How to make sauerkraut at home?

cabbage after one week of fermenting - crunchy yet with distinctive sauerkraut flavour already, more photos to follow soon

Homemade sauerkraut is a world apart from the stuff that comes from the shop in jars or plastic bags. The real thing that you can buy in Poland (I am sure Czech, Slovakia, Russian, Germany and more too) from a butt (barrel?) tastes so much better than the jar stuff I buy in UK. So I decided (finally!) to make my own following my Mum's and Granny's advice. My partner and I both agreed that this was one of the best ones we ever ate. Come on winter! We no longer should have an immune problems, good bye colds (hopefully!), but to be honest for me what is the best is the flavour of sauerkraut - you cannot beat it. Have you tried and liked kimchi? Then you should try sauerkraut. 

What is sauerkraut? 

Directly translated it is indeed "sour cabbage". To be more precise finely cut cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria therefore very good for your health. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage.

Autumn cabbage is the best for making sauerkraut

Why it is good for you?

It is extremely high in vitamins C, B, and K; the fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients rendering sauerkraut even more nutritious than the original cabbage. It is also low in calories and high in calcium and magnesium, and it is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper and manganese.

If unpasteurized and uncooked, sauerkraut also contains live lactobacilli and beneficial microbes and is rich in enzymes. The fiber and supply of probiotics improve digestion and promote the growth of healthy bowel flora, protecting against many diseases of the digestive tract.

Sauerkraut is high in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, both associated with preserving ocular health.

Can you prepare sauerkraut at home? 

YES! 

This is what you need:

- white cabbage, preferably during Autumn time (this is what Gran told me - earlier cabbages don't taste as good)

- good quality natural salt (with no additives such as anti-caking agents) - about 10-20 grams for every kilogram of fresh cabbage

- carrots, firm sour apples, caraway (seeds or ground) - OPTIONAL, for extra flavour 

- possibly a stoneware but glass jar will be good too for small batches (my Great grandmother use to make it in a wooden butt, but she had one and a special space for it, also a much bigger family to feed than we nowadays)

- mandoline or a food processor with shredding attachment (unless you want to cut it with a knife)

How?

Work in fairly clean environment - you want good bacteria to do their job, so clean the worktops and the container you will be making sauerkraut in. 

First remove outer leaves from the cabbage and discard any wilted, limp outer leaves. Cut in half and in quarters then trim out the core. Some people use it, but it has to be very finely shredded - so it is up to you, you may as well leave it just to make sure it is shredded finely than the leaves.

Using a mandoline or a food processor shred the cabbage into fine ribbons. At this stage you can place them in a container that will be used for fermenting or in something else for a time being (and mixing with salt). I place it in a large clean plastic bowl.

Sprinkle the salt over the top of the shredded cabbage. If you making a lot of it (like me - 8kg of cabbage in one lot) it would be beneficial to sprinkle salt over few layers of cabbage as you shred it. 

Next begin working the salt into the cabbage by massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands, wooden rolling pin or... clean feet. Yes, this is fun! :) The main purpose for this is to get some juices out of the cabbage. Gradually, the cabbage will become watery and limp. It is time to add whatever you want to add for extra flavour, or you can leave it as it is. 

shredded cabbage

For 8kg of cabbage I used 2 large carrots (peeled and grated), 3 firm sour apples and about 3 tsp of ground caraway. I placed some carrots in between layers of cabbage when I was transporting it to a stoneware container. Also I sprinkled few layers with ground caraway and just before the last layer I added apples and covered them with last layer of cabbage. 

You have to make sure all the juices go to the container. You must press the cabbage down again, quite firmly, then cover with clean cloth and place something heavy on the top to weight it down - I used plate with big jar of water. Cabbage must be weighed down, and eventually, submerged beneath its liquid.  If after 24 hours in room temperature, the liquid has not risen above the cabbage, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add just enough to submerge the cabbage.

bashing the cabbage with a rolling pin

Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 14 days. Time will depend on the quantity you are making and the temperature. At the beginning keep it at the room temperature, but then after about 1-3 days place in a cool place, preferably about 12-15 C. As it's fermenting, keep the sauerkraut away from direct sunlight, check it daily and press it down if the cabbage appears above the liquid. After about 1-3 days (again depending on the quantity) get a wooden spoon and using it's bottom pierce the cabbage in few places to remove the natural gas that may occur during the fermentation and sometimes can make the cabbage taste a bit bitter.

