Mini Mulled Wine Cupcakes

And because the wintery season has even arrived in Suly, here the recipe for some seasonal cupcakes - mulled wine!

Ingredients (makes 24):
For the dough:
120g butter
120g caster sugar
1 pinch of salt
Zest of 2 clementines
120g flour
1 1/2 baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. groun nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 medium eggs
8 tbsp. red wine
6 tbsp. clementine juice
30g sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 star anise

For the frosting:
100g cream cheese
100g butter
250g icing sugar
Zest of 1/2 clementine

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Mix the (soft) butter, sugar, salt and zest in a bowl and mix until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and spices. In a third bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then add them to the butter mix while beating quickly. Then add the flour and lastly 2 tbsp. wine. Fill the mini cupcake forms with batter (2/3 full) and bake for 15-18 minutes (until the tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean). 

In a small saucepan, mix together 6 tbsp. of wine and clementine juice and add the 30g sugar and spices. Bring to the boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved, then set aside to infuse. Brush the still warm cupcakes with the syrup and keep the rest for the frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by placing the cream cheese in a bowl and beating it until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the (soft) butter with 1/3 of icing sugar and cream until pale and fluffy. Continue adding the rest of the sugar, then add the cream cheese. At the end, mix in the zest and remaining syrup. Decorate the (cooled) cupcakes with the topping.

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Dolma (Vine Leaves) - Kurdish Version

I could live off vine leaves. In fact I once did just that for an entire weekend when my kitchen was being re-done. So my cook (sounds fancy, but it's just part of the deal here at work) made me a pot of dolma which I devoured. I don't know what it is about the combination of rice and some green leave (get the hint?) that makes me so addicted. But I have definitely developped a new crush here. And so I shall share the recipe with you - homemade vine leaves.
I will not dwell here on who "invented" the vine leaves or dolma or dolmades or whatever they are called in all these different places. I like the Lebanese version (with pickled leaves outside and tomatoes inside). But I love the Kurdish version with yoghurt and fresh leaves.
I will try to also put up the recipe of another kind of dolma: the ones prepared with different vegetables (courgette, peppers, onion and even potatoes) and Swiss chard. But for now: the vine leave version:

Ingredients (for 3-4 hungry persons):
250g rice (short grain)
125g vine leaves (preferably fresh)
A bunch of (thin) spring onions (roughly 20 pieces)
A good bunch of dill
250g yoghurt
3 tbsp. sunflower oil
1/2 L water
1 tbsp. salt

Preparation:
Wash the fresh ingredients as well as the rice in cold water. Chop the spring onions and dill finely and mix it with the yoghurt, rice and sunflower oil. Place the vine leave (with the lighter side up) on your palm and place about 1 tsp of the mixture in the middle (the amount depends on the size of the vine leaves - small ones are better as they are much softer). Then fold the leaves four ways: left, up, right and down until you have a little, almost square parcel. Put these parcels seam-side down into a pan and pile them tightly. Once all the rice is used up, pour the rest of the liquid over the piled parcels. Then cover them with the water and place a plate on top so that the dolma don't start floating (and thus opening) during the cooking process. Place a lid on the pan so that the air can escape (i.e. don't cover the pan entirely). Cook the vine leaves on mid-flame until the water has evaporated (you can check this by tilting the pan slightly). Then reduce the heat, cover the pan completely and simmer for 10-15 additional minutes. When the time is up, turn the pan upside down onto a plate and serve hot. You can serve some herbs (mint, parsley, etc.) on the side - it lightens the taste!

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Pumpkin soup

Hmpf. Yes. It has been a while. More than a little while. But well, I am back now. With renewed good intentions and the firm resolution to revive this blog adventure. I think I got discouraged by the dwindling visiting numbers. And then I just stopped visiting altogether myself. Maybe some creative pause is healthy... Let's see!

But in the spirit of the season, here comes a very autumnal dish: fresh pumpkin soup!

Ingredients (for about 4 plates) :
2 tbsp. butter
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
500g fresh pumpkin
200 ml fresh cream
500 ml water
1 tsp. salt
Pepper
Some leaves of sage

Preparation:
Chop the shallots and press the garlic. Heat both in 1 tbsp. of butter in a pan. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and add it to the onions and garlic, fry for about 5 minutes. Add the water, season with salt and pepper and then let the mix simmer at reduced heat (and with the lid on) for 20 minutes. When the pumpkin is soft, purée it and add 100 ml of cream. Keep the soup warm.
In a frying pan, heat the second tbsp. of butter and add the sage leaves. Fry them until crunchy. In the meantime, whip the cream until it's stiff.
Serve the soup with the whipped cream and sage leaves!

Note: if you want the soup to be more hearty, add 2-3 carrots and 2-3 potatoes.

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Risotto with pomodori secchi

Normally, when winter doesn't last until June, it would be way too hot to still be eating risotto at this time of the year. But lucky us, it’s still cold and rainy and so we can experiment a bit more and come up with fun new combinations for this Italian rice dish. Here’s today’s version: with dried tomatoes and nuts. Buon appetito!

Ingredients (for 4 reasonably well-eating adults):

2 cups of Risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)

25g butter

1 large onion (red or white)

2l chicken broth

A glass of cooking white wine

1-2g of saffron

100g dried tomatoes in oil

80g walnuts

50g grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Soak the saffron in a glass of hot water and keep aside.  Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan. Finely chop the onion and sauté it in the butter in a separate, medium-sized, deep pan, until the onion is soft (do not allow the onion to go golden or sweeten!). Add the rice and toast it until it’s glassy. Add the wine and stir continuously until it evaporates. Now add a ladle of broth and continue stirring. Repeat this until the rice is soft on the outside, but still very slightly hard at the centre. Add the saffron (with the water), the chopped dried tomatoes (drained) and crushed walnuts, as well as the last two ladlefuls of broth. When the rice is cooked, turn off the flame and stir in the grated Parmesan. Serve immediately. 

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