Best recipes of 2012...

I know that usually I don't do any round ups etc. but it felt right this year to make a little sum up. It was an interesting year for The Kitchen! A New Baby (2nd girl) and my return to work full time. Some interesting new tastes, products discovered and most of all - some great new people met! I can only hope that the year 2013 will be at least as good, if not better!
Without any further delay there's a list (of my personal and some of yours) favourite recipes, one for each month of the passing year (click on the name of the recipe to be redirected to the recipe itself).

Hope you all will have a nice, prosperous and... delicious 2013!

See you in the New Year!

JANUARY (there was no post in Jan 2012 because of the New Baby,

so recipe from Feb will have to do...) - Moules marinières

Chicken dhansak - chicken with green lentils...

If you're reading Anula's Kitchen for some time now, you've probably noticed that I'm quite a big fan of Indian cuisine. I just love how from boring chicken you can get a dish worth making for a party! I know that sometimes (well almost every time when it comes to Indian food...) list of ingredients is rather long... but once you have some main spices in your cupboard, you're good to go with most of the Indian recipes! You'll also notice that usually half of the ingredients on those long lists next to the recipe, are in fact spices only!
Once I've "stocked up" on garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander and few others - the rest of ingredients is usually in my kitchen all (well most) of the time :) Chicken dhansak was on my "to do list" for a very long time... and I'm so mad at myself that I've never tried to make it earlier! I loved the dish - I even tweaked it a little by adding spinach, which wasn't in the recipe. I ate the whole plate and it was the same story with the rest of my family... the girls even had seconds! :)

The below recipe comes from a fantastic cookbook "Complete Indian Cooking" by M. Baljekar, R. Fernandez, S. Husain & M. Kanani.

"Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, especially popular among the Parsi Zoroastrian community. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine. Dhansak consists of lentils, vegetables, spices, cumin seeds, ginger, and garlic together with meat and either gourd or pumpkin." - by Wikipedia.org

How to make it...

Gateau a la crème fraîche ... by Raymond Blanc

OK, I should probably start with the statement that I'm not a huge fan of anything "lemony" - no puddings, cakes, ice creams etc. are on the top of my list but.... I just loved this cake, maybe because it didn't taste of "fake lemons"...? It's very rich, custardy, not too sweet and a nice(!) taste of lemon, a delicate one :) and to add more... both Baby J and Baby E loved it! When I got home from work (and Hubby baked it when I was away) there was hardly anything left for me! I thought I won't be even able to take a photo... so I think that's the best prof that this is delish!

Recipe comes from a great, great book by Raymond Blanc "Kitchen Secrets", which was proceeded by a TV series by the same title.
PS. Both the cake and the filling can be prepared day ahead and kept in the fridge.

How to make it...

Shakshouka - eggs poached in tomatoes...

"Shakshouka (Arabic: شكشوكة‎; Hebrew: שקשוקה‎) (also shakshuka) is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, often spiced with cumin. It is believed to have a Tunisian origin. Shakshouka means "a mixture." or shaken in Tunisian dialect, and is also derivation of a common last name in Tunisia "chakchouk". Shakshouka is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, and Moroccan cuisines traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with bread to mop up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel, where it was introduced by Tunisian Jews."

I've already made something very similar - Eggs in Purgatory - but after seeing this dish in River Cottage "Veg everyday!" programme I had to try this version too. It's very good and quite feeling, which surprised me a little bit. Oh, one thing - I'm not a huge fan of cumin seeds but I actually like it in this dish! It gives it a nice 'hint/flavour".

How to make it...

Chicken curry with apples...

Very mild but still very flavoursome dish - and quite an easy one to prepare too. It is very mild curry indeed, so if you're not a fan of spicy food, but still want to enjoy Indian cuisine, this would be a dish perfect for you! It was actually too mild for me so I ended up adding more garam masala and using fresh chili instead of a powder version.

P.S. I know I was absent for some time but my life just 'went bananas' a little ;) I'm back though! In full strength and a head full of cooking/baking ideas - and a long list of things to make in my humble kitchen. Hope you'll join me in that! :)

How to make it...

Homemade Piccalilly...

Before arriving in Ireland, I have never ever heard about something called Piccalilly... Well that's a shame, cos I've missed actually quite a lot! I've tried Piccalilly for the very first time only about a month ago. It wasn't made by me but bought on a local Farmer's Market. It was quite nice but... way too acidic for me. I liked the idea of Indian spices though and decided to make it myself. Turned out it's not difficult at all! Found a good recipe, the kind of a recipe you can trust when making something for the very first time - recipe taken from a great book "Preserves" by Pam Corbin in a River Cottage Handbook series. I've changed it slightly though, as I really don't like vinegar at all! So instead of making the pickle with vinegar only I've made it half vinegar half water - worked perfectly! That's the "acidic level" just right for me (if still not a little bit too strong... but I guess it's this pickle's particular taste).

"Piccalilli is a Western interpretation of Indian pickles, a relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices; regional recipes vary considerably. (...) The Oxford English Dictionary traces the word to the middle of the 18th century when, in 1758, Hannah Glasse described how "to make Paco-Lilla, or India Pickle". The more familiar form of the word appears a decade later in a book for housekeepers in a section on how "to make Indian pickle, or Piccalillo". The spelling "piccalilli" can be seen in an advertisement in a 1799 edition of The Times." - by wikipedia.org


How to make it...