Small batch of sauerkraut will ferment more quickly than larger one. Start tasting it after 3 days — when the sauerkraut tastes good to you, remove the weight, place cabbage in the jars, screw on the cap, and refrigerate (I keep in the cool garage during Autumn/Winter). You can also allow the sauerkraut to continue fermenting for 10 days or longer. There are no hard rules for when the sauerkraut is ready— go by how it looks and tastes.

Gas, bubbles, noises are all happy signs of fermentation so do not worry. :) And please note the released juices are extremely tasty, refreshing and healthy.

Refrigerated in jars sauerkraut should keep for 2-3 months. 

chopped cabbage in stoneware dish

I hope you have enjoyed my first English post in months and I would love to hear from you if you make your own sauerkraut. 

our traditional stoneware dish we brought from Poland

Brussels sprouts puree

Have to say I am still in love with "Hugh's Three Good Things (on a plate)". I have a feeling this is probably my first cookery book from which I will use every single recipe. It will take some time but I will eventually. This is a recipe for brussels sprouts puree that goes really nicely with black pudding and bacon - I tried the exact recipe from the book and it is fantastic. I have also tried it with some roast pork and potatoes and this is a lovely take on a side veg. If you are brussels sprouts lover you will also enjoy it on a toasted bread or straight from a food processor - like I do.

I have good news for those who are not fans of the bitterness typical for this vegetable - this puree is quite sweet, I recon due to the onions and cream and tastes almost like a pea puree.      

 

Serves 2-3 

250g brussels sprouts

25g butter

1 medium onion or 2 shallots, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

50ml double cream

salt 

freshly ground black pepper

Trim the sprouts and crisscross on the bottom - this will help to cook them more evenly and quicker.

Heat the butter in the pan and fry the onions for about 10 minutes over a low heat - until soft but not browned. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes of frying. Then place in a food processor.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add some salt and boil the sprouts until tender then drain and place into the food processor.

Add the cream, little salt, some freshly ground black pepper and puree. I like it quite coarse, but you can make it smooth.

It is suitable for reheating in a non stick pan, but unfortunately it looses its colour.

Shredded brussels sprouts with pancetta & wholegrain mustard

 

I love, love, love brusells sprouts. And I know many people hates them. Perhaps serving them in a shape that is not similar to their natural one could help some people to overcome their fear of sprouts? This however is very classic combination with a little twist added by me and sprouts flavour is still there. So if you just hate it - sorry I can't help you!

serves 2 

about 250g brussels sprouts

about 60g pancetta, diced 

1 tbsp of sunflower oil (optionally)

¼ level tsp of turmeric

pinch of chilli powder

1 level tsp muscovado sugar

1 tsp of wholegrain mustard

salt

freshly ground black pepper

few drops of lemon juice

5 tbsp of water

Trim the hard ends and shred the sprouts finely using chopping blade in your food processor, or mandoline or just sharp knife.

Place pancetta cubes in a pan and fry until slightly browned. Remove from the pan using slotted spoon and set aside.

If your pancetta was quite lean then you better use little more oil - put 1 tbsp of sunflower oil in the same pan and add the turmeric and chilli - stir fry for about 30 seconds to infuse the oil with aromatic flavours. Next add shredded sprouts, muscovado sugar, water, lemon juice and little salt and pepper. Stir well and keep over a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next add the mustard and stir and at the same point you can add pancetta cubes and stir or just sprinkle them on the top of the sprouts in a serving dish.

Beetroot, apple, pecans

I look at this plate and see Autumn. It looks like somebody just painted this plate with these lovely colours. I love the way this dish looks and how it tastes. I ate all of this, even this was enough to feed two for a starter or a snack. Even I am not allowed to have mustard, vinegar and really shouldn't eat too much raw apples. But you know what? It was bloody worth it and tomorrow (ups!) I am going to do it again.

This is another recipe from a book I was talking a lot recently and review is still to come.

