Pumpkin Souffle

Took me a while to come back, didn't it? As you might know I was on a 5 week journey across Asia, which took off most of my time. But here I am, with an easy treat for the winter days ahead.

Where I come from, Croatia, pumpkins are still generally treated as hog food :). We still have fields of pumpkins grown just to feed the pigs in the backyard. If I was to tell me grandma that I made a pumpkin pie she'd just look at me and say "Eeeeee.....hmmmmm.....ok, if you say so, but don't offer it to me". Yet I managed to get grandpa to plant a few in the garden. \(^.^)/ So now, when they are well ripe and ready to be used, it's a perfect time to share some of the recipes I've tried. Among all the pie, bread, cake and cheesecake recipes you will find online, you'll always end up having extra pumpkin. What to do with it? Try this one! It was invented with the scrapes I had left. :)
It's rather spongy, tasty and just a bit salty - in my opinion a well bound combination when pumpkins are involved. Just mind that this one needs to be served immediately ;). And care... Hot hot hot!

Medicinal Herbs: Nettle Syrup

Recently we've been more into the good old stuff :), the juices, marmalade's, dishes and recipes our grandmothers did. We're again devoting ourselves to the vertical garden and growing our own vegetables organically. We started analyzing medicinal herbs and wild fruits to treat common diseases or problems, without the usage of drugs.

Spring in general is a great time to collect several herbs, however an inexperienced eye might take the wrong ones. That's why there's a safe bet for you - Wild Stinging Nettle. A multifunctional herb that is both good for you and your plants/vegetables. Full of vitamins K, B2 and C; minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium; Nettle is a great source of fundamental substances your body will benefit from.

In Croatia and all Eastern Europe, nettle was used since long ago in folk medicine as a remedy for renal and liver problems - such as inflammations, kidney and bladder stones, anemia. It's roots were even used as the main substance to prevent hair fall, while the extract is used to regulate sugar levels in the blood. Moreover in agriculture - soaked overnight in a bucket of water it becomes a great insecticide. Left in water for 3-5 days and it dissolves into a natural and powerful compost for your plants. Boiled for a few minutes and it's a natural resource of iron and minerals, which your body will benefit from.

In this post you will find an easy and tasty Syrup recipe, which then diluted with water makes a yummy, healthy and refreshing juice. Try it before you say no :) they say healthy things taste bad - well this one for sure doesn't! ;)

Chocolate, Almonds and Hazelnuts Cake: Nuts for this one!

In the last two years I made quite a number of different birthday cakes, over 30 of them, with all kinds of ingredients and recipes. Among all of them there was one that topped them all, gone before i could turn around :). The cake came out as a derivation from the middle layer of the Aikido Birthday Cake, which was the most praised layer in that project, and was meant for Sensei's birthday. It might not be the easiest and fastest I've done, but was for sure worth it! Try it out and let me know how long it was on the plate (^.^).

The pastry is rather easy, made out of nuts and egg whites, while the cream are blend of vanilla or chocolate, nuts and creamy yogurt for a special aroma.

Yummy Oat Breakfast

Why don't you treat yourself this weekend with a different breakfast? After a busy week, full of stress and quick (not always healthy) food, the weekend is a perfect time to pay a little more attention to your body. They are extremely high in fiber, especially when eaten whole, and they contain a number of other useful vitamins and minerals, not to mention proteins. Oat flakes will be a benefit to your digestion, cleansing your intestines of toxins and helping you reduce the bad cholesterol.

Lately we've been having oat flakes for breakfast every weekend, and now i cannot wait for a new one to come :). It's yummy and simple, plus your body will be grateful ;). Keep in mind that this is not my recipe, it's Senpai's. This one is a speciality of his - enjoy it!

Stuffed Zucchini

Here's an easy one to try! Quick to the hand, great on the taste, you will not regret it ;).

Stuffed, roasted vegetables are delicious and healthy. A few drops of olive oil will bake it faster yet keep all the flavours intact, while the juices from the vegetables will keep them moist. Eaten right away or cooled down for a bento - it's up to you!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!! May it bring you health and luck, a strong will and a light foot :). We all have inside us the power to change the world around us, we just need the courage to take the first step. So get up, set your mind and go get your dreams! It might be tough, but it will be worth it!

From this side of the world, I will try my best and bring you more recipes to try out ;). If you have any recipe you'd like me to write down feel free to email me and I'll come back to you with the guide. ;)
Here's a small preview of what's in store already...

