Today I took the easy route and used a baking mix I found at the Discounter.
Only butter and 2 eggs were needed. There was a paper baking dish in the package, but I used my round loose bottom one. That is thw one that I was sure to get the brownie out without any hassle.
31 minute baking time sounded strange, but it worked
The decorative hearts had been on the package too, together with the icing sugar.
I only used some pink icing dust on top.
Winter time is chicory time here. The fresh white heads are everywhere available.
This is a great way to enjoy this veg. It is a light lunch option. If you find large pieces of chicory, one piece per person is enough, when you serve it with some rice. Use a large oven proof dish to pack them all in. If you want it a bit fancy and you have some smaller round dishes, make one for every guest.
I used very thin slices of cooked ham. That way the chicory is still the star of the show. It is not overpowered by the ham. But if you love a good piece of ham, you can steal the show with it.
Recipe for 2:
2 large pieces of chicory, 6 thin slices of cooked ham
Sauce:
30 g butter, 30 g flour, 250 ml milk
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 bay leaf
2 tbsp Noilly Prat, 1 tsp lime juice
Mixed grated Cheddar
Start with the Bechamel sauce. Melt the butter and add the flour. After 2 min add s little milk, then a little more until all milk is gone and you have no lumps.
Pour in Noilly Prat and lime juice, adf bay leaf and season. Cook until creamy. Discard the bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 180 C fan.
Cut the chicory down the middle and season the insides. Wrap in ham.
Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and set the chicory with the cut side in. Spread the sauce on top and sprinkle the cheese over them. A fresh round of black pepper on top.
Bake for 30 min and serve with some rice.
This could be one of my new favourite soups! Very comforting, especially when it is - 3 C outside.
It is a one-pot dish and after some chopping work at the start, very easy to cook.
Eat the leftovers the next day. But it freezes well too.
Recipe for 3:
Meatballs:
300 g minced pork and beef, 1 shallot, 1 clove of garlic, 1 egg, 4 tbsp bread crumbs
salt, pepper , nutmeg, herbes de Provence
Soup:
2 carrots, 60 g leek, 1 shallot, 1 clove of garlic, 60 g celeriac, 2 stalks parsley, 1 egg,
75 g small soup pasta, 2 small potatoes, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 veg or beef stock cubes
salt and pepper, 4 stalks dill
Make the meatballs first. Shape them walnut size.
Chop all other veggies and heat up the oil in a larg pot. Use your kettle and bring 1 liter water to the boil.
Toss all veggies in the hot oil and stir them a couple of minutes. Season witz salt and pepper. Pour in the water and toss in the stock cubes. Stir and reduce the heat and cover with a lid and cook for 10 min.
Drop in the pasta and the meatballs, take it back to heat and stir well, reduce the heat and let that cook for 8- 10 min depending on the pasta you use.
Finish wirh an beaten egg, stir in well and garnish with dill.
This is an easy one pot dish. You only have to take care of the pot and prevent the milk from boiling over and making a mess.
Fajitas are Tex-Mex Food. Flour Tortilla filled with beef and peppers. Here instead of beef, chicken breast was used. The flour tortilla wraps have been changed in Rigatoni pasta.
But the Tex-Mex vibe still comes through. The cumin seeds, smoked paprika and Tabasco together with the grated cheese point clearly in that direction.
Recipe for 3:
400 g chicken breast, 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 green 1 red bell pepper, 1 red onion, 1 shallot, 5 cloves of garlic
250 g Rigatoni pasta, 650 ml milk, 50 ml water, 1 tsp veg stock powder
Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, Tabasco, Arrabiata seasoning
50 g shredded Cheddar cheese
Cut the chicken breast in chunks, season with salt and pepper. In a big pot hest up half og the oil and give the chicken some color. Take it out.
Chop onion, garlic and peppers and toss them with more oil in the pot. Give them 3 min. Add the chicken and all the seasoning. Stir well and chuck in the pasta. Fill up with milk, water and stock powder. Give it a good stir, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, put a lid on and cook until the pasta is al dente. Keep watch, that the milk does not boil over.
Add the cheddar and let it melt. Check the seasoning and enjoy.
This can be served as a side dish or just eaten with plain rice.
A bag of green beans us not so common during this time of the year. But I have got one and it looked good. I cook them ususlly and prepare them as a salad or as a warm vegetable side dish. Preparing them in a wok was new to me.
I can not pinpoint the country this dish comes from. I used Korean, Japanese and Chinese ingredients for it.
I took the time and cut the beans lengthwise after cutting off tops ans tails. It is a lot of work, but it reduces the cooking time later.
Ingredients:
500 g green beans
1 shallot, 1 spring onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 25 g fresh ginger
1 tbsp rapeseed oil, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp sesame oil
60 ml water, 30 ml Sake, 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce,
3 tsp Gochugaru hot pepper flakes, 2 tsp Muscovado sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp roasted sesame seeds
Start the beans in rapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium high heat for 5 min. Take them out. Add sesame oil to the pan and out chopped onions, garlic and ginger in. Cook for 5 min. Add the beans to the pan, pour in water and Sake and cook for 6 min. Now in with the rest of the ingredients, except the sesame seeds. Cook until the beans are tender and check the seasoning. If it is too salty, add more Sake and sugar.
Finish with sesame seeds.
Reading French Onion I was thinking about one of my favourite soups. But the photo surprised me, it was chicken.
I took out 2 yellow onions to cut them in strips. The second one was rotten on the inside. It was not visible on the outside. That's why I have now red and yellow onion on top of the chicken. Looks even better.
It is important to give the onions enough time in the pan. Start them with a bit of oil and on medium high heat and let them wilt. Then season and add herbes de Provence and stir well. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat and cook up to 20 min. Stirring every 5. In the last 5 min, add the garlic.
Take the onions out of the pan. Heat up the oven to 180C.
Season the chicken legs and put the other oil in the same pan. Get the heat on high and sear the chicken on both sides. When they have taken color, take them out too.
Pour chicken stock and cream in the pan. Give it 2 min. Get the chicken back in. Close the lid, reduce the heat and cook for 20 min. Make a starch slurry and bind the sauce.
Set the onion mix on top and cover with cheese. Stick in the oven for 15 min.
Serve with rice.
Recipe for 2:
2 chicken legs, 1 yellow 1 red onion, 4 cloves of garlic
Salt, pepper, paprika, herbes de Provence, 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
50 g grated Emmenthal cheese, 1 tsp potato starch, 1 tbsp stock, 300 ml chicken stock
100 ml double cream, 1 cup Jasmine rice
Pulled pork leftovers were sitting in the fridge. I did not want to cook something, but I was looking for a quick and tasty snack for the evening.
A bit of crunch comes from tiny chili gherkins. They are a great addition to the pork.
Just some American cheddar cheese that melts easy into the pulled pork.
My trusty Sandwich maker seals the bread slices together.
Cut them diagonal and let them sit a couple of minutes. Do not burn your tongue!
