The Recipe Room

Last night I wanted to try out my new oven-safe form and thought that lasagna would be a good idea. I took the ingredients I had at home and, lo and behold, made a delicious tuna lasagna with goat’s cheese and ginger that turned out to be quite a success! At first, the ingredients may sound a bit odd, but why don’t you try it yourself? I think you’ll like it.

Lasagna is an ideal food for students  because you can often use basic ingredients that you have at home – such as tomato sauce, and then add the ingredients that you happen to have at hand. Top it off with some cheese, pop it in the oven, and voila!

What we need:

• 150g of tinned tuna
• 2 large mushrooms or many small ones (should fill a medium-size frying pan)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 350g of tomato sauce
• 1 dl of milk
• 100g of goat’s cheese
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Lasagna noodles (about 10)
• 100g of Cheddar cheese, grated

How to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
2. Pour the olive oil into a medium-size frying pan.
3. Wash and chop the mushrooms into chunks.
4. Place the mushrooms in the frying pan and let them fry for 10 minutes.
5. Chop the onion into slices. Once the mushrooms are done, place them on a plate for later.
6. Place the onion in the frying pan and let fry for 3 minutes. Add the garlic.
7. Pour the tomato sauce into the frying pan. Add the mushrooms and the milk.
8. Let it all simmer for 3 minutes.
9. Add the tuna and the grated ginger. Mix it all properly and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
10. Add a small amount of the tomato and tuna sauce to the bottom of the oven-safe form.
11. Now, alternate between lasagna noodles and the sauce.
12. In one of the layers, add the sliced goat’s cheese.
13. On top of the last layer, sprinkle the grated Cheddar cheese.
14. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Note: There are several ways to bake pasta, and lasagna is just one of them. Another option is this baked penne with Dolcelatte and radicchio. Try it!

Time needed: 60 minutes
Serves: 4
Level: easy-intermediate

If you have a little bit of extra time, you can, like I have done here, prepare a potato mash and add hummus to it for extra flavour. In this dish of Hake with potato and hummus mash, I have mixed the hummus and potatoes for an extra yummy and healthy mash that goes well with fish.

Just like Japanese soy and Italian green pesto, I always make sure I have a bowl of hummus at home. Lazy as I am, I always buy it ready-made, but if you have a blender, you can easily put this together at home yourself. If you’d like to try, here is a Moroccan hummus recipe that you will love!

This Middle Eastern dish is made of chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and tahini, a sesame seed paste, blended all together to form a paste. It is great as a meat substitute as it is very high in protein and a good source of fibre. It also contains loads of other goodies and is truly scrumptious, so eat away!

Hummus paste is great for sandwiches as a spread or added as an extra ingredient and flavour to something else. I even know people who eat it with a spoon!

Experts tell us we should eat eggs as they are packed with goodies, but having too many can actually be unhealthy. Enjoying an omelette a week will keep you healthy but not over-indulged.

You have probably heard that too many eggs can cause high cholesterol levels, but on the good side, did you know that eggs are good for your eyes? Being a student, I read a lot and so I have to take care of my eyes so that my eyesight doesn’t deteriorate. What better way to do that than eating a heavenly shrimp omelette with sun-dried tomatoes and Japanese soy? (For more egg options, try this Spanish omelette recipe.)

In a previous post I said I would make more recipes with Japanese soy sauce and the Japanese variant is perfect in omelettes to give them a slightly salty flavour. Add some different vegetables, such as mushrooms and onions, and you have a healthy and scrumptious meal in a jiffy!

Tip! You can also cut it into small squares and serve ´tapas-style´ with a toothpick through each piece.

What we need:

• 4 free-range eggs
• 50ml of full-fat milk
• A handful of washed and peeled shrimp
• a handful of sun-dried tomatoes
• 200g rocket
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 5 small mushrooms
• 50g of grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon of Japanese soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

How to make it:

1. Wash and peel the shrimp. Defrost if needed.
2. Wash and cut the mushrooms, onion and sun-dried tomatoes into smalls chunks and grate the garlic.
3. Fry the mushrooms, onions and garlic in the olive oil in a frying pan until soft for about 5 minutes and stirring all the time. Add the shrimp in the very last 5 minutes until they turn pink.
4. Crack the 4 eggs into a small bowl and add the milk and Japanese soy sauce. Whisk together carefully.
5. Pour the egg mixture into a separate frying pan to make the omelette. Let it sit for a minute or two.
6. When hard enough, carefully place a plate on top and try to turn over so it fries on both sides. Attention! This is a tricky part!
7. When the omelette is finished, take it out of the pan. Mix the vegetables, shrimp and rocket all together, laying them in the centre of the omelette and then rolling the omelette so as to make a wrap.
8. Season the top with a bit of salt, pepper and the grated cheese.
9. Serve warm and enjoy!

