Tahini Cauliflower

Do I have big dreams? I often ask myself if I am just lazy or being pragmatic and know my limitations. Sure enough the American dream has become the American basic expectation.

As Pole in America all this star- spangled expectations feels strange to me. There is no “ Polish dream “ (other than a new car, and someone else’s misfortune) Telling a polish toddler that they, too, could one day be a President would likely give them nightmares.

The American Dream can be very inspiring, but it is also problematic, not because it is mostly false, but also because research shows that America is far from being the Land of a big opportunity.  A child who is born poor in America is more likely to remain poor than in any other comparable country. The fact that Trump’s own way-to-riches fairytale shows a  likely inheritance millions from his daddy is relatively typical. An estimated 40% of the billionaires on the Forbes billionaires list also inherited a big portion of their wealth.

In this story, success is the result not of luck or privilege, but our own personal qualities, skills and hard work. Similarly, failure can never stand from systemic obstacles or difficult circumstances—the fact that good jobs are increasingly rare, incomes are hitting poverty levels and rents are sky-high—but is simply a mark of personal deficiency.

While Americans are great at big dreams (you can become the President!), they are surprisingly bad at more moderate ones (you can have paid vacation/ affordable healthcare/ a fair wage.) It is a genuine possibility that an American woman might make it to Mars before she gets long paid maternity leave. But in reality, the majority of our wellbeing is not made up from the remote possibility of enormous success but from these more modest dreams. 

In my personal opinion, the subtle claim that we should all be striving for greatness can be surprisingly psychologically damaging. The American dream has become the mass production of unrealistic expectations. The constant mantra “ you can be anything you want to be “ has created anxiety in American life, where anything short of greatness can feel like a failure.

But really, small concrete, gains are as important to our happiness as the big dreams. So maybe our next generation of graduation speeches should encourage us to do something truly inspirational. Dream small and succeed!! 

Roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce, sprinkled with pomegranate seed and cilantro is my version of big dream of a fancy dishes made with no afford and 100% of satisfaction.

Every time I make this dish my guests absolutely love it and want the recipe. I won’t pretend it is an old family recipe anymore. (I didn’t grow up in the Middle East eating tahini sauce, even halva was a rarity) So here you are my curios friends. The easiest recipe on Earth that will let you win any culinary competition with your friends …. I didn’t promise top chef. Remember dream small… 

Recipe:

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, whole or cored and cut into 1 1⁄2'' florets

1/4-cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. yeast flakes

sea salt salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2-cup tahini

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced into a paste

Juice of 1 lemon

1-cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 500°. Toss together oil, yeast flakes, cauliflower, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; spread out evenly. Bake, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back, until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25—30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, combine tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and 1⁄2 cup water in a small bowl and season with salt. Serve cauliflower hot or at room temperature with tahini sauce, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

 

Przepis:

Skladniki

1 kalafior

¼ szklanki oleju

2 lyzeczki platkow drozdzowych

sol morska I pieprz do smaku

½ szklanki pasty tahini

3 zabki czosnku posiekane

sok z 1 cytryny

1 szklanka nasion granatu

½  szklanka posiekanej swiezej kolendry

 

Nagrzac piekarnik do 280C wymieszac olej, platki drozdowe, sol, pieprz I kalafior, umiescic na blaszce do pieczenia piec przez okolo 25-30 min obracajac aby kalafior byl przypieczony z obu stron.

Wymieszac paste tahini, czosnek, sok cytrynowy, I ½ szklanki wody w miseczce, doprawic sola. Serwowac na cieplo lub zimno posypane granatem I kolendra .

 

 

I love beets

I love beets; I can eat every part of it, roots, leaves, and stems. We can prepare them in many ways, whether roasted or boiled, pickled or grated raw, add a distinctively sugary shock of color to any meal. We can also make juice out of them or add to a smoothie. They are a wonderful main ingredient in salads and baked dishes or taste great in combination with other foods. Some great pairings include: mint, feta, hazelnuts, orange, ricotta salata and even tomato. 

They are a lot of obvious health benefits to beets.  They are a great source of folic acid and are rich in anthocyanin, which may reduce the risk of cancer. Additionally, the greens are rich in calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and iron. There are also a few lesser known facts; one of the earliest known benefits of the red beet was its use as an aphrodisiac during Roman times. Beets nitrates are naturally converted into nitric oxide in the body. This widens blood vessels and increases circulation. 90% of male sexual dysfunction is caused by poor circulation. Also, beets may increase the production of sex hormones in both genders. Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan (also found in chocolate), which contributes to a sense of well being. Beet juice has been used on city streets to remove the ice because it doesn’t damage cars like sand or salt.

