Dried Figs and Walnuts Spread

This easy spread may come handy during the holiday party season. It is a very simple recipe and the spread is made entirely in a food processor. It is just another variation of a fig or quince spread that have been popular in recent years and are served with cheese, but it is less sweet and more crunchy thanks to the addition of celery and walnuts.

I made it recently just to used the figs that I discovered in the deep end of my refrigerator. They were getting very dry so I soaked them in a warm water to restore the moisture and just blended with all other ingredients. The spread goes well with all kind of hard cheese, especially the Spanish Manchego. It tastes even better if finished with pomegranate seeds which add extra taste and color.



Dried Figs and Walnuts Spread

Ingredients:
6-8 dried figs, soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes, if they are too dry,
2 celery sticks, sliced,
1/3 cup toasted walnuts,
1 tbsp olive oil,
1 tbsp white wine,
salt and pepper to taste,
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds for decoration,
1/2 lb Manchego cheese cut into small triangles.

Preparation:
1. Put walnuts and celery in a food processor and swirl a couple of times until they break into smaller pieces.



2. Drain the figs and cut them into smaller pieces. Add them to the mix together with olive oil, wine, salt and pepper, and blend until figs turn into a purée but walnuts and celery pieces are still visible.
3. Transfer the spread to a bowl and let chill for two hours. Serve at room temperature spread on cheese and decorated with pomegranate seeds.

Roasted Onions with Walnuts and Pancetta--Italian Style

For me, being Polish, traditionally, the Christmas Eve supper is the most important meal during the whole Christmas season. This is the day when I make and eat all my favorite Polish dishes: cabbage with dry porcini mushrooms, cooked yellow peas, clear beet soup, herrings, and pierogi with cabbage, just to name a few. But because of my kids, who are still very picky and eat only certain dishes from a long list of traditional Polish Christmas food, this feast lasts only one day.

Then, for the rest of Christmas Holidays, I prepare dishes that come from other culinary traditions, less meaty than Polish but equally delicious, and that everyone at home likes. And that to me is the way to celebrate holidays, the big part of which is to enjoy good, special food, good wine, indulging desserts, and share these special moments with family and friends.

So when my Italian friend mentioned that pearl onions cooked in vinegar are often served with roasted meat for Christmas dinners, I decided to prepare an onion dish that I found in one of many Italian cook books. It is very rich and therefore perfect for this time of the year. These roasted onions can be served just by themselves as a dish, or just as a starter, or be one of many dishes at a holiday table.

Inspired by pearl onion cooked in vinegar sauce I finished this dish with a drizzle of balsamic di Modena glaze which gave it a nice presentation and extra flavor.



Roasted Onions with Walnuts and Pancetta
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
4 large onions (but not the sweet ones),
5 tbsp olive oil,
1/2 cup lean diced pancetta,
1 cup chopped walnuts,
1 cup chicken stock,
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves,
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar of Modena glaze,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Rub whole, unpeeled onions with 3 tbsp olive oil and bake them 40 minutes.Cool.



3.Peel the onions. Cut off their tops and bottoms and cut them in halves horizontally. Remove the insides leaving about 2-3 outer layers. Chop finely the insides of onions, which will be used for the filling.
4. Place the onion halves in a oven-proof dish oiled with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
5. Heat last two tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Add pancetta and fry until brown. Stir in walnuts and chopped onion insides. Cook everything together for about 3 minutes.



6. Pour in 1/2 cup of chicken stock, add thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
7. Fill the onion halves with pancetta stuffing. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock to the bottom of the baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Serve warm with white Italian loaf bread or baguette.

Dip from Roasted Peppers and Walnuts

Dips can nicely enhance your dinner party starters or add flavor to whatever accompanies a glass of wine or an apéritif, if this is all you serve. I have been making several different dips recently and noticed that the original ones that are home made are always very popular among my guests.

Today's dip can also be used as a sauce to accompany grilled meats. It comes from the Middle Eastern tradition and is made from roasted bell peppers and walnuts.

I served it with Arabic flat bread or pita bread. It has a distinct taste thanks to the peppers, which should be slightly charred, and a bit crunchy texture because of the generous amount of ground walnuts.

My son enjoyed this dip so much that he used it just as a spread on a grilled pita bread. Any way you choose to serve this dip—on meats, breads, crostini, or pita chips—it is a very satisfying recipe, and it can be entirely made in a food processor.

