Crustless Smoked Salmon, Leek and Red Peppers Quiche

This crustless quiche is easy to make and great for any meal. The smoked salmon lends a touch of elegance, and the leeks can be substituted with onions or shallots. 

Ingredients:

- 3 eggs

- 1 1/2 cup milk or cream

- 6 oz smoked salmon

- 1 large leek, white and light green parts sliced (about 1 cup of slices)

- 1 small red pepper, chopped 

- 3/4 cup shredded cheese - almost any kind or combination is fine, but not too much strong-flavoured cheese such as Parmesan

- 1 tsp dry mustard (I replaced with Dijon)

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- pinch of cayenne pepper or a bit of hot sauce

- paprika, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Saute leeks in a little olive oil. When they begin to soften, add the peppers. Add a little salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Just before taking off the heat, add the thyme.

Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (about 1 small bunch)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 to 2 cups freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 10 ounces angel hair or fettuccini pasta, cooked

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pound the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to about 1/4-inch thickness. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, grated Parmesan, and garlic. Slowly add 1/2 cup olive oil until the mixture becomes the consistency of thick paste. Evenly spread the mixture down the center of each piece of chicken, leaving room around the edges. 

Creamy Potato Gratin

This is a classic recipe where the pungent Gruyere acts as a protective layer, preventing the potatoes from drying out. To serve 4, you'll need:

- 1 lb Yukon gold all all-purpose potatoes

- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

- 2 oz Gruyere

- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I used 1/2 tsp dried thyme)

- 1 tsp salt

- pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. Peel the potatoes and slice paper-thin. Put the potatoes in a 3-quart pot with the heavy cream, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the cheese on the large holes of a box grater.

Chicken Soup with Apples and Leeks

This a sensational full-flavored winter soup, in which the leeks and apples accentuate and bring into focus the chicken. It is especially tasty if you just came in from the cold :D.

- 1.5 lb chicken (I used thighs, feel free to use any parts you like)

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter

- 2 leeks (including 1 inch of green), cut in half lengthwise, washed and finely sliced

- 2 Granny Smith apples (can be replaced with Golden Delicious or any tart baking apples), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup apple juice

- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

- 4 cups chicken broth

- 3 tbsp Calvados (optional) - it's a brandy made by distilling hard cider and aging it in oak casks

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan just large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for about 8 minutes over medium heat. Turn the chicken and lightly saute in the same way for 5 more minutes.

Tagliatelle with Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs and Cream

 

I had some ribs left from the sauteed red Swiss chard with Parmesan cheese, I was not sure what to do with them, but then it hit me: pasta! So, here we go!

• 2 scallions, finely chopped (to cut the richness of the pasta sauce), plus a little bit for decor
• 1/2 lb swiss chard, yielding 1 cup of chopped ribs
• 1/8 cup (quarter of a stick) butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
• enough dry pasta to make about 1/2 quart of cooked pasta
• salt and pepper to taste

Separate the ribs from the greens. Cut the ribs into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Blanch the ribs in lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes.

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the chopped scallions, then the drained, blanched ribs and simmer for 4 minutes.

Add heavy cream and cook until cream reduces by two-thirds.

While the cream is reducing, cook up your pasta according to the pasta's package directions.

Mix creamed chard with pasta. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Decorate with chopped scallion.

Enjoy!

Leek, Prosciutto and Gruyere Crustless Quiche

I had re-made the roasted leek and potato soup and was left with two more leeks to use, so I prepared this quiche:

• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz prosciutto
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 oz grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese, about 1 cup

Trim the root of the leeks, leaving ends intact to hold the leaves together, then halve lengthwise. Rinse well under running water to flush out any grit trapped between the leaves. Cut each half into 1/2-inch lengths, then drain very well. 

Vegetarian Gratin of Cauliflower and Sauteed Onions

We do have a number of vegetarians in the office, therefore each time I make lunch for any of our parties I have to come up with interesting and diverse dishes for them, too. This Christmas, besides the stuffed grapevine leaves and other things, I made this nice gratin, which requires a bit of attention, but the result is excellent.

Ingredients:

- 1 head cauliflower (about 6 lbs)
- 4 eggs

- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 stick butter  

- salt and pepper to taste 

- olive oil, about 4 tbsp

Preheat the oven to 450F. Clean the cauliflower, wash it and separate into small florets. Fill a large pot with water, add salt and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the cauliflower and allow to cook for 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Drain and set aside.

