Dates with Cheese and Almonds

My friend Thais brought this dish for an end of the year party a long time ago. I made it again for Christmas this year. It is very simple and doesn't need heat.

Ingredients:

pitted dates
Roquefort or Gorgonzola cheese
toasted almonds, unsalted

Preparation:

Open dates, spread a little cheese with a knife. Place an almond inside each date. Serve as an appetizer.

Note: If you can't find unsalted roasted almonds, buy raw almonds. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes. Wait for them to cool before using in the recipe.

 

Sangria

There are a thousand ways to prepare Sangria, the famous beverage from Spain. This is one of them.
My friend Lucia made for my birthday party. I loved it.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine
500 ml of Sprite or another lemon soda
1 orange
1 apple
1 lemon
50 ml Port wine
ice cubes
sugar to taste

Preparation:

Pour the wine and Sprite in a large container.
Cut orange, apple and lemon in large pieces. Add them to the bowl with the wine and Sprite. Add the Port wine. Add ice cubes, stir well and taste, if desired, add sugar to taste.
Serve.

Eggplant and Roasted Peppers Bruschetta

I was looking for recipes for crostini toppings. I checked on Food Network and found one with eggplant, which I changed a little bit and adapted it for my taste.
It is best made one day ahead, so that the flavors are enhanced.
Here it is.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, diced (no need to peel)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for sauteing
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup pitted and diced kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
3/4 roasted red peppers, cut in small strips
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves


Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the eggplant on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Put it in the oven and bake until nicely charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic. Cook until the garlic browns, about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the onion. Cook until the onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and transfer it to a bowl. Add the onion mixture, the olives, capers, and roasted red peppers. Toss to combine. Add the wine vinegar, fresh parsley and oregano and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool and improve the flavors.

Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Note: To enhance the flavors, this dish is best if prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated in that period.

Happy Holidays

This is what I've been working on lately. Before it's too late and I forget, here is my electronic Happy Holidays wish to everyone that reads me on Around the World. May peace be around everyone of us in the coming year. And I hope all our dreams come true.

I gotta go, I'm starving...

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce

Some months ago I went to an Afghan cooking workshop, I liked it very much. Since then, I have made this Eggplant dish many times. Some colleagues of my husband came from India, I served this, they loved it. They said it is very much like the food in India from where they came.

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce
(Borani bademjan)
Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
¼ cup oil
2 medium sized eggplants
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
yogurt sauce (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 ºF. Wrap the eggplants in foil and place in oven on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Fry the chopped onions until golden. Add garlic, tomatoes, black pepper and turmeric. Stir and let boil a little. When the eggplants are cooked, cut them in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.

Add this pulp to the skillet with the onions and tomatoes. Reduce heat to the pan and keep cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Serve with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.


To serve with the eggplant, arrange a layer with half the yogurt sauce, add all the eggplant mixture, and finish with the rest of the yogurt sauce.

Note: When tasting the eggplant mixture by itself, we notice there isn't any salt. Adding the yogurt sauce changes the taste completely. But if you want, you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt at the time you add the pepper, while cooking the eggplant.

Frozen "Waltz Dream" Candy Dessert

"Sonho de Valsa" can be literally translated to "Waltz Dream". This is the name of the famous Brazilian candy used in this recipe. It is composed of a cashew paste filling, covered with a crunchy crust that tastes like ice-cream cone, then covered with another layer of milk chocolate. There is another version of the candy with white chocolate as the external layer, called "Ouro Branco" ("White Gold"), which is the one I found in the Brazilian/international supermarket close to where I live.
If you don't find this candy, I suggest you try with Ferrero Rocher or other not very hard candy (because it will be frozen). Another idea is to use Kit Kat and Reese's Peanut Cups (break them in pieces).

Ingredients:
Bottom layer:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
The same amount of milk as the can of condensed milk (use empty can)
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons (10 ml) corn starch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar

Middle Layer:
12 Brazilian candies of "Sonho de Valsa," "Ouro Branco" or "Serenata de Amor" (you may substitute with Ferrero Rocher, or Kit Kat and Reese's Peanut Cups, for a more economic option)
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) corn starch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 ml) cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Top layer:
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons (90 ml) sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:
Bottom layer:
In a medium saucepan, bring the condensed milk, milk, egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar to medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Turn heat off when you get a creamy consistency.
Pour the cream into a Pyrex-type dish approximately 9" X 13" and let it cool.

