Marzipan Cookies [gluten free]

I didn’t even plan to bake these biscuits. I wanted to make Italian almond cookies but didn’t read the recipe carefully enough when I came across it some time ago, and didn’t notice the batter had to rest for 12 hours. I simply didn’t have the time as I already had a craving for almond tasting biscuits. So I had no choice, but to find a satisfactory replacement.

In one of my Polish cookbooks* I found a marzipan cookies recipe that met my needs, meaning they could be ready to eat in 30 minutes. I did change it slightly: I used half of the sugar and omitted the chocolate glazing as I felt they would be sweet enough anyway. I was extremely happy with the result: the biscuits were crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. And even though I am still planning to make the real Italian almond cookies, I know, I will make this fast and delicious marzipan variation often, too.

INGREDIENTS (for 25 pieces):

250g marzipan, cut into pieces,

75g sugar,

1 egg white,

0.5 tsp grated lemon rind,

0.5 tsp almond flavoring,

Icing sugar for sprinkling.

METHOD:

1. Put all the ingredients (except from the icing sugar) to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until everything is well combined.
2. Preheat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees (160 for fan ovens) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Take a walnut size portion of the batter and with wet hands roll into a ball, place on the tray and flatten slightly; repeat with the rest of the batter.
4. Bake the biscuits in the hot oven for 20 minutes; when cooled down, sprinkle with icing sugar.

* "Ciasteczka - wyszukane smakołyki z całego świata"

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Carrot and Banana Cake

If you are one of these people who can never decide whether a carrot or a banana cake is your favorite, hopefully you will be happy with this solution as it is a very successful (and delicious) combination of both of them.

The cake is wonderfully moist and addition of walnut pieces gives it extra texture. There are no spices added to the batter but this cake has a vanilla aroma due to the yummy icing. I must be honest with you, this is neither the lightest, nor the healthiest cake. But I do think that there is no harm in enjoying a slice of this wonderful cake occasionally, especially on a cold, autumn or winter afternoon with a cup of good tea or  coffee.

INGREDIENTS (for 8-12 portions):

Cake:

3 eggs,

175g brown sugar,

175g plain flour,

2 tsp baking powder,

1 tsp salt,

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda,

175ml sunflower oil,

175g walnuts, broken into pieces,

2 medium size ripe bananas, mashed,

175g grated carrot,

Icing:

75 g soft butter,

75g cream cheese,

150g icing sugar,

1 tsp vanilla extract,

Extra walnuts for decoration.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 170 Celsius degrees (150 fan ovens).
2. Grease a 20cm diameter cake tin with a removable base and cover its bottom with baking paper.
3. In a food processor or with electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale.
4. Add sifted flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda; mix until everything is combined.
5. Add the oil, walnuts, bananas and carrots, mix.
6. Pour the batter into the cake tin, put to the hot oven and bake for approx. 75 minutes (until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean).
7. To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese together, add the sugar and vanilla and beat for little longer.
8. Spread the icing on the cold cake and decorate with walnuts.

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Plant Based Diet - is it safe to be Vegetarian?

I have never been much of carnivore: I could do without meat for days on end. But I do enjoy good meat or poultry dishes like Peking duck or roast lamb when I have it every now and then. That is probably why I never considered becoming a vegetarian myself and didn't even know there were actually a few variations of plant based diets:

			TYPE OF	FOOD
TYPE OF DIET	Plant-based	Dairy	Eggs	Fish	Polutry	Red meat
Vegans
Lacto vegetarians
Lacto-ovo vegetarians
Quasivegetarians (pescatarians)
"Far" vegetarians					occasionally
Semi vegetarians (flexitarians)					occasionally	occasionally

When my daughter announced she wanted to become a vegetarian, firstly I wanted to change her mind as I didn’t think it was safe for a teenager not to eat meat at all. But when I did not succeed in convincing her, I simply had to learn more about it as it is better the devil you know.

