Veggie caviar

I can't have enough of this, since I made it last week, I haven't eaten anything else for snack or lunch.
This spread reminds me of the Balkan's legendary ajvar, it's just the method of prep is different but still deliver a explosion of taste....

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp olive oil

1 aubergine, diced 

1 courgette, diced

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

1 - 2 hot chilies ( optional ) 

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, grated

3 big tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

Add the aubergines, courgettes, pepper, chilies and onions as well as salt and pepper and saute until lightly caramelised, about 20 - 25 minutes.

 Whizz all the caramelised veggies in a food processor then put them back in the frying pan, add the carrots and the tomatoes.

Cook over a medium heat for an hour, stirring from time to time until you have a thick paste.

Add the garlic right in the end. Add some more oil if is dry. Season it with salt and pepper .

Store this spread into a sterilized jar in the fridge for two weeks.

Ricotta, feta and watermelon bruschetta #2

I made this bruschetta for our Sunday brunch and I was so pleased to see the children happily munching them. My daughter made a comment about the combination as we don't really eat melon with cheese on regular days. However I grew up eating bread and fruit as a snack but then there was plenty of fruit growing in our garden and the cheese was saved for stuffing a peppers usually the shape of a cone, only to be served to the children as an ice cream....those were the days...

You will need:

french bread such as baggete  

ricotta cheese

watermelon cut into cubes

crumbled feta cheese

fresh basil and mint 

Slice the bread and spread with ricotta cheese.You can toasted if you wish.

Mix up the melon and the feta cheese and sprinkle some of the herbs.

Spoon it over the bread, sprinkle with some extra basil and mint.

note: balsamic vinegar goes really well drizzled over

Summer bliss bruschetta #1

Obligatory in summer when tomatoes are ripe and sweet. The taste is luxurious and each bite takes me back in the past... 

You will need:

1 long bread, sliced 

3 medium or big tomatoes as ripe as you can find

1 avocado

1 garlic clove

salt, pepper

cold pressed olive oil

fresh basil 

Peal the tomatoes and get the seeds out.

Chopped them up into a small squares.

Chop the avocado flash as well.

Mix up all ingredients and mash it up with a fork.

Toast the bread,sprinkle some oil on it before you spread the filling.

Homemade organic baguettes

Forget about super food, low carb diet,  buckwheat, quinoa, spelt, goji berries and what ever else is there these says. Lets go back to basics. A homemade white bread ! 

You will need:

450 gr flour*

1 tsp salt

about 300 ml water

pre-fermented starter ( 1/4 tsp dry yeast, 100ml water and 100 gr flour )

Prepare the starter a day before you want to bake the bread.

Pour the water in a small breakfast bawl, add the yeast and mix it up. Add the flour and combine everything using a spatula. 

Cover it up with plastic wrap and leave it to ferment for 24 hours.

The next day, pour about 260 ml of lukewarm water in a glass mixing bawl, add the starter and mix up to dissolve into the water. It is fine if you leave some lump in.

Add the flour little by little followed by salt and combine all using your hand , stand mixer with dough attachment or a silicone spatula. 

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed.

Place the dough into a oiled glass bawl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it for 3 - 4 hours to prove. 

After that, transfer the dough onto a floured surface and half it to get two peaces of dough.

Shape each dough into a long shapes and place them on a floured tea towel .

Cover with tea towel and let them prove again for a good two hours.

Heat the oven on 200 C 

Transfer the baguettes onto a baking flat tray, quickly dust it with some flout and make a few cuts at the top.

Bake the breads for 10 - 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180 C and bake for further 15 minutes.

* I used organic unbleached white flout .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Pasta bake

Favorite ingredients put together = delicious, tasty, hearty and healthy dinner for a hungry family...

Ingredients:

1 onion

4 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 onion squash

350 gr broccoli 

400 gr pasta

1 small jar pasta sauce 

cheese

oil

salt and pepper

Dice the onion, carrots and squash ( you don't need to peal it ).

In a cooking pot add some oil and add the vegetables. Stir around until they get a little softer and add the garlic as well as the tomato sauce.

Add some water and seasoning. 

Place the lid on and cook the sauce for 20 minutes or until the veggies are soft and mushy.

In a meantime cook the pasta al dente and add the broccoli into the pasta pan right in the end. Drain and set a side.

Mash the sauce with potato masher and mix it up with the pasta and broccoli.