Chop the candy and spread it over the cream (bottom layer).

Middle layer:
In a small saucepan, bring the ingredients of the intermediate layer (milk, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa) to medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour over into the dish over the chopped candy.

Top layer:
Beat the egg whites with 6 tablespoons of sugar until fluffy. Add the heavy cream and slowly incorporate it to the egg white mixture.
Pour the mixture of egg whites and cream over the chocolate on the dish.
* Suggestion to decorate the top (optional): In the same pan used to make the chocolate cream, add a tablespoon of milk and a little cocoa powder. Take it to a medium heat and bring it to a boil. Using a small spoon, pour some drops of this liquid over the dessert. Then, using the same spoon or preferably a knife, carefully "drag" each drop of chocolate liquid on the top, making curved drawings.

Bring to the freezer for several hours until firm. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving so it is easy to scoop from the dish.

Chicken Breast Fillets with Thyme

I invented this one myself, but it is so simple, that it probably already exists. Anyway, here it is, for the days you feel lazy, but hungry. Serve with rice (if you are in a hurry and very lazy, I suggest 5 minute rice. Not so tasty as "real" rice, but...it works).

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast fillets
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme *
butter or margarine for frying

Preparation:

Mix lemon juice with the chicken. Leave for 5 minutes, then wash the chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper.Mix the flour with the thyme in a shallow dish.
Dip the chicken fillets in the flour and thyme mixture to cover. Fry in a skillet with margarine or butter.

* If you don't  have fresh thyme, use dry thyme instead

Best Crunchy Chocolate Popcorn

This is a memory of my childhood, I guess it was the third thing I learned to make in the kitchen (after  Brigadeiro and 123 Cookies).

Ingredients:

3 cups of freshly made popcorn (microwave is fine)
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Nesquick chocolate powder

Preparation:

In a large deep saucepan, mix sugar and water. Cook in medium-high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, place the Nesquick and mix quickly, turning the heat to medium.

Immediately add the popcorn, stirring all the time. When the popcorn is all covered with the chocolate sauce, continue mixing for 1 more minute and turn off the heat.Continue mixing until the chocolate popcorn is dry and crispy.

Notes:

It looks easy, but:
From the moment you place the popcorn in the pan with the chocolate-sugar syrup, you should stir all the time, and the process is very fast. If it takes too long, the popcorn gets burned.
If the popcorn gets "soaked" it is because the mixture of water, sugar and chocolate was not correct. There was probably more water than it should. In this case, the popcorn shrinks and does not dry (thus, it does not get crunchy).
You will get the hang of it after making the popcorn a few times.

Polish Cauliflower

I was browsing one of my old cooking books, when I stumbled upon the perfect recipe for the situation I was in. I called it the "post-Thanksgiving syndrome": full fridge, a lot of ingredients telling me they would soon get rotten if I didn't use them, and also a lot of leftovers from my huge Thanksgiving dinner from Whole Foods. Actually, it was supposed to be a "Petite" holiday dinner. But, believe me, we were 4 people and we'd been eating from it for 3 days.
The recipe was so simple I couldn't believe, and it contained 2 of the ingredients I was going to dump in the bin that same day: an almost whole cauliflower (not from Thanksgiving) and the stuffing. So I made the Cauliflower and we loved it!!!  

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower, leaves removed
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup leftover stuffing/dressing or coarsely chopped breadcrumbs*
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)*
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation:

In a pan that fits the whole cauliflower and has a lid, add water to around 1 inch in height and have it boil. When boiling, add salt and place the cauliflower inside to cook. When it starts boiling again, cover, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Don't turn around the cauliflower, its top side cooks by steaming.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the stuffing or breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown **. Add the egg, parsley (if using) and lemon juice, stir.
Place the cooked cauliflower on a platter or bowl, cover with stuffing mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes:

* My suggestion is to use parsley only if using breadcrumbs. If using stuffing/dressing, it already has some herbs and seasoning, so there is no need to add more.

** At this point, I removed it from the pan and spreaded it in a baking sheet. Then took it to a preheated oven at 300 F and baked for a while, turning twice. I particularly like it crunchy. After that, I put it back to the pan and added the egg and lemon juice.