Lemon Meringue Pie

Am I not lucky? Of course I am. I thought about a recipe and I couldn’t find it at home. But somebody up there really loves me. And it is not chance that brought me the recipe I wanted. I guess what I wish for comes true. Sooner or later. I really love cooking so this wish came true, as I wanted it with all my heart and for a long time. At least I haven’t bumped into it at Christmas! 😉

This is another English pie, made with digestive biscuits for a new twist. Originally it is made with shortcrust pastry but… if you are tired or not in the mood for too much cooking, cut straight to the biscuits. Lemon is another fruit that deserves a recipe too. In Romania it is seen as a flavoury thing in other sweets but I am glad to discover new ways of cooking it entirely. Plus, it makes your mouth water. I know I love it, the sour taste of lemon with the sweetness of the meringue. One more thing before I write down the recipe: it was taken and tested soo many times from ”Original Card from Delicious Meals Made Easy”, Group 11, Sweet Pies & Tarts

Lemon Meringue Pie

Preparation time: 20 min plus chilling      Cooking time: 40 min

Makes 8 slices

Ingredients:

• 225 g (8 oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
• 50 g (2 oz)  butter, melted (please do not use margarine, you deserve the real thing)
• juice and finely grated rind of 3 large lemons
• 4 tablespoons cornflour (you can use plain flour as replacement)
• 50 g (2 oz) caster sugar (or icing sugar or granulated one if you don’t have or can’t find caster sugar)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 egg whites
• 100 (4 oz) caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170 °C/ 325 °F/ gas 3. Put the crushed biscuits in a mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix well with a wooden spoon. Firmly press the biscuit mixture into base and up the side of a 23 cm (9 in) flan dish.
• For the filling, mix together the lemon juice, rind and cornflour in a large bowl. Bring 450 ml (3/4 pint) water to the boil in a pan. Stir enough of the water into the cornflour mixture to make a smooth paste.
• Return mixture to pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until thickened. Stir in caster sugar. Cool slightly, then beat in egg yolks. Pour onto base.
• For the meringue, put the egg whites in a clean bowl. Whisk with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Whisk in two-thirds of the sugar, a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold in the remaining sugar and vanilla essence.
• Spread meringue over filling. Swirl surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool, then chill until required.

Bon appetite!

SSP

I know that you wonder what SSP is. You are paying attention now.;) SSP is sweet & sour pork for short. I remember eating this recipe for the first time in my life in Constanta in a Chinese restaurant and loved it to bits. When I discovered it in the “Original card from “Delicious Meals Made Easy” I was very happy. I had the chance to cook it anytime I wanted. It happened that I made it in London the first time.

Why are Chinese or Thai or Japanese or other Asian recipes so easy to cook? I have no idea but I like it. I would cook with a wok everyday, provided I have the ingredients and resources. I had this chance once, I took it and all I can do now is talk about it and sometime cook.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine or sherry
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2,5 cm (1 in) piece root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 450 g (1 lb) pork fillet, cut into 2,5 cm (1 in) cubes
• 1 tbsp cornflour (or flour)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple vinegar)
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
• 175 g (6 oz) mange tout, topped and tailed (I think you can replace them with broccoli or other pods, as I haven’t seen here them yet, but they are excellent. Too bad)
• 227 g (8 oz) can of pineapple chunks in natural juice (optional, for a fruity addition)

Method:

• Mix soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, garlic and ginger. Add pork, cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. You can leave them longer, from the evening until the next day, if you like. Just remember that it smells quite strongly, so cover it well.
• Drain pork in a sieve, reserving the marinade. Stir cornflour, rice vinegar, tomato sauce and honey into reserved marinade.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan or wok. Add pork and stir-fry over a high heat for 5 minutes. Remove pork from pan with a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining oil in pan or wok. Add peppers and mange tout and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes.
• Add marinade mixture to pan or wok and stir until thickened. Add pork and cook for further 1 minute, stirring constantly. Breathe in the smell!
• Serve with the savoury basmati rice or Chinese noodles. Any noodles will do. Delicious!

Bon appetite!

Sweet & Sour

Stii cum e cand ai o stare de lehamite, cand nimic nu iti convine si in acelasi timp nici chef nu ai ca sa schimbi ceva? Daca tot e asa, hai sa mai gatesc un pic. Daca nu in mod real, macar intelectual. Ca totul e aici, in cap. Daca imi trece sau nu, nu stiu. Dar cum zice floare mea: poti incerca :).

Mi-am luat dosarul meu de retete ca sa aleg ceva. Si mi-au cazut ochii pe o reteta cu mancare chinezeasca celebra, porc in sos dulce – acrisor sau pe limba lui Shakeaspeare: Sweet & Sour Pork. Cum am ajuns eu la aceasta reteta este deja previzibil. La Londra (orasul meu de suflet) am gasit minunatia intr-un “Original card from “Delicious Meals Made Easy”. Am citit reteta (sa nu razi, dar e o idee fantastica sa citesti retete si sa iti inchipui cam cum ar fi, plus ca e o modalitate interesanta de petrecere a timpului liber si ofera un subiect de conversatie palpitant. In fond, cui nu-i place sa vorbeasca despre mancare? Name one, I dare you!). Si mi-am adus aminte in acelasi timp ca am mancat acum muuuulti ani la un restaurant chinezesc in Constanta acest fel de mancare si mi-a placut foarte mult. Nici nu credeam ca voi ajunge sa am posibilitatea sa gatesc chiar eu asa ceva, pe acele vremuri nici nu indrazneam sa cred ca e posibil. M-am bucurat ca pot sa fac si eu ceva ce numai in restaurant am mancat.

