Spaghetti with Saint Agur Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts

         

     Here I am again with a new recipe for you. I came up with this pasta sauce as we both are in love with pasta dishes, blue cheese & hazelnuts and believe us it is a match made in heaven. There are way too many blue cheese variations (this is a lie, there are never way too many cheeses) to choose from but for this particular dish we used Saint Agur Blue a French blue cheese from the province of Auvergne. This cheese is a very young one (aged only 2 months) and it has a super creamy texture due to the double cream content and also is less salty than other blue cheese. It's like a mild version of the more spicier and pungent Roquefort. Obviously, if you do not find Saint Agur Blue you can use Italian 'sweet' blue cheeses like Gorgonzola Dolce or Dolcelatte. 

         The other main ingredients for this dish are the superbly fragrant and nutty roasted hazelnuts. They add a crunchy texture to the velvety cheesy sauce. Hazelnuts are quick to roast, they only take about 12-13 minutes at 180°C/350°F. If you are roasting them yourself, always keep an eye whilst roasting as nuts can burn quickly due to their high oleic content. So give this a go and am quite sure you will love it and list it on your favourite pasta sauces!! For 2-3 hungry people you will need...

• 200g Spaghetti

For the sauce

• 100g (1 cup) Saint Agur blue cheese, crumbled
• 50g (1/3 cup) Roasted Hazelnuts, chopped/crushed
• 15g (1 tablespoon) Butter
• 15g (1 tablespoon) Plain flour 
• 230ml (1 cup) Whole milk
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch ground white pepper

To Garnish

• Whole hazelnuts
• Chopped parsley

How to...

1. In a small heavy based pan, make the roux (flour/butter mixture) by melting the butter then add the flour and with a balloon whisk stir until the roux turns golden. Add the milk, salt, white pepper and nutmeg and keeping stirring frequently until you get a thick bechamel like sauce. This takes about 10-15 minutes. 
2. Now lower the heat, stir in the honey and crumbled cheese and keep stirring until all the cheese has melted. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.
3. Drain the spaghetti, add the sauce to the hot pasta and mix well until all the pasta is coated with the gorgeous creamy sauce.
4. Plate up and garnish with whole roasted hazelnuts and chopped parsley.
5. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Agua de Fresa y Mango - Mexican Strawberry & Mango Drink

         

Amongst the many food and drink delights that Amanda & myself came across during our trip to Mexico was these simple drinks made from fresh fruit, sugar & water, basically like a fruit punch. These were available with every meal at our hotel and were also available from street vendors wherever we went. They were so cold, nice and refreshing...love at first taste. They are called Aguas Frescas and are made from a myriad variety of fruit like papaya, guayaba (guava), pineapple, melon, watermelon, strawberries, mango, tunas (prickly pears), guanabana (soursop) but not only!! Two of the most famous ones in Mexico are Horchata and Agua de Jamaica. Horchata is a sweet rice drink made with soaked rice, sugar & cinnamon (it's absolutely gorgeous). Agua de Jamaica is made from dried Hibiscus flowers and has a very unique tangy taste. 

        Since you can basically make Aguas Frescas with any fruit, I decided to come up with a superdelicious drink made with fresh strawberries and ripe mango. Usually they are sweetened with white sugar but if you want you can replace the sugar with other natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (which has a low GI). One tip about making these kind of drinks is that the more ripe the fruit is the sweeter the drink will be and the less sugar you need to add. In this particular drink I used honey and I put about 3 tablespoons, but again, it's all up to how sweet you like it. Just keep in mind that liquid sweeteners like the ones I mentioned above are sweeter than sugar so you need to use less!!! For a 2 litre jugful you will need...

• 400g fresh strawberries, hulled
• Flesh of 1 ripe mango
• 6 cups (1.5 litres cold water)
• ½ cup (115g) granulated sugar  or ¼ cup (4 tablespoons honey
• 24 ice cubes

How to...

