Lime poppy seed waffles and memories of traveling

Living in pandemic times is tiresome, and one of the things I miss the most is traveling: from time to time I browse the photos I took in past trips. First I thought that it would be painful to see those photos, but actually it felt really good to realize the privilege I had to know so many wonderful places. Even with the vaccination process going forward, traveling abroad will no longer be like it used to, given the Brazilian currency is completely devaluated. Traveling abroad is now only for a selected group of people, like it used to be in the past, when I was a kid and a teenager.

I look at the photos and think of the wonderful places I visited, the beautiful museums and parks, the restaurants and delicious meals I had. It makes me nostalgic, but happy at the same time.

While browsing my travel photos on a flash drive, I found a folder with recipes I made a good while ago but, for some reason, I did not post here because I did not like the photo, did not like the recipe result, or because of a certain ingredient, like these waffles: poppy seeds have been hard to find in Brazil, therefore I ended up forgetting about the recipe.

Weeks ago I was finally able to buy some poppy seeds and immediately baked an orange cake with them – after that, I posted these waffles on my blog in Portuguese, and now I post them here too. The waffles are delicious, perfumed with lime and with an extra crunch from the poppy seeds – I hope you like them.

 

Lime poppy seed waffles

own recipe, adapted from these waffles

 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

finely grated zest of 2 large limes

1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 large egg, room temperature

¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons lime juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

In a medium bowl, place the sugar and lime zest and rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt and whisk well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, olive oil, milk, lime juice and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated – do not overmix.

Heat a waffle iron until very hot; lightly coat with nonstick spray – my waffle maker is nonstick, so I do not coat it.

Working in batches, cook waffles until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve.

Makes 5-6 waffles

Green bean, tomato, feta and cannellini bean salad

It is super cold in Sao Paulo today – it is the winter after all – and I have been trying to keep myself warm with lots of clothes and buckets of hot tea (I might make soup for dinner to boot).

However, I know that many of you reading me on the top half of the planet are having a very intense summer, including devastating effects in some places due to extreme heat and storms. I do hope you are well and safe, and that things get back to normal soon.

I will share with you today one of my favorite salads, one that I have made several times and that I like specially to take to the office for lunch. It is not even a recipe to be honest: I start by grilling the green beans in a hot nonstick frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and half a clove of garlic, some salt and pepper (I later discard the garlic – it is only to perfume the beans).

When it is cool, I add halved cherry tomatoes, diced feta cheese and cannellini beans from a can.

The dressing is a very simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, lime or lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper: everything added to an empty jar and shaken until creamy. When I take this salad to work for lunch, I pack the dressing separately and add it to the salad minutes before eating.

A fresh, colorful meal, made in minutes and without using the stove too much – I hope you like it. xx

Lemon pistachio yogurt cake - yes, cake again :)

Here I am once again with cake. :) 

Days have been pretty busy around here, lots of work, back at the office twice a week, but all in all everything is fine. I took my first vaccine shot two weeks ago and I felt something I hadn’t felt in quite a long time: hope.

It was quite an emotional moment for me, when a mix of feelings emerged: happiness and relief, and at the same time anger because of all the people who have died because the psychopath who is the president of my country refused to buy vaccines, because he wanted to make money out of it – corruption in its most disgusting shape.

One thing I have not changed on my weeks is baking a cake to snack on in the afternoons: my husband and I got completely hooked on that. The Epicurious yogurt cake recipe continues to be a hit in my house, and I have made it so many times since quarantine started that I have lost track of it. So easy to put together, so adaptable. 

This version I made with lemon and pistachio and it turned out amazing – very tender and sort of marzipany in taste, even though I used pistachios instead of almonds. My favorite take on this recipe, tied with the apple version.

 

Lemon pistachio yogurt cake

adapted from the Epicurious recipe, once again

Cake:

1 ¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (50g) pistachio flour (finely ground hazelnuts)

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

¾ cup (180g) plain yogurt

½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil – I used canola

2 large eggs, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Cointreau (optional)

 

To sprinkle to cake:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

 

Preheat oven to 180C/350°F. Brush with oil a 6-cup capacity loaf pan (22x11cm/8.5x4.5in), line with baking paper leaving an overhang in the two longer sides and brush the paper as well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pistachio flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, rub sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Whisk in yogurt, oil, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and Cointreau (if using) until smooth. Fold in reserved dry ingredients – if batter is too lumpy, whisk for a few seconds – do not overmix or the cake will become tough.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully and using the paper as a guide, remove cake from pan and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Serves 8

Rangpur lime cake

When I first started cooking from foreign books, magazines and food blogs, I was amazed to find out so many new ingredients – and until some point in time, I was not able to find some of them in Brazil.

