Börek with Spinach and Chanterelles

I got acquainted with börek at a Turkish friend's place - she served me an unbelievably delicious dish called börek. Then I ate another, very different kind of Turkish dish made by another friend - and surprisingly enough, it was also called börek. So I suppose there are very different varieties of this iconic Turkish dish!

This is my first attempt to make börek. Most of the vegetarian recipes I found combine spinach and feta, but I wanted to try out a 100% vegan version. I initially thought of using tofu, but somehow it would have been too obvious - and then I found frozen chanterelles at the supermarket. Chanterelles are my favourite mushrooms by far. They are just incredibly tasty, and combine perfectly with spinach (oh well, is there anything spinach would not combine with?!).

To me, this is a perfect kind of vegan dish. It's extremely rich and tasty, and really doesn't feel like substitute to anything - it stands on its own. It's proudly vegan!

For four people you need:

• 4 large sheets of filo dough (about the size of a A3-sheet)

For the filling:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil


• 1/2 of a large onion or 1 small onion


• 2-3 garlic cloves


• 700g frozen spinach


• 200g frozen chanterelles


• 2 tsp grated lemon zest


• 3 Tbsp almond cream


• a pinch of grated nutmeg (or a bit more if you like!)


• salt and pepper to taste


• lots of chopped fresh parsley (or other herbs of your liking)

For the brushing:

• 50g vegan margarine


• 125ml olive oil


• 4 Tbsp almond cream


• 1-2 crushed garlic cloves


• salt and pepper to taste

Begin with the filling: heat the oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onion 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic, stir 1-2 minutes, and then add the frozen spinach and mushrooms. Let melt and then simmer over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Add lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and stir. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs and set aside.

Then make the liquid for the brushing: combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the margarine has melted. Set aside.

Now, place one sheet (I used double sheets...) of the filo dough on the bottom of a lasagne form. Brush it evenly with the brushing liquid. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the filo dough. Repeat twice. Place the 4th sheet on top of the last filling layer and brush it with the remaining brushing liquid. If there's not enough left, make quickly some more.

Bake your börek in the preheated oven (200C) until it's crispy and golden brown, or about 30 minutes. Serve either hot or at room temperature with a green salad, for example!

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Almond Pancakes

As far as pancakes are concerned, I used to have a strategy: whenever I was craving for them, I would send my little sister to ask our Dad to bake some - and he would never refuse. Had I asked directly, the answer would have been no, most of the time. (My sister was really thin as a kid, so I guess my parents were just over happy that she would spontaneously want to eat something...)

For about three years now, I've tried a new dairy-and-egg-free pancake recipe every now and then, and failed miserably every single time. They'd be sticky, impossible to fry; they'd taste like soy or some other unpleasant ingredient; their consistency would be like rubber; well, you get the picture.

Until Santa brought me a new vegan cookbook, the Vegan Love Story. A very recommendable book indeed! It features a pancake recipe that immediately caught my attention: no dairy-free-milks nor egg-substitutes needed, just basically water and flour. Simple and ingenious! I substituted part of the flour by almond flour, and the result was the best-ever vegan pancakes that even my son adored.

To make enough pancakes for 1 hungry or 2 moderately hungry breakfast eaters:

• 50g almond meal


• 125g flour


• 2 tsp sugar


• 8g vanilla sugar


• a pinch of salt


• 3/4 tsp baking powder


• 150ml water


• 1 Tbsp sunflower oil, plus some more for the frying

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water and oil and beat energetically until you have a smooth batter. Let the batter stand for about 10 minutes - just enough time to make some coffee ;)

Fry your pancakes over a medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Make sure that they are well cooked from the inside as well - if not, reduce the heat.

Serve with your favourite accompaniment - I opened a jar of home-made wild raspberry jam for the occasion!

P.S. Who would invent a method to make even the first pancake turn out perfect?! Mine didn't, as you can see from the pic... it never does...

Bacon and Eggs, Vegan Style

When I was a kid, we used to have porridge for breakfast every single morning, except for Sundays, when we got bacon and eggs: one fried egg and two slices of bacon per person. It felt so special!

Maybe that nice memory of those special breakfast moments was the reason I was sure I'd never be able to become a vegetarian - I thought I just loved bacon too much.

But I was wrong - I haven't even thought of bacon for many years now. Until a couple of weeks ago a friend made breakfast pancakes with bacon - and I got an idea: why not use Liquid Smoke to create "bacon" out of thin aubergine slices?

Today I finally tried out that idea, and it worked much better than I'd never imagine! It looks like bacon, it smells like bacon, it tastes like bacon. But it ain't bacon ;)

I also tried to make "scrambled eggs" out of silken tofu and turmeric. It turned out really good as well - apart from the soy taste, of which I'm not a big fan.. (I know, at some point I'll get used to it.)