1. Add all the ingredients except the ice in a large blender and blend until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Pass through a sieve (to eliminate any strawberry seed) into a jug, add the ice cubes and put into the fridge to chill.
3. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Goats' Cheese, Cherry Tomato & Tapenade Tart

       

   So, we love goats' cheese, tomato and olives...hmmm...so I came up with this super quick tart that both of demolished within minutes of it coming out of the oven. It came out so tasty, flaky, crispy...well perfect! I made our own tapenade but you can find it already made or you could even substitute it with pesto if you like (do not use the same quantity though as it has a stronger taste. We also used a mixture of coloured cherry tomatoes (red, purple & yellow) but you can use only red ones if you cannot find multicoloured ones. Oh yes, the goats' cheese, although it is not a melty cheese, it give this tart the delicious unique flavour that goats' cheese has. I also used a ready made puff pastry sheet but you can also make your own obviously but ready made pastry is fine if you're in a hurry.  

      Tapenade usually is a bit oily and runny and this ruin your tart by making the pastry too soggy, so what I have done I just added some pumpkin seed to the mixture so they can act as a thickener. If pumpkin seed are hard to come by, you can also use sunflower seed. Whatever seed you use, they will give your tapenade a nutty taste to your tart. So, give this a go and am quite sure you will love it and so will your family and friends. You will need...

For the tapenade

• 4 tablespoon green pitted olives
• 5 giant capers or 1 tablespoon small capers
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Pinch dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the tart

• 1 ready made puff pastry sheet
• 150g multicoloured cherry tomatoes, cut in half (red ones only will do)
• 125g soft goats' cheese, sliced or crumbled
• Rocket (Arugula) leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil
  

How to...

1. Start by preheating the oven to 200°C.
2. Next up let's prepare the tapenade by blending all the ingredients in a food processor or stick blender (that's what I used) until you get a homogeneous smooth mixture. 
3. Unroll the pastry sheet onto a baking sheet or large baking tray covered with greaseproof paper. I trickled some olive oil before I put my pastry on.
4. Spread the tapenade evenly on the pastry leaving about an inch from each side. Top up with the split cherry tomatoes, add the goats' cheese, add some olive oil and bake in the hot oven for about 25 minutes.
5. After 25 minutes take out of the oven, let cool down for 5 minutes and add rocket/arugula leaves and serve warm.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tomato & Ricotta Pasta Sauce - Zalza tat-Tadam u Rkotta

Well hello all!!! I am back!! Haven't blogged in a while because I have been quite busy with life. We have returned from a wonderful holiday in Mexico and now we feel really refreshed. I did come back with lots of Mexican recipes and food ideas but that is not what I am blogging about today. I will definitely be sharing some delicious Mexican recipes in the near future though. In the meantime here is a pasta sauce that is a huge favourite within Maltese households. A sauce that is very easy and quick to prepare and that everyone in your family will enjoy. Try it and you will definitely do it again...mark our words!! You can serve it with any pasta shapes you like, originally my mum used to boil some spirals/cellentani but anything will do. We like penne too as the sauce gets into the pasta...mmmm!! So here goes our version; for the sauce you will need...

• 350ml Passata Rustica (Thick tomato passata)
• 100ml water
• 125g ricotta
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• Pinch peperoncino (chilli flakes) - optional
• Sea sat & freshly ground pepper, to taste

How to...

1. In a small pot, add the garlic to the olive oil and heat gently on a low heat until the garlic is golden.
2. Now carefully add the passata and water and give it a good stir. Add the marjoram, salt & pepper and chilli flakes (if using) and give it a good stir. Simmer covered on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the ricotta and stir well to incorporate within the tomato sauce. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
4. Serve hot with your boiled pasta and add more black pepper.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Pan de Muerto - Mexican Day of the Dead Bread

   

 Pan de Muerto literally means Mexican bread of the dead and is traditionally baked during 'Día de los Muertos'. During that weekend that usually starts from the 31st October and finishes on the 2nd November, Mexicans build altars at home or by their loved ones' graves to remember their departed, these are called Altar de Muertos - Altar of the Dead. On these altars, offerings are put, these ritual offerings usually consist food items, flowers, candles and everyday objects that belonged to the deceased. The altar of the dead is a symbolic construction which is the result of the blend of pre-Hispanic ideologies, endemic worldview of Mesoamerican cultures and European character Abrahamic religious beliefs brought by the Spanish conquistadors and missionaries assigned to the colonization and conversion of native peoples of the current Mexico. [Reference Wikipedia] 

       Food offered usually has to be the deceased's favourite which usually will be a variety of tamales, tacos, moles [Mexican sauces], food made out of corn and seasonal fruits. An item that is always present of the altar of the dead is Pan de Muerto which is put at the altar as a major offering towards the deceased. This particular bread can be found sold in shops all over Mexico during Día de los Muertos. There are different variations of this delicious Mexican bread but the recipe I would like to share with you is the most common one and this particular version is very famous in Central Mexico.

    The particular loaf's shape comes from two finger shaped put across the loaf which represent bones. Traditionally it is served with atoles which are hot drinks flavoured with  a myriad of flavours usually these include cocoa,sugar, vanilla, and honey. These atoles are thickened with corn dough which is dissolved in water. One of the most famous atoles is Champurrado which is Mexican style hot chocolate. Delicious! 

     As per most of homemade loaves this bread needs proofing time but it well worth the wait. It is needs patience but nothing out of the ordinary. I followed/adapted the recipe by the School of Mexican Gastronomy [Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana]. The video is in Spanish but you can still watch it by clicking here. You can follow Yuri and see how dedicated and soft spoken he is! So, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a go. For 1 loaf you will need...

• 250g + 3 tablespoons Strong white flour [Plain flour will be fine]
• 1 instant yeast sachet [7g]
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 45g salted butter
• 150ml lukewarm milk [might not use it all]
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon orange flower water 

To glaze

• Melted butter
• Caster sugar

How to...

1. Start by turning on the oven light. This is where we will proof our starter dough and loaf.
2. On a clean surface or in a large bowl place the flour and make a small volcano. On the edge of the flour volcano sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and the orange zest. 
3. Now before starting to mix the dough we need to do a starter dough. In a small bowl add the 3 tablespoons of flour, yeast sachet and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well with a fork or spoon. Add enough lukewarm milk to create a soft dough [not too hard but not too runny either]. You might use about 70ml milk. Put the starter dough in the lit oven or in a warm place to proof [this will take about 20 minutes].
4. While the starter dough is rising, starting bringing the dough together by adding the butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar, orange flower water, egg and approximately 75ml milk. You might need more milk but the dough should not be too watery so add the milk gradually whilst mixing everything with your hands. Keep kneading for about 5 minutes. 
5. Now knead in the rest of the sugar, adding the rest of the sugar now will make sure the dough does not get 'watery'. Knead well until no more sugar is visible on your work top, about a further 5 minutes.
6. Now here's the sticky bit!! Stretch the dough and add the proofed starter dough. The dough might get very sticky but believe me the more you knead the more smooth and soft the dough will get. If you need to add more flour add about a tablespoon on the work top and keep kneading until you get a smooth and spongy dough. Knead for a total of about 10 minutes.
7. After kneading, shape the dough into an oiled bowl and oil the top of the dough ball. Cover and leave to proof for about an hour wither into the lit [not on] oven or in a warm place.
8. After an hour, shape the dough into a sausage like shape and cut a 3 inch (7.5cm) piece from the edge and set aside. Shape the rest of the dough into the loaf. Make sure you get a smooth shaped loaf by folding it on itself. See Yuri's video if you don't know what I mean, link above. :) 
9. Now split the piece of dough we set aside into three pieces, 2 equal pieces and a smaller piece. Dust with flour, so as they won't rise as much as the loaf. Shape the 2 equal pieces into thin cylindrical pieces under you open fingers, this will produce the bone-like shapes. Shape the other tiny piece into a ball.
10. Place the loaf onto a greased baking sheet and put the bone-like pieces on top crossing each other. Make a small indentation in the middle of the loaf and place the tiny dough ball in the middle. See the picture. 
    
