 cup juice,
4 large eggs,
1 and 1/2 cup extra olive oil, very mild in flavor,
2 and 1/2 cup granulated sugar,
3 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour,
1 tsp salt,
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder,
orange zest from two oranges
icing sugar for dusting.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a large bundt cake form.
2. Break the eggs into a bowl of a standing mixer and beat for about a minute, until well combined.
3. Add sugar and beat for about 3 minutes, until well combined and pales.
4. In a medium bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Add a third of the flour mix alternating with 1/2 cup oil, beating after each addition, until both ingredients are all used.
6. Grate the orange juice from two oranges and squeeze 1 and 1/2 cup juice.

7. Pour in the orange juice, add the zest, and beat gain to combine.

8. Transfer to a baking form and bake for about an hour until dark gold and the top is well set.
9. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Fettuccine with Cheese and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)

2016-01-24T18:28:00.001-05:00

This recipe is just another proof of the culinary genius of the Italians. Simple and wonderful. I decided to share this recipe today as I think this is the kind of comfort dish that tastes particularly good on a cold winter day. Besides, it is the recipe that my son asked me to write down, so he could cook it one day, when he goes to college.

I never heard about this pasta until my last visit to Rome. My friend and host explained to me that it was in fact a very Roman dish and gave me the recipe. After I came back I made this pasta at home for my kids and instantly it became their most favorite pasta dish. Another simple and tasty dish that makes everyone happy.

There are basically two ingredients in this pasta black pepper and cheese. And again they should be of the best quality. Pepper should be full of flavor and fresh, Tellicherry would be most desirable, and cheese should be Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano, preferably imported. If you have these ingredients, a delicious dinner is ready in no time.

Fettuccine with Cheese and Black Pepper

Ingredients:
3 tbsp coarsely, freshly ground black pepper, preferably Tellicherry,
2 tbsp olive oil,
2 tbsp unsalted butter,
1 lb fettuccine pasta,
1 cup freshly ground Pecorino Romano, plus some to finish,
1/2 cup tbsp freshly ground Parmigiano Reggiano to finish
salt.

Preparation: 1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until still firm but cooked.
2. Grind the pepper and cheese.

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3. While pasta is cooking, heat butter and olive in a large frying pan. When bubbles appear add ground black pepper and fry while stirring continually for about 2 minutes until the flavor of the pepper is released.

4. Drain the fettuccine, saving about a cup of drained water.
5. Add pasta to the pan with pepper and toss it so it is covered with pepper. Add about 4 tbsps of the saved hot water.
6. Pour in both cheese and mix with pasta. If pasta is still too dry add extra water and mix. Serve immediately and finish with freshly ground Parmigiano Reggiano.

Banana Pudding

2016-01-18T18:18:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we buy too many bananas and don't know what to do with them before they turn brown and no one will touch them. So this dish is another, next to banana bread, recipe for using extra bananas. It is even simpler than banana bread and can make a nice Sunday brunch dish, something like a dessert but not too sweet. There is no sugar added and the whole sweetness comes from bananas and raisins. Also, there is only a tablespoon of flour. If you want to make this dish more fancy, after bananas are fried you can add two tablespoons of rum to spice up their taste.

Banana Pudding

Ingredients: 4-5 medium bananas, yellow but not too soft, peeled and cut into cubes,
4 eggs,
1 tbsp all purpose flour,
1 12-oz can of unsweetened condensed milk,
1/3 cup raisins,
1 tsp vanilla essence,
1/2 tsp salt,
2 tbsp unsalted butter,
2 tbsp rum, optional,
2 tbsp brown sugar,
a dash of icing sugar to finish.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Butter a 10-inch oven proof dish with one tbsp of butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with flour until smooth. Add evaporated milk, vanilla essence and salt, and beat all together again.
4. Melt a tbsp of butter in a large frying pan. Add banana cubes and raisins and fry for about 2 minutes turning them gently. If you use rum add at the end of frying.

5. Spread the fried banana cubes on the bottom of the baking dish. Pour over the egg and milk mixture. Put the pudding in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
6. Dust with icing sugar, cut, and serve warm.

