White fish (pangasius) fillet in cream-wine sauce

Light and airy, with a strong lemon and white wine flavor, balanced by French herbs (tarragon and thyme), this is easy to make and very enjoyable. Quite a feast-y way to get your valuable fatty acids and proteins :).

We had this next to fresh chunks of delicious carrot bread.

Basic carrot cake bars (American)

I love carrot cookies. The flavor and consistency added by carrots in bread-cake compositions is hard to beat by anything else. Sometimes even chocolate can't compare.
Carrots, although they may seem unusual in baked stuff, are actually a medieval European tradition, due to their wide availability in those times when sugar or other sweeteners were hard to find or expensive. Carrot cakes are believed to originated in Sweden, but have become popular through the immigrants bringing them to the emerging States of America. Today they are practically a staple in most pastry shops and cafeterias throughout USA.
This is the basic version of a fast and easy dessert without any other added flavors but pure sweet carrot. Enjoy.

P.S: If you're looking for a posh-up version of a festive cake using a carrot cake base, why not try our carrot and clementine cake :) ?

Pork stir-fry (with bell pepper, broccoli, carrot) (Chinese)

The most basic of Chinese stir-fries. All you need is a good wok and spices (oyster sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic, lemon juice, dried chili peppers, salt and pepper) and a little time. All the flavors will come together in a lovely way. I think this is the best stir-fry we ever made.

If you're worried about the heat, I would estimate that with the directions here (and a moderate amount of pepper) the dish has a medium heat. If you want more add the whole chili pepper, if you want less just limit the amount of pepper you grind into it and completely remove the chili.

We watched Time Machine (2002) after a relaxed cook session with the stir-fry. It was a nice evening :).

Caprese skewers (Italian)

A new way of serving the caprese salad. It is simple combination of delicious and fresh ingredients, so specific to Italian cuisine, and - coincidentally or not - so much in the colors of the Italian flag. All you need is some long wooden skewers, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and mini-mozzarella (it could also work with regular sized mozzarella). This can work both as a salad and a starter. Enjoy :)

Pancetta & artichoke pizza

We're a lot into artichokes lately and we wanted to give this a try. We've put together some tomato paste with lots of garlic on a dough and topped it with fresh pancetta and halved artichoke hearts (oh, the drama! :D). It turned out delicious. Enjoy.

Melanzane alla parmigiana (Italian aubergine - eggplant - casserole with Parmesan)

I truly think this is the best thing I've tasted in a long, long time (previous stuff on the blog included). Eggplant (aubergine) is one of the best veggies out there, and the combination with Italian cheeses (Parmesan and mozzarella), basil and tomato sauce is heavenly. It should be on the menu at least twice a week by my book.

The recipe is traditional in Southern Italy and it spread across the globe. It comes in different variations (more loosely called simply Parmigiana), but the one based upon eggplant is the earliest recipe created. 

Adapted from Jamie Oliver, via the lovely girls from Kiss the Cook.

Zucchini and coconut muffins

I like the idea of using sweet stuff (like fruit) in savory dishes (like you didn't know that already :P) and now I'm trying to also do the reverse and incorporate in desserts ingredients usually used in savory dishes :D. Like veggies. This is one of the attempts and more are to follow :).

Very easy to make. You'll have the golden crunchy muffins in no time.

Inspired from the Essen und Trinken magazine, No 2/2011. 

Note: The zucchini flavor is not very powerful in this combination, but not completely faint either. Its texture is more remarkable though, green and chewy and crunchier than anything else. Anyway, the main thing you will taste will be the coconut, have no doubt about it :).

Also, the batter and preparation method are quite different from most other muffins and cupcakes. Don't be scared, it's easy and fun.

Green pasta and pesto souffle (gratin)

The easiest way to enjoy delicious pasta with a little cheese oven-baked, without too much work. Our favorite comfort food and little snack. Just boil some green pasta (ours were penne with 25% zucchini and spinach), put them in heat proof bowls, mix with a little green pesto from the jar and grated emmentaler cheese and whatever else tickles your fancy (like our pickled mustard, for instance) and place it in the oven :).

Ruladă de pui cu spanac (My mom's chicken and spinach roulade) (Romanian)

Today we're having a special feature, one of my mom's specialties. My mom is not the traditional housewife type, she'd always rather read a book than cook or do some other house-related chores (a quality which I luckily inherited). She graduated Letters with an British literature specialty (and a minor in French) and has been my source of inspiration, culture and quality criticism for all I can remember. Not that we're neglecting my dad :)

Returning to the food, when she does cook (because we all have to eat eventually) she does it surprisingly well for someone who doesn't make this their life pursuit (another trait which apparently I did inherit). Her dishes, even the traditional Romanian ones, were also imbued with lots of creativity and refined French touches. This is one of such creations. Enjoy. :)

Asian white fish (pangasius) fillet with sesame noodles

A spicy creamy Tikka masala fish fillet, next to noodles enriched with a Chinese sesame sauce, all served with fresh cucumber to balance the taste off. Not too hot, not too sour, but rich and flavorful. Not to mention that it's reasonably light and really healthy. Sounds like the ideal meal. :)