Nudo Adopt

Nudo Darjeeling First Flush

Indulgent treats are part and parcel of Christmas fun. 'Tis the season to treat your family or indeed yourself, and if you're a foodie, there's such a vast choice of gifts: from special cheeses to awesome cakes, from gingerbread houses to chocolate advent calendars. Foodie gifts are among my top favourites at any time of the year, not just for Christmas. And how about a gift that goes on? Food subscription gifts are becoming more and more popular. Nudo Adopt is a splendid concept of adopting an olive tree in Italy or a tea garden in India. Both options appeal to me a lot, as both tea and olive oil are products which we buy regularly and use daily.

You might have seen me mentioning Nudo oils a few times on my blog, as I received their products back in September. But I've been waiting until now to do a review of Nudo Adopt, as I believe it's the best time now to start buying Christmas gifts. You still have time and choice to get the gifts that would thrill your recipients.
This is the time when I personally start looking online for the best deals and the best possible presents for my family and friends.

What is Nudo Adopt? It is an adoption programme, where you pay for a subscription to receive produce from the plant you "sponsor", be it an olive tree or part of the tea garden.
I have received samples of both olive oil and tea to test and try in recipes.

Nudo Darjeeling First Flush Tea which I have tried is from Sivitar tea garden (you can find the photos of this beautiful place on Nudo Adopt). This tea garden has been named after the Hindu God Siva and it means Siva's abode. The tea bushes grow "on the steep slopes like a lush dark green carpet, stretching right up the hillsides to sections which lie at 4,000ft".

Nudo Darjeeling First Flush Tea

It comes in a pretty pouch, which is foiled inside and can be resealed for freshness.

The tea has a light amber colour. Its smell is delicate and fragrant. Nudo Darjeeling is a refreshing tea, with a full rounded taste.

Nudo Darjeeling First Flush Tea

It's £15 per quarter for the tree garden adoption, and each quarterly delivery is different.
For example, a winter delivery will be a Monsoon flush, which has been harvested in the rainy season, and hence has a more robust tea leaf with a fuller flavour and darker brew.
In summer expect the finest quality loose leaf tea picked from the first flush.
You will also get 20% off all Nudo products and can see a photo gallery of your garden.
How does it sound?

If your intended recipient is not a great tea lover, an olive oil adoption might be another option for a thoughtful foodie present (it costs £32 per quarter).
The Nudo olive groves are located all over Italy, you will find them in Le Marche, Sicily and Liguria. When you register, you have to choose the grove.
For example, the grove at Barone Pastore is just outside Alcamo, on the Trapanese coast of Sicily. If you enjoy the Inspector Montalbano series of books as much as I do, you might remember the Trapanese pesto mentioned in The Patience of the Spider. Going back to the grove, it is named after Barone Pastore who was a prominent figure on the political scene of Sicily in the 19C.  Now you have a chance to adopt an olive tree at this grove (or any other grove of your choice). Check out the photos on Nudo website, as the images of the groves and all the scenery are most romantic.
I have enjoyed sampling a trio of olive oils which is named as The Three Tenors. It includes a classic extra virgin olive oil, stone ground lemon oil and extra virgin oil infused with Sicilian chillies.
These flavoured oils are all versatile, and can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes, from salads to roasts.

As you can see from the photo below, they are different in colour, with the chilli oil being the darkest.
I loved the colourful stylish tins, they look so jolly and bright in my kitchen.

They are all excellent quality, but my personal favourite is the stone ground lemon oil which has a very pronounced lemon flavour, clean, zingy and refreshing. It's like a salad dressing of its own.
I have used it in a variety of recipes, see my posts Leek and potato soup with lemon oil-infused croutons and Orange polenta cake.

The extra virgin oil infused with Sicilian chillies has a good kick to it, and will add a decent spicy note to any dish. One of the recipes I used it in was the roast baby tomatoes. It's one of my favourite side dishes, I just put the tomatoes in a deep ceramic dish and pour 2-3tbsp of olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and vodka (about the same quantity for each ingredient). These tomatoes are excellent hot and cold.Try them in a cheese sandwich with a crumbly Cheddar or soft brie. Yum!
Nudo oil worked well in this easy side dish, and added an extra spicy note to it.

Serve the tomatoes with a roast, or a tortilla.

