Hummus sandwich

Before going rambling on Saturday, we had a hummus-filled sandwich which was really nice. You can find very good quality ready-made hummus these days and as I did not feel like making it, and we wanted a quick lunch, this was perfect! With fresh tomatoes and basil, yum yum! And it gave us the energy for our 4-hour walk through the fields. (photos to come)

Spinach, potato and tomato curry with basmati rice

I am getting quite good at curries. (I think!) I have only recently started to cook Indian dishes and I really enjoy it. This one is based on another recipe found in A vegan taste of India, as mentioned recently in my potato madras recipe. But I have added some single cream I had left from the linguine sauce cooked the night before. And changed half of the recommended spices which I do not have on my spice racks! So, it's nothing like it should have been, but we enjoyed it all the more!

Serves 4:

By the way, it's only 2 of us, but I always cook for 4, then we have yummy home-made food to take to work for lunch the following day ;-)

1 TBSP groundnut oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 TBSP cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 bunch of spinach, shredded
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
500g new potatoes, diced and boiled for 10 minutes
80ml single cream

300g basmati rice

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion and chilli for 4 minutes. Add the spices and cook for a further 1 min, making sure the spices do not burn.

2. Add the spinach, stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and cream, stir well and cook for another 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the basmati rice according to packet instructions (usually 10-12 minutes).

4. Spoon the vegetable curry into serving plates and top with basmati rice. Serve hot!

Linguine with spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and tomatoes

This was really, really nice! Linguine is one of my favourite pasta shape and the vegetable sauce was delicious!

Serves 4:

500g linguine (or any other pasta shape)

300g mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 bunch spinach, shredded
1 broccoli, cut into florets and parboiled for 4 min
4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
100ml single cream
1 TBSP butter
2 TBSP parmesan, grated, for sprinkling
salt & pepper

1. Heat the butter and fry the mushrooms on high heat so they get golden brown. Lower the heat and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is half wilted and add the broccoli and tomatoes. When the tomatoes start to cook, add the cream and stir well. Season to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta 'al dente'. Drain well.

3. Serve the pasta into warm serving plates and top with the creamy vegetable sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Menu week 37

Linguine,

with spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and tomatoes (NEW!)

Spinach, potato and tomato curry, (NEW!)
with basmati rice

Feta and potato cakes,
with lentils

Tomato and olive quiche,
with green salad

Courgette and pepper risotto

Bratislava

Here is a short photographic summary of our day spent in Bratislava.

Our first impression of the Bratislava was at night. The city was brightly lit up and it felt really warm. Bratislava has some fantastic buildings. I am not expert in architecture but the style was reminiscent of what can be seen in Bavaria, Germany. That is, for the old town, which has been thoroughly renovated. Once you cross the Danube, there is a magnificent, huge park. But also dozens (if not hundreds) of soviet-style tower blocks, which unfortunately is the view you get if you climb up the castle.


During our full day in Bratislava, we walked through town in the morning. Here are a few photos:

The photo below is of either the National Theater or the Opera House:

Then it started to rain to we had our sandwiches on a bench under the New Bridge, from which we had a nice view of the castle.


The park is very impressive, mostly by its size. The two memorable things that we saw there were a red squirrel (see photos) and a very self-conscious guy doing tai-chi exercises (no photos, although tempting!).

Finally, we walked to the top of the castle, which was very pleasant, if it wasn't for the view over the tower blocks. But I suppose they cannot move the castle across the Danube so that the tourists get a nice view, can they? ;)



Then it started to seriously rain so we took shelter on a covered café terrace, where Trave had a Czech beer and I had a cocktail. From there and in a period of a few hours' time, we witnessed three, possibly four weddings! Well, people going to and coming out of wedding ceremonies. Highly entertaining.

Creamy bake

Based on my previous cabbage gratin/bake, I have made this creamy vegetable bake which was delicious.


Serves 4:

1 hispy cabbage, shredded
1 courgette, sliced
400g potatoes, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
4 tomatoes, sliced
herbs of your choice
black pepper

For the sauce:
100g cheddar, grated
40g butter
40g flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP mustard
600ml milk
1 tsp Italian herbs
black pepper

+ dried breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top.


1. Parboil together the cabbage and potatoes for 5-10 minutes.

2. Place half of the cabbage/potatoes at the bottom of a big ovenproof dish. Add the courgette slices, green pepper, then the tomatoes, herbs and black pepper. Add the remainder of the cabbage/potatoes.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until well combined. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk whilst stirring. Bring to the boil until it thickens (you may need to add some flour to speed up the process). Once thickened, add the mustard, black pepper, herbs and half of the cheese. Mix well.

4. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and then with breadcrumbs.

5. Place in a 180C pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a slice of wholemeal bread.

Pizza 3 (broccoli, tomatoes, red pepper)

Using our basic pizza dough recipe, Trave made these pizzas (pizzi?) with the following toppings, in order of putting them onto the base:

- Tomato paste
- 1 handful of cheddar cheese
- Slices of fresh tomatoes
- Slices of courgettes
- Chopped red pepper
- Mixed Italian herbs, salt and black pepper
- Tiny broccoli florets
- Slices of mozzarella
- More black pepper

Place in a 200C pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until the dough is cooked and the cheese is golden brown. Serve with a green salad.

Basic pizza base recipe

I have just realised that there are several pizza 'recipes' on this blog, but with no mention of how to make the dough!!! It was high time for me to post it.

Here is the basic recipe to make two x 30cm diameter pizzas:

225g bread flour (I usually mix half white with half wholemeal flours)
7g/1 sachet dried fast-action yeast
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
100ml luke-warm water (not boiling, or you'll kill the yeast)


1. In a big bowl, sieve the flour. Add the salt and make a well. Place the oil, then the yeast in the well.

2. Add the warm water, stirring with a wooden spoon. When it becomes difficult to stir, use you hands to knead the dough until it forms a soft and stretchy ball, and the dought is no longer sticky. You may need to add a little more water or flour, as required.

3. Divide into two balls of equal size and place them into lightly oiled bowls. Cover with a damp clean cloth. Place in a warm spot and leave to rise for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.

4. Roll out the balls onto a lighlty floured surface to the required size and place onto pizza trays.

5. Garnish with your favourite toppings and place into a 200C pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.