Vindaloo Vegetables

After an indulging weekend (thanks to my friends who hosted a fantastic Mardi Gras party), I wanted something light and full of vegetables. I had this Vindaloo Vegetables recipe in mind for a couple of weeks, having seen it on FatFreeVegan.com and the time came to try it out. As with many Indian dishes, more time is spend chopping up the veggies, grinding the spices and the paste vs. the actual cooking, which can be quite time-consuming. Also, I had a sink full of cooking accessories by the time I was done (an auto spice grinder), so I've modified the process to cut down on the preparation time.

I've used my mighty pressure cooker from the beginning to finish to make a one-pot meal: from cooking dry beans to sauteing all the veggies to heating them up. This definitely saves you washing another pot and a skillet.  

The result is an outstanding sublime Vindaloo Vegetables dish so full of flavour, very light, and a virtually a guilt-free foodie main dish. I served it over rice for the kids but Vindaloo Vegetables is great on its own (that's how I had it) .

Servings: 8 
Makes in: 1 hour

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 cups small cauliflower florets
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 green / red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 pitted date, coarsely chopped
  i used 1/3 cup of sultana raisins
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 cardamom clove, ground
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (or one 15.5 ounce canned beans, rinsed and drained)
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  i used 1 cup tomato sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (salt is optional)
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1. Prepare all of the vegetables.
2. Heat a large non-stick pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and one tablespoon of water, cover, and cook until softened, stirring often and adding more water as necessary to prevent burning - about 5 minutes. 
3. In the mean time, a blender or food processor (I used a coffee grinder and only 1/4 cup water), combine the garlic, ginger, date, coriander and other spices, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water; process until smooth and set aside. 
4. Add the spice paste from the blender and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 
5. Add the cauliflower and kidney beans. Cover and turn heat to low. 
6. Put the tomato paste and 1 1/4 cup water in the blender and blend thoroughly. You can skip this step by using tomato sauce + 1 cup water instead. It will not have the same concentrated tomato taste, but I'll take it as I won't have to clean up a messy grinder.
   Add the tomato paste mixture to the vegetables, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. 
7. Add the zucchini and bell pepper, season with pepper and salt (if using), and continue cooking, covered, until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 5 -10 minutes. 
8. Add the peas and allow to heat through for a couple of minutes.
   Serve alone or over basmati rice or other grain.

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Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad with Bell Peppers, Raisins, and Walnuts

This Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad salad is a burst of textures, colours, and flavours. Asian-style dressing adds depth to the nutty texture; with a surprising combination of raisins and red bell peppers.

Red Cargo Rice is definitely a star in this Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad - it has more texture than brown rice and adds a great colour.  The presentation is beautiful enough to make it a holiday dish. It can be served warm as a colorful side dish or as a salad, when chilled.

Serves:  12 

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup red cargo rice 
• salt to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup roasted walnut pieces, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Soy Sauce Dressing

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic crushed or finely chopped
• 1cm root ginger finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste 

1. To make the soy sauce dressing, put all sauce ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake well to blend. 
2. Cook rice in boiling salted water for 40-45 minutes until soft. Rinse, drain well and cool. Place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients. 
3. Toss thoroughly before serving. 10 minutes before going to serve, add the soy sauce dressing to the rice and veg and toss well, then serve.
   
   
   
   Adapted from Allrecipes.au

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Perfectly Seared French-style Duck Breast. Magret de Canard.

By mid-December seasonal refrigerators in French supermarkets are full of local delicacies for Christmas luxury dinners: foie gras, escargot, oysters, seafood of all sorts, roasts of all kind, goose, and of course, whole duck and duck breast.

After spending some months in France nothing is more natural than serving Magret de Canard for Christmas Eve dinner. The preparation from the beginning to serving takes about 45 minutes and it requires your 100% presence.

For many years I had been afraid to handle duck breast - it had seemed to me beyond grand mastery to create a perfecly seared duck breast, the way they make it in France - tender, juicy, with crispy golden skin that melts in your mouth. But all of the hesitation is a thing of the past. After a few recipes and try-outs, I've aggregated this experience into this lengthy to read, but quick to implement, technique. 