Spoon it up into a ovenproof dish and 1/2 cup of water if it feels dry and sprinkle some cheese. 

Bake in a hot oven pre-heated on 190 C for 20 minutes.

Serve with some garlic bread and seasonal salad.

note: click here for recipe for home-made tomato sauce 

Тулумби на Мексички начин /Mexican Churros

Churros !! I have first heard about them on TV, then I saw them in a market in London on the Mexican stall and I have to admit,  I fall in LOVE with them.
They remind me of a Balkan tulumba,  which is a big Churro soaked in sugary syrup but  without the chocolate.
These churros are my version and they are a perfect treat !

Потребни состојки:

250 мл вода

2 лажици шеќер

пола лажичка сол

130 гр брашно

70 гр путер

2 јајца

************

50 гр шеќер

1 лажиче цимет

масло за пржење

Во сад за варење ставете ја водата, додајте шеќер. сол и путер. Варете додека не зоврие.

Тргнете го садот од оган и додајте го брашното.

Мешајте силно, смесата треба да се `одлепи` од садот.

Додајте ги јајцата едно по едно и мешајте со дрвена лажица се додека не добиете изедначена смеса.

Ставете ја смесата во специален шприц за тулумби.

Загрејте го маслото за пржење да се загрее во плитка тава.

Шеќерот измешајте го заедно со циметот.

Со помош на шприцот притискајте ја смесата и веднаш пржете во топлото масло.

Пржете кратко или додека не добијат златна боја. 

Вадете го на кујнска хартија и веднаш посипете ги со мешавината од шеќер и цимет.

По желба послужете ги со чоколаден сос кој ке го направите на овој начин:

во помал сад ставете 100 гр чоколадо, 50 мл млеко, 20 гр путер и 1 лажиче какао .

Мешајте ги состојките на оган додека не добиете чоколаден сос.

Ingredients:

250 ml water

2 Tbsp sugar

half tsp salt

130 gr flour

70 gr butter

2 eggs

***************

50 gr sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

oil for frying 

In a cooking pot pour the water, add the salt, sugar and butter.Cook it all together until the water boiled.

Take the pan off the heat and add the flour.

Beat the flour with a wooden spoon until smooth and lump free texture, the dough should come off the sides of the pan.

Now add the eggs one by one and mix it all with the wooden spoon until the dough is smooth.

Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a fitted star nozzle.

Heat the oil until hot but not too hot.

Pipe out the dough straight into the oil and fry the churros for a short time or until they are golden colour.

Repeat until you use all the dough.

Coat them in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

Serve the churros with chocolate sauce: 100 gr milk chocolate, 50 ml milk, 20 gr butter and 1 tsp cacao powder, place all ingredients into a small pan, heat it up until you get a smooth melted chocolate.

Bio - boosting okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese egg pancake that is perfect for a super - quick and healthy supper. 

Ingredients:

50 gr flour of your choice 

2 eggs

one large handful of shredded kale

1 grated carrot

half stick of leek, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

half chili pepper, optional

50 ml water 

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp oil for frying 

Mix the flour, eggs, water, kale, carrots, leek and flax seeds together in a large mixing bowl.

Season with salt and pepper and add some chopped chili pepper.

Heat a large non - stick frying pan and add the oil.

Place several large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and press down to form a pancake.

Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, then turn it over and cook for further 3 minutes.

Serve the pancake with salad .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

note: the recipe is from the book The medicinal chef but this is my version 

Spanakopita

There is no better food for me then the food from my homeland, the flavours I grow up with.
Buttery pastry mixed up with spinach and cheese, accomplished by yogurt and cucumber and salty olives.... and there is a ouzo drink as well....
 

you will need:

270 gr filo pastry, I've got 7 sheets 

300 gr spinach 

100 gr feta cheese

100 gr cottage cheese

2 eggs

1 spring onion 

40 gr butter, melted

pepper

sesame seeds

Wash and chop the spinach.

In a cooking pot drop 2 Tbsp hot water, add the spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.

Cool it down and squeeze off any liquid before you mix it with cheeses + eggs + spring onion and pepper. You wont need salt because  the feta cheese is salted enough. 

Now the filling is ready,melt the butter.

 Place the  filo pastry on a clean worktop and cut the sheets on half to get 14 long sheets.

Brush each pastry with some butter and put 1 Tbsp of the filling in the corner of the pastry.

