I Am Delicious

Serrano Ham Salad with Black Olives

Serrano ham salad with black olives is a perfect option for light lunch or a great dinner starter. Takes only a few minutes to prepare and worth every single bite.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 200 g wild rocket leaves
• lettuce leaves
• spinach leaves
• 5 Tbsp of black olives
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• small red onion - finely sliced
• 100 g camembert cheese - cut in fin slices
• 2 Tbsp sunflour seeds
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 150 g chopped serrano ham
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Method: 

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

2. Add finely sliced red onion and black olives. Add chopped serrano ham, sliced camembert cheese and sunflour seeds.

3. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil and your salad is ready.

ENJOY!!!

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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!!!

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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!!! 

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What Makes an Ingredient 'Good'?

Roasted Duck Breast in Cranberry Sauce

Duck meat is considered to be 'white' meat, although it is darker than any other poultry like chicken or turkey. Due to that duck meat is much reacher in flavours and aromas than any other poultry. This also means, duck meat goes really well with any fruits, sweet or spicy ingredients. In this recipe I propose simple roasted duck breast This is why you have so many duck recipes and all of them are delicious. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:                                  

• 2 large duck breasts
• 1 Tbsp of butter
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 250 ml cold water
• 250 g cranberries
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp of cinnamon
• 20 g vanilla sugar
• 2 Tbsp of honey
• 150 ml dry red wine

Method: 

1. Wash the duck breast well. 

2. Now, using a knife, cut the skin all over the fatty parts at the breast. Don't cut deeper than is necessary just to cut the skin. You want the fat to run, but not the juices from the meat. By cutting or piercing the skin of the duck, this will allow the fat to drain out during roasting. Season the skin lightly with salt and pepper and leave aside for a moment. 

3. Melt butter on a heavy skillet, brown breasts on both sides - approx. 3 minutes on each side.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C and cook the breasts together with butter and red wine for approx. 10-15 minutes. Remember to not over-cook, otherwise breast will be too dry. A good method to check if the meat is ready is to check meat temperature. A duck is properly cooked when the temperature of the breast has reached 75-80 C.  

5. Rince the cranberries and mix with honey, water, cinnamon and sugar. Simmer the cranberries and cook until they turn soft. Leave aside.

6. Serve on warmed plates, with cranberry sauce on side. 

ENJOY!!!

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Home Made Blini with Smoked Salmon and Cream

Blinis are a Russian type of pancake. They are traditionally made from buckwheat flour and served with caviar or smoked fish like in my recipe. Very easy to prepare and a perfect option for nutritious starter or lighter dinner. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                    

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 2 large eggs
• 100 g all purpose flour
• 50 g buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150-170 ml milk
• 80 g melted butter
• freshly ground pepper
• 200 ml sour cream - 22% fat
• 5-7 Tbsp chopped chives
• 250-300 g smoked salmon - in thin slices
• dill leaves to decorate

Method: 

1. In a large bowl mix well both flour types, salt, sugar and baking powder. 

2. In another bowl beat the yolk. In third bowl beat egg whites with a bit of salt - they will have better consistency.

3. Add milk and melted butter to the flour and mix well. Then add yolks and egg whites and keep mixing until you have a consistency of a dense cream.

4. On a hot frying pan preheat some butter. When butter is hot, drop 1.5 Tbsp of the mixture on the pan and create a couple of circular spots. Make sure that blinis do not stick completely to each other. Cook blinis for 1-2 minutes  and turn them into other side for another 1 minute. Remove when both sides turn gold. 

5. Repeat the sequence, after each batch of blinis, clean the pan and again add some butter. Wait until butter melts and do the next series of blinis. 

6. Now we will prepare the cream. Mix sour cream with chopped chives, salt and freshly ground pepper. 

7. Ready blinis should be served hot with 1 Tbsp of cream with chives on the top and a slice of smoked salmon. Add a bit of dill under the salmon - that way you will have even better taste of your ready blinis. 

ENJOY!!!

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Delicious Grilled Salmon with Green Salsa and Tomatoes

Excellent option for quick and healthy dinner. This salmon with fresh and homemade salsa tastes amazing. No need to say anything - just try to prepare. Enjoy!!!   

