Hot Cross Buns

FFTO April challenge was dedicated to Easter. These days I could see many interesting traditional Easter recipes from all over the world and this time, thanks to FFTO and Sarah from Simply Cooked, I`m presenting Hot Cross Buns.

Although Sarah gave us freedom to change recipe as we like, I wanted to try the original version from the old recipe book Sarah found in her parents` basement. There is just one thing I really had to change-I didn`t make lemon glaze! Maybe it`s because I`m more fond of savory pastry. Anyway, recipe worth trying!

Hot Cross Buns (copied from Sarah)


makes 24


3 1/2 - 4 c (440 - 500 g) flour


3/4 c (190 ml) lukewarm milk


1/2 c (125 ml) lukewarm water


1 package (2 1/2 t) active dry yeast


1 T sugar


1/4 c (65 g) sugar


1/2 t salt


1/4 c (55 g) butter, melted


1/4 t allspice


1/2 t cinnamon


1/4 t nutmeg


2 eggs


2/3 c (100 g) currants


1/4 c (40 g) diced citron



In a mixer bowl, combine 1 c (125 g) flour, milk, water, yeast, and 1 T sugar. Beat well. Set in a warm place until frothy. melt butter; cool. To the yeast sponge, add remaining sugar, salt, melted butter and spices; beat in eggs, one at a time. Add 1 c (125 g) flour and beat 5 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add remaining flour, currants, and citron. Turn out onto floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with kitchen towel and set in warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for 2 minutes. Divide dough into 24 equal parts and shape into buns. Place well apart on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
 
 

Make a cross (X) on each bun with a razor blade or sharp knife. Brush with egg yolk beaten with 1 T water. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden in colour. Cool on wire rack.

The Daring Cooks’ April 2011 Challenge: EDIBLE CONTAINERS (savory)

Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks’ April 2011 hostess. Renata challenged us to think “outside the plate” and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!


My choice was to make something really easy. Here in Serbia it`s quite usual to use phyllo pastry to make different kinds of pies. Since the healthier food is becoming more and more popular, it`s not a surprise to find whole wheat phyllo pastry. I decided to make savory container out of buckwheat phyllo.


Here`s how I made it:

Brioche mold came out to be an excellent choice for preparing the container. First, I cut three thin buckwheat layers into a circular shape, big enough to completely cover the mold and then I sprinkled the top one with a tiny bit of olive oil. Container-to-be was baked in pre-heated oven at 200C for 5 minutes.


Simple as that!!!


Baked container had to be filled with something tasty and light, so I made a salad. In order to prepare it, you`ll need no more than 10 minutes. Buy:

• cabbage, and cut it in thin stripes
• sesame seeds-place them in the frying pan (you don`t have to grease it) on medium fire until they become light brown.
• carrot-grated
• sea salt to taste or tamari sauce
• few drops of water
• toasted sesame oil

Mix well all the ingredients, place them in the freshly baked food container and serve with the main dish of your choice.

Japanska uteha

Čak i po cenu da mi neko jako zameri, ali pomalo sam gadljiva na masovne akcije podrške, poput onih skorašnjih. Nikada ne deluju iskreno, već kao društvena obaveza, način da se ispadne korektan...i u trendu. Jednog dana-sve blog stranice iste sadržine. Kako to menja suštinu? Ko god je iskusio makar malu nezgodu, a kamoli katastrofu zna odgovor. Nikako.

U to ime, pojedimo nešto!

Doba je posta, tako da će ovo lagano jelo sa Istoka poslužiti.
Za pripremu će vam trebati više vrsta povrća, što svežeg, što smrznutog, riža, soja sos, mirin i susamovo ulje.

Mirin je vrsta pirinčanog vina, te stoga zadovoljava kriterijum ovomesečne igre , koju je osmislila Snježana. Temu je zadala Tina, martovska domaćica.

Ako vam se pruži prilika, savetujem vam da kupite proizvode japanske kuće mitoku. U Beogradu ih možete naći u prodavnicama zdrave hrane. Njihovo tostirano susamovo ulje je nešto stvarno posebno...

Obarite rižu. Treba imati u vidu da vam za ovo jelo može poslužiti i riža preostala od prethodnog dana-možda je tako još ukusnije.

Potom, pripremite povrće.

Što se mene tiče, praziluk je obavezan. Pridodala sam mu i smrznuti grašak, zelenu boraniju, na prutiće sečenu papriku, mrkvu i kukuruz. Ne zaboravite kupus, najbolje-kineski!

U voku, ili teflonskom tiganju zagrejte susamovo ulje i onda na jakoj vatri propržite povrće.

