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!!!

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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!!!

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