Slovene Tagliatelle with Pumpkin

The original name is "Rezanci z Bučo". I found the recipe in a culinary guide about Slovenia, by Heike Milhench. The author analyzes and presents dishes of specific region of the country and tells their genesis. When I rolled another page I read the ingredients for tagliatelle with pumpkin, I immediately knew that I will prepare the dish. Except the fact that this pasta dish sounded delicious it perfectly fits into the current season.
(Pictures first appeared on my old blog, over two years ago, that's why different logo)

Ingredients for 4 people:

500g tagliatelle (I used spelt wholemeal)

Pumpkin sauce:

1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
500 ml vegetable broth
250 ml of white wine, dry
4 shallots
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp nutmeg
Sea salt and color pepper to taste

In addition:

100 g Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large, deep skillet melt the butter over medium heat, add sliced shallots and fry until they turn translucent (approx. 8 minutes). Then add the pumpkin and broth. 
Cook over low heat until pumpkin is tender, approx. 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package's directions. Soft pumpkin can be mashed in a blender, or you may leave it in pieces as I did. When the sauce is ready, spices it. Serve Tagliatelle with the sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

* The method of peeling the pumpkin. 
Cut the pumpkin in half and hollow out the seeds, then cut into the shape of "moons". Peel "moons", preferably using a scraper. One kilo of pumpkin gives approx. 650 g edible pumpkin.

Recipe inspired by Heike Milhench.

Sugarless Pumpkin Cheesecake with an Orange Juice

Autumn. Time for another "pumpkin" recipe. What would you say for a cheesecake with pumpkin? The cheesecake (after many tries, the recipe is finally mastered) is light and delicate, despite its intense yellow color, which may indicate otherwise. The juice squeezed from fresh orange gives a pleasant sweet - sour flavor and breaks a little bland pumpkin. I serve the cheesecake with pomegranate, which in my opinion, perfectly fits into this dessert.

Ingredients for 24 cm/10 in cheesecake:

500 g homogenized cheese, like "Quark" *
 400 g pumpkin puree*
4 eggs, organic 
3 tbsp honey 
3 tbsp tapioca* 
1 tsp cinnamon
 Juice of one orange

Crust: 
200 g of almonds*, minced 
3 tablespoons butter

Ganache: 
75 grams of dark chocolate (85%+) 
1 - 2 tablespoons honey
Juice of one orange

In addition: 
1 pomegranate (optional)

Directions:

Lightly grease a springform. Mix almonds and butter until well combined. Place the mass (forming a crust) on the bottom of the springform. Set aside. Eggs, beat with an electric mixer until they are almost white. Add honey. Reduce speed, add cheese/quark, pumpkin puree, tapioca, cinnamon, and juice. Pour the mixture on the crust. Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the springform and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Remove and cool down. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Place it in a small oven proof bowl. Bake in the heated to 150°C oven for 5 minutes. Remove, add honey and orange juice, mix well. Remove the cake from the springform, place on a serving plate. Top it with a ganache and sprinkle with fruit grant.

* The quark can be substituted with any cheese suitable for a cheesecake
* The best pumpkin puree is form Hokkaido pumpkin, you don't have to peel it off, just halved it, pick the seeds and cook until soft (about 20 minutes)
* I used unpeeled almonds 
* If you have no tapioca use potato flour

 Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

Chocolate Cheesecake with Homemade Strawberry Jelly

Another year passed, and again I made a cake for my beloved son's birthday. He is a devotee of chocolate and strawberries, and because it is very warm outside, the cake had to be appropriate to the weather, cold.
Tort - cheesecake is not very caloric, because I lowered to the maximum the amount of sugar, and hence, is light, delicate and ideal to go with an afternoon tea on hot summer days.

