refreshing pasta salad

i feel very lasagna, pizza, pasta, spaghetti and ravioli at the moment. jet-lags usually make me very hungry. but also very lazy. so i decided to make this easy peasy pasta salad for this weeks presto pasta night.
i usually make this one for garden parties, BBQs or prepare a larger batch, so i can take some with me into the office the next day. it's a very simple recipe. done in a dash! what i like about it is, that tastes quite fruity. the cucumber makes it very refreshing and the juicy bell pepper adds not only a great colour but also a wonderful taste.
there are no rules - just mix whatever you desire (or got left in the fridge) into this pasta salad.


RECIPE
300g small pasta, such as gnobetti, conchiglie,...
2 garlic cloves
1 red pepper, finely cubed
1/2 cucumber, finely cubed
70g black olives, finely cubed
a hand full of small mozzarella balls, torn
a hand full of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
a hand full of fresh chive, chopped

4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
6-7 tablespoons of olive oil
a splash of fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper

cook pasta and garlic cloves in a large pot of boiling, salted water. when al dente drain (make sure you take out the garlic cloves - you will need it for the dressing!) & cool under cold running water.
then put in a large bowl and mix with prepared bell pepper, cucumber, olives, mozzarella, basil and chive.
to make the dressing, crush the soft garlic clove in a mortar, add olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and seson with salt and pepper. pour over the salad and mix well.

serve cold. keeps (covered in clingfilm) in the fridge for about 2 days.

meringue galore with fruit

i am back from the US. and i am totally knackered. those 8 hour flights in the night just dont do it for me. cant sleep, wont sleep. so i was desperate for a serious sugar rush this morning and with those egg whites that have been sitting in my fridge since i left there was really one ting i could do: a pavlova. it's good for my sugar level, its wonderful to make (i love the texture of meringue - i could look at it for ever!). it's such a lovely dessert to make that sits in the oven for a while but is actually very quick to make (really, all you do is whip some egg whites with sugar, dont you?).
so here i sit - totally jet-lagged, missing new york and its wonderful energy. but this gooey bit of meringue melting on my tongue feels like home already. heaven!



RECIPE

meringue:
6 egg whites, from large eggs
250g caster sugar
50g icing sugar, sifted

topping:
about 200 ml single cream
seeds of 1 vanilla pod
1 punnet rasberries
1 punnet strawberries
some peppermint leaves, optional

preheat the oven to 100 c°
line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until very stiff. then gradually add the sugar and mix for about 10 minutes until the mixture is very white and glossy (there is this trick, where you can dip your finger into the mixture and rub it between your fingers. if it's smooth, its perfect, if it still feels a bit grainy, mix on!). then carefully fold in the icing sugar.
spoon your meringue mix onto the lined baking tray and form a rectagle. if you dab them with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, you get some whipsy bits coming from the surface.
bake in the middle of the oven for about 1,5 hours until it's crispy on the inside, but still lovely goey in the inside. turn down oven and let meringue cool in the oven (prevents it from cracking!). i sometimes but a wodden spoon between the oven-door while the meringue is cooling in the oven.


when meringue is completely cool, whip cream with vanilla seeds and spread generously onto the meringue. decorate with berries and garnish with peppermint leaves, if desired.

homemade basil oil

for this weeks "weekend herb blogging", hosted by ellie from kitchen wench, i wanted to make something with basil - isnt it just the best herb in summer?

if you are growing basil in your garden- here is a trick: dont just water your basil every day, make sure you spray the leaves with some water. make sure they get a little shower every day - it works wonders! and if you got loads of flies in your kitchen (you know, they always go where the good stuff is), place a pot of basil in front of your window - it will keep the annoying flies away.
basil itself doesn't need much to taste delicious. cut in fine strips it's the perfect secret ingredient for salads, tomato sauce, pasta dishes or simply the number one herb for an insalata caprese. the basil oil i am making is like a super-potent basil extract that not only looks amazing (look at the green!) but also tastes wonderful and keeps for a very long time in your fridge. it does take some time and patience to make, but it is a deluxe basil oil that is so much more fragrant than the basil oils you get in supermarkets - which are mostly just infused and not actually pressed with basil.


