Simon's stuffed peppers

My younger son Simon is a very fussy eater but this is one of his very few favourite dishes.Very easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:

Stuffed peppers:

6 large white peppers or 8 smaller ones

200 g rice

2 large onions, chopped

500 g Polish sausage, cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried Herbes de Provence

a few drops of Maggi seasoning sauce or soy sauce

salt and black pepper to taste

Sauce:

2 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 150 ml of water

200 ml double cream or whipping cream

a few drops of Maggi seasoning sauce or soy sauce

1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence

salt and black pepper to taste

• Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10  minutes. Strain and set aside.

• Fry the onion and the sausage in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and aromatic. Mix in the partly cooked rice, Maggi seasoning, Herbes de Provence and season with salt and pepper.

• Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the  peppers. 

• Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper and arrange peppers in an oiled baking dish . Preheat the oven to 180 C.

• Mix the ingredients for the sauce and pour it over the peppers. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Remove the aluminium foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy !

Crocodile pickled cucumbers

A wonderful spicy pickle, delicious on sandwiches and perfect for washing down with a shot of vodka !!!

Ingredients:

3 kg small cucumbers
6 tbsp salt
750 g sugar
375 ml distilled vinegar
10 tbsp vegetable oil
15 g chilli powder
2 bulbs of garlic

• Wash the cucumbers and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, mix well and leave for 6-8 hours. The salt will draw out a lot of  liquid  from the cucumbers.

• Drain the cucmbers and discard the water.Peel and slice the garlic.

• Prepare the brine: boil the vinegar with the sugar and oil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Pour the brine over the cucumbers, add chilli and sliced garlic. Mix well and leave to marinate for 12 hours.

• Transfer the cucumbers into sterilised jars covering with the brine up to the brim of the jars and screw the lids on  tightly.

• Place the jars in a cool place ( a cellar for example) and use when you want to pimp your sandwich or treat your guests to something delicious :)

Lithuanian Bread

Ultimate Lithuanian bread recipe. It's relatively easy to make and the taste is just unbelievable!!! It tastes exactly the same as the bread I sampled at an artisan bread stall during regional food fair in Cracow. It's utterly delicious with home cured bacon, ham or air-dried Lithuanian or Polish sausage.

Ingredients:

Day 1

200 g wholemeal rye flour

1 tbsp caraway seeds

100 g tepid water

200 g sourdough starter

• Mix the ingredients in a bowl using a wooden spoon.

• Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 12 hours. It should double in size.

Day 2

 100 g wholemeal rye flour

120 g all-purpose wheat flour

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp powdered rye malt

• Transfer the dough from day 1 and the rest of the ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer and knead for 5 minutes using a hook attachment.The dough will be sticky but quite firm to the touch.

• Then tip the dough onto a floured wooden board and knead it by hand for a minute.

• Shape the dough into a circle or  cylinder (depending on the shape of the proofing basket that you want to use) and transfer it into a well floured proofing basket.If you want to simplify the whole process ,you can also place the dough in a well greased loaf tin.

• Leave to proof for about 3 hours until it doubles in size.

• When the dough has risen dust its top with some flour, place a baking stone in the oven and heat it for 45 minutes at 250 C. If you are using a loaf tin, just pop it into the oven preheated to 250 C.

• Put some ice cubes on a tray placed at the bottom of the oven to create humidity and steam  for the bread.

• Transfer the dough onto a bread peel bottom side up, flip it onto a hot baking stone and bake at 250 C for 15 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, open the door of the oven to release the steam and lower the temperature to 200C. 

• Bake for a further 30 minutes or longer if you want a darker crust. Remove the bread from the oven using the bread peel and place it on a cooling rack. 

• The bread can be sliced after a few hours, otherwise it will be  sticky and difficult to slice. 

Enjoy :)

Maryland peach pie

A delicious American peach pie with a crunchy buttery crust and oozing with refreshing, slightly sweet and gooey but distinctively peachy filling full of juicy and firm peach pieces. Highly recommended !!! 

Ingredients:

Pie crust:

225 g flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

150 g cold butter

1 egg yolk

about 50 ml ice cold water

1 egg + 1 tbsp water (egg wash)

Filling:

1.20 kg peaches (stoned and peeled)

150 g sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

40 g plain flour

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

25 g butter cut into small pieces

• In a large bowl mix the sliced or cubed peaches with the spices, cornstarch, lemon juice and sugar.Set aside.

• Sift the flour,salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the butter  and blend using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

• Mix the egg yolk with water and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Combine with a fork until the dough holds together.

• Gather into a ball, cover in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

• Remove the dough from the fridge cut into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other and gather into two balls. Grease a 23 cm round pie dish with butter.