For 4 people you need:

• 1 large aubergine, cut in thin slices lengthwise


• 1/2 cup olive oil


• 2 Tbsp soy sauce


• Liquid Smoke to taste (I used 1/3 tsp)


• salt and pepper to taste


• 400g silken tofu


• 100g smoked firm tofu, cut in small cubes


• 1 Tbsp olive oil


• 1/2 tsp turmeric


• salt and pepper to taste


• a handful of fresh parsley

Set your oven to 250C. Place the aubergine slices on a baking tray. Combine olive oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Brush the aubergine slices with the oil mixture and bake in the oven until they start to get some colour. Be careful - they burn quite easily!

For the "eggs", use your hands to squeeze the silken tofu until its texture resembles scrambled eggs. Add the turmeric and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Then, heat the oil in a heavy pan. Fry the smoked tofu cubes until golden brown, or 2-3 minutes, then add the silken tofu, and fry until all of the silken tofu is hot. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and parsley - and serve right away with the "bacon"!

Risotto Milanese with Grilled Fennel and Herbs

My great-grandmother Olga was notorious for her elephant's memory: she would never forget, especially when she got bad service in a shop. If that happened, she would make a dramatic exit, declaring in her broad Karelian dialect: "I will never come to this place again." And she would indeed keep her word.

So do I.

This risotto recipe is dedicated to Coma, an Italian restaurant in Helsinki that boasts simple Italian dishes, made from scratch in their open kitchen. Me and my cousin had dinner there on Tuesday and were very disappointed with the risotto we both had as main dish. The only thing the waiter could answer to our very polite criticism was: "But this is the best risotto in Helsinki!" It turned out it had indeed been nominated as the best risotto in town - back in 2007. Anyway, de gustibus non est disputandum - but it's not acceptable not to take polite remarks seriously (or at least to fake to do so). And the dish was horribly expensive, too; 18 euros for a small plate.

So, I will never go to Coma again.

To recover from that awful risotto experience, I tried out a new risotto idea today, featuring saffron, garlic, grilled fennel, and herbs. For this big portion enough for 5 eaters I paid about 12 euros... and I happen to live in one of the most expensive places in the world - so the chances are, you'll pay even less :)

Here's what you need:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped


• 2 garlic cloves, crushed


• 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided


• 0,5g saffron


• salt and pepper to taste


• 150ml dry white wine


• about 1 liter hot vegetable stock


• 2 large fennel bulbs, sliced finely


• a handful of fresh basil and parsley leaves


• a handful of toasted pine nuts


• (and some grated Parmesan to serve, if you want)

First, set your oven to 250C. Place the fennel slices on a baking tray and sprinkle them generously with olive oil and salt. Once the oven is hot, grill the fennel slices until they start to get some colour, or about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the risotto: Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the onions over a medium heat until they are translucent. Add the garlic and stir, then add the rice and fry 1-2 minutes more. Now, add the white wine, saffron, salt, and pepper, and about 1/3 of the vegetable stock. Let simmer over a medium heat. Add gradually the rest of the vegetable stock until the rice has cooked al dente. Your risotto should be rather liquid at this point, because it dries a lot before you get to serve it - even if you're very fast :)

Now, arrange the grilled fennel slices on top of the risotto. Sprinkle generously with basil, parsley, pine nuts ans some more pepper and salt if needed. Serve immediately with a glass of your favorite red wine!

Red Lentils with Green Curry and Coconut

The most important lesson I learned from my 5-day microwave experience was that a lot of things can be cooked in a very straight-forward way: just place all ingredients in a recipient and cook until done! That's the case of this highly addictive green curry with red lentils. Of course, you can do it the traditional way: sauté the spices in a bit of oil and so on, but if one is in a hurry, why bother?

I got the idea for this curry from here, as I was looking for ideas to combine lentils, bulgur, and coconut. Serve the curry with cooked rice, topped with fresh cilantro - or flat-leaf parsley, if you don't happen to like the taste of cilantro (surprisingly many don't).

 

For 4 portions you need:

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed


• 1/2 cup bulgur, rinsed


• 3 Tbsp green curry paste


• 2 Tbsp tomato paste


• 300ml coconut milk


• 150ml hot water


• 1 Tbsp olive oil


• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed


• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)


• 1 tsp turmeric


• 1 tsp ground cumin


• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger


• 30g fresh cilantro

It doesn't get easier than this: take a saucepan and place lentils, bulgur, coconut milk, and chopped ginger in it. In a large cup, stir together green curry paste, tomato paste, crushed garlic, water, oil, cumin, turmeric and salt. Add the spice mixture to the pan and bring everything to the boil. Let simmer over a low heat until the lentils are soft, or about 15 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and serve immediately!

