Cranberry duck with caramelised ginger pear, pumpkin puree, bread sauce and gratin

For my 100th entry on this blog I add here a special occasion dinner recipe that I came up with on the second day of Christmas this year. I put it up as a complete combination of flavours that should work together. I am happy to report that this dinner idea was a great success that went beyond my expectations. If I were to add sth, it would be some pomegranate seeds to act as decoration that fits with and further enriches the flavour palette.

You'll need:

For the duck:
duck breasts
cranberry jam
red wine vinegar
vodka
brown sugar
freshly ground black pepper

For the pears:
2 hard pears (I used nash pears)
2 glasses of water
1/2 glass of sugar
5cm of ginger, peeled and cut into a few smaller pieces
cinnamon stick
orange zest
6 cloves

For the pumpkin puree:
pumpkin
cream
nutmeg
sweet paprika
salt&pepper

For the gratin:
Potatoes
cream
2 garlic cloves
strong flavoured cheese (I used pecorino, other commonly used varieties include cheddar or gruyere)
butter

1. Prepare the marinade for the duck by mixing in a small pot cranberry jam, red wine vinegar, a pinch of brown sugar and a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper. Warm the ingredients up until they mix.

2. Make cuts in the fat of duck breasts before putting them in the cooled off marinade. They need to stay in the marinade overnight.

3. Season the marinated duck breasts with salt and them on a pan, starting with the fat side. The fat needs to be well fried to achieve the desired effects, so it will require some patience. Wait till it starts to turn golden brown before turning your duck breasts to the other side.

4. Put the breasts in an oven dish with the remaining marinade and put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes if you want a pink inside. My family prefers a well-cooked version, so I waited for 15 extra minutes. 

5. Use the sauce from the duck to make a bread sauce, simply by mixing it with some bread and warming it up, optionally adding some salt and pepper.

6. For the pumpkin puree, put the pumpkin chunks (with the skin still on, no need to peel it at this point) in the oven set to 180 degrees (no termoventilation) for around 15 minutes or until it gets soft.

7. Remove the punmpkin from the oven, the skin should come off easily now. Cut it into smaller pieces and blend.

8. Add a little bit of cream, a tiny bit of nutmeg and sweet paprika et voila.

9. For the pears, assemble the ingredients in a pot, except of the pears and warm it up until the sugar dissolves. Add peeled pears cut into wedges. Simmer for around 20-25 minutes, or until the pears get soft. You might want to preserve the remaining syrup, for example to make some drinks afterwards.

10. For the gratin, peel enough potatoes to fill in an open oven dish. Cut them into very thin slices before boiling them in salted water just until the moment of boiling, they are not supposed to be fully cooked (this is a shortcut I take to make the cooking time shorter, but it makes it more difficult to makes even layers in the oven dish).

11. Cover the oven dish with butter and then put in the potatoes, putting in some finely chopped garlic and grated cheese in between. Pour over cream and some more grated cheese on top.

12. Put the gratin in the oven for some 30-40 minutes. Start off with an open top, when the cheese on top starts to brown, put some foil or another cover to prevent it from exessive browning.

13. Assemble all the ingredients together on a plate (on Christmas day itself I managed to forget to put the pears on and had to put them on a table separately, thus they are missing from the pictures). Allow the duck breasts to breathe for a few minutes after removing them from the oven before cutting them into slices. The same will be true with cutting the gratin.

Buon appetito!

Chicken and butternut squash stew

I fell in love with butternut squash while preparing potato and squash chicken curry. This is a curcuma-free recipe for a stew that uses this wonderful vegetable that is pefect for cold autumn days. Although the base ingredients (chicken and squash) are similar, the the flavours are completely different.

You'll need:

one chicken breast

around 500g of butternut squash (half a medium squash)

1 medium sized onion

100ml white wine

2 spoons of flour

1 garlic clove

75ml cream

a glass of bouillion

hot smoked paprika (pimenton) 

fresh thyme

salt and pepper 

rice to serve with

1. Start off by cutting the squash longways into quarters. Then put it on a tray and slide into the oven set to 180 degrees for around 15 minutes. This way you can avoid peeling the skin, which in case of a butternut squash is rather hard.

2. In the meantime cut the chicken into small cubes, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and then cover in flour before frying it on a pan. Add a few branches of thyme for the aroma.

3. Transfer the chicken into a casserole dish and use the same pan to fry previously sliced onion.

4. Finely chop the garlic and add it to the onion once it softens. Add smoked paprika, and then white wine. Cook for a few more minutes, until the liquid reduces itself. Transfer the contents of the pan into the casserole dish.

5. Remove the squash from the oven, remove the skin (it should come off easily now) and cut into cubes. Add to the cassserole dish.

6. Add the bouillion to the casserole dish. 

7. Add some more fresh thyme, mix the ingredients and transfer the casserole dish (covered) into the oven. Leave in there for around 15 minutes (or until the squash is completely soft).

8. Towards the end of the cooking add cream, et voila! 

9. Serve with rice (I recommend basmati).

  

Buon appetito!

Quick lentils curry

This mild lentils curry can be ready within 15 minutes and can be eaten as a dish on its own (preferably with naans or chapatis) or it can be served as a side dish. Perfect if you don't have too much time to cook.

You'll need:
a can of green lentils (400g)
1/2 medium onion
1 garlic clove
madras curry
cardamon powder
cumin powdered
1/2 glass of broth
1 spoon of tomato concentrate
3 spoons of sour cream

1. Chop the onion and fry it.

2. Add chopped garlic and the spices and stir.

3. Add the lentils, tomato concentrate and broth. Allow to simmer for around 10 minutes.

4. Add cream, et voila!

Buon appetito!

Lemon chicken with a frittata

Sunny flavours of the summer and the holidays at the beach closed up in a dish that is deemed to bring to mind some very good memories. Each of the elements could be a dish of its own, but the trick is in the combination of the flavours and in how well they go together. Perhaps slightly unusually, the frittata is prepared extra thin to keep it light and to be eaten within one seating.

You'll need (a portion for two):

For the lemon chicken:

one chicken breast

juice from 1/2 lemon

half a glass white wine

30gr butter 

a spoon of flour

salt & pepper 

oil

For the frittata:

one potato, evenly sliced

one onion, sliced

two eggs

30gr butter

one clove of garlic

fennel seeds

chili flakes

salt&pepper

tangy semi-soft cheese (I used Lombardian Bel Paese; Lancanshire or Cheshire cheese should go well too, although they are more crumbly)

oil

1. Warm up some oil on a pan and add the sliced onion. Allow to fry for a few minutes before adding sliced potato, evenly distributing it over the pan. Add some butter and fennel. The potatoes will take some 10 minutes to fry, depending on the thickness of the slices. Turn them to the other side when they start to brown.

2. In the meantime, warm up oil on a second pan, add the chicken breast, cut into smaller, thinner pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper.

3. A minute after turning the chicken to the other side add lemon juice, wine and butter and continue to simmer the chicken over medium heat.

4. Once the potato slices are almost ready, add finely chopped garlic.

5. Beat up the eggs, seasoning them with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.

6. Chop (or grate) the cheese into fine cubes.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and onions and turn the heat to minimum.

8. Add the cheese on top and allow to settle. Since this version of the frittata is very thin, it is not necessary to turn it upside down, just cover it with a lid if necessary.

9. Remove the chicken from the pan, add flour to the remaining sauce and stir vigourously making sure that all the flavours from frying of the meat go into the sauce.

10. Once your frittata settles, serve it cut into half together with chicken with the lemon wine sauce poured over the top.

Buon appetito!

Vellutata di ceci

...or chickpeas cream. With this recipe you can enjoy Tuscan flavours within minutes. It really needs a generous dose of fresh rosemary to do the trick, do not replace it with a dried version. Luckily, I can pick up mine straight from the garden.

You'll need:
one can of chickpeas (400g)
one medium onion
one garlic clove (optional)
fresh rosemary
1 spoon of tomato concentrate
300ml broth (or half a stock cube and water for a student version)
grated grana padano (optional)
freshly grated black pepper
bread to make croutons with
herb salt

1. Chop the onion and fry it in a pot.
2. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary and add them to the onion.
3. Add chickpeas and fry everything together for a moment before adding broth.
4. Add tomato concentrate and stir.
5. Allow the soup to simmer while you prepare the croutons. Cut the bread and fry it on hot oil (do not add too much or they will become oily) seasoning it with herb salt.
6. Let the soup cool down a bit before blending it into a velvety cream.
7. Warm it up again before pouring into a bowl.
8. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top, grate some black pepper over it, add the croutons, e voila!

Bon appétit!

