Pinch Of Saffron

Ever wish you woke up on a sunday and you had some frozen scones in your frizzer ready to be baked, and some homemade marmalade to enjoy with your coffee or tea?

Well, dream no more… As it turn out scones are not as hard to make. As a matter of fact, You can keep frozen scones in the freezer for two to three weeks without loosing quality in the taste or flakiness. Once you know the technique behind a good flaky scone. You will want to make those over and over again.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50 grams ) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1½ teaspoons (7 grams ) baking powder
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams ) baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams ) salt
• 1 stick (115 grams ) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2.5 onces (75 grams ) dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup (190 ml.) cold buttermilk
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste

For the egg wash:

• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 Teaspoon of heavy cream or milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If you are not planning to bake the scones straight away just skip this step.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, vanilla paste and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 15 seconds to blend well.

Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times at 1 second intervals, or until the butter is cut into pea size pieces.

Add the dried cherries, and pour in the buttermilk and pulse another 20 times, or until the dough holds together in large, thick clumps. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the clumps together until they form a cohesive dough. Make sure not to over knead the dough.

If the dough seems sticky, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Pat the dough into a circle 7 inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick. Use a chef’s knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.

At this stage wrap the scones with plastic wrap and freeze them until ready to bake.

Whenever you decide to bake the scones, follow step 1 and than, transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Lightly brush the top of the scones with the egg wash. Sprinkle the sugar over the scones.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

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Tags: Breakfast, Dry Cherries, Quick breads

Well.. before I even start with todays post I would like to wish a happy new year to everyone, and the hope that 2011 will bring happiness and everything you wish for.

Now… let’s start with my first post of 2011: Lasagna!

Lasagna is one of my ultimate favorite dish. If my mom wanted to surprise us with a meal that we would love, baked lasagna would be the one.  Traditionally lasagna is made with ragú, a thick tomatoes and meat sauce, otherwise known outside Italy as bolognese sauce.

This is a lighter, maybe a little healthier  version of the traditional one. As tasty and wonderful to your taste buds as the meat version. I will be using the besciamel Sauce in this recipe. The recipe that I used is the same as the one I posted before on my blog:

I hope this becomes a favorite of yours as it is of mine.

Vegetarian Ragú Ingredients

3Oz (90 gr) Frozen Peas

1 Leak, Thinly Sliced

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

90 Oz (250gr) Cremini Mushrooms

1 Yellow Courgette, Sliced

1 Green Courgette, Sliced

2 T Olive oil ( more might be needed while cooking)

5 Basil Leaves, Sliced

1 teaspoon Paprika

a few dry crashed red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 Basil Leaves

Directions

In a large pot add the olive oil, when hot add the leaks, let it simmer until lightly browned.

Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds ( make sure not to burn it) add the corgettes, the mushrooms and the frozen peas, stir well and let it cook for five minutes, at medium heat. Add some more olive oil if the vegetables look dry.

At this stage add the seasoning, salt, pepper and some paprika. Stir well and let it simmer for five more minutes. Now add the crushed tomatoes.

Stir the tomatoes in with the vegetables and let it cook for twenty minutes at low to medium  heat. Make sure to stir every few minutes. Add the crashed red pepper flakes,  if any seasoning is needed add it at this stage.

The basil can be added at any point.

I prefer to add it a few minutes before the sauce is ready.

Assembling Lasagna

Ingredients

Besciamel Sauce ( see Previous post for recipe)

Vegetarian “Ragú”

3Oz (90 gr) Baby Spinach

1 Beaten egg

1 Mozzarella, Sliced

1 Cup Parmiggiano Reggiano, Grated

Directions

Assembling the lasagna is fairly simple to do. You are essentially layering all the ingredients into  a baking dish and than bake it at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes or until the top of the lasagna has a crunchy layer.

Note: The bottom layer should be the tomatoes sauce, so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the baking tray.

To check if the lasagna is fully cooked, insert a tooth pick in the middle of the baking dish, it should go through without opposing any resistance.

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Tags: Pasta, Tomatoes

Besciamel originated in France. Although there are some rumors about been used in Italy during the Medici’s period and than brought to France.  Regardless, the first time the recipe was ever published was in France by Francois Pierre de la Varenne, a chef under King Louis XIV.

Besciamel is also refereed to as base sauce or mother sauce. It has a very creamy velvety texture and It can be used on his own or as base for other sauces. Besciamel is very easy and quick to make. Just add milk to a roux and stir until it gets thick.

