Archive | Recipes

Garlic rye bread and bean salad

By Rasa Pelham on November 28, 2016 in Christmas waiting, Lithuanian, Recipes, Savoury Delights

It’s becoming to look like Christmas and I decided to share a recipe for a salad that is traditional to have for Christmas Eve. It is that simple and tasty that my brother used to voluntarily go on salad making duty because of that. Hope you like it as much as we do! GARLIC RYE BREAD AND BEAN SALAD

Makes one medium serving bowl (I made half portion here)

1 medium rye bread loaf
6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
generous amount of oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, finelly chopped
2tsp caraway seeds, soaked in water
2 cans of butter beans or cannellini beans, rinsed under cold water
bunch of parsley, finelly chopped (optional)

1. Slice the bread and then chop the slices into 1cm cubes.2.Fry the bread together with garlic in generous amount of oil (very necessary, sorry for dieters). Season to taste and put it aside.3. Fry the onion together with caraway seeds until onions are nice and slightly transparent. Add the beans and take the pan off the heat. 4. Mix everything together. Hope you don’t miss this humble salad at your Christmas table ;-).

Rasa xx

Baby friendly birthday cake

By Rasa Pelham on November 1, 2016 in Cake decorating, For little ones :), Let's Celebrate!, Recipes, Sweet Treats

Last week we celebrated Lukas birthday and today I would like to share with you the recipe of the cake I made for him. I aimed for something sugar free of course that is suitable for a baby. I made sure to include banana in it just because Lukas loooovesss banana very much (maybe he is a minion who knows :D) and also because it adds some sweetness. The cake of course wasn’t very sweet. I would say it was a brioche sweetness level. I also thought that it is better eaten warm, but I had to cool it down unfortunately to decorate it and make it look a little bit more festive ;-). For “butter cream” I just used whipping cream, so it wasn’t sweet at all, but actually Lukas liked it very much so I guess it’s ok ;-). BABY BIRTHDAY CAKE

(for the cake)

150g banana (about 1-2 bananas depending on size)
1 egg
60ml oil (I used refined olive oil, but rapeseed oil would probably be better)
330g plain flour
27g oats (I used pack of portioned porridge oats that actually comes in 27g)
2tsp baking powder
125ml milk
3tbsp yogurt (I used greek style yogurt, but natural yogurt would work fine too)

(for decorations)

whipping cream, whipped till stiff (one tube of 300ml will do)
no added sugar chocolate (there is no such thing as sugar free chocolate my friends!)
blueberries (or any type of other berries that are sweet)

1. Whizz bananas, egg and oil in the food processor. Add all other ingredients and mix everything to combine.

2. Spoon the cake dough into small lined spring form tins (mine filled 4 tins).

3. Place the tins into preheated 180C oven and bake the cakes for 20min or so.

4. Meanwhile I made chocolate cake decorations. I must admit I got little rusty, because I have not done it for aaaaages! I melted some chocolate, poured into pouch I made out of backing paper and cut the hole in it so I could pipe the chocolate out. I lined a metal baking tin with backing paper and piped chocolate on it in the leaf shapes. Placed it in the freezer for few minutes to set. Done!5. Next up is decorating! Sandwich the cake by spreading whipped cream in between and then spread more on top and around to ice the cake. My tip is to really wait till the cakes are cool and trim the tops off, that really helps to make the cake square and therefore easy to ice.Once the cake is iced, decorate it by piping some more whipped cream on top, sprinkling with blueberries and arranging some chocolate decorations on top if you wish.Hope your baby likes it too ;-)

Rasa xx

Haddock Monte Carlo

By Rasa Pelham on October 8, 2016 in Break-the-fast, Lunch or Dinner, Recipes

Few weeks ago we went to Center Parcs for a weekend away and while there I had this wonderful breakfast called Haddock Monte Carlo. When at home I researched about this a little and it turns out its not a breakfast item! I still think it is better suited for breakfast however… you see, you kind of need to eat this as soon as it is cooked and this is not what we do for dinner. At least not in our family! But then again it depends how it works best for you. I like making slow cooker meals for dinner when I can just dish out the food when we are ready and for Saturday special breakfast I like to make something quickish that we eat as soon as it is ready. All I am saying that Haddock Monte Carlo is hard to time but in return it is quick to make!

Another thing I found is that Haddock Monte Carlo comes in different versions, some seem very complicated and needs a some prep the night before! I of course chose a recipe that I thought was the closest to what I ate on our holiday in Center Parcs. And it did turn out pretty much the same, except the recipe that I used was a difficult to understand. Thankfully, after making this dish I can tell how I made it so hopefully you have an easer time with it ;-).

