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.

Salata od rukole i plavog sira

Treba mi dobra priča o salati za recept za salatu… Ali nije lako smisliti dobru priču za salatu. Koliko dobrih priča je uopšte zasovano na salatama? Da vidimo: Pepeljuga je imala bundevu, ali mislim da je niko na kraju nije pojeo pošto se raspala na sred šume u ponoć. A šta kažete na onu staru englesku priću o Džeku i čarobnom pasulju? Ne odgovaraju ni jedna ni druga priča jer moja salata niti ima bundevu niti pasulj u sebi.

Pa hajdemo onda malo da pričamo o siru. Moram priznati da ja svu hranu jednako volim (osim što sam od malena u nekoj vrsti svađe sa karfiolom i nikako da se pomirimo), ali sir je poseban. Ono što ja volim kod sira jeste to što ima toliko različitih sireva da jeste dve razlićite vrste sira je skroz drugi doživljaj. A dobro je uvek kada su stvari različite i raznovrsne, a posebno u ishrani. Sir nije moja omiljena hrana ali to je samo zbog toga što ja nemam omiljenu hranu i ne želim da potcenjujem nijednu namirnicu (i čak ako neko može da mi predloži kako ću zavoleti karfiol, rado bih to želela da čujem), ali pre nekoliko dana mi je u posetu došla nejdna od mojih najboljih drugarica koja apsolutno obožava sir. Prosto se divim ljudima koji sa velikim entuzijazmom uživaju u siru i vinu. Samim tim, kada mi dolazi moja miljenica sira ja ne mogu a da joj ne serviram barem nešto sa sirom. Recept za danas je namenjen svima, ali posebno onima koji sir obožavaju i vole da uživaju u njemu (a red je i malo salate da se jede).

Salata od rukole i plavog sira

Vreme: 5 min

Teškoća: Lako

Sastojci

100g rukole

10 čeri paradajza

100g plavog sira

Ekstradevičansko maslinovo ulje

Sirće (it. aceto balsamico)

Operati salatu u procedite dobro. Čeri paradajz iseći na polovine i četvrtine ako je veći. Paradajz ubacite u posudu sa rukolom pa dodati sir iseckan na kocke. Začiniti sa maslinovima uljem i sirćetom.

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.

Čizkejk sa Nutelom i bademima

Tako je teško odoleti slatkišima…Retko kada mi se ne jedu a pravljenje kolača me savršeno opušta… Nekim tortama je potrebno jako puno vremena i truda i sve je to ok. Komplikovane torte mogu biti vrlo lepe. Međutim, meni se lično dešava da ako dugo pravim tortu, već sam unapred pojela previše svakog sloja samostalno i nikako ne mogu da doživim tortu kao celinu kada je gotova. Možda zvuči čudno ali tako je.

Ali zato kada su u pitanju jednostavne torte, lično sam tek skoro počela da se zanimam za čizkejk, tj. torte sa sirom i shvatila sam da se vrlo jednostavno prave i da mogu biti savršeno kremaste. Današnji recept nije možda najjednostavniji čizkejk zato što ima pravu koru umesto keksa ali se pravi dosta brzo (za oko sat vremena ste završili u kuhinji) a rezultat je jedna vrlo lepa i ozbiljna torta. Naravno i ova torta u nekoliko navrata mora da se hladi kako se ne bi raspala ali recept je vrlo jednostavan i malo toga može pogrešno da se uradi.

Konačno, nekoliko reči o tajnom čokoladnom sastojku, Nuteli. Naravno, možete koristiti i drugi krem i neće torta zbog toga propasti ali nutela filu stvarno daje poseban ukus lešnika. A ako već imate potrebu da nešto promenite ili ako vam bademi nisu pri ruci za koru, slobodno možete koristiti i lešnike. Moja ideja je bila da bude od svega pomalo, ali u redu je naći zamenu, sve zavisi od toga koji ukus vam se više sviđa. 

Čizkejk sa Nutelom i bademima

Teškoća: Srednje

Vreme: 1h

Sastojci

Kora

4 jaja

4 kašike šećera

5 kašike mlevenih badema

3 kašike belog brašna

2 kašike kaka u prahu (ne tople čokolade, po mogućnosti)

½ kašičice praška za pecivo

1 kašika tople vode

Malo mleka

Za fil sa sirom

500g maskarpone sira

180g kisele pavlake

5 kašika šećera

4 kašike krema Nutella

Za ukras

šlag

70g čokolade

1 kašika ulja

Odvojiti žumance od belanca pa umutiti belanca čvrsto dodavajući šećer. Žumance dodati i polako metalnom kašikom spojiti. U posebni sud pomešati brašno, kakao, bademe i prašak za pecivo i sjediniti. Zatim ovu smesu iz četiri dela dodati u belanca polako spajajući metalnom kašikom, bez naglog mešanja. Spojenu smesu premestiti u pleh sa papirom za pečenje i staviti na 200°C u prethodno zagrejanu rernu i peći 15 minuta. Dok je kora još vruća, poprskati je mlekom i ostaviti da se ohladi na sobnoj temperaturi. Skinuti papir za pečenje.