Banoffee pie

An English classic, perfect for those not courageous enough to bake, but still willing to show off. This deliciously sweet dessert was apparently Margaret Thatcher's favourite recipe to prepare (according to Marla Brook's The Celebrity Cookbook: Kitchen Secrets of the Rich and Famous). In some countries dulce de leche, which is a key ingredient in this recipe, can be bought ready-made, if not it can be easily prepared from condensed milk, it just takes some time. Banoffee pie is usually topped with whipped cream, but my version is a bit richer with an addition of mascarpone and banana mousse.

You'll need:

1 can of condensed milk

300g biscuits (I used coco and almond biscuits, but ginger cookies would be best)

60g butter

4 bananans

juice from 1/2 lemon

30% cream

sugar

200g mascaropone

2 pieces of dark chocolate, grated

1. Start off by preparing your dulce de leche by boiling the can with condensed milk for 3 hours over low heat. Make sure the can is completely covered by water. Cool off the can before opening it! Otherwise the pressure might cause it to explode and you probably don't want to face the clean up!

2. Crush the biscuits into crumbs by putting them in a cloth/bag and hitting them with a roller or another hard object or by using a blender. 

3. Melt the butter and pour it over the crushed biscuits.

4. Transfer the buttered biscuits into a tin and press firmly to form a base. Put in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5. Cover the base with a layer of dulce de leche.

6. Slice 3 bananas and cover them in lemon juice before putting them on top of dulce de leche.

7. Whip the cream in a food processor, being careful not to overwhip it. Add sugar and then carefully fold in the mascarpone cheese. 

8. Break the remaining banana into chunks and blend it. Fold it into the cream mixture.

9. Use a piping bag to decorate the banoffee pie with cream on top.

10. Sprinkle with chocolate, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Quiche alla Edyta

A replica of a quiche that I ate at my godmother's house :) Makes me think of summer and the sunny days eating outside :)

You'll need:
puff pastry
1 single chicken breast
sweet paprika (I used Spanish Pimenton which has a distinct smoky flavour)
tarragon
1 broccoli head
greek feta cheese
3 sundried tomatoes in oil
50g gouda cheese
3-4 eggs
100ml milk
salt&pepper
pinch of sugar

1. Cut the chicken breast into small bite-size cubes and fry on a pan, seasoning it with tarragon, (pimenton) paprika, salt & pepper.

2. Separate individual broccoli florets from the broccoli head and boil in hot salted wated together with a pinch of sugar for around 4 minutes. 

3. Roll out puff pastry to fit the baking dish.

4. Add the chicken and broccoili on top as well as feta cheese and sundried tomatoes, both previously cutted into smaller pieces.

5. Mix the eggs together with milk and pour the mixture over the other ingredients of the quiche.

6. Sprinkle with grated gouda cheese on top.

6. Put in the oven pre-set to 200 degrees for 20 minutes, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Beef red curry

This holiday season break offered me many opportunities to widen my palate and discover new flavours. This deliciously comforting red curry is an outcome of my summer culinary adventures that brings to mind many good memories.

You'll need:

500g beef

2 sweet potatoes,

1 broccoli head

1/2 ripe mango

1 spoon red curry paste

400ml coconut milk

rice to serve your curry with

salt & pepper

1. Cut your beef into small goulash size chunks  and fry for 3-4 minutes on a pre-heated deep pan seasoning with it with salt& pepper.

2. Put your beef on the side and add the red curry paste on the pan, allow to fry for a moment together with a spoonful of coconut milk. Once the curry aroma starts to release add the remaining coconut milk. 

3. Add the beef back to the pan and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.

4. In the meantime, peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into small 1cm squares. When the 15 minutes pass, add your sweet potatoes to the curry mixture and simmer for another 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes soften.

5. Separate individual broccoli florets from the broccoli head and boil in hot salted wated together with a pinch of sugar for around 4 minutes. The stalks are edible too, but they need a little longer boiling time, so add them first if you want to use them as well.

6. Cut your mango into small slices and add to the curry together with the broccoli et voila!

Bon appétit!

Minty strawberries in white chocolate sauce with a twist

Possibly the best way to serve strawberries! If this little dessert doesn't cheer you up, then I don't know what will...

You'll need:
strawberries
fresh mint leaves
white chocolate
gin
lime juice

1. Melt the chocolate over low heat together with gin (or milk if you're abstinent).and a little bit of lime juice (just enough to break the sweetness of chocolate).

2. Pour your chocolate sauce over the strawberries previously mixed with chopped mint leaves.

Bon appétit!

