Stories from Emona » Recipes

Poppy seed pasta dessert

Maya — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:33:26 +0000

Pasta for dessert? Er… what? How does that go together, you might ask.

Well, it actually does – and it can taste pretty darn good! I’m not sure for how long this dish has been on my to-cook list, I’d say for half a year at least. I’ve found it in one local cooking magazine and it has caught my attention in a second. Such a simple yet exotic recipe: pasta with sauce made of ground poppy seeds, milk, vanilla sugar and grated lemon peel. Doesn’t it just sound yummy?

To tell you the truth, this is one very heavy dessert. For this purpose, I’ve halved our lunch meal portion and it was still too much. So if I make it again, I’ll serve it as a main meal.

Although I love poppy seeds, I don’t eat them often, maybe twice or three times per year – but when I do, I like to indulge in them with all my senses. (If you’re a fan of poppy seeds, you might as well want to try this yummy flourless poppy seed cake I posted about last year.) And here’s the recipe.

Ingredients for 2 !hungry! people (you’ve been warned )

125g pasta of desired shape (I used Mafaldine)
salt
220ml milk (for a better taste, I recommend using whole milk)
60g poppy seeds, freshly ground (if possible)
home made vanilla sugar, to taste
grated peel of 1 organic lemon

1. Start by boiling water in a big pot, add salt, stir, and then add pasta. Cook according to the packet instructions (you want your pasta al dente).
2. For the sauce, bring the milk to boil in a skillet. Add sugar, poppy seeds and and grated lemon peel. Allow to cook (simmer) for half a minute at most, stirring with a wooden spoon until it’s done.
3. Toss the cooked and strained pasta with the poppy seed sauce, and serve warm.

Pesto – but not Genovese

Maya — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:56:29 +0000

“It was a lovely, pleasantly warm sunny day. I was enjoying my time in the garden, examining the fast-growing plants and herbs, admiring all those vivid blossoms of tulips and daffodils, watering them while listening to the tireless singing of birds… ah, the beautiful springtime!”

And then I woke up.

Looking through the window, I was greeted by dancing snowflakes. Oh, not agaaain… Sigh. It’s mid-March, for crying out loud. When am I going to plant anything in the garden?

Then I remembered my dreams and sighed again. The weather has been improving during the last couple of weeks and my thoughts have been focusing on the garden planning. I could almost see the sprouts peeking out of soil, and smell the aromatic basil leaves… oh, basil. It’s been on my mind for weeks now. Needless to say, I’m desiring to make some good old pesto Genovese. That will, as it unfortunately seems, have to wait. And it might take longer than we thought: the meteorologists say this spring is going to be rather chilly. There you have it.

* * * * *

I found this bunch of organic radishes (see the 1st photo) at the market place yesterday. It looked so cute and fresh, perfect for nibbling or for garnishing my morning bread slice. But, did you know the radish greens are edible, too??

It dawned on me while biting into the 2nd radish – that I had read somewhere about radish greens pesto. Thanks to my Akregator, I found that post almost immediately: it was Nicky of delicious days who wrote about it last year. The decision was made within seconds: pasta with radish greens pesto would make my lunch today.

I did not weigh the ingredients for pesto. I used 1 whole bunch of greens which was just enough for one serving (90g of pasta). Furthermore, I made this pesto with extra virgin olive oil despite the polyphenol issue (emulsifying the olive oil in a food processor turns the pesto somewhat bitter) and the overpowering olive oil aroma – no problem for me since I adore olive oil. Besides, with 30 liters of best quality Spanish extra virgin oil in the pantry, it doesn’t even occur to me to buy other oil right now.

OK, so we’ve got radish greens, olive oil, a clove of garlic, couple of tablespoons lightly toasted sunflower seeds (cooled), couple of tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. For an extra kick I added a teaspoon grated lemon peel – and then 10 seconds in the blender (I was too impatient to taste it, otherwise I would have used the mortar and pestle) and voilà – my pesto was ready. The taste? Divine. Comforting. I could have even omitted the salt – the Parmesan itself gives out enough saltiness (but that’s just my opinion). Loved the spiciness. I will be making it again. Definitely!

