May the New Year bring health, happiness and contentment to you all!!
Also, wishes for peace and fraternity in the whole world, and may as many countries as possible continue their utmost endeavours to save our planet from climate change.
I'm giving you below a few recipes for the dishes that we enjoyed at the dinner party that Janna prepared for New Year's Eve.
JANNA'S RIGATONI WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE
This recipe is Janna's invention for a lovely pasta dish that is very popular with children and adults alike.
500 g (1 lb) rigatoni, boiled in slightly salted water, according to the directions more or less, and drizzled with olive oil
1 kg (2 lb) soft yellow cheese of your choice, coarsely grated
750 ml (3 cups) tomato sauce * please see recipe below
Place a little tomato sauce at the bottom of a buttered oven proof dish and place half the rigatoni, in a single layer, over. Sprinkle lavishly with cheese and place spoonfuls of tomato sauce over. Arrange the remaining rigatoni over the first layer, cover with cheese, and drizzle two parallel lines of tomato sauce down the middle of the length of the dish.
Bake in a medium oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese melts and bubbles. And kali orexi!!
* Nonina's Tomato Sauce:
This is magical sauce that my Mother used to prepare so many years ago, but however hard I try, I shall never quite reach the nostalgic flavours of Mummy's tomato sauce. Fortunately, Janna has got it!! Perhaps it jumps a generation....
1 litre (4 cups) tomato juice, fresh or tinned
1 heaped tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A little sugar to decrease the acidity of the juice
A twig of your favourite herb, optional
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer very, very gently for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens to a consistency of a veloute soup.
LEVEPOSTEJ
(Liver Pate)
My oldest grandson Alex with his lovely wife Tina and and their beautiful little daughters, Janna and Sophia live in Copenhagen. To honour the Danes, I wish to give you a recipe for a liver pate, prepared the Danish way, that my dear Danish friend Susanne Zouros gave me.
500 g (1 lb) pork liver, trimmed, cubed and rinsed
125 ml (1/2 cup) good brandy (I use Metaxa)
White sauce:
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 bay leaf
30 g (1 oz) plain flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot milk, mixed with
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot cream
120 g (4 oz) streaky bacon, chopped
2 tbsp mild anchovy paste
1 onion finely chopped
2 eggs
1/2 a truffle, flaked
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
270-300 g (9-10 oz) rashers of streaky bacon
Place the liver in a bowl with the brandy, cover and refrigerate for two hours. Then drain reserving the brandy.
Line a loaf tin with double thickness of baking parchment, allowing the surplus to hang over the sides.
Then prepare the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the bay leaf for flavour and sprinkle the flour over, cooking and stirring for 3- 4 minutes to prevent the taste of raw flour. Pour in the hot milk/cream mixture gradually, stirring constantly over low heat, until the sauce simmers and thickens. Allow it to simmer 2-3 minutes more and set aside to cool, discarding the bay leaf.
Meanwhile blend the liver with the brandy, chopped bacon, anchovy paste, onion, eggs, truffle, spices and pepper to taste, until smooth. Add the white sauce and blend until thoroughly combined. Taste, and only then add salt if necessary.
Line the prepared loaf tin with rashers of bacon. They should slightly overlap and cover the base and sides of the tin, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Spoon the liver mixture into the tin and cover with the overhanging bacon. Also, patch any possible gaps with pieces of sliced bacon. Then fold the baking parchment over and cover with a double thickness of foil, sealing the edges tightly. Place in a large heat proof dish and pour enough boiling water to reach two thirds up the sides of the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for almost one and a half hour, adding more boiling water if and when necessary. Remove from the oven, check for doneness, bring to room temperature and chill.
Cut into slices and serve with a green salad as a first course or on toasted rye bread as smorrebrod with onion marmalade and Danish beer.
This relish is delicious with roast meat, poultry or a liver pate. I highly recommend it for a cheese platter. I have posted this recipe before (Please Bremain!) but I'm giving it once more.
Thamania, my grandson’s Konstantinos’ girlfriend, gave me the recipe for this delicious vegan soup. Thamania, is charming, elegant, a very nice person and an excellent cook.
ROAST PORK WITH CRACKLING
Here is a recipe for roast pork with crackling, which is a delicious celebration dish and very easy to prepare.
