Broccoli soup
Vegetable curry (potatoes, spinach, paneer)
Rice and lentil casserole
Spicy nut roast with creamed spinach and carrots
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Apricot and chocolate pastries
I had a little puff pastry in the freezer probably leftover from a pie I made a couple of months ago, and I decided to make something with it at last. I was too small to make a pie so I made these little pastries. They are very easy to make and absolutely gorgeous, especially when fresh out from the oven!
Makes ~16 pastries
~ 200g puff pastry
~ 100g semi-dried apricots, chopped
~ 50g dark chocolate, chopped
Apricot jam
1. Roll out the pastry onto a floured surface and cut 5 cm diameter circles.
2. Spread each circle with a little jam, add a few apricots bits, as well as chocolate drops.
3. Close and seal the circle with a little water and a fork. Brush with the beaten egg.
4. Place in a 180C pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.
Lemon meringues with whipped cream
I had some egg whites left from last week's Gateau Moka aux Amandes, so I decided to make some meringues: lemon-flavoured! They are really yummy, but I wish I had some limoncello to put in the whipped cream, it would have been even nicer!
Makes ~10 meringues:
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
rind of 1 lemon
whipping cream, whipped with lemon juice (or limoncello!)
1. Pre-heat the oven at 130 C.
2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff with an electric whisk. Gradually add the caster sugar and then the lemon rind. Whisk until glossy.
3. Arrange onto baking trays with a spoon or a piping device.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave to cool down in the oven with the door ajar.
Vegetable enchilladas with soya bean sprouts
I have modified my previous enchilladas recipe to include soya bean sprouts. It was very nice too!
Serves 4:
4 corn flour tortillas
150g soya bean sprouts
1 red pepper, cut into small dice
2 green chilli peppers, chopped
1 carrots, finely diced
8 baby sweet corn, finely diced
1 handful of frozen peas
For the sauce:
300ml passata
300ml vegetable stock
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
+ 150g Cheddar cheese, grated
1. Fry all the vegetable in 2 TBSP of oil until tender.
2. Divide into the 4 tortillas and arrange into an ovenproof dish.
(I had too much filling so pour the rest on top of enchilladas)3. To make the tomato sauce, mix the passata, vegetable stock, chilli powder and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
4. Pour the tomato sauce over the enchilladas and then sprinkle with the cheese.
5. Place in a pre-heated oven (180 C) for 20 minutes.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
It took me about 3 hours to make these, with a little help from Trave, but it was well worth the effort!
Home-made tortellini with ricotta and spinach filling and their creamy mushroom sauce
Serves 4
For the dough:
250g plain flour (or a bit more if necessary)
1 TBSP basil-infused olive oil
1 TBSP water (or more if necessary)
1 pinch of salt
3 eggs
optional: 1 tsp turmeric if you want yellow coloured pasta dough. Otherwise it may look a bit pale like on these photos.
For the filling:
125g frozen spinach, thawed and pat dry
125g ricotta cheese
20g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
black pepper
For the sauce:
1 TBSP olive oil
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
250ml double cream
1 TBSP parsley
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
1. Sieve the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well and place the eggs, oil and water in the centre of the well. Incorporate progressively the other ingredients to the flour. Once mixed, knead gently with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball.
2. Place a lit olive oil in the bowl, roll the dough into the oil. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together until you obtain a smooth mixture.
4. To make the tortellini, shape little balls with the dough, then roll them very thin using a pasta-rolling machine or a rolling pin to a 5 cm diametre circle (~2 in).
5. Place a teaspoong of the mixture in each circle, then seal them by brushing the edge with a little water and then pressing the edges together with a fork.
6. Boil the tortellini in lightly salted water for 7-10 minutes until 'al dente'. (you will need to start making the sauce before starting cooking the tortellini)
7. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the sliced mushroom and fry until the mushrooms are golden brown and their juice has evaporated. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the Parmesand, parsley and season to taste. The sauce is ready when is has browned and thickened.
8. Once the tortellini are cooked, drain well and place onto warm pasta bowls. Pour the mushroom sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper, and it's (finally!) ready!
