Tag Archives: food blogger

Olive Oil and Rosemary Crackers

I’ve been on a homemade everything kick for a quite long time.. 😀 Homemade crackers is not an exception. I’ve tried lots of crackers recipes and usually crackers turned out like cookies, not very crunchy, tasted like shortbread cookies, or I was unable to roll out dough thinly. Finally, after tasting and comparing different recipes, I created my own recipe of salty crackers. You need only few ingredients to prepare these amazingly tasty, crunchy and aromatic crackers! The dough contains extra virgin olive oil and rosemary, natural bitterness and pepperyness of the oil and piney aroma of the herb give incredible taste and smell to the dough and crackers. You can make sticks, twists or roll out the dough very thinly and cut out any shape you like. I enjoy these crackers as is, it’s a nice midday snack; you can also make a sauce and dip crackers into it.

This edible bouquet for all beautiful and wonderful ladies, who has brought many tasty dishes to Fiesta Friday party today! A feast for the eyes and the stomach! 😉

Olive Oil and Rosemary Crackers

Time: 40-30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

160g strong/bread flour

130g wholemeal flour + more if needed

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black or white pepper

1.5-2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

150ml water

90ml extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, rozemary. Add water and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add olive oil and mix again. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead with hands. Add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Cut the dough into equal 6-8 pieces. Roll each piece into circle as thinly as you like, cut into squares, diamond shape. You can also cut into strips (1.5-2cm width, 15cm length) and then twist each strip.
Place crackers on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 220-230C (450F) oven for 10-11 minutes or until golden color.

I keep crackers in airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.

Enjoy!

#6 Olive oil and rosemary crackers

Apple Scones

Many of you heard about these lovely biscuits, which are called scones. Whenever I see or hear ‘scones’ I immediately imagine the Queen of the United Kingdom, how she’s drinking her 5 o’clock tea, beautiful china teacups are set on a huge royal table, and elegant waitresses serving various treats and of course scones! Did you know that originally scone was round and flat, usually as a medium-sized plate, it was made with oats and baked on a griddle, and only after that cut into triangular sections for serving. Only when baking powder became available and popular, scones began to be the oven-baked. Nowadays, scones are widely liked and popular not only in Britain. Saying honestly, scones aren’t popular in Russia, may be because of large and good variety of cookies and other cakes. Here, in the UAE the same thing, they are not sold in regular bakeries and stores, so I decided to make scones myself and here the result – buttery and tasty triangle scones. 🙂

Apple Scones

Servings: 6-8
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

150g plain flour

100-120g wholemeal flour

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp orange or lemon zest

2 tsp cinnamon

100g sugar

110g butter, very cold

110g sour cream

1 egg

1 apple

1 tsp lemon juice

Glazing

100g powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

In a large bowl or food processor, combine flours, salt, baking powder, sugar, zest, cinnamon. Grate the butter or cut into small cubes, add to the flour mixture and mix in. Knead the dough.
In a small bowl, add sour cream, egg and whisk to combine until smooth. Pour the mixture over dry and fold until just combined.
Peel, core and cut apple into small cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold apple cubes into dough until just combined.
Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, shape into 20-23cm and 2cm thick disk. With a knife slice the disk into 6-8 wedges.
Transfer wedges on a lined baking sheet with some space apart. Bake in preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes. Allow scones to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the glazing. In a small bowl, sift icing sugar and whisk with lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle scones with the glazing.

Enjoy tea-time!

Vegetable Tian

The first time I saw a layered vegetable dish, I couldn’t took took my eyes off the screen. It was so colorful and gorgeous! So, I did some research and found out that it’s called ‘tian’. Tian originated in Provance region of France and owes its name to the earthenware shallow dish in which it’s cooked in the oven and then served. It’s also can be describe as a gratin but in the Provencal style. I love such simple and delicious bakes, and I’ve already made various gratins but they are topped with breadcrumbs or cheese, so all its beauty is almost fully covered. I was lucky to buy some yellow zucchini (most of the time its price much higher compare to green ones) and made a beautiful tian! I had such a fun composing it, arranging vegetables slices in layers. 🙂

After making, baking and eating I came to the conclusion that tian is a wonderful and full of flavour dish, which is simple and fun to prepare! And one more note: the more colorful the vegetables – the more attractive the appearance of the tian. 😉

Vegetable Tian

Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Potatoes take the most time to cook, so if you want you may parboil potato slices or totally omit it.

