I Am Delicious: January 2013

Wild Rocket with Chicken Strips Salad

Wild rocket salad with grilled chicken stripes is a perfect option for light but nutritious lunch or simply a starter. Takes only a few minutes to prepare and worth every single bite.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

200 g wild rocket leaves
2 Tbsp of green olives
a few cherry tomatoes
lettuce leaves
small red onion - chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
150 - 200 g chicken breast
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Mix wild rocket leaves with lettuce. Add cut in halves cherry tomatoes.

2. Add fine chopped onion, decorate with green olives.

3. Grill chicken breast on hot olive oil and cut into stripes. Spread ready chicken stripes over the salad, add sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil and your salad is ready.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 30, 2013 at 08:18 AM in All, Chicken, Dips & Spreads, Meat & Charcuterie, Salads, Starters, Vegetables & Grains | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Home-made Chilli Con Carne

Home made chilli con carne can be served in many ways. In pita bread, in tortilla flats or accompanied by rice. Either way is simply delicious and full of nutrition. Excellent option for cold winter days. After having chilli con carne for lunch, it will keep you warm and with full stomach for many hours.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 80-90 minutes

Ingredients:

500 g lean minced beef
2 onions - chopped
8 warm tortilla breads to serve or plain boild long grain rice
fresh lettuce leaves to put into tortilla pockets
200 ml sour cream - best is 22%
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
5 Tbsp chopped chives
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp crashed chilli
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried marjoram
4 Tbsp tomato puree
500g can red kidney beans
1/2 red pepper - de-seeded and chopped
150 ml red dry wine
500 ml beef stock
400g tin of cherry tomatoes - chopped
7-8 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley to garnish

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion. Stir a bit and cook for approx. 5 minutes. Add chopped red pepper.

2. Add oregano, chilli, marjoram, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Now add lean minced beef and keep stirring for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform and there are no pink bits left. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew. If needed you can add a bit more olive oil.

4. Once the meat turned brown, add red wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add beef stock, red kidney beans and chopped cherry tomatoes from the can, together with the souce and tomato puree. Stir well, reduce a bit the heat and leave to simmer for approx. 60-70 minutes until most of the sauce evaporates. You should stir ocassionally to make sure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan or isn't drying out. If sauce evaporates too soon, add more beef stock. At the end of cooking, add chopped chives.

5. When chilli con carne is ready, remove the lid, turn off the heat and leave it to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to penetrate the meat.

6. Serve hot with tortilla bread or white long boiled rice. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves. If you decide for tortilla, remember to spread 1 Tbsp of sour cream on each tortilla and then put the mean, roll and enjoy delicious flavor.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 30, 2013 at 02:25 AM in All, Bread, Meat & Charcuterie, Sandwiches, Starters | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tiger Shrimps in Garlic

Super delicious tiger shrimps recipe. Takes less than 15 minutes to surprise your guests. Excellent option for a light starter. Seasoned with a touch of freshly chopped parsley and a drop of lime juice. Simply heaven. Enjoy!!!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7-8 minutes

Ingredients:

20-30 cooked, peeled and de-veined tail-on tiger shrimps
5 crashed garlic cloves
8-10 Tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 lime
sea salt

Method:

1. Wash the shrimps and remove the shells.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C.

3. Put the olive oil and garlic in a large, shallow dish and heat in the oven for 3-4 minutes. You need to watch carefully so that the garlic does not start to brown.

4. Put shrimps into the oil and make sure they are completely coated. Season with black pepper and return to the oven and cook for another 3 minutes unitil they are pink and cooked.

5. Ready shrimps season with freshly chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lime.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 29, 2013 at 06:43 AM in All, Fish & Sea Food, Sauces & Dressings, Starters, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tandoori Chicken in Pita Bread Wraps

Pita bread with tandoori chicken is simply delicious and makes ulimately great lunch or dinner. This recipe will keep all your friends and neighbours coming for more.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

3 skinless chicken breasts - approx. 500 g
2 onions - sliced
6 pita pockets - warm
fresh lettuce leaves to put into pita pockets
3 Tbsp capers
3 Tbsp green olives
200 g natural yoghurt
200 g tandori pasta or a package of tandori spice mix
2 tomatoes - sliced
5 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Wash the chicken first and then cut into small chunks. Visible fat trimmed.

2. Put chicken into a separate dish and add marinade made from natural yoghurt, sea salt and pepper and tandoori pasta. Add olive oil. Stir well and leave chicken aside for minimum 2 hours in a refrigerator. You can also marinate it overnight for even a better flavor.

4. Once chicken is ready, place it together with a marinade to a pre-heated with olive oil pan on a medium heat. If you re-use marinade and cook your chicken in it - meat will be more tender and all juicy. Cook chicken for 10-15 minutes.

5. Put pita bread pockets in aluminium foil and leave in a pre-heated oven to 200 C for 5 minutes. That way your bread will be all nice and warm.

7. Stuff each pita with fresh lettuce leaves, add onion, capers, olives and tomato slices. Then place tandoori chicken into pita pockets.

8. Serve hot.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 20, 2013 at 06:19 AM in All, Casserole, Chicken, Meat & Charcuterie, Sandwiches, Starters, Vegetables & Grains, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Oven Baked Apples with Raspberry Jam

Super delicious and healthy dessert. Perfect option for cold autumn afternoons. Takes just a few minutes to prepare. Just give it a try and you will see what I mean.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 large apples
4 Tbsp raspberry jam
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
1.5 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp cloves

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 C. Wash the apples and scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a hole. Do not cut all the way through.

