Green - or how to cleverly hide a broccoli in a delicious meal.

Summer is as its fullest, days are long and sunny, sky is blue, windows stay open until it's dark out, meals are simple and quick. My computer is not being as used as much as in the colder times - who wants to stay indoors when summer is calling?

But all blissfulness has to finish sooner or later, mine got slightly crushed by my doctor's news, which said 'too low levels of iron'. Well, I thought, not the worst thing in the universe, simply have to add more greens, dried apricots, seeds of all kinds and grains (no-meat eater). Quick sandwiches have to be replaced with more thought through options - spinach salads, beans, quinoa and broccoli....

Broccoli is one of those vegetables, similar to spinach, that even the sound of it makes some shiver. Thankfully not me, but my other half - yes indeed. And rarely, very rarely but still (here comes my dirty secret) - I try to smuggle it anyway. Hidden in sauce or a soup, mixed with other tastes and textures it gets eaten.

Today I'll show you one of my favorite smuggling successes, which is also one of my favorite green dishes.

Broccoli pesto quinoa
prep time 20min, serves 4ppl

1 cup quinoa
2 broccoli florets
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, lightly roasted on a dry frying pan
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tbl spoons of olive oil
salt to taste

1. Prepare quinoa as instructed on the package.
2. Meantime steam cook broccoli. When soft and ready to consume set one aside and put the other one in a blender with garlic, sunflower seeds (leave a spoonful for decoration), cheese and olive oil. Mix until well blended.
3. Add pesto mix to cooked quinoa, cut the remaining broccoli florets and serve on the plate next to the quinoa/pesto (if your companions are not frightened by it. Otherwise blend both florets in the blender).
4. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sunflower seeds.

I've discovered this recipe in one of my favorite blogs and the dish immediately stole my heart. The taste of broccoli (for those who can stand it) is very well hidden in the sunflower pesto, leaving a tangy and spicy buzz on the tip of your tongue.
Packed with iron and all kinds of other good stuff. Green and summery!

Pea soup for a cold evening.

So it's May. Heard on the radio today someone saying that a third of 2012 is already behind us - incredible how fast it went! Still remember our skiing escapades, the crisp cold nipping at your skin, and the promenade by the lake covered in a thick layer of ice...

Winter is gone, spring slowly turning into summer. Soon there will be time for picnics, strawberry tarts and berry muffins. Can't wait!

Meantime, with the window open just enough to let some fresh air in, but not so much that the cold gusts of air get in, we are enjoying another Indian soup. Good for evenings like this - spring greens infused with a bit of hot spices, to shut that night chill firmly out.

Indian Potato and Pea Soup
serves 4, prep time 30min

2tbsp vegetable oil
5 medium potatoes, diced
2 large onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups of vegetable stock/bullion
1 red chilli, chopped,
1 cup frozen peas
4 tbsp of unsweetened yoghurt
chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan, add potatoes, onions and garlic, then gently saute for 5min, stirring constantly
2. Add ground spices, cook for another minute.
3. Stir in the vegetable stock and chilli, bring the mixture to boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20min, or until the potatoes get soft
4. Add the peas and cook for another 5min. Stir in the yoghurt, season to taste.
5. Pour into soup bowl and garnish with coriander. May be served with warm garlic bread.

This is definitely one of our all-time favorites. It's very refreshing, and leaves a warming sensation - its spicy notes softened and sweetened by the peas and potatoes, while the coriander and yoghurt add a discreet citrus/sour counter-point. Perfect for a long but still a bit chilly first day of spring. Happy Walpurgisnacht!

First days of spring - Primavera!

Spring is finally here! Maybe the weather still finds it hard to decide, whether it's time to add more sun, less rain and cut down on the gray tones but at least every day it's a bit more green. The colors of the grass are a little more vivid, trees and flowers slowly start to bloom. All that's missing is a nice shade of blue in the sky....

In the kitchen it's very spring-like, too. I came back home with a big bag of fresh asparagus that each day became a different dish. And today it ended up in a risotto....

Risotto Primavera
serves 4, prep time 40 min, cooking time 35 min

350g asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of spring onions, ends trimmed, and sliced
300g green peas (frozen)
2 tbsp shredded basil
2 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp chopped mint
Finely grated zest of one lemon
1.7 l of vegetable bouillion
4 shallots
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g carnaroli or  arborio rice
25g Parmesan cheese
150ml dry white wine
25g rocket leaves


Prep works:
1. Cut the wooden ends of asparagus, then slice the stems into 5cm diagonal lengths. Heat half of the oil  in a non-stick frying pan, over a medium heat for 4 min. Add spring onions and cook for another 1-2min. Remove, season with pepper, and set aside
2. Cook the peas in boiling water for 3min, then drain and set aside.
3. Mix the basil, chives, mint, and lemon zest together in a small bowl, season with pepper and set aside.