• 2 duck breasts
• salt, pepper

1. Take the duck breasts out of the fridge and leave to come to room temperature, about an hour or so.
2. Wash and pat dry with paper towels. Do NOT season yet!
3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Using a very sharp knife, score the duck breast by making long diagonal incisions across the duck skin going from top left corner to bottom right, 1 inch / 2cm apart. The incisions should be deep enough to cut through the fat but should not reach the meat. Once done, make incisions going from from the top right corner to the bottom left.
   This will help that duck fat melt faster and create that beautiful golden crispy skin.
5. Put the duck in a heavy frying pan skin-side down. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Once you hear the sizzle, set the timer to 5 minutes. Now duck fat will start melting and it will sizzle and splash all over the place - be careful as the sizzling fat can shoot pretty far. It helps you have a splash guard to put over the pan.
6. After a minute or so, you will notice the outer edges of the breasts start contracting. If you press down the meat with thongs on both ends of the breast for 30 seconds, you will have a perfectly-shaped piece and an even colour!
7. As the fat melts, you need to remove it from the pan as it will overcook and will taste bitter - you just can't do this to the pride of French gastronomy!
   Usually, I remove the pan from the heat, pour the fat into a prepared bowl, and return the pan back; about 3 times during the searing process. But you can do the same by removing fat with a spoon with a long handle. If you can multi-task, you can also baste the top side of the duck with fat and juice from the pan, while removing the fat.
   Reserve the fat for future use by freezing. But I generally have pre-cooked potatoes ready in an oven-proof dish. At this point I pour some fat over it, mix potatoes with some herbs de Provence, garlic, and paprika and put the dish in the oven.
8. After 5 minutes carefully, lift the breast off the pan. The skin should be golden and feel quite crispy. If not, you can increase the temperature and leave for another minute or two.
9. Flip the breasts over and immediately lightly salt the seared skin. 
10. Sear the turned-over breast for another minute or two, basting with pan liquid: 2min for small breast, 3 minutes for medium-sized pieces.
11. Place the pan in the oven (some move the breasts in a roasting pan). Now cook until ready - 6-7 minutes for rare and 10 minutes for well-done meat. A good rule is to compare the feel of the meat to your face:
    
    Cheek = rare
    Chin = Medium
    Forehead = well done.
    By the way, none of the magret (and steaks) served in French restaurants are well-done: they are medium-rare to rare by default. If you ask for a well-done steak (bien cuit), it'll be overcooked or burnt. French cooks just refuse to acknowledge another degree of readiness for meats that these two.
12. The last essential step is to let duck rest. This helps the moisture spread evenly. Remove the breast and place them on a cutting board, skin side up. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
13. Cut into thin slices. Serve.

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Clay Pot Roast Beef with Mushrooms. Жаркое с грибами в горшочках

Testi Kebab getting prepared for us in Istanbul

One of the well-known cooking methods in Russia is making meat dishes in clay pots - with various vegetable and grain add-ons, filled with broth. The pot contents simmers gently and slowly, loosing little to no moisture and results in delicious and dreamy-tender meal.

The method of preparation of meat / fish in clay pots is well-known from the times of ancient Greece and is very popular throughout the Mediterranean region, including Turkey, with its own Anatolian version, called testi kebab. Africa has its clay pots' version - tagine; Germany - Römertopf; and other pot shape varieties in Asia.

Russian clay pots are the smallest in size, which makes them an ideal serving size. Lately, I've seen amazing clay pots in Russian retail stores, which look more like a work of art than a cooking utility. Generally, the recipes are awfully simple, the preparation is even simpler, and the presentation always gets a wow-feedback.

• 700g / 1,5 lb beef chuck roast, cut into thin strips 
• 100g / 2 strips Canadian bacon, diced (optional)
• 250g / 1 cup sliced mushroom
• 500g / 1lb potatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 carrot, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cups beef broth
• 4 tbsp tomato sauce 
• 2 tsp herbs of your choice, I prefer herbs de Provence

1.  Saute onion until soft and golden, add bacon and beef. Cook until tender and browned.
2. In a separate bowl combine cut-up vegetables, sugar, salt, pepper, spices to taste. In a separate bowl mix beef broth, wine, tomato sauce, add salt, pepper. 
3. Fill 1/2 of the clay pot with the meat mix. Add the veggie mix until the pot is 3/4 full and pour the broth over it. The broth should cover the contents by half an inch.
4. Cook in an oven for 60 min on 180C / 350F. Once done, take the pots out and let them cool for 15 minutes.
5. Serve clay pot roast beef with mushrooms garnished with parsley.