Din fericire se poate gati si la noi acum, gasesti toate ingredientele. Pe unul singur inca nu l-am vazut: e vorba de niste pastai numite “mange tout”. Tu sigur insa vei manca tot, chiar si fara pastaile astea. 😉 Si ce culori vei vedea si ce miros vei simti! Adauga si cel mai parfumat orez din lume, orezul basmati sau taitei cu ou sau de orez (chinese noodles) ca side dish si you are hooked.

Porc in sos dulce – acrisor

4 portii

Ingrediente:

• 2 linguri  sos soia light (I know, you may not find light or dark soy sauce so go for whatever soy sauce you find)
• 2 linguri vin de orez sau sherry
• 2 catei  usturoi, zdrobiti
• 2, 5 cm ghimbir, curatat de coaja si ras
• 450 g porc filet, taiat in cubulete de 2, 5 cm latura
• 1 lingura de amidon sau faina de porumb (daca nu ai, faina obisnuita merge)
• 2 linguri otet de orez (sau otet de cidru sau otetul de mere)
• 2 linguri sos de rosii
• 3 linguri miere (sa nu fie zaharisita)
• 2 linguri ulei
• 1 ardei rosu gras, curatat si taiat cubulete
• 1 ardei galben, curatat si taiat cubulete
• 175 g mange tout
• 227 g conserva ananas in suc propriu (optional)

Preparare:

• Amesteca intr-un bol sosul de soia, vinul de orez sau sherry, usturoiul si ghimbirul. Pune bucatelele de porc, amesteca bine, acopera cu o folie de plastic sau aluminiu (vezi ca va mirosi in frigider, nu e pentru cei slabi de inima ;)) si pune bolul in frigider la marinat pentru 2 ore. Daca vrei sa se marineze mai mult, fa totul de cu seara si lasa la frigider peste noapte.
• Strecoara carnea si pastreaza sosul de marinat. In el adauga amidonul sau faina, otetul de orez, sosul de rosii si mierea si amesteca bine.
• Scoate de la pastrare wok-ul. 🙂 Sau o tigaie mare. Pune o lingura de ulei, lasa-l sa se incinga si rastoarna apoi bucatile de carne. Prajeste-le cca 5 minute la foc mare amestecand continuu si scoate-le.
• Adauga inca o lingura de ulei in wok. Rastoarna ardeiul rosu, ardeiul galben si mange tout si prajeste totul la foc mare pentru 2 minute.
• Pune peste legume sosul de marinat si amesteca pana se ingroasa. Pune si carnea si lasa inca un minut pe foc incins, amestecand continuu.
• Pentru o varianta mai dulce, mai parfumata, mai aromata, adauga o data cu sosul de marinat si continutul conservei de ananas. Yummy!
• Serveste cu orez basmati, fiert corespunzator indicatiilor de pe pachet si amestecat cu unt si putina sare. Sau noodles amestecati tot cu unt.

Pofta buna!

Say Cheese! :D

Today I am going to post a very tasty, easy and vegetarian dish. The first time I made it, I found it so delicious that I had said to myself, I would do it again. And I did it.

In case you have a toothache, this recipe is also welcomed. It is tender and it melts in your mouth. One thing I also like about it is the fact that you can mix vegetables that are in season and you end up with a nice colored dish. This recipe is from “Original card from Delicious Meals Made Easy”.

Cheesy – topped vegetables

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cauliflower, divided into florets
• 225  (8 oz) broccoli, divided into florets
• 75 g (3 oz) frozen peas (you can choose petit pois if you want or fresh peas)

Sauce (as you know, there is never enough sauce so you can double the ingredients):

• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) butter (or 80 g)
• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) plain flour (or 80 g)
• 450 ml (3/4 pint) semi-skimmed milk (or 1 l for a the same milk or a whole one)
• 100 g (4 oz) reduced – fat double Gloucester cheese, grated (or 200 g of that cheese or cheddar or any other that you prefer)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard (or 4 tsp)
• 1/4 (or 1/2) tsp salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp of dried herbs de Provence (optional, for a herby flavour)

Method:

• Boil the carrots in a big pan of water for 3 minutes. I said big because you add the cauliflower, broccoli and peas. And they need space. Boil for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
• Drain the vegetables. Transfer to a flame-proof dish or a Jena oval or square dish and keep covered.
• For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan. Add the flour and cook gently, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Stir in three-quarters of the cheese, the mustard and seasoning.
• Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir until well coated. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Put the dish under the grill for 5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble. Serve.

Bon appetite!