BROCCOLI AND RICOTTA CAKE

It has taken us so long to get back to this blog - totally underestimated how much effort needs to go into relocating elsewhere - but one of my sons is keen we do not drop it altogether. Anyway, we are back to it now that have been a whole year in California and got a better hand of the routine here (bar the endless trips!)

You need:
- a tub of ricotta cheese (425 g)
- 6 eggs
- 300 g of broccoli (riced or chopped into small bits - just put it in the food processor and blitz it a couple of times) 
- two handfuls of spinach (chopped)
- a teaspoon of chopped mint
- a handful of grated parmesan cheese
- salt (a generous pinch)
- black pepper
- butter and flour for the tin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Butter the baking tray (we bake this in a ceramic one, but pyrex works well too. Then sprinkle a bit of flour on top and move around so that the whole tray is coated in flour). Mix the eggs, ricotta, broccoli, spinach , mint, salt and pepper. Put the mixture in the tin. Add the grated parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. That is all there is to it.

This is a great simple lunch with a green salad. Notice the broccoli flowers in the picture, my latest culinary discovery. Edible in salads, bitter and mustardy, delicious. 

COURGETTE FLOWERS

There are a delicacy. Totally seasonal, so if you see them just buy them. In California where I now live you can get a big bag of them for five dollars, which is not bad (together with petrol about the only thing relatively cheap here).

You need:
20 courgette flowers
a tub of ricotta cheese
salt and pepper (to taste plus half a teaspoon for the batter)
a bunch of mint leaves
zest of half a lemon
75 g plain flower
two eggs
half a teaspoon of bicarb
125 ml very cold fizzy water
A generous amount of oil to fry the flowers (I use 50% soft olive oil and 50% sunflower oil)

Wash the flowers carefully so that you do not break them. Combine the ricotta, salt and pepper, mint leaves and lemon zest. Put the mixture into a pipping bag and stuff the flowers with it. Separately prepare a batter by combining the eggs, fizzy water, half a teaspoon of salt and bicarb. Heat the oil in a small deep pan (medium heat). When the oil is hot dip the flowers into the batter so that they are completely covered with it (a bit messy, but not difficult) and fry them in the oil for one to two minutes on each side or until golden. It is easier to do this in small batches of 4-5 flowers at a time.
Eat them immediately.

 

OMELET 'A LA MENTA"

I went to Milan earlier this week to launch Inspiring Girls Italy with our partner there, the business association ValoreD. What an amazing day! You can see pictures in my instagram (miriamgonzalezdurantez) but  I could have stayed for hours listening to the volunteers telling their life journeys to the girls. So utterly inspiring. I came back mesmerised by the professionalism, energy and strength of Italian women - the kind of strength that comes from the inside, a 'serene strength'. Thanks so-so much to ENI, Intesa Sanpaolo and Courriere de la Sera, who sponsored our event there and also to the Minister of Education for backing us. We are already in four countries and we set all this up from scratch, fancy that!

The night before the event I was taken to a restaurant, where they served omelet 'a la menta', which I had never tried beforehand  It was the kind of moment when you wonder: why, oh why, didn't I think about this beforehand?! so simple but so very gorgeous. The freshness of the mint with the warmth of the egg and the parmesan - a revelation. I am prone to liking any recipes with eggs, but this... I just love it.

All you need is:

- 2 eggs
- a couple of spoons of olive oil (use a small frying pan)
- a pinch of salt ( not too much as the cheese is salty)
- a tablespoon and a half of grated parmesan cheese
- two teaspoons of finely chopped mint leaves

Heat the oil in the frying plan. Beat the eggs (not too much) with the salt and the mint. Pour the egg mixture onto the pan. After 30 seconds stir it a couple of times so that you get 'folds' in the omelet. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. wait one more minute and fold the omelet in half as you normally do with any omelet. It should all take barely 2 minutes so that the omelet is moist inside. Eat it immediately. Just heavenly.

CHEESE AND PUMPKIN SEED BISCUITS

… and these are some cheese biscuits that you can eat with the broccoli mayo (see our recipe) or any other dip, though my children and their friends eat them (devour them to be precise) on their own.

You need:
- 135 gr plain flour
- 120 gr grated cheddar
- 80 ml sunflower oil
- 30 ml milk
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of paprika
- a handful of sunflower seeds

Mix all the ingredients but the sunflower seeds. Make a roll with the dough and put it in the fridge (covered by cling film or foil) for one hour. Then preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Cut slices of the roll, put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Press a few sunflower seeds on top of each biscuit and bake for 8 minutes (or until golden).  It is very difficult to stop eating these.

...

ROASTED BEETROOT

Back to healthy eating after the endless Christmas meals. This makes a nice lunch with a salad or a starter for a heavier meal.

you need:

- three beetroots
- a packet of (good) feta cheese
- a handful of parsley
- a tablespoons and a half of balsamic vinegar
- two tablespoons of olive oil
- salt

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Grate the beetroot (use plastic gloves for this). Add the salt, and olive oil and toss it all well so that all the beetroot gets coated. Put the beetroot on a roasting tray and roast for 25 minutes. As you take it off the oven, add the balsamic vinegar, then the chopped parsley and finally crumble the feat on top - the beetroot should still be a bit hot while you do this. Toss it all well and serve. This dish is even prettier if you use beetroots of different colours.

QUESADA - SANTANDER'S CHEESE CAKE

AT LAST we have gone over the £60 threshold that we had set to ourselves. In fact we have gone comfortably over it. My children are keen we keep writing the blog though, as it has become part of our weekend routines. As I am going through a particularly indulgent time, I have agreed to go on. So you will keep getting our weekly recipes, at least for a good while.

The recipe today is 'quesada', a very plain but very delicious cheesecake from the region of Cantabria in the north of Spain. It brings fond memories to us because this summer we had the chance to try the quesada of Ana, the 'queen of quesada', in the Casona de los Villa in the stunning village of Santillana del Mar. If you click in our instagram (miriamgonzalezdurantez) you can see a picture of the village there, but in any case, if you go to the North of Spain, Santillana is a village you should not miss.

Normally quesada is made with curd milk or fresh Spanish cheese, but when we were there she had made it with ricotta, which works well for making this recipe in the UK where it is not possible to find fresh Spanish cheese.

You need:
1.5 tubs of ricotta (250gr per tub, i.e 375 gr in total)
1 measurement of the tub of plain flour
2 measurements of the tub of sugar
2 measurements of the tub of milk
3 eggs
the zest of one lemon (grated)
a pinch of salt
a tiny pinch of ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.
Blend all the ingredients together (we do this with a hand blender) Put the mixture on a shallow tray previously greased with butter ( we use a swiss-roll one but if you like the quesada thicker then use a smaller tray) and bake for 45 minutes. Wait until the quesada is completely cold. In Spain it is normally eaten on its own, but it is also nice with berries (especially raspberries) on the side.

BREAST CHEESE

Three times – three- has the Mail group put words in my mouth that I have not said and in just three days. All in relation to people from the Tory party – surprise! Luckily my words are in writing in my Made in Spain book. So here is the thing: you are going to have to buy it (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Made-Spain-Recipes-stories-country/dp/147363900X) to see how wrong they are…though I suspect you already know…  Oh, come on, it is a really fun book and for a great cause!

Perhaps if the Mail stopped obsessing about women’s thighs and breasts and focused a tiny bit more on our brains, they might actually manage to listen and report accurately what we say.

This is a Breast Cheese (‘queso de tetilla’) from the beautiful region of Galicia in Spain. One of the few breasts worth obsessing with (Paul, take note!) Creamy, tender, soft… a pure delight. Eat it with membrillo or just a bunch of grapes.

MEMBRILLO PASTRIES

I went to Spain last week to vote at the general election (well worth the effort, as we managed to stop the rise of populism there… about the only good effect of Brexit so far!) While in my village I found time to buy some membrillo, much in demand by my children now that we have long exhausted our home made supply - and much cheaper than in the Uk as well. These are really easy pastries that you can make with it.  I do not know anybody who does not like these.

You need: 

- a roll of shop-bought puff pastry

- membrillo (quince paste)

- a packet of grated medium cheddar

- one egg (beaten)

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. 

Cut the puff pastry into rectangles (4 cms width  and 8 cms length) Put a little square of membrillo on top of the lower part of the rectangle. Cover the membrillo with grated cheese.  Put the upper part of the rectangle on top of the membrillo and cheese so that you end up with a square. Use a fork to press down the sides so that the cheese does not 'escape' when you bake it. Paint the top of the squares with the beaten egg. Bake int the oven for around 22-25 mints until golden.  

PS - you can make membrillo yourself in the Autumn when quinces are in season. This is our recipe:  http://www.mumandsons.com/2011/10/quince-paste-membrillo.html

TART LORRAINE

This is a very simple tart-version of quiche Lorraine that works well for the Summer, whether for lunch of for a brunch. You need:
 - a packet of puff pastry
- two handfuls of grated cheese
- 150 gr bacon or pancetta (diced)
- half a teaspoon of salt
- 125 gr cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.  Roll out the puff pastry to make a rectangle (if you buy ready-rolled out pastry, roll it a bit more between two pieces of baking paper so that you get a very thin base-. Put the pastry on top of an oven tray covered with baking paper and prick it with a fork all over. Bake for 10 minutes.
Take the pastry off the oven. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese (do not cut the tomatoes as otherwise the tart will become too watery and the pastry soggy). Heat the pancetta on a frying pan for 3-4 minutes (on in the microwave for minute). Get rid of the recess fat (by putting the hot pancetta on a bit of kitchen paper) Sprinkle the pancetta on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on top of it all and paint lightly the tomatoes with the olive oil (with a brush). Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden.
My youngest likes to put the tomatoes on top and paint them with the oil.

FILO AND COURGETTE PIE

This is a courgette version of spanakopita that my children much prefer over the traditional spinach filled one. It is a very easy way to sort out a lunch with minimal effort ( just add a green salad on the side)
You need:
- 4 grated courgettes (3 if they are big)
-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil plus more oil for 'painting' the filo.
- half an onion (diced thinly)
- 200 gr feta cheese
- rind of a lemon - grated very thinly
- a packet of filo ( you will need 10 sheets)
- 1 egg
- a tablespoon of sesame seeds of poppy seeds or chopped pine nuts (optional)
- salt

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.

In a large pan heat the oil, add the onions and let them soften for 5 minutes over low heat. Increase the heat to medium, add the courgettes and let it all fry for 8-10 minutes. Take it off the heat, crumble the feta and add it to the pan. Add salt (carefully as the feta cheese is very salty). Then (this is the secret tip) fry lightly the lemon rind for a minute on half a teaspoon of olive oil and add it to the courgettes and feta mixture. Let this cool down for 10 minutes or so.

Overlap two sheets of filo so that they make a long rectangle. Brush them with olive oil and add two more sheets on top, brush them again and so on until you have used the 10 sheets. Put the courgettes mixture along the longest side of the rectangle. Roll it so that you end up with a thin long roll. Then roll it over itself so that you get a snail shape. Put it on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Pain it with the beaten egg and sprinkle the seeds on top ( this is just for decoration so don't do this if you cannot be bothered). Bake for 35 minutes. It is very delicious.

TIRAMISU

This recipe comes from my Italian friend Valentina who is  a very good cook. It is as authentic a recipe as it can be. Even though normally I cannot swallow more than two spoonfuls of tiramisu I ate the whole portion…and a little bit more…

You need:
- two eggs separated
- 125 gr sugar
- 400 gr mascarpone cheese
- 400 gr Savoiardi biscuits (the better the biscuits the better the tiramisu)
- 1/2 strong espresso coffee (don't tell Valentina but I used decaf espresso as I am a bit paranoid about children drinking caffeine).
- 30 gr dark (and good) cocoa powder

Make sure the coffee is cold before you start. Mix the yokes with the sugar until they are pale. Add the mascarpone cheese. Separately which the whites until you get firm peaks. Fold the whites into the mascarpone and yokes mixture ensuring you do it gently so that you do not loose any air.

Get a flat tray. Make a lawyer with biscuits soaked in the coffee (just soak them for a few seconds one by one). Cover it with the cream. Add another layer of biscuits and then another one of cream. Cover with the cocoa powered (sprinkle it through a strainer). Put in the fridge for a whole night and enjoy. It is gorgeous.

COBB SALAD

Have recently spent a few days in Miami and, as always when I go to the US, I have lived on cobb salads. Not the healthiest of choicest, but difficult to find a nicer combination of textures and flavours…and then there is that killer ranch sauce of course…

You need (for two people)
- 2 gem lettuce or a quarter of an iceberg lettuce, chopped very thinly
- 1 avocado (in small cubes)
- 60 gr of bacon (in small cubes)
- 1 egg (in small cubes)
- 2 tomatoes(deseeded and chopped in to small cubes)
- 60 gr blue cheese ( in small cubes)
- 80 gr chicken (in small cubes)

And for the sauce:
-two table spoons of mayonnaise (either our 'two minutes mayonnaise sauce or any shop bought one)
-  clove of garlic (minced)
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of chopped parsley, a pinch of chopped dill and a pinch of chopped chives (or any combination of these)
- a tablespoon of sour cream
- 200 gr of buttermilk ( of 75 ml of greek yogurt mixed with 125 ml of milk - if you want it runnier add more milk)
- a teaspoon of lemon sauce
- pepper

Mix all the salad ingredient. Separately mix all the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the salad, mix well and eat.

My children often complaint when I serve salad.
Let me rephrase that: my children often complaint, period.
When it comes to salads, they  tend to eat it better if they help to make it.
Blue cheese is one step too far though.

BACON AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Have been travelling lots so could not cook much, but we are now back on track. I tried a mini version of these at a very stylish cocktail party, one of those Martha Stewart inspired events that only Americans seem to have the flair to put together. This is the less elegant but more substantial version of the muffins - ideal for breakfast or for an English picnic (if only the weather held up...)

You need:
 - 300 gr self raising flour
- 1 teaspoon of bicarb
- 120 gr bacon (into small cubes)
- 100 gr grated cheese (manchego or cheddar)
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of paprika
- a pinch to dried thyme
- 1 egg
-200 ml milk
- 50 ml single cream
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

A muffin tray.

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.

Heat the pan and fry the bacon until it becomes crunchy (4-5- minutes over medium heat). Pour it on kitchen paper to get rid of the fat.
Mix the flour, bicarb, cheese, salt, paprika and thyme.  Then add the bacon.
Separately mix the eggs, oil, cream and milk. Pour it over the flour mixture and combine it all without over-mixing.
Put the mixture into the holes of the muffin tray ( this makes 12). Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let them cool down a little before you eat them.

PASHKA

My father in law is half Russian. I first tried pashka (an Easter Russian dessert) at a family celebration years ago and since then I bought a pashka mould to prepare it for him, but you can do this in a clean flower pot (with a hole at the base) or even with a colander.

You need:
500 gr cottage cheese (blend it so that it becomes smooth) or ricotta
150 gr creme cheese (full fat, I am afraid…)
200 gr soured cream
2 egg yokes
a pinch of salt
100 gr sugar
grated ring of an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
two tablespoons of raisins
two tables spoons of sultanas
a handful of candied peel
a handful of sliced almonds

Mix the cottage and creme cheese with the soured cream, egg yokes and sugar. Beat well. Soak the sultanas and raisins in a bit of hot water for 15 minutes, drain them and then add them to the mixture. Then add all the remaining ingredients and mix it all well. Line the mould you are using with cheesecloth or muslim. Put the mixture into the mould, cover it with the muslin and put the mould on a dish to catch the excess moisture. Put  some weights on top of the pasta mould so that it drains well and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. It should unmould easily.

We decorated it with candied cherries but you can decorate it with raisins or almonds. Also, the Russian pashka recipe is a bit like the Tortilla de Patata recipe in Spain - they all claim that theirs is best. So feel free to experiment a little by adding dried blueberries, cranberries or even candied ginger.

It is very filling  so you only need a little slice per person. It is traditional to eat it with yeasted Russian bread (Kulich) but it is also very nice with strawberries or berries.

BASIL AND GOAT'S CHEESE LOLLIES

This is a crazy recipe. It comes from  Juan Mari Arzak who is truly outstanding Spanish chef. One of the very best-est  - not just in Spain, but in the world. These lollies are not the kind of thing that you would like to be served every day for lunch, but children like experimenting in the kitchen and trying novelty ingredients makes the cooking look a bit more like chemistry, which they enjoy. Arzak does this with parsley, but we tried with basil.
You need:
- 400 gr goat's cheese (cut into thick slices)
- 300 gr basil
- water
- skewers
-4 gr kappa  (Kappa is a natural vegetable ingredient that 'jellydifies' extremely quickly. You can buy 250 gr of kappa for &10.95 at http://www.amazon.co.uk/CARRAGEENAN-KAPPA-PREMIUM-QUALITY-POWDER/dp/B00G0RVEOI  It has a shelf-life of two years)

Blend the basil until it becomes liquid and add water until you get 200 ml of  'basil liquid'. Mix it with the 4 gr of kappa, put it in a pan, bring it to boil and as soon as it boils take it off the heat and let it cool down for 4 minutes. While it is getting cold, pierce  each piece of goat's cheese round with a skewer (as in the picture). When the kappa is cold, coat the cheese with the basil and kappa mixture. It really is magic: it solidifies in seconds. By the time you put the skewer on top of the table it would have already become solid.

