Cooking with Nico and Bianca

Churros (Bianca)

2012-02-19T14:53:00.011+02:00

Churros are popular in Spain, Latin America, France, Portugal and the United States. I was so curious about their origin, so I search the internet to see what I can find out. Well, all of the websites (including wikipedia) state that the history is divided on how exactly Churros came to exist. Some say they were invented by Spanish shepherds. They were living in the high mountains, with no access to bakeries, so they came up with churro paste - easy to fry in an open fire. Some others say that Churros were brought in Europe by the Portuguese sailors from Northern China, where they were called "You Tiao". They made adjustments to the technique of making them, as they couldn't learn the Chinese skill of "pulling" the dough. So, they were passing the dough through a star shaped tip.
Eventually the Churros were introduced in Latin America by the conquistadors and suffered various changes. The Spanish recipe has only flour, water and salt. But any recipe found on the internet originated from Mexico had butter and eggs added. I even watched a video on youtube with Gordon Ramsay making Churros after the original Spanish recipe. In one of the comments there, someone was very surprised as how come Gordon, being a top chef, doesn't know that the original recipe has eggs and butter in it. He grew up in Mexico and he knows the recipe well.
Hmm ... I wanted another opinion, so I turned to my Catalan friend here in Tartu, a gourmet himself, Eneko Itziar. I asked him: ''Churros ... are they originally from Spain or Mexico, as both countries claim they have the original recipe?'' And his answer was : ''Not the first time I was asked about this :) The churros are from Spain, no doubt. There are different regions in Spain that claim to be the *inventors*, but it is said that the first *industry* of churros started in Catalunya in the XIX century. No doubt that the foggy beginning of this recipe comes from the Arabs, as most of the *dry* or *fried* deserts in Spanish tradition. Actually what Mexican people call *churro* is what Spanish people call *porra*. The difference between these two is that the dough of the churros it's with hot water and the porra it just warmed one, to change the texture.''
After all the research, I decided to make both recipes, the Spanish and the Mexican ones :)

Spanish recipe:

- 500 ml water

- 255 g flour

- 1 tsp salt

- sugar, cinnamon ( to sprinkle )

- plenty of vegetable oil for frying

Hot chocolate sauce:

- 150 g dark chocolate

- 150 ml cream

Mexican recipe:

- 530 ml water

- 200 g butter

- 45 g sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 425 g flour

- 5 eggs

- plenty of vegetable oil for frying

With the Spanish recipe I got about 18 churros, because I used my biscuits pistol to squeeze them, and they came out quite thick. With the Mexican one I got over 30!!!, but I used a pastry bag with a Φ 10 mm star shaped tip . When I squeezed through the pistol, having eggs inside the dough, they expanded to much looking more as a thick Polish sausage and I wanted them thinner:)

But no problem here! My brother came by right when I finished them and he said: ''Keep some - the rest are mine!'' So, no waste! :)

Method for Spanish recipe:

Place the water and salt in a pot and bring it to boil. Then add all the flour and mix well until a consistent dough is formed. Remove from heat and continue mixing until smooth. Let the dough stand covered for about 15 min, to cool down.

Heat the oil at 180 degrees C in a large frying pan. Place the dough in a churrera or a pastry bag with a star shaped tip attached and squeeze out about 20 cm long churros straight into the hot oil. Fry them until golden brown, on each side. Place them on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil and while they are still hot, sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon sugar. Serve them immediately with hot chocolate sauce.

Method for Mexican recipe:

Same method as the Spanish ones, just that the butter is placed in the water mix. After the butter is melted and the mixture is almost at the boiling point, place the flour and mix until the dough releases from the sides. Remove from the heat and place the dough into a table top mixer. On a low speed, mix the dough, adding one egg at a time. Leave the dough covered for about 15 min, to cool down.

These ones I chose to fill with creme patisserie (pastry cream) mixed with chocolate, then covered them in chocolate and sprinkled them with coconut, nuts, chocolate and colored sprinkles.

Which ones I liked the most? Has to be the Mexican ones, as they are moist and soft, compare to the Spanish ones that are crunchy outside and a bit chewy inside.

I hope Eneko won't be mad at me about this ;)

Strawberries and cream cheese (Bianca)

2012-02-15T09:31:00.001+02:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, so I decided to make it special, but nothing fancy. And since I celebrated the day with my best friend, my daughter Stephanie, we agreed to do girl stuff. For her, girls stuff means cooking or shopping :) It's being a long day in school for her, then lots of homeworks, so we skipped the shoppings and got to do the cooking. That's the one thing one can never go wrong with her. She loves to try things in the kitchen.
We wanted to make something that's quick, good and fun too ... so we did stuffed strawberries.
What we needed:
- 500 g fresh strawberries
- 75 g chocolate cream cheese spread
- 75 g cream cheese
- 1 tbls honey
- chopped nuts ( optional) to sprinkel on top ...or anything you want

First we washed the strawberries.

Then we cut off the top.

We scooped out the middle.

We use ready made chocolate cream cheese spread and we mixed 1 tbsp of honey with 75 g cream cheese and placed the mixes in pastry bags.

Now Stephanie filled each strawberry, then she sprinkled chopped nuts and sugar hearts on them.

And this is what we ended up with :)

I hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day!

Modern Romanian cuisine (3) - My ''Mamaliga''

2012-01-30T14:04:00.000+02:00

Romania isn't best known for its food but it will be....I know. There is an incredibly rich culinary tradition here, homegrown in Romania, born out of the necessities of life, brought in by the Ottomans, Germans, Russians, Serbians, Hungarians.... Add to that a generous climate, fertile soil and the Black See that provide fabulous ingredients in abundance and you are ready to feast.
To understand Romania and to understand mămăliga, you have to understand traditional Romanian culture.
Historically, Romanians ate this golden bread (mămăliga - made from cornmeal) as a replacement to bread. It is inexpensive, easy to do every day, in every season and could be found in every house.
Mămăliga is similar to a porridge made out of wheat of cornmeal traditional for Romania. It is better known to the rest of the world in its Italian form named polenta.
Traditionally, mămăliga is cooked by boiling water, salt and cornmeal in a special-shaped cast iron pot called ''ceaun'' or ''tuci''.
Mămăliga is much thicker than the regular Italian polenta to the point that it can be cut in slices with a string, like bread.
Sometimes, mămăliga can be much softer, almost to the consistency of porridge.
Mămăliga is a fat-free, cholesterol-free, high-fiber food. It can be used as a healthy alternative to more refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta or white rice.
In Romania, mămăliga is used as a bread substitute and can be served all day:
-with sour cream and jam for breakfast,
-stuffed with cheese and served with pickles as a all day meal
- used as the starchy base for meaty stews, grills, Sarmale recipe here….etc, at dinner.

Today I will introduce you to mămăliga, not in a traditional way of preparation, to demonstrate how versatile and deeply satisfying this peasant dish can be.Parmesan and Rosemary Polenta with Wild Boar Stew
Mamaliga cu rosmarin si parmesan servita cu tocanita de porc mistret
Serves 6 to 8
Rosemary Polenta
Ingredients150 gr of polenta
400 ml of chicken or vegetable stock
400 ml of water
100 gr of grated Parmesan cheese
fresh rosemary, chopped
olive oil
salt
Preparation
In a cast iron pot ''ceaun'' or ''tuci',' or a pot, add the water and stock to boil.
After water is boiling, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting.
Add salt and rosemary. Gradually stir in polenta; cook, stirring the mixture constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pot.
Stir in Parmesan and olive oil. Once it begins to stick to the side of your pot, before collapsing back into the mix, the mamaliga is done.
To prepare stew
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onion chopped
1 kg boneless wild boar meat, cubed 1-2cm
1 tbs white flour
1/2 bottle of red wine
400 ml beef stock
400 gr canned chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves from real spice
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 dried chili peppers crushed from real spice
1 cinnamon stick from real spice
250 gr carrots chopped
250 gr celery sticks chopped
100 gr dry prunes
6 sun-dried tomatoes
fresh thyme chopped
fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
To prepare stew, in a large cast-iron pot, saute the onion in olive oil until translucent.
Add and cook the meat over high heat, turning frequently, just until it's cooked on the outside. Add the flour and mix to incorporate. Add the wine and beef stock. Add the canned tomatoes and the bay leaves.
Gradually add the garlic, dried chili, cinnamon stick, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, celery, prunes, herbs, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Simmer on low and stir occasionally for at least two hours or longer if possible.
The stew is ready to eat when the meat has totally fallen apart and most of the liquid has been absorbed by the meat.

Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves before serving.

Serve over the polenta or with pasta and top with grated cheese or parmesan bisquit.
Accompany with a full bodied red wine, and enjoy with good company.
Here you can find mamaliga not in a traditional way of preparation.
With Tiger Prawns and avocado salsa.

''Mamaliga'' with scalops and salmon rulade.

''Mamaliga'' with cod wraped in parma ham and lobster bisque.

Black ''mamaliga '' with squid ink served with Tiger prawns.

Red ''mamaliga'' with venison filet, goats cheese, red onions marmalade and thyme sauce.

Filet of lamb with feta and aubergines roulade served with goats milk ''mamaliga'' and olive puree.

''Mamaliga'' stufed with goats cheese and served with fresh tomato sauce and catalan herbs olive oil.
Enjoy!

''Taste of Estonia''

2012-01-03T22:30:00.002+02:00

''Taste of Estonia''
The modern cuisine album "Estonian à la carte" is now available.
- 31 restaurants and cafes Chefs, carefully selected for the 2011 modern Estonian food.
- 100 inspiring recipes with food pictures- Chefs own authored.
- 288 pages / hardcover
The book is in English and Estonian.
Price - 25 Euros.
The book is now out in stores.
How to buy it? You can purchase a signed copy directly from me (send your request to nlontras@yahoo.ie with full details of name and address) which will cost you 25 euros + transport or you can purchase a regular book from „Rahva Raamat“ or „Apollo“ shops.
Please allow approximately 2 - 4 weeks for ground delivery. Refunds or exchanges are possible only in special circumstances. Contact me if any questions at nlontras@yahoo.ie .
The following pictures are from the book!

''Cuisine is the calling card, and cooks symbolic ambassadors, representing their country.
Food is and will remains one of the peculiarity of a great opportunity to introduce to the world of local traditions, values
and skills, and domestic raw material" says chef Dimitri Demjanov foreword to the album.
Contact me if any questions at nlontras@yahoo.ie .
Thanks and enjoy!

Goan Fish Curry

2011-11-24T21:54:00.005+02:00

A traditional fish curry from south-west part of India - Goa. Like most of the Goan food, this dish is hot and delicious....especially for those who love shellfish and spicy food.
Fish is a staple food in the Goan cuisine, but also includes all types of meat and vegetables, each cooked in its on unique way. Traditional Goan food is cooked on a wood fire that brings extra, unique flavor which no gourmet chef can duplicate in the modern day kitchen.
Almost all the food in Goa is served along rice. This style of fish curry is tangy and spicy.
Today I will present you my way of doing this delicious dish. I like this curry with large Tiger Prawns but you can use any shell fish or any fish with firm flesh.
Goan Fish Curry Recipe for 10 portions
Goan Curry Paste
5 whole red chilies or 2 tbs. crushed dry chilies
2 tsp. coriander powder from
2 tsp. cumin Seeds
2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. roughly chopped garlic
2 tbsp. roughly chopped ginger
1 tbsp. tamarind paste
To make the paste add all the ingredients to a blender with 5cl of water.

For the curry
1kg of clean mix shell fish (prawns, scallops, baby octopus, mussels)
1kg of large tiger prawns
coconut oil for frying
500gr diced onions
500gr chopped tomatoes
400 ml coconut Milk
4 green chilies deseeded.
500 ml ready fish bullion
Salt to taste.
Heat the coconut oil in a pot or wok. Add onions and sauté well until golden brown. Add the Goan paste to it and then add the chopped tomatoes and cook on low for about 2-3 minutes.
Add coconut Milk and fish bullion and bring to boil. Add salt to taste.
Add shell fish and green chilies to it and let it simmer for 5-7 Minutes.
For the Tiger Prawns
1kg of large tiger prawns
2 tsp. butter
2 clove of garlic crushed
juice from one lemon
Cook the tiger prawns on the grill, brushed with butter, garlic and lemon juice.
To serve
I serve this curry with plain boiled brown rice and some cucumber and yogurt salad with coriander and mint which makes for a balanced satisfying meal.
Garnish the Goan curry with grilled Tiger prawns and fresh coriander.

As well you can serve this with chapatis or popodomus, or simply on its own as a satisfying meal for lunch or dinner.
Enjoy!
You can buy all TRS spices here- www.real-spice.eu

Prawns, bacon and corn Chowder

2011-10-06T12:04:00.000+03:00

When the weather gets cold, I start thinking more about soups….hmm!...Corn Chowder with bacon ...
Anyway, this is one of those recipes that you can make any time of the year.
I am making this corn soup since I purchased my ‘’ The New Basics’’ cookbook back in the 2003. I have altered the recipe a little bit to suit my tastes and I think you are going to love it too because it always wins rave reviews for us.
Corn chowder is a great American dish and a large bowl with some crusty bread makes a welcome lunchtime meal on its own. Chowders can be modified and developed by adding smoked fish, crab, lobster or clams to become a personalize chowder. It should be thick and chunky and full of flavor and you should almost be able to stand the spoon up in it.
To make a good Corn Chowder, really rich, that will keep you coming back for more you need to use homemade stock in place of the water and cream rather than just milk.
This soup is creamy, is fishy and loaded with vegetables - onion, carrot, potatoes, and of course sweet corn. I made garlic croutons with salmon roe to go with the chowder. They were the perfect addition to this delicious meal.
The result? Well, I'll let you be the judge.
Here is my way:
PRAWNS, BACON AND CORN CHOWDER
Ingredients
- 100gr butter
- 300gr onions
- 200gr chopped crisp bacon
- 200gr diced carrots
- 200gr diced celery
- 500gr diced potatoes
- 1 -400gr cans kernel corn
- 20gr chopped parsley
- Salt, pepper,
- cayenne to taste (optional)
- 1 liter of lobster or shrimps stock
- 500gr chopped raw shrimp or small shrimps
- 100gr flour
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp. marjoram
- 500ml cream
-500gr Jumbo boiled shrimp
Directions
Melt the butter and saute the bacon, onions, celery, and carrots.

Stir in flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes.Add lobster stock and water to make a thin sauce.
Add diced potatoes, corn, small shrimps, lemon juice, marjoram, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Simmer about 40 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil.Just before serving, add in chopped parsley.
Garnish each serving with 1 jumbo shrimp and a crouton with salmon roe.

