Aleksandra's Recipes

The End

2012-01-13T21:49:00.000Z

Hi guys!

I stopped updating Aleksandra's recipe blog, but I am still blogging at my main blog: Przepisy Aleksandry.
It is in Polish but some recipes are in English plus you have translator on page. Always you can write to me and I will translate recipe for you :)

So click:

Przepisy Aleksandry

You can find there a lot more new recipes, better photos :) I hope we can meet there.

Hugs

Aleksandra xx

TARTE TATIN

2011-09-16T19:51:00.001+01:00

Tarte tatin was created in 1889 by Stephanie and Caroline Tatin. This tart is absolutely delicious. It is a must to try.
I have used Rachel Allen's recipe from "Bake" and little modified it.

Ingredients for soured cream shortcrust:

200 g plain flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
100 g chilled butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of soured cream

1. Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and whiz briefly.
2. Add egg yolk and cream. Rub the butter by your hands into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 2 cm thick. Then wrap in cling film and leave in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Tarte tatin:

1 x quantity soured cream shortcrust pastry
4 eating apples (for example Granny Smith)
125 g caster sugar
100 ml water
25 g unsalted butter
Vanilla ice cream
chopped pistachios for decoration

Prepare 20 - 22 cm diameter ovenproof saucepan

1. Make the pastry.
2. Preheat oven to 200 C.
3. Peel apples with a peeler, then cut into quarters. Remove the core from each quarter and set aside. Don't worry if they go brown.
4. Place the sugar and water in an ovenproof saucepan set oven a low-medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
5. Increase the heat and boil the syrup until it starts to caramelise around the edges - about 5 minutes.
(do not stir once it has come to the boil stage otherwise the syrup will crystallise).
6. Once the syrup is a golden caramel in colour, add the butter and swirl the pan to distribute it through the caramel.
7. Remove pan from the heat, and place the apple quarters in a concentric circle around the outside (I had problem with that ;)) and any remaining pieces in the centre. The apples must completely cover the base of the pan.
8. Place the pan back over a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes to slightly caramelise the apples. In mean time roll out pastry.
9. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to a disc about 2 cm wider in diameter than the pan.
10. Remove the pan from the heat and place the pastry on top of the almost cooked apples.
11. Brush pastry with beaten egg, then using a fork prick a few holes in the pastry.
12. Bake for about 25 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for just a few minutes before placing a plate on top of the pan and carefully but quickly flipping it out. It is very hot so be carefull.
14. Cut tart into slices. Serve warm with ice cream and pistachios.

ORANGE YOGURT AND CHERRY CAKE

2011-08-29T14:14:00.001+01:00

I have found this recipe at Edd Kimber's blog. This cake is super moist and delicious! I have changed some ingredients.

Ingredients:

225g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

175ml orange yogurt (plain will work too)

200g golden caster sugar

3 large eggs

zest of 1 orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

200 g cherries pitted and quartered

1. Grease standard loaf pan or round one (which I used).

2. Preheat the oven to 180 C.

3. In medium bowl combine: salt, flour and baking powder.

4. In second bowl mix together: eggs, yogurt, sugar, extract, orange zest and butter. Mix until well combined.

5. Sift the flour infredients over liquid ingredients and gently fold together until dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not beat mixture.

6. Lightly dust cherries with 1/2 tbsp flour.

7. Mix batter with cherries.

8. Pour batter to cake tin.

9. Bake for about 60 minutes.

10. Ready cake allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Cherry Icing

Ingredients:

Icing sugar

Double cream

Cherry juice

1. In a small bowl add some icing sugar (4 tablespoons)

2. Add 1 teaspoon cherry juice and one teaspoon double cream. Mix together.

3. Good icing should have structure of chocolate ganache.

4. If your icing is to thick add more cream, if it is to liquid add more icing sugar.

5. Spread icing over the cake.

PROFITEROLES WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND CHERRIES

2011-08-23T10:45:00.000+01:00

I love profiteroles. My favourites are with whipped cream and cherries.

1. Prepare choux pastry from this RECIPE.
2. Pipe the choux paste with a plain nozzle, making each buns identical in lenght.
3. First 10 minutes bake them in pre-heated oven to 220 C. Remove baking try from oven. Make small split in each bun. Change temperature in oven to 180 C. Put back eclairs to oven and bake for about 15 minutes. They will dry.
4. Leave it to cool.

Ingredients:

Fresh cherries (without stones)
Icing sugar
whipped cream

1. Cut profiteroles in a half.
2. Pipe whiped cream to each bun.
3. Mix cherries with icing sugar and add each cherrie to bun.
4. Dust profiteroles with icing sugar.
5. If you do not have fresh cherries you can use cherry jam.

ÉCLAIRS WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM AND STRAWBERRIES

2011-08-23T10:09:00.000+01:00

There is just one word which can describe this dessert: YUMMY!

1. Prepare choux pastry from this RECIPE.
2. Pipe the choux paste with a plain nozzle, making each finger identical in lenght.
3. First 10 minutes bake them in pre-heated oven to 220 C. Remove baking try from oven. Cut choux fingers in a half. Change temperature in oven to 180 C. Put back eclairs to oven and bake for about 15 minutes. They will dry.
4. Leave it to cool.

Ingredients:

Sliced strawberries
0,5 cup soft unsalted butter
1,5 to 2 cups sifted icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon (or less) milk or single cream

1. Mix butter until become fluffy and change colour to light cream.
2. Add 1,5 cup icing sugar. Mix on the very low speed of mixer.
3. Change speed of mixer to medium and add 1 tablespoon of milk (or cream), salt and extract. Mix for about 2 minutes.
4. If you want to have lighter cream add more milk (or cream). If you want to have more thick one add rest of icing sugar.
5. Spread eclairs with buttercream. Decorate with strawberries.
6. Dust eclaris of icing sugar.

HOW TO MAKE CHOUX PASTRY?

2011-08-23T09:29:00.003+01:00

Choux Pastry is one of the basics pastry. You can use it to make desserts or to savoury dishes.
In Poland we make soups with small choux pastry balls. Yum!

Recipe is from book "Desserts. Over 150 celebrated recipes hundreds of step-by-step techniques" by Le Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

150 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
15 g sugar
100 g unsalted butter
250 ml water (or 125 ml water and 125 ml milk)
4 eggs, beaten

1. Sift the flour and salt together, then stir in the sugar.
2. Heat the butter and water (or water and milk) gently until the butter melts. Increase the heat to maximum and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.

3. Tip in all the flour, then remove from the heat and stir. A smooth paste will form which comes away from the pan in a clean ball. Allow to cool for a about 15 minutes. Do not beat the paste at this stage or it will become oily.

4. Once the dough has become smooth, return it to the heat until it is dry and forms a ball. Ir should pull away from the side of the pan as you stir it.
5. Remove from the heat and when paste has cooled slightly, the eggs can be incorporated - if they will added to soon, they will cook. Gradually pour in the beaten egg, beating in each addition. Incorporate as much air as possible.
6. Beat hard when all egg has been added until the paste is smooth and glossy.

7. Paste is ready to use.
8. Check my other recipes where I used choux pastry: Eclairs with buttercream and Profiteroles with whipped cream and cherries.

MIZERIA - POLISH CUCUMBER SALAD

2011-08-21T13:22:00.000+01:00

Traditional mizeria is made from sliced cucumbers, onion, sour cream, salt and pepper. In my house my Mum made mizeria with sweetcorn and chives.

Ingredients:

One long cucumber
half can sweetcorn
small handfull chopped chives
Creme Fraiche (sour cream)
salt
white pepper

1. Grate cucumber. Put it to sieve and sprinkle with salt. Leave it aside for about 30 minutes. Salt will help to remove juice from cucumber.
2. After 30 minutes put cucumber to bowl. Add sweetcorn, chives, salt and pepper. Mix. Add few tablespoons of creme fraiche. Mixture should have consistency like on photo above.
3. Serve with warm potatoes and meat for dinner.

WHOLEMEAL VEGETARIAN PIZZA

2011-08-21T13:02:00.000+01:00

Another Alessandra Zecchini's recipe (from "Savour. Irrestible pizzas, pies, tarts and bread").

Pizza was great! Thanks to wholemeal flour we can say it is healthier than traditional pizza.

Ingredients:

400 ml warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast granules
1/4 teaspoon sugar
500 g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
large pinch of salt
2 x quantites Tomato Sauce (RECIPE - click :) )

Topping (use your own toppings and quantites):

Salt
Dried oregano
Mozzarella
Mushrooms
Red pepper
Onion
Corn

1. Place the warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and sugar and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. When yeast starts to bubble, add the flour and salt.
3. Knead for about 10 minutes. Dough will be quite sticky so keep it in the bowl).
4. Shape the dough into a ball and sprinkle generously with the extra flour.
5. Leave it to rise, covered with a teatowel, for about 2 hours.
6. In the meantime make a double batch of tomato sauce.
7. Preheat the oven to 230 C (450 F)
8. Pounch the dough, but don't knead it. Place it directly on an oven tray, lined with baking paper and push it down with your fingers to cover the entire surface of tray
9. Top with tomato sauce, sprinkle with the salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes
10. Slice mozzaralla on pizza and add rest to the topping. Put back to oven for about 10 minutes
11. Serve warm.

HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE FOR PIZZA

2011-08-21T12:42:00.000+01:00

This is Alessandra Zecchini's recipe from her book "Savour. Irrestible pizzas, pies, tarts and bread".

Ingredients for 6 or for 1 large thick pizza slab:

2 x 400 g cans Italian peeled tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
small handfull of fresh basil leaves (I mixed them with fresh oregano)
salt to taste

1. Place tomatoes with juice in a blender.
2. Add the garlic and blend until smooth.
3. Rinse out one of the cans with 1/2 cup water and pour into large frying pan.
4. Add the blended tomato mixture and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer, stirring from time to time, for at least 30 minutes or until the sauce is so thick that when you stir it with a wooden spoon you can see the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the olive oil, fresh herbs and salt to taste.
7. Cover and set aside until needed.

You can use it also to pasta.

CHICKEN ROLLS WITH MUSHROOMS AND PANCETTA

2011-07-16T22:50:00.000+01:00

This is the best dinner which I cooked. I love smoked taste of this meat.

Ingredients for 3 portions:

2 single chicken breasts
12 slices pancetta (roughly)
250 g mushrooms
half of medium onion
salt (at discretion)
black pepper (at discretion)
large handful parsley, shredded
2 tablespoon chive, shredded
100 g mozzarella, cut into small cubes
ground coriander, larger pinch (or at discretion)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pinch powder sweet paprika (or at discretion)
half of red pepper, cut into slices

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the mushrooms into slices. Fry them with onion, black pepper and a pinch of salt.
2. Wash chicken. Break each breast with pestle (like pork chops). it is good to wrap meat in plastic foil) the meat will not sputter). Sprinkle chicken with garlic, black pepper, coriander, paprika and salt.
3. Cool down the mushrooms. Cold mix with herbs and mozzarella.
4. On the table put 6 slices of bacon next to each other. On the bacon put chicken breast.
5. Divide mushrooms filling in half and put it on chicken breasts.
6. Roll rolls. Pancetta is quite sticky, so the meat will not unroll.
7. Put pan over low heat. Put rolls into the pan and fry on each side without fat.
8. Warm up the oven to 160 degrees C.
9. When pancetta become golden put breast into oven-pan and put on them slices of red pepper. Cover with aluminium foil.
10. Bake for about 15 minutes. After this time, take off foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Bacon will scorch.
11. Remove the rolls and cut into slices (about cm)
12. Serve warm.

Smacznego :)!

NAAN - INDIAN BREAD

2011-07-16T00:42:00.000+01:00

I took this recipe from "Show me the curry" blog. I must say that naan is came out perfect! Just like it should be.
You can make it plain or with seeds of your choice.
My dough was little bit to watery so I had to add more flour.

Ingredients (original Show me the curry recipe):

All Purpose Flour 2 cups (275 g)
Salt – 1 tsp
Oil – 4 tsp
Warm Water – 1/2 cup
Rapid Rise Yeast – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Egg – 1, medium, well beaten (or 1 Tbsp Flaxseed powder mixed with 3 Tbsp of water can be used as a substitute for egg)
Yogurt – 2 Tbsp
Additional All Purpose Flour for rolling and dusting

Method:

1. Add Yeast and Sugar to warm Water and mix well. Cover and keep it aside for 5-7 minutes (until foamy).
2. In a large bowl, mix Flour and Salt well.
3. Add Oil and mix until there are no lumps.
4. Once Yeast and Water mixture becomes foamy, add Yogurt and Egg. Whisk until mixed well.
5. Add the mixture to the Flour a little at a time and knead into a soft dough ball.
6. Drizzle a few drops of Oil on the dough and cover to that a “skin” does not form.
7. Cover and keep in a warm place for 1 hour. You can preheat the oven to 170 degrees F and turn the oven off and keep dough inside.
8. Preheat Oven to highest temperature possible (approx 550 degrees F/ 288 degrees C) with Pizza Stone inside. Once dough has risen, lightly oil hands and punch down the dough and knead. Dust with additional flour if needed.
9. Divide dough into small portions and roll it out on a floured surface. Keep rolled naan aside on a tray.
10. Place 3-4 rolled naan onto hot Pizza Stone and place stone on the highest oven rack.
11. Bake for 3-5 minutes until naan are light golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and smear on butter (optional).
13. Keep naan in an insulated container until ready to serve. Best served fresh and hot.
Makes – 8 avg size naans.

CHAMEI: GREEN TEA CAKE WITH PASSION FRUIT MOUSSE

2011-07-16T00:23:00.000+01:00

One of best things to do is reading blogs. One of the best is Closet Cooking (in my opinion of course). I found there recipe for Matcha cake (green tea cake). I had to try it! Green colour of cake is incredible!
I thought that perfect companion for green tea will be passion fruit, so my cake has different filling than Kevin's.
My friend's love this cake! I hope you will also enjoyed :).

Recipe for passion fruit mousse I found on MasterChef UK website.

My friend - Angelina and Chamei :)

MATCHA CAKE (original Kevin's recipe):

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites (room temperature)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup icing sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon matcha
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (sifted)
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

Directions:
1. Line a 12 1/2 inch by 15 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with parchment and grease it with butter.
2. Beat the egg whites in a bowl until they form soft peaks.
3. Add the sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy.
4. Beat the almonds, icing sugar, matcha and eggs in another bowl until light and voluminous.
5. Add the flour and beat until the flour is just combined.
6. Fold the meringue into the almond mixture.
7. Fold in the butter.
8. Pour the batter into the pan.
9. Bake in a preheated 425F oven until lightly browned and just springy to the touch, about 5-9 minutes.
10. Run a knife along the edges to loosen the cake form the pan.
11. Cover the cake with parchment paper, flip and unmold the cake.
12. Peel of the parchments paper flip and cover the cake while it cools.

GREEN TEA SYRUP

Matcha cake needs to be moistened. I have changed Kevin's recipe for it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mango-orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon green tea liqueur (or matcha, if you do not have liqueur)

Directions:

1. Bring every thing to boil in a small sauce pan stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and let cool.

PASSION FRUIT MOUSSE

At the moment passion fruit is my favourite fruit. I love acid taste of it. This is perfect ingredient for every cake filling.

Ingredients:

2 gelatine leaves
150 ml double cream
60 g icing sugar
200 g passion fruit pulp (with ot without seeds)

Directions:

1. Soak gelatine leaves in cold water (it will be good if you will add ice cubes) for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2. Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form when whisk is removed.
3. Gently heat the passion fruit puree and icing sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved.
4. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine and stir in into puree. Set aside to cool slightly.
5. Fold the puree into the whipped cream.

ASSEMBLING CAKE:

1. Cut cake into 12 squares (roughly).
2. Each square moisten with syrup.
3. Place 6 squares onto the baking sheet and spread on each mousse.
4. Place 6 squares on top of mousse and spread remaining mousse on top and sides of the cakes.
5. Refrigerate for about 2 hours or more.

Smancznego :)

JOIN MY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

2011-07-15T11:23:00.000+01:00

You can find now "Aleksandra's Recipe" on facebook. If you want to join feel welcome and Klick.

Thanks

Aleksandra :)

FILO POUCHES WITH TURKEY, MOZZARELLA AND PEPPERS

2011-07-12T20:34:00.000+01:00

I love this dish. Filo is crusty and taste of herbs refreshing. Perfect food for sunny hot day.

Ingredients:

Ready chilled filo
300 g turkey breast fillets
half of large green pepper
half of large yellow pepper
mozzarella
2 medium tomatoes
black pepper
salt
3 full tablespoons parsley
2 garlic cloves
half of medium onion
2 tablespoons basil
olive oil

1. Wash meat and cut to small cubes. Cut onion to very small cubes. Fry onion and turkey on pan. Do not add a lot of oil. When meat change colour to golden-brown add crushed garlic. Fry one minute more. Take pan from heat and leave meat to cool.
2. To a bowl add chopped herbs, cut to small cubes mozzarella, cut to small cubes yellow and green peppers, cut to small cubes tomatoes. Season them as you like. Mix vegetables with turkey.
3. Preheat oven to 160 C.
4. You will need muffin tray - grease each nest with an oil.
5. Take filo and cut it to 4 same size squares (each square will contain few layers of filo).
6. Gently grease 4 layers of filo with an oil (use pastry brush for that) and stick them together. Add 2 tablespoons filling to the middle of square. Shape filo to pouch shape and put it to muffin tray.
Repeat work with rest of filo's squares and filling. You should make 12 pouches.
7. Bake pouches for about 15 - 20 minutes or until filo will change colour to golden-brown.
8. Serve hot.

Smacznego!

My gladiola :)

POLAND - FEEL INVITED!

2011-06-18T20:57:00.002+01:00

DRAGON FRUIT

2011-06-14T16:11:00.000+01:00

I love this fruit! It is so pretty and tasty :)

SUMMER BREAD FILLING (EGG SALAD)

2011-06-12T16:39:00.001+01:00

Home-cooked breakfast. The taste of my childhood and spring. Fresh bread, leaf lettuce and hot chocolate. Absolutely yummy!