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 800 g of salmon fillet (with skin on one side)
• freshly ground black, red and white pepper
• 4 Tbsp of extra vergin olive oil for salsa and 3 Tbsp to sprinkle the salmon
• 2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
• fresh juice of 2 lemons
• 30 g dill, roughly chopped
• 30 g mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 30 g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 30 g chives, roughly chopped
• 65 g capers
• 75 g pine nuts
• 200 g green olives
• cherry tomatoes to serve with

Method:

1. Wash the salmon fillet and season with freshly ground red, black and white pepper. Sprinkle with 3 Tbsp of oilve oil. 

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Put the salmon fillets on baking sheet and squeeze over the juice from half of lemon. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes or until salmon turns gold and cooked. 

3. Now we will prepare salsa. Put the herbs, olive oil, pine nuts, olives, juice of 1.5 lemons, capers and mustard in a blender and mix until fully blended.

4. Spread the salsa on top of cooked salmon fillets.

5. Serve with rice or simply like I did cherry tomatoes. 

ENJOY!!! 

Broad (Fava) Beans and Asparagus Salad

As you already know from my previous recipe with broad (fava) beans, it can be prepared in many ways and this recipe is another example of how we can prepare the beans. Full of aroma and flavour and additionally with green asparagus which I love too. And of course we cannot forget about healthy side of green asparagus. Asparagus is a good source of folate, dietary fibre and vitamins C and E.

This recipe is an example of another perfect vegetarian starter. Takes less than 20 minutes to prepare; just give it a try and you will see.       

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:                

• 500 g fresh broad (fava) beans
• 1 bunch of green asparagus
• 4-5 garlic cloves - finely sliced
• 4-5 Tbsp salsa balsamico sauce
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme and sage - mixed 
• warm pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. Boil a big pot of salty water.

2. Put broad (fava) beans into the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. 

3. Drain the beans and put them in the cold water for a few minutes. 

4. Once the bean is cold peel the skin off and put the beans into a serving plate. To peel them, squeeze between two fingers to get the bean out. Otherwise, a little slit with a knife should do the trick.

5. Now you should cook green asparagus. To prepare asparagus, wash the vegetablein cool water. Remember to remove all the sand from from the stalks. Now gentle press the end of the stem to break the woody end and remove it. Cut asparagus into three pieces. Asparagus needs to be cooked quickly to a tender-crisp texture. To gauge doneness, poke a stalk with a knife and you should feel a little resistance. One cooking method is to stand the asparagus in three inches of salty boiling water, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove asparagus from boiling water immediately and move to chilled water. Then drain and leave aside. 

6. Put mixed broad beans, garlic and asparagus on big serving plate. Season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme and sage. Drizzle with salsa balsamico.

7. Serve immediately with warm pita bread - fresh or toasted. Perfect starter option and a great dish to start the dinner party. 

ENJOY!!! 

Delicious Italian Pasta with Pesto

Extreemely fast to prepare - takes almost nothing to cook. I love fresh homemade pesto and you cannot compare it with the one bought in the grocery store. No meat, so perfect option for vegetarians. 

The word "pasta" comes from the Italian word for "paste" and means a mix of flour and water. Popular legend says that pasta was introduced by Marco Polo to Italy following his travels exploration of the Far East in the 13th century. The Chinese were making a noodle dishes in early 3000 B.C. Pasta made its way to the New World through the English travellers, who discovered it while living in Italy. Pasta consists of flour, water, salt and sometimes eggs. Over the centuries dozens of pasta shapes, sauces and ways of serving were invented. There are over 600 pasta shapes worldwide. Spinach is used to make pasta green, tomato makes pasta red and squid ink makes pasta gray. I read somewhere that an average Italian person eats more than 51 pounds of pasta every year. How about you?

Prep Time: 5 minutes                                    

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• any dry pasta shapes you like - you can use tagliatelle, farfalle or any other
• 70 g of fresh green basil stalks and leaves
• 10 g of ground almonds instead of pine nuts
• 30 g parmesan
• 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves 
• sea salt & freshly ground black and white pepper

Method: 

1. Boil a large pot of water and put a bit of salt in it for getting more flavor out of your pasta. Cook pasta al dente, which means "to the tooth" in Italian. That means it's cooked, but still has some resistance when chewing. For how long to cook al dente you need to read instructions on the pasta box. In average it would be approx. 10 minutes but might differ per pasta shape.   