Enjoy!!

Cream soups - Cauliflower, blue cheese and black truffle soup

2011-09-14T22:00:00.003+03:00

Making homemade cream soups is more easier than you think!
On a cool autumn or cold winter day, there is nothing better than a thick, hot soup to warm the body. Our soups conventionally uses a chicken base for flavor, but you can also use vegetable base to make the soup vegetarian friendly( here you can find the recipe for a base).
Making a cream soup will also allow you control fat and salt levels, as you can opt for healthier versions on and with key ingredients.
Soup is easy to personalize and you can use whatever ingredients you have on hand and fridge. Today I will outline some general rules that will guide you to making great soup. Add vegetables at different times, depending on how long they take to cook. Root vegetables, such as potatoes and turnips should usually be added first, tender greens can be added 10 minutes before serving.You can puree all the soup or just part of it. Consider pureeing half of the soup and then mix it with the non pureed soup for a difference in textures.
All herbs and spices can be used to flavor the soup.If use woody herbs such as bay leaves or springs of fresh thyme or rosemary or whole spices...etc, combine in a small piece of cheesecloth (you can also use a tea ball) so that you can flavor the soup while it's cooking, but remove them before serving. You can flavor your soup before serving with a splash of wine, sherry, brandy or lemon juice.Top soups with a dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt.

Garnish soups with crumbled bacon, chopped herbs or croutons.
Here is one of my favorite recipe:
CAULIFLOWER, BLUE CHEESE AND BLACK TRUFFLE SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4
1 medium cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small pieces, stalk included
50g butter or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1L chicken stock
250g blue cheese
100ml cream
50g crumbled blue cheese
10g fresh slices of black truffle
2 tablespoon white truffle oil
Melt butter in a large pot, add onion and celery and sweat over medium heat for a few minutes until softened and transparent. Add cauliflower, garlic and thyme and season lightly with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
Add cream and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, cool, then blend until really smooth and check the seasoning.

Serve in Martini glasses with crumbled blue cheese on top and garnish with fresh slices of black truffle and small drizzle of the white truffle oil. For a nice presentation, before serving add a small crouton made from tortilla and black salt.
Here are some other soups I made.

Spicy tomato soup with mozzarela and anchovies foccacia.

Lobster cream soup with salmon pate and salmon roe.

Roast pepper soup with fresh pesto bruscheta.

Green peas soup with crisby bacon and sage.

Smoked tomatoes soup with spicy popcorn.

Roast pepper soup with black truffle cheese and salmon roe.
Enjoy!

Sorbet and Granita

2011-08-06T00:44:00.009+03:00

Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from a syrup flavoured with fruits, juice or fruit puree, wine, tea, coffee, liqueurs or strong alcohol. Any type of fruit can be turned into a puree for sorbet, and can be sweetened with honey, syrups or sugar. I like to play with the texture and flavors in sorbets by making combinations such as lavender or green tea or chili vodka with chocolate pieces. As a chef I like to make my sorbets to complement the meal, so many times I use rosemary, tomato, beets or basil to make savoury sorbets. I serve sorbet between courses as a way to cleanse the palate before the main course or as a refreshing dessert in the summer. The good sorbets must have a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture that comes from tiny ice crystals. The tiny crystals are achieved by getting just the right balance of sugar syrup to fruit juice or fruit puree and then constantly turning the mixture as it freezes. For these sorbets that I present you today you don't need an ice cream maker, for that I will use alcohol in these recipes (alcohol lowers the freezing temperature, resulting a soft texture). You need about 3-4 tablespoons of alcohol to 500ml of liquid sorbet for a soft-set style. Sugar and alcohol lower the freezing point, keeping the mixture from freezing into a rock-hard block of ice. For regular sorbets with no alcohol I recommend to use an ice cream machine. If you don't have one, mix the sorbet regularly with a fork as it freezes, or process it in a food processor once frozen. Many recipes suggest beating in egg whites to improve the texture of sorbet, but then you need to be sure of the eggs quality or to use pasteurised eggs (raw eggs may contain salmonella). My sorbets are made with no animal products, so are lower in fat and is suitable for vegetarians. Because sorbet are dense and intensely flavored, serve them in small scoops, so that it does not overwhelm the dinner. If the sorbet is too hard, a small amount of alcohol may be added to the mixture to soften it. Here I share with you some pictures of the sorbets I made this summer and the recipe for Margarita Granita, by far the best seller sorbet cocktail in the restaurant. Please fell free to experiment with your favorites flavor.

Margarita Granita

Ingredients for 20 nice portions

500ml water

250gr sugar

3-4 lime juice and zest

600ml fresh orange juice

2,5kg fresh or frozen strawberry

600ml gold tequila

450 ml brandy

Preparation

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring mixture constantly until dissolved. Pour into a large bowl; add lime juice and zest, orange juice, strawberries, tequila and brandy. Blend until smooth puree with an hand blender or in a liquidizer.

Pour the mixture into a plastic container, and freeze until slushy, about 3 hours, then break up the mixture by running a fork through it several times.

Repeat every 2 hours or so, until the Granita is icy throughout, about 8 hours. It will not freeze hard, as alcohol has a very low freezing temperature.

To serve, scoop the Granita into martini glasses and garnish with a fruit slice, or mint leaves if desired. Serve quickly - its melts fast!

Or try this:

Mango Sorbet with pasion fruit.

Trio Sorbets; Mango and pasion fruit, raspberry and lemon.

Mellon sorbet with summer fruits.

Mojito Sorbet with white rum, lime and mint.

Gin Tonic and cucumber sorbet.

Water melon and Tequila Sorbet. Enjoy!

Modern Romanian cuisine (2)

2011-07-07T01:09:00.001+03:00

Soups (ciorba or zeama - argot). In fact, in Romania, soup (supă) means something else; it's a homemade clear vegetable and meat broth where we add very thin homemade pasta (more like noodles) or semolina dumplings. But we can not translate ''ciorba'' in English, other then soup.''Zeama'' or ''ciorba'' is the way we call the soup In Romania and we use to eat a lot of them. We have a wide range of soups( zeama or ciorba) that are made with or without meat, or made with fish and they are offered on all menus in Romanian restaurants.Fresh ingredients are the basics to really tasty Romanian soups. As the climate and landscape changes thoughout Romania, regional favourites depend on what is available around the seasons.These can be made from meat and vegetable, beef tripe, pork foot or fish soups and all this can be soured with traditionally borş (fermented wheat bran), lemon juice, sauerkraut juice or vinegar.
Many of this traditional soups recipes use a lot of pork fat and the cooking time for this recipes are long...way to long. By cooking the vegetables to long we destroy not only the bad bacteria but we destroy the good things too. So here in my new modern Romanian recipes I will try to aproach them a bit different and try to save some vitamins beside a new presentation.
Recipes don't always have to be exact, try improvising to make traditional dishes not too traditional...try to make them in the way you like and try to use the fresh ingredients that you already have.
With the wide range of fabulous organic ingredients that exist in Romania today, you can be inspired to make fantastic soups. Organic ingredients enhance taste, and make recipes healthier for you and your family. Number one secret for a good soup is to make a good stock.Stock is most important in making soups because it has flavor, and it carries flavor in soups. Stock is the thin liquid produced by simmering raw ingredients. Then solids are removed, leaving a thin, highly-flavoured liquid. The stock can be made from any meat like... beef, veal, chicken, fish or vegetables. Soup stocks are best made with bone-in meat to slowly release the flavor carrier (collagen) from the bones. By slowly heating it, the collagen dissolves and brings out the flavor from the bones, and picks up the flavors of the aromatic vegetables. In this way stocks have flavours.
''Collagen - a flavor carrier is a substance, generally in liquid form, that can absorb organic molecules. That's because everything with flavor, with the exception of salt, is made up of organic molecules. Water alone cannot not do the trick. Water cannot dissolve organic molecules, which is why oil and water do not mix. Collagen is a substance that comes from bones, tendons, and other tissues of animals. And because it comes from these animal sources, it also brings along with it the flavors that reside within the tissues.''

Here I show you how I made duck and goose broth that I used to the duck meat balls soup(ciorba de perisoare).A stock pot should be tall and narrow. The reason for this is that a narrow pot will have less evaporation than a wider pot, and this is a good thing for stocks. Stocks are not made with lids on, as this tends to increase the cooking temperature, which decreases the amount of collagen that is extracted from the bones.

Make sure you don't boil the stock rapidly. Keep it at a very very low simmer, with just a few bubbles coming up. When you remove the solid ingredients at the end of cooking, do it gently, removing large chunks with a slotted spoon or skimmer and then pouring it through a fine strainer. Then, don't mash the ingredients in the strainer to remove more liquid, as you will add little parts of the solid items too.

Once chilled - refrigerate your finished stock, the fats will separate and harden and form a layer on the top of the liquid that you can then easily remove. After you've removed all the chunks of fat from the top, freeze the stock gel (either from naturally occurring gelatin or by adding more gelatin), and then let the gel melt-defrost very slowly in a fine strainer that the clear liquid separates from the gelatin which holds the impurities.
The freezing technique leave you with a nice clear bulion '''consommé'' and takes almost no effort. But the process of chilling the stock, freezing it, and letting it thaw at refrigerator temperatures takes a minimum of 48 hours.

The soup that I liked the most in my childhood (only thinking of it I have mouth-watering) and I want to talk about today, is meat balls soup. There are many types of soups which I hope we're going to talk about in next posts.Duck meat balls soup (ciorba de perisoare din carne de rata) twisted with gold leaf stock is a delicious soup that's both healthy and low in fat!

I made the meat balls with minced meat from the duck legs mixed with thyme, uncooked rice, egg, garlic, one chopped onions cooked in duck fat and some choped parsley.

I serve the duck consommé very hot on the side with a gold leaf mixed in and the meat balls on top of some uncooked julienne vegetables made from carrots, zuckini and red pepper.

It's a great way to get some vitamins and it's beautiful to serve when entertaining during the Holidays with the beautiful red and green uncooked juliennes vegetables in the soup.
To be continued....

Water + !

2011-06-29T23:06:00.002+03:00

It is very important to drink enough water to stay hydrated in the hot summer days, so here I share with you some great flavored water recipe ideas, to add a twist to your water. Dropping a lemon wedge in water is a common way to add flavor, but you should try another kind of citrus mixed up with a few mint leaves. You can also get creative and mix together some fresh fruits cubes with herbs and ice cubes. Or add a few fresh slices of cucumber to mineral water for a refreshing drink. Or try some slices of fresh ginger in a glass of water to make a drink that’s not only invigorating, but it's also a natural cure for an upset stomach.

This home made flavoured water is the version of what might be poured at a spa or a fine restaurant, where slices of cucumber or citrus are added to the water cans. The fruit and herbs flavors will permeate the water to offer you a special taste experience. This drinks are pure refreshment with flavor of the fruits and herbs but with no sugar or heaviness.
If you don’t like the taste of plain flavoured water from your supermarket, these are a nice alternative. It’s very easy, healthy, inexpensive, and looks beautiful.
Here are few ideas, but basically you can use any fruit you love in any combination.

Sassy Water is a popular drink that reduce your cravings for sweet food and stimulates your digestive system in healthy ways. The recipe is quick, easy and simple. Other web sites say Sassy Water has an energizing effect somewhat similar to caffeine. The ginger is the key; it has natural energy enhancers.
Ingredients:
- 2 liter of water
- 20 mint leaves
- 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 spoon of sliced ginger
- 2 lemon thinly sliced
- 2-3 spoons of honey ( I use agave sirup)- optional
Add all the ingredients to the water.
Put the water in the refrigerator and let it get cold. Overnight is recommended.

Water made with dry goji berries and lime.

Frozen fruits water.

Lemon, basil and honey.

Orange, tarragon and pine sirup.
Let's drink!

Modern Romanian cuisine - (1)

2011-06-09T21:51:00.004+03:00

What is Modern Romanian cuisine? I want to believe that there are a few chefs out there who do actually have a meaning of that and they will try to improve with passion the classic Romanian cuisine. For me modern cuisine must use high-quality local ingredients, preparing them in ways which combine traditional Romanian recipes with modern innovations. Also, modern approaches for me mean using cooking implements like food processors and maybe reducing the amount of fat, salt or sugar in dishes. I love as well to add extra ingredients for a final touch, to bring the dish to a different level. Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been greatly influenced by Ottoman cuisine while it also includes influences from the other cuisines such as Germans, Russians, Serbians and Hungarians. I love this cuisine that I grew up with.
Today, if you visit any Romanian supermarket you will see the multicultural influence in Romanian food. Today, the cuisine of Romania blends two types of cooking styles: a traditional one, which is used for everyday living in all Romanians houses and the Romanian cuisine that gathers influences from the Western civilizations and is used mainly in restaurants. .
The fast-food industry is developing quickly as well. The fast-food that is consumed in Romania has bad effects on people’s health. Romania is now among the first countries, in the heart disease top, and obesity also becomes a common health problem. Another factor that leads to bad health is represented by the high use of pork fat and pork meat in the preparation of the traditional dishes. In order to remediate these problems, we need to develop new preparation methods, based on the same ingredients with a healthy twist. Pork is the preferred meat, but chicken, beef, lamb, and fish are also popular.
There are many ways to categorize the style of Romanian cuisine but the most important I think is a classification based on regions of the country. Every region has its own fantastic distinct culinary traditions.
I will not speak here about the food from these regions but I'll try to share with you the most popular recipes that I think they deserve to be mentioned in my little story. The one of the most popular dish in Romanian cuisine is Sarmale.
Sarmale is a dish of cabbage, vine leaves or ~~rhubarb leaves~~ ( thanks to PENE, a friend of us, I just found out these are toxic, so I woudn't recommend anyone using them, even if I ate them when I was a child and I'm still here. I haven't eaten them in a very long time, but I remembered them and so I mentioned them in the post) rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. Minced meat, rice, onions and salt, pepper and fresh thyme are mixed together and then rolled into large plant leaves, which may be cabbage (fresh or pickled), vine leaf (fresh or pickled) or rhubarbs leaves.

The combination is then boiled or cooked in the oven for several hours. While specific recipes vary across the regions, it is uniformly recognized that the best cooking method is slow cooking in large clay pots. Sarmale is one of the staple meals for festive occasions like Christmas, New Year, Easter, birthdays, etc. Also, I remember that my grandmother was making Sarmale without meat, where the meat was substituted with mushrooms and mince vegetables.