Kada je povrće proprženo, umešati obarenu rižu, zaćiniti sa tamarijem i kašikom mirina, koji bi trebalo da pojača ukus soja sosa.

Sve izmešati još manje od minuta i pojesti dok je još toplo.

Najlepše od svega-sve mere su odokativne ;)

Jabuke i čaša porta

Muzika i parčence vaše kuhinje za pobeći od sadašnjice. Otprilike to vam treba. A uz to i:

• 3 izrendane jabuke
• čaša puna mlevenih lešnika i badema
• 2 čaše speltinog brašna
• čaša demerara šećera
• kašika limunove kore
• kašika limunovog soka
• kašika sode bikarbone
• vanilin šećer
• prstohvat karanfilića
• 1/2 čaše porta
• 1/3 čaše devičanskog maslinovog ulja

Ovo je kolač koji se sprema sanjareći, zato zaboravite na parajuće zvuke miksera. Jednostavno-sve pomešajte, sjedinite, izručite u pleh i pecite na 180 stepeni oko pola sata. Desetak minuta pre kraja pečenja, pospite kolač bademom u listićima. Kada je gotov, premažite ga džemom od kajsija. I ne zaboravite-baš kao i vino, ovaj kolač je sve bolji kako dani prolaze...

Ovaj recept je ulaznica za igru Ajme, koliko nas je (Ko do sada nije naučio ime one koja je igru započela, evo mu šanse). Ovomesečnu temu vino zadala je Valentina.

Fresh From the Oven: Braided Challah Bread

Bread with tradition-Jewish challah bread was this month`s challenge in FFTO.
Dom from Belleau Kitchen really caught my attention with his lovely vignettes from  family life with cameo appearences of challah, so I instantly...did some google research :) and found dozens of modified recipes of this bread. In spite of that, I decided to completely respect Dom`s ingredient list:

• 1 sachet (7g) dried yeast
• 
  1tsp clear honey
• 250ml lukewarm water
• 50g melted butter
• 500g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs lightly beaten - in separate bowls - one for the mix and one for glazing
• sesame seeds, and some linen instead of poppy seeds

Combine the yeast, honey, milk and butter, stir and leave for 15mins to dissolve

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and one of the beaten eggs. Stir to make a dough. (It will be very sticky and will definitely need extra flour for kneading)

Knead till smooth and elastic (a good 15 mins) then transfer to a clean bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 1/2 hours.

Here`s the moment when I did something different! In lots of recipes you`ll see that the braid is made of 6 equal parts. But how? That was the question that tangled me and I simply had to find the answer! I came across an excellent explanation here , and here`s what I managed to do:

When I finished making 6-braid challah, I let it rest for 30 minutes and then baked it for 40 minutes at 190 C.

Instead of conclusion-just like Khrushchev dough, challah bread with its challenging braids was more than pleasant surprise and will become regular inhabitant of my oven :)

FBI (Ku)Varijacije ;) - Knedle & kroketi

Mamajac sa bloga Cooks and Bakes je započela igricu FBI rukavice, u okviru koje smo odabrale da istražujemo jedan predivan blog- La casa de vainilla.
Ja sam čedo bake iz Banata :), pa sam instinktivno birala recepte koji su me podsetili na detinjstvo. A gde to ima-započeti ručak bez domaće supe? A kada ostane mesa iz prethodno pomenute, može se otići na ovaj link po ideju.

Pileći kroketi

Ako ste dobro pogledali naslov posta, možda ste pomislili da sam negde pogrešila. Ali, ne, nisam. Shodno svojim navikama u ishrani, ali isto tako i sadržaju frižidera, napravila sam neke izmene u odnosu na Mihaelina uputstva. Ne volim da pržim. Ne samo zbog povike protiv takvog načina pripreme hrane, već i zato što se plašim vrelog ulja. Kad god čujem to prštanje, podižem ramena ka ušima, počnem da žmirkam i poželim da se predamnom stvori maska za varenje. Da bih poštedela sebe straha, odlučila sam se za rernu.

Za krokete sam upotrebila:

• 500g obarene piletine
• 100g seckane pančete i mortadele
• 2 čena belog luka
• 1 jaje
• 2 kašike prezli
• 1 kašika suvog začina

Sve navedeno sam stavila u seckalicu i dobila ujednačenu smesu koju sam ostavila da odstoji 10ak minuta. Potom sam oblikovala krokete, uvaljala ih u prezle, pa u umućeno jaje, pa opet u prezle.
Rernu sam zagejala na 190 stepeni, pa sam u njoj 15 minuta pekla krokete na koje sam stavila po malo putera, tek da ne budu previše suvi.
Poslužila sam ih uz tzatziki salatu.