• On a floured surface roll out the larger ball 3 mm thick and transfer into the pie dish.
• Tuck the overhang under the edge of the pie crust and using a fork press the edge to the brim of the pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork, line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans.

• Bake at 200 C for 10 minutes. Remove the paper with the beans and bake for 5 minutes more.

• Remove from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes and fill with the peach filling. Dot with pieces of butter.

• Roll out the second ball of dough into a rectangle and cut into strips of equal width using a ruler. Weave the strips on top of the pastry case attaching each end of the strip to the prebaked case with a brushing of egg wash. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash.

• Bake at 220 C for 10 minutes, the lower the temperature to 180 C and bake for a further 35-40 minutes.
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American peach leaf pie

A stunning American peach pie made with a flaky and extremely crunchy crust concealing a delicious filling. It's not overly sweet, the filling is gooey and full of juicy peach pieces. Great with a dollop of ice cream or a spoonful of slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

285 g plain flour

3/4 tsp salt

115g cold butter

60 g cold lard

5-6 tbsp ice cold water

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)

For the filling:

1.2 kg peaches (stoned and peeled)

juice of 1/2 lemon

150 g sugar

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

30 g cold butter

• In a large bowl mix the sliced or cubed peaches with the spices, flour, lemon juice and sugar.Set aside.

• Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl. Add the butter and lard and blend using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

• Using a fork or a palette knife stir in enough water to bind the dough. Do not overmix. Gather into a ball , wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• Remove the dough from the fridge cut into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other and gather into two balls. Grease a 23 cm round pie dish with butter.

• On a floured surface roll out the larger ball 3 mm thick and transfer into the pie dish. Trim the edges, brush the bottom of the pastry shell with egg wash.

• Place a pie bird in the centre of the shell and add the filling. Sprinkle with small cubes of cold butter making sure it's evenly distributed.
• 

• Roll out the remainig dough 5 mm thick and cut out leaf shapes using a cutter or a knife. With the scraps roll out new balls and cut out new leaves.

• Place the leaves, one by one, starting from the edge and cover the rim with a ring of leaves.

• Place the second ring of leaves on top of the first one overlapping the edges. Continue with rows of leaves until the pie is completely covered, leaving the head of the pie bird in the centre. Brush with egg wash.
• 

• Bake at 220 C for 10 minutes, the lower the temperature to 180 C and bake for a further 35-40 minutes.
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My Granny's blueberry cake

A sensational, light as a feather cake which my Grandmother used to make for her diners in her country kitchen during the summer. She sometimes served over 100 dinners during the day and every diner got a large piece of this heavenly cake for dessert. 

Ingredients:

100 g soft butter

200 g sugar

4 eggs (separated)

200 g flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 packet vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

1 tsp soft butter (for the tin)

3 tbsp breadcrumbs

500 ml blueberries

• Beat the butter with the sugar until pallette and fluffy and then add the egg yolks one at a time and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and homogeneous.

•  In a separate bowl beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.

•  Sift the flour with the baking powder into the egg and butter mixture and carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.

• Line a 24 cm round tin with parchment paper (cut out a circle of the same diameter as the tin).

• Spread the parchment paper with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. 

•  Place the blueberries in the tin and make sure that they are spread out evenly over the bottom of the tin.

•  Gently transfer the dough (spoonful by spoonful) onto the berries and level the surface using a palette knife.

• Place the tin in the preheated (180 C) oven and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

•  When the cake cools down transfer it onto a platter blueberry side up and generously sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into wedges.

Enjoy :)

Lithuanian scalded dough country rye bread

I love the specific taste of Lithuanian bread which is dark, made with rye flour and very rustic. Sweetish - and with a hint of caraway. This bread is made with scalded dough, as a result of which it's moist and  lasts longer. A real treat !!!

Ingredients:

Day 1

500 ml wholemeal rye flour

1 tbsp caraway seeds

500 ml boiling water

250 ml sourdough starter

• Tip the flour and caraway seeds into a large bowl and mix with boiling water. Stir vigorously for a few minutes to avoid lumps.

• Cover the dough with clingfilm and leave to cool for 1-2 hours.

• When the dough is cold, mix it with sourdough starter. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon and make sure it's evenly mixed. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 12 hours. It should double in size.

Day 2

250 ml wholemeal rye flour

250 ml all-purpose wheat flour

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp powdered rye malt

• Transfer the dough from day 1 and the rest of ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer and knead the bread dough for 5 minutes using a hook attachment.The dough will be sticky but quite firm to the touch.

• Then tip the dough onto a floured wooden board and knead it by hand for a minute.