Ingredients

5 hard-boiled eggs
2 Bundles of radishes
Bundle of chives
Yellow cheese (for example gouda)
Black pepper
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Implementation

1. Eggs, cheese and radishes grate on grater (this one with bigger holes).
2. Chop chives finely.
3. Add the mayonnaise and pepper. Mix well all ingredients. You can also use salt, but in my opinion mayonnaise is salty enough.
4. Serve on bread.

KAPUSNIAK - POLISH TRADITIONAL SAUERKRAUT SOUP

2011-06-07T21:11:00.000+01:00

I think I am addicted to this soup ... :). This is my absolute number one! Kapusniak is nourishing traditional Polish soup. My Mother is making it on Autumn and Winter.
The best sauerkraut you will buy in Polish shops.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 litres vegetable broth
half kilogram sauerkraut (without juice)
2 large carrots
1 large parsley - root or parsnip
1 small onion
half small celeriac
200 g smoked bacon
half teaspoon marjoram
half teaspoon caraway
4 medium potatoes
3 seeds pimento
2 bay leafes
salt
pepper
3 tablespoon tomatoe puree

1. Cut sauerkraut. If you bought sauerkraut in juice - use just cabbage. You can drink juice - is full of vitamine C and very tasty! If you like kapusniak very sour - you can add some of juice to broth.
2. Dice into small pieces carrots, celeriac, potatoes and parsnip. Add vegetables, cabbage, bay leafes, pimento, caraway, marjoram to broth. Start cooking on low heat. Cook for one hour (more or less).
3. Dice bacon and onion into very small pieces. Fry bacon. Add cracklings to soup. Use fat from bacon and fry onion on it. When golden-brown add to soup. Cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add tomatoe puree and season soup. Cook for 10 minutes.
5. Serve very hot with fresh sourdough bread.

Smacznego!

HOMEMADE VIENNESE WHIRLS

2011-06-04T17:16:00.000+01:00

When I think about this Scottish cookies I am thinking about Vienna, waltz, Strauss's music...

In United Kingdom you can buy those cookies in every shop. For long time I have been looking for recipe, but I could't find anything great. I have decided to make recipe by myself.

Ingredients for about 8 Viennese Whirls (made from 2 cookies)

Pinch Salt

110 g butter, softened

135 g plain flour

40 g corn starch

50 g icing sugar

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine butter with sifted icing sugar. Mix until butter become fluffy.

2. Add yolks, vanilla. Mix well.

3. Sift flour, corn starch and salt. Add to butter mixture.

4. Spoon mixture to pastry bag with fluted nozzle.

5. Pre-heat oven to 180 C

6. Greasy baking tray. Then sprinkle it with little flour.

7. Pipe small rosettes (remember about space between them).

8. Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes.

9. Ready leave to cool.

Ingredients for filling:

7 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

4 tablespoon double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 teaspoon raspberry jam (seedless)

1. Beat butter with icing sugar - until butter will change colour to light cream and be fluffy.

2. To butter mixture add vanilla extract and double cream. Beat well.

3. Take one cookie - spread on it 1 teaspoon jam and one teaspoon filling. Cover it with another cookie.

4. Ready Viennese Whirls decorate with icing sugar.

5. Place cookies for about 1 hour into the fridge.

Smacznego :)

BRIOCHE PARISIENNE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

2011-06-03T21:51:00.000+01:00

I found this recipe in Sousoukitchen blog. I have to say it is perfect brioche. You will need to be very patient as this dough needs to rise for 19 hours!
You can prepare your brioche with chocolate (like I did), creme anglais or custard.

Ingredients

2 3/4 (450 g) cup flour
1/4 cup (30 g) dry milk
1 teaspoon dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 salt
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water
150 g butter, softened (unsalted)
6 tablespoons white chocolate chips (you can add more if you want)

1. Sift flour to large bowl.
2. Add to bowl: dry milk, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, warm water, butter. Combine well all ingredients.
3. Knead dough for 15 minutes.
4. Place dough in a lightly grease (use oil) bowl.
5. Cover bowl with cling film. Next (If you want to) you can cover bowl with blanket (it will gives additional warm to dough). If you will be using blanket - be sure to cover bowl with cling film, so all proces will be hygienic. Keep bowl in warm place for about 16 hours.
6. Prepare 2 loaf tins - lighty grease them and sprinkle with flour or semolina.
7. Make 12 balls from dough. In each one make whole and put white chocolate.
8. Place balls in loaf tins (2 balls in each row).
9. Cover pans with cling film and let it rise for 3 hours.
10. Brush balls with egg whites & milk.
11. You can sprinkle dough with coarse sugar.
12. Bake at 190 C (375 F ) for about 25-30 minutes.
13. Brioche are perfect for lazy Sunday breakfast.

Smacznego!

BRUSCHETTA WITH MOZZARELLA AND TOMATOES

2011-06-03T00:36:00.003+01:00

Bruschettta with mozzarella is my favorite type of Italian antipasti. If you like to make bruschetta just with tomatoes follow this link: Bruschetta al pomodoro.

Ingredients for 3 people:

6 slices of country bread
3 garlic cloves,
3 medium tomatoes

half of regular size mozzarella

1/4 small onion
fresh herbs (basil, oregano)
salt and pepper (if you want to)
extra virgin oil

1. Toast bread on both sides under the grill or grill pan.
2. Rub them with garlic.
3. Put back slices under grill (just for a moment)
4. Cut tomatoes and mozzarella into cubes, wash herbs. Chop up small onion. Mix all ingredients.
5. Put above ingredients on bread.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Drizzle with virgin oil.

Smacznego!

Based on "Silver Spoon"

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TOMATO BRUSCHETTA (BRUSCHETTA AL POMODORO)

2011-06-03T00:22:00.000+01:00

I love taste of warm bruschetta. It is refreshing Italian appetizer. This antipasti came from Central Italy ( XV century).

Ingredients for 3 people:

6 slices of country bread
3 garlic cloves,
3 medium tomatoes
fresh herbs (basil, oregano)
salt and pepper (if you want to)
extra virgin oil

1. Toast bread on both sides under the grill or grill pan.
2. Rub them with garlic.
3. Put back slices under grill (just for a moment)
4. Cut tomatoes in cubes, wash herbs.
5. Put tomatoes on bread..
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Drizzle with virgin oil.

Smacznego!

Based on "Silver Spoon"

MOCHA PANNA COTTA

2011-05-29T19:43:00.001+01:00

I love this Italian little delicate dessert. Perfect for warm days. To make this dessert I have used recipe from "Silver Spoon" and little change it.

Serves: 6 small panna cottas

Ingredients:

6 g powder gelatine

50 ml milk

250 ml double cream

50 g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

half teaspoon coffee (instant)

1. Fill a small bowl with water, then sprinkle gelatine. Leave it to soak.

2. Pour milk to saucepan. Warm it. Add gelatine. Mix. Bring it just to simmmering point. Do not allow to boil! Remove from heat.

3. Pour cream to another saucepan, add coffee, sugar, vanilla. Stir it (constantly) and bring to boil.

4. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in milk mixture.

5. Rinse out cake tins or muffin moulds, shake out any excess. Fill with mixture.

6. Chill in fridge for about 2 hours or more.

7. Serve with chocolate or strawberry sauce.

VALENTINE'S HEART (MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE)

2011-05-21T14:03:00.000+01:00

This chocolate cake is very moist and light. Perfect for chocoholics. Recipe is from "Baked and Delicious" magazine.
This is tiny cake - just for two people. Great for any special date :).

Ingredients for sponge:

100 g self-raising flour
3 tbs best quality cocoa powder
100 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
100 g caster sugar
2 medium eggs (I gave 2 large)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1-2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C degrees (350 F degrees).
2. Grease the moulds and sprinkle with flour or semolina.
3. Put all sponge ingredients into large bowl. Whisk until smooth and well combine.

4. Divide mixture between the moulds.

5. Put the moulds onto baking tray and cook for about 15 minutes (mine were in oven for about 20 minutes).
6. Ready leave to cool on to baking rack.

Ingredients for filling and topping:

50 g granulated sugar
50 ml evaporated milk
75 g good quality dark chocolate (I gave 90 g)
25 g unsalted butter (I gave 30 g)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Dissolve the sugar in the evaporated milk in a saucepan onto very low heat. Bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
2. Mix chocolate with milk and sugar until proper melted and smooth.
3. Stir in butter, vanilla extract. I whisked it with mixer until smooth anf fluffy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and use it when will be proper cold.
4. Spread fudge icing onto one cake. Cover it with second cake and spread icing on top and sides.

Smacznego!

WARM MADEIRA CAKE WITH HOT RASPBERRY JAM

2011-05-14T13:25:00.001+01:00

This cake is perfect for colder afternoons. Hot tea with warm cake is like heaven :). Recipe for maidera cake is from book "Cakes and Slices" (Murdoch Books).

