Coffolate Shortcake

A very tasty shortcake, perfect for an Easter table. I have never tried such shortcakes, as my family was used to such Easter shortcakes (which are, indeed very tasty too), but this year I decided to try something new and I am not dissapointed. Try, try, it is worth it ! :)

Recipe, slightly changed, comes from this website.

Ingredients (for a 20x30cm baking pan):

Bottom:

• 170g of flour
• 80g of potato starch
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 50g of sugar
• 150g of cold margarine
• 1 egg

Top:

• 200g of cherries
• 25g of milk chocolate

Frosting:

• 125ml of 36% cream
• 1 teaspoon of instant coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
• 30g of margarine
• 200g of white chocolate

Preparation:

Bottom:

1. Take a bowl, sieve flour and potato starch inside. Add sugar and margarine (cut into cubes). Knead or mix well. Add egg and knead again till well combined.
2. Make a bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for an hour.
3. During that time, prepare the kitchen surface, to roll out the dough.
4. Start preheating the oven to 160C.
5. Take the cake out and roll out. 
6. Put in the baking pan, on the entire bottom + 1cm sides.
7. Using a fork, make holes on the entire bottom.
8. Put in previously preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes till gold.
9. Cool down.

Frosting:

1. Take a pan, put cream inside, add coffee and cardamom and heat, till it all dissolves. Stop heating, add butter and chocolate, stir till it all melts (if it is hard - heat it up a little bit).
2. Pour it on previously cooled down shortcake bottom and put in a cold place for an hour so that it stiffens.
3. Put pieces of cherries in any pattern desired, decorate.
4. Melt remaining milk chocolate and distribute all over the shortcake.
5. Store in room temperature.
6. Bon Appetit! :)

Spicy Pineapple Smoothie

The idea for this smoothie seems to be more than obvious and not a real 'discovery'.
That's an outstanding taste, discovered totally accidentally, out of taste-boredom :) I won't dare to comment on the easiness of the preparation ;)

Worth trying!

Recipe is my own idea.

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 pineapple, peeled, chopped
• 1-2 pinches of ground: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Optional ingredients:

• ice cubes
• 1-3 tablespoons of natural/greek yoghurt (I didn't add it)

Top decoration:

• whipped cream

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop the pineapple.
2. Take a blender with its cutting cube, add few pieces of pineapple, mix till smooth. Add another pieces, mix again - repeat till all the pineapple pieces are gone.
3. Add optional ingredients, mix.
4. Add spices, mix.
5. Pour to a latte glass. Decorate.
6. Bon Appetit! :)

Raspberry Lassi

This is sort of an idea for Mango Lassi leftovers or for something new, when you're bored with basic version. :) Worth trying, the taste is more intense thanks to raspberries. Recipe - my own idea, using what I have in my fridge :)

Ingredients (for 2 glasses):

• 1 mango
• 200-300 g of raspberries
• 1/2-1 greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt (around 150-300 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of Golden Syrup or honey
• 1 glass of cold/room temperature water (add only 1/2 glass of cold water if using ice cubes)

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1-2 pinch(es) of ground cardamom (definitely worth trying)
• 2-5 ice cubes
• mint leaves

Preparation:

1. Wash all the fruit and put on paper towels to dry.
2. If preparing it in a cold version - put the fruit in the freezer.
3. Take a blender and its cube cutter.
4. Wash and peel mango. Chop.
5. Put inside the cube cutter and mix till smooth.
6. Add raspberries, mix till smooth.
7. Add yoghurt, mix.
8. Add Golden Syrup/honey, sugar, water, ice cubes, cardamom. Mix again till smooth or even longer, to make a foam.
9. Decorate for instance with mint leaves.
10. Bon Appetit! :)

Mango Lassi

 After a quite long holiday break, it is time for something new and refreshing as we are still in holiday mood :)

Mango Lassi, deriving from India, it is based on a Mango fruit with yoghurt and water. Easy to prepare, will pamper your palate :) 

I haven't taken the recipe from anywhere, I've just read on the Internet about this drink and created my own recipe. It is possible to prepare as a cold coctail, as a soft drink or with alcohol.

Ingredients (for 2-4 glasses - depending on the size of the glass):

• 2 mangos
• 1 greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt (around 300 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of Golden Syrup or honey
• 1 glass of cold/room temperature water (add only 1/2 glass of cold water if using ice cubes)

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1-2 pinch(es) of ground cardamom (definitely worth trying)
• 2-5 ice cubes
• 20-25 ml of Vanilla Vodka or Malibu
• mint leaves

Useful info:

• While using Golden Syrup it is advisable to heat it a little bit - for example by putting the right amount of it in a small bowl and then that bowl in another, with hot water.
• If the mango is really really ripe - then the sugar isn't that necessary, because the more ripe the fruit is the more sugar it contains.
• Trying things while preparing them is really a useful skill - you can decide on your own whether you want the taste of the fruit to be dominant or rather the yoghurt, etc. With coctails such as Mango Lassi, just add all the ingredients gratually, mix and taste it, using a clean spoon each time you try it, to make it suitable for you.

Preparation:

1. If preparing it in a cold version - put mangos in the freezer.
2. Take a blender and its cube cutter.
3. Wash and peel mangos. Chop.
4. Put inside the cube cutter and mix till smooth.
5. Add yoghurt, mix.
6. Add Golden Syrup/honey, sugar, water, ice cubes, cardamom. Mix again till smooth or even longer, to make a foam.
7. Decorate for instance with mint leaves.
8. Bon Appetit! :)

Cod Pilaf

Pilaf, (also known as pulaw, pulao, polow, plov and pilav) came across while looking for an unusual way of preparing a meal. A very weird-looking recipe from http://www.kwestiasmaku.com/dania_dla_dwojga/pilaf_z_jajkiem_dorszem/przepis.htm has gained the name 'The fushion of flavours' because, indeed, it undoubtedly is. 

Definitely worth trying!

Ingredients (4 portions):

• 200 g (2 bags) of rice
• 2-3 tablespoons of raisins (= sultanas)
• 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons of almond flakes (might be slightly browned on the frying pan)
• spices: 1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 5-7 cardamom seeds (powder might be used instead, but then not more than 2 teaspoons), 2 teaspoons of Sichuan Pepper (I used basic, classic, black one instead), 3 teaspoons of yellow curcuma, 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 of the lemon or lime
• 300-500 g of cod fillets
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 boiled eggs, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Take a pot, pour water inside, salt it. Boil. When the water reaches 100C, add rice. Boil it for 10-15 minutes, till the rice gets soft.
2. Take a quite big casserole, cut the rice bag and put the rice inside.
3. Turn on the oven and start preheating it to 150C.
4. Take the cod, wash it, cut it into smaller pieces, sprinkle with pepper and salt.
5. Mix the rice with raisins, parsley, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, 2 teaspoons of curcuma. Stir. Add bay leaves and lime/lemon wedges.
6. Put the cod in the casserole, sprinkle with the last teaspoon of curcuma and with oil.
7. Cover the casserole with foil and put in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
8. If the fish is not ready after spending 30 minutes in hot oven, take the foil off and bake for additional 3-5 minutes.
9. Add the eggs, cut into wedges.
10. Bon Appetit! :)