Portuguese Coriander Soup

2016-01-16T13:24:00.002-05:00

Soups, as comfort food, always come to my mind when it is very cold. So I used these couple of freezing days we had as an excuse to try a recipe for a soup that I read about some time ago, and that have been intriguing me ever since. Even more as coriander bunches that I had in my refrigerator were about to fade away. Finally, this coriander soup reminds me of a very popular and unique sorrel soup which we have in Polish cuisine, so I was curious to compare them.

The soup turned out very surprising in a good way. Very light but flavored and fresh, slightly sour, and extremely green. And yes, because of that slight sourness, it tasted similar to the sorrel soup, while roasted bread and melting cheese brought the French onion soup taste. But, at the end, despite those similarities, it was just another and very original cilantro soup.

As often in a very simple recipe a quality of ingredients is very important for the final taste. For this recipe, the most important thing is to have a good base - a good quality chicken stock. Best would be home made, but a good quality free range organic broth from a box can be used too. Also, a sour bread which I used to make the croutons enriched the soup with the extra tart taste.

Cilantro Soup
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
3 bunches of fresh coriander, 5 garlic cloves, 4 cups of chicken stock, 5 slices of a day-old, sourdough country bread, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 4 tbsp shredded Fontina cheese, or mild Cheddar, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cut bread into half-inch cubes. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the bread turning frequently, until dark gold all over. Set aside.
2. Wash well and chop coriander (preferably leaves only) and place in a food processor.
3. In a small pot, bring a cup of water to boiling, add garlic cloves and let them simmer for about 3 minutes until they soften. Drain and add to the chopped coriander. Add one cup of water, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Bring chicken stock to boil. Take out one cup and add to food processor with coriander. Whirl several times until a green purée forms.
5. Add coriander purée to the hot stock. Bring to boil and simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it infuse for another 3 minutes.

6. Divide croutons between four bowls. Cover with each with a tbsp of cheese and pour over the soup.

7. Serve it hot.

Chickpea Flour Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

2016-01-07T20:09:00.001-05:00

In one of the Italian culinary magazines I found a chickpea (garbanzo) flour gnocchi recipe which seemed very easy and quick to make. It called only for two kinds of flour and there was no special preparation ahead. I could not wait to make them. I invited my Italian friend over to help me translate the recipe and to try the result. As it turned out it was her first time ever to make gnocchi. We had a lot of fun making them. I used a special mandolin, which I brought from Italy, and she used a fork to form them. Both methods were equally productive and in no time our delicious lunch was ready.

My friend wrote down the recipe to make it at home for her kids. She often asks me for the recipes of the dishes I make but for the first time in my life I introduced a true Italian to an Italian dish. All the ingredients used in the recipe are easily available in food stores and chickpea flour can be found in a diet section of food market or any Indian food store.

Chickpea Flour Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour,
1 cup all purpose bleached flour,
1 cup (150ml) water,
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese,
2 tbsp pine nuts,
15 fresh basil leaves,
2 garlic cloves,
1 can (14 oz) of crushed tomatoes,
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Using a small food processor purée 10 basil leaves, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.
2. Mix both flours with 1/2 tsp of salt.
3. In a medium pot bring to boil 150 ml water. Pour in both flours and using a wooden spoon beat it until a smooth paste forms. Turn off the heat.
4. When the dough cools down a little bit, add basil paste, and working with hands knead a smooth dough.

5. On a working surface dusted with flour, roll out the dough into thin (about 1/2 inch-thick) snakes. Cut each into inch-long pieces. Using a mandolin, or squeezing each gently with a fork form gnocchi. Leave them to rest for 30 minutes.

6. In the meantime, heat the oil in a frying pot, add two pieces of garlic and fry it until gold. Discard the garlic from the oil and add crushed tomatoes, the remaining basil leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes.
7. Boil a large pot of water with salt. Dump in gnocchi and cook until they appear on the surface. Let them boil for about 5 minutes. Drain.
8. Transfer the gnocchi to serving plates and finish with tomato sauce.

Farro with Dried Porcini and Sage

2015-12-16T21:36:00.004-05:00

Farro is one of the oldest wheat varieties. In recent years it has become very popular, especially among vegetarians and foodies who always look for new sources of nutritional values, as farro is an excellent source of fiber, minerals, and vitamin B.