Serves: 2
Takes: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

I often think that it is the sauce that makes a dish, and the protein source is a matter of choice. Although I will say that pork is quite tasty and goes really well with all types of fruits. Take this roast pork with apple cider recipe. Although I prefer to pair my meat with mango and coconut, the combination of apple and pork in that recipe is divine!

In this dish of oven-fried slices of pork in a coconut and mango chutney sauce, I have chosen coconut flakes and mango chutney to add flavour to the sauce. (For an extra fruity flavour, try this pear and mango chutney.)

Coconut products, including coconut flesh, coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut cream all deliver superb health benefits. Did you know that as well as killing off a whole range of viruses and bacteria and being great for your skin when used in creams, coconut oil is thought to boost the metabolism by consuming energy faster and therefore burning excess body weight off?

So if you are looking to slim down in time for summer, this might be a good recipe for you since the meat used in this is also low in fat. Instead of full-fat products, you can use a lighter version if you prefer to.

I hope you enjoy it!

What we need:

• 250g of salted and slightly smoked cut of pork meat

• 50ml fresh cream

• 75ml full fat milk

• 1/2 tsk curry powder (according to taste)

• 1-3 tablespoons of orange juice

• 50ml of water

• 1 tablespoon of mango chutney

• 1 tablespoon of coconut flakes

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.
2. Cut the pork meat into thin slices and place them in the oven-safe form.
3. Mix the cream, milk, curry, water, mango chutney and coconut into a sauce. Pour in the orange juice according to taste.
4. Carefully pour the sauce over the meat.
5. Next, place the oven-safe form in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, until the pork is cooked well throughout.
6. Serve alongside a garden salad for some extra greens.

Serves: 2

Time needed: 30 minutes

Level: Easy

I love experimenting with different kinds of lasagne because you can basically put just about anything into a lasagne, and it still turns out delicious. Here is one  vegetable lasagne in which I have used spinach, due to its pure healthiness, and cranberries since they are delicious and more versatile than just in desserts. (If you like meat in your pasta, try this beef and kale lasagne.)

Did you know that cranberries have lately been marketed as a “super-fruit” due to their high content in nutrients and antioxidant qualities? They are a great source of vitamin C and are low in calories but high in fibre.

Cranberries are very much part of North American and Canadian cuisine. They use them in marmalades, sauces, desserts and, not to forget, as a very important part of the Thanksgiving dinner.

Native Americans were the first to use cranberries as food. Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, but also for medicines and dyes. It is believed that the natives introduced cranberries to starving English settlers who later incorporated them into the traditional feast of Thanksgiving.

What we need:

• 6-8 lasagne noodles

• 400ml of tomato sauce

• 100ml of full fat milk

• 1 teaspoon of thyme

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1 carrot

• 1 onion

• 200g of fresh spinach, chopped

• 20 dried cranberries

• 100g of cheddar cheese

How to make it:

1. Pour the tomato sauce into a bowl and add the thyme, garlic and milk.

2. Wash and peel the carrot. Cut both the carrot and onion into small slices.

3. Mix the spinach, carrot, cranberries and onion all together.

4. Pour some of the tomato sauce into the oven-safe form.

5. Add a layer of lasagne noodles.

6. Alternate between the pasta, tomato sauce and the veggie/cranberry mix.

7. End the last layer with the last lasagne noodle. Add the last of the tomato sauce and sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, grated or in slices.

8. Place in the middle of the oven for 40 – 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Serves: 2-3

Time needed: preparation time 15 minutes and then oven time.

Level: Easy

This is a great dish for a lunchbox, so easy to make and still healthy and delicious. Pasta is so versatile that I, being a student, probably eat it several times a week. Good thing that nowadays you can buy the supposedly healthier versions made of spinach or other vegetables, or the wholemeal version.