• Shape the dough into a circle or  cylinder (depending on the shape of the proofing basket that you want to use) and transfer it into a well floured proofing basket. 

• Leave to proof for about 3 hours until it doubles in size.

• When the dough has risen dust its top with some flour, place a baking stone in the oven and heat it for 45 minutes at 250 C. 

• Put some ice cubes on a tray placed at the bottom of the oven to create humidity and steam  for the bread.

• Transfer the dough onto a bread shovel bottom side up, flip it onto a hot baking stone and bake at 250 C for 15 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, open the door of the oven to release the steam and lower the temperature to 200C. 

• Bake for a further 30 minutes or longer if you want a darker crust. Remove the bread from the oven using the bread shovel and place it on a cooling rack. 

• The bread can be sliced after a few hours, otherwise it will be very sticky and difficult to slice. 

• Enjoy :)

 

Prince Polo bar cake

A delicious cake with layers of chocolate sponge, walnut and coconut meringue and cream bursting with chocolate and famous Polish  Prince Polo bar pieces. It's not overly sweet and it looks elegant. It's quite time-consuming but worth the effort you put into making it.

Photo: Kraft Foods

Ingredients:

Chocolate sponge:

6 eggs 

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder


a pinch of salt

• Separate the eggs and beat the whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Then add the sugar in three portions and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add the yolks, one at a time and beat until thick and light in colour. 
• Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa and gently fold into the egg mixture.
• Transfer onto a (25x36 cm) baking tray  which has been lined with parchment paper. Bake at 180 C for 20-25 minutes. 
• When the sponge is cold, cut horizontally into two equal slabs.

Meringue:


7 egg whites

a pinch of salt

150 g sugar

200 g chopped walnuts

100 g shredded coconut

150 g chopped  Prince Polo bars ( 3 large XXL bars)

• Beat the whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Then add the sugar in three portions and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Fold in the chopped walnuts, Prince Polo bars and the coconut.
• Transfer onto a baking tray (25x36 cm) which has been lined with parchment paper. Bake at 170 C for 20-25 minutes. 

Creamy custard filling:

750 ml milk

7 egg yolks

4 tbsp sugar

4 heaped tbsp potato starch

3 heaped tbsp flour

350 g soft butter

1 bar of dark chocolate (chopped)

150 g chopped Prince Polo  bars ( 3 large XXL bars)

• Beat the egg yolks with the sugar, add the flours and a few spoonfuls of milk and mix everything well making sure that there are no lumps.
• Pour 5 tablespoons of water into a pot ( in this way the milk won't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan) and when it begins to boil pour in the milk and bring everything to a boil.
• Pour the egg mixture into the boiling milk and whisk vigorously until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. 
• Cream the butter and add the cold custard, in small portions, making sure that everything is well incorporated.
• Fold in the chopped Prince Polo bars and dark chocolate.

Chocolate ganache:

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Put everything in a pan over medium heat and simmer stirring constantly for about 3 minutes until the ganache thickens.

Assembly:

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and assemble the cake on the paper in the following order:
• a slab of chocolate sponge+one half of the custard filling+the meringue slab+another half of the custard filling+the second chocolate sponge slab.

Pour warm ganache over the assembled cake and spread it evenly using a palette knife. Transfer into the fridge for a few hours to set.
Enjoy:)

Gooseberry jam

Super quick and delicious gooseberry jam. J got the recipe from my neighbour who, in turn, received it in the'40s from an old German lady whose hobby was making preserves. It's the best recipe ever !!!

Ingredients:

125 ml water

500 g sugar

1kg gooseberries (trimmed and washed)

• Bring the water and sugar to a vigorous boil. Add the gooseberries and boil stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil vigorously. Boil on high for about 60 minutes until it begins to thicken and you can see that the jam begins to set.
• 
• To test the consistency place a saucer in the freezer for 5 minutes, take it out and drop some jam on top of it. Wait until the jam cools down. If you see that the jam has set you can fill the jars.
• Pour into sterilised jars, screw the lids on tightly and cover the jars with a warm blanket.
• Remove the blanket after a few hours when the jam cools down.

Enjoy !

Harira

A delicious Moroccan soup with beef, chickpeas and lentils. Great with steamed couscous. Everybody's favourite !

Ingredients:

500 g  beef (cut into 3x3 cm cubes)

3 onions (diced)

4 celery stalks (diced)

1-2 bullion cubes (beef or veal flavour) - optional

1 tbsp smoked paprika powder

1 tbsp  powdered ginger

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1 tsp   sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

• saute everything in a big pot for 3-4 minutes until aromatic and juicy
• next add:

1 tsp  butter

1 bunch  chopped parsley

1 bunch  chopped coriander

• saute everything  for 2-3 minutes
• add 1.5 litres of water and cook gently for about 1 hour until the meat is tender
• then add:

500 ml tomato passata or canned diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp sugar

1 handful  red lentils

1 can  cooked chickpeas 

• Boil everything for a few minutes until the lentils are tender. Adjust salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with chopped coriander or parsley. Enjoy :)

Sourdough rye bread with beer and fried onions

I got this recipe from my best cousin, a great cook, an avid baker and a foodie. The bread has a moist soft crumb and an interesting delicate aroma of fried onions and beer. 

Ingredients for 2 loaves:

Day 1

60 g sourdough starter

200 g fine rye flour (type 720)

180 ml water

Mix everything and leave to ferment in a bowl covered with clingfilm for 8-12 hours or overnight.

Day 2

starter from Day 1

800g fine rye flour (type 720)

650 ml wheat beer 

2 large onions ( roughly chopped and sauteed in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and cooled)

2 tsp salt

• Mix everything well in a stand mixer or by hand and leave to proof in a bowl covered with clingfilm for 8-12 hours at room temperature.
• Grease two 20 cm loaf tins with lard and transfer the dough into the tins in two equal portions. Even out the surface with wet hands. Dust the surface with flour.
• Cover the tins with clingfilm and leave to rise for 3-4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 220 C, sprinkle the inside of the oven with water and place the tins in the centre of the oven .
• Bake for 45-50 minutes.
• Remove the tins from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Remove e the bread from the tins when the bread is still warm and cool the loaves on a wire rack.

Enjoy:)

General's croissants

I made them last week but had been planning to finally try them for over a year. It's been a year since I laid my hands on this secret recipe literally stolen by the General from his trusted batman's uncle who owns an old-fashioned bakery in Bielsko. So the recipe is really precious and the croissants taste   totally different to French croissants .

Ingredients:

• 1 kg all-purpose flour (type 500 )
• 140 g sugar
• 10 g salt
• 500 ml milk at room temperature
• 60 g fresh yeast
• 200 g butter

egg wash: 1 egg+ 1 tablespoon of water

• Melt the yeast in milk and add sugar. Add sifted flour and salt and knead for 1-2 minutes. 

• Form into a ball and roll into a small rectangle. The middle of the rectangle should be thicker than the four corners. Place the butter in the middle and fold the corners of the rectangle over so as to cover it, making sure that the butter won't leak when the rectangle is rolled.

•  Roll into another rectangle (1 cm thick) and fold like a business letter dividing the rectangle into 3 parts. Cover in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 60 minutes.

• Take the dough out of the fridge and roll to the same thickness repeating the folding process. Put in the fridge again for another 60 minutes.

•  Roll again to the thickness of 0.5 cm and divide the drolled dough into triangles of an even size. 

• .Roll the triangles starting from the base of the triangle to make croissants. Leave to rise on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper spacing the apart as they will rise and expand. Brush with egg wash.

•  Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes.

Masha's Russian wholemeal sourdough bread

An all- time favourite. Intense but not sour, with a uniform soft crumb and a beautiful rustic look.

Ingredients for 1 loaf :

Day 1

Starter

80g wholemeal rye flour (type 2000)

80g water

20g rye sourdough starter

• Mix everything in a mixing bowl and leave to ferment overnight. It should double or triple in size.

Day 2

560g wholemeal wheat flour (type 2000)

40g wholemeal rye flour (type 2000)

340 g water

150 g starter (from day 1)

12g sea salt

1 tbsp honey

• Mix both flours with 300g water and leave to soak for 30 minutes.

• Dissolve the honey and salt in the remaining 40g water and combine all the ingredients .  

• Knead the dough for 8 minutes in a stand mixer with a hook attachment or 15 minutes by hand. 

• Shape into a ball and place in greased bowl. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. 

• Remove the dough from the bowl, stretch into a circle and roll the edges inwards to shape a new ball.

•  Place in a flour-dusted proofing basket or in a deep bowl lined with flour-dusted  cloth, cover and leave to rise for 3 hours. 
• When the dough has risen dust its top with some flour, place a baking stone in the oven and heat it for 45 minutes at 250 C. 

• Put some ice cubes on a tray placed at the bottom of the oven to create humidity and steam  for the bread.

• Transfer the dough onto a bread shovel bottom side up, flip it onto a hot baking stone and bake at 250 C for 10 minutes.

• After 10 minutes open the door of the oven to release the steam and lower the temperature to 180C. 

• Bake for a further 30 minutes or longer if you want a darker crust. Remove the bread from the oven using the bread shovel and place it on a cooling rack.

Enjoy :)