Proteins were my major concern at the beginning as they contain nine essential amino acids necessary for our body tissue to function properly and all animal products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and diary) are their obvious source. However I have learnt there are luckily some plant foods that also include all the essential amino acids: soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh, soy milk), quinoa and spirulina. Additionally, if you combine plant food that doesn’t contain the complete proteins with other (complimentary) foods, you can supply your body with the essential amino acids. Such combinations include amongst others: beans & rice, hummus & pita bread, tofu & rice, beans & corn, beans & tortilla, lentils & bulgur, peas & bread etc.

Even though getting enough proteins doesn’t seem to be a problem when you don’t eat meat, there are some nutrients that should be especially considered by vegetarians as not eating animal products may make it more difficult to obtain the required amounts. Here are the nutrients and also tips how to make sure a vegetarian gets enough of them:

Iron – although it exists in plant food, it is not as easily absorbed as iron found in animal food. So vegetarians should consume about 80% more iron than non-vegetarians. Soybeans, beans, legumes and fortified grains are good sources of iron. It is worth noting that Vitamin C intensifies absorption of iron.

Zinc – similarly to iron its plant “version” is less bio-available than the animal one. It is found in whole grains, legumes, soy products and nuts.

Calcium – vegetarians consuming dairy products are likely to get enough calcium but vegans may experience some deficiencies. Calcium fortified products as well as soy milk, tofu, leafy greens and broccoli may be a solution.

Vitamin D is mainly found in animal products, that is why vegans should consume Vitamin D fortified foods and expose themselves to sun (obviously without taking a risk of skin cancer!), otherwise tablet supplements might be required.

Vitamin B2 is found mainly in milk (so lactovegetarians should not have a problem with providing their bodies with sufficient amounts). If vegans’ diet is varied and they eat enough green vegetables, whole grains and fortified foods, they probably will get enough.

Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products so solution for vegans is either fortified food, or tablet supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in fish products. Vegetarians not consuming fish may get some of omega 3 fatty acids from walnuts, soy, algae and flax-seed and fortified food.

Iodine typically is present in dairy products and seafood so vegans and some vegetarians may not get enough of it. That is why they should opt for iodized salt as a solution.

As it can be seen, people who completely eliminate animal products from their diet (vegans) may suffer some deficiencies of vitamin B-12 and D as well as of calcium, iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore taking tablet supplements may be necessary. For other types of plant-based diets, if meals are well balanced and some fortified food is consumed, this problem may not appear at all.

So far I have only mentioned possible areas of concern of plant based diets but are there any health benefits? If a vegetarian diet is mainly based on nutrient dense food (whole products), it will result in lots of health benefits like lowering BMI, blood pressure and bad cholesterol as well as lowering risk of many chronic diseases e.g. type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension and some types of cancer.

So the answer to the question from the title is yes, it is safe to be vegetarian. In truth it may even be advisable to be vegetarian. But if you are still not ready to completely eliminate meat from your diet to take advantage from all the health benefits, please note that even reducing intake of red meat to less than 42g per day could reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cancer diseases and mortality by 8-9%. I think this small change could make a huge difference and certainly is worth making. 

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Pasta with Ham, Mascarpone and Green Peas

I myself am surprised I didn’t written this post earlier because this pasta dish has been a classic in our family for many years. It is so easy and quick to prepare yet so delicious! I have served it to our friends on some informal occasions but – probably more importantly – it is a hit with children.

When my daughters were small and they had their friends over in our house, I could be almost sure that if I had cooked this meal, all the children would eat it. But even now when they are so much older, their (different) friends still enjoy it tremendously.

Another good point about this recipe is that it can be adjusted to different needs without losing too much of its flavor. If you or your children are not big fans of green peas, they can be omitted. And if you want to cook it for a vegetarian, you can omit the ham – I made it that way for my vegetarian daughter and although she was skeptical at the beginning and worried it wasn't going to be that tasty, she did enjoy it a lot (but I wouldn’t omit both at the same time: the ham and the peas ;)).