The extra virgin olive oil is a great base for any salad dressing. Try it in a simple tomato and mozzarella salad, and imagine yourself in Italy. Insalata Caprese is one of our family favourites, and I often make it as a light lunch. As it's a very simple dish, you need quality ingredients, so a good olive oil is a must.

Make that foodie in your life happy, give them a present they will enjoy!

Disclosure: I received a selection of Nudo Adopt products for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All Opinions are mine.

Orange polenta cake

We baked a batch of Star Wars cupcakes yesterday with Eddie, but today I've been baking an orange polenta cake. I have made it in the past quite often, but haven't done any recently. I have slightly changed my old recipe for orange polenta cake, as I wanted to see if it works with oil.


Orange polenta cake
Ingredients:
2 oranges, zest and juice
4 medium eggs
200g caster sugar
100g butter, melted
80ml lemon-flavoured olive oil
90g polenta (I use Polenta Valsugana)
100g self-raising flour
40g ground almonds
1tsp baking powder
for the icing:
icing sugar mixed with juice of 1/2 orange

Beat the eggs with orange zest and caster sugar. Add the melted butter and lemon-flavoured olive oil, polenta and flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Add the juice of 1 and a half oranges. Mix well. The cake batter should be smooth and quite runny.
Pour the cake batter in the oiled spring cake tin, and put in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 50+ minutes. Check if it's ready with a wooden toothpick.
Once cooled, decorate with the icing made from the mix of icing sugar and orange juice.

I used Nudo Olive Oil Stone Ground with Real Lemons, which is a beautiful zesty oil. I have recently posted a recipe for Leek and potato soup with lemon oil infused croutons where I used the same oil. As you can see, it's a versatile ingredient, which works equally well in sweet and savoury recipes.

Leek and potato soup with lemon oil-infused croutons

The Indian summer didn't last long, did it? This week as I get out of bed early in the morning, I feel like putting the heating on. And the evenings are much cooler as well.
Time for hot comfort foods like pies and soups. Yesterday I cooked a pot of leek and potato soup, it was so tasty, that my husband asked for a second helping (either that or he was very hungry).

Leek and potato soup with lemon infused oil croutons
Ingredients:
500g leeks
3tbsp lemon infused olive oil + more for croutons
25g butter
1tsp dried mixed herbs
2 medium potatoes
250ml semi-skimmed milk
4 chunky slices of bread, cubed
dried herbs
sea salt

Slice the leeks into discs and fry in the frying pan with the olive oil and butter, on low, just sweating them for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the mixed herbs.
Peel and slice potatoes. In a big pan put together potatoes and leeks, add semi-skimmed milk and water, so that all the vegetables are covered with liquid. Season well and cook on low for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on your soup, add more water if needed.
Once the potatoes are cooked, blitz the soup with a hand blender until you get a creamy consistency.
Serve with croutons, a dash of single cream and/or fresh parsley.

I used Nudo olive oil stone ground with real lemons in this recipe, as I wanted to add a bit of zingy flavours to this timeless classic. It's a beautiful oil, made with Sicilian lemons. Later olives with subtler flavour are used for this infused oil. It is delicious, with a lovely aroma and taste of lemons.

I also used it for making the croutons for the soup.
Cut the old chunky bread into thick slices and then cube. Place on a tray, drizzle the olive oil over them generously and sprinkle mixed herbs and sea salt. Bake for 10+ minutes at 180C until golden.
We didn't eat all the croutons with soup, as there were plenty of them, but the next day they were all gone, as we kept snacking on them.

Disclosure: I received a selection of Nudo oils for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Easy Mexican stir-fry

As a foodie blogger, I enjoy taking part in cooking challenges. It is always great fun. To celebrate winning the first prize in Sauce & Cooking category for this year's Product of the year awards, Knorr Flavour Pots have invited food bloggers to take part in Knorr Flavour Pot - Product of the Year challenge. The whole range features nine different tasty flavours including Mixed Herbs, Three Peppercorn, Curry, Garlic, Mixed Chillies, Garden Herbs, Ginger & Lemongrass, Paprika and Mexican. I have tried quite a few flavours from the range, and was glad to have an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the range.

