LAVENDER PANNA COTTA WITH RUM BASED SYRUP AND NECTARINE SLICES

     What is life without a little letting go of our fears? I feel that it is the way to learn. For example, I have developed a crazy fear of flying, at time of take-off, although I have been travelling every year since I was six. What is the deal, Maria? You may ask... The deal is I have no idea how this fear got there in the first place. Perhaps it has to do with all the terrible accidents we find out (because of internet) the last 10 to 15 years or a part of inhibited feat from a close relative. Whatever the reason, I try to manage with it and at times...to let go.

     I apply the same technique with almost everything else that scares me. Simply, I try to let go and see what happens. So, yesterday I decided to let go of my fear of making something without having a good recipe in mind. I wanted to make a lavender infused panna cotta. Looking around the net, nothing satisfied my needs exactly. You see, I'm a person that likes to adjust to situations. And if a situation means I am missing an ingredient or I would like to use an ingredient before it goes bad, I do it. Eventually my adventure of panna cotta making began on a Sunday morning!

    Lavender is such a beautiful and useful plant. It has amazing properties we can benefit from, such as muscle relaxing, improvement of sleep and mood, balance of blood sugar and many more. We can use it when it's dry through various ways, like a herbal infusion, a face scrub, infused vinegar or syrup, cooking and others. And let's not forget the powerful use as an essential oil. This plant is a miracle maker for all purposes. And...it's so pretty.

    It goes without saying that I had a lot of lavender hanging around. First thing that popped to mind was panna cotta infused with lavender and a rum based syrup on top. Panna cotta, a dessert originated from Italy, means "baked cream". And it means just that. The heavy cream is cooked lightly to create a creamy interior, while the gelatine used in the recipe makes the jelly appearance so fun to play with. It's a very easy dessert to make and a perfect one for summertime! 

Lavender Panna Cotta with Rum based syrup and Nectarine slices

ingredients (for 4 medium sized panna cottas)

150gr whole fat milk

350gr heavy cream

4 gelatine leaves

3 tablespoons dried lavender

60gr sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the rum based syrup+nectarine slices

1/2 cup lavender syrup*

1/2 cup water

1 shot of rum

nectarine slices (peach is ok too)

*for the lavender syrup you will need: 1 cup water, 2 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons dry lavender. You shimmer everything in a pot for 15 minutes (low temperature) and let it cool down completely.

How do I make it?

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. 

2. In a pot, put half the portion of heavy cream with sugar, milk and dried lavender and cover the pot to shimmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, with your hands take the gelatine leaves and squeeze them tightly to get out the water. Add them to the pot and whisk quickly until they dissolve completely. Pour inside the remaining heavy cream and whisk again until combined. Use a strainer to remove the lavender by pouring the mixture in a bowl with the strainer on top.

3. Let the mixture cool a bit for 10 minutes. Take your preferred tins for panna cotta (I used small jars I had) and fill them evenly with the mixture. Next thing, put them in the fridge for at least 4 to 6 hours or overnight (desired).

4. For the syrup, mix all the ingredients together and cook in medium heat until the nectarine slices soften. It will take around 20 minutes. When ready, remove the pot from heat.  Let the syrup cool for some minutes before using it on the panna cotta. 

5. When it's time to serve, take the panna cotta tins out. If you want to remove them from their tins, there are two ways to achieve it. You either hold them in your hands and rub them for some minutes. Or you can fill a pot with boiling water and carefully place the tins inside for a minute or less. Then, all you have to do is reverse the tins on a smooth surface or plate and tap the bottom firmly. When they're ready to serve, simply put the desired amount on top of the dessert.

     

SWEET POTATO & RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH BROWN BUTTER & ROSEMARY

     I never thought that having too much free time in my hands, would...make me want to do many things at the same time! Generally speaking, I am known for taking up a lot of projects and very rarely saying no. If I am not collapsing, it means I can do it. It's not always the best way to think or live, but I just get this urge to do a lot of things so that I don't feel my day is lost. However, there are a few days I do completely nothing, so I guess there is a sort of balance in the universe. Even though it doesn't look like it. 

     With all this time in my hands I had to try to make something really special for the blog. Italian cuisine is one of my most adored ones, and pasta is right in the centre of my admiration. I have this future plan on my mind, in which I go to Italy for at least a month, specifically Modena, and take up some pasta making classes. Like the one Naziz took in "Master of None",  before he became a professional in making fresh pasta. My friends know me for making a lot of things myself, like peanut butter, almond butter, hummus, plant-based mylk or breakfast bars. The only thing I haven't given into yet is fermented food, only because I am scared of forgetting to do the right steps and end up with a pile of smelly junk.

       But homemade, fresh pasta has always been my secret guilt pleasure. Who hasn't tasted fresh ravioli and said "Oh, my God, this is good!"? I tell you who. Nobody. And yes, I am that positive about it. My first experiment I thought could be gnocchi. They don't ask for a pasta making machine (which I don't own) and they are a bit easier I think to make and store. As good as this sounds, they are not easy to make. Of course, I knew that the first time would be sort of difficult for me, but that didn't keep me behind. I followed the recipe of Italian Food Forever for these gnocchis. During the process of making the dough, I realised that I had to readjust it and asked my boyfriend for help! If you think about it we are the perfect couple. I ask him for questions on cooking and he asks me for help when he is sick. 

Sweet Potato & Ricotta gnocchi with Brown Butter & Rosemary

(listening to Italian music while making is a must)

ingredients (for 6 persons)

2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)

1/2 cup ricotta (full fat and drained)

1 large egg yolk

2 to 3 cups of flour (approximately)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

for the sauce

150gr butter

1 tablespoon rosemary leaves

salt

pepper

How do I make it?

1. For the mashed potatoes, you can simply clean the potatoes, make some cuts on the potato with a knife (be careful) and bake them for about 30 to 40 minutes on grill. Check with a fork to see if they are ready, they should be extra soft. Leave them cool completely, take out the skin and try mashing them with a fork in a bowl. I made the mistake of not waiting for the potatoes to cool completely, and I ended up with a very  moist dough. 

2. Once your potatoes are ready, use a bigger bowl or your electric mixer and put inside the mashed potatoes, ricotta, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Mix very well until everything is incorporated. Then, using 1/2 a cup each time, add the flour and mix the dough. I suggest adding 1/2 cup at a time, because it's better for the dough and you can see if you need all the cups or not. Your dough should be soft and easy to handle. A wet dough is not ideal. 

3. When you feel your dough is soft and ready, flour a clean surface and place your dough on top. Take a small portion on your hands start rolling it on the surface into a 2,3cm roll approximately. Then take a knife and cut small pieces. There are a lot of ways to roll or shape your gnocchi. This demands a lot of practice and I found the perfect video to show you how to shape them appropriately. Have a look at it, it will help you a lot.

4. Once you are done with shaping the gnocchi, put in a large pot some water to boil. When the water is ready, put inside carefully the gnocchi and let them cook. They will be ready when they come on the surface of the water like floating.

5. In the meanwhile, use a medium pan and melt the butter on medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble pour inside the rosemary leaves , salt and pepper. Mix a little bit and then let everything cook. The butter should start getting a light brown appearance. It's ok, we want it to be like this! You're going to keep cooking the butter for about 6 to 8 minutes after adding the rosemary.

6. When both gnocchi and sauce are ready, transfer the cooked gnocchi into the pan with the sauce and toss lightly. Serve when it's still hot and enjoy as it is. You could add some grated parmesan on top or some more grated black pepper.

CREAMY AVOCADO PESTO FARFALLE

     Lately I've been into pasta more than I've been into cakes for a weird reason, which is totally not myself. I try to stay away from creamy sauces, because I prefer red sauces to be honest and more recently I fell in love with pesto sauce once again. During the Lent before Easter time, I became familiar with it (minus the parmesan) all over again and tried different varieties of basil and spinach. 

     My last attempt involved a known superfood and champion of instagram, avocado. In 2017, who hasn't tried a delicious avocado toast in the morning? Very few people. Avocado has become so in that it got its own "everything-you-can-eat-with-avocado" restaurant in Amsterdam this year. Can you imagine eating an avocado burger? I mean, this fruit (yeah, it's a fruit) is so creamy when it's ready to be eaten, that I think it would fall apart in my hands. But anytime I'm going back to Amsterdam, I will check it out no matter what. 

     This healthy recipe is for everyone and especially people who like light tastes and go easy with the garlic. For ladies, it's a very quick solution for weekdays, when you want to eat something that doesn't taste like plastic and is also good for you. For me, I used whole wheat farfalle, but you can use plain farfalle if you find the taste a bit strange. Whole wheat pasta tend to be harder to chew and have a kind of bitter taste.

Creamy Avocado Pesto farfalle

ingredients (for 2 persons)

1 medium ripe avocado 

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup basil leaves

1/4 cup roasted pine nuts or walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2 cups whole wheat farfalle 

How do I make it?

1. Boil your farfalle according to the instructions on the package. 

2. In a food processor, put the basil leaves, olive oil, garlic cloves, roasted pine nuts, salt and avocado. To carve the avocado, cut it in half with a sharp knife (be careful of the seed in the middle), use a spoon to take out the flesh of the avocado and throw the seed away. Mix all the ingredients really well for about 2 minutes. If needed stop the processor and scrape the sides of it.

3. In a big bowl, put the boiled farfalle and the sauce you made in the previous step. Use two spoons and mix very well so that the pesto goes everywhere.

