Slow-cooked soy crumb Bolognese and Valdifalco Morellino di Scansano

In case the previous soy recipes there are still people among you who feel skeptic about the virtues of soy-based meat substitutes, I have a sure-fire hit on my hands. Right here, people Da bomb. Just keep reading and you'll soon see what I mean. 

Bolognese, schmolognese, you might say (in case you were drunk and/or fully versed in Yiddish), but stand corrected, that is so not the case. Slow-cooking mellows the flavours and results in  Italian comfort food at its best. This soy Bolognese is as comforting and full of love as Nonna's arms, whose embrace will make even the shittiest week seem like a distant memory. I dare you. Not one of you would ever guess it's vegetarian. Let me repeat that: not a single one. 

Sure, it takes some time for this pot of love to come together, but you know what? That's all it takes. No real work is required as it just cooks away on the stove, all on its own. And in the meanwhile you are free to engage i other acts of love. In the kitchen... or in any other room...!

Serves 4-6

Slow-cooked soy Bolognese:

a couple of tbsp oil
1 celery stick, chopped in small cubes
1 large carrot, chopped in small cubes
1 onion, chopped in small cubes
4 largeish cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1,5 dl red wine
half a bunch of fresh thyme (or 1,5 tbsp dried)
3 bay leaves
4 dl soy crumbs
5 dl veggie stock
2 tins finely chopped crushed tomatos
salt, black pepper

Sauté garlic, celery, onion and carrot in oil over medium heat (lest they burn) until soft and the onion is translucent. Add thyme, bay leaves and red wine. Let it come to boil and then add soy crumbs. Let them soak up the flavours for a couple of minutes and add veggie stock. 

Cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Then add tomatos. Stir, season, cover and leave to simmer over gentle heat for 3,5 hours. 

Check the taste and season as needed. Serve.

Either with pasta..

... or keep going and turn it into a vegetarian/ vegan shepherd's pie.

You can use regular mashed potatos as well, but seeing how soy crumbs are so full of nutrients I opted for something equally nutrient and high in fiber and protein: yellow lentils. So, not only is this comforting and meat-free - this is practically super food! That ought to keep you loving long time!

Vegetarian/ vegan shepherd's pie with soy Bolognese:

1 portion of slow-cooked soy Bolognese

Yellow lentil mash:

5 dl yellow lentils

7.5 dl water or vegetable stock

25 g butter

1 egg yolk (for a vegan version use lentils' cooking water instead of butter and yolk)

3/4 tsp granulated garlic

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1,5 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

salt, white pepper

If you have time, soak the lentils in cold water for 20 minutes as this helps them cook faster.

Boil lentils until done (15-20 minutes) and drain. Puré with the rest of the ingredients, check the taste and season. 

Spoon into an oven-proof dish over the Bolognese layer. 

If you want, you can decorate it with fork (as in over here) or by piping little rosettes (as over here).

Bake at 225°  until golden. Serve.

This is perfect dish for a cozy Sunday lunch, so surely it deserves some wine to go with it, non?

And seeing how this is a celebration of Italian flavours, the wine I chose for this comes from Italy as well. Valdifalco Morellino di Scansano is Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. 

Its got some tannins alright, but combined with the Bolognese's sweetness and softness (that's the magic of slow-cooking)  it provides a nice balance to it. 

A good pairing with tomato-based pastas and (vegetarian) stews and herbs such as fresh basil and rosemary are something this wine loves. 

And in case you're still not ready to give soy the go-ahead, try this traditional version with lamb or this homage to my heritage: reindeer herder's pie!

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The joys of working from home: pasta with oven-roasted tomato red pesto

Once upon a time a girl was working from home. You know, a girl that might have absolutely nothing to do with reality, so let's call her... a Food Blogger. Now, a working from home-kind-of-day would have been perfect for something gloriously slow-roasted, but since our Food Blogger was so damn lazy busy, she never quite found it in her the time to go all the way to the shop (across the street).

