FISH AND LEEK PIE

I love pies.Have I mentioned it before?

Pies are not a Polish thing,maybe it has changed now, but they never used to be. I ate my first one after moving to England. It was a fish and leek pie served by my English friend when she invited me for a dinner to her house. When I got it on my plate, I didn't have a clue what it was or what to expect but I appreciated that someone had cooked for me.I tried the first mouthful....the second......and third.....I'd never known that taste before.That creaminess, herbs, warmth. I got hooked!

 

After that night I started discovering English food, not the one sold in takeaways, the REAL English food, food with traditions.It turns out that England has more to boast about than fish and chips and mushy peas(eyyykkk). England is one, big PIE KINGDOM.

 

 

I really like this particular pie.It bring back some nice momories and it's soooo creamy, it really makes those cold evenings more bearable beautiful :)

RECIPE:

YOU NEED:

1kg potatoes, peeled

90g butter

2 leeks (around 250g), chopped

600 ml milk(of your choice)
30g flour
500g fish, diced (I used fresh scottish loch trout and fresh cod)

two pinches of freshly chopped rosemary
salt, pepper, freshly grounded

1. Boil or steam the potatoes.

2.Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan/Gas 5

3.Melt 40g of butter at low heat, add chopped leeks and cook until soft.

4.In a seperate pan, heat 450ml milk, remaining 150ml mix well with flour. When the milk in a pan starts to simmer pour over the one mixed with flour. Keep stirring as it will thicken.Bring it to boil.

5.Add fish(raw), cooked leeks and rosemary to the creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Mash the potatoes with remaining 50g butter, season with a little salt.

7.Now the magic starts :) Pour the creamy sauce into a oven dish, cover with mash potatoes and cook in the oven for 45 minutes.

Enjoy,
 xxx

CHOCOLATE GRANOLA(gluten-free, grain-free,paleo) and ALMOND MILK

Good granola is the one you eat with a spoon few minutes after it comes out the oven and by the time you realize it is nearly gone. It's not too sweet but sweet enough, crunchy but not too hard, nourishing but not too heavy. This chocolate granola is just perfect. 

I serve it with fresh almond milk which I've been making a lot recently.Why do I make my own?The answer is simple, it's super tasty and super easy!Plus it hasn't got all the additives they pack in the cartons sold in the shops. Honestly all these thickeners, and weird ingredients just freak me out. All you need is almonds and water.Ohhh and a blender!

This recipe has been adapted from GOURMANDE IN THE KITCHEN, very inspirational web, full of gorgeous recipes. I've changed a couple of ingredients and chosen a different method of preparation.

What I love about it, is that it contains all my favourite stuff: almonds, pecans, coconut, coconut butter, flaxseeds,cocoa, honey and dark chocolate. If we really are what we eat I am all of this ingredients, I'm this chocolate granola :)

RECIPE FOR GRANOLA:

INGREDIENTS:

220g of your favourite nuts/here almonds and pecans(half and half)
3 tablespoons of coconut butter
3-4 tablespoons of raw honey
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
40g shredded coconut
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds
40g dark chocolate, chopped

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.

2. Pulse the nuts in a blender until just coarsely chopped.

3. Gently melt the butter in a pan, over a small heat.Take it off the stove and add honey and cocoa powder.Mix well.

4. Pour the mixture over the nuts and shredded coconut and ground flaxseeds. Combine together and try not to eat it all :)

5. Transfer the mixture on a baking tray and spread it evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

6. Cool and stir in the dark chocolate.



RECIPE FOR ALMOND MILK

INGREDIENTS:

200g  raw almonds
700-750ml water

METHOD:

1.Soak the almonds overnight(or at least 6 hours) in a bowl of water.

2. Drain the almonds and add to the blender with water.Blend for a minute or two.

3.Place a mesh cloth(like cheesecloth) on the top of a bowl or a jug and pour the milk through it. Once the bag is partially drained, squeeze the rest of the liquid out with your hands.

Milking almonds :)

Autumn PIE with marrow, sweetcorn, shallots and turkey.

Whether you are ready or not, Autumn is here!September's crept up on us again. Sneaky September!
It's time to say HELLO to cosy blankets, fluffy socks, cacao, and comforting food.