Spiced red wine poached pears

Maya — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:25:04 +0000

This is the 2nd time that I’ve ever prepared wine poached pears. Don’t know what took me so long to discover this dessert!!! It’s addictive. I served them after lunch today and they tasted so gorgeous that I need to share the recipe here. Right now. You mind?

Ingredients for 2:
2 firm Williams (Bartlett) pears
500ml good red wine
juice and peel of 1 (blood) orange
juice of 1/2 lemon
cloves, many
3 green cardamoms
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
blond cane sugar, several tablespoons
for serving: whipping cream

1. Combine the wine, juice and peel of an orange and lemon juice, cardamoms, fennel seeds and cinnamon stick in a saucepan, stir in the desired amount of sugar and slowly bring to boil.
2. In the meantime, peel the pears and prick them all over with the cloves. Place them into the saucepan and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Turn the pears around every now and then. Turn the heat off and let the pears in spiced wine for at least 4 hours (until cool) and at most for a couple of days (in the fridge, in this case).
3. Strain the spiced wine into another saucepan, add more sugar -if needed- and bring to boil. Reduce to a syrupy sauce.
4. Whip the cream (no sugar!). For serving, place each pear on its own plate and drizzle generously with the (still warm) wine syrup. Decorate with the cooled whipped cream and serve immediately. Enjoy sweet life…

Creamy tuna spread recipe

Maya — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:42:38 +0000

I’ve been making this delicious spread for such a long time, that I don’t even remember where I found it. I love it on a slice of freshly baked bread or on whole-wheat olive oil crackers, it even makes a lovely dip (think grissini, tortilla chips etc.). I’ve modified the recipe through these years and this here is the latest version. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:
fennel bulb (sometimes I replace it with red capsicum)
hard boiled eggs
pickled cucumbers
(red) onion
shredded tuna (canned)
plain, full fat yogurt (or cream cheese or even better, the combination of both)
mayonnaise
salt and pepper
for serving: home made bread or toast slices or crackers, breadsticks…

1. Finely chop the fennel bulb, hard boiled eggs, pickled cucumbers and onion and place in a bowl. Mix in the tuna, add salt and grind some pepper to taste.
2. Stir in the yogurt and mayonnaise in equal proportions (or more yogurt, less mayonnaise). Cover the spread and let its taste improve in the fridge preferably overnight, or at least for some hours.
3. Serve on bread or cracker – you choice (or as a dip). Here I used cookie cutters to give slices of bread different shapes. I topped the spread with my latest “obsession” – lucerne (alfalfa) sprouts.

Barley and veggie stir-fry

Maya — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:11:31 +0000

Barley. I must admit right from the start that I don’t use this grain in my cooking very often. And why so? After all, it is a healthy grain, packed with fiber (among other stuff). The thing is, I’ve only known to prepare it in a winter-type stew – and then I run out of ideas. I’ve now put an end to this and decided to implement it into our daily food (OK, I’m only at the beginning with it!), so I’ve set myself on a barley recipe hunt.

A couple of days ago, when I intended to prepare a very loved meal in our household, veggie&chicken stir-fry with basmati rice, I said to myself – why not barley instead of rice? Being a first-time dish, I made it for myself only, because I yet need to find a good enough way to approach this grain to my fellow eater.

The barley I used was hulled, not pearled (follow this link for an explanation about the difference, plus you can also find some barley recipes there!). It took about 50 minutes to cook in my express-pressure cooker and still retained its chewiness.

I used plenty of vegetables for this stir-fry: savoy cabbage, carrot, green peas, mushrooms, red onion, leek and fennel. A few slices of cooked chicken and stripes of an egg omelette also went inside the wok (towards the end of cooking), together with some cooked barley. I seasoned the dish with grated ginger and with the mix of soy sauce and honey and this delicious stir-fry was ready!

