I falafel you ♥

Remember that episode of "How I met your mother" where Robin already knew she loved Ted, but just couldn't say it?  Instead, she said "falafel" -- simply because it's such a funny word.  Maybe words are not that important, as long as we manage to get the right message across?  And maybe it's perfectly fine to say "falafel" instead of "I love you" -- as long as the one you're saying it to doesn't think you're just suggesting a snack?  

Inspired by today's visit to the René Magritte museum, I thus repeat after the painter: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe." ...I mean: "Ceci n'est pas un falafel." (I hope you do get that in fact it is a falafel).

  Before & after soaking

Come to think of it, there are quite a few funny words Robin could have used instead of "falafel".  She could, for example, have said "I chihuahua you at first sight".  Or "I kerfuffle you with all my heart."  "I snickerdoodle you as much as you snickerdoodle me."  "Do you still knickerbocker me?" "I have been the happiest person on Earth since you told me that you bumblebee me." 

OK, before you're left flabbergasted by all this gobbledygook and jabberwocky, I'm going to cut to the chase.

I've been a big fan of falafels since forever, and was on the lookout for a nice recipe which didn't involve deep-frying or adding a huge amount of fat.  This one (adapted from BBC Good Food) is a perfect fit!  The falafels are very delicious, not too fatty and perfectly spiced (in this respect you can just follow your own taste and add whatever you like). Though they are good on their own, I find they are at their best in a warm pita bread -- accompanied by a cucumber-tomato-red onion salad and drizzled with a lime-garlic-cilantro yoghurt sauce.

Try this out and you will find yourself saying: "I falafel you, falafel!"

Ingredients:

• 180 g (a bit less than a cup) of dried chickpeas (or one 400 g can)
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large egg, beaten
• a large handful of fresh cilantro (chopped) 
• 1 tsp of ground cumin + 1 tsp of ground cilantro (can be replaced by your favorite spices)
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight.  Rinse and cook until soft.  Blend or mash (I mashed using a fork).
• Glaze the onion with a bit of olive oil.  Add to chickpeas, together with the egg, cilantro, garlic and spices.  Mix with a spoon or by hand.
• Form small, round balls, flatten them in your hands and fry on a bit of hot olive oil until golden brown.
• Serve with pita bread, vegetable salad (simply dice cucumber, tomatoes and red onion -- or any other veggies you have/like, add salt & pepper and fresh cilantro), and yoghurt sauce (the latter is crucial for great overall taste, as the falafel can be a bit dry without it.  Just mix some Greek yoghurt with minced garlic, lime zest and fresh cilantro).

Bon appetit!

Cranberry cheesecake

Red & white.  Sweet & tart.  Creamy & crunchy.  Mmmm - what an excellent harmony of contradictions!  This cheesecake is a perfect dessert to prepare on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  You can watch the food processor do the work for you, while you sip a good aperitif -- ekhm, I mean herbal tea -- and nibble on a left-over biscuit.

The cheesecake it ridiculously easy to make, but at the same time looks impressive -- so you can invite people over to show off, and listen to their compliments of you rising to the heights of culinary stardom.

This cheesecake reminds me a lot of American cheesecakes you can get at Starbucks or other coffeehouses.  It's nothing like traditional Polish cheesecakes, which is all the better for me, as I don't like the latter.   It's so un-be-lie-va-bly creamy that you have to be careful when cutting it (it's best to use a big, sharp knife, dipped in boiling water (and wiped dry)).  
 

You could also prepare it in cute small baking trays and serve as individual portions.  Especially recommended, if you're after even more compliments.

The cheesecake is very versatile and can be made all year round.  You can also use other fruit and types of chocolate.  I promised my boyfriend (who was very sad to see how quickly the cheesecake "disappeared") to make a sour cherry & dark chocolate version next time.  I have a suspicion it will be just as excellent.

The recipe comes from Dorotus' blog.

Ingredients:

• 180 g of digestive biscuits
• 80 g of butter (melted)
• 450 g of cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• 180 g of white chocolate + 70 g for decoration
• 100 ml of cream
• 110 g of powdered sugar (next time I would add a bit less, as the cheesecake was a tad too sweet for my taste)
• Zest of 1 lime
• 300 g of fresh cranberries

Directions:

• Crush the biscuits in a food processor, or by hand (you can put them in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin).  Add the melted butter.  Distribute evenly on the bottom of a round baking tray (lined with parchment paper and 24 cm in diameter), and push down with your fingers.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the over to 160°C.
• Melt 180 g of chocolate and the cream in a bain-marie (bowl over a pot with boiling water).  Let cool down a bit.
• Mix the cream cheese, egg, sugar and lime zest until smooth.  Add the cooled down chocolate and mix again.
• Pour mixture over cooled biscuit bottom.  Sprinkle cranberries on top.  Bake for around an hour.  Let cool down.
• Melt the remaining chocolate in the bain-marie.  Decorate the cake using a spoon or a cake decorating pen.  Refrigerate for a few hours, preferably over night, before serving.