Unlike other European cultures, in Romania we use sour cabbage as opposed to fresh cabbage. At the end of the autumn, families traditionally prepare their own sour cabbage by pickling in salted water with thyme and horseradish (as whole cabbage, or as individual leaves, but not shredded) for sarmale-making.
Another kind of Sarmale are those rolled in (grape) vine leaves. Sarmale is normally a heavy dish and is usually eaten during winter. Traditionally, they are served along with mamaliga (polenta) or potatoes, sour cream and fresh chili. Here I will present you some of my Sarmale in new modern way that I made here in Estonia for different occasions and it has been a success every time.

Here I made ''Sarmale'' with minced wild board, served with polenta cooked in goat milk, red pepper caviar and sour cream.

Oven baked ''Sarmale'' with tomato sauce and sour cream served on soft polenta.

Sarmale with deer meat served with white truffle polenta, chili hair and spicy fillo pastry.

No meat - Sarmale with mushroom and brown rice, served with polenta, piri-piri chili and beetroot sour cream.

Traditional Sarmale made in wine leaves served with polenta, smoked home made tomato sauce and parmesan.
To be continued....

Chimichurri

2011-06-01T00:59:00.002+03:00

I love chimichurri for that blend of spicy, herbs, and olive oil that makes my mouth water.Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinean herb sauce that I had it for the first time at a restaurant in Dublin. A small ramekin of chimichurri sauce was served with my grilled steak and I loved it..The recipe varies from chef to chef, but the basics are olive oil, parsley, oregano, red wine vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes and served with grilled steak.

The chimichurri sauce is great as a marinade or topping for fish, steak, pork and for roasted or grilled vegetables.To make a basic Chimichurri sauce you need fresh parsley, fresh oregano, crushed red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and seasoning.
Ingredients
100gr fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
100gr fresh oregano leaves
4 cloves garlic
2 spoons chopped red pepper
2 spoons red wine vinegar
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Finely chop the herbs, pepper and the garlic.Add the herbs, garlic, red pepper flakes into a bowl. Pour in the red wine vinegar, olive oil and seasoning.Taste and add more salt if needed.You can use it right away or refrigerate up to 2 weeks …the acid from the vinegar keeps the herbs green and fresh.Instead of red wine vinegar, you can use raspberry vinegar or lemon juice. You can make chimichurri with different herbs to suit different meats. For example, I add dill or coriander for fish or mint and thyme for lamb roast or grill chops. As well I used to add different fruits to this sauce to match different grills or vegetables.

Here I made chimichurriwith coriander and pomegranate to serve with poaced salmon and brocoli.

Here I made Chimichurri with horserradish to be serve with....

medalion of venison and grill vegetables....or

fillet of Angus beef and roast vegetables.

Enjoy.

Agar- Agar

2011-04-18T01:00:00.001+03:00

Agar-agar is a natural vegetable gelatin derived from red algae. Agar agar is suitable for vegans, vegetarians and for most religious diets.
Agar is, melting at around 85 °C and solidifying to around 37 °C. It is sold in package of dried strips, flakes or in powdered form. For making jelly, it is boiled in water until the solids dissolve and then flavor or color is added. The liquid is poured into molds to set and can be served as desserts or vegetable aspics.
Agar agar is unflavored, is rich in iod and has a mildly laxative properties as is consists of approximately 80% fiber.
Agar-agar sets in about an hour and don’t worry if you don't get it right the first time, you can fix it by reheating the gel.
I use 10 g of powdered agar agar for 1 l of neutral liquid and 13 g of agar agar for liquids with acidic ingredients.
Keep in mind that high acid fruits like lemons or oranges may require more agar-agar. Also, enzymes from fresh mangoes, papaya, and pineapple break down the gelling ability of the agar-agar so that it will not set. You need to cook these fruits before adding them to a recipe to neutralize the enzymes so that the agar-agar can set.
Do not shake or disturb the jelly before it have set completely, otherwise it will not set. The form you use to set the jelly must be grease free.
Playing with agar agar is a lot of fun, here I will show some of the stuff I have done with it. I use agar most for desserts but, from decorating the plates to making jellies, desserts or just a garnish to a dish.

Here I made peppermint agar in diferent shape for diferent desserts from cubes to spaghetti.

Here I made strawberry spaghetti were you need to use a syringe and a bowl of ice. I disolved the agar in strawberry sirup and water. Use the syringe to insert the sirup mixture in the tube and chill in the ice water for 3 minutes. Use the syringe to push out the spaghetti.

Blueberry caviar made by driping bluebery and agar mixture in a ice cold water.

Here I made white chocolate jelly and served with salmon caviar and blueberry caviar. To be honest, I did not like this combination of flavors.

Coconut jelly and blueberry jelly with fruits.

Coconut jelly and blueberry jelly with fruits.

Here I use agar to the sauce of a clasic dish for a new presentation.

Here I made chocolate jelly and served with mango sorbee on a top of a chocolate sponge cake.

Chocolate jelly served with chestnuts compote.

Vodka Jelly shots.

Vodka jelly cubes. These are great for parties.

Vodka jelly cake. Recipe here.
Mango jelly with popping candy and marinated grapes on champagne and mint.

Here i made diferent fruits jelly in silicon forms.

Mango jelly with raspberry soup.

Trio jelly with Baileys shot.

Mango and Cointreau jelly.

Jelly on the glass with chocolate trufels.

Green mussels with trio beetroot.

Spicy sprat with beetroot jelly.

Salmon tartare with beetroot jelly and polenta.

White chocolate trufle with peppermint jelly.
Enjoy.

Mmmmm... Cheesecake

2011-04-03T01:13:00.001+03:00

We made soooooooo… many cheesecakes, from plain to very rich flavor ones. For a New York cheesecake style you can find recipe here. Cheesecake is a dessert made of soft, fresh cream cheese on a base made from biscuit, pastry or sponge. All modern cheesecakes use cream cheese but ricotta and cottage cheese can be used to.
Philadelphia cream cheese is the most popular cheese used for making cheesecake today.
A good cheesecake is smooth and creamy in texture.
I love all flavors, but if I had to live on just one type it would have to be chocolate.
To make sure your cheesecake comes out right all the time you need to know this:
- all the ingredients need to be at room temperature before you begin mixing, or you'll end up with lumps in your cheesecake.
- do not overbeat your cheesecake batter.
- do not over use the gelatin (were is required)
- do not boil the gelatin.
- do not attempt to remove your cheesecake from the pan until it has chilled at least 3 hours in the fridge.
-to remove the cheesecake from the form pan sides, use a very thin knife that has been warmed in hot water. Go around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it using a slow up and down motion. The cheesecake will slide easily on to a plate.
Here I share with you the recipes for 3 different types of very easy to make cheesecakes.
1. CHEESE CAKE MADE WITH GELATIN:
Blueberry cheesecake or ‘’Blueberry 250’’ is the way I call it, because all the ingredients I use in this recipe are 250 gr. For this recipe I use 26 cm ring and end up with 12 generous portions.
Ingredients:
Base
- 250 g plain vanilla biscuits
- 100 g butter, melted
Filling
- 250g blueberry ( fresh or frozen)
- 250 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 250 g whipped cream
- 250 g honey
- 15 g gelatin
Topping
- 250 g blueberry (fresh or frozen)
- 100 g honey
- 5 gr gelatin.
Place biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Transfer to a ready prepared ring or cake tray. Use a spoon to press mixture firmly over the base. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.
If you use frozen blueberries be sure they are defrost before use.

Soak gelatin in 2 tbs cold water for few minutes then heat it up. With an electric mixer or a whisk beat cream cheese and honey in a bowl until smooth. Add the blueberry, whipped cream and gelatin, and mix until just combined. Spoon the mix into base and place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.

For topping mix the gelatin with 5 cl of cold water,let it soak for few minutes then heat it up.
Combine the blueberry and honey in a bowl, add the gelatin mixture, then pour it over the cheesecake and chill for 2 hours.

Enjoy.
2. CHEESECAKE WITHOUT GELATIN. This type of cheese cakes are my favorite because they are more smooth and creamy. For this cake I use 32 cm ring and serve 16 portions.
Irish coffee cheesecake
Ingredients:
Base
350 g amaretto biscuits
150 g butter, melted
Filling.
First layer:
250 g dark chocolate 70% cacao
200 g cream
5 cl Irish brandy (I use Jameson)
50 g butter - melted
Second layer:
200 g milk chocolate
150 g cream cheese
150 g cream
1 tbs instant coffee powder
Third layer:
200 ml light whipped cream
1 tbs vanilla sugar
To make the base place biscuits in a bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Transfer to a ready prepared ring or cake tray. Use a spoon to press mixture firmly over the base. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.
For the first layer melt chocolate and cream in a microwave then add the brandy and melted butter.
Spoon the mixture over crust and chill in the fridge for ½ hour.

In the meantime you can prepare second layer by melting the chocolate, instant coffee and cream in the microwave. Add the cream cheese and mix well. Spoon the mixture over the first layer andchill for ½ hour.

Top the cake with light whipped cream and vanilla sugar and chill for 3 hour. Sprinkle with grated chocolate before serve.

Serve with chocolate sauce and fresh fruit.
Enjoy.
3. BAKED CHEESE CAKE. This is a favorite in Estonia and made with a local cheese called ‘’kohupiim’’, similar to curd cheese or ricotta cheese. This cake is made in tart 32 cm cake tray and serves 12-16 portions.
Ricotta cheesecake with fruit salad.
This baked Ricotta Cheesecake is absolutely delicious and perfect for morning tea.
Ingredients:
Short crust pastry base -700 gr for one cake
450 g plain flour
50 g icing sugar
150 g butter
1 large egg
1-2 tbs water
Filling
600 g ricotta cheese at room temperature
200 g caster sugar
2 tsps vanilla essence
5 eggs separated
2 tbs plain flour
100 g melted butter
Topping
300 g sour cream
2 tbs honey
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Sift flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Rub in butter. Add egg and enough water so that the ingredients come together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead mixture until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gently roll out pastry with a rolling pin so that its large enough to cover base and sides of a 32cm spring form cake tin. Press pastry into tin, trim the edge. Lightly prick base with a fork. Cover pastry with baking paper and fill with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

To make the filling, beat the cheese, sugar and vanilla essence in a medium bowl until the mixture is creamy. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer beat the white eggs until peaks form.

First add the egg yolks to the creamy mixture and mix well. Beat until well combined and the mixture is light and fluffy. Add white to the cream cheese mixture and fold light until just combined.

Pour the mixture over the ready baked crust pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees, or until set in the center. Remove from the oven to cool completely. To make the topping, mix the sour cream with honey and spoon it over the cake.

Chill in the fridge overnight to firm. Remove 30 minutes before serving. I serve this with fruits salad, fruits compote or ice cream.

Enjoy.

St. Patrick's day- Beef and Guinness

2011-03-17T00:53:00.003+02:00

We lived in Ireland for 6 years and we celebrate all St. Patrick's days with feast.
Starting the day in the street at the parade and then in the pubs with Guinness and traditional Irish food was the way to celebrate.
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick the most recognized saint in Ireland. The first Saint Patrick's Festival was held on 17 March 1996.
Here I share with you the recipe for ‘’Beef and Guinness’’ that I know from Ireland.
In the restaurant I worked there, we use to make this stew in every St. Patrick’s days.
I made this today here in Estonia to remember those good days and was very good.
This traditional Irish recipe uses the dark, malty flavour of Guinness beer to create a stew with a rich, meaty flavour which improves with time. Best to be made 1 days in avans .
Beef and Guinness
For 6-8 people you will need:
1.5 kg beef , cut into cubes
25 g butter
100 g bacon cubed
50 g garlic sliced
3 carrots, peeled and diced or I use baby carots
2 onion , chopped
4 celery stalks , chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
200 g pearl onions
500 ml Guinness beer
450 ml beef stock
a few sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
6 allspice berries
3 tbsp flour
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp parsley , chopped
salt and pepper
Set the oven to 180ºC.
Place some of the meat into a tray and generously season with salt and pepper. Dust it with some flour and mix it a little with your hands. Repeat with the rest of the meat.
Place a saucepan on high heat, add the oil and butter and allow them to melt. When hot, add some of the beef cubes. Cook them in batches. You don't want to over crowd the pan, or they won't cook evenly. Let them brown for a couple of minutes, each side, remove and place them into a tray. Repeat with other batches until all the beef is browned.

Add a little more oil into the pan followed by the onions. Next add the bacon, carrots, celery and pearl onions. Stirring occasionally, let them cook for a few minutes until slightly softened. Return the meat to the pot along with all its juice. Add the Guinness beer and the stock. Bring it to a simmer. Skim the surface to get rid of any impurities or excess fat that will accumulate on top.

Once it begins to simmer, add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and the allspice. Give it a stir and cover it with a lid. It is now ready to place into the centre of the preheated oven. Leave to stew for two and half to three hours. Half way through the cooking process, remove the lid and allow it to cook uncovered to reduce the liquid.
After the cooking time, remove from the oven, garnish it with the chopped parsley. It goes well served with mash potatoes and puff pastry lid if you wish . Today I use some garlic croutons and rocket salad drizzle with trufle oil.

Enjoy.

Organic chocolate, almond and muesli cookies

2011-03-13T17:26:00.002+02:00

These are really good!! I will never limit myself to just one recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but I think this one is my favorite. I have this recipe for long time from the internet or a magazine I think, but I'm not sure. I changed the recipe to my needs and I made them with the ingredients I found in the restaurant. I like it because it forms a crisp around the cookie but is still soft and chewy on the inside.
Here I share, with anyone who wants to know, my favorite recipes of cookies that are available in Vilde Kohvik - www.tervisekohvik.ee if you wish to try them before you make them.
Makes about 20 large cookies
- 250 gr unsalted butter, room temperature
- 300 grams packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 150 gr sliced almonds
- 300 gr muesli with dry fruits or I used organic mix honey porridge.
-100 gr raisins or dried cranberries, cherries or any mix dry fruit.
-100 gr organic chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg one by one and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Then mix in the almond, muesli, dried fruits and chocolate chips. Make large cookies and with your hand, flat the cookies slightly with your fingers to 1 cm thick.

Bake the cookies for about 15 - 20minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet or a wire rack. Store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Enjoy.

Smoothies

2011-02-20T14:38:00.009+02:00

We all know that eating raw fruits and vegetables is extremely beneficial to our health. However, finding the time to eat enough fruits and vegetables per day can be difficult with too busy lifestyles. Smoothies offer unique health benefit and are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. Smoothies made from fruits or vegetables are an excellent way to enjoy a delicious drink that offers good nutrition. This is the real fast food and I’m not talking about how fast the food gets to your mouth but how fast the body gets the benefits of what are you eating.A smoothie is a blended, chilled, sweet beverage made from fresh fruits or vegetables. In addition to fruits or vegetables, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruits or yogurt.

