Spiced pumpkin soup

With all the pumpkin carving happening at home, I ended up with loads of fresh pumpkin.

This soup is simple, creamy and delicious...

Eggplant Parmigiana

This is an amazing mediterranean dish.  Very healthy and extremely tasty.  I promise you will keep doing this recipe over and over either as an appetizer, side dish or main course.  I just can't keep my hands off this one!

The method might look a little overwhelming at first but it is not.

Believe me it's worth the preparation time!



Ingredients

    Eggplant 1.5 kg
    Onions 2
    Basil a few leaves
    Parmesan cheese 150g
    olive oil 
    coarse salt 100g
    Salt to taste
    Cheese (smoked) or mozzarella 500g
    Garlic 1 clove
    Tomatoes concentrate 2 tablespoons 
    Tomato puree' 1.4 lt

Method:

Let’s start with the tomato sauce

• In a pan pour some oil, and add the garlic and onion. Fry for a few minutes, then add the puree’ and the tomato paste dissolved in a little water, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sauce thickens

•  When the sauce has thickened, add the basil leaves and turn off the heat. Cut the cheese into thin slices

•  Wash and dry the eggplants and cut them into 1 inch thick slices lengthwise

• Arrange in layers in a large colander and sprinkle each layer with coarse salt. 

•  Let rest your eggplant slices for at least 1 hour, so that they release all the bitter liquid that produce. After an hour remove from the bowl, rinse thoroughly under running water and dry thoroughly.

• In a large skillet pour abundant oil, then fry the eggplant, a few at a time so as not to lower the temperature of the oil ;  turn them from both sides then drain on a sheet of absorbent paper.

• Grease a 15x20 baking dish with oil with the aid of a brush from the kitchen and sprinkle the bottom with a little sauce 

• Lay three slices of eggplant, a bit of sauce and grated Parmesan and a layer of sliced ​​cheese

• Place another layer of eggplant and one of sauce, then again Parmesan, slices of cheese and start with a layer of eggplant.

•  Continue until all ingredients are used, ending with eggplant. Cover with the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese. 

•  Bake in preheated oven at 200 ° for 40 minutes (if ventilated at 180 ° for 30-35 minutes).
•    Let it rest for some minutes and serve warm or cold!

 

Pasta with mushroom, bacon & ġbejna (goat cheese)

Ingredients

• 200 g mushrooms
• 50 g smoked bacon cut in cubes
• rosemary
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 50 ml dry white wine
• sale
• 250 g pasta
• 1 peppered goat cheese

  Method

• Wash mushrooms and slice
• Cut the bacon in cubes
• Wash the rosemary and finely chop
• In a pan add the olive oil together with a clove of garlic.  Cook on medium heat until golden, then add the bacon and rosemary.  Cook on high until nearly crispy. 

•   Remove the garlic and add the mushrooms.  Cook on high for some minutes, add the white wine and cook until reduced.

• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Add spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to type of pasta.
• Add a little bit of the boiling water to the bacon and mushrooms mixture.
• Sieve pasta and add to the mixture.
• Heat through.  Add sliced peppered goat cheese and mix until it melts.

Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Borscht - Beetroot soup with Maltese sausage

This is a classic Ukranian soup with a Maltese touch.  You can ommit the sausage for a truly authentic vegitarian dish.  In this recipe I replaced the maltese sausage with pork.

Ingredients

4 Maltese sausages or pieces of pork cut in cubes
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
170g tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 vegetable cube
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method

Crumble the sausage (if using) into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
 
Fill a large pot halfway with water(about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the sausage, and cover the pot. Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage.
 
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water with vegetable cube until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
 
Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.

Simple bread machine chocolate cake

This is a super easy no hassle yummy chocolate cake you can whip up in no time in a break machine.

Coconut rice with mango

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk

Water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon molasses (optional)

1 cup basmati rice

1 mango sliced

Method:

In a saucepan, put the coconut milk and the same amount of water.

Add sugar and molasses if using and stir on low heat. 

When the coconut milk starts to boil, add the rice and cook on low for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. 

Serve in bowls with slices of mango on top. 

Home-made Play dough

I know this has nothing to do with food, but a lot of people who saw my homemade playdough have been asking me for the recipie and so here it is...

Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt

This is a very simple recipe which can be prepared in no time for breakfast, snack or desert.