Traditional Chicken Curry....

This was the very first(!) time that I've made traditional curry from scratch. I thought it will be quite complicated and will require a lot of different ingredients. Well, I was wrong. This recipe works really well. It gives rather thin consistency so if you prefer thicker curry just take the lid off. Hope you'll try it as it is one of our family favourites from now on!
The recipe was taken from a great(!) book 'Complete Indian Cooking' by Baljekar, Fernandez, Husain and Kanani. If you can buy this cookbook - made lots of thing from it and everything(!), always worked (review of the book soon).

How to make it...

Recipe for homemade Dulce de Leche...

This probably is one of my all time favourite sweet things! :) It's smooth, velvety, sweet... oh, so goooood. This was my second attempt during last week to make it. First time was a completely failure because I had the wrong kind of milk. So, not to make a mistake like me you need a proper, sweet (mine had 28 g of sugar for the 50 g of milk) condensed milk. There's really not a lot of work involved, just make sure you're in the kitchen all the time, as it takes minimum 3 hours to make. For your patience there's an amazing reward at the end :) It's great on a toast or when you reheat it as a sauce for ice creams, cakes etc. but it's also good straight from the jar, by spoonfulls :]

"Dulce de leche is a sweet prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelised sugar. Literally translated, it means "candy of milk" (...) The most basic recipe calls for slowly simmering milk and sugar, stirring almost constantly, although other ingredients may be included to achieve special properties. Much of the water in the milk evaporates and the mix thickens; the resulting dulce de leche is usually about a sixth of the volume of the milk used. The transformation that occurs in preparation is caused by a combination of two common browning reactions called caramelization and the Maillard reaction." - by Wikipedia.org

How to make it...

Flourless savoury quinoa muffins...

I got an inspiration for those flourless savoury muffins - although my Hubby calls them mini quiches - from Pinterest (which is a mine full of great ideas, not only regarding cooking and baking!). They were very quick to prepare and to bake. I have to admit that I grow fond of quinoa, it's very versatile ingredient - both in the terms of tastes and cooking/baking techniques. Those quinoa muffins will be perfect for a packed, light lunch (which is what I did) as well as a snack for the little ones - Baby J ate 3 :) I had them in my fridge for 2 days and they were perfectly fine, I wouldn't keep them outside the fridge though.
Hope you'll try and make them - as tastes, variations are endless. I was hoping I had some of the dried tomatoes left, but no... and they would be perfect here! Try and experiment with different ingredients like: peas, sweetcorn, sun dried tomatoes, grated courgette etc.

How to make it...

Sweet BBQ / grilled pork chops...

I don't have my own barbecue, but I still want to enjoy a nice, grilled meat - rather than a fried one in a pan full of oil or other fat... well I thought that maybe I'll be able to grill my pork chops this time rather than frying them but... but how to get a nice flavour without a real BBQ. Marinade is the answer! Thanks to the wet marinade chops aren't very dry when grilled and that smoked paprika gives it that little after taste, just like the BBQ would. So, for all those out there who doesn't have their own BBQ this is the recipe and a method of cooking for you! And for all those happy owners of the BBQ - try it too! This marinade is versatile and would also work great with other meats like beef or chicken.

How to make it...

Skinny cupcakes by Hairy Bikers, ugh, Dieters ;) ...

This is a recipe taken from Hairy Dieters.... Yes, Hairy Dieters not Bikers - although they're the same ;) I though I misunderstood when I first heard about their new TV series... but no. They lost a lot of weight - way to go guys! :D And they've inspired a lot of people to follow their footsteps. I admit - I'm still carrying a little bit of that baby wight, after both pregnancies... but you know I LOVE FOOD! So a diet, per se, is a little bit of a "no, no" for me... but still, I want to lose a little bit.

I think that making our favourite recipes 'healthier' and thinking about how/the way we cook makes a lot of a difference - Hairy Bikers are the best proof of that! So, as an inspiration, for myself and other out there, a delish cupcake,s but healthier than the usual we would bake.
The original recipe calls for a lemon zest and blueberries inside, but I've switched it to apple and banana. I aimed for a 'rose shaped' apple slices on top... well you be the judge if I succeeded... ;)

How to make it...

Vegetable & quinoa warm salad...

Inspired by Roz Stevens recipe for Colourful Quinoa Casserole I made my own. One of the reasons for changing her recipe was lack of ingredients that she has used... I used what I had in my fridge and cupboard and it worked great! It was my first ever(!) time eating quinoa - and there are so many recipes out here using quinoa, everyone seems to be cooking with it! - so it was time for me too. Another factor contributing to making this dish was that I could pack it into my lunch box and take it with me tomorrow to work. So handy! Well without any further delay the recipe for my version of quinoa casserole is below. Hope you'll try it and... enjoy it! I know I did!
I don't know if it's a casserole (maybe because of the way it's done) but for me it's more of a salad (being it a warm or cold one), hence the title ;)

You can make it a completely vegetarian dish by switching chicken stock with vegetable one.

How to make it...

Baked beans and sausage soup...

