Yep, I've decided to totally clean out my fridge, freezer and pantry by New Year's Eve, so I can start spick-and-span into the new year 2011.
Freezer shouldn't be too difficult, I only have some frozen left-overs and ice-cream there. Pantry contains mainly Pasta, bread-mixes, cans of veggies (beans and corn) and cookies. I should be able to whip up something and have a nice and clutterless (and empty) kitchen. And of course then I can go shopping :-)))
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Foodwaste 03/12/10
Uhm, ehm, maybe only the unfortunately compulsory piece of bread? Really, I cannot remember - oh wait:
some old carrots
a piece ov very old cauliflower
Thanks to the dog there wasn't anything else :-))
some old carrots
a piece ov very old cauliflower
Thanks to the dog there wasn't anything else :-))
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Fusilli Salsiccia e Cime di Rapa (Italian Sausage and Turnip Greens)
This is a traditional recipe from Apulia, although you should cook this with orecchiette-Pasta and not with Fusilli. Oh well....
You need:
Italian Sausage
White wine
Cime di Rapa (wikipedia gives these to me as Turnip Greens, it is the leafy part - I'll show pics) If someone knows how these are called in English, please let me know!!!
Peperoncino
Pasta (orecchiette or any short pasta you like)
Onion
Olive-Oil
Info:
These are the Cime di Rapa. Cima is the Italian word for "top, end, summit" and Rapa is a turnip.
Preparation:
Put on pasta-water. Dice a small onion and cut the sausages in small pieces. Fry both in olive-oil until crispy and brown, add some peperoncino and a nice shot of white wine. Have a nice glass yourself. Let simmer until the wine is almost evaporated. Meanwhile prepare the Rapa: We only need the leaves and the little flower-parts, not the stems. You can strip or peel off the leaves from the stems. Wash and then throw in with the sausages. You might need to add a bit of boiling water (from the pasta-pot). Be aware that a big bag of Rapa will turn into an almost-not-there part once cooked, similar to fresh spinach. Cook the rapa for some minutes. Meanwhile your pasta should be ready. Drain well and throw in with the rapa-sausages-sauce, mix well. Serve hot and covered in fresh parmesan cheese!!!
Note: Since the sausages usually are quite salty and peppery, you won't need to add other spices to the sauce!
You need:
Italian Sausage
White wine
Cime di Rapa (wikipedia gives these to me as Turnip Greens, it is the leafy part - I'll show pics) If someone knows how these are called in English, please let me know!!!
Peperoncino
Pasta (orecchiette or any short pasta you like)
Onion
Olive-Oil
Info:
These are the Cime di Rapa. Cima is the Italian word for "top, end, summit" and Rapa is a turnip.
Preparation:
Put on pasta-water. Dice a small onion and cut the sausages in small pieces. Fry both in olive-oil until crispy and brown, add some peperoncino and a nice shot of white wine. Have a nice glass yourself. Let simmer until the wine is almost evaporated. Meanwhile prepare the Rapa: We only need the leaves and the little flower-parts, not the stems. You can strip or peel off the leaves from the stems. Wash and then throw in with the sausages. You might need to add a bit of boiling water (from the pasta-pot). Be aware that a big bag of Rapa will turn into an almost-not-there part once cooked, similar to fresh spinach. Cook the rapa for some minutes. Meanwhile your pasta should be ready. Drain well and throw in with the rapa-sausages-sauce, mix well. Serve hot and covered in fresh parmesan cheese!!!
Note: Since the sausages usually are quite salty and peppery, you won't need to add other spices to the sauce!
Mealplan 27 November - 03 December
Saturday:
Sunday: It's my father-in-law's 70th birthday, so we'll celebrate in a restaurant.
Monday: Bucatini amatriciana
Tuesday: CBC
Wednesday: Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas)
Thursday: Something Indian
Friday: I'd love to go for Pizza. Let's see ;-))
Sunday: It's my father-in-law's 70th birthday, so we'll celebrate in a restaurant.