Enjoy with a nice glass of red wine :-)
Home-made tortellini with ricotta and spinach filling and their creamy mushroom sauce
Serves 4
For the dough:
250g plain flour (or a bit more if necessary)
1 TBSP basil-infused olive oil
1 TBSP water (or more if necessary)
1 pinch of salt
3 eggs
optional: 1 tsp turmeric if you want yellow coloured pasta dough. Otherwise it may look a bit pale like on these photos.
For the filling:
125g frozen spinach, thawed and pat dry
125g ricotta cheese
20g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
black pepper
For the sauce:
1 TBSP olive oil
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
250ml double cream
1 TBSP parsley
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
1. Sieve the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well and place the eggs, oil and water in the centre of the well. Incorporate progressively the other ingredients to the flour. Once mixed, knead gently with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball.
2. Place a lit olive oil in the bowl, roll the dough into the oil. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together until you obtain a smooth mixture.
4. To make the tortellini, shape little balls with the dough, then roll them very thin using a pasta-rolling machine or a rolling pin to a 5 cm diametre circle (~2 in).
5. Place a teaspoong of the mixture in each circle, then seal them by brushing the edge with a little water and then pressing the edges together with a fork.
6. Boil the tortellini in lightly salted water for 7-10 minutes until 'al dente'. (you will need to start making the sauce before starting cooking the tortellini)
7. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the sliced mushroom and fry until the mushrooms are golden brown and their juice has evaporated. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the Parmesand, parsley and season to taste. The sauce is ready when is has browned and thickened.
8. Once the tortellini are cooked, drain well and place onto warm pasta bowls. Pour the mushroom sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper, and it's (finally!) ready!
Enjoy with a nice glass of red wine :-)
A day at home
Most people are back to work today in the UK after the Easter break, but the company I work for are open on Good Friday but closed the Tuesday following Easter.
I have been doing a bit of spring cleaning this morning, but then stopped because my knee is still painful from falling off my bike last Thursday on my way home. (the chain came of half-way up a hill, my shoes stuck to the pedals, so I fell with the bike and most of the bike's weight, my panniers', and my own were supported by my left knee, ouch!)
In any case, after cleaning the kitchen I decided to take a gentle walk into town in time to have lunch with Trave who is working today. I had an antipasti dish which was delicious. Then Trave went back to work and I went to the CD shop and found three CDs I really wanted:
- Toumani Diabaté, The Mandé Variations
Toumani Diabaté is a kora player from Mali. (not to say the greatest current kora player)
He will be performing at WOMAD this summer, and I will be there!
- Orchestra Baobab, Made in Dakar
We went to see Orchestra Baobab live a few months ago: this band from Senegal was just amazing! Also performing at WOMAD this year, lucky us!
- Manu Chao, La Radiolina
I am a big fan of Manu Chao, from the Mano Negra days of my youth until now with his solo career.
Sadly not at WOMAD, hopefully in the UK some day!
I have been doing a bit of spring cleaning this morning, but then stopped because my knee is still painful from falling off my bike last Thursday on my way home. (the chain came of half-way up a hill, my shoes stuck to the pedals, so I fell with the bike and most of the bike's weight, my panniers', and my own were supported by my left knee, ouch!)
In any case, after cleaning the kitchen I decided to take a gentle walk into town in time to have lunch with Trave who is working today. I had an antipasti dish which was delicious. Then Trave went back to work and I went to the CD shop and found three CDs I really wanted:
- Toumani Diabaté, The Mandé Variations
Toumani Diabaté is a kora player from Mali. (not to say the greatest current kora player)
He will be performing at WOMAD this summer, and I will be there!
- Orchestra Baobab, Made in Dakar
We went to see Orchestra Baobab live a few months ago: this band from Senegal was just amazing! Also performing at WOMAD this year, lucky us!
- Manu Chao, La Radiolina
I am a big fan of Manu Chao, from the Mano Negra days of my youth until now with his solo career.
Sadly not at WOMAD, hopefully in the UK some day!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Menu wk 13
Here is what will be on the menu this week:
Home-made tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
Vegetable chowder
Enchilladas
Home-made tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
Vegetable chowder
Enchilladas
Gemüsestrudel
I have a very good German vegetarian cookbook. The recipes are usually simple and only once I have been disappointed with the results. Most recipes from this book are delicious, and this vegetable strudel is one of them.
