goldener herbst.{ pumpkin spice gugelhupf with cheesecake filling }

This cake is a winner. Its batter bakes beautifully, turning several shades of autumn leaves: from caramel brown on the outside to deep orange on the inside. It is easy and fun to make, even more impressive when sliced, and it will fill your kitchen with the soothing scent of spices. Its crumb is dense and moist, a bit like banana bread - but full of pumpkin spice love. The cheesecake filling baked inside the cake is compulsory, not only to add to the show factor, but also because it perfectly complements the taste of the batter. Fresh currants on top bring a nice zesty contrast to the whole.

ouvi dizer que há por aí abóboras... { ginger saffron pumpkin soup }

Let's not go in denial here. October is World's Pumpkin Month and that the way it is. After accepting it and finally resigning - with an unexpectedly fierce enthusiasm! - to the ongoing 'pumpkin rush', we may find ourselves burried in stocked with excessive amounts of pumpkin leftovers. This soup is the perfect excuse for either getting rid of them... or to buy more pumpkin! The addition of potato brings substance to the cream, while zucchini plays along its squash counterpart for freshness. Infused with real saffron and a hint of ginger, this soup hits a sweet spot between the traditional and the exotic, the savoury and the sweet, and is hence sure to please even the pickiest palate. True flavourful comfort food.

on superfoods, reconnecting and why summer is the perfect time to feel healthy. { mushroom quinoa with lemon-salt-pepper drenched avocado }

Quinoa and mushrooms blend great together, both in terms of flavour and texture, somehow inducing a sort of nostalgia for that good old mushroom risotto. The topping, like an unfinished guacamole, is absolutely perfect: the chopped onion and garlic give it an extraordinary kick and the poweful zest of lemon, as always, goes great with avocado.

I remember completely underrating those big summer holidays as a kid. In middle school, we had some two or three months of holidays, but all I could think of was getting back to school and seeing my friends again. This attitude sounds more reasonable, though, if I tell you that my parents would roughly have a month of holidays, and that, until they were free, all my brothers and I could do was to hang around the house. Once in a while, I'ld go out with them or some friends, but we would mostly just stay home until August. To tell the truth, being somehow held at home during half of the summer is in part how my passion for cooking developed.

what's all the fuss about ramen? { portuguese style ramen }

 

I have always had a hard time picking favourites. As a kid, I used to feel like I was the only one who couldn't name a single favourite dish. You know, steak and fries were not really on the top of my list. I'ld go for seafood rice, grilled fish, tagliatelli with a bold tomato sauce, loads of salad, lasagna, maybe roasted meat... but no, fries were never on my top, and it felt unfair to me to select a couple favourites when that totally depended on my mood - and I could be attracted to such utterly different things!

As I grew up, I came to the conclusion that I just had very eclectic tastes. You know, you can catch me listening to Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash in a minute, then it can easily shift to Pink Floyd or Guns and Roses, crossing Dire Straits in the way, Ed Sheeran, The Strokes, Lykke Li, Junip, Arctic Monkeys, Lana del Rey, Tina Turner, The Black Keys, Chet Faker, Daft Punk, Imagine Dragons or even some Chopin, and my latest love, Hozier. I don't like them all the same - it's just that at times one just fits me better than the others. I have musical cravings.

I realized that being able to tell your favourites is actually important - at least to a certain degree. You know, I don't like Alt-J the same way I like, for instance, The Black Keys, neither do I like Lana as much as I like Lykke. I realized that picking favourites was about knowing yourself better. For instance, for as good as the music can be, I am the most moved by witty lyrics - they take a good sounding music to a whole other level.

In the end, favourites were not that hard to pick. I kind of just had to admit what I already knew.

Food wise - and currently, - my favourite foreign cuisines are likely the italian and... sushi! I love sushi, and we have a lot of great quality restaurants in Portugal, with delicious fresh fish.

I say sushi because there is a lot more to the japanese cuisine - that I was yet to try.

And here begins the story of this recipe...

pumpkin puffs portray perfection put plainly. { red pesto seared pumpkin gnocchi salad, with cranberries and yogurt sauce }

these gnocchi have waited long enough for you now.

it's time they make their appearance!

a colorful winter.

loving this colourful collection by

florent tanet

um risotto herege... { an heretic mushroom risotto }

(finally back from the thesis ermitage!)