Feel free to experiment; there are thousands of fruits and vegetables to be mix.
Here are some of the recipes I made. The recipes are for 4-5 portions:

1. Blueberries, banana and soy milk
- 200 gr banana
- 200 gr honey
- 300 ml soy milk
- 200 gr ice cubes
2. Mango and coconut milk
- 400 gr mango puree made from fresh mango pulp or from compote 400gr
- 400 gr coconut milk
- 100 gr honey
- 200 gr ice cubes
3. Sea buckthorn, tofu ice cream and pine syrup
- 200 gr frozen sea buckthorn 200gr
- 100 ml sea buckthorn syrup natural sugar free
- 125 ml pine syrup natural
- 200 ml soy milk
- 300 gr tofu ice cream – I used lactose free and sugar free
- 200 gr ice cubes
4. Strawberries, yogurt and agave syrup
- 200 gr frozen strawberries
- 500 gr natural yogurt
- 100 gr agave syrup

- 200 gr ice cubes

5. Orange, Carrot and Ginger
- 2-3 oranges (300gr) peeled
- 200 gr grated carrots
- 50 gr ginger
- 300 gr ice cubes
Squeeze one of the oranges into your blender to provide enough juice to help it blend. Then add the rest of the orange pulp and the second orange, grated carrots , ginger and ice.Blend on high speed until smooth!

Spinach - we all know the benefits of spinach - rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Spinach usually takes the flavor of other ingredients it is mixed with, so if you don't really like this vegetable, you will not feel it.
6. Spinach and pears
- 200gr frozen spinach
- 200 gr peeled fresh pears or from compote
- 100 gr agave syrup
- 300 ml soy milk
- 200 gr ice cubes
This is a combination that I want to do for long time and is amazing.
7. Cauliflower and chocolate ice cream
- 250 gr frozen or fresh cauliflower
- 250 gr chocolate ice cream
- 300 ml soya milk
- 200 gr ice cubes
- 100 ml agave syrup
Enjoy.

Fine Dining & Seven Course Menu

2011-02-06T21:18:00.003+02:00

What a treat to sit down for a 7 course meal! It’s wonderful to enjoy a feast with family or friends. Many people choose fine dining restaurants for a special occasion, so the food must not disappoint.Fine dining requires a lot of attention to details and no detail is ever too small to pay attention to, in fine dining. The standards you should always include in fine dining are fine china, glassware and flatware - no paper or plastic, while tablecloths is a ''must have'' in fine dining.

The three main areas to focus for a fine dining are the menu with finest food, service and atmosphere
The Menu
Your menu needs to be interesting and offer unique items that customers don’t find at other restaurant. The chef needs to exercise with his creativity when designing dishes.
You need to choose a theme for your menu, and try to have fun with it. And don’t forget the wine! Your wine list should complement your menu. Each wine should be paired with each individual dish. Work together with your sommelier to find the best options.
There are not any "rules" unless you are looking to do a traditional night like - French, Italian, Japanese....etc., course meal. The meal needs to build up consistent.
Here I made a list of “DON’T'' to show you the way I build the menu and the way I think about it:
- don't serve same proteins one after another;
- don't serve two seafood courses one after another (unless you have a shell fish night menu), or two meat courses;
- start with lighter fare, and then go on to the heavy;
- serve seafood before meat;
- Don’t treat – “amuse- bouche” like a course;
- don't serve the same cooking method more than once;
- don't serve more than one salad, or soup, or pasta;
- don't do heavy dish after heavy dish;
- don't mix in the same menu fancy dishes with fast food style dishes.
The goal is not to feed them massive quantities of food with each course, make everyone enjoying themselves, you must "school" your clients. None of the courses need to be heavy; they need to be in balance with the course before and the course after.
Here are some samples of menu I made and are easy to make.
You control and form the evening with the courses, let everyone come in and relax, with a glass of champagne and some ''amuse-bouche'' from the chef - should be the way to start the evening.

Confit of duck with spice cauliflower and yogurt sauce.

Smoked salmon pate with salmon roe on a smoked crouton.

The first course: Time for a fresh salad, tartar or light appetizer.

Duck pate with baby pears, dry fruit compote and mango coulis.

Tomato jelly with Catalan herbs olive oil.

Salmon tartare with sweet mustard sauce.

Venison carpacio.
The second course: Soup is on!

All kind of soup can be serve. Here i made Lobster bisque with salmon pate and tiger prawns.
The third course: Traditionally the third course will feature a sorbet to cleanse the palate. A nice lemon or lime sorbet would do nicely. It’s perfectly fine to prepare this dish the day prior your meal.

Margarita granita sorbee.
The fourth course: This can be poultry, fish or shellfish.

Butter fish with sweet potato mash, kumquats salad and lemon butter.

Black ink risotto with tiger prawns.

Cod wrapped in Parma ham with ink risotto and Parmesan biscuit.

Banana prawns with sushi rice , wasabi and white radish salad.

Seared scallops with cauliflower puree, baby salad and truffle oil.
The fifth course: This will be a call for a red meat dish.

Seared Tuna file with wasabi mash, 4 flying fish caviar, wakame salad and teriaky sauce.

Slow cooked beaver in a filo pastry served with cumin sweet potato , red currant chutney and curry foam.

Reindeer file with dates puree, sugar beans and almond snow.
The sixth course: I usually made a small pre dessert.

Blue cheese and chocolate truffles.

Marinate grapes in mint and champagne with rosemary truffles.

Organic chocolate truffles with pure gold.
The seventh course: Dessert of course! It’s always hard to choose just one dessert.

Chocolate mocka tart.

Chocolate Oblivion with raspberry puree and Passion fruit.

Lady Angel. Poached orange in Cointreau serve with cocos biscuit and Cointreau sauce.
Service
All of the details that are expected of a fine dining server require that your staff be rigorously trained. They should be able to answer any and all questions customers may have about a menu or item or wine. Customer service in a fine dining restaurant it goes far beyond taking an order and delivering food. Fine dining services include:
- escorting customers to the table;
- holding the chair for women;
- cleaning the table in between courses;
- replacing napkins if a customer leaves the table;
- explaining menu items without notes;
- serving food directly on the plate at the table;
- Sommelier should serve the wine and provide any information is needed.
The most important fine dining serving etiquette is to be polite to the customers and to give equal attention to all the guests. The food should be served from the right of the customer and the table should be cleared from the left.
Atmosphere
In fine dining music is playing subtly in the background and should reflect the theme of the night, such as classical for a traditional fine dining restaurant or jazz for something modern, the rest of the atmosphere is up to you. Don’t forget, dining in a fine restaurant need to be a nice elegant way to have a meal and is relaxing and fun.
Enjoy.

Playing with vodka

2011-01-26T22:46:00.003+02:00

If you live in Estonia you have to know vodka in all the possible ways :) And here is my way of playing with vodka.

To make flavored vodka is easy and doesn't require special equipment or special tools. You need moderate or high quality vodka as base for your flavored vodka recipe.To get started, choose the flavor you want to make. There are so many flavors and flavor combinations you can use when you're making this vodka. I think everything that's edible can be used to flavor vodka. The choices of fruits (lemon, lime, mango, raspberry… etc.), vegetables (ginger, horseradish, cucumber, coffee, etc.), herbs (mint, dill, basil, lavender... etc.) and spices (cardamon, cumin, fennel, juniper berry, vanilla ...etc.) are only some of the flavors sample that can be used for infusion. The key to get the best flavor is to use fresh ingredients, not frozen or canned varieties. If use fresh fruit with a lot of volume you will need a sealable container were marinate will happens. Today I use only spices so I don't need to change the vodka from its bottles.

The proportion of ingredients to vodka will vary according to the type of ingredients you choose (fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, etc.), the flavor of the ingredients and the intensity you want to achieve with your flavored vodka.
To make flavored vodka in a sealable container or directly in the original bottles, cover the ingredients you use with vodka. Cover the container tightly and store it in a cool, dark, dry place. Shake the container or bottles gently every couple of days.
Most infusions take from 7-10 days; some are ready overnight, and others (such as almonds) take up to 3 months. It depends on the potency of the ingredients and how strong you want the flavor. The only way to know if the infusion is ready is to taste it periodically. The final step is straining the infused vodka into clean bottles through a strainer. The infused vodka taste better after aging in a cool dark place.
Infused vodka makes a nice gift, especially when you reveal that the infusion is homemade, and don’t forget to label them!

Today, for a special request, I infuse the vodka in three different ways. One is with juniper berry, one is with fennel seeds, cumin seeds and fresh dill, and the last one with just fresh chili.
Here is some different way I use this infuse vodka.

Here I made different flavored vodka jelly shots were I mix one part of infused vodka with one part fruit puree or flavored cold water and gelatin (21gr for 1 liter of liquid). Too much alcohol overpowers the shooter. You can use it as vodka jelly shot for your party or get more creative. For this vodka jelly you need to allow more time than usual for the jelly to set, because of the alcohol in it.

Here I turned this jelly into something very delicious. The mix jelly vodka I cubed it and I covered it with a sweet condensed milk jelly. This is a very interesting twist; it looks pretty and would make people take a second look. I got this idea from a very nice blog call "The Food Librarian".

I made four different colorful jelly were I used for each one 200ml vodka, 200ml flavored water or fruit puree and 10 gr of gelatin. Leave to set in a fridge for couples of hours. After it was set I cubed half of the jelly and mix them in a cake tray.

I covered the half of jelly cubed mix with a condensed milk jelly made from: 1.2 liter of sweet condensed milk mix with 1 liter milk and 50 gr gelatin dissolved in 50 ml water. Next I cubed the rest of vodka jelly and added on top. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Serve sliced in big block pieces.

Please eat responsibly :)
Enjoy.

Miso soup

2011-01-09T18:30:00.001+02:00

I love this Japanese soup – salty broth with the miso flavor, tofu and uncooked vegetables. Miso soup is served with nearly every meal in Japan, including breakfast. It is very simple and quick to make, nutritious and low in calories.In Japan the people who are known for living long, healthy lives, over 100 years old, drink miso soup every morning. The characteristic that defines miso soup is that the miso paste is mix with a fish stock called Dashi. All the other ingredients are added depending on personal preference.
Miso is a thick paste made from fermenting and ageing(10 months to a year for miso to be ready) soybean and/or rice.The ratio for miso and water is 1 tablespoon of miso paste per 250ml of water and is enough for 1 serving. The most important thing about making miso soup is that you never boil the miso paste because boiling it will kill the enzymes. Only add miso after you’ve turned off the heat. If you are using anything that needs a little cooking time, just do that before you add the miso paste.
Dashi is Japanese style fish or vegetables stock, which is the base of many Japanese dishes, such as soup or dipping sauce. It can be made from dried small sardines or dried bonito for fish stock and kombu (dried kelp) or dried shitake mushroom for a vegetables version. In this recipe I use instant fish Dashi. If you don't have Dashi, you could use some fish or chicken stock. Here is my version of this lovely soup.
For 4 serves.
- 1l of water.
- 4 Tbsp red miso paste.
- 2 teaspoons instant dashi.
- dash of soya sauce.
- 200g tofu cubed.
- 50g sprouts.
- 20g coriander.
- 4 shitake mushroom sliced - I use from conserve.
- 100g daikon( white radish),tiny slice.
- 1 red chili pepper slice.
- 2 pack choy salad sliced in half.

Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the instant dashi and soya sauce and whisk to dissolve then turn the heat off. Place the miso paste in a small bowl and add 2-3 Tbsp of the hot water to the miso and whisk thoroughly, to a smooth paste. Then whisk the miso mixture back into the pot, and stir well.
In the individuals bowls and add tofu, mushrooms, sprouts, coriander,daikon radish, pock choy and red chili. Ladle hot broth into a bowl over vegetables and whisk with chopsticks to mix.

Top with fresh coriander and serve immediately.
Enjoy.

Another Christmas

2010-12-21T09:47:00.002+02:00

Christmas - This magical time of the year who demands good foods. Tradition is one of the great things about Christmas. I don’t know from where the traditions come from but I know these menus with lots of tradition will be here now and also in the future. If your family asks, "Can please have the roast turkey again this year!" you will know that you scored a hit. And when the meal is over, remind your guests for the considerable effort you have put in by saying, "I cooked, you clean!" I am chef for many years and I think in the last 10 years, I have worked around 12 Christmases:)))

It's something you get used to do as a chef – never stop cooking not even on the Christmas day!!! Normally the restaurant is close on the Christmas day then I have day off and I want to spend time with my family, enjoy some good food and a good glass of wine. For me Christmas is about spending time with the people I care and love. I will spend the evening with my wife, my daughter and our dog here in Estonia and with the rest of the family on the phone or on the internet.
In Estonia to have plenty of Christmas food at home, symbolically meant enough food for the whole coming year and is usually to eat large meals on Christmas days. Traditional Estonian Christmas food is roast pork with sauerkraut, blood sausages, pumpkin salad, roast potatoes with dill, cranberry sauce and hot cream sauce or gravy. According to an old tradition, seven to twelve different meals were served on Christmas Night.Before dinner, a group sauna is traditional. For Christmas dessert, crunchy gingerbreads (piparkook), or kringel bread (my recipe here) is served. In Estonia, to be drunk is also part of the tradition in Christmas days.

Christmas in Romania for me is unique. On Christmas time, every Romanian family have on their table stuffed cabbage, home made sausages and traditional sweet bread. (sarmale, caltabosi, carnati, toba si cozonac). Real god old Romanian culture and traditions for Christmas days are kept with respect in the countryside. The magic religious carols, a big fresh Christmas tree every year, not to many presents under the tree, the smell of stuffed cabbage leaves, family and friends – this is how I remember my Christmases in Romania. I miss my Christmas. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Christmas in Estonia as well – but we do, miss the rest of the family, and there’s nothing more important than having your family around you all the time. And yes, something is missing more in Christmas - the children caroling with the star, gathering with friends, the glorious food that my mother and my grandmother use to make, - my mouth waters only when I think about it. I don’t have this here and I will never have this here.
For this time I don’t have any pictures and recipes of Romanian food, but I will share with you some pictures and two recipes of what I cook on these days for some friends and in the restaurant.
Who says you can't serve turkey after Thanksgiving? I will show you the way I made this easy recipe with great success that I use for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I love the fruity stuffing in this recipe. Not only does it get even more flavor cooked with the turkey, but you end up with a main dish and side dish in one step. I served with roast carrots with honey and cumin, sweet potato mash, roast Brussels sprouts, red wine gravy and cranberry sauce.
Ingredients for 8 People:
- A 5kg turkey:
- 500g bacon cubed
- 50g chopped sage
- 50 g chopped flat Italian parley
- 300ml Brandy
- 300g raisins
- 300 chopped apples
- 200ml hot water or chiken stock
- 500g garlic butter
- 2 white onions chopped very small
-Salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
First put dry raisins into a bowl and pour over the brandy. Cover and leave to soak until most of brandy has been absorbed.
To make the stuffing, combine the onion, sage, bacon, parsley, raisins, apples and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl.