Umutiti maskarpone sa šećerom oko minut pa dodati kiselu pavlaku i Nutelu. Nastavite da mutite dok se ne spoji u čvrst krem.

Namazati fil na ohlađenu koru i ostaviti tortu u frižideru oko 20 minuta.

Umutiti šlag pa ga namazati preko fila. Čokoladu istopiti na laganoj vatri sa uljem. Zatim umočiti kašičicu u čokoladu i šarati po šlagu radi dekoracije. Ostaviti tortu da se dobro ohladi u frižideru, najbolje preko noći (što važi za sve torte).

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.

Punjene paprike

Prvi dan na blogu je super prošao i jako sam se obradovala lepim reakcijama tako da mi je vrlo drago što nastavljam da pišem. Mnogi su imali predloge i savete i hvala svima na tome a potrudiću se da poslušam što više sugestija. Neki su tražili više egzotične kuhinje a neki baš tradicionalne recepte. Ja ovde upravo želim oba da predstavim jer neobičnu hranu treba upoznati a tradicionalne recepte svakako čuvati i modernizovati za 21. vek. Međutim, pošto je većina komentara došla ili privatno ili preko Facebook-a, ohrabrujem vas i da na samom blogu malo pišete ne bi li „oživeo.“

Pošto je prethodni recept bio malo nekonvencionalniji, sada sam se odlučila za jedno klasično jelo koje svi dobro znamo. U pitanju su punjene paprike, recept moje mame koja stvarno lepo kuva, a nisam jedina koja to misli. Baš sam ih danas napravila i tek sam sada shvatila koliko je jednostavno puniti paprike. Kada si mali i mame i bake na veliko pune razno povrće to sve izgleda nekako komplikovano, međutim ispade da je ustvari veoma lako i vrlo zdravo. Naravno, ovo jeste recept koji jako puno ljudi zna i sigurna sam da ih svačija mama malo drugačije sprema, ali se nadam da će vam se svideti moja verzija. Ja stvarno nisam mogla verovati koliko sam malo vremena provela u kuhinji pored šporeta. Divota! Sav posao obavi rerna, a ja sam posle 20 minuta mogla da se posvetim drugim obavezama. Da li sam spomenula da obožavam što rerne danas mogu da pište i kažu vam da je vreme za pripremu jela isteklo?

 Moj prvi savet za ovaj recept je da nađete babure u što više boja kako biste imali prelepu šarenu šerpu!

Ja kada koristim mleveno meso uvek koristim junetinu. Iskreno, volim je ali postoji još jedan razlog za to. Kada kupujete mleveno meso nikada ne znate šta vam prodaju. Najbolje je da vidite parče mesa koje vam onda mesar na licu mesta samelje. Nekako ispadne da je to najlakše uraditi kada tražite mleveno juneće meso, pa sam se ja na isto i navikla. Ovaj recept takođe spominje jedan oljušteni paradajz u filu. Savetujem da nikako ne ljuštite koru paradajza već da ga prepolovite na pola i izrendate a onda će vam kora jednostavno biti ostatak koji možete baciti.

Na kraju sam želim da napomenem nešto u vezi mera. Ja koristim metrički sistem pošto sam u Evropi ali veoma često umesto tačnog merenja koristim šolje i čaše iz svoje kuhinje koje mi budu najbolja merila. 

Punjene paprike

Teškoća: Srednje

Vreme: 1h 30min

Sastojci

6 paprika (babura)

500g mlevenog junećeg mesa

2 crna luka

1 šolja za kafu pirinča

1 oljušteni i izrendani paradajz

1 kašičica tucane paprike

So

Biber

Fil

Pržiti crni luk na malo ulja oko 3 minuta pa dodati mleveno meso i pržiti zajedno dok meso polako ne počne da hvata boju. Zatim dodati pirinač i pržiti otprilike još 3 minuta. U smesu ubaciti paradajz pa začiniti sa paprikom in a kraju dodati so i biber. Slobodno lepo začinite svoju hranu i uvek je probajte u toku kuvanja da biste videli da li vam je po meri. 