A za današnji nedeljni ručak sladili smo se knedlama sa čokoladom. Moja iskustva sa knedlama su slična Mihaelinim. Moja baka i dan danas najčešće pravi one klasične knedle sa šljivama, koje ja nikako nisam volela. Zapravo, nisam volela šljivu, pa je baka meni pravila slanu varijantu-sa sirom. Ove čokoladne toplo preporučujem, a u mojoj adaptaciji originalnog recepta se spremaju ovako:

Knedle sa čokoladom

• 120g instant pirea (1 pakovanje Minut pirea)
• 3 kašike griza
• 500ml hladne vode
• 2 kašike ulja
• 1 jaje
• 150g integralnog pšeničnog brašna
• 100g oštrog brašna
• 1 kašičica soli

Postupak izrade je opisan kod Mihaele, te ga tamo i pogledajte.

Knedle sam kuvala tačno 10 minuta, a onda sam u teflonskom tiganju na 1 kašiki ulja propržila prezle i griz.Kada sam završila prženje, dodala sam i mlevene orahe, vanilin šećer i prstohvat cimeta, pa u sve ovo uvaljala knedle. Brrrrr! Predivno!!!

Pitoholizam2 iliti Štrudlizam: Pripitomljena pita

Prošlog vikenda, kada sam je prvi put pravila, a moj muž prvi put probao, prvi put mi je rečeno: Ovo nikome ne daj! (misleći na recept). Da bih prekinula niz prvih događaja iz uvodne rečenice, odlučila sam, po n-ti put, da uradim kako mi je volja.

Volim kiselkasto-opor ukus šumskog voća, a još više mi se sviđa, kada se ta sitna goropad pripitomi nekim finim, pomalo uštogljenim kremom, kao što je ovaj za koji je potrebno:

• 4 jaja 
• 1 vanilin šećer 
• 6-7 kašika meda 
• 3 kašike brašna 
• 600ml mleka
• 2 kašike gustina
• kašika arome vanile

Odvojiti žumanca od belanaca, pa belanca umutiti u čvrsti sneg.
U jednoj posudi, koristeći žicu, pomešati žumanca, med i vanil šećer. Ovu mešavinu sipati u mleko koje već spremno čeka u šerpi. Dodati i brašno i gustin pa na srednje-tihoj vatri kuvati i mešati, sve dok se smesa ne zgusne. Za to je potrebno između 10 i 15 minuta. Nakon zgušnjavanja, smesi dodati aromu vanile a potom ,blago mešajući, i sneg od belanaca.
Videćete da ovaj krem podseća malo na onaj od krempita.

Dok se krem kuvao, vi ste otopili

• 500g lisnatog testa
• 300g smrznutih borovnica
• 100g kupina,

a u prah ste pretvorili

• oko 70g mešavine lešnika i badema  

Lisnato testo razvucite na 0.5cm debljine i presecite ga na pola, da biste dobili 2 jufke voćne pite.
Razvučeno testo, u potpunosti i bogato, premažite pripremljenim kremom, pospite mlevenim lešnicima i bademima, potom šumskim voćem, pa po želji prelijte sa dve kašike meda i pospite kašikom vanilin šećera. Zamotajte u rolat i ponovite postupak sa drugom polovinom testa. Jufke premažite mešavinom jaja i slatke pavlake i pospite listićima badema.
Rernu zagrejte na 190 stepeni, pa pitu pecite oko pola sata, odnosno dok testo ne porumeni.

U tanjir u kom ćete služiti, prvo sipajte kutlaču toplog krema, a potom u njega uronite parče pite.


Recept šaljem Aleksandri sa bloga Sweet Food. Aleksandra nam je u okviru igre Ajme, koliko nas je, koju je započela Snježana, zadala temu med.

The Daring Cooks February 2011 Challenge: Cold Soba Salad & Tempura

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com


Let`s see what Lisa has to say about these pearls of Japanese cuisine:
 

Soba is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. It takes three months for buckwheat to be ready for harvest, so it can be harvested four times a year, mainly in spring, summer, and autumn.


Hiyashi Soba is a popular dish in summer. It's like a noodle salad. Restaurants in Japan serve Hiyashi Soba only in summer. Even if you don't have much appetite because of the heat, Hiyashi Soba can be appetizing. Common Hiyashi Soba toppings are omelet strips, ham, cucumber and grated Daikon. You can also have the noodles just with the dipping sauce.


