Beautiful Bourgogne

The food, the country, the people...It was a wonderful vacation. One filled with sweet memories about how life should really be.

Paola's Easy Cannelloni

This past weekend I noticed that there was a new product at my local health food store- spelt lasagna sheets. I'm a fan of spelt's nutritional values, so I didn't hesitate to throw these into my basket, and the first thing on my mind was not lasagna, but cannelloni! I'm not that fond of having the oven on in the summer but this is one of the meals for which I gladly make an exception. After all, there's no rule that you have to stay by the oven until dinner's ready and it's so much fun to sit outside in the garden with glass of wine in hand while enjoying the lovely smells that come from inside the kitchen. The fantastic thing about this meal, is that it is so easy. There is no fidgety cannelloni shells to fill because you simply use lasagna sheets instead! I remember the first time I made this meal and how I thought this was the ultimate revelation. Just spoon a bit of cheese on a lasagna sheet, roll it up and that was all that was to it. How simple life could be! The most work you'll be doing is making some nice pasta sauce to go with it, but if you think it's even too hot for that or you simply don't want to bother, a jar of good pasta sauce will do just fine!

Here's the recipe:

Paola's Easy Cannelloni

For the sauce:
*500g passata
*1 red onion, finely chopped
*3 fresh sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
*1 fresh sprig of rosemary, left whole
*3 tbsps dried oregano
*1 tsp rosemary sugar (this is simply some sugar which I infuse with a sprig of fresh rosemary. I add this to most of my tomato based sauces to lift up their flavor.)
*2 cloves of garlic, pressed
*3 tbsps olive oil
*1 tbsp Madeira
*salt and pepper to taste


Heat the olive oil in a heavy- bottomed pan. Add the onion, garlic and sprig of rosemary. No need to chop the rosemary, just throw in the whole thing. Sauté gently for 8 minutes until onions are softened. Add passata and rest of ingredients and simmer gently for about half an hour. Remove sprig of rosemary (which by now should be utterly naked!) and discard. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.


For the cannelloni:
*250g lasagna sheets (14 sheets)
*200g soft goat's cheese
*250g ricotta
*herbs of your choice (I used some more oregano and some fresh, finely chopped rosemary)
*salt and pepper to taste
*Parmesan

Preheat oven to 180C. Boil sheets for 3 minutes and then drain on a tea cloth. Don't forget to add a little oil to the water so your sheets don't stick and they are easier to handle. Make the filling by combining the two cheeses with the herbs and salt and pepper. Spoon a good, rounded tablespoon of the mixture on each sheet and roll up. Place the rolls in a greased casserole and pour tomato sauce over the top. Finish off with some grated Parmesan and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with some fresh basil leaves scattered over the top, a green salad and a bottle of red wine! Serves 3-4.

Healthy Girl's Pancakes

Yesterday at the market, I couldn't help but succumb to the seller's yells offering everyone to buy huge bags of bananas at a bargain price. I don't know about markets in other parts of the world, but in The Netherlands they sure know how to conduct business...even at the local markets! They are not shy and their calls are hard to ignore. Especially when they offer you a free pineapple with your strawberries or a bag of bananas which is a little too ripe but surely you can't turn down.

So off I walked yesterday, once again with double of what I had planned on buying. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not complaining. Just like baking gives me that domestic-goddessy feeling in the winter, a kitchen filled with beautiful fruit does the same in the summer. I come home, neatly arrange all my goodies in little bowls and enjoy the way their aromas permeate through the house. Especially rewarding, is presenting a nice bowl of fresh fruit to my family for dessert or thinking up of nice things to make with the fruit.

I'm a bit of a health nut so I'm constantly tinkering with recipes or dreaming up ideas of how to make things a little more healthy. I try to use whole wheat flour in most of my baked goods and I'm known to sneak in fruits and vegetables just about everywhere. Kirstie is a breakfast girl and every weekend she looks forward to something more exciting than her usual spelt flakes. The child loves pancakes, waffles, croissants, eggs, etc., etc., etc., so for today's treat I decided to make her some whole wheat banana pancakes using some of the bananas I had bought at the market yesterday. They came out perfect. Delicately sweet and very light. A delicious way for a little one to start a lazy Sunday morning.