Ingredients:

3 eggs
180 g unsalted butter
170 g caster sugar (I used 140 g)
165 g self-raising flour
2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Jar seedless raspberry jam (regular size)

1. Prepare 2 loaf tins (grease them).
2. Pre-heat oven to 160 C degrees.
3. Mix butter with sugar until mixture change color to light cream and will be fluffy.
4. Add one egg at a time and mix well.
5. Add flour, lemon zest and lemon juice. Combine well.
6. Turn into prepared tins.
7. Bake for about 40 minutes. Look after this cake, maybe it will bake faster.
8. When ready allow to cool.
9. To each loaf tin add half a jar of jam.
10. Put cake on jam.
11. 15 minutes before serving put tins to pre-heated oven to 150 C degrees.
16. Serve hot and decorate with jam.

Smacznego!

ASIA'S APPLE PIE

2011-05-06T15:32:00.000+01:00

When I was young we had classes at school called ZPT. We learned how to cook, sew, repair stuff. At one of those lessons we had to bake cake. My friend Asia shared with us her family's Apple Pie recipe.
Since that time I am baking it quite often. The best is with vanilla ice-cream.

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour
0,5 cup sugar (for cake)
200 g unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla esence
4 heaped spoonful sour cream
2 teaspoon bakng powder
2 kg apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar (for apple jam)

1. Combine butter, flour, egg yolks, vanilla esence, and sugar. When ingredients are well combined divide dough for two parts. Cover them with wrapping foil and put to fridge for few hours.
2. In mean-time. Peel and grate apples. Boil them with sugar at very low heat. When water evaporate add cinnamon. Ready apples leave to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 180 C.
4. Prepare square baking tray - grease it and sprinkle with bread crumbles or semolina.
5. Remove dough from fridge. Grate one part to baking tray. Spread apples on it. Then grate last part of cake.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes.
7. When ready and cool cut it to squares.
8. Serve warm with vanilla ice-creams.

Smacznego :)

Apricot Fruit Loaf

2011-04-23T13:59:00.000+01:00

This is the best cake ever! This is modified version of Mary Berry's Iced apricot fruit loaf.
Baking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients:

3 oz (75 g) glacee cherries
4 large eggs
6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour
4 oz (100 g) unsalted butter
4 oz (100 g) light muskovado sugar
4 oz (100 g) ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
5 oz (150 g) sultanas mixed with lemon zest and caramelised orange rind
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Icing sugar (for decoration)

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 C/325 F/Gas 3. Lightly grease loaf tin.
2. Break eggs into bowl and mix them with sugar.
3. After sugar disolves measure in the remaining cake ingredients including cherries (jam and icing sugar leave for later!). Beat well until the mixture is smooth.
4. Turn into prepared tin.
5. Bake for about hour and 10 minutes or until cake is golden brown. A fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
6. Allow cake to cool for about 10 minutes then turn out and leave to cool.
7. In meantime heat jam. When boil spread over loaf.
8. Allow jam to cool. Then decorate cake with icing sugar.

:)

MOROCCAN OATMEAL MUFFINS

2011-04-15T20:15:00.002+01:00

I found this recipe from one of my favourite websites: sousoukitchen.
Oatmeal muffins are healthier and extremely tasty.
I love to eat them with strawberry jam and cup of warm milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
8 tbs unsalted butter
80 gr (3 oz) brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins

1. Pour buttermilk to oats and soak them for 1 hour.
2. Mix butter with sugar until sugar will dissolve.
3. Add egg to butter.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Add to butter and egg mixture.
5. Add oats. Mix well.
6. Slowly stir in with 1/4 cup raisins.
7. Fill the greased pan (2/3 full) with the mixture.
8. Bake on 200 C (400 F) for about 20-25 min.

I hope you will like them :)

SKUBANIEC - PLESNIAK - POLISH MOLDY CAKE (meringue, cocoa and blueberries)

2011-03-14T21:43:00.002Z

My favorite Polish cake :)

Ingredients:

200 g unsalted butter
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1,5 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup and 4 tablespoon caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
fresh fruits (I used 250 g blueberries) or jar of your favorite jam

1. Cold butter mix together with flour, baking powder, 4 tablespoon sugar, pinch of salt and 4 egg yolks.
2. Make 3 equal balls from dough. One ball mix with cocoa. Put them to fridge for one hour.
3. Beat 4 egg whites together with 1 cup sugar until well beaten.
4. Prepare tray: grease it and sprinkle with flour or bread crumbs.
5. Pre-heat oven to 160 C degrees.
6. Grate one ball of dough on tray. Put on it blueberries.
7. On blueberries grate another one ball of dough.
8. Spread egg whites on dough.
9. Grate cocoa dough as a last.
10. Bake until meringue on top will be crunchy outside and soft inside (I baked 60 minutes).
11. If you are not very experienced baker you can bake each layer of cake for: grate white dough on tray - bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Add blueberries and grate another ball. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Add meringue and grate cocoa dough. Bake for 40 minutes or until meringue is ready.

Smacznego!

Mary Berry's chocolate chips muffins

2011-03-14T20:53:00.000Z

I found this lovely recipe in Mary Berry's book "Ultimate cake book". This is one of the best books at my bookshelf.
Last time while I was in Poland I bought silicone flower trays. I think flower-muffins look beautiful.

For 12 muffins we will need:

250 g self-raising flower
1 teaspoon baking powder
50 g soft margarine (I gave butter)
75 g caster sugar
175 g plain chocolate chips
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla esence
250 ml milk

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C degrees (400 F).
2. Grease muffin tray (you don't need to if you using silicone one)
3. In large bowl mix together: butter, flour and baking powder until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Stir in the sugar and chocolate.
5. Mix together eggs, vanilla and milk. Mixture should have lumpy consistency.
6. Spoon mixture to tray.
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
8. Serve warm.

Delicious!

Lighting

2011-03-14T17:10:00.001Z

I think living in nice and cozy house is one of the nicest things in our life. Warm, slightly orange light gives you better mood.

At the moment we can buy lots of different types of Pendant Lighting. From old-fashioned to modern. From wood, plastic and metal.

Before we choose lighting for our house is good to look in the internet, check prices and think what style of pendant with suit your needs.

I like bright and big pendants. For kitchen I will choose yellow color. Will look great with wooden furniture and fresh herbs in pots.

Dark chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse

2011-01-14T19:32:00.000Z

I have baked this cake for New Year’s party. My chocolate temptation.

Ingredients

1 cup milk

2 cups sugar

2 cups plain flour

1 cup sunflower oil

½ cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 spoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda

1 teaspoon salt

300 gram good quality white chocolate

600 milliliters double cream

2 spoons powder gelatin

Cake:

1. Mix together: milk, sugar, flour, cocoa, eggs, vanilla essence, soda and salt.

2. When all above ingredients will be well combine add 1 cup of boiling water and mix again.

3. Bake in 180 Celsius degrees.

4. I have baked in small square bake tin. Need to be greased and sprinkled with bread crumbs.

5. Bake for about 40 minutes. Ready cake will come off tin’s edges.

6. When cake has cooled completely, cut it two times.

White chocolate mousse:

1. Melt gelatin in 50 grams warm water. Mix until dissolve.

2. Boil water in saucepan. Put on that heatproof bowl. Melt in bowl white chocolate. When melted take it out from heat. Leave to cool.

3. Start whipping cream. When nearly ready stop mixing,

4. Slowly add to cream gelatin and white chocolate and mix by spoon.

5. Spread mousse at cake.

Whole-Wheat bread with baked pumpkin seeds.

2010-10-21T21:13:00.001+01:00

I both yesterday Breadmaker. I am already in love with it. House smells so beautiful when you baking bread.
Today recipe is for breadmaker's owners.

Ingredients for 2lb bread:

320 ml water
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
260 g bread flour
260 g whole-wheat flour
1.25 tsp dry yeast
handful baked pumpkin seeds

Making bread in breadmaker is so easy! You need to add ingredients to bowl. Close machine. Press start and wait.

Nara by E.S. Posthumus

2010-08-29T19:41:00.000+01:00

Walnut schnecken

2010-08-27T17:16:00.001+01:00

I found recipe for schnecken in "How to be a domestic goddess" by Nigella Lawson. I have changed ingredients for filling. I love eat schnecken for the evening snack with hot chocolate.

Ingredients for dough:

500g plain flour
50g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7g easy blend yeast
75g unsalted butter
150ml milk
2 large eggs

Ingredients for filling:

200g chopped or grated walnuts
Caster sugar (I add 6 tablespoons, you can add less or more)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Ingredients for glaze:

1 egg
1 teaspoon of milk

Ingredients for frosting

half a cup of icing-sugar
fresh lemon juice (approx from half a lemon)

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a larg bowl.
2. Melt the butter in the milk. Beat eggs and stir into a dry ingredients.
3. Knead for 10 minutes.
4. When dough will be springy and satiny, form into a ball. Put to oiled bowl, turn to a coat, and cover with a clingfilm. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Combine well all filling ingredients.
6. Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
7. When dough will be ready, knock it back, knead once or twice and then roll out to a large rectangle.
8. Spread walnut filling on dough.
9. Roll on dough, carefully and firmly (though not too tightly), keeping a firm sausage shape.
10. Cut roll into slices. Put each slice on the baking tin.
11. Beat egg and milk. Brush each slice with glaze.
12. Leave schnecken for 20 minutes to risen.
13. After 20 minutes put baking tin to oven. Bake slices for approx 20-25 minute, until golden-brown.
14. Remove baking tin from oven. Put schnecken to cool rack.

