Dhal Soup (red lentils soup)

This recipe is for my brother and for my sister. Because we all love Indian food so much. Because my sister is a vegan and always needs new ideas of healthy and easy to prepare meals. Because my brother needs to cook nice, tasty and healthy meals for his pregnant wife!

A delicious dish that even my kids love!

Ingredients and steps:

- 25 gr butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kurkuma
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin

Saute the onion and the garlic for a few minutes, till soft. Add the garam masala, kurkuma, paprika powder, chili powder, cumin and fry for about 30 seconds.  I always prepare all the spices in a plate in advance so that they are ready to go in the pan in one time and I don't need to stress!

- 3 skinless tomatoes, diced

- about 300 gr red lentils



- juice of half a lemon
- about 1/2 l vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- salt and pepper

Add the tomatoes, the lentils, the lemon juice, the vegetable broth and the coconut milk. Bring to a boil and let it cook at medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Taste to make sure the flavor is right and add salt and pepper if needed.

Most of the time we serve it with home made naan breads.

Flan d'Onion

Ingredients and steps:

- 800 gr of onions, sliced. I usually use shallot because it has such a nice sweet taste.
- 60 gr butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp flour
- 20 cl milk
- 10 cl crème fraiche
- 1 tsp mustard (de Dijon)
- some muscat nut
- salt/ pepper
- puff pastry

Saute the onions in the butter for a few minutes. Add some water to it and let them cook till they are completely soft, about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary.

When ready, add the flour and mustard.

Mix the milk and crème fraiche and warm it in a pan. Add the egg yolks to it and then add the onions.

Add the salt and pepper and the muscat nut.

Place the puff pastry in a cake shape and add the onions. Bake it for 25 minutes and a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees. Serve with a nice salad.

Albondigas (Spanish meatballs)

This recipe is from my mother and my Spanish grandmother, it is a typical Spanish dish. My mother used to cook it often when I was young and still does when we gather with all the family in their house in Spain because everybody likes it (except my sister who is a vegetarian then!). Real comfort food!

Ingredients and steps:

For the meatballs:
- 300 gr minced meat (I use 100% ground beef)
- 2 white bread slices
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 or 2 tbsp pine nuts
- salt/ pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- flour
- 4 tbsp oil

Cut the bread in peaces and let it soak in the milk for a few minutes, till completely soft.
In a large bowl place the minced meat, add the soaked bread, the garlic, the parsley, the egg, the pinenuts and salt and pepper to taste.

Form the meat balls with your hands and roll them in the flour.

Fry the meat balls in a large frying pan for about 10 minutes at medium high heat. When they are nice brown, place them in a large pan.

 

For the sauce:
- 1 or 2 carrots, sliced
- 1/2 a green paprika, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red paprika powder (sweet)
- some flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 to 3 cups vegetable broth (enough to cover the meatballs in the pan)

In the frying pan where you fried the meatballs, saute now the onions and the green paprika for about 5 minutes.

Add the onions and green paprika to the pan with the meat balls. Add the red paprika powder, the bay leaves, the carrots and the broth and let it cook at medium-low heat for 30 minutes. If you want to thicken the sauce, add a tbsp of flour that you have previously mixed with water to make a thin paste.

 

 

 

And that's it! Serve with tagliatelle or with rice.

 

 



tagliatelle with zucchini

This is the easiest way to make my kids eat vegetables! The kids love it, the parents love it, it's a win-win situation! It is therefore frequently served in our house!

Ingredients and steps:

- 2 zucchinis
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 onion finely chopped

Fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes, till soft. Add the zucchini and fry at medium heat for about 10 mn.

- 2 to 3 tomatoes, skinless, diced
- 1 tsp sugar
- a cup vegetable broth

Push the zucchini a bit to the side of the pan and add the tomatoes in the middle. I always add a pinch of sugar when I fry tomatoes, it gives them a nice sweet taste. Let it cook for about 5 mn.

Add the vegetable broth, mix well and let it cook at medium heat for about 15 mn.

- tagliatelle
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese or grana padano chees

In the meanwhile, prepare the tagliatelle according to instructions. Add some some olive oil to avoid that they stick toghether, add the zucchini and cover with a lot of parmesan cheese or grana padano!

Guacamole

Ingredients and steps:

- 2 avocados
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 1/2 a red chili
- 1 (small) ripe tomatoe finely chopped
- 3 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 a lime or lemon juice (I like both)
- salt/ pepper to taste

Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the onion, chili, lemon juice, coriander, salt & pepper and tomatoes. Mix everything and done! Always nice to serve with tortilla chips.

Much of the guacamole has to be done to taste, so try and adjust the amounts to your preferences.

Bärner Züpfe (typical Swiss bread)

I used to bake this bread with my swiss grandmother when I was a little girl and spend holidays at her house. Now I do it with my children, who really enjoy the process! We eat it with butter and jam.

Ingredients and steps:

- 1kg white flour
- 1 tbsp salt

Mix it together

- 40 gr yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 dl milk

Mix all together with the flower and salt and let it rest for about 10 mn

- 140gr butter, in pieces, soft

Add it to the mixture and knead this dough for about 10 mn till it is nice soft. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hour.

-1 egg
- 3 tbsp coffee cream

Mix the egg and 1 tbsp coffee cream

To form the bread: split the dough in two halfs, form two long rolls of about 70 cm and make a braid.(I will be putting pictures to explain the process).
Place the bread on a baking sheet and brush the coffee cream over it. Let it rest again for 30 mn and brush the egg and coffee cream mix over it.

In a pre-heated oven, bake for 40 mn at 200 degrees.

Indian chicken Tikka Masala

Indian food is a favourite in my family. My father has been living in south India for two years and introduced us very early to it's delicious cuisine.

One of everyone's favourite dish and certainly my husband's favorite is the chicken tikka masala. A few weeks ago I decided to give it a try and prepare it myself. I watched every you tube film about how to prepare the perfect chicken tikka masala and finally came up with this recipe. It was a success and actually much easier to do than I had expected!

Ingredients and steps:

For the chicken-marinade:

- some 300 gr boneless chicken
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 1 cup of yogurt
- 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- some cumin seed powder
- salt and pepper

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper and the garlic and ginger paste, mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and leave to marinate for at least two hours. Ideally prepare it the night before and leave it marinating overnight.

When ready, cook the chicken in the oven for about 10 minutes.

For the sauce:

- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger paste
- 1 medium onion

Fry the garlic-ginger paste a few seconds, add the onions and fry for about 10 mn, till soft.

- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- some cumin powder-
- 2 tomatoes finely chopped (skinless) and 1 can tomatoes

Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cumin powder. Fry for a 1 minute to allow all the flavors to come out.

Add the tomatoes and let it cook at medium heat for about 15 mn.

- salt/ pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 3 tbsp honey

Add the salt/pepper, chili powder,sweet paprika powder and honey. The chili and sweet paprika powder are a bit to feeling and taste, if you like it hot use more chili powder and less sweet paprika powder. If you don't have honey you can of course also use sugar.

Mix well and put the mixture in a blender. Blend until smooth, then filter the sauce in a strainer and put it back in the pan. This will guarantee you a really smooth sauce!

- 250 ml double cream
- butter (to taste)
- coriander leaves
- fenugreek dry leaves

Add the cream, butter, coriander and fenugreek leaves and finally the chicken. Serve with rice or/and nan's!

Enchiladas

I love mexican food and having lived many years in Central America I just couldn't get used to the mexican products from the supermarket and was missing the more authentic flavors I was used to.  After a lot of searching online a came up with this simple recipe, it is delicious and with all the right flavors!

Ingredients and steps:

For the chicken:
- chicken
- chicken broth
- 1 onion (2 halves)
- 2 garlic cloves

Cook the chicken in the chicken broth with the onion and garlic cloves for about 10 minutes. Take it out and shred it. Keep the broth as we will be using it for the sauce.

For the sauce:
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 red peppers
- 2 onions, minced
- 2 tbsp sweet chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 or 2 cups chicken broth
- oil

Even though I love spicy food, my children wouldn't eat anything spicy, that's why I use red peppers and sweet chili powder. If you like it hot, replace the red peppers by chili and the sweet chili powder by hot chili powder.

In a pan with some oil, fry the red peppers for about 5 minutes, add the onions and fry for another 10 minutes (till soft). Add the tomatoes and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the sugar, cumin and chili powder. Put the mix in a blender with a bit of the chicken broth and blend.

Filter the sauce in a strainer and return the mixture to the pan, add more chicken broth and let it softly cook for another 10 minutes.

For the enchilada:
- tortillas, ideally home made corn tortillas
- vegetable oil

Spread some of the sauce on the tortillas, add the chicken and wrap them. Heat a pan of vegetable oil and fry them for a few minutes in a pan with oil (till nice crispy).

To sprinkle on top:
- shred dry cheese (queso seco o queso cotijo, if you cannot find it than Parmesan cheese will do)
- cream
- coriander leaves
- red chilis
- finely chopped onion
- tabasco to taste

Serve with guacamole (recipe will follow!)