Sure, a stew of slow-roasted meaty deliciousness might have been a bit tricky since she was also taking part in a Meat-free October (as I said, this story has nothing to do with any actual persons...)

For reasons the Food Blogger's hazy terribly efficient brain full of all sorts of important things couldn't quite remember, she did have a 1,5 kg of tomatos in the fridge. So, instead of a juicy bit of pork neck they found their way into the oven instead. After 4 hours they had dried and aromatized (big on making up her own words, this Food Blogger I see) as their flavours had concentrated (ooh, and fancy cheffy words as well!) 

So, the Food Blogger blizzed them into a pesto. Since our Food Blogger had a bit of an aversion to cheese (again: a totally fictional character!) she went for a Parmesan, a.k.a. dairy-free a.k.a. vegan pesto. And hey presto, a one-ingredient pasta sauce was done!

And then the Food Blogger managed to photograph the food in daylight (oh, the joys of working from home) and lived happily ever after.

(And then George Clooney called, invited himself over for a spot of lunch, fell madly in love with our Food Blogger, begged her to run off to Italy with him and then everybody lived happily ever after. The End.) 

(See, told you. Totally fictional.) 

This yields enough red pesto for 4-5 portions of pasta

Red pesto made of oven-roasted tomatos:

1,5 kg tomatos

3/4 tsp sugar

2 tsp Herbs of Provence

3/4 tsp granulated garlic

salt, black pepper

oil

For the pesto:

1,25 dl oil (left over oil from sun-dried tomatos works brilliantly)

1 large bunch of basil (2 handfuls for the pesto itself, rest for serving)

1/2 dl pine nuts (now with the pumpkin season on you could use pumpkin seeds as well)
1 tsp red wine vinegar

salt, black pepper

Cut the tomatos in half, remove the hard core and place on a baking sheet-lined tray the cut side up. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle the herbs and seasoning on the tomatos. Roast at 100-125° for 3,5-4 hours (depending on your oven). 

Let the tomatos cool down. Reserve 1/3 of the tomatos for serving and cut them into strips. Whizz remaining tomatos with rest of the ingredients, check the taste and season as needed. 

Cook pasta in salted water until done, drain (reserve some of the liquid), stir in pesto and add a bit of cooking liquid if needed to make it runnier.  Fold in tomato strips and rest of the basil leaves. Serve.

PS. Equally good on bread, too!

PPS. The pesto can be made ahead  as it'll keep (covered with a layer of oil) for days.

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Meatballs galore

Remember the National Banana Bread Day a little while back? Well, today the Americans are busy celebrating meatballs. And why not - that comfort food classic is loved by people (and Ikea customers!) world over. 

One of the most popular recipes on this blog has always been Albondigas en salsa de tomato, Spanish meatballs. 

One of the biggest hits this winter was this: venison meatballs with cranberry and rosemary.

This recipe for Moroccan köfte took its inspiration from a bit further away, proving just how universal the language of love is. Instead of balls they can be shaped into little kebabs, too.

Icli köftes found their way onto the blog from the street kitchens of Istanbul.

The latest addition to the recipe archive were these Italian meatballs...

... though the archives also include the recipe for the traditional Swedish meatballs, too.

The blog has also featured this take on an old classic: prawn balls with squid spaghetti!

And those archives are far from complete: Greek meatballs are still to be featured, as are chicken meatballs bursting with lemon and parsley.

Which ones are your favourites? What is the secret to your perfect meatballs?

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Italian meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is an American Italian classic. And, thanks to Lady and The Tramps, it's cemented its position as one of the most romantic dishes out there, too. Though for the life of me I don't know why.

I can't imagine igniting flames of passion by the slurping sound I made when sucking on those strands, nor the sight of me with half of the tomato sauce all over my face (and, inevitably, all over my white shirt). 

Then again, the said couple's concept of a perfectly acceptable dating etiquette without a doubt also included snooping around each others' pee and sniffing each other bums. So, go figure. 