Almond extract was one of them – I could only find the synthetic stuff here, so when I first went to New York, in 2012, I brought home a small bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s almond extract. To my surprise, when I tried it and baked it for the first time, I found it… weird. It was not what I expected – to me, it still felt artificial. So after that I went back to using Amaretto to replace almond extract in recipes, as I had been doing before my trip with great success.

When I saw Claire Saffitz making her almond poppy seed cake on YouTube I was immediately interested in the recipe – since I wanted to bake something but did not have much butter in the fridge – plus my good friend Ellen had told me the cake was truly wonderful.

First I thought of making the cake using Amaretto instead, but then I decided to tweak Claire’s recipe just a little to flavor the cake with the lovely Rangpur limes I had brought from the farmers’ market – the cake turned out tender and absolutely delicious, perfumed with the limes and the smell took over the apartment while the cake was in the oven - it smelled so good it was very hard to wait for the cake to cool to slice it. 😊

If Rangpur limes are not easy to find where you live, go ahead and use lemons or limes instead.  

 

Rangpur lime cake

slightly adapted from Claire Saffitz’s almond poppy seed cake

 

Cake:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

finely grated zest of 2 large Rangpur limes (about 60g each lime)

1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature

2/3 cup (160ml) canola oil

1 large egg, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons Rangpur lime juice

1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)

 

Glaze:

1/3 cup (46g) icing sugar

½ tablespoon (7g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 teaspoons Rangpur lime juice

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Brush with oil a 6-cup capacity loaf pan (22x11cm/8.5x4.5in), line with baking paper leaving an overhang in the two longer sides and brush the paper as well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, rub together sugar and zest with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and whisk. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk well the milk, oil, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, lime juice and Cointreau (if using). Pour over dry ingredients and then mix in high speed for 1 minute or until batter is smooth.

Transfer to prepared pan and bake for about 80 minutes, or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully unmold using paper as guide.

In the meantime, make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk well until you get a pourable consistency (add more juice if necessary).

After unmolding the cake, peel off the paper from the sides of the cake (only the sides at this point, since the cake will still be very fragile to be turned around) and pierce the cake all around with a toothpick. Brush with the glaze on top and sides, until all the glaze is absorbed. Cool completely before serving.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 8-10 slices

Orange and olive oil granola

I told you the other day that once I started making my own granola I never went back to store bought – not only I can control the amount of sugar and fat in the recipe, I can also vary the flavors and create new types of granola depending on my own taste. 

My chocolate granola is an absolute favorite – it is so delicious I have to refrain myself from eating the whole batch while it cools on the counter. But the granola I bring you today is also wonderful: perfumed with orange zest and juice, flecked with tart cranberries, full of good-for-you sesame seeds and quinoa flakes. You can use honey or make the granola vegan by replacing honey with agave.

This granola is a hit with my dear friend Tania Pereyra, who lives in NY and is a very special woman, who I adore and admire. Let me know if you give it a try too.

 

Orange and olive oil granola

own recipe

 

250g jumbo oats

50g quinoa flakes

50g de flaked almonds

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

finely grated zest of 2 small oranges

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1/3 cup (80ml) honey or agave

1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup (80ml) freshly squeezed orange juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup (65g) dried cranberries, cut in half if too large

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, quinoa flakes, almond, sesame seeds, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine honey/agave, brown sugar, orange juice and olive oil and whisk over medium heat until melted and sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and pour over dry ingredients. Stir well to coat. Spread mixture evenly over prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Stir the granola around with a rubber spatula (careful not to tear the foil), spread it evenly again and bake for another 15 minutes – the granola will still be soft and will get crunchy once cooled.

Remove from the oven and stir the granola around again. Let cool completely, then stir in the cranberries.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Serves 10-12 

Cocoa waffles with caramelized bananas

Sometimes I think about how many times we change our minds throughout different phases of life, ages, etc. I always say that I don’t get a tattoo because I am not able to like something forever – I would probably regret the tattoo right after getting inked.