2. Now we will prepare pesto sauce. In a blender mix well basil stalks and leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper, almonds and parmesan. Check the flavor and if needed add a bit more of salt. I like it more salty but that is my individual preference.

3. Mix cooked pasta with your pesto sauce and serve immediately.

ENJOY!!! 

 

Delicious Toasts with Garlic

Another example of quick and delicious starter option. I love garlic and frankly I could eat it almost with everything. Garlic is widely used for cooking and medicinal purposes. Garlic comes from central Asia but now present all over the world. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, it has been grown for more than 5,000 years. Garlic used to have an important role in the ancient Egypt, where was regarded as a sacred herb with the ability to enhance strength and endurance. Garlic has a strong flavor and contains many minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, and phyto-nutrients that have proven health benefits. Garlic may also help improve your iron metabolism. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare; just give it a try and you will love it.       

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:                

• warm slices of toast bread
• 8-10 big garlic cloves - with skin on - do not peel off
• 6-8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)

Method:

1. Fry bread slices on a large pre-heated frying pan.

2. You will fry the garlic on a large pre-heated pan with a little of olive oil. Remember to NOT peel off the garlic. We will fry it with its skin because that way you will not loose its aroma and  the taste will be a bit sweet.

3. When garlic is ready, remove it from the pan and set aside to cool.

4. Now remove the skin from the garlic and using a blender mix it well with remaining olive oil, sea salt and pepper until it turns into puree.

5. When a garlic mix is ready, spread it over warm bread slices. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve hot. 

ENJOY!!!

 

Broad (Fava) Beans and Herbs Salad

Broad beans was originaly born in North Africa and Southwest Asia, then widely introduced to Italian, Spanish and Lebanese cuisine. Rich in carbohydrates and potassium. Can be prepared in so many ways and this is why I really love to cook it. We can serve broad beans in a soup, as a purée or fried, with pasta. Full of aroma and flavour. This recipe is an example of another perfect vegetarian starter. Takes less than 15 minutes to prepare; just give it a try and you will see.       

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3-4 minutes

Ingredients:                

• 500 g fresh broad (fava) beans
• 2-3 garlic cloves - finely sliced
• 4-5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme and sage - mixed 
• warm pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. Boil a big pot of salty water.

2. Put broad beans into the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. 

3. Drain the beans and put them in the cold water for a few minutes. 

4. Once the bean is cold peel the skin off and put the beans into a serving plate. To peel them, squeeze between two fingers to get the bean out. Otherwise, a little slit with a knife should do the trick.

5. Now we will prepare the dressing. Mix all together: olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, dried oregano, garlic, dried thyme and sage. 

6. Drizzle the beans with olive oil and herbs. 

7. Serve chilled with warm pita bread - fresh or toasted. Perfect starter option and a great dish to start the dinner party. Broad beans go well with lamb, pork, ham, bacon or poultry. 

ENJOY!!!

Baba Ghanoush - Aubergine (Eggplant) & Tomato Salad

Delicious vegetarian recipe that most probably was born in Arab countries. Baba Ghanoush is made from a baked eggplant, mashed with olive oil, tomato and seasoning of your preference including lemon juice, cumin, garlic, sea salt, pepper, mint and parsley. It can be eaten various ways: as a dip with warm pita bread, a salad or simply spread. It is a very popular starter in Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.

Excellent veggi recipe for those loving healthy food. Takes very little to prepare and it is simply delicious. Nutrition facts say that eggplant (aubergine) is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium and Copper. Perfect starter for everyone. My grannie used to prepare it but we called it: 'Pasta z baklazana' and we didn't know its orgins come from Middle East.      

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 1 big eggplant (aubergine) - approx. 400 g
• 150 g cherry tomatoes - cut in quarters
• 1 medium onion - finelly chopped
• 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic - finely sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• a bit of sumak spice
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• fresh chopped leaves of parsley to garnish
• warm pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. Bake washed eggplant (uncut) in the pre-heated to 220 C oven for approx. 20-30 minutes until it turns soft. Remember to prick the eggplant in several places with the tines of a fork.