Tempura is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. A light batter is made of cold water (sometimes sparkling water is used to keep the batter light and soft wheat flour (cake, pastry or all-purpose flour). Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added

I decided to make my own version of soba noodles for two reasons-first, I like homemade noodles and second-soba noodles are very expensive in Serbia. I did a bit of research and found lots of interesting sites about soba making (try this one). Finally, I found my own version of, let`s say, buckwheat rather than soba noodles, in preparing of which I used pasta machine.

Here`s what you need:

• 400g buckwheat flour
• 100g all-purpose flour
• 240ml of very cold water

The important thing is that the buckwheat-all purpose flour ratio is 80:20.

Mix the flours in a bowl and add water. Knead for at least 10 minutes, until you get very soft dough. Use pasta machine to form long noodles:

Cooking the noodles (slightly adapted Lisa`s directions):



Heat water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. You want to cook noodles until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.


Drain the noodles and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool.  Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.


Cold buckwheat noodle salad

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You need:

• egg
• leek
• spring onions
• tamari sauce

Beat an egg in a bowl and fry it. After it`s fried, cut it into stripes.
Cut the leek and fry it for 5 minutes.
While waiting for egg and leek to cold, cut spring onions.
Mix vegetables and egg with prepared noodles and sprinkle with tamari sauce.
 

Tempura
 
Since this was my first time to make tempura, I chose to trust Lisa and see what`s going to happen.
 

Ingredients



1 egg yolk from a large egg

1 cup iced water

½ cup  plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging

½ cup cornflour (also called cornstarch)

½ teaspoon  baking powder

oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable

ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside

Directions:


Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

Now, for the record-I used only one kind of vegetables-onions. Yes, I made onion ring tempura!
Let` continue with directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 160°C; . It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

Dip the onions in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.

Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.

Serve immediately for the best flavor! And so I did! Yummy!

Mačak u džaku, tuna u kesi

Na slici je Ginger, jedan od dvojice štetočina, čije dlake unose intrigu i mračne poglede u naš nesuđenoidilični život.
A, ovo je sveža tuna, spremna da se okupa u medu i senfu, ispeče i pošalje ovomesečnoj domaćici igre Ajme, koliko nas je (osmišljene od strane Snježane), Aleksandri.

Tuna ukusom, a i izgledom mesa ( i cenom), odudara od mainstream riba (ako nazovemo tako one koje se kod nas najčešće pripremaju) i zato mi je bilo interesantno da je pripremim onako kako bih pripremila, recimo, neke fine šnicle. Umesto klasičnog pečenja u rerni, odlučila sam da iskoristim kese za pečenje, koje jako volim, zato što se upotreba ulja, ali i prljanje tepsija :),  svodi na minimum.  I...bila sam prezadovoljna. Suština je samo u tome da se riba ne peče previše dugo, da ne bi postala presuva.

Potrebno vam je (za gladno dvoje):

• ~350-400g tune
• 1 kesa za pečenje
• 1 kašika suvog biljnog začina
• 1-2 kašike senfa
• 2 kašike meda
• 2 čena belog luka
• 1 dl vode
• malo majčine dušice (nije obavezno)

Komad tune isecite na šnicle. Svaku šniclu istrljajte sa malo belog luka, a potom uvaljajte sa obe strane u mešavinu pripremljenu od biljnog začina (Vegeta, začin C), meda i senfa. Ostavite da odstoji jedno pola sata. Preostali beli luk sitno naseckajte. Tunu stavite u kesu za pečenje, pospite belim lukom i začinima po želji i prelijte sa malo vode. Zajedno sa ribom možete peći i nasečeni krompir, baš kao što sam ja to uradila:

Važno je samo da, pre stavljanja u rernu, sadržaj kesice protresete, da bi se začini ravnomerno rasporedili i da ispoštujete uputstva koje je naveo proizvođač kese. Peći oko pola sata na 180 stepeni.

Pobuna na brodu Bounty

Nije mi išlo.
Nisu mi se pravili sitni kolači (po običaju), ali bilo je vreme praznika, pa sam rekla-ok, zašto da ne?
Nije mi se dopala količina margarina u receptu, ali-progutala sam i to nekako.
Imala sam pola kilograma kokosa u špajzu, kog sam kupila i ne sanjajući koje će biti teme meseca u čak 2 kuvarigrice, od kojih je jedna kuvarijacije. Znak? Ne znam šta bih rekla.

Pokušaj broj 1 je završio u potpunom nezadovoljstvu. Sve se raspadalo i mrvilo. Pomislila sam da je zbog kokosa kupljenog na meru, koji mora da se presušio.
Za pokušaj broj 2 kupljen je drugi kokos, ali je rezultat bio isti.

