Recipe Roundup

I have not been consistent about taking photos or writing down results from my cooking adventures since the last Roundup, but decided better late than never! So here is a small sampling of what I've been cooking up over here in the last ten months (with an emphasis on more recent cooking, as we were on the road most of that year and adventurous cooking proved impossible in under-equipped kitchens; however, I ate very, very well, despite this deficiency!!).

The patty is a vegetarian fava bean and walnut combo based on this recipe. VERY good :) 

Peri-Peri chicken based on a fond remembrance of Nando's heavenly bites. Basically we each claimed a half, doused it in our favorite sauce (mild for me, very spicy for Matt), and cooked it in a cazuela in the oven.

The delicious results, with mashed potatoes and MORE sauce! 

A vegetarian bolognese that uses a cauliflower instead of meat base. Not bad, though it really needs even longer to cook down than recommended. Better on real noodles than zucchini noodles. 

With very fond memories of the Tarta de Queso first experienced in Ciudad Real (and made with Manchego cheese), I had to try my own. It turned out okay, though not as good as those at the Hotel Doña Carlota! 

With my family's gift of the ingredients, I have set to with making my own vegan cheese, using the recipes from this book. This smoky mozzarella was my first attempt and it was DELICIOUS, especially when paired with a beet burger!

Nothing can beat, however, fresh figs sliced on top of an aged sheep cheese. YUM. 

Taking home-made pasta to the next level, I made my own noodles for a vegan lasagna, which I described in detail here. YUM YUM YUM. 

Spinach, vegan ricotta, vegan mozzarella, vegan parmesan. MMMM. 

I was inspired by this to make a pavlova with peanut butter on top. It was okay. I probably won't make another one. Too eggy. 

Okay, not a recipe. But we've finally broken open the honey we bought last December in Covadonga and have been enjoying it in our tea and yogurt. So dark and deep, it's delicious. 

Pasta with "grilled" vegetables (grilled in my oven). Pretty tasty! Recipe here.

A throw-together using melted leeks and a fromage blanc batch from the vegan cheese cookbook mentioned above. Good!

Eager to consume some puff pastry delights after watching the GBBO, I bought a role at the grocery store and made my own little goat cheese and caramelized onion tartlets. SO GOOD.

Lured by the inclusion of spinach AND peanut butter, I had to give this a try. It was good, but I'd add more liquid next time, it was quite dry by the time it was done cooking. Very good flavor combos! 

With leftover puff pastry, I threw some goat cheese and some honeycomb together and made delicious tartlets!! 

With yet more puff pastry still hiding in the fridge, I plopped in some fresh figs and more goat cheese and honey. I could eat this all the time. 

Mouth watering after watching the GBBO, I had to try a spinach bread. A quick search online found this recipe and it produced amazing results. So fluffy and finally a bread that turned out okay for me!

So tasty with fresh butter slathered generously over it. 

My homemade pasta production station. One pasta roller, one ravioli mold, and one DIY pasta hanging rack. I'm in business! 

the pasta rack worked perfectly! I made a basil and parsley pastas, a garlic pasta, and a lemon pasta for a dinner party. The basil and parsley was the best! 

The basil and parsley pasta. 

Further tempted by the GBBO, I had to try Alvin's bread (minus the prosciutto). Possibly one of the best things I've ever tasted in the world of bread. 

The bread split in half (yes, I had to share). That melted Manchego was sublime. 

Some good ol' kusheri, whose recipe is ever-evolving. It satisfies the taste buds on so many levels, with lentils, rice, pasta, and a rich garlicy tomato sauce, with just the crunch of fried onions on top. A recipe can be found here, but I've made it with friends for the most part so do it from memory. 

Tasty salmon brought home from the market and made using this recipe. So good, indeed.

Well, that was quite the round up. If you made it this far, congratulations! I'll try to do this more frequently in the future!

Bonus Recipe:

I don't have a picture of this recipe in action, but it became our hands-down favorite, go-to recipe for all occasions. It can be made in one pot, the ingredients are simple and easy to find anywhere we traveled, it is well balanced, and it is DELICIOUS. Give it a try! We cooked it numerous times, at least once a week, during our research stays in Trento and in Marseille. Good thing fresh asparagus was easy to come by (though we tried broccoli once too and that was good, though not AS good as asparagus).