Grain Free Lemon Ricotta Cake

 This is a wonderful grain free, almond ricotta cake bursting with fresh lemon flavour.

What you will need:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups of sugar

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract (or one vanilla bean, split and seeded)

1/4 cup of lemon zest (3-4 large lemons)

4 eggs at room temperature, separated

2 1/2 cups of almond flour

300g of smooth ricotta cheese

Flaked almond for garnish

Icing sugar for dusting

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line and grease an 8" springform cake pan

In a mixer add butter, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until it's pale and creamy, about 10 min.

Add egg yolks one at a time and incorporate well between additions.

Add almond flour and beat to combine.

Fold in ricotta cheese.

In a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (make sure your egg white are not contaminated with yolks, grease or water). Gradually add the remaining  1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold half of your egg whites into the batter and repeat with the remaining egg whites.

Pour the mixture in the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with almond flakes. 

Bake for 45 min or until firm to the touch. I found that it took more like 55 min in my oven.

Let cool completely before dusting with icing sugar.

Recipe courtesy of Cakelets and Doilies.

Zucchini, Halloumi and Fresh Herb fritters with Chilly Sauce

All I have to say about these fritters is that they are AMAZing! A staple in our household ever since my hubby and I watched one of Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking episodes featuring this recipe. 

A must try!

What you will need:

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 medium zucchini, grated

500g of halloumi cheese, grated

2 spring/green onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp of chopped coriander

2 tbsp of chopped mint

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2-4 tbsp of bread crumbs

Olive oil for frying

For the sauce:

1 tbsp of finely chopped ginger

1 Thai chilly pepper thinly sliced, with seeds

1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Splash of olive oil

1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar 

How to make it:

Put the grated carrots and zucchini in colander and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt to help draw out the moisture. Place over bowl to drain the water for about 15 min.

Squeeze out all the excess water.

Chop your fresh herbs and spring onion

In a bowl put together the carrots, zucchini, halloumi, spring onions, coriander and mint, season with salt and pepper and mix. 

Add the beaten eggs and and mix well. Add two tbsp of bread crumbs to the mixture. 

 The mixture should be firm enough to form into patties.  If not, add another tbsp of bread crumbs. The moisture content from your veggies will vary.

Shape into 6 patties and leave in the fridge for 30 min to 1 hour to firm up.

In the mean time make your sauce by combining the ingredients listed above. Adjust amounts  to your liking,but remember it is meant to compliment the fritters with a balance of sweet, sour, and spicy.

Heat a large heavy based pan (I like using cast iron) over medium heat. Fry the cakes until golden and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes a side.

Drizzle with sauce and enjoy.

Yogurt and Spinach Dip (2)

Here is another recipe for "Yogurt and Spinach Dip" which is slightly different than the previous version.

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain yogurt

1 lb fresh spinach, washed and coarsely chopped 

1 medium size onion, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 tbsp dried mint

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into a separate skillet. Sautee for about 5 minutes. Add turmeric powder and stir. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Season to taste and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Green Plum Stew

Today I have brought you another tasty Persian dish called "Green Plum Stew". To be honest, I just had heard the name of this stew a  few times before and had never made it. A few days ago, I came across green plums (not exactly as the ones that we have back home of course) at the market and I decided to make the stew for the first time. And guess what, I think I am a fan now and sure this dish will be a new regular  :).

Here is what you will need:

Serves 4

300g stew meat, chopped (I used veal here)

1 large onion, chopped

100g fresh parsley, washed, and chopped

100g fresh mint, washed, and chopped

10 -12 Green plums

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 -3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

In a small pot sauté onions in half of the vegetable oil until slightly golden. Add turmeric and stir for 1 more minute. Add chopped stew meat of your choice, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and brown meat.

Cover the pot, lower the heat, and let the meat release its juices and cook slowly. Stir occasionally. After the juice evaporates, add 2.5 cups of boiling water or beef stock and let cook on medium-low heat until meat is almost done (depending on the type of meat used, this time varies. For veal it takes about 50-60 minutes).

Meanwhile, fry the chopped herbs with the rest of the oil in a skillet (about 5 minutes) and set aside.

Add fried herbs to the pot and stir. Note 1: If you want the stew to be more sour, add the plums at the same time as the fried vegetables. If you desire less sour stew, add only a few of the plums at the time at the remaining few minutes before stew is completely done.

Cover the pot and let simmer for another 25  minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Note 2: Add some sugar if your stew taste more sour than you prefer. Let cook for another 5 minutes.

Your stew is now ready. Serve with basmati rice and enjoy :). 

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Risotto in one of my favourite quick, special and versatile dishes to make for date night with my hubby or for company. I love this risotto in particular because I love, love, love mushrooms and the dried porcini mushrooms add a lot of depth. You can top this risotto with some pan seared scallops. Yum! 