Serves 4-6 people:
1 pack of filo pastry (next time, I will attempt to make the pastry myself)
4 big handfuls of spinach leaves
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 courgettes, cut in the length then sliced
40g butter, melted
10 leaves fresh basil, shredded
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
100g cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp sesame seeds
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 C. Cover a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Cook the spinach until wilted then drain and pat dry with kitchen roll.
3. Heat the olive oil, fry the sliced onion for 5 min then add the vegetables and fry for another 5 - 7 minutes.
4. Place a sheet of filo pastry onto the baking paper. Brush the sheet with butter, add another sheet. Repeat until there are 6 sheets topping each other. Place the spinach in the middle of the top sheet, top with the vegetables, leaving the edges (4 cm) free. Season to taste. Sprinkle with the basil and rosemary. Cover with the cheese.
5. Using more melted butter to seal, wrap the vegetable middle part with the pastry edges and place more filo sheets to cover the middle. Seal well. Brush a little butter on the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Serve with a salad or fresh vegetables, and a nice red wine, like one of these which we had left from our wedding!
Serves 4-6 people:
1 pack of filo pastry (next time, I will attempt to make the pastry myself)
4 big handfuls of spinach leaves
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 courgettes, cut in the length then sliced
40g butter, melted
10 leaves fresh basil, shredded
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
100g cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp sesame seeds
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 C. Cover a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Cook the spinach until wilted then drain and pat dry with kitchen roll.
3. Heat the olive oil, fry the sliced onion for 5 min then add the vegetables and fry for another 5 - 7 minutes.
4. Place a sheet of filo pastry onto the baking paper. Brush the sheet with butter, add another sheet. Repeat until there are 6 sheets topping each other. Place the spinach in the middle of the top sheet, top with the vegetables, leaving the edges (4 cm) free. Season to taste. Sprinkle with the basil and rosemary. Cover with the cheese.
5. Using more melted butter to seal, wrap the vegetable middle part with the pastry edges and place more filo sheets to cover the middle. Seal well. Brush a little butter on the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Serve with a salad or fresh vegetables, and a nice red wine, like one of these which we had left from our wedding!
Mushroom quiche (by Trave)
I was away in Warsaw for a couple of days this week and in spite of this, Trave made the effort to make himself a nice dinner and there was even some leftovers for when I came back. Unlike his previous attempt, this quiche was edible. I mean, it was really really nice ;-)
Pastry:
90g wholemeal flour
90g plain white flour
80g butter
pinch of salt
3 TBSP cold water
Filling:
400g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
100g to 150g cheddar, grated
2 eggs
150ml milk
1. Mix the sieved flours with the butter using your fingertips, until it resemble breadcrumbs. Add the pinch of salt and water. Knead until smooth.
2. Roll out and line a greased ovenproof dish. Cover with baking paper and bake blind with baking beans for 10 minutes. (oven at 180 C) Remove the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Place the mushrooms under the grill until golden brown and drain well. Place the mushrooms into the pastry case, sprinkle with the herbs and the cheese. Mix the eggs and milk and pour over the case.
4. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden brown. Enjoy hot or cold.
Pastry:
90g wholemeal flour
90g plain white flour
80g butter
pinch of salt
3 TBSP cold water
Filling:
400g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
100g to 150g cheddar, grated
2 eggs
150ml milk
1. Mix the sieved flours with the butter using your fingertips, until it resemble breadcrumbs. Add the pinch of salt and water. Knead until smooth.
2. Roll out and line a greased ovenproof dish. Cover with baking paper and bake blind with baking beans for 10 minutes. (oven at 180 C) Remove the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Place the mushrooms under the grill until golden brown and drain well. Place the mushrooms into the pastry case, sprinkle with the herbs and the cheese. Mix the eggs and milk and pour over the case.
4. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden brown. Enjoy hot or cold.
Gateau Moka aux Amandes
This cake is very simple to make and truly delicious: a real treat on this bank holiday weekend!
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
5 large eggs
100g caster sugar
75g self-raising flour
For the creme au beurre moka:
75g caster sugar
4 TBSP water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
180g soft butter
2 TBSP coffee essence
1 TBSP dark rum
(try to replace coffee essence + rum by coffee liqueur, type Kahlúa)
For the garnish:
180g blanched almons, shredded, toasted and left to cool down completely.
1. Pre-heat the oven at 190 C. Grease and baseline a 20-23 cm deep round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place the egg and sugar into a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk at full speed until pale and very thick. Sift the flour on the surface of the mixture and gently fold with a spatula.
3. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the creme au beurre moka, place the sugar and water into a heavy-base saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil until the mixture becomes syrup-like. Pour in a thin thread onto the beaten egg yolks, slowly, whilst stirring the eggs. Keep stirring until cooled down.
5. In another bowl, cream the butter until very soft, and gradually beat in the egg yolk mixture. Stir in the coffee essence/liqueur.
6. Cut the cake in half horizontally and sandwich with a thin layer of the coffee butter cream. Spread the butter cream over the top and sides of the cake.
7. Press the toasted almonds all over the cake.
My cake sunk slightly in the middle after cooking, and also because the almonds were still hot when I started covering the cake, which was not a good idea as the butter cream started to melt! I could not wait much longer to try the cake... Make sure the almonds haved cooled down completely.
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
5 large eggs
100g caster sugar
75g self-raising flour
For the creme au beurre moka:
75g caster sugar
4 TBSP water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
180g soft butter
2 TBSP coffee essence
1 TBSP dark rum
(try to replace coffee essence + rum by coffee liqueur, type Kahlúa)
For the garnish:
180g blanched almons, shredded, toasted and left to cool down completely.
1. Pre-heat the oven at 190 C. Grease and baseline a 20-23 cm deep round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place the egg and sugar into a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk at full speed until pale and very thick. Sift the flour on the surface of the mixture and gently fold with a spatula.
3. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the creme au beurre moka, place the sugar and water into a heavy-base saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil until the mixture becomes syrup-like. Pour in a thin thread onto the beaten egg yolks, slowly, whilst stirring the eggs. Keep stirring until cooled down.
5. In another bowl, cream the butter until very soft, and gradually beat in the egg yolk mixture. Stir in the coffee essence/liqueur.
6. Cut the cake in half horizontally and sandwich with a thin layer of the coffee butter cream. Spread the butter cream over the top and sides of the cake.
7. Press the toasted almonds all over the cake.
Delicious served with a dark Cuban coffee flavoured with a dash of rum.
My cake sunk slightly in the middle after cooking, and also because the almonds were still hot when I started covering the cake, which was not a good idea as the butter cream started to melt! I could not wait much longer to try the cake... Make sure the almonds haved cooled down completely.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Cuba libre
This very easy to make and thanks to the coffeine in the cola drink, it will keep you awake all night!
For 1 Cuba libre:
2 shots of rum
1 big slice of lime
cola soft drink
For 1 Cuba libre:
2 shots of rum
1 big slice of lime
cola soft drink
Cycle Cuba Day 3
Day 3: San Diego de Los Baños - Guabina
We had been warned by the crew: Day 3 would be tough! To add to the challenge, it was also very, very hot.
We had about an hour of gentle cycling before reaching the starting point of the 'offroad through the mountains bit', of which we have no photo whatsoever :( We did not really know how long the track would be, so we concentrated all our energy on the cycling and forgot to take photos. Also, we could not really stop, because the terrain was so uneven and covered with gravels. You really had to keep your distances with the guys before and behind you or there would have been a high risk of collision!
Arrival to the water refill point before the hills:
This was the grandiose looking starting point of the offroad section. The road was tarmacked (spelling?) for a few miles, and then mostly gravel-covered path with many pot-holes. It was lucky there was virtually no traffic because it felt a bit dangerous whenever there was a vehicle passing by!
Uphill!
Top of the world!
Which way to Che's cave???
The five of us arrived first at the crossing, and had loads of time to recover and to take photos ;)
Here comes Abelito, our local guide:
More people arriving to the regrouping point:
Then we cycled another 5 miles or so and arrived at the cave where Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and dozens of guerilleros hid during the 'Missile Crisis' in 1962.
Che's bed:
Che's office:
We had lunch near the cave's site, our usual "ham & cheese" or veggie "cheese" sandwiches in sweet bread, a can of "Tú Cola" (Cuban alternative to Coca-Cola), occasionally a piece of cake and usually one or two pieces of fruit.
Funny that, searching Google for photos of a can of "Tú Cola" I have learned that in Spanish slang, it seams to have the meaning of "your bottom"... Don't ask me why they called the drink "Your Bottom"!
We cycled further in the direction of Guabina, and saw many more of these incredible landscapes, whilst enjoying going downhill for a bit! That afternoon was particularly striking with beautiful views. Truly amazing.
This is Charlotte, from Skyline Events. What a dream job she has!
We finally arrive to the campsite, which was gorgeous, bording a lake, where we had a nice evening and a wonderful sunset. Don't we all look a bit tired during the evening meal??? If I recall well, we all had an early night that day!
We passed many banana plantations like this one:
And fields of sugar cane:
We had about an hour of gentle cycling before reaching the starting point of the 'offroad through the mountains bit', of which we have no photo whatsoever :( We did not really know how long the track would be, so we concentrated all our energy on the cycling and forgot to take photos. Also, we could not really stop, because the terrain was so uneven and covered with gravels. You really had to keep your distances with the guys before and behind you or there would have been a high risk of collision!Arrival to the water refill point before the hills:
See the fluffy dice? ;)
Final stretches before the big hills!
This was the grandiose looking starting point of the offroad section. The road was tarmacked (spelling?) for a few miles, and then mostly gravel-covered path with many pot-holes. It was lucky there was virtually no traffic because it felt a bit dangerous whenever there was a vehicle passing by!
Uphill!
Top of the world!
And before we knew it, it was over... I had just finished the most terrifying cycle ride of my life, but I expected it to be so much more hard work that I almost felt disappointed when we reached the end of the track: I wanted some more!!!
It was really hot and the shade was scarse as it was close to midday. The landscape was as always very impressive, with rocky mountains in the background, and fields of tobacco around us. There was a house where a little was sitting and staring at us. There was a hen and her chicks chasing a motorcycle which kept passing by us.
It was really hot and the shade was scarse as it was close to midday. The landscape was as always very impressive, with rocky mountains in the background, and fields of tobacco around us. There was a house where a little was sitting and staring at us. There was a hen and her chicks chasing a motorcycle which kept passing by us.
Which way to Che's cave???
The five of us arrived first at the crossing, and had loads of time to recover and to take photos ;)
Here comes Abelito, our local guide:
More people arriving to the regrouping point:
Then we cycled another 5 miles or so and arrived at the cave where Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and dozens of guerilleros hid during the 'Missile Crisis' in 1962.
Che's bed:
Che's office:
We had lunch near the cave's site, our usual "ham & cheese" or veggie "cheese" sandwiches in sweet bread, a can of "Tú Cola" (Cuban alternative to Coca-Cola), occasionally a piece of cake and usually one or two pieces of fruit.
Funny that, searching Google for photos of a can of "Tú Cola" I have learned that in Spanish slang, it seams to have the meaning of "your bottom"... Don't ask me why they called the drink "Your Bottom"!
We cycled further in the direction of Guabina, and saw many more of these incredible landscapes, whilst enjoying going downhill for a bit! That afternoon was particularly striking with beautiful views. Truly amazing.
This is Charlotte, from Skyline Events. What a dream job she has!
We finally arrive to the campsite, which was gorgeous, bording a lake, where we had a nice evening and a wonderful sunset. Don't we all look a bit tired during the evening meal??? If I recall well, we all had an early night that day!
Sunset as seen from our tent. Now my PC's desktop background!
And off to another fun day of cycling!
In the morning, photos of ourselves wearing our chartiy T-shirt were taken. This is also the day I saw a humming bird in a bush, but did not manage to take a photo.
Here were the three Amnesty International fundraisers:
And off to another fun day of cycling!
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