Category: Make-ahead

Minced meat, pancetta, and mushroom sauce

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2016-10-03-20-22-35

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.

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Danube waves (Donauwellen)

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I will now post a recipe for a cake I made, but without a picture. *ghasp*

And it is not because the cake is not pretty: simply, when I cut it up and packaged to take to work, I did not have the presence of mind to take some photos.

I am sure I will be making another iteration of it, as the boyfriend did not try it, and I am positive he would like it. So there will be a photo opportunity yet.

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Baklava

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baklava-top

This recipe is not for the faint of heart, or for the diabetics. However, apart from being extremely sweet, the flavours are really nice. Strange how you can still recognize the subtlety of cinnamon, cloves, and lime zest despite the shocking amounts of sugar.

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Toasty olive oil granola

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nigella-granola

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s new book Simply Nigella. I found mixed reviews for the book—and the accompanying show—online, but I love it. Or rather, I love to hate it. The recipes sound very simple and tasty, Nigella looks rather incompetent with the kitchen utensils and is very verbose… Still, I am quite sure this is not the last recipe from this book to be  featured on this blog.

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Cherry swirl cheesecake

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cherry-sheesecake

I got rave reviews for this one. Cheesecake, what else would you expect? Along with a few modifications, I made one shortcut with this cake, but I do not think it compromised the quality: instead of making my own cherry mixture, I used store-bought jam. The original recipe is from the BBC goodfood website, and I am including my own modifications here.

There is very little skill needed to execute this recipe, and despite my mention of a KitchenAid, a whisk, a spoon, and a strong hand are all you need in terms of equipment. The one crucial element with all cheesecakes is that you do not shock it with a change in temperature: if you leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven, it will not have any cracks.

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