Fusion Pangasius Curry with Spaghetti

To live by the sea must be a never-ending pleasure! Did you know that Ava Gardner once said the following:

“When I’m old and gray, I want to have a house by the sea. And paint. With a lot of wonderful chums, good music, and booze around. And a damn good kitchen to cook in.”

It really makes you think about the little and important things in life, giving some sense to it all. The sad news, my dear friends, is that Ava died aged 67 while living in London and never got that house or that life she imagined. A house by the sea means many things, it means sunshine and flowers and light clothes in bright colours, but when a house by the sea is related to food, then it means one thing and one thing only; a house by the sea opens us to a world of the most beautiful and fresh seafood. When you try a fish just caught, you get to feel the real taste of nature. The sunbeams on your skin, the fresh, light food in front of you and perhaps a nice wine too give this dark world of ours a shine that we have to create in our lives in order to enjoy them. My late grandparents loved the sea; they loved the sea and everything it gave so much, they built a house with their bare hands by the Adriatic Sea so that they could spent most of the year there. It was a different time, when they weren’t the only people building their own house, but just think of the spirit of it! When at sea, we swim, we stay active, we sit in the fresh air, smell olive trees and eat fresh healthy food. Some can argue it, but it sure seems magical to me.

However, we don’t always have that luxury. Many of us have to stay in dark, cold cities going to school or work and in the few moments we have to daydream we can plan the perfect getaway. Luckily, for people like me, a good getaway is also my kitchen. Flavours can take you so many places, if you just let them. If you wanted to bring the seaside to you, get that fish in your pan and take yourself on that trip. Now, as you may have figured out, I love travel and I may feel most at home when I am not home, as silly as that sounds. That is the spirit of wanderlust and the burden of third culture kids like me. However, if I must carry any burden, this is one I am proud to have. When you see many cultures and meet many different people you start wondering about their everyday lives... Do they always dress this way? What do their weddings look like? What do their schools look like? How formal are they to strangers? Do they kiss when greeting? And what is their everyday food? What is their national cuisine, that thing they stuffed themselves with, every time they visited grandma. Because, cultures may vary, but I like to believe that, at the end of the day, most grandmothers stuff their grandkids and most grandkids can eat way more at grandma’s house than anywhere else.

These thoughts made me want to try food I haven’t eaten, from places I haven’t been to. Curries are one them and I love curries, not too spicy ones, I think that takes more years of training your stomach than I have, but they can be heavenly. Furthermore, I love Italian food and by now you must be thinking I am mad, introducing you to this little fusion angel, but it is a perfect compromise for our fast modern lives. It has the fish to make sure you are eating the right kind of fats, it is a sort of a „quick“ curry that gives it a homey feel and it has spaghetti, because pasta is one thing you should always have in your house, especially when you need to make something beautiful and make it quickly. The story of long-cooked curries and bolognese is a different one I am very aware of, but this little Fusion Pangasius Curry is all you will need to make you happy when really hungry and in need of a quick meal.

 

Fusion Pangasius Curry with Spaghetti

Difficulty: Easy

Time: prep 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

2 Pangasius fillets* (you may use another type, if you prefer)

1 red onion

300ml coconut milk

2 lemons (juice)

Fish sauce

2 grated carrots

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon gound ginger

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

3 teaspoon dry parsley (or a handful of fresh parsley, if available)

*if working with frozen fillets, make sure to get all the water out of the fillet with a paper towel before seasoning

Season fish with salt and cayenne pepper. Cut fish into bite-sized cubes and dice a red onion. Add oil to a pan and let it heat well. Sauté the onion and carrots for 2-3 minutes and then add the fish leaving it on the heat for about 2 minutes before adding ground ginger, coriander, cumin and turmeric, stirring quickly and adding in the fish sauce. Fry for 5 minutes before adding the juice of 2 lemons and parsley. Add coconut milk, stir and add cornstarch dissolved in a little bit of water. Leave on the stove for another 5-10 minutes on a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, cook your spaghetti and mix together once all is done.

