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This is a recipe Iv'e been making for years, at least once per summer. It's quick to make, and I often divide into two pans, and refrigerate them, to be baked as a quick weekday dinner. 500g fusilli pasta 250g dry mozzarella cheese - diced (apx 1cm sized cubes) 40-100g cream (full fat, or a larger amount of half and half) - I usually go with 40g, but we tend to prefer things not overly rich 4 large tomatoes (or 6 medium ones), preferably drier varieties, such as Roma tomatoes - cut into stripes 8-9 minced garlic cloves - minced apx 35g basil - chopped + more for serving optional: 1-2 tsp nutritional yeast plenty of pepper salt to taste, 1-2 tsp (I'm a salt lover and often use 2, but it also depends on the saltiness of the cooking water) Cook the pasta a little shy of al dente. Drain well, let cool a bit. Place in a large bowl, mix in remaining ingredients. Can be refrigerated at this point. Place the entire amount or half of it in a shallow casserole dish that will contain the pasta so that it is not too tall - you want plenty of surface area. Bake under a low broiler (~220-230 deg C) for apx. 40-50 minutes until the top browns very deeply and the pasta is very crisp. Scatter some more basil. Serve immediately.

I Forget where I found this recipe, but I've played with it for a long time. This is one of those "if I had a restaurant it would be on the menu" recipes. You can make most of the parts well ahead of time, so actual cooking involves searing the salmon and assembling the dish. A pesto is a nut and an herb, with garlic and oil; this uses frozen peas as the 'nut' and mint as the herb. Ingredients Lemon Broth 1 tbsp olive oil 1 shallot, diced 1/2 lemon, zested (use the lemon you’ll be juicing - so you only need one lemon total) 1 lemon, juiced 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves Pea Pesto 1 cup frozen peas. 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves 1 clove garlic (I always use about 3, but I like garlic) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Salt and Pepper to taste Salmon 2 tbsp olive oil 2 (6-8 ounce) salmon fillets Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lb pasta of your choice. Orecchiette, rigatoni and penne would all work great. I love using the black-and-white bow ties striped with squid ink. Make the broth: Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm, covered, over low heat. You can also easily make this ahead of time and just refrigerate until needed, then rewarm. Make the pea pesto: Combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady drizzle. Note that there is no need to thaw the peas. You can do so, and you will get a smoother mix. I like the peas frozen so that the pesto is a bit chunky. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside. You will want to warm this before you put it on top of the salmon. Not hot, just warm. What I do is pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. When it’s all hot and summery out, I can see using this room temperature or slightly chilled. If you're going to reheat, don't put the cheese in until after, as it will get stringy. Make the salmon: Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon until a golden crust forms, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. This is also a good point to add your pasta to your boiling water and get that cooked. Flip the fish and continue cooking for about 4 more minutes more depending on the thickness of the fish, and how you like it cooked. Remove fish from pan and cover with foil until you are ready for it. Assemble: Add the tablespoon chopped mint to the lemon broth and divide between 2 shallow dishes. Add some pasta to each dish. Don’t pile it on like a big bowl of pasta but more like the little pasta-broth bed for the salmon that it will be. Place a salmon piece in each bowl and add a generous spoonful of pea puree. A mint leaf makes a great garnish. Serve immediately. Since I am normally cooking for two, I save half of the pesto for the next day. Don't mix any cheese in that half, as reheating will make it stringy. And as with most recipes, there really isn't any such thing as too much garlic.

One of my favorite pasta dishes, and a really simple one to make. ~5 serving (you know how much pasta you can eat ). 400g rigatoni, or penne (or whatever pasta you want) 1 tbsp butter or olive oil 1 medium onion, diced (~1cm) or thinly sliced ~ 300g ripe saucing tomatoes (2 large) ~ 450g cherry tomatoes, halved ~ 80ml cream (or twice that amount of half-fat cream) dried chili to taste salt to taste black pepper 1/5 cup vodka (optional) To serve: Plenty of chopped chives Grated Parmesan cheese, around 30g A good wine for drinking Arrange the cherry tomatoes in a wide shallow pot or a wide pan, cut side up. Place over high heat and cook until blistered, but not charred. Set aside. Heat butter/oil and saute the onion until lightly golden (I do so in the same pot). Blend together the cooking tomatoes (not the blistered ones!) and the garlic. Add to the onion. Cook over low heat, uncovered for apx 15 minutes until thickened. Add the blistered tomatoes, the cream, vodka (if using) and chili flakes. Cook the pasta shy of al dente, drain but keep some of the water. Add to the sauce and cook, adding cooking water as needed, until al dente. This takes a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. For serving, add plenty of chives and Parmesan . Also great with soft boiled eggs and a crisp warm bread.

