Tag: comfort food

Mmmushroom risotto

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I have eaten risotto of many descriptions during my Italian excursions or cooked by my Italian friends. As simple as it seems, it is not as easy to cook this dish well. That was what I was thinking as I devoured a delicious bowl of steaming risotto by my friend Angela.
As it happen, she has just moved out of London, Autumn had just started, the farmers market started selling all shapes and sizes of mushrooms, and I was in despair for some comfort food. So I made my first ever risotto which I am pleased to share with you here.

As usual, I did not follow any specific recipe (except the rice cooking time) and here’s what I used for my first ever risotto. Feeds 4.

1 finely chopped medium shallot onion
1 tbsp of capers, chopped
a handful of finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves chopped
1litre of vegetable stock, salt and pepper
a handful of porcini/chanterelle mushrooms
a spring of chives, chopped to garnish
a pinch of salt and pepper

Add a glug of olive oil to a pan and gently sweat onion, garlic, parsley and a good pinch of freshly grounded pepper.
Once ready, pour gently stock and stir. Add risotto rice to simmering mixture and stir again. Cover with a heavy lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20-25 mins. Keep checking last this could take less time depending on your hob. Stir every so often.

When ready, serve in deep bowls, and garnish with chopped chives or like me, cherry tomatoes and freshly ground rainbow pepper.
They go so well with the flavour of this dish!

The Cooling Effect

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Temperatures are rising, summer is in full swing. London is blazing in the heat, and the last thing one wants to do is eat a hot meal. Gazpacho seems to be the obvious menu choice; HOWEVER this cold beet and kefir soup is just, well, on another level. Not only is it delicious and healthy ( thanks gut friendly bacteria!) but above all, it couldn’t be easier to make.

To make 4 portions, all you need is:


1 litre of kefir
4 medium cooked beetroots
(you cay buy them in stores, you don’t want to cook them yourself)
a half of organic cucumber
a bunch of radishes
finely chopped chives, dill, 2 garlic cloves
coarse salt and pepper

Grate cucumber, radishes, beets and place all in large bowl/cooking pot.
Finely chop the garlic, chives and dill and add to the mixture.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the kefir and combine gently with the other ingredients.
Rest in fridge for 4-12 hours – the longer it rests the richer the flavour .
Season as needed and garnish with a boiled egg and greens.

Enjoy!💞

the cooling effect

Chinese ginger broth 🌶

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It is that time of year – no more winter, not yet spring (unless 10C and continuous rain seems like a spring to you). I find Chinese broth just the perfect meal for when the weather is in transition. Plus, cooking in a large quantity, you could use this as a base for other meals!

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To cook 4 litres ( full large pot ) of this delicious liquid you’ll need:

2 medium onions,
2 red chillies
bunch of spring onions
4 pearl onions – they’re such great flavour enhancers
1 whole organic chicken
4-5 garlic cloves
100g ot a few generous chunks of fresh ginger
3 tablespoons of cane sugar
a glass/300ml of Chinese cooking wine

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Add all the ingredients – except the chicken – into the water and simmer in a large saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, add the whole chicken and depending on the size of the chicken, simmer on a reduced heat for about 30-40 mins.

 Allow to cool. Skim any excess fat from the surface and discard the solids if you prefer it clear. Serve over the rice noodles with fresh chilli if you like it 🌶🌶 and garnish with yuzu pepper.

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Japanese Curry!

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Usually, when you think of curry, one conjures up images of India, not necessarily Japan. I had the same connotations until I joined Monocle Café and started working with the Japanese team who introduced me to this creamy and vibrant meal. Although it’s been a long time since I said my farewells to this wonderful Team, I still recreate this meal to my own taste and proportions…and let me tell you – my fine tuning has resulted in a dish more spectacular than I could hope for! So, my first action (or second, as I ate this as soon as it was ready!) was to share with you on my blog. Again, this is easy to prepare food (20-25mins), excellent for dinner or as a supper day after.

Ingredients:
2 medium chicken breast, sliced
a couple of medium carrots
up to 3 shallot onions
2 garlic cloves
a few bay leaves
1/2 of chili pepper
a handful of green peppercorns
3 large spoons of butter
about 300ml of greek yoghurt – depends how creamy you want to make this dish
1 tbsp of madras curry (powder/paste)
1 tbsp of curry roux (or garam masala)
2 tsp of konsome stock

In cast iron pot, melt the butter with bay leaves (I figured out that this is a great solution to extract most of the aroma from the leaves). After a couple of minutes add peppercorns, chili with vegetables and braise together until al dente. Do not overcook them as they’ll soften more with the chicken added a bit later.   If you’re not sure about the order, follow the photos with description, and I believe your cooking will be more enjoyable!

