Asparagus Quinoa Salad (sponsored)

 

Oftentimes when I am researching delicious flavour combinations of seasonal produce, I am

wondering which wines would be the perfect pairing. Spring is the most challenging season, I find,

because it might still be a bit chilly, yet the vegetables are already spoiling us with their particular

nuances.

For this particular recipe, with the Vinsmoselle Fréijoerswäin (spring wine) I knew I wanted there to

be asparagus and a zesty note from the lemon vinaigrette. This very type of wine is fruity with

aromas of ripe grapes and tangerines. On the palate, it is juicy, fresh with hints of lemon, and vanilla.

I enjoyed doing this taste recall in order to round it all up.

For two portions you’ll need:

180g dry quinoa

1 bunch asparagus

200g peas

50g feta

3 scallions

5 sprigs flat parsley

60g slivered almonds

60ml olive oil

1 lemon (juice & zest)

Salt

Pepper

Start with rinsing the quinoa, then cook it according to the instructions on your package.

While the quinoa is cooking, blanch the peas and asparagus in salted boiling water for just a few

minutes, then place them into ice cold water for them to cool quickly.

Once the quinoa has cooled, combine it with the blanched veggies in a bowl. Slice the scallions, chop

the parlsley and add them to the salad. Now you can also add the almonds and give it a good toss.

Pour over the olive oil & lemon juice, add the lemon zest and stir again. Season with salt and pepper

to your taste and give it a last toss. Crumble the feta and sprinkle it over the salad.

Now the salad is ready to be served.

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...

Lemon Almond Cake

 

If there's one thing we should all love about winter, it is the large variety of citrus fruits. Their prime harvest time is between late November and early March. My favourite citrus fruits to use in the kitchen are lemons and blood oranges. They give me that instant summer feeling, and add  a lovely taste of sunshine to all of your dishes. I like adding them to savoury recipes as much as I like them in desserts.

Today's treat is my super moist and fluffy lemon almond cake. I have to admit, it's been ages since I've last made it so I was a little nervous if I still remembered the instructions my granddad gave me decades ago. When my grandma handed me his old cookbooks, I found a note with this very recipe but the 'little extra' was not written on it. I have a great memory, and I hope it stays this way for a while, because part of my recipes that are not yet on the blog, exist only in my head. All jokes aside, if all goes according to plan, the three remaining recipes will appear on the blog until the end of the year. 

So back to the cake, this lemon almond cake is a perfect cake for your afternoon teas or coffee dates with friends. It is gluten and dairy free, but not vegan. So if you have people with dietary restrictions around you, you may still bake them a super delicious treat. 

For one cake you'll need:

225g sugar

225g ground almonds

zest from one lemon

juice from two lemons

4 eggs

salt

****

Preheat the oven to 180°

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. 

In a bowl whisk together the sugar and egg yolks. Add the almond powder, lemon zest and juice. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a separate bowl until stiff, then fold them gently into the almond lemon mixture. 

Butter a springform tin, then add the batter. 

Bake for 45 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Leave to cool before unmoulding. 

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...

Vegan Lentil Bolognese

Are you in the mood for delicious yet healthy comfort food? Then you're in the right place!

During these gloomy winter months, we definitely all need delicious flavourful dishes to warm our souls. When I first researched what I could use as substitute in a vegetarian or vegan version of the classic Italian ragù, I didn't expect to love the lentil option so much. But, as  always I was quite determined to end up with the perfect recipe. And after 2 solid trial runs I had the perfect ratio between proteins & veg, acidity & crunch.  

My lentil bolognese is a very recent recipe I developed, but I can sense that it will be one of my go to pasta recipes from now on. It's better than the store bought sauces, it's nutritious... and let's not forget about the best thing:  you may open a bottle of wine to cook it. One glass for you, and one for the sauce. That's a fair split, right?

For 4 people you'll need:

3 large carrots

1 celery stalk 

500g (cooked) lentils

125g dried tomatoes (I used the ones not soaked in oil)

3 garlic cloves

1 large onion

olive oil

150ml red wine

800g diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp Italian seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary,..)

1 tsp oregano 

Salt & pepper

150ml water

500g Pasta

cheese (vg or dairy) or yeast flakes

****

Roughly chop the vegetables and dried tomatoes, then add them to your food processor. If you don't own one, finely chop all the mentioned ingredients. Make sure not to over-process the vegetables in order to avoid them becoming purée. 

Heat some olive oil (make sure to use enough as there is no meat fat) in a large pot and add the shredded vegetables to brown. Let simmer for a solid 15 minutes while stirring regularly in order to prevent them from burning. 

Then add the red wine and let it cook-off completely. Add the tomatoes and lentils and stir. Now add the Italian seasoning, bay leaves and oregano and stir again. Once all the ingredients combined, reduce to low heat, add the water and let the sauce simmer for around 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta and keep a cup of the pasta water in order to add to the sauce if necessary. 

Take out the bay leaves and serve the lentil bolognese over the pasta. And for the final touch don't hesitate to top it off with parmesan, nutritional yeast or vegan cheese.  

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...

Heidesand

 

The Passion meets Creativity Christmas bakery is officially open. And I’ll hit off the season with a

recipe that I’ve been wanting to posts for years. However, November and December always being

very busy at work, I hardly managed to post more than two recipes on the blog and one in a local

magazine. I wouldn’t say that this year I had particularly more lead time than last year. I closed the biggest projects, but then I got knocked out by some colds twice in 5 weeks.  But here I am, standing again, ready to bake my way through classics. 

I may love Christmas for many reasons, but the holiday treats are one of the top three. Heidesand is

a classic, and a very easy recipe to make. You don’t need many spices or ingredients. Just juggling with the basics. The interplay of vanilla and lemon zest however, makes that many people on this side of the

world claim it as one of their favourites.

So here we are, a few Christmas carols in the background and loads of flour and butter on the

kitchen counter, ready to pursue our common mission to spoil our loved ones with our delicious holiday

baking. This Heidesand recipe is the first of this year’s Christmas collection. Make sure to drop by for more and

if you like it, feel free to share it with fellow bakers.

For around 25 cookies you'll need

200g butter

75g icing sugar

60g marzipan

zest of 1/2 lemon

270g flour

1 egg yolk

1 cup of sugar

***

In a large bowl mix the soft butter with icing sugar, the marzipan, the vanilla sugar and the lemon zest. Then knead in the flour. Form equal-sized rolls of the dough (approx 5 cm) then wrap them in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 180°. 

First whisk the egg yolk with a fork in a small bowl, then brush the dough sticks with it and then roll in sugar. It is best to spread the sugar evenly on a large plate beforehand. Carefully cut 1/2 cm thick slices then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Leave to cool completely before eating them. They keep up to three weeks in a tin can. 

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...

Pumpkin Risotto

Autumn has always been one of my favorite seasons. It's still nice outside, but not too warm. There is still a great variety of delicious produce out there and the days are not yet short either. In recent years, the beginning of autumn has also been the closure of my big projects, the moment I evade for a few weeks to take a decent break. Last year I went to Italy, travelling from lake Como to Florence and back to Milano. This year, it took me to the US, visiting two of my friends in Boston and New York City. 

When I came back last Saturday, I felt like I am ready to get back into my kitchen, and cook up all these beautiful recipes I've worked on over the last two years. But before doing so, I decided to share with you a recipe I once cooked for a very creative dinner party. It must have been in autumn 2018, when 4 of my friends and I decided to have a PUMPKIN dinner. So every dish had to include pumpkin. From cocktails, to amuse-bouche, an entrée my pumpkin risotto as a main, and a pumpkin cake as dessert, we put a fabulous pumpkin menu in place. 

Over the years, when I had guests, I've always made this risotto. With experience, I changed it here and there, to finally come up with the final version, which I only cooked last Saturday. Approved by many, I decided that this pumpkin risotto recipe should not evolve endlessly, but should finally appear on this site. 

So here we are. Pumpkin lovers, risotto lovers and food lovers united, put on that apron and make this delicious recipe. 

For 4 portions you'll need:

400g Arborio rice

225g leek

4 garlic cloves

340g pumpkin purée

1000ml vegetable broth

500ml apple cider

250ml dry white wine

2 tbsp maple syrop

4 thick slices bacon

salt

pepper

100g parmesan

****

Bring 1000ml water to a boil and add vegetable stock. Lower heat, then add the cider and let simmer over low heat. To have all the ingredients ready, chop the leek and garlic and grate the parmesan. 

In a large pot, sauté the bacon over medium heat until crispy.  This might take 8-10 minutes. Remove the bacon slices and set aside. Once cooled down, and between stirring the risotto, chop the bacon. 

Add the leeks and sauté until caramelised, then add the garlic and fry until soft. 

Now add the rice, stir, then deglaze with the white wine. Once rice has absorbed all the wine, gradually add the cider-vegetable stock to the rice, one ladle at a time. Repeat until the rice is al-dente, stirring well after each addition. You might not use all the vegetable stock mixture. 

When the risotto is almost ready, mix in the pumpkin purée and the maple syrup. Stir again, then season well with salt and pepper. Because of the maple syrup and pumpkin puree, you may throw in half a teaspoon each and stir again. 

Once the risotto is done, fold in the parmesan, then plate the dishes. Sprinkle the bacon over the risotto and it's ready to serve. According to your taste, you may top the risotto with more parmesan. 

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...

Brownie Cookies

 

I definitely have a sweet tooth, I can't deny this fact. The chances are quite high that when you meet me, you'll find me either looking for a delicious treat or enjoying one. From exquisite French pastry to ordinary candy, there is no category in which I don't have a coup de coeur. 

However, there is one treat, that I definitely fancy A LOT: the good old cookie. And how lucky we are, they come in all shapes and forms. So what makes a good cookie, you ask? Well, for me it is the texture & the flavour what distinguishes a good cookie from an excellent one. 

Last year, one of my colleagues who also loves baking brought brownie cookies to the office. As a brownie fan, I really loved the fact that these cookies were slightly crisp on the outside and super fudgy and gooey on the inside. From the moment I've had one, I obviously wanted more. I thought to myself that I definitely had to try to make these as well. By the time I decided to make them, I couldn't find the recipe my friend told me about. I had forgotten about the name of the website and started doing my own research. I've found so many recipes, many of which seemed way too sweet, or even greasy. Then I had a look at my own brownie recipe and compared it with the ingredients of the many recipes you might find on the World Wide Web. After fiddling around one Sunday afternoon, I came up with this recipe and I can say I am VERY happy about the result.

So hands on your bowls, we're making brownie cookies now! I promise it's a match made in heaven. 

For around 20 cookies you need:

200g dark chocolate

2 medium eggs

80g brown sugar

85g white sugar

30g butter

50g flour

1g baking powder

4g vanilla extract

100g milk chocolate 

****

Preheat the oven to 175°

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter, then set aside to cool for a bit. In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is very light, then add the chocolate and butter mixture, stirring constantly. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, vanilla extract and baking powder and stir into the egg-chocolate mixture. Fold in 100g chopped chocolate. Place the dough about the size of a tablespoon on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving some space between each cookie. Bake at top and bottom heat for 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool completely before enjoying the cookies.

Enjoy!!!

Continue Reading...