A simple side or appetizer, those are blintzes with no filling. 2 eggs 1 medium-large garlic clove 200ml milk 300ml water 200g white flour 100g rye flour (or wholemeal flour or more white flour) 2/3 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar optional: 1 tsp nutritional yeast or a touch of MSG plenty of pepper - 150g finely grated cheddar or another similar hard cheese 50 g dill, finely chopped (if your'e not a fan of dill, you can use other herbs, like chives) - For serving: sour cream flavored with a little salt and optionally pepper and herbs. Blend together eggs, garlic and milk. Add water, flours, salt, sugar, nutritional yeast / MSG, pepper. Blend until uniform. Add cheese and dill. Mix well but do not blend smooth. - Heat a largish non stick pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush with oil. Pour some batter into the pan and spread around by tilting the pan in a circular motion. You want as thin of a blintzes as you can get, it takes a couple of attempts to get the amount of batter right. Don't worry about holes or the blintzes shape. Cook until nicely golden-brown from below, flip and cook a few more seconds. Set aside. Repeat cooking the remaining batter, lightly oiling the pan every 3-4 crepes. - Roll the blintzes thinly, for best appearance, tack the sides in while rolling, as if they have a filling. Before serving, heat in an oven or a non stick pan. Serve with sour cream for dipping. Try tearing pieces from the blintzes as well as biting from the rolled shape Both the batter and blintzes can be made ahead. For variation, you can try adding peas as a filling, or maybe farmers cheese.

apx 175g green/brown lentils, soaked overnight /a few hours 1.5 tsp salt ~ apx 250g (1.5 cups) bulgur soaked overnight /a few hours - I strongly suggest that you use unbroken bulgur (aka extra coarse / coarse) generally, I use only whole bulgur when cooking, other than for some rare usages such as tabbouleh. salt optional: 2 tsp nutritional yeast ~ 5-6 onions, apx 750g, diced butter or oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2.5 tsp cumin, ground chili flakes to taste 1/2 to 2/3 tsp allspice, ground 1/2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground 1-2 tsp cinnamon, ground black pepper ~ 2 tbsp sumac apx 3 tbsp lemon juice optional: a handful of parsley, chopped To serve: A generous amount of thick yogurt Toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds Prep: Cook the lentils in water with salt. Drain and reserve cooking water. ~ Discard bulgur soaking water. Cook in a covered pot, over low flame, adding a little lentil cooking water or plain water as needed. Stir occasionally. Cooked bulgur should have a bite to it, but cooked through. Add salt and optional nutritional yeast. ~ In a wide pot, saute the onions in butter/oil until well caramelized. Add a little more fat and briefly fry the garlic. Add the spices (other than sumac) - cumin, chili, allspice, curry powder, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper. Cook briefly. Mix in the cooked bulgur and lentils. Heat through. Adding lentil cooking water or plain water as needed to keep the mujadara "juicy". Add sumac, lemon, parsley and salt to taste. Serve with yogurt. Top with nuts.

5 eggs ~120g dry (~240g cooked) mung beans, small chickpeas or cow peas ~200-250g grean beans (cut to size) or okra (what I get is small, so I leave it whole) 1 spring onion, thinly sliced sauce: ~1 tbsp butter or coconut oil 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 chili pepper (I used a jalapeno) de-seeded and thinly sliced up to 1/3 tsp hing (I love this dish with a strong flavor of hing, but many people can find this spice off putting, please add to taste) 1/2 tsp fenugreek, ground - 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground 1/2 tsp cumin, ground 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ready mixed curry powder (mine is mostly turmeric, cumin, black pepper coriander, fenugreek with some cinnamon and cardamom) Optional: a flat tsp of nutritional yeast or a pinch of MSG 150g thick tart yogurt 2-4 tsp vinegar, to taste (I use apple vinegar) optional: a little minced cilantro salt to taste Cook the legumes and drain. Either stir fry, saute or blanch the green beans / okra until tender but retain a bite. Cook the eggs into a scramble with large distinct pieces, or into an omelette and cut into pieces. - In a pot, heat the butter/oil and briefly cook the garlic, chili, hing and fenugreek until just aromatic. Add fennel, cumin, turmeric, curry powder. Cook until the spices are aromatic and absorbed the fat. Add yogurt, optional nutritional yeast / MSG. Add vinegar, cilantro and salt, all to taste. Add the green onion, cooked beans and green beans / okra and cooked eggs. Mix gently and adjust seasoning and add water/yogurt as needed. Cook gently to warm through and allow the flavors to come out. Best served along a second curry/chutney/dish that has some sweetness to it.

(apx) 400g carrots, peeled and julienned or ribboned. 7 eggs 100g mozzarella, finely diced 70g milk A handful of chopped basil 1.5 tsp five spice powder 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorn (optional) 1/2-1 tsp coriander seed, ground 1/2 tsp fennel or anise seeds, ground (optional) black pepper chili powder to taste 1 tsp brown sugar optional: a small amount of MSG 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste) In a wide pan, stir fry the carrot with a small amount of oil, until charred. Set aside, let cool slightly. Mix everything in a large bowl. Heat oven to 180 C (355 F) - top heat only. Scrape the pan and grease it well. Heat over medium high heat, until the oil/butter is hot. Pour batter into the pan. Fry without stirring for 2 minutes, then place the pan in the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just set. Cool slightly and serve.

I created this recipe to make cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve a few years ago. Santa loved them. I relied heavily on techniques from Alton Brown and Kenji Lopez. The dark brown sugar makes my foodie friends think I used browned butter. Chilling the dough ensures that they are thick and chewy. My co-workers demand that I take them to work several times a year. Soaking the pecans in bourbon ahead of time isn't a bad thing, either. • 2 large eggs • 1/2 cup white sugar • 1 cup (dark)brown sugar • 2 sticks butter • 1tbsp vanilla extract • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour • 2 tsp kosher or 1 tsp table salt • 2 tsp baking soda • 1 bag chocolate chips • 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans Combine eggs, white sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well and set aside. Melt butter in microwave and allow to cool to nearly room temp. Add butter and brown sugar to eggs & white sugar and mix well. Blend flour, salt and baking soda well. Gently fold the egg/butter/sugar mix into the dry ingredients along with chocolate chips and pecans. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours). Bake on parchment paper at 325 - 350 (depending on your oven) for 16-18 min total, rotating half-way through. They should just be beginning to brown a little when removed from the oven. Sprinkle cookies with a little coarse salt just before or just after baking.

Mts’vane lobio satsivi - green beans in walnut sauce. Satsivi sauce is used in many dishes, but most notably with chicken. This version is not the most traditional version of green beans in such sauce, but rather it is based on one I had in a restaurant in Tbilisi. Best served with soft, warm and crisp-crusted bread. 400g-450g green beans 1-2 tsp butter 1-2 tsp chopped rosemary (you can use other herbs, some of which may not require frying and can be added directly to the blender) 2-3 garlic cloves, minced Dry or fresh chili to taste 50g-60g lightly toasted walnuts 40ml-50ml milk (or cream if you prefer it a bit richer) optional: a tablespoon of grated Parmesan or another strong dry cheese salt to taste - 3-4 eggs salt to taste (1/3-1/2 tsp) - apx 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar black pepper A handful of diced brined cheese - choose one which is not too salty and creamy (rather than dry) - I use Sirene but a very mild Feta will work Blanch the green beans in well salted water, chilling them in cold water to prevent overcooking. Let them drain well. - In a pan large enough to hold the beans, briefly cook the garlic, chili and rosemary in butter - until aomatic. Add the milk along with 1/3-1/2 of the walnuts. Heat gently just until warm and allow the walnuts a few minutes to soften. Add Parmesan and blend until smooth. - Place the green beans and sauce back in the pan and gently heat. Add salt to taste. - Meanwhile, beat the eggs with salt and pepper as if for making an omelette. You can add a tablespoon of cream or milk, as well as any herbs you like. Heat a pan with butter and scramble the eggs into distinct bite-sized pieces, being careful not to overcook it (unless you prefer hard-cooked scrambled eggs). Mix the scrambled eggs into the green beans. - Add vinegar and pepper. Adjust seasoning. Make sure that it is sufficiently hot to serve. Scatter the cubed cheese and walnuts.

500g short hollow pasta - I use Gomiti (elbows) but you can use penne or any similar shape. 200-250 g sour cream 300-350 fromage blanc or another mildly tart "farmer 's cheese" such as tvorog or quark 6 medium eggs (or 5 large ones) 8-10 spring onions, thinly sliced apx 6 tbsp chopped parsley 2 garlic loves, minced Optional: 2 tsp nutritional yeast (or a bit of MSG) salt to taste (1.5 tsp) 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper Bread crumbs topping: apx 15-25g butter 9 tbsp breadcrumbs (divided 7 + 2) a large pinch of salt Mix everything but the pasta and bread crumbs topping in a large bowl. Boil pasta in salted water slightly short of al-dante. Briefly wash the pasta to stop further cooking and drain well. Mix in with the batter. Melt the butter and mix with 7 tbsp bread crumbs and a bit of salt. Grease a baking pan or mold - I much prefer a silicone mold, but you can also use a springform pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the buttery breadcrumbs. Top with the remaining 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs. Gently pour the pasta mixture on top. Bake at 190dC for apx 35 minutes, until set. You may need to cover the pan if it seems to be drying. Cool for a few minutes before flipping over a sheet pan. You may have loose breadcrumbs, put them back on top. When ready to serve, put under a medium-strong broiler until crisp and browned. pictured before broiling.

Apx 160 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or one can) 800g sunchokes, washed well and diced (2cm wide) 400g carrots (3 large), peeled and diced (1cm wide) 2 large onions, diced 600g pumpkin, diced (3 cm wide) Apx 3 tbsp worth of fresh rosemary 4 bay leaves 4 tsp nutritional yeast or a little MSG 1 tbsp butter 2 tsp cumin seeds 1.5 tsp coriander seeds 2 tsp fenugreek seeds 3 large garlic cloves, minced chili to taste Apx 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric salt to taste 200g spinach 2-3 tbsp lemon juice handful of chopped parsley black pepper Cook the chickpeas until tender in salted water. Keep the cooking water. Microwave the carrot cubes on high heat for two minutes. Coat carrots and sunchokes in oil and roast at high heat until browned, but still retains some bite. - Meanwhile, fry onion until browned. Add pumpkin, rosemary, bay leaves, nutritional yeast, chickpea liquid and water to cover. Cook until pumpkin softens (I use a pressure cooker, in which this takes 5 minutes). Add chickpeas, sunchokes, carrots, water to cover and salt to taste. Cook until softens to your liking, but not too much. - Meanwhile, fry cumin and coriander in butter until aromatic. Add fenugreek, garlic, chili and thyme. Fry until aromatic. Grind with some salt, add turmeric and paprika. Add to soup. - Add spinach, parsley, lemon and pepper. Adjust to taste.

apx 250g mushrooms - button, portobello, shiitake, etc - cut into 1cm think slices apx 200g of vegetable or protein of your choice - I like fried tofu (tofu agadshi style) or stir fired green beans (the latter works well with the optional wakame) 3 tbsp rice wine (e.g. shaoxing wine. optional, I guess regular white wine will also work) apx 1 tbsp ginger cut into needles dry or fresh chili, to taste 1.5 tbsp mushroom sauce (sometimes labelled vegetarian oyster flavored sauce. Regular oyster sauce can also be used in a pinch) (can be substituted with a large dried shiitake, re-hydrated and minced + 1 tsp sugar) 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 flat tsp dark brown sugar (or any sugar) 2-3 tsp rice vinegar a bit of MSG if you like using it some water as needed salt to taste black pepper Thinly sliced spring onion or a couple tbsp of dry wakame seaweed, re-hydrated Cooked Japanese/Chinese rice for serving If adding a vegetable/protein that requires stir frying, cook it first and set aside. Stir fry the mushrooms over high heat until browned, but still juicy (if using rehydrated dried shiitake instead of mushroom sauce, add them as well). Add the cooked vegetable/protein. Add the rice wine and cook until it no longer smells alcoholic. Add chili, ginger, soy sauce, mushroom sauce, sugar, vinegar, MSG. Remove form the heat. Add some water if needed, along with salt to taste, black pepper and spring onions/wakame. Serve with rice.

250-300g dry soba noodles 100g peeled edamame (or peas, or green beans cut into short segments) 300g tofu, cut into small cubes 2 tbsp soy sauce 1.5 tsp sugar 3 small cucumbers, julienned 4-5 small spring onions, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced apx 4 tsp minced ginger 3-4 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp miso paste 2 tbsp sesame paste 4-5 tbsp lemon juice apx 1/3 cup of water dry chili flakes to taste salt to taste Blanch the edamame/peas/beans in salted water and shock in cold water. Drain well. Blanch the tofu and drain. Mix the tofu with 2 tbsp soy and 1.5 tsp sugar and gently heat in a small pot or in the microwave (the heat helps the tofu absorb the marinade). Cook the noodles in plenty of water and wash very well. If not serving soon, mix the noodles with a bit of oil. If serving all of the amount soon, mix all of the ingredients, otherwise, mix the sauce individually and add it to the noodles and vegetables before serving. Add more water as needed to give the sauce a creamy consistency. Scatter some toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Makes 9 - Can be doubled. Can be made a short time ahead and reheated and crisped for serving. Can also be frozen. For variation, replace the spices and chilies with 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, and the cheddar with kashkaval / provolone / etc. See also cornmeal muffins recipe. - 200ml sour cream, apx 20% fat - 60g good Cheddar cheese, grated - 2 jalapenos (or other chilies), deseeded and chopped. You can also char them first like when making salsa - 1 small spring onion, sliced finely ~~ - 50g cornmeal - 140g white flour, pastry flour if available - 1 tsp toasted coriander seeds, ground - 1/2 tsp toasted cumin, ground - Pepper - Optional: large pinch MSG - 2 tsp sugar - 1 tsp salt - 3 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp baking soda - Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. - Mix remaining ingredients in a second bowl. - Dust your working surface. - Heat oven to 230 degrees C. - Fold wet mixture into dry one into the dry one, pressing and folding bottom up just until it forms a few crumbly dough chunks with some dry flour at the bottom. - Remove the mixture onto the dusted working surface. - Dust from above. - Press together to form a rough rectangle shape. - Fold the dough in half on top of itself. - Dust and press to flatten into a rough square shape, apx 3 cm (a bit more than an inch) tall. - Cut into 9 pieces (3 by 3 grid). Use a bench scraper or a large knife. - Place spaced on a baking try with parchment paper. - Bake for 13-16 minutes until lightly browned and baked through. - Remove from the try and cool on a baking try. - You can serve it immediately, but I much prefer to let it chill for 10 minutes and then bake 5 minutes more until brown and crisp.

100 g hollow pasta shape (macaroni, bucatini, ditalini, penne, etc.) apx 175g spinach leaves, finely chopped 2 small spring onions, sliced finely 2 garlic cloves, minced apx 100g feta cheese, not too dry apx 10-15g parmesan cheese, grated or finely chopped 8-10 Kalamata or other similar olives, sliced 5 large eggs apx 30g (2 tbsp) milk Salt to taste (I needed 1/2 a tsp, but it depends on the cheese) For quick tomato sauce (optional): 4 saucing tomatoes, finely diced (e.g. Roma, San Marzano) 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or less if you are not a garlic lover) 8 olives, sliced salt to taste you can add some herbs to you liking Cook the pasta a minute less than al-dente. Drain and wash to chill. Cook the spinach well. I just use a microwave to cook it for 3 minutes. Mix everything (but the sauce ingredients). Pour into an oiled and heated pan, or as I did, a greased silicon mold. Bake at 180dC until set through the middle, avoid overcooking. Apx 20 minutes. Serve warm. To make the sauce, just cook the tomates until slightly soften and no longer tastes raw. Add garlic and olives, and cook a little more, until sauce achieves a cooked but bright taste. It should remain quite chunky .

This is an improvised recipe that uses leftover rice.I made a few adjustments made after first having it, but by nature it is open for modifications and adjustments. If you are up to it, I think those will be amazing battered in a thin (tempura like) batter and deep/pan fried. apx 340g cooked cooled short grain rice (about 2/3 cup, I think) that's how much I happened to have, no need to be accurate. Fresh rice can be used, but maybe under-cook it by a couple of minutes 4 eggs 50g water (1/4 cup) a large bunch of young garlic chives, chopped 3 scallions, chopped 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or minced apx 3 tbsp worth of finely chopped ginger 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp oyster suace 5 tsp soy sauce (roughly 2 tbsp) black pepper, generously optional MSG, a couple of sprinkles, to taste chili flakes, to taste I haven't used any, but I suggest adding some Sichuan peppercorn, maybe 1/2 tsp, toasted and ground apx 2/3-1 tsp salt, to taste. Even less if your rice is already salted For dipping sauce: 3 tsp oyster sauce 2 tsp black rice vinegar chili oil Prep: Mix everything. Divide across 12 cups of an oiled muffin tin. Bake at 200dC until set, apx 15-20 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce.

Kubaneh is a rich "pull apart" bread of Yemenite Jewish origin. It is baked overnight and served on the Sabbath for lunch or breakfast. Flavored with butter, slowly caramelized sugar and fenugreek, it has a delightful savory-sweet aroma of butterscotch and brioche. While it has a decent amount of sugar, it's no sweeter than a dinner roll, as the long baking time breaks down the sugar into aromatic caramel. It is actually most often served with savory sides. That said, my favorite serving options is with s drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of salt. It's really no harder to make than a simple brioche or challah. Since the baking time is long, consider doubling the recipe, it can be frozen quite well. Actually, in some ways it is better reheated, since the outer crust can be crisped. My recipe uses dark brown sugar, which is not traditional, but gives it a striking dark color that I love, and further butterscotch notes. You can use white sugar. Some recpies uses date molasses or plum/apricot jams. Ingredients: 6g dry or instant yeast 240g water 60g dark brown sugar (or other sugars, see note above) 375g flour 8g salt 1 tsp 1.5 tsp fenugreek seeds, finely or roughly ground (don't worry if your not a fan of it, it mellows while baking and leaves a lovely fruity-spicy maple-like scent) optional: 1 tsp nigella seeds ~~~ 40 to 60 g soft butter, for rolling 15 to 30 g soft butter, for covering the rolled dough ~~~ optional: nigella or sesame seeds for decoration. Prep: Two to three days ahead: In mixer bowl, mix yeast, water and sugar. Add flour, salt and spices. Knead for ~7 minutes until a firm dough is formed. Let the dough relax for apx. 10 minutes. Knead for another ~7 minutes or so until strong. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight and up to 2 nights. Evening/night before: Transfer the dough onto a lighlty oiled surface. Flatten and roll into an elongated rectangle, try to get it to be 80cm (2.5 ft) wide, but don't worry if it is shorter. Spread 40 to 60 of butter over the dough. Roll it tightly in order to receive a long log shape. Divide the "log" into 12 segment. Roll each segment against the surface to elongate it to apx 12-15 cm (~5"). Spread remaining 15 to 30 g of butter on the rolls, covering them well. Place the rolls standing in a pot wide and deep enough to contain the bread once risen. For this amount, I use a pot with a 20cm diameter. Optionally scatter some nigella or sesame (just a sprinkle, don't over do it). Cover tightly with a tin foil, followed by the pot's lid. Let rise for ~ 30 to 45 minutes. Place in a preheated 210C oven (410F) for ~20 minutes. Lower the heat to 100C (210F) and bake overnight. For haminados eggs - place raw or leftover boiled eggs (unpeeled!) in the oven along the bread (I usually leave them in their cartoon). Morning/noon: Before serving, drizzle ~1/5-1/4 cup of water onto the bread. Cover and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until ready to eat. To serve, remove from the pot. Eat while warm. For serving: Traditionally, it is often served with: Haminados eggs, baked all night long Fresh tomatoes blended or grated into chunky sauce and flavored with zchug (chili paste) and salt Pickles Fresh veggies Some fresh salty or acidic cheeses Arak or ouzo It can also be eating with honey and a sprinkle of salt. Leftover eggs are great in a sandwich with tomatoes, tahini sauce, pickles and zchug. My shaping skill is still not great (rolled to thick), but it will taste great regardless.

A slightly less heart-stopping version of a classic. Ingredients - Dough 4 C unbleached all-purpose flour 1 C quinua flour * 1 C panela / piloncillo / demerrera / the darkest brown sugar you can find 2 C tepid water 1/2 oz active dry yeast 8 TBSP light extra-virgin olive oil, plus a bit more (see instructions) Ingredients - Filling 1 block (about 6 oz) bittersweet chocolate, grated 6-8 TBSP panela / piloncillos / demerrera etc. 3 TBSP ground cinnamon 1 TBSP ground ishpingo (optional - it's not available outside of Ecuador) A handful of golden raisins (optional, but I really like them) 1/2 C finely-chopped walnuts (optional) Ingredients - Caramel (optional, but very tasty) 1/4 C panela / piloncillo / demerrera etc. 1/2 C light corn syrup 1 TBSP butter, melted Hardware Mixing bowls Measuring cups 10" round, deep pans (or deep-dish pie plates) Measuring tape Sharp knife Method 1. Sift the flours together. 2. In your choice of cup or bowl, mix the water and the sugar together, then add the yeast. Allow to bloom 10-15 minutes (or until you've got a good froth going) 3. Stir the yeast up, then add it to the flour along with the olive oil. Knead until slightly elastic and resilient. This is a fairly slack dough with a texture similar to brioche, and because of the sugar it will never get to the point where it's not slightly sticky. 4. Lightly grease your bowl with a bit more evoo, and slip the dough into it. Set it in a warmish, non-drafty place to rise until slightly more than doubled in bulk. 5. Punch down and divide into two balls (use your scale to make sure they're even. When I do this, they're about 1 lb 8 oz each.) 6. Roll one ball into a rectangle roughly 14" by however long, and about 1/8" thick. 7. Brush the surface of the dough with a bit of evoo, then sprinkle about half of the filling on and spread it around until it's fairly evenly distributed. Sprinkle on the raisins and nuts if you're using them. Leave a margin of about 1/4" at the edges of the dough. 8. Starting on the shorter end of the rectangle, roll up the dough. 9. In a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the caramel. 10. Grease the pans well. Then divide the caramel between the two, spreading it so that it covers the bottom of the pans. 10a. If you're like me, now place 7 walnut halves upside down into the caramel - one in the center, and six around it. This is an optional step, but I'm really fond of pralinized walnuts on top of my buns. 11. Measure the roll, and divide it into 7 sections. Place each section in the pan - one in the center, and six around it. Press them down slightly so that they're touching. 12. Cover the pans and set them aside to proof for about 20-25 minutes, or until poofy. 13. Heat your oven to 350 F / 180 C 14. Bake 30 minutes (this is for my altitude - yours may take longer if you're closer to sea level) or until the tops of the buns are lightly golden. 15. Unmold almost immediately onto your choice of a wire rack or a foam cake base (I use cake bases) - this prevents the caramel from sticking to your pan. * Quinua flour can be hard to source outside of South America. Good substitutes include Amaranth, Millet, and Spelt.

Duck Heart Gravy First, buy a peking duck, rinse out the inside, and simmer it in water for about two hours. Strain and skim, then throw it in the fridge to cool it down. While your stock is simmering, Take a whole bunch of giblets. I used nothing but duck hearts. Chop your internals up fine and cook them gently (medium low) in butter. When they're brown, add some flour and cook that gently until it too browns (nice and foxy). Now, add your peking duck stock as you stir, taking that roue and all of those giblets up into a starchy thick mass of down home goodness. Keep adding stock slowly and simmering to swell up all of that flour starch until you're happy with the consistency. Season, then consume. Throw it on mashed potatoes or on some french fries with cheese or biscuits. Or, why not, just put it in a bowl, sprinkle some chives, and call it soup. -Queso www.everybodyplayswithfood.com

This is one of my favorite recipes because it is so simple, versatile, and unique. combine 3 whole eggs and 2 cups of stock. Season strain portion into oven-safe bowls or custard dishes, then cover individually in foil Place ceramic vessels in a baking dish that rises to at least half of the height of the bowls Add boiling water to partially submerge bowls Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. The result is a custard, know to Japanese cuisine as chawanmushi. It's a really soothing dish, and a great way to totally trip someone out with a minimum of ingredients. You can place bits of blanched seafood or vegetables in the dish before you bake it to make things more interesting, or just garnish it with something that makes sense. The traditional stock to use is a basic dashi, but any liquid containing some amount of dissolved minerals will work fine. My favorite thing to use is a stock that I make by gently simmering a whole peking duck for a few hours. I add a little brandy to it too in that case. And, if you use milk instead of stock, add some sugar, and you soak some pieces of bread in there, you've got yourself a bread pudding. There's a slightly more detailed recipe on my blog if you run into trouble or want some more pictures. I tried chawanmushiing a packet of top ramen one time too, it was pretty good actually.

