Angie's Recipes . Taste Of Home

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Belgian Endive Gratin

Thursday, March 10, 2022

A relative of chicory and escarole, Belgian endive, aka French endive or witloof, is slightly bitter, crisp, cream-coloured vegetable shaped like a bullet or tulip. It is grown in complete darkness to avoid turning green and to preserve its delicate flavor. It is available throughout the year, with a peak season from September to May. When cleaning your endives, don’t wash or soak them, as it brings out their bitterness. If they need to be cleaned, wipe them with a moist, damp paper towel.
Belgian endive makes a great addition to salads, especially those that contain cheese, bacon, eggs, citrus and nuts. Crisp and somewhat bitter when raw, Belgian endive develops a mellow, slightly nutty flavor when cooked. It shines when quickly stir-fried, lightly braised, steamed, grilled or roasted. It's hard to go wrong with this incredibly versatile and nutrient-dense vegetable.

5-6 head Belgian endive, trimmed, halved vertically (800-1000g)
2 tbsp Lemon juice
60 g Sundried tomatoes in olive oil
1 clove Garlic, peeled and halved
300 ml Coconut milk or heavy cream
1/2 bunch Parsley, finely chopped
50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Lightly grease a large baking dish or a cast iron pan. Discard any of the endive’s bruised or wilted outer leaves. Cut away a thin slice from the root end to remove the discolored stem. Cut each head of endive in half lengthwise.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water with lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the endives into the water. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Take the endives out and transfer them to a colander to drain thoroughly. Gently squeeze them if needed, but without damaging them.
Preheat the oven to 220C/410F. Drain the tomatoes and place them in a skillet together with garlic and coconut milk or heavy cream. Bring it to a boil. Transfer the mixture into the measuring cup of a stick blender and process until combined. Add in half of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Season well with salt and pepper.
Arrange the drained endive halves into the prepared baking dish or pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of chopped parsley over. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 15-18 minutes in the middle of hot oven.

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Potato and Egg Salad with Pesto

Monday, March 07, 2022

This quick pesto potato salad with eggs actually makes a complete meal. It's quick, simple, but very delicious and satisfying. It is a salad that can be done throughout the entire year! Prepare it the night before, the flavours will have time to be mingled together. Sprinkle some crispy bacon bites over if you desired.

Salad	Almond Pesto
650 g Baby potatoes 4 Medium eggs, at room temperature 50 g Arugula or other baby greens Dill or herb of your choice 150 g Vine-ripened cherry tomatoes	1 bunch Basil, leaves picked 30 g Arugula or parsley 2-3 Garlic cloves, crushed 30 g Grated parmesan 100 g Roasted almond flakes 2 tsp Lemon zest, plus juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp Smoked paprika 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil

For the pesto, place all ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Season and set aside.
Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold salted water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool completely, then halve.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil over medium-high heat. Cook eggs for 7 minutes for hard-boiled or cooked to your liking. Drain and run under cold water.
Place potatoes in a bowl with half the pesto and toss to combine. Add the arugula leaves, dill or herb of your choice and tomatoes.
Peel the eggs and halve. Place on top of the salad and serve with extra pesto.

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Beetroot Rye Bread with Cacao Nibs

Friday, March 04, 2022

Put a fun twist on your delicious homemade rye bread with some organic beetroot juice and cacao nibs. The sweetness of the beetroot not only adds depth and earthy flavour to your bread, but also balances perfectly the bitterness of cacao nibs.
It’s a slightly dense bread due to the use of rye and bread flour, but it is very satisfying and goes well with soup, salad or as a substantial and healthy breakfast with some sliced avocados. Score the bread any way you like, a simple cross is great or hashtag like I did. If you are interested, here is an article about bread scoring patterns I found on Bon Appetit.

260 ml Organic beetroot juice
250 g Bread flour
150 g Rye flour
3/4 tsp Smoked salt
10 g Fresh yeast, crumbled
2 tbsp Cacao nibs

Warm up the beetroot juice in a saucepan until lukewarm. Place bread flour, rye flour and smoked salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Crumble the fresh yeast into the lukewarm beet juice. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.
Add beet juice yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed and knead until elastic and smooth. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using your fist, punch dough down. Add in cacao nibs. Knead to combine and shape the dough into a round.
Dust a proofing basket with some flour. Place the dough, seam side up, into the basket. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 45 minutes to prove until almost doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush or spray the surface with water. Use a small sharp knife or a bread lame to score the bread with decorative cuts.
Place a bowl of water on the bottom of your oven. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180C/350F and bake for a further 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely before slicing.

