Mouth watering Pike Farci

Holiday, holiday, holiday.... Long time ago have promised to my aunt (I would like to add also many times in that period:) to visit her and that was the moment I could no refuse any further. Jumped in the car with my family, took my parents and there we are. Once we came in I thought there will some kind of wedding or posh dinner for.... lets say.... 20 persons? :) The table was braking down from the ballast of the food and all dishes looked so delicious! There was something on the table I think loads of people haven't seen anything before- Pike Farci or in other words stuffed pike. Its looked like still live with the eyes (ok, red grapes was perfect eye replacement) looking at me and telling: "Eat me!".

After 5 hours of eating and drinking (ladies had Champagne and boys had vodka) catching the equilibrium on legs and the recipe in my hand I been heading to the bed. We had a nice time. And I was excited to make something like this myself. And I made it! Here we go.

Ingredients:

Pike, whole with the head on
Onions, 2

Cooked carrots, 2
Butter, slightly
White bread, 3 slices
Sour Cream, 100g
Egg, 1 unit

Dill, fine chopped

Parsley, fine chopped

Salt, to taste
Black ground pepper

Cooking:

Clean the pike without damaging skin and cut out all the flesh leaving only skin with the head on. Cut out the eyes. Separate flesh from the bones. Fine chop onions and fry on the pan until gold and leave to cool. Ground de-boned flesh of the fish with the grinder along with fried onions and cooked carrots. Cut the skins of the white bread slices and soak for 20 min in sour cream. Add to the mince slices of white bread soaked in sour cream, whisked eggs, fine chopped dills and parsley, season with ground pepper and salt and mix well everything. Additionally if desired you can mix in some green petite garden peas. The longer you mix the more fluffy mince you will have. Stuff pike with made mince and close belly. Place on the baking tray with some oil and bake in preheated to 160 degrees oven for 50-60 min.

Once serving, instead of eyes you can place the red grapes or anything what is in your imagination;) Just be creative! Otherwise the pike will bite your finger off :)

Delicious homebaked bacon stuffed buns

Last week I been on holiday and visiting my parents. My mum loves cooking and tries to pamper me with home made food from my childhood. This time she made some fresh baked buns with bacon fillings. I remember when I was a child they been flying of the kitchen table. This time wasn't exceptions:)

As we decided after couple of days to visit the Paradise Island called Neringa and its town Nida I thought it would be nice to have some buns on the way. As all the last ones was gone I asked my mum for recipe and made a fresh ones. To be honest they lasted only for the trip and nothing left once we arrived:) We had a very nice and exciting time in Nida. I even made some track called "One night in Nida" and dedicated to the town. If you would like to have a perfect mixture of relax and some action this place would be the irreplaceable.

Ok, back to the topic to the delicious bacon cube buns:)

For dough:

Wheat flour 500 grams

Milk 250 ml

Eggs, 1 unit

Sugar 1 tablespoon

Salt 1 tsp

Oil 5 tbsp

Yeast 20 g

Stuffing:

1 onion

200g smoked pork bacon cubes

ground pepper

Mix yeast dough from the ingredients and leave for 2 hours to rise. Mix bacon cubes with fine chopped onion and season with ground pepper. (Additionally you can add some cumin seeds)

Take the piece of dough and roll it to the flat round scones in diameter of approx. 6 inches. Place full table spoon of the filling right in the middle and close all forming dumplings. Place on the backing tray and leave for another 10-15 min to rise the dough. Brush the buns with the whipped egg yolk mixed with a dash of water and bake in preheated oven (170-180 degrees) for about 20-25 minutes.

Pan fried duck liver with balzamic orange

Last day a had a duck for my guests but unfortunately did not make any pictures. So decided there is no point to post a recipe of my duck as I know from myself what is like only to read but not see (preferably if possible I would rather taste it then read the recipe:)
The duck I bought in "Waitrose" had a liver stacked inside of it. I took it out before marinating the bird, left in the fridge and found only next day. So decided to do something out of it. My guests was very impressed by the creativity and look of the dish and more surprisingly by the taste.
I just made it out of something what I found by my hand at the moment. You can follow my recipe or just be more creative and make it out of your own products you have by your hand.
What you will need.