Raw beetroot has an earthy taste and smell, almost peat like. Fresh apple perfectly cuts this earthiness and on the top there are crunchy nuts. Add a splash of good dressing and you have the perfect trio.

Hugh's tips:

Extra one? Add some Cheddar cheese.
Extra two? Serve it on a bed of crispy lettuce (or other leaves).
Swaps? Use firm pear instead of apple and/or walnuts instead of pecans. This would go lovely with blue cheeses instead of Cheddar.

My tip: walnut oil will make lovely dressing too!

How would I possibly not love this book?

Serves 2-4

2 firm, sweet apples

2 medium beetroots

100g pecan nuts

1 tsp English mustard

1 tsp cider vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

salt

Again it would be helpful if you have a mandoline. 

Quarter the apples and get rid of the cores. Then slice into thin slices and place in a bowl.

Peel and quarter beetroots and slice into thin slices. Place in the bowl with the apples.

Dry roast pecans in the hot pan until slightly browned, but not burnt.

Mix mustard, olive oil and vinegar with a pinch of salt and some pepper. Pour over the vegetables, mix gently and divide between serving plates.

Sprinkle with some pecans and serve immediately.

Cauliflower, tomatoes, capers

This is the second dish I tried from my new book "Hugh's Three Good Things" by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Think: crunchy cauliflower, sweet tomatoes and sour sharp capers. Optionally some parsley. In my humble opinion one thing must go with this salad: crusty bread to wipe off those delicious juices. Another quick one before I publish book review. 

I didn't follow the exact quantities and also following Hugh's general guidelines from this book (about extras, swaps etc) I would recommend  you swapping blanched cauliflower for raw one and decide which one you like better. I equally like both.

Serves 2

1 small cauliflower, trimmed into florets 

3 medium ripe tomatoes 

40g salted capers, rinsed 

olive oil 

half lemon juice 

freshly ground black pepper 

salt 

some chopped parsley (optionally)

good quality bread for serving 

I prefer to skin tomatoes, but I can skip this stage. Place tomatoes in a bowl and cover with hot water. After about 5 minutes drain and remove the skin. Quarter, remove the flesh with the seeds and hard ends then chop to your liking. 

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook for about 2 minutes, then immediately drain and put into a bowl with icy water - this will stop them from cooking. Leave to cool down completely and drain. Place in a bowl. 

Add tomatoes and capers to the cauliflower, add a good splash of olive oil, lemon juice, little salt and some pepper. Toss and leave to macerate in cold room temperature, for at least 1 hour, preferably for 3 hours. 

Serve sprinkled with some parsley and with some toasted bread. 

I fight my demons, vol. 4

Knödel or semmel knödel (Germany and Austria), knedlík (Czech Republic) or knedel (Poland). This round, poached potato or bread dumpling (made without yeast) was giving me a right headache for a long time. I love this kind of food, not so keen on making it though. I was afraid something will go wrong, as I only had a general directions from one of my knedel guru I met on internet culinary forum. It probably took me more than two years to prepare mentally before I got round to make my own. Silly me. This wasn't difficult at all. The main thing is not to make the dough too wet, because it will be difficult to form the dumplings and adding more flour will make them too dense and unpleasant. These are even more delicious when reheated next day.

So my next culinary demon is officially defeated now and bread dumplings are going to be on my menu more often.  I am sorry about not posting an exact recipe for the bread knödel, you have to work your own quantities, as they may vary - depending on what bread you use. I only give you general directions for the dumplings but exact recipes for my pork goulash and beets that work so well with knedel. 

So you definitely need some stale bread, preferably rustic baguette or some good quality crusty bread. No cotton wool like sliced supermarket bread - forget about it! I used three ciabatta rolls and one large white homemade bread rolls - all 2-3 days old. Dice the bread and place in a bowl. Fry one diced onion in a little butter until soft. Add to the bread together with approximately one cup of milk mixed with two eggs, add lots of chopped fresh parsley, season with salt and pepper, optionally add some dried marjoram. Mix it with your hands, leave it to soak for about 30 minutes. Next add 2-3 tbsp of all purpose flour and  mix again with your hands. If you found the mixture too loose and too wet to form the dumplings add some breadcrumbs or some more diced bread - never add more flour. I ended up with 16 dumplings of a size roughly about a tennis ball.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and using wet hands form dumplings about size of a tennis ball and add to the boiling water. Don't shake the pan, leave it, until they start to flow on the surface. From this moment boil them for about 10-12 minutes, then remove with slotted spoon. The bigger dumplings are the longer you have to cook them.