Photo credit: http://abc8.ru/

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Turkish Stuffed Eggplant. Karnıyarık

In Turkey eggplants are everywhere - meze, main dishes, appetizers; broiled, roasted, mashed, diced!
The name of this dish translates as split belly or the belly is split and it originates in the Ottoman cuisine. When in Turkey I saw it in restaurant menus but stuffed eggplant seemed not-exotic enough to try in a new country's cuisine. So I filed it in my 'to-do' list and viola!

The recipe is quite complex and time-consuming to prepare but it is well worth the effort. As with many Turkish dishes, there is no overwhelming combination of spices, just a bit of pepper - that is why the vegetables should be the freshest and the best.

• 6 eggplants (one per person), 20 cm in length, the ones you find at the farmers' market ones are best or in the worst case scenario use Chinese aubergines (but adjust the cooking time)
• 2 medium white onions, diced finely
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped finely or minced
• 1 lb ground beef or lamb (using lamb is in the authentic Ottoman recipe)
• 1 ripe tomato, diced
• 1 tsp red pepper / paprika
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 ripe tomato for decoration
• green banana peppers or slices of green bell peppers, as many as eggplants, for decorating
•  salt, pepper to taste

1. Wash the eggplants. Using a peeler, peel the eggplant lengthwise, in 1cm-wide strips. Put the eggplants in salted water and press them down with a plate to prevent from floating up. Leave for 30 minutes - this will remove any bitterness.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 375 F.
3. In a frying pan, saute the onions in olive oil, add meat and cook until no longer pink. Add the chopped garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and red pepper. Mix gently, add the parsley, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
4. Roasting eggplants: Remove the eggplants from water, dry with a towel. Line a baking sheet with foil, drizzle with oil and lay eggplants. Prickle the white strips with fork to allow better roasting. Pour 1 tsp oil over each eggplant and put the sheet in the oven for roasting. Check them in 15 minutes, turn them over, add more oil if needed. In 45-50 minutes the eggplants should be a bit charred. Prickle with a knife to check if they are ready - the knife should go in easily. Take them out, let them cool. 
5. Now, a bit tricky here - with the two spoons, slit eggplants into two leaving the tops and bottoms attached. Fill with meat. The eggplant flesh should be very soft and give in easily for stuffing. On the top of each filled eggplant put a slice of tomato and a green bell / banana pepper slice.
6. Lay the stuffed eggplants in an oiled baking dish. Mix 1 tbs tomato paste with 1 cup of boiled water and pour to cover the bottom of the dish.
7. Put in a 350F oven for 30 minutes or until the peppers on top have softened.
8. Serve with pide bread or plain white rice.

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Bosnian Meat Bureks

 

 

While away from home, what Canadian food do my kids miss the most in France?! Not a burger, nor an apple pie, but the bureks that we used to buy at the local market in Canada. They had mentioned it so many times over the past weeks that my heart couldn't take the kids' culinary suffering no longer and I started the quest for a pseudo-burek.

Burek is a Mediterranean pie with various fillings, from meat to apples, made by a variety of ethnicities in Europe and Asia: Turks, Greeks, Croats, Bulgarians, Bosnians, Czech, etc. The commonality among all recipes is phyllo dough and the rest of the ingredients, as well as the shape, vary from region to region.

I call this particular recipe Bosnian because I tried to approximate the bureks that we buy at the local market in Canada, whose owner is (or at least I heard is) from Bosnia.

From the start I knew it would never make the dough the way it is supposed to be made - beautifully thin, flexible, moist, and live. I just don't have the skills for it. I went to the box French supermarket, Carrefour, bought a pack of phyllo dough. Unfortunately, the pre-made phyllo dough is not as flexible as home-made and I couldn't make those perfectly round pies.

Next time I'll try making Turkish cigar-shaped bureks by laying out the bureks in straight lines vs. trying to roll them.

What I created is not the original recipe by any means, mostly in the difference of the dough. Nevertheless, these bureks turned out to be really good. The phyllo dough added crunch to the top dough layer and the filling was savoury, tender and moist. Although the original bureks are great, these turned out different, but quite delicious.