I think I’ve made quite a good use of barley in this recipe! Furthermore, I’ve also prepared savoy cabbage parcels, stuffed with barley, mushrooms and chicken and topped with Bechamel sauce and grated cheese, then browned in the oven (for a better image, think of this recipe ). Yummy-licious!

Warm spiced apple juice

Maya — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:26:01 +0000

While we’re still surrounded by lots of snow and it started even raining today, warm comfort food and drinks are still pretty much topical subjects of our daily life here. Although I could never tire of soups, stews and teas, I do have to confess I’m longing for spring to come. I wish the snow melted and I could see the first spring flowers! I’ve noticed the tulips popping up in every florist shop and they are a real balm for the eyes, so tempting with all those vivid colors and beautiful scents!

However, the cold outside is very persistent and I still resemble onion (with layers and layers of clothes!) more than anything else! I just can’t help it, I’m sensitive to the cold, specially when I’m still, i.e. while sitting at my computer. That’s why you will always find me with a cup of hot tea in my hand, either green or herbal.

Lately I’ve read a lot of good stuff about natural apple juice. I’m so lucky to be able to indulge in home made apple juice every year, given to me by relatives. The store bought ones simply can’t compare with this unpasteurized, unsweetened and not-from-concentrate juice. However, the fact that raw apple helps your body cool rather than lend it warmth, the apple juice is not a too suitable drink to enjoy in the middle of cold winter. That’s why it is recommended to heat it, but only a bit (to 40 or 45ºC at most) since we don’t want to lose the apple’s vitamins and minerals. By adding hot spices like fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom we boost the heating effect of our apple juice. So, if you feel cold these days or you are in need of a vitamin kick, prepare yourself this delicious warm drink!

To prepare it, pour natural unsweetened apple juice into a skillet and add a piece of ginger (peeled or not), green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Set it on low heat and cover the skillet with a lid. Make sure the temperature of the juice does not exceed 40-45ºC (it’s great if you have a thermometer to check that). Switch off the heat and let the juice infuse the aromas for 20-30′. Serve in big glasses or tea cups with an apple slice inside as edible decoration.

Trusted cookie recipes (IV)

Maya — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:08:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I shared with you the last cookie recipe – and so it’s time to tell you more about another one I discovered recently and baked with great result.

I’ve been searching for a whole wheat cookie recipe and ended up with this one over at Chocolate & Zucchini. It sounded great and simple to make, too, and the fact of having exactly 100g hazelnuts in my pantry, begging to be used up, convinced me in a moment: I set myself to work before you could pronounce the name of this cookie.

I adapted the recipe slightly to my taste. I used walnut liqueur instead of suggested rose/orange flower water, but I mixed it with little water for 3 1/2 Tbsp liqueur seemed a bit too much. I also went heavy on cinnamon, one of my favorite spices. I didn’t bother rubbing down the hazelnut skins and I SO loved the strong nutty flavor they contributed to the cookie! I also didn’t chop the nuts much, so the cookies came out on the crunchy side – and that’s so my type of cookie! They are absolutely yummy dipped in milk or enjoyed with a cup of (green) tea or simply eaten on their own.

CRUNCHY HAZELNUT AND CINNAMON WHOLE WHEAT COOKIES

Ingredients:
100g whole hazelnuts
200g whole wheat flour
70g oat flakes
120g blond cane sugar
1tsp baking soda
a pinch salt
1tsp ground cinnamon
130g butter
2Tbsp walnut liqueur
1 1/2 Tbsp water

1. Dry-toast the hazelnuts in a skillet for a few minutes until fragrant, then let cool. Chop coarsely and combine with flour, oat flakes, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a big bowl.
2. Add the cold diced butter and using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Now add the walnut liqueur and as much water as needed to put the dough together (I believe that depends on the flour you’re using), in my case I used 3 1/2 Tbsp of liquid.
3. Cover the dough or wrap it in a cling film (like I did) and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Afterwards, take small amounts of the dough and shape little balls (size of a walnut), flatten them a bit and place one by one on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Make sure you leave some space around them as they expand (but not too much). Bake at 150ºC for 20-25′. Let cool on a kitchen rack, then store the cookies in an air-tight container.

Chocolate tiramisu

Maya — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:17:24 +0000

Let’s start this week with something sweet, shall we? With something “chocolaty”, to be precise. I don’t exactly make chocolate desserts very often, however I do enjoy eating them – if prepared with chocolate of at least 60% cocoa.

I’ve never tried chocolate tiramisu before and ever since spotting the recipe over at What’s for lunch, honey? I’ve been wanting to give it a try. Only by reading it, I could imagine the delicious taste of this tiramisu!

I tweaked the recipe slightly and replaced quark (which I also love) with fresh ricotta, I didn’t use any fruit (Meeta used raspberries) because certain eater in our household dislikes certain fruits in desserts (and that wouldn’t be me!) and also, I dipped the biscuits in a mixture of cereal coffee (which I prefer over real coffee) and home made walnut liqueur. We both enjoyed eating this tiramisu and agreed that the 2nd day it tasted even better. What a treat!

CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU

Ingredients for a rectangular dish (20×26cm):
200g heavy cream
120g chocolate, chopped (I used the one with 60% cocoa solids)
250g Mascarpone
250g fresh ricotta
3 Tbsp blond cane sugar
200g ladyfingers
1 cup freshly made cereal coffee (as an alternative to coffee)
a generous splash of walnut liqueur
1 Tbsp good quality cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles

1. Heat the heavy cream in a skillet, but do not bring to boil. Remove from heat and mix in the chopped chocolate Stir for it to melt and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the Mascarpone and ricotta. Add the melted chocolate cream to this mixture and whisk until smooth.
3. Separately, mix the cereal coffee and walnut liqueur in a small bowl. Dip each ladyfinger into this liquid, placing half of them onto the bottom of the rectangular dish. Spread half of the choco-Mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers, then layer the rest of coffee-dipped ladyfingers and spread the rest of the cream onto them.
4. Cover the dish with a cling film and transfer to the fridge. Let it set overnight. The next day, i.e. before serving, sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder and chocolate sprinkles. Enjoy!

Winter dishes (IX)

Maya — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:14:33 +0000

Yes… we’re going to fold the cabbage leaves again!

Hope you don’t mind… yet another cabbage recipe. I know! I’ve been tiring you a lot with cabbage lately, but I can’t help myself because I like it so much! This recipe is, by all means, another keeper. Imagine cannelloni, stuffed with tasty filling and baked with some Béchamel sauce and cheese on top. Now imagine you replace cannelloni with blanched cabbage leaves – I did so last week when I was making cannelloni. I might never go back to eating pasta cannelloni again, that’s all I’ll say.

CABBAGE “CANNELLONI”

You need:
cabbage leaves, quickly blanched in boiling salted water
rice flour Béchamel (butter or coconut fat, rice flour, milk, nutmeg and salt)
grated goat cheese (or other)

For the filling:
chicken breast, cubed
minced garlic
rosemary
nutmeg
salt
ground sweet paprika
ground black pepper
mustard
frozen green peas
ground almonds, unpeeled
olive oil

1. Heat some olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and chicken. Season with rosemary, nutmeg, sweet paprika, mustard and salt. Add a splash of white wine, reduce and mix in the green peas. Cook for half a minute, then remove from the stove. Stir in the ground almonds.
2. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf, fold it and place one by one on the bottom of a buttered oven-proof dish. Cover with Béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese – and off to the oven. Bake at 180ºC until golden (15′ or so).
3. Serve with some salad on a side and with a glass of white wine, if you wish.

A delicious alternative to classic cannelloni…

Winter dishes (VIII)

Maya — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:31:36 +0000

This past week I’ve eaten more cabbage than before in the whole month – let’s say I rediscovered this vegetable that I’ve been enjoying before mostly in its raw state (i.e., in delicious salads). The better half of our household does, unfortunately, not share the same affection for cabbage and other veggie members of the Brassicaceae family, therefore I’m making such meals for myself only. But hey, I don’t see that as a problem – more for me!