Somehow still this is what we had on Valentine's Day. And yes, I wore white. Not a whole lot of bum-sniffing went on, though...

Serves 4-5

Italian meatballs:

500 gr mince (pork, beef or their mixture)

1/2 dl breadcrumbs

1/2 dl Parmesan, finely grated

1 generous dl milk

1/2 onion

3 large cloves of garlic

3/4 dl finely chopped sun-dried tomatos in basil oil, drained 
(use the oil for sautéing onion and garlic!)

3/4 dl finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

salt, black pepper

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan with milk and leave to soak. You want the mixture to be soggy, so if they've soaked up too much of the liquid, add some more. Finely mince (or puré) the sun-dried tomatos.

Finely chop onion and garlic and sauté in oil (from sun-dried tomatos) until very soft and translucent. Add into the Parmesan mixture along with the rest of the seasoning. Work into the mince so you'll have a smooth mixture. Chill for half an hour and in the meanwhile get the tomato sauce going.

Tomato sauce:

1/2 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 generous tbsp butter

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp tomato pure

1 dl red wine

1 tbsp sugar

500 g passata (or 400 g tin finely crushed tomatos) 

salt, black pepper

to serve: fresh basil, fresh Parmesan

Finely chop onion and garlic and sauté in butter. Take your time and realy let them get soft. Then add chilliflakes, sugar and red wine. Bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients. Season and let simmer for half an hour. Check the taste and season as needed.

Cook a little tasting meatball to see if the seasoning's in check. Then roll the mixture into 25 meatballs. Drop into the tomato sauce and leave to cook for about 20 minutes. In the meanwhile cook the pasta.

Scatter some fresh basil leaves on top of the meatballs and serve with pasta and some freshly grated Parmesan. 

If you'be been following us for a while now, you've probably gpt the hang of our taste in wine and already guess, what's our wine pairing for this dish. Yep, you guessed it: Planeta Etna Rosso. The light, mineral acidity of the grape (Nerello Mascalese) and this - now those two are a real match made in heaven. Primitivo (or its American cousin Zinfandel) is another Italian that would go well with this. 

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Veal T-bone Piccata

I have already preached about more sustainable consumption of meat: utilizing every part of the animal and favouring domestic, locally (and if possible, organically) reared meat. But I'm by no means perfect. Oh, no. I have my weaknesses and most of them meat-related. One of the biggest one is Iberico pork, Spain's gift to gourmands everywhere. Its texture, colour and taste are quite simply in a league of its own.

When Familia offered a selection of their products to try, I didn't have to think twice. Not after I saw Iberico on the menu. So, stay tuned for at least Iberico pork cheeks! This time up though: veal T-bone steaks. 

Familia sources ethically produced meat from all over the world, from Iberico to duck and game and for those in the market for something a bit more exotic: kangaroo!

Term piccata refers to the method the meat is cooked in: a boneless piece of meat (fillet) is pounded thin, drenched in flour, excess shaken off and then off to a hot pan (and oil and butter, of course) it goes. The flavours left on the pan are utilized by glazing the pan with with white wine and lemon juice after which the taste is rounded off with butter (and often with capers and fresh herbs) and the sauce is then poured over the meat. Quick and easy even for a weekday feast! T-bone steaks (as any meat with the bone still on it) are packed with meaty juiciness.

Instead of veal you could use chicken or fish.

Serves 2

Veal T-bone steaks:

2 veal T-bone steaks

(flour)

salt, black pepper

For frying: 1 generous tbsp butter and another one of oil 

As with all the meat, take it into room temperature at least half an hour before cooking. Season generously and (is using) drench in flour, shaking off the excess. Flour helps the browning, gives the meat a crisp exterior and helps thicken the sauce, too. Heat oil and butter in a pan and cook the steaks over high heat, 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and keep covered while you make the sauce.