Bento: Totoro

Today's Bento was a pleasure to make and eat (^.^). Woke up at 5.30 in the morning yet still in the end I was late for work :D
But  hey! I enjoyed every single step of it! This one definitely made my day better :).
Here's my new and best attempt at making a Totoro themed Bento. I got so carried away that this time I made two Totoro boxes. Usually only my Senpai gets an O'Bento, while I eat it plain old :). Well not today :) This one was so easy to make that you might have a problem stopping making Makurokurosuke :D. Besides you get to see the results so soon that you assemble the rest with a big smile :)!

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

So, as promised here's the first Zucchini recipe. :)
Since my garden is in bloom and the Zucchini plant has a lot of flowers that don't grow into a fruit, I decided to use them instead ;). It might sound strange to some of you, but zucchini flowers are edible. In fact their delicate flavour and sweet taste places them as special dishes in many extravagant restaurants.

The main disadvantage to their more frequent usage, is their frail nature. They grow, flower and die in a matter of few days. Once picked they can last two days at most if kept unwashed - in a dry, cold and dark place. Water damages the petals and contributes to a much faster putrefaction. Sometimes I find rotten flowers still attached to the peduncle after a light rain, which were still great just before it.

This recipe is quite a great one, originally made by Andrew Blake. Zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh cheese, and then fried to a crispy state in beer butter. Mmmmm... just thinking about it makes me hungry! (and it's lunch time ;) )

Vertical Garden

I mentioned some time ago that we've been working a lot on our vertical garden, didn't I? Well it's in its' full bloom now. Overcrowded as it is - Zucchini, Cucumbers and Tomatoes spilling out of it... pumpkins growing over the roof... herbs flowering and seeding.

Each morning, when approaching the terrace, quietly... you can hear a silent, deep, rhythmic whisper. Sounds like a jungle voice calling out "Uga chaka, Uga chaka, Uga chaka". And then, just as you open the curtains, there's a general confusion for a second! Shadows dance around for a lingering moment. Each of them searching it's own hiding place. Under a leaf! Behind a pot! Surely - I must have adopted some Makurokurosuke :D

Egg Rolls: Salmon and fresh goat cheese

It's summer, the perfect time to use as much raw food as possible. Salads, fruits, vegetables... so many fresh ingredients are now at their ripe time. And with our vertical garden growing bigger each day, we can enjoy raw food at it's most. So today, let's not waste time at the stove but rather make something quick, simple to digest and ideal to give calories to a salad - Egg Rolls.

Ever since my first encounter with Sushi and the Bento world, egg rolls where a big question mark to me. Always looking so yummy and so bright - nothing but a nice touch of yellow in a otherwise pale plate. For as long as I can remember scrambled eggs were thick, easily broken and flexible as Styrofoam can be - so how could they use them so roundly and nicely?
....google...google...gooogle.. :) Just by adding a spoon of sake, or even easier a small amount of starch and taa-daaa: your eggs can be formed into a perfect sheet - ready to be rolled! Whether used for sushi, decorating your Bento or filling in with your favourite ingredients, it will definitely give your dishes a fresh and appealing color!

Bento: Berserk - Puck Emoticon

Here's today's Bento! Everyone, meet Puck, the funny elf that follows Guts wherever he goes. For those of you that know him, I'm sure you can think of at least 3 different sketches and funny faces he makes. :) One of my favorites was this one - made in Volume 24, page 20, as a response to Ishidoro's epic declaration { -.-}. How I laughed out loud when I read it! :D

For those who don't know him here's a pretty elaborate dossier of this little fella - one of the main character in Berserk's manga, by Kentarou Miura, rated as one of the top 5 best mangas in almost every rating I could find. (In Example here) The plot centers around Guts, the Black Swordsman, who wanders around in a medieval world slaying demons as they are attracted to a demonic mark on his neck. To his help he has inhuman strength gained from a harsh childhood lived with mercenaries, a gigantic sword, an iron prosthetic left hand and the elf Puck. Check it out, but mind it's not material for underage readers - it can be pretty violent and harsh at times.

Carrot Cake

Summer time in it's full season - creamy cakes and delicate desserts are not the best choice for this time in the year, are they? And yet there are plenty of options available for all those who wish for smth sweet and yet not too heavy.

