10 BELLES CAFE IN PARIS

10 Belles is a lovely cafe in Paris by the Canal St.Martin. It is a small place with 5 little tables which is very charming. There is also a mezanine with few more tables. Service is cheerful and the coffee is the best in Paris. Coffee is their speciality, with blends from Nicaragua or Salvador. It is always freshly ground just for your cup! The cafe has a british feel with a modern interior.

 They offer a choice of breakfast which includes homemade granola, scones with jam or tartines. Menu changes daily, with seasonal produce in mind. Lunch usualy consist of salad, sandwich and a soup. The choice is not big, but everything looks tempting and tastes great!

Home made beef ravioli

I got a pasta machine for christmas! I always wanted one, thank you santa... Few days ago I finaly had the time to play with it. I was a bit worried that the pasta might be too hard, but i was very pleased with the result. And it was such a good fun. I filled the parcels with minced beef flavoured with Parmesan and a touch of chorizo sausage which added lovely hint of spice. I had a bit too much of it so I made some meatballs from the rest. I will be experimenting with pasta in near future so I'm sure more posts will be based on this easy delicious meal. I would like to try authentic Italian recipes that have not been modified in uk or us. If you do know some please let me know.

I love how simple it is to make the dough. Just flour, egg and salt. Something I always have at home. Just knead as long as you can and allow to stand for 30 minutes to relax the gluten. Otherwise your pasta will be like a concrete. You can add spinach or rocket to make it green, beetroot to make it red or use chestnut flour instead. The choice of filling is also wide, but 3 I came across the most. Spinach and ricotta, pumpkin filling or meet filling.

This time I made a lovely rich tomato sauce, as I thought it would compliment the beef. But sage butter would be also wonderful. Lots of pasta dishes are region specific as most things in Italy are. When I talk to Italians about their food, they are often shocked about our ideas of Italian food. The combinations we choose and so on. But I guess there is nothing wrong with making a dish your own as long as you enjoy it.

For the recipe follow the read more link. Bon apetit

GREEN PRAWN NOODLE SALAD

Are you ready to start your New Year the healthy way? You don’t have the time to cook? Try this quick, healthy recipe.

Not only is Vietnam a beautiful country, it’s also home of one of the best tasting cuisines in the world. Fresh herbs, spices and sea food are just some of the ingredients which make Vietnamese cuisine so good. One of my favourite dishes is a prawn and noodle salad. This juicy salad is a perfect antidote against all Christmas treats you may have indulged in.

Don’t foget to add a bergamote lime. It is a small yellow lemon that looks like a classic lemon but it is much more fragrant. It would be cross between a bitter orange and a lime.

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes until tender , drain. Toss the noodles with the prawns, onion, coriander, snow peas, spinach leaves, soy sesame oil and lemon.

HEALTHY PANCAKES WITH APPLES

Some of my friends have been asking for healthy recipes to start new years detox regime. So I took a pancake recipe and swapped some ingredients to make it less guilty pleasure and more healthy boost. I ended up with this delicious fluffy, cinnamony pancakes with apples. I used just honey to drizzle over the top and the fruit. You could also use Agave syrup, which is now available in most supermarkets. If you want to go even more healthy, opt for sugar free almond or oat milk and instead of sugar just mix in two tablespoons of honey.

Check the recipe below to treat yourself to healthy but luscious breakfast. Let your imagination run free with the toppings. Natural yogurt, chopped nuts or any fruit you love.  I could only eat six of those as the wholemeal is much more filling, higher in fibre and tastes of nuts.

Marbled chocolate brownie cake

Over the holidays my mum made this cake while I was visiting Slovakia.  It looked so irresistible I just have to share it with you. You can make it in square  tin or round one as we did which looks lovely. Make it as a treat for Sunday or for any celebrations. It will serve 8-10 people as it is very rich. Serve with fresh fruit of  your choice, berries work really well.

Its a very easy recipe, but the results are deliciously indulgent. Just follow the instructions below!

Christmas baking round two

Every year I make these honey biscuits before christmas which we then decorate with my niece and nephew. Its now our little tradition. They are soft and fragrant from spices. I guess they are similar to gingerbread, only there is no ginger. In Slovakia, you will find beautifully decorated ones, but watch out, we are getting better at it!!!

The rest of the confection consist of coconut meringues which my grandmother used to make and we called it kisses. That was long before the meringue girls...

I also made jammy dodgers, which are filled with strawberry jam. The round balls are not baked, its a mix of nuts, raisins and rum, bit of cocoa which is chilled overnight and then rolled and coated in coconut powder. 

For the honey biscuits, the dough has to stand in the fridge for 24 hours before i cut the shapes with various cookie cutters I collected over the years. They are cooked only for 8-10minutes, otherwise they would become hard. Brush them with beaten egg when they come out of the oven. Keep in a box or a container with a tiny piece of bread to extract the excess moisture.