Partridges with Ombar Chocolate Sauce
We love Chocolate – this delicious ingredient, source of endorphins and serotonin. Today we are partnering up with Ombar, who have created raw cocoa chocolate bars that preserve all the nutrients of chocolate. Is it really raw? Of course not. The cocoa beans are processed at a slow temperature, but not roasted, and that is why they can be called raw.
I got a 90% raw cocoa bar and decided that instead of putting it in a smoothie or a cake, I wanted to cook something with it. Finding the partridges was just what I needed – now that autumn is coming along with chilly evenings, a strongly flavoured game casserole is just what you want to be cooking on the stove. This recipe serves four.
Thanksgiving Recipe – Pork Sirloin with Spanish Pedro Sauce
It’s Thanksgiving week: for us in Europe and rest of the World it’s almost like a fictional holiday that we only get to see in the movies. Every year, the fascination about what our American friends will serve on their table takes over the internet and all our favourite blogs. But there’s no stopping us extending their gratitude to our own dining tables, is there? And what if this year we proposed a recipe that broke the poultry convention? In fact, for this recipe we chose pork sirloin – and if you can get your hands on an authentic Iberico pork sirloin, all the better! Continue reading “Thanksgiving Recipe – Pork Sirloin with Spanish Pedro Sauce”
Sardinian Flan Recipe
I’ve seen a lot of panna cotta insta-posts lately, and this made me really think of the simplicity of Italian desserts back home. Didn’t take long for this to escalate into a real craving! I’m not a fan of panna cotta itself, but instead I’m crazy for creme caramel! In Sardinia, it is very traditional and we call it Flan di Latte (meaning milk flan). Its recipe is very simple, relying on lemon as the main aroma, dancing in perfect fusion with the sweetness of the caramel. Our version, with rosemary, adds an extra aroma that balances out the sweetness of this dessert. Continue reading “Sardinian Flan Recipe”
Ken Hom’s Fragrant Prawn Curry Recipe
This week, I had some pre-prepped prawns and mixed seafood left in the fridge, and most of the other ingredients needed in this recipe (such as chopped garlic, chillies, ginger, coriander, madras curry paste, spicy bean paste, soya sauce and Shaoxing rice wine) are all part of my spice cupboard/standard fridge stock, I decided to try this recipe. The recipe is from Ken Hom’s My Kitchen Table: 100 Quick Stir-fry Recipes. You can find the full Fragrant Prawn Curry recipe in Google Books. Continue reading “Ken Hom’s Fragrant Prawn Curry Recipe”
Pain au Chocolat
It’s chocolate week in the UK this week, and to celebrate we are going for a bit of an elaborate baking recipe here on Blender and Basil. The supreme French pastry, pain au chocolat, also known as chocolatine in the south-west of France, is a wonderful parcel full of chocolatey richness. Certainly, a lot of work is required to achieve an incredibly satisfying result – but take your time and enjoy it as a fun family day and it will be all worth it in the end! With this recipe, taken from The Spruce, we managed to get some fluffy brioche-like pain au chocolat, most of which we stored in the freezer. In that way, we stack them in the oven to warm up as needed, and each time it’s as if they were freshly baked! Continue reading “Pain au Chocolat”
Giant “Lion Head” Meatballs (Shi Zi Tou)
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Time to bring out the mooncakes and watch the full harvest moon – as we say, may the flowers be beautiful and the moon be round. This week’s Chinese recipe is also round! These pork meatballs are roughly the size of tennis balls, and are called lion heads or sixi (lucky four) meatballs, as you’d usually make four.
If you’d like a further touch of the autumn, you can also add a few chopped water chestnuts to the mix. The most important thing is to use minced pork belly and not a leaner mince, as it really makes a difference to how light and tender the meatballs turn out in the end. Continue reading “Giant “Lion Head” Meatballs (Shi Zi Tou)”
Italian Chicken Mushroom Casserole (Pollo ai Funghi)
A good chicken casserole (pollo ai funghi) is an all-seasons dish, but we believe it’s a good way to ease you into autumnal vibes, wherever you are in the world. You can still enjoy it on the terrace, if you are in a place where summer still lingers, but it will also warm your heart and make you think of blushing trees shedding their leaves…ahhhh! Use your favourite mushrooms in this recipe (the wilder the better!) and some cherry tomatoes on the vine. Continue reading “Italian Chicken Mushroom Casserole (Pollo ai Funghi)”
Five Minutes Chocolate Cake
Back in Italy, the best colazione (breakfast food) to have at home would be a homemade cake shared with the family. True to my origins, I often crave something sweet for breakfast and I get itchy for the next baking mission. This time, I quickly put together some very basic ingredients I had at home and the perfect homemade cake came out with only 5 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes in the oven. This simple chocolate cake will stay perfectly fluffy and spongy for a few days (even if you store it in the fridge). Savour it for breakfast with a cappuccino or with a glass of milk as a snack. Or bring it to that last minute dinner invite! Continue reading “Five Minutes Chocolate Cake”
Spanish Potato Salad – Papas Aliñás
When your partner is from Andalusia, you don’t just become familiar with Spanish habits, expressions and dishes. You soon learn that Andalusia is an entirely different ecosystem entailing different dishes, subculture and slang from the rest of Spain. This vegetarian potato salad recipe has the philosophy of an Andalusian summer built into its core. One of those perfect dishes to have ready in the fridge: fresh for the sultry weather, nutritious because you’ll probably have a freezing beer with it. The Andalusian passion is carried in its name, which instead of being the correct, extended version “patatas aliñadas” (try to ask for that at any Andalusian tapas bar and you’ll cause hilarity amongst diners and hosts!), is the condensed, coarse version “papas aliñás”. Continue reading “Spanish Potato Salad – Papas Aliñás”
Shredded Potato in White Vinegar (Cu Liu Tu Dou Si)
Potato is such a versatile ingredient – boil it, bake it, mash it, make chips with it… or shred it for this stir fry recipe. This simple recipe tastes just as good once the potatoes have gone cold, so it’s a refreshing one to try (despite the spice) now that the weather’s hotter. What gives this its refreshing nature is the vinegar. Usually in Chinese cooking, when you mention vinegar, you’d automatically think of black vinegar from Zhenjiang. However, here you should go for white wine vinegar instead. Continue reading “Shredded Potato in White Vinegar (Cu Liu Tu Dou Si)”
Blender & Basil 