Sea bass with prosciutto and crispy sage: PDO Cookery Challenge, part II

Chicken Saltimbocca is one of our family favourites. Saltimbocca means "jumps in the mouth" in Italian and is a popular Italian dish, where meat (typically veal or chicken) is wrapped in prosciutto with sage leaves tucked under it. But did you know you could also use the fish to make a Saltimbocca? I have tried this recipe with the salmon in the past, but for the PDO Cookery Challenge I decided to use a different kind of textured fish - a sea bass with prosciutto and crispy sage.

Just yesterday I mentioned that I was recently invited to take part in a PDO Cookery challenge, competing against 9 other popular food bloggers. 
For the challenge I got a hamper with the Italian Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products: Grana Padano cheese and prosciutto di San Daniele.

"The "PDO - The taste of origin and tradition" campaign, launched in partnership with the Consortium of Prosciutto di San Daniele and the Consortium of Grana Padano Cheese, is designed to promote PDO products. Now in its third and final year, and funded by the EU and Italian government, it is focused on sharing the unique qualities & characteristics of these products in the UK and raising awareness of what PDO status means".

I often buy prosciutto, and use it for many dishes, for example, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with the black olive tapenade, or grilled in piadina with cheese (as piadina could be quite pricey, use the supermarket own flatbreads like tortilla wraps, Sainsbury's tortilla wraps are perfect for a quick lunch, just chuck in a slice of prosciutto, add some sliced cheese, like Jarlsberg or Gouda, fold in half, grill and enjoy.

Sea bass with prosciutto and crispy sage
Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets (about 185g)
2 slices of prosciutto
2tbsp olive oil
6 sage leaves
salt
a squeeze of lemon juice + lemon wedges to serve with

Wrap each sea bass fillet in a slice of prosciutto and quickly fry in a pan with the olive oil, cook them over a medium to high heat for about 5 minutes. Turn the fillets halfway through cooking, and squeeze some lemon juice over the fish.
I decided not to tuck the sage leaves under the prosciutto but fry them in the olive oil to make them go crispy. It takes a couple of minutes for the sage leaves to get crispy.

For the mashed sweet potato:
1 big sweet potato (400g)
1tsp butter
a dash of milk
30g Grana Padano, grated

Cook the sweet potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain, mash the sweet potato, add a blob of butter, grated Grana and a dash of milk, mix well.

Serve the sea bass with the mashed sweet potatoes on the side and with the scattered crispy sage leaves.

For more recipes and ideas have a look at my previous posts:
Peaches and pears with prosciutto di San daniele and Grana Padano cheese ( recipe by Giancarlo Caldesi)
Fit Chicken Saltimbocca
and
Crespelle with spinach and prosciutto: PDO Cookery Challenge, part I.


Disclosure: I received a hamper of PDO products to take part in the cooking challenge. All opinions and ideas are mine. 
For more information on these products including recipes from the renowned chef Giancarlo Caldesi, visit Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano.
For more information on the PDO programme, please visit
Ec.Europa.Eu site.

If you are curious to find out what the other bloggers cooked for the challenge, check out their blogs
An Italophile (lush homemade pasta!)
and Mummy Fever (delicious chicken stuffed with asparagus tips and wrapped in prosciutto)

Crespelle with spinach and prosciutto: PDO Cookery Challenge, part I

I love pancakes, sweet and savoury, in all their glorious varieties like blini, crespelle, crepes, palacinky, oladushki and many more. I'm happy to eat them for breakfast or dinner, they are incredibly versatile and pretty easy to make. Today's recipe is inspired by the Italian pancakes that I have tried in the past and thoroughly enjoyed: Crespelle with spinach and prosciutto.

I was recently invited to take part in a PDO Cookery challenge, competing against 9 other popular food bloggers. For the challenge I was provided with two fantastic Italian Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products: Grana Padano cheese and prosciutto di San Daniele. The products arrived in a lovely hamper with some cooking equipment and a press release with recipe ideas and background information.