The original recipe of this cake has been given to me by one of my fellow candidates during the culinary TV show I attended. She made a great impression with it, and we all immediately asked for the recipe! :) This is my version, I hope you will like it (^.^)

Tonkotsu Ramen #4: Toppings

The final step - Toppings! And your Ramen is ready to be enjoyed.
Based on your liking the topping can vary from the whole range of vegetables, cheese, eggs, nori, mushrooms and so on.
Even thou one could add many different ingredients, it is still important to keep track of the flavours, trying to stick with one or two dominant flavours, and arrange the rest to fit it.

In this case the dominant flavour is the meat. Second to it are the shitake mushrooms, the rest just completes the palette ;).

Tonkotsu Ramen #3: Meat

Among all the toppings in your Ramen, one is surely very important - the meat.
A bite of a tasty piece of meat can change the whole experience when eating Ramen. For this reason I prefer slow cooking my meat, allowing it to drink up all the juices and taste.

Professional chefs surely know how to accomplish it in an instant. I'm not such, so I rather go the old fashioned way :).

Tonkotsu Ramen #2: Noodles

This is the second step in making a great Ramen - homemade ramen noodles.

Very easy to make, this recipe gives you smooth, tasty, tender noodles. A much better option in comparison to the ones you buy in stores.

They can be used immediately, prepared a day ahead or even dried out for future use. Whichever suits you the best!

Tonkotsu Ramen #1: Soup Stock

This is the first step in making a great Tonkotsu Ramen (or Pork Bone Ramen) - the soup stock.
Taking up to 6h of your time, it is the base and thus non avoidable step. However, since the soup will be cooking for at least 5h while needing little attention, you can use those hours to prepare the other ingredients, or on the other hand.... just do whatever you wish to. (^.^)

It's Ramen time!!!

Mmmmm...Ramen dattebayo! Ever since I started watching Naruto I got intrigued by this dish, who wouldn't when that little clumsy ninja never says no to one. :) Well, can't blame him - a big pot full of soup and other delicious ingredients just can't be bad right? And it definitely is not! After trying it in Toronto I got the Naruto fever and decided to make my own :).

Now, this is not a quick recipe, it's the old fashioned make it from scratch - soup stock and all.
If you want to make it easier you can use dehydrated soup stocks (dashi) and ready to use noodles, but those will be taken into account in another post ;).
This one is a long, delicious, homemade ramen :) , soup base: pork.

(divided into a couple of posts to make it easier to read - let me know if you want me to combine them into one)

Chocolate chips - Cake cover

As promised here I am with a new post and it's time for chocolate! :)
Few months ago while browsing one of my favorite sites, I ended up on a rather interesting decoration - chocolate chips with a Totoro design. Instantly an idea popped in my mind - this is perfect for the cake I'm planning!
At that time I was planning my sister's 30.bday cake, and the chocolate chips gave me the freedom yet precision I was looking for in it's decoration. It took some planning, a steady hand and several hours but the result was more than satisfying!

Oven Baked Mackerel with new potatoes and dried tomatoes

Wohoho. It's been a while now both for writing and cooking. Also it looks as if it will be a while more as well.

It just happens that when you love cooking that much - carefully picking the ingredients comes just naturally, and with nowadays available selection you start thinking what and where to buy it. Long story short (trust me it could be rather long, way back to my childhood :)), we're building a vertical garden on our terrace!

We already have tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, strawberries, herbs, salads and more, growing in small pots. Not to mention medical herbs, flowers, bamboos, a japanese red maple and a wisteria. All waiting up for this weekend, when we'll be assembling the construction that should feed us with fresh fruits, vegetables and spices for the next few months \(^.^)/.

The planning and researching took most of my time, so here am I today, sharing a simple yet tasty recipe - both to cook and to write (^.^).

P.S.

If you wish me to share more info on the vertical garden, aka green wall with drip irrigation system, just say so ;)

1000 views :)

And there it is!!! A 1000 hits on this blog :D
To be honest I didn't expect it so soon :)

Thank you everyone! :)
Especially to all the viewers from Croatia, Turkey and Russia.
You've been visiting me the most ... thank you!

\(^.^)/\(^.^)/

P.S.
As a small preview of what's coming up next...
- Pork Ramen (just like Naruto likes it) (posted)
- Carrot Cake (posted)
- Oven-baked Mackerel (posted)
- Chocolate Cake decoration (posted)