Goat Cheese and Mushroom Pasta

It's pasta time (again)! Recently I came across a Facebook video of a goat cheese pasta sauce recipe, which basically involved mixing warm pasta water with cheese, and that gave me an idea for a very quick and affordable dish. However, I did not want just plain pasta and sauce, maybe some extra seasoning, so I threw some more ingredients in there which I had around and also felt they would make sense. The result surprised me and made me ask myself why I did not think of that earlier, especially since I am a huge goat cheese lover. ( I have it in my fridge almost 90% of the time). Anyhow, now I can add on my list a new tasty recipe that only takes 15 minutes, so better late than never, right?

Ingredients (for one portion):

• aprox. 65 g dried pasta
• one hand of sliced mushrooms ( I used a mix)
• 2 slices of ham
• 60 g creamy goat cheese
• pasta water
• one garlic clove
• parsley
• salt and pepper 
• Parmesan (optional)  

I started with pasta the water. I usually boil it in a water cooker and then put it on the stove, because then it takes less than 5 minutes to reach the optimal boiling point, so everything moves way faster. Don't forget to properly salt your water.

In the meantime I sliced the mushrooms, the ham and chopped the garlic and I roasted them in one teaspoon of olive oil. When my water was boiling I added the pasta and I cooked it until al dente, according to the packaging instructions. 

After the pasta was cooked I added it over my roasted ingredients, turned off the heat, and then added the goat cheese and a little bit of pasta water, while giving it a proper stir. I kept stirring (and gradually adding water if it was necessary) until de cheese melted and a beautiful soft and creamy sauce formed. I ended by adding fresh parsley, seasoning with salt and pepper, and sprinkling some Parmesan.

                                                  Enjoy! 

Spicy prawn soup

Romana:

    Da, stiu, e vara, soare, cald, iar toata lumea incearca sa se racoreasca. Insa acum cateva saptamani cand am gatit acesta supa un val de vreme rece a venit peste Tilburg, Olanda, unde locuiesc in prezent. Si m-am trezit undeva pe la mijlocul lunii iunie cu 12 grade Celsius in termometru, cautand disperata in fundul dulapului un pulover mai gros. Trecand la partea gastronomica, afara e frig, dar parca nu merge sa gatesti orice, o parte din tine stie ca e totusi vara. Asa ca de la o supa sau ciorba clasica am sarit la ceva un pic mai exotic, picant, cald, dar in acelasi timp fresh si sper sa retata asta sa inspire lumea sa experimenteze mai mult si sa incerce combinatii interesante in materie de supe. 

Ingrediente (4 portii):

• ulei de masiline extra virgin
• 400 g amesteg de legume stir-fry la alegere
• 150 g ciuperci shiitake
• 3 lg pasta verde de curry
• 400 ml lapte de cocos
• 1 L supa de legume
• 250 g creveti 
• 150 taietei pentru wok
• sare
• piper
• fulgi de chili

    Desi o preparare ca la carte necesita un wok, studentia nu-ti perminte luxul unei bucatarii complet utilate, asa ca ne vom folosi de o simpla tigaie. In aceasta tigaie am incins 1 lg de ulei in care am calit ciupercile taiete felii impreuna cu amestecul de legume sitr-fry, iar cand au fost gata le-am dat deoparte. Intr-o oala separata am calit pasta de curry pentru cateva secunde, apoi am adaugat laptele de cocos si supa. Cand amestecul a dat in clocot am adaugat crevetii si taieteii si am lasat la foc mic pana acestia s-au gatit uniform. Am adaugat peste supa amestecul de legume si ciuperci, am asezonat cu sare, piper si fulgi de chili dupa gust, si am fost gata de servire.

Si partea cea mai frumoasa este cand prietenii iti apreciaza mancarea! 

Pofta buna! 

English:

    Yes, I know, it's summer, extremely hot, and everybody is trying to cool down in one way or another. However, few weeks ago when I made this recipe few days of cold weather came over Tilburg, Netherlands, where I currently live. So I found myself somewhere in the middle of June with 12 Celsius, while desperately searching for a warm sweater in the back of my closet. Moving to the culinary aspect of the story, although it was chilly outside, I didn't feel like I can cook anything, some part of me still knew it was summer so I changed the classic soup or ciorba with something more exotic, spicy, warm but fresh in the same time and I hope that with this recipe I inspire more people to experiment more and to try interesting combinations when it comes to soups.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• extra virgin olive oil
• 400 g stir-fry vegetables ( your choice)
• 150 g shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tbsp green curry paste
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 1 L vegetable stock
• 250 g prawns
• 150 g wok noodles
• salt
• pepper
• chili flakes 

    Although a proper approach to this recipe requires a wok, living as a student doesn't offer the luxury of a fully equipped kitchen, so we're only going a use an ordinary pan. I started with cooking the vegetable mix together with the sliced mushrooms in 1 tbsp of olive oil. When ready I set them aside and in another pot I fried the curry paste for couple of seconds, I added the coconut milk and the stock and brought to boil. When the mix was boiling I added the noodles and prawns and cooked on low heat until they were tender. In the end I mixed the soup with vegetables and mushrooms, I seasoned with salt, pepper and chili flakes and was ready to serve.