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons (70 gr.) Unsalted butter

2 1/8 Cups (500 ml)  Hot Milk

5 Tablespoons ( 70 gr.) flour 00 *All purpose flour will do

1 pinch of Salt & Pepper

1 pinch nutmeg

2 Handful of Grated Parmigiano Reggiano *Optional

Directions

Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan.

Add flour and stir until smooth.

Make sure there are no lumps. If you have a powerful gas stove, I would advice to do this step off the heat, the flour might burn. If, like me,  you have a not so powerful electric stove than keep it on the stove at medium to low heat. Cook until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Making sure it doesn’t burn.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in separate pot until just about to boil.

Add milk to the roux a little  at the time, whisking continuously until very smooth, than bring to a boil.

Cook until sauce thickens  and remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and some grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, mix well and set aside.

Note: Traditionally besciamel sauce doesn’t call for any cheese. Having said that, I feel an handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, gives a nice extra flovour to the besciamel sauce and I really think it works well if you plan to use the Besciamel sauce for dishes such as “Lasagna al Forno”.

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Tags: Easy, French Cooking, Quick, Sauce

Tahini is a very indispensable ingredient if you are cooking a lot of middle easter  food. If you like me love Humus, and baba ghanouj, you will be happy to know how to make it. Tahini is often used as salad dressing as well as in vegetable purée and in stews.

Ingredients

1 Cup (145 gr.) Sesame Seeds, Toasted

1/4 Cup ( 60 ml) Olive oil

Method

Place the sesame seeds in a baking tray and toast them for roughly 10 minutes. Make sure to check them every few minutes and move the seeds around in the tray. The goal with toasting the sesame seeds is not to brown them, but to allow the seeds to start releasing some of the oils. It is really important not to burn them, otherwise the tahini will have a burned taste and not very appealing.

Once the Sesame seeds are toasted (they should feel slightly oily to the touch and look a little shiny), take them out of the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.

Add the esame seeds in the food processor along with half of the olive oil. Start process them. Scrape down the sides of the food process, add the rest of the olive oil and process them once more, until the sesame seeds and the oil are well combined. If the paste feels too thick, you can add some extra oil or a few drops of water, depending on taste.

Scrape into a storage container and keep in a cool place until needed.

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Tags: Easy, Fast, Paste

This is a very simple dish to make. A perfect hearty meal for a cold winter day.  The sweetness of the acorn pumpkin and the mild Italian sausages marry wonderfully together.

The Gnocchi add a nice creamy texture to the whole dish.

Ingredients

• 1 Lb ( 450gr.) Gnocchi
• 1 Cup ( 100gr.) Parmigiano Reggiano, Grated
• 3 mild Italian sausage, Cubed
• 10oz. (280 gr.)  Acorn pumpkin, Cubed
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves,
• 4 basil leaves
• 3oz, (85gr.) Heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/2 Cup of the gnocchi cooking water (If needed)

Method

1) In a sauce pan add the olive oil and the garlic, when the garlic turns into a golden amber color add the cubed pumpkin. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the pumpkin until soft, roughly 10minutes, than add the cream, allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Transfer the pumpkins and the cream in a food processor add the basil and purée them until smooth.

2) Sauté the sausages with a teaspoon of olive oil, cook until nicely browned.

Add the creamed pumpkin to the sausages and allow to simmer at low heat.

3) Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water until done, drain. Withhold a cup of cooking water from the gnocchi.

4) Add the gnocchi to the pumpkins and sausage sauce, mix well together. If the sauce is too thick  add 1/2 cup of the gnocchi water, stir in the grated cheese and serve.

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Tags: Gnocchi, Primi Piatti, Pumpkin, Sausage

Winter is nocking on the door, It will soon be the time for creamy soups and stews,and a good chicken stock is a must have. I always make my own chicken stock. Well.. I lie, I did buy a can of chicken stock once, but… to my defense, it wasn’t for myself.

Chicken stock is one of the simplest thing to make. It can be used in a vast selection of dishes and is always nice when you are using homemade stock  as opposed to store bought. It taste so much better and it freeze beautifully, so… not excuses.

When using the frozen chicken stock always make sure to boil the stock before using it. If anymore seasoning is needed this is when it should be added.

I generally don’t use too much spices when I make my stock, this way I can season it later depending on what I am using it for.

Ingredients

• Row Chicken parts ( Backbone, Wings, Neck)
• 2 Carrots, Peeled and Quartered
• 3 Celery Stalk, Cut in half lengthwise and than across
• 1 Onion, Diced
• 1 Teaspoon of Tomatoes Paste
• 4.5 Qt, 4 1/4 L Cold Water
• 2 or 3 Bay Leaf
• A Few Pepper Corn
• Salt to taste

Method

Rinse the chicken parts than place it in a large stock pot with the cold water. Add the carrots, celery, onions the bay leaves, the peppercorns and start cooking at high heat.

