Chocolate truffles

This Christmas I did not buy presents; I made them.  I've made rum raisin chocolates before, which I like to make for colleagues and friends now and then, but they weren't quite festive enough on their own for presents, so I decided to try making a (small) variety of other chocolates to accompany them. I opted for chocolate truffles rolled in pistachios and coconut flakes, and rum flavoured truffles rolled in cocoa powder. Finally, I also made chilli chocolate truffles coated in chocolate. All five varieties (including the rum raisin chocolates) took three evenings to make, since the chocolate needs to be melted, mixed, chilled to set, rolled into balls, coated, chilled.

Cocoa-coated, coconut-coated, pistachio-coated, and chocolate-coated chilli chocolates

Rummy chocolate truffles rolled in coconut

A selection

Chocolate truffles coated in pistachio

Chocolates in their box

All of them were easy to make, but took time to roll into balls and coat neatly and evenly. I also found the chilli chocolate recipe a little tricky: at first I chilled the chocolate too long and it set too hard to roll into balls. The recipe calls for less butter and cream, hence is harder stuff, so you need to keep on eye on it if chilling. Also, in my opinion the truffles call for at least 3-4 times more chilli powder than the recipe prescribes (i.e.1-2 tsp). I also need to figure out a better way of doing the chocolate coating. My solution was slightly hilarious: after spooning the melted chocolate over truffle on a cocktail stick and shaking off the extra chocolate, I left it to set by sticking it into a banana! It worked well in the sense that none of them were disproportionately coated, but the downside is that they all have a little hole at the bottom... Oh well. They look pretty and taste lovely, so yay!

Dark chocolate tartlets

When I made the lemon meringue tarlets, I made enough tart cases to accomodate these dark chocolate tartlets, also form the Ottolenghi cookbook. With the cases ready and waiting, these were very quick to prepare. Making the chocolate filling took under 10 minutes. The recipe is below (see the lemon meringue tart post for the pastry) and produces a rich, creamy and gooey chocolate filling. I had some leftover even, and used it to dip apple slices.. mmm. You can see my shamefully uneven pastry in the photo of the filling - I really need to get a round mould for cutting pastry.

Before...

... and after. Firm, but with a slight ooze. Lovely.

Dark chocolate filling

150g dark chocolate, broken up

100g unsalted butter, diced

1 egg

1 egg yolk

30g caster sugar

6 pre-baked tartlet cases (baked 5 min less than suggested and left in their tins)

cocoa powder for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl, set it over a pan of summerng water and leave to melt. Whist the egg and yolk with the sugar until thick and pale yellow, then fold this into the melted chocolate.

2. Fill each case with the chocolate mix; it should reach right up to the rim. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Cool a little, then remove the tartlets from their tins and allow them to cool down completely.

3. Lightly dust with cocoa powder and serve at room temperature.

Mejadra

I got Ottolenghi and Tamimi's new cookbook Jerusalem the instant it came out. Of course. Ottolenghi and Tamimi both come from Jerusalem, but from different sides. Despite the problems this may have entailed, their friendship and partnership has blossomed and now they are bringing together the fruit of their separate yet interconnected heritages -- and those of the various cultures that have over time been woven into the ethnic and cultural fabric of the ancient city of Jerusalem -- to bring us this wonderful book. Unfortunately, about half of the book's recipes use meat, but luckily there are great sections on pulses, grains and vegetables to test.

The first thing I tried from it was an Arab classic called Mejadra. It looked simple and easy to make, and with lentils, basmati rice and deep fried onions mixed with aromatic spices, it sounded like a safe bet. The bet paid off. I've now got piles of mejadra to finish off as leftovers. It's ridiculously easy to make. The only thing that takes time is frying the onions. Otherwise it's child's play. If you do dairy, go ahead and put a big dollop of greek yogurt on top when serving.

