One-Pan Cajun Orzo with Sausage

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, chopped, 1 red bell pepper, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 12 oz. andouille sausage, sliced, 8 oz. orzo, 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth, 2 tsp. cajun seasoning, Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper, 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes, 2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large deep skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and pepper and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add sausage and cook until warmed through and golden, about 2 minutes.  

Add orzo and stir to toast for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, broth, and cajun seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until orzo is cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Add cream cheese and stir until melted, then stir in green onions.

Spaghetti alla Nerano

Spaghetti alla Nerano or the Stanley Tucci spaghetti

1 quart sunflower oil, or as needed, 6 medium green zucchini, 4 ounces spaghetti,
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pinch salt, 2 basil leaves, torn into small pieces, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

Poached peach and mascarpone fridge cake

Yummy Aussie recipe

7 peaches, halved, stoned, 1 cup (250ml) dark rum, 3 cups (660g) caster sugar,
1 cinnamon stick or quill, 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped, 500g mascarpone,
3/4 cup (185ml) thickened cream, 1 tbsp icing sugar mixture, 16 savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits) 

 

Place peach, rum, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla seeds and pod and 2 cups (500ml) water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and cook for 10 mins or until peach is just tender. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl. Place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Use an electric mixer to whisk the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Cover and place in the fridge to chill.
Line an 11cm x 24cm (base measurement) loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing the sides to overhang.
Drain the peach mixture, reserving the poaching liquid. Place 8 peach halves on a clean work surface and use a small sharp knife to cut each half into 1cm-thick slices.
Place 2 cups (500ml) poaching liquid in a large bowl. Dip 1 biscuit into the poaching liquid and turn to coat. Repeat with 4 more biscuits. Arrange the biscuits crossways over base of the prepared pan, trimming to fit.
Spread 1 1/4 cups of the mascarpone mixture over the biscuits. Top with half the peach slices, overlapping slightly. Spread a thin layer of remaining mascarpone mixture over peach slices. Continue layering with the remaining biscuits, reserved poaching liquid, mascarpone mixture and peach slices, finishing with biscuits. Lightly tap pan on work surface to settle the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to set.
Meanwhile, place 1 cup (250ml) remaining poaching liquid in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 mins or until syrup thickens. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
Turn the cake onto a serving platter. Remove plastic wrap. Cut remaining peach halves into wedges. Arrange over the cake and drizzle with syrup.

Caprese puff

Tasty snack found on the world wide web of information

honey, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, tomatoes, mozzarella, basilicum, puff pastry, egg yolk, sesame seeds

Put on a baking sheet a spoon of honey, add the balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, a slice of tomato, salt, a slice of mozzarella, a little bit of black pepper, some leaves of basilicum and top it with the puff pastry. Brush the puff pastry with the eggyolk and sprinkle the sesame seeds.
Put it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Green bean and mackerel salad

Mackrel & green beans? Weird combo but tasty

170g green beans, trimmed, thinly sliced, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 x 115g cans King Oscar Skinless Mackerel Fillets in Spicy Tomato Sauce, 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, Dill sprigs, to serve, Lemon wedges, to serve 

Cook beans in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl.
Toss the olive oil mixture through the beans and add mackerel fillets. Toss through parsley. Season. Serve with dill and lemon cheeks.

Fruity Brownies

New week, new cake. This time from Savori Urbane

Brownie mix: 6 eggs, 300 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 packets of Bourbon vanilla sugar or a teaspoon of vanilla extract or powder, 300 g dark chocolate, 300 g butter min. 80%, 300 g of flour
Furthermore 1 kg of peeled fruit (cherries, sour cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, blueberries, etc.), 50 g hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios or finely chopped walnuts

Wash the fresh fruits and destone them. Slice ​​the apricots and pit the cherries.
Melt the butter and chocolate, stir occasionally, and let the mixture cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Preheated the oven to 170 C with ventilation, respectively medium setting for the gas ones.
In the bowl of the food processor, put the whole eggs with the sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat the eggs well (approx. 5-6 minutes) until you get a foamy mix, light in color. On top of it, pour in a stream, the chocolate with butter and mixed them for 1 minute.
Sift the flour directly into the bowl and mixed the dough for another 1 minute, at low speed.
Line the pan (28×38 cm) with baking paper and pour the batter for this chocolate brownie into it. Level it with the spatula and decorated it with the apricot slices, cherries and the rest of the fruits. Finish with 2-3 tablespoons of chopped hazelnuts, sprinkled over the fruit.
Put the tray in the oven preheated to 170 C and let it bake for approx. 35-40 minutes. An authentic brownie should be moist in the center, not completely baked. In the present case, we also have many fruits that leave juice during baking, so we should bake the cake a little longer, compared to its version without fruits.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for one hour.

Prăjitură cu rubarbă și iaurt

Saw a beautiful picture on my favourite dessert blog Ciocovan and I thought to give it a try!

For the rhubarb layer: 400-450g rhubarb, 30g melted butter, 50g of sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
For the sponge: 100g almond flour, 175g flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ½ teaspoon powdered ginger, 100 g of butter, 100g of sugar, 50g of honey, grated rind from 1 lemon, 2 eggs, 240g fat yogurt (10% fat)

First prepare the pan in which you will bake the cake. It is preferable to have a compact pan, without removable walls, so that the syrup formed during baking does not leak into the oven. If you don't have something like that, then you can wrap the base of a tray with removable walls in aluminum foil.
Prepare the mixture for the sponge:
Mix the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and ginger in a bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the softened butter (let it soften at room temperature for 30 minutes), honey, sugar and lemon zest. Mix with the dough paddle until everything is homogeneous and the mixture looks like a cream.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each one until incorporated into the mixture.
Add the dry ingredients mixed earlier and fold them in as well. At the end, add the yogurt and mix well.
Slowly pour the mixture over the rhubarb arranged in the tray. Level with a spatula.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 180C for 60-70 minutes, until it is browned on the surface and a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and be patient for 15-20 minutes before removing it from the pan. To do this, first remove the papers from the side of the tray. Then place a large plate/tray over the pan and flip the pan over in one go.
Let the cake cool completely before slicing.