It is not often that I use lime in my cooking, but lime and salmon is a great combination, and lime is a very tasty and healthy fruit. They are a great source of vitamin C, and historically they were used to treat scurvy among sailors and soldiers. And apparently, due to their vitamin C content and antioxidant properties, limes are also very good for your eyes, something that I try to keep in mind since I read a lot.

Lime juice can be stored for use at a later time if you place freshly squeezed lime juice in ice cube trays until frozen. A great way to use these little zesters in drinks or food! (Also try this prawn and courgette tagliatelli.)

Sometimes in the evening I just want a little something. I feel like a small snack to put me to bed without a rumbling stomach so that I get my daily beauty sleep and well-deserved rest. (If I do say so myself!)

On other occasions, I have a house full of dressed-up friends and want to keep them entertained while they wait for the main dish. Sometimes on those occasions, a single glass of white wine just doesn’t cut it because their stomachs are rumbling.

Mini pancakes with savoury toppings is a great way to keep my mingling guests happy while still hungry enough to tuck into the main dish once it arrives on the table.
Be it an evening snack or a formal appetizer, these mini pancakes are perfect and always welcome. Spinach and mozzarella blended with tomatoes and pine nuts are a heavenly combination and will do the trick on any occasion. They are delicious – and so easy to make.

Be prepared to receive recipe inquiries!

What we need:

• 2 eggs
• 75g of flour
• 5 decilitres of milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 125g of mozzarella cheese
• 150g of fresh spinach
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 1/2 decilitres of pine nuts

How to make it:
1. Whip together the eggs, flour and milk.
2. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the mixture.
3. Pour the paste into a mini pancake cast-iron skillet (or one by one if you don’t have one) and fry on middle temperature.
4. Crumble the mozzarella cheese over the mini pancakes when they start to harden.
5. Let the cheese harden.
6. Fry the spinach and garlic in a saucepan using some butter or olive oil.
7. Chop the tomatoes.
8. Add the chopped tomatoes and pine nuts to the spinach and garlic.
9. Place a tablespoon of the mixture onto the pancakes and serve immediately on a large plate.

TIP: If you don’t have an iron skillet for mini pancakes, you can use ready-made blinis found in most supermarkets. Or you can try a similar basic pancake batter recipe.

Serves: 8
Time needed: 20 minutes
Level: easy

As the temperatures plummet to negative numbers, and we are all tucked up at home, shivering and dreaming of warm beaches and barbeques, it is often a good idea to eat food that provides us with plenty of energy, such as pasta with egg yolks and walnuts.

Since we might not have the time to cook hearty stews for hours on end, pasta is one particularly high-energy and easy-to-prepare food which is perfect for wintertime. This will keep us warm when -or if- we dare to venture out, since you can actually eat yourself warm.

In this recipe, we have added egg yolk and walnuts for an even more energy-packed dish, and as though that wasn’t enough, topped it off with cream and bacon. This dish is probably not for the calorie-counting people out there, but bear in mind that in these freezing temperatures, your body needs more of them than usual. Calories can be counted when spring arrives in a month or so! In the meantime, while winter is still here, you can use the leftover walnuts to make an apple and walnut crumble for dessert.

So, put your favourite film in the DVD, take 15 minutes to make this easy dish, and cozy up on the sofa knowing that this is a yummy way to give your body that extra boost that it needs and deserves!

What we need:
• 300 grams of spaghetti or Tagliatelle pasta
• 300 grams of bacon
• 1 clove of chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 deciliter of grated parmesan cheese
• 1 deciliter of cream or full-fat milk
• 2 pinches of ground pepper
• 4 egg yolks
• Parsley
• Top it off with chopped walnuts

How to make it:
1. Boil the pasta in lightly-salted water according to instructions on the packet and drain.
2. Mix the egg yolks, parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic in a bowl.
3. Fry the chopped-up bacon in a frying pan and take off excess fat with a tissue.
4. Pour the bacon and the mix of egg yolk, cheese, olive oil and chopped garlic into the pasta and stir it together carefully.
5. Sprinkle the chopped up parsley and ground pepper over the pasta and serve immediately.
6. Add more parmesan cheese according to taste, and add chopped walnuts as desired.
7. Crawl under a warm blanket with a bowl of this amazing pasta, and enjoy with a good film – just until the weather improves.

Time needed: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Level: easy