My grannie use to have a neighbour called Maria. Each spring, when then first young carrots appeared, she made us lovely rolls as my sister adored them.
Aunty Maria is no longer with us, but we still make her rolls every spring.
It is so quick and easy, no sugar added, crunchy and juicy at the same time.
250 gr grated carrots Vanilla essence
250 gr butter Apricot or plum jam
300 gr flour Icing sugar
You see, only a few ingredients. Mix the carrots with room temperature butter and vanilla essence. Add flour (you can easily make an gluten free option- choose the flour that you like).
Roll out the dough with on rolling pin until 5 mm thick. Cut round shapes using a glass or a cookie cutter. On one side put a teaspoon of jam and just fold it in half. Press the edges with a fork. Place them on the baking paper. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, until slightly brown. When cool, roll them in icing sugar.
I like to leave them without the sugar, as the jam is sweet enough, it’s up to you. However, enjoy Aunt Maria’s carrot rolls and have a nice day 🙂
Original title “Bonjour Anne” instantly gives the charming French note.
It’s a film just made for you to watch with a glass of wine and some nice cheeses on the board, let yourself dive into the French landscapes. Easy to watch, there is a chance you might identify with Anne, but it will not burden you.
Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Long married to a successful, driven but inattentive movie producer, she unexpectedly finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with her husband’s business associate. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure filled with diversions involving picturesque sights, fine food and wine, humour, wisdom and romance, reawakening Anne’s senses and giving her a new lust for life.
Cheers and enjoy your evening 🙂
Gnocchi from the oven
Well dear busy mums, here is one of the quietest recipes ever -Gnocchi al forno.
My friend came over for a late evening drink, and while the water for the tea was boiling I made a tomorrow lunch for the kids. She could not believe her eyes how quick it was.
Here it is – 5 minute gnocchi 🙂
Putt the frozen gnocchi in the baking tray. In a bowl mix eggs, any kind of cheese you find in the fridge (cottage, feta, cheddar, parmesan …), add some leftovers of ham or sausages – roughly cut. If you have you can add the handful of fresh spinach, season well. Poor on top of the gnocchi and put it in the oven, bake until golden brown.
Let it cool, tomorrow just transfer it to the lunch box, and add some more salad, cut if necessary and here it is.
Couldn’t be quicker.
Enjoy your evening.
“Like a Water for Hot Chocolate” was the first book related to cooking I have read that isn’t a cookbook. It made such an impression on me that I have started observing how my mood while cooking affects those you eat the food I made.
This is a magical and above all a charming story about family life in Mexico.
Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks.
She is very emotional, lively, sexy and creative and all that’s reflected the dishes she prepares. Her feelings simply flow into her dishes. For example, all the guests got sick after eating the cake that Tita flavoured with her tears. Or everybody who ate Titas chilli began to search for a soulmate.
The film based on the novel was awarded 11 prizes by the Mexican Film Academy.
I warmly recommend you read this book, no matter if you’re 17 or 77 years old. You will enjoy all 12 chapters, each named after a month and beginning by describing a recipe.
Chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies are traditionally called “paratroopers”, a cookie of my childhood, that literally melts in your mouth. Well, my dad loves baking and eating cookies, so here is his way of doing it.
Whisk 4 egg whites until firm. Add the 150gr of icing sugar and continue to whisk for a few minutes. If you want you can add some lemon juice or drop of lemon essential oil. Fold in 150gr of finely grounded roasted hazelnuts and a 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs.
Use two teaspoons to spoon the mixture onto trays covered with nonstick baking paper. Put in the preheated oven at 120°C. When they get brownish, lower the heat to 50°C and leave them to dry for an hour.
In the meantime make the filling. Mix 50gr of butter with 50gr of icing sugar. Add one whole egg and 50gr of melted dark chocolate.
Now stick the cooled cookies together with the chocolate filling.
Mind you, this is a traditional recipe, the original chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies were made with raw eggs. In case you are not comfortable with it, use two egg yolks instead of a whole egg for the filling, and make sure to precook them.
Kaiserschmarren – something what I call “quick version of pancakes”. This is traditionally Austrian dish, named by their Emperor Franc Joseph I. in translation it means Emperors crumbs. My son loves eating them for breakfast, with milk, as eating cereals.
Basically you should prepare same mixture as for the pancakes, just a little bit thicker. You can use any type of flour, this time my chose is chickpeas flour and I have replaced cow’s milk with rice milk. As this you get gluten and lactose free dish. The good thing is that you do not have to worry about tearing pancakes, this “mess like” dish is perfect solution for busy mornings.
In a bowl put flour (250gr), 3 eggs, pinch of salt, vanilla essence, 1 tbsp. of brown sugar and milk (250ml). Mix all well, and add the melted butter (30gr). For an extra taste you can add cinnamon and orange and lemon zest (or replace with a drop of orange or lemon essential oil).
Heat some butter in a large pan, pour in the mixture. When starts getting coloured on the bottom, start cutting, tearing and mixing the crumbs. You cannot fail, there is no specified shape of crumbs. Just keep mixing them, turning and cutting until all get nice golden-brown colour.
Make sure to use flat wooden spatula, to be able to cut the crumbs.
Serve Kaiserschmarren with milk, jam, compote, Greek yogurt or whatever your kids like.
Chard and quinoa moussaka is one of my family’s favourite spring meals. You will love it because you can make it quickly, it’s healthy, tasty and leaves you full.
If you love moussaka, you will adore this version, too. Instead of chard, you can use any leaves such as spinach and vine leaves.
Let’s start. Do as you usually would when preparing meat filling. Heat the olive oil, saute the onions, add salt, and then add garlic. After a few minutes add spices of your choice. This time I used cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. Add the minced meat (800gr for 4 people). Break everything up with a wooden spoon and turn the heat up a little. Fry until all liquid evaporates and it starts to turn lightly brown. In the meantime, boil 1 cup of quinoa for 7 minutes. Add to the meat filling and season generously if needed.
Pour boiling water onto previously washed leaves. Oil the baking dish, layer 1/3 of blanched chard, then half of the mince mixture. Repeat once more, and finish with the leaves on top. Cover with aluminium foil, and put into the preheated oven at 200°C. Bake for 45min.
Here you go, your perfect moussaka, easy way to get kids eating quinoa. Best served with a spoon of Greek yogurt or as we do with sheep’s yogurt.
And most important – it’s easy to pack and give your kids to bring it to school for lunch, it can be made the day before. In the morning just slice chard and quinoa moussaka, transfer into the box and kiss your kids goodbye wishing them a nice day.
Now, one wonderful recipe for all dark chocolate lovers – chocolate brownies – salty edition.
My teenage daughter adapted the classical brownie recipe into delicately salted chocolate cubes. Matches perfectly with strawberries, or less healthy option with whipped cream.
So here we go. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Melt 100gr of dark chocolate and cut into small pieces another 100gr. Then mix 125gr of melted butter and 100gr of brown sugar. Beat in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Whisk in melted chocolate, then sift in the 100gr of flour of your choice (she put Half–white flour (TYPE 850) and 30gr of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. Fold in finely cut chocolate and transfer the mixture on to prepared baking dish (lined with baking paper).
Bake 25 minutes and enjoy your lovely salty chocolate brownies. Do not forget to add some fresh fruits and do not hesitate to add some fresh cream.
You have only an hour to make a nice family dish. Do not worry, risotto is always something you can prepare. This time I added a little bit of oriental taste to Italian dish – and it turned great. Of course you can always make your own combination. This recipe allows you to omit anything you do not like or you do not have at home.
The best thing if you have some time to cut marinade small pieces of chicken breasts small pieces in mustard. If not, just massage the mustard in the meat and it will do fine. Fry them on the olive oil until get nice and golden. Take it out of the pan and let them wait you comfortably wrapped in an alufoil.
Add the onion in the pan, season with salt and add the spices of your choice (I put sweet curry, turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, ginger powder). Add rice (100ml per person) – this time I have mixed long grain red and white rice. Stir it well, add finely chopped dry apricots (you can replace them with any dry fruit), and continue cooking while adding stock. Mind you for some rice you will need 45min of cooking, while for some other 15-20minutes will be enough (read the labels, please).
When rice is cooked, return the chicken to the dish, add some Worchester sauce and taste if it is OK for you. Remove the pan from the heat, add 1 knob of butter and stir well. Cover and allow to sit for 2 minutes – this is the very important, as this is when it becomes creamy and cool a little bit before adding citruses. Final touch –add just few drops of lemon essential oil, or squeeze of real lemon. Serve with fresh mixed green salad, or cherry tomatoes. And guess what- can be easily packed in the lunch box.