RECIPE, adapted from tanja grandits aroma

100g basil, leaves plucked
about 200ml olive oil

blanch the basil leaves for about 10 seconds in boiling water and chill in ice-water. then squeeze out as much of the water as possible. purée the basil leaves with the olive oil until basil is very fine. cover and let infuse in the fridge over night.
prepare a coffe filter and let your basil-oil mixture drain. you can gently push a rubber spatula into the mixture to speed up the process. (careful - coffee filter is wet and fragile! - you dont want all the puréed basil in your oil!)

fill into a reservoir bottle and keep in the fridge. take out of fridge about half an hour before using.

rhubarb compote with ginger & vanilla

i am a nervous wreck! i am leaving for the US in about 30 hours and of course i havent done all the jobs i wanted to do before leaving the country. my apartment looks like a mess, my laundry is not cleaned and folded and ironed, my dishes are piling up high in the sink and my fridge is full of food. food someone needs to eat - it will all have gone bad by the time i will return from my fabulous trip to new york and washington DC.
so i started with the rhubarb (there is still about a kilo of cheese, loads of fresh pesto, salad, radishes, tomatoes,... in there - i could feed a family of 10!). i felt the colour would be good to calm my nerves (pink makes you happy, doesnt it?) and the sweet but slightly sour aroma of rhubarb would put me in a good mood (and finally make me iron those shirts...). a rhubarb compote is easy to make and delicious with some vanilla custard or simply - this is how i love to eat it - mixed into some creamy greek yoghurt. i like to think of it as the perfect breakfast before boarding an airplane that will fly me to the other end of the world. oh - i cant wait!


RECIPE

15 stalks of rhubarb
3oog sugar
1 vanilla bean, split & seeds scraped out
150ml water
about 9 slices of ginger, peeled

greek yoghurt
a hand full of granola

put all ingredients in a pan and heat gently over a low heat until sugar has melted and the rhubarb has started to release its liquid content. turn up heat and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the rhubarb is soft. taste (careful, extremely HOT!) and add more sugar if necessary.
let cool, then remove the ginger (will be super spicy, if you eat this in your rhubarb). serve at the bottom of a little glass or cup with yoghurt and top with granola.

rhubarb compote can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

sunkissed tomatoes on goats cheese toast

this is a cheats version of sunkissed tomatoes - they are more like oven-kissed tomatoes! the heat brings out the most wonderful aroma of every tomato (even the ones that taste like water!). i always season the tomatoes with a pinch of sugar but it's optional. it just helps them to caramelize in the oven. if you dont want them to turn brownish, simply leave out the sugar.
roasting time depends on size of tomatoes. just keep an eye on your tomatoes while they are roasting in the oven and lower or increase heat if needed.

they taste wonderful in a salad, make a great topping for a risotto, a pizza or simply served as antipasti. i love them on a creamy goats cheese toast as you can see on the picture. perfect for a breezy summernight, spent with friends and a bottle of chilled wine.


RECIPE sunkissed tomatoes

500g cherry- or small san marzano tomatoes
fresh thyme, leaves plucked
sea salt
fresh pepper
a pinch of sugar
olive oil

heat oven to 150c°. wash and halve the tomatoes and arrange in a large heat-proof dish. srinkle with a little salt, the thyme, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar (optional). drizzle generously with olive oil.
"bake" in the middle of the oven for about 2-3 hours, checking from time to time & dashing them around in the dish so they are always lightly covered with the oil. bake until tomatoes start to caramelize and start to dry out.
let cool and keep in an airtight glass & cover with some olive oil.