Paprike

Iseći paprike tako da se pri vrhu napravi otvor dovoljno velik da možete očistiti paprike od koštica ali ipak ne preseći vrh od tela paprike (ovo služi za izgled ali se tako i osigurava da meso ne ispadne iz paprike u toku kuvanja).

Očišćene paprike napuniti filom i poređati ih uspravno nazad u šerpu u kojoj se spremao fil (zato je važno da je šerpa dovoljno velika). Pošto je šerpa već masna i začinjena, to će dodati ukusu jela na kraju. Sipati zatim vodu u šerpu tako da pokrije pola paprike; poklopiti šerpu i kuvati na umerenoj do tihoj vatri oko 20 minuta (bitno je da blago vri sve vreme ali nikako isuviše jako). Zagrejati sada rernu na 200°C (390 °F).

Pre nego što jelo prebacite u rernu, skinuti poklopac i peći 45 minuta. 

* Predlog: Kada u tanjiru sklonite poklopac sa pojedinačne paprike, dodajte kašiku pavlake, kako bi osvežila jelo.

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.

Taljatele sa gamborima i školjkama

Kada sam u inostranstvu, pokušavam da kupujem što egzotičniju hranu, koje nema kod nas. Samim tim mi se jako posrećilo što sam u zadnje vreme jako puno boravila u Londonu. Zašto? Pa, London je toliko veliki grad da u njemu stvarno možete da nađete svaku vrstu hrane koju zamislite.

Moram reći da sam gledala kako Britanci kuvaju i sve je to ok. Obožavam da gledam kulinarske emisije na TV-u, ali ne da bih kopirala recepte već više radi ideja. Tamo sam dosta puta videla da spremaju jakobove kapice (scallops na engleskom), pa sam odlučila da ih i ja probam. Sada, ove školjkice stvarno jesu skupe ali pošto ih nikada nisam videla u prodaji u Beogradu, odlučila sam da se častim. Ipak sam bila na odmoru. Ali sam ipak upozorila svoju sestru da stvarno počne da troši naš londonski džeparac i na druge stvari da ja ne bih pojela sve pare koje smo ponele!

Dakle, jakobove kapice... Šta raditi sa njima? Kako ih spremiti? Ove koje sam ja kupila su bile dosta male i nije ih bilo puno pa sam odlučila da ih spremim zajedno sa gamborima. Ovo sigurno zvuči vrlo buržujski svima koji ne žive u blizini mora i imaju tu sreću da stalno jedu sveže morske plodove na čemu im ja lično jako zavidim. I koliko god ova moja avantura zvučala skupo, ja gambore stvarno obožavam i jako im teško mogu odoleti. A pošto su u radnjama nekako uvek školjke pored gambora, pretpostavila sam da će mi se i one jednako svideti. I jesu mi se svidele. Jakobove kapice su odlična i zdrava hrana. Ali šta da radim, ipak nisu gambori. Možda bi sada bio pravi trenutak da vam objasnim odakle dolazi moja ljubav prema gamborima. Naime, prvi put sam ih probala u jednom bagdadskom restoranu koji se zvao Babiš i u koji sam često išla kao dete. Sećam ga se vrlo dobro: prelepa zgrada na Hindiji koja je bila na jednom ćošku ako se ne varam. Pod je bio od belog mermera,  a stoljnjaci su bili bordo boje. Sto je bio savršeno postavljen, pred svakom osobom nekoliko čaša, svaka sa svojom namenom (kad malo bolje razmislim možda ne bi bilo loše da u jednom trenutku napišem i ovde nešto o postavljanju stolova) i konobar je uvek bio u blizini ne bi li dopunio čašu vodom posle svakog gutljaja. Zvuči malo čudno, ali na neki način slatko. Jedino je malo tužno što je to ipak bilo devetesetih u Iraku tako da nije baš bilo za očekivati da restoran stalno bude pun. Ali Babiš će za mene uvek predstavljati ono savršeno mesto gde sam prvi put jela gambore. Bili su savršeno pohovani i servirani sa koktel sosom u paprici. Izgledalo je preslatko! Pošto je to bilo pre oko 15 godina, nažalost nisam imala Instagram da zabeliži tako lep tanjir, pa ćete morati da mi verujete na reč.