Carrot and Ginger Chocolate Cake

I’ve had spiced-up chocolate before. It is interesting and perhaps not to everybody’s liking. I remember reading a recipe for Aztec hot chocolate which contained raw sun-kissed cocoa beans, an interesting pouring method (which I will tell you all about another time) and a shock to me at the time, chili. Would something spicy really give sweet ol’ chocolate a really special kick and a good new (or old, since it’s an Aztec trick after all) taste?

Well, if one thing is popular among us foodies nowadays it is spices: lots of spices and spices from everywhere. We are not geographically bound and thus, we are inspired. Now, this is not a chili recipe, but it is a recipe that gives chocolate a beautiful spicy kick, I am sure most of you will enjoy. So, let me tell you what I was looking for when inventing this little one.

A whole bunch of us have that good craving for the ultimate chocolate cake once in a while. Trust me; I have been on the lookout for one for a very long time. Light chocolate cakes are yummy in their own way, but this one is for those days when you need that extra perfect, extra moist and extra chocolate-y piece.

I have been making easy chocolate cakes for a long time, but I like to believe this is my best so far. The combination of a chocolate cake with carrot and ginger gives it a soft and spicy taste. Now, depending on how much of a ginger fan you are, pick your own amount. I am perfectly happy with the one in the recipe below and don’t think it was too much. I remember trying a chocolate-bomb-cake at Starbucks many years ago and it was good, but it was just chocolate and lacked something. It lacked the spice probably, but it also looked like it was more difficult to make.
This recipe is one of the mix-all-ingredients-in and bake type. Within the hour you will be in chocolate heaven and the best thing is, its good both hot and cold (if it isn’t already eaten buy then). The cake is small and makes a total of 6-8 pieces.

This is what the consistency of the melted chocolate should look like.

The mixture that goes into the oven.

Carrot and Ginger Chocolate Cake

Difficulty: Easy

Time: prep 10 minutes; bake 1 hour

Ingredients

3 teaspoons fresh ginger root

1 egg

160g dark chocolate (minimum 55% cocoa)

100ml milk

1 large finely grated carrot

2 tbsp buckwheat flour

2 tbsp plain white flour

3 tbsp ground almonds (almond flour)

200ml single cream

5 tbsp sunflower oil

3 tbsp organic cocoa powder

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp baking powder

10g butter

20g powder sugar

Melt the chocolate in 100ml of milk until it comes to a boil and stir on stove for 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool a little bit. Grate your carrot and ginger (or use a food processor to chop into tiny pieces). Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except for the butter and powder sugar. Prepare a small baking tray and cover it with a thin layer of butter (or line with baking paper). Pour your mixture into the tray and let it bake at 190°C (374°F) for 1 hour. Once it’s done, decorate with powder sugar.

Pumpkin Soup

I figured that I often start writing post by telling you about the weather. Then I realized, you probably don’t care about the weather. Why would you? This is not a weather blog. You want recipes and food, loads of food. Actually, you may prefer me having really bad weather and sitting in the house all day so that I would get cooking. Yesterday I visited one of my dearest friends and she made me a beautiful and creamy shake. Perfect for the winter, just like that eggnog of mine I mentioned last time (or did? I know I wanted to). Anyway, you will have to wait a little longer for the eggnog… I might make it the next time my mom comes over for a visit and the shake I may let my friend write down for you lot as I realized there is no harm in letting my friends contribute to extra posts around here, especially when they make really yummy stuff.

However, I must tell you of a little issue I have. Now, I loved the milkshake I had at my friend’s house yesterday and she also went out of her way another time and learned to make peanut chicken of some sort, however, nobody else cooks for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love to feed people and I don’t think I will ever stop doing it. I don’t even expect anyone to cook for me too often; I simply imagine it as a perfect way of trying more new things, since that is what cooking is all about for me. Having said that, I feel if someone else made me food, it would perhaps be an ultimate form of pampering (and I love all my friends, but fried eggs are not pampering… well really good ones may be, but I am getting off the point).