Today’s winter meal is all about fermented cabbage or sauerkraut, eaten very commonly throughout the Central Europe, all winter long. So I had about 200g of sauerkraut in the fridge and just before I was about to turn all of it into salad (which, by the way, is the healthiest way of eating it), I changed my mind. I turned half of it into a hearty soup and the other half I ate as salad. I loved the colors of both dishes – so vivid and uplifting! A definitely satisfying lunch.

SAUERKRAUT SOUP

sauerkraut
water or vegetable broth
a bit of tomato puree
root vegetables (I used parsley and celery root and carrot)
cooked (brown) beans
bay leaf
grated nutmeg
salt
smoked paprika powder for decoration

1. The preparation is simple: place the cleaned/peeled and chopped vegetables in water or broth, bring to boil, season and simmer for 15′ or so, add the beans and sauerkraut and cook for 5 or 10 minutes more.
2. Remove from the stove and let sit for 5 more minutes, then serve, sprinkled with smoked paprika.

SAUERKRAUT SALAD

sauerkraut
walnut kernels
pink grapefruit slices
black sesame seeds
olive oil
apple vinegar

1. Combine the sauerkraut, walnuts, grapefruit and sesame seeds in a salad bowl, season with vinaigrette and enjoy right away!

Millet porridge

Maya — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:06:56 +0000

Porridge is eaten for breakfast in many countries nowadays. It makes a nutritious meal, perfect for a good start of the day. I must confess, I’m not such a porridge-type of person – I just love my morning slice of bread too much! As by rule, my breakfast tends to be on the salty side. I know people whose morning meal is nothing but coffee, and some of them would accompany their coffee with something sweet (e.g. slice of cake, sweet bread, cookies etc.)
Somehow I don’t see myself eating cake in the morning, so I prefer to indulge into things like egg omelette (even with veggies), some yogurt-based spread on bread, sometimes with a slice of prosciutto crudo or cheese.

The other day I had a late breakfast – and I cooked some millet porridge. Just for a change. Oh, and I was out of bread, too. And you know what, I liked it. So much that I’d like to share it here!

MILLET PORRIDGE WITH CRUNCHY ADDITION

You need:
hulled millet
almond “milk” or horchata de almendra
maple syrup to taste
coarsely chopped whole almonds
black sesame seeds
sultanas

1. Wash the millet under running water, drain and cover with enough almond milk (or use other kind of milk of your choice) – 3 parts milk : 1 part millet. Bring to boil and then simmer till “al dente”. Remove from the stove.
2. Sweeten with maple syrup and stir in the almonds, black sesame seeds and sultanas.

Winter dishes (VII)

Maya — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:55:32 +0000

We’re having some wonderful winter weather and looots of snow! I adore snow (as I’ve told you before), I guess I couldn’t live without it in winter!

With so much snow and cold, one can’t help himself but get hungry all the time! I’ve posted about my winter dishes before already, and here I have another one for you. I was alone for lunch yesterday and made myself these awesome and oh-so-yummy cabbage parcels (of a sort). They tasted so great that I made some for lunch today, too. Quite addictive, I might say.

CABBAGE PARCELS WITH TWO FILLINGS

You need:
cabbage leaves
a big pot of water
salt
olive oil

Sausage filling:
dried chorizo sausage (or other spicy sausage)
fennel bulb and leaves, chopped
grated cheese (I used cured goat cheese)
freshly ground pepper

Lentil filling:
cooked (brown) lentils
grated carrot
grated cheese
freshly ground pepper
a pinch of salt

1. Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 5′. Drain the leaves on a paper towel.
2. Mix the filling and place a tablespoon or two in the middle of each cabbage leaf, then fold the leaves and place them on a baking tray, covered with aluminum foil.
3. Drizzle each parcel with a little olive oil and transfer into the oven (preheated at 180ºC). Cook for 15′ or so (be careful that the cabbage doesn’t brown too much). Serve immediately. 5 of these parcels made my lunch. Delicious!