This is something I make almost without thinking now. It's a kind of dish I just put together on those days when you need something comforting, warm, easy and quick to make. This soup is also perfect for those days when you have a little bit more than just a light in the fridge (or only a light...). We always have few cans of baked beans in the cupboard, and we also have few sausages in the freezer, onion will find its way to the chopping board too ;) It's also a soup that Baby J will eat - which is a huge plus, that we don't have to cook something different for her. Even though it's kind of 'frugal' soup it's one of my favourite too - I like that smokiness coming from fried sausages and smoked paprika, very comforting and very warming too :)

How to make it...

In the kitchen with The Sopranos - Uova in Purgatorio (eggs in Purgatory)...

Another dish from The Sopranos cook book. I can't remember it from the series itself... maybe I just missed it.... well if you know when (and even if) this dish appeared on The Sopranos please Do let me know in which episode - thank you! I'm writing that it's a Sopranos' dish as I took this recipe from that particular cook book, but I know that 'uova in purgatorio' is quite a popular dish and well known amongst the Italians - and not only the Italians for that matter.
This is a perfect little dish for lunch. For those days when you don't feel like cooking too much but still want something nice to eat. I've read somewhere that it's a type of peasant food - as it was popular amongst farmers, who had plenty of their own tomatoes and eggs, especially in the summer. As it's summer now I've decided to finally make it myself - not to mention that the book from which I took it had its 'powers' in convincing me to cook it too ;)

How to make it...

The Daring Cooks #22 Cornmeal... and the recipe for a cornbread...

Rachael of pizzarossa was our August 2012 Daring Cook hostess and she challenged us to broaden our knowledge of cornmeal! Rachael provided us with some amazing recipes and encouraged us to hunt down other cornmeal recipes that we’d never tried before – opening our eyes to literally 100s of cuisines and 1000s of new-to-us recipes!

I always, but always wanted to make a cornbread and now I finally found an excuse to do so ;) I found the recipe online on the Food Network website. I didn't know what to expect, what kind of texture it should have, how it should taste, nothing... Since I've baked the cornbread using the recipe below I found out that the 'real deal' is a little bit different than what I've end up with. I loved it anyway! And I choose this particular recipe as it had great reviews form people who are used to eating cornbread. The only main differences I found in opinions between the below version and 'real cornbread' are that mine was more like a cake than a bread in consistency and that it shouldn't have any other flour than the corn flour (the recipe below call for equal quantities of plain and corn flours). Well, the end result was great and I liked it.
I liked it so much that now I'm looking for a recipe for a 'real deal'... and that's where I have a question and a favour to ask of you: PLEASE DO SEND me a link to a good, checked recipe (or a recipe itself) for a REAL cornbread (or as close to a real deal as it possibly can be).

How to make it...

Rozanne Stevens "Delish" (book review)...

"Delish"

by Rozanne Stevens

Paperback (194 pages)

Chapters: Foreword by Pat Kenny, The story of Ish, Pantry palls, Freezer treasures, Fresh friends, QR codes with top fruit, South Africanish, Irish, Thaiish, Frenchish, Italianish, Marrakeshish, Chineseish, Mexicanish, Greekish, Spanish, P(M)Sish, Kitchen kit.

I have to admit that after living on The Green Isle for over 6 years now I have never heard of Rozanne Stevens before... Well I'm glad I finally did :) Her book IS a good one. The style that it's written in is very easy and nice to read. Her recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients aren't difficult to get (most supermarkets, ethnic stores would stock them). Some of the recipes are just a simple marriage of everyday ingredients, a great combination that you may not necessary thought of before...
The recipes aren't over complicated, aren't 'chefy' (which I find in some of the cookbooks) just honest food. Everyone will be able to cook from this book and actually enjoy it too :) You'll find a wide selection of main dishes, sides, vegetarian meals and some desserts too. The book is nicely written, with good, easy to follow and checked recipes. Mouth watering photos and inviting description of dishes really encourage you to cook.
The book covers quite a selection of different cuisines (you get 10 on average recipes in each chapter). In my personal opinion I think that there could be less cuisines, but they could be covered better, a wider selection of recipes in each. I think that Roz wanted to show her personality and diversity in cooking skills, hence the big number of different cuisines from around the world.

Some of the recipes I've already tried:

Spicy meatballs with sticky dipping sauce

Ginger sweet potato mash 

- 6 sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and roughly mashed
- 50 g butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a pot, add the honey and gently fry the ginger. Add everything to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and serve as a side dish.

About the author:
South African by birth, Rozanne has lived in Ireland for more than 10 years. Rozanne qualified as the youngest ever lecturer for the prestigious Cape Wine Academy. She then branched into complimentary therapy by studying iridology, herbal medicine and nutritional therapy. She combined these disciplines to treat clients in her Dun Laoghaire clinic, Green Living Health and Lifestyle Clinic. Her studies have enabled her to create delicious wholefood, healthy recipes without compromising on taste or enjoyment.
Today, Rozanne uses her extensive food and health knowledge to teach classes and also to give one on one lessons on cooking, menu planning and healthy lifestyle choices. Particularly popular are her ‘Kitchen Detox’ days where she revamps your kitchen cupboard with useful, tasty and healthy staples to help you whip up healthy meals in minutes according to her recipes and planned menus.
Rozanne is a keen baker and very knowledgeable about alternative grains such as spelt, rye, buckwheat etc. She believes in reigniting an interest in traditional crafts such as baking your own bread and bottling your own jams and preserves. She incorporates these skills in her ‘Kids In The Kitchen’ lessons, to encourage kids to take an interest in good food, where it comes from and different cultures. - by rozannestevens.com


I received a free copy of this book to review from Glenisk. All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

Sweet potato and cheddar soup...

