A to Z ingredient index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


A

Apples

Apple blush
Apple & blueberry tart

Apricots

Apricot and orange jelly
Apricot and chocolate twirls

Asparagus

Fresh asparagus with orange dressing

Aubergines

Aubergine and courgette flans
Aubergine and sweet potato rolls

B

Bananas

Berries and banana smoothie
Summer fruit smoothie

Beetroot

Beetroot salad

Blueberries

Blueberry smoothie 1
Mango and blueberry smoothie
Apple & blueberry tart

Broad beans

Broad bean risotto

Broccoli

Cauliflower and broccoli flan
Vegetable chowder
Cauliflower and broccoli soup
Broccoli soup
Vegetable korma
Linguine with creamy vegetables

Bulghur

Vegetable Stir-fry and bulghur
Mashed potatoes & bulghur
Bulghur and potato cheesecakes (based on mashed potatoes & bulghur)
Mixed sprouting seed stew (with bulghur wheat)
Sprouting seeds with bulghur and quinoa

Butternut squash

Butternut squash curry
Couscous royal

Buckwheat flour

Buckwheat and vegetable stir-fry

Buckwheat grains

Galettes


C

Cabbage

Gougere
Cabbage gratin

Carrot

Carrot and leek quiche
Carrot and pesto lasagne
Winter stew
Carrot and parsnips bake
Carrot and leek quiche (multiseed pastry)
Potato and carrot quiche (hemp flour pastry)
Couscous royal
Spicy carrot traybake
Carrot mousseline
Courgette and carrot muffins
Potato, carrot and lentil Madras
Winter stew

Cauliflower

Cauliflower and broccoli flan
Cauliflower and broccoli soup
Vegetable croquettes
Aloo Gobi

Celeriac

Vegetable soup 1
Celeriac, mushroom and walnut risotto

Celery

Tofu, celery and carrot sandwich
Celery and cheese soup
Stilton and walnut soup
Fennel and celery risotto

Cereal flakes

Cereal galettes

Chard

Noodle curry

Cheddar/melting cheese

Cheese and mustard sandwich
Cheese fondue
Vegetarian sausages
Celery and cheese soup
Three cheese pasta bake
Stilton and walnut soup
Bulghur and potato cheesecakes
Chilli and cheese bread/cake
Cheesy vegetable chowder

Chick peas

Falafels
Curried rice patties
Lentil and chickpea patties with creamy coriander dressing

Chilli peppers

Cream cheese and chilli pepper sandwich
Chilli and cheese bread/cake

Chocolate

Double chocolate cookies
Hot chocolate drink
Poached pears with Mascarpone chocolate sauce
Hazelnut and chocolate cookies

Courgettes

Courgette and mushroom risotto
Pizza 1
Pizza 2
Vegetable lasagne
Mediterranean quiche
Couscous royal
Courgette and yellow pepper risotto
Aubergine and courgette flans
Courgette and carrot muffins
Courgette and feta croquettes
Stuffed courgettes

Couscous

Couscous royal
Lentil tagine with couscous

Curry

Potato and rice curry
Leek and mushroom curry
Curried rice patties
Vegetable korma
Noodle curry (with chard and lentils)
Potato, carrot and lentil Madras
Creamy vegetable curry

D

E

F


Fennel

Fennel seeds biscuits
Fennel and celery risotto
Fennel risotto

Feta

Pasta salad
Tomato and feta salad
Raw vegetables and feta salad
Raw vegetables and feta salad (2)
Tomato flan (rice pastry)
Feta and potato cake

G

Ginger

Vegetable croquettes
Spicy vegetable soup

Goat cheese

Potato bake with goat cheese
Pasta bake with goat cheese

Gruyere

Tomato and olive quiche
Aubergine and sweet potato rolls

H

Halloumi

Grilled halloumi and courgettes (veggie breakfast)

I

J

Jerusalem artichoke

Cream of artichoke soup

K

Kiwi

Kiwi and lime milkshake

L

Leeks

Carrot and leek quiche
Leek and tomato timbales
Potato and leek bake
Vegetarian sausages
Pea soup
Winter stew
Leek and mushroom curry
Carrot and leek quiche (multiseed pastry)
Spicy vegetable soup
Cabbage gratin

Lemon

Lemon and ricotta cheesecake
Marinated veggie kebabs

Lentils

Tomato and lentil soup
Lentil croquettes
Lentil and rice casserole
Lentil and mixed vegetables
Potato-topped lentil bake
Lentil and chickpea patties with creamy coriander dressing
Noodle curry
Potato, carrot and lentil Madras
Lentil tagine with couscous

Lime

Kiwi and lime milkshake

M

Mango

Mango and blueberry smoothie
Pango mango

Maple syrup

Maple and vanilla milkshake

Mascarpone

Poached pars with Mascarpone chocolate sauce

Melon

Pink melon smoothie

Mozzarella

Tomato & Mozarella salad

Mushrooms

Courgette and mushroom risotto
Gougere
Marinated mushrooms
Mushroom and red pepper pastries
Pasta with port sauce
Pepper and mushroom quiche
Pizza 2
Potato and mushroom bake
Leek and mushroom curry
Creamy stuffed mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms
Quinoa stuffed mushrooms
Mushroom quiche (by Trave)
Home-made ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
Mushroom vol-au-vent in creamy port sauce
Stuffed courgettes
Mushroom crumble

Mustard

Cheese and mustard sandwich

N

Noodles

Noodle curry

Nuts

Spicy nut roast
Lentil croquettes
Stilton and walnut soup
Butternut squash curry
Vegetarian paella (with cashew nuts)
Nutty samosas
Cashew nut biscuits
Hazelnut and chocolate cookies (with hazelnut butter)
Buckwheat and vegetable stir-fry (with cashew nuts)