Here's the recipe:

Healthy Girl's Pancakes
*1 egg
*200ml milk
*150g whole wheat flour
*2 very ripe mashed bananas
*2 tsps baking powder
*pinch of salt
*1 tsp coconut extract (optional, but I love the way it seems to bring the sweetness of the bananas to life!)
*knob of butter
*extra fruit to serve and perhaps a drizzle of Golden Syrup

In a bowl, beat milk, egg and extract. In a separate bowl, mash bananas. Add this to milk mix and beat again. Sift flour, baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients and beat a last time. Let stand for five minutes and fry the pancakes in a little butter, 50 ml at a time, and 4-5 minutes per side. Serve warm with fruit and syrup. Enough for 8 pancakes.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Goat's Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

Allow me to boast a bit, as I have made the most exquisite quiche ever. I wanted to make something lovely to celebrate "la fête nationale" or Bastille Day and I was sort of in the mood for the creamy smoothness of a quiche. After consulting a few of my cookbooks, I decided to do a little experimenting and try something different. You probably noticed from my last posts that I am slightly addicted to strawberries... well, the same goes for sun-dried tomatoes. I love the way they lift the flavor of almost any dish and being artistically inclined, I am very partial to their deep, burgundy color. Goat's cheese always seems to work well with these little guys as does broccoli, so I came up with a gorgeous recipe using these three main ingredients. Just as I expected, the flavors came together in perfect harmony and each bite had that certain something that I associate with a winning dish. Funny how I never thought of adding sun-dried tomatoes to my quiche!

Here's the recipe:

Sun- Dried Tomato, Goat's Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

For the pastry:
*200g flour
*125g cold butter cut into small cubes
*1/2 tsp salt
*one beaten egg
*iced water, if needed

Filling:
*150g chèvre (soft goat's cheese)
*3 eggs
*250ml single cream
*1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
*300g broccoli florets
*100g sun-dried tomatoes, in strips
*salt and pepper to taste

Mix flour with butter and salt in processor at low speed for about 20 seconds until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add beaten egg and pulse until dough comes together into a ball. If the dough seems dry, add a drop or two of iced water. Shape the dough into a disk and refrigerate 4o minutes wrapped in cling film. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before using it.

Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 25cm quiche pan with a little olive oil. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for two minutes, run under cold water and set aside. Roll out your dough on a floured surface and drape over quiche pan pressing it up against the edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over its surface and bake for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile beat cream, eggs, cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Fold in sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli florets. Pour mix in prepared quiche pan and bake for 40 minutes. Allow it to rest in the oven for an extra five minutes before serving. Serve with a simple green salad and a vinaigrette made with olive oil, herb vinegar, grainy mustard and a pinch of salt.

Le Petit Déjeuner

It's summer vacation for Kirstie which means easy mornings, no rush and more time for a leisurely breakfast. Spoiling my family is one of my favorite hobbies so today I decided to make her a special treat instead of her usual spelt flakes with milk. It had been a while since I made her a really good pain perdu (feel free to call it "French toast") and she cheerfully agreed to my suggestion. My usual recipe is simple: just some eggs, milk, a little cinnamon, a bit of vanilla sugar and perhaps a pinch of ground nutmeg. The topping of choice is always maple syrup.

This morning I decided to try something a little different. Nothing complicated or fancy, just flavorful and healthy. I came up with the following recipe which was gratefully appreciated by mademoiselle.

Pain Perdu aux Amandes

*1 egg
*2 tbsps evaporated milk
*pinch of salt
*1/2 tsp good quality almond extract
*2 slices multi-grain bread
*knob of butter
*sliced bananas and strawberries to serve
*Golden Syrup to drizzle

In a shallow bowl, beat egg together with salt, evaporated milk and almond extract. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan, coat the bread well with the egg mixture and fry 4 minutes per side. Serve warm with sliced fruit and drizzle with a touch of Golden Syrup.
Enough for one serving.

PS: Even though I had already had my fruit smoothie for breakfast with Hans before he left, I did steal a bite of her toast, for research purposes you see. The wonderful thing about this version was that the sweetness came just from the fruit (can I help it that strawberries are in season?) and that tiny bit of syrup while the simplicity of the ingredients allowed for the almondy flavor to take center stage.

Delicately Scented Almond and Rosewater Chocolate Cake

Ok, so I'm in a bit of a Crema di Balsamico mode since yesterday. Ever since I walked out of the shop with my little treasure, I have been consumed with thoughts about the many ways I could make use of this heavenly nectar. The taste of this stuff is so good that I wanted to serve it pure, just as a dressing, for something simple and delicious. I wanted to bake something that would sort of serve as a sponge to soak up the creamy syrup. The other thing on my mind was the bottle of rosewater I had also purchased yesterday and the bag of ground almonds which had preoccupied me for the last few weeks (yes, I can sometimes busy myself thinking about something as trivial as a bag of ground almonds).

Keeping the tartness of the Crema in mind and the delicate aroma of the rosewater, I decided that I had to create something with deep flavor and a hint of sweetness to mirror the notes of the balsamic. It had to be chocolate. I came up with a flourless chocolate cake which I drizzled with the balsamic and served with some juicy strawberries. A bit of an unusual combination, but a winning one nonetheless.