Add in the half of the melted garlic butter, water or stock, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix by hand. Stuff the turkey but not too tightly because it will expand while cooking. Next, rub the turkey all over and under the skin with garlic butter. Massage the bird and get the entire turkey covered. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Now wrap the turkey in foil with a lot of foil and it’s really important to seal the package well so that all the moisture stays in the package. Place the turkey in on a roasting tin and cook at 200C for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160C. Cook for a further 3 hours for a 5kg bird. Now, uncover and turn the temperature back up to 200C. Cook at this temperature for another 30 minute until the skin is a golden color. Cooking time depends on the size of the turkey. The best and safest way to cook a turkey is to use a food thermometer. Turkey should have an interior temperature of 72C to be properly cooked and the juice should run clear.

Now, allow it to sit for 20 minutes to rest before carving. Transfer turkey to a serving platter. This is the time to finish cooking the rest of side dishes. Use the fat and juices left sitting in the foil to add to the gravy. Carve turkey by removing drumstick, wings and thigh by running a sharp carving knife through joints. Slice the breast diagonally across the grain. Serve with stuffing, gravy, and sides dishes. I serve with roast carrots with honey and cumin, sweet potato mash and roast Brussels sprouts. Enjoy.

My Christmas cake(Jõulukook)
Ingredients for 16 nice portions
-200g raisins
-200g dry dates
-200g dry prunes, chopped
-200g dry cherries, halved
-100g dried blueberries
-100g dried cranberries
-Zest and juice of 2 large oranges
-300ml brandy
-200g butter, softened
-200g dark brown sugar
-6 eggs
-300g self-rising flour
-2 tbsp. maple syrup or honey
-2 tbsp. vanilla extract
-2 tbsp. cinnamon powder
-1 tbsp. ginger powder
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. soda
For the icing
-300g sugar powder
-350g cream cheese, I use Philadelphia cheese
-50g vanilla sugar
-Zest from 2 oranges
-100g unsalted pistachio nuts chopped.
If you don’t find same mixed of dry fruits please fell free to make your own combination (use dry figs or a mix of dry exotic fruit to add more color to your cake). You need 1kg of mix dry fruits for this recipe.
Put all dry fruits, zest and juice from two oranges into a large bowl and pour over the brandy. Cover and leave to soak overnight until most of brandy has been absorbed.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease the base and sides of a 32cm round cake tin and line with baking paper. In a clean bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour if it starts to curdle. Add the flour spoon by spoon, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, fruit and brandy, maple syrup, vanilla, soda and the backing powder. Mix everything together until well combined. Spoon in the prepared tin and smooth with the back of the spoon. Bake for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few hours, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the cream cheese icing, put the sugar, cream cheese, vanilla sugar, and zest in a large bowl and mix to just soft and smooth. Swirl over the top of the cake and sprinkle with pistachio nuts. Store the cake in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. Eat within one week.

Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas.

Here more pictures with other thinks we did and serve for this Christmas.

Here we made 3 diferent jams and chutney to be serve for a snack with some nice cheese, marinated olives and a good glass of wine.- Clementine and Indian spices jam, Cranberry chutney, Bitter Oranges and ginger jam. All home made.

Home made wine jelly. Here I use Chardonay and a nice Merlot mix with a bit of sugar sirop and gelatine. After I cubed the jelly and served with snacks. This go very well with cheese and antipasto.

Here I made blood sausage lollipops in tempura served with red currants sauce.

No Christmas with out crunchy gingerbreads (piparkook) made by my wife and my daughter.

And of course Santa is coming many times this month.

Happy Christmas !!!

Curry and Lamb Rogan Josh

2010-12-12T23:13:00.003+02:00

Most people in the world today know what a curry is - or at least they think that.
Curry is a concept rather than a strict recipe and is no particular ingredient that makes "curry." It can be customized when you use the different local spices. Even though the same meats and vegetables are used in the curry, tastes completely different in every region. The curries are mainly eaten with rice, breads (like naan or ciapati), poppadum (fried or baked crispy bread made from chick peas flour or chana) or potatoes and served on the side with pickles or chutney.

No curry is truly complete without onions, garlic, chili and ginger. These four ingredients are always best used fresh. Onions are always finely chopped and sautéed until translucent or brown in the beginning in any curry. Ginger is usually grated or chopped very fine and garlic can be sliced or crushed.The level of heat is given by the amount and the type of chili we use. Dry chili can be used instead. The heat level of fresh chilies is reduced with the length of cooking so add them earlier if you like it milder and later if you prefer it hotter.
In India, the curry is flavored with spices like clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, bay leaf, coriander, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, curry leaves and turmeric.

In Pakistan they flavor the curry, which is either mutton or chicken, with masalas powder, garlic, vinegar, cumin, turmeric, tomatoes and coriander.
Chinese curry is more watery and can be made with all kinds of meats, all kind of vegetables in a mildly spicy yellow curry sauce, and served with stir fry vegetables over steamed rice or noodles. Soy sauce, hot sweet chili sauce, may be added to the sauce to enhance the flavor of the curry.
In Japan and Korea curry is considered to be a Western dish. It is usually eaten with rice and pickled vegetables, like pickled ginger or pickled daikon -white radish.
Malaysian curries typically use curry powders rich in turmeric, tamarind, coconut milk, ginger, shrimp paste, and garlic. In Malaysian curry all kind of things can be use including lamb, chicken, shrimp, with aubergine, boiled eggs, and vegetables.
In Thai cuisine, curry it’s a dish with a sauce based on a paste made with local ingredients such as chili peppers, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal and coconut milk. Thai curries tend to be more aromatic than Indian curries. In the West, Thai curries are described by color. Red curries use red chilies while green curries use green chilies. Yellow curry is use to make "curry soup" and is more similar to Indian curries, with the use of turmeric and cumin.
In the UK’s ''curry" is one of the most popular dishes. Curry in UK means that a meat, vegetable or fish dish is cooked in a spicy sauce and served with rice or bread.In 1390 the first English cookery book was written, called ‘The Forme of Cury’. ‘Cury’ was the Old English word for cooking or boiling.So when the English merchants landed in India in 1610, the word ‘cury’ had been part of the English language for over two hundred years.Whatever the real Indian, ‘curry’ was rapidly adopted in Britain cuisine.They own creations and most well know curry in the UK is chicken tikka masala.
Here is my favorite version of Rogan Josh and this one is made by me many times with great success. Rogan Josh is one of the most important curries of India and is very easy to make. This Rogan Josh is a proper curry made from scratch without curry paste from market, with lots of flavor and creaminess from the yoghurt. The nice mix of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, chili and ginger, turns the lamb into an aromatic fiesta.
Ingredients for 10 persons
100 ml vegetable oil
2 pieces - 5cm cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
1 large spoon green cardamom seeds
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 kg onions, finely chopped
500 ml of lamb stock
1 tbsp. chili flakes
1 tsp. cumin seeds (jeera seeds)
3 tbsp. tomato purée
2 kg lamb leg, or stewing lamb, cubed
1 tsp. salt
200 ml yogurt
1 tbsp. sugar
50 gr fresh coriander
Juice from one lemon
Lamb marinate
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. of ground coriander
1 tbsp. chili flakes
1 tbsp. of ground turmeric
1 tbsp. minced garlic
6 cm of diced fresh ginger
3 tbsp. of garam masala
Method
Marinate the cubed lamb meat with all the marinate ingredient and leave them aside for minimum 2 hours (or overnight.).

In a large saucepan heat the oil in a heavy-based pan. Tip in the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves cardamoms seeds, cumin seeds and dry chili flakes. When they sizzle (make sure they don't burn) add the garlic and the onion and fry until the onions are nicely caramelized.

Add the lamb and fry for 5 to 7 minutes until it changes color. Pour in 500 ml of lamb stock, cover and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes until the meat is tender.

The mixture can be frozen at this stage. Defrost thoroughly before reheating and bring to the boil.Remove the lid and stir in the tomato puree and mix. Add the salt, yogurt, lemon juice, sugar and cook for 10 more minutes.

When the oil rise to the top of the saucepan means the curry is ready. Stir in the coriander leaves.

Just before serving you could garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with Basmati rice, wild rice, Bombay potato, chutney (recipe here) and poppadum.

Here the lamb Rogan Josh is served with wild rice, popadomus and mango chutney.

Here I made the curry with Wild board and served with rice, red curant chutney and fresh mint leaves.

Here is my way of Thai chiken curry served with rice and spice banana.

More recipe of diferent curry soon.

Enjoy.

Gravlax or Cured Salmon

2010-11-23T00:37:00.002+02:00

I think the number one secret in these recipes is to choose the right file of fresh salmon.I use salmon but trout or tuna can be used instead and the fish must be fresh and very well chilled.
The process of curing meat it has been used in old time as a way to preserve meat from going off.
The salt and sugar cooks the meat by drawing a large amount of liquid. In the same way the Japanese came up with sushi. They needed a way to preserve for longer days the fish for their army in the war, so they covered the fish with raw rice, which absorbed all the liquid, keeping the fish drier and safer.
Usually a mix made from salt, sugar and herbs is rubbed onto the surface of the meat and leaved to cure for 2 days.
Ingredients:
1,5kg sides of salmon. Skin on, bones out
5 large spoon of Sugar
5 large spoon of Salt
300gr cooked and grated beetroot
2 lemons
100gr of fresh dill.
Preparation:
Wash off the fish on both sides and pat dry.
Mix sugar and salt in a small bowl and finely chop the dill.
Take enough plastic wrap and lay flat on counter and then sprinkle with 1/2 of the salt and sugar mixture.

Put fish on top and sprinkle remaining salt sugar mix on top of fish, and the chopped dill and the beetroot on top. Squeeze one lemon over the fish and slice another one on top of the fish.

Tightly wrap the fish and refrigerate with something fairly heavy on top, for 24-48 hours, until moisture has been drawn out of fish.

The longer the fillet is kept this way, the saltier it becomes. I think the salmon is better when it is only very lightly salted.
Remove from the plastic wrap and wipe off the salt. Slice thinly and serve.
You can freeze the salmon if you do not intend to eat it straight away. It'll keep about 3 months.
You can serve gravlax as it is, garnished with dill and lemon slices

or with egg butter, soy sauce, pickled ginger, Wasabi paste,

or use it to make gravlax canapés over blini with sour cream and salmon caviar.

Here I use the slices of cured salmon on a wrap with cream cheese, capers, red onions and iceberg salad. I serve on a bufet table for a large party.

Here the salmon is marinated with Aquavit and juniper berry then chopped very fine and I served with sweet mustard sauce.

Here we marinate the trout with the dill, orange and lemon. We serve the trout with a Swedish cheese cake, lemon oil and baby salad.

Here I marinate the salmon with lime, ginger and coriander and served with sushi rice rolls and a soy- mirin sauce. As well you can enjoy the salmon with fresh salad or with scrambled eggs, or part of a quick creamy pasta sauce.
For all this recipes you can replace the cured salmon with smoked salmon for a quick version.

Enjoy.

Singapore noodles or Sweet and spicy curried chicken with noodles

2010-10-27T14:13:00.001+03:00

According to Wikipedia - ,,Singapore style noodles is a dish of stir-fried rice vermicelli seasoned with curry powder, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and sliced chillies or peppers. It is served as a vegetarian dish or can be accompanied by small slices of chicken, beef, and/or shrimp,,.
Knowing that I always have some basics like egg noodles laying around, I decided to make a very simple version for you to enjoy for a lunch or dinner.
My version of Singapore Noodles is made with chicken and the vegetables are only marinated, they are not cooked. If you prefer replace the chicken with pork, duck or tiger prawns. This is a very good recipe to get rid of leftovers and to use the bits of vegetables from the fridge.
If you are looking for extra flavor and texture add one fry beaten egg in a tablespoon of sesame oil and mix with the chicken.
Ingredients you need for 4 portions:
- 300 g rice noodles- or I use egg noodles
- 500 g slice in strips of chicken fillet
- 2 tablespoons curry powder – I used masala powder
- 4 large champignon mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 100 ml chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce
- 8 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- fresh chili –optional
For the salad:
- 100 g bean sprouts
- 1 big red bell pepper, sliced in julienne
- 50 g -full hand of coriander
- 100 g zucchini sliced in julienne
- 2 medium carrots slice in julienne
- 2 green onions sliced in julienne
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- juice from one lime
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Directions:
Marinate the chicken slices for an hour with ½ soy sauce and curry powder.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add noodles and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Heat the sesame oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir fry 3 to 5 minutes until browned and cooked through.
If you are using cooked chicken then you need to cut it up and cook it for about 5 minutes.
Add the rest of soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, chicken stock, ginger and toss to mix well.
When the chicken is done add the mushrooms. Once is bubbling slightly turn the heat down. Add salt, pepper and fresh chili slices to taste.

For the salad:
In a bowl, combine all vegetables and ½ of coriander with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I chose and I recommend to don’t cook the vegetables, to get all the benefit from fresh vegetables.

Add noodles to the chicken mixture and stir everything together. Serve hot with the vegetables salad on top. This was surprisingly tasty and a great way to get rid of leftovers.

Enjoy.

