Every blogger seems to be writing a Christmas gift list at the moment, so I thought I would join in too. I am going to suggest some gifts that any cook would like. Expensive for a close family memberIf it is something really expensive, you will probably already know that the person you love wants it, so not much point asking me. The best time to by these was also in the Black Friday sales wich are now passed. Medium price gifts for friends and familyHere I can suggest you things! These can be less expensive kitchen machines or good quality kitchen equipment like pots and pans. Let me give you some advice now. 1. Spiralizer. These are not a must have but rather a luxury, but a very useful one for someone who cooks a lot. It makes cutting up veggies much quicker. You can bind a stand-alone spiralizer or an attachment for an existing mixer. The secnd option is often too expensive really, you are better off just buying a spiralizer separately. Here are my choices, both under £40, so good price for a friends: Kenwood electrical spiraliser, Tesco £38 Lakeland manual spiralizer £35 2. Easy soup maker. These are also very popular this year. Lakeland have one by Tefal on sale. Perfect for someone who loves soup. Tefal Easy Soup Maker £49.99 at Appliances Direct. |
These are really tasty little balls made usually with risotto rice, vegetables and tomato sauce. You can make them with a meat ragu as well. Apparently they originated in Sicily. Warning, these are very filling! Not good if you are watching your weight either :-) The recipe I have tried is from Jamie Oliver: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/arancini/ I like that this web site gives you all the nutritional information like calories, fat and sugar. Useful for a cook like me who needs to watch her weight. |
2: Fried Fish Balls
This recipe is completely from the other side of the world, Malaysia. This recipe is a bit harder because you need some special ingredients for it that you can't find in every grocery store here.
This is not an original recipe but I like it anyway, it is from a New York chef: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8816-spicy-fried-fish-balls
I have used the cook book but luckily it available for free online. Isn't the internet great?
This is not an original recipe but I like it anyway, it is from a New York chef: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8816-spicy-fried-fish-balls
I have used the cook book but luckily it available for free online. Isn't the internet great?
3: Scotch Eggs
Back to Europe with a British classic. I wonder if the Queen ever eats Scotch eggs? Maybe only when she is in Scotland. In Scotch eggs you coat a cooked egg in sausage meet, herbs and spices. It is a bit like Turkey stuffing, but not quite! Then you roll the hole thing in breadcrumbs. Again, it is not a healthy food, but sometimes it feel too good to miss out on. This recipe is from the British web site I have blogged about before, BBC Good Food: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2853682/scotch-eggs They have step-by-step pictures to help you. And also the nutritional info. |
4: Plum Dumplings
Finally, I have a desert recipe. You can find this food in Germany and other places further East, for example the Czech republic. It is not so easy to make, but very rewarding. Also, I am cheating here because these are not fried or baked but boiled. You can eat them sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon. Or you eat them with creme fraiche. These are nicest to make when you have plums from your own garden. Here is a recipe from another magazine: |
In honour of the victims of the earthquake in Italy this week: a recipe for pasta Amatriciana. This is a classic. It is originally made with a kind of bacon made from pork cheeks, but you can make it wit normal bacon. The pasta to use with it is bucatini: long like spaghetti, but thicker and with a hole in the middle.
The recipe is very simple:
Ingredients for 4:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces thinly sliced guanciale pancetta (made from pork cheek), or good bacon (pancetta)
1 red onion,chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 pound Bucatini pasta
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan)
Recipe from Mario Batali:Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, combine the olive oil, guanciale, onion, garlic, and re pepper flakes; set over low heat and cook until the onion is softened and the guanciale has rendered much of its fat, about 12 minutes. Drain all but 1/4 cup of the fat out of the pan (and set aside to cook you eggs for tomorrow's breakfast). Add the tomato sauce, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble for 6 to 7 minutes. While the sauce simmers, cook the bucatini in the boiling water for about a minute less than the package directions, until still very firm; drain. Add the pasta to the simmering sauce and toss for about 1 minute to coat. Divide the pasta among four heated bowls and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated pecorino.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces thinly sliced guanciale pancetta (made from pork cheek), or good bacon (pancetta)
1 red onion,chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 pound Bucatini pasta
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan)
Recipe from Mario Batali:Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, combine the olive oil, guanciale, onion, garlic, and re pepper flakes; set over low heat and cook until the onion is softened and the guanciale has rendered much of its fat, about 12 minutes. Drain all but 1/4 cup of the fat out of the pan (and set aside to cook you eggs for tomorrow's breakfast). Add the tomato sauce, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble for 6 to 7 minutes. While the sauce simmers, cook the bucatini in the boiling water for about a minute less than the package directions, until still very firm; drain. Add the pasta to the simmering sauce and toss for about 1 minute to coat. Divide the pasta among four heated bowls and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated pecorino.
Enjoy!
Let me introduce another one of my favorite recipe web sites: BBC Good Food . This one is from the British Broadcasting Corporation and they also have a magazin. You can get the magazine some places online, like Zinio or order it even straight from England.
Their recipes are sorted in every way you can think of: ingredients, occasion, special diet and so on. I think they are really good and they always work well for me. Some of their recipes are really quick and easy for weekdays others are really amazing, like the summer wedding cake! If you create an account then you can save your favorite recipes. Also another really good thing is that you can create a shopping list to print out and take with you from the recipe page.
But the site is not just about recipes. There are also articles and videos about different techniques to use and try out in your kitchen, like how to fillet a fish, make bread, eat healthy or cook on a budget. There is also a big table that tells you what fruit and vegetable is in season when. I find you can still use this in Canada. They also review lots of different products so this is a good place to look first if you want to buy something.
You should try it! It is amazing what you get for free on the internet ;-)
My favorite baking web site has to be Joy of Baking. This website is so good, it is like having a free cook book that keeps growing and growing. And it's not just recipes on their own, there are also videos if you are not sure about anything, like this one:
The recipes are divided into categories: types of food like cookies and muffins and ingredients like apple or chocolate. I like lemon cakes best! All the recipes I have tried from here so far work. What are my favourites? I'll give you my top three and then go try yourself!
1. Black forest cake. I always thought this one was very scary to try, but here it is explained very well.
2. Red velvet cupcakes. These are a big favorite in our family.
3. Sugar cookies. For when you need something super quick with few ingredients. Also good for decorating.
2. Red velvet cupcakes. These are a big favorite in our family.
3. Sugar cookies. For when you need something super quick with few ingredients. Also good for decorating.
My name is Asu and I love cooking and I love finding new recipes to try. This will be my place to share with you my favourite recipes and my favourite places to find new recipes like cook books or web sites. Thanks for visiting us!
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