delicious – Page 2 – style dispenser

Mmm…ushroom!

Published on October 26, 2017 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

I have a vivid memories of my grandparents taking my brother and I for the weekend trips into the woods. I remember the Autumn ones especially because of the mushrooms about which most of my family was mad about. Well, let me tell you picking up a mushroom has nothing to do with picking up a wild berries or herbs. It takes a skill which to this day I seem to lack. So whilst my grandparents, supported by my helpful brother, were busy adding one mushroom after another into their baskets, I was just wondering what we’ll make out of them. Chanterelles in particular. Their characteristic, slightly spicy aftertaste, reminds me of autumn and of precious moments spent with family. As I couldn’t compete with my granddad’s mushroom creamy soup and my grans marinated fungi, I created this dish out of what was available in their garden: shallot onions, kale, garlic and pasta. Who would have thought that just a few ingredients could create such tasty meal?

To serve two, you’ll need;

a handful of chanterelle mushrooms
1 medium shallot onion
a bunch of kale
2-3 garlic cloves
one fresh chilli
2 tbsp of butter
cheese to finish

it goes like this:

Rinse mushrooms out of sand and grass and dry them gently on paper towel.
In a non stick pan melt a table spoon of butter and add the mushroom, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover by lid. Sweat on a low heat for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. This will keep them moist rather than fried which wouldn’t be ideal for this particular meal. Meanwhile in another pan, fry shallots with a chunk of butter. Once they soften, add sliced garlic and kale. Stir gently until soft and slightly caramelised. Mix the veggies into the mushroom and add finely chopped chilli. The spiciness of the chilli will warm up the flavours perfectly.

In a large pan boil your favourite pasta ( I chose fusilli which is just perfect for that meal) Once the pasta is ready, mix all together. If, like myself, you’re a butter addict , at this stage you can add another bit of butter before serving.

Grate some parmigiano or gruyere cheese and enjoy your meal!

Boeuf bourguignon? Très bon!

Published on November 17, 2016November 14, 2016 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

Comfort food. Classic of the classics. Quintessentially French ‘manger’.
This autumnal meal, in Anglo-Saxon dictionary also known as a Burgundy Beef, is a great option for weekend cooking for many reasons. Especially when you host a small dinner party for your friends. Its a really good warmer and indulgent enough to not bother with a starter. Unless a crusty baguette is considered as a starter…

As usual, I didn’t follow any particular recipe to make this excellent meal, so here are ingredients used in order to create the #boeufbourguignon

600g of good quality diced beef
8-10 chestnut mushrooms
4 shallot onions
4medium carrots
2parsnips
bunch of lemon thyme
1 whole garlic
2 tablespoons of dried garlic leaves
2 tablespoons of smoked salt
2 tablespoons of white/green pepper
1 bouquet garni
3 bay leaves
2-3 cox apples
3 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
1 bottle of reasonably good wine (cheap=bad)
2 tablespoons of goose fat or good butter to fry the meat

From my experience it is good to fry the seasoned (with salt&pepper) beef in a heavy bottomed dish, ideally using goose fat. This not only fries the meat well but also keep it moist at the same time. When the meat is done, put it to the side and using the dame dish braise the onions, mushrooms, thyme, garlic, ginger and herbs until golden brown and softened.
When ready, add the meat and braise together for a few minutes with a generous splash of wine from the bottle.

At the same time on a low heat – using another pot – braise together (using a remaining spoon of goose fat) chopped carrots, parsnip, apple and dried garlic leaves cover with a lid to keep the moist. The smaller the chunks of the veggies, the shorter the time of braising. It shouldn’t take more than 10 mins to do so. Do not worry if some of the chunks aren’t soft enough. They’ll will be when mixed with meat and wine for additional 3 hrs of cooking.

When all is ready to be mixed together into one large heavy bottomed pan, finish it with the remaining wine from the bottle and stir well. Braise the contents, covered with lid on a very low heat for about 3-3,5hrs unit beef is very soft and succulent and flavours are just perfect. Don’t worry, when it comes to boeuf bourguignon, you’ll know when it tastes perfect.

TIP; Divide wine into 3 parts so you’ll know how much to use and when.
1st part for braising the meat,
2nd for braising the vegetables
3rd for the final stage when both, beef and vegetables are mixed together.

Serve in the bowl with topped with a fresh baguette. And a glass of red wine, obvs!

Bon appetit!

autumnal Curry

Published on October 8, 2016October 8, 2016 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

Oh, October. A month holding the last days of summer with opulent rhapsody of ripe fruit and veg. A month where warming meals are becoming the main staple in or menus. A month bringing us shorter days and more time to cook!

When it comes to cooking, I think it is best to use ingredients not only available in the kitchen, but particularly what’s in season. Japanese autumnal curry is one of the meals I cannot wait to cook when the first days of Indian summers are melting with bygone summer. This curry is easy to make it, and an excellent meal for post holidays blues – allowing you to enjoy something more exotic than your average comfort food.