RECIPE goats cheese toast with sunkissed tomatoes

1 baguette, cut in thick slices
250g goats cheese, cut in slices (about 1cm)
olive oil
basil pesto
runny honey
sunkissed tomatoes (recipe above)
a hand full of roasted pine nuts

heat oven to 180c°
sprinkle the baguette slices with some olive oil and toast in the oven until crisp (about 10 minutes, depending how fiery your oven is). then top with goats cheese and bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is soft. put on a large wodden board (perfect for serving), top each toast with a teaspoon of pesto, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with some roasted pine nuts. top each toast with 1 or 2 sundried tomatoes. - serve with napkins (runny honey, runny cheese!)


for more wonderful recipes, made with herbs and veggies check out this weeks roundup of "weekend herb blogging", founded by kalyn & hosted by pat (check out the bear on her site!!!) this week. enjoy!

elicottero with creamy & hot tomato sauce

my pasta dish for this weeks presto pasta night hosted by the lovely ruth of once upon a feast, had to be comforting (busy, crazy, mad week at work) and fiery (worst cold ever - a decent load of chili was the only thing that would clear my nose). there is only one recipe i could think of, that would fulfill it all: pasta with creamy hot tomato sauce.
you can use any pasta you like. i usually cook it with some simple tagliatelle - but the curly elicottero are just so wonderful for soaking up the sauce. you can leave the chili out - unless you got a cold: then chuck in a double portion and you will finally be able to breathe again. - ok, i need another hanky...!



RECIPE

400g elicottero (or other pasta such as tagliatelle)

small gulp of olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-3 small dried bird's eye chillis
4 rashers of streaky bacon, cut in small stripes / cubes
5-6 hand full of small tomatoes such as cherry tomatoes or small san marzano (delish!), cut in half
about 3dl cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
a hand full of basil leaves, cut in fine strips
freshly ground parmesan cheese

cook the pasta in a big pot of salted water until al dente. while cooking, make the sauce.
heat the oil in a small frying pan, add shallot and bacon and fry until shallot soft and bacon starts to brown. add tomato halves and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. using the back of a wooden spoon carefully squeeze out juice. then add cream and cook until it starts to thicken. season with salt and pepper and add fresh basil before taking the pan off the heat.

drain pasta and serve asap with loads of the sauce. sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil. and then i blew my nose ONCE AGAIN...

browniebabe of the month round 2!

oh it was just pure bliss and deliciousness! our first round of browniebabe of the month. lisa from la mia cucina did an amazing job with her lemon mousse brownie and was therefore crowned first browniebabe of the month. here is round number two!
i am sure you all know a thing or two about brownies: they are quick and easy to make but soft, sticky, fudgy and chocolatey when they come out of the oven - there is just nothing quite like a brownie. it's just the ultimate anytime treat. wheither you like to bake them with nuts, fruits, white or dark chocolate - join the event!

all you need to do is bake a fudgy, nice and delicious brownie, then post about it on your blog (please make sure you include a recipe so others can bake your delicious stuff, too!), including a link to this post so that people know what the event is about and where it came from. feel free to use the pic, too.

once you’ve baked and posted about it send an email with "browniebabe of the month" in the subject line to: onceuponatartATyahooDOTde by sunday 10th of june with the following information:

• your name
• your location
• the name of your blog and its URL
• a link to your post

last day for all entries is the 10 th of june. i will crown a winner (and post about all the delicious stuff you baked of course!), that will be awarded with a personal "browniebabe of the month" apron. now go get your brownietrays out and have some browniebatter flying around in your kitchen.

browniebabes of this world - come and join!

cant wait! *myriam

ps: blondies count, too!

something yellow - lemon ricotta tart

when barbara at winosandfoodies asked us all to bake something yellow for the livestrong day, i knew i just had to join. a taste of yellow is her contribution to livestrong day. and this is what it's all about:

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country.

alot of you have already posted some wonderful recipes and a lot of moving stories about loved ones who survived or died of cancer. there is a story i could tell. someone close to my heart had cancer (but is looking & feeling brandnew today again!). it's just that i feel it wouldn't be ok to tell this story. it's not mine. i wasn't the one who had to go through chemotherapy. i wasn't the one who didnt know where life would lead. but if i have something to say about this, then it's this: if someone close to your heart has cancer don't run away. it might scare the hell out of you - the fear of losing a dear friend. and there are some nasty days at hospitals and alot of questions unanswered. but just stick with that person. i saw some run away. and it scared me alot more than the cancer. don't lose strength, never lose hope nor your humour and don't even think about quitting the fight.

during this time. we ate alot. only the most delicious stuff - oh we spoiled ourselves with truffle brioches and pretty much everything else that contained sugar. i am sure the lemon ricotta tart i baked for this event is something we would have had.


