Baked Salmon with Green Asparagus
Tuesday, February 28, 2023Whip up this quick and easy one pan salmon recipe for your dinner! In just 20 minutes, you can have a complete dinner ready to serve your family. Salmon and asparagus are baked together with compound butter infused with lemon and fresh herbs that add depth of flavour and richness to the dish. It's gluten-free and keto-friendly.
Maritozzi Buns with Marmalade and Pistachios
Sunday, February 26, 2023Maritozzi are classic dessert buns from Rome made with an enriched dough and filled generously with cream. Unlike the traditional one, I filled these buns not only with cream, but also with a homemade marmalade (lemon curd would be excellent too) and some chopped pistachios. Enjoy them as a breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up with a pot of freshly brewed coffee. The whipped cream can be garnished with chocolate or other nuts too. Maritozzi are best served on the day but the buns can be made a day in advance if needed. If 8 is too many, freeze half of the unfilled buns, and use them later as burger buns, or to make more maritozzi.
Roasted Purple Potato Wedges with Frankfurt Green Sauce
Friday, February 24, 2023Frankfurt green sauce / Frankfurter Grüne Soße from Germany is a creamy blend of fresh herbs, yogurt, sour cream, and oil that is usually served cold with hard-boiled eggs, boiled potatoes (great with roasted potatoes too) or meat. Traditionally it is made of seven different kinds of herbs: borage / Borretsch, chervil / Kerbel, cress / Kresse, parsley / Petersilie, salad burnet / Pimpinelle, sorrel / Sauerampfer and chives / Schnittlauch. I simply used a mixture of fresh herbs and greens, so put together your own mixture if you cannot find all the taditional herbs.
This healthy combination of seven tasty and finely balanced herbs was one of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's favourites. A famous myth is that this sauce was invented by his mother. Actually, the first green sauce recipe was published in 1860 in a cookbook by Wilhelmine Rührig.
This distinctive green sauce is a perfect bold partner for those roasted purple potato wedges. This recipe will probably make more green sauce than you need but it is delicious on many things, such as toasted sourdough bread, roasted carrots, pumpkins or bbq chicken.
Breakfast Tortilla with Fried Egg, Cucumber Salsa and Chilli Sauce
Wednesday, February 22, 2023Breakfast Tortillas are fresh and delicious with fried egg, cucumber salsa and top with a homemade chilli sauce or your favourite hot sauce, which harmonizes perfectly with the delicate fried egg. Both cucumber salsa and chilli sauce can be made ahead, and when ready to serve, warm up the tortilla wraps and fry eggs. You can also add some bacon and cheese for a even richer and more satisfying meal.
Chicken Puttanesca
Monday, February 20, 2023Puttanesca tomato sauce, originated from Naples, packed with black olives, garlic, chilli flakes, capers, oregano, and anchovies—is traditionally paired with various kinds of pasta. But this pleasantly spicy sauce is also supremely good with skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs that have been pan seared crispy first then simmered low and slow in the rich sauce to absorb all the flavours for an easy dinner that will be a hit with all the family. If desired, serve over some mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles.
Sesame Seared Tuna with Herby Runner Beans
Saturday, February 18, 2023Fresh tuna steaks are crusted with black sesame seeds, then quickly seared and served rare, so be sure to use the best quality fresh tuna that you could find. It's quick and easy enough for a weeknight but also special enough for entertaining. Tuna is healthy, packs in nutrients, with lots of omega-3 fatty acids and protein. The underated runner beans, aka stringless beans, are a member of the bean family and they have a mild, pleasant taste. They are an excellent protein source, as 29% of their calories are from protein, and high in folate and fiber too.
Green Superfood Salad with Black Garlic Vinaigrette
Thursday, February 16, 2023This lean green superfood salad is easy to make, loaded with curly lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, arugula, avocado, and a simple black garlic vinaigrette. A nutrient-dense and gluten-free salad that's perfect as a light lunch or a side for some steak or seafood. The fermented black garlic adds depth and gives that extra something to the salad and the dressing. Feel free to use other leafy green and for even more protein, add some edamame to the salad.
Black garlic is fresh raw garlic that undergoes a slow, fermentation process under low heat and humidity. Due to the long fermentaion process (30-60 days), the cloves turn a distinct black color. The garlic’s texture and flavour change as well. It’s softer, chewier, and sweeter than regular raw garlic. According to Webmd, black garlic boasts higher concentrations of many nutrients, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds, which may help improve the health of your liver, increased immunity, lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and regulate blood sugar levels.
Pistachio Tart with Raspberries
Tuesday, February 14, 2023Pistachios, marzipan and raspberries snuggle together with a layer of fresh cheese cream in the tart recipe, dotted with fresh raspberries and more pistachios. The only way to achieve the beautiful green pistachio colour is to use shelled raw pistachios without papery brown skins or pistachio paste. I also added a teaspoon of green superfood powder to the pistachios cream, but it's completely optional. Besides raspberries, you can also use other berries or cherries. If you don't want to make your pie crust from scratch, you don't have to. Just buy a premade pastry crust. If the real butter crust is not available, you can still up-cycle store-bought pastry crust by brushing it with melted butter, then blind-bake the crust.
Baked Quail Eggs in Coconut Milk with Truffle Butter
Sunday, February 12, 2023It’s a quick and easy recipe that requires minimal ingredients and effort to make. Perfect as a breakfast or an appetizer served with your favourite crusty bread or even a salad for maximum enjoyment and flavour! If desired, add some bacon bits and cheese for extra flavour and texture.
I used black pepper from Kerala--home to the best peppers in the world, but you can use Tellicherry or Kampot.
Gluten Free Honey Tahini Cookies
Friday, February 10, 2023These delicious honey tahini cookies are both chewy and crisp and so easy to make. The rich tahini gives these cookies a addictively nutty, almost fudgy texture and earthy flavour while sesame seeds coating for extra crunch. They are grain-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, egg-free and dairy-free. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
White Chocolate Macadamia Truffles with Pink Pepperberries
Wednesday, February 08, 2023These chocolate truffles combine two favorite decadent ingredients – roasted salted macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Vanilla helps to enhance and balance the flavours of the white chocolate and macadamia nuts. It’s rich, creamy and delicious, and the contrast between the nutty saltiness of macadamia nuts to the sweetness of the creamy white chocolate truffle is totally irresistible. These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother's Day or gifting to someone special.
Sweet, fruity with a peppery flavour, pink peppercorns, aka Schinus Berries, are either Peruvian Pepper (Schinus molle) or Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). Both are very similar in flavour profile. They are actually not peppercorns at all and are not even related to the pepper nigrum plant. Pink peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavour. They are reminiscent of a mild citrus zest and sweet berries. They are used to add a touch of both colour and flavour to many dishes, especially well in fruit sauces, in vinaigrette, desserts, fresh cheeses and chocolate, also ideal for soups, risottos and fish dishes.
Pan Seared Steak with Creamy Long Pepper Sauce
Monday, February 06, 2023A quick, creamy peppercorn sauce is the perfect accompaniment to steak, chicken, mushrooms, or even potatoes. Add a couple of tablespoons of brandy to the sauce for the extra flavour if desired. I used distinctive long pepper here, but regular black peppercorns work just as great. Another great alternative for the sauce would be bourbon smoked peppercorns, that would add some amazing smoky aroma and flavour.
Long pepper is a close relative of black pepper. As opposed to the small spheres of black pepper, the long pepper is 2-4cm long and conical, with tightly-clustered peppercorns. In India the long pepper is sometimes used in combination with other herbs in Ayurvedic medicine.
It has a sharp, warm and sweet flavour of liquorice and dark chocolate. It is sharper and more intense than traditional black pepper. Alongside the peppery spiciness, this amazing pepper delivers a taste similar to that of mixed spice thanks to the subtle hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom. Long pepper can be used as whole, crushed in a mortar and pestle, or broken into pieces and put in a spice grinder. In sauces, broths or marinades, it can develop its slightly sweet flower scent. But with increasing cooking time, the sharpness increases too.
There are two types long pepper, India's piper longum, and piper retrofactum, which grows in Indonesia and tends to be cheaper and easier to find. It's not a common ingredient outside of India and southeast Asia, but it can be found online and in Asian markets.