When I was younger I thought that breakfast in bed was oh, so cool: the romcoms I watched as a teenager gave me the impression that having breakfast in bed was truly romantic. Now, at the age of 42, I don’t want to eat anything in bed – dirty sheets, crumbs prickling me at night? Thanks, but no thanks. :)

So I would rather have my breakfast on the table, and for the weekend, when I have more time, waffles go really well: I love this recipe for I believe chocolate and bananas are a match made in heaven. And of course you can serve these waffles as dessert, too.

 

Cocoa waffles with caramelized bananas

own recipe

 

Waffles:

1 cup (140g) all purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

pinch of table salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled – for crispier waffles, replace butter with olive oil or canola oil

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Caramelized bananas:

2 ½ tablespoons - 35g – unsalted butter

1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 medium bananas, sliced in coins

1 ½ tablespoons whisky, Marsala, rum or water (if you don’t want to use booze)

 

In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and fold until incorporated – batter will be sort of lumpy, that is OK.

Heat a waffle iron. Add about 1/3 cup of batter per waffle (adjust the amount of batter depending on the size of your machine), then cook following the manufacturer's instructions, until the waffles are golden brown.

While the waffles cook, prepare the bananas: melt butter in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add the sugar and the cinnamon and mix with a spatula until sugar starts to melt. Add the bananas and cook them ever so slightly on both sides until golden. Add the booze (if using) carefully not to get burned. Mix to dissolve the caramel in the frying pan and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with the waffles.

Serves 4

Orange and thyme sablés and my love for herbs

 

One of the things I liked the most when I started cooking recipes from different new sources – books, magazines, foodblogs – was learning how to use fresh herbs: until then, I was used to parsley and chives, which are highly popular in Brazilian houses, but not much more than that. 

The first time I added basil to a tomato sauce it was a revelation: it was amazing how much more delicious it tasted! After basil, I became friends with rosemary, sage, mint, marjoram (which I love, even though is not super easy to find), oregano, cilantro, and my absolute favorite: thyme.

I sometimes hear people saying that it goes well with beef, or lamb, but I have used thyme in so many recipes, combined with so many different types of produce and ingredients, and it has worked wonderfully every time. I love it with roasted vegetables, tomato sauce, dishes with cheese and cream, chicken, fish, chickpeas… Really, the sky is the limit for me.

One of my favorite recipes with thyme is actually sweet: these melt-in-your-mouth sables are delicious and might turn you into a thyme-fan, if you are not one yet.

 

Orange and thyme sablés

own recipe

Dough: 

½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

finely grated zest of 2 large oranges

¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 large egg, room temp.

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons Cointreau (optional)

2 ¾ cups (385g) all purpose flour

½ teaspoon table salt

 

To roll the dough log:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar – demerara works wonders here too

 

Place the thyme, orange zest and sugar in a mortar and pestle or a mini food processor and crush/grind until sugar is fragrant. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and cream until light and fluffy – scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally throughout the making of the recipe. Beat in the egg, beating well after the addition. Beat in the vanilla and the Cointreau (if using). In low speed, beat in the flour and salt and mix just until a dough forms – do not overmix.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a large piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the fridge until very firm, about 3 hours (the dough logs can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the fridge) and roll it through the sugar, pressing ever so slightly to help adhere. Cut log into 5mm (about ¼in) thick rounds; space 5cm (2in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12-15 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then slide the paper with the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough log.

Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature or in the freezer for a month.

Makes about 48 cookies

Blueberry clafoutis

On a blueberry state of mind after themuffins I posted last week, I bring you a delicious and simple to make clafoutis with these wonderful berries: if you are on the bottom half of the globe like I am, the temperature is perfect for warm desserts as this one. 

I am a sucker for clafoutis, both sweet and savory, for I believe it is such a versatile recipe that can be tailored to whatever you have at hand. A handful of ingredients, most of them staples of every kitchen, plus fruits or vegetables to boot – sounds perfect to me!

I love blueberries and cinnamon together, I think they are a perfect pair, but this clafoutis is also delicious with cardamom instead – freshly ground is best.

Blueberry clafoutis

own recipe

 

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

pinch of salt

pinch of ground cinnamon

¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature

¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream

¾ cup (100g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)

1 tablespoon demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 1-cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof shallow dishes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until creamy and pale, like eggnog. Whisk in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, salt and cinnamon, until mixture is smooth. Fold in mil and cream. Divide mixture between the prepared dishes and sprinkle with the blueberries. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Blueberry, coconut and white chocolate muffins

From a very early age my mother taught me how wonderful fruits are: apples, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, pears… We were a modest family, but there were always different fruits over the counter or in the fridge – my favorites as a kid were strawberries.