There is something that I really like to cook but rarely take pictures of.

Usually I have no time to take nice pictures of it, because I really want it to be served right away.
And, truth to be told, you just need the perfect plating and light to shoot this - and this is something quite not attainable when you are just in a hurry to put it on the table.

I'm talking about risotto.

Today the sunlight was just right, so I had to shoot it and bring the recipe here. This is a recipe that changes all the time... I usually use white wine, preferably sparkling one, and I usually use other kinds of cheese, I change the seasonings and herbs all the time, so I just brought the exact (odd) recipe I came up with today - it is really odd, you'll see...

Because today was a lazy holiday day, sleeping in, doing nothing, and eating a bowl of this in a sunny balcony suited it just perfectly.

just throw it all in ;) { one-pot primavera pasta }

Don't know what to cook for dinner?

I had taken a peek at something quite similar on this website just yesterday, so I was like... well, why not? In the end I found it such a easy-peasy funny little thing that I had to share it with you ;) One-pot and no stirring is quite a ease of mind to me sometimes, especially when it's just me for dinner, and this dish is effortless delight.

One-Pot Primavera Pasta

- 70g de penne integral

- meia courgette, cortada em rodelas finas

- 7 cogumelos, laminados

- 1 cenoura pequena, picada

- 1 dente de alho, laminado

- 1 + 1/2 chávena de água

- 1 colher de sopa de azeite

- sal

- 2 colheres de sopa de quark, natas ou leite

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- parmesão ralado q.b.

1) Colocar todos os ingredientes da primeira lista numa panela,

2) Levar a ferver e deixar cozinhar com a panela tapada cerca de 8-10 minutos,

3) Escorrer bem se houver água restante,

4) Misturar o quark e a pimenta,

5) Servir polvilhado com bastante parmesão.

One-Pot Primavera Pasta

- 70g wholewheat penne

- 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced

- 7 mushrooms, thinly sliced

- 1 small carrot, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

- 1 + 1/2 cup water

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- salt

- 2 tbsp quark, cream or milk

- freshly ground pepper

- ground parmesan

1) Place all ingredients of the first list in a pot,

2) Take to a boil, cover and let simmer for 8-10 minutes,

3) Drain remaining water if necessary,

4) Mix in quark and pepper,

5) Serve with plenty parmesan cheese on top.

ultimate comfort food that is also a party hit! { spinach-cheese, aubergine-olive and tomato sauce pasta gratin }

Agora que vem aí o mundial... uma receita com as cores de Portugal ;)

I know I posted a pasta gratin just two days ago...

I'm telling you...

Better yet: I'm warning you...

This is no ordinary pasta gratin. This is The comfort food you've been craving your whole life, The most simple yet complex pasta dish, The perfect quick-whip recipe for unexpected guests, That tray of pasta you can freeze for those days you don't feel like cooking and also The tray of pasta you thought could feed two mouths but you end up eating alone on a Tuesday night (oOops... guilty!) ;)

I originally made this recipe for a big dinner with a lot of other dishes, for a regular meal I estimate it feeds around 6-8.

Gratinado de Massa com Três Faces

- 500g de massa à escolha (usei bandnudeln)

Espinafre e queijo

- 300g de espinafres, lavados

- 1 queijo mozzarella ou requeijão

- sal e pimenta

Puré de Beringela

- 3 beringelas, lavadas e cortadas em cubos

- 5 dentes de alho, com casca e esmagados

- sal, pimenta e garam masala

- azeite

- 6 azeitonas sem caroço, cortadas em rodelas

Molho de tomate rápido

- 2/3 de chávena de polpa de tomate

- alho seco

- sal

- pimenta

- orégãos

- manjericão

- azeite

- mozzarella ralado

- orégãos

1) Coloque a beringela e os alhos com casca num tabuleiro de ir ao forno, temperar com sal, pimenta e garam masala e regar com azeite; assar a 170ºC durante cerca de 30-40 min,

2) Escaldar os espinafres em água fervente temperada com sal até estarem tenros; escorrer e partir em pedaços; reservar,