Thai green chicken curry

This creamy indulgence is also the quickest curry possible: it takes no longer to make than it takes to boil the rice. Perfect for students in a hurry ;)

You'll need:
one chicken breast
10-15 green green asparagus shoots (if mixed with violet asparagus, it adds colour to the dish)
a tea spoon of green curry paste
a can (400ml) of coconut milk
juice from half a lime
lime zest
rice (basmati of jasmin fit best)

1. While the rice is cooking, put the green curry paste on a warm pan, add two/three spoons of coconut milk and stir. Add the lime zest and then fry the chicken (previously cut into thin slices) in the mixture.

2. Clean the asparagus and break off the lower part - it will break naturally in the right place. Cut the remaining shoots into shorter pieces.

3. Once the chicken is ready, add the remaining coconut milk and the asparagus shoots. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until they soften, add lime juice, et voila, your curry is ready! Serve with rice.

Bon appétit!

Easter specials: Mushroom devilled eggs

Mushroom devilled eggs - they always make their way to the Easter breakfast table at my house, it's a matter of tradition! Preparation requires some patience, but it's definitely worth it.

You'll need:
3 eggs
300g mushrooms (champignons de Paris)
2 spoons of mayo
butter
sunflower oil
black pepper
salt

1. Peel the skins off the mushroom heads and cut them VERY finely into small cubes of around 2mm length. This is the patience-requiring part.

2. Melt the butter on a pan, add a little bit of oil and chopped mushrooms. Season with a generous dose of black pepper and salt. After a while on a pan the mushrooms will give out a lot of water, fry over a low heat until the liquid evaporates and they are completely cooked through. They will reduce in volume quite a lot by that time.

3. Cool the mushroom mixture.

4. Hard boil the eggs.

5. Cool the eggs before deshelling and cutting into half.

6. With a tea spoon delicately remove the egg yolks.

7. Combine the egg yolks with the mushrooms and mayo.

8. Spoon the mushroom and egg yolk filling on the eggs, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Beef burger with roquefort and grilled pears

An American classic prepared the European way with the famous roquefort blue cheese which can be made only in one of the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France.

You'll need:
150g beef mince
1/4 pear
1 medium size onion
50g roquefort
balsamic vinegar
round bread-roll
salt&pepper
sugar

1. Since the other ingredients already give this dish very rich flavours, the meat does not require a lot of seasoning, just some salt & pepper should do. Mix the spices into the mince and carefully form a burger.

2. Slice the onion and fry on a grill pan, adding a pinch of sugar and a few drops of balsamico.

3. Put the onion on the side, covering with a lid, so that it stays warm. Proceed with grilling the meat and the pear (cut into thin slices).

4. Once the meat is done on one side, turn it and put crumbled roquefort on top. Allow it to melt (a cover might help).

5. Allow the meat to rest for a few seconds while warming up the breadroll (previously cut into half) on the same grill pan.

6. Assemble the ingredients: first the onions, followed by the meat and then pear slices on top, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Indie yogurt roasted chicken drumsticks with Polish 'miseria'

I'm super excited about the results of this experiment! A truly amazing, and diet friendly, way to prepare chicken drumsticks (or a whole chicken). Not a single drop of oil is used in the roasting process, but thanks to the the yogurt marinade chicken remains super juicy on the inside but crunchy on the outside AND full of flavour! Very comforting and it goes perfectly with the Polish cucumber salad called mizeria (not so diet friendly ;)).

You'll need:

3 chicken drumstics

juice from one lemon

5 spoons of natural yogurt

cumin

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves

1 garlic clove

salt&pepper

For Miseria:

cucumber(s)

sour cream 

salt&pepper

tzatziki seasoning mix (optional)

1. Chop the coriander and the garlic and proceed to combine the ingredients of the marinade (i.e yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, garlic and salt&pepper).

2. Leave the skin on the drumsticks, but massage some marinade underneath. You can also make some cuts on the meat underneath the skin for the flavour to mix in even better. Cover the drumsticks completely in the marinade and leave for at least 4 hours.

3. Roast in an oven pre-set to 220 degrees on a grill tray, without a cover for around 40 minutes (depending on the size of the drumsticks). If you don't have a grill tray, or don't want to spend time cleaning one, no worries - I used wooden skewers which I put over an open oven dish (which you can also cover with foil, if you want to avoid cleaning ;)) Thanks to the relatively high temperature and the fact that the drumsticks are completely covered in the marinade they don't dry out.

4. To make the salad, peel and slice the cucumber(s), combine with cream and season with salt and pepper. You can also add tzatziki seasoning mix for an extra twist.

Bon appétit!