Risotto leftovers? I will show you in a later post how to make cheese stuffed risotto balls with Arrabaita sauce.  - Desi

What you will need:

1 large shallot finely diced

1 cup of arborio rice (serves 2-3 for a meal or 4 for appetizer portions)

4 tbsp of butter divided

3 tbsp of olive oil

1/4 cup of dry white wine 

250g of crimini mushrooms (sliced)

1/4 cup of dried porcini mushrooms 

1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

4 cup of chicken stock (I prefer low sodium)

Lets get cooking...

In a pot bring your chicken stock to a gentle boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and keep warm. This is a very important step. Once you start adding your stock to your risotto it is key that the stock is warm so that it doesn't stop the cooking process.

In a bowl steep your dried porcini mushrooms with hot water (about 3/4 cup) and let sit for 15 min to rehydrate.

In a pan over medium heat melt 1 tbsp of butter and saute your fresh mushroom. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large heavy sauce pan melt 1 tbsp of butter with olive oil over medium-low heat and saute your shallots until soft (3-4 min).

Add your rice and increase heat to medium. Toast your rice until it starts to look translucent (3-4 min).

Add in your wine and stir until the liquid has evaporated.

Add a couple of ladles of your chicken broth and stir until almost all the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1-2 ladlefuls waiting until each is absorbed until half way through the cooking process (10-12 min) while continuously stirring.

Strain and reserve the liquid from the the porcini mushrooms and coarsely chop your mushrooms. Add the liquid to your risotto (make sure to either strain it or just be careful when pouring since the bottom of bowl will contain sediment that you don't want).

Add in your chopped porcini mushrooms and your sauteed crimini mushrooms

.

Continue adding broth until rice is tender but still firm to bite and risotto is creamy, probably an additional 10 min. Add in remaining butter and Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Cardomom Cake with Whole Pears

This sensational loaf cake will impress all of your family and friends with not just the presentation but with it's unique flavor combination.  Just the wine poached pears are a delight on their own with a dollop of whipped cream...The syrup is key in bringing all the flavours together and making it unforgettable! 

What you will need:

For the poaching:
3 medium size pears (I used Bosc pears here) peeled, kept as whole with stems attached
1 cup sugar
6-8 cardamom pods
1-2 cinnamon sticks
750 ml of good quality dry white wine

For cake:
200g unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tbsp ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
100g of white chocolate
1-2 tbsp of milk

How to make it:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan that can accommodate the 3 pears and poach for about 30-35 min on medium-low heat. After this time, take the pears out and let cool. Continue boiling the syrup until it gets a little thick and sticky. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C).

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until creamy (about 4-5 min). Add eggs one at the time and mix to get it well incorporated before adding the next.
 

 
In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ground cardamom, and salt. Add the flour mixture and fold it in using a spatula.
 

Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper on the bottom. Gently press the pears into the batter leaving the stems out. Bake for at least 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
 

Allow cake to cool in the pan. Then gently remove the cake from the pan to a rack to cool completely.
For garnishing, add the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Add the milk and microwave for short intervals and stir between each bout of heat until completely melted (alternatively you can melt your chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water). Let cool slightly then using a spoon (or you can pour it into a Ziploc bag and poke a small hole at the bottom of the bag) drizzle the chocolate over the cake to create nice stripes on top.
 

Serve the cake with reduced pear syrup and enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee!
 



Recipe courtesy of  Yvette Van Boven "Home Made Winter"

Baghali Ghatogh (Faba Bean and Dill Stew)

Today I brought you another Persian dish called “Baghali ghatogh” . This dish originates in the northern part of Iran and is made of Baghali (a type of bean similar to faba beans), dill, garlic, and egg. It is served commonly with rice but some people prefer it with breads such as pita.

Here are the ingredients you need for 2 servings:

250g Baghali or Faba beans (you can also use lima or kidney beans)

4 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

4 tbsp butter (you can substitute with olive oil or vegetable oil)

2 tbsp dried dill (you can also use 1/3 cup fresh and finely chopped dill)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 eggs

2-3 cups of water

Salt to taste

Here is how to make it:

Heat oil or butter  in a small pot. Add garlic and turmeric powder, cook for about 2 minutes (mix frequently to avoid garlic from sticking and burning). Add beans and dill and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

 Add 2 cups of water (enough to cover the beans and over by an inch). Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook until beans are tender (depending on if you are using fresh, dry or canned beans used, time may vary from 30 minutes to an hour and a half). Through this time check on it and make sure the stew in not too dry. If so, add some more hot water.

Crack one egg and mix it well with the bean mixture. Season with salt to taste. Using a spoon make a shallow well in the middle of the bean mixture and crack the second egg into it.

 Cover the egg carefully with the beans, cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes.

 Your stew is ready to serve now. Enjoy!