Ingredients for 20 cm spring form: 

500 g quark, (I used organic) 
100 ml of boiling water 

60 g brown sugar

2 tbsp cocoa, organic 

4 tsp powdered gelatine

Crust:

100 g ground almonds
 2 tbsp butter

Jelly: 

500 g strawberries, fresh 
50 ml of boiling water 
1 - 2 tbsp agave syrup (optional) *
 2 tsp powdered gelatine

Directions:

Mix almonds with butter. Place the mass in a spring form and create a crust. Lightly grease with oil the collar of the form, the cheesecake will easier part from the from. Dissolved sugar in water, than add gelatin and mix.
Mix quark with an electric mixer, add sugar mixture and gradually add to the cheese. Pour the mixture in to the form and refrigerate for few hours, to solidify. After this time, make a strawberry puree. (*if strawberries are not very sweet, add the syrup). Dissolve gelatin in water, add to the puree. Mix well and pour cheese.Again, refrigerate for several hours. Done.

 Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

(Spelt) Very Lazy Dumplings

Original name is lazy pierogi, but lazy dumplings is more appropriate name for them. Lazy dumplings for me, it's a childhood, and of course, the best ones were made by mom. Today's recipe comes from the provision of our neighbors, of whom a quarter-century ago, right after the wedding, we shared the house. My husband was working, I still was studding and therefore, every day we drove by train and public transportation from the beautiful suburb of Warsaw to the city center. The whole operation was taking nearly two hours one way. After coming back home it was not much time left to prepare dinner/supper. One evening my neighbor showed me 
how to make dumplings the express way.
Traditionally, lazy dumplings are topped with buttered breadcrumbs and sprinkled with sugar. I like them with homemade berry sauce and maple syrup.

Ingredients for ca. 50 - 60 dumplings: 

550 g white cheese*

200 g spelt flour 

3 eggs, organic, large

In addition: 

Maple syrup 

Homemade berry sauce

Directions:

Boil water in a large pot, add salt. In the meantime, beat the eggs, add cheese, then gradually add the flour. Well combine. Spoon to take the cake, lightly shaping it by moving the spoon on the side of the dish and gently thrown into the boiling water. Cook few minutes. Serve topped with maple syrup and fruits. Enjoy your meal.

* In Poland we distinguish white cheese and yellow cheese. The time of making white cheese is very short (few days) and is made from fresh milk. It's soft and it's consistency is crumbly or creamy. Outside of Poland I replace white cheese either with cottage or curd cheese and quark, it's not the same, but close enough.

Recipe was inspired by BZ.

Pepper - Tomato Cream Soup with Chilli

Without a doubt this is the best tasting tomato cream I ate and I myself am surprised that it is so tasty. 

Although the chili is in, but it only gives only a hint of sharpness. I expected much more, 

but if you like really spicy soup, use more chilli.

Ingredients for 3 liters of cream:

1.5 liters tomato puree, organic 

1.2 liters vegetable broth 

5 tbsp olive oil 

4 garlic cloves 

2 - 3 carrots (approx. 300 g) 

2 onions 

2 peppers (used the Hungarian ones) 

1 parsley root, large 

1 chilli, red, the size of a big toe 

1 tsp brown sugar 

A bunch of basil 

Sea salt and colorful pepper to taste

In addition: 

500g mozzarella cheese, organic

Directions:

In a large pot heat the olive oil. Finely peel onions and garlic, toss into the pot and fry until vitrification. Then, add chopped peppers, sliced carrots and parsley. Fry until tender approx. 15 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree, stir and bring to a boil. Finally, add the broth and basil, bring to the boil again. Reduce the heat and let it simmier 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and blend the soup to the cream. Pour into the plates, and add a spoonful of diced, cubed mozzarella.

The recipe was inspired "The Question of Taste".

"Ruthenian" (Ruskie Pierogi) Spring Rolls

Are there any pierogi lovers? I am sure, they are! Traditional Polish pierogi consume a lot of time to precisely make them. But what would you say to pierogi stuffing wrapped in lumpia? They are same delicious and much easier and much faster to make. Pierogi were served very often in my mom's home, and she was a master in making them. My favorite ones were "Ruskie Pierogi", which stuffing was made with ~2/3 of potatoes and 1/3 of cottage cheese (white cheese). The great taste they owe to fried onion and black pepper, that is essential in this dish.