Fold and fold again :) 

until you get triangle shape pastries.

Place them in a large baking tray then

brush them with some more butter and sprinkle sesame seeds.

Bake on 180 C for 25 minutes.

Aubergine wedges in a wrap

Summer is here ?! Apparently so! It's been raining for a week, the sun is nowhere to be seen and it's still cold. These wraps has cheered us all up with the taste of a smelly tomatoes, sharp aubergines and a hint of a garlic, chili and basil...

Ingredients:

serve 4

2 aubergines sliced into wedges 

6 small tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp chili flakes 

dry basil

olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh basil 

for the wraps: 200 gr flour, half to be wholemeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

40 ml oil

120 ml warm water

First make the wraps: place all ingredients into a medium size bowl and mix them all up until you form a dough. Cover with tea towel for an hour or two.

Place the dough onto a floured board and divide into 8 balls.

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a round using more flour if needed.

Heat a non stick frying pan and dry-fry the breads for 30 seconds of each side.

While you wait for the dough to rest, cut the aubergines into wedges, sprinkle some salt and set a side.

Cut the tomatoes into a small chunks, add the chili flakes, garlic, dry basil and some pepper.

Pre-heat the oven on 180 C.

Place the aubergines onto a baking tray and sprinkle oil generously .

Roast them for a 30 minutes, then add the tomato mixture and roast for 15 more minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

Yummy food over a busy weekend

It's been a busy bank holiday over here full of celebrating, cooking, eating, laughing, playing and more.
First, it was my 13th wedding anniversary which always involves a special meal and a nice bottle of something bubbly.
The very next day we celebrated my sister in law's birthday in a very nice Italian restaurant.
But that's not all, the day after, our youngest child turned four and that was a busy and exciting day for all of us.
Here is some of the food we enjoyed over the weekend!

Classic hummus in a company of a fresh french radishes 

300 gr cooked chickpeas

1 Tbsp tahini

juice of half lemon

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blended until smooth.

Store in a glass jar in fridge up to 3 days.  

Baked squash with roasted veggies 

serve 4

1 butternut squash 

vegetables of your choice: peppers, courgettes, onions, broccoli 

cooked kale or fresh rocket leaves 

pumpkin seeds

salt and pepper

olive oil

Cut the squash into half, don't need to peel it.

Using a knife make a cross cutting at the top, season with salt and pepper and brush it with some oil.

Bake the squash up side down on 180 C for 30 minutes, then add the vegetables and turn the squash over.

Roast everything for further 20 minutes or until the veggies are done.

In a meanwhile, cook the kale and dry-roast the seeds.

Cut the squashes on half lengthwise and serve with the veggies sprinkled with seeds.

 

Strawberry cake 

200 gr fine flour

90 ml oil, I use coconut oil, melted

300 gr fresh strawberries 

2 eggs

90 gr brown sugar or 4-5 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla exstract

milk if needed

Place 200 gr fresh strawberries into a blender and blend until smooth.

Chop up the rest of the strawberries.

Place the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisk all up, add the dry ingredients and a splash of milk if cake mixture is dry.

Add the chopped strawberries and pour the mixture into a bottom loose cake tin, size 20 cm across.

Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes on 180 C.

Serve with custard and some fresh strawberries.

Peanut butter cookies 

220 gr spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 Tbsp honey or maple syrup 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract 

pinch of salt

50 gr chopped nuts, I used pecan 

50 gr currants 

Melt the coconut oil, add the peanut butter and set a side.

In a mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients, add cooled oil and butter mixture as well as the egg.

Mix everything using a wooden spoon.

Add the nuts and currants.

Scoop out a medium size cookie dough, form a cookie with your hands and place it onto a baking tray.

Repeat until you use all the dough.

You can make a pattern on the top, using a fork.

Bake the cookies for 10 - 15 minutes on 170 C.

 

Breakfast blueberry cakes

350 gr self-raising wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

150 gr fresh or frozen blueberries

2 eggs

200 gr plain yogurt

100 ml oil

zest and juice of half lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

100 gr mashed banana

4 Tbsp honey

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, add the yogurt, oil, zest and juice of lemon, vanilla, honey and mashed banana.

Fold in the dry ingredients followed by the blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin ( buttered ) for 12 muffins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes on 200 C.

Get them out as soon as they are baked and cool them down a little bit before eating.