A lot of nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test levels of stomach acid. If you consume beets and your urine turns pink, you have low stomach acid (which is typically a good thing!). If your urine is still clear, it means that you have high levels of stomach acid. Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. In 19th century England the Victorians used beets to dye their hair. Beets can be made into a wine that tastes similar to port. In Australia, a true Oz-style burger must have a slice or two of pickled beets. Even McDonalds and Burger King have had to adjust the line and include it in their menus!

Beets range in color from familiar dark red to light gold and creamy white; for a real beauty, try the Italian Chioggia beet, which reveals its pink and white stripes when sliced. But most nutrition experts recommend the red beet and suggest you ingest the entire beet so you don't lose the value of the beet fiber. White, yellow, and striped beets may be nice to look at and taste juicy but only the red beet has been shown to have both nutritional and healing powers.

While buying beets look for the ones with smooth, unwrinkled skin and a firm, hard feel. Select the tiny "babies" or the smaller adult variety when you can; anything over two inches or so in diameter can have a hard texture. If you can, choose beet bunches with the green tops still attached: They should be bright and not wilted. You can store greens separately in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to one week. The greens can be steamed or sautéed in a similar fashion to spinach. Or you can chopped them up and make a beet soup 

To get the most nutrition, flavor and color, cook beets with their skin on. Scrub carefully and steam in a covered pot, or wrap in foil and bake at 350° F, for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on size. Try to choose beets of approximately the same size to keep cooking times even. When they're easily pierced with a fork, they're done.It will be easy to remove the skin off once they cool off. 

Recipe

4 - 5 small beets u used Chioggia beets

1 bunch of small carrots

2 cups whole Greek yogurt

8 leaves tarragon

1/4 cup pistachios

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and dry beets. Cut off and discard greens.

Transfer the vegetables to a deep baking dish or pie plate, in a single layer. Add enough water so that the beets are half covered, but not fully submerged. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. 

Roast beets for 50 minutes to an hour, or until fork tender. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Remove the skin by rubbing the beets with a paper towel.

Peel the grapefruit, cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit, creating a flat surface on which to balance it. Place the edge of a sharp knife just inside the border where the pith meets the pulp, and slice down with a firm, clean stroke, following the curve of the fruit. Repeat, until the entire fruit has been peeled. Slice the fruit into 3/4” segments. 

Give the pistachios a rough chop with a good knife, using a cutting board.

To serve, spread yogurt onto plates, as much as is desired. Arrange sliced beets and grapefruit on top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and torn tarragon leaves. Drizzle with good olive oil and sea salt to taste.

 

 

 

Aussie food

I will start by saying that I feel like I am waking up from the deepest, longest dream. But I am back and ready to start over.  Long overdue, the story about my trip Down Under is finally ready to be told. Australia deeply touched me, from its endless and incredible landscapes, extreme activities, dangerous animals, crazy people and, of course, the food.  I wasn’t expecting Australian food to be any different from American.  I actually didn’t know what kind of cuisine to expect, but that it would probably very much like what I eat in NYC.  To my surprise, I discovered completely new distinctive flavors and food combinations.

Aussie people are very proud of their country and culture as well as their food. Most places serve locally grown vegetables, farm raised animals, wild caught seafood as well as overpopulated kangaroos. Some of the dishes I can’t even describe; with so many different ingredients I have never tried and combinations I would have never thought of. 

Australians love their avocados – especially with their eggs and breakfast dishes. They develop so many variations of avocado toast that for 3 weeks I never tried the same dish twice. Aussies also have a fondness for avocado and Vegemite on toast. I am not a big fan of it, but I loved “Smashed Avo” - avocado on toasted sourdough, feta, lime, cashew and basil pesto with chili jam and poached eggs.  

Breakfast also means a variety of fresh squeezed juices and fresh made shakes. Options are overwhelming from beetroot /apple /ginger/ lemon/ oranges to The Nutty- peanut butter/ Nutella/banana and yogurt, to Bananarama- banana/spinach/mango/yogurt/Chia and almond milk and my favorite Cadolada- avocado/pineapple, banana, mint and coconut milk. All equally healthy and refreshing.  I was surprised by the muesli that are often served for breakfast, a mix of Chia seeds, oats, wheat germ, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, local yoghurt, poached seasonal fruit and local honeycomb, it was a wildly delicious thing.  

The best coffee I have ever had was in Thailand but the Australian latte takes second place; smooth and creamy, simply addictive. 

