Stuffed Mushroom Caps

I kind a have love / hate relationship with mushrooms. I remember few years ago I used to eat them quite often. But when I was pregnant with my son, I absolutely hated any kind of mushrooms. So I stopped buying them for almost a year. If you think I am kidding, than you are wrong. There was no mushroom in my kitchen for a year. None, zero, zilch.  I just could not stand them. Crazy, isn’t it?

Courgette and Aubergine Chutney

 Recently my local store had sale on courgettes. They were pretty cheap, so my greedy inner voice told me it would be good idea to buy whole lot of them. And I listened.  So there they were, sitting in the fridge and waited for their fate. I have to say I had no idea what to do with them and because of that I kid of regretted that I bought so many. Lesson learned – do not buy large quantity of food unless you know what you are going to do with them.

One Bag of Spinach = Walnut and Spinach Pesto & Spinach and Coconut Soup

As I was walking through the vegetable aisle, I spotted spinach.  Green, vibrant looking leaves were so attractive that I couldn’t just walk away. I had to buy it. 

And I did.

Usually I use spinach fresh in different kind of salads and very rarely cook it but this time I had something different in my mind. Actually I thought about two things.

One is pesto. Walnut and spinach pesto to be exact.  Spinach pesto is nice alternative to basil as it has milder taste and is as delicious as basil pesto.

With plenty spinach left I could only think about one thing to do with them. And that’s to make a soup.  Very simple but very soul warming soup.

  

That day our souls definitely were warmed and happy : )

Spinach and Coconut Soup

Prep time:  15 min

Total time: 40 min

Serves 4

Ingredients:

25 g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large potato, cut in chunks

500 ml vegetable stock

400 g fresh spinach

250 ml coconut milk

Chilli flakes and black pepper to taste

Method:

In a large saucepan melt butter then add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute.

Add vegetable stock and potato to the saucepan, cover with lid and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until potato is cooked.

Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes or until wilted.

Transfer soup into the blender and blend thoroughly. Return to the saucepan and add coconut milk, chilli flakes and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer then turn heat off.

Serve with fresh bread.

Walnut and Spinach Pesto

Prep time: 10 min

Total time: 10 min

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

300 g fresh spinach leaves

50 g parsley, chopped

1 garlic clove

80 g walnuts

Salt and black pepper to taste

3-4 tbs olive oil

Method:

Put first 5 ingredients into the blender or food processor and blend thoroughly.

Slowly pour in oil to the mixture with machine still running.

Keep pesto in a fridge in a sealed container or jar, just don’t forget to top with more oil.

Daring Cooks January Challange – Hearty Winter Stew The French Way

Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.

Soybean Koftas with Tomato Sauce

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

For koftas:

150 gram soybeans

½ of red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 potato

3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Salt, pepper to taste

4 teaspoons of butter

30-50 grams of breadcrumbs

For tomato sauce:

1 can of tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 onion, chopped

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

In cold water soak soybeans overnight.

In a saucepan bring water to a boil, add soybean and cook for 40-45 minutes or until soft.

Boil or steam the potato for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Preheat frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter is melted add onion and garlic, sauté for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine soybeans, potato, onion, garlic, parsley and mash everything with potato masher or you can blend in a food processor/ blender. Season with salt and pepper.

From the mixture form medium size balls, coat with breadcrumbs. Preheat frying pan and add rest of the butter then lightly fry soya koftas.

For tomato sauce, in a saucepan add oil, onion, garlic and spices. Sauté for a minute then add tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and add koftas. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Bake

This is yummy vegetarian dish that can be enjoyed by vegetarians and not so vegetarians. Great way to use leftover spaghetti and easily can be adapted to your liking!

(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

500 gram spaghetti

250 gram mushroom, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

125 ml cream

100 ml milk

1 teaspoon mustard

3 tablespoons of flour

1 zucchini, sliced

50 gram white cheese, grated

Salt, pepper to taste

Oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Grease baking pan.

In a saucepan bring water to a boil, add salt and spaghetti; cook for 10 minutes then drain and set aside.

In a skillet heat up oil; add onion, garlic and sauté for 5 minutes then add mushroom and continue to sauté for further 10 minutes; continuously stirring add flour then cream and milk, simmer for 10 minutes.

To the sauce add mustard, season with salt and pepper. Transfer sauce to the spaghetti and mix all together.

On the bottom of the baking pan arrange slices of zucchini. Place spaghetti mixture on the top of zucchini and press slightly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.