We had them with simple pork goulash and some beets cooked with orange juice. If you are not afraid of gherkins in salty brine called ogórki kiszone (as some people are, as they think they too sour or even gone off), popular in Central and Eastern Europe give them a go with dumplings and meat - they work perfectly well together. 

Pork shoulder goulash 

Serves 4

3 tbsp sunflower oil

about 800g diced pork shoulder
few tbsp all purpose flour

some salt

some freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 

3 tbsp sweet paprika

pinch of chilli powder

about  800ml vegetable or chicken stock, or lager or water

2 anchovies (optionally, I used them, because I had some leftovers)

small handful of dried marjoram

Place flour with some salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the meat and shake so it is covered with flour. Shake the excess of the flour and fry the meat in batches in a pan with sunflower oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, do it in 3-4 batches. Remove the meat from a pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining sunflower oil in a pan and add the onion. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for minute or so. Next add the paprika and the chilli and fry for a minute or so before adding the meat and any juices released when it was resting. Stir, add anchovies if used, stock or lager, marjoram, bring to the boil, low the heat to simmer, cover and cook fro about 1 hour.

Beetroots (roasted and finished with orange juice)

Serves 2

4-5 medium beets, washed and unpeeled
1 tbsp sunflower oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of one fresh orange 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1 tbsp butter

Heat the oven to 180 C. Place beets onto a baking tray lined with some kitchen foil, drizzle with sunflower oil, sprinkle with salt and roast until soft. Remove from the oven, leave it to cool down slightly, then peel and grate on a coarse grater.

Heat the orange juice in a pan and boil until slightly reduced. Add the grated beets, butter, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.

Serve dumplings with goulash and beets on the side sprinkled with some chopped fresh parsley. To reheat the dumplings next day simply add them to the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes, or slice and fry in a pan with some butter.

Tuna & chickpea burgers + Thai inspired salad dressing

Perhaps you have made your homemade sweet chilli sauce and fancy something that will go well with it. Recently I had it with some chickpea and tuna burgers. I have made them based upon what we had in a fridge, freezer and cupboards. I wanted to cook a dinner that firstly will not require additional shopping and secondly will comfort mine appetite, that recently is so not into meat and also will not live my dear meat eater hungry. So this is improvisation and have to say it was very successful.

makes about 12 

about  200g dry chickpea

2 x 175g tins of tuna (in oil)

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped

handful of fresh coriander (I used frozen, as I have some in the freezer)

2 small eggs, beaten

2 level tbsp of ground cumin

juice of half lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

some gram flour

oil for frying (I used sunflower)

lime wedges for serving (optional)

Soak the chickpea in a water overnight, then drain, cover with fresh water, add some salt and cook over a low heat until tender. Then drain and let it cool down.

Fry the onion in little oil over a low heat - it should be softened but not browned. Just before you finish frying the onion add the chilli and garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Remove from a heat and leave it to cool down.

Place the chickpea on a food processor and whiz until coarse in consistency - it should not be smooth, but it still should keep some of its texture. Place in a bowl.

Flake a tuna using a fork and place in the bowl. I did not drain mine, as it was in very little oil. Then add the fried onion, chilli, garlic, coriander, eggs, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands.

Next wet your hands and form small burgers, then dip them in a gram flour and place onto a chopping board.

Heat a decent amount of oil in a frying pan _ you don't want to deep fry the burgers, but they should be dipped in a fat about half way. Fry on both sides until golden, remove from a pan and sit aside on a paper kitchen roll to drain the excess of oil.

I served these burgers with roast potato wadges, lime wedges, sweet chilli sauce and some iceberg salad with Thai inspired dressing.

Thai inspired salad dressing 

2 tbsp groundnut oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)

juice of half lime

pinch of chilli powder

Place all of the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake until mixed. Wash and chop the salad, place in a bowl, add dressing just before serving, mix well and divide between plates. Sprinkle with some dry roasted cumin seeds.

