After the rich foods of the holidays, we often just want to eat something simple yet nourishing. It can get a bit tricky in January to do this as it is still cold here. To stay in tune with nature, I really enjoy eating some warming soups. This tasty soup is more of a fusion style pumpkin soup. Its main ingredient, the butternut squash is cooked in a coconut milk base with some warming spices from the East. This soup should feel refreshing after all the rich, heavy foods of the holidays. Oh and those warm aromas in your kitchen while the soup is cooking … enjoy!
RECIPE
Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp graded fresh ginger
1-3 garlic cloves
2 cans of coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock or water
3 Tbs-whole bottle (to taste) of Thai Kitchen Roasted red chili paste, 4 oz
Nuts (pumpkin, almonds), slivered
Salt
Preparation
In a medium sized pot, heat coconut oil on medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until it is translucent.
Add ginger and cook for a few minutes until you smell its aroma. Add the powdered curry and garlic cloves and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the coconut milk, vegetarian stock/water and the Thai Kitchen red chili paste. Stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to a low medium heat and cover.
Cook for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let the soup cool.
Hungarian plum gnocchi (szilvás gombóc) is basically a dish made with plums wrapped in dough made with mashed potatoes. It is often served as a second dish after a heavier soup but can be a dessert as well.
This dish is a little variation to the recipe that most people use in Hungary. I added poppy seeds instead of bread crumbs to coat the balls. In Transylvania, plum gnocchi is often still coated with poppy seeds.
Poppy seeds are popular at Christmas time as they are full of flavor and are supposed to be calming and nourishing as well. Oh one more, Hungarians believe that poppy seeds are supposed to bring good luck for the new year.
Also, I used prunes instead of fresh plums because fresh plums are not available right now. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference.
These 2 changes to the recipe would make this otherwise already fabulous dish a perfect dish for the holidays.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
about 1 lb russet potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
18 sweet prunes – depending on the size
Coating
2 cups poppy seed, ground
1 cup walnuts (finally chopped)
10 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon or apple pie seasoning
6 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Place the potatoes with the skin on in a large pot. I like to put them on a metal steamer with ‘feet’ so the vitamins and minerals don’t leach into the water and so they don’t soak up too much water. If the potatoes are too wet, the dough will need more flour and will be harder. Add cold water to the pot with a little salt. Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low. Cook them with the lid on for about 45 – 60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Peel them while they are still hot but you can handle.
Puree the potatoes while they are still warm, I was able to do it as soon as the peels were taken off. I used a potato ricer. I put the potatoes through the larger holes of the ricer, then the smaller ones. It is worth investing in a potato ricer if you want a nice and soft dough. You can use a potato masher too, I have used it before and did a good job too. Let potatoes cool to room temperature.
Add flour, salt, 1 egg, 1 Tbsp of butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix and form into a ball shape. Do not over do it. The dough should not be wet but should stay in one piece. Make sure your potatoes are at room temperature. If they are warm they will take up too much flour. You can use the fridge for 5-10 minutes minutes if needed. (Before adding more flour, cool the dough in the refrigerator).
Let the dough rest for 1 hour on the counter.
Meanwhile, soak the prunes in water to soften them. Set aside.
Melt the butter on low heat and add the poppy seeds stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Add the cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts. Mix. This will be used to coat the balls.
Also, mix the 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt for the stuffing. This will be used when the balls are served.
Fill a 5 quart pot with about 3 quart water. Bring to a boil with a little a little salt.
After 1 hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Cut the dough in half. Place one of them on a flat, floured surface. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut out about 9 squares about 3 inches wide and 1 cm thick.
Squeeze the liquid out of the prunes from earlier step.
Assemble the balls. Place one of the dough squares into your palm. Put a plum in the dough. Fold corner by corner gently tucking the stuffing inside and then roll it to make a ball. Do this with each square. Coat them in flour. Please look at the pictures for clarification.
Take the other half of the left over dough and repeat rolling the dough and making little squares. Just like earlier, fill the squares with the prunes. Do this procedure until all the dough is used up.
When the water starts boiling, you can drop the balls in the water one by one with a slotted spoon. Try to gently stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
When the dumplings come to the surface, cook them for about another 5 more minutes and remove them with a slotted spoon.
Coat the dumplings with the poppy seed mixture that you prepared earlier and roll them around until they are well coated.
Serve warm with a little vanilla sugar, cinnamon sugar or honey. Or all three.
