Bruschetta with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella - Recipe

 For being somebody that love to cook, I can be really lazy sometimes and have zero inspiration. For those days, I still need to eat, and I prefer something easy, comforting and warm. For me, my Bruschetta with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella are perfect for such days. 

My all time favorite inspirational YouTuber, Laura Vitale with her channel Laura in the Kitchen, is somebody I always go back to when I need easy and quick recipes. She makes the most delicious Italian food for all types of occasions. Her recipes are my first option I go to, when I need some great  and traditional meal ideas for those days I invite my Italian in-laws. She has at least 10 different ideas when it comes to do bruschettas. There are indeed endless variations and just use your imagination and you can create whatever topping you want for them. They are perfect to have as a snack, starter or side dish.

Ingredients:

13 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 mozzarella ball, shredded

few fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 French baguette, sliced diagonally

2 tbsp butter 

3 tsp of mixed dried herbs and garlic powder

1 pinch of salt and pepper and dried parsley 

Method:

1-Preheat the oven to 190C degrees. Wash and half the cherry tomatoes, shred mozzarella ball and chop the basil leaves. Mix it in a bowl and sprinkle over salt, pepper, and dried parsley to taste.

2- Slice the garlic baguette diagonally to get more surface, each slice should be ca 1/2 inch or 2 cm thick. Mix the butter with the dried herbs and garlic powder. Butter each slice of the baguette and add   an even amount of the tomato mix on each of them. In two of the slices I deliberately removed tomatoes as few family members don't like them.

3- Put the bruschetta slices on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and the mozzarella has melted.

The two following youtube clips by Laura Vitale are my inspiration for this recipe:

Enjoy!

Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Aubergine Dip) - Recipe

From the north of Iran, around the Caspian sea comes this lovely light dish, Mirza Ghasemi. First time I tasted it, was during a family dinner at a Persian restaurant. We ordered the dip as a starter. It was so delicious and tasty that afterwards I could simply not forget about this dish. I had to try it myself and did some research online. Luckily I found a great videoclip on youtube (see the video below) and gave it a go myself. 

It is such a light yet meaty dip, which is usually the case when you use aubergine in a recipe. It adds great flavors to this dish especially since you grill the aubergine. Mirza Ghasemi is very versatile as you can have it as a light lunch, appetizer or side dish. It works very well as a starter in a Mediterranean menu. It is another simple dish that takes no time to make and is simply divine. 

I have to say that it was somewhat hard to find an authentic recipe online, as different people followed different recipes. Some added garlic to it, some did not add onions at all and some used eggs in it as well. This specific recipe that I am using here was chosen simply because it has the same taste and texture as the Mirza Ghasemi I had in the Persian restaurant and fell in love with it.

Ingredients

1,5 tbsp oil
1 aubergine, diced
2 small onions, diced
2 tomatoes, diced,
salt and pepper
Chili flakes
1,5 tsp tomato puree

(I also added a spice mix from Kurdistan which goes really well with fried tomatoes and onions, but can be skipped.)

Method:

1- Grill the aubergine over the fire if you use a gas cooker or grill it in the oven until well cooked.

2- Dice the onions and fry them until golden brown and then add the diced tomatoes as well.

3- While the onions and tomatoes are frying, peel off the grilled skin from the aubergine and dice it as well and then add it to the mix once the onions and tomatoes have been cooking for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

4- If the mix becomes to dry add 1,5 tbsp of water and also add 1,5 tsp of tomato puree.  Season the mix with the spices and stir well. Let it cook on medium heat for about another 5 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and mash it with a food mixer. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes before serving.

5- Serve with pita bread or freshly baked naan bread.

The following youtube clip is the inspiration for this lovely aubergine dip.

Enjoy!

Prawn Cocktail with a twist - Recipe

Swedish egg and prawn sandwich

During the weekend, I did a 70's classic dish, the prawn cocktail. This classic retro starter was perfect to have as a light meal as we had a late brunch on Saturday. The prawn cocktail does remind me somewhat of a Swedish sandwich, ägg- och räkmacka (egg and prawn sandwich), which I have not had for sometime now and will definitely make soon. 

As I like to change recipes slightly I did this prawn cocktail with a twist. So this is by no means any classic recipe for the prawn cocktail. It is, however, a very straightforward recipe and super easy to put together as nothing needs to be cooked really. 

I was inspired to do this dish when I went with husband to the restaurant chain, Giraffe. I ordered their prawn cocktail and it had a delicious and tangy bbq-ish taste with tortillas in it and I simply loved it. Just had to give it a go myself. I love Giraffe simply because they offer a variety of international dishes and I always find something new and tasty to try out. That is really a chain that I like to visit often. Besides, the prices are quite ok.

The recipe

Ingredients:

Lettuce, few leaves, shredded

2 tomatoes, diced

1 ripe avocado, diced

2/3 cup of light mayo

1 tbsp Heinz ketchup

few drops Worcester sauce

1,5 tsp Heinz classic barbecue sauce 

0,5 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

1 cup prawns, peeled and cooked

2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1- I used frozen prawns so I quickly stir fried them with some smoked paprika and black pepper for few minutes and put them to aside.

2- I diced the avocado in 1 cm pieces and added lemon juice over, as it prevents it from turning brown. I mixed it with the diced tomatoes and added some salt and pepper.

3- In a bowl, I mixed the mayo, ketchup, Worcester sauce, barbecue sauce, smoked paprika and black pepper. Then I added the prawns to the mayo mix and mixed well.

4- Last step is simply to put everything together in 2 glasses. I put layers of lettuce in the bottom of the glass, added a layer of avocado and tomatoes as well as a layer of the mayo mix with prawns. Sprinkled some smoked paprika  and dried dill over it as well.  I served it with a toasted bread. 

It tasted really good and that bbq sauce added a tangy and pleasant twist to it. This will definitely be a meal I will do often when i want something fresh, light yet creamy and quick to make.

Enjoy!