Here's the recipe:

*125g ground almonds
*5 beaten eggs
*150g pure, good quality chocolate
*100g soft butter
*100g brown sugar
*2 tsps rosewater
*1 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*strawberries and Crema di Balsamico to serve

Preheat oven to 200C and grease and flour a 22cm springform pan. Cream butter and sugar. Melt chocolate au bain marie and once melted, stir in the rosewater. Let cool briefly. Add chocolate to the butter and cream along with the almonds, eggs, baking powder and baking soda and beat well. I did all of this with the help of my trusted friend, Chelsea, the red Kitchen Aid. Pour into pan and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes on a wire rack before loosening the form. To serve, drizzle a plate with some Crema. Top that with a dainty slice of the cake and accompany with a few strawberries. The cake goes particulary well with a simple espresso.

Strawberry Salad with Crema di Balsamico

Well, I guess I don't need to tell you about how obsessed I am with food. My heart smiles with excitement when I hear about an interesting recipe or when I can manage to get my hands on an exquisite product. A few weeks ago, I taught a friend how to marinate strawberries in balsamic and all the while I was thinking of how much lovelier this would be with a Crema. Perhaps I should first mention that I have a deep love for balsamic vinegar. Its mellow tartness and sweet notes make all other vinegars pale in comparison. I always go for the best, and for me that's usually the thicker, more syrupy varieties.

I walked into Oil & Vinegar today and was pleasantly surprised (understatement) when my eyes fell upon on a gorgeous little bottle of Crema di Aceto Balsamico di Modena. Visions of perfectly coated strawberries and pristine white plates, polka-dotted with balsamic, filled my head and made me want to run home and create! Coincidentally, I had recently seen Jamie Oliver make quite an interesting salad that called for the perfect union of strawberries and balsamic. Since I was in the mood for a quick and easy Saturday dinner, I decided to recreate this salad in my own way.

I marinated the strawberries in Crema and olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and a fearless grinding of mixed peppercorns. Thick slices of grilled halloumi added saltiness to the dish, making each mouthful, with its variety of flavors, almost sparkle in my mouth. The salad, along with some crusty bread, some left over couscous and a small bowl of fat, green, almond stuffed olives made for a perfect dinner
.
Here's the recipe:

*450g strawberries (small ones left whole, bigger ones halved.)
*1 tbsp Crema di Aceto Balsamico
*2 tbsps good quality olive oil
*salt and a generous grinding of mixed peppercorns
*200g mixed green leaves (a mix with rocket and watercress would go particularly well with this)
*4 thick slices halloumi
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, and four big leaves left whole

Clean and prepare your strawberries. Put them in a large bowl and add the basil, balsamic, oil and salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently to coat and let them marinate for about an hour at room temperature. Ten minutes before serving, heat up a griddle pan and grill the halloumi slices on which you've placed a big leaf of basil, basil side down, for about 3-4 minutes per side. Gently toss mixed leaves together with marinated strawberries. Serve salad with grilled halloumi and sprinkle with a little more oil and vinegar. Dot plates with a little balsamic for extra prettiness! Serves 4.

Fresh Potato Salad

Potato salad is one of those foods which I associate with summer. A barbecue without the famous potato salad is like a birthday without a cake. You shouldn't go without it. Ok, whole potatoes wrapped in foil and baked on the barbecue aren't all that bad either but that cool, creamy, tanginess of a good potato salad is hard to beat. The only thing I don't like about potato salad is the way it seems to magically end up on your hips. Let's face it, the required globs of mayo make it something that should be approached with care!

A few days ago I wanted to make some potato salad to accompany our 4th of July dinner. I decided to leave out the mayo and try something a little different. Believe me, I've tried many "healthier" varieties before, usually the ones made with low fat yogurt, but honestly, they didn't quite cut it for me. I find yogurt to be too liquidy and I miss that quintessential" creaminess" of an honest home-style potato salad. Enter creme fraîche!

The beauty about using creme fraîche instead of mayo in a potato salad is not just in the calories and fat you'll save, but I also find the flavor fresher and less greasy, yet still lovely and creamy. And believe me, a little goes a long way!

Here's my basic recipe but feel free to add or subtract according to your own tastes!

*450g potatoes cut in small chunks
*2 tbsps creme fraîche
*2 tsps grainy mustard
*1 spring onion, finely chopped
*small bunch of parsley, chopped
*small bunch of mint, chopped
*salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes for 8 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water and leave to cool thoroughly. In a small bowl whisk creme fraîche and mustard. When potatoes have cooled, transfer to a bowl, add creme fraîche and mustard mix and throw in the herbs. Stir carefully and season with salt and pepper according to taste. Serve with a sprinkling of sweet paprika powder.
Note: I can imagine that a tablespoon or two of capers would also go beautifully with this salad.