Roasted Peppers and Walnuts Dip
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
4 red bell peppers,
2 garlic cloves,
1 slice of white bread, toasted,
1 tsp chili pepper,
1/2 tsp ground cumin,
1/2 tsp salt,
3 tbsp lemon juice,
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
2 tbsp flat leaved parsley, chopped,
ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Turn your oven on broil and heat it to 425F. Place the peppers inside the oven and roast them until the skin becomes black. Turn upside down and roast them on the other side.

Place the charred peppers in a paper bag or a container with a lid and let them cool. Peel of the peppers and remove seeds.
2. Place garlic, walnuts, bread, and peppers in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Stir in the salt, ground pepper, cumin, lemon juice, and oil, and pulse again until all the ingredients blend nicely.
4. Transfer the dip to a bowl, add chopped parsley, mix, and serve.

Endive and Pear Salad

This salad might seem trivial to those who tasted any version of it. But, last time I served it to my friends, it turned out that it was completely unknown to them. It also earned many compliments. It is one of my favorite fall salads so I decided to post this recipe today, as fall is definitely here.

It is easy to make if you only have the right ingredients. The neutral taste of the endive is enhanced by the sweetness of the pear, the strong taste of the blue cheese and aromatic walnuts. Once drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, the salad should be gently tossed. All the flavors infuse and with each bite you taste them blending in your mouth.

This salad can be served as a dinner entrée or, as it is often in France and Switzerland, as a lunch dish, accompanied by a fresh baguette.

Endive and Pear Salad
(Serves four)

Ingredients: 3-4 endives,
1 ripe but not too soft pear,
1/2 cup toasted walnuts quarters,
1 thick slice of Roquefort or any hard, good quality blue cheese,
juice from 1/2 lemon,
2-3 tbsp olive oil,
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cut endive diagonally into thick slices and place in a large shallow bowl.
2. Peel off the pear and remove seeds. Cut in four and slice. Scatter on top of the endives.
3. Cut the piece of blue cheese into small cubes and toss on the salad.
4. Finish with walnuts.
5. Make a dressing; in a small bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Drizzle the salad on top. You can toss the salad gently or serve in layers for a better presentation.
 

Beet Salad with Walnuts--This Time from Georgia

Most of the beet dishes are about beets only. Their delicate taste can be enhanced by spices but cannot be overshadowed by them. So whenever I post a beet recipe I usually place a picture of beets at the top of the post. But I already shared so many beet recipes that I am running out of ideas how to show them in the most appealing way. After all, they are just regular beets, nothing more.

At my home we eat a lot of beets and we eat them often. We love them so much that sometimes I just roast them and add to green salads, drizzled with pomegranate vinegar and oil. Recently I have been making a beet salad which I discovered not so long ago. I make it for lunch and serve just with bread sandwiches with ham or the Italian mortadela.

I think it comes from Georgia and it is a bit different than we serve it in Poland, because of the added walnuts. It also has mayonnaise, which I hardly eat these days, but it is really a tiny amount just so the beets get kind of slightly smothered in it but it does not make the whole salad too heavy or too greasy. Finely chopped walnuts are almost undetectable and just give a bit of crunchy texture to the smooth beets. Because in Poland we eat a lot of beet salad for Easter and we add beet-horseradish preserve to meats and sausages, I thought about sharing this recipe today.

Beet Salad with Walnuts

Ingredients:
4 medium beets roasted or cooked, peeled off,
2 tbsp walnuts, finely chopped,
1 garlic clove, minced,
2 tbsp mayonnaise,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Grate the beets on a grater, preferably the julienne style.
2. In a medium bowl make the sauce: mix mayonnaise, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add beets and mix with the sauce. Add finely chopped walnuts and mix again.

Serve with cold cuts, roasted meats, or just good, rye bread.

Leek Tart on Walnut Crust--Instead of Leek Soup

One would think that since I love to cook and share so peristently my culinary experience on this blog, my kids must be open-minded or even adventurous when it comes to food.

Ironically, it is almost the opposite. They favor the typical American kids' diet based on pasta, pizza, and chicken nuggets. They do not like traditional Polish dishes except for borshch and pierogi, which for them fall rather under pasta category together with ravioli and tortellini.

My younger son, Philip, is particularly difficult when it comes to trying any thing new. Luckily, sometimes he bows to the authority of his French teacher, who occasionally also teaches French cooking classes at his school. This is how Philip got introduced to green salad with balsamic vinegar, omelette, quiche, crème brûlée, and flan, all of which he eventually also got to like.