"The "PDO - The taste of origin and tradition" campaign, launched in partnership with the Consortium of Prosciutto di San Daniele and the Consortium of Grana Padano Cheese, is designed to promote PDO products. Now in its third and final year, and funded by the EU and Italian government, it is focused on sharing the unique qualities & characteristics of these products in the UK and raising awareness of what PDO status means".

You might have heard Grana Padano to be called a poor man's parmesan, yet this cheese is a worthy competitor to parmesan.
Many Italian families prefer to have a block of Grana for everyday use, for example, my Italian mother-in-law often offers "un po di grana" when she serves pasta.
It has been invented by monks around 1,000AD to use the excess milk. The name "grana" refers to its grainy texture.
It is less expensive than parmesan, but is as versatile.

Crespelle with spinach and prosciutto (makes 4)
Ingredients:
For pancakes:
2 medium eggs
125ml milk
a pinch of salt
115g plain flour
20g butter for frying
For filling:
120g fresh spinach
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1tbsp olive oil
120g mozzarella (drained weight)
30g Grana Padano + more for sprinkling on top (grated)
4 slices of prosciutto

First make the pancakes (crespelle) by pouring the milk into a bowl with the eggs and a pinch of salt. Beat together, add the flour and mix until you have a smooth batter.
Heat up the pancake pan and add a bit of butter (either brush with the melted butter, or take a stick of butter and quickly run over the inside of the pan.
Pour a ladleful of batter, it has to cover the pan evenly. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, turning it with a spatula. As the crespelle cook, place them one on top of the other on a plate.

Prepare the filling by chopping the shallots finely and frying them in a pan with the olive oil. After a couple of minutes, add the spinach. Saute for another couple of minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Set aside, and once the spinach is not hot anymore, mix it with the cubed mozzarella and grated Grana.
Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each pancake (crespelle) and add one quarter of the filling. roll the pancakes. Put them in a deep ceramic dish or baking dish, which has been slightly buttered. Place the dish in the oven preheated to 180C and reheat for about 10 minutes. Take the dish out and sprinkle more grated cheese on top before serving.

If you are short of time, use the ready-made pancakes, just make sure they are not the sweet variety.

Disclosure: I received a hamper of PDO products to take part in the cooking challenge. All opinions and recipe ideas are mine.
For more information on these products including recipes from the renowned chef Giancarlo Caldesi, visit Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano.
For more information on the PDO programme, please visit
Ec.Europa.Eu site.

Clarks maple syrup giveaway (c/d 24 October 2013)

I have recently tested and reviewed a couple of Clarks maple syrups (see my post Family Fun with Clarks maple syrup). I love the sweet smokey taste of the maple syrup, and it is one of my kitchen staples.

Maple syrup is a versatile ingredient, a perfect accompaniment to pancakes and blini.

It transforms a simple dish of porridge into a Royal meal.

It works wonderfully in baking, enhancing the flavours of cupcakes, cakes and cookies.

For more recipe ideas and suggestions visit Clarks Maple Syrup.

Lovely people from Clarks have kindly offered a selection of their tasty syrups as a prize for 3 of my lucky blog readers.

Each of three prizes will include:

Clarks Pure Canadian No.1 (Medium) Maple Syrup
Clarks Pure Canadian No.2 Amber Grade Maple Syrup
Clarks Original Maple Syrup (blended with carob fruit syrup)
Clarks Vanilla Maple Syrup (blended with carob fruit syrup)


If you would like to win this prize, please fill in the Rafflecopter form.
T&Cs:
Only the first step is mandatory: all you need is answer the question by leaving a comment (there is no right or wrong answer)
(if you login as Anonymous, please leave you Twitter name or FB name, so that I could identify you, I do not suggest leaving the email address in the comment)

All the other steps are optional, you don't have to do them all. All it takes to win is just one entry.
Only one entry per person is allowed (however, you can tweet daily to increase your chances).
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
Once the Rafflcopter picks the winner, I will check if the winner has done what was requested. I will contact the winner, if they do not reply within a week, the prize will be allocated to another person.

If you haven't used the Rafflecopter before, you might want to watch this simple video.
The giveaway will close on 24 October 2013 at midnight (the night from the 23rd to 24th)



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Cod in soured cream sauce

Back in May I was glad to discover that my favourite food writer Nigel Slater cooks the fish almost the same way my Mum does, with creme fraiche (soured cream) and herbs.
You can find his recipe for Lemon Tarragon Cod on the Observer site. And while I haven't followed his recipe exactly, that short feature made me revisit my old memories and cook something in between his and my Mum's recipes.

Place 350g of cod fillet (two biggish chunky pieces) into a deep frying pan or wok. Add the juice of two lemons, 1tbsp of butter and half a handful of chopped herbs. Nigel Slater suggests using the tarragon.
Add a bay leaf and a few black peppercorns. Add 5 heaped tablespoons of the plain thick Greek yogurt (for example, Total Greek or Chobani) or soured cream and more chopped herbs (coriander and chives).
Once the sauce starts to boil, cover the pan with the lid and lower the heat. It has to be simmering for about 10 minutes. The fish is ready when it goes opaque.

Maestro himself is very flexible with the ingredients and mentioned that you could try the same recipe but use a different fish, for example, salmon instead of cod, as well as use the chervil instead of tarragon. Or keep it plain and simple by using flat-leaf parsley.
I couldn't find any fresh tarragon or chervil, and used a mix of fresh coriander and chives that grow in pots in my garden.
Serve with the mashed potatoes and green beans.

If you love Nigel Slater's recipes, why don't you join in the Dish of the Month linky on Farmersgirl Kitchen?!

If you see a crocodile (Orchard Toys game)

Row, row, row your boat, 

gently down the stream...

If you see a crocodile, 

Don't forget to scream!

If you see a crocodile (Orchard Toys) was one of Eddie's birthday presents. His 3rd birthday which happened in July is already a distant memory but the gift has been enjoyed again and again. As a matter of fact, lucky boy Eddie received three Orchard Toys' games for his birthday.

Eddie's birthday party

This amusing game comes in a sturdy box and contains 30 double sided cards, boat characters, a board, a boat house and a boat among other bits and bobs.
It is intended for the age group 3+, exactly the right age for my little man to enjoy it.
When Eddie unwrapped the gift paper, he got very excited to find a new game, and we decided to give it a go right there, during our mini-birthday party (4 kids and 4 adults).

Reading the instructions (our friends)

What are you supposed to do? First assemble the game board and place the 3d boat house and the boat in their assigned places. Each player picks a character and places it at the start (the jetty).
You row your boat to the boat house by matching the colour spot dice to the colours on the game board. But watch out for those pesky crocodiles! And if you see one? Yes, don't forget to scream.
Eddie and his friend Peter enjoyed screaming (and I confess, I found it entertaining as well).

Since our birthday party, we played this game with Eddie quite a few times (just he and I, or Eddie with his childminder).
Orchard Toys are well known for educational toys that are fun and entertaining, and this game doesn't disappoint. It is action-packed, but also teaches children to learn and recognise the colours.

I tend to buy Ochard Toys games and puzzles whenever they are on offer at Sainsbury's or elsewhere, but if you like the sound of this game and think of putting it under a Christmas tree for your child, google for the best price, it varies from £8.99 to £11.75.

And as Eddie is poorly and staying at home these days (he's picked the chicken pox at the nursery), guess what we are doing today? Playing together.

Cupcakes for Lara: coconut cupcakes with blueberry curd

For many years I thought that if I ever had a daughter, I would call her Lara. I secretly wished for a boy during my first pregnancy, and my wish was granted. I still remember the scan lady announcing to us during the 20-week's scan "I can see gender!" (how very American to say gender rather than name the actual body part). I am blessed with two boys, and I love them to bits. They are my Universe, my alpha and omega, my everything. Life would be meaningless without them. But sometimes, just sometimes my heart is aching for that little blue-eyed girl who I never had and never will.

Just the other day I was looking at the photos of a little lady called Lara, a daughter of the talented blogger Attachment Mummy and thinking that this little girl seems to have inherited the strong will, great personality and beauty of her namesake. She is a perfect modern Lara.