11. Place the loaf to proof, covered for a further hour in a warm place.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C. When the oven reaches 200°C put the loaf in the oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 180°C. This will 'shock' the loaf and give it good crust. Bake for about 20 minutes.
13. Take out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Tap the loaf to remove any excess sugar.
14. Serve with hot chocolate or with champurrado. I will be doing some champurrado myself soon.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Pumpkin & Spanish Paprika Soup

Autumn/Fall is has been with us for a while now and pumpkins are bountiful at this time of year. So as per usual I came up with another delicious and tasty soup. You can do this soup by using the flesh from your pumpkins that you may have carved for Halloween. The sweetness of the pumpkin flesh and the unmistakeable taste of Spanish paprika make this soup an explosion of flavour on your palate with every spoonful. If you do not have Spanish paprika stocked in, you can use regular paprika but make sure it is the sweet variety. You can prepare this soup as a starter at a dinner party or as a delightful supper accompanied by buttered rustic bread. If you want to make this soup vegan just omit the butter and used a little bit more oil. So, go on, give it a go and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! For 4-6 people you will need...

• 850g pumpkin, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large potato, diced
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika
• Few celery leaves [optional]
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ litres [7 cups] boiling water
• 2 vegetable stock gel pots [or cubes]
• 15g Butter & 1 tablespoon olive oil, for frying
• Flaked almonds, to serve
• Pumpkin seeds, to serve

How to...

1. In a large stock pot, heat the oil and butter on medium heat and fry the onions for about 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent.
2. Now add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin, potato, paprika, celery leaves [if using] and stock gel pots or cubes. Give it a good stir and season with freshly ground black pepper. 
4. Pour in the boiling water and stir well, bring to a boil. Now reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Turn off the heat and let cool down a bit before blending with a stick blender or in a jug blender until you get a velvety consistency.
6. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with the flaked almonds & pumpkin seeds. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Pastel Tres Leches - Three Milk Sponge Cake

We first had a piece of this cake when our friend Nancy, she is from Ecuador, prepared it for a dinner party and it was a hit. I must admit that the first we had a piece of this cake, Amanda and myself fell instantly in love with it. This type of moist cake is very famous in Central & South America and there are many ways to prepare this cake but our favourite is the Mexican style. In fact I followed the recipe that I found on All Recipes México and it came out perfect. In this recipe I have done everything from scratch and was very proud of myself that I managed to cook the perfect sponge cake. 

I previously made this cake using premade sponge or even premade sponge mixture from a bag, but to be honest, the amount of chemicals, additives and glucose-fructose syrup made me make my own sponge from scratch. The sponge for this cake does not contain any fat at all [fat meaning butter or oil], reason being the cake needs to be light and fluffy so as it can soak all the milky goodness without becoming a stodgy and heavy cake that sticks to your mouth. 

I decided to make this cake for a dinner party to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, it was a potluck dinner party and there was so much food and desserts and we had so much fun. Anyway, everyone loved our Tres Leches and when I went back for seconds I only found a sliver left. I was happy, that meant only one thing...our friends loved it!! Yay! 

It is very easy and quick to prepare and all you need is a hand held electric mixer and 2 large mixing bowls, well apart from the ingredients obviously! :) This is what you will need...

• 1 cup [225g] caster sugar
• 5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1/3 cup [80ml] whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup [125g] plain flour
• 1 ½  teaspoons baking powder
• 1 can (397 grams) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (410 grams) evaporated milk
• 1 ¼ cups [300ml] double or whipping cream
• 8 fresh strawberries, to decorate

How to...

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a 23cm cake tin and dust with flour, remove any excess flour.
2. In a medium bowl place the egg yolks with ¾ cup sugar and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and whitish in colour. Add the milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder and mix all until well blended. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and they form peaks. Whilst beating, gradually add the remaining sugar. 
4. Now gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Do not over mix. Pour into the cake tin.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it is done.
6. Take out of the oven and let cool in the tin for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the sponge from the tin, use a knife to help you. Transfer on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Whilst the cake is cooling down make the milk mixture by mixing the condensed milk, evaporated milk and ¼ cup [60ml] of the cream into a bowl using a hand whisk. Take a cup of the mixture and set aside. [You can use this later or in a smoothie], you can also add this in too if you want your cake to be extra moist. Put the sponge cake into the serving tin or back into the cake tin. Prick the sponge with a fork in various places and pour the milk mixture and leave it to soak for about 20 minutes until the milk is soaked up by the sponge.
8. In the meantime, whip up the rest of the cream and cover the cake with it. Decorate with the strawberries. Put in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Chicken Machboos (Kabsa) - الدجاج كبسة