Duck confit

2010-10-21T11:34:00.001+03:00

I was unable to resist the temptations when recently I was asked why I don’t post my recipes for duck confit.
This is the way I made this classic French confit recipe, another one of those gourmet French specialties, where legs of duck are slowly cooked in its own fat until tender, then stored in the same fat.
The French word confit means “preserved” or "preserving" a variety of meats like-goose, duck, pork, deer or ….horse if you wish. In the same way they do with pork meat in Romania. When I was serving in the army, my parents used to send me a package every month -during the winter times - with jars filled with meat covered in fat.
I cure the duck legs over night with salt and I cook them very slowly covered in a lot of duck fat and some more spices. After it has been prepared, you can eat it right away or store in the refrigerator covered in its fat for up to two months.
It is actually one of the oldest method to preserve food because once cooked it can stay fresh for a long time protected under the fat.
Making duck confit is not complicated even though it takes a bit of time-about 2 days.
With my mix of spices this recipe deviates from the classic one, but is one of the best confit we ever tasted.
Confit of Duck for 10 people:
Ingredients:
10 duck legs
20 garlic cloves
3 kg of duck fat
500 g coarse salt
3 chilies, sliced
4 sticks of cinnamon
3-4 star anises
10 juniper berries
3 bay leaves
20 allspice seeds
20 black pepper corn
1 pot of fresh thyme
Peels from 3 oranges
Instructions:
Into a big tray sprinkles the legs with the salt evenly over all sides, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Wash the legs to remove the excess salt and pat dry on kitchen towels. Place the legs in a casserole or a tray, putting the legs skin side up. Add the garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, chilies, thyme, star anise, orange peels, juniper berries, allspice, bay leaves, black pepper, and enough fat to cover the legs and place the pan in the oven. Cook uncovered, until the meat is very tender and has shrink away from the bone, around 2 hours.

Let the legs cool slightly in the fat. To store, move the legs to a container covered in its fat and refrigerate for op to two months. The fat will contract as it cools, so once it is set, ladle a little more fat into the containers to seal the legs completely, and then cover.
The fat can be reused several times until it becomes too salty.
Here is some different way I serve this French specialty. I use some of the fat when I heat the confit, but I also use it to cook vegetables or potatoes or for other dishes to give a delicious aroma from the duck and spices.

Here I served with mash potatoes, grilled oranges and a carrots-Cointreau-orange sauce.

Here is served with braised red cabbage and Madeira red wine sauce.

Here I reheated duck legs covered with hoisin sauce and I served them with rice and

cucumber-coriander salad.

For a starter I served the shredded meat from the duck legs into a filo pastry basket, with red onion marmalade and

cucumber ribbons salad.

Or make nice spring rolls with the meat from the confit with julienne vegetables and

serve with soy, chili ginger sauce.

Here is my beef confit were I used same recipe, but with beef entrecote and I served with smashed new potato, greens beans and mushroom cream sauce.

Enjoy.

Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Carvings

2010-10-15T23:33:00.003+03:00

With Halloween just around the corner everybody post recipes with pumpkins. I thought I have to share too my recipe for the Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pie and some pictures of my Pumpkin carvings that I made with my family and friends. Pumpkin is rich in beta carotene is high in fiber and provides large amounts of vitamin C and potassium. The small orange pumpkins are a little sweeter and have a better flavor for pumpkin recipes than the large orange varieties. Just cut off the top and bottom and scoop out the seeds. Then, I cut the pumpkin in wedges and remove the peeling. Cut the strips into chunks. Simmer or bake until tender to make the pumpkin puree if you have recipes that use ready make puree.

Curried Pumpkin Soup with coriander oil and ham focaccia.
For 10 portions you need.
Ingredients
2 kilos pumpkins or butternut squash cut into 5 cm chunks
5 tablespoon olive oil
5 celery sticks,
3 large onions, sliced
5 garlic cloves,
1 tablespoon curry powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 liters chicken stock
500 ml double cream
Coriander oil for garnish
In a large heavy pot fry the onion, celery and garlic over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the curry powder and a large pinch of salt and pepper and stir well.

Add the pumpkins, chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir well, reduce the heat to moderate, add cream and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a food processor or with a hand blender puree the soup until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Serve the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the coriander oil and coriander leaves. To make coriander oil I blend in a food processor some fresh coriander with extra virgin olive oil, one clove of garlic and seasoning.

I serve the soup with Focaccia (recipe here) sandwich made with garlic butter, ham, tomato and cedar cheese.
Enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie with almond crumble
For the Shortcut Pastry
300 g all-purpose flour
200 g unsalted butter, soft
125 g of sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoons of backing powder
Pinch of salt,
1-2 tablespoons of iced water
For the filling:
1 small pumpkin or ready bake 750 gr
3 large eggs
600 g sweet condensed milk (cooked in can)
5 g sea salt
5 g ground cinnamon
5 g ground ginger
3 g grated nutmeg
Almond Crumb Topping
140 g almonds flakes
80 g brown sugar
30 g all-purpose flour
50 g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Sift the flour into a mixer bowl or food processor add the soft butter, sugar, backing powder, salt, egg, water and mix in slow speed until pastry forms a ball. If the mixture seems dry, add more water to hold the dough together. Wrap the pastry and place in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out and then press it into 30 cm greased pie dish, trim off the excess dough and bake for 15 minutes at 180C until golden brown color.

Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin in wedges, remove the seeds, place the pumpkin wedges in a tray and bake for 1 hour or until the pumpkin is tender. Scrape the pulp from the shell and purée it with a fork or in a blender. Measure 750 g of the purée and set it aside.
Reserve any additional pumpkin for another use.
In a large mixing bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the purée, condensed milk and the remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the almonds and the sugar in a food processor, pulsing to chop the almonds well. Add the flour, butter and almond mixture into a large bowl and rub between your fingers to make large, buttery crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160 C. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie, spreading them evenly. Return the pie to the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy again.
One of the most fun and creative Halloween traditions is Pumpkin Carving.

Celebrating Halloween with a pumpkin carving party it's a great way to spend time with friends, children’s and family.Carving a pumpkin is really quite simple and quite satisfying to do. Here are some pictures of how we did some of the carving in 2008 with my family and friends.

This Kiss one it was mine.

This one with the nails was my wife's and my daughter's.

This was mine also and the others were made by friends.

Pilau, Pilaf, Risotto, Paella or Jambalaya

2010-10-11T23:29:00.003+03:00

I cooked a Jambalaya for some friends, who commented that it was a lot like paella, and some thought is like pilaf, but I know risotto is very similar… so I started to get for you the story of Jambalaya origin. Pilau, Pilaf, Risotto, Paella or Jambalaya- is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth and depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain a variety of meat and vegetables. Fried rice in Asian cuisines is similar dish who take the cue from pilaf.
All this recipes start with a similar process. The grain is sautéed in oil, fat or butter to brown it slightly. To fully cook the dish, wine and stocks are added, which add different flavor to the dish. Depending on recipe and region, the grains are different from long grain rice to risotto and this make the dish to have different consistency. A variety of vegetables, seafood, poultry or meat may be added too, so it can be a whole and filling meal or a side dish.
This rice based dish -called ‘’pilau’’ originated from the Persian Empire, always begins by first browning the rice in butter or oil before cooking it in stock.
In India they're highly spiced it with masala, chili and coriander.
In Greek cuisine, ‘’piláfi’’ is soft rice that has been boiled in a meat stock then finished with lemon juice and melted butter.
In East Europe, ‘’pilaf’’ is made with chicken or sausages and finished with a bunch of fresh herbs. Left over meats and vegetables are use very often as well.
In Italian cuisine ’’risottos’’ are made using short-grain rice, where stock is being added gradually while the rice is stirred constantly. The cooking technique leads the rice to release its starch, giving the finished dish a creamy texture and of course adding Italian flavors to it like parmesan, mascarpone, sundried tomato …etc.
In Spain ‘’paella’’ (a wide, shallow pan with looped handles) famous rice dish is a free-style combination of meat, seafood and vegetables. The key ingredients include saffron and olive oil.
If you mix into any of these dishes some dry apricots, cumin, almonds and fresh chopped coriander, you have a Malaysian pilaf.
Exploration of the “New World” brought the dish to the America. Each culture has created its own version of pilafs.
It was an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World, where saffron was not available. Tomatoes became the substitute for saffron and the Jambalaya was born. Additions at the end of cooking in all of these dishes can include a bit of butter or cream.
Here are some samples of this dishes that I made. Please feel free to explore more and add your favorite flavor to it.

Risotto with wild mushrooms.

Jambalaya with bbq beaver and coleslaw salad.

Safron risotto with salmon and grill lime.

Black ink risotto with tiger praws.

You must work with the correct quantity of liquid in all of these recipes.
I work on the basis of one part of rice for two and half the quantity of stock.
Here is one of my recipe for shellfish risotto (or jambalaya or pilaf, or whatever you want to call it)

Ingredients for 4-6 people:
2 white medium onions, chopped
1 liter fish broth or stock
250 g mussels, steamed open
500 g mixed fresh seafood, shrimps, scallops and calamari
400 g can crush tomatoes
100 ml olive oil
400 g Arborio rice
100 ml dry white wine
4 teaspoons butter
100 g shaved parmesan cheese
bunch of chopped parsley or basil for garnish
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a heavy braising pan, add a spoon of butter and chopped white onions and sauté until translucent. Add the rice and sauté, stirring continuously, for about a minute. Add the white wine and stir until it evaporates.
Low the heat and begin ladling the fish stock over the rice. Add the can of crushed tomatoes. Cook the rice and add some more ladles of fish stock only when the previous one has been absorbed. Repeat till rice is almost cooked.
When the rice is almost cooked, add the seafood. Be careful not to add the seafood too early as the heat of the rice will cook it in just a few moments. Prawns and scallops need only to turn opaque to be cooked and the mussels only need warming. Finish by adjusting the salt and pepper and add a knob of butter and parmesan cheese. I use the mussels in the top of risotto for a finishing touch.

Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and parmesan and serve immediately.
Enjoy!

French onion soup with Guinness and mozzarella baguettes

2010-09-25T13:57:00.002+03:00

In France - ´´French onions soup´´ is a standard bistro fare, in Ireland they do a version with Guinness and today I combine both recipe to do my own version of this classic soup were I will add a Italian twist. A classic soup perfect for winter, is packed with onion flavor and is delicious for those occasions when soul food is needed to raise the spirits. Make sure that you use a good beef stock and allow the onions to caramelize to get the maximum flavor in your onion soup. For vegetarians, the beef stock can be replaced with vegetable-based stock.
The trick for this great onion soup is starting with good stock. Another important step is to caramelize the onion. Caramelizing onions take at least thirty minutes of slow cooking the onions over medium heat. The browning, or caramelizing, of the onions brings out the sweetness of the onions.
Recipe below make enough for 4-6 portions.
Chopping onions note
Chopping onions is a nice 'crying' experience! The way to stop you from crying when chopping onions is tricky! Just use a very sharp knife, serrated knives are no good. When you chop an onion you break the walls of the cells, this allows the juices of the onions to go into the atmosphere. Sharper the knife is, the less cells are broken.

Ingredients
6 large Spanish onions peeled and thinly sliced.
olive oil
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ liter beef stock
1 of 500 ml can of Guinness
1-2 table spoon worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme
salt and pepper
12 slices from French baguettes
150 gr grated Gruyeres cheese
6 of 80 gr French baguettes with garlic butter
4 of 125gr Buffalo Mozzarella
pot of basil to garnish.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30 minutes.
Turn the onions every minute or so to ensure they are evenly cooked.
Add the minced garlic, sugar and thyme and continue cooking on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the onion is well browned, stirring frequently.

Stir in the Guinness, worcestershire sauce and stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.Cook the onion until gets a light brown color so that is soft but not falling apart.
Put the French baguettes slices under the grill or into the oven, to toast them.

Rub each slice of toasted French bread with a garlic clove.
Top with grated cheese, and grill or oven backed for 3-4 minutes until cheese begins to melt and bubble. Put the cheese croutons on the top of the soup, garnish with fresh basil and served.

To make a meal on its own I served on the side with a mozzarella and garlic baguettes.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Salmon

2010-09-20T10:07:00.001+03:00

Teriyaki Salmon it’s so simple, healthy and it is a great recipe for entertaining. Teriyaki is a Japanese way of cooking where the food is broiled, baked or grilled in a sweet soy sauce mixture. Many foods can be cooked in teriyaki style such as salmon, tuna, chicken, beef, tofu etc. It’s simple to make your own teriyaki sauce and only requires few ingredients: soy sauce, onion, brown sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, sesame oil. Mirin is a sweet rice wine that is similar to sake and contains alcohol. You can make a lot of teriyaki sauce and store it in the fridge until needed. I recommend serving the Teriyaki salmon with rice or noodles and cucumber-coriander salad or pickle ginger, wasabi and mooli salad (white radish salad). If you have any leftover, this tasty sauce can also be used tossed through a crunchy cucumber salad or like I do, use it in julienne vegetables salad. You can cook the rice ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until need, no more than one day.

Ingredients:
4-200gr salmon filets
4 cups of cooked rice
For Teriyaki sauce:
100 ml soy sauce
100 ml mirin
50 ml sesame oil,
2 chopped onions,
50gr grated ginger,
50gr chopped garlic,
3 tablespoon brown sugar
For julienne vegetables salad:
1-red pepper
60gr white radish (mooli)
60gr zucchini
60gr carrots
coriander
60gr pickled ginger
2tbs mirin
2tbs sesame oil
2tbs lime juice
2tbs soy sauce
Directions
To make the sauce fry onions in a saucepan, then add all ingredients for the sauce and boil slowly until a syrupy consistency is achieved, about a 50 percent reduction. Let cool completely. Add salmon and marinate for 1 hour. Cook salmon with marinate in the oven at 180c for 10 min or until cooked. Do not overcook.

For the salad cut vegetables into very thin sticks. In a bowl, combine all vegetables and set aside. I chose and I recommend to don’t cook the vegetables to get all the benefit from fresh vegetables.
To make the dressing, in small bowl, combine sesame oil, mirin, lime juice, and soya sauce; mix thoroughly. Pour over vegetables and toss to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the teriyaki salmon with rice, julienne vegetables on top and garnish with fresh coriander and pickled ginger. Enjoy.

Kringel bread

2010-09-04T01:29:00.005+03:00

Kringel is a Estonian traditional sweet-bread cake that appears to be originated from Germany. Is knotted and sprinkled with nuts and chocolate and filled with cream cheese or raisins. A standard dessert at Estonian birthday’s parties.The dough is similar with traditional Romanian sweet bread ( cozonac) a cake for all holidays: Easter or Christmas, wedding or christening. Every Romanian has a recipe from her mother or grandmother. My grandma always cooks huge quantities of sweet bread for Easter or Christmas. There is a lot of Romanian sweet bread recipes on the net for that I chose today to make a Estonian version in my own Romanian way. I made extra dough for my daughter to play with and she came out with some beautiful cinnamon rolls bread.

