My mothers yeast cake.

My mother is a yeast cakes master, and she makes the best yeast cakes all over the world. My mum worked in factory where yeast was made and she knew everything about yeast, but she says:“The secret of tasty cake is in hands and heart of the baker. Of course, fresh yeast is very important but you must have patience and love for doing yeast cake." It is true because my aunt doesn’t have patience for yeast cake and she has never made a good one but she makes delicious cream cake.
I know the flavor of yeast since childhood. I remember the smell of hot cake and bread at Saturday night. Every Sunday morning my mother was giving me yeast cake and glass of milk. I loved this breakfast! My mother makes many kinds of yeast cakes and buns but my favorite is yeast roll with cocoa.

Yeast cake with cocoa

1 kg sifted high quality flour
1 l. milk,
10 gr. fresh yeast or 2 tsp dry yeast
200 gr. sugar
100 gr. butter
6 yolk
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
5 tbsp cocoa

1) Put 1 glass of lukewarm milk, 1 tbsp sugar and yeast into a bowl and stir well. Add a few tbsp flour, mixture must look like a cream. Cover the bowl with napkin and leave the mixture to rise. Keep the mixture in warm place to double more or less its size.

2) Put into big bowl ¾ portion of flour, the rest of milk and sugar, melt butter, eggs yolks, salt, oil ,vanilla essence and mixture with yeast. Mix with your hands well, slowly and obviously with pleasure. Knead pouring the remaining flour until the dough reaches a firm and flexible consistency. When dough doesn’t stick to your hands it is ready. Keep the dough in warm place to rise by half size.

3) Put the dough on a board and roll out gently. When dough is flat spill it with cocoa and roll up. Put dough into baking pan and leave to rise.

4) When dough rises a little , put it into the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for around 40 minutes.

5) After baking leave the cake to cool down.

Enjoy!

The problem with Gran Reserva

Last week my husband made me a surprise and he bought me a red wine from Tarragona. The wine is Baturrica Tarragona Gran Reserva, the 2002 vintage. Wine tasted raisin, oaky, and it is a bit rough but nevertheless very pleasant table wine for grilled meats and plate of cheese. It is very good for barbecue. This wine is a composition of Cabernet and Tempranillo wines.
So it was a big surprise when I saw this wine in Lidl store. Wine had a good taste, it was Gran Reserva and I wondered how can it be so cheap? I sought through internet for this wine. I found some information about Baturrica Tarragona Gran Reserva. One of them was a post on other blog containing the quotation: One of the best "cheap" wines. This one from DO Tarragona, sold (exclusive?) by Lidl and described by Anthony Worrall Thompson this way: "For those with a passion for fiery reds, look no further than Baturrica's Tarragona. This elegant and inexpensive Gran Reserva is bursting with vibrant red berry flavours. It's perfect for enjoying with cheese and grilled meats."

Hmm, maybe my stereotypical view about wine with labels “Gran Reserva” is not truth. For me “Gran Reserva” means expensive wine because it must be aged. So this information is very good because I like barrel taste, and European sign usually guarantees quality of wine, but the price often keeps me away. But what does “Gran Reserva” really mean? I found the answer in Wikipedia.

Reserve wine is a term given to a specific wine to imply that is of a higher quality than usual, or a wine that has been aged before being sold, or both. Traditionally winemakers would "reserve" some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term. In some countries the use of the term “reserve” is regulated, but in many places it is not.
In similarity to the term "old wines," "reserve" is meant to indicate a wine that is special, or at least different in flavor or aging potential. In general, the more reputable the producer, the more likely the term "reserve" has a genuine meaning.
In Spain and Italy, “reserve” is regulated term controlled by law, at least ensuring that reserve wines get some additional aging. However, in practice it is very difficult to regulate quality, so the term primarily deals with aging and alcoholic strength. In Spanish wines, the requirements varies between regions, but typically, when used on a label "Reserva" means that the wine was aged for at least three years in the cask and bottle, at least one of which must have been in the cask. Those that have been aged for five years (two in cask, three in bottle) or more are labeled "Gran Reserva". Gran Reservas are intended to be made only in exceptional vintages, but this is up to the producer.
Now I see.

Polish Slow Food

This week we were celebrating 650th location anniversary of Ptaszkowa, a village of 3,000 inhabitants located near Nowy Sącz in Beskid Niski mountains in the south of Poland. We were there because of my husband who wrote a book about the truly fascinating history of this noble village.

