Duck breasts with cranberry-orange sauce

Simply perfect regardless of whether you are planning a huge celebration or simply want to treat yourself to something exceptionally good. It takes some time though as it needs to stay in the marinade for at least a night.

You'll need:

6 duck breasts

For the marinade:
8 spoons of port or wiśniówka (= "cherry cordial", i.e. cherry flavoured vodka)
4 spoons of red wine vinegar
6 spoons of cranberry jam
4 spoons of honey
1 tea spoon of brown sugar
1 tea spoon of freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
150g of cranberry jam
zest from one orange
juice from one orange
4 spoons of honey
cinnamon
gingerbread spice
a little bit of red wine (optional)

1. Start with preparing the marinade. Put the ingredients in a small pot, stir and warm up on the hob. Allow the marinade to simmer for a few minutes, so that the flavours mix and the sauce achieves a nice smooth consistency.
2. While the marinade is cooling down prepare the duck. Wipe each breast in a dry cloth and then make perpendicular cuts into the fat skin side. Put in a bowl or a plastic bag and add the marinade. Make sure that  the duck is covered in the marinade. Leave in the fridge for 24h (or at least a night).
3. Remove the brests from the marinade and fry on a hot pan. Start with the fatty side. Make sure the fat side fries well (it should start to have a brownish fried colour).
4. Put the duck breasts in an oven dish and add some of the marinade back. Put in the oven set for 180 degrees for 30-50 minutes depending on how well-cooked you want it to be. For medium-rare effect around 25 minutes should suffice.
5. In the meantime you can prepare the sauce. Pour some hot water over an orange and zest it. Then, squeeze the juice from the orange.
6. Add all of the sauce ingredients (except for wine) into a small pot and simmer till the sauce reduces.
7. Add a bit of red wine towards the end of the process (optional).

Bon appétit!

a taste of Poland: babka ziemniaczana

Babka ziemniaczana is a traditional Polish dish, although also known in Lithuania (and possibly in Ukraine?). A close relative of Jewish Kugel, it is simply a potato cake. Definitely a taste that brings back childhood memories to me ;) my grandma makes the best one, no matter how hard I try to beat her.

You'll  need:
1kg of potatoes
200g of bacon or sausage (or both)
1-2 onions
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1 egg
around 2 spoons of flour
salt & pepper

1. Chop the onions and fry them. Finely chop the garlic and add it to the onions, fry for a few more seconds. Transfer the contents into a bowl.

2. Cut the bacon/sausage into small cubes and fry on the same pan. Transfer the contents into the bowl.

3. Peel the potatoes and grate them using a fine grater or a robot (it won't work on a cheese grate). Transfer into the bowl with the onions and bacon/sausage.

4. Add one egg, salt & pepper, two spoons of flour and stir.

5. Oil a baking pan and then transfer the mixture from the bowl into the baking pan.

6. Bake in an oven set to around 160 degrees for around an hour (the exact time will depend on the thickness of your babka ziemniaczana, you can use a wooden stick to check if it's ready just like in the case of other cakes). If you want the crust to be extra crunchy, add a bit of sour cream on top.

7. It can be served straight from the oven or, even better, cut into slices and reheated on a pan. I served mine on a bed made of a light salad with French vinegret.

Bon appétit!

A taste of Mexico: guacamole

Time for a taste of Mexico :) According to Wikipedia, guacamole dates all the way back to the Aztec times. Guacamole sauce can be served as a dip to go with nachos, a condiment to be served with tortillas, fajitas or quesadillas or simply as a salad. Today, I served it with fresh white bread (pictured) - if served this way I think it might be a refreshing light lunch idea.

The basic ingredient of guacamole are avocados, also known as alligator pears. They are usually sold not in a ripe state, so you'll probably need to leave them in a warm place for a few days before using. Once they become soft when squeezed, they are ready to use (don't worry if the skin turned brown before softening, it's normal for some varieties).

As for other ingredients of guacamole, they vary - things that you won't see in the version I propose today include garlic, coriander leaves and yoghurt.

You'll need: 
1 avocado
1 medium onion
1 tomato
juice from 1/2 lime (or lemon)
mild chili poder
salt

1. Remove the flesh of the avocado, put in a bowl and squeeze to a pulp with a fork.
2. Add salt and lime juice. Salt serves to bring out the taste of avocados, so it's an absolute must when dealing with them. Thanks to lime juice your avocado won't brown and will stay beautifully green.
3. Cut the tomato into small cubes and chop the onion. Add both to the bowl with the avocado mix.
4. Add some chili powder and stir.
5. Leave aside for at least a few minutes for the flavours to mix, et voila!

Bon appétit!

PS. Although avocados are generally healthy for people (I say generally because some people can have allergic reactions to them), don't serve them to your pets as they are toxic for them!

Fettucine with pumpkin

For those not afraid to try sth different ;) a veggie friendly idea for lunch/dinner.

You'll need:
fettuccine pasta
100g of pumpkin
1 red onion
100ml of cream
some freshly grated parmesan (or other hard cheese)
parsley
nutmeg
salt & pepper
oil or butter for frying

1. Slice the onion and fry it.
2. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 2-3cm cubes. Add to the frying pan with the onion and allow to cook slowly under cover until soft (so for around 10-15 min). The secret of this recipe rests with slow frying of the pumpkin - this way it will give out all its sweetness.
3. Add cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper for taste.
4. Chop the parsley and add it at the end, so that it doesn't lose its beautiful green colour.
5. Serve with pasta.
6. Add a sprinkle of parmesan on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

*Recipe taken from kwestiasmaku.com, modified.

Christmas specials: śledzie w pomidorach (herring in tomato sauce)

Last but not least when it comes to salted herring, herring marinated in tomato sauce. An absolute must on the Christmas eve supper table in my house.

You'll need:

salted herring fillets

tomato concentrate

oil

onion

whole black pepper

bay leaves

vinegar

laurel leaves

1. Just like with other recipes involving salted herring posted here, the fillets need to be put in cold water first for a few hours until they reach the right level of saltiness.

2. Fry onions in hot oil. Add tomato concentrate, black pepper, 2-3 bay leaves and vinegar.
3. Cut the hering fillets into smaller bits and put in a jar.

4. Allow the sauce on the frying pan to cool down and then transfer into the jar with herring.

5. Leave aside for 2-3 days.

Bon appétit!

Christmas specials: rolmopsy

Yet another way to enjoy salted herring: rolled herrings (PL: rolmopsy).

You'll need:

4 salted herring fillets (for 8 rolmopsy)

1 sour cucumber

1/2 onion

spicy mustard

oil

vinegar

8 coctail sticks

 

1. Put the herring fillets in cold water for 2-3 hours, depending on how salty they are. Change water from time to time. Remove when they achieve the right level of saltiness.

2. Cut the fillets into halves longways. Spread some mustard on the inner side.

3. Cut the cucumber and the onion into thin slices.

4. Put a slice of a cucumber and onion on the edge of each herring fillet and roll. Pin each rolled fillet with a coctail stick.

5. Put you rolled herrings in abowl or a wide den jar.

6. Add oil to 3/4 height of the herrings and and then add enough vinegar to cover them fully in the marinade.

7. Leave for two days in the marinade, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Christmas specials: śledzie po japońsku

It's December again, and Christmas is getting closer and closer, so it's high time I continue with my Christmas specials series (last year I started off with recipes for breaded mushroom hats and a beetroot fish salad). This time I commence with my favourite Chritmas Eve dish: śledzie po japońsku ('Japanese' herring). It's herring covered in a 'duvet' of apples and cream.

You'll need:

200g of salted raw herring fillets

2 sour apples

250g of sour cream

dill for decoration

1. Salted herring straight from fish monger's is too salty to use, so first it needs to be put in water for 2-3h. The exact time will depend on the level of saltiness of the herring. Change the water from time to time to achieve the desired effect.

2. Cut the herring fillets into smaller bits, like the ones in the picture below, and put them on a plate.

3. Peel the apples and grate them on a cheese grate.

4. Add the apples on top of the herring

5. Cover everything with sour cream, add some dill on top for decoration et voilà!
6. It's even better the next day!

Bon appétit!

turkey leftover treat

 

It's been a week since Thanksgiving and I still have some turkey leftovers in my fridge (what can I say, it was a big bird), so I've been experimenting a little bit. Here's one of the quick recipes I came up with (it's great for less attractive parts of turkey, they will become really tender once cooked in wine):

You'll need:
- turkey bits
- some lima beans (around 1/3 of a can for a portion)
- 1/4 glass of white wine
- 1/4 glass of crème fraîche
- parsley
- black pepper
- nutmeg 

1. Put the turkey bits in a hot pan and add the wine, beans, freshly grated pepper and nutmeg. Allow to simmer slowly for around 5 minutes.
2. Add cream and leave on the hob for another minute or so.
3. Add parsley et voilà!

Bon appétit!

Fetuccine con zucchini e pomodirini

 
In Italy a starter is usually followed by primo piatto (first dish) which might be pasta (secondo piatto is usually a meat dish). Today I propose fettuccine (a type of long, flat pasta) with zucchini and pomodorini (cherry tomatoes). A simple recipe ideal for people in a hurry.

For this recipe you'll need:

fettuccine
1 medium zucchini
100g of  cherry tomatoes
3 or 4 spoons of basil pesto
around 5 cashew nuts, crushed or finely chopped
some freshly grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
olive oil


1. Start by cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters. Put them on the den of a baking dish, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and put in the hot oven set for 180 degrees for around 10-15 minutes.

2. In the meantime boil some water for the fettuccine and cut the zucchini into thin slices along the length of the zucchini and fry them on a hot pan until they become soft.

3. Once your fettuccine is al dente, transfer it to the frying pan with the zucchini, add pesto and cashew nuts and stir. I know that some ready-made basil pestos already contain nuts, but I added some cashew nuts separately on purpose to add to the structure of the dish.
4. Transfer the mix from the pan into the baking dish on top of the tomatoes and allow another 5-10 minutes in the oven.
5. Transfer into a plate, sprinkle with cheese, et voila!