O

Oats

Oats and raisins biscuits

Olives

Tomato and olive quiche

Orange

Fresh asparagus with orange dressing
Apricot and orange jellies

P

Pak choi

Tofu & noodle stir-fry

Parmesan

Wild rocket and Parmesan salad

Paneer

Paneer and spinach curry

Parsnips

Vegetable soup with parsnips
Carrot and parsnip bake
Split pea and parsnip soup

Passata

Red pepper soup

Pasta

Three cheese pasta bake
Tomato and macaroni bake
Home-made ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
Pasta with creamy white wine sauce
Linguine with creamy vegetables
Pasta with creamy veg sauce

Pea

Pea soup

Pears

Poached pears with Mascarpone chocolate sauce

Peach

Pango mango
Peach dessert

Peppers

Pepper and mushroom quiche
Mushroom and red pepper pastries
Red pepper soup
Pizza 1
Vegetable lasagne
Mediterranean quiche
Courgette and yellow pepper risotto
Rice-stuffed peppers
Celeriac, mushroom and walnut risotto

Pesto

Carrot and pesto lasagne

Pineapple

Watermelon and pineapple drink
Caribbean sunset

Pomegranate juice

Blueberry smoothie with pomegranate

Potatoes

Potato and leek bake
Potato and mushroom bake
Potato and rice curry
Potato pie
Spicy nut roast
Winter stew
Nutty samosas
Samosas
Mashed potatoes & Bulghur
Potato and carrot quiche (Hemp flour pastry)
Bulghur and potato cheesecakes
Vegetable croquettes
Aloo Gobi
Baked potatoes (with cream and cheese)
Potato-topped lentil bake
Vegetable korma
Mini-potato Bratlinge
Potato bake with goat cheese
Feta and potato cake
Potato, carrot and lentil Madras
Creamy vegetable curry
Potato and spinach korma
Spiced potato and spinach wheels
Potato-topped lentil bake

Pumpkin

Pumpkin soup

Q

Quinoa

Quinoa stuffed mushrooms
Sprouting seeds with bulghur and quinoa

R

Raisins

Oats and raisins biscuits

Red berries

Berries and banana smoothie
Creamy summer fruit smoothie
Summer fruit smoothie

Red kidney beans

Spicy Mexican pie

Red wine

Red wine sauce
Tomato red wine sauce

Rice

Vegetarian paella
Courgette and mushroom risotto
Lentil and rice casserole
Leek and mushroom curry
Spicy basmati rice and vegetables
Curried rice patties
Fennel risotto
Vegetable korma
Tomato flan (rice pastry)
Creamy vegetable curry
Potato and spinach korma

Ricotta

Italian savoury pastry
Lemon and ricotta cheesecake
Home-made ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce

S

Seeds

Carrot and leek quiche (multiseed pastry)
Mediterranean quiche (multiseed pastry)


Spinach

Italian savoury pastry
Paneer and spinach curry
Home-made ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce
Linguine with creamy vegetables
Creamy vegetable curry
Pasta with creamy veg sauce
Potato and spinach korma
Spiced potato and spinach wheels
Sweetcorn and spinach soup

Sprouting seeds

Mixed sprouting seed stew
Sprouting seeds with bulghur and quinoa

Squash

Squash soup

Strawberry

Apple blush
Pink melon smoothie

Sund-dried tomatoes

Sun-dried tomato bread

Sweetcorn

Vegetable chowder
Sweetcorn and spinach soup

Sweet potatoes

Aubergine and sweet potato rolls
Lentil tagine with couscous

T

Tahini

Tahini dressing

Tofu

Marinated veggie kebabs
Tofu, celery and carrot sandwich
Tofu & noodle stir-fry

Tofu (smoked)

Vegetarian kebabs
Smoked tofu stir-fry
Potato-topped lentil bake
Winter stew

Tomato

Leek and tomato timbales
Pasta salad
Pasta with port sauce
Tomato and feta salad
Tomato and lentil soup
Tomato red wine sauce
Wild rocket and Parmesan salad
Tomato flan (rice pastry)
Tomato and olive quiche
Tomato & Mozarella salad

U

V

Vanilla

Maple and vanilla milkshake
Peach dessert

Vegetables (mixed)

Cheese fondue
Vegetable enchilladas
Vegetable enchilladas with bean sprouts
Vegetarian kebabs
Vegetable jalousie
Lentil and rice casserole
Spicy basmati rice and vegetables
Spicy Mexican pie
Vegetable stir-fry and bulghur
Omelette with broccoli and baby sweetcorn cobs
Buckwheat with vegetable stir-fry
Raw vegetables and feta salad
Cheesy vegetable chowder
Lentils and mixed vegetables
Vegetable Jambalaya
Vegetable calzone
Vegetable pies
Pizza verdi
Gemüsestrudel
Mushroom & pepper quiche with wild rocket
vegetable curry
Vegetable toad-in-the-hole

W

Watermelon

Watermelon and pineapple drink

Wild rocket

Wild rocket and Parmesan salad
Tomato & Mozarella salad
Mushroom & pepper quiche with wild rocket

X

Y

Z

New look blog

Bear with me, I am creating an index for the recipes I publish on this blog. This will take some time but should be worth the effort eventually. I would love to have an ingredient-based index too, but one thing at a time!