3 kg (6 lb) pork leg, rind on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 160 C (about 320 F). With a very sharp knife cut through the rind and the fat, making incisions 2.5 c.m. (about 1/2 inch) apart. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, paying special attention to massage and liberally season in between the gashes.
Place the meat on a rack in a baking tin, and roast very slowly for 4 to 4.5 hours, without basting. Allow the meat to stand for 10-15 minutes before carving. The meat should be tender and the crackling very crisp. Serve with a zesty mustard, apple sauce and sauteed vegetables of your choice.
APPLE SAUCE
Apple sauce is very popular in the British Isles, the USA and in some counties in Europe. It is excellent served with meat dishes or over pancakes, as the Dutch do.
1,5 kg (3 lb) about seven apples, peeled cored and quartered, drenched with
2 tbsp lemon juice to prevent discolouring
2 pieces lemon rind without the pith
50 g (1/4 cup) sugar or more
1 small cinnamon stick
1-2 cloves
250 ml (1 cup) water
1/2 tsp salt
Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes until the apples are tender and thoroughly cooked. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon rinds, the cinnamon stick and the cloves.
Puree the apples with a hand blender, taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly. Bring to room temperature, store in covered containers and refrigerate or freeze.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
My granddaughter Tina, Alex's wife is a lovely girl, intelligent, thoughtful, generous, and a wonderful mother. As Tina is German, here is a cake baked specially for her.
Cake:
120 g (4 oz) dark chocolate, melted and allowed to cool
120 g (4 oz) butter, at room temperature
180 g (6 oz) icing sugar
8 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with
1 pinch of salt
Vanilla
160 g (5.5oz) self raising flour sifted with
1 tsp baking powder
60 g (2 oz) apricot jam
250 thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage with
1 tbsp icing sugar
60 g (2 oz) chocolate praline for garnish*(please see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line the base of the cake tin with buttered baking parchment and lavishly brush the sides of the tin with butter.
Whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the melted chocolate and sift the flour mixture over and keep on stirring until well combined. Fold in one third of the whipped egg whites, to lighten the batter. Finally, fold in the remaining egg whites, very gently, until no streaks of white are evident. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, even the surface and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin, for 10 minutes, Then, reverse it on a rack to cool completely.
Cut the cold cake in half, horizontally. Place the one layer of the cake on a pretty dish and spread, first with the apricot jam and then with almost half of the whipped cream. Cover with the other half of the cake and pipe the remaining cream attractively over. Garnish with chocolate praline.
* ALMOND CHOCOLATE PRALINE
180 g (6 oz) whole, blanched almonds roasted for 12-15 minutes and set aside to cool
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
3 tbsp water
Salt to taste
180 g (5 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder, optional
Make a thick syrup with the sugar and water. Add the toasted almonds stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes Add a pinch of salt, and cook until a sand-like coating is formed on the surface of the almonds. Place in a tin, lined with baking parchment, allow to cool, sift to remove the extra sugar and place in a bowl.
Melt the chocolate over simmering water, stirring until smooth and shiny. Pour over the almonds, stirring to coat. Pour on to a tin, lined with baking parchment and with a fork separate the nuts. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Dust with cocoa, if using, place in paper cups and store in a covered container,
JANNA'S RIGATONI WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE
This recipe is Janna's invention for a lovely pasta dish that is very popular with children and adults alike.
500 g (1 lb) rigatoni, boiled in slightly salted water, according to the directions more or less, and drizzled with olive oil
1 kg (2 lb) soft yellow cheese of your choice, coarsely grated
750 ml (3 cups) tomato sauce * please see recipe below
Place a little tomato sauce at the bottom of a buttered oven proof dish and place half the rigatoni, in a single layer, over. Sprinkle lavishly with cheese and place spoonfuls of tomato sauce over. Arrange the remaining rigatoni over the first layer, cover with cheese, and drizzle two parallel lines of tomato sauce down the middle of the length of the dish.
Bake in a medium oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese melts and bubbles. And kali orexi!!
* Nonina's Tomato Sauce:
This is magical sauce that my Mother used to prepare so many years ago, but however hard I try, I shall never quite reach the nostalgic flavours of Mummy's tomato sauce. Fortunately, Janna has got it!! Perhaps it jumps a generation....