In a wave of nostalgia for my long-left homeland, I decided to bake some cupcakes (always a mood-enhancing process). Coconut frosting might not be a Russian ingredient as such, but it does remind me of the snow and frosty mornings. I also had a jar of the blueberry curd that I wanted to play with.

I have seen the reports on the new limited edition blueberry curd created by The English Provender to celebrate the birth of The Baby George (and I don't mean Peppa Pig's little brother), but haven't seen it in the shops. Luckily I was able to satisfy my curiosity when I came across The English Provender's stand at The Big Feastival. This curd looks very Royal indeed: a gorgeous deep purple colour, and tastes intensely fruity and sweet. And while I prefer my curds to be more tart and tangy, I thought this curd would be perfect in baking.

Coconut cupcakes with blueberry curd (makes 8)
Ingredients:
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
3tsbp dissicated coconut
2tbsp ground almonds
100g butter, melted
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
4tsp blueberry curd
For the frosting:
100g caster sugar
40ml water
1 egg white
4tbsp dissicated coconut
2+tbsp icing sugar
Queen writing icing/icing pens and Dr Oetker soft silver pearls (optional)

In a deep bowl beat two eggs with the sugar and vanilla essence. Add the coconut, ground almonds, baking powder, flour, mix well. Add the melted butter and juice, and mix again.
Spoon the cake mix into paper cupcake cases and place them in the muffin tin.
Make the indentations inside the cupcakes and add half a teaspoon of blueberry curd inside each hole. Top up with more cake mix to cover the curd.
Place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool.

For the frosting bring the sugar and water to boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg white and slowly add the sugar syrup to it, continue whisking. At this stage it is still quite runny. Add the icing sugar and coconut and whisk again, until you get a thicker frosting.
Spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
Decorate with the icing pens and soft silver pearls (optional).

I've been testing the OXO Good Grips juicer recently (I received it together with an OXO Good Grips box grater for the blogging challenge, see my post Apple and pine nuts cupcakes), and used this handy kitchen gadget to juice lemon and orange for this recipe. It has two different reams for different-sized fruit. The base has measurement markings, so you know exactly how much juice you've got. My only suggestion for improvement is to make the strainer slots smaller so that they would catch all the pips (the smaller ones keep falling through inside the base cup). Otherwise, no complaints, it is very convenient to use, very steady and easy to clean.

And just because I wanted to use my new Spode Seasons plate in the photo, I have decorated one of the cupcakes with the blue icing pen. Can you believe, I found this treasure in a charity shop for £8.95?
Eddie scoffed his cupcake in 60 seconds, pearls and all (don't know why they are called soft pearls, they are actually crunchy).
And now he's wandering in circles around the kitchen, counting the remaining cupcakes: One for Papa, one for Mama, one for Sasha, one for me...

These cupcakes are for Lara: the passionate Lara of the classic novel, Leta's blue-eyed beauty and the little girl that I would never have.

Warholiana: Limited edition tomato soup cans from Campbell's

When someone mentions the name of Andy Warhol, my art school teacher springs to mind. He used to admonish us: "None of that Pop art nonsense, what are you, Andy Warhol?!" He wasn't disrespectful to one of the most iconic artists of the 20th C, just simply telling us off for being not creative enough.

Warhol became obsessed with the visual symbolism of the everyday objects in the 1960s and created a whole gallery of works based on Campbell's soup cans. For him those cans represented the American cultural values. Turning the famous product into his own signature artwork is a strike of genius.
Incidentally Warhol cla

Image of the cans on the left is reproduced the courtesy of Campbell's

imed to have eaten Campbell's soup on a daily basis: "I used to have the same (Campbell's soup) lunch every day for 20 years. Whether it's true or a part of the artist's image, who knows, I cannot imagine eating the same lunch for 20 years, but that's me.

Latest foodie news: "Fifty years after Warhol has developed his iconic series, 32 Campbell's Soup Cans, Campbell's is paying tribute to his work by introducing limited-edition cans of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup with lables derived from original Warhol artwork".