And the best part of this is when your friends love what you cook for them!

Enjoy! 

 *Special thanks to Ada, Angela and Madalina
 *Recipe inspired from www.bbcgoodfood.com 

Veggie Frittata

Romana:

    Mic dejun, brunch sau pranz? Exista un preparat potrivit pentru toate aceste mese, gustos, satios si usor de gatit. In esenta, Frittata este un preparat italian ce se aseamana cu o omleta, insa este mult mai complex prin varietatea ingredientelor folosite, de la legume, la carne si paste si prin modul de preparare, fie pe aragaz, fie la cuptor. Astazi prezint reteta mea proprie in care mi-am explorat creativitatea cu legumele pe care le aveam in frigider. De asemenea, am preferat sa gatesc preparatul doar pe aragaz, si desi ouale si pot amesteca cu lapte sau cu smantana lichida, am preferat sa raman in limitele unei retete light si clasice.

Ingrediente:

• 5 oua
• 2 Lg ulei de masline extra virgin
• 100 g spanac proaspat
• 1 ceapa mica
• 1/3 dintr-un dovlecel mediu
• 150 g ciuperci mix 
• 3-4 bucati rosii deshidratate
• branza de capra 
• fulgi de chili
• sare
• piper

    Intr-o tigaie am pus pus uleiul de masline la incins, apoi am calit la foc mediu ciupercile si dovlecelul taiate in bucati medii si am adaugat apoi spanacul si ceapa tocata marunt. Nu am uitat sa asezonez cu sare si piper dupa gust. Intr-un bol am batut cele 5 oua, am adaugat sare, piper si fulgii de chili. Cand legumele din tigaie au fost gata, am adaugat rosiile deshidratate tocate marunt si am presarat branza de capra, apoi am turnat imediat ouale batute si am dat focul la mic. Este important sa lasam legumele sa se gateasca bine inainte de a adauga ouale pentru ca sucul lor sa se evapore, astfel Frittata se va gati uniform. Dupa ce ouale au fost pe jumatate coagulate, am pus capacul tagaii si am lasat in continuare la foc mic pana cand ouale au fost complet coagulate si preparatul era auriu. La final, pentru extra gust, am presarat inca putina branza de capra.

Pofta buna!

English:   

    Breakfast, brunch or lunch? There is a dish that suits all of these meals, tasty, nourishing and easy to cook. Essentially, Frittata is an italian dish that resembles omlette, but is more complex due to the variaty of ingredients used, from vegetables to meat and pasta, and due to its cooking procedure, either on the stove or in the oven. Today, I'm presenting my own recipe in which I explored my creativity with the vegetable I had in the fridge. Also, I preferred to cook the dish just on the stove, and although the eggs can be mixed with milk or cream, I prefered to stay in the range of a light and classic recipe.

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 2 spoons extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g fresh spinach
• 1 small onion
• 1/3 medium zucchini
• 150 g mushroom mix
• 3-4 sundried tomatoes
• goat cheese
• chili flakes
• salt
• pepper

     In a pan I heated the olive oil on a medium heat and then I cooked the mushrooms and the zucchini medium chopped, then I added the spinach and the finely chopped onion. I didn't forget to add slat and pepper. In a bowl I whisked the eggs and I added salt, pepper, and chili flakes. When the vegetables in the pan were ready, I added chopped sundried tomatoes and goat cheese and I quickly poured the eggs and let them cook on low heat. It is essential to cook the vegetables well before adding the eggs, thus their juice will evaporate and the Frittata will cook properly. After the eggs were half coagulated I covered the pan and let them fully cook until golden brown. In the end, for an extra taste, I sprinkled more goat cheese.

Enjoy!