3) Cozer a massa em água com sal; escorrer e passar por água fria; reservar,

4) Retirar a beringela e os alhos do forno, eliminar as cascas dos alhos e reduzir tudo a puré; incorporar as azeitonas,

5) Desfazer o mozzarela e misturar com o espinafre, temperar com sal e pimenta,

6) Levar ao lume todos os ingredientes do molho de tomate e cozinhar um pouco,

7) Espalhar um pouco de molho no fundo de um pirex grande, cobrir com uma camada de massa, espalhar o espinafre, nova camada de massa, espalhar a beringela, mais uma camada de massa, deitar o restante molho e cobrir com o mozzarella ralado,

8) Antes de servir, polvilhar com orégãos e levar ao forno a gratinar a 170ºC cerca de 20 minutos.

Three-Sided Pasta Gratin

- 500g pasta (I used bandnudeln)

Spinach and cheese

- 300g spinach, rinsed

- 1 mozzarella or ricotta cheese

- salt and pepper

Eggplant Purée

- 3 eggplants, rinsed and diced

- 5 garlic cloves, with peel, smashed

- salt, pepper, garam masala

- olive oil

- 6 pitted olives, cut down to rings

Fast tomato sauce

- 2/3 cup tomato paste

- dried garlic

- salt

- pepper

- oregano

- basil

- oilve oil

- grated mozzarella

- oregano

1) Bake the eggplant and garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper, garam masala and plenty olive oil at 170ºC for about 30-40 min,

2) Soak the spinach in boiling salted water until tender; drain and chop; set aside,

3) Boil the pasta in salted water; drain and rinse with cold water; set aside,

4) Take the eggplant and garlic out of the oven, eliminate the garlic peels, purée; mix in the olives,

5) Tear the mozzarella apart and mix with spinach, season with salt and pepper,

6) Cook all the tomato sauce ingredients over medium heat,

7) Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of a big pyrex, cover with a layer of pasta, spread spinach mixture, another layer of pasta, spread eggplant purée, yet another layer of pasta, pour remaining sauce and finish with the grated mozzarella,

8) When it's time to serve, sprinkle with oregano and bake at 170ºC for about 20 minutes.

let the spring in: make it green! { spinach, quark and olive roulade }

This is one of those things you can make as an appetizer for a dinner at home with friends - as was the case - or for a picnic outside - I actually think it was cut out for it! Love how much green it still turned out in the end - do not allow the spinach to get brown on the hot water!

Rolo de Espinafre, Quark e Azeitonas
(inspirado numa receita do livro 'Homemade Summer')

- 400g de espinafres, lavados

- 5 ovos

- 4 colheres de sopa de farinha com fermento

- 500g de queijo quark

- 250g de philadelphia

- uma mão cheia de azeitonas pretas descaroçadas

- ervas a gosto, frescas, picadas

- pimenta

- garam masala

- sal

1) Escaldar os espinafres em água quente com sal, até estarem tenros; escorrer bem,

2) Bater as claras dos ovos em castelo com uma pitada de sal,

3) Processar os espinafres com as gemas, a farinha, uma colher de quark, pimenta, garam masala e sal

4) Incorporar as claras na mistura de espinafres,

5) Verter num tabuleiro (30x40 cm) forrado com papel vegetal e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 180ºC cerca de 15 minutos,

6) Entretanto, bater os queijos com as ervas, pimenta e sal,

7) Retirar a torta do forno, estender uma folha de papel vegetal sobre uma superfície lisa e voltar a torta sobre ela; retirar o papel vegetal da cozedura e deixar arrefecer um pouco,

8) Espalhar a mistura de queijo sobre a torta; espalhar as azeitonas por cima, pressionando ligeiramente sobre o queijo,

9) Enrolar com a ajuda do papel vegetal e reservar no frigorífico pelo menos uma hora para ganhar solidez.

