And for the breakfast is... :)

Good Morning World!
It's Monday morning, 8:30 GMT...
It's beautiful autumn here in London, a bit cloudy sky, thermometer shows 13 degrees... it seems like we might need an umbrella later on...It was going to be a long and thorough post about our fishy passion but instead it'll be super extra quick recipe for our favourite fishy sandwich spread which was once given to me by an old family friend, who was a great fan of fishing... ;)

Quick sardine sandwich spread

250g semi-fat fromage cheese

1 tin of smoked sardines in olive oil

1/2 small onion

2 eggs

salt and pepper

fresh baguette

Chop the onion finely. Mash the cheese with a fork in a bowl, add the sardines with oil from a can (oil adds moisture). Chop boiled eggs finely or grate on a coarse grater and mix with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Mash everything thoroughly with a fork. Spread the mixture on a crispy slice of baguette and enjoy!

... and something to soothe the Monday morning mood... :)

Cheesy happiness - Welsh Rarebit

If you've ever been to Krakow, then you know where to go for the best ever roasted baguettes with mushrooms, melted cheese, ketchup and chive. For those who don't know, this is called ‘zapiekanka’. Located in the very heart of Kazimierz, in the middle of a grocery market square in Plac Nowy, right next to popular pubs and clubs such as Singer or Alchemia. As long as I can remember, this place always had a vibrant social life from the morning to the late night. Decadent bars and clubs where we used to stay to very late night or even very early mornings were always full of local people and international guests. We, people of Krakow enjoyed this absolutely scrumptious food prepared personally by Endzior – owner himself. There was nothing as good as a night out with a pack of friends, couple (or more) of beers in a pub and a crunchy zapiekanka with salami, or chicken. Even though, most of what they sell are roasted baguettes with different toppings (pol. zapiekanka), and burgers, there was a never-ending queue every night. 

But who has not been to UK before, then you do not know that the English have their own brilliant cheesy toast. Although, you can’t buy it ‘take away’ on the street, nor I haven't come across it in any of those decent British pub, it is in the minds of the Welsh, especially those who were poor over the past centuries, who often couldn't afford the cheapest piece of meat. So, for the average Welshman, the toast dripping with melted cheddar cheese was like a feast of roast rabbit. I do not know why, today, instead of 'rabbit' they tend to call it 'rarebit'. I personally prefer the original one. 

A genuine 'Welsh Rabbit' is a thick slice of bread, covered with a creamy mixture of cheddar cheese (or Gloucester cheese or Cheshire cheese) and egg, mustard and stout. Then grilled and eaten straight from the oven.

Although, there are hundreds ways of preparing welsh rabbit, we still hold on to this one, just basic, simply delicious!

4 large slices of bread 

200g cheddar or Leicester cheese 

1 egg 

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

Pinch of cayenne pepper 

½ tsp of mustard 

30 ml stout 

A little bit of butter 

Preheat the grill to medium-high, and toast the bread on both sides. Beat the yolks into the bowl together with grated cheese, add all other ingredients and seasoning and mix them thoroughly. If you find your mixture too dry you can add one more egg. Then spoon the mixture on to the toast and cook until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately as hot as you can stand.

*** Nice article about the pleasures of cheese is here, I recommend it. 

Autumnal laziness

This year, autumn visited British Island as early as mid-August. However, only in a last few days it could be seen in its full glory... we can feel it in the air that passes through a thin slits in the window frames... 
I love to get stuck in my comfy sofa and watch the tips of the yellowing trees through the window, and the sky seems a bit grumpy today too... 

... with the autumnal laziness in my head, I’m trying to sort out the current and outstanding issues, and getting ready to open a new chapter of my life...
In a kitchen, the hot soup with golden chanterelles is quietly simmering in a small pan... hot, with delicious double cream will soothe the autumn mood... 

Chanterelle soup with fennel and sun-dried tomatoes 

1 large carrot 

1 parsley 

2 small celery sticks 

½ fennel bulb 

1 onion, chopped 

2 cloves of garlic 

25ml olive oil 

250g golden chanterelle mushroom 

few sun-dried tomatoes 

1 L mushroom broth 

200 ml of double cream 

salt and pepper 

Chop all your vegetables and garlic finely. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry all the vegetables for about 10 minutes. Add the washed and dried chanterelles and fry them for a few more minutes. Pour mushroom broth, add tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes. When the vegetables are soft, season them with salt and pepper and pour a double cream into the pan. Serve your soup in a bowls and sprinkle with some fennel. 

Raw - Cooked Fish... how to make a delicious Ceviche...