 

Blueberry pie

There were some culinary highlights this summer that I neglect to report, so here it goes... better late than never. This summer I was fortunate enough to be invited to the charming summer cottage of my friend and her family on the beautiful island of Löparö, just off the town of Porvoo. It was teeming with blueberries and raspberries, mushrooms, and heaven knows what else. I spent a lot of time picking blueberries, which is a wonderfully meditative activity. Time flies quickly and it is so much fun. There were so many blueberries this year that I could pick as fast as I liked and there were always plenty more to be grazed. Finnish forest blueberries, I must add, are special. They are relatively small, but full of flavour. Fresh blueberries, I believe, are best enjoyed as they are with ice cream, cream, meringue, or whatnot. But, due to popular demand, I also made my mother's recipe for blueberry pie. It's the same base as the rhubarb pie, but instead of rhubarb, I use blueberries. The end result is a marvelously juicy and sweet tart. Mommy knows best.

 

Lemon meringue tartlets

I love lemon cakes, tarte au citron, basically anything lemony. Tonight I made these lemon meringue tartlets. I had some difficulties with the pastry, and I cheated with the lemon curd (next time I'll do it properly, I promise!) but meringue at least is one thing you can't cheat on, and these ones came out beautifully. My biggest mistake was that I meant to make these for a friend who just had surgery… but I forgot she can't eat gluten. I'll be thinking of something else to cheer her up. In the mean time, someone has to eat these babies..

(Recipe below, since I couldn't find a link to one)

 

The recipe. To make short cuts, buy a good lemon curd and a good sweet pastry and skip to the last part. There is no way to skip the meringue, though. Luckily, that's easy!

Lemon curd

200ml lemon juice (4-6 lemons)

grated zest of 4 lemons

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

180g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1. Put all the ingredients in a large, heavy-based saucepan, leaving out roughly half the butter. place over a medium heat and, using a hand whisk, whisk constantly while you cook the curd. Reduce the heat if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the curd reaches boiling point, you will notice large bubbles coming to the surface. Continue whisking vigorously for another minute and then remove from the heat.

2. Off the heat, add the remaining butter and whist, until it has melted. Pass the curd through a sieve and into a plastic container. Cover the surface with cling film, allow it to come to room temperature and then chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, for it to firm up well. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Sweet pastry tartlet cases

330g plain flour

100g icing sugar

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp salt

180g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp cold water

1. Put the flour, icing sugar, lemon zest and salt in a bowl and add the butter. Rub it in with your hands, or more easily, use a mixer fitted with the beater attachment, or use a food processor. In all cases, you need to mix the ingredients until you get a coarse breadcrumb consistency, making sure there aren't any large lumps of butter left.

2. Add the egg yolk and water and mix just until the dough comes together, being careful not to mix any longer than necessary. You might need to add a tiny amount of extra water.

3. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead very lightly for a few seconds only, just to shape it into a smooth disc, 5-6cm thick. Wrap in cling film and chill until ready to use. The pastry will keep in the fridge for a week and at least a month in the freezer.

4. To bake, roll out the pastry 2-3mm thin, and quickly so it doesn't get warm. Cut out 6 circles using a pastry cutter and press inside small, buttered tins (a cupcake rack works fine). Rest them in the fridge for 30min so they stay firm and don't sink when you put them in the oven. Preheat oven to 150C. Line the cases with greeseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for about 25min, then remove the paper and beans. If they don't have a golden-brown colour yet, bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove the cases from the tins when they are still slightly warm, then leave to cool completely.

Lemon meringue

1/2 quantity of lemon curd (chilled for at least 6h)

6 pre-baked tarlet cases

120g caster sugar

2 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Spoon the cold lemon curd into the tart cases, filling them three-quarters full. Leave aside, preferably in the fridge.

2. To make the meringue, spread the sugar over an oven tray lined with baking parchment. Place in the hot oven for 5-6 minutes. The sugar should become very hot but musn't begin to dissolve. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150C.

3. At the last minute of heating up the sugar, place the egg whites in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer. Whisk on high speed for a few seconds, until they begin to froth up. Now carefully pour the hot sugar on to the whisking whites in a slow stream. Once finished, continue whisking for a good 15 minutes, until the meringue is firm, shiny and cold.

4. Use 2 spoons or a piping bag to dispense the meringue on top of the curd and create a pattern. at this point you can either leave the meringue totally white or you can place it in the oven for 1-3 minutes to brown the top very lightly. Serve at once or chill for up to 12 hours.

Plenty: Grilled vegetable soup

I love butterbeans! I've never had them in soup before though, until I made the grilled vegetable soup from Plenty. It's a hearty one, and easy to make. It just took me a little longer in my tiny gas-run oven since I had to grill everything one at a time. It also means that the vegetables weren't grilled as such, but rather, roasted as I don't have a grill setting. So mine was more of a roasted vegetable soup. Still, it was lovely! Although, oddly enough, when I ate the leftovers the next day, it had a bit of a sausage flavour that I wasn't all too fond of...

 

Plenty: Chard and saffron omelette

All the very in green superfoods seem to be finding their way into Finnish supermarkets. The other week I got my hands on some kale, and now I've stumbled across chard. Which doesn't come cheap, I might add. Still, Plenty has several recipes with chard on the list of ingredients, so I took a stab at one of them, the chard and saffron omelette. It was wonderful. I'm going to be putting in the extra cash for another stash of chard and making this again soon, what with the lovely summer potatoes available as well. 

 

Plenty: Socca

This is Socca, a sort of savoury pancake made of chickpea flour, topped with slowly fried onions and gently roasted tomatoes. I've made this three times now, each time as a starter for dinner with friends and family. Each time I've been in a rush to prepare the next course that I haven't been able to snap a photo. It's easy and a real treat. The pancakes have a light savoury flavour, topped with onions and cherry tomatoes sweetened by slow cooking. There are always a couple left over, which I finish off for brunch the next day.

 

Plenty: Garlic soup with harissa

Yum yum yum! I don't know why I didn't try this garlic soup with harissa earlier. You might be a little skeptical about the 25 cloves of garlic that go into this... but don't be. You cook them and they lose some of their potent flavour. It's still garlic, of course, and if you like garlic, this is a feast. I was a bit lazy this time and skipped the harissa. Maybe next time. Harissa from the shop sufficed this time around. It's an easy one, so do try. Vegans, no yogurt. It's not really necessary anyway, to be honest.

 

Classic meringues

The moment I saw the merginue photos in the Ottolenghi Cookbook my mind was set on making them. The closest I've come to making meringues is when I made macaons, and though they came out fine in my gas oven, I remember that I had to be very careful with heating up the sugar to exactly the right temperature. Meringue recipes don't usually call for heating up the sugar, but Ottolenghi's does, and apparently it makes them extra shiny and crispy, or something. Anyway, the technique worked wonderfully, though I still need to find a way to lower the temperature in my gas oven even further. The lowest I could get it was 130C, which seems to be just a little too high as the meringues didn't come out snowy white, but cream coloured. I don't mind the pinkish cream colour, which is quite beautiful too, and they taste wonderful, but it would be nice succeed in making pure white treats too. 

Here is the recipe. It's very straight forward and easy. Enjoy!

 

Kale speltotto with goat's cheese

Kale this kale that. I've been reading about kale for a good two years or more and finally came across it in my local supermarket. I promptly bought a bunch and came home to dig for a recipe. This is the one I ended up with by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from his River Cottage Veg Everyday (am currently unable to find a link to the recipe.. maybe later). It's basically a risotto, but made with spelt, hence the name speltotto. I made it from pearl barley however so I guess mine was more of a barlotto! Anyway, it was interesting. I can't say it was my favourite experiment, though my lack of enthusiasm may have something to do with the nausea I've been feeling after meals due to the intake of strong antibiotics. Still, both kale and barley have flavours very much their own -- ones that I'm not quite sure what I think about, put together at least. It did look very pretty though, and smelled great, and that counts for something, surely.

 

Pasta with fennel, rocket and lemon

I'm finally back in the kitchen after two weeks of being sick and surviving on staples. I tried something quick and simple to get back in the swing: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pasta with fennel, rocket and lemon. I don't use fennel so often, and was happy to try something where the fennel flavour becomes beautifully enmeshed with the garlic, piqued by the lemon, and tempered by the rocket. I think I just ended up finding a new staple meal.

 

Plenty: Green pancakes with lime butter

I have been waiting for the perfect time to make these for brunch. I bought the ingredients last week so that I could make them over the Midsummer long weekend. Unfortunately, I was struck down with a flu on the first day, and my cooking plans have been thwarted somewhat since. I did, however, make these green pancakes with lime butter as planned with substantial help from a friend. The trouble is, I've been sick all weekend with a flu and can't taste a thing! My co-chef/co-bruncher said they were tasty ('they taste like spinach') and that the lime butter was a taste explosion. The lime was actually all I could make out. What a waste. I'll have to make them again soon and try them properly myself. It's Ottolenghi though, so I'm sure they will be delicious! This is what they looked like. I bought red chillies instead of green ones by accident, otherwise they should be entirely green pancakes.

 

Quinoa with courgettes and onions

The third recipe from Fearnley-Whittingstall's veg book. This was also very easy to make, and relatively quick. I love slow-cooked vegetables, especially onions, which are cooked here with courgettes. I have sung the praises of quinoa before, so I'll leave that aside this time. But if you are interested, here is not only a link to the recipe of this beautiful dish, but also 10 facts about quinoa worth delving into. I should mention that I made this as a side dish to the spring onion galette, and that they worked together like bread and butter. (P.S. Vegans, just fry completely in olive oil, leave out the butter)

 

Spring onion galette

My second attempt from Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Everyday. Like the upside down onion tart, this spring onion galette is a meal that can be made very quickly and with little effort. It's the perfect season for spring onions, so it's also very timely to go for this one now. It's a very simple pleasure: spring onions, parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper. Yes, a delicious meal is really that easy. Perfect for a summer picnic in that respect, that it's quick to make and also tastes good after it's cooled down. (P.S. If you are a non-parmesan eating vegetarian, I'd say you can easily replace the parmesan with goat's cheese or another strong cheese).

 

Upside down onion tart

This is the first recipe I tried from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It is insanely easy and quick to make, with essentially two ingredients; onion and puff pastry. I couldn't get it to look quite as beautiful as it is in the book, where the onions are organized in a beautiful circular order. How the hell do you turn onions without ruining the pattern? I've yet to learn that trick. Who care though, since it still tasted amazing. You can find the recipe here, so bookmark it for your next lazy cooking day.

 

Carrot cake

I tried a carrot cake recipe last year, but the results were slightly disappointing. Ive kept a couple more carrot cake recipes up my sleeve, and this is one of them, from Tessa Kiros' book Falling Cloudberries. Overall, it's a delicious recipe, especially with the frosting, which is heavenly and absolutely indispensible. The only problem is that it is super, super rich. It's taken two people a week to finish it. The last piece is about to go down tonight.

 

Plenty: Potato tatin

I had a busy start to the month but that hasn't deterred me from trying more new recipes (though I have fallen behind on my blog updates). It feels like I've gone through the whole book, but I'm still ploughing through Plenty. New potatoes are finally in season, so a couple of weeks ago I grasped the opportunity to try this Potato Tatin. I don't need to explain how gorgeous new potatoes are, especially in the early summer. In this recipe they are caramelized with oven-roasted tomatoes, slow-cooked onions, thyme, and goat's cheese. It's really easy to make and tastes divine. Yesterday I bought a big bag of potatoes to make it again this weekend. The perfect summer meal!

 

Queen's gingerbread

I've never made gingerbread from scratch or panforte, so this cake combines two never-have's. Admittedly, this isn't the first thing you imagine when you think gingerbread, or panforte. Still, it has the characteristics of both. In celebration of the Jubilee, Dan Lepard published this recipe for Queen's gingerbread in the Guardian last weekend, which I promptly made. Lots of firsts went into the preparation. I've never used black treacle before or candied fruit. The list of sugars (yes, plural) for this cake is regal in itself, so this cake will have to be shared. I for one can't stomach more than a very thin slice of this at a time.

I have to admit I panicked a little when I pulled this out of the oven. You really have to let this cool completely. Now, a day old, it is actually starting to taste good. Last night, when it was still slightly warm, the sweetness left a bitter taste on my tongue and made me feel a little ill. It's much better now and my friend, who took home a few slices, said that it's perfect with a cup of tea. The recipe recommends some brandy, but I'm out, and not much of a brandy drinker anyway. This is one to try if you are crazy for gingerbread. But don't eat it on the day of preparation. It remains to be seen if it gets even better with a few days.

 

Risotto with roasted asparagus and mozzarella

Finally a recipe not by Ottolenghi! This risotto with roasted asparagus and mozzarella, however, is also form the Guardian, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. If risottos intimidate you at all, this is an easy one. The list of ingredients is short, and it's easy to prepare. I've made this twice now. The first time I had to make some more vegetable stock - 500ml didn't seem to suffice. However, when I made it today, 500-600ml was perfect. The trick is to keep the heat low, which I didn't do the first time around. Also, tonight I tried adding a big handful of chopped fresh parsley at the end, which worked beautifully. I think it adds a whole new layer to the overall slightly smokey flavour (thanks to the buffalo mozzarella) of this dish. And the generous drizzle of good-quality olive oil at the end is a real plus, so don't leave it out. Enjoy!

 

Plenty: Asparagus mimosa

If you feel inadquate as a cook, this is one recipe anyone can make. Asparagus mimosa sounds fancier than it is. It is really just boiled asparagus with boiled eggs, with some capers, salt and pepper thrown on top. Very easy starter with which to celebrate the asparagus season and impress your guests if you have them.

 

Plenty: Cucumber salad with smashed garlic and ginger

This recipe for cucumber salad with smashed garlic and ginger is a delectable winner! Thanks to the ginger, this is the most refreshing salad you'll ever eat in your life. I served it to dinner guests last week as a side dish with the caramelised garlic tart. Praises ensured. It's a must for this summer. Don't think, just make.

 

Plenty: Asparagus, lentils and watercress salad

There's been a brief pause in blogging, but not cooking, not ever! I've been trying out new dishes every week as per usual, but just haven't found the time to sit down and blog. I'll do my best to catch up. 

A few of the newbies I've tried involve asparagus. This asparagus, lentils and watercress salad was a delicious one. The pecorino is a must. It gives the whole dish a proper 'sting' to counterbalance the slight acidity of the asparagus, without overpowering the fresh herbs.

 

Plenty: Black pepper tofu

I have read many a blog entry about this Plenty recipe for black pepper tofu. Some don't like it, but mostly people think it's divine. I'm siding with the latter lot. This is a meal of nice, crispy tofu in a sweet and spicy oniony sauce. I served it with some brown rice. With that it is a very, very filling meal.  Don't think, just make it. Tonight.

 

Watercress and goat's cheese tart

Believe it or not, this recipe for a watercress and goat's cheese IS from the Guardian, but it IS NOT by Ottolenghi. It is by Angela Harnett, patron chef at the Murano restaurant in London. It is very easy to make and goes well with a fresh, green salad. My word of advice is to eat it when it's cooled down substantially. The flavour of the watercress is quite subtle, and is drowned out when eaten hot. To an extent the same thing goes for the goat's cheese. In fact, I think I enjoyed eating this as a leftover most the next day, which makes me think that this would actually be a great thing to take for a picnic. Something to bear in mind for the fast approaching summer.