Risotto:
1. Pour the stock into a saucepan and keep it on a very low heat. Pour the other half of olive oil (1tbsp) into a large pan. Tip the shallots and garlic, fry for 3-4 min or until soft. Stir in the rice, then continue to stir for 1-2 min over medium heat.
2. As it starts to sizzle, pour in the wine and stir again until the wine has been absorbed.
3. Start to stir in the stock - 1.5 ladlefuls at the time so it simmers and is absorbed after each addition. Keep stirring the whole time, to keep the risotto creamy. Continue adding the stock as above - after 20min the rice should be soft with a bit of chew in the middle - you should have a ladleful of stock left at this point.
4. Take the pan off the heat. Season with pepper (shouldn't need any salt). Pour over the remaining ladleful of the remaining stock to keep the mixture fluid, then scatter over all the vegetables (1+2 from preparations), half the herb mix (3) and half of the cheese. Stir together, then cover with the pan lid and let the risotto sit for 3-4min to rest.
5. Serve topped with a small pile of rocket and the rest of herbs and cheese scattered over.

This recipe comes from the April issue of 'Good Food' magazine - from the 'make it healthier' section. I must admit I preferred it over the heavy-on-butter-and-cheese alternative. In general, all risottos take a while and lots of stirring, but the result is a very richly flavored dish, that tastes just like the first days of spring. The lemon zest should, ideally, give just a discreet hint of fresh lemons, adding richness to the flavor texture without dominating the dish.

Spring time soup.

Spring is gradually getting closer and closer. Each day stretched a tiny bit more, with a few more seconds of sun on each end. The tender sun rays gently caressing the faces of people patiently waiting for a bus in the morning. Slowly waking up, no longer packed like penguins in the corner of a crowded bus stop, seeking shelter from an icy wind. With hands out of the pockets, scarves now just loosely hung around the white necks, jackets halfway unzipped - sometimes even fearlessly holding a morning newspaper in their gloveless hands, following big and small world news, gossip, and the weather forecast that already sound more positive. Spring is in the air!

 

Soon there will be flowers, green lawns with many first-time couples - innocent but already so eager to spend forever with each other. Because forever sounds magical when lying hand in hand on the lawn smelling the fresh grass and bathing in the new-spring sun....

But meantime spring has another week to start officially. Looking out of the window I cherish every minute of this warmth, storing it for days when winter coldness will make an appearance again. Hopefully not very soon….

So, to stretch the warmth yet a bit more, I made a new soup, that we fell in love with at first spoon!

 

 

 

Indian Chickpeas soup  

Prep time 10 min, cooking time 15min, serves 4ppl

 

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1tbsp garam masala

1 carrot, peeled and quartered lengthways and chopped

1l of vegetable stock

2cm finely grated fresh ginger root
400g  can of chickpeas, drained

100g green beans, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for 2min, then add garam masala, give it 1min more, then add the stock and carrots.

2. Simmer the mix for 10min (or until carrots get tender), then add the chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in beans and simmer for 3min.

*tastes great with naan or garlic bread 

I found this recipe in the winter issue of 'Eat Well' magazine, changed a bit the proportions. All in all a great success - the oriental spiciness perfectly balanced by the earthy and slightly burnt flavor of the chickpeas, crispy freshness added by the green beans, and the carrots giving a nice solid foundation to chew on!

I'll show you my other favorite indian soup some other time....

Last day of January.

So it’s finally here, buried under a good 20cm of snow. Temperature is falling, each day a bit colder, each day a bit whiter. Suddenly the city got lighter, calmer, asleep. There’s something relaxing about watching the snow falling down, trees and roofs covered with cotton-like softness….

January is finishing. Just a few hours away from turning another page in the calendar. And that much closer to summer, to sun, longer days and more energy. 

...looking at the thermometer outside - temperature is still falling – an unpleasant reminder that winter is still here....