Nerazaznajući obrisi. Ne znam ko se pobunio-da li sastojci, zato što sam im od početka prišla nekako teško i nevoljno ili moja podsvest, koja odbija da radi ono što joj svest nameće.

U svakom slučaju-ono što se u mom slučaju ne može nazvati kolačem je, ipak, prilično ukusno (ako se zanemari ukus margarina). Zato, možda budete imali više sreće od mene.

Pratite recept:

1 dl slatke pavlake

250 g margarina sa aromom slatke pavlake


300 g šećera


250 g kokosa


150 g tamne čokolade


80 g margarina








Margarin, šećer i slatku pavlaku staviti u šerpicu i otopiti na srednjoj vatri.


Kada masa provri dodati kokos i sve dobro izmešati.
Tepsiju obložiti papirom, pa u nju sipati kokos masu. Izravnati i staviti u frižider na min 2 sata.


Kada se masa stegne, prevrnuti je na dasku za sečenje pa seći na kockice.


Kockice vratiti u frižider.


Spremiti čoko glazuru.


Otopiti čokoladu i margarin. Ostaviti da se ohladi.


Kockice kokosa umakati u čokoladu, vaditi viljučkom i stavljati na tacnu obloženu masnim papirom. Staviti u frižider da se glazura stegne.

Čak i ako vam ne uspe, uvek možete doskočiti slučaju- pojedite smesu gledajući Marlon Branda u Pobuni na brodu Bounty

Bolje nego sutlijaš: Oat grain porridge (+coconut)

Ne čitam horoskop. Mislim na onaj iz dnevnih novina, nedeljnika, sa interneta, gde se preko 6 milijardi ljudi podeli u 12 grupa koje očekuje slična sudbina (!?!). Uopšte, zazirem od generalizacija. Ponekad se ipak desi (to je valjda statistička neminovnost) da se i u tim uopštavanjima ponešto i "ubode". Pre nekog vremena, zaintrigirala me je priča o ishrani po krvnim grupama. U pitanju je (kao i obično) bila čista radoznalost. Čitajući poduže spiskove namirnica koje bi valjalo i ne bi valjalo da koristim u ishrani, naišla sam na jedan, u mom slučaju tačan podatak. Autor(i) kažu, kako mojoj krvnoj grupi najviše prijaju žitarice. Pravo u centar!!!
Ovaj put, vraćam se jednoj staroj i pomalo zaboravljenoj. Ovsu. Istini za volju, ovsene pahuljice se, bar u mom okruženju, koriste često, baš kao i ovsene mekinje, pa i brašno. Ali, ovas u zrnu...Hmmm, i ne baš.
Pre par godina je moja baka, koja ima dijabetes tip2, svakodnevno koristila ovas zato što je čula da pomaže u regulaciji nivoa glukoze u krvi. S obzirom da sam lekar, potražila sam neke naučne dokaze (a ne popularne članke) koje bi potkrepile bakina nadanja. Istraživanja kažu da bi redovna upotreba ovsa zaista mogla uticati na snižavanje nivoa šećera u krvi, kao i lošeg LDL holesterola, zbog supstance zvane beta glukan.

Iskoristila sam ljušteni ovas za pripremu jedne vrlo jednostavne poslastice, prilagođene dijabetičarima, koju prosleđujem Sandri, ddomaćici igre Ajme..., koju je osmislila Snježana.

Ovsena kaša sa kokosom (za dvoje)

• 3/4 šolje ovsa potopljenog preko noći
• 0.5l sojinog mleka (kravljeg, ovsenog...)
• 3 kašike fruktoze
• 3 kašike kokosovog brašna

Prethodno potopljeni ovas kuvati u mleku, na sličan način kako spremate sutlijaš, oko sat vremena. Potrebno je da budete blizu šporeta, radi protivzagorevajuće kontrole i mešanja. Kada ovas postane mek i kašast, zasladite ga i umešajte kokos.

Real oat coconut porridge (for 2)

• 3/4 cup oat grain (soaked overnight)
• 0.5l soy milk (or any other)
• 3 tbsp fructose
• 3 tbsp coconut flour

Cook oats in milk for about an hour. Stir as often as you can. When oats soften add fructose and coconut and start enjoying your perfect healthy dessert.

