La Cucina di Ornella - Ornella's kitchen: avocado

SHAKSHUKA

Wow it's been a while since I posted something on here.

Sometimes life gets pretty hectic and you forget about the things you love to do.

Life has again calmed down a bit and I'm taking the time to cook again.

Shakshuka is a dish I've wanted to make for ages but never really took the time to make it.

I took major inspiration for this recipe from the book "Jerusalem" from Ottolenghi and Tamimi and from this recipe.

You will need following ingredients for about three people:

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, de-seeded and diced into cubes of 0,5 cm

2 medium garlic cloves
2 tsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp soft paprika

3/4 tsp ground cumin

2 cans crushed tomatoes (I used Mutti)

3/4 tsp of salt

Several big handfuls of fresh spinach

3 eggs

Toasted slices of bread
2 tsp of granulated sugar

Optional

Avocado

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced bell peppers, salt, sugar, cumin, garlic and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes over a medium heat or until the red pepper starts to soften.
Add the canned tomatoes and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the spinach and let it cook for about 2 minutes.
Make 3 wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs. Cover and cook until the eggs are set, this can take 8 to 10 minutes (depending on the size of your eggs).
Serve with diced avocado, if using, and toasted bread for scooping.

Have a nice and amazingly comforting evening dinner.

Until next time,

Ornella

09:07
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Ornella's Burrito's

avocado

I'm back with an all-time favorite.
My sister always asks to make my (even if I say it myself) famous burrito's.
It takes some work and time, but is SO worth it.
I took major inspiration from an restaurant in Brussels called Pablo's, that sadly no longer exists today.
One a side note it's also quite healthy.

For 6 hungry people you will need

For the marinated chicken

1 kilo chicken breasts

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili (add less if you don't like it too spicy)
Juice of one lemon or lime

2 tbsp liquid honey

5 tbsp olive oil

A pinch of salt

For the tomato sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

A little bit of butter

1 sliced onion

1 pinch of salt and some grounded black pepper

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cumin (add more to taste)

1 fresh bay leaf

Some cinnamon

1 glove of garlic

Some chili to taste (don't add if you don't like spicy food)

700 g passata (I used Mutti) or 800 g canned tomatoes

Guacamole : recipe will follow

Rice

6 wraps

Start off by marinate your chicken.
Cut your chicken in little pieces. Put them in a bowl. Add the spices, olive oil and honey. Give it a good stir. Let it marinate for at least one hour (in the fridge).

Now make your tomato sauce. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the olive oil and heat it up. Add now the onion, sugar and the spices. "Fry" until the onion starts the soften. Add the garlic. And add in the end the passata. Let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Now season your sauce to taste.

When the chicken has been marinating for quite a time. You can start grilling it.

Now it's time to assemble everything!!

Pour some tomato sauce on the bottom of your oven dish

Take your wrap and add some chicken and tomato sauce, fold the wrap over the filling.

Do the same with the remaining 5 wraps and cover them with tomato sauce

Bake for about 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven (180°).

While it bakes in the oven, cook your rice and make a quick pico de gallo.

Serve everything on table

Serve everything (burrito's, pico de Gallo, guacamole, sour cream and rice) on the table

Without further doing, dig in for God sake!!

Bon appétit!

Ornella

03:28
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Avocado Brownies FKA Green brownies

avocado

Back on track with some chocolate dessert, brownies.
The slightly "healthier" version of this one.
AVOCADO Brownies, but I prefer to call them green brownies.

You will need:

Two avocado's

170 g dark chocolate

50 g butter

80 g flour

Two eggs (optional: organic and free range ones)

40 g cocoa powder

120 g light brown sugar ("cassonade")

50 g butter

5 g baking powder

A pinch of sea salt

Optional: flaked almonds

Pre-heat your oven to 180° C.

Start of by mixing your avocado's like you would for your tradition guacamole.

Meanwhile melt your dark chocolate on a low heat.

Once melted add your butter and let it melt too.

Let the chocolate cool down a bit.

Now mix the "avocado puree" with the cooled, melted chocolate and butter.

Add the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and flour. Mix well.

Now add your eggs and the sea salt. Mix well again.

Butter and flour your baking tin and pour in your mixture.

Optional sprinkle some flaked almonds on top!

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

And there you have the slightly healthier version of traditional brownies.

YUM!

XO,

Ornella

15:00
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Epic Fish Tacos with Homemade Tortillas

avocado

Here it is, the first salty recipe on my blog.
And it's not the usual, traditional Belgian course that I'm going to present you.
No, it's the recipe of the Epic Fish Tacos.

I found it here, a blog that I really like and from where I take a lot of inspiration.

Without further-doing here is what you need to make those tacos (for 3 people):

For the filling:

400 gr of white fish (I used Cod)

garlic

2 limes

4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

salt

1 avocado

1 red onion

1 fresh salad

For the homemade tortillas (recipe here):

200 gr flour

37 gr of butter or vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

90 ml hot water

Start of by making the dough for the tortillas, mix the flour and the butter/oil together until you get a sandy mixture. Dissolve the salt in 80 ml of the water and add slowly to the dry mixture. If the dough isn't soft add slowly the rest of the water. Divide your dough in 6 balls and let it rest for at least half an hour.

In the meanwhile make your guacamole accordingly to Roses recipe. Make the fish marinade by using a mortuar in which you 'mix' the salt with the juice of one lemon and the olive oil. Lay the fish filets in the marinade for about thirty minutes.

Wash your salad. Set aside in a beautiful bowl.

Now unroll your 6 individual dough balls on a floured surface. Once that's done you can start baking them in a pan (without any butter or oil in it). Make sure to bake them enough. Set aside.

Grill your fish in your griddle pan and set on a plate once it's well baked.

Put your avocado, tortillas, fish and salad on the table and let everyone assemble their taco.