A touch of Italian flair

Ever since I started this blog, back in November, my boyfriend has been complaining about two things. First, the fact that I spend too much time in front of my laptop and second, the fact that he has gained a couple of kilos.

If truth be told, he is right. I have been spending a lot of my free time cooking and in front of my laptop. Writing a food blog is not such an easy task. Having to figure out what recipe I want to post next, cooking the food while attempting to take decent photographs of its preparation and taking notes on what works or not in the recipe, photographing the food after it's been cooked while trying to keep my boyfriend away from it, writing the actual post for both the English and the Greek version of my blog and selecting the photos to go with it, well, it does take a lot of time and effort.






As far as his second complaint is concerned, I have to admit, it is partly my fault. For every dish you see posted on my blog there are one or two that don't make it on the blog but make it into our stomachs. My boyfriend's stomach to be more accurate. He has become my guinea pig. He must taste everything and tell me what he thinks and I trust his judgment and his palate completely.






Since I started food blogging, I have been making far more desserts than ever before and usually I have a slice of cake or just one scoop of ice cream or a small brownie square, but S. is the one who just can't control himself. Most of the time he ends up eating the whole lot in a matter of days. He says that my food is irresistible. Is that my fault? Besides, he has no reason to worry. He looks more attractive than ever, even with the extra two kilos he's gained because of this blog.






Perhaps food blogging is time consuming and causing me some trouble with S. but it's worth it. I love everything about it. The whole process. The writing, the sharing of recipes and ideas, the reading of your comments, the cooking, especially the cooking. That's what I enjoy immensely and even if it's detrimental to our waistlines, what I particularly love is making desserts. Like this one right here. Individual amaretti and chocolate tortes with almond flavored whipped cream and a sprinkling of crumbled amaretti biscuits. Be still my heart.






I have made a lot of cakes, a lot of chocolate cakes but these are so different. They are actually tortes which mean that they contain ground nuts rather than flour, making them ideal for people who are on a gluten-free diet. They also contain amaretti biscuits which are small almond flavored biscuits originating from Italy. They are very light and have the distinct taste of the famous Italian liqueur, Amaretto. These biscuits are called the Italian macarons.






The chocolate is dark and luscious and once melted, it is added to the batter. A bit of butter, not a lot, just enough to make the tortes creamy is also added along with the ground almonds, the biscuits and some sugar to add further sweetness. Batter is then divided among ramekins, put in the oven and finally, after thirty minutes, the moment comes. The tasting.






These impressive looking tortes have a superb chocolaty and almond flavor and paired with the freshly whipped cream make a uniquely scrumptious combination. They are moist and dense yet light and so incredibly fragrant. There is a depth of flavor from the amaretti biscuits in the batter that give a slightly bitter almond taste to the tortes and the light sprinkling of crushed biscuits on top offers a pleasant contrast of textures.






Eating one of these tortes straight out of the oven is just fantastically delicious. Gooey, rich, hot tortes with refreshing cooled whipped cream on top and crunchy biscuits. Perfection. Eat one of these tortes the following day when all the flavors have had the time to blend and they will taste even better.
Accompany these delectable little tortes with a cup of coffee or a small glass of Amaretto liqueur and you'll have the ideal after-dinner treat.










Individual Amaretti and Chocolate Tortes with Almond-Flavored Whipped Cream
Adapted from Bon Appétit

I bought the amaretti biscuits ready made but next time I will definitely make my own since they are very easy to make.

In Holland they have similar biscuits called bitterkoekjes (bitter cookies) which you can use in this recipe instead of the amaretti biscuits.






Yield: 6 individual tortes

Ingredients

for tortes
120 g dark 55% good quality chocolate, roughly chopped
80 g amaretti biscuits
85 g ground almonds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the ramekins
100 g sugar
4 medium-sized eggs
All-purpose flour for dusting the ramekins*

for almond-flavored whipped cream
170 ml chilled cream, full-fat
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp icing sugar

2-3 amaretti biscuits, crumbled, for sprinkling over the tortes
Icing sugar, for dusting the tortes

Special equipment: 6 ramekins of 150 ml capacity or 3/4 cup ramekins, large food processor, hand mixer

Preparation

for tortes
Butter and flour the ramekins. Place a round piece of baking paper at the bottom of each ramekin. Set them aside.