15. Prepare frosting: add little bit lemon juice to icing-sugar. Mix it. If will be to dry add more juice. Do it slowly. Good froting should looks like thicker double cream.
16. When schnecken will be cold spread frosting on them.
17. Before serving wait until frosting will dry.

Bon Apetite!

"Ewunia Torte" (Torte with chocolate, halva and meringue filling)

2010-08-24T19:20:00.002+01:00

This is expensive and hard cake to make. You will need to be patient and reserve half a day in kitchen. But trust me...taste of this torte is worth every money!

Lets start!

1. Polish Sponge cake:

6 large eggs

1 1 / 3 cup of powdered sugar (sifted)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup and 2 tablespoons of cake flour - (sifted),

a pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius degrees.

2. Separate the yolks from the eggs whites.

3. At the fastest speed of mixer blend egg yolks with 2 / 3 cup of powdered sugar and vanilla. Dough is ready when turns to be very creamy and fluffy

4. Whip the egg whites on the medium speed of your mixer. When it starts to looks like foam add the rest of the icing sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium

5. Ready-mix foam gently with egg yolk (preferably with a wooden spoon mix).

6. Fold sifted flour and salt with batter

7. Prepare pan: grease with fat and sprinkle with breadcrumbs

8. The dough should not go too high because it has no baking powder

9. Bake until the dough change colour to gold. Switched off the oven and keep cake in it.

2. Halva filling

200-250 g of sesame seeds Halva
4 egg yolks
125 ml of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
350 g of good unsalted butter (good butter should have around 80% of fat)
1 tablespoon of potato flour
Vodka (optional), I like to add 1 short drink

1. Mix egg yolks with 1/4 of milk and potato flour.
2. Boil rest milk with vanilla extract.
3. Add egg dough to hot milk. Boil together on low heat. Mix well and fast.
4. Ready remove from heat and live it until cold.
5. Mix butter with halva and cold milk-egg dough.
6. At the end add vodka.

3. Chocolate filling

4 eggs
180 g sugar
1 tablespoon of cocoa
250 g good dark chocolate
250 g of good unsalted butter
Vodka (optional)

1. Pour water to pan and bring it to boil. Change heat to smaller and put bowl on a pan (water shouldn't touch bowl!). Beat in bowl eggs yolks with sugar.
2. Add to eggs chocolate and cocoa. Mix together until chocolate will be melted.
3. Remove bowl from pan and cooled.
4. When cold mix it with butter.
5. Add vodka.

4. Last steps.

You will need:

Punch (mix together: vodka, tea, sugar and lemon juice)

Big meringues

Small meringues (for cake decoration)

Fruits for decoration (strawberries, peaches, etc.)

1. Cold sponge cake cut in a half.

2. Sprinkle bottom of the cake with punch.

3. Spread halva filling on cake.

4. Put on halva filling big meringues.

5. Spread on meringues chocolate filling.

6. Put top of the cake on fillings.

7. Sprinkle top with punch.

8. Use your imagination to decorate top of the cake. Usually I am spread rest of chocolate filling. On it you can put small meringues and peaches.

Bon Apetite!

Pierogi with blueberries (Polish dumplings)

2010-08-24T12:47:00.001+01:00

My best Summer dinner! There is nothing better than fresh pierogi with blueberries. Sweet temptation!

Ingredients for dough:

2 cups of flour

very warm water (about half a cup)

bigger pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Ingredients for filling:

Blueberries (approximately 400 g)

Flour (approximately 1 tablespoon)

For serving:

Double or sour cream

Sugar

Dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients on pastry board. Carefully add water to flour. Dough should be very soft.

2. Divided into approximately three parts. Rolled one part (for about 3 millimetre). The other two have to be cover with aluminum foil, because the dough dries out very quickly.

3. Mix blueberries with flour.

4. With a glass cut out rings from dough. On each put the stuffing. Stick together edges of rings.

5. Cook in boiling salted water. When the dumplings float to the top of the water, they still need to be cook for about 5 minutes.

6. Boiled "pierogi" serve with cream and sugar.

Smacznego!

Vanilla sugar

2010-08-15T13:15:00.001+01:00

Why not to make your own vanilla sugar. Perfect for desserts, milk, cakes, It is absolutely easy recipe.

1 Vanilla Pod (cut it little bit)
Caster sugar (amount depends from size of jar)

Put vanilla and sugar to jar. Keep it close for one week. Shake it once a day.

Oil full of herbs and chillies flavour.

2010-08-15T13:02:00.004+01:00

This is my second idea for different oil. Beautiful herbs flavour with spicy taste. If you are looking for garlic oil, you will find it here.

3 Bird Eye Chillies (red will look so pretty)
extra virgin olive oil (my favourite is Flippo Berio)
fresh sweet basil leafs
fresh coriander

1. Prepare bottle.
2. Clean chillies (use gloves!!!). Each chilly cut little bit (it will helps get better flavour).
3. Wash herbs.
4. Put herbs and chillies to bottle and pour oil to it.
5. Keep oil in the dark place (for example cupboard). Everyday shake bottle.
6. After one week oil will be ready.

Garlic oil

2010-08-15T12:45:00.001+01:00

I love olive oil. I am using it very often in my kitchen. Today I would like to present my garlic taste oil. It is so simple to do it. It will give you lovely garlic aroma in your pastas or salads.

1 garlic
extra virgin olive oil (my favourite is Flippo Berio)

1. Prepare bottle.
2. Clean garlic. Each cloves cut little bit (it will helps get better flavour).
3. Put garlic to bottle and pour oil to it.
4. Keep oil in the dark place (for example cupboard). Everyday shake bottle.
5. After one week oil will be ready.

Vegetarian egg burgers.

2010-08-07T12:08:00.001+01:00

I love them! There is something special in eggs kotlets (in Polish languages round and thick piece of fried mince meat. Something like meat balls in UK), grilled buns, fresh vegetables and garlic sauce.
Battery of my camera is dead and I could not took this time pictures of food. I hope you will forgive my and just trust, that there is nothing better than my egg kotlets bugers! However I found pictue off eggs kotlets on different website (anek73.blox.pl).

Ingredients:

5 cooked large eggs (for more than 10 minutes)

1 raw large egg

2 spoons of chopped parsley

salt and black pepper

bread crumbs, oil, unsalted butter

dry roll

medium onion (chopped)

grilled buns

fresh vegetables (tomatoes, onion, lettuce, Polish sour cucumber ("Ogorek kwaszony")).

my favourite garlic sauce (link for my recipe you will find here)

ketchup (optional)

slice cheese (optional).

1. Cut cooked eggs for absoultely small pieces or use grater.

2. To bowl add raw egg, cooked eggs, parley, onion, spices.

3. Soak dry roll in water or milk (I prefer water). When smooth drain off liquid and divide it for very small pieces. Add to eggs.

4. Mix well all ingredients.

5. From mixture shape burgers (like on picture above).

6. Crumb kotlets.

7. Fry kotlets on pan (use butter with oil) at low heat. Ready burgers should be golden brown.

8. Put kotlets on paper kitchen towel to remove fat.

9. Prepare buns and vegetables. When buns are hot put cheese on it. It will melt.

10. Spread garlic sauce on bun. Put kotlet on it and vegetables. Cover with another bun (on this one pread ketchup).

11. Serve hot.

12. Yummy!!!

Smacznego!

Moving time

2010-07-31T09:37:00.002+01:00

Very soon I will move to new house. Empty house. Even without paint on the wall. Decorating house like that is big venture and fun (I hope).
I will buy ceiling lights from CSN. Would you help me to choose which light is better?

Which one looks the best?

Thank you in advance for your help :)

Cake decorating - try No 2 (cupcakes)

2010-07-19T12:58:00.000+01:00

What do you think about my cupcakes? I love them :). Again maybe not very professional, but tasty and I had lot of good fun making them! I baked chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream (I found recipe on: Joy of baking website).

For buttercream I used dr. Oetker food colouring.

Ladybird is made from sugar paste. I am proud of it.

Flowers are also made from sugar paste.

Lissie - When I'm Alone (Live)

2010-07-12T01:25:00.001+01:00

I love this song :)!

Colourful conchiglioni rigati stuffed with a beef.

2010-07-03T17:40:00.001+01:00

I love every kind of pasta! Few weeks ago I bought beautiful colourful conchiglioni rigati.

I have decided to prepare pasta with grounded beef and tomatoe sauce.

Ingredients:

400 gram grounded beef

1 large chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

salt and black pepper

1 cup tomatoe puree or tinned tomatoes

medium chopped red pepper

egg

oregano

marjoram

coriander

grated cheese

conchiglioni rigati

3 tablespoon ketchup

1. Fry onion until golden-brown.

2. Mix onion with meat, herbs, spices, egg, pressed garlic and red pepper.

3. Cover bowl and put meat to fridge for few hours. You can prepare meat on the evening and keep it for night.

4. Cook pasta until al-dente. Add salt and olive oil to water.

5. Remove meat from fridge. Fry on pan until golden-brown.

6. Preheat oven to 180C.

7. Stuffed pasta shell with meat. Put them on roast pan.

8. Fat from frying meat mix with tomatoe puree, ketchup, oregano, water and black pepper. Taste it and add more salt if it is needed. Pour sauce on conchiglioni.