The other day, he came home and asked for leek soup, handing me the recipe he got at his French class. He never liked leeks so I was surprised but also happy to fulfil his wish. I took out leeks (which I almost always have in my refrigerator) sliced them and was about to start the soup, when I read the recipe and noticed that the soup needs to be simmered for eight hours. I did not have so much time that day and I hardly have so much to cook anything. But since I prepared leeks already I decided to make my favorite dish--a tart, hoping that since I knew he liked an onion tart and seems to like leek soup, he will also like a leek tart.

Leeks and walnuts make that tart very interesting. I like very much the contrast between the softness of the sweet and spicy leek filling, in which you can detect blue cheese, and the crunchiness of the walnut crust, which blend perfectly in the mouth.

Leek Tart on Walnut Crust
(For a 9-inch tart pan)

Ingredients for the crust:
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour,
1 and 1/2 cup ground walnuts,
1 stick butter,
3 tbsp iced water,
1 tsp sugar,
1/2 tsp salt.

For the filling:
3 medium leeks, washed carefully and sliced (they will make 4-5 cups),
2 eggs,
1 cup heavy whipping cream,
1/2 lb Italian Gorgonzola (but it can be any other blue cheese, Roquefort would be particularly good),
3 tbsp olive oil,
freshly ground pepper.

Preparation:
1. To make crust place flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture turns into crumbs. Add walnuts and icy cold water. Run the processor until a smooth dough forms.
2. Roll out the dough on a surface slightly dusted with flour, forming a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. Using a rolling pin transfer the dough to a tart pan greased with butter. Place the pan in a freezer (for as long as it takes to make the filling).
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. Heat the oil on a large frying pan. Add sliced leeks and fry for 8-10 minutes, until they soften up. Let them cool slightly.

5. Beat eggs and cream. Add crumbled blue cheese and pepper.
6. Place the crust in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is baked but not yet gold.
7. Take out the crust from the oven. Place leeks on the bottom and pour the cream mixture on top of the leeks.
8. Lower temperature to 350F and bake the tart for about 40 minutes, until the filling rises and gets brownish on the surface.

Serve with a green lettuce and tomato salad.

Pasta with Walnuts, Sage, and Fresh Ricotta--Flavors of Autumn

Even though I do not post pasta recipes every week, in my kitchen I make it at least once a week, often even twice when kids ask for it. We all love it! I cannot imagine my life without pasta. Whenever I give a choice to my kids what to eat for dinner the answer is always pasta.

I always make my own fresh sauce and if possible I try to make it from seasonal ingredients. So during the course of the year my pasta could be topped with mushrooms, herbs, fresh tomatoes, creamy lemon sauce, but most often it would be with our favorite sauce made with roasted red bell peppers. Sometimes I do it with salmon but hardly ever with meat. I often serve it with fresh cheese and always with glass of wine (for grown-ups). And nothing tastes better or more comforting than pasta, and there is no home-made dish that is easier to make in no time.

Last week, I bought a bag of walnuts in shells, mostly to put them on a wooden plate as a seasonal decoration. But they reminded me of a pasta dish that I usually make only in the fall--pasta with walnuts. And I don't even remember where I got this recipe from.

I toast walnuts and sage leaves in butter. When toasted, walnuts become even more aromatic and crunchy. If I have them, I use black walnuts, which are more aromatic than the regular ones and remind me more of those I used to eat in Poland. Then I mix them with hot pasta and fresh creamy ricotta cheese. It is important to use fresh ricotta--pasta does not taste half that good made with the regular supermarket ricotta, which is too dry and chewy. I buy mine at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or at the Italian delicatessen. I love this contrast of the almost sweet, smooth cheese and spicy, very flavored taste of nuts and herbs that all come from a fall harvest and smell like autumn. To spice it all up a bit it is good to add a few hot pepper flakes. But also it takes hardly ten minutes to have a wonderful dinner.

Pasta with Walnuts, Sage, and Fresh Ricotta
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 box (1 lb) penne pasta,
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts,
1 large bunch of sage leaves, chopped crosswise,
15 oz (425 g) fresh ricotta cheese,
6 tbsp butter,
4 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes,
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preparation:
1. In a large pot bring water to boil with one tablespoon of salt. Add pasta, bring it to boiling, turn down the heat and boil until al dente for about 8-11 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan. Melt butter and add garlic. Fry them for about 2 minutes, then stir in the walnuts and sage. Fry them for about 5 minutes, until the nuts are toasted and sage leaves get darker and crispy.

3. Drain pasta and add to the frying pan. Mix well. Turn off the heat and add fresh ricotta. Season with hot pepper flakes, extra salt--if you need to--and generously with freshly ground black pepper.

Serve immediately and enjoy.

