Caesar Salad

My blog is not just about food, but it is mostly about it. This is what interests me mainly. Among other things. But one at a time. Today I come with a very easy and famous salad. I have eaten this salad most of the times with chicken but this recipe is with anchovies. If you don’t eat meat, than eat this. Fish is very good for you. But you already know this.

In case you know Romanian, check the recipe here. If you don’t, than stick with English. The original is in English, taken from the “Good Housekeeping Cookery Book” -1985. That old it is. The book, not the recipe. The recipe is even older. :)) Check here.

Here is the salad, a very tasty, quick, easy to make and a good choice after the Easter meal.

Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 large garlic clove, skinned and crushed
• 150 ml (1/4 pint) olive oil
• 75 g (3 oz) croutons
• 1 Cos lettuce (replace it with any other salad, make sure it is a crispy one)
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (or cheddar or any other cheese that you like, but remember, there is nothing like Parmesan cheese)
• 8 anchovies, finely crushed (well, you can try it out with one chicken breast, skinned, cut in small cubes and fried in butter – please, please – the 80-82% fat butter, it is the best, unsalted)

Method:

• Add the garlic to the oil and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• Wash and dry the lettuce leaves and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in a salad bowl. Pour over the garlic oil and toss until the leaves are completely coated. Season well.
• Boil the egg for 1 minute only, break it into the salad and toss well. Add the lemon juice, cheese, anchovies and croutons and give a final toss. Serve immediately.

Bon appetite!

Roast Lamb With a Redcurrant Jelly Glaze

As you have been accustomed already, the recipes I have gathered here come into 2 languages: Romanian and English.  This one is an English recipe for Easter, you already know that and in my opinion it is very tasty, especially the gravy. I simply adore gravy. I would eat anytime with almost anything. To be sure I have it in Romania I even bought a pack of gravy powder from London, though I know I can make it at home, a much healthier and better solution. But sometimes I won’t bother.

Here is this traditional but marvelous recipe to make for a traditional Easter day, taken from Tesco Magazine.

Roast Lamb With a Redcurrant Jelly Glaze

Serves: 6  Takes: 2h 15 mins

Ingredients:

For the roast

• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 2 tsp dry English mustard (if you don’t have it, you can replace it with any mustard you have )
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 approximately  2,3 kg (5 lb) leg of lamb
• 2 garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• 2 whole rosemary sprigs, torn
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the gravy:

• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 tbsp dry English mustard
• 450 ml (3/4 pt) lamb or beef stock (well, boiled water will do, or the water boiled with lamb or beef in it)
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Method:

• Preheat oven to Gas 4, 180°C, 350°F. Combine jelly, mustard and olive oil, and rub all over the lamb. Make small 2,5 cm (1 in) deep incisions all over the lamb and stud with the garlic slivers and rosemary. Season well with salt and black pepper.
• Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin and cook for 40 minutes per 900 g (2 lb). If the lamb begins to brown too much before the end of cooking, cover it with foil or baking paper (aluminium foil is toxic so try replacing it) and continue cooking. Once cooked, transfer to a serving platter and cover loosely with foil (baking paper and a kitchen towel to keep it in place). Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• As the lamb rests, make the gravy. Tip excess fat out of the roasting tin, add flour and mustard to the tin, and stir over a low heat for 1 minute. Pour in stock  a little at a time, stirring as you go to remove lumps. Bring to the boil then simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in redcurrant jelly and season to taste. Serve with the lamb.

Cook’s tip: Stud the lamb with chopped, dried apricots and bacon, or sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. In case you don’t have redcurrant jelly go with any wild fruit jelly.

Bon appetite!

Fragrant Coriander Rice

It is Lent.  I usually keep it for 2 weeks and I always end up feeling light and good. Do you know how we Romanian keep Lent? If  you don’t , let me tell you: no meat, eggs, cheese, milk or any other animal products except fish on certain days. But this will not keep me from keeping it. ;))

I have to admit that the recipes that I picked are almost all with some animal product in them. This one is one of the few that is without. So it is perfect for Lent or any other day. I have taken it from the book “Coriander – A Book of Recipes” and is probably Indian or Arabic, let me know the origin, please. Anyway, it is a very perfumed recipe, fresh and light. I have to admit I am not quite taken about it but the persons who have tried it, shesaid it is very good. This is what happens: I make a recipe that I like and end up saying myself how delicious it is and everybody around is saying the same, but when I make a recipe and say I am not into it, I always have a surprise: people are telling me it is so good. Don’t take me too seriously. I am just a fussy eater. ;))

About the recipe, there are some ingredients you might not find in Romania always. But it is ok, you can replace some, you will find them in brackets, and the rice is delicious all the same.

FRAGRANT CORIANDER RICE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 225 g/ 8 oz/ 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 15 ml/ 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2,5 cm/ 1 in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 7,5 ml/ 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 7,5/ 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 piece of lemon grass, finely chopped
• grated rind of 2 limes (or lemons)
• 750 ml/ 1 1/4 pints/ 3 cups vegetable stock (or plain water)
• 60 ml/ 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• lime (lemon) wedges, to serve

Method:

• Put the rice into a large bowl of cold water. Swill the grains around with your hands, then tip out cloudy water (the rice will quickly sink to the bottom). Repeat this action about five times. If there is time , soak the rice for about 5 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, spices, lemon grass and grated lime rind. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the rice, turning it in the mixture to coat the grains. Cook for 1 minute more, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cover the pan. Cook gently for 30 minutes, then check the rice; if it still crunchy, cover the pan again and leave for a further 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in the fresh coriander, fluff up the grains, cover the pan and leave for 10 minutes. Serve at once, with lime wedges.

Cook’s Tip

Other varieties of rice, such as white basmati or long grain can be used for this dish, but you will need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Bon appetite!