Krem čorba od bukovača sa kokosovim mlekom i rukola pestom : Oyster Mushroom Cream Soup with Coconut Milk and Rocket Pesto

Lagani ručak ili, još bolje, večera, sa blagom notom Azije i neočekivanim dodatkom, inspirisana temom kokos, ovomesečne domaćice Sandre sa bloga Mlin naš nasušni..., a u okviru dobro poznate igre koju je osmislila Snježana

Priprema se tako što nabavite (za dvoje):

• 150-200g bukovača
• 1 praziluk, beli deo
• šargarepu
• 250ml kokosovog mleka+250 ml mlake vode (ili bujona po želji)
• 1/2 kašičice garam masale
• so
• kokosovo ulje

Na malo kokosovog ulja propržite sitno iseckan beli deo praziluka, zatim mu dodate izrendanu šargarepu, a potom iseckane bukovače i garam masalu. Posle 2-3 minuta, zalijte mešavinom kokosovog mleka i vode/bujona, pustite da provri, a potom stišajte vatru i kuvajte 20-25 minuta. Na kraju posolite po želji. Sipajte u tanjir i pospite kašikom rukola pesta.

Rukola pesto

Navedene sastojke sjediniti u seckalici:

• 20g rukole
• 2 čena belog luka
• kašika parmezana
• 1-2 kašike maslinovog ulja
• šaka oraha
• 3 listića mente (opcionalno)
• kašičica soli

Oyster Mushroom Cream Soup with Coconut Milk and Rocket Pesto (for 2)

• 150-200g fresh oyster mushrooms, cut in small pieces
• 1 leak, white part only
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 250ml coconut milk+250ml lukewarm water (bouillon)
• salt to taste
• coconut oil

Heat the coconut oil then add leak, carrot, mushrooms and garam masala. After 2-3 minutes pour a mixture of coconut milk and water/broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 20-25 minutes. Add some salt in the end. Serve with one tbsp of rocket pesto

Rocket pesto

Combine all of these ingredients in blender and turn into paste:

• 20g rocket salad
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil + 1tbsp parmesan
• 2 cloves garlic
• handful of walnuts/pecans
• 3 mint leaves (optional)
• tsp salt
  

Kiflice od Hruščov testa : Khrushchev Dough Rolls

Ovomesečni Fresh From the Oven izazov osmislile su naše komšije sa bloga mushitza .
Trebalo je pripremiti njihovu verziju testa koje se često i rado priprema u Rusiji i Bugarskoj. Ono što me je jako zaintrigiralo, bio je sam postupak pripreme testa, koji se u mnogome razlikuje od onog na koji sam navikla. Uostalom, videćete.

Odmah da kažem-prezadovoljna sam rezultatima!!!! Od testa sam pravila kiflice, i priznajem, bile su jedne od najboljih koje sam probala!!! Askete u ishrani se sa mnom ne bi možda složile, zato što su kiflice vrlo puteraste, ali zato gurmani imaju još jedno testasto zadovoljstvo kome mogu da se raduju!

• 40g svežeg kvasca (ili 10g kvasca + 30g vode)
• 10g soli
• 250 ml hladnog mleka  (direktno iz frižidera)
• 150g (koristila sam 125g) putera sobne temperature, iseckanog na kockice
• 1 kašika šećera
• 500g brašna+ po potrebi za posipanje

Sada sledi interesantni deo! Kvasac se ne stavlja u mlako mleko sa šećerom, kako mi to obično radimo. Ne, naprotiv!!! Kvasac se pospe solju, a onda ih skupa mešate kašikom, dok kvasac ne postane tečan. (ako koristite suvi kvasac, dodajte mu so, pa to pomešajte sa vodom)


Kvascu dodajete hladno mleko, puter, šećer i brašno. Mešajte mikserom ili drvenom varjačom. Izbegavajte kontakt testa s rukama, zato što toplota naših šaka može škoditi testu. Mešajte dok se ne formira mekano testo, a onda posudu sa testom prekrijte folijom i stavite preko noći u frižider.

U frižideru će testo postati tvrdo i blago će narasti.

Sledećeg jutra, zagrejte rernu na 180 stepeni, pobrašnite radnu površinu, stavite na nju testo, ili još bolje deo testa (da ne bi dugo stajao na sobnoj temperaturi), razvucite ga oklagijom i formirajte šta god želite od njega, u mom slučaju kiflice. Premažite ih žumancem i mlekom. Ništa se ne mesi, nema čekanja da testo naraste itd.

Pecite ih, autori kažu 15 minuta, ja kažem 20-25 minuta, dok ne postanu zlatasto smeđe.
I probajte obavezno...nećete zažaliti :)

Khrushchev Dough Rolls

Thanks to Silvia and Ivan from blog mushitza, I had a chance to try this exquisite dough. Guys, thank you, oh so much!