Bon appetite!

Cannellini, cucumber & dill salad

I am back! I am back with some new cookbooks. I did not cook at all during my break in Poland; I was spoiled by my family and friends, they have cooked for me.

I was also given some fantastic cook books such as “Nepal cook book” from friends who came back from Nepal not long time ago and Magdalena from Tasty Colours blog (that I highly recommend if you are interested in Polish cuisine – it is in English!) gave me Julia Child’s book – an absolute classic, I am sorry but I am not sure about the English title, it is general cook book with many classic recipes ant useful tips.

I also bought myself chunky cookbook about Polish regional cuisines. It has over 1000 recipes from different regions and I think this will help me to get more ideas about versatile Polish cuisine.

I found today’s recipe in this book, but I have changed it slightly. As much as I love garlic I thought it was rather mad to use whole garlic bulb in raw salad, also in my opinion the dressing based on the water was rather strange idea to go with a cucumber salad, as this is quite water vegetable already. So this is my take on this salad that suppose to come from Warmian-Masurian (PL Mazury i Warmia) region (North East, beautiful lake district). 

 

Serves 3-4

300g white beans, soaked and cooked (I used cannellini)  

1 cucumber, peeled and diced  

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled  

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil  

½ level tsp of salt  

freshly ground black pepper

Mix the beans, cucumber and dill in a large bowl.

Roughly slice the garlic and place in the mortar with the salt. Crush using a pestle until smooth then add the olive oil and mix well. Add the dressing to the salad and mix well. Season with some pepper. Chill before serving.

Radish & rocket salad with Indian dressing

Radishes mean spring to me. Perhaps like me you would like to dress them differently this spring? I have this strong craving to change my meals and some pieces of my wardrobe this spring. I bought myself rather skinny (!), bright (!!) and ankle length (!!!) trousers last week and I have an eye on pink (!) dress. Would you believe? I recommend this simple yet different salad with very interesting dressing. I found the recipe for this dressing in "The Food of India. A journey for food lovers" but I have changed it slightly and used whatever ingredients I found in the fridge and what I fancied this particular day. This is the result.

Serves 2

about 200g radishes, quartered

2 large handfuls of rocket

1 tbsp sunflower oil 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp black onion seeds (nigella)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp salt 

pinch of asafoetida

1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix the rocket and the radishes and place in a serving bowls.

Place the oil and the cumin seeds together with black onion seeds and leave covered over a medium heat. Wait until the seeds start to pop, then add the turmeric, salt and asafoetida. Fry for about 10 seconds and remove from a heat. Add lemon juice, stir and set aside to cool down.

When cooled down use dressing to dress the leaves and radishes and serve.

Beetroot & parsnip raw salad with pineapple dressing

I mentioned once or twice that I live vegan food very much. I do not get too excited about the whole philosophy of veganism, I do not find eggs or butter substitutes especially in the desserts very tasty. In my kitchen vegan dishes are quite common (most soups!) and when you think about raw salads, veggie side dishes most of them are vegan.  

I have to admit though that I am not very good in making raw salads. I remember eating them a lot as a child, my Mum is very good at making them, I still cannot get them as perfect. Due to the strong memories of the raw salads I ate as a child I decided to go for something completely new.  I found this recipe and I thought it is completely crazy. And this means I have to try it asap!

This recipe comes form excellent book called "Veganomicon. The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" (Isa Chandra Moscowitz, Terry Hope Romero) and in the future I think I will add a splash of lime juice to the dressing, because I think this would make it even better. I used freshly juiced pineapple, because we do not buy ready juices – we have our own juicer and make juices as we go. I could not see any point in getting ready bought expensive juice (yes, 100% natural are expensive) and not drinking most of it when I only needed little for a dressing, so I bought fresh pineapple and juiced it.  

Enjoy this most freaky crazy (in a good way!) raw salad.

Serves 3-4

2 large parsnips, peeled (about 220g)

5 small beetroots, peeled (about ok. 230g)

1/3 cup of chopped fresh mint

Dressing

1 cup pineapple juice  

¼ cup red wine vinegar  

1/5 cup of oil (I used rapeseed, originally it was grape oil)

1 tbsp agava syrup or maple syrup

½ tsp salt  

1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely grated

To prepare the dressing mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. 