1 ducks liver 200 g white wine
50 g soya sauce
0.25 bunch coriander
balsamic vinegar
1 orange
olive oil

Marinate ducks' liver in the mix of white wine, soya sauce, pepper and a dash of sugar for about two hours. Fry it in the pan on olive oil for 5 min on both sides. Add chopped coriander and fry for another 1 minute.
Put a bit of olive oil on another pan, pour some balzamic vinegar and add a bit of sugar. Stir well until the sugar melts. Put thick cut orange slices and fry for 1 minute on each side.
Serving suggestions you can see from the picture above;)

Lemon thyme infused mushrooms with baked radish

Just will try to keep short this time. This is very easy but very tasty starter and it takes only 15 min in total to prepare.

You need :

Chestnut mushrooms

Garlic

Fresh radish

Lemon thyme

Butter

Slice mushrooms and fresh radish. Chop one clove of garlic. Melt a bit of butter on frying pan and fry chestnut mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, chopped lemon thyme (I'm personally using only leaves of lemon thyme), sliced fresh radish and fry for another 3-5 minutes.

Off you go! All done just don't forget to enjoy it with a peace of your favourite bread.

Strawberry marinated succulent chicken

Last day I went to the shop and got loads of strawberries. Because of the season you can get cheap and quality ones. I love strawberries! But just to eat them on its own it's a bit boring. Ok, there are thousands of recipes out of strawberries, but I wanted something extraordinary.

The solution came across the chicken breast fillet in my fridge. Why not to try and mix those flavours together?

And you know what?.... you will be surprised how tasty, extraordinary and refreshing it is! Ok. Lets go to the point.

What you need for 2 portions:

Chicken breast fillet 1

Strawberry yoghurt 150g

Strawberries 2 (for decoration)

Red whine vinegar 50ml

for salad:

spinach

avocado

strawberries

mint

olive oil

for sauce:

grenadine cordial

lemon

Marinate chicken breast filet in the mix of strawberry yoghurt, red wine vinegar for about 2 hours (longer you leave more succulent it will be). Season with salt and pepper.

While its marinating you can prepare the salad. Slice strawberries and avocado. Mix with the spinach leaves and chopped mint. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 200º and bake marinated chicken for 35 minutes.

Slice it and serve on plate along with your salad. Decorate your chicken with the sliced strawberries (you can sprinkle also some chopped mint over).

Apply the sauce of grenadine cordial mixed with the fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Tuna Pie

WARNING! This is completely different of the fish pie. It even tastes differently.

You will be surprised, but even if you don't like a fish you will love it, because it even doesn't taste like fish. The taste is more similar to chicken rather to fish (unless someone will tell you what you are eating:). It's so easy to do and takes only up to 45 minutes in total. But you can enjoy it for another few days (not sure about this, as all my friends who tasted it did not left anything for later or even myself:).

And another best thing is you can enjoy both hot and cold (again, if there will be enough time to chill out until your last bite:)

What you need for 4-6 portions:

1 Puff Pastry Sheet (I been using Jus.Rol)

2 tins of tuna in brine

1 onion

2-3 apples

150-200 ml double cream

fresh lemon thyme

Roll your pastry sheet on the baking tray. Drain the tuna out of tin and spread in small paces equally all over your sheet. Put the next lay of thin cut onion rings. Peel the apples and grate them spreading equally all over your pie. Season with salt and pepper. Additionally you can season (and I strongly recommend, as this ads very nice touch) with fresh lemon thyme. It should look something like this.

Preheat oven to 200º. Pour the double cream over your pie and bake for 35 minutes.

And please, tell me how did you liked it ;)

My painting "Mother and Child"

Hi, this time no food will be involved. There is more different arts then create a food. For example painting. I never been painting but had this vision for longer time. So wanted to perpetuate something what's been on my mind.
In the crafts shop bought some canvas and acrylic painting. I knew acrylic is easy to paint and dray and it seemed to be perfect for me. Same as experimenting with the food wanted to experiment with the brushes and paint:)
The main idea came out while my family been away. I wanted to show the strong relationship between mother and daughter (in this case my daughter:). Their are bounded together in one unit facing each other. Ok, no more talks just look at it and I would be really glad to get some reviews as this is one of my first paintings.
"Mother and a child". 240x300mm acrylic on canvas. Signed by me :))))