I received a hamper of food ingredients including the whole range of Knorr Flavour Pots and a gift voucher to buy extras.
With the varied range of flavour pots, I cooked a whole plethora of meals from butternut squash risotto to soup, from pasta bake to Mexican chicken stir fry.

Mexican chicken stir fry

2 chicken breasts, cubed
2tbsp avocado oil
1 sweet red pepper
1 Knorr garlic flavour pot
1 Mexican flavour pot
a hanfdul of sweetcorn, frozen
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
1 avocado, cubed
sea salt
lettuce leaves, to serve in

Cube two chicken breasts and fry them with the avocado oil, together with the sliced sweet pepper and two Knorr Flavour pots - Garlic and Mexican. Add the lemon juice and zest and a handful of frozen sweetcorn. Once the chicken is cooked through, mix it with the cubed raw avocado and serve in lettuce leave boats.

This is a very easy recipe, yet full of flavours and textures. It will make a light lunch or dinner.
Knorr Flavour Pots save you time (no need to chop the garlic or mix the spices for the Mexican flavour). The chicken was succulent and tasty.

I used an avocado oil in this recipe, but you can substitute it for the olive or vegetable oil.

Disclosure: as mentioned above, I received a hamper of products to play with. All opinions are mine.

Pancakes with apricots and mascarpone

Pancake day is almost here, and the Internet is buzzing with the pancake recipes and serving suggestions. There's even a cyberspace rivalry challenge Maple syrup versus Lemon juice and sugar (just follow the hashtag #MapleVLemon). Being the maple syrup camp follower, I'm happy to use the maple syrup in both sweet and savoury pancakes. To encourage me to make more pancakes, lovely people from Clarks Marple Syrup sent me a big bottle of their maple syrup.
I have posted a savoury pancake recipe earlier today. Now it's the turn of the sweet pancakes with apricots and mascarpone.

Pancakes with apricots and mascarpone
Ingredients:
6 apricots
1tsp apricot kernel oil (or any mild vegetable oil)
2tbsp maple syrup
for batter:
2 medium eggs
100ml kefir
200ml milk
100g plain flour
1tbsp sugar
1tbsp apricot kernel oil
for the filling:
mascarpone cheese and maple syrup (1 heaped tbsp of cream cheese + 1tsp maple syrup per pancake)
icing sugar (optional)

Apricots baked with the maple syrup

Halve the apricots and discard stones. Place them in a baking tray, and drizzle with the apricot kernel oil and maple syrup. Roast at 180C for 25+ minutes, until soft but not mushy.
Make the batter by beating the eggs with the milk, kefir, flour, oil and sugar. The batter has to be smooth.
I buy a Polish kefir from Tesco (Mlekovita). Kefir is quite popular in Russia as an ingredient for baking and making pancakes. It adds a light note of acidity and lightness to the pancakes. If you don't have kefir, use 300ml of milk and a couple of tablespoons of Greek style yogurt or even plain yogurt.
Fry each pancake for about 3+ minutes on each side. This batter makes thin crepe-style pancakes, which are perfect for being filled with whatever delectable foods you fancy.

Mix the mascarpone cheese with maple syrup. Spoon it on top of each pancake, add a few apricot halves, fold the pancake. Dust with a bit of icing sugar and enjoy.
This is truly a heavenly combination of flavours.

Yet if you don't fancy this filling, or don't have time to faff with the apricots, just make the pancakes and drizzle with the maple syrup or honey. Less ingredients, but as tasty.

Disclosure: as mentioned in the previous post, I received a bottle of maple syrup and subsidiary fees to buy the ingredients in order to do two pancakes recipe posts. All opinions are mine.

And if you fancy more pancake recipes, have a look at these mouth-watering creations -

Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog made lush Spiced Kefir Pancakes with Manuka Honey and Creme Fraiche Chocolate Sauce;

Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen cooked delicious Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Cinnamon Poached Plums;

Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes made a batch of lip-licking Chocolate Chip and Raisin Scotch pancakes;

Dom from Belleau Kitchen rocks with his Two-Ingredient Nutribullet Banana Pancakes.

Apricot kernel oil (Mokhado)

Apricot oil is found in many beauty and personal care products. With its distinct aroma and health properties, it is a popular ingredient in beauty industry. It is less known as a food ingredient, yet it is tasty and a good source of unsaturated fats. Apricot kernel oil from Mokhado is a pure cold-pressed extra virgin oil. This fragrant healthy oil is great for drizzling, frying and roasting.
It has a lovely smell and a slightly sweet flavour.

Sweet potato and blood orange soup
Ingredients:
2tbsp apricot kernel oil
175g carrots (4 small sized)
1 shallot
2 small (180g) sweet potatos
1 big blood orange, zest and juice
1tsp grated ginger
4tbsp red lentils
1 Knorr vegetable stock pot

Thinly slice the shallot and carrots and fry in the frying pan with 2tbsp of apricot kernel oil for about 7 minutes, until the shallot becomes translucent. Remove from the heat and add the contents into a medium sized pan. Add the chopped sweet potatoes, zest and juice of 1 blood orange, grated ginger and red lentils, as well as one Knorr vegetable stock pot (or any vegetable stock cube or a tbsp of powdered stock). Pour enough water to cover all the vegetables. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and cook simmering for half an hour. Once cooked, blitz with a hand blender. Serve hot, with a dollop of Greek style yogurt.
It is an easy to cook soup, flavourful and colourful. The apricot kernel oil is great for frying, and adds a lovely sweet note and aroma to the dish.

I also used this oil in a chicken tray bake: chicken thighs and drumsticks, mixed with wedges of butternut squash, chopped dried apricots, celery stick, preserved lemons and lots of ras el hanout spice. And again, this oil works beautifully with the roasted chicken and vegetables. Together with ras el hanout it gives an Eastern twist to a simple chicken tray bake.

It is lovely in sweet dishes as well. I made a batch of chocolate frosting last week, and it was too thick for spreading on the cupcakes. A dash of apricot kernel oil made the frosting glossier and easier to spread.

Chocolate cupcakes

Apricot kernel oil from Mokhado is an excellent versatile product.

If you are not able to source the Mokhado oil and want to buy an apricot kernel oil, make sure you are buying the oil which is specified as edible. You don't want to eat the oil which has been manufactured for the beauty industry, i.e. for massage, as it might contain additives and preservatives.

For more information on Mokhado range of oil, visit Mokhado.

Disclosure: I received a selection of oil for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Ninja Prawns with avocado oil

- Mummy, did you say you are cooking Ninja Prawns for dinner?
- Not Ninja. Ginger...

I couldn't disappoint my little man, how could I? Ninja prawns sound much more fun than simply ginger prawns. I was planning to cook a quick vegetable stir-fry with noodles to serve with the steamed prawns. A Vietnamese friend taught me many years ago how to cook the prawns, marinated in ginger, garlic and lemon juice. She never added salt to this dish, saying that the salt should be offered in a small dish mixed with ground pepper to dip the prawns in.

Last week I received three bottles of Mokhado oils. Mokhado is a new brand of oils from Limpopo region of South Africa. I will be testing all oils and writing posts as I use them in cooking.

The first oil I tried was Avocado oil.
"This super versatile oil has a smooth yet grassy flavour, making it brilliant for high heat stir frie and general frying, as well as making delicious raw vinaigrettes or finishing dishes with a drizzle. And there's health benefits too- studies have shown that regular consumption of Avocado oil improves the ratio of good to bad cholesterol. It also contains Vitamin E, a natural anti-oxidant".

It has a lovely fresh aroma and tastes just like a blitzed avocado. I used it in the vegetable stir-fry, and also as an ingredient for marinade for prawns.

Ninja prawns
Ingredients:
150g fresh prawns
1 heaped tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2tbsp avocado oil
2tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1tbsp soy sauce

In a medium-sized bowl mix the grated ginger with the avocado oil, lemon juice, soy sauce and crushed garlic. Add the prawns and stir well. Marinade for at least an hour before cooking.
I used a deep ceramic pudding bowl but a smaller size Pyrex will do as well.
Place the bowl with prawns in a big pan filled with the hot boiling water that would reach about half-length of the pudding bowl. Cover the big pan with lid and cook for about 7+ minutes, the prawns will turn pink.
Serve with slices of lemon if you wish, or with noodles and vegetable stir fry.

Avocado oil was a perfect ingredient in this dish. It added the depth of flavour and worked well with the other ingredients.

To learn more about Mokhado oils and get delicious recipe ideas visit Mokhado.

Disclosure: I received three bottles of oil for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.