Roasted vegetable cream

When I’m asking Piotr what he would like to eat for a dinner, every second time the answer is” roasted vegetables”. It is a surprise how different is the taste of roasted veggies to boiled or fried ones. They become more aromatic and genuine sweet. Carrot, parsley root, potatoes, pepper – roast all!!
This time I combined few Mediterranean style vegetables, add herbs and mixed so I got a soft cream. It is perfect for sandwiches, for pasta and also (with minced fried meat) as a filling for crepes.

Ingredients
2 medium size eggplants
1 red pepper
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
few sings of thyme
1 tbsp tomato puree
About ¼ cup oil
salt, pepper


Method
Peel the eggplants and slice them. Cut pepper into small cubes. Cut onion in quarters. Leave the garlic clove in shell (after roasting it become creamy and sweet). Place all the vegetables on a baking tray, drizzle with oil, add salt and pepper. Make sure everything is well coated with oil, put thyme on top. Bake until the vegetables are golden brown, in preheated oven to 180 oC, stirring from time to time. When the vegetables are roasted and soft mix them with tomato puree (remember first peel the garlic clove). If you want you can add more salt or pepper. Serve with pasta, bread or i.e. as a meat sauce.

Cauliflower – the best!

Considering how I love cauliflower and how I love the taste of any roasted vegetable – roasted cauliflower had to be good ! In such a version it is even better than the cooked, traditional one! It becomes more distinct and slightly crunchy (also thanks to the presence of delicious baked slices of beacon). You have to try it!!


Ingredients
1 cauliflower
3,5 oz (100 g) beacon
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper


Method
Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet or pan lined with baking paper. On top of it put diced beacon, drizzle oil over top and than sprinkle on salt and pepper, add garlic (in shells, cut in half). Roast in preheated oven to 360F/ 180 oC, for about 30 min. until edges of cauliflower will be golden brown and the florets will be tender. Serve warm!
Ready cauliflower you may stir with roasted creamy garlic and additionally drizzle it with olive oil.

Brussels sprouts – roasted with sweet cranberries

I read recently ( from my point of view 100% right) opinion that in order to make someone hate Brussels sprouts you have to overcook it. So today I recommend you simple, quick and a little bit different method to prepare these delicious small cabbages.
Frying can not only preserve the taste of these vegetables but also its beautiful green colour – emphasized with ruby cranberries and smoky beacon.

Ingredients
18 oz (500 g) Brussels sprouts
3,5 oz (100 g) smoked beacon
1 shallot ( optional ½ onion)
2+1 tbsp oil
salt, pepper
¼ teaspoon grinded coriander
1 tbsp dried cranberries


Method
Brussels sprouts cut in half or quarters . Pour 2 tbsp of oil into heated pan, add shredded shallot and diced beacon – fry. Add Brussels sprouts, salt ( remember not too much as beacon is already salted!), coriander and pepper. After few minutes of frying, cook it covered for another 5 min. until vegetables are tender ( but still al dente). Before serving drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cranberries.

Chickpeas ratatouille

We can call it ratatouille or vegetable dish. The most important: it does have many vitamins and can be made almost with everything we can find in our fridge.

You don’t have to follow the recipe and its single detail, one pepper more or less, some broccoli florets or favourite kohlrabi can only make it more delicious!

To my today’s version I added chickpeas (cooked separately, so it wasn’t overcooked) and a mysterious ingredient: 1 tbsp of dark molasses. As the same time it enhances the tomato sweetness and gives the sauce the smoothness and gloss. Delicious!

Ingredients
½ yellow pepper
½ red pepper
1 medium zucchini
4 large mushroom
2 medium onions
1 teaspoon ground garlic
2 carrots
1 parsley root
1 tbsp molasses
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 teaspoon smoked dry red pepper
1 can chickpeas
18 fl oz (500 ml) tomato puree
handful chopped parsle
oil
salt, pepper to taste


Method
Cut the vegetables in the same size pieces, dice onion. Sauté garlic with onion and the rest vegetables (separate) put into a pot. Pour in the tomato puree (optional you can add some water). Add thymes, molasses. Bring to boil, cook on a low heat for about 30 min. (until carrot is soft), season to taste, and serve with baguette.

Potato frittata with goat cheese and spinach

Frittata is a great way to make something good from the leftovers you can find in your fridge. You can use anything you like: French beans left after yesterday dinner, canned green beans from the can you have opened few days ago or cooked especially for frittata asparagus. Add milk, few eggs, favourite spices and your dinner is ready in 15 min.
I added potatoes, spinach and goat cheese. One frittata was enough for 2 people ( it’s a shame nothing left as frittata is also taste when cold – eaten next day for a breakfast at work). Next time I’ll have to make bigger one.

Ingredients ( anything you want, egg mixture has to cover all additions, proportions: ½ cup milk for 4 eggs)
200g (7 oz) spinach (frozen)
8-10 cooked potatoes
½ onion or leek
4 eggs
goat cheese
½ cup milk
salt, pepper
oil

Method
Cook and cool potatoes, dice them. Fry spinach. In a big pan fry the onion, add spinach and potatoes. Season, pour in an egg mixture. Fry on the low heat for a few minutes both sides (to turn the frittata use a plate), or bake in preheated oven to 180 oC (360 F). On top put cheese and fry/bake until golden brown.

Roasted cauliflower cream soup

From the moment I started to fry cooked cauliflower in a garlic olive oil, I think that’s the best way to serve this vegetable. As I find friend cauliflower delicious I thought that soup made with this fried veggie should be perfect for me! I roasted cauliflower with other vegetables and garlic cloves in the oven and mix so as a result I got the roasted cauliflower cream soup!

Ingredients

1 cauliflower

2 carrots

1 parsley root

piece of celery root

about 1 l (35 fl oz) stock

2 tbsp oil

2 big garlic cloves

salt, pepper

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Method

Chop the cauliflower and place it on lined baking tray together with remaining diced vegetables. Add garlic cloves in shells, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven to 180 oC until the cauliflower is golden brown and carrots soft (about 40 min.). Roasted veggies put in the pan with bullion, add garlic cloves (remove shells before). Blend the vegetables and bullion until smooth ( you may add some water if the soup gets too thick), cook until boiling, season to taste.

Savoury eggplant, tomato and feta cheese pastries

I found some recipes I prepared during the Summer and I couldn’t wait any longer to post them. Although the weather outside is not a summertime one, today the appetizer you can serve in a sunny but also in a rainy day! If you will use ripe cherry tomatoes (only those are sweet at this time of the year) ‘canapés’ are going to be delicious! With the original version I’d recommend you wait until July!

Ingredients
1 puff pastry sheet
1 big eggplant
2 ripe tomatoes ( the best are raspberries kind)
1 tbsp dry oregano
about 100 g (3,5 oz) feta cheese (or more if you like it, just like I do!)
1 tbsp oil
½ teaspoon wine vinegar
1 big garlic clove
salt, pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
fresh herb leaves (basil, oregano, thyme)

Method
Line baking tray with baking paper. Wash vegetables, slice them in slices. Eggplant slices rub with oil, garlic and vinegar – it will enhance the flavour. Cut hand-size rectangles in a puff pastry, put them on the baking tray, brush each with whisked egg and sprinkle with breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs will absorb excess vegetables moisture). On each piece of pastry put few slices of salted eggplant, tomato and feta cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and oregano. Bake in preheated oven to 180 oC (360 F) for about 20 min., until crust is golden brown. Serve with fresh herbs and olive oil.