Once the liquid start boiling add the salt, lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for two hours. This will infuse all the chicken and vegetables flavors into the stock. The simmering time is really up to you. If it cooks for a longer time the stock will be more flavorful.  While cooking, you might see bits of fat depositing on top of the pot. Make sure to skim all the fat. I check every 15 or 20 minutes and skim out all the fat.

Let the stock cool down. Discard any fat that is on the top, strain the content of the pot. Store in containers with lids in the fridge, for two or three days or freezer, for up to three months. I use different size containers, that way  If I only need a small amount of stock for just deglazing a pan, I don’t have to necessarily take out a larger amount than what I need.

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Tags: Broth, Chicken, Make- Ahead

This is a rather easy dish to make. Portobello mushrooms have a very beefy texture and great for  anyone looking for a substantial meal.

Preheat oven to 380°F/ 190°C. Bake for roughly 40 minutes.

Wipe the mushrooms clean, cut the mushrooms stems at the base,  finely chop them and set them aside. Slice the garlic and sauté it in two tablespoons of simmering oil. Once the garlic is lightly golden add the chopped mushrooms stems and let it cook for a few minutes when cooked, take them off the heat and set aside.

In a clean mixing bawl add the onions finely chopped, the bread crumb and the cheeses and mix together. Add the cooked mushrooms stems, the  tomatoes paste and the lightly bitten eggs as well as the salt, pepper and paprika.

I add the seasoning to the eggs to make sure they get mixed to the stuffing evenly.

Divide the stuffing equally between the two mushroom cups, add a few slices of fontina cheese on top of the stuffing and bake the mushrooms.

Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.

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Tags: Mushroom, Stuffed

Calzone or is a variant of the so very classic pizza. Calzoni can also be known as Panzerotti.  The difference between the two is in the way they are cooked. Calzoni, are always baked. Panzerotti are fried.

Traditionally, calzoni are a classic of the southern Italian regions of Lazio,Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicilia. Now a days you can easily find calzoni pretty much everywhere in Italy.

The filling is very much a personal taste. In Italy we use a lot of olives, anchovies, capers, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Those fillings are harder to find once you leave Italy. The one I made here are filled with mozzarella, black olives, tomatoes sauce and smoked sausage.

I hope you enjoy those beautiful filled half moons.

For the pizza dough (Makes 10 calzoni)

• 4 Cups ( 500gr.) All-Purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ( 27gr.) of salt
• 1 1/2 Cups ( 355gr.) of warm water (110 F)
• 1 Teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 Tablespoon ( 13.5gr.) olive oil

Directions:

Mix the flour and salt until well combined, you can use a wooden spoon or by hands.

Add the olive oil to the reserved water.

Add the salt and flour mixture the yeast and the water and olive oil together. Using a dough hook for you mixer knead at medium speed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 5 min.

Proofing the dough (First Rise):

Now, place the dough in a gently oiled, large bowl. ( The dough will rise about twice in size)  Cover  with oiled plastic wrap and a towel over the plastic wrap. Let it rest for two hours at room temperature.

After two hours proofing.

Shaping the Calzoni:

When the dough looks twice as big of his original size. Punch down the dough ( lightly, no need to be too vigorously). Divide the dough into equal halves. ( I tent to to weight the dough, so I know each calzone is the same in size). Divide the dough in 10 balls. (Each half should give you five roughly 100gr. balls). Let it rest for another 20 minutes, covered with a cloth.

Filling:

• Half of a pre-cooked and smocked sausage, cubed
• 1 Mozzarella, cubed
• Tomatoes Sauce
• 1 can of black olives, sliced

Use a rolling pin to roll each of the 10 pieces of dough into a circle. Make sure to have a floured work surface, otherwise the dough will stick.  Divide the mozzarella, sausage, black olives and the tomatoes sauce among the calzoni. Brush the borders of the calzoni with some beaten eggs, than fold the top part over the filling. Press the two edges down, otherwise the calzone will open up during baking. You might want to use a fork to press down the top and bottom edge.

Brush the top of the calzoni with the egg wash, and than pop them into a 420F (220C)oven. Bake for 20 to 30 min.

If, like me, you are using a baking stone, pre-heat the stone in the oven until it gets to the 420F temperature.

Serve when they are still hot!