9. Sprinkle cheese on shells.

10. Bake until cheese will be golden-brown.

11. Serve hot.

Bon Apetite!

Kotlety mielone, improved recipe

2010-07-03T12:57:00.001+01:00

Kotlety mielone are traditional meat meal in Poland. You can make them from beef, pork prk mixed both types of meat.

I like add to meat grated cheese. Delicious.

My mum serves kotlety with boiled potatoes and salat (for example from beetroots. Very soon I will add recipe for it).

This is very simple recipe. You need remember just to fry kotlety on very low heat. You need to be sure inside meat is cooked well.

Ingredients:

500 gram grounded beef or pork

1 large chopped onion

2 garlic cloves (pressed)

1 cup grated cheese (gouda, edam or cheddar)

1 egg

bread crumbs

chopped parsley

salt and black pepper

0.5 teaspoon coriander

0.5 teaspoon marjoram

1. Mix bread crumbs with parsley.

2. Mix well meat with onion, garlic, spices and herbs, cheese, egg.

3. Form balls from meat.

4. Crumb each kotlet.

5. Fry on very low heat until golden brown.

6. Serve hot.

Bon Apetite!

Simple smoothie

2010-07-03T12:37:00.002+01:00

It is so hot outside. My favourite cold drink is smoothie :). Yummy!

Ingredients:

500 gram Frozen fruits

2 Bananas

0.5 liter Milk

Ice cubes

Blend all ingredients. You can decorate with mint :).

Cake decorating - try No 1

2010-07-02T00:50:00.000+01:00

I would like to learn how to decorate cakes. Today I had my first try. Result is not maybe stunning, but that was my first time :).
I found cake decorating as a very hard job! It is not easy at all!

I baked Madeira cake with walnut filling. I covered cake with ready to roll icing. Pink decorations are from buttercream. Yellow flower and leafs are from royal icing.

Garlic sauce by Aleksandra

2010-06-24T20:39:00.003+01:00

My favourite sauce/dip for warm sandwiches, meat, etc.

Ingredients:

0.5 cup of mayonnaise

0.5 cup of double cream or thick yogurth

2 cloves of garlic (pressed by garlic press)

Half tablespoon of chopped parsley

Black pepper

Red pepper powder (paprica)

Salt (optional)

Mix well all ingredients.

Before serving add to fridge for about one hour.

Bon Apetit!

Bigos - Polish traditional dish

2010-06-24T20:27:00.002+01:00

Poland is country where we have cold Winters and very hot Summers. That is why Polish cuisine is reach in different types of food. We have light fruits soups for warm time and full of meat meals for cold months.

Today I liked to share with you my Mums recipe for Bigos. This is heavy food. Will keep your body strong even outside is -15C.

Every family in Poland has different recipe for bigos. You can experiment with ingredients (some of people add red wine, dried plums). Near is recipe of Chrebor family (my Mum's family :) )

"Kielbasa Jalowcowa"

Before you will cook bigos, you will need to visit Polish shop or Polish shelfs at Tesco (most of Tesco store have them). You will need to buy there Sauerkraut (Polish name "Kapusta kiszona" or "Kapusta kwaszona") and sausages (they are full of smoked/herb flavour. Different than English). Just ask at shop which type of sausages are the best for bigos. In my opinion the best to buy are "Kielbasa Slaska" and "Kielbasa Jalowcowa" (write down names and show to shopping assistant at Polish store).

Good sausages are also: "Krakowska" and "Slaska".

Prepare very large pot and be prepared for very long cooking.

Bigos is great for freezing.

Ingredients:

2.5 kg of Sauerkraut

0.60 kilogram of unbones meat (could be pork or beef). Cut into small cubes

2 cups of broth

4 cloves of garlic

Cup of dry boletuses or any other mushrooms

1 cup of chopped bacon (best will be smoked one)

2 big onions. Chopped

Salt, Black pepper

0.30 kilogram of Kielbasa Slaska. Cut into small chunks

0.30 kilogram of Kielbasa Jalowcowa. Cut into small chunks

1 cup (you can add even 2 cups) of canned tomatoes (with juice). Chopped

You can add smoked ham (optionally).

5 allspice

Half tablespoon of marjoram

Oil

4 bay leaves

Juniper (few of them)

Half tablespoon of caraway seeds

1. Fry bacon, sausages and meat on pan. Put them to pot.

2. Boil mushrooms. Cook the until get soft. Strain water. Chopped mushrooms. Put them to pot. You can use water from mushrooms for bigos.

3. Wash sauerkraut at the cold water. Chopped it for smaller pieces. Put to pot with 2 cups of broth.

4. Put every herbs and spices to brace.

5. Turn on the cooker on the lowest fire.

6. Cook for one hour. Pot should be covered. If you will see that there is no more water in bigos add warm one (it should not cover sauerkraut. Bigos is not soup). Remember to stir bigos (look after first of all at the bottom of pot)

7. Add tomatoes. You can replace canned tomatoes with tomatoes puree.

8. Fry onion on oil. When golden-brown add to sauerkraut.

9. Cook for 2 hours.

10. Turn of the cooker. When bigos will be cold put it to fridge.

11. Next day put pot on cooker and boil for another few hours (remember about adding water and stiring!). Season bigos.

12. Serve hot with bread. Some people eat bigos with boiled potatoes.

You can keep bigos for a few days in fridge. You will see that everyday it will get more taste!

As I wrote before you can freeze bigos for few months.

Bon Apetite!

GREEN BEANS WITH BREAD CRUMBS

2010-06-21T13:56:00.003+01:00

I love vegetables. Green beans are great source of vitamins: K, C, A and manganese. This dinner is quite common in Poland. You can serve it with potatoes and roast meat.

500G of green beans
3 tablespoons of bread crumbs
Salt
Grease (for example: butter, oil or margarine)

1. Wash green beans. Cook vegetables with smaller 1 tablespoon of salt (you can use it less or more salt)

2. Cook beans for about 30 minutes. Ready ones are soft.

3. Strain water.

4. Move beans to fry pan.

5. Add bread crumbs and butter. Mix ingredients.

6. Fry until bread crumbs will be golden-brown.

7. Serve hot.

Bon Apetite!

Alexandra's perfect roast chicken

2010-06-18T17:18:00.001+01:00

Traditional Polish Sunday dinner: chicken soup and roast chicken with potatoes. This recipe is my idea. I like chicken with garlic and mushroom flavour.

You can serve it with rice or mashed potatos, fresh salad.

We need:

1 large organic chicken
7 mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 large onion
5 garlic cloves
black pepper
marjoram
chopped parsley
hot paprika powder
oil
few potatoes

1. Wash and dry chicken
2. Choped: half onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 mushrooms. Mix them with half tablespoon of marjoram, salt and pepper. Insert mix inside chicken.
3. Prepare marinate: 2/3 cup of oil, teaspoon of marjoram, teaspoon of parsley, salt and pepper, half teaspoon of paprika. Mix ingredients. Use garlic press for 3 garlic cloves. Mix with marinate.
4. Use spoon and spread marinate over the chicken.
5. Cut rest on onion and half a red pepper. Put them around chicken.

6. Cover dish with aluminium foil. Place dish for few hours to fridge.

7. Preheat oven to 200C.

8. Place dish to oven. Cover with aluminium foil.

9. You will need to roast chicken for about 2 hours and 40 minutes. In my family we roast for about 3 hours.

10. After 1 and a half hour remove foil. Add sliced potatoes, rest of red pepper and whole mushrooms.

11. Keep chicken in oven for 1 hour more or more. If you want meat to be juicy, every few minutes baste with fat from dish.
12. When chicken skin will be golden-brown, meat will be ready.

Bon apetit!

Baking adventure :)

2010-06-16T16:11:00.002+01:00

3 years ago I have moved to United Kingdom (so now you know why my English is such poor :) ). Start my life in here. My family left in Poland. Suddenly I need to look after my life by myselfe. I really missed taste of my mum's cakes, dinners.

So 3 years ago I have decided I will try to learn how to cook and bake. Baking start to be my big passion. I am enjoy it so much! When you start to thinking about any hobby you realise that you need to buy lots of new things, for example cake tins, pans, mixers. Till now I do not have everything which I really want (my the biggest dream - Kenwood stand mixer). Usually I am shopping from websites. You can find there very good deal.

I found CSN online Stores (they selling everything for kitchen (they have my Kenwood dream!), Lighting, and furnitures!), which I like the most. I think I am addicted to online shopping :).

My wishes list is still long one:

Kenwood stand mixer

Madeleine tins

Cooling rack

One-hand flour sifter...and my list everyday getting bigger!

I hope one day I will have my idyllic kitchen like on picture above

I think I need sponsor :D.

Best wishes to all of you!

Come back this week to my blog, because I am planning to bake something very yummy!

Man's kiss

2010-06-12T01:43:00.001+01:00

I ate this cake few years ago in Armenian cake shop. I have been looking for recipe in Armenian, Czech, Slovakian websites (trust me is quite hard if you don't know Armenian alphabet).

