Vegetable Cake
1 large zucchini (370g), grated
1 carrot (150g), grated
1 small potato (130g), peeled and grated
1 medium onion (140g), grated
80g (1 cup) your favorite cheese, grated
5 eggs, lightly beaten
90g (3/4 cup) Spelt flour (any other flour would work)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp chili powder
Large pinch of salt
1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Grease a 20x20 cm / 8x8 inch baking dish.
2) In a large bowl, mix together all the vegetables. Add cheese, eggs and seasonings. Finally fold in the flour.
3) Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake until golden brown on top and firm to the touch (it might take around 30-40 minutes; keep an eye on it and remove from the oven once the center is set).
4) Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or cold.
Recipe by collecting memories
Goat Cheese Potato Ravioli with Garlic and Dill
Dough:
187g (1 1/2 cup) flour
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
Filling:
340g (12 oz) potatoes
15g (0.5 oz) fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
115g goat cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1) To prepare the dough, place flour and salt into a large bowl. Crack in the eggs and mix with a fork. When it starts coming into a ball, continue kneading with your hands. It should be smooth, soft but not sticky. Wrap into plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
2) To make the filling, peel the potatoes and boil them in a lightly salted water. Let cool completely and mash with a fork. Mix in the dill, garlic, goat cheese and salt. Set aside.
3) Roll out the dough into about a 2-3 mm (1/8 inch) thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 7-8cm (3 inch) squares (I got 18 large ravioli).
4) Take about one tablespoon of the filling and roll into a ball. Flatten a little bit and place on a square. Top with another square and seal the edges using your fingertips. Repeat it with the remaining dough and filling.
5) Bring a large pot to boil. Add a pinch of salt. Add a few ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes or until soft. Drain.
6) To make fried ravioli, heat some butter in a large skillet. Fry each ravioli on both sides until brown and crispy. Serve plain or with some sour cream.
Recipe by collecting memories
A hearty, filling and healthy vegetable skillet is what I call a perfect dinner. This recipe is completely from scratch. You can use any veggies you have in your fridge, but this combination of carrots, zucchini and cauliflower is my favourite. The addition of chickpeas and spices makes it a perfect meal for a cold fall evening. And this makes quite a lot, definitely enough for three people. Or.. two?
Chickpea & Vegetable Skillet
2 tbsp oil
2 small onions (170g), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 carrot (120g), sliced
325g cauliflower, chopped into small florets
250g zucchini
190g leftover boiled potatoes, chopped
70g chickpeas, cooked
2 tomatoes (200g), chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1) Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add onions and cook, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and all the seasonings, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook, covered, for a few minutes. Add more oil, if needed.
2) Add zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally, add cauliflower and cook for another 2 minutes.
3) When all the veggies are cooked, add potatoes, chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir-fry until tomatoes release liquid, just a few minutes. Garnish with some fresh parsley.
Recipe by collecting memories
Chickpea Stew
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot
1 small potato (80g), cut into small cubes
1 can chickpeas (240g drained)
5 tbsp tomato sauce
1/8 tsp curcuma
1 tsp smoked paprika
generous pinch of salt
1 tsp curry powder
water, as needed
1) In a saucepan, heat the oil and add onions. Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
2) Add carrot, potatoes and 1/2 cup water. Cook 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, tomato sauce and spices. Cook, covered over medium heat, until the liquid is absorbed. Then add additional water and cook until it is absorbed again. Repeat the process as needed. Add water in small quantities - you don't want to have too much liquid in your stew. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Serve over rice or eat plain. I prefer this without anything else, it's just too good!
Serves 2 (I ate it all by myself)
Recipe by collecting memories
Sometimes amazing things happen out of nothing! I created this recipe completely from scratch. I actually ran out of eggs and everything I had was onions, carrots, potatoes and lots of seasonings. Is it possible to make anything out of these few ingredients?? No cheese, no butter, no eggs..Yes! What I made is super simple and quick. But the crazy mixture of seasonings, small size of the fritters and the fantastic balsamic sauce made this simple dish outstanding. I basically shredded all the veggies I had and mixed in a variety of spices. Together they created an amazing combination and what I liked most was cinnamon! There was just a hint of it, you may not even notice it, but it did add some nice flavour. These were super crispy and yummy. I dipped them into my favourite balsamic sauce and enjoyed them all day long. Will be definitely making these again and again!
Crispy Vegetable Fritters with Spicy Balsamic Sauce
Olive oil, for frying
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
2 small potatoes, shredded
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
60g flour
1) In a bowl, combine together all the ingredients.
2) In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat some olive oil to coat the bottom (don't be afraid to add a LOT, you want tour fritters to be crispy!)
2) With your hands, form little balls (4-5cm) and flatten them a little, place onto the hot oil and fry a few minutes until golden brown on both sides.
Spicy Balsamic Sauce:
1 cup water
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1) In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook on low heat until the quantity is reduced by half. Strain through a sieve to discard the garlic. Let cool completely.
Enjoy!!
Recipe by collecting memories
It's gnocchi time! Making them is a very fun process even if I'm not very good at making these grooves. But anyway. Who cares? I knew I was going to fry them so it didn't really matter. And frying them in brown butter is the best part. Oh, no, eating is the very best part.
Homemade Potato Garlic Gnocchi
2 small potatoes, boiled
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch pepper
large pinch salt
100 - 125g flour
1) Mash your potatoes with a fork and mix together with garlic. Add the egg and all the seasonings. Start adding flour and when it starts to be hard to mix the batter, transfer it to the board and start kneading. When it almost stops sticking to your hands, stop adding flour.
2) Roll the dough into a 1-2 cm thick log and cut it every 2-3 cm. Make grooves with a fork, make an indentation with your thumb or simply leave them as they are. (I'm not very good at making grooves so next time I'm not going to torture myself trying to make them).
3) Cook in a salted boiling water. Just don't pack the pot! Cook half of these at first. When they come to the surface, let them cook for a few minutes and remove from water.
4) To make them crispy, melt about a tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan. Cover and let the butter brown over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When It starts smelling yummy, add half of the gnocchi and increase the heat. Let cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi and a tablespoon of butter.
Serves 2-3.
Recipe by collecting memories
Potato and Dill Fritters with Cheese
25g whole wheat flour
25g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch chilli powder
1/2 tbsp dill, chopped
1 potato, grated
1 egg, ligtly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
25g cheese, grated
sour cream, to serve
1) In a medium bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients.
2) In another bowl, mix together the egg, potato, garlic and onion.
3) Add flour mixture into wed ingredients and mix until combined.
4)
Preheat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle half of the
cheese into a pan and place the batter on top. Sprinkle with remaining
cheese. Cover and let cook.
5) Flip the pancakes over and let cook for some more minutes. Serve with sour cream.
Serves 1.