Spinach, Quark and Olives Roulade
(inspired in a recipe from 'Homemade Summer')

- 400g spinach, rinsen

- 5 eggs

- 4 tbsp self-raising flour

- 500g quark cheese

- 250g cream cheese

- a handful of pitted black olives

- freshly chopped herbs

- pepper

- garam masala

- salt

1) Soak the spinach in hot water until tender; drain well,
2) Beat egg whites until stiff, with a pinch of salt,
3) Blend the spinach, flour, 1 tbsp of quark, pepper, garam masala and salt,
4) Fold the egg whites in the spinach mixture,
5) Pour in a parchment paper lined baking tray (30z40 cm) and bake at 180ºC (pre-heated oven) for about 15 min,
6) Meanwhile, beat the cheese with herbs, pepper and salt,
7) Take the cake out of the oven, spread parchment paper over a clean surface and fold it over; remove the baking parchment paper, let cool down,
8) Spread the cheese over the cake, sprinkle with the olives, lightly pressing them into the cheese,
9) Wrap up with the help of the paper and keep in the fridge for at least one hour.

Fill it up { tuna stuffed aubergines }

Tenho uma novidade para vocês :) Amanhã conto tudo!
Por agora fiquem com estas beringelas... ou como-fazer-o-jantar-rapidamente-e-de-forma-indolor-num-dia-que-não-apetece-mesmo-cozinhar-com-ingredientes-que-não-é-preciso-descongelar-enquanto-o-irmão-faz-waffles-para-o-lanche. E como juntar atum de lata e beringela, um duo que está na minha lista negra.

Beringelas Recheadas com Atum
Ingredientes:

- 3 beringelas

- 2 latas de atum à algarvia + 1 lata de atum normal

- azeite

- 1 cebola

- 2 dentes de alho

- 1 tomate

- moinho de sal com alecrim e limão do lidl

- 1 chávena de arroz

- 2 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate

- sal

- 6 fatias de queijo

- 1 pé de coentros frescos

Preparação:

1) Retirar a polpa às beringelas com a ajuda de uma colher, deixando só a casca e uma camada com cerca de 0.5 cm,

2) Colocar a parte exterior num tabuleiro untado com azeite, com a concavidade voltada para cima, polvilhar com sal grosso e água e levar ao forno a 180º durante cerca de 20 min,

3) Cozer o arroz no mesmo volume de água com um pouco de sal, sem destapar o tacho,

4) Deitar ¾ do óleo das latas de atum à algarvia numa frigideira e descartar o óleo da outra lata. Reservar o atum,

5) Refogar a cebola e o alho bem picados no óleo, juntar a polpa da beringela e o tomate também bem picados, juntar a polpa de tomate e deixar cozinhar tapado até todos os legumes estarem bem tenros,

6) Juntar o atum, o arroz cozinhado, uma colherada de água e os coentros picados e mexer bem,

7) Deitar a mistura nas beringelas,

8) Cobrir com o queijo e levar ao forno a 200º para gratinar,

9) Servir imediatamente com uma salada.

My english-reader friends, I am so sorry, but I am in a hurry today, so the recipe will only be translated late in the night!

China Nights { chinese style chicken }

Ontem o jantar foi assim. O corte a cargo dos meninos e a dona da cozinha no controlo do fogão. E houve crepes chineses e gelado de manga...




Chinês de Frango

Ingredientes:
- 400g de bifes de frango, cortados em tirinhas
- ½ cebola, laminada
- 3 dentes de alho, picados
- 2 cenouras, laminadas bem fino
- 1 couve flor, cortada em pedacinho
s- 1 tomate, picado
- 4 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate
- molho de soja q.b.
- piri-piri líquido q.b.
- pimenta
- 1/2 chávena de vinho branco
- ½ colher de sobremesa de farinha maizena
- óleo de girassol
- 1 caldo de galinha seco
- sal

Preparação:
1) Num wok, refogar a cebola e o alho com o sal e o caldo de galinha em óleo,
2) Juntar a cenoura e a couve-flor, deixar refogar,
3) Juntar o tomate, algum molho de soja e piri-piri e deixar cozinhar bem,
4) Reservar numa taça,
5) No mesmo wok, com um pouco mais de óleo, refogar a carne temperada com sal e pimenta,
6) Quando o frango estiver praticamente cozinhado, juntar os legumes e a polpa de tomate e misturar,
7) Misturar bem o vinho branco com a maizena e mais um pouco de molho de soja,
8) Incorporar na mistura de frango e legumes e deixar cozinhar bem até perder o sabor a álcool e a farinha (se necessário juntar um pouco de água).