Monday: Bucatini amatriciana
Tuesday: CBC
Wednesday: Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas)
Thursday: Something Indian
Friday: I'd love to go for Pizza. Let's see ;-))
Foodwaste 26/11/10
I haven't done any foodwaste for a long time. A lot was going on and I had almost no time for blogging. I'll try toi keep up again for december and then of course throughout the next year.
- some pasta with sauce
- celery sticks from god knows when
- some yoghurt which was even older than the celery.....
- probably something else, but I cannot remember
- some pasta with sauce
- celery sticks from god knows when
- some yoghurt which was even older than the celery.....
- probably something else, but I cannot remember
Saturday, November 13, 2010
CBC - Spaghetti with Lemon-Lamb-Sauce
This was on request of my Mom. And it was awesome!!!! I'll make this one again, that's for sure!
The cook-book is still this one: Pasta, Zabert Sandmann, 2000, page 70
The cook-book is still this one: Pasta, Zabert Sandmann, 2000, page 70
Ingredients:
400gr Lamb
100gr bacon
1 big onion
1 bouquet of dandelion or rocket
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
400gr Spaghetti
1/8 l white wine
1/4 l veggie-broth
freshly ground pepper, salt, nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon-peel
150gr Crème Fraiche or Cream
6 tablespoons lemon-juice
Preparation:
1. Cut meat and onion in small dices. Wash and dry dandelion or rocket.
2. Heat oil in a skillet, fry meat for circa 5 minutes and then drain the oil in a small bowl (and put aside for the moment). Add garlic and onion to the meat and fry some more.
3. Bring water to a boil and cook spaghetti.
4. Add drained oil, broth and wine to the meat and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg (I left it out) and lemonpeel. Let simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Stir in Crème Fraiche and Lemon juice, lower heat and let simmer another 10 minutes.
6. Drain Spaghetti and mix well with sauce, decorate with dandelion.
Quick and easy Pumpkin-Potato-Soup with Feta Cheese
Cut pumpkin in pieces, peel potatoes and dice. Heat oil in a big pot, fry pumpkin and potato, than top with boiling water and cook until both are tender. You can add whatever spices you like, such as chilis or ginger. Drain, but save the cooking water!!! Blend potatoes and pumpkin and add cooking water to make a thicker or thinner soup, just as you like it best. Top with feta cheese and serve with bread.
CBC - Fusilli ai peperoni
I wasn't thrilled by this recipe, but I'd make it again. The preparation is kind of a turn-off though...
The cookbook was: La cucina dell'Emilia Romagna in 450 ricette tradizionali; Newton & Compton Editori 1998, page 83
Ingredients (for 6):
400gr Fusilli
400gr bellpeppers
80gr butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ladle of fine broth
one glass of dry white wine
salt and pepper
Preparation:
Prepare the peppers (cut out the "innards", little white skins ecc.) and put into boiling water for a moment to skin them. I did this step only partially, the skin did not want to come off, no matter what! If you have a better way to do this, please tell me (I think one can put them in the hot oven?). Cut into small pieces and fry in butter and oil. Add wine and simmer until evaporated, do the same with the broth. Salt and pepper, and let simmer on low heat. Prepare the Pasta, drain and mix with sauce, serve immediately.
As you can see from my pic, there was no sauce. There were only single pieces of pepper, nicely cooked in wine and broth. I think I also added a whole lot of broth, because the peppers were still hard and started to burn as all the broth had already evaporated. The dish is also in desperate need of parmesan cheese to top it off.
The cookbook was: La cucina dell'Emilia Romagna in 450 ricette tradizionali; Newton & Compton Editori 1998, page 83
Ingredients (for 6):
400gr Fusilli
400gr bellpeppers
80gr butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ladle of fine broth
one glass of dry white wine
salt and pepper
Preparation:
Prepare the peppers (cut out the "innards", little white skins ecc.) and put into boiling water for a moment to skin them. I did this step only partially, the skin did not want to come off, no matter what! If you have a better way to do this, please tell me (I think one can put them in the hot oven?). Cut into small pieces and fry in butter and oil. Add wine and simmer until evaporated, do the same with the broth. Salt and pepper, and let simmer on low heat. Prepare the Pasta, drain and mix with sauce, serve immediately.