Hmmmmm,when I think about it, September isn't actually that bad.

 

When I think of food, Autumn is my favourite season. Beetroots,carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, marrow, zuchinni,beans, pumpkin,tomatoes, sweetcorn, apples, pears, plums. We are spoilt for choice. 

And when I think Autumn, I think pie!Pie that burst with fresh veg!

Today's recipe is my favourite Autumn warmer. Rich, flavoursome, nutritious. I'm not saying anything else - just try it :)

RECIPE:

Serves 4:

INGREDIENTS:

800g potatoes, peeled

50g soft butter

1 turkey breast, diced(350g)

fresh sweetcorn

5 small shallots, cut into quarters

marrow, peeled, diced(350g)

300g tomatoe puree

200ml warm water

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

a little oil, like rapeseed for cooking

salt

pepper

METHOD:

1. Boil or steam peeled potatoes.

2. Preheat the oven to 190 C.

3. In the meantime, heat oil in a pan, brown the shallots, add turkey. Stir fry for few of minutes until turkey is done.Shuck the corn.Remove kernels by standing the ear of corn upright on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels straight down along the cob. Add it to the pan along with marrow, tomato puree and water(less that 200ml if tomatoe puree isn't very thick). Season with salt and pepper.Bring to boil and simmer for around 20 minutes, adding a little bit more water if the sauce looks too thick.

4. Mash the cooked potatoes with butter and a little salt(if you don't add any while cooking).

5. Place the sauce with meat and veg in a ceramic dish, cover with mash potatoes. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

NOTES: You may as well make it a vegetarian dish, swaping turkey for some more veg.

Enjoy x

Noble CAKE

Blogging is ace!It's so much fun. You can unleash your creativity, get to know some amazing people and you are constantly exposed to all these beautiful inspirations.There is only one thing that I could call a disadvantage.... the fact that you have a blog, cook, bake and sent your recipes into a big world of internet - simply intimidate people to invite you for a dinner.Some friends told me, they were anxious to offer me their food, because I'm such a good cook and  I might not like it.You know what? I get this feeling too, nearly everytime I cook for someone!Are they going to like it? - I think.And although I am ''such a good cook'' I burn cakes, add too much salt from time to time or create inedible dinners.
I also often hear ''oh I've got this cake, but you make such wonderful things on your blog, you won't probably like it'' .Or ''I cooked this soup today but it's nothing special, just a simple soup''. You know what?I eat simple soups. What is more I love them!And I love it even more when someone cooks them for me :) I love seeing other people cooking or baking - I find it so inspiring!So please folks invite me for a dinner! :)


I'm glad that not everyone is intimidated by the  fact that I'm a food blogger :) I've eaten this amazing cake at my friend's house the other day. The cake is called a ''squirrel''. We Polish people have a tendency to find weird names for our food.SQUIRREL?!!Seriously? My friend's son decided it's the best cake he has ever eaten and it should be nominated to the Noble prize :)
So here is the NOBLE cake.

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't add a pinch of cinnamon and substituted sugar with honey.

 RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

300 g self-raising flour (or plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder)
3 eggs
100ml honey
3 cooking apples, peeled and chopped(around 250g)
80 ml rapeseed or other oil
50g raisins
60 g walnuts, roughly chopped
pinch or two of cinnamon

METHOD:


1.Preheat the oven to 180C

2. Mix eggs with honey and sift flour(if using plain flour - sift baking powder too) into the mixture.
Fold in raisins,walnuts and oil.Add the apples at the end.Mix with a spoon. Transfer to a greased baking dish.

3.Bake for 45-50 min.

Enjoy x

ICED COFFEE

I must be barmy to serve you an iced coffee on a freezing cold Friday evening. It's 13C here and I'm snuggled under my quilt while writing this post(brrrrr).Why haven't I made something warming,you probably think?

Before I entered the bloging world, I mainly derived my cooking inspiration from the cookbooks I own, magazines, family and friends. It was enough and there have always been something new to try.

