I am not a big fan of excessive use of cream with my pasta sauce. A little cream is okay though. Also vegetables in combination with cheese are one of my favorites. With the use of vegetables in this sauce you can be creative. I used what ever I had at home.

preparation time: 20 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring salted water to boil. Cook the Tagliatelle until al dente.

Cut the carrot, zucchini and paprika into stripes. Cube the onion, cut the spring onion and the leek.

Add oil to a deep frying pan and fry the onion and the carrot for about 5 minutes. Then add the other vegetables and fry those for a few minutes.

Add the white wine and let it boil a bit. Then add the cream. Reduce the liquid a bit then add the cheese. This should result in a thick creamy sauce.

Season with chopped dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve with the Tagliatelle.

A classic dish of the Spanish cuisine is the Tortilla. It does not require much time an needs just very few ingredients.
I like the flavor of fried potatoes and onions in combination with eggs. The Spanish like using lots of oil to fry this dish, I personally prefer to use a non stick pan and less oil.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

difficulty easy

Preparation:

Peel and cube the potatoes. Fry the cubes in a pan with some oil until golden brown. This takes 10 to 15 minutes. Flip the cubes occasional in order to fry them form all sides. After 10 minutes add the chopped onions and fry them for another 5 minutes.

add the eggs to a bowl, season and beat them. Add the potato and onion and mix. Now pour the mix into the pan and let it fry on low heat for 5 minutes. Flip once, then serve.

Before the summer ends I want to post my favorite breakfast. Greek yogurt with fruits is something I can always eat. On Sundays this is what I usually prepare in the morning.

I like using Olympos yogurt. It just tastes better than Total. I like all sorts of fruit but with the yogurt I prefer melon, peach, pear, grapes and figs. I also like bananas but only the small ones that can be found in Crete and Cyprus.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Put the yogurt into a bowl and let it get room temperature.
Meanwhile cube the fruits in 2cm cubes. Half the grapes. Put the fruits on top of the yogurt.

You can add walnuts or almonds to it. It is also nice to pour some honey over the fruits and yogurt.

This is a recipe from my mother in law. She promised me that the chicken would be easy to prepare and taste delicious. I gave it a try and must say considering the fact that the recipe uses ready made products it is truly delicious.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

cooking time: 60 minutes

difficulty easy

Preparation:

Have the butcher cut the chicken for you.

Oil a baking form with olive oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place them in the form.

Peel the potatoes, cut them in quarters and place them with the chicken.

Pour the onion soup powder over the chicken and potatoes, then add the can of apricots. Cover the baking tray and place it in the pre heated oven for an hour at 180 degrees centigrade. for the last 15 minutes of baking time, remove the cover and turn on the broiler.

This soup is from Cordoba, Spain and has a great similarity with Gazpacho. It is reduced to a few ingredients and contains no cucumber. Salmorejo is also much thicker than the Gazpacho because it contains more bread. A great and intense tomato taste!

Salmorejo can be also found on the Canary islands. There it is a marinade and peppers and chili is added to it.

Preparation time: 15 minutes + 2 hours of chilling

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Put the tomatoes into boiling water and leave them there for a couple of minutes until the skin breaks. Remove them and let them cool down a bit. Skin the tomatoes and cut them in quarters.

Add all ingredients to the mixer and transform into a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper. Fridge for at least 2 hours, then serve in chilled bowls.

Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients. I like eating them in warm meals as much as in salads. This salad is reduced to a few tasty ingredients. Peppers and onions develop their aroma while baking in the oven.
They are being combined with lentils and a light lemon and cumin dressing.

Preparation time: 25 minutes + soaking the lentils in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

einfaches Rezept

Preparation:

Soak the lentils in water over night. Drain them then bring them to boil in a pot with water. Do not over boil them, they should be al dente.

Wash the peppers and put them in the pre-heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade.

Peel and quarter the onions and also place them in the oven.

Bake the peppers until their skin bubbles. Bake the onion until they are soft and took a bit of colour.

For the dressing mix the lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil in a small bowl.

Put all ingredients into a salad bowl and mix with the dressing.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander or parsley over it.

Ideal for summer weather is this cold version of a vegetable soup. It is an alternative to Gazpacho, which I have written about quite a lot this summer. The iced vegetable soup can be done with a variety of vegetables, this version however is prepared with rocked salad, which gives it a spicy touch.

Preparation: 25 minutes

cooling time: 120 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds. Chop up the spring onion, but only use the white bit.

Peel and cube the garlic and the onion. Put all vegetables into a blender and add the vinegar and some olive oil. Add the piece of dry bread, it will give the soup more consistence.
Mix all well, like a smoothie.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve chilled.
Fridge for at least 2 hours.

Vegetable Soup

The trick to prepare this dish in under 15 minutes is how to treat the chicken breast. I slice the chicken breast, fold it open and then flatten it. This reduces the frying time to a few minutes and keeps the meat juicy. The sauce is easy to make. It is the first one in a series of sauces I want to show.

preparation time: 3 minutes

cooking time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring water to boil in a pot and boil the Bulgur for 8 minutes. You can also use rice but it will take you longer. The last few minutes of the boiling process you can add some frozen peas. This gives the dish some additional color. Drain the Bulgur once it is cooked. This will co inside with the chicken and sauce being ready.

Lay the chicken breast on a board and cut horizontally with a sharp knife along the side of the meat. Like cutting a bun for a sandwich. Do not cut through the meat entirely. You want to be able to fold it open.

Once it is folded put some foil over it and flatten the meat with a hammer.

While doing that have a frying pan heat up with some oil in it. Salt and pepper the meat and fry on one side for 3 minutes. Flip the meat, add the raisins and the sherry and flambe the sherry. This will take of the edges of the alcohol and develop the flavors.

Let the dish cook for an additional 3 minutes. Meanwhile dust the butter cubes with some flour and put them aside.

Remove the meat from the pan and put it on the plate. Add the butter cubes to the pan and stir. Once the original amount of Sherry is reduced to half the sauce should have developed with the butter and the flower.

Add the Bulgur to the plate and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve!

Hummus? Again chick peas? Yes, but again a new version. This time I have mixed some of my favorite ingredients to a mezze or dip. Beet root, chickpeas, garlic and Tahini. The result is a Hummus with beet root which dies not only have a great color but also a fantastic taste. The hummus gets a sweet and earthy touch from the beets, which fits very well.

Preparation time: 5 minutes + soaking the chickpeas in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas over night, then drain them. Boil them in water for 10 minutes until they are soft. You may add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the boiling water to take the edge off the garlic.

Drain the chickpeas and put into a blender. Peel the garlic and add. Add as well the Tahini, the lemon juice, some olive oil and the beet root.

Mix until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip: You can also add some cumin for seasoning.

Not only Mark Bittmans “the minimalist” is featuring this recipe, but also one of my favourite cooking magazines Lust auf Genuss. At “the minimalist” they are called Matzo, in the magazine simply Flatbread.

The crusty little breads go great with some wine or dips but as well with soup. they store easily and are perfect for parties. I can only recommend them.

Preparation time: 5 minutes + 30 minutes resting
baking time: 10 minutes
easy recipe

preparation:

Mix the flour with the water and a pinch of salt and turn it into a smooth dough. Knead for 5 minutes of so. let it rest for 30 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 250 degrees centigrade.

Cut the dough in small pieces, form small balls and roll them out flat. You should be able to “see through”.

Place the dough sheets on a baking paper and oil them with a brush. Now salt them lightly and add a seasoning. (Cumin, chili, sesame, oregano…)

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let them rest.