Ingredients for 35 - 40 "Ruthenian" spring rolls

40 pieces of lumpia

1.5 kg potatoes (organic)

600 g cottage cheese (can use more)

1 onion, large

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground (can use more)

Oil for frying (I use canola, organic)

Directions:

 Stuffing:

Peel cut potatoes into small pieces, then cook. I always steam-cook veggies to save as many nourishment as possible. Chop onion finely and fry until golden-brown. Mashed cooked potatoes, and cheese, add onion and spices., mix well together. Place a spoonful of stuffing in the middle of lumpia. and roll just like a traditional spring roll. Fry rolls in very little oil, so that they are less caloric. Ready. 

Recipe was inspired by the TV show.

Potato Pancakes with Fried Cheese

Most of the time I am making classical (traditional in Poland) potato pancakes, that my family loves. This time I wanted to make them different way. In the fridge I had a big chunk of Emmental, and thought, I may use it with the pancakes. However, I did not want to shred the cheese and mix with potatoes, because I was afraid that the taste will not be perceptible and I wanted it to be. I decided to fry cheese between two pancakes like a closed sandwich.
Pancakes came out delicious and nutritious. You can satisfy your hunger with smaller amount of them than with the classical ones.

Ingredients for approx. 45 -50 pancakes: 

1 kg potatoes, used organic 

300 g of cheese sliced into small pieces (~ 1.5 cm x 3 cm) 

5 tbsp spelt flour 

3 eggs, large, organic 

1 onion, small 

1 tsp sea salt 

Color pepper to taste 

Oil for frying (organic, canola)

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and shred on a fine grater. Add finely chopped onion, eggs, flour and spices, mix well. On the hot pan pour a little bit of oil and put a spoon (thin layer) of potato dough. After about a minute, when edges of the pancakes will become golden - brown place on them a slice of cheese. Cover with another thin layer of the dough and fry until golden brown. 

Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

Cauliflower Salad with Celery and Green Onions

Traditional cauliflower salad made my way. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one large salad bowl:

100 g olives, black 

10 pieces cherry tomatoes 

4 eggs, large, organic 

3 celery stalks

3 pieces of green onion 

1 cauliflower, small

Dressing:

4 tablespoons mayonnaise* or plain yogurt 

1 tablespoon mustard, organic 

Sea salt and color pepper to taste

Mix everything

In addition:

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook hard-boiled eggs. Wash the cauliflower, divide into florets and steam-cook for 5 - 10 minutes. Allow both to cool. Cut eggs into cubes, and the rest of the ingredients into slices. Gently mix everything together and combine with cauliflower. Add dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

* best organic or homemade

Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

Green - Cooked and Roasted - Asparagus

For many years I was very lucky to live next to a small, charming town, that is known for two things: Mozart's concerts when he was a little boy, and for cultivating asparagus. Schwetzingen in South-West Germany is called - Asparagus Capital of the World (Spargel Hauptstadt der Welt). Since Spring until Summer, spargel is sold everywhere in Schwetzingen and nearby places; on streets, next to grocery stores or straight from the farms. End of asparagus season is finished with crowning a "Spargel Queen".
Asparagus comes in three different colors: white, green and purple. Today's side dish is very yummy, but absolutely nothing fancy and extremely easy to make. You will only need green asparagus, sesame seeds, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. 20 minutes cooking/roasting time, and pretty looking veggies showing all kinds of green will lay on a plate encouraging you try them.

Ingredients for 2  -4 people:

500 g green asparagus

2 tbsp oil olive, organic

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 tsp sesame seeds

Sea Salt

Directions:

Wash asparagus. Cut off about 1/3 of the end (brown part), sprinkle with salt and steam-cook for 10 minutes. After that time place in the oven safe dish, pour oil olive over them, sprinkle with cheese and seeds. Put to a preheated to 180°C/375°F oven and roast for 5 -7 minutes. Ready. Serve as a side dish or as a separate meal.

 Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart