Tag: recipe

Corn and red kidney beans
Recipes, Simple Recipes

Corn and Red Kidney Beans – a Staple Food from Northern China

When people think about the staple food in China, white rice usually comes to mind, but this is actually not true in Dongbei, the north east of China. Maize (corn) is the traditional staple there, and the most well-known version is a porridge made from maize kernels: Da Zha Zi.

Nutritionally speaking, corn tends to be a little richer than white rice in vitamins, and offers more fiber. To make up for the lower protein content in corn (which is also an issue, if not more so, with rice), this porridge/congee is usually balanced with red kidney beans, and you can also add peanuts to the mix. Continue reading “Corn and Red Kidney Beans – a Staple Food from Northern China”

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Meatless Monday, Recipes, Simple Recipes

Peperonata, More Than a Side Dish

I love this dish because it requires few ingredients and provides a lot of flavour. It is a great side dish to present at a dinner party – but I love it solo or with a naughty slice of cheese on top – just like how I’m making it today, with my favourite smoked provola sarda (which I’ve imported from home). I often use bell peppers for this, mixing all colours in, but this time I’m making it using these long red and green peppers, very sweet flavoured and comforting to the palate. This recipe makes enough for two.

Continue reading “Peperonata, More Than a Side Dish”

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Recipes

Chinese Big Plate Chicken Stew (Dapanji) with Homemade Flat Noodles

A big plate of chicken is a great dish to share for a festive gathering, and for winter, this stew really warms you up! The name, Dapanji, literally means a big plate of chicken, and, as you can probably imagine with a name like that, there are many variations of this recipe. Dapanji is actually a fusion dish between Sichuan and Xinjiang cuisine, so it’s definitely spicy! We’ve made it here with a poussin as we didn’t have that many mouths to feed, but as you can imagine, it’s easy to scale up. Continue reading “Chinese Big Plate Chicken Stew (Dapanji) with Homemade Flat Noodles”

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Recipes

Aubergine/Eggplant and Beans Stir-Fry (Qiezi Doujiao)

We’re starting January with a simple Chinese veggie recipe, as we’re probably all nursing some headaches and watching the scale. Aubergine and spice also makes a very warming combination, so it’s good for the winter months! The recipe does require oyster sauce, but if you can making a vegetarian version then you can get vegetarian oyster sauce made from mushrooms instead. Continue reading “Aubergine/Eggplant and Beans Stir-Fry (Qiezi Doujiao)”

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Recipes

Classic Italian Lasagna

Before starting the new year’s resolution diets, in Southern Europe there is one more event that closes the winter holidays, corresponding to the arrival of the wise men bearing gifts to the new born baby Jesus, this is known as Epiphany, or the kings (Los Reyes). For the last winter feast with the family, here’s a classic Italian recipe: homemade lasagna al forno. It’s a favourite throughout the holidays, and a homemade staple when it comes to Sunday lunch all year round. We made it for dinner on Christmas Eve and it was a great success, even though, I must admit, it will never be as good as mamma’s. Continue reading “Classic Italian Lasagna”

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First Time Making, Recipes

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

Christmas means plenty of gingerbread – gingerbread men, gingerbread house… I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread cake, as I like the flavours in there more so than Christmas pudding, and wanted a scrumptious gingerbread-like dessert to wrap up Christmas dinner.

This year, I found the favourite old fashioned gingerbread recipe and decided to adapt it by reducing the sweetness and doubling the spice, and also adding a layer of mascarpone cream icing on top. The result? Delicious! The cream and gingerbread taste worked really well together! Continue reading “Old Fashioned Gingerbread”

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Recipes

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”

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Lion_Head_Pork_Meatballs
Recipes

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)”

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Recipes

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)”

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