Put chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and place bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Melt the chocolate, stirring it around with a rubber spatula and once completely melted, remove bowl from the top of the pan and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

Place ground almonds, amaretti biscuits, cinnamon and salt in the food processor and, using on/off turns, blend everything together until finely ground. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Place butter, sugar and eggs in the food processor and mix everything until you have a well blended and smooth mixture, for about 3 minutes. In between, you might want to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the ground almonds-biscuit mixture and the melted chocolate to the butter-sugar-eggs mixture. Using on/off turns, process until well blended.

Divide the batter equally among the 6 ramekins, filling them by 3/4 each.

Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking tray and place the tray on the middle rack of the oven.
Bake for around 30 minutes, until tops of tortes are puffed and dry and when inserting a cake tester or a toothpick it comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Once tortes are ready, take ramekins out of the baking tray and onto a wire rack to cool. Let them cool for about 15 minutes and then turn them over onto the wire rack to cool completely. If you're having trouble releasing tortes from the ramekins, take a small knife and run it around the edges of the ramekins to release the tortes.




for almond-flavored whipped cream
Place cream, almond extract and icing sugar in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer beat everything together for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.

You can make the whipped cream a couple of hours before you serve the tortes and keep it in the refrigerator.

to serve
You can either crumble the amaretti biscuits with your hands or you can place them in a food processor and process to crumbs.

Place each torte on a small plate. Dust tortes with a little icing sugar and top with the whipped cream. You can either just spoon it on or you can fill a pastry bag and pipe it on the tortes.
Sprinkle with the amaretti biscuit crumbs and serve.


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






*If you are on a gluten-free diet you might want to dust the ramekins with rice flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Greek pies for everyone

A while back I wrote, "I've never eaten at a Michelin starred restaurant so I can't tell you what a Michelin starred dish tastes like". This is not true any more. During this week, I had the pleasure of dining with friends at a one-Michelin starred restaurant in The Hague area and now I can say that I know what such dishes taste like. The experience was, for the most part, everything I was expecting and more.

As soon as we walked through the door, we realised that this was a unique place. It had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, not at all stuffy or too formal as one might expect. The décor of the restaurant was an interesting mix of modern design with touches of classic elegance and once we were shown to our table we got to enjoy the wonderful view of the restaurant garden. The service was exceptional. Polite waiters and waitresses with smiling faces were always present, filling our wine and water glasses and swiftly clearing our table. We had a three-course menu and everything came promptly without having to wait a long time between courses, something that almost always happens in Dutch restaurants, making it one of the reasons I don't like eating out in Holland.






The most important thing at a restaurant is always the food. That's what I was looking forward to the most. The restaurant served French cuisine with Dutch influences and seasonal local fresh ingredients. There was the element of surprise, pleasant surprise, which is always good, with the two small plates of hors d'oeuvres that were served to us shortly after we arrived. A spectacularly tasty cake with octopus ink and a crème fraiche filling and an assortment of chutneys, olives and cheese and mustard croquettes. We definitely started on a high note.






The first course came, which was a scrumptious green salad with white asparagus, cured ham and a hollandaise sauce and even though I've always hated the taste of white asparagus, that salad made me rethink my relationship with those white chubby spears.
We were anxiously awaiting our meat course. Roasted lamb on a bed of aubergine compote with a star-anise flavored lamb jus, polenta cakes and roasted cherry tomatoes. That was when we had our first hiccup. I loved everything on that plate except the most important component, the lamb. Actually not one of the four of us liked it. It was overly chewy, it was sinewy, it lacked any kind of flavor and it was extremely disappointing.






An unexpected pre-dessert milk shake with blueberries and blueberry liqueur, that was the most amazing milk shake I've ever had in my life, came to save the day or more correctly, the evening. A splendid dessert of curd mousse with balsamic-marinated strawberries and a yoghurt-basil ice cream followed. The ice cream had an incredibly fresh yoghurt flavor with a subtle hint of basil that was very different and exciting; I've never tasted such an ice cream before. If that wasn't enough, our coffee was served with the cutest petits fours that were quite delicious and that surely satisfied my never-ending desire for chocolate.






My first Michelin starred restaurant experience came to an end, leaving me and my friends wanting more. Even though I was not completely satisfied with the food, I'm certainly willing to give it another shot. Soon I hope.