Servings: 10 bureks, 10cm in diamer
Time: 1 hour

• 1 pack phyllo dough, 10-12 sheets
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 med. potato, grated
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a large baking sheet. 
2. In a large bowl mix ground beef, garlic, onions, grated potato, egg, and spices.
3. Choose a large working surface, at least the size of a phyllo sheet - this can be a counter top or a large cutting board. Make sure it is not granite or wood: oil will ruin both.
4. Grease the surface with oil and lay out the first phyllo sheet. Cover the rest of the dough with a towel to prevent drying out. Grease the sheet with more oil.
5. Spread some filling length-wise. It should not be too much, just a bit of meat for each inch.
6. Starting with the side closest to you, start wrapping the sheet in a loose tube. Once done, form a snail-shaped circle. Alternatively, lay them out in straight lines next to each other.
7. Put the baking sheet with bureks in the oven for 30 minutes. Once done, let them cool for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

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Cabbage Rolls, Lazy-style. Ленивые Голубцы.

If you haven't yet caught it, I'm not a big fan of cooking Russian dishes. Don't get me wrong - I find the traditional Russian cuisine delicious but... very time-consuming.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls used to be something I disliked (extremely) when I was a kid - I unrolled them and ate the stuffing, leaving the cabbage leaves to my poor dad and frustrating my poor mom, who had spent hours in the kitchen making them.

Now that I've mastered the art of making authentic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, I love them, but... I love this recipe more... This is a lazy version that doesn't require the time-intensive artful and unrolling and pre-cooking of delicate cabbage leaves, alas... nor does it have the final beautiful presentation. But... what you have as a result is a low-carb, tender, and moist and MIXED version of all of the ingredients that make Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. It is more like meatballs that melt in your mouth with no crispiness of the original recipe.

• 500g / 1lb ground beef
• 2 white onions, chopped finely in a food processor or finely diced
• 3 tbsp white rice, cooked
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cabbage, chopped finely in a food processor
• 250g / 1 cup tomato sauce

1. In a food processor, chop the cabbage and onion finely, but not to a paste - it should be made of fine but visible fine chopped pieces. 
2. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, minced onion, egg, rice, salt and pepper. Add cabbage. 
3. Make balls 5-7 cm in diameter, flatten a bit, and in a heated frying pan.
4. Tomato sauce:
   -saute another onion, add tomato sauce, some salt, sugar, spices, some water. Add to the pan, bring to boil.
   I just use jarred spaghetti sauce diluted with water
5. Pour the tomato sauce over the balls. Simmer for an hour. 
6. Serve with sour cream and the sauce

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Super-Easy Kid-Friendly Chili (Slow-Cooked)

No matter how much I'd want my kids to appreciate a wider range of food tastes, they tend to cling to the traditional North American food palette. They may select an unusual dish when we go out, but at home, they prefer less exotic choices. It makes my time in the kitchen both less and more challenging: I'd love to offer them something more creative  but making simpler foods is well... just simpler. I keep slipping unusual options once in a while, hoping that one day, when they get older, their childhood cuisine will find a way and at least one of them them will pick fois-gras over nachos.

In the mean time, one of their all-season favourites is chili. It is hardly spicy and hardly hot with just enough of the chili and cumin powder aroma. The slow-cooker completes the simplification process and voila, you have something that's simple, quick (prep time) and kid approved.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 white onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 800g can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 each green and yellow / red bell pepper, diced
• 500 ml / 19 oz red / pinto or kidney beans.
  I really like a 6-bean mix that you can get at Loblaws or NoFrills 

• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

1. Heat a skillet on med.-high heat and brown the beef, breaking up clumps, until no longer pink. Put in a slow cooker.
2. In the empty skillet saute onions until transparent with a bit of oil. Add minced garlic, saute for 1 minute, add the spices. Fry to 30seconds, enough for the spices to release the aroma. Put in a slow cooker.
3. Add diced tomatoes, rinsed beans and peppers in the slow cooker. Mix the ingredients well.
4. My slow cooker retains all original liquid, so I don't add extra broth. If your slow cooker is the opposite, add broth. 
5. Cook for 5 hours on high or 9 hours on low.