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When vegetables are al dente, add seasoned chicken and braise until meat is tender.

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Prepare curry mix: 200ml boiling water, tbsp of curry powder, tbsp of curry roux and tsp of konsome stock. Mix all together.

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Pour the curry mix into pan and stir for 5 mins. Don’t worry if at this stage if it tastes rather  salty. The yoghurt you’ll add after the curry is mixed with chicken, will balance all the  flavours perfectly!

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ready to eat. Is it only me who thinks that this image speaks for itself? #mouthwatering

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brown rice complements the perfectly rich flavour of this delicious meal. #yum

Bon appétit aka Meshiagare!

Red is the colour

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Red borsch. Traditional, tasty  and warming beetroot soup.
Mostly served during the Festive period; however in my house, Mum was making this wonderful soup during cold spells. As she had the tendency to cook far too much broth for other dishes on Sunday, the borsch was usually a post weekend lunch prepared with leftover boullion. Well, that’s one of the only reasons why I loved Mondays. They were just so flavoursome!

To cook red borsch you need:
for 2 litres of broth:
3 chicken thighs
2 carrots cut lengthwise
1 parsnip cut lengthwise
a quarter of celeriac
1 shallot onion, halved
half of the garlic bulb
bouquet garni
3 medium beetroots ( thickly sliced )
1 small apple cut into 2 halves
3 bay leaves, 4 whole spice berries, few cloves

Note: if you’re a vegetarian, instead of chicken add a portion of Herb Infusion Pot by Knorr. A tasteful alternative.

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When chicken is ready after about 20mins, remove it and the bouquet garni then add;
a generous handful of marjoram, a pinch of nutmeg to your own taste
a bunch of fresh lemon thyme img_9480
Simmer on the lower heat until all vegetables are al dente (there’s nothing worse than overcooked veggies, right?) and the mouth-watering smell of spices is filling the kitchen.
Serve with mini dumplings, aka mini ears.

  Voilà! x

Sunday sausages.

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Comfort food with a twist – Chicken sausages seasoned with fresh herbs then braised in a tomato and vegetable sauce. Sounds good? Tastes even better! (ask my friends if in doubt.) The preparation is obviously easy and you can enjoy this meal straight from the pan, or day after. #yum!

To prepare sausages you’ll need:

a pack of good chicken sausages, ideally from organic meat ( yes, you are what you eat, my dear!)
bunch of lemon thyme, pickled chilli peppers (great taste), lemon,
4 garlic cloves, table spoon of grated ginger, salt flakes, pepper,
and a small bowl of chopped kale

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and dress the sausages with herbs and spices. Put them on a tray in the oven with the kale for 7-10mins. This is to heat the meat but not to cook it thoroughly.

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Sausages slightly roasted with chilli, ginger and kale


For the rich sauce:
2 medium carrots
1 large parsnip
5-6 similar size baby potatoes
1 large onion, 2 garlic cloves, a half of lemon
salt, pepper, pinch of herbs
a bottle of passata (one from Mutti is my favourite)

Chop the veggies into chunky pieces, and braise in a oven-proof dish with a glug of olive oil in the oven at 180C. When the vegetables start to get soft, pour in the tomato passata. Add the sausages and kale into the dish and leave covered in oven for about 15-20mins until all ingredients are perfectly cooked.

When ready, serve over boiled barley.
It’s a great alternative to white rice.

Straight from the oven – mouth watering!

Barley is a great alternative to white rice.

Mr Potato&Co.

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First time I tried this cream soup was at one of my favourite restaurants in Warsaw, Poland.
Qchnia Artystyczna always has on the menu rather simple yet sophisticated meals to offer.
I don’t live in Warsaw anymore, hence my need to prepare this soup every so often. Every time I’m making it, I’m getting a bit nostalgic about great times I’ve spent with my friends in that place and cannot wait to pay visit again, when in Poland.
To meet friends and… get more inspiration!

Creamy Potato Soup is super easy to prepare.

You need:
2 white onions
8 medium potatoes
1 litre of vegetable boullion
2 table spoons of salted butter
2 bay leaves
200 ml of milk
pinch of coarse pepper
few slices of organic smoked salmon

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Glaze the chopped onions with melted butter in a deep pan. Add the bay leaf. That’s the best way to give the flavour.
When the onion is softened, add chopped potatoes, stir with onions and pour the boullion into the pan.
Simmer on low heat covered by the lid until potatoes are very soft.
Add milk, and stir for a couple of minutes.

Blend the mixture to a creamy consistency and add the pepper. Add more milk when necessary.
Pour the creamy soup into bowls, decorate generously with salmon and freshly grounded pepper.

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Bon appetit!