2. Stuff each apple with butter, vanilla sugar and 2 Tbsp of raspberry jam.

3. Place the apples in a shallow baking dish and pierce cloves into skin of the apples. Bake for approx. 30 minutes until apples turn tender.

4. Ready apples place on a plate and serve hot immediately.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 20, 2013 at 05:20 AM in All, Breakfast, Cakes & Desserts, Vegetables & Grains, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato Salad on Rocket Bedding

Mozzarella and tomato salad is one of the easiest salads you can prepare in less than 15 minutes. Also perfect salad for vegetarians and of course healthy and nutritious for everyone. Mozzarella cheese is produced from milk obtained through cows or buffalos. It originated in Italy. Most common use of mozzarella comes on pizza or lasagna. However, very often you can find it in a variety of salads like the one below. The word “mozzarella” was first discovered in 1570 in a cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi. A 100 gram mozzarella ball contains approx. 22 grams of protein and 22 grams of fat. Healthy and nutritious.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 balls of mozzarella cheese - approx. 300 g
3 large tomatoes
50 g rocket leaves
6-8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic sause to decorate
basil leaves to garnish
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cut mozzarella balls and tomatos into slices with same thickeness.

2. Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on rocket leaves and drizzle with olive oil.

3. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and docorate with fresh basil leaves.

4. Optionally you can also drizzle with some balsamic sauce or venegar. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 20, 2013 at 04:56 AM in All, Breakfast, Dips & Spreads, Salads, Sauces & Dressings, Starters, Vegetables & Grains, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Little Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pies

Little sauerkraut and mushroom pies are a perfect accompaniament for any clear soup like Christmas beetroot soup called in Polish barszcz. These little pies are made from puff pastry which you can make yourself or buy a ready pastry in supermarket. My pies are just for two bites so a perfect little snacks. It might look complicated to prepare but not that difficult. Most important is to have a great sauerkraut and mushroom filling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:

600 g pastry for pies (at its most basic, it is a mixture of flour and fat bound with water to form a paste) - puff pastry
1 kg sauerkraut mixed with two grated carrots and 1 Tbsp of cumin
45 g dried mashrooms eg. edible boletus, king bolete
2 big onions - chopped
6-8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 l of boiling water
1 egg - beaten

Method:

1. Finely chopped onion fry in a large skillet with olive oil. Keep stirring until onion is soft and translucent.

2. Pour hot water into dry mashrooms and leave aside for 10 minutes.

3. Now cook the mashrooms with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for 10 minutes.

4. Cut sauerkraut into small pieces. Add sea salt and pepper. Now add cooked mushrooms together with their boiling sauce. Now add boiling water and cook on medium-low heat until half of water evaporates. Should take approx. 30 minutes.

5. Roll out the pastry in the flat surface, dusted with a bit of flour and form a square shape, then cut it creating two triangles. Pastry should be max 5 mm thick. Triangle hight should be about 10 cm long.

6. Prick each triangle with a fork. Brush each square with well beaten egg.

7. Spread 1 Tbsp of sauerkraut and mushrooms on on each pastry.

8. Now connect two opposit corners of pastry together. Brush with an egg again.

9. Put the tarts on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in pre-heated to 180 C degrees oven for approx. 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

10. Serve hot. You can serve it plain, as is, or together with a clear soup like beetroot soup.

ENJOY!!!

Posted on January 13, 2013 at 12:08 PM in All, Cakes & Desserts, Cookies, Starters, Vegetables & Grains, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Poppyseed Roll (Strudel) Recipe

Poppyseed cakes are very popular in Poland, especially for Christmas and Easter time. Some Poles believe that poppyseed brings luck. I decided to use a real poppyseed, however, canned filling works well in this recipe unless you want to grind your own - like me! Does not take that much to prepare, however requires quite a technique to roll the dough. Just try and you will love it as much as I do.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Wait Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

100 g all purpose flour
100 g potato starch
150 g powder sugar
8-10 egg yolks
4-5 egg whites - beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla essence

Filling Ingredients:

750 g ground poppyseeds
400 g sugar
4 Tbsp of honey
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
20 g softened butter
100 g dried raisins
100 g diced candid orange and lemon rind - chopped or grated
ground walnuts, sliced almonds
4 egg whites - beaten
150 ml dark rum
chocolate or frosting to decorate

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites. Add sugar and vanilla sugar at the end. Add egg yolks and stir well with a spoon. Add vanilla essence, mixed potato and all purpose flour. Stirr well, until you have a creamy mixture.

2. Pour the mixture into a baking tray. Sponge cake should be approx. 1 cm thick.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Bake the cake for 10-13 minutes until cake starts to turn gold.

4. When the sponge cake is ready, remove it immediately from the oven. Otherwise it will start to dry too much. Move it to the kitchen towel sprinkled with some powder sugar. Cover it with another kitchen towel but make sure it is damp.

5. Now we will prepare the poppyseed filling, unless you have the canned one so you can directly move to step 7.

6. Walsh the poppyseed. Move to the pot, pour enough water to cover entire poppyseed and cook for 30-35 minutes. Clean the raisins, add dark rum and leave aside to soak a bit. Ready poppyseed must be filtered first. Now we have to mill it three times at least. Mix milled poppyseed with sugar, honey, cocoa powder and beaten egg whites. Melt the butter on a large skillet and add poppyseed. Cook, stirring for 5-10 minutes. Now, almost ready poppyseed filling mix with the raisins and all remaining rum, diced candid orange and lemon rind, almonds and ground walnuts. Leave it aside to chill a bit. Your filling is ready now.

7. Remove the damp kitchen towel from the sponge cake and paste the poppyseed filling on the cake. Roll the cake using the kitchen towel which is under the cake. Wrap in kitchen foil and leave to cool down in a fridge for 1 hour.