BBQ

Marinated veggie kebabs

Vegetarian kebabs

BBQ menu

Drinks

Summer fruit smoothie

Apple blush

Watermelon and pineapple drink

Pango mango

Pink melon smoothie

Berries and banana smoothie

Kiwi and lime milkshake

Mango and blueberry smoothie

Maple and vanilla milkshake

Blueberry smoothie 1

Creamy summer fruit smoothie

Hot chocolate drink

Caribbean sunset

Cranberry juice cocktail

Tropical smoothie

Mojito

Cuba libre

Strawberry and blueberry milkshake

Desserts & biscuits

Peach dessert

Oats and raisins biscuits

Lemon and ricotta cheesecake

Double chocolate cookies

Poached pears with Mascarpone chocolate sauce

Fennel seed biscuits

Almond and hazelnut gateau

Apricot and orange jelly

Hazelnut & chocolate cookies

Apple and blueberry tart

Apricot and chocolate twirls

Chocolate duo crunchy bites

Spicy carrot cake (traybake)

Crepes (pancakes)

Gateau Moka aux Amandes

Lemon meringues

Apricot and chocolate pastries

Nutty fudge

Wholemeal chocolate-coated biscuits

Honey and Cointreau madeleines

Lemon and thyme creams

Lemon madeleines

Chocolate & hazelnut palmiers

Apple & blueberry tart (2)

Chocolate rum cake

Yoghurt and berries

Yoghurt cake

Strawberry and raspberry tart

Main courses

Select a type of main course to view the relevant recipes:

Roasts
Sausages, patties, falafels
Stuffed vegetables
Pizzas
Bakes
Pastry dishes (quiches & pies)
Pasta
Risottos and paellas
Stir-fries, casseroles and couscous
Curries
Others



Roasts


Spicy nut roast
Nutty harvest loaf with creamy honey sauce


Sausages, patties, falafels

Falafels
Cereal galettes
Vegetarian sausages
Lentil croquettes
Vegetable croquettes
Curried rice patties with tahini dressing
Lentil and chickpea patties with creamy coriander dressing
Mini-potato Bratlinge
Courgette and feta croquettes
Feta and potato cake
Spiced potato and spinach wheels

Stuffed vegetables

Creamy stuffed mushrooms
Quinoa stuffed mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms
Rice-stuffed peppers
Baked potatoes (with cream and cheese)


Pizzas

Basic pizza dough
Pizza 1 (courgette, green pepper, mushrooms)
Pizza 2 (mixed peppers and courgette)
Pizza 3 (broccoli, tomato, red pepper, mozzarella)
Pizza bianca (courgette, mozzarella)
Pizza verdi (baby spinach, celery, green pepper, asparagus tips)
Vegetable calzone


Bakes

Potato and leek bake
Potato and mushroom bake
Carrot and parsnip bake
Potato bake with goat cheese
Cabbage gratin
Mushroom crumble
Potato-topped lentil bake
Vegetable toad-in-the-hole


Pastry dishes

Shortcrust pastry quiches & flan

Carrot and leek quiche
Mediterranean quiche
Pepper and mushroom quiche
Carrot and leek quiche (multiseed pastry)
Tomato and olive quiche
Mushroom quiche (by Trave)
Mushroom and pepper quiche with wild rocket
Cauliflower and broccoli flan
Carrot and potato quiche (with hemp flour)

Puff pastry pies

Potato pie
Vegetable pies
Mushroom and red pepper pastries
Vegetable jalousie
Mushroom vol-au-vent in creamy port sauce

Other pastries
Italian pastry
Spicy Mexican pie
Tomato flan (rice pastry)
Gemüsestrudel


Pasta

Home-made pasta dough
Carrot and pesto lasagne
Vegetable lasagne
Pasta with port sauce
Three cheese pasta
Tomato and macaroni bake
Pasta bake with goat cheese
Linguine in creamy tomato sauce
Ricotta and spinach tortellini with creamy mushroom sauce (home-made pasta)
Pasta with creamy white wine sauce
Linguine with creamy vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes)
Pasta with creamy veg sauce (spinach, mushrooms, courgette)


Risttos and paellas

Courgette and mushroom risotto
Fennel and celery risotto
Broad bean risotto
Fennel risotto
Courgette and yellow pepper risotto
Vegetarian paella
Cuban basic's rice & beans
Celeriac, mushroom and walnut risotto


Stir-fries, casseroles and couscous

Lentil and rice casserole
Vegetable stiry-fry with bulghur
Smoked tofu stir-fry
Buckwheat and vegetables
Lentils and mixed vegetables
Vegetable jambalaya
Tofu & noodle stir-fry
Sprouting seeds with bulghur & quinoa
Couscous royal
Lentil tagine with couscous


Curries

Butternut squash curry
Potato and rice curry
Leek and mushroom curry
Paneer and spinach curry
Noodle curry
Spicy basmati rice with vegetables
Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato)
Vegetable korma
Nutty samosas
Samosas
Potato, carrot and lentil Madras
Creamy vegetable curry (spinach, potatoes, tomatoes)
Potato and spinach korma
Spiced potato and spinach wheels
vegetable curry


Others

Cheese fondue
Buckwheat galettes
Savoury crepes
Mashed potatoes & bulghur
Potato and bulghur cheesecakes
Omelette1
Gougere
Burritos
Vegetable enchilladas
Broccoli enchiladas
Vegetable enchilladas with bean sprouts
Grilled halloumi and vegetables (veggie breakfast)

Sauces and dressings

Tomato red wine sauce

Red wine sauce

Orange dressing

Tahini dressing

Stir-fry sauce

Creamy honey sauce

Snacks & light lunches

Cheese and mustard sandwich

Cream cheese and chilli pepper sandwich

Tofu, celery and carrot sandwich

Cashew nut biscuits

Cheese and crackers

Chilli and cheese bread/cake

Tomato and mozzarella Bruschettas

Courgette and carrot muffins

Fruit salad with yoghurt

Hummus and crudités

Ciabatta with halloumi and sundried tomatoes

Soups

Vegetable soup 1

Vegetable chowder

Red pepper soup

Tomato and lentil soup

Pumpkin soup

Pea soup

Winter stew

Celery and cheese soup

Stilton and walnut soup

Cauliflower and broccoli soup

Squash soup

Cheesy vegetable chowder

Broccoli soup

Spicy vegetable soup

Black bean soup

Split pea and parsnip soup

Mixed sprouting seed stew (with bulghur wheat)

Cream of artichoke soup

Rice and pearl barley stew

Winter stew

Sweetcorn and spinach soup

Starters

Pasta salad

Tomato and feta salad

Marinated mushroom

Leek and tomato timbales

Beetroot salad

Asparagus with orange dressing

Italian salad

Wild rocket & Parmesan salad

Raw vegetables and feta salad

Raw vegetables and feta salad

Creamy stuffed mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms

Vegetable pies

Aubergine and courgette flans

Tomato & mozzarella salad

Wild rocket salad (home-grown)

Rice-stuffed peppers

Leek and tomato timbales

This is what is on the menu tonight and it is fairly easy to make and can look impressive if well presented.