 

Bon appétit!

Bruschette al pomodoro

I decided to start my Italian adventure with a a very simple antipasti (starter), which to my mind has at its heart the essence of Italy. Bruschetta in its simplest form is just a piece of grilled white bread rubbed with garlic sprinkled with some prime quality olive oil. The most popular form is served with a salad of chopped tomatoes and basil:

Veramente fantastico!!

(truly fantastic)

My Italian dream

It's been a while since I last posted here... certainly not because I lost interest in cooking, but rather because I changed my location to the land of pomodori and prosciutto - Italy. Now that I have settled there I shall start posting again :)

Italy, or to be more exact Tuscany, is a land of many culinary delights. My new challenge is to discover the secrets of Tuscan cuisine. Below are some pictures of a delicacies market on Piazza Republicca, Firenze held around once a month, selling all sorts of superb products (including the best mature pecorino I ever ate coming from Pienza):

and some shops in Bologna:

 

Creamy countrystyle chicken with white wine

Sometimes the simplest ingredients can lead to a wonderful dish (either that or perhaps I'm a girl of simple tastes). This is exactly what happened here. I got an inspiration from a movie - it's not an exact copy of the dish they made there, but I wonder whether you can guess which movie it was? Hint: "three medium carrots"

You'll need:
1 chicken breast
3 medium carrots
30dag mushrooms
125 ml double cream
1/2 glass of white wine
rosemary
salt & pepper
2 spoons of oil

 1.Peel the carrots and cut them into slices.
 2. Peel the mushrooms and cut them into quarters.
 3. Transfer the carrots and mushrooms into an oven dish.
 4. Add salted and peppered pieces of chicken breast on top.
 5. Sprinkle everything with rosemary (be generous).
 6. Add the oil. Don't add too much, you don't want the sauce to be too oily.
 7. Pour cream over it all and add the wine.
 8. Put in the oven set for 200 degrees for about 30-40 minutes (the exact time depends on the size of  chicken breast  pieces), et voila!

Bon appétit!

My favourite potato salad

For this recipe you'll need sour cucumbers. They look similar to gherkins, but they taste differently. It's a traditional Polish product that can be bought in most Polish shops in the UK

You'll need:
4-5 medium potatoes
3 sour cucumbers
75g ham
1 egg
fresh parsley
3 spoons of mayonaise
1 spoon mustard
salt & black pepper

1. Peel and slice the potatoes. Boil them in salted water.
2. Hard-boil the egg. When ready cut it into pieces.
3. Cut the ham into small cubes. Do the same with the cucumbers.
4. Mix the mayo with mustard and add some salt and pepper to the mixture. Be generous with the pepper.
5. Wait until the potatoes cool down before mixing all of the ingredients together. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Asparagus and leek cream soup

Yet another way to enjoy the delicate taste of asparagus!

You'll need:
10 green asparagus shoots
1 medium leek
1/2 medium size onion
5 medium size potatoes
thyme
0,5l bouilion (it's ok to use a vegetable cube)
sour cream
croutons
salt & pepper
olive oil

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Carefully clean the leek and cut it into thin slices. Chop the onions.
2. Fry the onions, potatoes and leek on olive oil with thyme for about 5 minutes in a deep pan/thick bottom pot. Add some salt and pepper for taste.
3. Add bouilion and boil for another 10-15 minutes until soft. 3 minutes before it's ready add the asparagus (cut into 3-4cm bits).
4. Remove the asparagus heads for decoration.
5.Wait until the soup cools down and then blend it.
6. Warm it up again and transfer into a bowl.
7. Decorate with sour cream, asparagus heads and croutons, et voila!

Bon appétit!

PS. This soup also tastes very good if served with chicken.

Asparagus and prawns linguine

With the season for asparagus slowly coming to an end, it's the last chance to enjoy this delicate vegetable. It's important for asparagus to be very fresh to be tasty. To check if it is, just rub two stems against each other, they should make a squeaky sound. The real secret of this recipe though is tasty extra virgin olive oil and the freshly hot 'marinade' it makes part of.

For this recipe you'll need:
4 green asparagus shoots, cut into bite-size bits
100g king prawns
50g mozarella, sliced
50g freshly grated pecorino cheese (or other hard cheese, eg. grana padano or parmesan)
1 lime
5 spoons of olive oil
crushed dried chili
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
a handful of linguine (or spaghetti)

1. Boil the linguine in salted water. In the meantime prepare the 'marinade'. Zest the lime. Mix the olive oil, juice from half the lime, lime zest, garlic and crushed chili. Add a pinch of salt.
2. 3 minutes before the pasta is ready add the asparagus into the boiling water.
3. Warm up the 'marinade' on a pan. Once it's hot, add the pasta together with the asparagus and prawns. Fry for 2-3 minutes while stirring so that the flavours mix. Add half the pecorino cheese towards the end of the frying.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan onto a plate. Add mozarella slices on top. Sprinkle everything with pecorino, et voila!

Bon appétit!

PS. Did you know that asparagus belongs to the lily family?