We had this the other day for dinner: lovely, quick, and cheap.
Category: Easy
Simple recipes that everyone can make, even beginners.
Leek soup
Sauerkraut
This is sauerkraut, my way. The recipe is made from memory of what I remember my Dad cooking.
Minced meat, pancetta, and mushroom sauce
One could call this sauce “Bolognese with mushrooms,” but then we would open up a discussion on what a Bolognese should be, and I am too impatient for that. In any case, this sauce was rich and fabulous, made by following the recipe for the classic Bolognese (or at least what I consider classic), but then adding some fried mushrooms to the mix. And yes, I used a can of tomatoes and the leftover Amarone, thank you for asking.
When I made this, the day was one of the first really cold autumn days, and it just hit the spot.
Chorizo, pickled onion, and gruyere piadina
With a base of chopped canned tomatoes, sprinkled with quartered pickled mini-onions, sliced chorizo, and grated gruyere, this is a lunch to fit the gloomy autumn day. Yum!
Pesto, zucchini, and parmesan tart
Take some octagonal puff pastry, score it along the edges, spread with a mixture of mascarpone and pesto, cover with sliced zucchini and grated parmesan, and bake in the oven at 200˚C for about 35 min. You will not be sorry.
Mango lassi
Despite his objections to eating blitzed vegetables, the boyfriend has no objection to eating blitzed fruits. Enter mango lassi.
Hummus
I made this so many times already, I cannot believe it is not yet featured on my blog. My version always contains a bit more garlic than it should, but hey… you only live once.
Baked feta with za’atar
I am quite proud of this one: it was a spur of the moment decision, possibly a result of some combination of recipes from Pinterest and the fact that the oven was on.
It is delicious, slightly gooey when it comes out of the oven. This time, it was served as the vegetarian part of my arabic spread, but I can also imagine this being served as a starter at a dinner party.
Braised beef
I still have loads to learn about the anatomy of a cow to be able to name all the muscles and bones that are appropriate for particular dishes. In the meantime, I went to a butcher and asked for some braising beef. The piece I got was about 800 g, just enough for a weekend’s worth of food.
The recipe I used is a modification of a recipe from Giorgio Locatelli’s book “Made in Italy. Food and stories.” He used veal shanks, with the intention of making them into ravioli. I had the same ambition with my braised beef. But first things first.