Serves 4 to 5 people:

90g cappellini or linguine
10g butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large leek, finely sliced
100g sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
1 TSP oregano
2 eggs, beaten
100ml single cream
1 TBSP Parmesan, grated

1. Cook the pasta. Drain and rince with cold water.

2. Heat half the butter and oil in a frying pan. Fry the leek until softened. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the leekmixuture to the pasta. Stir in the beaten eggs, cream and Parmesan. Season. Divide between 4 to 5 ramequins.

4. Place the ramequins in a roasting tin with enough warm water to come halfway up their sides. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, until set.

5. Run a spatula around the edge of the ramequins, turn out the timables on to warm serving places and serve with a green salad or vegetables




Timbales poireaux-tomates

Pour 4-5 personnes :

90g cappellini ou linguine
25g beurre
1 c. soupe huile d'olive
1 gros poireau, coupé finement
100g tomate séchées, réhydratées et émincées
1 c. café origan
2 oeufs, battus
100ml créme fraiche liquide
1 c. soupe Parmesan rápé

1. Cuire les pâtes. Les égoutter puis rincer á l'eau froide.

2. Chauffer le beurre et l'huile d'olive. Y faire frire le poireau pendant 6 minutes. Y ajouter les tomates pendant 2 minutes.

3. Ajouter le mélange poireau-tomate aux pâtes. Y ajouter les oeufs battus, la créme et le Parmesan. Répartir dans des ramequins.

4. Mettre les ramequin dans un plat allant au four. Y verser de l'eau tiéde jusqu'á la moitié de la hauteur des ramequins et passer au four préchauffé pendant 30 minutes.

5. S'aider d'une spatule pour démouler les ramequins sur des assiettes préchauffées et servir avec une salade verte ou des légumes verts.

The last three days

I had some holiday entitlement left from last year which I had to take before the end of February or lose them. Guess what I did? I have just spent three days doing... not much... at home! And it was great! Well, when I say not much, it usually comprises studying, cooking, housecleaning, organising bits and pieces for the wedding, etc...

For instance, I spent literally hours editing our wedding website in the past two weeks. These things take an awful lot of time. I guess that's what you pay website designers for, because it is not even that difficult, once you know a few tricks. I have a good teacher, as Trave is a computer programmer. And he has done the framework. I am only filling the pages. But still. I am proud of myself!

I have also been looking at various cooking blogs, as we are looking for vegetarian alternatives for our wedding meal. Both Trave and I are vegetarians, but also Longcat the Bestman, his better half, and a few of our friends.

I have a few ideas now.

Oh, and back to work tomorrow!

L'homme du train

Another movie from Patrice Leconte. Great characterisation, just like in Girl on the Bridge. Very odd: melancholic yet funny, L'Homme du Train ist about two men who seem to have nothing in commun but who discover that they can appreciate each other, in a way.

I am now looking forward to seeing more of his work. So far I had seen only the two old time classics Les Bronzés, and Les Bronzés font du ski. Not to forget Le Pére Noel est une ordure (same actors, different director) I LOVE THESE MOVIES!!!

Soup with all the veg left in the box

As Trave was poorly with a stomach bug, V advised a 24h fast (only liquids, so I made some blueberry & pear smoothie), followed by a week of eating pro-biotic yoghurts. He cheated a little bit yesterday evening and had a bowl a soup.

This soup tasted surprisingly good, given that I had paid little attention to what went in it: all the vegetables we had left needed using up badly. So in the soup there was:

- 1 celeriac
- 2 leeks
- 10 jerusalem artichokes
- 4 parsnips
- 1 cauliflower

All diced/sliced and cooked in boiling water with bayleaves for 25 minutes.
Then all in the food processor, back in the pan, with a hint of nutmeg, parsley, salt and loads of freshly ground black pepper.

I wish we had had some carrots though!

You would be surprised by the taste. Much better than expected. And Trave feels so much better today !

We will have some more tonight.

======================

Soupe avec tous les légumes qui nous restaient:

- celery rave
- 2 poireaux
- 10 topinambours
- 4 panais
- 1 chou-fleur

Mine de rien, cette soupe était très bonne. Avec un peu de persil et de la noix de muscade, c'était plutôt bon !

What to do with your used water-filter cartridges

I wanted to post this message months ago but somehow never did.

People living in hard water areas (like us) usually filter their tap water. We used to have a Kenwood filter, but it was too small and we had to filter the jug twice to cook pasta for two! So we bought a bigger one a few years ago, from the Brita brand.

I am generally not over-concerned about brands but the good thing about the Brita filter, whether linked to fact that it is a German company or not, is that you can send your used cartridges for recycling. And it is a free post address. (in the UK at least).

Here is the return address in the UK:

Brita Recycling
Freepost NAT 17876
Bicester
OX26 4BR

This reminds me we need to pack and send back at least 12 months worth of cartridges...

Who is to blame?

Who is to blame? Trave's new big open-plan office with air-conditioning or my delicious meal from yesterday evening? In any case, Trave is very poorly right now with a bad stomach bug, eeeeek!

Nevermind: on the menu yesterday were sausages with purple sprouting broccoli and fried mushrooms. The sausage recipe is based on my previously posted sausage recipe, but with coriander and tarragon, and I also added 100g of mixed chopped nuts, yum yum!

Trave's first day!

Trave is starting today at his new job, hurrah!

I have some days' holidays left from 2006 which I have to take before the end of this month so I am working on my TMA and also our wedding preparations, both of which are very time-consuming.

It is nice to see that Trave found a new job so quickly, and still in game programming. People at his new company seem very nice too!