What do you need to prepare this dish:

2 medium carrots
1 onion
1/4 of celeriac
1 parsnip
2-3 bay leaves
a few allspice corns
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
a handful of cashew nuts
1 fresh red chilli chopped
approx. 2 tablespoons of curry paste (I leave the spiciness to your taste)
1 tablespoon of curry powder
pinch of fresh herbs such as oregano, dried garlic leaves
2 cloves of smoked garlic ( although regular will do too)
300-500g of white buckwheat
2 boiled eggs for garnish
500g of lean beef mince

Start by marinating the mince meat. I try to marinate it the night before so all the flavours of spices and herbs are mix together wonderfully. I attach the photo to show you the way I marinate the meat then keep it covered in the fridge overnight (cling film cover a bowl will do nicely).
Fry the beef on heavy bottomed pan with a glug of olive oil.
Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce and add chopped chilli. Then when the meat is semi cooked add grated vegetables, including the onion. These can be grated using the largest sheds on your grater.
Mix all together and sauté, covered by lid. After 5 to 7 mins everything should be ready but not overcooked. Toss everything once again and let it dry a bit, as the idea of this meal is not to be too “juicy” as all the flavours are in the meat mixed with veggies.

Once the meal is ready to be served, sprinkle the top of the meal by chopped egg and freshly grounded pepper.

Enjoy!

Cavolo Nero!

Published on February 20, 2016 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

Not cabbage nor lettuce. Actually Cavolo Nero is a cousin of kale.
It has an interesting, slightly earthy and peppery flavour and is a great alternative if you are tired of the greens that regularly appear on your plate.
Until recently, I didn’t have a clue what Cavolo Nero was and what I could make with it.
I bought it from my local grocer attracted by its beautiful colour and interesting structure (AKA Dinosaur skin!) He said I’d like it and he wasn’t wrong. These unusual leaves were in my fridge for two days before I decided to cook it, and it was still fresh and firm.
I created this new meal out of what I had left in the fridge and cupboard, a bit of a stir fry idea with an Italian twist. And the result was rather flavoursome.

It consists of:

2 bunches of cavolo nero
2 tbsp of grated ginger
1/2 of unwaxed lemon
1 large spanish onion
4 garlic cloves
1 chilli pepper
a pinch of crunchy salt and coarse pepper

Heat up a glug of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add chopped onion and stir until soft. Add sliced garlic, chilli, rosemary (optional) and grated ginger. Cover with lid and sweat for a few minutes. Add the cavolo nero, stir with vegetables on very low heat until wilted. Season with crunchy salt and pepper. Mix with freshy cooked linguine pasta and serve immediately sprinkled with lemon juice.
I didn’t have any parmigiano in the fridge last night but I think it would be a perfect ingredient to grate on top of this meal before serving.

#yum!

Spontaneous Sea Bream

Published on February 10, 2016 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

This dish is another example of a quick but lip-smacking idea for an afterwork dinner. It’s easy to pepare. Each of the ingredients takes the same amount of time to cook, so there’s no worry that something will get cold whilst preparing the others.

The way I prepare it:
season filet of fish (sea bream in this case) with white pepper and miso soup topping (they soften into the flesh adding an amazing flavour)
Simmer white buckwheat in medium size pot with salted water for 15 minutes, whilst sauting asparagus slowly with butter in a non sticky pan.

Processed with VSCOcam with s2 preset — sauteéd asparagus

cooked buckwheat — cooked and seasoned buckwheat ready to serve

Few suggestions:
– Bake the fish wrapped in aluminium foil at temperature of 180C.
It will keep the fish moist and prevent from drying.
Put the wrapped fish in the oven when you begin to simmer the buckwheat for perfect timing.
– Sauteé asparagus on the medium heat with good butter, they soften beautifully and prevent butter from burning out.
– Simmer the buckwheat in salted water rather than seasoning afterwards and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Sunday sausages.

Published on January 31, 2016 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

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.

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.

Stuffed + Peppers = Yum.

Published on January 15, 2016 by wojtekvanportek2 Comments

Like most of the food ideas presented here on my blog, this one is super easy and simple to prepare. And tastes oh-so-good!
It takes 20 mins to make this meal happen; perfect timing for a quick after-work dinner. Another bonus- it’s healthy as hell!

And this is how it goes…

3-4 long sweet red peppers
2 unwaxed lemons
1 bag of white buckwheat
1 red onion
1 can of tuna (an option for pescatarians)

Place the buckwheat into boiling water for 15 mins. In the meantime:
set the oven to 200C
Sauté chopped onion in olive oil on a low/medium heat until soft and season with salt,
coarse pepper and juice from 1 lemon and zest.
Add the cooked buckwheat to the pan with the softened onion mixture and stir on low heat for a couple of minutes.
If like myself, you eat fish, add tuna at this moment.
It will give a perfect flavour.

Stuff the peppers with the cooked mixture and tie them with thread. Sprinkle with lemon juice and place on tray with a glug of olive oil.
Bake for 15-17mins. Voilà!

Mr Potato&Co.

Published on December 13, 2015December 13, 2015 by wojtekvanportekLeave a comment

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

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.

Bon appetit!