HADDOCK MONTE CARLO adopted from Big Oven

Makes 3-4 portions

600g pealed potatoes (about 3 regular size potatoes)
2tsp wholegrain mustard
handful of chives, chopped
300ml double cream
50g butter (about 2 heaped tbsp)
2 shallots, chopped
3-4 smoked hadock fillets, undyed
250ml fish stock
250ml white wine
salt and pepper
3-4 eggs
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1. First things first, put the potatoes to boil. This takes the longest to do!

2. Once the potatoes are cooked, mash them and add mustard, chives (reserving some for later) and have of double cream. Mix again to make into creamy mash.3. Next up is haddock with sauce! Melt the butter in the frying pan and fry the shallots till golden. Fry the haddock fillets in the same pan on both sides for few seconds then add fish stock and wine. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the leftover cream and remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste.4. Meanwhile pouch the eggs. My tip is to do in in the shallow pan (like frying pan) and with a bit of vinegar added to the boiled but not boiling water.5. Put the mashed potato mixture in the centre of a plate and place the haddock on top. Put the poached egg on top of the fish and spoon the sauce over. Garnish with chopped chives and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Rasa xo

Pinterest challenge: easy baked Gnocchi with mozzarella and tomatoes

By Rasa Pelham on September 16, 2016 in Lunch or Dinner, Pinterest challenge, Recipes

I will be honest, it’s not our favourite meal I ever made but it is sure easy! I found it too tomatoey and Joni thought it was too plain (maybe bacon would sort it out!). But if you are fan of something basic and loaded with mozzarella cheese I think this dish might be for you ;-).

EASY BAKED GNOCCHI WITH TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA adopted from Floating Kitchen

500g gnocchi
2 tbsp olive oil
5 shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
300 cherry tomatoes (about one pack)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
handfull chopped basil
handfull chopped parsley
1 tbsp double cream
250g mozzarella cheese (about one pack)

1. First prep the sauce (while gnocchi is cooking away of course). heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the sliced shallots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, Herbs de Provence, cherry tomatoes, can chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the fresh herbs, cream and the cooked gnocchi. 2. Transfer about half of the gnocchi/tomato mixture to the baking dish. Top with about half of the torn mozzarella cheese. Then add the remaining gnocchi/tomato mixture and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Place the dish to 200C pre-heated oven and cook for 10 minutes. For the light crust place the dish under the grill for further 1-2 minutes.3.Top with additional fresh herbs if desired and serve. Hope you like it ;-)

Rasa xoxo

BBQ Lithuanian style

By Rasa Pelham on September 8, 2016 in From my childhood, Lithuanian, Outdoors, Recipes

I know I know, bbq season is almost over, but I could not help but share my favourite recipe of the year! I was so addicted to bbq this year that I probably made this at least five times I think. The recipe is adopted from my dad who made it while I was in Lithuania this year (and many times before when I was little). Its fairly easy to prep, just need to think of it the day before because it needs to marinate overnight. It’s pork unlike the other “shashlik” dishes in Middle East, but thats what makes it Lithuanian even though the name suggest otherwise. I love its freshness and the smell after marinating it overnight, it’s a must try!

ŠAŠLYKAI (SHASHLIK LITHUANIAN WAY) feeds at least 5

1.5kg pork, chopped into chunks for skewers (I used pork shoulder steaks)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, finelly chopped
2-3 chilli peppers, finelly chopped
1 handful fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp Herbs de Provence
salt and pepper to taste (be generous here)
juice of one lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, mix it well and cover it with plate so it is well compressed. Refrigerate the meat overnight. 2. The following day (can be even in the evening if you like), put the meat onto the skewers and you are ready to bbq. 3. Serve it with plain rice, green salad and good quality ketchup (it really makes all the difference). I hope you will find the time while the weather is still warm and enjoy it as much as I did ;-).