Bon appetit!

Lazy dumplings

It's a truth universally acknowledged that your outlook on things is determined by your position.  It's all relative.  Your point of view depends on the point from where you are viewing.  

The anecdote about the Jew and the goat comes to mind.  A poor Jew had to live in a tiny, shabby house with his large family.  He was very uncomfortable and unhappy, and went to the rabbi to get some advice.  The smart rabbi thought about the problem for a while, and then told the man to buy a goat, and keep it at his house.  The Jew was a bit surprised to hear this advice, but obeyed the rabbi.  After weeks of major struggling and enduring the difficulties that came with fitting the smelly goat in the tiny house, the man came back to the rabbi as agreed.  "Please explain to me, rabbi, how has any of this been of help to my situation?" he asked.  "If anything, I'm even more uncomfortable, I cannot stand the bad smell, there is absolutely no space for us."  The rabbi replied: "Sell the goat and you will see."  The Jew did as advised, and from then on lived happily ever after, now very satisfied with his (objectively unchanged) house.

You're probably thinking: thanks for telling this funny story, but what the heck does this have to do with these dumplings?  Don't worry, I did not buy that goat from the Jew and the dumplings are not made with goat's meat :P

The "it's all relative" philosophy relates to the name of this dish.  The dumplings are strictly speaking called "lazy pierogi".  Pierogi are traditional Polish dumplings -- a bit like big ravioli.  It usually takes ages to prepare them -- first the dough, then the filling, then making every -- single -- perfect dumpling and decorating it in a traditional way.  For the lazy dumplings, however, you simply mix the ingredients and cut them in a gnocchi-like fashion.

And now we come to the gist: the term "lazy" is very relative here.  When in the "good old days" 30-40 minutes in the kitchen would seem like nothing -- a pretty lazy afternoon you could say -- nowadays things have changed drastically.  In the era when you can do take-out every day, or "prepare a meal" by throwing some ready-made pizza in the oven (which altogether requires less than a minute spent in the kitchen), 30-40 minutes is hard labor.  So I'm not so sure if nowadays we shouldn't be calling these "hard-work-dumplings" after all...

But I'll cut the philosophical stories: bottom line is these dumplings are insanely delicious, and you should definitely try them!

The recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs -- the legendary Polish blog by Dorotus.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 600 g of curd cheese (you can get it at every Polish store -- or replace with quark)
• 3 egg yolks + 3 egg whites
• 200 g of flour
• 2 vanilla sugars
• Salt
• Breadcrumbs + butter (optional)

Directions:

• Grind the cheese or mash it with a fork (I don't mind if it's not super finely mashed).  Add the egg yolks, flower and sugar, and combine.
• Beat the egg whites stiff.  Gently fold into the cheese mixture.
• Form the dough in a long, cylindric shape (I divided it into 3 parts first, and repeated the process 3 times).  You might need to use some more flower on the surface, to prevent the dough from sticking to it -- thought the less the better.  
• Cut off individual dumplings (across).
• Boil water in a big pan with a pinch of salt.  Add dumplings to boiling water, and boil until their resurface.
• Serve with breadcrumbs fried with some butter until golden.

Bon appetit!

Veggies & barley baked in a clay pot

Time for another healthy winter meal!  This dish can be made in no time: it's prepared in a clay pot, which basically does all the work for you.  You just put the ingredients in the pot, put the pot in the oven and serve once baked -- with a glamorous smile, pretending you've been slaving in the kitchen whole day to prepare such a delicious/nutritious treat.

The inspiration for this came from two sides. First, student time memories of when my Bulgarian house mate, Martina, prepared meals in cute, hand-made clay pots she brought with her from Bulgaria. I was on the look out for something similar, and managed to buy a nice clay pot last week. Second, during my recent stay in Poland, I bought literally bags and bags of healthy food -- including various nutritious grains. (There is a serious possibility the woman at the store counter declared me absolutely nuts). They now fill a huge closet in my kitchen and I'm forced to find creative ways to eat all this healthy stuff.

The pot turned out to be extremely convenient, and is great for preparing lunches you can simply heat up in the microwave at work.  It keeps the moisture in, so that the food does not dry out and retains all the flavors.  Depending on the size of the pot, you can prepare portions for one or more people (you could also buy a few small pots and serve in individual pots).  Highly recommended for all you busy people out there!