Bacalao (salt cod) a la Riojana

Maya — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:55:34 +0000

Upon my first visit to La Rioja, I ate this splendid salt cod dish that I try to re-create here today with genuine Spanish products we acquired a while ago. This bacalao-affair is all about red pepper-y color and aroma, a must-try for every gourmet’s palate.

Ingredients:
salt cod
olive oil
natural tomato sauce
onions, lots of
garlic cloves
roasted red pepper
flesh of pepper (so-called pimiento choricero), it comes in a jar as a sort of paste
sweet paprika powder (pimentón dulce)
cayenne pepper
dried or fresh rosemary
salt to taste
a good splash of dried red wine (Riojan would be perfect for this dish)

1. Desalt the cod in lots of water for 2 days prior to cooking, changing water 3 or 4 times per day.
2. Dice the onions and chop the garlic (or simply smash it) and sauté in abundant amount of olive oil. Add the flesh of pimiento choricero, rosemary, sweet paprika and cayenne pepper (if using).
3. Now it’s time to add the slices of cod and roasted red pepper. Season with salt and pour in some wine, reduce a bit and finally, add tomato sauce.
4. Let the whole thing cook on middle heat for 15′ or so (depends on how thick your cod is). Serve with peeled, boiled potatoes. Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

Proso millet dessert

Maya — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:34:05 +0000

Lately, I’ve been cooking a lot with proso millet (also called proso, common millet or white millet). Maybe better known to wheat-intolerant population, millet is a type of grain with super-food properties that should appear more often on our tables.

I use it in stir-fries, as a side dish to vegetable or meat plates and in desserts. I tend to cook large quantity of proso at once, which I then store in the fridge for quite some days. This way I have it ready whenever I need it.

If you’re new to this grain, I have a delicious and healthy dessert recipe for you, which could make an appropriate initiation into the millet world. Using seasonal produce (orange and pomegranate as my winter-choice) and one of the healthiest sweeteners you can find out there (maple syrup), this dessert can be enjoyed practically by everyone. Want to give it a try?

PROSO MILLET DESSERT WITH RICOTTA, ORANGE AND POMEGRANATE

Ingredients:
proso millet
water
grated peel of an orange
orange juice (if needed)
fresh ricotta
pomegranate, deseeded
maple syrup

1. Cook the millet: wash the grains well under running water, then cover with water (3 parts water per 1 part millet) and bring to boil. It will take 20-30′ to cook. You can add the grated orange peel while cooking or when already cooked – your choice. When you cook the millet for dessert, feel free to add a cinnamon stick, or cardamom or other spice to it in order to enhance its aroma.
2. Let the cooked millet cool, then mix in the grated orange peel (if you haven’t done it before), pomegranate seeds and fresh ricotta. Sweeten with maple syrup and if the mixture appears too dry, you can still add a tablespoon of orange juice to it.
3. Divide the millet mixture between serving glasses and cool in the fridge for a while, then serve. This recipe is very flexible and works well with any other fruit.

Orange flan

Maya — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:14:58 +0000

Let us start this New year 2010 in the sweetest of ways: with a dessert. And not just with any dessert, but with a Spanish flan, egg-and-milk goodness, cooked in a water bath in oven. Here I propose a recipe using orange as the main flavor. Sugar is replaced with sweet condensed milk which makes this flan specially delicious. Who says that the best desserts have to be complicated to prepare…

ORANGE FLAN
- 2 servings -

3 large eggs
juice (85ml, more or less) and grated peel of one orange
120ml sweet condensed milk
120ml milk, preferably full-fat
oil for the ramekins
a bit of maple syrup
2 orange slices, for decoration (optional)

1. Preheat the oven at 140ºC. Beat together the eggs, orange juice and peel, milk and condensed milk.
2. Oil 2 ramekins (or 4, if very small) and pour in some maple syrup, then the egg-milk mixture.
3. Fill a baking dish with hot water and place the ramekins inside. Transfer to the oven and cook the flan for about 1 hour (make the toothpick check). Cover with aluminum foil if needed.
4. Let the flan cool completely before unmolding onto serving plate, decorate with orange slice and then … enjoy!