Pizza di Mama

Pizza is one of the most versatile foods I know. There are just so many variations. From the thickness of the crust, to the sauce and the toppings, the combinations are endless. Maybe that's why I don't know that many people who don't like pizza, and I am no exception. When Kirstie turned to me yesterday and asked, "Mom, when can we have pizza again?", I realized it had been way too long since the last time I made what I consider to be one of the ultimate delicacies of the Italian kitchen. Seriously.

I had everything in the cupboard except, horror of horrors, the staples bound to be in every foodie household...canned tomatoes, tomato puree or tomato sauce! I usually make my pizza sauce with one of these ingredients and it's always a cooked sauce. I did have a bowl of sweet, little cherry tomatoes sitting on my table so I decided to work with what I had letting the sweetness of these little fellows inspire me. I wanted a fresh, clean sauce. Something with subtle flavor, not the tangier sauces I've made in the past.

I came up with an uncooked pasta sauce. The idea was something along the lines of Nigella's Pasta al Sugo Crudo. Of course, the sauce would be cooked once it went in the oven, but like I said, this is not the way I usually make my sauce. I decided to whizz the ingredients together in the blender, taste, season, taste again and see what happened. I kept it very simple so no garlic or strong flavors, with the exception of a bit of balsamic. The sauce was delicious and it made for a wonderful base for some tangier flavors to give the pizza that nice contrast and extra "umph".

Here's the recipe, which makes two pizzas:

For the base:
375g 00 flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet (7g) dry active yeast
2 tbsps olive oil
250 ml lukewarm water


For the sauce:
500g cherry tomatoes
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
NOTE: If your tomatoes aren't optimal, a teeny bit of sugar wouldn't hurt.

For the toppings:
200g buffalo mozzarella, sliced
3 tbsps capers
3 tbsps black olives, sliced
2 handfuls rocket lettuce

Directions:

Mix flour, salt and yeast. Add olive oil and gradually add the water until you have a nice moist dough. Knead well and let rise for about an hour and a half or until doubled. I used my kitchen aid for this procedure. After the dough has risen, knead again briefly, divide the dough in half and roll each half out into thin, rough circles.

To make the sauce, whizz all the ingredients in the blender for a quick ten seconds. Make sure not to go too crazy! You want it all to remain chunky! Let sit for about half an hour. Have a bowl with a colander ready and drain the juices from your sauce. Leave the sauce to drain for a good 10 minutes giving it a little help every now and then with the back of a wooden spoon.

Preheat oven to 220C. Top the bases with the sauce, capers, olives and mozzarella. Pop in the oven for 20-25 and serve with a good handful of rocket per pizza.

"So, when are you gonna make chutney again?

This past weekend I had the biggest urge to make preserves. Perhaps it was the fact that I recently saw Jamie make the most perfect strawberry jam which he served over some warm rice pudding. It looked really enticing and all of a sudden the three little glass jars sitting under my work table started calling to me. I debated whether to make some jam, after all, there's such beautiful fruit available at the moment which would serve that purpose quite well. And then I remembered how much Hans has been asking, "So, when are you gonna make chutney again?". You see, the man never had chutney as good as mine, well, as good as Nigella's I should say. Last Christmas I made Nigella's Christmas Chutney and those three jars were gone in no time. We had chutney with everything imaginable: omelettes, sandwiches, salads and of course, with curries. The decision was made, I was going to make some chutney!

This time though, I thought I'd make the Spiced Apple Chutney in How To Be A Domestic Goddess. The recipe seemed simple enough and with the exception of the cider vinegar, I had all the ingredients at home. After coming home with two bottles of vinegar too many, I got busy and not much later the most gorgeous appley-soury-sweet smells started to permeate the house. I guess making preserves is in a way like baking for me or like making risotto. I totally get absorbed into what I am doing and the reward and feeling of accomplishment once it's all done is huge.

The end results were nothing less than perfect...a flavor explosion on the tongue! The next day I had some for lunch on half a cornbread-thyme muffin, topped with some brie and a good dollop of this brilliant stuff! Yum!

Here's the recipe:

500g apples
1 medium onion
2 red chili peppers
250g brown sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper (I used some ground four season pepper mix)
1 rounded tbsps grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric
3.5 ml cider vinegar

Sterilize your jars! I use Nigella's method and wash them out well with hot water and then let them dry in a 140C oven.

Peel and rougly chop the apples. Finely chop the onion. De- seed the chili peppers and chop finely. Put all ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Let mixture cook gently for 30-40 minutes until thickened. (I let mine cook for an extra 15 minutes...after realizing towards the end of the cooking time that I had forgotten the sugar!). Pour into hot, sterilized jars.