I'm in love with sweet potatoes! I've never had them in Poland, and I've heard that even now they're quite hard to get there. Thanks God it's not the case here in Ireland. You can buy them very easily and cheap too. They're perfect for a mash or a soup. We use them quite often in a soup actually, as they cook very quickly, they're becoming very soft but they're not disintegrating as a normal potato could. This soup was inspired by a similar recipe in The Soup Book, but I've changed quite a bit so it's really more my recipe now than it is the one from that cookbook. I hope you'll try it. I recommend quite a strong cheddar cheese here, so that you can actually taste it. Strong cheddar or a flavoured cheddar - as I did this time round.

How to make it...

The Sopranos' food - Struffoli, little sweet treat (not only for Mafia members...) ...

I am a HUGE fan of The Sopranos. I just love everything about that fantastic TV series. I love the families, the plots, a unique sense of humor and of course the food which is a big part of the whole series. There's one dish, a dessert, in particular that is present through out all the seasons. The struffoli (honey balls). Tony eats it, Carmela eats it, Livia (Tony's mum etas it) well pretty everyone at some stage has eaten it ;) It's like 'Leave the gun, take the canolli' type of food :) A legend in itself!

It's very easy to make. Well it wasn't until I was making it myself the other day, that I've noticed it has the very same ingredients as a basic pasta! Well, only Italians could invented it! :) I hope you'll try it - if you're a Soprano fan or not - I'm sure you'll love this little sweet treat! But I warn you - it IS addictive! Oh, this recipe comes from The Soprano cookbook (of course I have it - what did you think!? ;) ).

How to make it...

Spicy turkey meatballs with sticky dipping sauce...

This is a dish, or maybe more of a starter or a great party finger food, that is very easy to prepare and quite a healthy one too. I found the sauce a little bit too hot for me, not even spicy, but pure hot - the hotness which came from the garlic and the ginger - next time I'll use less. You'll be able to make those meatballs from not only turkey or chicken meat, but also sausage meat (how handy is that?!). I liked this recipe straight after reading it (took it from a very nice cookbook by Rozanne Stevens 'Delish'), as I liked the idea of baking rather than frying the meatballs (something I've done for the very first time!). The meatballs itself are very light, crisp on the outside, but soft and delicate inside. Enjoy! :)

How to make it...

The Daring Bakers #21 Crackers...

I love cracker in any form or shape. This month's challenge showed me that it's quite easy to make crackers at home and they do keep well for good few days. I was supposed to bake 2 different types of crackers but... Since last Monday I'm back to work, full time. The only change is that we have moved since I worked last time. I leave house at 7.30 am and it's 7 pm by the time I'm back... Long day... and how I miss my girls!!! So, I hope you forgive me, but it's only one kind of crackers from me this time...
I've made one type of crackers but with four different toppings: sea salt & seaweed, crushed black pepper, chili flakes, sesame seeds.

Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

How to make it...

Spiced cabbage soup...

We cook a lot of soups, mainly because it's something that lil Baby J would eat almost for sure. We like cabbage so I was pretty sure this one will be a hit with our family too, and it was! I've saved some of the soup without the spice mix in it for our toddler, and make sure to do the same if you have small kids. The title is a little bit misleading as the soup isn't that spicy so if you're not a fan of spicy food you should like it too. Cabbage is in season now so make sure you use it. Nothing better than a fresh, local produce (the one that didn't fly half the world to finally land on your plate...).




This recipe is by Darina Allen, from a great book 'Ballymaloe cookery course'.

How to make it...

How to cook a great steak...

This one is Hubby's dish. It is a manly event in the kitchen and I won't deny it ;) He combined two great recipes into one, even better. He prepares the meat as per John Torode's advise and fries it as per Raymond Blanc's instructions. We don't eat it very often - for one this cut of meat isn't the cheapest one and what's more, we treat it as a special treat (besides it's not something that our 2 year old would enjoy... and we try to cook for whole family, so she can eat with us).
When buying your steak you should look for a well hung and matured meat. One of the biggest advantages of living in Ireland is an easy access to great quality beef!
P.S. This dish isn't for faint hearted... and it's a one that's a short way to the heart attack... or high cholesterol at least ;)

How to make it...

Polish donuts - Pączki...

Those are the donuts I remember from my childhood - which is quite right as this recipe is my Nana's recipe but made by my Hubby. He decided to master the recipe for donuts so... within the last 3 weeks he made donuts 3 times... not so good for my waistline but sooooo good for any other reason! :) This donuts are the type of donuts you would find in a Polish cake shop. They are slightly different from their American or even English cousins. There are few trick which help to make those donuts very light, fluffy and create that light ring around :)

Traditionally those donuts would be filled with a rose or plum or any other fruit marmalade. Nowadays you can find them sometimes filled with cream and custard. Ours weren't filled with anything as they were perfect on their own :) But you can always make 'empty' donuts, slice in half and spread some marmalade on it.