Girl on the Bridge

We watched La Fille sur le Pont last week. I had not seen it for a while and I thought it was even better than I recalled. The use of light is extraordinary and the atmosphere stunning. Vanessa Paradis and Daniel Auteil are astonishing. The dialogues are really good. Subtitles seemed difficult to read though, so might be a bit challenging if you are not fluent in French and don't want to miss a split of a second of the imagery. Don't miss this film!

Vegetable enchilladas

3 Steps for delicious enchiladas:

1. Dice various vegetables and fry in a wok. (here I put baby sweetcorn, spinach, carrots, red pepper, leeks, and red hot chilli peppers)

2. Roll in tortillas whether home-made or ready-bought and place in a greased ovenproof dish. I did not have time to make them myself this time :(

3. Make a tomato sauce spiced up with chilli. Pour over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Place in the oven until golden brown.
Enjoy!

Fantastic potato pie

This is the first time I try this recipe and I am glad I did! It is fairly simple (if you buy the puff pastry ready-made as I must admit I did). It is also very nutritious and tasty.

Serves 4-6 people:

puff pastry
700g potatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
150ml double cream
2 eggs
Salt, pepper and herbs


1. Parboil the potatoes for 10 min. Meanwhile, fry the onion and red pepper with a bit of butter.

2. Mix together the drained potatoes, the onion and pepper, herbs and seasonning and 2 tablespoons of double cream.

3. Divide the pastry in two. Roll out half of it on a baking sheet. Spoon the potato mixture onto the pastry, leaving 2-3 cm border.

4. Beat 1 egg into a smal bowl and brush the edges of the pastry. Roll out the second half of pastry and cover the potatoes. Seal well with the beaten egg. Make a slit with a knife in the centre of the pie. Brush the pie with the rest of the beaten egg.



5. Place in a 200 degrees preheated oven for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the double cream together with the second egg.

7. After 30 minutes, pour in the double cream and egg mixture through the slit. Place back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

8. Serve with fresh vegetables.

Go Trave!!!

One of the news I did not publish when it happened was that Trave had been made redundant last Monday after the company he was working for had become insolvent. All staff were made redundant at once. Not a great piece of news...

However, another video game developer in town is currently recruiting so Trave has applied and is currently taking part in a two-day recruiting process, where he has a mini-project to work on and present at the end of the 2 days. He started on Friday and will finish on Monday.

He has also received another offer so he has a good chance of being employed again very soon.

GO TRAVE!!! You are an excellent computer game programmer. Whoever you decide to work for, they won't regret employing you.

GOOD LUCK ON MONDAY.

Requiem for a Dream

We watched Requiem for a Dream yesterday night. I have not quite recovered from it yet.


It is basically the story of four people who all have dreams, ambitions, etc... and who all get into drugs hoping for a better life soon.

A really good movie, excellent photography and shooting and I am really glad I watched it and I recommend the experience to anybody but I am not sure I want to watch it again. At least not in the near future.

There is a very good use of close-ups, and speed: slow motion vs accelerated shots. And the grand finale is extremely disturbing and upsetting and breathtaking...

Pizza, vino y sueño

I made very good pizzas (pizzi???) yesterday: one with pesto the other with tomato paste and herbs, topped with red, yellow and green peppers and courgettes, unrefined extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, mixed Italian hebs and cheddar cheese. Accompanied by a Cabernet Sauvignon which was not bad for its price, and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.

For the basic pizza base recipe, click here!


We also watched "Requiem for a Dream", I'm still shivering... (see next post)

Lemon ricotta cheesecake

easy and yummy cheesecake!


Ingredients:

250-300g ricotta cheese (I have used cottage cheese instead and it works just as well)
2 TBSP semolina
60g raisins/sultanas
3 TBSP grappa or marsala
100g caster sugar
3 big egg yolks (keep the egg whites to make meringues!)
3 TBSP lemon juice
finely grated rind of 2 big lemons

1. Soak the rasins in the grappa/marsala an hour or so beforehand.
2. Grease a cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.
3. Mix together the cheese, semolina, egg yolks, sugar, lemon rind and juice, then add the soaked raisins. Pour in the tin.
4. Place in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until set.
5. Open the oven door and leave to cool in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with icing sugar to decorate.

Snow landscapes from our flat

It did snow indeed! The following pictures show how it looked on Thursday morning from our front and rear window. Everything looked really nice... until I reached the main road, which was very muddy.

I gave blood after work on that day and did not feel too well afterwards, so given the very icy pavements, we took a taxi back home: better safe than sorry!

Winter has finally arrived

After a much milder than usual December and January (there was no snow in Bavaria or Austria), we are now having cold, but crisp and sunny weather for the last few days, and we may have some snow overnight!

I am glad we have a nice gas fire in the living room, because with no central heating, it is barely 10 degrees Celsius in the other rooms... brrr... A bit less today as Trave left the bathroom window opened when he left this morning.

We are having an interesting/stressful/exciting/scary time lately, but I won't reveal anything until we know a bit more.

I hope we get some snow tomorrow: although it makes cycling challenging, I love getting up early and going outside when it has snowed. Everything seems so much quieter. It reminds me of Jukkasjärvi and Kiruna. Standing still in the middle of the vast and wild space of the Åbisko Park, all covered with immaculate white snow... unforgettable! The only sounds were from wild animals and the dogs' breath (we travelled on dogs' sledge). Wonderful experience. It was a bit chilly though, even with a thermos bottle full of Glögg! (well, it was empty after a couple of hours spent outside!!!)

Saturday afternoon walk

The weather was stunning today: sunny, warm, and not windy at all. Oh, gorgeous sunshine, it is so nice to see you again!