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Red Lentil Dahl Curry with Spinach

This Indian dish has become a staple in my family for meatless Mondays. A friend from India made this once when he stayed with us and I was trying to replicate the recipe. In my efforts I've forgot how the original dish tasted, but I definitely like what has transpired. The list of ingredients might be a bit daunting but half of these are spices. The dish is pretty quick to make and tastes pretty authentic.

Servings: 4
Cooking time: 30 minutes

• 1 cup split dry lentils, red or yellow
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup fresh spinach or 1/2 cup frozen, chopped
  
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon each: turmeric, garam masala, chili, curry powder, cumin, white sugar, salt
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste or 3 chopped tomatoes

1. Rinse lentils under cool water until water runs clear, add 2 cups water and coconut milk, bring to a boil. Turn down
the temperature and let it simmer, covered for about 15-20 minutes.
I use split lentil because it cooks faster, but if you prefer more texture, use regular and cook a bit longer.

2. While the lentils are cooking, in a small bowl mix all of spices.

3. Chop the onions and saute in a bit of oil till soft and translucent. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes, the add the spices and stir for a minute, letting the spices release the aroma. Remove from heat; add tomato paste and stir.

4. Once lentils are almost ready, add spinach, stir well, and closing the lid let it wilt for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the spices mixture and stir well. Remove from heat and let the curry stand for 5 minute to have the flavours develop.

6. Serve over rice as a main dish.

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Spanish Cuisine: Ratatouille Manchego-style

Adapted for 4 people from "1080 recetas de cocina" by S. Ortega

The key to success to this simple dish (beside the freshest veggies) is the best chorizo you can find. I found vacuum-sealed Portuguese chorizo that was incredibly delicious. I also used serrano jambon for ham. There is a variety of ways to serve this: warm with poached egg over, pureed over sliced bread, a self-contained dish, or a side-dish.

Manchegan Ratatouille. Pisto Manchego.

Manchegan Ratatouille
Pisto Manchego

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1/2 C diced chorizo sausage
• 1/2 C diced ham
  1 onions, chopped
  2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 2 med zucchini, diced
• 2 med ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• croutons
• salt

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chorizo and ham and cook stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Set aside. 
2. Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and spoon occasionally, for 10 minutes. 
3. Add the zucchini and tomato, mix well, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. 
4. Add the chorizo and ham, and heat through for a few minutes. Server immediately with the croutons.

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Spanish cuisine: Beef with tomatoes and olives

It is impossible to bring Spanish cuisine to a common denominator - it is incredibly varied, with each tiny village having its own specialty. The everyday cuisine is not overly complicated, and similarly to Provencal menus, the success of the meals is starting with the freshest and flavourul produce. 

This particular recipe must come from the Basque country - the Serrano jambon adds the smokey depth to the stew. 

Adapted for 4 people from "1080 recetas de cocina" by S. Ortega

Beef with tomatoes and olives
Carne Guisada Con Tomates y Aceitunas

• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 pound stewing beef
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 very ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped serrano ham or prosciutto
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1t pinch of mixed dried herbs or 1 bouquet garni (1 sprig fresh parsley, 1 clove garlic, and 1 bay leaf tied in cheesecloth)
• 1/2C pimiento-stuffed green olives
• salt

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the beef, in batches if necessary stirring occasionaly, for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain off most of the oil, leaving some to cover the base of the pan, and reheat.
2. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes beginning to brown. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, breaking it up with the side of the spoon. Return to the pan, add the ham, and pour in the wine. 4. Season with salt, dried herbs or bouquet garni, mix well, and cook for about 5 minutes.  
5. Pour in water to cover, cover the pan, and simmer over medium for about 2 hours, until tender. 
6. Meanwhile, put the olives in a pan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for  1 minute. Drain well and set aside. 
7. Uncover the stew, stir in the olives, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes more. Remove and discard the bouquet garni, if used. Serve in a warm deep dish garnished, with triangles of fried bread.

I put my casserole in the oven for 1,5 hours at 350F and transferred to the slow-cooker for another 5 hours for the 'fall-of-the-bone' meat.

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Bulgarian Potato Gratin

Back when I was a graduate student, my friend from Bulgaria inspired me to try out this dish, one of her favourites. Since then, this gratin is among the alternatives to gratins. It can be as a side for a casual dinner or a part of a more elaborate menu.

Serves: 6
Time: 1,5 hours
Difficulty: medium

• 1 kg potatoes, sliced very thinly
• 200 grams feta cheese
• 100 ml vegetable oil
• 300 ml Greek or Balkan-style plain yogurt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• salt, pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease an oven-proof / pyrex dish and layer 1/3 of the pototaes, cover with 1/3 of feta, followed by another 2 layers of potato and feta.
2. Mix yogurt and eggs, add salt and pepper, beat slightly. Pour over the potatoes. 
3. Cover the dish with foil and bake for one hour. 
4. In an hour remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes till the top is golden brown.

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Easy Asparagus Quiche

This recipe is so flexible - you can substitute asparagus for any other vegetable combation, e.g. leeks, tomatoes, etc. You can also use any other sharp cheese you like and add any other selection of spices. Omit the bacon for a vegetarian option.

Servings: 6
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty level: easy 

• a frozen pie-shell
• 300 grams fresh asparagus, cut into 1cm pieces
• 3 slice(s) fried and crumbled bacon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup(s) half-and-half
• 1 cup(s) grated Parmesan or any other sharp cheese
• nutmeg, pepper, salt to taste

1. Heat a pan, fry bacon, dry on paper towels, crumble.
2. Pour out excessive fat, add asparagus pieces, and saute till just about tender, 5-7m.
3. Arrange bacon in a pie shell, then lay asparagus on top. Sprinkle cheese over bacon and asparagus.
4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture on top of cheese.
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving. 

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves: 4 
Makes in: 30min

• 500g spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp parsley 

1. Cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; set aside. 
2. In the meantime in a large skillet, fry bacon until medium crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels, chop into small pieces. 
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine and cook one more minute.
4. In the meantime mix well raw eggs and Parmesan cheese.
5. Return cooked bacon to pan; add spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through. Quickly add the egg and cheese mix tossing constantly until eggs are barely set. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. 

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Broccoli and Cauliflower Pancakes

I have a vegetarian guest staying at the house. I thought it'd be an interesting challenge to stay on a vegetarian menu for 2 weeks of his stay and see how much I'd miss meat. It is the middle of the 2nd week and... meat, what meat? It has been surprisingly easy to live through the days with no meat, but it is also getting surprisingly challenging to spend that much time in the kitchen. Familiarity with meat gives me more range, more flexibility and thus, less time cooking.

Anyways, this is a wonderful recipe I've created based on a few I had read and combined. It is light on flour and heavy on veggies, easy to cook and big on flavour. The vegetables are not mashed or processed, keeping the texture of the fritters firm and crunchy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 heads (each) cauliflower and broccoli heads
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 C (each) grated old Cheddar and Parmesan cheese (you can also substitute either one for cottage cheese)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced/ pressed
• 1/3C whole wheat flour
• 1t red chili sauce
• 3T chopped parsley
• salt, pepper to taste

Yogurt sauce:

• 1/2 C plain yogurt
• 2T lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1t chili or paprika

Preparation:
1. Separate the broccoli and cauliflower florets from the stems, chop up the stems, drop into boiled water.  Prepare until tender but not too soft, about 3 minutes, drain. Chop the vegetables into 1cm pieces.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add grated cheese, garlic, chili, flour, mix. Fold in the chopped vegetables.

3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Spoon out the mixture, flatter to form a pancake, about 5cm in diameter. Fry each side, 3-5 min each. Serve with spiced yogurt.

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Tomatoes Stuffed with Quinoa, Spinach, and Feta

This is a fusion of a number of recipes that I looked through, not having particularly liked either one. The ease of preparation, beautiful presentation, blend of colours, and wonderful Mediterranean flavour make this one a great Monday, meat-free dinner.

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
100g frozen (melted, drained) spinach
1T chopped basil leaves
6 medium tomatoes
100g feta or any goat cheese, crumbled. Reserve 6  strips / pieces / large crumbles
1/2 med. white onion
3 cloves garlic, pressed
salt, pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350C. Use olive oil to grease a baking dish. 
2. While the quiona is cooking, prepare the tomatoes. Slice the tops off, scoop out the insides (freeze and reserve). 
3. In a medium bowl, mix spinach, onion, garlic, and feta, quinoa, salt and pepper to taste
4. Gently and loosely stuff the tomatoes. Scatter cheese on top, bake for 30 minutes. 