Speaking of our recipe for the day, I want to give you a beautiful pumpkin soup. This is one I came up with all on my own and I absolutely loved it! I especially go crazy about these little croutons in thick soups that make my mouth water for days, or the combination does. So, here goes:

Pumpkin Soup

Difficulty: Medium

Time: prep 10 min; cooking 1h 15min

Ingredients

700g pumpkin

1 bell pepper

1 onion

25g butter

1.5l water

Cayenne pepper

Salt

Cardamom

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Thyme

Turmeric

Sweat the onion on 25g butter at a medium heat, adding the peppers cut in small cubes. Let sauté for about 3-5 minutes and add cubes of pumpkin and stir. Right afterwards, pour 1.5l water into your pot and cook for 1 hour with a lid on, occasionally stirring. After 1 hour, use a (hand) blender to create a soup. Return to the stove and cook for another 10 minutes or until you achieve your preferred consistency. During this period, season to your liking with salt and pepper, adding just a pinch of the other spices.

Yoghurt Apple Cubes

There comes a time when you have plenty of free time, but you keep yourself so busy, it’s crazy. Between learning the art of decorating sugar cookies at the Art & Honey workshop and trying to organize a New Year’s Eve party I completely forgot that I had prepared a number of really yummy stuff for you lot. Actually, I haven’t forgotten, since I have meticulously been taking pictures of all of my food, but I guess every new project takes some getting used to. I am sincerely hoping that 2016 brings a lot more activity for me on this blog and the final decision if I should continue to write it in two languages or just one.

Speaking of my recipe idea today, you will be impressed. Now, this is the perfect quick treat. I know plenty of cannot wait to take a break from the holiday season.  However, while we are still in the leftovers of holiday spirit let’s make this simple yet very delicious treat.

My yoghurt apple cubes have been famous at my place for a while. Theirs is no ordinary recipe. It is one of those things written down somewhere in an old cookbook of hand-collected recipes through the years, in a corner of a page that has traces of sugar and who-knows-what from standing regularly on the kitchen counter. By itself, the recipe is almost unnoticeable. However, this is the stuff we dream of: a hidden little piece of heaven. A piece of heaven you find with every mouthful and you just can’t stop. Now, that makes for a different matter and as the holiday season comes to a close we should start thinking of ways to get eating healthier, but since it’s just the beginning of January, I guess we can still enjoy guilty pleasures.

Once again I want to point out that this is one of these recipes no using exact measures and that actually makes it altogether easier to make. Instead of measuring every single ingredient to the gram, for this one I use a 200ml glass which is my measure for all the ingredients. I hope some of you won’t find this tiresome, but the more we simplify the easier I am gonna get you lot cooking/baking, so it is worth a shot, especially when the original recipe is written in that manner anyway and no quality is lost with the method, plus, less dishes to wash!

Now, I have one last thing to add on yoghurt before writing the recipe. Yogurts tend to be different around the world, so different you wouldn’t believe it! The Turkish kefir is saltier than the yoghurt we have here in Serbia. The UK has sour cream, then there is the classis crème fraîche which is not a yoghurt as it has a thicker consistency than what we need for this recipe. My suggestion is to use thin consistency yoghurt, preferably the kind you can drink. Apparently, there are three basic types of yoghurt: Greek, Balkan and Swiss-style. However, none of this really matters to us right now (but if it does to you, here’s a nice link I found: http://www.legendairy.com.au/dairy-foods/dairy-products/yogurt). All you need to know is that the yoghurt needs to be of a drinking consistency, but if you can’t find that type I am pretty sure no other kind will ruin the cubes. Just don’t use any salted kind. Unless you like salted sweets, you never know… It’s all a matter of taste.

Yoghurt Apple Cubes

Difficulty: Easy

Time: prep 10 minutes; baking 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

4 medium-sized sour apples

2 eggs

2 glasses (200 ml) of yoghurt

2 same glasses sugar

2 ½ glasses plain flour

½ glass sunflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Some powder sugar

Mix all ingredients except for the apples together. They should form a mix of medium thick consistency (similar to an American-style pancake mix). Line your medium sized-baking pan with a baking sheet and pour half of the mixture into it, setting the other half aside for a little later on. Bake the first half at 200°C (390°F) for 5-10 minutes or just until it is half-baked and the surface is no longer liquid. While your mixture is in the oven, grate the apples and drain from excessive juice (squeezing them with the palms of your hands will do the trick). Take your baking pan out of the oven and spread the apples equally over the half-baked dough. Once you have spread the apples add the rest of the mixture over the top and bake until golden brown (should take another 15-20 minutes). Once baked, cut into equal cubes and decorate with powder sugar.

Easy Chicken with Mushrooms

So I got crazy cooking yesterday, spent most of my day in the kitchen which only means you guys are in for a treat in the upcoming posts! I realised that my last few entries took quite a bit of time to make and that wasn’t really in line with my initial promise, but you’ll have to forgive me since I do get caught up in meals that take longer to cook when I have the time for it.

For example, yesterday I decided to make two quite long cooking dishes, but I will not be posting them today as I need to tell you about the simplest recipes too! This is one literally nobody can get terribly wrong. This summer, my sister and I were coming back from watching the tennis at Wimbledon (after having spent the whole day in the heat and waking up at 5am to queue). So, after we were done with seeing all the matches we wanted to see, even though that is exactly when the outside temperature was perfect for anything outdoors, we decided we would visit a friend that lives 5 minutes away from the courts. She made something similar to this dish that evening and it felt really good. It’s one of those things that will be done in 15 minutes and remind you how amazing simple food is!

Another one of the amazing features of this dish is that it features spinach. I know quite a few people that do not like creamy spinach (one of my favourites). However, spinach is incredibly rich in minerals and

nutrients of all sorts and should thus be eaten quite a bit. If it was good for Popeye, who are the rest of us to complain about it?  So get those non-creamy spinach eaters around this easy meal.

As for the mushrooms, I used white, but pick your favourite.

Easy Chicken with Mushrooms

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

1 small onion

400g chicken breast

400g mushrooms

2 handfuls fresh spinach

Sweat the finely diced onion in a little oil and add chicken breast strips. Let it sizzle until the chicken gets some colour on all sides (make sure all the pink is gone) and then add the mushrooms (chopped according to you preference, I did them in quarters). Leave on stove until both the meat and the mushrooms start showing signs of brown. This practically means that they are done. Next, add the spinach and stir it in, leaving it on the heat for another minute or two. 

Slow-Cooked Veal Shank

Serving suggestion: On a bed of carrots and onions

It’s just becoming chilly around here and it all seems like we may have a very short autumn and that winter will come soon. However, for the past few days we have really had schoolbook autumn weather. Now, when the leaves start falling and your garden gets a little messy, you have two options: get out and clean it all up or procrastinate. This weekend, there is still a slight chance I may clean up the leaves (though I did hear that small animals use autumn leaves as shelter, so why mess with the natural order of things too much?), but I decided to make a slow-cooked dish first.

Now, I do not own a slow cooker, but I really believe that you do not need one for this veal shank recipe. It does take some time, but it is definitely worth it once you try the mouth-watering veal. If you cannot find a veal shank a beef shank will do (and will need a little more cooking time). So, here’s the recipe!

Slow-Cooked Veal Shank

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 2h

Ingredients

600g veal shank (mine was boneless and served 3)

Olive oil

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

600ml chicken stock (1 cube will do)

2 teaspoons Bourguignon sauce (store-bought)

600ml milk

Cut the veal into 3 equal pieces and season with rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Sauté the meat in olive oil until slightly brown on all sides (takes about 3 minutes). Add two teaspoons of the Bourguignon sauce and stir quickly and add the milk. Cover the pot and let it simmer on low heat for ten minutes (most of the milk should evaporate, but not all of it). After the ten minutes have passed, add the chicken stock and cook (with a lid on again) for 20-25 minutes on low heat. Preheat your oven to 180°C (c. 350°F). Once the 20-25 minutes have passed, remove your pot from the stove and place it in the oven for about an hour (if dealing with beef, it may need up to 1h 15 minutes).

Chicken with Parsley and Spinach Potatoes and a Rhubarb/Almond Milk Sauce

I have not written a post in a while, but you will have to forgive me as I had two quite good reasons. The first reason is that I am currently applying for jobs and was busy with that and the second, more culinary, is that I have been trying to make macarons. Now, this week was my 10^th batch or so, so I am no expert and realize how complicated they are. However, this is not a macaron post so that is all I will say about them for now.

In the meantime, I have developed a fun chicken recipe that I just loved. Bored in the kitchen one day, I invented this mix that is good for anyone who likes to add a little bit of sweetness to their chicken, but it is also great because if someone in your household hates sweet chicken, they can just leave out the sauce off their plate! Personally, I am a fan of sweet chicken, especially if I am making chicken thighs… I will sweeten them with honey, brown sugar, just about anything. Not too much certainly, but I do love the unexpected sweetness of meat. Nevertheless, when experimenting with this recipe I decided not to cover my meat in honey, but use a rhubarb jam I had in the fridge. Now the good thing about this jam is that it is sweet as well as zesty. Since I got my jar in the UK and I am aware that rhubarb jam can be hard to find in some places, I suggest you substitute it for any slightly acidic jam, anything from a citrus fruit or even apple would work just as well as the rhubarb jam.

This little meal can make a great weekday lunch for the whole family! Then again, it is good as leftovers too, so even if you are home alone, it wouldn’t go to waste.

Chicken with Parsley and Spinach Potatoes and a Rhubarb/Almond Milk Sauce

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 1h 20min

Ingredients

For the chicken thighs

Circa 1 kg chicken thighs (4 pieces)

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt

Cumin

For the potatoes

4 potatoes, cut into wedges

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Oil

90g baby spinach

Bouquet of fresh parsley

For the rhubarb/almond milk sauce

1 teaspoon oil

2 tablespoons rhubarb jam

100ml almond milk

Cornstarch

Prep your chicken by seasoning with salt and cumin generously on both sides and by adding one teaspoon of Dijon mustard to each thigh and rubbing it onto the meat with your hands. Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Generously add oil to a baking tray and put in the potato wedges, seasoning them with cayenne pepper and salt and then mixing them with the oil with your hands. This is a little messy, but it is important that each wedge is covered with a thin layer of oil. Once the potatoes are seasoned, place the chicken thighs on them and over the tray with aluminium foil and place in the oven; after 20 minutes remove the foil. After another 20 minutes flip your chicken to the other side and leave in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

For the potatoes, prepare baby spinach by cooking in boiling water for 2 minutes. Once done, remove from water and cut into tiny strips. Wash your parsley and chop it into equal size pieces like the spinach. Chop one clove of garlic and mix the three ingredients together. When the potatoes are done, cover them in the spinach and parsley mixture.

Once you have flipped your chicken the final time, you may start making the sauce to accompany the meal.

On a medium heat, combine 1 teaspoon of oil with rhubarb jam and almond milk. Once it starts boiling, dissolve cornstarch in very little water and add to the pan, mixing swiftly for a short while, until the sauce has a medium thickness to it.

Arugula and Blue Cheese Salad

A good salad story for a salad blog post… now that is a challenge! How many good salad stories are there? Let’s see: Is Cinderella a salad story? She did have a pumpkin, though I don’t think anyone ended up eating that. What about Jack and the Beanstalk? Well, my salad of the day contains neither pumpkins nor beans so I guess that one does not work either.

How about a cheesy story? Now I love all food equally (except for an ongoing feud with cauliflower I just can’t get over), but cheese is special. The thing I love about cheese is that it comes in all forms and tastes and it can be so different. Diversity is good. It is good everywhere, but it is especially got in a diet. Now, cheese is not my favourite food, but that is because I don’t really pick favourites in that department (and if anyone of you can make me love cauliflower too I am open to the experience), however I had one of my best friends come over to dinner a couple of days ago and she is the greatest cheese lover I have seen. The admiration people can have for cheese (and wine) is really something. So, she is my cheese buff and every time she comes over I have to bring out cheese in one form or another or I will feel as if I had failed her. In that spirit and devoted to all the cheese lovers out there in need of their greens, I have come up with this very simple salad.

Arugula and Blue Cheese Salad

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

100g arugula salad

10 cherry tomatoes

100g blue cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Wash your salad and drain well. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters or halves, depending on their size and add them to the arugula followed by cubes of blue cheese. Season the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Nutella Almond Cheesecake

It is so hard to resist sweets… Moments I do not feel like eating them are rare and making them relaxes me perfectly. There are cakes that take a lot of time to make (usually this time is spent by you waiting for layers to cool down) and that is fine. Complex cakes can be very good… However all of the waiting always makes me try each layer in advance, so by the time the cake is ready I can’t even enjoy its entire taste properly as I only recognize individual layers. It might sound a bit weird, but it is so.

When it comes to quick cakes, I have only recently discovered cheesecakes: creamy and easy to make. While the following is not the most simple cheesecake (especially because of the unconventional first layer), but it is made quite quickly (took me about 1h) and the result is a very serious cake. Now this one does need to cool down in a few instances, but the recipe is very easy to work with and it is very difficult for anything to go wrong.

And finally, a few words on its secret chocolate ingredient: Nutella. Of course, you can use any cream you have and it can’t harm the cake, but keep in mind that this nutty cream really gives it a nice hazelnutty feel. While at it, feel free to substitute the almonds for hazelnuts too if you wish. My idea was to make it a bit diverse, but it all really depends on your own personal preferences.

Nutella Almond Cheesecake

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 1h

Ingredients

For the base

4 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons ground almonds

3 tablespoons white flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not hot chocolate preferably)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon warm water

A little milk

For the cheese layer

500g mascarpone cheese

180g crème fraîche

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 tablespoons Nutella

For the topping

Whipping cream

70g chocolate

1 tablespoon oil

Separate egg whites from the egg yolk and beat the egg whites adding sugar to form strong peaks. Add the egg yolk and slowly fold a couple of times with a metal spoon. In a separate dish, mix flour, cocoa, almonds and the baking powder with a metal spoon. Add the mix to the eggs quarter by quarter, slowly folding the mixture each time. Place in a tray lined with baking paper and leave in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C. Once done, remove from oven and place on a serving tray removing the baking paper. Throw a few drops of milk on the base to make it softer while it cools down; once the base is cool, move on to the cheese layer.

Beat the mascarpone with sugar and add crème fraîche and Nutella, mixing until all the ingredients create a thick cream.

Layer the base with the cheese layer and let it set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Beat the whipping cream and layer the cake with it. Keep the cake in a cool place (fridge) while you melt the chocolate with some oil. In order to decorate the cake, use a teaspoon, dip it in chocolate and start drawing on your cake from a small distance. Once done, return to the refrigerator and leave to cool well, overnight is always best with cakes.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

 After receiving quite a lot of positive feedback after day 1 I am very excited to continue writing new things. Different people have advised me on what they want to see around here and I will be sure to include all or at least most suggestions. I have been asked for the exotic and for the traditional. Both is exactly what I want to do around here. The exotic needs to be heard of and the traditional revamped for the 21^st century! However, since all of the feedback came either from Facebook (my official page) or privately, I would like to encourage everybody to comment on the blog too.