I never imagined combining beetroot hummus, poached eggs and pistachio yoghurt on a toast before but it works incredibly well. The sweetness of pistachio yogurt works really well with a touch of sourness of hummus and combined with the crunchiness of sourdough toast to make a tasty sandwich.     

The national product, world famous Vegemite, is just disgusting and no matter how many people tell you how awful it is, have to try it for yourself. Vegemite is a dark brown food paste made from yeast extract and spice additives. The most popular way to eat it is to spread it on bread or toast with butter. I have tried it and it not only looks and smells disgusting it also tastes disgusting. (Yuck!)

Crocodile and kangaroo meat are essential meats in Australian kitchen. Both are very lean and tasty.  Kangaroo, which is red and tastes more or less like steak, goes really well with a pepper strawberry sauce.  Crocodile is a white meat and tastes like chicken, often served with French fries and salad.Barramundi is the most popular fish in Australia.  It gets its name from Aboriginal language and it means “large-scaled river fish”.  The best one I had was grilled like a steak and served with herbed oil.  The Australian ‘lobster’- Balmain bugs or Moreton Bay Bugs has no claws and only its tail contains edible meat. I have tried them steamed, deep fried, grilled, barbequed and cold as part of a seafood platter. They all taste good.

During a river safari, watching salt water crocs in their natural habitat, I was offered one of Australia’s iconic cheap foods – Damper – soda bread make with wheat flour, water, and a pinch of salt and baked on the coals of a campfire.  Mine was served with traditional Billy Tea. On the fancier side, the popular dessert is Pavlova; supposedly invented in honor if Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova while she was visiting Australia. New Zealand claims the same thing and both countries fight forthe title of inventor of Pavlova – a meringue based dessert toped with whipped cream and fruit.  Regardless of its origin this cake is absolutely delicious.

 

Anywhere you go in the world you should always try the local food.  You might hate it or you might be positively surprised and discover new flavors and favorite dishes.  There is so much complexity and variety to Australian food that I cannot wait to go back to this magical country to explore and eat, once again. 

 

 

Tortilla eggs with kale and cheese

Easter is coming up very early this year and I am not sure I like it. Easter is a special holiday for me and I always associate it with spring and nice weather. This year it falls  in March and as we all know, March weather can be either or…  April definitely works better for me.  I will also have more time for spring-cleaning and holiday planning. 

Before Easter I usually make a list of things I need to prepare.  I plan out each day, leading up to Easter, in advance.  Thursday, I usually roast all the meats and cold cuts which will preserve nicely in the fridge until Sunday.  If I don’t make a list I am lost and start to panic that I won’t be able to finish everything on time. My mom was the same way, but I am trying to fight that feeling. 

When I feel overwhelmed I make a cup of good tea, oolong or roasted popcorn, sit in my favor armchair and listen to the radio thinking that nobody will die from hunger if I don’t make everything I have planned. And besides, I remember that last year we had too much food anyway. And sometimes it actually works.

.

This year I will serve some less traditional dishes.  Not everyone in the States is a fan of “Zurek” otherwise known as “white borscht“ which is made out of sour bread flour and served with boiled eggs, bread, a selection of cold cuts and fresh grated horseradish.  I will go with some new egg recipes this year.

As a first, I would like to show you a dish I have seen in a cooking magazine. Tortilla eggs with kale, parmesan, and prosciutto. Ingredients:
6 small flour tortillas
8 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup shredded kale
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
6 slices prosciutto
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
basil pesto
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F Lightly grease muffin tins and line each with tortilla. Mix eggs, cream, parmesan, kale, salt and pepper. Divide the eggs mixture between the tortilla cups, add a little ricotta into each cup and top each with slice of prosciutto, place into the oven for 20-22 minutes or until eggs are set. Top the tortilla cups with a little bit of pesto and serve with baked tomatoes. 

Skladniki
6 malych plackow tortilla
8 jajek
1/2 szklanki slodkiej smietany ( moze byc jogurt) 
1 szklanka tartego parmesanu
1 szklanka drobno pokrojonego jarmuzu
1/2 szklanki sera ricotta
6 plastron prosciutto
2 lyzeczki oliwy z oliwek
pesto z bazylii
Nagrzac piekarnik do 180C. Natluscic foremki do maffinow i wylozyc kazdy jednym plackiem tortilla. wymieszac jajka, jarmuz, smietane, parmesan sol i pieprz. Nalozyc nadzienie jajeczne na placki tortilla. na wierzch dodac okolo 1/2 lyzeczki sera ricotta i piece przez okolo 20-22 minut. Poddawac z pesto z bazylii i pieczonymi pomidorkami. 




roasted cauliflower soup with hazelnuts

A few weeks ago I had my  family and friends over for a weekend.  It is always a precious time for everybody since we all live far apart and don’t see each other often. The house is filled with laughter, crying, little and big feet tapping on my squeaky floors, conversations, and of course a mess all over, and on top of all of this commotion the lingering smells of amazing home cooking makes it all come together. 

Luckily for me everyone is understanding and always participates in cooking and cleaning. We usually divide days and meals between each family, or we all cook together.  Division of responsibilities not only makes it easier on the host, but also allows for trying and learning new dishes.  This is how I came across this delicious cauliflower soup. My friend made it and I fell in love with it.  The night she was cooking we were already enjoying ourselves and having few glasses of wine, so maybe that’s why I didn’t pay close attention to the process. Few days later I decided to make the same soup, I didn’t remember exactly the recipe but thought, "how complicated could it be," to my astonishment, the soup tasted completely different and not in a good way… I had no other choice but to ask her for the recipe, but instead of the list of ingredients and description I got a link to a blog, (whatscookinggoodlooking.com) turned out she found the soup on a blog of a girl who lives close by me in the city and who has a house out on long island as well… all of sudden I felt very connected, and since than I am a regular visitor of her blog. I made the soup again, changing and tweaking it as always, and this time the taste was what I remembered. 

More important than just the process of preparing food to feed the family is the time we get to spend together while making it. I love spending time with guests in the kitchen… feeling a part of a cooking process, talking over steaming pots while knives are hard at work chopping vegetables. There is really no other room in the house I would rather be in,sharing stories, drinking wine or fresh squeezed margaritas that I make so well, they became my signature drink.

The kitchen has always been the center of gravity in my home. When I was growing up my mother chopped, blended and stirred as we sat at the kitchen table doing our homework or recounted our days at school. The kids’ job was to set up the table and cleanup after dinner. And my brother and I usually argued over who is doing what. Most nights grandparents joined us, and there were at least one or two young guests at our table, usually friends of ours whose mothers worked longer and seldom cooked. So having 6 or more people for dinner was nothing surprising in my house. These meals were the cornerstone of our family, and they continue to inspire me. I miss those days. 

I feel bad for people who try to avoid the work and either hide in their rooms or sit on the side doing their own things and don’t fully participate in the whole experience.  Very seldom I have a guest who comes to my house and expects to be served… honestly, those are not my favorite guests, and usually they don’t get invited the second time. I want everyone to feel at home in my house and this comes with doing some chores around the kitchen. Too bad we don’t raise animals…. I would keep my guests busy all day long. So think twice before you accept my invitation for a “ relaxing weekend in my house “. 

Recipe

1 large cauliflower head sliced

1 leek, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

Few spoons of coconut oil (or any other oil)

Salt, pepper

8 cups of vegetable broth (homemade is preferred)

½ cup of toasted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Optional toppings: extra chopped toasted hazelnuts, roasted cauliflower pieces, fresh black pepper, chives, arugula micro greens

 

Spread cauliflower coated with coconut oil on a baking sheet and roast in the oven in 400F until golden brown, don’t over cook it.

Place the leeks and garlic in a pot over medium heat with some coconut oil and saute for about 10 min until everything is soft. Add in most of the cauliflower (saving few pieces for garnish) and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes

Transfer the soup to a blender. Add in 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Served with roasted cauliflower and hazelnuts or greens on top.

 

Przepis:

1 duzy kalafior

1 por poszatkowany

1 duzy zabek czosnku drobno pokrojony

kilka lyzek oleju kokosowego (albo innego oleju)

sol, pieprz

8 szklanek bulionu,

½ szklanka uprazonych orzechow laskowych

2 lyzki soku z cytryny

dodatkowo ale niekoniecznie do przybrania prazone orzechy laskowe, upieczone kawalki kalafiora, pieprz, szczypiorek, inna zielenina, roszponka

 

Na blaszce wylozonej papierem do pieczenia rozlozyc pokrojony kalafior obtoczony w oleju kokosowym, piec w piekarniku w temp 220 az sie zarumieni I zmieknie, uwaga nie przegotowac.

Pokrojony por i czosnek usmazyc w garnku , najlepiej o grubym dnie na srednim ogniu przez okolo 10 min, az wszystko zmieknie. Dodac kalafior I mieszajac poddusic przez 2 minuty, zalac bulionem, zmniejszyc ogien I dusic pod przykryciem przez 15 min. przelozyc do blendera dodac orzechy, sok cytryny, sol, pieprz I zmiksowac na kremowa mase. Przyprawic do smaku. Podawac z ulubionymi dodatkami.