Stuffed peppers are popular all over the world as they are mild in flavor and hold their shape. They can accommodate a generous amount of filling. This recipe is a little play on the meat filled stuffed pepper recipes as I used lentils, cheese and mushrooms instead of the meat. Also, it is made with other delicious foods like eggplants and couscous. The dish is simmered in a tomato sauce to perfection. Serve with a nice yogurt sauce and enjoy!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplant
4 large peppers
1/2 cup cooked lentils
4 oz feta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
8 oz of crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 cup of cooked couscous
olive oil
garlic, chopped
1 bunch scallion
2 cup of tomato sauce + 1 cup of stock or water
2 tsp ground cumin, divided
2 tsp ground coriander powder, divided
2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 large egg
grated Parmesan cheese for the top
salt and ground black pepper to taste
cilantro
METHODS
Preheat oven 400 F.
Pierce the skin of the eggplant in several places and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or adjust cooking time depending on the size of the eggplant. Remove, set aside and let it cool.
Make couscous. Boil 1 cup of water and add 1 cup of couscous. Let it sit for 5- 10 minutes to soak up the water. Add olive, 1 tsp ground cumin powder, scallions, handful chopped cilantro and salt. Set aside.
Sauce for baking the the stuffed pepper: warm up some oil on medium high heat when ready add seasoning (cumin, coriander, paprika, nutmeg), stir for 1 minute. Add crushed garlic, stir and add 2 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup of stock, stir. Cook for about 5 minutes. Pour into the baking dish that is big enough to hold the stuffed peppers. Set aside.
Stuffing: Mash the eggplant with a potato masher. Add 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, paprika and garlic cloves, 1 egg, the cheeses, salt, black pepper and the sauteed mushrooms. Add the cooked lentils and the couscous. Mix well.
Prepare stuffed peppers. Cut the bottom of the peppers off, discard or use for something else. Place the stuffing inside the peppers and put the stuffed peppers on the prepared baking sheet with the tomato sauce from earlier. Put the graded Parmesan cheese on the top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 50 – 60 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the top is golden brown.
When we go on vacation, I always get inspired by dishes that we eat at restaurants. This year, it was the Minestrone soup that we ate at an Italian restaurant in the middle of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. The owner of the restaurant was from Verona, Italy and created a thriving restaurant slightly off the touristy area. You might say oh there is nothing special about Minestrone soup. Well, when the only places where you can eat are chain restaurants and you happen on this simple, delicious and filling soup, things might change…
Minestrone soup is basically a vegetable soup but there is a little more to it. Yes we always order it when we go to Olive Garden, but it really should have seasonal vegetables from your garden or the farmers market. You start with the trio of carrots, celery stalk and onions and add other seasonal vegetables and some delicate beans like Borlotti or Cannelloni beans. Of course, kitchen spices are also a crucial part of the recipe. I used oregano, fennel, thyme and added a little paprika. Usually some pasta is added at the end but potatoes are also used instead of pasta in some parts of Italy. Finally, add the beans with its liquid to make it a filling, satisfying soup. It actually taste better the next day.
Buon Appetito!
RECIPE
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 celery stalks, diced
vegetable oil
6 cup vegetable or chicken broth
seasonal diced vegetables (I used 1 cup of each: green beans, zucchini,spinach)
1 cup potatoes, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped or 1 can 14 oz
3 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dried delicate flavored beans of you choice like cannelloni, borlotti or 15 oz canned beans
Ramp (wild garlic) is a very special plant, one of the first foods available in the spring. Soups are always a great way to enjoy them. This recipe is very simple; in a nut shell, it is a basic potato soup made with shallots and the ramps added at the end. Just let the ramps shine and enjoy its special flavor in this simple soup!
Recipe
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp of sweet Hungarian paprika (make sure it is authentic)
1 lb russet potatoes, cleaned and cut into cubes
4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
20 ramps, feel free to use more if you have more
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Sauté the shallots in butter until translucent.
Add paprika quickly, stir for 1 minute and add a little cold water.
Add the chopped potatoes, the stock and let it cook for about 20 minutes.
At the end add the whole ramps and cook for a few minutes on a slow boil.
Add the cream, salt and pepper and puree the soup with an immersion blender to get a creamy consistency.
Wow that is quite a mouthful for the name of a simple recipe!
We were invited to a banquette where the organizers decided that the vegetarian alternative to spaghetti with meatballs dinner would be to leave out the meat; however, most vegetarians like protein so leaving out the meat is not a solution. So I decided to come up with a vegetarian alternative. This challenge got me this amazing recipe though so no complaints.
These bean balls are mouthwatering, even my corgi thinks it is meat. How do I know he likes it? He starts putting out his paw to shake my hand without being asked and he licks his bowl for another 10 minutes after he finishes eating hoping he can find some more.
Let’s talk about the cannellini beans briefly. They are the main ingredient and with their high protein content they replace the meat easily.