How to make it...

Spinach and goat's cheese tart... quiche....?

I can't really decide if it's a savoury tart or a quiche. When I started making it I didn't plan on adding the egg and cream mixture but when everything was already laid on the pastry it looked 'dry' so I just quickly whisked up an egg and added some cream and seasoning to it. So what started as a tart ended as a quiche ;)We bought fresh spinach - first time in my life, how pathetic is that... I always have a bag of frozen stuff in the freezer but I don't think this would work with the frozen spinach as well as it did with the fresh one. We also happen to stumble upon a fantastic, locally produced (from a farm just around the corner, I can hear the roosters in the morning and goat's during the day ;) ) hard goat's cheese - goat's emmental to be exact! Nothing works better than a simple marriage of goat's cheese and spinach!
The tart/quiche was a hit with booth the Hubby and lil Baby J (and she's a fussy eater recently as teething stops her from enjoying the food and the eating process...).

How to make it...

Aromatic pork belly hot pot...

I know it's not the best of summer dishes (as it really is autumn/winter one!) but with the weather we have here in Ireland it's perfect! It's only about 15 C, very windy and it rains, rains, rains, rains... well you can imagine... typical Irish summer ;) nothing we're not used to here.
I was feeling very under the weather and quite cold as well. It's really wierd when you have to turn on the heating in your house for the night, in the middle of July! But I always believe that if you can't warm up all you need is a good, comfort food, and better yet - a full bowl of it!
Hubby took out a nice piece of pork belly from the freezer and said - 'Do something with it' - and I did :) oh yes I did! I was skeptical about leaving the rind on, I was afraid it will be slimy etc. but no, it turned out great - very soft and velvety, dissolving in your mouth... yum!

This dish turned out to be very easy to prepare and not time consuming at all - well, besides the fact that you have to leave it to simmer for minimum 2 hours, after you do all the necessary work.
If you happen to have a proper summer weather right now at yours, make sure to save this recipe for cold winter evenings! Recipe taken from a great book 'The River Cottage - Meat'.

How to make it...

Polish sour rye soup - zurek...

I come from Silesia region, which is a region in the south part of Poland. Zurek is one (if not the) most famous soup there and one that is made frequently. I remember when I was only few years old I used to go to the next block of flats, to a rather old lady and buy the starter for zurek from her. My Dad used to make zurek every Friday. Now you can buy the sour rye starter in Polish shops but it's very easy to make one at home. Not to mention the shop bought ones aren't really very good. The shop bought ones will have an unwelcoming addition of vinegar to make them acidic - rather than natural yeast. It will be also watered down so the starter won't be so strong and your soup won't have the desired taste.

"In Poland it is sometimes served in an edible bowl made of bread or with boiled potatoes. The recipe varies from region to region. In Silesia, a type of sour rye soup known as żur śląski is served in a bowl, poured over mashed potatoes. In the Podlasie region, it is common to eat żurek with halved hard-boiled eggs. In Poland żurek is traditionally eaten at Easter, but is also popular during other parts of the year. It is usually served with bread or buns, and sometimes flavored with bits of sausage." - by mycitycuisine.org

How to make it...

Chicken and chickpea stew...

This dish was created out of necessity. I had only 1 chicken breast and had to feed 2 adults and 1 toddler with it... that's when your cupboard essentials come handy! I always have cans of all sorts: chickpea, mixed beans, baked beans, tomato puree etc. As I love all the Indian spices I used some of them here and they've added that depth of flavour to a normally quite boring and not special at all dish. The addition of kale leaves isn't necessary (I wouldn't omit the char grilled pepper though!). It just happened that kale in my garden was due harvesting some time ago and this was finally ITS time :) If you prefer vegetarian stew omit the chicken completely and use 2nd can of chickpea, of course then a vegetable stock rather than a chicken one is a must. The stew is very nice and comforting on a day like today - typical Irish summer: raining all the time and only about 15 C... and it's almost the middle of July...!

 

  

How to make it...

Polish vodka Zubrowka and a minty-apple drink...

This is very refreshing and easy drink to make - perfect for long, hot summer evenings. I'm not giving you exact quantities for the apple juice, as it's completely up to you how strong you want it. Try it if you can, DO! Zubrowka is a strong vodka, but it has very nice and subtle taste. It's one of the very few vodkas I would actually drink, bet then again - never on it's own, always in a drink of some kind. I know that you're all probably thinking, that being of Polish origins it means that I drink all kinds of vodkas and a lot of it - well it's actually a complete opposite! Vodka, as an alcohol, isn't my first choice. I enjoy a nice glass of wine (red or white), Martini or Irish cream.

Zubrowka with apple juice is very popular drink in Poland. It's easy and quick to make - simple combination of two liquids. I like it with a little twist - mint - and it has to be very cold. I know that some will also add a bit of ground cinnamon, making something called "apple pie drink" ;) Personally I haven't tried it, even though I love cinnamon.