Before & after:
 

Ingredients:

• 1 small egg plant
• 1 small zucchini
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes (I used bio)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 cup of dry barley groats
• mixed dried herbs
• salt & pepper
• fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley etc.) (chopped)
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Cut all the vegetables in small-ish cubes.  Mix with barley, dried herbs, olive oil (if you use it), and season with salt and pepper.  Make sure to use all the tomato juice from the can, as the barley will need the liquid -- you can even add some water if you want to (I did not).
• Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes (which I forgot to do, and nothing happened).  Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Grilled vegetables & lemon cod skewers

High time for something light and healthy!  After all the holiday binging I am eager to switch  to steamed veggies, soups and warm salads (the cold ones I'm not so fond of during winter time).  Vegetables are extremely versatile -- there are so many different kinds, and various different ways to prepare them.  

I like to take advantage of seasonal produce as much as possible, though in general just go with the flow and buy whatever looks fresh and tempting.  Quite often I end up with triple the amount of veggies that a normal person would eat.  But what else can you expect after letting a woman loose in a store: she's bound to buy too much...

 

When I went grocery shopping last week, I noticed these cute young carrots and little cauliflowers, and of course could not resist their charm.  (Luckily, I did not buy the mini cabbages, baby zucchinis or tiny leeks -- as my fridge was already packed with veggies, and I would probably have ended up throwing them away.)  A perfect choice for a winter meal -- filling and full of flavor.  I could just as well have used normal-sized vegetables, cut in smaller pieces.  No difference in taste, but the little ones were so damn cute! 

This dish is very easy and quick to prepare.  Trust me -- I'm a lawyer.  What I mean is: if I can prepare this after the usual 11h at the office, working on tough cases -- so can you.  It's ready in no time, taste really good, and is shamelessly good for you.  

Too good to be true, right?  Well -- just see for yourself!

Ingredients:

• 200 g of young carrots (can be replaced by full-grown ones)
• 4 baby cauliflowers, cut in half (can be replaced by full-grown ones)
• 150 g of young green asparagus
• 400 g cod filet
• 150 g of chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 chopped onion
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Cut the cod in stripes or small pieces, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Put on skewers, alternating with pieces of asparagus.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Put a big pan filled with salted water to a boil.  Put in the carrots and cauliflower in the pan just for a few minutes, to blanch.  
• Heat a little bit of olive oil in a grill pan and grill the asparagus, and blanched cauliflower and carrots.  Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
• Glaze the chopped onions in a small pan with olive oil until golden.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Season with salt to taste once fried.
• Serve fish with vegetables.  Very good with a glass of wine (wine is healthy too)!

Bon appetit!

Snow!... and apple & plum crumble

 

Winter has come to Belgium!  It started snowing two days ago and a thin white coat covers the streets ever since.  Unfortunately a thin layer is all we get here -- still, it's better than nothing.  

 

One of the most beautiful winters I ever experienced was two years ago in Philadelphia (and that's where these winter pictures were taken).  A solid amount of snow, a brisk -8°C (just cold enough, but not too cold), and of course: blue sky and sunshine -- after all "it's always sunny in Philadelphia."

There is only one thing better than a walk in the snow on a sunny winter's day.  A walk in the snow on a sunny winter's day with a camera.  The photoholic that I am, I ventured on a quest to capture the beauty of winter.  I went through heaps of snow and half-frozen puddles, just to get the best shots.  

The results were great -- though I did pay the price of catching a cold and being stuck in bed for a few days (my shoes got completely soaked, so no wonder).  But who cares -- the mission was accomplished.

Of course, there are also downsides to such weather.  The snow in center city is a grey ugly mush, the pavements are so dirty and slippery that you can forget about wearing heels (sic!), and there are traffic jams everywhere.  (On the bright side -- it is always fun to watch people walk like a bunch of flamingos -- very careful not to slip on the icy surface).

Now imagine you just came back from such a wonderful winter walk.  You have the great pictures, your cheeks are nice and rosy, and... suddenly you start feeling very hungry.  Well, here is the perfect solution: a delicious, warm and filling crumble.  Apples go very well with plums, and the lemon zest just gives everything a fresh and festive taste.

Not to mention your whole house will be filled with the most divine apple-cinammon aroma.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some custard: and you're all set!

Ingredients:

• 3 large apples (variety best suited for baking, such as Bramley)
• 500 g of pitted, halved plums (mine were frozen, and defrosted)
• Zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 150 g of butter (soft)
• 200 g of flour
• 100 g of rolled oats
• 115 g of light brown sugar
• A couple of handfuls of nuts (I only had pine nuts, but chopped walnuts would be the best)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
• Core the apples and cut them in chunks.  Toss with plums in bowl, adding lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp of sugar (you can add more or less -- depending on your taste and the taste of the apples).
• Cut the butter in chunks and mix with the remaining ingredients until you get a crumbling mixture (easiest just using your hands).
• Put fruit in a baking dish, sprinkle with crumble.
• Bake around 40 minutes until fruit is bubbling, and the crumble is golden.  Serve hot.

Bon appetit!