These beans originated in South America, most likely in Peru or Argentina. Today, they are popular all over the world but surely are a vital part of the Northern Italian cuisine. They are part of the kidney bean family so with its kidney supporting qualities they are beneficial during the winter time. Also, there is evidence that these beans help with diabetes and weight loss.
When trying to find a replacement for meatballs, cannellini beans seemed like the perfect choice. These nutty, earthy and savory flavored beans are a fabulous addition to this Italian staple. They taste more like chestnuts so they really add a lot of flavor to the dish. I would suggest to make the beans at home from scratch rather than buying the canned version. I could taste the difference for sure.
Enjoy this tasty dish!
RECIPE
Makes 10 bean balls (2 inch in diameter).
Ingredients
1 cup dried cannelloni beans (15 oz canned), strained
1 small yellow onion, grated or 2 Tbsp dehydrated onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
oil for baking
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
a handful of hazelnut or walnuts, chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning,
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
Tomato sauce:
1 bayleaf
salt and pepper to taste
garlic
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 Qt jar of tomato sauce
Italian seasoning
1 tsp fennel, ground
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp chili pepper
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Soak beans overnight or at least for 8 hours. Cook them for 2 hours or until done. (Omit if using a can).
Boil a big pot of water and cook spaghetti according to its instructions.
Coat a baking sheet with a thin film of oil.
Put the beans in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher.
Add the rest of the ingredients chopped pistachio nuts, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, oil, tomato sauce, parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar and onion.
Mix well.
Using about 1/4 cup of the mixture, form balls by rolling between the palms of your hands.
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet evenly spaced.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the balls have a nice golden brown color on the outside.
While the bean balls are baking, prepare the tomato sauce. Choose your favorite Pasta sauce, add 1/4 balsamic vinegar, 1 bayleaf, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, garlic and salt to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with the bean balls.
I associate the Christmas season with good food, heartwarming music and the company of friends and family. I can help you out with the food part but I leave the rest for you. Please check out holiday dishes from my earlier blogs, hope you can find one for your holiday dinner: festive salad, mouth-watering meat, fabulous vegetarian and tasty vegan dishes. Enjoy!
This delicious dish uses this forgotten vegetable, celeriac. The sweet and bitter celeriac is the perfect vegetable to eat as we enter the colder months. It can nicely offset the heaviness of other dishes that we eat during the holidays. The celeriac along with the potatoes are cooked in a stock and are infused with thyme and bay leaves. Serve with cream and some croutons or hazelnuts on the top. Enjoy!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
oil
1 medium onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp dried or 2 tsp fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 lb celeriac root, peeled and cut into 1/2 ” chunks
1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ chunks
1 slice of bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)
4 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup hazelnuts or croutons
chopped parsley
crushed red hot pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Cook bacon on medium high heat, in a little oil for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the onion in a little oil for about 5 – 10 minutes, stir often. Gently fry the garlic for a short time, do not burn. Add the thyme, bay leaf, celery, the potato chunks, bacon pieces and the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low heat. Cook for about 40 minutes or until all the vegetables are nice and tender.
Remove the bay leaf and let the soup cool off to room temperature. Pour in the cream. Puree the soup. You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender.
Add salt, pepper and red hot pepper to taste.
Serve with hot with croutons or hazelnuts and parsley.
If using hazelnuts, heat up a pan and lightly roast the hazelnuts for 6-8 minutes. Make sure they are toasted on all sides. Chop the cool hazelnuts. Serve on to of the soup.
In honor of Halloween, I would like to post a recipe for a special treat called barmrack (bairin breac). In Ireland, kids get this treat for singing or telling scary stories.
This is a savory, refreshing summer drink made with gin, basil and cucumbers.
Serves 1 drink
Ingredients
1 shotglass of gin (I used Prairy organic gin)
1/2 – 1 shotglass of simple syrup (Please see recipe below)
1/2 cup spritzer water
5 basil leaves or more to garnish
8 thin cucumber slices
pinch of ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lime or more to garnish
pinch of salt
ice, optional
Methods
Make the simple syrup. It is very easy. Slowly cook 1 cup of water with a 1 cup of sugar in a small pot. Be careful not to boil it. When you see a nice thick syrup, it is done. Take off heat and let it cool. You can refrigerate what you don’t use for later use – if not used up in a few days.
Preapre the drink in a jar big enough to hold 1 cup of liquid. Add the gin, the simple syrup, spritzer water, lime juice, basil leaves, cucmber slices and salt. I also like to put in the lime peel. Put the top on and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove the plant material before serving.
Add ice if you wish.
If you don’t have time to put the drink in the refrigerator, you can use a muddler to gently bruise the vegetables with the simple sugar to get the juice out for a few minutes and then procede with the rest of the recipe from above.
You can garnish with fresh basil, cucumber slice and lime slice if you wish.
Twin Cities Herbs 