Our friends Ryan & Leah are moving to Dubai so we decided to do a leaving do for them. Obviously, the theme had to be Arabic so everyone brought Arabic/Middle Eastern food. I decided to prepare some Arabic dishes for everyone to enjoy. After 5 hours slaving away in Simon's kitchen [I do love cooking so, wasn't really slaving haha] I came up with 4 dishes including Lamb & Beef Koftas with Yogurt dip, Basbousa, [a semolina sweet], some Tabbouleh and the star dish, Chicken Machboos which is also known as Fogga or Kabsa. 

Chicken Machboos is basically Chicken & Rice cooked the Arabic way. It is full of spices (by the way, the dish is not spicy [hot] at all) and hence full of flavour. It went down a treat with everyone. Me being a purist I had to find an authentic Arabic recipe, so I did and I adapted it for a huge portion for our banquet. The original recipe is from the book "The Complete United Arab Emirates Cookbook" by Celia Ann Brock-Al Ansari Copyright © 1994 by Celia Ann Brock-Al Ansari. Obviously, if you are cooking for fewer people feel free to use less chicken and rice. One of the most important ingredients of this dish is the Dried black lime aka Loomi which gives it a musty, citrusy flavour (although it is not that overpowering). 

I buy my dried black limes from SousChef. Another ingredient is the Bezar (or Bzar) which is a traditional Arabic spice mix which is very tasty and fragrant. I make my own and you can too (the recipe is below *) but if you cannot find it or do not own a spice grinder do let me know and I will try and maybe I can ship you some. Just drop us an email on ramandaspicypassion@gmail.com

So for a banquet style serving you will need...

• 1.5 - 2kg chicken pieces (use thighs and drumsticks), skin removed
• 3-4 tablespoons bezar (recipe below *)
• salt to taste 
• About 2 litres chicken stock
• 3 fresh tomatoes, deseeded and chopped 
• 8 cloves garlic
• 4 whole dried black limes (loomi)
• 1 large stick cinnamon 
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 1kg Basmati rice
• Smen, ghee or butter, for frying

To serve

• 3 onions, sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons whole blanched almonds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dates & raisins [optional]

*To make Bezar spice mixture: In a shallow frying pan, toast the following until fragrant mixing occasionally; 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, 1 large cinnamon stick (broken into 4 pieces), 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns. Leave to cool down and grind into a fine powder in a spice grinder. Transfer into a glass jar; add 1 tablespoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon chilli powder. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. Store in a cool dry place.

How to...

• Rub the skinned chicken pieces with salt and bezar. 
• Gently fry in 2 tablespoons of smen, ghee or butter until brown on both sides. 
• Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a large deep pan add the stock, garlic cloves, dried black limes, cinnamon, green cardamom pods and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. 
• Taste for salt and add the rice. Bring to a gentle boil again on a low heat (don't stir). Now, cover pan with damp cloth and a heavy lid. Leave to steam on low heat, unopened for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and stand uncovered for about 15 minutes before serving.
• In the meantime, fry the onions in 1 tablespoon smen, ghee or butter until golden brown and soft. Remove the onions and set aside add in the same pan add the almonds and stir fry until they are slightly brown.
• Transfer the chicken and rice onto a large platter. Sprinkle the fried onions and almonds on top and serve. If using add some dates and raisins too!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Baked Tomato & Cheese Rigatoni

This has been my favourite pasta dish since I was a child and in fact in my family this dish is called Ramon's Pasta. :) I love it so much, the gooey pink sauce, the melted cheese, the sweetness of the tomatoes...heaven!! This recipe has been adapted by my mum from a 1970's cookbook written by Marguerite Patten. I can tell you that if you try this pasta dish, you will go for seconds :) It is quite easy to make and the most "difficult" part of it is making the pink sauce. So, do give it a go and let us know how it turns out for you. 

For 6-8 people you will need...

• 500g Rigatoni
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 300g Edam cheese, grated
• 800ml whole milk
• 500ml tomato passata
• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• Ground black pepper

How to...