1 litre (4 cups) tomato juice, fresh or tinned
1 heaped tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A little sugar to decrease the acidity of the juice
A twig of your favourite herb, optional
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer very, very gently for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens to a consistency of a veloute soup.
LEVEPOSTEJ
(Liver Pate)
 |
| A Delectable Danish Rustic Liver Pate |
My oldest grandson Alex with his lovely wife Tina and and their beautiful little daughters, Janna and Sophia live in Copenhagen. To honour the Danes, I wish to give you a recipe for a liver pate, prepared the Danish way, that my dear Danish friend Susanne Zouros gave me.
500 g (1 lb) pork liver, trimmed, cubed and rinsed
125 ml (1/2 cup) good brandy (I use Metaxa)
White sauce:
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 bay leaf
30 g (1 oz) plain flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot milk, mixed with
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot cream
120 g (4 oz) streaky bacon, chopped
2 tbsp mild anchovy paste
1 onion finely chopped
2 eggs
1/2 a truffle, flaked
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
270-300 g (9-10 oz) rashers of streaky bacon
Place the liver in a bowl with the brandy, cover and refrigerate for two hours. Then drain reserving the brandy.
Line a loaf tin with double thickness of baking parchment, allowing the surplus to hang over the sides.
Then prepare the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the bay leaf for flavour and sprinkle the flour over, cooking and stirring for 3- 4 minutes to prevent the taste of raw flour. Pour in the hot milk/cream mixture gradually, stirring constantly over low heat, until the sauce simmers and thickens. Allow it to simmer 2-3 minutes more and set aside to cool, discarding the bay leaf.
Meanwhile blend the liver with the brandy, chopped bacon, anchovy paste, onion, eggs, truffle, spices and pepper to taste, until smooth. Add the white sauce and blend until thoroughly combined. Taste, and only then add salt if necessary.
Line the prepared loaf tin with rashers of bacon. They should slightly overlap and cover the base and sides of the tin, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Spoon the liver mixture into the tin and cover with the overhanging bacon. Also, patch any possible gaps with pieces of sliced bacon. Then fold the baking parchment over and cover with a double thickness of foil, sealing the edges tightly. Place in a large heat proof dish and pour enough boiling water to reach two thirds up the sides of the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for almost one and a half hour, adding more boiling water if and when necessary. Remove from the oven, check for doneness, bring to room temperature and chill.
Cut into slices and serve with a green salad as a first course or on toasted rye bread as smorrebrod with onion marmalade and Danish beer.
ONION
MARMALADE
 |
This relish is delicious with roast meat, poultry or a liver pate. I highly recommend it for a cheese platter. I have posted this recipe before (Please Bremain!) but I'm giving it once more.
4 large onions, pealed, halved and finely sliced
2.5 cm (1 inch) peace of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp sunflower oil
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
500 ml (2 cups) white wine
125 ml (½ cup) balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
Salt
Cook the onions and ginger in sunflower oil, over very low
heat for about 15 minutes or until very soft.
Meanwhile, simmer the sugar with the wine, balsamic vinegar and bay leaf
until it turns thick and syrupy. Combine
the onions with the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes more and cool. Taste, season with salt, discard the bay
leaf, and store in the fridge in sterilized jars.
THAMANIA’S PEANUT SOUP
 |
| Spicy African Peanut Soup |
Thamania, my grandson’s Konstantinos’ girlfriend, gave me the recipe for this delicious vegan soup. Thamania, is charming, elegant, a very nice person and an excellent cook.
Spice mixture:
¾ cup grated ginger
2 tbsp curry powder
1 stalk lemon grass, the tender part only finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
¼ nutmeg grated
5-6 shallots or spring onions trimmed and chopped
Blend all the ingredients for the spice mixture with the help of a little water into a thick paste. Use the amount of spice mix required and freeze the rest for further use. (please see recipe below)*
Ingredients for the Soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 tender stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
2 large but tender carrots, peeled and thickly grated
2 tbsp spice mix*
300 g (10 oz) white mushrooms champignons de Paris , trimmed and quartered
1 large aubergine peeled and cubed the same size as the mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 litres (8 cups) boiling water
8 tbsp smooth peanut butter
Sauté the onions, celery and carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil, stirring until soft. Add the mushrooms and aubergine, and a little more oil, if necessary. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and add the remaining oil and the spice mix and sauté, over low heat, stirring constantly until the aroma of the spices fills the kitchen. Return the vegetables to the saucepan, stirring well, add the boiling water, cover and simmer for about ½ hour or until the vegetables are tender, but not falling apart.