Ingredients
24 g dry yeast,
75 ml warm water,
550 ml milk,
500 g sugar,
1 tsp. salt,
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
3 eggs,
900 g plain flour, sieved
225 g butter, melted
Filling
250 g soft butter
2 tsp. cinnamon powder
250 g raissins
250 g chocolate
150 g butter,
100 g tasted almonds,
Method
Preheat oven to 200°c. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.
Stir in the milk, salt, cinnamon, eggs and 200g of the flour, until the mixture forms a batter. Beat until smooth before adding about 300g more flour. Beat well, until the dough is quite smooth and glossy. Stir in the melted butter. Add the remaining flour and mix to stiff dough. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl and leave to rise for an hour or until double in size. Take the dough out of the bowl and rolled out to a thickness of 1cm. Spread the softened butter evenly over the pastry, then sprinkle with raisins, cinnamon and sugar.

You then roll it up Swiss roll style and slice it in half lengthwise. Twist the dough together, lifting each half over the other in turn. Finally, shape the bread into a bretzel shape and transfer to a buttered baking tray and leave to rise for another hour.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C for a further 30-35 minutes until dark golden brown and cooked through. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate topping by melting the chocolate and butter in a bowl over boiling water or in microwave. Once out of the oven, let the bread cool down a bit, place on a serving plate and drizzle with chocolate sauce and toasted almonds.

To make a savory, Kringel, leave out the raisins and sugar, fill them with cream cheese, bacon, spinach, pepper sundried tomato and cheese then sprinkle the Kringel with grated cheddar. Here is the pictures of one I made.

Enjoy.

Genuine Estonian Food- Is there such a thing?

2010-08-15T15:49:00.002+03:00

Traditional Estonian cooking is simple in comparison with other European cuisines, but it is anything but ordinary (normaalne) and cannot be compared with the sophisticated French or Italian cuisine. Estonian food is usually simple and satisfying. In the last few years foreign food from all over the world have enriched Estonian food culture with new exciting dishes. Foreign junk fast food has become as well an inseparable part of Estonian food culture, at every corner in all the cities. All the countries in the world are trying to get rid of junk fast food and Estonia is developing this business.
The definition for main courses is meat or fish served with vegetables, potatoes and sauce. Boiled potatoes with dill and butter are the side dish with almost every meal. Salads are only plentiful in summer, and feature plenty of chopped, fresh vegetables in a sour cream dressing. Soups and stews are popular in winter, made from a selection of meats and vegetables.
A variety of fresh Estonian ingredients are available — including fish, poultry, lamb, beef, and wild game. Traditional methods of smoking, salting, drying, marinating and poaching continue to create their own taste ’’sensations’’. Forests not only provide wild game but also mushrooms, cowberries, blueberries and cloudberries. People who spend their summers picking and drying juniper berries and various home-grown herbs have no problem at all in seasoning winter stews.
For many years the Estonians had a habit of borrowing methods and techniques from other culinary cultures, especially from Russia, Germany, Sweden and France, country where people know the art of living in order to eat. Estonian culinary tradition is based on people’s need to eat in order to survive.
Restaurants tend to serve more foreign dishes than their own traditional food. Modern Estonian cuisine is more exciting with the young generation of Estonian chefs who has scored major successes abroad with their tasty innovative creations. Modern chefs use best local ingredients, then cook them in new ways and they try to be inspired by the old Estonian culinary traditions. The best of the old recipes have been revised so they try to reduce the fat content and add more fruits and vegetables.
Apart from the meat and potatoes, there are a number of Estonian specialities that are worth trying and mention.: -Heeringas - herring ; -Angerjas - eel ; -Suitsu Forell - smoked trout; - Hapukapsas - pickled cabbage; -Leib - black bread; -Kama - roasted cereal grains; -Rossolje - creamy salad of herring and beets; -Seljanka - thick, sour, meat soup of Russian origin; - Herne supp - peas soup; - Sült - pork in aspic; Verivorst - blood sausage that is traditionally served at Christmas and also wild game. You can find some of my ideas with wild game here.
So, my opinion is that genuine Estonian food is present, but is not used and explored enough.
Herring is a mainstay of the Estonian diet and is prepared in a variety of ways. For that I picked the Herring for a small challenge and try to put it on a better light for you, who never eat this before. This is the way I believe the chefs jobs should be based on buying the best ingredients and transform them in something great with flavors and not buying the cheapest ingredients and turn them in something edible.
I will try to present my way of changing a classic Estonian recipe with something that can be serve in a restaurant or to be made at home in a very easy way.
I will keep the traditional ingredients (Herring, boiled potatoes and dill) and add some extra flavors and cook in three different way to change this .......

into a dish with personality.

Here I rolled the Herring and I topped it with homemade tomato sauce and I baked them for 5 min. I served the baked herring rolls with new potato salad made with garlic and dill, then I topped it with salsa Verde made with green peppers, cucumber, celery, capers, dill, parsley, anchovies, olive oil and lemon juice. Garnish the dish with lucerne sprouts for a finish touch.

For a nice breakfast we grilled some baby asparagus with cold herring and served it with poached eggs and yogurt tarragon sauce.

Then for a cold winter dinner you can make a very easy, herring “au gratin’’ with cauliflower and panko. Easy step by step recipe and photos is following.
Herring gratin.
They reheat very good, or they can be par-cooked and finished as guests arrive. They can easily be made a day in advance and just baked as needed.

To simplify preparation, the leeks and onions are braised in a fry pan until tender.Arrange in layers the fried onions and herring in a fireproof dish greased with garlic butter. Place the cauliflower on top and then spread the bechamel sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs (panko) with some herbs like dill- parsley and sprinkle on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Enjoy!

Cod in rose wine with olives and basil

2010-07-29T12:43:00.002+03:00

Make a one-pan meal that's big on flavor and light on clean up. Cod is a firm white fish and works well in this recipe but you can try it with salmon or other fish as well. The acidity of the rose wine and capers makes this sauce much lighter than you'd expect. For the fish all I did was season it with a bit of salt and peper.
Ingredients
-2 tbsp olive oil
-800g fresh white cod filets
-100ml dry rose wine
-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
-200g mix cherry tomatoes, slice in half
-250g black olives
-50g capers
-Rosemary
-small bunch of fresh basil
-Sea salt and black pepper

Preparation

Slice the fish into four 200g fillets and season lightly on both sides. Place a medium-sized pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil.

When the oil is hot add the cod and cook for three minutes on both size. Add enough wine (about one glass) to reach halfway up the sides of the fish. Next add the garlic, olives, tomato, capers, rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook for a further 5 minutes over a low heat until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Allow the wine to bubble up then add the chopped basil.

Serve one fillet per person and spoon the olives and wine sauce over the top. If you wish serve them accompanied by little boiled new potatoes dressed with butter or olive oil and basil.

Enjoy

Double Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

2010-07-26T00:41:00.003+03:00

The most easy chocolate cake recipe ever!
The only thing better than a chocolate cake is a super-easy chocolate cake - try this one and let us know what you think!Works well every time and is perfect cake for dinner party.
The chocolate ganache glaze works very well with the delicate texture of the cake.
This chocolate cake is moist and very rich. There are a couple of things about this recipe that are worth mentioning. First, it does not contain eggs. Second, this type of cake "mix-in-the-bowl" that means all the dry and wet ingredients are mixed together right in just one bowl. Once the cake has baked and cooled, we like to frost it with a Ganache frosting which is simply a mixture of heavy cream, butter and dark chocolate.
I made this with my daughter to show how easy is to make this double chocolate cake. I took care of the oven and the baking time but she did almost everything.
Serves 8 - 10 people.

Chocolate Cake:
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 250 grams - sugar
- 35 grams cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 75 grams soft unsalted butter
- 300 ml warm water
- Lemon juice from ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

Chocolate Frosting:
- 200 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 75gr butter, room temperature
- 25gr Chopped pistachio nuts
Method
Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 6cm-deep, 26cm round cake pan.

Sift flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. With a fork or whisk, mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:
Place the chocolate, cream and butter in a medium sized glass bowl. Melt in microwave for 1 min. or over a bain-marie. Stir until smooth.

Let the ganache set in fridge for 10 min or until slightly firm and then beat the ganache until creamy and smooth. With a spoon or knife spread the ganache over the cooled cake.Top with chopped pistachio nuts. Allow frosting to set in the fridge for 30 min. Slice and serve with fresh whipped cream or fresh berry.

I hope you enjoy this delicious chocolate cake.

Provençal salad with Beans, Mozzarella, Bacon and Cantaloupe melon

2010-07-09T23:24:00.002+03:00

This classic Provencal salad explodes with flavor and is a“composed salad”, meaning each component is prepared separately and then arranged on a platter for a nice presentation. It also means it is prepared ahead.For a funkier version, you can poach or grill fresh fillets of salmon or tuna, or grilling seafood adds a new flavor variation to this traditional French salad, allow to cool and cut into cubes to replace the bacon. We served with crusty fresh homemade bread.
For six servings we used:
600 gr new potatoes
200 gr green beans
500 gr smoked bacon, cubed and cooked
350 gr cherry mozzarella
100 gr baby spinach
1 cantaloupe melon-1kg-cubed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
balsamic reduction
For vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely chopped
sea salt and black pepper
50 ml red wine vinegar
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together vinegar, shallot, salt, mustard and pepper until salt is dissolved. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Test for more seasoning.

In a large pot of salted boiling water cook potatoes until tender (around 8-10 minutes), then cook beans until just tender. They should not be too soft but should not be under cooked. Strain and run cold water over beans to stop cooking.

Arrange the spinach, potatoes, beans, bacon, melon, mozzarella and chopped mint on a serving platter. Pour the dressing evenly over and decorate with balsamic reduction( recipe here) the salad to serve.

To complete the French experience, serve the salad with a fine, lightly chilled
Rosé wine.

Feta Salsa

2010-07-08T00:41:00.002+03:00

This is so easy, also very tasty and fresh. Definitely consider this recipe as a guideline. It works as it is, but is infinitely flexible should you want to use different herbs or add chicken or shrimps or skip something or other. Also, if you store more than one type of cheese, you can mix different types.

For 4 servings we used:
200 gr Greek feta
200 gr fresh tomato or sundried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup pitted olives
2 fresh ripe avocados
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 tablespoons coriander or flat-leaf parsley
2 small lemons (or one large)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cube the feta into a bowl then chop the tomatoes, avocado,garlic and coriander (or parsley). Gently mix the ingredients together and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and the juice from lemon, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve it on a toasted slice of focaccia (recipe here), drizzle with olive oil and see salt.

Or served on a filo pastry basket made over Bruleé cups brushed with clarified butter, baked in the oven until golden brown, and topped with lucerne sprouts.

Enjoy !

Peanut butter cake with sour cream frosting

2010-07-03T23:09:00.002+03:00

This was a challenge, to add sour cream and salted peanuts in this classic combination of creamy peanut butter and white chocolate, delicate layers of cake with a smooth, rich filling. White chocolate and sour cream frosting graces the top and drips decoratively down the sides.The fluffy peanut butter cream with white chocolate frosting on this layer cake will bring out the kid in you. The salt from the peanuts accentuates the sweetness and flavors. This is a cake for 14-16 servings.
Ingredients:
For the sponge
6 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
200 gr plain flour plus more for the pan
200 gr sugar
25 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
100 gr salted peanuts, crushed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the filling
120 gr unsalted butter, at room temperature
350 gr cream cheese,
250 gr creamy peanut butter (we used Jiff-crunchy peanut butter-whole peanuts in)
200 gr icing sugar
For the frosting
125 gr good-quality white chocolate
250 gr sour cream
50 gr salted peanuts crushed for toping
100 ml syrup or compote juice for brushing the sponge (to make it a bit moist)
For the sponge: Preheat the oven to 180 C degrees. Lightly grease one 25 cm round cake pan, and then flour the bottom and the sides.

Mix together all the dry ingredients for the sponge: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside.

With a hand mixer on medium speed first beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue beating on higher speed until soft peaks form and gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff. Gradually add the eggs yolks. Now, using a spatula, mix in the sifted dry ingredients, one spoon at a time and mix until just combined then add the salty crushed peanuts.
Pour batter evenly into prepared pan smoothing the tops and gently shaking the pans to level the batter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, place peanut butter, cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add powdered sugar, beating for about 3 minutes or until the filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the layer cake: slice in tree layers the completely cooled sponge. On the bottom layer, brush with syrup or compote juice and spread 1/3 of the peanut butter filling. Add the second layer, brush with syrup and spread with the same amount of filling, then top with the third layer. Use a spatula to cover the whole cake with the remaining filling. Refrigerate for about 10-15 min.

For the glaze: In a bowl suspended over a saucepan of warm water on low heat, melt the white chocolate chips (you can also use the microwave). With a hand mixer, beat the sour cream for about 3-4 min. It will make it more fluid and airy. Continue mixing while pouring slowly the melted chocolate. The glaze will get be pour-able, shiny and smooth.

Pour the glaze over the top of the chilled cake, using a circular motion. Gently smooth the glaze with a thin spatula, carefully pushing a little of it toward the edges of the cake. Allow the glaze to drip down the sides of cake. Sprinkle on top with some crushed salty peanuts.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Summer salmon symphony salad

2010-07-02T00:01:00.002+03:00

It seems like we have so much to do this time of year and we have to think of something quick and easy to cook. Here is a good, easy recipe that you all can do this time of year.
I do understand the need for easy but elegant dining and I have served these both as a main meal and as a side dish without salmon and for a nice presentation I add a sprig of dill placed on the salad.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
4 x 180 gr salmon fillet
300 gr papaya cubes
200 gr radishes sliced
200 gr celery sticks sliced
200 gr cherry tomatoes halves
200 gr black olives
200 gr corn from fresh boiled cob, sliced
1 tbls honey
½ lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Champagne Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
10 sprigs parsley
juice from 1/2 lemon
100 ml champagne
50 ml olive oil
50 ml truffle oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

To made the Vinaigrette bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the parsley for 1 minute. Transfer the parsley to a blender; add the lemon juice, champagne, and oils and purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and brush with honey. Bake the salmon fillet in the 200C oven for 8-10 min or until cooked and caramelized. Add the Vinaigrette in the mixing bowl. Add the other salad ingredients and toss well. Place the caramelized salmon fillet on top of the salad and serve.

Cooking tip: You can use any tropical fruits for this light summer entree salad.

Jaanipäev

2010-06-27T16:56:00.006+03:00

In Romania on the night of 23-24 of June we are celebrating the Night of Fairies, in Estonia
is John's Day. In Estonian language is called Jaanipäev and as an Estonian person told me, they celebrate the light and sun. In the last 5 years we used to celebrate traditional Estonian way with a bonfire and a big grill, a lot of people and we party until morning but this year we decided to stay home and have a small grill and chose to have more time to rest after a very busy period in the restaurant.
Here I show you how we spent the day cooking a simple meal. Before we started preparing the big meal we had a snack platter with some different cheeses (brie, blue cheese and cedar), marinated olives, peanut butter and some mix nuts all to complement a cold glass of rose wine for a summer day.