RECIPE

for the pastry:
125g butter, cut in cubes and soft
90g sugar
1 egg
250g flour

filling:
grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 eggs
350g ricotta
50g caster sugar
a hand full of pine nuts

for the pastry whizz butter and sugar in a blender. then add egg & flour. whizz until it comes together, wrap pastry in cling film and chill for about 45 minutes.
preheat oven to 180 c°.
roll the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a deep, loose bottomed tart tin. trim off any excess pastry and chill for about 20 minutes.
line tart with baking paper and fill with baking beans. blind bake in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes. then remove paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until crisp and golden brown. let cool.

for the filling put all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until well combined. pour into slightly cooled pastry shell and bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the filling is lightly set. cool, remove from the tin, sprinkle with the pine nuts and dust generously with icing sugar.

serve with fresh strawberries.

proudly presenting: browniebabe of the month!

when i started browniebabe of the month i thought: well - some more brownie recipes cant harm anyone. with SOME i meant a couple with nuts, one or two with creamcheese and maybe another one with dried fruit or something. instead, i ended up with this very long list of entries to the first round of browniebabes and i am totally amazed & overwhelmed by all your wonderful work. you all went crazy with loads of chocolate and some of you even skipped your bikini-diets to take part. good job you all. here is a (quite long...) list of all your fabulous, delicious, fudgy brownies! and last but not least - see who became browniebabe of the month april!
new round of browniebabes starting soon! all info will be posted on this blog. now make yourself a cup of tea and have a look at all this deliciousness!

***

amy from nook & pantry did a wonderful job with her nutella brownies. i mean how much chocolate can you put in a brownie - right: never enough! she went even further and used it as a sandwich for icecream. good job, amy!


my friend, the lovely silvana franco from landcrofthouse.blogspot is a proper food-writer (and food-tv-rockstar in the UK!!!), so it wont come as a surprise that her brownies look just YUM. she made some caramel ripple brownies. meaning: 2/3 brownie 1/3 caramel cheesecake. can anybody resist?


sue from los angeles at yee design got it just right. sometimes, when life is a real b****, a tray of delicious full fat brownies is all that might help. still: she only used 2 tablespoons of butter and ended up with this little darling here: (that is the brownie, not the bird on the plate ;-)


the lovely ruth from once upon a feast is such a smart girl. she baked some brownies to bribe friends and family who helped her move (let me guess...) the 100 000 cookbooks in her kitchen from toronto to halifax. her brownies are a "tribute to katherine hepburn brownies". oh i just love the sound of this.


maria from rochester NY over at passionfruit and mangos has got some fond memories when it comes to brownies: it was the first cake she ever baked by herself. 13 years later she presents her mocha and white chocolate chip brownies. - do it like maria: get your kids in the kitchen to bake some brownies!


the sweet stuff minko at couture cupcakes presents will make you wanna lick your screen: wildberry and enchinacea tea brownies. since a brownie a day keeps the doctor away, she baked them for her darlings when they were sick. she baked them in cupcake papers, since she is a cupcake girl. one that prooves: brownies can be medicinal!


ashley from ashleys travel has a tiny kitchen but still manages to have brownie batter flying all over her cute little kitchen. she is revealing her killer recipe for a nice and smooth brownie. oh this must taste like a slice of heaven!


freya from writing at the kitchentable mixed some maltesers into her brownie batter. what a great idea. i can imagine the cracking sound this makes, when you eat this brownie. and take a look what a big tray full of brownies she made? - freya, do you deliver to switzerland?

the next brownie comes from the land of the beer champions: ireland! kieran from ice cream ireland made a wonderful brownie, using kahlua, which is a mexican liqueur.

katherine from toastpoint seems to be a high profile browniebabe. she was baking those little darlings pictured below in the middle of the night and even hosted a mini brownie party with one visitor sporting a chic pijama and gold ballet flats (i got some gold ballet flats, too. can i join you next time? i will wear pijama!). take a look at her deliciuos brownie. and don't forget to read the hillarious quote about baking from hillary clinton she posted on her blog.

kelly jane is cooking the books and baking a french chocolate brownie for us. it's a recipe by our all super-baker-rockstar dorie greenspan. and i think we should make it a rule to always top our brownies with some whipped cream. just the way kelly did it...

y from sidney made some little chocolate brownie cakes. look - they look tiny! but i am sure this means we could all eat more! her brownie is a trimuph of simplicity. and i am sure so are her marc jacobs shoes, she was writing about in the same post. y: shoes and brownies - girl you are one of us!
brilynn from jumbo empanadas got it right: a lot of good things start with b: beach, bacon and brownies. and bananas! she mixed them into her brownies and look how they turned out. i think - b like beautiful!

the lovely janelle from talk of tomatoes is not just a fun girl but a pretty talented brownie baker, too! she made a bowlful of blissful brownies. and serves them with a scoop of vanilla icecream. oh yum, oh yum!


jin hooi lim is a first time brownie baker and look how good they turned out: simple but full of chocolate flavour. jin - good job. cant wait for your second brownie!

maya from israel is joining the event with a fudgy little number. unfortunately my hebrew is almost unexisting (apart from buba and that fun little word for chatterboxes) so i am left droling over her beautiful picture. i could eat this. unbaked. just lick it out of the tin.


anne from anne's food presents a wonderful combination: banana espresso brownies with figs. what a great combination! and figs in a brownie is something i have never seen before. will have to bake them, to find out how they taste. good job, anne!

taras blog is called: should you eat that? when it comes to her brownies, i have to say: you definitely should. check out her peanut butter topped brownies.

i love lauras request: pour some sugar on me! please do - those cashew nut topped brownie are impossible to resist!


jessica at small time cooks has a copy of martha steward's everyday food on her desk, too. and those everyday food-girls seem to be browniebabes, too. at least the cover story is all about our delicious little cake this month. inspired by everyday food jessica made an almond mocha brownie for us.


katie from apple & spice made some brownies as a "thank you" gift (love this idea!). her gooey chewy choc chip brownies seem to be the best thank you-gift in the whole wide world.


helen from tartelette is baking queen. and it didnt come as a surprise that her brownies look like straight sent from heaven! well, they are actually from ina garden (love her, love her! she always uses at least one stick of butter in EVERYTHING!). check them out, they have some salted butter chocolate caramels in it. outrageous! but wonderful!


while musing in her kitchen, li from australia came up with a dreamy cream cheese brownie. personally i believe the cream cheese brownie is the queen brownie. li seems to be a queen browniebaker: look how beautiful they look!!!

kristen from something sweet made a goji brownie, using a chocolate that sounds just awesome to me: chocoa, goji berries and a hint of pink himalayan salt. chocolate with a salty kick. sounds very gourmet to me!

eliza from notes from my food diary came up with a delicious chocolate coffee bean brownie. and i thank her for that. because she was trying not to eat sweets in a week. (which i think is a bit of a silly goal - eliza: you need sweets! it's not fun without sugar!!;-)


more delicious sweet stuff comes from brigitte from küchendunst in singapur. she shares her recipe for a danube wave brownie with buttercream. look at this sweet little number:
zorra from 1xumrühren bitte wanted to loose some weight and not take part in browniebabes of the month. then she changed her mind. skipped her bikini-diet and made these delicious dulce de leche brownies. good job zorra! definitely worth skipping a diet!


susan is a well seasoned cook and seems to know a thing or two about brownies. i cant imagine it any other way - because she came up with this killer recipe for a fire-breathing brownie. keep your fire drencher close!

jacqueline from london wants everything to be in white in her blog. but made some heavenly good-looking-finger-lickin' rainbow marble brownies for us. look - rows and rows of brownies!


virtual frolic baked a wonderful supernatural brownie for us. she was inspired by a new york times recipe. and that is - always - a good omen!

karen from family style food came up with a quite sophisticated recipe for a brownie: brown sugar brownies with french sea salt. wow! take a look at a decent chocolate fix:


anh's blog food lovers journey is always worth a visit. her pictures are wonderful, her recipes inspiring and anh herself just a lovely person. she was hesitating with the brownie. and called it "sitting on the fence". no need to, when you look at this perfect crust!


chris at mele cotte proves: brownies can look too cool for school. topped with cherries and a beautiful decoration: this brownie is an absolute must for me!

rachel from coconut & lime baked a smooth little brownie with macadamia nuts. fine crumb, glossy surface - job very well done!


anuhea wrote us all the way from hawaii! and she had a confession to make: she is a browniebabe. yep - she is, just look at her triple chocolate brownies with a hint of vanilla.


erika from winsconsin is a supermom and a super browniebaker. her white chocolate brownies are definitely worth of the title tummy treasure (which is the name of her blog!).


jes from atlanta is a cupcakepunk but still loves brownies. she baked some super easy, gooey vegan brownies for us. soymilk and vegan butter do the trick. i loooooove meat, but would eat one of these brownies ANYTIME!


haalo from cook almost anything at least once is one of my all time favourite bloggers in the whole wide world. wonderful pictures, great food, fun writing and all in all just a lovely blog. her chocolate, almond and white chocolate brownies make no exception. lovely, isnt it?


mallow in seattle made some spicy hot brownies. i agree: chewy is good in a brownie. check out the recipe at sweet and savoury.


what you see is what you get! is cookie baker lynn's credo. i am sure, you get a slice of heaven with her triple layer trustworthy brownies. ganace layer, buttercream layer and a brownie layer. 3 in 1. lynn i love your recipe!


all you single girls out there - look! kim from lewandowski.net made some "man catcher brownies"!!! go bake and catch one!


smita had a good year so far. she had flowers on her desk. - twice! and a dead good fudgy brownie that was topped with some strawberries. good omen for the rest of the year, i'd say...


another brownie comes from deborah from taste and tell. the brownie sounds like a fairy tale. listen to this: disappearing marshmallow brownies. they are actually blondies but they count, too. fun recipe, thanks for sharing!


another blondie was baked by küchenlatein in germany. it's a very classic recipe she did - i think its a fabulous recipe you can change just the way you would want or dreamed it to be. dankeschön!


katie from other peoples food had a pretty good easter brunch this year. at least this is what i have to assume, when i look at her gorgeous black bottom brownies. she baked them like little cupcakes. oh - yes: they got cream-cheese in it! yes! yes!


oh and this one is fun (but nothing to eat!) the girls from perlenküche (which means pearl-kitchen) from basel in switzerland made a brownie ring! look - it's jewellery! and sweet as a brownie.


hello ohio! hello browniebabe of the month. lisa from la mia cucina came up with such a wonderful recipe. i had to bake it the minute i finished reading her post. its a lemon mousse brownie, its lovely, its fudgy and moist and just packed with flavour and sweetness. really just a perfect brownie. and i hope you all agree: definitely worth the title of the bronwiebabe of the month! congrats lisa - well done!!! i am sure you will look like one hot browniebabe in the apron... enjoy and send us a picture.


everyone else - thank you so much for joining the event! still overwhelmed by all your hard work and enthusiasm and all your lovely brownie recipes. dont be sad about the apron. there will be another one next month. more browniebabes will be crowned, soon! come back and find all the info about browniebabes on this blog very soon.
please excuse all mis-spellings in this post (i got the worst hay-fever ever, my eyes are a mess and i am blind as a bat today), please let me know if i have forgotten to include your entry or if a link to your blog doesnt work.
thank you all and lotsa love!!!
*myriam