Dilute the peanut butter with a little hot vegetable stock and pour it into the pot, stirring constantly, until the soup bubbles and thickens. Serve with steamed rice and Melba toast.
ROAST PORK WITH CRACKLING
 |
| Succulent Meat and Crispy Crackling |
Here is a recipe for roast pork with crackling, which is a delicious celebration dish and very easy to prepare.
3 kg (6 lb) pork leg, rind on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 160 C (about 320 F). With a very sharp knife cut through the rind and the fat, making incisions 2.5 c.m. (about 1/2 inch) apart. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, paying special attention to massage and liberally season in between the gashes.
Place the meat on a rack in a baking tin, and roast very slowly for 4 to 4.5 hours, without basting. Allow the meat to stand for 10-15 minutes before carving. The meat should be tender and the crackling very crisp. Serve with a zesty mustard, apple sauce and sauteed vegetables of your choice.
APPLE SAUCE
 |
| Granny Smith, Red and Golden Delicious |
 |
| Ready to Enjoy |
Apple sauce is very popular in the British Isles, the USA and in some counties in Europe. It is excellent served with meat dishes or over pancakes, as the Dutch do.
1,5 kg (3 lb) about seven apples, peeled cored and quartered, drenched with
2 tbsp lemon juice to prevent discolouring
2 pieces lemon rind without the pith
50 g (1/4 cup) sugar or more
1 small cinnamon stick
1-2 cloves
250 ml (1 cup) water
1/2 tsp salt
Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes until the apples are tender and thoroughly cooked. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon rinds, the cinnamon stick and the cloves.
Puree the apples with a hand blender, taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly. Bring to room temperature, store in covered containers and refrigerate or freeze.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
My granddaughter Tina, Alex's wife is a lovely girl, intelligent, thoughtful, generous, and a wonderful mother. As Tina is German, here is a cake baked specially for her.
Cake:
120 g (4 oz) dark chocolate, melted and allowed to cool
120 g (4 oz) butter, at room temperature
180 g (6 oz) icing sugar
8 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with
1 pinch of salt
Vanilla
160 g (5.5oz) self raising flour sifted with
1 tsp baking powder
60 g (2 oz) apricot jam
250 thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage with
1 tbsp icing sugar
60 g (2 oz) chocolate praline for garnish*(please see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line the base of the cake tin with buttered baking parchment and lavishly brush the sides of the tin with butter.
Whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the melted chocolate and sift the flour mixture over and keep on stirring until well combined. Fold in one third of the whipped egg whites, to lighten the batter. Finally, fold in the remaining egg whites, very gently, until no streaks of white are evident. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, even the surface and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin, for 10 minutes, Then, reverse it on a rack to cool completely.
Cut the cold cake in half, horizontally. Place the one layer of the cake on a pretty dish and spread, first with the apricot jam and then with almost half of the whipped cream. Cover with the other half of the cake and pipe the remaining cream attractively over. Garnish with chocolate praline.
* ALMOND CHOCOLATE PRALINE
 |
| A Delicious Bite |
180 g (6 oz) whole, blanched almonds roasted for 12-15 minutes and set aside to cool
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
3 tbsp water
Salt to taste
180 g (5 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder, optional
Make a thick syrup with the sugar and water. Add the toasted almonds stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes Add a pinch of salt, and cook until a sand-like coating is formed on the surface of the almonds. Place in a tin, lined with baking parchment, allow to cool, sift to remove the extra sugar and place in a bowl.
Melt the chocolate over simmering water, stirring until smooth and shiny. Pour over the almonds, stirring to coat. Pour on to a tin, lined with baking parchment and with a fork separate the nuts. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Dust with cocoa, if using, place in paper cups and store in a covered container,
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