2. When eggplant is ready, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

3. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, scoop the eggplant flesh into a large bowl and mash well with a fork. If you like you can use a food processor although I would highly recommend to use a fork.

4. Remaining part of the eggplant dice well and add to the flesh. Combine with garlic, tomato, onion, sea salt, cumin, pepper, olive oil, sumak and lemon juice.

5. Mix all ingredients well and after allow it to stay in a room temperature for a while. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and pepper.

6. Serve with warm pita bread, crackers, toast or anything else you like.

ENJOY!!!

Classic Tzatziki Recipe

Another delicious recipe coming from Greece. Cucumber flavoured dip can be served with warm pita bread or as a side dish with grilled meat or vegetable. Its main ingredients include Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, and garlic. And I love that garlic smell and taste. Tzatziki dip is simply delicious and easy to prepare. I love to serve my tzatziki with warm pita bread or as a dip for fresh vegetables.      

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 1 cucumber, peeled, deceeded and grated
• 2-3 garlic cloves - crashed
• 200 ml Greek yoghurt
• 4 Tbsp finely hashed dill
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• 1 tsp white vinegar or 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• drizzle with olive oil over the top and decorate with basil leaf
• warm pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. Pour the Greek yoghurt into the mixing bowl. 

2. Peel off cucumber, remove the seeds and grate it on a coarse grater. 

3. Do not forget to drain the cucumber before putting it into the yoghurt. That is extreemely important step which will help you to keep the right consistency of the dip and you will make real tzatziki. Also it is very important to remove the seeds otherwise they will change dip texture and the taste. 

4. Add hashed dill into the yoghurt, together with cucumber, vinegar and olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. 

5. Mix tzatziki well and drizzle with olive oil on the top. Garnish with basil leaves or hashed dill.

6. Serve chilled with warm pita bread - fresh or toasted. Perfect starter option and a great dish to start the dinner party.

ENJOY!!!

Lemon & Parsley Mediterranean Couscous

Delicious Mediterranean recipe that most probably was born in North Africa. Excellent vegetarian meal and for those loving healthy food. Takes very little to prepare and it is simply delicious. Couscous orgins come from the wheat's inner seed. Couscous contains reachest protein of the wheat germ. Couscous is made from semolina which is the finest product of wheat. Couscous is not generally eaten on its own, but mixed together with a variety of vegetables, herbs and spices. 

Nutrition facts say that one cup of couscous provides approx. 35% of your recommended daily requirement of nutritious fibers. Couscous additionally provides a range of B group vitamines along with the minerals needed for its efficient absorption into the body. Simply perfect meal for everyone to keep your energy levels up for long.      

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 2 cups of uncooked couscous
• 2 cups of boiling water for couscous
• 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice or less depending on your taste preference
• 1 cup of cut in quarters cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup chopped fresh leaves of parsley
• 3 cloves of garlic - crashed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or a bit more if couscous will be still dry
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• season with fresh hashed parsley leaves and pepper
• pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. Pour boiling water into a bowl with couscous. Mix and cover for approx. 5 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Once ready stir with a fork in order to separate the grains.

2. Add cherry tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, onion, garlic, parsley, fresh mint leaves and lemon juice. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss well to mix all the ingredients.

3. If you feel couscous is too dry, add a bit more olive oil and lemon juice. This is one of the dishes where taste really depends on your personal experience.

4. Serve chilled with pita bread - fresh or toasted. Perfect starter optionand a great dish to start the dinner party.

ENJOY!!!

 

Traditional Hummus Recipe

Another perfect option for vegetarians. Takes very little to prepare and it is simply delicious. Making hummus is not too complicated although you need to have all the ingridients and having the right recipe. There’s nothing better than healthy and home made fresh hummus. It will taste 10 times better than any packaged hummus from the supermarket, plus no need to mention it is healthier as well. Chickpea contains iron and manganese keeping our energy levels up for entire day and our blood healthy. Hummus is one of the most popular Mediterranean region dips. Should be served with fresh (I like it most) or toasted pita bread. Do not forget about Tahini (sesame seed paste) which is must to have in the hummus ingredients and should not be replaced or omitted. Tahini is also high in protein and is a great source of calcium. Try to prepare it once and you see how good it is.      

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 1 can of drained chickpeas
• 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice or more depending on your preference
• 1-2 tsp ground cumin
• 2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-3 Tbsp tahini paste
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper (red, white, green and black)
• 2 garlic cloves - crashed
• 3-4 Tbsp liquid from chickpeas
• season with extra virgin olive oil and decorate with fresh hashed parsley leaves
• pita bread to serve with

Method:

1. In a blender or any food processor, crash the garlic. Add canned chickpeas, reserving 1 Tbsp for garnish. 

2. Combine tahini paste, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, liquid from chickpeas, cumin and olive oil in a blender. Blend until creamy and well mashed.

3. Transfer your hummus to a medium serving bowl and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus. Garnish with hashed parsley leaves and chickpeas over the top. Drizzle with olive oil.

4. Serve chilled a bit with pita bread - fresh or toasted.  

5. Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. If your hummus appears to be too dry, add a bit of olive oil and mix well. 

ENJOY!!!  

Endive and Banana Salad in Vinaigrette Dressing (in Polish: Salatka z cykoria i bananem w sosie winegret)

Very quick to prepare and so delicious salad. Fresh and full of vitamines. Can be served as a side dish or a starter with a few slices of full grain bread. Perfect option for vegetarians. Make sure you prepare your own vinaigrette dressing as it is not even comparable in taste with the ones you buy in a grocery shop. Vinaigrette dressing recipe you can find on this blog. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• vinaigrette dressing - see my other recipe
• 2 endives
• 1 medium banana
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 Tbsp cashews

Method:

1. Cut the endives and banana into 1 cm slices.

2. Mix endives, banana with sunflower and cashews.

3. Add vinaigrette dressing. See my recipe on: http://iamdelicious.typepad.com/iamdelicious/2012/05/vinaigrette-dressing-in-polish-sos-winegret.html

4. Serve as a side salad or a starter with some full grain bread. 

ENJOY!!! 

Vinaigrette Dressing (in Polish: Sos winegret)

Classic homemade vinaigrette dressing can be used for any green salads. Once you try to prepare your own vinaigrette dressing you will realize how simple it is and how different it can taste in comparison with what you can buy in grocery shops.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6-7 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• splash of lemon juice
• freshly ground black, red and white pepper
• sea salt

Method:

1. Mix all together: the mustard, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.

2. Start adding olive oil spoon by spoon and keep mixing all the ingredients. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Make sure all ingredients are nicely blended.

3. Serve with any fresh salads and vegetables you like.

ENJOY!!! 

Grilled Salmon in Basil Sauce (in Polish: Grilowany losos w sosie z bazylia)

Excellent option for quick dinner. Looks complicated and a lot to prepare but all done at the same time so in less than one hour your perfect and delicious dish will be ready. You can serve it with basil sauce as in below recipe or without having a simply grilled salmon fillet.  

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 500 g of salmon fillet (with skin on one side)
• 4 Tbsp of chopped basil leaves
• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1.5 Tbsp flour
• sea salt and freshly ground black, red and white pepper
• mixed fish herbs
• 100 ml extra vergin olive oil
• 10 medium size new potatoes
• 400 g haricot 
• 2 Tbsp finely-minced dill leaves

Method:

1. Wash the salmon fillet and season with sea salt, pepper and mixed fish herbs. Leave it aside while preparing basil sauce.

2. Cook vegetable stock adding chopped basil leaves. Keep stirring and cook over a low heat. Add sea salt and pepper. 

3. Mix the flour with a small amount of cold water and pour into basil sauce. Keep stirring until sauce turns a bit dense. Add yoghurt and cook for 5 minutes in a low-medium heat.

4. In the meantime pre-heat a frying pan and add olive oil. Once hot, put a salmon fillets and grill on both sides for about 10 minutes over a medium heat. Make sure salmon is well cooked on both sides. Cooking time depends on how big  your fillet is.

5. Wash new potatoes well and cook with the skin in a bit salty water.

6. Cook haricots in a small amount of water until tender. Remember to add some salt into the boiling water.

7. Transfer the salmon into a warm plate, spoon hot sauce over the fillet. Add potatoes and haricots. Garnish potatoes with chopped dill leaves.