These days, I travel a lot on daily basisc, I eat breakfast with Marta from What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today in Berlin, before the midday I pop in to see Molly form My name is yeh in North Dakota, scoff lunch with Sarah from New Roots in Copenhagen, drink afternoon tea with  David and Louise from Green Kitchen Stories in Stockholm, and fly to San Francisco in the evening to meet up with Heidi from 101 Cookbooks. Yes, I'm very busy lady :) Everyday is a different story, everyday there is lots of new inspirations. My notebook is bursting at the seams with the new recipes I want to try and the list is getting longer and longer.....unfortunately my day isn't :)

I spotted this recipe for an iced coffee at Marta's blog - What Should I eat for Breakfast Today and I've been craving it ever since.I couldn't wait till next year to try it even if it meant teeth chattering!Just added some cinnamon... And you know what?I loved it!!!

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

coffee (freshy ground)

milk(of your choice)

pinch or two of cinnamon

honey or brown sugar(optional)

METHOD:

Brew your coffee, as you like it, add cinnamon, sweeten it with some honey or brown sugar if you like. Put it on the side and let it cool down. Pour it in an ice form and freeze. Place coffee cubes in a cup and pour cold milk over it.

Enjoy x

Puff pastry EGG and KALE bakes.

Last 12 months of my life looked a little bit like a wirlwind. I got myself involved into lots of things, thinking it was what I needed. In fact, I love learning new things and always appreciate new possibilities, however if you start doing too many things at ones,you might forget what truly makes you happy. This is, what happened to me. In todays world, we are bombarded by tons of informations, how we should behave, who we should be,what should we know, and it's easy to loose our authentic self.
It was a good lesson for me, I found out what really matters and I promised myself that from now on, I'm only doing what truly makes me happy.

It often turns out that those simple, little things are normaly the ones that make us joyful. Breakfast is one of these things. It can really make your day. Celebrating every morning with a hearty breakfast can be tricky(but not impossible) especially if you get up early for work, have to get kids ready for school or simply had a late night. But I believe we should treat ourself with a special breakfast at least at the weekends. World seems a much better place when your stomach is satisfied :)

So let's celebrate mornings :)

PUFF PASTRY EGG AND KALE BAKES

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

500 g butter puff pastry
6 eggs
40 g kale, chopped (weight without stalks)
egg, beaten
sesame seeds
salt, pepper

METHOD:

1.Preheat the oven to 210 C/190 C FAN.

2.Wash kale, remove stems and chop it up. Boil or steam it,it only takes about 6-8 minutes.

3.Roll out the pastry and cut into 6 squares(around 5.5''). Brush the edges(only about 10mm) with egg and fold them so you get a nice ''frame'' for the filling. Brush the ''raisen'' edges with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place kale in each square, keep it more to the edges to leave the centre for egg. Now brake egg in each centre.Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for around 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy, xxx

Blueberry, lemon and coconut MILKSHAKE

Have you got a favourite flavour mix?A combination of ingredients you just can't resist?When I asked Darek about his, I already had his answer in my head - he just loves strawberry and white chocolate combination.It can be anything - Eaton Mess with lots of strawberries, white chocolate bits and meringue on the top of it. His eyes always widen when he sees strawberry and  white chocolate muffins and he could dunk(and eat) strawberries in a white chocolate sauce all day long.I know him well.We'd been together 10 years, married for 4... Who would know him better?Although the answer was obvious I still decided to throw the question......he was thinking for a bit and totally certain he says ''It's steak and black pepper''. STEAK AND BLACK PEPPER!!!!!!????I obviously didn't expect that coming.... :O

I would love to get to know your ''crazy'' flavour combinations :) I definitely don't share my husband's excitement about steak and black pepper ''flavours''.Lately I've been in love with  blueberries, lemon and coconut.And everything made from these ingredients.

RECIPE FOR A (another) MILKSHAKE with blueberries,coconut and lemon :

serves:4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tin coconut milk(400g) - I love organic KINGFISHER
350g blueberries
fresh juice squeezed from half of lemon
1tbsp (or more) honey

METHOD:

Blend coconut milk with 200g blueberries, lemon juice and honey until smooth. Remove from the blender and blend 150g blueberries with the remaining smoothie.Pour the blueberry mousse into the glasses first and top it up with a smoothie.

NOTES:
If your blender(like mine grrrrrr ;/) is not very powerful if might be worth squashing blueberries for a mousse with the fork. It will be much easier to blend them.