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Eggplant Parmigiana

A light and lovely fare (very unsuitable for the weather we are currently having), which just cannot go wrong, even for a novice. Based on M. Batali's recipe

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggplant, about 2 pounds
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 2T olive oil
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted under broiler

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Using some extra-virgin olive oil, oil a baking sheet.
2. Slice each eggplant into 6 pieces about 1-1.5 cm thick. Lightly season each disk with salt and pepper and place on the oiled sheet. 
3. Bake the eggplant at 450 degrees F until the slices begin turning deep brown on top, about 12-15 minutes. 
4. Prepare the tomato sauce: mix the sauce, basil leaves, olive oil, some salt and pepper to taste
5. Remove the eggplants from the oven. Remove the slices from the baking sheet and place them on a plate to cool.
6. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In an 8 by 12-inch brownie pan, place the 4 largest eggplant slice evenly spaced apart. Over each slice, spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and sprinkle with a teaspoon of basil. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano. Place the smaller slices of eggplant over each of the disks and repeat with tomato sauce, basil, and the 2 cheeses. Repeat the layering again until all the ingredients are used.
7. Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over the top of the eggplant dish, and bake uncovered until the cheese is melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Quick and Easy Fish Stew

•  300g white fish
• 100g shrimp
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1kg canned diced tomatoes
• 1 cup white dry wine
• 1 teaspoon red pepper / chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, thyme, oregano, chopped

1. Saute a single sliced onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil, toss in a pinch of red chile flakes and a couple of cloves of garlic.
2. Add a pound or two of good Italian canned tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), and pour in a half-cup or so of dry white wine, like pinot grigio. 
3. Add some chopped fresh parsley, thyme, or oregano, and let it simmer a few minutes before adding two pounds of fish cut into rough, two-inch chunks. 
4. Stir a little, but don’t break the fish.
5. Once the fish flakes, it’s done. It won’t take more than four to five minutes, depending on how thick the fish is.

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Cheater's Duck L'Orange

•  1 whole duck, about 5 lb
• 2 tablespoons 5-spice mix
• 1 can pale beer
• 2 apples / 2 oranges / 2 lemons for stuffing
• veggies for roasting: potatoes, green beans, carrots, etc
• 100g of any jam for sauce

1. Rinse the duck inside and out, and pat dry. Cut off tail, fat deposits and discard. With a sharp knife make diagonal incisions across the skin trying to pierce the skin but not the flesh (the latter will dry the meat). Alternatively, you can pierce duck skin in several places using a fork or a skewer. Both methods will help duck absorb the flavour of the spices and sauces and release fat.

2. Rub salt, pepper, and your favourite spices into the skin of the duck (I've used 5-spice mix with honey and maple syrup and a splash of soy sauce). Stuff lemon, oranges or apples inside of the duck.

3. Preheat oven to 200C or 400F. Place the duck in a dutch oven breast side up and pour 1 can / bottle of pale / light beer. Cover with a lid and forget about it for an hour.

4. Transfer duck on a rack of a roasting pan, tilt to drain any liquid from cavity into pan. Place vegetables of your choice (potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, etc) in a roasting pan and pour some broth out of the Dutch oven on top. Make sure that harder veggies, like potatoes, have been precooked.

5. With a brush baste duck with your favorite sauce and marinade. Typically, I take a spoonful of the broth, add more spices, honey and brush the duck generously. Orange / cranberry / rasperry jam will work as well.

6. Place the duck in the oven for 20-30 minutes. This will give it wonderful caramel color. For smaller ducks 15 min will suffice.

7. In the mean time, make sauce: take 1/4 cup jam (raspberry is my fav), 2 tablespoons whisky or cognac, 1/4C duck broth. Mix well, bring to boil, and leave to simmer on medium till the sauce becomes thick enough. Corn starch can be added to thicken it up.

8. Serve and enjoy!

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Ground Beef Cutlets Vienna-style

These cutlets are delicious: light and fluffy!

• 800g ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 200g mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons starch
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, pepper to taste

1. Beat the eggs lightly, add salt, pepper, mayo and starch. Add to the ground beef and mix it. Put in fridge for 5 hours.
2. Form meat balls, 2 inches in diameter. To make a cutlet, press the ball with your fingers on one side.
3. Fry in a pan with some oil till golden-brown, turn over. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes till ready.

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