1. Start by boiling a large salted pot of water. Cook the pasta until nearly al dente...about 9 minutes.
2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, make a roux by melting the butter and adding the flour on a medium heat. Stir until you get a golden coloured (but not brown) mixture. Add the milk bit by bit whilst stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and you have used all of the milk. Make sure there are no flour lumps. About 10-15 minutes in total. You need a creamy and silky white sauce. 
3. Preheat the oven at 200°C.
4. Turn off the heat and add ground black pepper to taste and the passata, stir until you get a pink sauce. Add the mustard and some of the grated cheese (optional), stir again.
5. Drain the pasta and rinse quickly with cold water to remove any extra starch.
6. In the large pasta pot, add the pasta (make sure it is not in one big lump), add the pasta and about 75% of the pink sauce. Mix carefully until it is well combined.
7. Butter or spray a rectangular oven dish and spread the leftover pink sauce on the bottom. Add half of the pasta and pink sauce mixture. now sprinkle most of the cheese and some sliced tomatoes, add more black pepper.
8. Pour in the rest of the pasta, sprinkle the remainder of the cheese and cover with the sliced tomatoes. Add more black pepper if you like. 
   
9. Now, to get better results move the oven rack to the top shelf and bake the pasta for about 30 minutes. You can put the pasta dish under the grill for about 5-10 minutes if you like to crisp up the tomatoes. Serve hot!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tandoori Chicken

Originating from India & Pakistan, Tandoori chicken is one of our favourite Indian recipes. So tasty and delicious!! Unfortunately a proper Tandoor oven in our kitchen is nowhere in sight but when we cook these lovely marinated red pieces of chicken in a hot oven, the result is very close. We served them some home-made pilau rice and some raita (yoghurt dip)...so goood!! You can also cook these on a hot BBQ. The secret is long marination as this will also tenderise the meat. Give them a go and we are quite sure your friends and family will love them and also ask for more. To marinade around a kilo of chicken pieces you will need...

• 1 kg chicken drumsticks and thighs, skin removed

For the marinade

• 350ml (1 ½ cups) plain whole milk yoghurt 
• 3 tablespoons Tandoori masala (Tandoori spice mix)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
• 1 thumb sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• Salt & pepper

For the Raita

• 150ml (¾ cup) plain whole milk yoghurt 
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• Salt & pepper

How to...

1. Start by mixing all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Mix well until you get a bright red homogenous mixture.
2. Slash the chicken pieces with a sharp knife in a couple of places. Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and mix well. Transfer the whole lot to a ziplock bag or a covered bowl. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge, line a large rectangular oven dish with foil, lay a rack over the pan and pre-heat your oven to 220°C.
4. Place the chicken pieces on the rack. Pour all the marinade on top of the chicken pieces.
5. Once the oven is hot, put the chicken pieces in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, after 30 minutes turn over the chicken pieces and cook for a further 15 minutes until slightly charred on the other side.
6. In the meantime prepare the raita by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.
7. Take the chicken out of the oven and serve hot accompanied by some raita on the side and also some pilau rice or even Naan bread if you like.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Stuffat tal-Fenek - Maltese Style Rabbit Stew

Usually hailed as Malta's national dish, stewed rabbit is popular with most of the Maltese people, whether living on the tiny island or living all around the globe. Rabbits in Malta are famously bred for food and rabbit dishes are a staple in a traditional Maltese family. The most famous rabbit recipes are rabbit stew (Stuffat tal-fenek/fenkata - Stoo-ff-aht tahl- Fehneck/Fehn-kah-tah) and fried rabbit (Fenek moqli - Fehneck mohq-lee). Amanda's mum used to do a wonderful rabbit stew and Amanda used to love eating this so I made sure that during our last trip to the market, to get us a couple of wild rabbits. Around Maltese households, rabbit stew is also traditionally served ladled over some spaghetti. So, in this post I will tell you step by step how to prepare a traditional rabbit stew the Maltese way. It is very easy to prepare and you do not need a huge number of ingredients. For 4 hungry people you will need...

