Beef Ossobuco with Onion and Mushrooms

The following hearty dish, is perfect for a cold day. The Ossobuco steak (cross-cut beef shank, with the bone in the center), is one of the richest and tastiest cuts. Inspired by the traditional “ossobuco in bianco” (ossobuco in white sauce) dish, that originated around Milan, I’ve decided to cook it with smothered onions and mushrooms, beef stock, white wine, mustard, juniper berries and bay leaves. The result was a falling-of-the-bones tender meat and bone marrow, with rich and aromatic sauce.

Banana and Dried Fruits Muffins

While these quick, “all in one bowl”, muffins look somewhat plain, they are loaded with healthy and tasty ingredients, such as banana, dried fruits, pumpkin seeds and spelt flour, – all that is needed to make them a perfect guilt-free snack.

Kumato Tomatoes Stuffed with Beef, Fresh Herbs, Pine Nuts and Dried Currants

I am a big fan of tomatoes, in any shape or form, and I’m always looking for new varieties. With fresh summer tomatoes gone by now, the next option is to check which hothouse tomatoes are available at the store. When I saw the brownish-dark red Kumato tomatoes, I had to give them a try.

Swiss Chard Frittata with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce

Leisurely eaten weekend brunch is something to look forward to all week. Here is a quick and easy to make dish, that doesn’t require any preparations in advance.
The Swiss Chard frittata can be served as is, but the addition of poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce, elevate it to another level.

Caramelized Almonds with Aromatic Spices and Sea Salt

Fragrant, crunchy, sweet and lightly salted caramelized nuts, are no doubt the ultimate nibble. They are perfect for serving with drinks, as a part of a cheese board, or even as a tasty topping for salads. Alas, most of the store-bought ones are usually quite disappointing, so the best way to enjoy them fully is to make them at home.

Spiced Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cider

After my successful experiment with cooking chicken in cider and apples (recipe can be found HERE), I decided to use these ingredients to prepare pork tenderloin (also known as pork fillet).

Hazelnuts, Cocoa Nibs and Cardamom Cookies

Hazelnuts and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, so it’s no wonder I’ve decided to use both in the form of cookies. To this, I added some cardamom powder, which enhanced the cookies with its wonderful, warm aroma.

Upside-down Pear and Cranberry Cake

Once again, I’m back to baking one of my favorite cakes – an upside-down cake. This time I chose Bosc pears to be the star of the fruit layer, to which I also added brown sugar and five spice powder. The powder, which is an aromatic blend mix of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, paired beautifully with the pears, and deepened the brownish color of the topping.

Vanilla Scented Chouquettes

Chouquettes are the humble, no fuss, relatives of the more stylish Profiteroles, (or as they are known in the US, Cream Puffs); as they are made from the very same dough – Pâte à Choux. Éclair pastries are also made from this dough. Unlike both, Chouquettes are not filled with any cream and are meant to be eaten as a simple snack, soon after baking, or at least on the same day.

Flourless Zucchini, Red Onion and Cheeses Bake

After the heavy dinners of this week, it was time for some lighter vegetarian dishes, and, as I often do, I used zucchini as a base for a cheese bake. This bake is one of them: it is hearty and filling, yet not heavy at all, mostly due to the fact it contains no flour or any other starch.

Freezer Butter Cookies: One dough, Three Flavors – Take 2

I posted the original recipe for these tasty cookies  almost three years ago (recipe can be found HERE). Since then, I’ve made various variations of the basic dough, but neglected to photograph these variations.