There was a community contest of local food prepared by the farmer’s wives’ associations from different villages in the district of Grybów. That was a real feast. With delightful food and what is more with smiling faces of vibrant personalities in their regional clothes, singing lively folk songs and celebrating also thirtieth anniversary of the ordination of their parish priest. That was the place where we had our just right to taste!

Let's eat and sing...

...and share the joy of life!

I would go mushroom-picking every day with that kind of stuff! And eat bigos from Biała Niżna! The secret - I was told- is in the way you cook the cabbage!

The traditional figurine made of butter, usually put on the table during the Easter, here we have hen - shaped in the mould counting 150 years! It was made by the grandfather of one of the ladies. Have you recently tried the real butter - I mean did you find the taste of the sour cream in it? I did! There’s no comparison to anything else you name butter. It would be worth to come here just for this one thing! But since there were also traditional sausages...

Cold meat in aspic and traditional Polish yeasted wedding cake called "kołacz" (kolach).

Here one could sample the fruit home-made wine with dog rose syrup - from Polna village. Good mood guaranteed:-)

I got the loaf from Mrs Janka from Gródek and have tried on the regional costume!

But above all we met extraordinary people.
You are highly welcome to Ptaszkowa! The recipes and people are priceless!!!

Tempranillo

A few weeks ago I made a discovery of good wine of Catalunya. This is a red wine Coronas which aroma and flavor is a combination of elements of blackberry and strawberry fruits oak and truffles. Its tannins givea fruity, velvety touch of smoke and spices acquired during ageing. This combineation of flavors is a good background for meats like beef or lamb. I have tried this wine with Irish stew with lamb. So it was a good mix of Spanish wine and Irish meal. After that diner I became interested in Tempranillo produced by Torres, because I didn’t know that strain of grapes.

It was a big surprise for me when a read about this grape because I knew another names. Tempranillo is known by other names in certain regions and I tried this kind of wine from South America but wine of Catalunya tastes the best for me.
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines. It is the main grape used in Rioja. It’s name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano ("early"), a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than other Spanish red grapes. In the last 100 years it has been planted in South America, USA, South Africa, Australia, and Canada.

Tempranillo grapes prefer a cooler climate and have low resistance to many wine diseases and pests. Wines tolerate heat well, but the fruit develops indistinct flavors and undesirable characteristics in warm climates. Tempranillo grapes tend to be low both in overall acidity and sugar, but relatively high in tannin from their thick skins. In favorable climates such as the cool higher elevation of Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo can make wine that is moderate in alcohol, but long-lived.
Tempranillo wines can be consumed young, but the most expensive ones are aged for several years in oak barrels.

Tempranillo is less frequently bottled as a single varietal. Being low in both acidity and sugar content, it is most commonly blended with Grenache (known as Garnacha in Spain), Carignan (known as Mazuela in Spain), Graciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Blending the grape with Carignan makes a brighter and more acidic wine. Tempranillo is the major component of the typical Rioja blends and constitutes 90-100% of Ribera del Duero wines. In Australia, Tempranillo is blended with Grenache and Syrah. In Portugal, where it is known as Tinta Roriz, it is a major grape in the production of some Port wines.

So I tried Tempranillo many times but I surely wasn’t aware of that because wine makers used different brand names hiding the real origins of the grapes. The first time I came across the actual Tempranillo name was with Coronas wine from Torres.
The traditional Tempranillo variety is the basis of Coronas, blended with a small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon.
I recommend this wine. Enjoy!

Walnut Asparagus Omelette

Since my husband doesn't like eggs as they are I have nearly lost hope to find my soulmate. Thanks God there is Nuria. She has announced the blogging omelette contest. My first thought: asparagus and walnuts. Spring and autumn together. Brain's stimulants. So that is the story: Nuria's responsible for that spark.

Walnut Asparagus Omelette
for 1 person
(still I must to eat it alone)

2 eggs
pinch of salt and baking powder
5 thin asparagus
a handful of walnuts

1. Roast walnuts in the frying pan.
2. Boil asparagus in water with salt and sugar, drain and cool down immediately. Cut into 2 -3 cm pieces.
3. Beat the eggs with salt and baking powder (I did it really well with my mixer).
4. Mix in asparagus and walnuts.
5. Pour out on a hot oiled frying pan. Cover with a lid and keep on a medium fire for 2 minutes. Turn and keep for a minute longer.
6. Eat as fast as possible!!!
What I like in this dish is the green crunchy stuff and my favourite nuts. You didn't expect that hardship in an omelette, did you? And I like that bubbles caught in the structure. It gives the illusion that it is a light treat;-)
I can't wait to see more wonderful recipes!!! Viva España!

