Ham and arugula quiche and something good that won't last long

As I move towards the last episodes of The Killing, I keep thinking of how unfair it is for such a fantastic TV show to be cancelled at such an early stage (the show’s been cancelled twice, actually, which is even more shocking). I’ve read that Netflix has ordered a fourth season consisting of six episodes to conclude the series – thank you, Netflix – but it is still hard for me to understand how something so good can last so little – the über boring Frasier had eleven seasons, for crying out loud.

Quiches are something I never eat unless I make them (or my grandmother – she makes mean quiches) – the soggy pastry usually tastes like nothing and the filling is tough and equally flavorless. :S When I eat quiche I want the pastry to be buttery and flaky and the filling to be silky, with a little wobble. The recipe I bring today is slightly different: the base is made with puff pastry – which was perfect for me since I was short on time that day – and the parmesan sprinkled on top of the filling creates a golden and crisp topping. Yum – thank you, Donna.

I guess that good food made properly is like good TV series: we don’t get them often, so when we do we should enjoy them to the fullest.

Ham and arugula quiche
from the always delicious Donna Hay magazine

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
8 eggs
1 cup (240ml) single cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sheets store-bought puff pastry, thawed
250g sliced ham, torn
2 cups baby arugula leaves
½ cup finely ground parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and place a large baking sheet inside to heat up. Heat a frying pan over high heat, add the butter and onion and cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a large bowl and cool. Add the eggs, cream, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Line two 18cm loose-bottomed lightly buttered fluted tart pans with the pastry and trim the edges. Prick the cakes with a fork. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Divide the ham and arugula between the tart shells and carefully pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle with the parmesan and transfer to the oven (onto the baking sheet). Bake for about 30 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden.
Cool slightly and serve.

serves 8 - I made three 10cm (4in) tartlets eyeballing the amounts of rocket and ham and using 1 300g-sheet of puff pastry, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup cream, pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, ½ onion, 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons parmesan

Arugula with baked saffron ricotta and your opinion about something

Before I start with the salad, I’d like to ask you guys something... Have you ever purchased something on King Arthur Flour.com? If you have, how was it? Any problems?

I was more than glad when I found out they would deliver their products here in Brazil – I won’t even mention things I desperately want but the stores won’t send them over – so I purchased a couple of things (butterscotch chips, vanilla paste, cookie scoops in different sizes). That was on late December and I haven’t received the products yet. Even though I know that sometimes things coming from other countries may take forever to arrive here (and vice versa), I sent King Arthur an email asking about my stuff. I have sent them 3 emails, and I know they’ve read those (I have the “read message” receipts) but no answer so far. I’m truly disappointed – not to mention I have paid for the products already - and that is why I’m asking for your opinions. I appreciate your replies and apologize for bringing this subject to the blog.

Now, the salad: another recipe from this book – one of my absolute favorites. I chose it because it involved a lot of “firsts”: first time eating fennel bulbs, first time cooking with saffron.

I think I didn’t season the ricotta enough – the flavor was too mild, not what I expected. Even though I would not make this again, it was great to start using saffron in my kitchen and I also loved the fennel – that’s why I’m sharing this recipe with you.

Arugula with baked saffron ricotta
from Kitchen: The Best of the Best

500g (1lb 2oz/2 cups) ricotta cheese
pinch of saffron threads
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon walnut oil*
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
300g (10½ oz/2 bunches) arugula, stalks removed

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Put the ricotta cheese in an ovenproof dish lined with lightly oiled baking paper. Sprinkle with saffron, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Combine the vinegar and walnut oil in a bowl, add salt and pepper, then add the fennel and arugula leaves. Toss together and serve with the baked ricotta.

* at 80 reais (45 dollars) a tiny bottle, I used extra virgin olive oil instead.