As you can see from my pic, there was no sauce. There were only single pieces of pepper, nicely cooked in wine and broth. I think I also added a whole lot of broth, because the peppers were still hard and started to burn as all the broth had already evaporated. The dish is also in desperate need of parmesan cheese to top it off.
CBC - Strozzapreti with Salmon-Cream-Sauce
I made this on request of my better half, and it was good. Crazy good. I have no idea what made it taste so good, as it was basically only pasta + salmon + cream. But I thought not to ask, but to enjoy instead. And I am adding this to Soul-Food!!!!! Definitely.
So, the cookbook is the following: Pasta, Zabert Sandmann, 2000 (the same editor as the Antipasti-Book), page 64
Ingredients:
400gr Strozzapreti (it's a kind of thick-cut pasta)
Salt
various herbs (e.g. Basil., Rosemary, Oregano ecc.)
1 tablespoon butter
250gr cream
2 tablespoons Lemon-Juice
400gr Smoked Salmon (I think I used less)
freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
1. Cook Pasta according to package instructions.
2. wash herbs, shake dry and pick leaves from stems. Put aside some for decoration, cut the others in small stripes.
3. Heat butter in pan. Fry herbs in butter, add cream and lemon-juice, let simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Cut salmon in stripes and warm in hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to sauceas you like it.
So, the cookbook is the following: Pasta, Zabert Sandmann, 2000 (the same editor as the Antipasti-Book), page 64
Ingredients:
400gr Strozzapreti (it's a kind of thick-cut pasta)
Salt
various herbs (e.g. Basil., Rosemary, Oregano ecc.)
1 tablespoon butter
250gr cream
2 tablespoons Lemon-Juice
400gr Smoked Salmon (I think I used less)
freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
1. Cook Pasta according to package instructions.
2. wash herbs, shake dry and pick leaves from stems. Put aside some for decoration, cut the others in small stripes.
3. Heat butter in pan. Fry herbs in butter, add cream and lemon-juice, let simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Cut salmon in stripes and warm in hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to sauceas you like it.
5. Drain pasta and mix with sauce. Decorate with herbs (or not, see below).
Mealplan 13 - 19 november
Saturday: Oven-chicken with veggies and Fries
Sunday: Left-Overs
Monday: Pasta with Roman Cauliflower and Feta-Cheese
Tuesday: Hubby's Birthday - so it'll be fish!!! Linguine alle Vongole and afterwards some fish-plate
Wednesday: Meatloaf + some Veggie
Thursday: My alone-night - something Chinese / Thai
Friday: not decided yet
Sunday: Left-Overs
Monday: Pasta with Roman Cauliflower and Feta-Cheese
Tuesday: Hubby's Birthday - so it'll be fish!!! Linguine alle Vongole and afterwards some fish-plate
Wednesday: Meatloaf + some Veggie
Thursday: My alone-night - something Chinese / Thai
Friday: not decided yet
Friday, October 29, 2010
Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts, dried Tomatoes and Sage
I saw this recipe on a friend's blog and fell in love with it. Actually, I've discovered my love for Brussels Sprouts recently.....
The "original" recipe is here! As always, I did not stuck to the amounts, but did it by rule of thumb.
For 2:
* one package of Gnocchi (500 gr.)
* 300 gr. Brussels Sprouts
* 50 gr. Pine Nuts (I didn't have any)
* 80 gr. dried tomatoes (drained well from excessive oil)
* fresh sage
* Olive Oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg
Prepare Sprouts (I cut off the "stem" and peel off the dark leaves or the dirty ones). Cut into quarters. Put into boiling salted water and boil for about 5-7 minutes. Take out of water with a slotted spoon so you can use the water to cook the gnocchi. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pine-nuts, then add sprouts, diced tomatoes and sage (leave some leaves for decoration). Salt, pepper and if you like, add nutmeg as well. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions, drain well and add to the pan. Let "fry" for a couple minutes, serve.
The "original" recipe is here! As always, I did not stuck to the amounts, but did it by rule of thumb.
For 2:
* one package of Gnocchi (500 gr.)
