Orange, Rum and Raisins Ricotta Cheese Cake

Ricotta cheese has a fresh, tangy flavor, and a slight grainy texture. It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Mixed with sugar, it makes a tasty filling for sweet pastries, and it is often used to bake cheesecakes, as in the following recipe.

Hazelnut, Banana and Lemon Muffins

Hazelnuts are a favorite of mine, whether for baking or for savory dishes. Their earthy, somewhat sweetish flavor, and their creamy texture, elevate any dish they are added to. So, it was no wonder I ended up using them when I was preparing to bake some simple banana-lemon muffins, and wanted to give them an interesting twist.

Filo Pastries with Bison Meat, Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts

While I usually combine filo dough with different vegetarian fillings, this time I opted for a meat one. My original plan was to use lamb, but when I saw bison meat at the store, I decided to make a switch.

Lamb with Onions, Parsley, Tomatoes and Golden Raisins

Winter is still with us, and I was planning on yet another stew, this time of lamb. However, as the weather was not as chilly, and as lamb is quite heavy in itself, I wanted a lighter stew with lighter ingredients in it.

Banana Yeast dough Cakes

I often end up with overripe bananas, that usually find their way into one-bowl type of cakes. As this time I was planning on making yeast dough roulades, I’ve decided to see how they would work in this type of dough.

Caponata

When I’ve found some ripe tomatoes, eggplants and peppers at the farm stand, I’ve decided it’s time to prepare a nice batch of Caponata – a tasty sweet and sour Sicilian eggplant dish.
Caponata is wonderful as a side dish, especially with fish and seafood, but also with chicken and other meats. It is also wonderful as a topping for Crostini, and can also be served as a dip, with crackers or toasted points.

Oats, Raisins and Cranberries Scones

Scones are such tasty and easy to make pastries, that whenever I bake them, I’m surprised I don’t bake them more often. These crumbly and not too sweet mini cakes, are wonderful when served fresh from the oven, with butter and jam.

Cod with Tomato-Saffron Sauce

When I saw this fresh wild Cod at the store, I knew it would benefit from quick steaming. Yet, I also knew its’ mild taste would benefit from a somewhat assertive flavoring.

Colorful Couscous, Lentils and Raisins Salad

Preparing traditional couscous from scratch is a labor intensive task; it requires mixing semolina with oil and water, passing it through a sieve, steaming it in a special pot, mixing it again, and repeating the process once or twice more… No wonder that up until modern times, when the instant couscous was created, this great grain product was not as popular as it is today.

Rugelach – one dough, four options

Rugelach, the traditional Eastern-European-Jewish rolled cookies, are loved by many, and for a good reason. The flaky dough, the tasty filling of jam combined with raisins, nuts and lots of cinnamon, works every time.

Chicken with caramelized onions and raisins

This dish requires very few ingredients, yet the result is just mouthwatering.