Using a food processor shred the vegetables. You really need to use food processor here, first of all the vegetables will be nicely shredded, it will take one minute only and remember – the beets stain quite a lot so when you shred them using grater your kitchen will end up looking like a shower in “Psycho” film by Hitchcock.

Add the shredded vegetables to the bowl with the dressing and leave them to macerate for about 15 minutes.  

Next add the mint, mix well and chill slightly before serving.

Onion & sage farinata with peperonata

 

This is one of the recipes I have found in "For the love of Food" by Denis Cotter, one of the most talented vegetarian chefs. I have been looking at some recipes for a long time but only recently I decided to actually make one of them. Some of them are quite complicated, but the dishes look gorgeous. I will try to write a separate post about the book itself some time. 

I read that farinata is Italian street food – a pancake made with chickpea flour with some topping. I have never tried it, so I am would be most happy to read your comments on how the real farinata should be. This is only Denis’ take on this dish. 

I could not find any information how big the pan used for this dish was, so I used my large 28cm pan and doubled the amount of the butter. It came out about 1cm high – so was started in the book with the original quantities, so he must used smaller pan.  

This has very specific favour. Its consistency is similar to polenta, yet it has slightly fermented flavour. You suppose to leave the batter for at least 2 hours, and the longer you will leave it the more sour and yeasty flavour it will get. I left mine for longer than I expected (had to leave home for a while, not planned at all…) so it rested for 18 hours and had very yeasty flavour. It doesn’t bother me, but I can imagine it can put some people off. Next time I will leave it for about 6-8 hours in room temperature.  

It is tasty when warm, but cooled down was still very good; I think this would make lovely finger food when cut into small pieces.  Denis Cotter suggested serving this farinata with peperonata – it was very good indeed! 

 

For farinata

Serves 2-4 

200g gram flour  

about 500ml water

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt  

2 large, red onions, peeled, halved and sliced  

6 sage leaves

For peperonata

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

2 large red bell peppers, deseeded and sliced into 1cm strips  

20 black olives, pitted, halved

2 tsp salted capers, rinsed thoroughly under running water 

First prepare the batter. Mix the chickpea flour with water until smooth, cover with a cloth and leave it to rest for at least 2 hours. Next remove the froth on the top and add 2 tbsp olive oil and salt. Mix well and heat the oven to 230C. 

Now prepare the peperonata. Heat the pan and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Next add the chilli, garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Add the peppers, capers, olives and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Heat the frying pan that you can use in the oven and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Next add the onions and fry over a medium heat until soft. Remove from a pan and set aside. Wipe the pan with some paper towel. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the sage leaves until crispy. Remove from a pan and set aside. Next add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and when it is hot pour the batter into the pan.  Place immediately in hot oven. 

Check the farinata after about 3-4 minutes – the bottom should be firm already. Then add the onion and crush the sage leaves in your fingers on the top. Put back in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes, I used frill for last 2 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and accordingly to Denis you should be able to slide this pancake onto a chopping board. Well… This seemed impossible with mine, to I turned this upside down onto a chopping board lined with some paper and then again – upside down onto another chopping board. 

Cut into wedges and serve with some warm peperonata on the side.

Swede oven chips with parmesan

On Saturday we had four seasons in about 2 hours. Lovely warm sun, hailstorm, rain and snow intervals – the weather in Yorkshire made me realise that the spring will not come as soon as I expected. Last night we had a decent frost; grass was solid frozen in the morning. Why do not make yourself a treat while awaiting the spring? Chips sound lovely, but they could make you feel guilty especially when you have to undress little bit when it is warmer. Why not make oven chips? Why not use other veg instead of the good old (yet starchy and not exactly low IG) potato. Please let me introduce my favourite swede chips with some parmesan and cumin. They are perfect as a snack and as a side dish. I have them sometimes instead of potatoes. Enjoy this guilt free comfort food.

  

Serves 2-3 

1 large swede, peeled and cut into chunky chips (weight about 600g after peeling)

¼ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp ground cumin  

3 tbsp oil (I used rapeseed oil)  

freshly ground black pepper

salt

heaped tbsp of freshly grated parmesan (pecorino is even better, but I did not have any at the time)

Heat the oven to 180 C.

Place the swede chips in large bowl, add the oil and toss until well covered in oil. Next add the chilli, cumin, some pepper and salt and toss again. They should be covered evenly in the spices.

Place the chips on a baking tray lined with some baking paper, place in the oven and roast for about 45 minutes (you have to check the roasting time – smaller chips will take less time to cook). Sprinkle with the parmesan and turn on the grill for last 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.  

Sweet & sour sprouts (with sultanas & shallots)

Following my recent post about sprouts cooked in orange juice I now post another one, again with hint of sweetness for those who don't like the natural bitterness of  this vegetable. I absolutely love it. I can have a bowl of those sprouts on its own for a dinner and do not ask for anything else.

I found this recipe in December issue of "Good Food'" magazine but I have changed it slightly.

 

Serves 4

750g brussels sprouts, trimmed and bottoms slightly cut into cross
3 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
pinch of demerara sugar
small handful of sultanas
2 tbsp of balsamic or red wine vinegar
few pinches of sweet paprika powder
4 tbsp of almond flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Boil the salted water in a big pan and add the sprouts. In deep frying pan melt the butter and add  the shallots then fry over a low heat for about 8 minutes, until soft. Next add the sugar and sultanas and fry for another 2 minutes. In a separate frying pan dry - roast  (toast) the almond flakes. Add the vinegar to the shallots and let it bubble and reduce little bit before adding the boiled and drained sprouts. Mix well, season with some salt and little pepper, sprinkle with paprika and toasted almond flakes. Serve immediately. It is suitable for reheating however not as tasty as freshly prepared.

Brussels sprouts with orange

I know quite a few people who don’t like Brussels sprouts and I wonder why? OK, I am not entirely impartial as since I was a kid I loved this veg. However trying to be totally objective I have to admit that sprouts are little bit bitter and this could be a reason that some many people don’t like it. It is a shame because it is very healthy vegetable packed with fibre, antioxidants and vitamins. Perhaps today’s recipe will convince those who don’t like bitterness of the sprouts, as the orange makes this veg less bitter. I found the idea f cooking Brussels sprouts in orange juice in some old “Olive” magazine but have changed it – I added some walnuts on the top.    

Do you like this tiny-winy cabbage?

Serves 2-4

about 700g brussels sprouts 

about 30g of butter 

juice and zest of one orange (use a grater or a zester for a better vusial effect)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place the sprouts into a deep pan with a lid along with the butter and fry for about minute or so. Next add the orange zest and juice along with the salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble then put the lid on, turn the heat down and cook the sprouts for 15 minutes or until tender (you have to chec, sometimes they only takes 10 minutes to cook). Shake the pan ocassionally so they don't catch.

On the dry frying pan toast the walnuts until crispy. Remove from a pan and chop roughly. Sprinkle the cooked sprouts before serving.  

Swede & carrot mash

Do you like this veg? I think it is little bit underrated. It is tasty, healthy and low in calories. It makes a lovely alternative to mash potatoes. You can also serve it as a side dish. 

Serves 2-3

about 500g swede, peeled and diced 

2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced

tbsp of butter

salt 

freshly ground black pepper

freshly ground nutmeg

Place the swede and carrots in a pan of boiling salted water. Cover and simmer until tender. Drain, add  the butter, generous amount of pepper and some nutmeg and mash with a potato masher. I like it bit chunky, you can make it smooth.  

Spicy aubergines

I tried to avoid the thought that the autumn is coming. In my memories I still go back to sunny and warm Italy. For the last two days we had really strong wind in Dales, it was quite cold and wet and also the nights are coming in so therefore more than usually I drink hot tea with lemon and Polish honey I brought back from home. 

Even when I got over the first signs of autumns depression it was not that easy to write another post. It is not easy to type when you have cats walking across the keyboard. No, it is not good (or shall I say bad) old Buka going mad and Mimi doesn’t change her preferences too. It is our new kitten that we hope is a boy. For a time being we have two names under consideration: Marlon or Marla. 