Rasa xoxo

Breakfast crepe

By Rasa Pelham on August 5, 2016 in Break-the-fast, Recipes

When in France we enjoyed the crepes a lot. They even have cafes called Creperie! Although they are more like a chain of cafeterias rather then a cafe dedicated to crepes. I of course wanted to recreate the experience one morning of eating my favourite crepe for breakfast. This is when I accidentally woke up earlier than Lukas (which does not happen very often unfortunately). I did not use 100% buckwheat flour like they would in France, but I thought 50/50 will do so I don’t pull all my hair out while making it. The results are here as follow ;-). BREAKFAST CREPE WITH HAM AND EGG makes 4 crepes

50g buckwheat flour
50g plain flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil + more for frying
salt and pepper to taste
about 200ml milk or water

1. I start with making the batter first. Place the flour into the bowl together with eggs, oil, salt and pepper. Whisk everything together into the dry mass. While whisking begin pouring the water (or milk) gradually into the flour mass (not all in one go because you might not need it all). You are aiming for a batter consistency that easily drips down the whisk when held up but still leave temporary traces when whisked. 2.You need to fry crepes in well heated pan with oil. Pour one spoonful to the pan and immediately start swirling round the pan to get nice even layer. I flipped my crepe to fry the other side, but this is completely unnecessary. Once the top is dry to touch you can add some ham and eggs on top and carry on frying just a little longer. 3. When the egg is done you can fold the edges and serve it warm.Enjoy

Rasa xoxo

My very-easy-peasy pesto salmon pouches

By Rasa Pelham on July 9, 2016 in Healthy, Lunch or Dinner, Recipes

I have been making this for quite a while and it has been our family favourite as it is full of flavour and very easy to make. It does not need added salt so its suitable for babies as well. Although we adults eat it with hollandaise sauce which does contain salt, but its completely fine eating it without. Ready to try? Recipe is bellow ;-).

PESTO SALMON POUCHES makes 4 servings

4 salmon fillets
a bag of baby spinach
pesto
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
hollandaise sauce (optional)

1. Steam spinach till it starts to wilt, about 2 min.

2. Split spinach into four and place it on separate foil squares (about 20cmX20cm), top it with salmon fillet, pesto and cherry tomatoes.

3. Wrap the salmon to close. Bake the pouches in 200C preheated oven for 25min. Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Ice cream for breakfast

By Rasa Pelham on May 27, 2016 in Break-the-fast, Drinks, Recipes, Summery

I’m feeling really really hopeful for the summer to come. Hey Summer, don’t keep us waiting here!

Anyways, I am still passionate about ice cream and not having great great weather does not put me off from having some for breakfast. This particular ice lolly I tried making the other day is actually specifically for breakfast. It’s pretty easy to make too! Just what you need when a sunny morning does finally come :-). For these breakfast ice lollies you will need mango lassi that can be bought, although it is so easy to make it yourself. This is how I made mine….

MANGO LASSI adapted from good old Jamie Oliver

3 cardamon pods, seeds out and crushed
1 ripe mango, pealed and chopped
250g natural yogurt
50g ice cubes (if serving straight away)
runny honey (just a drizzle)

1. Place all the ingredients into food processor, whizz a little and voila!2. Serve with fresh mint MANGO LASSI ICE LOLLIES

Mango lassi (recipe above)
Hand full of granola (can be shop bought as well)
Fresh mint, finely chopped

1. Mix the mint into the lassi.

2. Pour the lassi into ice lolly mould and sprinkle granola on top.

3. Freeze for at least 4 hours Happy hot weather longing ;-)

Rasa xoxo

Pinterest challenge: chicken peanut curry

By Rasa Pelham on April 23, 2016 in Lunch or Dinner, Pinterest challenge, Recipes

So here I am on the hunt for family recipes. Something simple, quick and mild! So even Lukas could eat it. I decided if I make a folder of recipes than it will be even easer to plan our meals and do Tesco order in lightning speed (well…not really, but still).

I chose this chicken peanut curry recipe because it is promising exactly that. Although it may not be a quick one to make, I found it easy to adapt it and cook it using slow cooker. So its ready when you are, just need to remember to prepare it sometime during the day (I usually do it during nap time). This chicken is also very mild, but flavoursome and Joni loves peanut butter! CHICKEN PEANUT CURRY adopted from Simply Recipes

600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks
80g plain flour
4 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
generous amount of oil for frying
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, sliced (optional)
1l chicken stock
200g crunchy peanut butter
juice of half lime
handful finely chopped coriander and mint for serving

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, curry powder, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces to coat.2. Fry the chicken in a large frying pan until the coating sets and browns a little. Once it is done place it into the slow cooker.

3. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and peanut butter on top of the chicken. Mix everything well to combine. Gradually whisk in the stock, stirring continuously to maintain an even texture.
4. Set the slow cooker on low, medium or high depending on when you are planning the dinner. I tend to set it on high if the dinner is served in three hours.