In the modern cuisine farro is often used in place of traditional grains, especially rice. It is easy to cook and more forgiving as it is hard to overcook it. Cooked farro has a stronger taste and firmer texture than rice but some appreciate it for those qualities. For the same reason it is also often used in salads.

One of the way to serve farro is a dish similar to risotto but lighter since it does not include cream or cheese. This particular dish is made with dried porcini, so popular in both Polish and Italian cuisines. If you don't have dried porcinis, you may make it with white cup mushrooms (about 1/2 lb). The recipe calls for sage leaves which give that dish a very nice seasonal flavor. It can be served alone, as a vegetarian dish or to accompany roasted meats.

Farro with Dried Porcini and Sage

Ingredients:
1 cup farro, washed,
1/3 cup dried porcini soaked for 1 hour in 1/2 cup of cold water,
4-5 cups vegetable or beef stock,
1 small onion, chopped,
6-8 fresh sage leaves, cut into strips,
1/4 cup plus extra 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat half of the oil. Add chopped onion and fry until transparent. Add sage leaves and fry for another minute.
2. Add farro and the rest of the oil to the pot. Stir it so farro is well coated with oil.
3. Drain and cut porcini into thin strips. Add them to farro. If you like a stronger taste add also the water in which the porcini were soaked.

4. Pour in 2 cups of stock and bring farro to boil, then let it simmer on a low heat stirring frequently. Follow with the rest of the stock until farro becomes tender. This will take 40-50 minutes.
5. Serve the dish hot drizzled with 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and decorated with sage leaves fried in butter.

Turnip Lasagna

2015-12-06T19:23:00.001-05:00

I have never tried turnip before but this month I ate it already twice. Last week, my Afghan friend invited my whole family for dinner and, at my request, she made a very autumnal dish made from turnip and meat. It was very aromatic and delicious and I will post a recipe for it as soon as I get all the details of it.

Yesterday, I made a dish that I will share today. It was inspired by a recipe from an Italian cooking magazine, but I made a lighter, vegetarian version of it just to use a box of an already opened ricotta cheese. The dish is easy to make and can be prepared ahead. It can be served alone, as a gluten free vegetarian main course, or served with breads.

Turnip Lasagna

Ingredients:
4 medium turnips, sliced in 1/8th inch-thick slices,
2 cups milk,
16 oz ricotta cheese,
1 large (27 oz) can of crushed tomatoes,
2 tbsp olive oil,
2 garlic cloves, minced,
1/3 cup shredded asiago cheese,
salt and pepper to taste,
fresh parsley to garnish.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Place the sliced turnip in a medium pot and cover with milk. Bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, until just softer but still firm. After that, drain the milk.
3. In another pot, heat the oil, add garlic and fry it for 2-3 minutes. Pour in tomatoes and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
4. Place 1/2 of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a medium oven-proof dish. Spread a third of the turnip slices. Then on each slice spread half of the ricotta cheese.

5. Put another layer of turnip slices. Cover them with another layer of ricotta and then again with turnips. Generously season with salt and pepper on top.
6. Pour over the rest of the tomato sauce and finish with the shredded asiago cheese.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes, until lasagna bubbles. Remove the foil and let the cheese melt until it turns gold.
8. Cool the lasagna and serve with chopped parsley on top.

Hazelnut Cream Dessert

2015-11-30T22:42:00.000-05:00

This is a kind of dessert that almost no one can resist, and especially those who like flans and crème brûlée. The recipe is also very similar to crème brûlée but there is one secret ingredient that makes the whole difference, that is hazelnut butter or hazelnut purée. This gives it a wonderfully nutty flavor which makes this dessert even more delicious.

A pure hazelnut butter without any cocoa added is however not easily available. You can buy it at Eataly or online, or make it yourself by grounding roasted hazelnuts with vegetable oil. The best for that are European hazelnuts or those from Oregon, as they have that sweet flavor that most other hazelnuts lack. If you have a ready made sweet hazelnut butter use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Instead of 10 tsps add just 5. Besides that one difficulty the whole dessert is very easy to make and can be even made a day ahead.