4. Serve into two bowls and sprinkle some parmesan or walnuts on top if you want to.

BISCOTTI ΑΜΥΓΔΑΛΟΥ ΜΕ ΛΙΚΕΡ AMARETTO

     Είναι όμορφο να ανακαλύπτεις πως υπάρχουν τόσα πράγματα ακόμα να βιώσεις και να δεις και πως όσο και να μεγαλώσεις κάποια πράγματα δεν παύουν να σε συγκινούν και να σε κάνουν να νιώθεις αυτό το περίεργο αίσθημα ευχαρίστησης. Σήμερα κλείνω τα 27 και πραγματικά αισθάνομαι σαν να είμαι ακόμα 20, αλλά με μυαλό 30αρας. Όσο περίεργο και αν ακούγεται αυτό. Τα 27 μου με βρίσκουν σε μια μεταβατική φάση στη ζωή μου όπου κάτι καινούργιο πρόκειται να ξεκινήσει και τα συναισθήματά μου είναι ανακατεμένα. Αισθάνομαι ανυπομονησία και ενθουσιασμό και από την άλλη αγωνία και άγχος. Η αλλαγή όμως πάντα έρχεται όταν την αναζητάς και εγώ την αναζήτησα. Μένει μόνο ο χρόνος να δείξει εάν ήταν η σωστή αλλαγή που είχα ανάγκη.

    Ας αφήσω, όμως, λίγο στην άκρη τις φιλοσοφίες για το νόημα της ζωής και ας μπω σε κάτι πιο νόστιμο και ενδιαφέρον. Πάντα τα ταξίδια μου αφήνουν εκτός από αναμνήσεις και περίεργες λιγούρες για τοπικά εδέσματα. Κάτι ανάλογο συνέβη όταν μπήκα στην διαδικασία να φτιάξω τα γνωστά και αγαπημένα biscotti των Ιταλών με μπόλικο αμύγδαλο (όπως τα τρώνε) και λικέρ αμυγδάλου (amaretto). Είναι ιδιαίτερα τραγανιστά και θέλουν λίγη παραπάνω προσπάθεια από τα απλά μπισκότα που θα φτιάξετε. Όμως, σίγουρα το αξίζουν αν κρίνω από τα επιφωνήματα ευχαρίστησης και ενθουσιασμού που εξέλαβα από όσους τα δοκίμασαν.

     Αυτά τα μπισκότα μπορείτε σε μεγάλη ποσότητα (η συνταγή είναι για 40 biscotti) και να τα φυλάξετε σε ένα αεροστεγές μπολ. Είναι ιδανική επιλογή για τον πρωινό ή απογευματινό σας καφέ ή απλώς σαν ένα ελαφρύ γλύκισμα. Αν σας ξετρελαίνει το αμύγδαλο σαν εμένα τότε σίγουρα θα τα λατρέψετε. Η συνταγή αυτή μπορεί να αποτελέσει και τη βάση για άλλες δημιουργίες, πχ εάν θέλετε μπορείτε να προσθέσετε αποξηραμένα φρούτα στα biscotti ή ακόμη να τα βουτήξετε σε λιωμένη σοκολάτα. Δοκιμάστε να φτιάξετε την απλή συνταγή που σας δείχνω παρακάτω και έπειτα εάν είστε ευχαριστημένοι με το αποτέλεσμα δημιουργήστε ελεύθερα!

     Biscotti αμυγδάλου με λικέρ amaretto

υλικά (για περίπου 40 biscotti)

110 γρ βούτυρο ανάλατο (λιωμένο)

1 κούπα ζάχαρη καστανή

1 κούπα αμύγδαλα καβουρδισμένα και χοντροκομμένα

3 κουταλιές αμαρέττο

1 κουταλιά εκχύλισμα βανίλιας

3 αυγά

2 ¾  κούπες αλεύρι

1 ½ κουταλάκι baking powder

¼ κουταλάκι αλάτι

Πώς θα το φτιάξω;

1. Σε ένα μπολ ανακατέψτε το λιωμένο βούτυρο, το αμαρέτο, τη ζάχαρη, το εκχύλισμα βανίλιας και τα αυγά πολύ καλά μέχρι να ομογενοποιηθούν. Έπειτα, προσθέστε τα αμύγδαλα που θα τα έχετε καβουρδίσει και χοντροκόψει.

2. Τέλος, προσθέστε στο μπολ σε μικρές ποσότητες το αλεύρι μαζί με το baking powder και το αλάτι, έως σχηματιστεί μια μαλακιά ζύμη. Καλύψτε το μπολ με μια ζελατίνα και αφήστε τη ζύμη στο ψυγείο για 1 ώρα να παγώσει.

3. Προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στους 175 C και καλύψτε ένα ταψί με χαρτί ψησίματος. Έπειτα, βγάλτε τη ζύμη από το ψυγείο και κόψτε την στα δύο. Σχηματίστε με τα χέρια σας δύο μικρά και μακρόστενα καρβελάκια ζύμης (σε σχήμα ψωμιού) και ψήστε τα για 30 λεπτά.

4. Αφού ψηθούν βγάλτε το ταψί από το φούρνο και αφήστε τις ζύμες να κρυώσουν για 10-15 λεπτά. Κατόπιν, κόψτε το κάθε καρβελάκι σε μικρές φέτες (κομμάτια). Όταν τελιώσετε τοποθετήστε τα biscotti σας σε καθαρό ταψάκι με χαρτί ψησίματος από την μεριά της μεγάλης επιφάνειάς τους. Ψήστε στους 175 C για ακόμη 20-25 λεπτά ή έως να αποκτήσουν ένα χρυσαφένιο χρώμα τα biscotti. Αφήστε τα να κρυώσουν και απολαύστε τα με ένα ζεστό εσπρέσσο.