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

1 tbsp butter,

150g sliced cooked ham, cut into strips,

5 tbsp milk,

125g mascarpone cheese,

40g grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving),

180g green peas,

400g spaghetti, tagliatelle or linguine,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Boil salted water and when ready, cook the pasta al dente; 3 minutes before the end of cooking time add the green peas.
2. On a medium heat melt the butter in a medium size frying pan, add the ham and fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Decrease the heat to low, add the milk, mascarpone and Parmesan, stir till the cheeses melt, season.
4. Drain the pasta and green peas (reserve a few tbsps of cooking water); put them back to the pan and pour the sauce in.
5. Stir well, adjust the seasoning, if necessary and serve straight away with some extra Parmesan cheese.

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Meringue with Dark Chocolate Filling

As it was the case with my previous meringue recipes (with strawberries and raspberries), this one has also been inspired by a cake I had in a confectionary. I ate it for the first time many years ago but somehow for a very long time I didn’t even try to make it myself and only enjoyed it when I went there occasionally.

The cake I enjoyed so much consisted of meringue with dried figs and dates, and dense, dark chocolate filling. When I finally decided to prepare it, I knew I wouldn’t have a problem with making the meringue but the filing could possibly be problematical. I remembered I used to have a recipe for a butter cream that would match this cake very well but even though I searched every possible place, I couldn’t find it. So at the end I made the below filling instead. It was perfect and exactly like I wanted it to be: dark, intense with a pretty strong taste of alcohol. And because of the alcohol in the filing, this is ratter a grown-ups cake. It is also pretty heavy – even the members of my family with the sweetest tooth couldn’t have a second helping straight away (mind you, they did have a different cake at first ;)). But this is only a good news – you will be able to enjoy it longer!

INGREDIENTS (for 6-8 portions):

Meringue:

6 egg whites,

300g caster sugar,

2 tbsp Demerara sugar,

1 tsp white wine vinegar,

1 tsp cocoa powder,

a pinch of salt,

5 dates, thinly chopped,

5 dried figs, thinly chopped.

Filling:

250ml double cream,

200g chopped dark chocolate,

2 tbsp icing sugar,

75ml coffee liqueur,

5 dates, thinly chopped,

5 dried figs, thinly chopped.

Extra cocoa powder for dusting.

METHOD:

1. Take two pieces of baking paper and draw 23cm-diameter circle on each one; then put them on two baking trays.
2. Pre-heat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees.
3. Put the egg whites to a big, clean and dry bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat them with an electric mixer.
4. When they are stiff, start adding sugar (while you still beat the egg whites): add one tablespoon at a time and carry on beating for 20-30 seconds before you add another tablespoon of sugar. At first add the caster sugar and then the Demerara.
5. When you have used all the sugar, keep on whisking for another 2-3 minutes, then add the vinegar and beat for another minute.
6. Sieve in the cocoa powder, add the chopped dates and figs and gently stir.
7. Divide the beaten egg whites into 2 portions and carefully spread them on the drawn circles, put both baking trays to the hot oven.
8. After 5 minutes decrease the temperature to 140 Celsius degrees and bake for 90 minutes; afterwards turn off the oven, open its doors slightly and keep it open for 5 minutes. Close the door and keep the meringues in the oven for a few hours or overnight.
9. In a small pot heat up the cream (but don’t boil it).
10. Once hot, move away from the heat, add the chocolate and stir from time to time.
11. When the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, cool the mixture down and put to the fridge for approximately 1 hour so it thickens (but don’t allow it to thicken completely).
12. Add the sugar and liquor to the cream and chocolate mixture and beat with the electric mixer until it increases in volume and becomes paler; stir in the dates and figs.
13. Put one meringue disc (the worse looking one) on a serving plate, spread the chocolate filing and place the second meringue on top; decorate with sifted cocoa powder.
14. Keep refrigerated till needed.

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Mussel Soup with Vegetables

Fresh mussels are not widely available in shops here so whenever I go shopping and see them at the counter, I straightaway buy them. As you may know from my earlier posts, I am still a rookie as far as mussel recipes are concerned because I have prepared them only in two ways so far: with white wine and pasta.