"Żubrówka also known in English as Bison Grass Vodka, is a brand of dry, herb-flavored vodka that is distilled from rye and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof). Its flavor is unique and is described as having woodruff, vanilla, coconut, and almond notes.The rye distillate is flavored with a tincture of buffalo grass (Hierochloe odorata), which also gives the spirit its yellowish color. This grass grows in the Białowieża Forest and elsewhere. A blade of buffalo grass is traditionally placed in each bottle of Żubrówka, though this is largely decorative.
The name Żubrówka comes from żubr, the Polish, Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian word for the wisent (European bison), which is particularly fond of eating buffalo grass." - by Wikipedia.org

How to make it...

Spinach and ricotta ravioli...

Spinach and ricotta ravioli is one of the most looked up recipes on-line... well I'm not surprised there! This is very nice, delicious and not so difficult dish to make, though a little bit time consuming. This is a perfect idea for a romantic lunch/dinner for two :)  you wouldn't realy make a huge batch, a dinner for 10 or more people as you would have to spend a good party of your day in the kitchen. This is definietly better than a shop bought version and one I encourage you to try.I went even one step further and made my own ricotta cheese!

How to make it...

Ham cooked in cider then baked in honey and apple glaze...

The most important thing I've learned when cooking ham is to soak it in plain water long before doing anything with it. Once, some time ago, we bought cured ham and I didn't soak it... just cooked it straight away as it came... well, that was a HUGE mistake. It was so salty that we couldn't eat it, we couldn't add it to anything else either... it landed in the bin. I just HATE waisting food, but there was no other option here. It was like eating salt on its own. This time I've learned from the mistake and the ham was 'swimming' in the water for good 20 hours (the water was changed 4 times during that period). Those 20 hours were still not enough, as the centre of the ham is still a little bit too salty. Next time it will be minimum 24 hours. Back to the recipe - ham cooked in cider rather than only water (which turned out very nice) and sticky, little on the sweet side glaze. Hope you'll try this twist on a traditional Sunday dinner.

How to make it...

Traditional porridge...

"Oats are generally considered "healthful", or a health food, being touted commercially as nutritious. The discovery of the healthy cholesterol-lowering properties has led to wider appreciation of oats as human food. (..) Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat. Its consumption is believed to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease. (...) Oat protein is nearly equivalent in quality to soy protein, which World Health Organization research has shown is equal to meat, milk, and egg protein. The most recent research indicates that some cultivars of oat can be a safe part of a gluten-free diet, because different varieties of oat have different levels of toxicity." - by wikipedia.org

OK, so everone knows that oats (and porridge) is good for us, but not everyone eats or even likes porridge. Usually it reminds us about really bad food in hospitals etc. but it doesn't have to be that way! One thing I've found out is that you need to prepare your porridge on milk rather than water and you might actually like it that way :) Lil baby J (she's just over 2 years old now) eats porridge every morning for breakfast (and I realy mean every! morning). We've noticed that it keeps her full for longer, she's not so 'pekish' before lunch anymore and it helped her tummy and digestive system  working better as well. What I do for her is to blend the oats so they're smaller and the prorridge has smoother consistency, we also make her porridge sweet by using either honey or putting a spoon of strawberry jam in.

How to make it...

Summer Italian salad - Panzanella... and mussels on the side...

We went to the Glenbeigh farmers market last Friday, for the very first time. It was a great day out, as the sun was shining and we were able to go to the beach as well. Both girls love that kind of family trips, as we do too. At the market we decided to treat ourselves a little and bought ready made, stuffed mussels from the local stall at Glenbeigh Shellfish. They were delicious! We usually buy 'raw' producty, so I clean and cook the mussels myself, but this time I didn't feel like doing all that work. Mussels were already prepered - with bread, butter, garlic and herb filling on top of them. Just pop them under the grill for 15 minutes and they are ready. I can't describe how good they were!!! Declicious and without any work at all! Just sit and enjoy :) I was wondering what would go well with those mussels and immediately remembered a salad that Hugh (River Cottage) made in one of his programs. Light, summery, tomatoey salad. Perfect with seafood. So the recipe below is by Hugh and the mussels are from Glenbeigh Shellfish.

How to make it...

Brown Soda Bread by Darina Allen...

I've made soda bread before using a different recipe so I tried this one instead - as it has slightly different proportions. This actually turned out better than the other one and I've already made brown soda bread 3 times using the recipe below - each time a perfect result! I like soda bread - it's emergency bread at our home - when we don't have a time to make a sourdough bread or yeast bread. This one takes literally minutes to make and not too long for baking either.
The recipe comes from a great book Darina Allen 'Ballymaloe cookery Course'. She uses twice the amount of ingredients for one big loaf, but I halved it to suit my family needs.

How to make it...

Fried fish in buttery, creamy lemon & thyme sauce...

There's a huge advantage of living close to the sea - well, there's more than one but it's a blog about food so this one matters here ;) - access to fresh seafood! This recipe is for fresh fish really, as this won't work so well with the frozen one. Always - the fresher the fish the better. This dish was completely my Hubby's invention. He wanted a fish for some time now  - we usually eat it at least once a week, but past 3 weeks somewhat went without seafood... don't know why really... Back to the recipe itself - it's easy, pretty quick, the only time you have to put some 'elbow grease' in is when making the sauce, constant stirring so it won't burn and won't be gloppy like custard ;)

P.S. We normally don't eat such 'decadent' sauces... and I have to honestly warn you - this calls for a heart attack! or high cholesterol at least... but once in a while... won't hurt! ;)

How to make it...