I am proud to show you result of my work. This cake was baked by my mum and brother.

I hope you will like it as we are :).

Ingredients for cake:

100 gram. of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of honey

2 large eggs

250 gram. of sugar

1 teaspoon of vinegar

3/4 tablespoon of baking soda

600 gram. of flour

Ingredients for icing:

250 gram. unsalted butter

grounded walnuts

coniac (optional)

1 tin of sweet evaporated milk (put close tin to pan with boiled water and cook for about 3 or 4 hours. You will get yummy toffi! I do not know if in England you can get sweet evaporated milk. If not go to Polish shop and ask for "Slodzone mleko skondensowane".)

Decoration:

grounded walnuts

grounded any honey, ginger cake (you can by the best in Lidl, I think)

chocolate glazing

grounded crumbs of Man's kiss cake

STEP BY STEP:

1) Cake:

a) Combine soda with vinegar, leave mixture aside

b) Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius degrees.

c) In high pot stir together butter, honey, sugar while boiling. When all ingredients combine pour soda mixed with vinegar, then eggs, keep on stirring. When you will notice foam on the top of mixture remove from heat. Sift flour to mixture and mix. Take content of pot out and knead on table. Divide for 8 parts. Each part roll and cut a form cake will have. Put each part on piece of baking paper and put into the oven for approximately 3 minutes. It ought not to be baked too long, unless we want our cake hard and burnt. Leftovers from cutting you can also bake and then grind.

d) Cool baked parts.

2) Cream:

a) Mix butter (not melted) with tin of boiled condensed milk. If you like you can add also grinded walnuts and cognac.

3) Final activities:

a) Spread icing on the cake. Put next cake and spread next layer of icing till last cake. Then sprinkle nuts and grinded, baked leftovers on the top of the cake. If you like you can garnish top of the cake with melted chocolate.

Brutti ma buoni

2010-06-09T23:25:00.001+01:00

I have got idea to make brutti ma buoni from Emilio Cugnetto. I have little bit changed his recipe.
Brutti ma buoni means "Ugly but good". In my opinion those cookies are adorable! I love their taste. Very good to eat them with cafe latte or cappucino.

Ingredients:

250 gram. of walnuts
200 gram. of any of your favourite nuts (for example hazelnuts, pistachios)
1 cup of icing sugar
5 eggs whites (room temperature)
4 tablespoons of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla esence.

1. Preheat oven to 170 Celsius degrees
2. Whisk egg whites for about few minutes. When you see they are start look like foam add sugar.
3. Whisk for about 6 minutes on medium speed.
4. When eggs whites change consistency to silky, smooth they are ready.

5. Use spoon and gently mix nuts, flour and vanilla extract with batter.

6. Grease baking pan and sprinkle it with flour or bread crumbs.
7. Drop batter from a rounded teaspoon. Live space between cookies.

8. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden colour.
9. They crush easily so be very careful with brutti ma buoni.

Bon Apetite!

Must have from Polish shops

2010-06-08T01:02:00.000+01:00

Hello my dear readers :)

Today I would like to show you three products which helps you to bake cakes and make nice desserts.

1. Smietan-fix

This powder helps you to get perfect whipped cream. Ideal for sponge cakes.
You do not need to use gelatine anymore. I do not like gelatine because you need to spend little time to do it and also it has strange taste.
Smietan Fix is so easy to use: while you whipping cream add powder and voila!

2. Budyn

I know than people in United Kingdom love custard. Polish people to. "Budyn" you need to add to boiling milk and cook for awhile on low heat.

In Polish shop you can find big choice of budyn's flavours. You can buy: cream, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cherry, caramel, banana, straciatella, and many more.

You can eat budyn warm or cold (I prefer second one. decorate it with whipped cream and fruits). You can use it also as a filling for pancakes (like my grandmother did).

Budyn is also ingredient of some cakes fillings.

3. Galaretka

Galaretka is just jelly. You can use it for cake decorations or as a dessert.

You need to boiled water then add galaretka to it. Stir water and wait until galaretka will be thick. You can cut different colours of galaretka and then add to cake filling. Cake will look like stained-glass window. My favourite galaretka is gooseberry flavour. Yummy!

Rose Cloud

2010-06-07T20:56:00.001+01:00

Inspired by the cake, which I tasted a few months ago I decided to try to make it at home. It outcome of the experiment is very satisfactory. Exceptionally simple cake. I guess you could mix a rose flavor with strawberries.

Ingredients for sponge cake:

6 large eggs

1 1 / 3 cup of powdered sugar (sifted)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup and 2 tablespoons of cake flour - (sifted),

a pinch of salt

Ingredients for icing:

2 and a half of cups of thick double cream

2 / 3 cup of icing sugar

2 tablespoons of rose water

half teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest

smietan fix (you can buy it in Polish Shop) or gelatin

For decoration grounded walnuts and chopped pistachios.

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius degrees.

2. Separate the yolks from the eggs whites.

3. At the fastest speed of mixer blend egg yolks with 2 / 3 cup of powdered sugar and vanilla. Dough is ready when turns to be very creamy and fluffy

4. Whip the egg whites on the medium speed of your mixer. When it starts to looks like foam add the rest of the icing sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium

5. Ready-mix foam gently with egg yolk (preferably with a wooden spoon mix).

6. Fold sifted flour and salt with batter

7. Prepare pan: grease with fat and sprinkle with breadcrumbs

8. The dough should not go too high because it has no baking powder

9. Bake until the dough change colour to gold. Switched off the oven and keep cake in it.

Icing:

1. Whipped the double cream. In the middle of mixing add the rose water, smietan fix (or gelatine), powdered sugar and lemon zest

3. Everyone knows how whipped cream should looks like :)

4 * If we know that the cake will be eaten quickly, you do not need to add gelatine or smietan fix.

5. On the clean kitchen towel put cake. On the bottom of it spread icing. Using towel roll cake.

6. Spread icing on the top of the roll and sprinkle nuts.

7. Before serving put the dough for a few hours in the fridge.

Bon Apetite!

Spicy chocolate cake with chocolate icing

2010-06-07T01:12:00.001+01:00

Ingredients for dough:

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

3 cups of flour

1 cup of milk

4 tbs of cocoa

Half jar of jam (I prefer from strawberries)

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 or 2 tablespoons of grounded cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger mixture

Chocolate icing:

Double cream (approximately 200 millilitres)

Chocolate (200 gramme) use with high cocoa %

Icing sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients for dough. Blend it until you will see air bubbles.

3. Pour the batter into buttered ad sprinkled with bread-crumps cake tin.

4. Bake it in the middle oven shelf for about 40 minutes. Ready cake will come off tin's edges.

5. When the cake has cooled completely, cut it in half.

Icing

1. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Add cream.

2. Heat 6 cm (little more than 2in) of water in a pan until it is bubbling.

3. Put bowl with chocolate in the pan. Chocolate will start melting. While melting blend it with mixer. At this level you can add icing sugar, but in my opinion it is not necessary.

4. Let fluffy icing cool. Then put to fridge.

5. When you will see icing is getting thick take it out from fridge.

6. Spread it on the cake.

7. Put the other cake.

8. You can decorate top of the cake with icing or icing sugar.

Bon Apetite!

3 e

Ghorme Sabzi - Persian stew

2010-06-04T21:40:00.000+01:00

Maybe this food don't looks preety, but it's absolutely tasty! I use reciepe from Javaneh's blog.

Before you start cooking Ghorme Sabzi you need to buy few ingredients from Persian or Oriental shop.

This recipe is for 2 people.

Ingredients:

250 gr's of lamb

medium onion (chopped)

3 whole dried limes

water

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of turmeric

tin of red kidney beans

special ghorme sabzi dried herbs

Dried limes

1. Fry onion until gold.

2. Cube the meat then fry together with onion.

3. When meat become brown add salt, pepper and turmeric.

4. Add hot water just to cover meat.

5. Add dried limes (make few insertions on them). Cook more than one houre or until meat will be tender.

6. 5-6 tablespoons of herbs soak in hot water for about 10 minutes. Squeeze them with your hands to remove water. Fry them on pan. At the beggining without water or oil. After steam gone add little fat and fry until brown. Add herbs to stew and cook for 30 minutes.

7. Wash beans and add them to ghorme sabzi. Cook another 20 minutes.

8. Serve hot with rice.

Bon Apetite!

Pierogi ruskie with cottage cheese and potatoes.

2010-06-04T01:21:00.000+01:00

This is recipe for traditional Polish dumplings, calls "Pierogi ruskie".

I absolutely love them! Usually people it them boiled, but I prefer fry.

After boiling or even before you can easily frozen this food. My mum always making nearly 100 of them. You can eat it all year round!

Ingredients for dough:

2 cups of flour

very warm water (about half a cup)

bigger pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Ingredients for filling:

boiled and mashed potatoes (about half a kilo)

250 gram of cottage cheese (white cheese)

chopped large onion

salt pepper

chopped parsley (one tablespoon)

What you need to do now:

Stuffing:

Fry onions in oil. When he is ready to combine all the ingredients together. Filling should be little spicy.

Dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients on pastry board. Carefully add water to flour. Dough should be very soft.

2. Divided into approximately three parts. Rolled one part (for about 3 millimetre). The other two have to be cover with aluminum foil, because the dough dries out very quickly.

3. With a glass cut out rings from dough. On each put the stuffing. Stick together edges of rings.

4. Cook in boiling salted water. When the dumplings float to the top of the water, they still need to be cook for about 5 minutes.

5. Boiled "pierogi" serve with fried onions and becon. If you like fried eat them with sour cream.

Instead of cottage cheese you can eat pierogi with fruits (like strawberries), meat or mushrooms.

Bon Apetite!

Fast and easy cinnamon-chocolate muffins

2010-06-01T18:53:00.001+01:00

I love muffins! My offer for today are cinnamon-chocolate so simple to make muffins.
Enjoy this great taste!

Ingredients:

3 3 eggs

· 1 glass of sugar

· 3 glasses of flour

· 1 glass of oil

· 1 glass of milk

· 3 tablespoons of cocoa

· Half of jam-jar

· 2 teaspoons of baking soda

· Cinnamon (add how much you prefer, I usually add 2 – 3 teaspoons)

· Chopped walnuts optionally

Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius degree. All ingredients combine with mixer. Pour the batter into buttered and sprinkled with bread-crumps special baking forms for muffins. Put forms into the oven. They are baked very shortly.

Chilled muffins can be garnished i.e. with chocolate cream, icing or whatever you would like to.

This recipe lasts for approximately 30 muffins. However, it depends how big are your forms.

Walnut cake

2010-05-31T17:19:00.001+01:00

My most delicious cake. Adored by everyone who tries it at least once.

Interesting fact: in this cake there is not even a gram of flour!

This cake I am making for Christmas. Aroma of nuts is so lovely!

Ingredients for cake:

250 g ground walnuts (weigh it after grinding)

10-12 eggs (from 12 is more tastier)

250 g icing sugar

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

punch (alcohol, sugar and tea)

Ingredients for filling:

200 g ground walnuts

milk

200 g soft butter (of course unsalted :) )

200 g icing sugar

alcohol

How to make cake:

1. First of all, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Prepare mid-size tin cake. Grease it with fat and sprinkle bread crumbs.

3. Blend yolks with sugar until get light cream colour. Then add walnuts, baking powder and bread crumbs . Blend well.

4. In a separate bowl beat the foam of the 12 white eggs.

5. At the end combine whipped whites with walnut dough. Use spoon and mix slowly.

6. Bake until the dough is golden and will swerve from the edges of the mold. Usually it takes 40 minutes.

7. Cake must cool down before cut it in half.

8. Drip cake by punch.

How to make walnut filling:

1. Walnuts with little bit of milk put to saucepan and bring it to boil. Mix it and look after to not get burn. Ready walnuts cooled.

2. Blend the butter with powdered sugar and alcohol (Usually I am using vodka but Baileys is great too).

3. Cold walnuts add to butter and blend again.

4. 2/3 of filling spread over cake. Cover by second half of the cake.

5. Drip top of the cake by punch. After that smear rest of the filling.

6. Decorate with whipped cream.

7. Put cake into the fridge for few hours. Filling will set.

Bon apetite!

Healthy breakfast: Cottage cheese salad

2010-05-30T12:22:00.001+01:00

This is number one breakfast in my family! So delicious and refreshing. Maybe you will have problem to find one ingredient - polish sour cucumber, but you can easily replace it with fresh cucumber.

Lets start!

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes

Cottage cheese (if you will buy dry one you need to buy also sour cream)

Half of small onion (instead onion you can buy chives)

Fresh parsley (chopped)

Salt

Pepper

Garlic (optional)

Radish

3 medium traditional Polish sour cucumbers ("ogorek kiszony". You can buy it in every Polish shop.)

1. Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into not very small pieces.

2. Chop onions to small pieces.

3. All components of the salad put into a bowl.

4. Mix together and season to your taste.

5. Cottage cheese can be served with fresh baked garlic bread.

Bon Apetit!

Korean pancake with brown sugar and walnut syrup

2010-05-30T01:42:00.001+01:00

I love Korea! I have been looking for easy recipe for korean sweets. Hoddeok is one of them. You might eat it with nutella, chesse filings or you can make it in traditional way.

This recipe is for 8 hoddeoks.

What you need:

1 cup warm milk or water

2 teaspoons of dry yeast

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of oil

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 cups of flour

For filling:

Half cup of brown sugar

3 tablespoons of ground walnuts

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Mix together: milk (or water), yeast, sugar, salt and oil

2. Add the flour. Combine the ingredients with spoon.

3. Cover bowl with foil and leave for about an hour to rise.

4. After one hour knead the dough to remove air bubbles. Again, cover the bowl with foil and leave it for another 10-20 minutes
5. Mix all the syrup ingredients.

6. On pastry board sprinkle flour (about a half cup of flour). Lightly knead the dough. Divide the dough into 8 parts.

7. From every part create a ball. Flattened it and put syrup in the middle. Yeast dough dries quickly, so it is a good idea to cover those parts of the dough with foil, which are waiting for their turn.

8. Stick dough edges like the dumpling or doughnut.

9. Warm up the oil in the pan. Put the ball at its center.

10. Fry in medium heat for about 30 seconds. Then turn ball to the other side and spread it to has size as CD. Fry in this position about 1 minute.

11. Again turn over pancake and fry for about 1 minute.

12. Again turn over a pancake and fry, but now at a very low heat. You can cover the pan lid

13. After about a minute hoddeok will be ready.

14. Serve hot!

Bon Appetit

Sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

2010-05-30T01:08:00.002+01:00

Jewellery rice, Javaher polow

2010-05-29T13:55:00.001+01:00

This food is made for big celebrations in Iran, for example weddings.
I found recipe in "New food of life" by Mrs. Batmanglij
:)

We need:
3 cups of clean basmati rice
1 medium onion (chop up small)
Pinch of saffran
half of cup of orange peel (optional)
2 large carrots (optional)
0.5 cup of sugar (optional)
1 cup of dry barberries (you can buy it in oriental shop)
Butter(unsalted)
Salt
2 tbs of chopped almonds (unsalted)
2 tbs of chopped pistachios (unsalted)
0.5 cup of raisings

Preparation:

1. Cook rice with 3 cups of water, 1 tbs of salt and 1 tbs of butter.
2. Saffran grind with little sugar. Add 4 tbs of hot water. Stir it.
3. On pan we need to cook orange peels (if we like to use it in this recipe) with little bit of water (it needs just to cover the peels).
When water is boiling drain it. Add to hot oranges peel 0.5 cup of sugar and chopped carrots. Pour one cup of water. Cook for about 10 minutes. After that time drain water again.
4. Clean raisings and barberries.
5. On pan fry onion with 1 tbs of butter (until gold colour). Mix raising, barberries with onion. Fry 1 minute at low heat.
6. Mix pistachios with almonds.
7. To saffran water add few tbs of rice. Mix well. Rice will have beautiful yellow colour!
8. On big plate put:
oranges with carrot
pistachios with almonds
white rice
raisins with barberries
saffran rice :)

This food is made for big celebrations in Iran, for example weddings.

:)

Adorable sweet baskets with toffee, whipped cream and strawberries (Polish cupcakes)

2010-02-09T21:20:00.001Z

Absolutely delicious! Very sweet addition to coffee. This is my Mum's recipe.

Ingredients for about 30 cupcakes

300 g plain flour
200 g soft unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
100g icing sugar
Can sweetened condensed milk boiled in a tin for about 3-5 hours
Whipped cream
Strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius degrees.

2. Combine flour, egg yolks, butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stick ready dough to mould's wall. You need to remember of leaving dent on the middle of mould.

3. Place moulds in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Ready leave to cool.

4. Decorate baskets with toffee from condensed milk (just about half a teaspoon for the each cupcake), whipped cream and fruits.

Croquette casserole with ham (or chicken), cheese and parsley

2010-01-24T14:14:00.001Z

This is traditional meal in my family. We absolutely love it! It takes long time to prepare it, but trust me - it's worth your time!

Ingredients for stuffing:

Approximately 400 g of grated cheese
Approximately 400 g of meat - maybe a cooked ham or chicken
1 spoon of sour cream
handful of chopped parsley
pepper powder
salt
pepper
medium onion

Ingredients for traditional Polish pancakes:

1 pint of milk
1 glass of wather
flour
half teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
bread crumbs and egg

* Stuffing *

Cut the meat in small pieces. Fried with chopped onion without oil (if you choose ham). Chicken is thin meat, so some fat should be added. Spice with pepper, salt and pepper powder.

Remove from heat.

When is warm add grated cheese, cream and parsley.

Mix igredients.

* Pancakes *

Use a mixer to combine the ingredients. Dough should not be to dense. Before fry each pancake, lightly grease the pan. Fry on both sides. Pancake should be thin like paper - should be nearly like tortilla.
When pancakes are still little hot put some stuffing in the middle of pancake.

Fold them and put to ovenproof dish. Spread grated parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated 180 degree C oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese will be melted and roasted.

You can eat it with ketchup and salad.