Walnut Biscuits (Nusskipferl)

Walnut Biscuits are another example of delicious Austrian cookies. The preparation of the dough is very straightforward, it does take some time though to form the biscuits but only because the below recipe involves making loads of them! When the dough is prepared, it should rest in the fridge for at least half an hour but it can stay there even overnight, as the dough is much easier to handle when it is cold and hard. Once you take...

Read More

Cod with Spinach, Potatoes and Red Pepper Sauce

This dish is a great example of how easily something pretty simple can be elevated to a much higher level. The main components - boiled potatoes and fried cod - are good but let’s be honest – a bit simplistic not to say boring. But if you add to the potatoes spinach that has been quickly fried with garlic and you serve it all with a portion of red pepper sauce, you will get a wonderful experience not only for your taste buds but also for...

Read More

Quinoa Chocolate Cake [gluten free]

When I came across a cake made of quinoa, I couldn’t imagine it would be so good as I had only used it previously for savoury dishes. I could understand using millet: sometimes we do have millet with fruit and honey for breakfast, I even bake a tart with millet. But a cake with quinoa?! I was so curious that I simply decided to give it a try. The result was surprising and delicious: the cake was very moist and rich and you couldn’t...

Read More

3 Shades of Red Pasta with Peppers, Onions and Beans [vegetarian]

I don’t think you can ever get bored with pasta (at least I can’t!). There are so many sauces you can serve it with and so many shapes you can choose from. My favourite pasta shapes are orecchiette and casarecce – I like them not only because of their form but also because when I bite into them, they seem to me to be firmer than other types. But in truth all types of pasta will be firm, if they are cooked al dente (from Italian “to the...

Read More

2 in 1 Valentine’s Cake [gluten free]

Right from the beginning I knew exactly what sort of a cake I wanted to make for the Valentine’s Day: it had to be a combination of chocolate and raspberries, it also had to be rich and heavy from one hand and light and airy from the other. Why such a combination? – Chocolate is supposed to be an aphrodisiac so it is perfect for such an occasion, raspberries are red and this is a colour of love. As far as textures are concerned, I was...

Read More

Dhal with Spinach and Green Peas [vegetarian/vegan]

It is thanks to Dhal that I started to appreciate lentils. I used to find them quite bland and uninteresting but when I tried them combined with spices like e.g. turmeric, paprika, ginger or chilli, I realized how tasty and appealing lentils could be. Tarka Dhal was the first dish of this kind I had many years ago and I simply loved it. And I still do when it is on a table at my home or in a restaurant along with kormas or baltis: moving...

Read More

3 Layers Salmon Strudel

We all probably have some dishes we only cook for special occasions or celebrations: a special birthday cake or a stuffed turkey. For quite a few years I made this 3 Layered Salmon Strudel exclusively for Christmas Eve. But then I thought: why to limit having this wonderful dish to one and only one evening per year? And I started making it more often, as apart from being delicious, it is also very convenient: it can be prepared...

Read More