What’s not to love about empanadas? That’s exactly that type of food I can eat in all day long. Mexican empanadas are a little bit remind me Ukrainian pierogies (not Polish). In Ukraine we make them with hundreds of stuffings, with cabbage, meat, potato, cottage cheese, apples, cherries and so on.

Most of the times we fry our “empanadas” on a skillet with enormous amount of sunflower oil, but this time I’ve decided to make a healthy twist and bake them in the oven. Plus usually we make a yeast dough for pierogies, but in this recipe I used a store bought pie crust. I’m not in Ukraine anymore, so can let myself to break the cooking tradition once in a while!

Liver and mushroom empanadas

By voloshyna, November 4, 2013

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• chicken liver - 1/2 pounds
• portobello mushrooms - 2 1/2 cups, chopped
• medium yellow onion - 1, finely chopped
• port wine - 1/4 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• ground cumin - 1 teaspoon
• kosher salt - to taste
• extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• refrigerated pie crusts - 1 (15-ounce) package
• egg - 1, lightly beaten
• For the yogurt dip: -
• low-fat Greek Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• mayonnaise - 3 tablespoons
• finely chopped parsley - 1/4 cup
• smoked paprika - 1/2 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium-sized skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken liver, mushrooms and onion. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly so that the ingredients are well blended. Pour in port; season with salt, pepper and cumin, if desired, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside and let the filling cool. Process the liver mixture in a food processor until almost uniform. Roll out the pie crust dough and cut out rounds using a 3-inch cutter or a cup. Put 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and liver mixture. Arrange empanadas on the baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Brush the top of each empanada with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Transfer the empanadas to a serving platter and serve with a yogurt dip.

Good lasagna recipe it’s a real treasure, cause almost everyone loves this dish. I tried to make it healthier and came up with this wonderful recipe. You can use you own variety of vegetables, don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations!

Bon appetite!

Vegetable and spinach lasagna

By voloshyna, May 8, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 15min
• Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• medium zucchinis - 2, pilled and chopped
• medium bell peppers - 2, seeded and chopped
• uncooked oven ready lasagna noodles - 1 package
• mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan cheese mix - 2 cups
• medium onion - 1, finely chopped
• garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
• canned diced tomatoes - 1 can, 14 oz
• light ricotta cheese - 15 oz
• fresh spinach - 2 cups, packed
• egg - 1
• extra virgin olive oil -
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• For the tomato sauce: -
• tomato sauce - 26 oz
• dry Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, basil) - 2 tbsp
• paprika - 1 tsp
• chili powder - 1 tsp
• salt - to taste
• garlic - 2 cloves, minced
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

In a heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté zucchinis, bell pepper , onion and garlic until tender. Add diced tomatoes and cook another 7-10 minutes. Season to taste. In a food processor combine ricotta cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and egg, process untill smooth. In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for a tomatoe sauce. Season to taste. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with the tomato sauce, place the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce until the dish is covered, spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, sprinkle the cheese mixture, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Then add a layer of the vegetable mix, coat with tomato sauce, sprinkle the cheese mixture over top, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Repeat until the baking dish is full and your ingredients used up. The last layer should be the tomato sauce with some cheese sprinkled over top. Drizzle with an extra virgin olive oil and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and broil high (2-5 minutes) until the cheese on top becomes a golden brown. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes before serving.

Very exotic pancakes recipe from Camille Le Fall. Your new must try recipe=)

Gones banana pancakes

By voloshyna, March 19, 2013

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• all-purpose flour - 1 cup, packed
• baking powder - 1 tsp
• vanilla sugar or superfine sugar with a drop of vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• brown sugar - 1-2 tbsp or to taste
• egg - 1
• milk - 7 tablespoons
• coconut milk - 3/4 cup
• rum - 2 tsp
• melted butter - 2 tbsp
• bananas - 2 small
• Nutella - 7-8 tbsp
• grated coconut -

Instructions:

Mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and coconut milk. Stir in the rum.  Pour the liquid into the flour and beat until the batter is smooth.  Leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Peel bananas and slice into rounds. Cook the pancakes over medium heat, and as soon as the underside begins to brown, turn it with a spatula. Continue cooking until the other side is cooked and no longer sticks to the pan. Transfer the pancake on a plate. Cover with a layer of Nutella and sliced bananas, sprinkle with grated coconut. Serve immediately.

Always wanted to cook salmon ravioli and finally I made it. I called this dish a restaurant style ravioli, because it turned out really pretty especially with this orange cream tomato sauce. You can use this recipe for your romantic Valentine’s dinner!

Taste best with a glass of cool Chardonnay!

Salmon ravioli with tomato cream sauce

By voloshyna, February 12, 2013

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• ready made wonton/ravioli wraps - 1 package
• egg - 1
• salmon fillet - 1 (1/2 lb)
• ricotta cheese - 5 oz
• lemon zest - 1 tbsp.
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• For the sauce: -
• cherry tomatoes - 2 cups
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• sea salt - 1 tsp
• finely chopped garlic - 1 clove
• finely chopped sage leaves - 1 tbsp
• anchovy fillet - 3
• prosecco or white wine - 1/4 cup
• heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss cherry tomatoes with an olive oil, chopped garlic, sea salt and sage leaves. Put them on a baking sheet an bake for 15-20 min until tender. Transfer roasted tomatoes with a juice in a small sauce pan, add chopped anchovy fillet and pour with a prosecco or white wine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to a medium-low and continue simmering 5 min. Pour tomatoes with all the juice in a blender; puree until smooth. Pour tomato mixture through a sieve and return to a sauce pan over a medium heat. Stir in cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. In a food processor combine salmon fillet, ricotta and lemon; process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl lightly beat egg. Spoon a small amount (about 1 teaspoon) of salmon mixture onto each wonton. Brush the edges of the wonton with egg. Fold over the wonton to form a triangle, make sure it seal tightly. Pull the sides to form the classic tortellini shape and pinch the ends together. Drop ravioli into a salted boiling water and cook until they float. Remove cooked ravioli from the water to a serving dish. Serve ravioli with a hot tomato cream sauce and grated Parmesan.

Simple recipe of hot and juicy empanadas! One of the best appetizers I’ve ever made, in Ukraine we would call it pirozhki!

Chicken empanadas with cilantro chutney

By voloshyna, January 18, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the empanadas: -
• large yellow onion - 1, finely chopped
• minced garlic - 1 clove
• minced chicken breast - 3/4 lb
• medium red bell pepper - 1, finrey chopped
• small jalapeno - 1, seeded and chopped
• tomato sauce - 5-6 tbsp
• ground cumin - to taste
• sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• shredded cheddar - 1 cup
• extra virgin olive oil -
• puff pastry - 1 package
• water -
• egg - 1, lightly beaten
• For the cilantro chutney: -
• fresh cilantro - 1 bunch
• ground cumin - 1/4 tsp
• green chili pepper - 1
• finely chopped fresh ginger - 1 tsp
• water - 1 tbsp, or as needed
• lemon juice - to taste
• sugar - 1/2 tsp
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the baking sheet with a parchment paper On a large skillet preheat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, saute the garlic, onion and peppers. Add the chicken breast then cook until light brown. Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 tsp of sugar (optional), season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Simmer for about 4-5 min, then add the cheese, mix well and turn off. Set to cool. Unroll 1 puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Repeat procedure with remaining puff pastry sheet, making 12 to 15 circles total.  Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Moisten edges with a water and fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. Brush your empanadas with a lightly beaten egg and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile cook the cilantro chutney. Add all the ingredients in a food processor and pulls until finely ground. Remove from the oven. Serve hot.

A very  beautiful dessert, these tartlets are like an edible roses. Ripe plum, shortbread crust and a thin layer of caramel sause – fantastic combination.

Plum tartlets

By voloshyna, August 15, 2012

• Total Time: 01h 05min
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• all purpose flour - 1 1/3 cup
• cold butter - 1/3 cup
• egg - 1
• big ripe plums - 3-4
• confectioners sugar - 4 tsp.
• caramel syrup - 4-5 tbs.

Instructions:

Cut butter into a small cubes. Pulse butter, flour and egg in a food processor, until it starts to form a ball. Turn off the processor and knead the dough with your hands, until smooth. Wrap it into a plastic food wrap and then put it in the refrigerator for a half an hour. Cut plum into a thin slices. Preheat oven to 375 F. Divided cold dough into 4-5 equal balls.  Roll out each ball to 1/8 inch thick (3mm), and line tartlet pans. Cut off excess dough with a knife. Pierce the crusts with a fork for a couple times. Line pastries with parchment paper, fill the paper with a little raw beans or rice, and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove parchment with rice, let to cool for a 5 min. Spread a thin layer of caramel into each crust, top with a plum slices. Lower the oven heat to 330 F, sprinkle the tartlets with a confectioners sugar and bake for about 5-10 min. Cool in pan 5-10 min. Then remove and let completely cool on a wire rack.

In my opinion ricotta is just a wonderful product. Many people call it cheese, but it’s not entirely true. Because it is not produced by coagulation of casein. Ricotta made from sheep (or cow, goat, buffalo) milk whey left over from the production of mozzarella or other cheese. Personally I love ricotta and use it as a base for desserts and like a filling for different kinds of buns and rolls . Unlike cheese ricotta is much less fat and doesn’t spread when baking.

Blueberry-ricotta blinis

By voloshyna, August 14, 2012

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• buttermilk - 1 cup
• egg - 1
• ricotta - 1/2 cup
• all-purpose flour - 1 cup
• sugar - 1/4 cup
• baking soda - 1/2 tsp.
• baking powder - 1tsp
• salt - 1/4 tsp.
• blueberry -

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk the buttermilk with the egg, ricotta, sugar, salt and soda. In smaller bowl, mix together flour with baking powder, sift in buttermilk mixture, stir the batter constantly to prevent lumps. Then add blueberries, stir very gently to avoid damaging the berries. In a skillet, heat a little bit of vegetable oil. Use a big spoon and put small portions of batter into the pan. When blinis will grow and you can see bubbles - turn them on the other side and fry until golden brown.

Just an amazing dessert – looks unusual and beautiful. The syrup that remains after cooking you can use for another desserts or cocktails.

Pears in honey syrup

By voloshyna, August 5, 2012

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

• peeled pears - 2
• white wine - 1 cup
• sugar - 3/4 cup
• honey - 1/2 cup
• vanilla pod - 1
• cinnamon - 1 stick
• lemon juice - 3 tbs.
• puff pastry - 1/2 of a sheet
• egg - 1

Instructions:

In a small sauce pan mix together wine, sugar, honey and spices, bring to a boil. Once the wine mixture is boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and add the pears. Simmer pears for about 30-40 min, until they are tender, turn pears from time to time. Remove pears and let them cool. Preheat oven to 380 F. Cut the pastry into strips, splice at the ends to make two long strips about 22-24 inches each. Place pears on on a baking sheet, covered with parchament paper. Wrap the pears with the pastry stripes from bottom to the top. Brush with a lightly beaten egg. Bake about 15-20 min, until golden brown. Serve with a remaining syrup.