As you can see, this month in Fresh From the Oven Challenge, we had quite an interesting task with such an intriguing name :). The interesting part for me was the making of the dough, which quite differs from the one I`m used to.

Anyway, to make long story short, I just have to say that this was my first challenge and I didn`t regret taking part in it...and I will definitely put these lovely rolls (or kiflice :)) on my regular menu.

Here`s what Silvia and Ivan have to say about preparation :

Khrushchev Dough Recipe:

40 gr fresh yeast (or 10 gr powdered dry yeast + 30 gr water);


10 gr salt;


250 ml cold milk(directly from the fridge);


150 gr unsalted butter, cut in small cubes, room temperature(NOT melted);


1 Tbsp sugar;


500 gr all purpose flour + additional for the counter;


If using fresh yeast: Using an ordinary tablespoon rub the salt through the yeast block till it becomes liquid.


If using dry yeast: Mix salt and dry yeast, then add the water.


Add in the milk, butter, sugar and sift the flour on top. Mix with an electric mixer equipped with the dough hooks till all the ingredients are combined and soft dough forms. A wooden spoon could either be used. Cover the bowl with an airtight lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.






The dough becomes firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly. Although the original recipe says it doesn't, we are making it every quite often for more than five years, and it always rises, not as much as the other doughs but it rises nicely.






The next morning, dust the counter with flour, place the dough on top, roll it out and shape it as you like. Work the dough as soon as you take it out of the fridge. If needed divide it in two or three parts and place one part in the fridge while you are forming the other.

 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it in two and return one of the parts in the fridge.



Dust the counter with flour and roll the dough out to 3 mm thick rectangle. Cut it lengthwise and widthwise to smaller or bigger rectangles. Place some grated feta, cheddar or whatever cheese you have in the fridge and roll the rectangles up to tight rolls. All kind of jams, preserves, nutella... could be used. Arrange them in a baking pan living some space between them since they rise in the oven. Brush the rolls with a mixture of egg yolk, a few drops of water and a few drops of vegetable oil.

Bake for around 15 (I`d rather say 20-25 min) minutes or until golden brown.

The Daring Bakers January 2011 Challenge: BISCUIT JOCONDE IMPRIME/ENTREMET

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

If you are asking yourself what is imprime, or what the...beep...is entremet, here`s what Asteroshe says:
 

A joconde imprime (French Baking term) is a decorative design baked into a light sponge cake providing an elegant finish to desserts/torts/entremets/ formed in ring molds. A joconde batter is used because it bakes into a moist, flexible cake. The cake batter may be tinted or marbleized for a further decorative effect.

This Joconde/spongecake requires attentive baking so that it remains flexible to easily conform to the molds. If under baked it will stick to the baking mat. It over baked it will dry out and crack. Once cooled, the sponge may be cut into strips to line any shape ring mold.

Entremets (French baking term)- an ornate dessert with many different layers of cake and pastry creams in a mold, usually served cold.

The real challenge for me was in the fact that my hand mixer wasn`t working properly. Second challenge was/is my permanent shortage of free time. So, I had to mix everything with my not-very-strong hands and I had to do it QUICKLY. That`s why my final result isn`t very neat. Take a look:

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Here`s how I made joconde sponge:

 

85g almond flour
75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
25g  flour
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
30g unsalted butter, melted

Directions:




In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whitesto firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.


Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)


On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light.
Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.


Fold in melted butter.


Reserve batter to be used later.

As for the Décor Paste , I decided to make cocoa version:

100g unsalted butter, softened

100g Confectioners' (icing) sugar
4 large egg whites 

100g cake flour

                        30g cocoa

 

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy  

Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.


Fold in sifted flour with cocoa powder.

For further directions about making the pattern and baking joconde sponge, please visit accro.

I can only mention, that I needed less than 15 minutes ( took me 10 minutes) to bake the spongecake. Here you can see the bottom of the cake-to-be in the mold:

The cake needed some super-fast creamy fillings to fill up the joconde sponge, so I chose combination of oranges and chocolate.

1st layer-orange filling

You need:

• 1 glass (~2 dl) squeezed orange juice
• 1 glass (~2 dl) store bought 100% orange juice
• 3 tbs fructose
• 1-2 tbs orange zest
• 80g powdered vanilla pudding

Dissolve powdered pudding in one glass of squeezed orange juice and set aside. Heat store bought juice and fructose in a meadium size pan until it starts boiling. Add dissolved pudding, and stir quickly until mixture becomes very thick.


2nd layer-chocolate filling

• 100g dark chocolate
• 2 dl heavy cream
• 2 dl milk
• 40g powdered chocolate pudding.

The steps resemble those in previous filling. Dissolve powdered pudding in milk and set aside. Heat cream, add chocolate and when it starts melting, add the mixture of milk and pudding. Stir and stir until it thickens.

 Now, you have all the elements for one tasty cake.

For the final touch: Sprinkle your cake with both grated white and dark chocolate and let it cool for a while (overnight) in the fridge

Raspberry Fields Forever

Ne...ovo nije nešto slatko! Zapravo...:

Ovde se radi o PILETINI i MALINAMA

Iako, priznajem, nije uobičajeno, ovo je jedno izuzetno prijatno, za postpraznični želudac neopterećujuće jelo, sa sasvim blagom kiselkasto-voćnom notom (i divnom, nežnom bojom).
Možda i grešim kada kažem da se radi o neuobičajenoj kombinaciji, imajući u vidu da je u nekim našim krajevima veoma mila kombinacija mesa sa voćnim sosom, mislim prvenstveno na sos od višanja. Sos od višanja je, zapravo, bila moja početna inspiracija da pre nekog vremena smućkam sos od malina, koji služim uz meso i pirinač. Ovako:

Ali...o tome neki drugi put.

Evo šta je sve potrebno uraditi za jelo sa prve slike, koje se može nazvati i

PRETTY IN PINK Ajmokac (za dvoje)

• 1 pileći file (cirka 400g :) )
• 2 kašike kokosovog ulja
• 2 sitnija čena belog luka
• 250ml supe u kojoj se kuvala piletina
• 250ml kokosovog mleka
• 150g smrznutih malina
• par kapi limunovog/limetinog soka
• pola kašićice kuzu praha (ili, ako hoćete, malo gustina). Šta je kuzu prah, pročitajte ovde
•  so (u mom slučaju kalijumova)

Obarite piletinu i sačuvajte vodu u kojoj se kuvala. Kuvano meso iscepkajte dok ne postane vlaknasto (kao za rusku salatu). Mlaku supu pomešajte sa kokosovim mlekom.

Na kokosovom ulju, blago propržite beli luk, pa dodajte meso i kratko pržite (2- 3 minuta). Dodajte maline, 2-3 puta ih promešajte sa mesom, te prelijte delom (1/3) mešavine kokosovog mleka i supe. Tokom narednih 20-25 minuta, još par puta podlivajte tom tečnošću. Ako vam se smesa učini ređom nego što biste želeli, razmutite pola kašičice kuzu praha (ili, pak, koristite gustin) sa 3 kašike supe i ulijte u jelo na šporetu. Na kraju, dodajte samo par kapi limunovog ili limetinog soka i posolite po želji, imajući u vidu da manje soli dozvoljava da se jače oseti voćna nota, dok više soli naglašava "mesnati" ukus. Ili se bar meni tako čini...:). Ovaj ajmokac sam prelila preko bulgura i posvetila Sandri u okviru igre Ajme, koliko nas je koju je osmislila Snježana

Daring Cooks January 2011 Challenge: Hearty Winter Stew

Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.


First of all, I have to say that this is the very first Daring Kitchen Challenge I`m taking part in, and I`m extremely glad that the topic was so dear to my freezing heart :). I`m not particularly fond of winter, but the thought of warm stew in my cozy kitchen, when the snow is falling outside...makes me feel... hmmmm...safe, absolutely protected.
 
Although being complete and utter omnivore, I decided to prepare vegeterian cassoulet in delicious company of red onion confit. Reason for my non-sausage-eating decision lies in the fact that I`m fed up with meat and too much fat in these "post-festive" days.
 
So, here`s the result:
 
 

A plate of 100% pure comfort food!

Now...let`s start from the beginning!

First, I prepared red onion confit:

• 2 red onions
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste

Cut the onions as shown in picture above. Heat the olive oil in the heavy pot over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions until soft, about 15 minutes, then add sugar and vinegar and continue cooking until onions almost start melting. Add salt. That`s it! :)

(My way) Vegeterian Cassoulet (for 2)

• 2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, and then chopped into very small pieces
• 2 medium sized carrots, chopped
• 1 celery rib
• red onion confit
• 2 garlic cloves
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• oregano and thyme
• 1 can of beans
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup lukewarm water

(I have to say that I generally avoid using canned food (well, there are some exceptions-fish, for example), and always soak beans. This time, I realized that cooking canned beans would be a real challenge and big change for me. )

Preparation:

Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with tomato paste, bay leaf, dried herbs, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in red onion confit, beans, then water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.

And....Let the happiness overwhelm you!!! :)))))