Fish piccata

Piccata, sautéed protein in a lemon butter sauce is a classic and simple Italian preparation. It is amazing how a few simple ingredients can come together making such a delicious treat in no time at all. I decided to make a fish piccata with the beautiful Nile perch I bought from the market. The golden fried fish in the creamy buttery lemon sauce was amazing. And I loved the piquant of the capers and the heat of the peppercorns in the bites. A delicious yet light and simple meal it was.

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

400g Nile perch fillet

2tbsp capers

1sp green peppercorns

1 lemon juice

1cup fish stock

3tbsp butter

Olive oil, salt, pepper

METHOD:

1.      Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper.

2.      Heat olive oil and 1tbsp of butter in a pan.

3.      Fry the fish fillets until golden brown on both side (2-3 minutes per side) and set aside.

4.      In the same pan, add the fish stock, lemon juice, capers, and peppercorns. Simmer until the liquids reduce to half. Stir in the butter.

5.      Pour the sauce over the fish.

Mango Panna Cotta

I wanted some easy simple and no-bake Italian dessert. And the panna cotta idea sounded great. I had some mango pulp can and decided to make mango panna cotta instead of a plain one. The first idea was to mix the mango pulp in the milk-cream mixture. Then I thought better. Why do not I make two separate mixtures and pour them in a beautiful layer? And why to de-mold it? Instead I will use some wine glasses. I had seen some pictures of some layered desserts (I think it was Tiramisu) served in glass, and decided to use the idea. It was smooth and creamy, fragrant with mango and cardamom. It looked great and tasted even better. What a yummy creamy evening!

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 12)

400ml milk

400ml cream

200ml mango pulp

Gelatin for 1lt liquid

8-10 cardamom pods

1/2cup sugar

Chopped almonds for garnishing

METHOD:

1.       Toast the cardamom pods. Crush gently and remove the seeds from within. Pound into a fine powder with mortar and pestle.

2.       Mix 250ml milk and 250ml cream in a pot and add half the cardamom powder. Bring the milk-cream to a lukewarm temperature.

3.       In the meantime, prepare the gelatin according to directions on the packet for 500ml of liquid.

4.       Take the milk-cream off the stove. Add sugar and dissolve it. Add the gelatin until completely dissolved.

5.       Pour equal porting of the mixture in little serving bowls/dessert glass/wine glass etc (or in a tray if the plan is to de-mold and cut later while serving).

6.       Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours (or until set).

7.       Mix 200ml mango pulp, 150ml milk, and 150ml cream. Add cardamom powder.

8.       Put it on low heat and warm it to lukewarm temperature.

9.       Prepare gelatin for 500ml of liquid according to directions on the packet.

10.   Remove mango mixture from heat. Add sugar if necessary and dissolve.

11.   Mix with gelatin until the gelatin dissolves completely.

12.   Remove the panna cotta from the fridge and unwrap. Top each serving with equal amount of mango mixture.

13.   Cover again and refrigerate for another 2-4 hours (or until set).

14.   Garnish with chopped almonds and served chilled.

Spinach lasagna

I like lasagna and decided to make some variations from the classic one with meat sauce. Making a spinach sauce was good idea. A search over the internet displayed many recipes most of which use mushrooms along with spinach. I, however, decided to use only spinach. Sour cream gave a nice creamy taste and texture. It was creamy, juicy and cheesy crunchy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack lasagna sheets (500g)
500g spinach
500g sour cream
250g cheese (Parmesan or Gouda or any other light cheese)
1/2cup breadcrumbs
125g butter
150g four
1lt milk
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

METHOD:

1. Cook the lasagna as per instructions on the packet if required.
2. Heat oil in a wok and add the breadcrumbs.
3. Let it brown a bit with constant stirring.
4. Add the spinach, salt and pepper.
5. Cook until the spinach is dry and it wilts to form a mass.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In the mean time, heat butter in a separate pan.
8. Add the flour and let it brown stirring continuously.
9. When it starts frothing, add the milk slowly stirring continuously. Take care so that no lumps are formed.
10. Add freshly ground pepper, salt, and nutmeg when it starts boiling.
11. Cook for 10 minutes more or until it reaches a creamy consistency.
12. Now mix uniformly the sour cream with the spinach when the later is a bit colder.
13. Grate the cheese.
14. Make a deep baking tray ready with baking paper.
15. Arrange a layer of lasagna sheets.
16. Add a layer of the creamy spinach and the white sauce. The amount of creamy spinach should be more than the white sauce.
17. Make several layers (3-4 with these quantities).
18. Cover it with another layer of lasagna sheets. Smear it with white sauce and sprinkle cheese generously.
19. Bake it in preheated oven at 180˙C for 45 minutes.
20. Take out from oven and let it stand for a few minutes before serving.

NOTE:
Do not add too much of the white sauce in each layer so that the taste is not too floury.

Lasagna

Back in Pune, I would go shopping at the supermarkets, and among the pastas in all shapes and colors, the lasagna sheets would tempt me. But, staying in a hostel, without a proper place to cook, I had to resist my temptation. Soon after I came here in Slovenia, my craving for lasagna resumed. And finally I got this nice recipe of classic meat lasagna. I love the tangy taste of the meat sauce, and the white sauce making it more creamy and juicy. As it gets baked in the oven, the meaty cheesy aroma entices the senses; and the molten cheese on top and the golden brown crispy edges makes it completely irresistible.
The interesting thing about lasagna is that it can be frozen easily. So one can make double the amount of meat sauce at once and freeze half of it for later or even use it as a pasta sauce. And the possibilities of using various kinds of sauces other than the classic meat one, makes it interesting to cook.

INGREDIENTS:

2 packs of Lasagna sheets
Grated cheese (Parmesan, Gauda, and any other light cheese) – according to taste (I love it cheesy and generally mix two kinds)
Salt
Oil
Classic Meat sauce:
500g minced meat
500g tomato puree
1 small carrot or any other root (like celery)
1 small onion
Bay leaf
White sauce:
50g butter
50g flour
1/2lit milk (or more according to consistency preferred)
Pepper
Nutmeg

MEHOD:

Classic meat sauce:
1. Grate the carrot or any other root you are using, and finely chop the onion.
2. In a pot, heat oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until transparent. Add the bay leaves.
3. Now add the minced meat and grated carrot and mix well. The meat will leave water, cook until the water dries.
4. When it is dry, add the tomato puree and cook covered for 45 min on low heat.
5. Now the meat sauce is ready. One can prepare this the previous day, also prepare in excess quantity and freeze for later use.

White sauce:
6. In a pan, add the butter.
7. When it melts, add the flour and mix well.
8. As it starts frothing, start adding the milk slowly while stirring continuously. Care should be taken such that no lumps are formed (maybe use a hand egg beater).
9. When it starts boiling, add ground pepper, nutmeg and salt. Cook for 5-10 more minutes until a creamy viscous consistency is reached.
10. Now before making the layers, set the oven at 200°C.

Lasagna:
11. Prepare the lasagna sheets according to the instructions on the packet. I used lasagna that needs no precooking.
12. Line a baking tray with a baking sheet, and start making the layers.
13. Make a layer of lasagna sheets. Cover it with a layer of meat. It is not necessary to make a complete thick layer of meat; just make sure to brush every corner of the lasagna sheets with the meat gravy to make it juicy. Now spread one layer of white sauce.
14. Repeat this five times, i.e. five layers of each. Now cover with another layer of lasagna sheets and generously spread grated cheese on top.
15. Bake it for 20mins (both sides) at 200°C, the cheese will melt and edges will become nice crunchy. Then turn off the oven, but leave the lasagna inside for 10 more minutes, allowing it to settle down.