We went for a walk through the fields and met dozens of other walkers (most of them dog owners). I really enjoy walking in the 'countryside' (say outside of town) and greeting strangers. People are so friendly when you leave the city, especially when you are walking or cycling. I guess people who drive throught the country lane don't actually meet any locals.We ventured to the next village and on our way back, decided to make a little detour via the pub, which is on the river and has a watermill inside. We saw a couple of fishermen there. We first sat outside watching at the castle ruins behind the river, but then it became a bit chilly so we went inside. At this point I have to mention Trave's eternal joke: whenever I say "I'm chilly" he would reply "I'm Argentina, nice to meet you." AH AH AH!!! The worst thing is: I LAUGH EVERYTIME!

As seen from our table:


It was dusk when we left the pub. Light engouh to see the path though, and we had our bike torch if it had been too dark. It's fine walking back home when the fields have wheat or sweetcorn, but we found it difficult to find our way in the dark the first time after the harvest!

The missing egg

I forgot to incorporate the egg into the bake I made yesterday. Except I had broken the egg in a bowl already and the dish was ready to put in the oven. So rather than wasting an egg I made some cookies tonight! What a great idea, we had not had cookies for ages. I made them with chocolate chips and cocoa powder. My favourites are with orange peel and chocolate chips.

Here is a photo:

Recipe for 18 cookies:

175g flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g margarine
100g light muscovado sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla flavouring
1 egg
125 g dark choc chips
cocoa powder (optional)

mix all ingredients together and place spoonfuls on floured baking trays in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for 10 minutes.

================================

Recette pour 18 cookies :

175g farine
1 c. café de levure chimique
125g margarine
100g cassonade
50g sucre en poudre fin
1 c. café extrait de vanille
1 oeuf
125g pépites de chocolat
poudre de cacao (optionnel)


bien mélanger tous les ingrédients et placer des cuillerées sur des plaques farinées dans un four préchauffé á 180 degrés et cuire pendant 10 minutes.

Bombón el perro

Bombón el Perro is a great film, which I enjoyed seeing for a second time. Simple story about simple people. Very funny and touching at times. And I also like the Argentinian accent when they speak Spanish.

We watched it on Tuesday night with a nice bowl of pasta with roasted courgettes and tomatoes. Yum yum!

I recommend the film. Really.

A little about a big piece of news

Well...eh... We told our families over Christmas, and our friends more recently. And I guess I should have posted here... I'm just too shy about it...

Trave and I are engaged and are getting married this September!

(wasn't that hard to write after all!)

I did not tell work, (not the sort of things that comes up easily in a conversation: "By the way, on the subject of last month's sales performance, I'm getting married!" Not really...) but my boss spotted my ring this afternoon. Then became RED RED RED like a perfectly ripe tomato. I guess everybody in the company will get the news before the end of tomorrow! Gossips tend to spread faster than essential work information in some places!!!

So I guess I'll have to face many queries from curious workmates in the next few days.

eeeek!

Latest delicacies

We bought a grill recently. Not any grill, it claims to be a "Lean, Mean, Fat Reducing Grilling Machine". I can simply imagine a hip-hop background to this chorus. Oh dear, now they are trying to make ads rhyme too!!!

In any case, it's great, and we can enjoy kebabs in January. The ones on the picture shows smoked tofu kebabs with a lemon & herbs marinade. Very nice.


I did not have any room left for a dessert...


And yesterday, I made a cauliflower and broccoli flan which was delicious. I made the pastry with 1/3 wholemeal flour, 1/3 plain flour and 1/3 millet flakes. Precook the pastry for 15 min.

For the filling, parboil medium-size broccoli and cauliflower for 10 min (cut into small florets). Arrange the florets in the pastry case. Then melt 3 TBSP butter, fry a chopped onion in the pan, add 2-3 TBSP flour, 150ml milk, 6TBSP veg stock, 50g grated cheese. Season to taste. Pour on top of broccoli & cauliflower. Sprinkle with grated cheese. In the oven for 15 min.

Chain reaction

BA have cancelled all their flights from Heathrow next Tuesday and Wednesday. And ticket prices with Austrian Airlines have doubled if not sold out. So I have had to cancel my trip to Vienna (business).

So I had to cancel the car rental agreement, since I needed a car to go to the airport. And this means I won't be able to go to a workmate's 40th birthday celebration which takes place 10 miles from where I live. I cannot really cycle there on a Friday night in the middle of winter and the last train coming back is at 9.30 pm... So no birthday party for me. :(

BA cabin crew are going on strike because they disagree with the new sickpay policy. The company has reduced the sickpay allowances apparently. I sympathise with workers when they have a good argument to fight for, but when I heard that on average each BA cabin crew worker claims 22 days off per year, I just think this is totally wrong. Why should I support this?

I am sorry to see again that because of some abusing the system, people who are really ill and who really need the allowance will suffer from the new measures. 22 days a year...

My TMA marks

Of course I would keep quiet if they were bad, but this is not the case so I'll show off. I am especially proud because the module was about information and finance, and numeracy is not exactly my strong point.

So tada.... (rolling drums)

Information Management: 85%
Finance Management: 77%


I am now starting the final module, on Customers and Quality Management. I will sit for the final exam in October.

Yesterday's board games

We decided to remove the dust-covered sets of draughts and chess and have a game or two. I knew from the start that was a mistake. I know that Trave is so much better than me.

And I was VERY confused to be reminded that the draughts board was the same as the chess board. As far as I was concerned, a draughts board ought to be wider. As the game went, we kept argueing about the rules. So we looked it up on this fantastic tool that the WWW is, to discover that once again, the Brits do everything differently from the rest of the world. (is this why I am in love with one of them?) There are English Draughts rules on one side (board is 8x8) and International Draughts rules on the other (10x10 board), the latter being the ones I know. A few variances exist, my favourite would be Lasca, because I like the idea of mixing Jenga with Draughts. So, mystery solved. None of us was cheating but we knew different rules. Needless to say that Trave won easily. ("Fingerz in ze noze" as the French say when they achieve something without much effort)

Then came a game of chess... no comment... it did not last long enough to comment upon.