Otkako sam se tada zaljubila u gambore, počela sam da ih spremam na razne načine. Taljatele sa gamborima i jakobovim kapicama su samo jedan od tih načina. Ovo je tipičan primer brzog i lakog recepta koji je toliko ukusan da ćete se pitati zašto iko ikada provodi sate u kuhinji spremajući hranu (mada čak i ja to nekad radim). Ja sam pojela dva tanjira ovog jela (dobro, tri ali nemojte nikome da kažete). A ako baš mrzite morsku hranu, uvek možete da je zamenite piletinom, mada bih ja preporučila da je probate. J

Taljatele sa gamborima i jakobovim kapicama

150g gambora

150g jakobovih kapica

2 velike pečurke

1 kukuruz

Šaka svežeg spanaća (sitno iseckana)

3 mlada luka (beli deo za prženje, zeleni ostavite po strain za kasnije)

1 šargarepa (iseckana na kockice)

Peršun

Kašika putera

Kurkuma

Med

Slatki čili sos

Riblji sos

Gustin (1 kašičica rastvorena u 50ml vode)

200g taljatela

Pržiti šargarepu i mladi luk na kratko pa dodati pečurke i pržiti dok ne porumene blago sa obe strane pre nego što dodate gambore, jakobove kapice i zrna kukuruza. 

Skuvati taljatele u vodi. Najbolje je kupiti sveže, jer se brže skuvaju a i ukusnije su.

Dodati pola kašičice meda, kašiku čili sosa, ribljeg sosa i pola kašičice kurkume rakovima i školjkama. Sve brzo promešati pa dodati gustin i brzo ga umešati (prvo ga rastvoriti u vodi, kako bi ste sebi olakšali život).

Isključiti vatru. Taljetele bi trebalo da budu spremne sada. Procedite ih i dodajte ih ostalim sastojcima. Lepo sve promešajte kako bi taljatele bile pokrivene sosom pa zatim dodajte svež spanać i zeleni deo mladog luka kako bi ste uživali u hrskavom povrću. Servirajte odmah.

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.

Dobrodošli

Ovako, uvodi su često umarajući i dosadni, a ja stvarno ne želim da moj blog bude takav. Evo nekoliko činjenica o blogu: posvećen je kuvanju i hrani; posvećen je svima, ali najviše onima od vas koji su u skorije vreme počeli redovno da kuvaju i nikako ne žele da upadnu u kolotečinu dosadnih recepata i napokon, posvećen je zabavljanju u kuhinji!

Ja nisam prava osoba da vam ispričam priču o tome kako me je nešto navelo da počnem da kuvam. Nije bilo posebnog recepta ili razloga, jednostavno vam piše devojka koja bi provodila sate sa svojom barbikom u ruci, sedeći na kartonu mleka i gledajući svoju mamu kako kuva. S obzirom na to da mi je jedan karton mleka bila vrlo udobna stolica, sami zaključite koliko sam tada mogla imati godina.

Međutim, kako je vreme prolazilo i ja sam iz nužde u toku studija morala da počnem sa spremanjem hrane. Teško da me iko može skroz ubediti da je drugačije, jer studenti uglavnom jedu užasnu hranu. Pa da je drugačije, ne bi svi moji prijatelji toliko rado dolazili na moje večere i ručkove. Uglavnom odvratne stvari ubacuju u sebe bez razloga! Kada bih to i malo uspela da promenim, bila bih zadovoljna. Sada imam 25 godina i ne shvatam lenjost u vezi kuvanja. Pošto svi moramo da jedemo, pa možemo i sami to spremimo! Kuvanje ne mora biti teško, već ima jako puno zabavnih brzih recepata prilogođenih današnjem tempu života.

Ne želim da zaboravim još da vam kažem da sam ja jedna dosta tvrdoglava i uporna osoba u kuhinji. To znači za ovaj blog da će se osim nekih brzih i lakih recepata pojavljivati i neki kompleksni jer ne želim da prihvatim ono “to je teško da se pravi, neću ni da probam.”

Na blogu ćemo pokušati da imamo tematske dane, uključujući tu i jednostavne recepte, slatkiše (jer im je tako teško odoleti) ali i svetske dane gde ćemo pronalaziti recepte iz celog sveta, štagod to značilo, jer svakome od nas je neka kuhinja strana.

Jako se radujem ovom iskustvu i nadam se da ćete i svi vi uživati u čitanju bloga a meni će biti jako drago da čitam vaše komentare i odgovorim na bilo koja pitanja.

Prvi recept će uskoro biti postavljen!

Pozz,

Vañilla

P.S. blog ću pisati na dva jezika, engleskom i srpskom, najviše zato što nikada ne znam na kom će mi se inicijalno pisati (a zašto ćete shvatiti vremenom), ali obećavam da pre nego što ugledaju svetlost dana, svi će biti prevedeni.

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.