The last recipe was pretty unconventional, so I have decided for a classic, back-to-basics recipe from my mom, who really is a great cook. Today, I made stuffed bell peppers for the first time and my mind was blown away. This is a traditional Serbian dish that almost everyone in Serbia eats regularly and I suppose everyone’s mom makes them in a slightly different manner. When I was a kid all of these stuffed vegetable recipes seemed extremely complicated and I truly was amazed by anyone who made them. Turns out, with a simple recipe, they are really tasty and really easy to make. Man, was I wrong! It took me less than 20 minutes in preparation and the rest of the work was practically done by the oven. Did I mention that ovens with beepers that tell you the cooking time is up are one of my favourite modern inventions?

My advice for this recipe is making your peppers as colourful as possible, have a celebration of colours in your dish!

Whenever I use minced meat, I choose beef, just because it is a personal favourite and I always see the butcher mince it right in front of me which is a big plus when it comes to quality. This recipe also mentions one peeled tomato in the stuffing. My advice is not to peel the tomato, but rather cut it in half and then grate each side separately; leaving you with leftover skin you can then throw away.

Another thing I would like to tell you is a matter of measurements. Since I am in Europe I use the metric system, which is most familiar to me. However, I try to use glasses, cups (not the measurement, the ones you have coffee from) and mugs for measurements as often as I can.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 1h 30min

Ingredients

6 bell peppers

500g minced beef

2 onions

1 coffee cup full parboiled rice

1 peeled and grated fresh tomato

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt

Pepper

The Stuffing

Sauté the onions for 3 minutes in little oil in a large pot and add the minced meat. When it starts to get some colour add the rice and keep on the heat for another 3 minutes. Combine the tomato with the stuffing and season with paprika and a generous amount of salt and pepper. It is very important to season your food well, so while at it, try your dish to see if it works for you.

The Bell Peppers

Create an opening in your pepper large enough for you to get all the seeds out, but keeping the top attached to the body (this is a matter of aesthetics, but also assures your stuffing won’t fall out of the pepper while cooking).

Once you have cleaned your peppers, fill them with the stuffing and place them back in the pot (this is why you needed a large one to begin with). You already have an oiled and seasoned pot from the stuffing, so using the same pot only adds to the taste. Add enough water to the pot to cover about half of the height of the peppers; cover the pot and cook on the stove at a medium to low heat (keep it sizzling, but not boiling heavily) for 20 minutes. Turn your oven on to heat at 200°C (390 °F).

Before placing the pot in the oven, uncover it. Once in the oven, let the peppers cook for another 45 minutes.

* Serving suggestion: Once you remove the cover from a bell pepper add some crème fraîche to your plate. It gives a nice fresh feel to the dish.

Prawn and scallop tagliatelle

When away from home, I try to shop for food as exotic as possible. In this context I have been very lucky to visit London quite a bit lately. Why? Well, such a huge city has almost any kind of food you wish for.

I must say, I have been looking at how the British cook and it’s alright. I love watching cooking shows on TV, not to copy recipes but to get ideas. Having seen quite a few people make scallops, I decided that I wanted to try them. Quite expensive little things they are, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere in Belgrade so I treated myself. This was around the time I also advised my sister to start going on shopping sprees and buy herself some clothes before I ate all of our London money!