 

Plenty: Jerusalem artichokes with halloumi and basil oil

I made this feast of jerusalem artichokes with manouri and basil oil over Easter but have been too busy to keep up with the blogging. Yes, another wonderful meal from Ottolenghi. I used halloumi with this instead of manouri, which I wasn't able to get a hold of anywhere. A wonderful warm salad type of meal!

 

Cranberry and white chocolate biscuits

My second attempt from my new Ottolenghi Cookbook: cranberry and white chocolate biscuits. These turn out wonderfully! The cranberries are balanced out by the sweetness of white chocolate (and sugar..) and a good amount of oats gives the biscuits a slightly more wholesome feel altogether. And they are delicious, of course. In terms of texture, they turned out exactly as I had hoped: crispy on the outer edges and chewy in the centre. I made these first on Monday and they were so good that I made another batch this evening. I don't see these ones lasting long either.

 

Plenty: Puy lentil galettes

This is another of those Plenty recipes that looked delicious and easy enough but haven't gotten around to preparing until now. The spices and spinach accompanying these Puy lentil galettes do proper justice to these humble yet flavoursome green lentils. It's much lighter and healthier without the pastry, but it does look much more appetising this way, doesn't it.

 

Plenty: Baked eggs with yogurt and chill

Even though I like to take my time to make porridge almost every morning for breakfast, there are limits to how long I want to spend on making the first but most important meal of the day.  This one came about much faster than I expected, especially with an extra pair of hands. Baked eggs with yogurt and chilli was divine. To be specific, it is baked eggs on fried rocket with Greek yogurt and garlic, and chilli butter. Need I say more. If you can't get a hold of kirmizi biber, just do as Ottolenghi suggests, as I did, and mix chilli flakes with some paprika. A perfect brunch.

 

Chocolate fudge cake

Since Plenty only has fruit-and-cheese types of desserts, and since I had my fresh copy of the Ottolenghi Cookbook at hand, I decided to make my first go at it a decadent one with this Chocolate Fudge Cake. For some, reading the list of ingredients is enough to deliver a heart attack. This has twice as much butter, chocolate, sugar and eggs than any other cake I have ever made. Yeah, yikes. But hell, it is luxury in a tin! And I for one don't believe in fat free fad desserts or the like. Long live proper desserts! This one certainly is one. Heaven is a place on earth.

 

Ottolenghi: Mixed vegetables and yogurt with green chill

I love love love reading the Weekend Guardian each weekend in anticipation of what recipe Ottolenghi  will belt out for its readers. This one for mixed vegetables and yogurt with green chilli was in this weekend's Guardian and made it the same night. A very fresh, juicy and filling batch. Will definitely be making this again sometime soon!

 

Plenty: Broccoli and gorgonzola pie

I finally made Ottolenghi's Broccoli and gorgonzola pie this weekend. My experience with his pies has so far been resoundingly positive (for example, the very full tart and garlic tart were superb) and this was no exception. I made it with a piquant gorgonzola, which came through beautifully after being baked in the oven. The leek and cream-mustard bedding beneath the cheese and broccoli is indispensible. Anyway, another success from Yotam!

 

Chocolate-dipped almond orange florentines

I was browsing Ottolenghi stuff online and came across his almond orange florentine with chocolate base recipe from his  Cookbook. It seemed so easy that it was ridiculous not to try it, so I did, and ordered the Cookbook from Amazon before I was done. I'm expecting the Cookbook early this coming week. I can't wait. I'm already looking forward to making the toffee brownies that I've come across on several blogs. In the meantime, I've already finished eating these biscuits. They are great both with or without the chocolate base, but needless to say, the chocolate inevitably gives that extra something, especially if you are a friend of the cocoa bean.

Veggie Shepherd's Pie with sweet potato mash

My brother-in-law made this vegetarian Shepherd's Pie last summer and I have been missing it since. So what the heck, I thought, I might as well go ahead and make it myself, perfect as it is to warm oneself on cold days like this. The recipe is from the BBC GoodFood site, and it's super easy to follow and make. With the broccoli this easily makes a filling and satisfying meal for 4-6 persons. Vegans, leave out the butter from the mash and the cheese topping.