Walnut Beef Soup--Probably from Georgia

The soup season is in. After a month of unstoppable rain, a real fall chill has come. Last weekend for the first time this season it was so cold that the heating system went on and off the whole night. And every time I looked through the window at this depressing weather, I dreamed more and more about a bowl of warm soup.

On Sunday evening we had a dinner at our neighbours who served a pumpkin bisque soup. There was nothing that could taste better on that cold evening, served with fresh, home made bread. But because last week I already made many pumpkin dishes, I decided to cook a different soup. And, for that purpose, I reached for a recipe that has been intriguing me for a long time.

I have been reading a lot about less known cuisines and among them about the Georgian cuisine. And it struck how much walnuts they use. This makes me believe that this soup, which I do not know exactly the origins of, comes from Georgia as walnuts are its main ingredient. It falls into the Eintopf category. Although it is based on basically two main ingredients (walnuts and beef), the two of them already make it very rich. When served with bread that soup can be as satisfying as a main dish. Fresh herbs add a lot of aroma to that already unusual combination.

Walnut Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb (about 500g) beef (any tender variety will work best),
1 cup of shelled walnuts,
1 tbsp all purpose flour,
1 tsp ground coriander,
2 garlic cloves,
2 tbsp tomato paste,
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves,
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves,
1 tsp salt,
ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cut beef into about one-inch cubes and put it in a medium pot. Cover the meat with 8 cups of cold water and bring it to boil.
2. When the beef starts to cook skim the foam from the surface and let it cook until the beef becomes soft, which will take 30-40 minutes, depending on how tender the beef is.
3. Chop garlic on the cutting board and mix it with salt. Add to the beef stock.
4. Chop or grind the walnuts and add them to the soup.
5. In a small bowl mix one tablespoon of flour, tomato paste, coriander, and a little bit of water to make a smooth paste. When all the flour clots dissolve, add four tablespoons of beef stock to the tomato paste, mix well and pour into the soup. Stir and let it boil.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, add chopped basil and parsley. Serve with bread.

Crunchy Pink Grapefruit Salad--Low Calorie Low Cost

Today, I have read in Yahoo news that clothing prices in America will rise 10 percent, starting in spring. So, let me ask if you have ever bought anything for just one cent? It may seem unbelievable, but I have, and of course it was not a hundred years ago but just last year, and it happened at a reputable store in my local shopping mall.

It was a very pretty short black skirt by Tahari, which I found at Bloomingdale's. The original tag price was $135, but the skirt was hanging in the sale section. The price scanner was not working with this item and I was sent to see the sales associate. When the lady look at the computer, she smiled widely and said "one cent". She could not explain why, but sometimes it was happening that, for some mysterious reasons, perfectly fine and newly arrived items showed a price of one cent. It was my size but, as you can guess, I did not even care to try it on. I paid one cent, that I had to dig out from my purse. No tax either, or maybe the tax was already included?

The other day, while browsing between shelves at a local food store, one reflection came to my mind. Prices are going up all the time, but there are still many products that we can buy, maybe not exactly for one cent, but for less than a dollar for the whole item or at least per pound. Yesterday, I saw bloody oranges that I bought for a tart, three for a dollar, huge pummelos for 89 cents a piece and, pink grapefruits two for 1 dollar, which I bought to make my lunch with.

I did a lot of cooking recently, including a birthday cake, so I wanted to make something easy and light for lunch. These grapefruits reminded me of a nice and crispy grapefruit salad that I used to make. It requires only three ingredients (grapefruits, walnuts, and celery sticks) and is very healthy, because grapefruits are a great source of vitamins A and C, and have a lot of potassium. I like to blanch the walnuts to soften them up, and that way they complement nicely the soft and juicy citrus and very crispy celery sticks. I must honestly say that my mother, who is visiting us right now, and who is used to more traditional tastes, did not like it at all, maybe because she does not like the celery sticks. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much for my lunch.

Crunchy Pink Grapefruit Salad
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
3 pink grapefruits or 2 pummelos,
1 cup walnuts,
6 celery sticks, about 2 cups,
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt,
1 tsp sugar,
1 tbsp olive oil.

Preparation:
1. Supreme the grapefruits--remove the segments and leave the white membranes out (see the picture).

2. Cut celery sticks into very thin slices.
3. Pour hot water over walnuts and soak them for about 10 minutes. Drain.
4. Cut grapefruit segments into smaller pieces, gently squeezing out excess juice, and put in medium sized bowl together with celery sticks and walnuts.
5. Mix yogurt with oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add it to the bowl and gently combine with all the ingredients.

If you like it very crunchy, you can serve it right away. If you let it stand for sometime, the celery will soften and will be less crispy.