So, scallops…. What to do with them? How to prepare them... Now the ones I bought had no shells and were quite small, so I decided to add some prawns to the mix. Unless you live in a beautiful place by the sea and get to binge eat seafood all the time, this idea of mine must sound awfully posh. I admit to that. However, I must admit right away that I just love prawns! Somehow they were always close to the scallops in the shops, so I assumed I would love the scallops too. Honestly, I did. Scallops are great food. My dear friends, they are not prawn. My prawn-love stems from a beautiful restaurant in Baghdad that I frequented with my family as a kid. It was called Babeesh. I remember it to this day: a beautiful place on Hindiya, on a corner of two streets if I am not mistaken. It had marble flooring and burgundy tablecloths. Your table was set perfectly with two or three glasses, all having their own purpose (come to think of it, I might get to how to set a table on the blog) and a waiter would always be standing not too far away to refill your glass of water every time you had a sip. Seems a bit odd maybe and the only sad thing about it was that it was in 1990s Iraq meaning that it wouldn’t really be full all of the time. Babeesh was this amazing place I tasted prawns for the first time in. They were battered to perfection and served with cocktail sauce in a pepper. How cute was that! Now, that was years ago so I did not have a phone to take a picture of the plate as we all do on Instagram nowadays, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Throughout the years, I have been rediscovering prawn and reinventing it in many ways. The prawn and scallop tagliatelle are one attempt. This is a classic example of a quick recipe that is so yummy, you will wonder why anyone ever spends hours in the kitchen making food. I know, I came back for seconds (and thirds, but don’t tell). And if you really hate seafood, feel free to use chicken instead. Though, I am one to say that you should always try new things. You never know what might soon become your favourite food! So, keep exploring J

Prawn and scallop tagliatelle

150g prawns

150g scallops

2 large mushrooms

1 corn

A handful of fresh spinach (cut finely)

3 leeks (whites to fry, greens to set aside)

1 carrot, cut into cubes

Parsley

A spoonful of butter

Turmeric

Honey

Sweet chilli sauce

Fish sauce

Cornstarch (a teaspoon dissolved in 50ml of water)

200g tagliatelle

Sauté carrots and leek for a minute, then add mushrooms and make sure they are brown on both sides before adding prawns, scallops and corn to the mix.

Boil the tagliatelle in water. Fresh tagliatelle are the best, it’s worth it in the end.

Add half a teaspoon of honey, a spoonful of chilli sauce, fish sauce and a half a teaspoon of turmeric to the prawns and scallops... Mix it all together and add the cornstarch and mix in quickly (first dissolve cornstarch in a tiny bit of water of course, just to make your life easier).

Turn off the heat. By now your tagliatelle should be done, drain them and mix them with the prawn and scallop mix first then adding the fresh leek and spinach just to give it an exciting crispy texture.

Welcome

Now, opening welcome posts can be quite tiresome and boring, and that is surely not what I want this blog to be like. Here are a few facts about the blog: its all about cooking and food; it is devoted to everyone, but especially to those of you who have recently started cooking on a regular basis and really do not want to be stuck in a recipe rut and finally it is all about having fun in the kitchen!

I am not one to tell you a story of what made me get into the kitchen and start cooking. There was no special recipe, no special reason, you are dealing with a girl that would spend hours in the kitchen with her Barbie doll, sitting on milk cartons and watching her mom cook. The milk carton was my chair, so I guess you can figure how old I must have been at the time.

However, as time went by, I did have to start cooking out of necessity, mostly as a student. It is very difficult to convince me differently, students usually eat really bad food!  Otherwise, my friends wouldn't always be up for coming over to my house for dinner parties or even lunch. They mostly eat disgusting stuff, when you think about it. That is one thing I wish to end. I am 25 now but I have never understood the laziness about cooking. It is very simple, you must eat = make it! Good food can be very quick and simple and that is really what we need in the modern world.

Moreover, you are dealing with one stubborn cook here, meaning that, once in a while I will bring you slightly more complex recipes, just because I refuse to say “that is difficult to make, I can’t be bothered.”

We will try and have thematic days, including simple recipes, sweets (who can say no to them), as well as world days where we will explore different cuisines, keeping in mind that every cuisine is a world cuisine to someone.

Looking forward to this new experience and I hope you guys will enjoy reading it and I will always enjoy reading your comments and answering questions.

First post with some actual content coming up soon!

Bye, bye

Vañilla

P.S. the blog will be bilingual in English and Serbian as I never know which one I will feel like writing in (you will figure out why in time), but I will always make sure to post final recipes in both languages.