Last weekend passed under the sign of fish ... and it's not because Jarek is a zodiacal fish... hehehe 

Fried fish, steamed one too... and cooked ... but how? Well, here's the surprice... has anyone ever heard of cooking fish without using heat? Apparently, whole South America cooks the fish without using electricity or fire... It has been one of South America's best-kept secret for centuries, but it is becoming a popular appetizer and will be gaining popularity as the century progresses... we're talking about Ceviche ("seh-BEE-chay").

 
The dispute over the origin of ceviche is between Peru and Ecuador, but both countries have an amazing variety of fish and seafood, which may prove that it comes from the ancient civilizations of the Incas in Peru and Ecuador. Each Latin American country has given Seviche / ceviche its own touch by adding your typical kitchen spices, ingredients and decorations. In Peru, it is served with slices of cold sweet potatoes or corn on the cob. In Ecuador, it is served with popcorn, nuts and corn in a large crystal bowl so that guests can treat themselves with toothpicks. In Mexico, Ceviche is served with raw onion rings and served on tosted tortillas.
But what it really is ceviche? Depending on the region of South America, the primary ingredient is always raw fish or raw seafood, sliced ​​into small, bite-sized pieces, marinated in citrus juice, usually lemons and limes together with salt and chilli pepper flakes. According to an old tradition, the Incas have marinated their fish in citrus juice, salt and chilli pepper, in later times, the Spanish conquerors have added lime to the marinade. The citric acid in the juice changes the texture of fish, and more specifically, change the structure of the proteins contained in the fish, which means that the fish becomes firm and opaque, as it happens during the heat treatment. And at the same time, leaving the 'raw' taste. However, citric acid does not kill bacteria, such as high temperatures during baking or cooking, so it is important to choose the freshest fish and seafood possible.
Ceviche is easy to make and can be prepared for a light lunch or as a great snack for dinner. Looks beautiful on glass platters and cups.
Ceviche variations are countless... We used a marinade recipe from Gordon Ramsay. Gordon, however, used salmon only and we used sea bass too. That's the best marinated fish I've ever eaten so far. So try it yourself and you won't be dissapointed. And I'm sure, fish lovers will be in heaven with this dish. :)

Salmon and Sea Bass Ceviche 

 

1 unwaxed lime
1 unwaxed lemon
4 spring onions
1 red chilli
3 tbsp sesame oil
6 tbsp olive oil 

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch coriander
1 tsp caster sugar

250g salmon fillet, cut into thin slices
250g fillet of sea bass, cut into thin slices
salad leaves, to decorate

 

Prepare the marinade:

To make the marinade, grate the lime and lemon zest into a bowl. Squeeze the lime and lemon juice into the same bowl as the zest. Remove the tough outer skins of the spring onions, chop finely and add to the bowl.
Roll the chilli between your hands to loosen the seeds. Cut off the top and slice the chilli in half length-wise, scrape out and discard the seeds. Slice length-wise into fine strips, chop finely and add to the bowl. Add the sesame oil, olive oil and soy sauce and mix thoroughly.

Take a handful of coriander leaves and chop finely. Add to the bowl and stir. Add a good grind of pepper, pinch of salt and the sugar, stir and that's it, the marinade's ready.
 

Sliceyour salmon and sea bass as soon as it comes out of the fridge or, even better, leave it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before you slice it. Slice the fish fillet across, aiming for no thicker than 5mm. Then, place the slices of fish in the marinade for an hour, into the refrigerator.
If you're not eating for a while, put your fish separately in the fridge - just remember to remove it about half an hour before eating so that it has time to get back up to room temperature so that you can appreciate the full flavour of the fish. A few minutes before eating, decorate fish lettuce leaves, watercress, basil, as desired.
You can also take a strip of fish and dip it into the marinade as you go as the fish is 'cooking' in a marinade immediately. Serve it with your favourite Pinot Grigio :) and enjoy! 

Knock knock... Is anyone there? Yes, Fish and seafood chowder!

Knock Knock ...

Is anyone there?

Hello hello... we’re here... We’re back after few months of absence... Even though we’ve disappeared, many of you stayed and still could find some inspirations here and we’ve even got a new readers and followers too. Welcome Guys!! So we're back with new ideas and fresh minds.

So today, great summer idea to use fish and seafood, which I once again tried to smuggle into Yarek’s plate... He always says to me: "How can you eat the sea vermins and why don’t we just eat the land ones too?” Joker!

But I don’t give up so easily so today I managed to stuff my chowder with fair amount of spices and vegetables so it's tolerable for him. The effect was amazing, full of flavours and even Yarek managed to get a seconds... well, I had to eat his vermins, read seafood ;) 

Fish and Seafood Chowder

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsp of sweet peppers paste

600g finely chopped tomatoes

200ml white wine

300ml fish broth (I used fish cubes)

1 large salmon fillet, cut into 2cm chunks

1 fillet of sea bass, cut into 2cm chunks

1 fillet of sea bream, cut into 2cm chunks

6 tiger prawns

A few mussels (we used a large handful)

A handful of coriander

3 strips orange zest

Salt and pepper

A few slices of bread

Heat the oil in a wide, deep frying pan. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat for 5 mins until softened. Stir through the garlic, chilli and fennel and cook a couple of mins more. Add the pepper paste and tomatoes. Turn up the heat and cook for 10-15 mins, stirring until the tomatoes are pulpy. Pour over the wine and cook for 10 mins more until most of it has boiled away.

Add the fish stock and orange zest and heat until gently simmering. Nestle the fish chunks into the liquid and cook for 5 mins. Add the mussels and prawns and cook for 5 mins more until the fish is cooked through and the mussels have opened (discard any that haven't). Sprinkle the coriander over the stew and serve with the garlic toasts while sitting in a garden or balcony and not forgetting about your favourite glass of vino ;)

Enjoy!

Have a good Monday...

It's a pity it's only 2 o'clock in the afternoon... As we'de like to have a glass of delicious cider like this...
Watch this...


cranberry mulled cider from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Have a lovely afternoon to everyone!!

Dispute over ‘Cebularze’ (Onion Cakes)

Polish culinary blogs and forums argue about the origin of this delicious onion cakes. Well, I don’t think this a proper translation for Cebularze. However, it seems to be ok, so you know what I’m thinking about.  Some say that they come from Lublin (eastern part of Poland), others that they are from Zamosc (further down the eastern part of Poland), and others that they come from Podlasie (north-eastern part of the country)... I was just trying to track the history of these scrumptious onion cakes and found a legend...

A legend says that they the first onion cakes were baked by Jews. Their origins date back to the time of the King of Poland, Kaziemierz the Great. Apparently, they were baked for the king by his mistress, Esterka....

In the nineteenth century, from a typical homemade appetiser, the onion cakes became the pearl of Jewish bakery in the Old Town in Lublin and Wieniawa (the towns in Poland). People say that before the WWII, onion cakes were like a big tortillas riddled in the middle. Probably riddled with knife and sprinkled with the onions. In this place the tortilla was very thin and crispy, and the rims were puffy. Apparently, it was mouth watering to have one of those tortillas, freshly baked and hot, and with thin layer of butter spread.

Cebularze were baked before the war in Kazimierz, Piaski, Szczebrzeszyn. Today, dozens of bakery bakes them in the region.

Original recipe contains  specific type of plain flour (I don’t think this is available abroad, and can’t even find the proper translation), yeast, milk, egg, salt and sugar, and butter well. And the shape of the cake is very important. The ones from Podlasie are more like little bake rolls stuffed with lightly fried onions. And sour cream is added, they are cut with a glass, and the onions are fried together with salt, pepper and marjoram.

We used the most traditional recipe possible, found here.  However, because we didn’t have any poppy seeds at home and we’re not really a fans of it, we used a few other ingredients that composed in beautifully. So, our version of ‘cebularze’, includes ...

250g of wheat flour

1 teaspoon instant yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

A large bunch of spring onions

2 tablespoons of oil

3 large cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon chili flakes

Salt and pepper

Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a little hole and pour some warm milk (room temperature), pour the sugar and yeasts. Gently stir it. Sprinkle lightly with flour and leave for 15 minutes - until yeast starts to work. In the meantime, melt the butter in a pan. Once cooled, pour the butter and salt into the bowl. Beat the egg lightly. Leave a little to grease the dough and pour the rest into the flour. Gradually pour the milk and stir. Knead the dough with your hands for few minutes until elastic. Put the kneaded dough into a bowl greased with oil, cover and leave in a warm place to rise. The dough should double in volume. We took about 1.5 hours in a warm place (near boiler).

In the meantime, chop the spring onions. Fry the onion in small amount of oil along with the squeezed garlic and chilli flakes. When the onion has softened add salt and freshly ground pepper. Leave it to cool.

Divide the risen dough into 6 equal parts. Form a ball and with your hands flatten them (lie a pizza dough). Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Smear each cakes’ rims with the remaining egg. Stuff the middle with fired onions and garlic. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden.

These savoury onion cakes are great  with a lager while watching your favourite film...

Enjoy!!!