ENJOY!!! 

Oven Baked Ribs with Jacket Boiled Potatoes (in Polish: Pieczone zeberka z ziemniakami w mundurkach)

Simply delicious - you have to prepare it at least once. Ribs become juicy and tender if you keep them in a marinade for entire night. However, 2 hours are already good enough. Best to serve with jacket boiled potatoes and cucumber, red onion and cream salad. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 - 55 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 2 racks of pork baby back ribs - make sure they do not have too much fat
• 1 lime juice
• 4-5 Tbsp soya sauce
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp rib mixed spices
• 3 Tbsp seasam seeds
• 2-3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 6-8 midium size potatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black, red and white pepper

Method:

1. Ribs cut into smaller pieces and leave aside in a large flat baking pan.

2. Now we will prepare a marinade. Whisk together juice of one lime, soya sauce, chili powder, olive oil, rib spices, 2 Tbsp seasam seeds, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Pour marinade sauce over the ribs. Cover with foil and leave in a fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Best is to leave it for entire night. That way ribs become juicy and very tender.

4. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Well marinaded ribs take out of the fridge and put into the oven baking bag together with remaining marinade. Additionally, season with 1 Tbsp of seasam seeds. Shake all a bit making sure ribs are wll covered with the marinade.

5. Bake for 50-55 minutes until ribs become tender. 

6. Serve your oven baked ribs with jacked boiled potatoes and green cucumber and red onion salad.

ENJOY!!! 

White Asparagus in White Bechamel Sauce (in Polish: Biale szparagi z sosem beszamelowym)

I love asparagus - both in white and green. We should rather call it ivory asparagus since it is not really white. It is more delicate than the green and is less likely to be bitter as long as you peel the skin. Perfect warm dish for everyone. No meat so excellent for vegetarians. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes                                    

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 500g
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 350 ml milk
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 100 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp sugar 
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• sea salt & freshly ground white and black pepper
• olive oil to springle the baking dish

Method: 

1. Snap off the bottoms of asparagus at the point where they break naturally, then pare off those unpleasant spiky little triangles along the sides. After that, peel the stalks up to the bud at the tip. Now your asparagus is ready to be cooked.

2. Bring water and sea salt to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Best is to use a special asparagus pot. See below. Cook from 8 to 10 minutes until very tender. Drain well on paper towels. 

3. Melt all the butter in a medium size pot, add flour and start mixing. Make sure that the mixture is homogenous.

4. Gradually start adding milk into the boiling mixture. Do not stop mixing until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Add white pepper, 1 tsp of nutmeg and a bit of salt to get a flavour you like. Leave it for a moment to cool down a bit. Your white bechamel sauce is ready.

5. In the meantime pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

6. Spread evenly over baking dish a bit of olive oil and arrange asparagus on the bottom.

7. Pour white bechamel sauce over the asparagus and cover it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

8. Put asparagus into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

9. Serve hot on green salad leaves.

ENJOY!!!

Loin Steak with Lime and Ginger Salsa (in Polish: Schab z salsa limonka - imbir)

Again one of the examples of easy and really quick dishes to prepare. You can serve it with new boiled potatoes with skin or any other vegetable you like e.g. asparagus or cauliflower.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:                                       

• 500 g fresh loin - cut into 2 cm slices
• 2 big tomatoes - finely doced
• 2 spring onions - finely diced
• 1 big lime juice
• 4-5 Tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• steak herbs and spices - 1-2 Tbsp
• 10 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cut loin into 2 cm slices. Make sure there is no visible fat left.

2. Preheat the oven and grill loin slices on 6 Tbsp of olive oil for about 15 minutes, turning during cooking and drizzling with steak herbs and spices and soya sauce. 

3. In the meantime we will prepare salsa sauce.

4. Mix all salsa ingredients together: 4 Tbsp olive oil, ginger, finely diced tomatoes and spring onion, lime juice sea salt and black pepper. Leave it for 5 minutes in the fridge.     

7. Serve the loin steak with tomatoe salsa and any vegetable you like. Can be boiled new potatoes, asparagus or cauliflower.

ENJOY!!!