Peanut butter cupcakes

I've been homebound sick for the last three days, dreaming of cupcakes. Today I was well enough to venture out to get some ingredients to make these peanut butter cupcakes with cream cheese -based frosting. I was first planning on making chocolate ones but for some reason this held a greater appeal this afternoon. They turned out quite good. Want some? I can't finish these on my own...

 

Ottolenghi's roasted butternut squash with cardamom and nigella seeds

This recipe for roasted butternut squash with cardamom and nigella seeds by Ottolenghi was in last weekend's Guardian. I was particularly tempted by the combination of cardamom with the squash, and the dollops of yogurt on top made it sound so fresh despite the intense spices, which also include cumin, coriander, tumeric and cinnamon as well as a green chilli. I'd never even heard of nigella seeds before, so there was an element of novelty there. This dish gave off wonderful aromas from the start. First you fry red onion in butter and olive oil, to which you add the butternut squash cubes. That alone was heavenly. So you can imagine the rising anticipation once it was all roasting in the oven with the spices and stock. Absolutely divine. And very easy to make :) Vegan version: no yogurt. I served it with slow roasted tomatoes tossed together with cous cous.

Soba noodles with aubergine and mango

This is one recipe I've been meaning to try for two months, but didn't get around to until now because I wanted to get fresh mango from Kallio on a mango day, that is, Thursday, when the imported mangos are delivered fresh into the shops. I was finally passing through the area on a Thursday, got my juicy mango and made soba noodles with aubergine and mango for dinner. Despite the alluring list of ingredients (including for example garlic, lime, chili, sesame oil, mango, basil, coriander) I didn't really know what expect. Ottolenghi writes that this recipe is his mother's "cook-to-impress fare". Now I understand. What you get from this are wonderfully aromatic and smooth-textured mouthfuls of freshness. As Ottolenghi himself writes, for lack of a better description, it's the "sweet sharpness of the dressing and the muskiness of mango that make it so pleasing". An instant favourite.

Plenty: Sweet potato cakes

I put off making these for a while since the photo of these sweet potato cakes in Plenty has them swimming in butter on a frying pan. In the end I decided what the heck, who cares. The end result was great - very heart and wholesome sweet potato patties spiced up with spring onion and red chilli. I served it with the accompanying yogurt-soured cream, lemon juice, coriander sauce and a fresh, crispy green salad. The ultimate comfort food!

Plenty: Green couscous

I had a go at Ottolenghi's green couscous last week. I can only be boring and say yet again that Ottolenghi never disappoints. This was delicious. Simple as that. Healthy, hearty, green as a garden patch. I don't think this recipe featured in the Guardian, but you can find a version of it from Ottolenghi's September 15th 2011 blog entry.

Plenty: Caramelised garlic tart

I've been putting off Ottolenghi's caramelised garlic tart for a while, mainly because it looks so deliciously succlent and fatty that if I make it, I'd eat it all myself in one go. Luckily I had company for this one... and we finished it all almost in one go, though it is supposed to be for 4-6 people. It's an easy one to prepare, but it takes time (took me a couple of hours), as all tarts, pies and quiches can, owing to the amout of time it takes to bake the pastry, on top of peeling, chopping and preparing the insides, including caramelising the garlic cloves. If you are a garlic lover, though, this is a piece of heaven. The garlic is caramelised in a mix of water, sugar, balsamic vinegar and herbs, the soft, warm, pungent yet sweet flavour of which is only enhanced by not one but two types of goat's cheeses. I enjoyed it with a side salad to lighten the meal, which worked well, but didn't stop me from taking seconds... and thirds.

Plenty: Crunchy pappardelle

I'm finally back from my travels and back in the kitchen. Hurrah! I'm still keeping Ottolenghi's Plenty close by. Last week I had a go at the crunchy pappardelle, made crispily crunchy with Japanese Panko breadcrumbs. Delish. How I missed this book of spells!!