• 1 rabbit, cut up into pieces
• 5 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large onions, cut into large pieces
• 500ml (2 cups) tomato passata
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste, dissolved into 250ml (1 cup) hot water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Handful frozen peas, defrosted
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Vegetable oil

For the marinade

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 500ml (2 cups) good red wine
• Salt & pepper

To serve

• 400g spaghetti
• Grated Kefalotiri or Grana Padano cheese

How to...

1. Start by marinating the rabbit into the red wine, garlic and salt & pepper. Mix well by hand so as all of the meat is covered in marinade (add more wine if you want to). Put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.
2. Remove the rabbit pieces from the marinade and discard the marinade). In a large frying pan heat some vegetable oil and fry the rabbit pieces until slightly brown. 
3. Now transfer the rabbit pieces into a large pot and add the passata, tomato paste, potatoes, onion, sugar, salt & pepper. Give it a good stir and simmer on medium heat for about an hour or so, stirring occasionally.
4. Now add the peas and cook for another 10 minutes. If you are serving it with spaghetti now it is time to cook your spaghetti. Turn off the heat and let it rest for a while until the spaghetti are done. 
5. Plate up the spaghetti and ladle the rabbit stew on top.
6. Serve with grated Kefalotiri or Grana Padano cheese.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls

Polish food is one of the most famous foods in the Western world. Along with Pierogi - Polish dumplings, Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls are a favourite not just with people of Polish origin but with anyone that has the honour of biting into these tasty traditional dishes. Once eaten, you will come back for more, guaranteed. These cabbage rolls are well worth boiling and separating the cabbage leaves (the tricky bit). I can vouch that once cooked these cabbage rolls are addictive. I used a mixture of minced beef and pork and the result was some really delicious, tasty and juicy cabbage rolls. If you find it you can also add some minced veal as well. The accompanying tomato sauce gives it the Eastern European taste, the tanginess of the tomato sauce, the sweetness of the caraway seeds, the herbiness of the marjoram and parsley...oh, heaven! Give them a go, you will not be disappointed. You will need...

For the Gołąbki - cabbage rolls

• 1 large cabbage head
• 750g minced beef & pork
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cooked rice, cold
• 250ml (1 cup) tomato passata + ½ cup tomato passata
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• A knob of butter, for frying

For the tomato sauce

• 300ml (1 ½ cups) beef stock
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
• 175ml (¾ cup) tomato passata
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 30g butter
• 30g plain flour

How to...

1. Start by boiling a very large pot of salty water. Now put the cabbage core end up and using a paring knife remove the hard core. Put the cabbage in the boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes. At this point some of the leaves will start to come off, that is what we want. After 10 minutes, carefully take the cabbage out of the boiling water, be very very careful as it will be very hot. Use 2 large spatulas or ladles when doing this process. Leave to cool slightly. When slightly cool, start peeling off the cabbage leaves with extreme care (remember they are the star ingredient of the dish). Separate them and put them flat on a platter and set aside to cool further.
2. Now it is time to prepare the filling. Start by frying the onions and garlic in the butter until brown (about 5 minutes on medium heat). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl add the minced meat, cooked rice, grated carrot, passata, eggs, cold fried onion/garlic mixture and salt & pepper. Put a pair of gloves on (optional) and mix by hand until all ingredients are incorporated, do not mix too much or else the meat will toughen. 
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
4. Now here comes the fun part, firstly if the spine of the leaf is too tough carefully trim it with a sharp knife). Now spread the cabbage leaves end bit away from you, put some filling (about a tablespoon or more...this depends on the size of the leaf), now roll the sides first and roll up all the way up to the stalk/spine part. Stack them up into a casserole next to each other (see picture).
   
   Keep going until all the filling is used up. If you have spare leaves or torn leaves save them so you can cover the rolls in the end. 
5. Now fill the casserole with water half way up to the rolls and add the half cup of passata. Spread the torn/spare leaves on top, cover and put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Whilst they are cooking away, start the tomato sauce by melting 30g butter, add the flour and cook stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Add all the other sauce ingredients and stir until thickened, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, make sure you keep on stirring or it will stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and remove from the heat.
7. After 30 minutes take the cabbage rolls out of the oven and pour the tomato sauce on top, cover again and put in the oven for another 30 minutes.
   