Hazelnut Cream Dessert
(Makes eight)

Ingredients:
500ml hot whole milk,
4 eggs,
3/4 cup white chocolate chips,
10 tbsp sugar (or 5 if hazelnut butter is already sweet),
1 tsp vanilla extract,
4 tbsp. hazelnut butter or purée,
1/3 cup roasted, crushed hazelnuts for decoration.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 335F.
2. Place white chocolate in a small pot and melt over a low heat.
3. Beat the eggs with sugar and vanilla extract. Pour in hot milk, beating constantly. Add white chocolate and hazelnut butter and mix well into a smooth cream.
4. Divide the cream between 8 ramekins.

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5. Place ramekins on a baking form and fill the form with boiling water up to a half of ramekins' heights. Put the form in the hot oven and let the cream bake for 20 minutes.
6. Let the cream cool in the water and then take the ramekins out and let the desserts cool in a refrigerator.
7. Serve cold decorated with hazelnuts.

Dried Figs and Walnuts Spread

2015-11-18T07:31:00.001-05:00

This easy spread may come handy during the holiday party season. It is a very simple recipe and the spread is made entirely in a food processor. It is just another variation of a fig or quince spread that have been popular in recent years and are served with cheese, but it is less sweet and more crunchy thanks to the addition of celery and walnuts.

I made it recently just to used the figs that I discovered in the deep end of my refrigerator. They were getting very dry so I soaked them in a warm water to restore the moisture and just blended with all other ingredients. The spread goes well with all kind of hard cheese, especially the Spanish Manchego. It tastes even better if finished with pomegranate seeds which add extra taste and color.

Dried Figs and Walnuts Spread

Ingredients:
6-8 dried figs, soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes, if they are too dry,
2 celery sticks, sliced,
1/3 cup toasted walnuts,
1 tbsp olive oil,
1 tbsp white wine,
salt and pepper to taste,
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds for decoration,
1/2 lb Manchego cheese cut into small triangles.

Preparation:
1. Put walnuts and celery in a food processor and swirl a couple of times until they break into smaller pieces.

2. Drain the figs and cut them into smaller pieces. Add them to the mix together with olive oil, wine, salt and pepper, and blend until figs turn into a purée but walnuts and celery pieces are still visible.
3. Transfer the spread to a bowl and let chill for two hours. Serve at room temperature spread on cheese and decorated with pomegranate seeds.

Autumn Tart with Plums and Mascarpone

2015-10-18T16:57:00.001-04:00

This is the tart that I make most often. It is easy, delicious and, so far, everyone loved it. Moreover, the crust for it can be made up to two weeks ahead and keeping it refrigerated makes it actually more delicate. I have already shared the recipe for this tart, but recently I have been experimenting with it and, today, I would like to share of the new versions, which I think turned out quite good.

I make this tart with different fruits, toppings, or add extra ingredients to the base. Last weekend, I made it with plums. In Poland, fall is the season when we make many desserts with plums. For baking, the best are those dark blue plums called Hungarian or Italian plums but, if they are not available, any black or dark plums can be used instead.

The base is the same that I always used; however, this time I changed the topping. Since plums can be quite strong in taste and are often sour, to contrast them, instead of cream I used Mascarpone cheese to make a delicate and somewhat richer topping. This tart can be served at room temperature but it tastes even better slightly warm, especially on a cold autumn day.

Tart with Plums and Mascarpone

Ingredients:
(For 10" tart form with removable walls)

For the crust:
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature,
1/2 cup confectioners sugar,
2 cups all purpose flour,

For the topping:
1 and 1/2 lb Italian plums (or any other not too juicy dark plums),
17 oz box of mascarpone cheese,
1 large egg,
1/3 cup sugar.

Preparation:
1. To make the crust, put butter, confectioners sugar and flour in a large bowl. Working with your hands make crumbles. Use extra flour to clean your hands.

2. Place the crust in a large ziplock bag, and let it chill in a refrigerator for at least an hour, up to two weeks.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F.
4. Spread the crust on the baking form and press gently into bottom and walls.
5. Remove seeds from the plums and cut them into thick slices. Arrange at the bottom of the form on top of the crust.

6. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until set and light gold.
7. In a medium bowl mix sugar with egg and Mascarpone cheese until smooth. Pour over the pre-baked tart.
8. Place the tart in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is gold and topping set.