I haven't been able to find a new can yet, but they should be appearing on the shelves of the supermarkets from mid-September 2013. I surely will buy a can, it would look like a stylish addition to my kitchen shelves (if I could find any spare space there). It could make a nice pencil holder too.

"Three years ago Warhol's Big Campbell's Soup Can with Can Opener sold at auction for $23.8 million. Thankfully for UK soup lovers, these Warhol-inspired masterpieces will retail at less than a pound"

Photo courtesy of Campbell's

Four new designs were created in partnership with The Andy Warhol foundation. They are decorative, stylish, vibrant and uber-cool. I think the maestro himself would have smiled with approval.

A bit of trivia:

"Campbell's Tomato soup was the first soup created by Campbell Soup company, 116 years ago. Today Campbell's condensed tomato soup continues to be enjoyed by more than 25 million people in over 100 countries every week."

On a personal note, I do remember eating lots of tinned tomato soup during the first year of my marriage. My husband was a postdoc student, I earned pennies at the photo factory, we lived in a one-room bedsit and shared the kitchen with lots of other students. I did bulk it up with the grated carrots and potatoes though. Ah, the trip down the memory lane. 

Are you excited to see the new Campbell's tomato soup can designs?

Tilda Kids goodie bag giveaway (CLOSED)

My blog is slowly approaching its 3rd birthday in October. It all started on 14 October 2010. Three years later my baby blog has acquired a life of its own, taking over my time and way of thinking. I look at almost everything around me with a silent question in my mind: is it a bloggable material? My husband complains that the food gets cold, because I need to take a picture of our dinner. My kids are groaning when I ask them to pose for yet another photo.
I have discovered a lot of blogging friends along the way and love sharing my life stories and lots of recipes and reviews with my blog readers. Some of them drop by only to never visit again, some stay behind, visit regularly and have become my good friends.
The eponymous hero of the blog, Maximka (or Edgar Maximus in real life), is now over 3 and is going to the nursery.

In three years I have posted over 200 recipes on my blog and reviewed over 150 products. It has been a learning curve for me, and I enjoy discovering new foods and products.

Tilda Kids rice has been one such great discovery. If you check my kitchen, you'll find I have a pouch or two of Tilda Kids rice as well as the Tilda steamed basmati rice. Very handy for a quick tasty meal.

Tilda rice have kindly offered a prize for one of my blog readers. One lucky winner will receive the following: four pouches of Tilda Kids rice, an apron, two bowls and spoon and a string bag.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you would like to win this prize, please fill in the Rafflecopter form.
T&Cs:
Only the first step is mandatory: all you need is answer the question by leaving a comment 
(if you login as Anonymous, please leave you Twitter name or FB name, so that I could identify you, I do not suggest leaving the email address in the comment)

All the other steps are optional, you don't have to do them all. All it takes to win is just one entry.
Only one entry per person is allowed (however, you can tweet daily to increase your chances).
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
Once the Rafflcopter picks the winner, I will check if the winner has done what was requested. I will contact the winner, if they do not reply within a week, the prize will be allocated to another person.

The giveaway will close on 14 October 2013 at midnight (the night from the 13th to 14th)


Many thanks to you all for all entries! The winner has now been picked by the Rafflecopter, it is Emma Wolski. Big well done, Emma! I am going to email you regarding where to send the prize.

Earl's Paradise tea by Bluebird Tea Co

A quiet moment. My older son is still in school, and the younger one has succumbed to the inviting softness of the afternoon nap. Just me and my cup of tea. Trying a new tea is almost a ceremony in itself, a solemn moment of peace and serenity. The tea leaves are added to my favourite tea pot. Pour the fragrant golden lava in a cup and enjoy. What tea did I choose, you may ask? Earl's Paradise from Bluebird Tea Co.