We chose those names to pay the tribute to some film characters and they both were truly distinctive, charismatic people, and looking at our new cat and his (her?) behavior we could not choose more appropriate names.  Seven weeks old hyperactive kitten is very demanding and looking after him is very time consuming, so I am little bit tired recently. As much as I am bitten, scratched, sleepy and I make uncontrolled cries when he decides to climb my leg. I am also very, very happy. Eating, cooking at the moment is little bit less important. I cook mostly dishes that I know well, preferably one-pot. This is one of those, my favourite from "The Food of India: a journey for food lovers". I did not stick to the exact quantities.  

Serves 2-4 

2 medium aubergines, halved lengthways and then sliced into about 7mm slices  

5 tbsp of sunflower oil or ghee (clarified butter) 

400ml skinned, chopped fresh tomatoes (or tinned)  

5 garlic cloves, peeled  

about 2,5cm fresh ginger root, peeled

1 tsp black onion seeds (nigella seeds, kalonji)  

1 tsp fennel seeds  

1 tsp ground coriander  

1/4 tsp of turmeric  

1/4 tsp cayenne 

salt

Blend half of the tomatoes with garlic and ginger until smooth. 

In a large pan heat one tbsp butter at time and fry the aubergines in one layer, on both sides until slightly browned. Place fried aubergines in a bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining butter in the same pan. 

Add black onion seeds, fennel seeds, cover and leave it to pop for about minute. Next add the turmeric, coriander, cayenne, mixed tomatoes and the remaining ones. Be careful as it will spit. Add the aubergines, some salt and cover. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 

They are great on their own, but will go nicely with naan bread, some mango chutney on the side. I also serve them as one of many dishes along curries and others when I host Indian dinner. 

And please, let me introduce new remember of our crew: 

Raw courgette & olive salad

As a bloger and person who was quite active on culinary forums I have made few new friendships and weather they stayed purely virtual or became friendships in real life, we tend to exchange some goods. Sometimes I send some British specialities abroad, and in exchange I get some nice things: handmade jewellery, real Italian olive oil, even some people that do not know me personally would (and in a fact they had!) have me for a dinner.

Today a recipe from a book that I was given by one of those lovely people who I mentioned above. The original one have fresh oregano, I swapped it for fresh mint.

Serves 2

2 small firm courgettes, sliced into thin strips

handful of black, pitted olives, sliced

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt

freshly ground black pepper

handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

Mix the olive oil with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Marinate courgette strips in this dressing for about 10 minutes, the longer you marinate the courgettes the more tender they get. Mix with the olives and mint and serve garnished with some more fresh mint.

Sesame roasted asparagus rafts

Hello everyone after a short break! Today I am going straight to the point, rather than write about my trip to Poland, as I am planning two more posts in the near future Poland related.

Asparagus season started over a week ago and there is a huge delay on my blog! Every year I cannot wait fresh local asparagus and I always have asparagus with sea salt and parmesan first. This year I decided to try something else; mainly because I loved the idea of rafts.

I found it in “Good Food”, May 2011 issue, however I misplaced this magazine and I was not sure if I followed the original recipe. After I have made this dinner I realised there could be a recipe on-line. *


It is very tasty on its own, but I also had it with my quickie sort of satay chicken and it went down together very nicely.

Serves 2

10 asparagus stalks, wooden bits removed **
2 tbsp sesame oil (I used roasted one)
2 tsp sesame seeds
some coarse sea salt (or flaky)
freshly ground black pepper

4 bamboo skewers

Heat the oven to 200C.


Place 10 asparagus stalks next to one another. Skewer them crosswise in two places - just below the tips and 3cm from the bottom - with slender bamboo skewers. You will end up with something that looks like a raft.

Place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with little sesame oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes turning half way. Sprinkle with sesame seeds 3 minutes before you finish roasting the rafts.

* And there it was. As you can see I did not use any garlic and soy sauce, but I will do it next time. And I roasted rather than grilled this lovely veg.

** With one hand, hold an asparagus stalk at its base. Bend the stalk over with your other hand - the asparagus will break where the woody part ends and the tender part begins. Freeze the woody bits – you can use it for making a stock – beautiful base for asparagus soup or risotto.