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Tags: Black Olives, Dough, Mozzarella, Sausage

We went camping over the week end, and this potatoes salad accompanied some grilled teriyaki beef.  This is a delightful and refreshing summery salad. Very easy to make and a great make ahead side dish, like in this case.

Ingredients  ~ Serves 4

• 6 Medium Red Potatoes
• 2 Firm Avocados
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 teaspoon grated Fresh Lemon Zest
• 2 tablespoons Minced Dill

Directions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes,  until potatoes are tender.

Drain and place in a large bowl.

Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes and peel them. This is however optional, if you do like potatoes with peel just skip this step.

To make dill, lemon and olive oil sauce. Whisk dill,  lemon juice and lemon zest and olive oil together in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces and add the lemony sauce to it. Pit and peel the avocados and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Add avocado to potato mixture, gently tossing to combine.

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Tags: Avocado, Potatoes

A few days ago, while surfing the net, I found a video on the CHOW website about the perfect canelé. I didn’t have a clue what a canelé de Bordeaux was, and for some obscure reason the name and the look of this small “peculiar” looking cake, intrigued me to no end. Needless to say I spent I few hours ( days) researching them. History, ( I love history of food) to how they are made, the molds that are used etc.. and this is what I found out.

Essentially a Canelé is a fluted pastry, flavored with dark rum and vanilla. The outside is crunchy and caramelized while the inside is soft and tender with a nice rum and vanilla flavor. The traditional molds are made of copper or brass, these days you can find silicon ones without any problems, copper molds are still very popular.
When I decided to buy the molds, I did debate back and forth wether to get the copper molds. I eventually decide to get the silicon one because of price. I have no doubt that the copper mold work much better but, I could not justify to spent $25 for only one mold vs $15 for the silicone with 15 molds.

As far as story goes. Canelé seems to go back to XVIII Th. century. Legend has it that a convent in Bordeaux, start making those custard like cakes. Unfortunately no real proof has been found, and most believe that the French Revolution wiped out al proofs.
During the XIX Th. century canelé disappeared for a long while reappearing sometimes in the late XX Th. century when pastry chefs in Bordeaux tried to bring back this beautiful and classic bordeaux cake.

Traditionally canelés are eaten for breakfast, or for a snack.
This is the recipe that I used. I Found a you Tube video that I thought was very helpful.
Canelé de Bordeaux Video Recipe

Ingredients ~ Yield 30 Canelé

• 4 1/4 Cups (1 Liter) Milk
• 2 1/4 Cups (450 gr.) Sugar
• 2 1/3 Cup (300 gr.) All-Purpose Flour
• 3 Eggs Yolks
• 1 Whole Egg
• 2 Tablespoons (30mL) Dark Rum
• 2 Tablespoons (30mL) Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Pod split

Pre heat the oven at 375° F (190° C)

Cooking time 45 minutes

Directions:

In a very large pot combine the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla and bring it to scalding point over medium heat. ( if you are using the vanilla pod, scrape the vanilla seeds in the milk and sugar mixture with the vanilla pod).

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining sugar, the egg yolks and the whole egg and mix together with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the mixture became of a pale yellow almost white color.

When the milk, sugar and vanilla mixture are boiling find the vanilla pod and discard. At this point the eggs and sugar mixture can be pour into the boiling milk.

Temper the eggs by pouring a couple of ladle of hot milk  into the eggs mixture and mix well together until well combined. This will avoid to have scramble eggs when you pour the eggs mixture in the pot with the boiling milk.  Now  pour the eggs and milk mixture in the large pot of milk, sugar and vanilla. Mix well together until the eggs are well combined. Bring back to a boil and let it boil until the eggs almost separate from the milk. You will notice little pieces of eggs cooked. It will almost look grainy. This is the sign that it is ready. Let it cool down over the counter if you have time, or over a ice bath. ( Place the pot on a large bowl filled with cold water mixed with ice)

Add the flour to the cool down milk, vanilla, sugar and eggs mixture and whisk well together and finally add the rum and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate until the next day or up to 3 days. The next day pre-heat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Butter the canelé molds with melted butter (Traditionally is a mix of melted butter and bee-wax). Remove the batter from the fridge and whisk until well mixed.

Fill the molds, almost to the top and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes take the baking tray out of the oven, the canelé might have risen quite a bit.

Gently shake them and press them back inside the molds. Put the canelé back in the oven for another 15 minutes until fully baked. The canelé will be ready when they are dark brown but not burned. Let them cool down in the molds for 10 minutes, otherwise they might collapse. Un-mold on a cooling rack and wait until fully cooled.

Enjoy Canelé with coffee or even on their own.

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Tags: Custard