Lemon, caper and parsley sauce:

1/4 dl dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
25 g (small) capers
100 g butter
salt, pepper
1,5 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

After removing the meat, pour in white wine and lemon juice to glaze the pan. Bring to boil and then add lemon, capers and butter. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes after the butter has melted, which in parsley, check the taste and season as needed. Pour over the meat and serve. With pasta... or butter bean mash!

Butter bean mash:

75 g butter
2 tins (á 400 g) butter beans (also known as lima beans)
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
pinch of cumin
1,5 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
25-50 g butter (or 0,75-1 dl oil) for finishing
salt, black pepper

Heat butter in a small pot. pour in drained beans and cook until piping hot. Mash with your preferred method, add lemon zest, cumin and parsley and enough butter/ oil for the desired consistency. Check the taste and season. 

The most common wine pairings for veal piccata are light, citrusy, non-oaky Chardonnay or, if you want to go for red, Brunello di Montalcino. Instead of a trip to the liquor store we raided our own stash (which the recent holidays have seen being re-stocked!) and came up with these two instead. The acidity of Australian Jacob's Creek Semillon Chardonnay worked with the citrusy, acidic notes of the dish itself, whereas this French Pinot Noir from Les Carabènes balanced them, making the overall impression softer. I liked them both, The Boy Next Door didn't like either. I win. 

PS. All the efforts and money spent on my photography equipment is clearly starting to pay off: it only took one shot to get the photo for the recipe. Which means... wait for it... The Boy Next Door finally got to eat his dinner warm!

*In cooperation with Familia*

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Oxtail ragù cooked overnight

Food blogging, people. Do not try it at home. It's one of those things that have the tendency to take over your entire life. First there's all the cooking and blogging, but then on top of that you are expected to be fluent in social media too: update the blog's Facebook page, look interesting on Instagram and seem witty on Twitter. Entice new readers while keeping the existing ones happy, too. Strive for active, quality content; in regard to writing, photos and recipes. And then find time for at least trying to evolve in IT-, photography- and networking skills. 

And then you should also keep up with what's happening in other people's blogs and the world of food at large. New ideas, trends, The Next Big Thing everybody should be cooking (freekeh, apparently!)... 

Now, while blogging is so very much fun, there are moments when it feels like one continuous performance review; race one just presses on with with the taste of blood in one's mouth. You see, while at it, I also need to work for living, do the shopping, take care of the relationship (outside the kitchen, too!), drink wine and follow football transfer windows. 

And then. Then this happens. You give yourself a day off and just toss something together; cook a dish that's not even supposed to end up on the blog but just feed the hungry people in your life. No writing down the recipe, no staging, no photographing... and hey presto - you've managed to create something so good you can only stare down at your plate in disbelief. I made that. All by myself. This ragù is one of those dishes. It didn't leave everybody quiet though: the following day I took the leftovers to work and a lawyer colleague of mine, big as a bear, roared "God damn, that's good, for Christ's sake!".  

Your honour, I rest my case.

And this is how we do it. 

Serves 4

Oxtail:

1 kg oxtail
salt, black pepper
1 onion
3 cm piece of ginger, sliced
3 large garlic cloves
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 carrot

Cut onion and carrot into chunks. Peel garlic cloves and bruise them with the back of a knife. Season oxtail generously and brown well in a big pot. Add onion, carrot and garlic cloves and let them get a bit of colour too. Add rest of the ingredients and pour enough boiling water to cover the meat. Transfer into the oven (130) and let stew overnight. 

In case the butcher has cut the oxtail into smaller chunks, 5-6 hours will be enough, though it won't be ruined if you cook it longer than that. Just make sure the liquid won't evaporate entirely. 

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon (carefully as at this point the meat will quite literally fall off the bone) and keep it covered. Drain the remaining liquid and freeze for a while (this makes it easier to peel off the layer of fat). You probably won't be left with much though - mine only yielded about 1,5 dl. If there isn't any liquid left to speak of, no worries - the sauce in itself will do the trick. 

Sauce:

1 onion
1 dl red wine
(1,5 dl cooking liquid, drained) 

1 tin (400 g) passata or finely crushed tomatos

1/2 dl soy sauce

1/2 dl syrup/ dark sugar

1/2 tbsp freshly ground allspice

the zest if 1/4 orange (about 1 tsp)

3/4 dl raisins

Peel and finely chop the onion and sauté in a bit of oil in the pot. Add red wine and bring to boil. Then add the remaining ingredients along with the shredded meat and simmer for an hour or so. Check the taste and season as needed. Serve with polenta (my favourite) or pasta (pappardelle), The Boy Next Door's favourite.

Fancy making your own pasta too? Just click here!

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Pumpkin risotto

Ok. So if I absolutely had to come up with something good to say about autumn it is the fact that I finally get  to bring out the sturdier recipes, designed to keep one warm in the chilly weather. Such as risottos. 

Then there is the September issue of InStyle full of all those irresistible must haves for the new season. And the passion for thick cable knits and tartan that gets re-ignited at this time of the year, every year (yes, this year, too). As a result of the last two a new cape made its way into my wardrobe. Sure, a cape is just about the most practical piece of clothing one could possibly own in a country like Finland: twice a year there's a 2-hour window during which it's not yet too wintry but still manages to keep its wearer even somehow warm. See, fashion blogging is so not for me, so I'd better concentrate on food. And food blogging. And that risotto. 

Just look at those colours: so reminiscent of the flag of my favourite country... (no, not Macedonia)

Since pumpkin fever is far from over, I just had to have some risotto. And I think it just might have become my new pumpkin favourite. Yes, possibly even more comforting than pumpkin gnocchi. The gentle sweetness of the pumpkin can carry strong accompaniments like morcilla, too, so I served mine with Serrano ham, roasted on parchment-lined tray at 200º until crisp and then broken to shards. If you want to pay tribute to the Italian roots of risotto then certo you can use prosciutto. I just happen to like the depth Jamón Serrano has. Yes, bacon works too. And if you really want to impress your fellow diners, you can make the sort of spirals I served my salmorejo with. 

Serves 2 generously, 3 with some moderation and 4 as a starter

500 g pumpkin (for instance half of one 1,4 kg Hokkaido)

a couple of tbsp oil

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes (or fresh red chilli)

salt, black pepper

1 shallot

butter

1,5 dl good risotto rice

1 dl white wine

0,5 - 0,75 l chicken or vegetable stock (preferably low-sodium)

handful of sage leaves

100 ricotta

(parmesan if you wish, as much as you wish)

Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel and cut into chunks. Heat the oil and add the spices. Cook for a moment to release the aromas and pour over the pumpkin. Season generously and roast at 200º until soft, 15-25- minutes depending on the size. While the pumpkin roasts, start preparing the risotto.

Once the pumpkin is done, purée half of it and cut the other half into smaller cubes. Roast the Serrano ham until crisp (about 10 minutes). Let cool on kitchen towel and break into chunks.

Finely chop the onion, sauté in some butter and then add rice, Let that too sweat a bit and get sort of translucent and then start adding the stock - a ladle full at a time. Keep the stock hot in another pan and don't add more until the previous batch has been absorbed. When the rice is almost cooked to creamy perfection (try not to stir too much at any point) stir in the finely chopped sage leaves, a little while later ricotta, pumpkin puree, pumpkin cubes and Parmesan (if using). Serve. Quickly. With crisp Serrano crisps or bacon. If you're on a pork-free diet, you can give the dish more texture with some dry roasted pumpkin seeds. 

Soave Classico would work with this dish though I decided to give Lindeman's Early Harvest Semillon Sauvignon Blanc a go. And you know what? Not bad. Not bad at all. Owing to early harvest the sugar content (and subsequently the alcohol and calorie content) remains lower. Yet, unlike the totally non-alcoholic Jacob's Creek Unvined Riesling that was tested on the blog earlier, this one does have more acidity and as such more body so it would work with light dishes though it is best drank on its own. Wine's acidity balanced the creaminess of the risotto and its herby notes worked well with sage. 

Oh, and get this: Henry John Lindeman, the founder of the eponymous winery was actually a doctor convinced of the health benefits of wine and firmly believed that "wine is meant to bring joy and happiness". 

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Autumn ravioli

A little while back I got some feedback from one of the readers via blog's Facebook page. Apparently ravioli are a total waste of time. And pelmenis take far too much work, too. I would like to point out that neither of the recipes he'd used were mine...

I couldn't agree less. I genuinely believe that making one's own pasta from the scratch is one of the best things one can do in the kitchen. Well, if one is not seeking culinary inspiration from 9 1/2 weeks, that is...

And once you've got the right tools, it's easy, too. The situation has dramatically improved since the first time I made pasta int he form of these spinach and ricotta-ravioli. Now I've got a digital scale that measures the flour perfectly, a food processor that prepares the dough and to top it all off a pasta machine. And not a carpal tunnel syndrome in sight!

If making pasta sheets form scratch isn't your thing however, you can use fresh lasagne sheets. And I've heard store-bought wonton wrappers make for a great shortcut too!

And to make things even more convenient, apples, sage and mushrooms were all courtesy of my colleagues' harvest. Oh, I'm spoiled. Instead of good pork sausages you can use ground pork too in which case you might need a bit more fennel and sage. Though, if your sausages are very strong, you might not need to add them at all. Owing to the fattiness of the sausage meat the ground pork version tends to be a bit drier.

For pasta recipe please see here. I made mine with 300 g of flour, but the eggs I used were smaller, so in addition to the 3 eggs I also used an extra yolk. Just listen to the dough, it will tell you if it's too dry and needs more eggs. I used am 8-centimetre diameter glass and got 32 ravioli.

Knead the dough so it's smooth and elastic, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

300 g good pork sausages (without the casing) or ground pork
200 g wild mushrooms 
1 large shallot
7 sage leaves (finely chopped a little under 3 tsp)
1 apple, peeled, cored and cubed (100 gr)
1,5 tsp fennel seeds, gently toasted and ground
salt, black pepper
pinch of nutmeg (or allspice)

Fry mushrooms on a hot, dry pan until the moisture has evaporated and they start getting a bit of colour. Toss in a small knob of butter and move aside. Leave half for serving and roughly chop the rest.

Peel, core and dice the apple to small cubes. Fry in a bit of butter until golden and move aside. 

Peel and finely chop the onion. Sauté in a bit of butter. Add into the pan the pork and brown. Then add fennel, sage and rest of the ingredients. Check the taste and season as needed. Let cool.

Divide the ravioli dough in 4 and keep remaining segments covered while working on one. Run it through the pastamachine using the biggest setting (mine was 7 according to instructions of the machine (mine suggest repeating this 5-6 times). Lightly dust with flour between each round if needed. Then turn the dial don a notch, run the dough through and turn it down again. Repeat until you've got the right thickness (I finished after setting no 2). Spoon the filling ( a little less than 1 tbsp) on the sheet leaving enough space in between. Repeat halfway up the sheet. Brush the edges and space between the filling with water or leftover eggwhite and fold the other half on top of the filling. Pinch the dough firmly around the filling making sure there's no air and cut into desired shapes. Place on a gently floured surface and cover with tea towel until all the ravioli are done and ready to go into the pot.

Depending in the texture (and flour content) you can work the leftover pasta dough into one more sheet. Not for a third round though as the dough starts to get too dry by then. 

Bring a big pot of salted water to boil and cook ravioli until done (about 3 minutes). Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and serve with the remaining mushrooms. And some toasted pine nuts should you have some. Perhaps with some browned sage and garlic-butter, too..?

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