It was about time I made something yummy, lately food has been more of a necessity (due to lack of time, mainly) and, consequently, quite dull. But yesterday I was inspired by a recipe found here and since “I´m in money” (as we say in Romanian, meaning I got paid), thought I´d prepare something a bit fancier than frozen fish with rice and cucumber or frozen fish with mashed potatoes and cauliflower. (yes, frozen fish is cheap here!) 😉 So I got a juicy piece of entrecôte, ingredients for a pea and thyme pesto, sweet potatoes, as well as beer! 😉
delicious
Brasov
Yesterday we traded Bucharest for Brasov, just to change the scenery a bit and get some fresh air. We bought the train tickets, some pretzels and a magazine and off we went on a 2,5 h ride to Transylvania. I couldn´t believe my eyes when I met a Romanian friend of mine from Oslo on the same train! With her cute 1,5 year old! She was heading the same way, so we sat together, laughing and “poking” the little one´s cheeks.
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Panna cotta
Yesterday we had guests and I thought I´d try something different for dessert, aside from my regulars: dark chocolate cake, Pavlova or chocolate mousse. I´d never made Panna cotta before, but it looked easy enough, so I found a recipe that looked yummy and yet not so complicated. It turned out amazing!
Thai laksa my style
There are many types of thai laksa and I´m by no means any expert. Back when I started cooking for real, 12 years ago, I used to follow a recipe to the letter. Now I find myself more and more just opening the fridge putting together something out of the ingredients I already have. This one comes as a middle ground. I usually have coconut milk and some veggies, maybe even some cilantro and lime, if I´m in luck, so I mainly need to buy the fish and some extra fennel or sugar snaps. It only takes 15-20 minutes to make and it´s yummy!
Goulash à la Alina and Vuong
Goulash is probably the most Hungarian dish there is. And because it´s served all over the world, I haven´t eaten the same goulash in two places, I swear! In Romania it´s common in Transylvania, as well as in families with Hungarian ties. It might very well be on other people´s menu as well, but in the south, where I´m from, people would rather make lasagna than try something traditional from other parts of the country. I myself had it for the first time in Budapest, many years ago. There it was a thin, soup-like thing, but they served study portions, so it filled student bellies well. Later on I ate it at my aunt´s, she´s a Hungarian born in Norway and was married to my uncle for many years. She makes it with dumplings and it was about the best thing I´d ever tasted! We love pot roast type of dinners, from ratatouille to chili con carne, so we had to make it ourselves at one point.
Nutty cake
Friday crept into place and suddenly it was time for good food and treats. We had a couple of friends over and I made Indian, not the tandoori stuff you eat everywhere, but the more special dishes from North India with cauliflower, carrots, minced meat, peas and mint raita. Yum!
And since I have a sweet tooth, I feel a good meal is not complete unless it´s topped with a luscious desert. At the same time, I never have the time required by complicated cakes, nor do I believe them to be worth the effort.. So I searched on the good old internet and found the perfect recipe! You should make it an hour in advance so it can cool down in the freezer, but the making itself only takes 15 min!;-)
Ingredients
- 250g assorted biscuits, roughly chopped
- 250g assorted nuts, or a mix of nuts and dried fruit
- 300g milk or plain chocolate, or a mixture of both, chopped
- 100g butter, chopped
- 140g golden syrup
- Butter and line a 20cm square tin with non-stick baking parchment. In a large bowl, combine the biscuits and nuts, halving any larger nuts. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth and glossy, then pour this over the biscuit and nut mixture.
- Tip the mixture into the tin, then flatten lightly – it doesn’t need to be completely smooth. Chill for at least 2 hrs or overnight before cutting into squares.
Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com
life in a bubble 