Therefore when I bought them last time, I wanted to prepare them differently and cooking a soup with mussels seemed to be an idea worth pursuing. And it certainly was as the result proved it – this soup was a hit: delightful taste of mussels, loads of vegetables, some of them softer but other ones, like pepper and celery, wonderfully crunchy. Plus also all the warm colors of the ingredients. We all loved it and I will definitely make it (many times) again!

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

1 kg fresh mussels,

150ml dry white wine,

400ml water,

2 tbsp butter,

1 small red onion, thinly chopped,

1 small leek (about 60g), thinly sliced,

1 medium carrot (about 120g), thinly chopped,

2 tomatoes (about 200g), peeled, deseeded and thinly chopped,

2 garlic cloves, crushed,

1 handful of parsley leaves, thinly chopped,

1 handful of basil leaves, thinly chopped,

1 celery stick, thinly sliced,

0.5 red pepper, deseeded and thinly chopped,

100ml single cream,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Prepare the mussels:                                                                               * rinse them very well in cold water.
   * take a mussel: if it is damaged, discard it straight away and if it is open, give it a vigorous tap. If it stays open, discard.
   * if a mussel is closed (or closes after tapping), wash it and scrape off with a knife any barnacles; remove “beard” that may be between the two shells.
   * repeat the above with all the mussels.
   * rinse all of them again.
2. Pour 75ml of wine and 150ml of water to a big pot, put the mussels there, bring everything to boil and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.
3. Transfer with a slotted spoon the cooked mussels to a bowl and leave till cool enough to handle.
4. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve, layered with a cloth to eliminate any sand and impurities.
5. In the same pot (rinsed) melt the butter, add the chopped onion, leek, carrot, tomato and garlic; fry for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.
6. Lower the heat down and fry the vegetables for 3 minutes longer, then add the reserved cooking liquid, the rest of wine (75ml) and of the water (250ml), the chopped parsley and basil and cook for approx. 10 minutes (till carrots are no longer hard).
7. Remove the mussels from their shells but leave a few for garnish.
8. Add the mussels, celery, red pepper, cream* and seasoning and serve the soup.

*In the original recipe double cream was used. I used single cream that worked very well but to make sure it doesn’t split when you add it to the soup, you should at first add a few spoons of the liquid to the cream, mix it well and only then add to the soup while stirring it.

The above dish is based on a recipe from “The New Fish Cooking Encyclopedia” by Kate Whiteman

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Fruity Chicken [Korma Style]

Although in my family we have always used a word korma to describe this dish, I have realized that curry specialists may not approve of this so I decided to investigate the subject further. From “Ultimate Curry Bible” by Madhur Jaffrey I learnt there are three variations of korma. In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh name korma suggests a rich dish cooked with loads of yogurt, expensive spices (nutmeg, cardamom or saffron) and nuts. Malaysian version uses yogurt as well, but also coconut milk and fresh green chilies. But if you order korma in an Indian restaurant elsewhere in the world, you will most probably get a mild, creamy dish.

Comparing the below version with the three characteristics I can say it has something in common with each one: there are almonds, coconut milk and chili there and the course is pretty mild and rich, too. But there are also some unorthodox additions like raisins and bananas. Therefore calling it korma-style is a much better idea. However even though this is not a really authentic dish, this Fruity Chicken Korma Style is authentically delicious.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

1 onion, roughly chopped,

0.5-1 red chili, deseeded and roughly chopped,

2 garlic cloves, crushed,

2 tbsp mild curry powder,

1 tsp turmeric,

3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped,

2 tbsp olive oil,

500g skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-3 cm pieces,

1 cinnamon stick,

400ml can coconut milk,

150ml stock (chicken or vegetable),

150g raisins,

50g ground almonds,

2 small bananas (not soft), peeled and cut into half-slices,

Chopped fresh parsley.