Traditional Breton Buckwheat Crêpes (Crêpes Sarrasin) Serves 4 as Main Dishor 6 as Appetizer. Traditional Breton Buckwheat Crêpes (Crêpes Sarrasin) 1-1/4 cups milk 3 eggs 1/2 cup buckwheat flour 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons melted butter Combine all ingredients except butter and whisk well. Pour into a bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Whisk in butter. Heat a lightly oiled 10" crêpe pan over medium-high heat. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup batter and tilt pan quickly to cover the bottom. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom is golden brown. Turn and cook the other side about 15 seconds. Makes about 12 crêpes. Notes: The first crêpe is invariably a soggy mess and traditionally gets thrown to the dog. You should not need to re-oil the pan between crêpes. I freeze any leftovers in a plastic zipperlock bag for future use. I've read that you should stack crêpes between sheets of wax paper, but I've never had any problems with them sticking together so I don't bother. You can enjoy these au nature (fold in quarters without any topping whatsoever), spread lightly with salted (always salted, in Brittany!) butter -- traditionally, a plain or buttered crêpe is eaten before filled crêpes to start the meal, or filled with your favorite savory filling. For an easy filling, simply top each crêpe with a thin slice of ham and/or cheese and roll up. Another of my favorite fillings is seafood in cream sauce (roll up the crêpes, top with more sauce, and heat in the oven). Another traditional way of folding the crêpes in Brittany is to place the filling in the center of the crêpe while still in the pan, then fold up four sides almost to the center to make a square packet. In Brittany, buckwheat crêpes traditionally are filled with savory--not dessert--fillings, but they're also good filled with sauteed apples, or sliced strawberries and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Keywords: Main Dish, Appetizer, Easy, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Snack, French ( RG1742 )

Pan Asian Crepes with Roasted Mango & Banana Serves 8 as Dessert. Crepes ½ C. Hamlyns Pinhead Oatmeal to 3 cups of coconut milk (low-fat, optional) 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped Bring to a boil, stirring well. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until very creamy and thick. You want to make sure that most of the liquid has reduced and the oatmeal is well cooked. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. === Roasted Banana & Mango Filling: 10 bananas 3 mangoes 1-2 vanilla beans split 2 cinnamon sticks ¼ C. palm sugar 1/3 C. Armagnac, Brandy, or Rum Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the bananas lengthwise, slice diagonally. Slice mangoes and cut into pieces. Place bananas, vanilla, mangoes, brandy, cinnamon sticks and sugar together in a glass bowl and marinate for 1-2 hours. Arrange the ingredients on a large square of aluminum foil and place on sheet pan. Fold edges to seal. Place in oven for 10-20 minutes. Remove bananas and mangoes from the juices. Set aside and keep warm. Reduce Brandy marinade and add to the orange-lychee syrup. === Orange-Lychee Sauce Juice from a can of lychees 1 C. of orange juice 2 T. honey In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the orange juice, ½ cup of lychee syrup and the honey. Simmer uncovered, for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until reduced by half. Stir in the brandy sauce reduction. Keep warm on low. === Raspberry Coulis 1 C. Fresh raspberries 2 T. Fructose ( or lychee syrup) 2 T Apple juice 1 T. Honey 2 t. Orange liqueur, optional In food processor of blender, combine the raspberries, fructose, apple juice. Process just until the mixture smooths out. Do not over-process or the fruit may discolor. Add honey, to sweeten, if needed. Strain through a fine sieve into a nonreactive bowl, pressing gently on the fruit to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the liqueur and honey, if using. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. === Crepes: 3 Eggs 1 C. Coconut milk 1 C. Cooked Pinhead Oat Meal 2 T. Flour 1 t. Ground cloves 1 t. Ground cinnamon 2 T. Melted butter 1 T. Palm sugar (brown sugar, or raw sugar, will work) Whisk eggs and milk together in large bowl. Beat in flour, oatmeal mixture, spices, sugar, and melted butter. Blend until smooth. Set aside for no more than 1 hour. Spray a nonstick 6” crepe pan with vegetable oil or 1 Tb of butter over medium heat. Wipe out any excess oil/butter with a paper towel. Cook until the crepe has nicely browned. When firm, turn the crepe with a spatula and cook other side until just done. Lift from the pan and set on a plate. Repeat to make 12 crepes, stacking the crepes on the plate with a sheet of waxed paper between each one. (Refrigerate the remaining batter for another use) Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve. Arrange one crepe, browned side down on each dessert plate. Spoon filling onto one quarter of each crepe. Fold in half, then in quarters, enclosing the filling. Serve with whipped cream, sauce and coulis, chopped macadamias, and toasted coconut. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate ( RG1741 )

Pan Asian Crepes with Roasted Mango & Banana Serves 8 as Dessert. Crepes ½ C. Hamlyns Pinhead Oatmeal to 3 cups of coconut milk (low-fat, optional) 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped Bring to a boil, stirring well. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until very creamy and thick. You want to make sure that most of the liquid has reduced and the oatmeal is well cooked. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. === Roasted Banana & Mango Filling: 10 bananas 3 mangoes 1-2 vanilla beans split 2 cinnamon sticks ¼ C. palm sugar 1/3 C. Armagnac, Brandy, or Rum Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the bananas lengthwise, slice diagonally. Slice mangoes and cut into pieces. Place bananas, vanilla, mangoes, brandy, cinnamon sticks and sugar together in a glass bowl and marinate for 1-2 hours. Arrange the ingredients on a large square of aluminum foil and place on sheet pan. Fold edges to seal. Place in oven for 10-20 minutes. Remove bananas and mangoes from the juices. Set aside and keep warm. Reduce Brandy marinade and add to the orange-lychee syrup. === Orange-Lychee Sauce Juice from a can of lychees 1 C. of orange juice 2 T. honey In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the orange juice, ½ cup of lychee syrup and the honey. Simmer uncovered, for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until reduced by half. Stir in the brandy sauce reduction. Keep warm on low. === Raspberry Coulis 1 C. Fresh raspberries 2 T. Fructose ( or lychee syrup) 2 T Apple juice 1 T. Honey 2 t. Orange liqueur, optional In food processor of blender, combine the raspberries, fructose, apple juice. Process just until the mixture smooths out. Do not over-process or the fruit may discolor. Add honey, to sweeten, if needed. Strain through a fine sieve into a nonreactive bowl, pressing gently on the fruit to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the liqueur and honey, if using. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. === Crepes: 3 Eggs 1 C. Coconut milk 1 C. Cooked Pinhead Oat Meal 2 T. Flour 1 t. Ground cloves 1 t. Ground cinnamon 2 T. Melted butter 1 T. Palm sugar (brown sugar, or raw sugar, will work) Whisk eggs and milk together in large bowl. Beat in flour, oatmeal mixture, spices, sugar, and melted butter. Blend until smooth. Set aside for no more than 1 hour. Spray a nonstick 6” crepe pan with vegetable oil or 1 Tb of butter over medium heat. Wipe out any excess oil/butter with a paper towel. Cook until the crepe has nicely browned. When firm, turn the crepe with a spatula and cook other side until just done. Lift from the pan and set on a plate. Repeat to make 12 crepes, stacking the crepes on the plate with a sheet of waxed paper between each one. (Refrigerate the remaining batter for another use) Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve. Arrange one crepe, browned side down on each dessert plate. Spoon filling onto one quarter of each crepe. Fold in half, then in quarters, enclosing the filling. Serve with whipped cream, sauce and coulis, chopped macadamias, and toasted coconut. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate ( RG1740 )

Sand Art Brownies In A Jar These are a nice gift to make for Christmas or other gift giving season. Please note that this recipe uses a metric cup which holds 250 ml. 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 c + 1/8 cup flour 1/3 c cocoa 1/2 c flour 2/3 c brown sugar 2/3 c sugar 1/2 c chocolate chips 1/2 c white choc (chopped) 1/2 c nuts Add to a wide mouth preserving jar (750ml) in this order: salt Baking Powder flour cocoa flour brown sugar sugar chocolate chips white choc (chopped) nuts (Please note the flour/cocoa/flour is not an error but is done to make layers of colour.) This should pack nicely into the jar. Include a decorative tag with these instructions for making the brownies: Combine contents of jar with: 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs Pour into a greased 9x9inch pan. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, Brownies/Bars, Easy, Chocolate, Snack ( RG1739 )

Gluten Free White Cake This recipe has always turned out well for me! We even had it for our wedding cake. 3 eggs 1-1/2 c sugar 1/2 c butter 1-1/4 c rice flour; 1/4 c tapioca starch 1/2 c potato starch 2 tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp salt 3-1/2 tsp baking powder 1 c plain yogurt 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lemon yellow. Add butter and mix. Mix dry ingredients, add to egg mixture, and stir to combine. Add yogurt and vanilla and mix. Bake ~45 minutes for 9x13, ~30-35 minutes for two round 9” layer pans, 15-20 for cupcakes. Note: I recommend rice flour from the Asian market - it is a much finer grind and results in a better texture for baked goods. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG1738 )