From a one-Michelin starred kitchen to my little expat kitchen. From French cuisine to Greek cuisine. From Dutch seasonal produce to Greek Kalamata olives. Kalamata is a region of southern Greece that produces not only these sumptuous olives but also olive oil of excellent quality. Kalamata olives have such an extraordinarily pure and rich taste that is incomparable. Most of the olives are slit before being brined in sea salt or soaked in wine vinegar which marinates them, allowing the flavors to penetrate their flesh. They are usually sold packed in olive oil, brine, or vinegar. This natural, dark brown gem of an olive is one of the most famous Greek exports and they are coveted worldwide which is only natural, since they are one of the most flavorful olives in the world and my own personal favorites. Using them in this recipe of Greek pie rolls was a revelation.






A bite of Greece is a phrase that one can use to describe these pie rolls. Dough with olive oil and freshly squeezed orange juice, succulent olives, fresh fragrant mint, slightly caramelized onions, sesame seeds. Can it get healthier than that? It can. These pie rolls are baked in the oven as opposed to being fried which is the norm with small individual pies in Greek cuisine.






Making my own dough for any kind of pie is essential. Nothing tastes like the homemade stuff and in this case, it is more than true. Apart from being healthy, it is also quick and easy to make. Using olive oil rather than butter makes the dough lighter, shinier and more luscious and what's more important is that olive oil doesn't make the dough greasy. That seems to be the problem with most types of dough that include butter.





The filling of these pie rolls is superb, with gorgeous flavors. Biting into one of these, you can taste the slight saltiness of the Kalamata olives along with their fruity flavor which pairs perfectly with the herby mint and the sweetness of the lightly caramelized onions. The dough is fluffy but firm and melts in the mouth, and the taste of orange zest in the filling brings out the flavor of the orange juice in the dough, giving a sweetened citrus flavor to the pies and making them more complex. The sesame seeds on top, add a nutty taste and a great contrast of textures with their crunchy quality.






They make a terrific snack for those hungry moments at work and a perfect buffet item for a party. Serve them as starters for a Sunday lunch or a dinner and pair them with a lager beer. Add to the filling of these fun pie rolls a little crumbled feta cheese and you'll have a Greek extravaganza of flavors. Enjoy them!










Pitakia me Elies Kalamon (Greek Individual Pie Rolls with Kalamata Olives)

Throumpes which is an excellent Greek variety of "wrinkled", black, slightly bitter olives that are salt-cured would be great in these pied, but I opted for the superior, richer taste of the Kalamata olives instead.

If you really enjoy the taste of fresh mint feel free to double its quantity in the recipe, since it is rather subtle.







Yield: 20-22 pie rolls

Ingredients

for dough
500 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100 ml olive oil
250 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 tsp white wine vinegar

for filling
500 g Kalamata olives, pitted, rinsed well and roughly chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 medium-sized onions, chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp orange zest
Freshly ground black pepper

Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Special equipment: rolling pin, stand mixer (optional)


Preparation

for dough
In a large bowl (or in the bowl of the stand mixer), mix the flour with the baking powder and salt and add all the wet ingredients. Mix everything together with your hands (or using the dough-hook attachment) until a dough forms. Then turn the dough out onto a clean and lightly floured work surface and knead it for about 4-5 minutes or until you have a smooth dough. If you prepare the dough in the stand mixer, it will be ready in about 2 minutes.
Don't overwork the dough.
Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.




for filling
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes, until they become soft, translucent and ever-so-slightly caramelized. Take skillet off the heat and add the olives, the chopped fresh mint, the orange zest and the pepper. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Make pie rolls
Divide the dough into 20-22 equal pieces. Take one piece of dough, roll it in between your hands to make a ball and then roll it out into a 10 x 17 cm rectangle with a thickness of around 0.5 cm, using a rolling pin. Continue rolling out the rest of the dough pieces.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Line one or two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone sheets.

Put 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp of the filling on top of each rectangular piece of dough. The layer of the filling must be thin and make sure you don't put filling near the edges of the dough because it will fall out when you roll it up.
Roll up each piece of dough and place onto the baking tray.
Lightly brush the top of each pie roll with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Place tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until pie rolls have taken on a golden brown color. Continue baking the second batch of pie rolls.

They can be eaten straight out of the oven, while they're hot, but they are also magnificently flavorsome the following day, if not better.

Flowers and Scallops

These last couple of weeks I've been doing things in Holland that I haven't done the three years that I'm living here. Well, there is wisdom in the saying "Better late than never". First came the raw Dutch herring and then came Keukenhof. Keukenhof literally means Kitchen Garden but no, Keukenhof has nothing to do with cooking. It is a famous flower exhibition in South Holland and the largest bulb flower park in the world. Thousands of visitors flock from every corner of the earth to see the magnificent gardens and one-of-a-kind flowers, particularly the notorious Dutch tulips.






In the 15th century, the area that is now known as Keukenhof, was actually a hunting area. Countess Jacoba van Beieren- a very strong female figure of that time, who got married four times, was sent to prison and exile and started wars- was the owner of the land. Herbs for her castle's kitchen were collected there, thus the name Keukenhof.






Keukenhof was created as a "shop-window" for the flower industry in 1950 and it has since been one of the major attractions of The Netherlands. It is open only two months a year- from late March to late May- a fact which escaped me for the past two years, since I tried to visit once in February and once in June, only to find out that it was closed. This year I was determined though. How I managed to visit at the last day that it was open, is another matter.






If truth be told, I'm not a flower or houseplant person. I like the occasional bouquet from my boyfriend on my birthday, that survives only for a couple of days and I can tolerate an herb plant on my kitchen window but I'm not enthusiastic about anything more than that. I don't "ooh" or "ah" about flower arrangements and I don't discuss the future of gardening with my friends. Upon entering Keukenhof though, I had another thing coming. I was amazed and surprised by the collection of 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties and the more than 2,500 trees. Now trees I love but Keukenhof instantly succeeded in making a flower fan out of me. I wanted to grab them and take them home with me. I didn't.






Since it was the last day of this year's exhibition, there was a celebratory surprise for everyone, or so the organizers thought. There were a couple of these things around- I don't even know what they're called and I don't want to know- playing some horrible music that almost ruined the experience for me. But seeing the "Pink Floyd" (I still prefer the band to the flower though), the fuchsia "Sexy Lady" and the tricolored flower going by the most unique of names "Happy Generation", got me optically excited and I managed to ignore the annoying sounds in the background.






Smelling the sweet dark purple "Negrita" and the beautifully red "Hollandia" was a wonderful experience for my senses. I was astonished by the variety of colors and shapes of all the tulips and other flowers. Walking through the Japanese garden, we came across a charming, serene brook. Down another path, we discovered the most breathtaking, less-traveled road and even further down, we entered a labyrinth from which we quickly managed to get out of. Then we stumbled upon a huge mill, we climbed up the stairs to its balcony and a stunning view of fields appeared in front of us. When we entered the Beatrix Pavilion, we had the pleasure of seeing hundreds of orchids, perhaps my favorite flower.






Strolling down the various pathways of this enormous park, we came across these animals and then took a turn and found ourselves in front of an "inspirational garden" as it is called, featuring countless large jars of pickled fruits and vegetables of every kind. Then we headed for yet another garden with lovely canals and floating sculptures. Keukenhof is the largest sculpture park in The Netherlands featuring many sculptures and what is also interesting about Keukenhof is, that since 2006, each year the park has a specific theme. This year's theme was Russia and to my delight, there were several Babushka or Matryoshka Dolls all around the park. Naturally, there was no shortage of food around, with various restaurants and little shops. I bought cotton candy from a cute little store and of course, I had to have some homemade ice cream.






Speaking of food, I have something for you as delectable as all these flowers I saw at Keukenhof. Scallops. Who doesn't love scallops? Who is insane enough not to love scallops? We have a guest staying with us since last Saturday, a friend of ours from Greece and a couple of days ago I got to introduce her to scallops. I was apprehensive before I handed her a plateful, I didn't know whether she would enjoy this mollusc. As it turned out, she loved it. My boyfriend, S, was ecstatic. He's crazy about scallops and this dish was actually my special treat for him. It was his birthday, so we all grabbed the chance to indulge ourselves in a little luxury.






The exact dish was lightly seared scallops in olive oil with an avocado- tomato-red onion-chili spread (the well-known Mexican guacamole) on toast, topped with tiny bits of streaky bacon, toasted coriander seeds and baby rocket leaves and a squeeze of lime. What a combination. When I saw this recipe, I was immediately smitten by it and I had to make it. I bought the scallops from my fishmonger, got the vegetables from the farmer's market and bread from my favorite bakery near my apartment. I was all set to go. The bacon needed to be baked until crisp and dry, onion, tomato, chili and fresh coriander needed chopping, the bread and the coriander seeds needed toasting, the lime needed squeezing and the scallops needed searing. All done. The result was one of the most flavorsome and colorful dishes I've ever tasted or laid eyes on.






Both flavors and textures of this dish are sensational. It's a spicy, zesty dish with refreshing notes and sweet and sour nuances. Crunchy warm hearty bread, smooth creamy avocado, red hot fiery chili, aromatic fresh coriander, pungent onion, sweet juicy tomato, crispy toasty coriander seeds, vibrant sour lime, creamy light soft scallops. Surprisingly enough, all the other flavors do not overpower the delicate sea jewel that is the scallop and the distinct contrast of textures of all the components in this recipe, make this an incomparable tasting experience.






The luxurious sweet scallops have a very unique taste, slightly reminiscent of crab meat or lobster but far better in texture and subtlety of flavor. This dish is ideal as a first course for a spring or summery dinner with friends and it definitely makes a superb lunch. Pair it with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and you've got a match made in heaven.
Consider having this dish without the scallops or bacon for a vegetarian option. It's fulfilling and different and it will definitely brighten up your taste buds. Or as a less expensive alternative- since scallops are, unfortunately, rather pricey- you can just replace them with seared shrimp or deep fried calamari tentacles. It will not have the same dashing effect on your guests but it will still be a toothsome and refreshing first course dish.









Pan-Seared Scallops with Bacon, Coriander Seeds and Guacamole on Toast
Adapted from Delicious magazine

If you choose to buy whole scallops in their shell, make sure you know how to open and clean them, otherwise ask your fishmonger to do it for you. What is needed in this recipe, is a clean scallop with the orange roe and small muscle attached to its side, removed. I always buy them ready myself.
Keep in mind that scallops are not supposed to be cooked for a long time because they become rubbery, dry and lose all flavor.

I used multigrain bread which adds more texture to the dish but you can also use sourdough or rye bread. I wouldn't suggest you use plain white bread. It's too ordinary and tasteless.

I used a small amount of fresh coriander leaves (1 tsp) but I know that there are many people out there who can't stand its taste. I too don't enjoy it in large quantities but in this recipe it is very subtle. Still, you can substitute with flat-leaf parsley if you wish.

You can use baby rocket leaves, micro herbs, flat-leaf parsley or coriander leaves to serve. I prefer the rocket leaves because of their slightly bitter taste.






Yield: 2 first-course servings

Ingredients
6 medium-sized scallops (without shells and with orange roe and muscle removed)
2 thick or 4 thin streaky bacon strips
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 fresh long red chili
1 avocado (around 200 g), flesh scooped out and roughly chopped
1 small tomato, deseeded and chopped
3 1/2 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 slices of multigrain bread
Baby rocket leaves, to serve
2-4 lime wedges
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: small food processor

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Put the bacon strips on a small, baking paper-lined tray and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes until the bacon becomes crisp and dry. Check the bacon after 5 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't burn. Keep in mind that if the bacon strips you're using are very thin, they will take a shorter time to crisp up.
Once ready, remove tray from the oven and immediately place bacon strips on kitchen paper to drain any excess fat and to cool.

Toast the coriander seeds by placing them in a small sauté pan and dry-frying them over medium-high heat, stirring them around so that they don't get burned, for 4-5 minutes, or until you're able to smell their aromas.

Place the toasted coriander seeds and cooled bacon in a small food processor and process to crumbs. Do not over-process because they will turn to powder. You don't want that. Set aside.

Cut the chili lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes with the tip of your knife, thinly slice the one half and set aside for garnishing the dish. Mince the other half of the chili and place it in a large bowl along with the avocado, red onion, tomato, fresh coriander leaves and lime juice. Mash everything with the help of a fork to a coarse paste. Set aside.

You can either toast the bread slices in the oven or in a toaster. I prefer using the oven.
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Place bread slices in a small baking tray and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake the bread anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want it to be. I want it really crunchy myself.

In the meantime, rinse the scallops gently under running water, dry them completely using kitchen paper and season them with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed, non stick skillet over high heat and once oil starts to shimmer, place scallops in the pan. Cook for 40 seconds on both sides, until they take on a slightly golden color on the outside and the rest is just opaque. Do not overcook them.
You must keep in mind that you need to adjust the cooking time in case your scallops are larger or smaller in size. Larger scallops will require more time to cook while smaller ones will need only a few seconds.

Spread enough of the avocado-tomato-chili mixture to almost cover the top of two slices of bread. Place 3 scallops on top of each bread slice and scatter with bacon bits and coriander seeds. Garnish with the reserved thinly sliced chili, baby rocket leaves, grind some black pepper all over the dish and serve with the lime wedges.

You will probably be left with some leftover avocado spread which you can store in the refrigerator for one day. You can spread it over some toasted bread and eat it just like that or with a side of rocket leaves the next day.