Ingredients

yellow or/and green zucchini

eggplants

tomatoes

small potatoes, optional

olive oil

a pinch of dried basil and thyme

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

some grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, optional

Wash all the vegetables, clean the skin off the potatoes. Slice finely.
Grease a shallow dish with olive oil, arrange vegetable slices. Sprinkle with herbs, drizzle olive oil, and season generously. Cover loosely with foil.
Cook in preheated 180C oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle some cheese if using and cook uncovered for further 20-35 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Serve warm as is or as a side dish to meat.

Enjoy! ❤

Russian buckwheat kasha with mushrooms

Buckwheat has always been a popular grain in Russia. It was brought in 7th century from Greece and soon became extremely popular. Buckwheat was new and unknown grain in Russia, so it was called “Greek grain” or shortly “grechka”. It’s not a surprise why buckwheat was very beloved in old Russia: peasants called it “mother”, they grown it in a large amounts, so it was cheap and affordable grain. Moreover, it’s cooked quickly and has a high nutritional value – a plate of buckwheat kasha (porridge) for breakfast can keep you full for a long time. Buckwheat porridge was a favorite meal not only among peasants, it was also cooked for upper classes but with plenty of butter or sour cream.

Nowadays, there are lots of recipes with buckwheat, it’s cooked with milk and eaten for breakfast or as a side dish for meat like beefstroganov. Buckwheat porridge with fried onion and mushrooms is a popular dish in Russia, especially during the Great Lent when grains, vegetables and mushrooms become the main foods.

Hope all lovely bloggers partying at Fiesta Friday will like this Russian buckwheat porridge, it contains vitamins, healthy organic acids and oils! Enjoy! 🙂

Russian buckwheat kasha with mushrooms

Servings: 2
Time: 30-40mins
Difficulty: easy
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During the Great Lent or for vegetarian option omit the butter or substitute it with any veg.oil

Ingredients

200ml buckwheat

400ml water

1 tsp butter

1 Tbsp sunflower or other veg.oil

1 large onion, chopped

200g mixed mushrooms (or 400g frozen), chopped

25-30g butter

salt, pepper to taste

fresh chopped parsley, optional

Wash buckwheat, put it a thick-bottomed or iron-castle pan, fry on a low heat without any oil for 2-3 minutes. Add water and good pinch of salt. Bring it to boil on a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, add a teaspoon butter and simmer for 17-20 minutes or until all water will be absorbed. Don’t stir buckwheat during the cooking. When it’s ready, take the pan off the heat, cover with lid and few kitchen towels, let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add onion and fry for few minutes. Stir in mushrooms, season to taste and fry on a medium-high heat until mushrooms are ready.
Stir the mushroom mixture and butter into buckwheat. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve warm as a main dish or side dish to chicken, stewed meat or sausages. Enjoy!

Midweek Salad

Hey guys! What do you cook during the week? If it’s going to be a hectic working week – do you make anything time-consuming? Personally, if I’m tired I don’t cook complicated dishes and eat simple dishes, including lots of different salads. Hopefully, you eat well and do not buy unhealthy quick and junk meals as I do. Moreover, it seems to me that to make a salad or simple pasta at home for your tomorrow lunch is much cheaper and healthier than to eat any junk-food. Thus, eating healthy foods whiteout spending a lot is possible, and I suggest you to start prepare salads like this one. I love beets and add it everywhere, caramelized beets is even more tasty! Eat the salad, man! 😀

Midweek Salad

Servings: 2
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 medium beet, cooked

2-3 tsp brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp balsamic or wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

100-120g green beans

10-15g butter

8-10 cherry tomatoes, yellow or red, cut into halves

60-80g feta cheese, crumbled

bull’s blood leaves, a handful

2 tsp black sesame seeds

1-2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

S&P to taste

extra virgin olive oil

basil micro sprouts, optional

Cut the beet into small cubes or wedges. In a frying pan or saucepan, combine vinegar, oil and sugar on medium heat; mix to combine. Add beet cubes and swirl to coat. Cook on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, put beans and cover with water, add a butter, some salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Drain the water.
On a serving plate, arrange washed leaves, put on beat cubes, beans, tomatoes and feta. Sprinckle with sesame and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, garnish with basil and season to taste. Enjoy!