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5-Banana Banana Bread

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

This banana bread is moist and delicious with loads of banana flavour! Don’t overmix the ingredients or the bread won't be soft and tender, and make sure the bananas are very ripe. If your bananas aren’t very ripe, you can place them on a foil covered baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 150C/300F until the skins turn black. It releases the sugar and makes them perfect for baking. If you don't enjoy a walnut-studded quick bread, just leave it out or use chocolate or fruit instead.

125 g White spelt flour
125 g White bread flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt (I used Kala Namak black salt)
100 g Lard (or butter)
100 g Coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 Large eggs, at room-temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
5 Very ripe bananas, mashed
120 g Walnuts chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease a 8-9x5 inch loaf pan or line with a parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt. Using electric mixer, cream lard and coconut sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir the banana mixture into flour mixture just until combined.
Fold in walnuts if using and pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

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Pork Belly Chips

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Deep fried thinly sliced pork belly with a simple black vinegar dipping sauce. The pork belly was first pressure cooked in a seasoned broth, chilled, sliced and then fried until crisp. It can be enjoyed on its own as a snack (seriously the best chips that I have ever had), or as the main with some seasonal salad or use them as the soup topping. I had to tweak the recipe that I found on Raymund's blog a bit (to add chilli, fish sauce, and black salt) based on my taste and what I have in pantry.

1-1.5 kg Pork belly, (1 big piece, do not slice)
2 tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning
1 tbsp Fish sauce
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp Black peppercorns
4 Bay leaves
3 Dried chillies
1/2 tsp Kala Nama black salt (or sea salt)
400 ml Water
1 kg Lard for frying

Place the pork belly, skin side up, in your Instant Pot together with the Maggi liquid seasoning, crushed garlic cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves, dried chillies and kala nama black salt.
Pour in water and lock on the lid, making sure the steam release valve is in “Sealing” position. Cook for 25 minutes. Once all the pressure has been released, remove the pork belly and pat it dry with a paper towel. Once it's cooled to room temperature, refrigerate it for over night.
Remove the pork belly from the frigerator and cut into 3-4mm thin slices.
Heat the lard in a large saucepan until the temperature reaches 180C/350F. Lower the pork belly slices into the hot lard and fry for 15 minutes. Remove and drain on the kitchen paper. Cool for 30-60 minutes.
Bring the lard back to boil and refry the pork belly slices on high for 5 minutes until nicely golden brown and crisp. Serve with your favourite sauce. I like to dip them with a mixture of black vinegar, light soya sauce, minced garlic and chopped coriander leaves.

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Oliebollen Dutch Doughnuts

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Oliebollen ((literally, "oil balls"), aka Dutch Doughnuts, are traditionally made and enjoyed as a New Years treat in Holland. But you can always make them at home whenever a craving hits! They can be made plain, but are typically filled with raisins or/and apples, then fried until golden brown and served warm dusted generously with powdered sugar. Crisp on the outside with a pillowy center that’s not too sweet. Absolutely irresistible! They taste the best when hot, but still wicked good at room-temperature. You can easily use Air Fryer or oven to reheat them. This recipe makes roughly 12-14Oliebollen, depending on how you scoop your Oliebollen.

250 g Raisins
16 g Fresh yeast (or 9 g active dry yeast)
250 ml Lukewarm milk
270 g White spelt flour (or ap flour)
1 Large egg, at room-temperature
1/3 tsp Black salt (or regular sea salt)
1 kg Lard for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

Soak the raisins for at least one hour in water, preferably overnight. Drain and pad dry with paper towels before use.
Place yeast and lukewarm milk in a bowl and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 10 minutes or until mixture bubbles.
Place flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture and eggs into the well and stir into a smooth batter. Add in drained raisins and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
Melt the lard in a deep-fryer or a large saucepan over medium heat to 190C/375F. Take a small piece of bread and put it in the lard. If it starts to fry immediately, then it's ready for frying. Working in batches, use 2 metal spoons (or an ice cream scoop) to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil. Deep-fry, turning halfway, for 5-7 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Dust doughnuts generously with icing sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy them hot if possible. You can use Air Fryer or oven to reheat them.