 

Easy Cake Decorating Ideas: Princess Cake with a Heart

Today, for once, we had a very late breakfast and a late lunch, so I'd thought we'd survive until dinner without having to eat any snack in between. How wrong I was! Around 4PM I started to crave something sweet, and inspired by our ladybird cake experience yesterday, I decided to bake a quick princess cake. Less than one hour later, we were devouring this raspberry-flavoured treat!

I'm not a big talent in cake decorating, but this one is really easy to make. And, as far as I'm concerned, it's more important how a cake tastes than what it looks like :)

This time, I wanted to try baking the cake with whole-grain flour, and it worked very well indeed. A small step towards a healthier treat...

For one cake you need:

• 4 eggs


• 100ml sugar


• 200ml whole-grain wheat flour


• 1tsp baking powder


• 75ml milk


• 75ml raspberry juice


• 100ml raspberry jam


• 200ml heavy cream


• 200g marzipan


• a few drops red food colouring


• 1 tsp powder sugar

This is how to do it:

Preheat the oven to 175C. Beat the eggs and sugar in a baking bowl and add sifted flour in which you’ve added the baking powder. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the flour is well combined with the rest. Pour the batter in a round cake form and bake until golden brown, or some 15 minutes.

In the meantime, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Take about half of the cream and mix it with the raspberry jam.

When the cake is well baked, remove it from the oven and let cool, then remove from the form and cut horizontally into two pieces either using a sharp knife or a string.

Place the bottom half on a serving plate. Moisten with half of the milk and half of the raspberry juice. Spread the cream-raspberry-filling on the bottom half, then place the upper half on top and moisten with the rest of the milk and raspberry juice. Spread the remaining cream evenly on top of the cake.

Roll the  marzipan between two layers of cling film into a disc just a bit bigger than the cake’s diameter. From one corner, take out a heart with a cookie cutter. Trim the rest of the marzipan if needed. Place the disc carefully on top of the cake and fold to cover the sides as well (I wasn't very careful enough today, and the marzipan broke in two places...). Sprinkle with powder sugar. Colour the heart with few drops of red colouring. Place the heart in the middle of the cake and enjoy!

 

 

Easy Cake Decorating Ideas: Ladybird Cake

One of the first baking books I ever got was called Tule mukaan (Come along!). Recently, as I was going through it I saw that I had marked some of the recipes with a mysterious "B" - and I suddenly remembered that it stood for Birthday - things I wanted to serve at my birthday party. (Which I never did - my Mom would always bake her traditional cream cake - not bad, either!)

Among the recipes marked with "B", there was this ladybird cake. Back in those days, there wasn't coloured marzipan available, so the recipe tells you how to colour marzipan with red food colour, only available at the pharmacy back then. Maybe that's one of the reasons I never actually baked the cake myself...

Now the same cake was the first thing my kids wanted to try out from that book. They don't like marzipan, so we opted for red sugar mass - but I'd definitely use marzipan if I was only baking for myself. The cake tasted surprisingly good: fresh and tasty. Too often, this kind of cakes are just too sweet to my taste, but not this one! As far as I know, ladybirds don't have tails, but we had to add one more lolly so that all the three kids would have a lolly of their own.

For one cake you need:

• 4 eggs


• 100ml sugar


• 150ml all-purpose flour ( I used 1/3 whole-grain)


• 1 tsp baking powder

 

For the filling:

• 100ml heavy cream


• 100ml apple sauce (not too sweet)


• 1tsp vanilla sugar

 

For the topping:

• 100ml apple sauce


• one package of red sugar mass (I didn't take the reference of how many grams that was...)


• 2 liquorice bars, cut in 1cm pieces


• 2 lollipops (we had to use 3 - see above)

 

• Plus about 150ml milk for the moistening of the cake

This is how to do it:

Preheat the oven to 175C. Beat the eggs and sugar in a baking bowl and add sifted flour in which you've added the baking powder. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the flour is well combined with the rest. Pour the batter in a round cake form and bake until golden brown, or some 15 minutes.

In the meantime, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Add vanilla sugar and the apple puree into the cream.

When the cake is well baked, remove it from the oven and let cool, then remove from the form and cut horizontally into two pieces either using a sharp knife or a string.

Place the bottom half on a serving plate. Moisten with about 75ml milk. Spread the cream-apple-filling on the bottom half, then place the upper half on top and moisten with the rest of the milk. Spread the 100ml apple puree on top.

Roll the sugar mass (or marzipan) between two layers of cling film into a disc just a bit bigger than the cake's diameter. Place the disc carefully on top of the cake and fold to cover the sides as well. Decorate your ladybird with the liquorice bar pieces (the dots) and lollies (the antennas).

I bet the cake gets even better if you let in stand in the fridge overnight. We had to eat it right away, though, so I can't tell for sure...!

P.S. In the original recipe, the middle part of the cake was cut out to make the ladybird oval instead of round. We didn't do that - we preferred to have a bigger cake ;)