Some fruits are kind of recent in my life, such as raspberries and blueberries – these have become popular and easier to find in Brazil over the past years. I love raspberries – went picking them once with a dear friend in Surrey, England, back in 2007 – but blueberries I believe benefit from heat: after being cooked or baked, for example, they become more flavorsome: it is like they turn into little pockets of jam.

Blueberries and white chocolate are beautiful together, the flavors complement each other in a perfect way. I wanted to give these muffins a bit of a tropical flair, therefore the double addition of coconut, both desiccated and in milk form. The muffins turned out delicious, moist and tender, and I found out that coconut and blueberries can be truly great friends too.

 

Blueberry, coconut and white chocolate muffins

own recipe

 

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (25g) desiccated unsweetened coconut

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon table salt

½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature

½ cup (120ml) coconut milk

½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (140g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)

2/3 cup (110g) white chocolate chips or small chunks

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a 12-cavity muffin pan with paper cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, coconut milk, butter, egg and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until ingredients are incorporated – do not overmix, or your muffins will turn out tough; muffin batter is lumpy, and not smooth like cake batter. Fork in the blueberries and the chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly among the paper cups (they will be rather full) and bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are risen and golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12

Granola jam bars

 

Once I started making my own granola I never looked back: store bought just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I am the only granola eater at my house, so one batch lasts quite a long time – I usually eat it in the afternoon with some yogurt and fruit, a nice snack between lunch and dinner, and that also gives me energy to exercise. 

There were times, however, before quarantine, that I was not able to finish off the granola before it lost its crunch. For times like those, these granola and jam bars are absolutely perfect: you can vary the flavors of both the granola and the jam to make several different combinations.

The only jam I usually avoid for these bars is strawberry, for I think it is a tad too sweet.

Granola jam bars

own recipe

Base:

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (45g) whole wheat flour

pinch of salt

100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 egg yolk (save the white for making the topping)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Filling and topping:

½ cup (170g) your favorite jam – my favorite flavors for this recipe are raspberry, blackberry and apricot

1 ¾ cups (210g) granola

1 egg white

 

Start making the base: preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 20x20cm (8x8in) square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides, to make unmolding the bars easier. Butter the foil.

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, sugar and salt. Add the butter, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until a dough starts to form – it might be crumbly, no problem, do not overmix to avoid getting a tough base. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and pat onto the bottom of the pan – you can use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and very carefully not to get burned, spread the jam over the base.

In another bowl, mix well the granola and egg white and then spread evenly over the jam layer.

Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.

Remove the bars from the pan using the paper as guide and cut into squares to serve.

 

Makes 16

Broccolini, feta and pine nut gozleme and being inspired by TV shows

One of the things I love the most about watching TV food shows is to learn about different foods and ingredients from places far from Brazil – when I traveled in the past I always wanted to try as many new things as I could while abroad. I remember when I visited my friend Valentina in London in 2009 and I begged her to buy me some rhubarb - I had never seen it in Brazil until then. :)

The same way Ottolenghi introduced me to pide, or Turkish pizza, Ainsley Harriott ate gozleme in his show and I immediately wanted to make it a home!

I used broccolini, feta and pine nuts in these gozleme, but you can pretty much use whatever you want for the filling – the sky is the limit! I am a sucker for all things feta – I like it so much that my dear friend Ellen who lives in California told me she will take me to a Greek restaurant when I come visit (cannot wait, Ellen!). 

I want to make this recipe again and use other vegetables for the filling, such as zucchini or eggplant, and other types of cheese as well.

 

Broccolini, feta and pine nut gozleme

own recipe, inspired by many I have seen online

 

Dough:

1 teaspoon dried yeast

½ teaspoon sugar

¾ cup (180ml) lukewarm water

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 teaspoon table salt

 

Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

200g broccolini florets

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Marsala wine – it gives a lovely smoky flavor to this recipe, but replace with white wine if Marsala is not available

100g feta cheese, finely chopped or crumbled

1 ½ tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts

 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the yeast, sugar and water. Stir with a fork and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, flour, yogurt and salt and knead on medium speed for 6-8 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic – if kneading by hand, it should take 10-12 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a large oiled bowl. Cover and set aside to proof for 60-80 minutes, depending on how warm the day is, or until doubled in size.

In the meantime, make the filling: heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute only – do not let it burn or it might turn bitter. Stir in the broccolini, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (be careful with the salt, since feta can sometime be quite salty), add the Marsala and cook for another minute so the wine evaporates. Remove from the heat, let it cool, then stir in the feta and pine nuts.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. In a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough until you get a roughly 22-25cm (9-10in) circle. Place ¼ of the filling onto one half of the circle, then fold the other half over the filling, sealing the edges well.

Heat a nonstick frying pan over high heat. Brush one of the sides of the gozleme with olive oil and place brushed side down onto the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Brush the other side with olive oil and flip it, to cook the other side, for another 2-3 minutes or until golden. Repeat the process with the remaining gozleme. Serve immediately.

Makes 4

100% whole wheat bread for delicious breakfasts - or sandwiches

For quite a long time now I have been baking this wonderful bread every week and it makes my breakfasts tastier and healthier: I found this recipe almost two years ago and it instantly became one of my all-time favorites – and many of my Brazilian readers love it too.

I usually bake this bread on the weekends, cut into slices and freeze them – I take the slices from the freezer as I need them, and even when I forget to do that in advance I can pop the slices straight onto a frying pan over medium heat and in no time I have fresh bread to go with my latte – so good.

Even though this bread is made entirely with whole wheat flour it turns out so tender it is even hard to slice it sometimes. It is delicious and I feel fueled until lunch time every day. My six-year-old nephew is a fan of this bread, too – he was very surprised when I told him a long time ago that I’d made the bread myself. :)

I have also already made this bread replacing 50g of the flour with quinoa flakes and with teff flour and it worked like a charm – when using teff the flavor gets a bit nuttier.

This is a recipe I adapted from the wonderful King Arthur Flour website – if you like baking like I do, their website is perfect for you.

100% whole wheat bread

slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour's wonderful website

 

1 cup (240ml) lukewarm water

2 ½ teaspoons dried yeast

2 tablespoons honey – you can also use agave or maple syrup

¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil – I use canola

400g whole wheat flour

1 ¼ teaspoons table salt

1 tablespoon rolled or jumbo oats

Place water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. When mixture foams (about 5 minutes) add the remaining honey, the oil, flour and salt and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix in medium speed for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl – you can knead by hand for about 15 minutes too.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for 70-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Lightly brush with oil a 6-cup capacity loaf pan.

Gently deflate the dough to remove the excess air, then roll it onto a lightly floured surface until you get a rectangle of roughly 30x20cm (12x8in), then shape it into a log. Transfer to prepared pan and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Let the bread rise for about 40-60 minutes, or longer if the day is too cold. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Brush the top of the bread lightly with water and sprinkle with the oats, pressing ever so slightly for them to stick. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown - bread should sound hollow when tapped with your fingers. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack to cool. Cool completely.

Makes 12-14 slices

Curried cauliflower soup and memories from trips

Something that always brings me good memories from my travels is the food: I miss certain dishes and wines from places I have been. This longing is now even bigger, since no one knows when travelling will go back to what it used to be. It pains me to imagine how many restaurants have closed their doors due to the pandemic, so many people unemployed because of that. It is really sad. 

I visited Buenos Aires in 2016 and had a lovely curried cauliflower soup in a restaurant called Restó: delicious, the soup was served in a small cup and came with a crayfish floating on it - it was a dinner with several different courses and the portions were small. When I came back from Argentina, I still had thoughts of writing a cookbook and wanted to include this soup in it.

My version is creamier than the one I had in Buenos Aires and vegetarian – no crayfish here, and you can even turn it vegan by replacing the butter with more olive oil. I just find butter and leeks are a match made in heaven, so I usually add a bit of butter when cooking leeks.

I must confess Restó’s soup was tastier than mine, but my version still brings me nice memories from such a wonderful trip.

 

Curried cauliflower soup

own recipe

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large leek, light part only, thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 cauliflower, about 500g, cut into small florets (to cook faster)

500ml vegetable stock, hot

300ml boiling water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, melt butter in medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute only – do not let the garlic burn or it will turn bitter. Add the potato, carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring now and then.

Add the cauliflower, the stock, water, bay leaf and spices. Season with salt and black pepper, mix well and as soon as it starts to boil turn the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaf from the soup, blitz with a handheld mixer until smooth and serve.

Serves 4 – or 2 very generous servings

Anthill yogurt, lime and almond cake on an atypical day

After months without baking cakes, I felt the urge to make a new recipe, a tasty one, to brighten up the rainy Friday. 

In a very atypical day, I woke up with such a disposition as I hadn’t in quite a long time: got up very early, turned on the oven, prepared the cake batter and while it baked and perfumed my home I sat down and wrote down a newsletter for my Portuguese speaking readers. It was a few minutes after 06:00 and the light coming through the balcony gave me energy.

While I picked the recipes for the newsletter and wrote the text, I started feeling so good, it was like a ray of sunshine coming from within: I did not even remember when I had last felt that way, especially about food, recipes. It was such a good feeling I would have kept it in a jar if I could.

When I removed the cake from the oven, it was so beautiful and golden, I wished really hard for it to turn out delicious, not only for our coffee break in that afternoon, but also so I could share the recipes with you here on the blog. I unmolded the cake and left it cooling on the kitchen counter – hours later, I cut myself a slice and tasted it: it was really good! My mind, so tired lately, immediately started thinking about the photo, how I would photograph the cake, which colors would work well with it. I opened my cupboard and, looking at the china and silverware, pictured in my head what would please my eyes the most. I prepped everything, grabbed the camera, took the photos, and again started feeling really good. If I could, I would turn that feeling into a scented candle.

With my hear at peace, with a nice cake to go with my cup of tea and a very productive day, for a moment I felt like my old self again. I hope the Patricia from the past shows up again sometimes, I missed her so much.

Anthill yogurt, lime and almond cake

adapted from the Epicurious recipe, once again

 

180g all-purpose flour

45g almond meal/finely ground almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

finely grated zest of 2 large limes

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

¾ cup (180g) plain yogurt – I used sheep’s milk yogurt

½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil – I used canola

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional)

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180C/350°F. Lightly brush a 6-cup capacity loaf pan with oil, line it with baking paper and then brush the paper as well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the chocolate sprinkles. Set aside.

In a large bowl, rub lime zest and sugar together with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Whisk in yogurt, oil, eggs, Amaretto (if using), lime juice and vanilla until smooth. Fold in reserved dry ingredients – if batter is too lumpy, whisk for a few seconds – do not overmix or the cake will become tough.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully and using the paper as a guide, remove cake from pan and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 8

Oatmeal porridge - comfort food for troubled times

I have a small notebook in which I write down food ideas I want to test and also the recipes I make at home, so I can then post them here on the blog. The poor notebook has been so forgotten lately it is almost getting dusty, for I haven’t made anything new, but I keep it on the coffee table, with my iPad and my cell phone charger, hoping that maybe, sometime, I’ll look at it and feel like testing new recipes again.

This is how things are going here, some days seem slower and/or longer than others, sometimes I feel a little bit more energy, while other times I have less disposition, but everyday seems like the previous one, very “Groundhog Day” indeed. At least workwise things are truly great, working with a new boss since September 2020, a wonderful woman who is beautiful both on the inside and out, and that makes me eager to face this never-ending quarantine.

I want vaccines, but there aren’t hardly any, I want a better government for my country, which is not possible right now. I want to get up in the morning without feeling I am in an episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale” – not possible now either.

As far as food goes, things are a bit boring around here: very basic recipes, preferably quick dishes that do not result in a sink full of dishes to do. Lots of pasta and salads. 

Sometimes at night I don’t feel like eating, even when I exercise, which generally makes me hungry. To avoid going to bed on an empty stomach, I make myself some porridge: quick, easy and so comforting – it is like being hugged on the inside. I top it with chia seeds, coconut chips or cashew nuts and serve it with some fruit on the side. It is not a traditional dinner, but it comforts me and makes me feel fed and happy.

 

Oatmeal porridge

own recipe

 

¼ cup (25g) rolled oats

½ cup (120ml) milk or plant-based milk – I like to use cashew nut milk, it is so creamy!

¼ cup (60ml) cold water

pinch of salt

sugar, to taste – you can replace it with honey or agave

pinch of ground cinnamon, or 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring a few times to dissolve the sugar. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and stir constantly until mixture thickens. Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how thick you want the porridge.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Serves 1