We finished with a game of Scrabble. By then half of the bottle of wine had gone. Maybe this is the reason why I WON? Yes, I won!!! Despite whining everytime Trave had a tripple count word (he gets them EVERYTIME, seriously) I finally found my way through to victory, hey hey!!! 279 for me and 271 for him. Sweet victory...

German curling in Vienna

The reason for my absence was that our customer in Vienna had requested a technical training for all their mechanics Some 20 mechanics from all over Austria came to the headoffice in Vienna for a week long training, and Wednesday was 'our' day. I flew with a workcolleague who has a technical background, which was quite helpful at times!

The evening beforehand, we went out for a couple of games of 'Eisstockschiessen', which I just discovered is called 'German Culing'. We did the training & curling last year as well, but with -16°C... This year was just slightly below zero so it was comfortable. German curling is really fun. The equivalent to bowling I guess. Except you're outside on the icerink.

And the following picture shows my pride after my perfect shot. I swear I did not cheat and I really got the Stock to stop where it did. And our team won (not thanks to me despite this wonderful shot) so we did not have to pay for the dinner afterwards!

Last Sunday baking

I was away most of this week. Let's see what happened in the last seven days...

It is a tradition where I work to bring cakes on your birthday. Most people choose Mr. Kipling as their annual supplier. I rely on the local greengrocer to provide me with fresh eggs and fruits, and look through my various recipes. This year, I brought:

- Oat & Raisin biscuits
- Iced Chocolate Traybake
- Crunchy Top Lemon Cake

I'll give you the recipe for the Oat & Raisin Biscuits, which are really easy to make and very healthy too!


Makes ~20 biscuits

4 TBSP butter
125g caster sugar
1 egg
50g flour
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP baking powder
175g rolled oats/porridge oats
125g raisins
2 TBSP sesame seeds

mix all the ingredients together and place pingpong size balls onto baking sheets, into a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

================

Recette des biscuits aux flocons d'avoine et raisins secs:

4 c. soupe beurre
125g sucre en poudre
1 oeuf
50g farine
1/2 c. café sel
1/2 c. café levure
175g flocons d'avoine
125g raisins secs
2 c. soupe graines de sésame

mélanger tous les ingrédients, placer des petites boules sur des plaques et passer au four pendant 10-15 minutes.

Yesterday's Scrabble game

Trave won yesterday's game, again! I am the Trivial Pursuit master, but he is the overall winner at Scrabble. The score yesterday was Trave = 291, me = 276. Here is a shot of our game: we used ALL the letters.

Walter Moers - Der Bonker

Comedy, Adolf Hitler, Comic, drei meter stahlbeton, kapitulier doch

I came across this video through a review about the new film by Dani Levy, Mein Fuehrer, and the argument whether or not one can laugh about Hitler or not. Reviews are not kind.

Birthday in Munich & birthday present

It was my birthday on Monday. I was in Munich for work but we were not successful in our negotiations and lost the deal :( The only positive aspect of this failure (therefore finishing early) is that instead of spending all of my birthday in a meeting room, we had time (with our German distributor) to go into town and visit the Neue Pinakothek, which I wanted to visit during my last stay in Munich, when I took a few days holidays. It had been really hot and sunny during the entire week beforehand, during which I was working. On my first day of 'freedom' in Munich, it started hailing and snowing. So that museum visits became a necessity to avoid boredom. Except all museums were closed on Mondays... Ggrrr... So I am glad I saw the Pinakothek this time!

I left the UK on Sunday afternoon and came back home a few minutes before the end of my birthday, when Trave was waiting for me with a great present: the last CD produced by Ali Farka Touré (he died in March 2006).



I had heard of him and read about him quite a lot but did not actually know his music, which I am listening to right now. I like it very much. African blues, if you want to know the style. Fantastic.

My only frustration compared to, say... Amadou & Mariam, is that I do not understand the words, but the CD leaflet offers a summary of each song subject in English.

Right, actually, the song I am listening to now, "Savane", is in French, so forget what I wrote above!

Vegetarian paella

I know, it's not the real stuff, but it was really nice nonetheless!

Vegetarian paella for 4 people:

400g paella rice or arborio rice
1 tsp saffron
1 tsp cumin powder
1-2 chilli powder
1 onion, sliced or chopped
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 green chilli pepper, finedly chopped
100g baby sweetcorn cobs, halved in their length
1 litre veg stock
100g frozen peas
100g unsalted cashew nuts


1. Heat some olive oil in a large and deep frying pan and fry the onion. Add the rice and spices, stir it a bit, then add the vegetables (except the peas & nuts).

2. Add all the stock and cook for 30 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

3. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the cashew nuts under the grill.

4. Serve the rice in preheated plates and sprinkle with cashews. (if you mix the nuts to the rice, they loose their crunchiness)



Paella Végétarienne

Je sais, ce n'est pas la 'vraie' paella, mais n'empêche que c'est super bon.

Recette pour 4 personnes:

400g riz spécial paella rice or riz arborio
1 tsp saffran
1 tsp cumin en poudre
1-2 piment en poudre
1 oignon, émincé ou haché
1 poivron rouge, coupé en morceaux
1 poivron vert, coupé en morceaux
1 piment vert, haché
100g mini maïs, coupé en longueur
1 litre bouillon de légumes
100g petits pois congelés
100g noix de cajou non salées


1. Chauffer un peu d'huile d'olive dans une grande poêle á haut rebords. Y frire l'oignon, puis ajouter le riz et les épices. Mélanger et y ajouter les légumes (sauf les petits pois et noix).

2. Ajouter le bouillon et cuire pendant 30 minutes, jusqu'á ce que tout le bouillon soit absorbé et que le riz soit cuit.