Nutella cupcakes & Peanut butter cupcakes...

There are lot of recipes for Nutella cupcakes on the Internet. I had a look at few of them and my thinking resulted in the below recipe. The cupcakes are very light, fluffy and crumbly. During making those little beauties I approached a small difficulty - I've already made the batter and noticed that I had only a little bit of the Nutella left, so... had to think of some other topping, and think quick. There's a peanut butter jar next to my Nutella one in the cupboard, always ;) so I thought 'why not?' It was a good idea, a very good one. Both versions are fantastic! I can't really decide which one I prefer!
Besides me getting right a very nice recipe, this baking time was made even more special... my 2 year old (2 years since last week! how the time fly...) helped me! She was mixing the batter, counting the eggs ;) licking the Nutella jar... it was great! I can tell you already that she will be baking/cooking herself one day... It was "Mummy and J time", a good quality time together... I'm so looking forward to many more baking/cooking opportunities with my Baby J... and in the future with Baby E too, she's only 5 months old at the moment so I have a little bit of waiting there...

How to make it...

The Daring Cooks #21 Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta filling - Cannelloni di magro...

Manu from Manu’s Menu was our Daring Cooks lovely June hostess and has challenged us to make traditional Italian cannelloni from scratch! We were taught how to make the pasta, filling, and sauces shared with us from her own and her family’s treasured recipes!

I was so happy when I found out what was this month's challenge. I like cannelloni a lot, but never tried to make a spinach & ricotta filling. The result was fantastic! Delicious! My grill isn't in use at the moment that's why my dish may lack in colour a little bit ;) I ate definitely too much... even lil baby J ate one whole cannelloni! And that's a lot for her. Anyway! This is definitely a keeper - although maybe for big occasions as there's a lot of work involved... We divided a workload here at Casa di Anula - I made the sauce and filling (making even FRESH home made ricotta!) and Hubby made pasta.

How to make it...

Sweet Moroccan style chicken with couscous...

As you know chicken is one of the cheapest meats that is there at the moment. So why not take an advantage of it and cook it more often. We were bored with traditional roast or an Indian dishes which we cooked a lot recently. While browsing through one of many of our cookbooks my Hubby found an amazing recipe! Something Moroccan... I have to warn you - it's quite sweet and fragrant dish so it might not be for everyone. But please DO try it if the list of ingredients appeals to you - it certainly did to my Hubby ;)
At the end of the day we came to the conclusion that if you like you can end up with two dishes. The chicken with sauce would be perfect with plain boiled rice, as the sauce carries a lot of flavour. The couscous would perfectly compliment for example a lamb tagine or lamb/chicken skewers.
The recipe comes from a great book 'The chicken' by Simona Hill.

How to make it...

How to joint a raw chicken...

We always buy a whole chicken, never only breasts or legs. It's often more expensive to buy two ready-prepared chicken breasts than a whole chicken. From a whole chicken you'll get two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks, plus a carcass and wings for making simple stock.

My HUGE and best advice I can give you is to buy a free range whenever possible (organic would be ideal, but let be honest not everyone can afford such a luxury... I know I can't...). You will really notice a difference between farmed chicken and a free range one. The smell, the colour of the meat and taste - you won't regret buying a free range bird! Most of the supermarkets now offer a free range chickens for a reasonable price - look for a good looking bird with big, plump breasts (always a good sign ;) ) and whole, unbroken legs are always a good indication of a nice chicken.

Once you have your whole bird at home you have to joint it - well I guess you can always roast a whole chicken, but how many times can you eat it before you get bored and want something different... ;) Jointing is nothing to be afraid of. First of all, if you're buying a chicken from a butcher, you can ask him to joint it for you, but if you bought one in the local shop/supermarket you need to do it yourself at home. The main requirement is a really sharp knife and some really basic knife skills. So lets start:


How to do it...

My family's favourite spaghetti...

I just KNOW that each and every family that cooks at home has their own, unique recipe for their family's favourite spaghetti - and probably sometimes it has nothing in common with Italian, traditional version. So I also have a recipe which I cook over and over again and every time it's just perfect - the way we like it here at Casa di Anula ;) It's quite meaty, but has more vegs than only tomatoes. So if you're looking for a little bit of inspiration for your own spaghetti, or just want to try my version, here it is:

How to make it:

Apple & pear cinnamon muffins...

The other day I wanted something sweet - and I wanted it NOW! Unfortunately there was a case of not many 'baking' ingredients at home so I had to do with what I had at the time. Only(!) 1 apple, 1 pear, 3 eggs, but lots of flour (different types) and oil (not even a butter in the fridge..). So thinking about right proportions between liquid and the dry ingredients and the fact I wanted something quick in the making and baking ;) muffins were the obvious choice... The result -> deliciousness! Between me, Hubby and lil Baby J they disappeared in not even 2 whole days... and that's the best recommendation I can give you for those! Hope you'll try and make them!
If you don't like cinnamon you can easily omit it here, but it goes really well with the apple and pear. you can use different fruits though - maybe a banana...?