* 300 gr. Brussels Sprouts
* 50 gr. Pine Nuts (I didn't have any)
* 80 gr. dried tomatoes (drained well from excessive oil)
* fresh sage
* Olive Oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg
Prepare Sprouts (I cut off the "stem" and peel off the dark leaves or the dirty ones). Cut into quarters. Put into boiling salted water and boil for about 5-7 minutes. Take out of water with a slotted spoon so you can use the water to cook the gnocchi. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pine-nuts, then add sprouts, diced tomatoes and sage (leave some leaves for decoration). Salt, pepper and if you like, add nutmeg as well. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions, drain well and add to the pan. Let "fry" for a couple minutes, serve.
These were the veggies in the pan
Together with the gnocchi it looks a bit chaotic - if you want nice pictures, please go to my friend's blog.
Or do as I did: Cover the mess with a lot of parmesan cheese!!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Risotto with Chestnuts
Risotto with Chestnuts
For the Risotto-part, please view my other post!
Chestnuts (about 25-30 pieces)
Sugar
With a sharp knife cut two lines on the flat side of the chestnuts, one vertically and one horizontally.
Bring water to the boil and add chestnuts, let boil for 10-15 minutes. Take out one by one and peel off the hard outer shell and the soft dark skin (it leaves a bitter taste). Leave some chestnuts as a whole, cut the others into small pieces.
In a small pan melt 2 tablespoons of sugar until liquid, then add water (the sugar might become one solid piece upon contact with water, but be patient, it'll dissolve again). Stir until you have a nice syrupy liquid, then add the whole chestnuts and let boil a few minutes until nicely caramelized from all sides.
Add broken chestnuts to the rice about halfway through the cooking-process, continue with ladle / broth / simmering as described above. When the risotto is done, use the caramelized chestnuts to decorate. Here we go:
Three Types of Risotto
My In-laws were coming (again) for dinner and so were two of hubby's nephews. So we were 6 + Baby, and I decided to make different types of risotto. I still had left-over ragù, I had bought mushrooms and had not planned to use them in my weekly menu, and I had the brilliant idea to make chestnut-risotto. So here it goes. Again, unfortunately, I did all of this without sticking to closely to a recipe, so there won't be any indications to grams or Milliliters.
As you might have guessed, the base of all of the risottos is, well, risotto. Who would have thought that???
Risotto
Risotto-Rice (Arborio)
Onion
Olive Oil
Hot Broth (I made it with beef stock-cubes, but of course you can make it from scratch or with vegetarian cubes)
Just so you know, I had about 2,5 liters of broth and 800gr of uncooked rice and there were 5 strong eaters + one picky one and I still have some in the freezer....
Prepare broth and keep hot. Dice onion and fry in olive oil until light golden. Add rice and turn with wooden spoon until glazed with hot oil from all sides. Add a couple of ladles of broth and stir until rice has absorbed all liquid. Continue until rice is done (not too mushy though, the center still has to be "al dente"). You might not have to use all liquid or maybe you need to prepare some more broth. Of course you could add some white wine with one of the broth-ladles.
Risotto ai Funghi
'Shrooms :-))) (champignon or porcini)
Parsley
White Wine
Olive oil
Cut mushrooms in thin slices and fry in oil. Add white wine and let simmer and evaporate most of it. Add parsley and if it's too dry some of the broth.
Risotto with Chestnuts
Chestnuts (about 25-30 pieces)
Sugar
With a sharp knife cut two lines on the flat side of the chestnuts, one vertically and one horizontally.
Bring water to the boil and add chestnuts, let boil for 10-15 minutes. Take out one by one and peel off the hard outer shell and the soft dark skin (it leaves a bitter taste). Leave some chestnuts as a whole, cut the others into small pieces.
In a small pan melt 2 tablespoons of sugar until liquid, then add water (the sugar might become one solid piece upon contact with water, but be patient, it'll dissolve again). Stir until you have a nice syrupy liquid, then add the whole chestnuts and let boil a few minutes until nicely caramelized from all sides.
Add broken chestnuts to the rice about halfway through the cooking-process, continue with ladle / broth / simmering as described above. When the risotto is done, use the caramelized chestnuts to decorate. Here we go:
Risotto al Ragù
Left-Over Ragù (recipe is here or here)
Risotto
Mix. Done. Picture is bad. Sorry.
As you might have guessed, the base of all of the risottos is, well, risotto. Who would have thought that???
Risotto
Risotto-Rice (Arborio)
Onion
Olive Oil
Hot Broth (I made it with beef stock-cubes, but of course you can make it from scratch or with vegetarian cubes)
Just so you know, I had about 2,5 liters of broth and 800gr of uncooked rice and there were 5 strong eaters + one picky one and I still have some in the freezer....
Prepare broth and keep hot. Dice onion and fry in olive oil until light golden. Add rice and turn with wooden spoon until glazed with hot oil from all sides. Add a couple of ladles of broth and stir until rice has absorbed all liquid. Continue until rice is done (not too mushy though, the center still has to be "al dente"). You might not have to use all liquid or maybe you need to prepare some more broth. Of course you could add some white wine with one of the broth-ladles.
Risotto ai Funghi
'Shrooms :-))) (champignon or porcini)
Parsley
White Wine
Olive oil
Cut mushrooms in thin slices and fry in oil. Add white wine and let simmer and evaporate most of it. Add parsley and if it's too dry some of the broth.
Mix well with the cooked risotto, and here's the result
Risotto with Chestnuts
Chestnuts (about 25-30 pieces)
Sugar
With a sharp knife cut two lines on the flat side of the chestnuts, one vertically and one horizontally.
Bring water to the boil and add chestnuts, let boil for 10-15 minutes. Take out one by one and peel off the hard outer shell and the soft dark skin (it leaves a bitter taste). Leave some chestnuts as a whole, cut the others into small pieces.
In a small pan melt 2 tablespoons of sugar until liquid, then add water (the sugar might become one solid piece upon contact with water, but be patient, it'll dissolve again). Stir until you have a nice syrupy liquid, then add the whole chestnuts and let boil a few minutes until nicely caramelized from all sides.
Risotto al Ragù
Left-Over Ragù (recipe is here or here)
Risotto
Mix. Done. Picture is bad. Sorry.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Foodwaste 22/10/10
Again, I do not have a picture as my man had the camera and I throw the stuff out as I go along, but there were:
3/4 Mango
the rest of the cheese-sauce I used for the Tortilla-Lasagne (I wouldn't have know what to use it for and it had kinda expired already...)
some cottage-cheese
1/3 glass of baby-apple-mash I found in the depths of my fridge.
3/4 Mango
the rest of the cheese-sauce I used for the Tortilla-Lasagne (I wouldn't have know what to use it for and it had kinda expired already...)
some cottage-cheese
1/3 glass of baby-apple-mash I found in the depths of my fridge.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Home-Made Pasta with Beef Stew (Strozzapreti al Ragù di Manzo)
The recipe is this one, I just used beef instead of lamb. It turned out quite nice and I have a mega-portion ready fir the freezer.
And look who wandered into the kitchen to help? Well, maybe I had to shout a little bit to make him come.... I cannot remember :-)))
And look who wandered into the kitchen to help? Well, maybe I had to shout a little bit to make him come.... I cannot remember :-)))
Spaghetti alle Vongole, Fried Calamari-Rings
Ingredients:
Calamari-Rings
Flour
Clams
Tomatoes
Garlic
White Wine
Parsley
Chilis
Spaghetti
Oil (Sunflower and Olive)
Preparation:
The Calamari-Rings, must be covered well with flour, and will then be fried in hot oil. Put on a paper towel to drain off excessive oil and salt.
The Vongole (clams), prior to cooking, must be put in cold salted water where they purge themselves from sand. Throw out crushed clams or clams that are open. Heat olive oil in a pan and throw in clams. They will open and salted water will spill out, so you do not need to add water or salt. Instead, add garlic, parsley, diced tomatoes, white wine and, if you like it hot, finely cut red chili. Let simmer for some time, throw out clams which do not open up. Cook spaghetti and mix with clams. DO NOT, repeat, NOT add cheese. You will be banned for life from entering Italy.