The kappa coating  has a bit of a weird texture (but there again I do not like jelly). In any case, the flavour is good and it is fun to make. We'll try a sweet red version next with strawberries, cream cheese …  and the 246 gr of kappa that we have left!

RED FETA DIP

This is hardly a recipe, but it makes a really tasty dip. You need:

- a packet of feta cheese
- a jar of piquillo peppers
- juice of half a lemon
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- half a teaspoon of parsley

Mix all the ingredients together by pulsing them in a blender. Any kid can do it provided you supervise the blender.

SPINACH BALLS WITH CHEESE

We did this some weeks ago to use spinach leaves that we had seeded months ago in a tiny corner of the garden. As we did not pick them in August the leaves were far too tough to be eaten on their own.  The children really liked this dish and it should be even better with properly tender spinach leaves.

You need:
- 500 gr spinach
- 2 handfuls of pinenuts
- salt
- a teaspoon of parsley
- 2 spring onions
- 2 eggs
- salt
- a tablespoon of milk
- two tables spoons of plain flour
- two table spoons of chickpea flour
- olive oil

for the sauce:
- 250 gr creme fraiche
- 50 gr milk
- 200 gr of grated cheese (you can also do this with blue cheese, but since I am happy every time my children agree to eat spinach I though adding the blue cheese would be pushing my luck a bit)
- salt and pepper

Clean the spinach leaves. Put them in pan with a lid with a tablespoon of oil and wait until they are wilted (turning them around a couple of times). This should take 2-3 minutes.  Take them off the pan and put them on kitchen paper or a clean tea towel twisting them as much as possible so that you get rid of all the moisture. Put the leaves in a food processor with the parsley, spring onions and pine nuts and pulse them 5 or 6 times. Then add the eggs, milk, flours and salt (not too much as the sauce has the saltiness of the cheese) and let the mixture rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Make little balls (the size does not matter much) with the mixture. Heat a generous amount of olive oil  and fry the balls on all sides until they are golden ( one or two minutes per side). Take them off the oil and reserve.

Separately mix all the ingredients for the sauce and heat it until the cheese dissolves. Put the balls into the sauce and serve ( you can also make a light béchamel for this, but it will make the dish heavier)

By far the most successful way to get my children to eat spinach.

WATERMELON SALAD

We prepared this for the retirement party of a neighbourhood friend as it is really easy buffet summer food.

You need:

- a watermelon (if you are in the UK use a whole watermelon, but if you are in Spain, Italy or France use only half - British watermelons are half the size of Mediterranean ones, which is a bit bizarre as most of them are imported from the Mediterranean)
- one and a half packets of feta cheese
- three red onions
- 200 g of black olives
-  big bunch of parsley
 - 5 tablespoons of oil
- three and a half table spoons of vinegar
- salt

Cut the watermelon in bite size cubes. Cut the onions in half moons and put them on top of the watermelon. Crumble the feta cheese and add it to the salad. Finally sprinkle the parsley on top. Separately mix the oil, vinegar and salt and pour it over the salad. Toss it all together.

We were running really late for the party so I am afraid we took the picture of the salad in its foil container, which is convenient for the party but a bit ugly for the blog - on the bright side though it means you will not have to do any washing up.

CAPRESE SALAD

Very simple salad, but a good way for the children to taste different kinds of tomatoes (and they do taste differently). There is indeed an incredible variety of tomatoes in the market.  I read recently that there is more technology in a tomato  than in an i-phone - fancy the thought!

You need:
- various kinds of tomatoes, sliced thinly
- basil leaves
- mozzarella cheese (cut in cubes or teared into small pieces)
- olive oil (plenty)
- balsamic vinegar
- salt

Arrange the tomatoes first, the salt, then the basil leaves and finally the mozzarella. Pour the oil first and finally the balsamic vinegar. Eat it immediately (if you are preparing this in advance do not pour the oil and vinegar until you are just about to eat the salad)

 

GOAT CHEESE AND ONION PASTRIES

Quick lunch or snack recipe. We just did not know what to do with a jar of onion jam that we had in the cupboard. The result is very nice as the sweetness of the jam works well with the acidity of the goat's cheese. You need:

- a sheet of puff pastry
- a jar of onion jam
- one slice of goat's cheese per person

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the puff pastry into squares. Put one spoonful of onion jam on top of the pastry and the slice of goat's cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes.