Creamy Quince and Parsnip Soup
Monday, October 31, 2022This fruity and delicious soup will protect you perfectly during the cold season, as quince provides plenty of immune-boosting vitamin C and contains tannins and tartaric acid, which have antiviral and antibacterial effects. Along with vitamin C, parsnips are rich in potassium, a mineral that helps your heart function, balances your blood pressure, and lowers your risk for kidney stones. It's economical, easy to throw together with a few ingredients and incredibly versatile. Besides parsnip, you can also use pumpkin, root celery, carrot or sweet potato to make the soup.
White Chocolate Ganache Tart
Friday, October 28, 2022A superbly rich and creamy white chocolate ganache tart that requires no baking and uses seasonal raspberries. The crust can be prepared one day ahead. Chill the tart until the cream is fully set for easier cutting or put it in the freezer for an hour if you are in a rush. Use coconut cream and coconut fat as substitutes if you are sensitive to dairy. While I have used a 23cm round tart pan, you could use whatever shaped tart pan or even individual-sized ones you have, but keep in mind this may affect the amounts of white chocolate ganache you’ll need.
Keto Pumpkin Schnitzels
Wednesday, October 26, 2022These non-traditional schnitzels with a seasonal twist - PUMPKIN would make a delicious Thanksgiving or fall appetizer. The crunchy nutty cheesy coating of the pumpkin schnitzel is a perfect complement to the sweet soft pumpkin inside. They are perfect to eat on its own, but you can dip them with a sour cream sauce or homemade mayonnaise with herbs if desired. I used Hokkaido pumpkin, which doesn’t have be skinned, but butternut, or muscat pumpkin would also great for the recipe.
Aubergine with Tahini Yoghurt and Zhoug
Sunday, October 23, 2022Eggplants or aubergines are incredibly versatile and one of few vegetables that I can enjoy without having stomach issues. This warm Middle Eastern eggplant salad on a bed of tahini-yoghurt is great with roasted meat or poultry, especially if they are beautifully charred. Zhoug is a popular Middle Eastern condiment made with fresh cilantro, jalapeños, cumin and garlic. Instead of this spicy cilantro-based sauce, you can also drizzle the roasted eggplants with a little pomegranate molasses. The tahini yoghurt and zhoug can be prepared one day ahead.
Snow Pea Pistachio Pesto
Friday, October 21, 2022Ditch the store-bought one and make your own fresh-as-can-be pesto! I've swapped basil for snow peas and flat parsley to make this vibrant and versatile Italian sauce – toss through pasta, stir through roasted potatos and vegetables, use as a pizza sauce, spread on bread and more. Once made, fresh pesto is best used straight away, but will keep for a few days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Red Lentils Stuffed Quinces
Wednesday, October 19, 2022A delicious stuffed quince recipe with red lentils, grape tomatoes and dill. It's easy to make, and very tasty, verstatile and filling--a perfect Fall meal. Like apples and pears, quinces are great to use for the savoury dishes. In this easy stuffed quince recipe, the fruit is first poached in lemon water, then stuffed and baked. It's very difficult to hollow out raw quinces as they are hard, so poach them until soft before you can cut them up and stuff them, but you can do this in advance.
Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken
Sunday, October 16, 2022Piri piri (or peri peri / peli-peli) chicken, a very popular Portuguese dish, is traditionally made with piri piri chilli peppers which originated in South Africa, and were imported to Portugal from two Portuguese colonies, Angola and Mozambique. However, you can use any hot chilli such as bird’s eye chilli, or a even chilli paste (I used sambal olek here) to make the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for 4-6 hours for the optimum flavor and texture. You don't want to marinate it longer than overnight as the marinade contains accid which will result more stringy and dry chicken if you leave it too long. Serve this easy one-pan traybake with rice (to soak up the extra sauce), a salad or potatoes for a wonderful weekday meal.
Braided Coconut Buns
Thursday, October 13, 2022These sweet little buns are buttery, light, and fluffy with a sweet coconut filling. Serve them as breakfast, a snack or even dessert that no one can resist. If you don't care about the coconut, then use this enriched dough recipe for the cinnamon buns. They will stay fresh in a plastic box at room temperaute for 2-3 days, but of course nothing can beat devouring them still warm, fresh from the oven of course. Freeze the rest in the freezer bags for a rainy day.
Pecan Quinoa Stuffed Medjool Dates
Tuesday, October 11, 2022A simple gluten free appetizer or snack that is ready in no time and will be a real crowd-pleaser. Bursting with flavour, it will be hard to have just one of these sweet and savoury morsels. If desired, wrap bacon around each stuffed date and secure with toothpick. Bake for 15 minutes until bacon is crisp. I garnished them with some fresh sage leaves, but next time I would make some crispy sage leaves to top the stuffed dates. If you don't have pecans, just substitute equal amounts of walnuts, macadamia, pistachios or hazelnuts.
Quince Candies
Saturday, October 08, 2022 A quince looks like a mixture of apple and pear - no wonder, because the three pom fruits are closely related. But unlike apples and pears, a ripe quince still has a hard texture. Their taste is aromatic, fruity and lemony - but only when cooked. The fruits are full of healthy nutrients. Besides plenty of potassium, quinces provide minerals and trace elements such as sodium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese and fluorine, which are responsible for cell metabolism and oxygen transport in the body, among other things.
The quince are not suitable for raw consumption. They are not poisonous, but mostly hard, woody and bitter. The flesh only develops its aromatic, tart flavour when cooked, when the acids and bitter substances disappear. Quince can be roasted, stewed, pureed, poached, baked, made into jelly, or grilled.
In Latin America, Spain and Portugal, quince candies are a popular snack, especially at Christmas. But it tastes good all year round with cheese, nuts or meat. Quince candies can be kept for up to 6 months if dry and packed in an airtight container. So it is important that the mixture is really well dried out. To prevent the quince candies from sticking together, separate the individual layers with parchment paper.
The prepartion of these tough fruits is time consuming, but the result is certainly worth the effort. For quick quince candies, you can also dry the mixture in a preheated oven (with the oven door ajar) at 60C/140F degrees with fan on for approx. 6-8 hours, depending on the consistency. I left mine on the kitchen counter for 6, almost 7 days to dry.
Not every variety of quince turns reddish when cooked. Some quinces remain pale yellow after cooking. For a reddish quince candy you can use the varieties Bereczki or Portugieser.
Country Crust Bread
Thursday, October 06, 2022Thin crispy crust and a tender, moist interior - that's exactly how this delicious and aromatic country crust bread turned out to be and perfect for tearing, dipping or slathering with butter. I have baked this bread directly on a baking stone with steam, but you certainly can use a baking tray instead or a Dutch-Oven. Divide the dough into two at the end of bulk fermentation if desired and shape each into different forms (batards and boules). The baking temperature can be left as it is, but the baking time must be adjusted depending on the size of the loaves.
Stuffed Eggplants with Lamb and Apricot Chutney
Tuesday, October 04, 2022An easy stuffed eggplant recipe - delicious, comforting and loaded with flavour! The medium-sized eggplants are first roasted until tender, then filled with ground lamb and apricot chutney, returned to the oven for a further 15 minutes until very soft and tender. Whether you're looking for a simple weeknight meal or something to show off at your next dinner party, these delicious stuffed eggplants are sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Feel free to make the recipe with your favorite stuffing (red lentil, chickpea, haloumi, etc). If you belongs to those people with OR6A2 gene who are sensitive to the aldehyde component (the soapy smell) found in cilantro and dislike the taste of cilantro, use flat parsley instead.