How to make it...

The Daring Bakers #20 Challah... and my childhood memories :)

May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.

"Challah (also ḥallah plural: challot/ḥalloth/khallos) (Hebrew: חלה) is a special braided bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays. According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late afternoon) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread. This "double loaf" (in Hebrew: lechem mishneh) commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before the holiday or sabbath. Each single loaf is woven with six strands, both loaves have twelve which represent each tribe of Israel." - by Wikipedia.org

Challah - or chalka in Polish - is something I'm very familiar with :) I remember when I was only few years old and we had some leftover, a little on the hard side, chalka. My dad used to warm some milk and put a little bit of sugar in it. He then tear the chalka (or chopped into a big cubes) and add to the milk. Chalka would soak all the sugary, warm milk and... that would be my breakfast! Nothing better on a cold winter morning... especially when you have a hard school day in front of you ;)
This time it was my Hubby who fought with this month's challenge. It's Him who bakes all the breads at home so why not this time ;) The result was fantastic! Just like I remembered it.. You have to try it!
Oh, and Ruth - thank you my dear for the great challenge and bringing back those great, childhood memories! xoxo

How to make it...

Polish cream pie - kremowka - Pope John Paul II favourite...

"Kremówka, napoleonka is a Polish type of cream pie. It is made of two layers of puff pastry, filled with whipped cream, creamy butter cream, vanilla pastry cream (custard cream) or sometimes egg white cream, and is usually sprinkled with powdered sugar. It also can be decorated with cream or covered with a layer of icing.
The cake itself is a variation of mille-feuille - a French dessert made of three layers of puff pastry filled with cream or jam - also known as the Napoleon.
On 16 June 1999 pope John Paul II mentioned that after he had completed his matura exam, he had kremówkas with his colleagues in his home town of Wadowice. They wagered who could eat more. The future Pope ate eighteen kremówkas but did not win the bet.

And there was a cake shop. After the matura (matura is a Polish equivalent of a leaving certificate exam) we went for kremówkas. That we survived that all, those kremówkas after the matura....

—Pope John Paul II

This was publicized by media, and "papal" kremówkas from Wadowice became popular in Poland. "Papal kremówkas" are filled with pastry (custard) cream." - by Wikipedia.org

Everyone, but everyone, heard about kremowka in Poland. That's also due to Pope who was so fond of them. I ate them few times in cafe or cake shops but never made one myself. And this time I didn't make it either ;) I just bake the puff pastry and it was my Hubby who was responsible for making the crème patissière. We didn't know exactly where to find a good and reliable recipe for the cream but fortunately Raymond book came to the rescue! It's actually quite easy to make and it's very smooth, light and... delicious! :)

How to make it...

Chicken Saag - chicken in spinach Indian style...

"Saag (Hindi: साग; Punjabi: ਸਾਗ ; Oriya: ଶାଗ) or sag is a spinach and/or mustard leaf-based dish eaten in South Asia with bread such as roti or naan, or rice (in Orissa and West Bengal). Saag can be made from spinach, mustard leaves, finely chopped broccoli, or other greens, along with added spices and sometimes other ingredients such as paneer. On some menus, it is called saagwala.
Saag is more common in Punjab, especially Sarsoon da saag, where it may be eaten with makki di roti. This roti is made of corn flour and is yellow in colour, though it can also be eaten with other breads. Saag/sag however can be a catch-all term for various green-leaved dishes. Sag aloo is a common dish in Pakistani/Indian cuisine as served in restaurants and take-aways in the Western world." - by Wikipedia.org

I just love spinach so when I saw this recipe I thought it's perfect for me and my family (lil J is a huge spinach fan too - after mummy :) ). It's easy and delicious - so what do you want more from a recipe. Spinach is very popular in Indian cuisine and is widely used. I would even go as far as to say that after aubergine, onions and okra it's next vegetable on the priority list in an Indian kitchen. Hope you'll like it as much as I did!
This recipe comes from a great cookbook 'Complete Indian Cooking' by M.Baljekar, R.Fernandez, S.Husain and M.Kanani.

How to make it...

Spiced potato soup...

Light and tasty, this creamy and mild vegetable soup is perfect for lunch or as a starter. It's good warm or cold. It's very cheap to make and also quick and easy - something great to fit into a busy family life.
One tip I can give when cooking Indian dishes (or all others as well for that matter) prepare all your spices, measure them before you even start cooking. Sometimes a spice list can be very long and you can mix something up when trying to add them and measure quickly when already cooking.

How to make it...

Curried lamb samosas...

"A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, ground lamb or chicken. The size, shape and consistency may vary, but many versions are triangular. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney. Samosas are a popular appetizer or snack in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, and South Africa." - by Wikipedia.org

I always wanted to make samosas. I didn't have a filo pastry at home though - which is usually used to make them - but I remembered that The Hairy Bakers made samosas once and it was a home made pastry, not filo. Found the recipe for the pastry online and the only thing left to 'create' was filling. Finally had an excuse to use that lamb laying in our freezer for some time now. I loved those samosas! You can eat them warm but personally I think (and mu Hubby thinks that as well) they are better cold. There is some work with the pastry itself but it's well worth it!!! :)

How to make it...