In the kitchen we have summer. Close your eyes, imagine that you’re somewhere warm, sitting at a cozy little beach restaurant and eating the very best:

Exotic and very tropical Curry w/tofu (or chicken)

serves 6ppl, prep time: 30min,

Tofu/2 Chicken Breasts

1 Onion

3cm piece of ginger

2 table spoons of curry

400grams of chopped tomatoes (canned, no seeds)

2 bananas (cut in rings)

1 mango (cut in pieces)

1. Chop onions and let sear in olive oil (medium heat) for 3-5min. Add crushed/finely chopped ginger and garlic, leave searing for another 3min. Add curry and mix.

2. * add tofu (cut in cubes) and let fry for another 3min

3. add tomatoes, coconut milk, chopped bananas and mango

4. bring to boil then leave cooking on low heat for 15min stirring from time to time.

5. add spices - in my case salt and cayenne for some extra hotness.

Serve over rice/ quinoa or potatoes.

*if you have time marinate the tofu in 2 table spoons of soy sauce mixed with 1 table spoon of water, finely chopped 1cm of ginger and 1 garlic clove. Leave in fridge for at least 30min before adding

Tofu can be replaced by chicken - same steps.

The recipe comes from January issue of French 'Elle à table', I just slightly adjusted the proportions. There's a lot of good inspirations so will definitely go back to it. In February that is.

Second New Year's resolution

- snow. Or rather taking advantage of what's around in winter time. Turns out that there's lots of snow just a couple of hours away. Why not?
Learning how to ski also sounded like fun, so there I was, in my new bright red jacket, big white gloves and even bigger smile on my face. All in all is was not so bad, and most important - not as cold as I feared. With a bit of luck, the slope gets full sun exposure, and I got a bit of it too. Nice and warm.
Two hours later I learned how to turn and stop - standing or sitting position. My legs were a bit tired, bruised here and there but I think I'll go skiing again.

At home there was a nice soup waiting for us. Green and very warming.

Asparagus & Pesto Soup
serves 2 hungry ppl/ prep time 30min


500 grams of fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (abt 30 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbl spoons of olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (slightly roasted)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
750 ml of veg bouillon


Cut asparagus into about 3 cm pieces - save the tip pieces for decoration
In a big pot, heat olive oil and add finely chopped onions. After a couple minutes add asparagus pieces and continue frying for a few more minutes.
Add bouillon and cook for about 15 min, until asparagus becomes soft.
In a separate frying pan, fry the asparagus tips for a couple minutes.
Prepare pesto - grind basil leaves, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and  olive oil in blender or food processor.
Add onions and apsparagus and continue grinding until pastelike (texture depends on individual likings)
Transfer the pesto/asparagus cream back to the pot with bouillon. Stir and serve!
Decorate the bowls with asparagus tips and pine nuts.

I discovered this soup recipe here, but decided to make it even more pesto like and enriched it accordingly.
And yes, I realize it's been a bit too green here, so promise to prepare something sweet and not so green next time.

First....

First post. First of January. First New Year's resolution - to combine all the yummy food in some more-or-less coherent way. Add pictures to illustrate all the efforts. And maybe inspire a bit, like I get inspired - by opening a random cooking magazine or a cooking blog - there it is, today's lunch/dinner/dessert...
and what's cooking today? Something to warm us up, after a beautiful trip from snow wonderland....

An Onion Soup with a Kick and croutons

serves 4 people; prep time: 60min 

4 yellow onions

2 red onions

1 leek

3 garlic cloves

2cm piece of ginger

1 table spoon of butter 

1.5 l of veg stock

10dl of white wine

2 table spoons of flour

fresh thyme

1 tea spoon of sugar

salt, pepper

for croutons
3 slices of bread
1 garlic clove
olive oil
fresh thyme

1. Cut bread into small cubes, meantime heat olive oil with finely chopped garlic and thyme - add bread cubes and fry until golden on all sides
2. Chop onions and leek. Half of the onions into small pieces and the other half into rings. Sauté in butter in a large pan until golden brown (about 15 min), add a teaspoon of sugar, garlic and finely chopped ginger and let sauté for another 10 min
3. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour, leave for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in 1.5 liters of boiling veggie stock and 10dl of white wine.
4. Cover with lid and leave simmering (on low heat) for another 30min.
5. Season the soup with salt, pepper and thyme.
6. Serve with previously prepared croutons.

The recipe comes from december issue of a Danish cooking magazine 'Mad' (which means 'food' in Danish, not crazy-mad), I added leek and ginger to make it more warming up and spicy. Thyme adds a slight minty freshness.
Perfect soup for winter evenings. Bon Appétit!