Cabernet-Negrette Aubergines

Hungry mind walks strange ways (you can quote that). Do you too starve yourself to stimulate your mind to create some tasty dish? Lying in bed at night I was thinking about stuffed aubergines, marinated roasted aubergines, pickeled aubergines. For me there is no more French vegetable than this one, even leeks lose the contest with it.

Rosemary Cabernet Negrette Aubergines
(for 2)

1 medium aubergine
1 tsp chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp extra vergin olive oil
100-150 ml Cabernet-Negrette or another red table wine
100-150 ml double cream
salt, freshly groung pepper
pasta for 2 people

1. Slice aubergine into thick slices (around 1 cm) and cut them into four pieces. Start boiling pasta, by the time it will be ready, you will finish with the aubergine and a sauce.
2. Heat the oil in the frying-pan, add rosemary, stir for half a minute. Add aubergine, saute for 2 minutes, mixing halfway.
3. Pour wine and stew under cover for 3-4 minutes tossing.
4. Pour cream, season generously with salt and pepper, mix and leave under cover for another couple of minutes.
5. Remove the lid and reduce the souce, seasoning if necessary.
6. Arrange pasta on plates, cover with the aubergine pieces and the nice purple sauce. Decorate with herbs.

Enjoy delicious flavours of rosemary in this red wine sauce! Absolutely amazing dish, although so simple and quick.

Small note on wine: the good thing about cooking with wine is that you don't need a superb wine to cook a superb dish. Sometimes something hardly drinkable can go well if used in the cooking process.

Whatever is your experience with VdP du Comte Tolosan Allegoria Cabernet-Negrette (vintage 2005) or Negrette in general, please share it here. I only can assure you, it goes well with aubergines!!!

Dandelion bread

Again, we are participating in the 19th Bread Baking Day, an event started by Zorra. This edition's theme are country spring breads. Yuuummy! The host is the previous BBD's winner - Cindy. 'Spring bread? Maybe something with dandelions?' - Gosia, thanks for the idea! Surprising, but working surprisingly well.

Ingredients:

350 g plain wheat flour
150 g wholewheat flour
75 g honey
20 g compressed yeast
245 g warm water
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp salt
50 dandelion buds

1. First you need to find a meadow far away from the road:-) Collect more buds for later use and some leaves if you like to prepare a salad. It is a good idea to use gloves as you may stain your hands with dandelions' sap.

2. Rinse and drain buds. Bring water to boil, toss in dandellions and keep over low fire for a minute. Drain buds and keep them aside. Let the water to cool down.

3. Mix flours and salt in a bowl. Take aside 50 g of it to be used in kneading. Add milk, honey and yeast to warm (not hot!) water and stir to dissolving of yeast.

3. Pour the liquid to the bowl, mix well with flours and take out on the pastry board. Knead pouring the remaining flour until the dough reaches a firm and flexible consistency.

4. Leave to rise in an oiled bowl covered with a wet cloth.

5. When the dough doubles the size, take it out on the board. Don't punch the dough but free the air by delicate flattening the dough into a circle. with your hands. Spread dandelions on the dough and carefully roll it into a roll shape. Stick together every end separately. Roll it a little with your hands to make the log even longer. Transfer it on a baking tray and roll into a snail putting the end at the bottom. Cover with a wet cloth and leave to rise.

6. Make cuts imitating flower's petals and place in preheated oven. Bake 50 minutes in 190 Celsius degrees.

Hm, what should I say now... Wait until it cools down? Well, I should. You can be scalded with dandelions' buds. This bread goes well with the cottage cheese and is rather too sweet to go with meat. I find bundz, Polish sheep milk cheese, very similar to another distinguished Polish cheese, oscypek, the most suitable. Remember that this cheese is the best exactly in May!

I believe that bread is like wine. You should get to know it, taste and learn it. Bread also has its character and can go straight to head. Flour types are like grape varieties. This dandelion bread was made of the mixed flours: plain wheat and wholewheat flour. In its bouquet you may find delicate buds' bodies dipped in the dough. Their scent wafts through this bread's hard crust. I can catch the smell of the bonfire baked potatoes. Imagine the spring bread that reminds that even this time is going by. The bottom smells of raisins and hot cross buns. The top smells of boiled corn. Honey gives a delicate character of the festive bread to it. Warm bread is alive, you can warm up your hands and face. It makes me feel safe. Can you hear bread? Sometimes. Can you talk to it? Yes, you can. But the best of it is that you can feel it. Cool down, my dear. I am waiting for you.