8. Take out of the oven, let stand for about 10 minutes and serve hot with a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce on top. Gołąbki can also be enjoyed cold as appetizers...an absolute delight!!
   

Enjoy!!

R&A

Manchego, Spanish Paprika & Leeks Mac 'n' Cheese

We had some Manchego cheese and a huge leek in the fridge and both of us were starving Saturday lunchtime. So, I had a look in our pantry and rustled up this recipe quite quickly to be honest. It took me about an hour to prep and cook it. This dish is kind of a Spanish take on the American classic and is very tasty. Do not worry if you do not have Spanish paprika or Spanish sherry, use whatever paprika or sherry you have but if you manage to get the real deal it will definitely be worth it. The Manchego cheese and Spanish paprikas give this dish its piquant, smoky flavours and the leeks provide the sweetness whilst the breadcrumbs provide the crunchy bit. Give it a go and I can guarantee that you will ask for more!! For 4 people (or 2 very hungry people) you will need...

• 1 large leek, washed and thinly sliced
• 15g +25g butter
• 60ml Spanish Dry Sherry
• 500ml whole milk
• 25g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon Pimentón Dulce (Spanish sweet paprika)
• ½ teaspoon Pimentón Picante (Spanish hot paprika)
• 1 teaspoon Pimentón Ahumado (Spanish smoked paprika)
• 250g Pennette or Macaroni
• 200g Manchego cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• Salt & pepper 

How to...

1. Start by cooking the pasta until nearly al dente. When cooked rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Now, let’s cook the leeks. Add 15g butter to a small frying pan and when melted, add the leeks and cook on medium heat for a 5 minutes. Now, season with salt & pepper and add the sherry. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until the sherry has evaporated and leeks are soft. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
4. For the cheese sauce, add 25g of butter to a medium pan and when melted add the flour and stir for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Add the milk and the 3 types of paprika and stir on a low to medium heat stirring continuously until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add about 150g of the grated cheese. Stir again until the cheese is melted.
5. Now in the cheese sauce pan add the cooked pasta and cooked leeks. Stir well to mix the pasta with the sauce and pour into a small oven dish (we used a round 20cm diameter earthenware dish). Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs and more freshly black pepper.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Serve!
   

Enjoy!!

R&A

Vegan Nutty Avocado & Mango Mousse

I love vegan desserts, they are so light and scrumptious. Here is another creation of ours that we made as an end of the week treat. As usual, it turned out absolutely divine. I added a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter to add a wee bit of a crunchy texture. Needless to say the avocado added a luscious creaminess to the mousse that went down a treat. The mango and maple syrup (or honey if not vegan) added sweetness and the vanilla extract added a wonderful aroma to this delight. Give it a go and you will love it. For 4 servings you will need...

• 1 large avocado, stoned and roughly chopped
• 1 large mango, flesh roughly chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup (or honey if not vegan)
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

How to...

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Transfer into ramekins and put into the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving (optional).
3. Serve!!

Enjoy!!
R&A

Raw Carrot, Cucumber & Tomato Salad

As promised our previous blogpost, here is the recipe for the salad that we served with our Turkey & Cumin Burgers. It is very quick to prepare...just some dicing to do. :) Amanda came up with the idea of a salad with our burgers and this salad is basically the tasty result of what we had in our fridge. I used Spanish paprika and Mexican oregano but if not available you can use normal sweet paprika and regular dried oregano. It is a completely vegan & vegetarian salad and can be served with anything,..as a side dish, as a quick lunch or even as a tasty and refreshing sandwich filler. Also, the small the diced vegetables the better in our opinion. For 2-3 servings you will need...

• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ cucumber, deseeded & diced
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded & diced
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 small gherkins, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• ½ tsp Spanish sweet paprika (use sweet paprika if not available)
• Pinch dried tarragon
• ½ tsp dried dried chives
• Pinch Mexican oregano (use regular oregano if not available)
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

How to...

1. In a medium sized bowl mix all the ingredients with a spoon. Transfer the salad into a fine sieve and let it rest on top of the bowl for a couple of minutes. This will get the excess moisture out of the salad. 
2. After a couple of minutes, discard the drained liquid and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A