Well, and then the most embarrassing thing happened. We were so hungry that there's no picture of the finished Spaghetti plate. So please use your imagination!!!
Calamari-Rings
Flour
Clams
Tomatoes
Garlic
White Wine
Parsley
Chilis
Spaghetti
Oil (Sunflower and Olive)
Preparation:
The Calamari-Rings, must be covered well with flour, and will then be fried in hot oil. Put on a paper towel to drain off excessive oil and salt.
The Vongole (clams), prior to cooking, must be put in cold salted water where they purge themselves from sand. Throw out crushed clams or clams that are open. Heat olive oil in a pan and throw in clams. They will open and salted water will spill out, so you do not need to add water or salt. Instead, add garlic, parsley, diced tomatoes, white wine and, if you like it hot, finely cut red chili. Let simmer for some time, throw out clams which do not open up. Cook spaghetti and mix with clams. DO NOT, repeat, NOT add cheese. You will be banned for life from entering Italy.
These are the Calamari-Rings
Floured Calamari-Rings
Fried and Salted (I don't know why, but part of the flour-crust always falls off)
Vongole in a sauce of white wine, tomatoes, garlic and Chili
I forgot the parsley, here it is
Close-Up of Parsley, if you didn't really believe me :-)))
Well, and then the most embarrassing thing happened. We were so hungry that there's no picture of the finished Spaghetti plate. So please use your imagination!!!
Mealplan 23 - 29 October
Monday: Three Types of Risotto
Tuesday: CBC - Strozzapreti with Salmon-Cream-Sauce
Wednesday: My Mom is coming to visit, and she wants Chili con Carne. So Chili it is!!! And I have no picture, she was ravenous and did not leave me time :-))
Friday: My Mom is here in Rom and so are the parents of my best friend, so I'll be taking all of them to some fantastic little Restaurant.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Lazy Post: Pollo al Forno with Patate al Forno
Beginning of Post:
Pollo al Forno with Patate al Forno.
End of Post. Picture.
Pollo al Forno with Patate al Forno.
End of Post. Picture.
Tortilla-"Lasagne"
I was in the mood for something Mexican (or what we misleadingly call Mexican). I bought tortillas and hot-tomato-sauce Mexican Style, chicken-breasts and Edamer cheese and some red and yellow bell peppers and an avocado. I still had some Nacho-cheese-sauce in the pantry.
Note: The following recipe wasn't bad, but neither was it extremely good. The taste was fine for something I came up with this same afternoon, but consistency and fillings/toppings have yet to be improved! I'll definitely make this again but then I'll put more effort into it!
1. Marinate chicken-breasts with part of the Hot tomatosauce, some olive-oil and some garlic.
2. Fry in pan and cut into little chunks, add the rest of the tomatosauce and the diced bell peppers
3. Mash avocado, add some lemon-juice and Nacho-cheese-sauce.
4. Cut the tortillas into rectangular pieces so they fit into your casserole-dish. I used the cut-off pieces to do the last layer - no food-waste :-))
5. Start with a layer of tortilla, then Avocado-mash, then chicken-peppers. Continue until toppings are finished. Top with grated Edamer cheese or any other cheese you might prefer.
Note: The following recipe wasn't bad, but neither was it extremely good. The taste was fine for something I came up with this same afternoon, but consistency and fillings/toppings have yet to be improved! I'll definitely make this again but then I'll put more effort into it!
1. Marinate chicken-breasts with part of the Hot tomatosauce, some olive-oil and some garlic.
2. Fry in pan and cut into little chunks, add the rest of the tomatosauce and the diced bell peppers
4. Cut the tortillas into rectangular pieces so they fit into your casserole-dish. I used the cut-off pieces to do the last layer - no food-waste :-))
5. Start with a layer of tortilla, then Avocado-mash, then chicken-peppers. Continue until toppings are finished. Top with grated Edamer cheese or any other cheese you might prefer.
Here's the first layer of Tortilla.
The second layer with avocado-mash
The third layer with chicken-peppers
Layers in Casserole-Dish
Topped off with grated cheese
Out of the oven
Piece of Tortilla-Lasagne
Side-view ;-))
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