I've first came across the Bluebird Tea Co, when I was looking at the list of companies and brands attending The Big Feastival and taking notes which of them sounded exciting and interesting enough to pay a visit.
As a tea lover, I was immediately drawn to the tea company. I was curious to find out a bit more about their  selection of teas and went to browse their online shop. I knew at once that it would be a difficult decision to pick just one flavour.
Earl Grey is my favourite tea, I cannot possibly function without it, and I am always fascinated with all the variations on the theme. There are numerous versions of this classic brew, by most major tea companies and supermarkets, plus all kinds of twists on the flavour.
Earl's Paradise sounded exotic and exciting, and that's the tea I picked while visiting the Big Feastival.

As I have discovered from their site, Bluebird Tea's motto is "Create unique blends of loose leaf teas that ticks three important boxes: Tasty. Fun. For Everyone.
Bluebird strives to create unique teas that are also affordable. Their stand at the festival was attractive and welcoming. I wonder where the name comes from and if it is inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck's play The Blue Bird and its quest for happiness. For me, tea equals happiness. Or at least contentment. 

I asked if I could have a look at the tea of my choice and have a sniff. They kindly obliged. The tea was aromatic, fruity and fragrant.

My little man's hands got in the picture

What is Earl's Paradise tea? It is a combination of Ceylon black tea, papaya, strawberry, lime, jasmine and bergamot.

As you can see from the photo below, the main base is the black tea with the added dried fruit, that's actually how I like it. I love the black tea flavoured with fruit.

What did I think of it? It is very fruity, the bergamot note is less pronounced, so I wouldn't necessarily call it a derivative of the classic Earl Grey. Let's say, if the classic Earl Grey is the father of the family, this would be the youngest son's offspring. They are related but are quite different.
It works as an independent entity, and is an enjoyable tea. I certainly wouldn't ruin it with milk, as someone suggested on the shop page (what is it with the Brits and their obsession of adding milk to every tea?!).
There is a touch of sweetness from the fruit. A refreshing brew.
Top marks for the creativity.

To find more about this tea brand, visit Bluebird Tea site.

Chicken, prawn and chorizo jambalaya

Just yesterday I've been telling you all about the Tilda Kids cooking session with Dhruv Baker at the Big Feastival. It was a lovely event, and I came back home inspired and enthusiastic.
If you were in the vicinity of Tilda Kids' stand on that day, you'd have been drawn in by the enticing smell of food wafting in the air.

It was the chicken, prawn and chorizo jambalaya, a dish I wanted to recreate at home, full of robust flavours and textures. A feast for eyes and absolutely mouthwatering.

This dish has been cooked with the Limited edition Tilda rice - Barbecue rice - a great addition to Tilda range of steamed basmati. What makes it different from the other rice in this range?
It combines" smokey Paprika, Chipotle chilli, aromatic fennel and a touch of maple syrup – Dhruv’s creation combines Tilda’s trademark long and slender Basmati grains with unique flavours inspired by the great British Barbecue".
We loved the new Barbecue rice and hope Tilda would change the Limited edition into a permanent addition to their range. It's too tasty to only be available for a short time.

Chicken, prawn and chorizo jambalaya (recipe reproduced here with the kind permission given by Tilda rice)

Ingredients:

1 pack of Tilda Barbecue Rice

2tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1 large chicken breast, diced

50g, chorizo diced

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

200ml chicken stock

Handful freshly chopped parsley

8 large whole prawns

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Guacamole dip and lemon wedges to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a paella pan if you have one. If using a paella pan pop on top of a hot BBQ
2. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning until sizzling
3. Add the chicken breast and chorizo and coat well. Cook over a high heat for 4-5 minutes
4. Add the chicken stock and rice and simmer gently for 5 minutes
5. Add the celery and peppers and cook for a further few minutes
6. Stir in the parsley and heat through.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Brush the prawns with a little oil and cook on the BBQ or in a griddle pan for 3-4 minutes on each side
8. Place the prawns on top of the Jambalaya and serve with Guacamole and  a squeeze of lemon juice

My notes: I didn't have a celery, and used a red pepper. I also cooked 2 chicken breasts and more prawns to feed us all, and didn't cook the prawns separately. 

It was a very tasty chicken dish, easy to make, quick and it cheers the tastebuds.

For more recipes and culinary ideas, visit Tilda/recipes page.