5. Right before serving add salt and lime juice to taste. Serve with rice and herbs on top.Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Heart beet potion

By Rasa Pelham on February 12, 2016 in Gift Giving, Healthy, Recipes

Lately we have been ill (me and Lukas, but not Joni). I mean we were not terribly sick, but had a lingering cold that we could not quite get rid off. My mum suggested drinking iron (apparently that improves blood therefore bugs don’t stick that much to it). She actually gave me a recipe for this drink that is packed with iron which contains some beetroot and alcohol. It kind of taste like a sweet liquor with earthy tones in it. I must admit I look forward to a shot of it everyday ;-). This is why I think this would make a perfect Valentine’s gift, because apparently beetroot has some natural aphrodisiac (well…apparently).

HEART BEET POTION

1 cup grated raw beetroot
1 cup grated raw carrot
1 cup honey
1 cup cognac
1 cup lemon

1. Place all ingredients into the jug and mix well. My mum says that it is ready for consumption straight away, but I prefer drinking it when it is without bits. Therefore I placed the jug into the fridge overnight and then sieved it the next day. 2. I poured it into the bottles (spirit bottles are the prettiest) and labeled for presentation. You are of course welcome to use my label printouts ;-).Happy Valentines weekend!

Rasa xoxo

Pinterest challenge: raw berry burst cheesecake

By Rasa Pelham on February 4, 2016 in Healthy, Pinterest challenge, Recipes, Sweet Treats

We called this a fake cheesecake as it actually has no cheese (or any other dairy)! But to my surprise it tasted very cheesecake like and they were quite addictive. I made them for friends get together and by the end of it it was all gone! I adjusted the recipe a little bit to make the process of making go quicker but you can’t skip soaking cashew nuts overnight (they become so creamy when pureed). So before you make them make sure to prepare for it the night before. Other than that I am already searching for another occasion to make them again ;-). RAW BERRY BURST CHEESECAKE adopted from Pure Ella

(for the base)

100g walnuts
110g raisins
3 tbsp water

(for the middle layer)

250g cashews
120g extra virgin coconut oil (important to get a quality one for the taste)
160ml agave nectar

(for the topping)

260g mixed berries (I used frozen ones)

1. First, soak the cashews for 4 hours or more in the fridge, or overnight.

2. Make the base, middle layer and the topping. For each layer combine all ingredients and whizz them in the processor in separate bowls. Make sure you process middle layer really well so it comes out all creamy. 3. Line the baking tin with grease paper and cover the bottom of it with the base layer. Follow it with middle layer and the topping. 4. Use the table spoon to smooth the top of the cheesecake. Pop the tin into the freezer for at least one hour or whenever you want to eat it (30 min before).5. When ready leave it to defrost it for 30 min before cutting it into squares. Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Courgette and goat cheese blinis

By Rasa Pelham on January 22, 2016 in Healthy, Lunch or Dinner, Recipes

This is another of my favourite breakfast at this moment (or lunch depending on when I have more time). I would say it’s healthy, unless you label fried things and diary are unhealthy. I love eating these little blinis with salmon as it works really well together :). But you of course are welcome to experiment!COURGETTE & GOAT CHEESE BLINIS

Serves 2

1 medium courgette, grated
125g goat cheese
2 eggs
2tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place all the ingredients into a measuring jug or a bowl and mix everything to combine.2. Heat up the oil and then spoon the mixture into the frying pan. Wait long enough so the blinis are set on the top and then carefully flip them to fry the another side. 3. Serve warm with yogurt (or creme fraiche if you are feeling noughty) and dill. Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Taste like peppermint crisp tart (for South Africans out there!)

By Rasa Pelham on December 14, 2015 in Recipes, Sweet Treats

When I lived in London my South African friends have introduced me to peppermint crisp tart that I fell in love from the first taste. Now when I moved to Bedford I don’t have that many opportunities to have this yumminess for dessert. Thats when I thought I could make it myself, although I knew that some ingredients can only be found in South African shops (which we have none here). This is what led me to make a similar tart that uses ingredients which can be easily found in my local Tesco (or any other supermarket).

The results? I was amazed myself, it tasted exactly the same (as far as I remember)! The only imperfection was that it was very loose as the cream did not hold it’s shape when cut. Originally South African peppermint is made in the dish and layered with biscuits, but I wanted to make it cheesecake style so it could hold the shape on it’s own (obviously I failed on that). Try it for yourself, just be warned it taste really rich so it is better consumed in small portions ;-). MINT CHOCOLATE CREAM TART

200g nice biscuits
100g butter, melted
500ml whipping cream
200g mint crisps
375 g caramelised condensed milk (a tin)
mint leaves for decoration

1. First make the base. Crumble the biscuits by hands or with the hand food processor. Combine the crumbs with melted butter and spread it onto the bottom and sides of lined spring form. Place it into the fridge for an hour. 2. Meanwhile make the cream filling. Whip cream until it is just starting to thicken. Add caramel and grated mint crisps and mix. 3. Spoon the filling onto the biscuit base and place the tart into the fridge to set overnight.4. Carefully remove tart from the spring form and decorate with mint leaves to make it pretty. Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Butternut squash & jam roly-poly

By Rasa Pelham on November 16, 2015 in Autumn, English, Recipes, Sweet Treats

Well… I have not posted here for a while! Motherhood turned out to be the hardest job I have ever done…

Only a month ago I imagined being a mother is going to be hard, but I thought I will still manage and blog while baby sleeps. Little did I know that when my baby sleeps I will want to sleep too! I also realised that decoding baby cues is a learned thing, not something that comes as an instinct (or at least it did not come as an instinct to me like I thought it would). I sometimes spend hours to figure what baby Lukas wants and sometimes I have a breakthrough and sometimes I just want to cry out of desperation :(.

Anyways during the weekend I had some luck and I managed to bake while my baby boy is sleeping. It may have taken me to do it in few baby sleeps, but I am totally proud of myself and the outcome! I wanted to bake this for quite a while, the idea of butternut squash and jam combination have been lingering in my mind for few months at least. So why butternut squash? Because I use butternut squash to replace the pumpkin (like here in the cupcakes)… because in England this is a rare vegetable to find… Hope you like this recipe I created :). Btw this is not a swiss roll, jam roly-poly is a British pudding that has a similar to shortbread consistency. So don’t expect a cakey spongy roll here! BUTTERNUT SQUASH & JAM ROLY-POLY

300g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground nutmeg
70g butternut squash puree (boil around 1/3 butternut squash and puree it)
70g butter, grated
100g caster sugar
40ml-70ml whole milk

1. First prepare the oven. We want to steam this pudding therefore put a deep roasting tin half filled with boiling water onto the bottom shelf of the oven, and make sure that there’s another shelf directly above it. Heat the oven to 170C.

2. In a bowl combine the flour together with baking powder, spices, butternut squash puree, butter and sugar. Kneed it roughly into dry mixture. Gradually add milk until the mixture turns into pastry like dough. 2. 3. Roll the dough on the floured surface into the square. Spread the jam all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge.4. Carefully lift the roll onto the piece of foil lined with baking paper. 5. Loosely bring up the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal. The roly-poly will puff quite a bit during cooking so don’t wrap it tightly. Lift the parcel directly onto the rack above the tin and cook for 1 hr.6. When baked, carefully open the foil and paper, and thickly slice to serve.Traditional jam roly-poly is served with custard, but I always prefer the ice-cream. Luckily I got some ;-) Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Green tomato chutney

By Rasa Pelham on October 9, 2015 in Autumn, English, Preserves, Recipes

I wanted to make green tomato chutney since I heard about it from my mum-in-law. What a great idea! I often failed to get my tomatoes ripe enough before autumn and they used to rot instead of being eaten. I so wish I knew I could use them!

Now my mum-in-law was staying over this week as Joni went away to Dublin. It was a great opportunity to make some green tomato chutney (especially when we had some green tomatoes in hand!). Joni’s mum pretty much made the chutney while i took few pics in between. She followed this recipe that she swears by (apparently the chutney using this recipe always turns out perfect). I forgot the title of that book, but will let you know once I get it.GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

1.8kg green tomatoes, roughly chopped
700g onions, pealed and chopped
450g cooking apples such as bramley, peeled, cored and chopped
600ml vinegar (we used malt vinegar)
8 red chillies (we used green chillies)
25g root ginger
225g raisins
2tsp salt
450g sugar (we used soft brown sugar)

1. Put the chopped tomatoes, onions and the apples in a large pan with half the vinegar. Bring to boil, then simmer for about 30min.

2. Add the chillies and root ginger into the pan, make sure you count them as you will need to fish them out later.

3. Add the raisins and cook, stirring from time to time until the mixture thickens, after about 1 hour.

4. Add the salt, sugar and the rest of the vinegar, stirring well till sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until the chutney thickens again.

5. Remove the chillies and ginger from the pot before potting and sealing (see how by clicking here). Leave to mature for 6 weeks. Happy weekend everyone!

Rasa xoxo

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