Easy scones

I love to eat scones slightly warm with a nice strawberry jam and clotted cream but you may also use a butter instead of it.


















"Easy scones"

- 230g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 dag butter
-100 ml milk
- 50 liqueur for  a nice smell

Mix all together with a food processor or just your fingers. Make a nice ball, roll out and cut into rounds using a cutter or a glass?
Place the scones on a baking sheet and bake them about 15 min until golden brown.

Cucumber and chilli salad

This is a delicious salad for a hot day. It goes very well with grilled dishes.


















Cucumber-chilli salad"

- 1 long fresh cucumber
- 1hot red chilli

for marinade:

- 100g sugar
- 1/2tsp salt
- 100 ml rice vinegar
- 100 ml water

Peel and trim cucumber. Cut it in a half, scoop out the seeds. Cut into thin slices.

Cut the chilli lengtways in half /wear the rubber gloves! ;)/, scrape out the seeds. Cut into very thin stripes.

Marinade:

Pour water in a small pot, add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolves. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat , add vinegar and let cool.
Combine all together in a bowl. Cover and marinade in a fridge at least for one hour.

Onion and coriander pasty

My grandma used to baked it in the evening, for a supper. I loved this smell from the oven...

















" Onion and coriander pasty"

- 500g white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 10g fast action yeast
-300 ml water, warm not hot

- 1 chopped onion
- 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander
- black pepper

Mix the flour, water, yeast and salt. Leave the dough for one hour to double.
Turn the dough to a floured surface, roll it and cut into 8 pieces. Place them on a baking tray. Put oil on the top and cover with a mix of an onion, coriander and mint. Wait another 30 min and bake in the oven 200stC for 20 min.

Tasty pancakes /racuszki ;)/

Love sweet, tasty pancakes.... unfortunately they have plenty of calories. But taste fantastic!

















"Racuszki"

- 1 1/2 glass white flour
- 1 yolk
- 1 spoon fast action east
- glass of milk //warm, not hot/
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3-4 spoons oil
- icing sugar to serve

Mix flour, sugar, yeast and milk. Wait a while, add a yolk and melted butter. Mix well again.
Wait 45 min until double.
 Heat oil on a pan and place the portions of dough into the pan. Cook from the both sides.
Serve with icing sugar.

Ciabatta bread

It is not SO easy to bake it. You need time and you need to be patient. I was. Most of the time I slept in a bed but my dough worked hard ;)
















"Ciabatta"

For the starter:
- 350g strong white flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 190ml warm water

For the dough:

- 450g strong white flour
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 330 ml warm water
- 50 ml olive oil
- 11/2 teaspoon salt

Starter: place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well for 5 min. Brush the inside of the bowl with oil, place the dough inside and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Leave it overnight.

In the morning make the dough. Sift flour into a bowl, add yeast, water, oil, salt and the starter. Knead the dough for a 10 minutes until you have a smooth ball.
Leave it to rise in a warm place for another 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 4 strips. Leave them for another 30 min.

Preheat the oven to 220 stC and flour a baking tray. Pick up ciabattas and turn it over and lay on the floured baking tray.  Bake for around 25 min.

Ufff... enjoy.

Italian style fast bread

I love freshly baked bread. Especially warm, with a butter on a top... This one will last for at least four days if wrapped in a plastic bag...
















"Italian style fast bread"

- 700g plain flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 10g fast action dried yeast
- 400 warm water
- 1 spoon oil

Mix the flour, salt and yeast with warm water. Knead for 10 min until smooth and elastic. Take a bowl, brush the inside with oil and place the dough inside. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 min then divide into two-thirds and one-third. Shape each into a ball and place on the oiled trays. Wait another 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 220stC. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross in the center of a bigger ball. Brush with a little water and place the smaller round on a top. Press a hole down through the centre of the top ball.

Bake for 40 min until brown.

Tart with raspberries

This is a very fast, tasty cake. Would be ready in 1 hour. We can use other fruits on a top.

















"Tart with raspberries."

For the pastry:

- 250g flour
- 150g butter
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp cognac

Mix all in a food food processor, make a ball and refrigerate for half an hour.

Filling:

- 200g creme fraiche
- 300g mascarpone
- 2 tbsp cognac
- 500g raspberries
- icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180stC. Roll out and use to line a 25 cm flan ring. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for 10 min. Remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10 min.

In a bowl whip together the creme fraiche and mascarpone adding the cognac in the end.

Spoon the mixture into the pastry case and pile on the raspberries. Sprinkle the tart with icing sugar in the end.

Chicken and asparagus soup

This is a very simple, tasty soup. It takes 10 min to prepare it?...

















"Chicken and asparagus soup"

- 1 chicken breast fillet
- 150g asparagus
- 1l chicken stock
- black pepper, salt, chili
- fresh coriander, chopped

Boil the stock in a pot. Add asparagus, wait 3-5 min, add chicken cut into thin slices and boil once more. Season well.
Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander.

Green pea and mint soup

Finally a bit warmer outside. A good moment for a cold soup... especially from a fresh green pea.


















"Green pea and mint soup"

- 5 dag butter
- 5 spring onions, chopped
- 500g frozen or fresh peas
- 500 ml vegetable stock or water
- 3 large sprigs of fresh mint
- salt, pepper
- pinch of sugar
- 500ml milk
- double cream to serve

In a saucepan heat a butter, add spring onion and cook until softened. Stir the peas into a pan, add stock or water and mint, cover and boil gently for 30 min.
Remove some peas for decoration.
Mix the soup until smooth, add milk, season well.
Chill in the refrigerator.

Beetroot and apricot soup

Beetroots are very popular in Poland. Usually we cook a soup named "barszcz" but this is another version...

















"Beetroot and apricot soup"

- 5 cooked beetroots, chopped
- 200g dried apricots
- 1 onion
- 500 ml chicken stock /ev. water/
- 250 ml orange jus
- salt, pepper

Place beetroots and half the onion in a pan, poor the stock and bring to boil. reduce the heat, cover and wait about 10 min. Cool a bit end mix it.
The second half the onion place in a pan with apricots and an orange jus. Cook for about 15 min, add water if necessary. Puree in a food processor.
Return the two mixtures to the pan and reheat. Season well. You can also serve separately on one plate.

Spinach roulade

The picture is not the best one... my daughter took it ;)













"Spinach and coriander roulade"

- 1 kg fresh spinach
- 20g soft butter
- 4 eggs, separated
- 3tbsp sour cream
- 200g soft white cheese
- garlic/ 2 gloves/
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- salt, pepper

Boil in a large saucepan with a 2/3 glass of water spinach for a 5 min. Drain thoroughly and mix in  food processor with 4 yolks. Season well.
Whisk the egg whites and fold them into the spinach mixture.
Grease well a tin. Spread spinach in the tin and and bake for 15 min in a preheated oven.
In a meantime prepare the filling. Place the cheese in a bowl and stirring in the cream and coriander and chopped garlic. Add salt and pepper.
Spread the filling on the roulade. Roll carefully.
Serve cut into slices.

Haddock with poached eggs

- 1 kg potatoes
-2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp butter
--2 tbsp creme fraiche
- 4 smoked haddock fillets
- 200 ml milk
- 4 eggs
- salt, pepper
- 1 spoon vinegar












Boil the potatoes for 20 min until tender. Drain, crush, add spring onion, butter and cream. Keep warm.
Put milk in a large frying pan and add the fish. Boil slightly for 5 min.
In another pan boil the water with 1 spoon of vinegar, swirl the water with a spoon and crack in four eggs. Simmer for 3 min.

Serve the haddock on top of the potatoes topped with the egg.