Serves 4

Roasted squash salad with tahini

My husband thinks I’m funny. He tells me that all the time – maybe I am. I find it a good thing, actually.
One of the things that make him laugh is when I almost scream “God I gotta eat that” while going through my cookbooks. Depending on the “reading”, I say that quite a lot.

I saw this salad on a book Monday night and more than quickly wrote down the ingredients I needed to buy, in order to make it for dinner last night. I made 2 changes: used lime instead of lemon and nigella seeds instead of black sesame seeds.

I bet Joao can’t tell you how many times I said “this is delicious” while eating the salad. Really – I stopped counting at the tenth.



This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Rinku, from the blog Cooking in Westchester.

Roasted squash salad with tahini
from Marie Claire Easy

1 small butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
3 tablespoons tahini
½ cup plain yogurt – I used non-fat
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 ½ cups arugula (rocket)
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon nigella seeds

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Peel the butternut squash and cut it into large chunks. Toss it in the oil, season with salt and pepper and then put the chunks on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender, then allow it to cool.

To make the dressing, mix the tahini, yogurt, cumin, garlic and lime juice to a smooth paste; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the arugula and parsley leaves together and pile them onto a serving plate. Top with the roasted squash, add a spoonful of the dressing, and garnish with a sprinkling of nigella seeds.

Serves 4

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad

Another recipe by Donna Hay – from her magazine, issue #35, to be more specific.

I’m a huge fan of hers and those of you who have been around my blog for a while already know that – Joey and I go hand in hand in our love for Donna’s recipes! :)

I tried goat’s cheese for the first time while on vacation last September and can’t imagine how I had lived without it till then. I tried it on salads, quiche, sandwiches, pasta… And love everything. “Gotta start using it in my cooking”, I thought.

Joao brought it from the grocery store one day – I didn’t even know they had started selling it there – and I knew exactly where to look for a good recipe: Donna’s books and magazines.

What a delicious salad! I know that doesn’t sound much modest, but this is one of the best dishes I have ever cooked. The cheese was so good after the shallow-frying process: crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The tomato + basil combination is always a winner and the dressing worked perfectly with all the ingredients – I was amazed by how great everything was together.

I don’t like to repeat recipes – there are so many new things to be tried, right? – but this is a salad I can see myself eating again, and again, and again…



This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Simona, from Briciole.

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad
from Donna Hay magazine

all-purpose flour for dusting
1 cup (110g/3 ¾oz) store-bought breadcrumbs
240g (8 ½oz) goat’s cheese, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 cup basil leaves
1 bunch (100g/3 ½oz) rocket (arugula), trimmed

Balsamic dressing:
¼ cup (2fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar

To make the balsamic dressing, place the olive oil, vinegar and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Press the goat’s cheese slices into the flour, dip in the egg and press into the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the cheese for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden and crispy. Divide the cheese, tomatoes, basil and rocket between plates and drizzle over the balsamic dressing.

Serves 4

Spaghetti with lime and rocket (arugula). And vacation!

Yes, I’m officially on vacation, yay!

My plane leaves next Sunday, Sep 9, and you won’t be seeing me for a while. I’ll miss your wonderful visits and comments, not to mention visiting your fantastic blogs.



Before I go, I’d like to submit this pasta dish to this Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Katie, of Thyme for Cooking, the Blog.

See you guys in three weeks!

Spaghetti with lime and rocket
adapted from Flavours

450g (14oz) spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shredded lime zest
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed
8 bacon rashers
150g (5oz) rocket (arugula), shredded
3 tablespoons lime juice
dried chillies, in flakes*
grated parmesan, to serve

Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
While the spaghetti is cooking, place the bacon rashers on a plate, between paper towels and cook in the microwave oven until cooked and crisp. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the lime zest, garlic and capers and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat and heat through. Crush the bacon rashers into pieces and add to the pasta.
To serve, toss the rocket, lime juice and dried chillies through the pasta and pile into serving bowls. Top with the parmesan.

* use them accordingly to your taste, some are quite hot

Serves 4