The olives I marinated them with rosemary, lots of garlic and good olive oil and leave to marinate for 2 days.
With the garlic, when you thing is too much, then double the quantity for a nice aroma :)

Then we started to prep the meat for grill. For the pork ribs we used only salt and pepper because after they were cooked on the grill, we covered them with a smoked BBQ sauce. For the pork neck I chose a Mexican marinate with taco spices and extra chili and oregano and we put them on skewers. On beef entrecote steak we put just salt and pepper for a natural flavor but be sure the beef is aged and good quality for a tender meat. And of course some chicken fillets for kids.

To complement the meat we marinate the boys in a local corn beer and we used some fresh vegetable to grill like mushroom, eggplant, peppers and zucchini which I marinated them with olive oil and seasoning. As well I sprayed them with some BBQ sauce. Then we made a cold sauce with sour cream, garlic and herbs and one spicy sauce with curry and cocos milk.

As a garnish for the grill we made two different salads, one is a Mediterranean potato salad with onions, marinated cucumber, oregano, seasoning and virgin olive oil and the second salad of tomato and white cabbage.

And then we grilled.

And then we eat.

After a long pause and more beer we had dessert. Bianca made this very good dessert with salted nuts, peanut butter and cream cheese filling and sour cream frosting.

Recipe for the cake will follow soon.
We had a great day!

Strawberry tiramisu

2010-06-22T00:55:00.006+03:00

In Ireland we use to make a lot of this dessert but here in Estonia we have a big problem with finding good fresh organic eggs. I have been making the wonderful Italian tiramisu dessert for many years and in many ways now. It had been a huge success with all my friends – even with the Italian ones. I will never use raw eggs in any recipes if I’m not sure for the quality. The recipe I have made here deviates slightly from the classic Tiramisu and turned in a bullet proof recipes with no raw eggs and for an original look I served in a glass different that the classical way. If you wish to prep a classic recipes keep in mind that these eggs will not be cooked. So better use really good and fresh eggs. And consume the tiramisu within a day.
Tiramisu is an 'Italian Trifle" because, like any trifle, it is made by layering cake, that have been soaked in spirits, with a rich custard (Zabaglione) that has been mixed with mascarpone cheese. Zabaglione is rich Italian custard that is made by whipping egg yolks, sugar, and strawberry liqueur in my case over a water bath.
Mascarpone is a soft immature cheese, thick, buttery, sweet cheese, with a delicate flavor, produced from cow's milk with the texture of sour cream.
Basic Tiramisu is made with Mascarpone cheese, raw eggs, sugar, espresso coffee, ladyfingers, liquor and the top of the Tiramisu is garnished, first with a dusting of cocoa powder, and then with shaved or chopped semisweet chocolate. Heavy cream is an optional ingredient. The richness depends on the quantity and quality of each ingredient, and the care of preparation.This variation on the classic tiramisu recipe mixes the flavor of coffee with strawberry for a delicious and colorful effect.Prepare this some hours ahead so all of the flavor came together and the ladyfingers are fully soften. Here is the way I prepared this different Tiramisu for 10 persons:
Ingredients
600 g fresh strawberries
10 egg yolks
150 ml heavy cream
150 g sugar
50gr vanilla sugar
200 gr white chocolate or strawberry chocolate
100 ml strawberry liqueur
1kg mascarpone cheese
250 gr ladyfingers biscuits
150 ml chilled espresso
100 g chocolate
Directions
Cut off the tops of the strawberries and slice. Reserve 10 whole berries for garnish.
Over double boiler, beat together - with a wire whisk - the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and cream. Cook beating constantly until thickened to pudding consistency. Leave to cool. Whisk occasionally while Zabaglione is cooling then add the melted white chocolate and strawberry liqueur. Fold in the mascarpone and mix until smooth.

Spread or pipe out 1/3 of the cheese mixture on bottom of each glass then add soak ladyfingers in espresso, and layer with half of the sliced strawberries.
Repeat with the next ladyfingers, espresso, remaining cheese mixture, and sliced strawberries top with remaining cheese mixture.

Sprinkle chocolate shavings over cream mixture, and garnish with 2 reserved strawberries and some ladyfingers.

Enjoy.

Caprese Salad - Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil

2010-06-07T12:11:00.010+03:00

Caprese is one of the simplest and most delicious salads but it requires the right ingredients.
This – basically summer dish - is an easy and delicious salad made with fresh summer-ripe tomatoes (juicy and flavorful but not overly soft) and fresh buffalo mozzarella.
It does not need more than a touch of fresh young basil, extra-virgin olive oil, pesto, salt and pepper and this simple salad is turned it to a fantastic appetizer. With good quality fresh bread like focaccia or ciabatta and a glass of chilled white wine, this makes an excellent summer lunch or, in a small portion, an ideal first course for a summer meal.
Here is the way I made this salad for 4 people:
3 x 125 gr balls of buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 pot fresh basil leaves
coarse salt to taste
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly made pesto
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
20 ml balsamic reduction
Directions:
On a large platter (or on individual plates if you are doing individual portions) arrange tomatoes, cheese slices and basil alternately overlapping on platter. Just before serving, pour on some good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, fresh pesto and balsamic reduction.
Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time to become soggy.
A classic recipe has no vinegar of any kind in but I like it very much and you can see in the pictures with and without.
Balsamic Brown Sugar Reduction Recipe:
250 ml balsamic vinegar and 100 gr brown sugar.
Directions:
Cook the vinegar/brown sugar mixture down on med-high heat until it is reduced by half, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cooling before serving.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe:
Traditional Italian pesto is made by hand in a marble mortar, adding the basil leaves one by one for silkiest, smoothest pesto imaginable. In easier way we like the food processor, and the result is almost as good.
Ingredients:
400 gr fresh basil leaves, packed
100 gr freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
500 gr pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse
a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Can be served with pasta, salads, potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
If you find the sauce to oily leave it on a side for the pesto to set down and then strain the oil.

New York cheesecake

2010-05-31T10:59:00.006+03:00

We made and we have many recipes of baked cheesecakes but I think this one is the one we like the most, for the balance and flavor. From what I know, in New York they like the cheesecake rich, soft and creamy light with a crunchy crust. For an everyday dessert I would opt to make a cold gelatin-set cheesecake just because I consider this one to be special and I will keep this for special treats and occasions. To avoid lumps and ensure mixing without over-beating, is essential to have all the ingredients to a room temperature.
The way you are beating the ingredients is very important: under beating make a lumpy mixture and over beating can incorporate too much air and the result is a bubble, cracking and uneven cooking. Accompaniments to this cheesecake can be all nice fresh fruits but for winter you can use some compotes as well. This recipe is for 12 large portions or 16 medium like mine and I used a 30 cm cake spring-form tin.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 400 gr crushed graham crackers or digestive biscuits
- 150 gr melted butter
- 100 gr sugar
Cake:
- 6 eggs
- 350 gr sugar
- 900 gr cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia
- 400 gr sour cream
- 1 large lemon ( juice and zest)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean
- 3 tablespoons flour
Sour cream topping:
- 300 gr sour cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
For the crust, melt the butter and stir in the biscuits and sugar. Press the mixture in a 30 cm cake form and bake for 10 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling.

With a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar, gradually add the flour, vanilla, sour cream, lemon zest and juice.

Whisk in the eggs, one at the time and until blended, but don’t over-beat. Brush the side of the spring-form with melted butter and pour in the filling. Bake for 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 120 degrees C and bake for 20 minutes more. Turn off the oven and let cool in the oven for 2 hours. If you prefer a creamy texture, for the 2 hours of cooling time leave the oven door open.

For the topping combine the sour cream with honey and lemon juice and spread over the cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 4 hour or overnight before serving.

To garnish - like you can see in the pictures - I used fresh strawberries with balsamic vinegar cream, fresh fruits or caramelized peaches, from compote, with fresh basil but you can use what you wish. Try with fresh passion fruits or serve it with grilled pineapple with mint sugar.

This is a fantastic dessert and not easy to find in restaurants because it needs care.

Mission Impossible

2010-05-27T22:40:00.006+03:00

After so many years of cooking I never thought it will come a day when I'm not able to roast some....carrots. Yes, it happened today. On my way home I bought some fresh nice looking carrots. I wanted to make roast cumin carrots puree for dinner with some meat. So, I peeled, chopped in bigger pieces and placed them in a tray, covered with aluminium foil and start baking at 200 degrees C. After 1/2 hour, when I knew it supposed to be quite ready, they were still hard like stone. I checked again the temperature, just in case I didn't set it right (a very slim chance) and it was okay. I put the tray back in the oven for another 1/2 hour. After that....surprise, same stones with the same colour, nothing changed. At this point I got a bit frustrated, saying that's not possible. After another 2 hours in the oven, the carrots from edge of tray were burned and chewy outside and hard in the middle, and the ones from the middle of the tray were hard as a rock and white colored.
I don't know how they grow them, how they keep them, but I can't cook them, nor to eat them with my family. I'm going to dig into this problem to see what I will found out.

Here are the carrots after more that 3 hours in the oven:

Chili Chicken & White Beans Salad

2010-05-27T00:52:00.011+03:00

This lovely salad, easy to make, low in calories and high in fibers it's a very nice option for summer. If you don't like spices, you can leave the chili out. Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it with lucerne salad on top or over a bed of any type of green salad. This recipe is for 4 servings, about 500 gr each.
Ingredients:
Orange Dressing 1 medium clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
200 ml fresh orange juice, plus more to taste
50 ml white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard,
1 teaspoon honeySalad
2/400 gr can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
400 gr slice cooked chicken breast
2 diced red bird eye chili
200 gr diced zucchini
200 gr diced celery
200 gr diced feta cheese
200 gr chopped halved tomatoes
½ pots chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
50 gr pack lucerne sprouts (alfalfa)

To prepare vinaigrette: With a hand blender puree the garlic with olive oil and salt in a small bowl to form a paste. Whisk in ½ orange juice, vinegar, honey and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.
To prepare salad: Combine beans, chicken, zucchini, celery, chili, cheese and tomatoes in a large bowl until well blended. Add chopped basil and 3/4 cup vinaigrette; toss until combined. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper, if desired.
Serve the salad with the lucerne sprouts on top and garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Tip: To poach chicken breasts, place about 1/2 kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.

Traditional Romanian ''MICI'', with chickpeas salad

2010-05-24T10:39:00.007+03:00

In Romania, these are served with mustard and fresh baked rolls, but today I chose to garnish them with one very refreshing salad, perfect for a summer day. Every day in Romania millions of these patties are cooked and sold across the country, in all the bars and pubs. We grew up with those and we love them.

The recipe is very similar with ćevapčići - they are considered a national dish in Balkan countries , though under different names - or with kofta from Middle East . The Middle Eastern countries use cumin, curry powder, garlic and coriander to season the lamb or beef minced meats and the Balkans are using minced pork in the mix along with lamb and beef .

For 20 ''MICI'' you need (along with the salad, will feed about 6 pers. ):

- 1,5 kg mix of lamb, pork and beef minced meat, about 500 gr each
- 4-5 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon of allspice powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 250 ml cold water

Why soda? Because soda is keeping the water in the sausages and won't let them dry.

Mix the meat with garlic, thyme, allspice powder, soda, salt and pepper and then mix strongly. Add water slowly, mix and kick the mixture until you incorporate the all water and the miced meat is turned into a paste. Leave to rest for 10-15 min. With oiled hands form little sausages shape and grill them or fry them in a pan, like I did. Serve them hot with flat bread and salad or mustard or tzaziki.We served them with a very easy to make chickpeas and yogurt salad.

Ingredients for chickpeas salad:

- 2 cans of ready cooked chickpeas (400 gr each)
- 500 ml natural yogurt
- 1-2 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
- 1 teaspoon masala powder
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili (if you wish)

Mix all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour to let the flavors to came together.

Focaccia

2010-05-23T12:39:00.014+03:00

There is nothing like freshly baked bread and focaccia is one of the easiest bread you can bake from scratch. Is a simple bread to make at home and is related to pizza, but not considered to be the same. The flavor of the oil is important, so it's advisable to use a good, strong, fruity virgin olive oil for this. Extremely easy and great for sandwiches and snacks. A wonderful, quick alternative to garlic bread. Is a flat Italian bread traditionally flavored with olive oil and salt and often topped with herbs, onions, tomato, olives or other flavor can be added to your wish . This recipe is for traditional way but you can make the dough in the bread machine too and bake in the oven. It's practically a meal in itself, perfect for picnics with salad or serve a big chunk with a bowl of soup.
This Italian flat bread is prepared from a soft dough enriched with olive oil. Extra olive oil is traditionally sprinkled over the dough in generous quantities before baking. Focaccia makes an ideal accompaniment to Italian meats to create a wonderfully antipasto plate with cheeses and salads.
It will take some time (about 3 hours), but much of the time is waiting for the dough to rise, so you can do something else in between.
Ingredients:
1 packet dry yeast 12 gr or fresh yeast cube 50 gr
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon salt (~12 gr)
650 ml warm water
1 kg bread flour
2-3 Tablespoons fresh rosemary or 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary, finely chopped.
200-250 ml good fruity olive oil
50 gr grated Parmesan cheese
250 gr cherry tomatoes
1 Tablespoon sea salt
Mix the yeast and 100 ml of warm water together in a jug, add the sugar, 50 ml olive oil and about 2 tablespoon of the flour.
Put the yeast mixture somewhere warm to activate for about 10 min, or until the yeast mixture is fizzing gently. Sift the flour into a big clean bowl and make a hole in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and knead it energetically into the flour and add salt and little by little of the remaining water and knead for about 10 min. The dough should be soft and sticky on the hands. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 h or until double in size.

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Put some of the olive oil into tray and with well-oiled hands shape your dough. Now it's ready for topping. Force dips in the surface of the focaccia with your fingertips, then generously add cherry tomatoes, rest of olive oil, Parmesan cheese, rosemary, sea salt and then leave to puff up again for about 30 min-1 h or double in size. Bake for about 30 to 45 min or until the top is golden and crisp and look well cooked in the center. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

For variation you can stuff the focaccia with grated cheese or ham to create a nice sandwich

Here is one made with slices of fresh tomatoes and olives and one with mozzarella cheese and red bell peppers.