3. Ajouter les petits pois et cuire pendant 5 minutes. Pendant ce temps, passer les noix au grill.

4. Servir le riz dans des assiettes préchauffées et saupoudrer avec les noix de cajou. (ne pas mélanger les noix au riz, cela les ramollit)

Sweet pursuit

I made a spicy vegetarian paella, which was yummy! This was followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit (I won again). I mean: I WON AGAIN!!! To be fair with Trave, we played a French edition, so I had an advantage, although it was Junior level, so that was not a REAL challenge! I also had a good reason to win: the rule was that we could eat one chocolate per wedge earned. The difficult bit was to choose one each time...

Maybe I should consider cycling through a MUCH longer route to and from work to compensate this excesss of sweetness intake.

Starting the year with Pablo

I just thought I would post this poem by the great Pablo Neruda.

Muere lentamente quien no viaja,
quien no lee,
quien no oye música,
quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.

Muere lentamente
quien destruye su amor propio,
quien no se deja ayudar.

Muere lentamente
quien se transforma en esclavo del hábito
repitiendo todos los días los mismos trayectos,
quien no cambia de marca,
no se atreve a cambiar el color de su vestimenta
o bien no conversa con quien no conoce.

Muere lentamente
quien evita una pasión y su remolino de emociones,
justamente éstas que regresan el brillo a los ojos
y restauran los corazones destrozados.

Muere lentamente
quien no gira el volante cuando está infeliz con
su trabajo, o su amor,
quien no arriesga lo cierto ni lo incierto para ir
atrás de un sueño
quien no se permite, ni siquiera una vez en su vida,
huir de los consejos sensatos...

¡ Vive hoy !
¡ Arriesga hoy !
¡ Hazlo hoy !
¡ No te dejes morir lentamente !
¡ NO TE IMPIDAS SER FELIZ !

I found the following English translation on the web and cannot say if it is an 'official' translation.

He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day,
who never changes pace, who does not risk and change the color of his clothes,
who does not speak and does not experience,
dies slowly.

He or she who shuns passion,
who prefers black on white,
dotting ones "i's" rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings,
dies slowly.

He or she who does not turn things topsy-turvy,
who is unhappy at work,
who does not risk certainty for uncertainty, to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives,
die slowly.

He who does not travel,
who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself,
she who does not find grace in herself,
dies slowly.

He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck,
about the rain that never stops,
dies slowly.

He or she who abandon a project before starting it,
who fail to ask questions on subjects he doesn't know,
he or she who don't reply when they are asked something they do know,
die slowly.

Let's try and avoid death in small doses,
reminding oneself that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.
Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment of a splendid happiness.

Open up

As read on Courrier International:

During his inaugural speech, Joseph Kabila ("Democratic" Republic of Congo) claimed that prisons' doors would from then on be wide open to criminals, blablablabla... 34 prisonners convinced their guards that thanks to President Kabila's speech and presidential amnesty, they were free to go. So the guards opened the doors. 6 of them have now been condemned for assisting prisonners to escape.

Vodka lemon

Vodka Lemon is a simple story about simple people. An ex-soldier widower from Armenia tries to make ends meet with the 7 Dollars a month he receives as a pension. He lives with one of his three sons and his granddaughter. Every day he takes the bus to visit his wife's grave. One of the other passengers on the bus is a widow, also going to the cemetary, who works at the Vodka Lemon shop.


On the subject of Vodka, here is a short translation of a story one can read on www.ogoniol.com:

Just to clarify: I do not understand Russian, I found a French translation of the Russian article on Courrier International. Click here for the whole article in French.

"The (Russian) Authorities have just launched a low cost Vodka brand in order to fight 'impure/denatured' alcohol. This is the first measure of the government fight against alcoholism."
I know that a lot of Russians have recently become ill or even died from denatured Vodka. (This is why the government is trying to nationalise alcohol production/retail) However lowering the price of alcohol does not seem to me to be the best solution to reduce alcoholism.

The article goes on. A few entrepreneurs have had the brilliant idea of selling distilling machines for home use, so that people can make their own Vodka and don't get poisoned. I'm not sure it's the way forward to suppress denatured Vodka. If everybody makes their own, and potentially sell their home-made stuff, how can you tell what's in it??? In any case, distilling machines are selling like hot cakes. Some (richer) people have even had their distilling machine tailor-made, with pipes AND TAPS straight into their living room. I am sure that even Vodka Bar down town does not have that.

Sandwich ideas

Unlike most of my workmates (if not all), I do not eat sandwiches at lunchtime. Mostly because I find sandwiches boring. I like the sorts I make, but not so much I would eat them everyday. Here are a few ideas:

Cheese and mustard:
Tried for the first time 2 weeks ago from an airport sandwich shop. Actually very nice!
Spread the bread with a thin layer of mustard and fill with your favourite cheese and lettuce.

Cream cheese and chilli peppers:
Tried for the first time a week ago from a petrol station sandwich shop. Amazing the culinery discoveries you can make whilst travelling...
Mix 300g of cream cheese with chopped red and green hot chilli peppers & parsley.

Celery, carrot and tofu:
Grate equal quantities of carrot, celery sticks and firm tofu. Add some yoghurt or mayonnaise or a mixture of both. Season with salt and pepper.

I am willing to try any sandwich recipe you may recommend. I love roast veg and mozzarella ciabatta but not really the fastest sandwich you can make at home, is it?

Submitted!

Forgot to mention earlier that I had just submitted my assignment: what a relief!

Trave has now revealed the box of chocolates he kept hidden all this time since Christmas. These are the wonderful chocolates from the Chocolatiers Glatigny in Alençon, which were a gift from my Auntie and Uncle. One of the best chocolates I have ever eaten.

Happy New Year!

Given my exam submission deadline, I have to admit that we did not do much at New Year's Eve.

With a nice meal cooked by Trave and a glass of Merlot, we watched Dark Water, which I gave to Trave for Xmas. Scary, spooky movie... It really gave me the creeps. To the point I had to hide my face from the screen and block my ears a few times. A very good film though. I have just seen on the IMDb that an American version of this movie was produced in 2005. The Japanese one dates from 2002. I really recommend the film, but don't watch it on your own in a damp flat...