Penne cu sos de rosii si ciuperci

   

     Cred ca toata lumea este de acord ca pastele cu sos rosu sunt un preparat clasic, dar daca stau sa ma gandesc la toate emisiunile culinare vizionate si cartile de bucate rasfoite, nu cred ca am vazut doua retete indentice. Pentru ca ingredintele de baza sunt la fel, dar fiecare vine si adauga ceva in plus, sau renunta la anumite ingredinte facand preparatul cat mai simplu. Asa ca mi-am zis ca daca ei pot, pot si eu, si m-am apucat sa gatesc fara vreo reteta in fata, punand ce mi se parea interesant, cat mi se parea interesant. Modul de preparare si ingredintele le gasiti mai jos. PS: a iesit tare gustos. :D

Ingredinte (3 portii):

• 300 g Penne
• 220 g suc de rosii
• 4 rosii prunisoare
• 5 ciuperci champignon mari
• 3 catei usturoi
• 2 maini busuioc proaspat
• parmezan
• sare si piper
• fulgi de chili

    Intr-o lingura de ulei am calit usturoiul tocat marunt, apoi am adaugat ciupercile taiate felii pe care le-am lasat in craticoara cateva minute. Am adaugat sucul de rosii si rosiile prunisoare taiate marunt in cubulete, cu semintele scoase, sare dupa gust si piper si fulgi de chili cat sa faca preparatul usor intepator . Am ales rosiile prunisoare pentru sunt mai carnoase, fiind execelente pentru preparare termica. Dupa ce amestecul a clocotit cca. 5 minute l-am luat de pe foc, am adaugat frunzele proaspete de busuioc, si am servit sosul cu pastele gatite al dente si fulgi de parmezan.

                                                                        Pofta buna!

Tagliatelle de casa cu ciuperci si sos de vin alb

De cele mai multe ori, din comoditate sau din lipsa de timp, prefer sa cumpar o cutie de paste pe care le arunc cateva minute in apa clocotita, si voila, cine e gata. Astazi insa, mi-am acordat timpul necesar sa fac treburile ca la carte. Si nu, nu aveti nevoie neaparat de o masina de facut paste (sigur ca asta ar usura lucrurile), ci doar de unealta ideala cand vine vorba de orice aluat, facaletul, si ceva rabdare.

Ingrediente pentru 2 portii:

• 150 g faina 00
• 50 g gris
• 2 oua mari

Pentru sos:

• 50 ml vin alb 
• 100 ml fond de legume
• 100 g ciuperci de padure (sau un pachet de 50 g de ciuperci deshidratate, se gasesc usor in supermarket-uri)
• 2 catei usturoi
• 1 ardei chili
• 2 linguri patrunjel tocat marunt
• parmezan 
• sare si piper

Pentru fondul de legume:

• 2 L apa
• 2 cepe
• 1/ 4 telina
• 4 morcovi
• patrunjel 
• busuioc
• boabe piper negru
• 1 foaie de dafin

Dupa cum puteti observa, am strecurat mai sus si ingredientele pentru un fond de legume. De ce? Cheia acestui preparat consta intr-un fond gustos care sa dea o savoare aparte sosului. Supa la plic/cub este doar o alternativa (fara gust, dupa parerea mea) la ceea ce puteti face in casa fara prea mult efort.

Curatati legumele si taiati-le in bucati mari. Puneti-le in oala si turnati apa ( care trebuie sa le acopere). Adaugati apoi piperul si foaia de dafin iar dupa ce da in clocot lasati sa fiarba cca 20 de minute. Dupa aceea stingeti focul, adaugati sare, dupa gust, busuiocul si patrunjelul (PROASPETE!) intregi, nu trebuie neaparat sa le tocati. Daca aveti timp, ideal ar fi sa tineti fondul peste noapte la rece. Strecurati-l apoi printr-o sita fina, si il puteti folosi cu incredere 5 zile, sau o puteti congela.

Pentru paste amestecati intr-un bol incapator, sau pe o suprafata de lucru faina, grisul si ouale, pana obtineti un aluat omogen, elastic, dar care nu se lipeste. Acoperiti aluatul cu folie si lasati-l la odihnit 30 de minute.

Impartiti apoi aluatul in 2 pentru a va usura treaba. Intindeti fiecare bucata cu facaletul pana are grosimea de 1 mm. Impaturiti apoi foaia de paste intr-un rulou nu foarte strans , apoi taiati fasii la latimea dorita. Asezati apoi pastele pe o tava si presarati putin gris peste ele, pentru a nu se lipi pana le gatiti.

Fiind proaspete, pastele se vor gati mai repede. Puneti o oala cu apa si sare pe foc iar cand da in clocot adaugati pastele si lasati-le cateva minute pana devin al dente.

Pentru sos curatati usturoiul si ardeiul, tocati marunt si caliti in

2 linguri ulei de masline.Adaugati apoi ciupercile, amestecand inca un minut. Daca folositi ciuperci deshidratate, gatiti-le in prealabil conform instructiunilor de pe ambalaj. Adaugati apoi, pe rand, vinul si fondul de legume si lasati-le sa scada. Opriti apoi focul, adaugati patrunjelul tocat, sare si piper dupa gust. Adaugati apoi pastele peste sos, amestecati, si serviti cu putin parmezan ras.

                                             Pofta buna! :)