METHOD:

1. Put the onion, chili, garlic, curry, turmeric and ginger to a food processor or blender and whizz everything together until you get a paste. You may have to add 1 tbsp of olive oil, if the paste is too difficult to whizz.
2. In a heavy pan heat up the olive oil, add the paste and fry it stirring for 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken pieces and fry them for 5 minutes on medium heat stirring often to coat in the paste and also to prevent from burning.
4. Add the cinnamon stick, coconut milk and stock, bring everything to boil and cook for approx. 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the raisins and almonds, check the seasoning and add bananas.
6. Serve with rice sprinkled with chopped parsley.

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Bolognese Sauce [ragu]

Spaghetti Bolognese is probably the most popular pasta dish and, as such, it has lots of variations as everybody cooks it their own way. For a long time that was the case also for me but everything changed when an Italian lady taught me how to make it the real, Italian way. And the most important tips I learnt from her are:

1. you should use 3 times as many tomatoes as the amount of meat you are cooking your sauce with,
2. 3 quarters of a litre of dry red wine is not too much when you have half a kilogram of meat, and
3. cooking the ragu for at least 3 hours will ensure a rich, intense and wonderful flavor of the sauce.

I have used the below recipe for years now and don’t look for any improvements as it is already perfect. The only exception was when I wanted to make a vegetarian version of Bolognese recipe for the lasagna but even then I still based it on this one so it is equally delicious.

P.S. Since it takes 3 hours to cook this perfect Bolognese sauce, make loads of it and freeze some portions so they can be enjoyed later.

INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 portions):

1 onion, peeled,

1 carrot, peeled,

1 celery stalk,

2 garlic cloves, peeled,

2 tbsp olive oil,

250g minced beef,

250g minced pork,

4 tins (400g each) of tomatoes,

2 bay leaves,

0.5 tsp sugar,

750ml dry red wine,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Either very finely chop or process in a food processor the onion, carrot, celery stalk and garlic.
2. In a big heavy pot warm up the olive oil, add the chopped vegetables and fry on a medium heat stirring often for 3-5 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to high and add the two types of minced meat; fry stirring constantly till the meat is no longer pink.
4. Add all of the tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar, some salt and pepper (you will adjust the taste at the end so don’t add too much at this stage), and half a cup of wine; once everything starts to boil, decrease the temperature to low and cook for 3 hours.
5. During the cooking time stir the sauce at least every half an hour to break any bigger pieces of meat or tomatoes and to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Each time you stir, add half a cup of the red wine till you have used all of it.
6. After the 3 hours of cooking check the seasoning. The sauce should be thick and without lumps of meat. If there are any, you can break them with a potato masher.
7. Serve the sauce with your choice of pasta cooked al dente (the best is not spaghetti but wider type like tagliatelle or pappardelle) and grated Parmesan cheese.

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Spicy Parsnip Soup [vegetarian]

Parsnip is a much underrated vegetable. At least that was the case in our (Polish) family for a very long time. I can remember my mother using it in 2 dishes only: as one of the ingredients of stock and of Polish vegetable salad. Actually, it was my husband who introduced me and my side of the family to roasted parsnip and we all were surprised how delicious it tasted just by itself.

Since then I have been more open minded and used it for other meals as well, I even plan to bake a parsnip cake one day! However for now, I am sharing a parsnip soup recipe that I have tested many times. The soup is creamy and smooth, and the slightly nutty taste of parsnip is very well complimented by curry powder.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

2 tbsp rapeseed oil,

1 onion, peeled and chopped,

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped,

1 bay leaf,

1-2 sprigs of parsley,

0.5-1.5 tbsp curry powder (the amount depends on the heat of the powder you use and on your own preferences),

500g parsnips, peeled and chopped,

1 l vegetable stock,

250 ml milk,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Heat up the oil in a big pot.
2. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, 0.5 tbsp curry powder and parsnip, stir everything well to coat in the oil and curry, and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the stock and cook the soup for another 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Liquidize the soup, season it (if it is not spicy enough, you can add more curry), add the milk and bring to boil.

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