French inspiration

Sorry for my absence. I still have a post about Slovenia to write, and a few recipes to share, plus a few complains about the weather and my usual nonsense. But once again it won't be today. It's time for another short trip to Paris - I'll be joining a conference this week but didn't want to leave you all without a little something to evoke la cuisine française. My (british) friend N. always says that "if you want a perfect queue ask a briton, if you're craving for an awesome crumble trust a frenchie!" And from my experience N. is absolutely right! This Crumble à la Ratatouille is a nice version of a French classic dish in a traditional British fashion. All I can say is that everybody loved it, and I'll be making this again. À bientôt



Crumble à la ratatouille
Adapted from Trish Deseine, recipe here

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 aubergine, cubed
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
3 courgettes, peeled if you like and cut into chunks
1 kg tomatoes, skinned and deseeded
Fresh thyme and rosemary

For the Crumble Topping
100g very cold salted butter,
finely diced
150g plain flour
80g parmesan cheese, grated
50g pine nuts, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic and add the aubergine and the red and green peppers. When they have softened, add the courgettes, tomatoes and herbs, some salt and pepper, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked. While the vegetables are cooking, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF and prepare the crumble. In a food-processor, or with your fingers, rub the butter into the flour and parmesan. When you have a mixture resembling breadcrumbs, mix in the toasted pine nuts and some pepper. When the ratatouille is soft and cooked, put the vegetables into a gratin dish, cover them with the crumble mixture and cook in the oven for about thirty minutes or until the top is golden and crispy. Serve hot or warm, with a crisp salad.

DB#31 or An Apple Strudel a day...

An Apple Strudel would certainly put a smile on my face any day of the week! Apple Strudel is not exactly the kind of dessert I grew up with, and I don't have many memories of this sweet but I've been baking strudels for a while now. This lovely theme for this month challenge with the Daring Bakers got me thinking of many possibilities, and how I'd try different fillings and approaches to a new favourite. Except I forgot my trip to a place not so far from the Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague where Apple Strudel is baked everyday... Because of that I ended up going for the old traditional Apple Strudel, with further experiences postponed to another opportunity. Anyway, it's a wonderful recipe. Thank you Linda and Courtney!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.



Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- Both the filling and the dough recipe worked well.
- My strudel wasn't very pretty, and there was no time to 'make-up'! As said before I used the basic recipe without any different ingredients. In the end I was really happy with the overall taste.

Go and and I taste, I mean, a look at all Daring Bakers Strudels! ;)

On chasing dragons & waterfalls

For those you know me, I'm on the rational side kind of person. I like to be in control of the situation, I love to plan, and I adore when everything comes together the way I've meant it to be. But reason will take you only until a certain point. After that is all about feeling... Emotion, reason and belief play a very important and meaningful role in our lives. Fear not, I will leave it at that! It's funny how we choose things, and how sometimes things seem to choose you. My personal bond with Slovenia was totally unplanned, and yet so special. One of the few souvenirs I've brought from Ljubljana was a cookbook (surprising, I know!) with slovenian recipes. I bought the book mainly because I wanted to bake a cake called Gibanica (aka 'moving cake'). Although Gibanica is a traditional dessert in the Balkan region - many different variations can be found in Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria -,Prekmurje gibanica is the slovenian national dessert.

We're off to Slovenia again - can't wait to chase Ljubljana dragon and waterfalls like this! In the meanwhile, grab a cup of your favourite coffee. I leave you with a slice of Gibanica. :)



Gibanica

Adapted from Heike Milhench's Flavors of Slovenia

8-10 sheets phyllo dough
3/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup (250 ml) milk
2-3 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water or rum, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped)
1 tsp cinnamon
Juice and zest of 1 small lemon (unwaxed, preferably organic)
680 grs ricotta or cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
1 cup walnuts, chopped
4 Tbsp butter, melted
Icing (confectioner's sugar) for sprinkling

Boil the poppy seeds in the milk until softened, about 20-25 minutes. Remove, drain, and set aside.

For the first filling, combine apples, raisins, sugar, vanilla (seeds or extract), cinnamon, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl. Prepare the second filling separately mixing the cheese with the eggs and the cream, until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Grease a rectangular baking pan. Place a phyllo sheet in the bottom, and brush with melted butter. Make sure the rest of the phyllo sheets are covered to prevent them to dry out. Spread a layer of cheese mixture over the dough. Cover with another sheet of phyllo, brush with butter, and spread a layer of raisin and apple mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts and poppy seeds. Repeat until you run out of fillings. Be sure to cover everything with 2 phyllo sheets. Brush the top with butter. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

DC#1 - Do I Dare to Cook?

The Daring Bakers are a well known group of people who dare to... bake! The million dollar question is: do daring bakers dare to cook? This one does! I didn't have too much time to give this challenge a thought, so I just gathered what there was available in the fridge and (dared!) to cook us dinner. And it tasted nice. Almost forgot to say that the very first Daring Cooks' challenge is ... Ricotta Gnocchi! Major thanks to Lisa and Ivonne for everything they've done. Thank you Ladies!



Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi
The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Serves 4-6

For the gnocchi:
1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:
8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.
If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.
To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.
Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

My thoughts on the challenge:
- The recipe worked fine for me but I thought these were a pain to make... Bare with me, I've been working too much lately. ;)
- I've used half recipe, and it was more than enough for the two of us.
- Peas and broad beans (and a tiny little bit of chili) were all I added to the sauce, as well as a few finely chopped mint leaves.
- I thought the recipe was nice but not amazingly good.

Spicing up the day

I'm not much into spicy dishes. Anything hot is usually too hot for me but I'm learning to adjust my taste to "new" flavours, and my cooking experiences (for instance with chilies) to my (mild) tastes... I guess the spice girl in me is not overly spicy or (anywhere) hot!! Which brings us to a soup. What were you thinking?? ;) But this is no ordinary soup. This is one of the best soups I had in a while. Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries is not just an adorable voyage in his daily kitchen but a very good recipe book. This is the soup Nigel made in New Year's, and it's not just a good start for a book. It's a darn good suggestion for a hearty soup.



Dal and Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen

Makes 4 good-size bowls

1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
A walnut-sized knob of ginger
225 grams split red lentils
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground chili
250 grams pumpkin
small bunch coriander, roughly chopped

For the onion topping:
2 medium onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small hot chillies (or chili flakes, if fresh chilies aren't available)
2 cloves garlic

Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Peel and crush the garlic and put it with the onion into a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Peel the ginger, cut it into thin shreds and stir that in too. Add the lentils and pour in 1 1/2 litres (6 cups) of water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to an enthusiastic simmer. Stir in the ground turmeric and chili, season and leave to simmer, covered, for twenty minutes.

While the soup is cooking, bring a medium-size pan of water to the boil. Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibre, then cut the flesh into fat chunks. Boil the pumpkin pieces for ten minutes, until they are tender enough to take a skewer without much pressure. Drain them and set aside.

To make the onion topping, peel the onions and cut them into thin rings. Cook them in the oil in a shallow pan until they start to colour. Cut the chilies in half, scrape out the seeds and slice the flesh finely. Peel and finely slice the garlic and add it with the chilies to the onions. Continue cooking until the onions are a deep golden brown. Set aside.

Remove the lid from the lentils and turn up the heat, boiling hard for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the drained pumpkin. Blend the soup through until smooth, then pour it into a bowl. Stir in the roughly chopped coriander and check the seasoning. Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of the spiced onions on top.

DB#30 or Cheesy (cake) time!

I love cheese. Any cheese, all types of cheese, anytime! Cooked, simple, baked, in savoury or sweet recipes. I LOVE cheese.
What are my feelings about cheesecake? It's gooooood! Knowing that April's challenge would make the Daring Bakers to get into cheese land left me with a smile on my face when I first read the recipe Jenny had chosen. Thanks Jenny, it was a wonderful one!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake

Café au lait cheesecake with caramel sauce

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 120 grams butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, (710 grams total) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 250 ml heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional (I used whisky)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of creaml. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce.



Ina Garten's Caramel sauce here.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!



My thoughts on the challenge:
- The recipe worked fine for me. I've used half recipe (2 small eggs) to bake 6 individual ramekins - it took about 25 minutes.
- Café au lait cheesecake with caramel sauce was a perfect match of flavours. I've added half a tablespoon of whisky which gave it a Bailey's Liquor taste that worked really nice with the remaining ingredients!
- Half recipe is enough for the sauce if not using full cheesecake recipe.
- I'll definitely be making the cheesecake again perhaps in a chocolate or fruity version.

Check all the amazing variations fellow Daring Bakers came up with here!

Spring where are you?

It's officially Springtime. Or so says my calendar. A quick look outside the window, and I feel like rephrasing it: it's Springtime, right? So why does it keep on raining? Why do I keep wearing extra layers of clothes? And we're a little itchy today, aren't we?! Don't know about you but I could use a little sunshine. Sigh. Like the 'philosopher' Jagger once stated "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you just might find you get what you need". Bright guy. ;)

I need colourful food with a hint of sunshine. Something slightly mediterranean... Bell peppers and Feta cheese! Aren't they springy? Stuffed peppers are great as a side dish to any meat or as a starter. For me is good enough for a light meal with a bowl of green salad. Where's Spring, anyone knows?



Stuffed Red Peppers with Wild Rice, Broccoli and Feta

Serves 2

2 sweet red (bell) peppers
1 cup cooked wild rice
2 cups small broccoli florets, steamed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dry basil

Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF).

Cut peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. Sprinkle the interior with salt. Place the halves in ovenproof dishes. Saute the onion until almost soft. Add the broccoli florets and the minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cooked wild rice. Season to taste.

Fill peppers with the rice mixture. Top with the crumbled feta. Sprinkle dry basil. Loosely cover with foil. Bake covered 25 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until peppers are tender.

The best cookies in the whole world

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" - Mark Twain once said after hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal. I feel the same way when I name these the best cookies in the whole world... It's at least questionable since no one has been able to actually taste ALL the cookies in the world. But my other half says these are the best, and the man isn't called Mr. Taster for nothing! Plus, they're a charm to make, and look really nice.



Oat Raisin Almond Cookies

Lightly adapted from Cordon Bleu.

Makes 40

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (110 grs) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grs) fine caster sugar
1/2 cup (120 grs) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (100 grs) raisins
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (100 grs) rolled oats
1/2 cup (50 grs) slivered almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease oven trays, and line with baking paper. (Or use silicone sheets)

Cream both sugars with the butter. Add the egg, vanilla extract and the milk, and beat until smooth. Sift the flour, the salt and the bicarbonate of soda into another mixing bowl. Add to egg mixture until just combined. Mix in oats, almonds and raisins, and mix until dough forms. (The mixture should be on the soft side.)

With an ice cream spoon, place each portion onto the baking sheet, allowing enough space between each other (5 cm) for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a metal rack to cool.

My cat approves as well! ;)



UPDATE: These cookies got a mention from Dan Lepard at the Guardian!! I feel honoured specially because his Exceptional baking books have been part of my favourites for a while... Thanks!

4 for 6 - an ode to the potato

It's been a while since I shared a recipe and some thoughts with you. I have no idea about where March went to... I've been doing so many things, dreaming of so many more that time just wasn't enough to pass by and say hello. But I'm back to tell you all about a great project I've been working together with a bunch of talented Portuguese bloggers! When my friend Mariana asked me to take part on 4 por 6 working balanced meals for 4 persons with a budget of 6€, I was really happy with the idea of helping people plan their food with little money. Although this is obviously focused on Portugal's present scene, I thought I could share the recipes with you anyway.

So today we're doing potato an ode, and will be having the first strawberries of the season!



Potato, Onion, Zucchini and Bacon Tian
Tian aux pommes de terre, oignons, courgettes et pancetta
Adapted slightly from French Magazine Saveurs, n.162 July/August 2008

Serves 4

4 small-medium potatoes (500 grs)
2 medium onions (I used red onions but white are fine too)
4 small zucchini (400 grs)
12 bacon strips (about 175 grs)
1 Tbps fresh thyme (just the leaves)
3 Tbps (50 ml) olive oil
3 Tbps (50 ml) single cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF). Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Put aside in a bowl covered with water. Slice (unpeeled) zucchinis and peeled onions about the same size of the potatoes. Discard the water from the potatoes, add half the olive and season with salt and fresly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. In a covered ovenproof dish (or individual ones), place the potato, zucchini, and onion slices with the bacon strips (halved) to create alternate "layers". Sprinkle the thyme leaves on top. Add the remaining olive oil and single cream (if using any). Finish with about 3 Tbps (50 ml) of water, and cover. Bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the lid, slightly increase the oven temperature, and leave for an extra 5-10 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with watercress salad.



And for dessert: soup!

Strawberry and Basil Soup
Adapted (slightly) from Elle à la table, n.63 March/April 2009

Serves 4

500 grs strawberries
6 basil leaves (or ment or lime-thyme)
35 grs sugar
1 Tbps balsamic vinegar
dash of white pepper

Wash the strawberries, remove leaves, and half each one. Put 1/4 of the strawberries in a saucepan with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of water, sugar, white pepper, 2 basil leaves and boil for 5 minutos. Add balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil once again. Place the remaining strawberries into serving bowls and pour the cooled syrup (you may or may not sieve it before). Finish with a basil leaf on top.



I've actually manage to buy the ingredients for the main dish and the dessert with only a total of 4.95€ ... More suggestions 4 por 6 (in Portuguese) at my partners in this project: Mariana, Pipoka, Laranjinha, Elvira and Marizé. We'll be running 4 for 6 every two weeks. Stay tuned for many more cheap meals!!

Pasta or rice?

Daily decisions aren't always a piece of cake... Sometimes it's all about grains. Pasta or rice? How about pasta that looks like rice? Risoni is a rice shaped pasta (sometimes called orzo) that shouldn't just be reserved for soups – risoni is quite versatile, and makes a nice change to 'regular' pasta or risotto. Chard is not so usual around here. I've been lucky with a new organic supermarket in my neighborhood that had beautiful purple chard.



Chard Risoni with Quark

Serves 2

1 cup (220grs) risoni
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vegetable stock
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup (100grs) Quark
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
a bunch of Chard (from 2 small beet-roots), steamed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup bacon, chopped (optional)
grated Parmesan, to serve
rocket, to serve

Heat vegetable stock in a deep pan. Add the risoni and cook for 8-10 minutes (or according to packet directions), stirring occasionally. Sauté bacon in a large saucepan with olive oil and garlic, until crisp (2-3 minutes). Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add steamed Chard to the remaining juices in the saucepan and cook for a couple of minutes. Once risoni is cooked, stir in the butter, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

To serve, place the risoni in a large deep plate (or a bowl), sprinkle with bacon, add a couple of tablespoons of Quark and half the Chard. Top with grated Parmesan and rocket. Serve immediately.