Pastitsio

I thought this was a perfect recipe for a cold autumn night, except the weather wasn't cold at all :)). Nevertheless, we enjoyed it immensely :D

 

For the tomato meat sauce:

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bechamel sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
  
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 3/4 pound small shells (I used orechiette)

Cosi-style Tomato Basil Soup with Crisp Rosemary Flatbread

I am a fan of the tomato-basil soup at Cosi, I must've had it at least half a dozen times in the past two weeks. The other day I thought I should try and find the recipe on the net, and I came across something that looked promising. However, after I began making it, I discovered it needed adjustments, as the recipe I had found did not have enough liquid for my taste. So, this is what I came up with, for 4 servings:

For soup:

- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz.) can of diced or crushed tomatoes

- 2 cups chicken broth (can be replaced with vegetable stock if desired)

- 1 cup heavy cream, heated (can be replaced with half and half, or with milk)
- 12-14 leaves fresh basil, chopped

- 1/4 tsp white pepper

- salt

Champagne Lemon and Black Currant Cake

Today is a very special day: Roxana celebrates her birthday! I am honoured because she invited me to write a guest post and because she accepted to have a cake from me for her day! Yupiiii!

So, to combine the best of both worlds, I chose to make a cake with champagne and lemon cream, plus black currant jam. Of course, since the cake is for GreenGirl, green glitter could not be omitted :))

Tagliatelle (or Fettuccine) with Zucchini and Parmesan-Lemon Cream Sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 4 ounces dried tagliatelle (or fettuccine)
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 tsp fresh grated lemon zest
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 3/8 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/6 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus Parmesan curls or more grated cheese, for garnish (if desired)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan Quiche

I got this idea from a discussion with Gringarl regarding the price of cherry tomatoes :D. Now, instead of making a normal quiche/tart dough, I used a sheet of puff pastry, rolled out for a 10-inch tart form and baked it blind for 10 minutes after preheating the oven at 400F/200 C.

I added:

• 300g cherry tomatoes
• a drizzle olive oil
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• 2 eggs
• 300 ml heavy cream
• handful frozen basil leaves, finely chopped 

Asparagus Soup - Supa de sparanghel

We need:

Sunt necesare:
 

- 1 lb young asparagus - 1/2 kg sparanghel

- 40 gr butter- 40 gr unt

- 3 onions, sliced - 3 cepe, taiate julienne

- 600 ml vegetable stock or water - 600 ml supa de legume sau apa

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 1 lingura suc de lamaie

- 1 cup of milk- 1 cana (250 ml) lapte

- 1/2 cup single cream - 1/2 cana smantana lichida

- salt and freshly grounded black pepper - sare si piper negru proaspat macinat

Trim the stalks of the asparagus and cut 1 inch off the tops of the asparagus and set aside for a garnish.

Curatati sparanghelul si taiat cam 2,5 cm din varfuri, pastrati-le pentru decor 

Cream of Celery Root and Potatoes Soup - Supa crema de telina si cartofi

Ingrediente:

We need:

 

- 3 cartofi medii - 3 medium potatoes, peeled
- 1 ceapa mare - 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 radacina telina - 1 large celery root
- 2 frunze proaspete de salvie - 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- thyme proaspat - 1 fresh thyme sprig
- smantana lichida - 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 litri supe de legume (sau de pui) - 3 quarts vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- patrunjel - parsley (dried or fresh)
- sare, piper dupa gust - salt and pepper to taste

Tocati ceapa, cartofii, telina

Finely chop the onion, dice the potatoes and celery root

Piept de pui "neumplut" cu prosciutto, provolone si salvie - Prosciutto Provolone and Sage "Unstuffed" Chicken Breast

De ce avem nevoie: - Ingredients:


- piept de pui taiat felii subtiri - thinly sliced chicken breast
- prosciutto, un nr. de felii egale cu cele de pui - prosciutto, same number of slices as the chicken breast
- branza provolone rasa (o cana) - grated Provolone cheese (one cup)
- smantana lichida cam 50 ml - 50 ml heavy cream
- vin alb cam jumatate de pahar (100 ml) - about 1/2 cup white wine (can be replaced with chicken stock)
- 4-5 frunze de salvie proaspata, maruntite - 4-5 chopped fresh sage leaves
- sare, piper - salt and pepper to taste
- pesmet pt snitele, al meu a fost cu nush ce gusturi de ierburi - breadcrumbs
- reteta mai cere 7 gr de porcini deshidratate, clatite si maruntite, da' mandra mea nu mananca ciuperci, asa c-am bagat ulei infuzat cu porcini, sa-mpac si capra si varza - 7 grams of dehydrated porcini mushrooms, I used some porcini infused oil instead

Am procedat asa:
- intr-o tigaie mare am pus la incins cam 2 lingurite din uleiul infuzat, peste care am adaugat puiul sarat si piperat pe ambele fete si-am lasat cam 3 minute la prajit

Salt and pepper the chicken breast slices on both sides. Heat 2 teaspoons of the porcini infused oil in a large pan, add the chicken breast and fry on one side for about 3 minutes

- am stins focul, am intors puiul pe partea ailalta, dupa care am asezat peste partea prajita prosciuttoul (eu am pus cate 2 felii de prosciutto)

Turn off the heat, turn the chicken over and cover with the prosciutto slices (I used 2 slices of prosciutto for each chicken breast)