Stuffed Aubergines (Brungiel Mimli)

This is another traditional Maltese recipe of parboiled aubergines stuffed with meat and baked in an oven until done.

Many think that cooking aubergines is complicated since you need to put them under salt for a couple of hours before you cook them. When I'm in a hurry I don't do this and I still get finger licking results!

Ingredients ( for 2 persons)

2 medium sized aubergines (eggplants)

1 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

300g minced meat (mix of beef and pork)

2 tbsp margarine (or butter)

2 tsp tomato purée

60g breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons grated cheese,

Worcestershire sauce

grated salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Cut each aubergine in half lengthways. Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the aubergine halves and parboil for about 10 minutes. Remove from the water and scoop out the pulp. Retain the pulp.

In the meantime, melt the margarine (or butter) in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Now stir in the meat, reserved aubergine pulp, tomato purée, and add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Fry, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink. Take off the heat. Stir in the cheese then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Arrange the hollowed out aubergine halves in a baking dish and stuff with the meat mixture. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top then transfer to an oven at 200°C and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

To make this meal more substantial you can add sliced potatoes and onions. Start the potatoes about 45 minutes before the aubergines.

Kwarezimal (qua-re-zee-mull)

I don't suffer from sweet tooth but I have to admit that I've got a particular weakness for kwarezimal. They're my favourite cookie. The cookies in my photo do not look that appealing but I can vouch that they're really really good.

This sweet is usually made during Lent and contains no fat or eggs. The word 'kwarezimal' refers to quaresima - the forty days of Lent. In fact, the kwarezimal's popularity among the Maltese originates from the fact that it contains no fat or eggs, and hence does not interfere with fasting regulations. Although recipes vary, it is traditionally made up of almonds, flour, honey and spices.

(The ones I made were just plain ones because I had no crushed almonds in the pantry. )

Here's my mother's recipe

220g almonds (Lightly toast or roast the almonds. Grind coarsely)
220g flour
330g sugar
1tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch mixed spice
orange flower water
1 grated rind of lemon + juice,
1 grated rind of orange +juice
and grated rind of tangerine
1 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder

First, mix the dry ingredients, then add the citrus juices and a little orange blossom water. If the dough looks a little dry add more blossom water or just natural water to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly until well amalgamated and shape into ovals, approximately 17.5 cm long, 5 cm wide and 2 cm thick. Place on greased and floured baking trays and bake at 190'C/375'F/gas 5 for about 20 minutes.

The most important factor in baking kwarezimal is that you do not overcook or let them get too hard whilst in the oven. This is because once they are out of the oven they will harden more due to the almonds.

Crazy Chocolate Cake

I'm writing this post in honour of my dear and loyal friend Vanessa. Although we've known each other since our kindergarten years I cannot say that we were the best of friends in our primary school years. Actually we were arch enemies! I think what really made me dislike her was because she spoke loudly all the time and to this day I dislike persons who need to voice their opinions loudly. There's nothing better than having a smooth talking person. On the other hand she disliked me because I had said something offensive about the boy she used to fancy. These complaints sound so silly now but that was our childhood. In the secondary years we somehow found out that we got on very well together. By that time Vanessa had mastered the art of speaking quitely and I could enjoy her company without any headaches. Today I'm posting a very old recipe - a recipe which Vanessa shared with me in our secondary years. We used to go crazy on this cake. I used to eat it all by myself. If I'm not mistaken I think it was my first try at baking.

This recipe of hers contains some unusual ingredients but it somehow makes a lovely cake.
Last Sunday I felt like trying it out again after having forgotten it for all these years and I've realised I still enjoy eating it. Here it is - don't expect a spongey chocolate cake. If you like chewy cakes - the maltese pudding style then, this is your cake. It has no eggs and no butter. It is also very easy to prepare.

Recipe

3 cups flour

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

half a cup cocoa

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

1 and 1/2 cup water

2 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

Then add the above ingredients to the dry ones until you've got a smooth brown paste. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. So easy!!!

Crispy Chicken Pieces

Hello friends time is flying so quickly - we will soon be celebrating Christmas. Although my life's very busy taking care of little Zack I still find time to cook something different each day. A few days ago I prepared these sizzling chicken breast pieces and thought of sharing my recipe with you. They're very easy and do not take long to prepare.

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breast pieces

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 tbsp porridge oats

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

3 tbsp Parmeggiano

4 tps flour

1 tbsp Cajun

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp oil

Method

In a small dish or medium sized bowl, whisk eggs, black pepper and salt.

Cut the breast pieces into smaller bite size pieces.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients together. Place crumb mixture in a bag. In the meantime coat chicken, one piece at a time in the egg mixture. Next dip the chicken pieces in bag with crumbs and shake to coat.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat (adjust when needed). Place chicken pieces in frying pan.

These pieces can be baked if you prefer a healthier option.

Gozitan Ftira (my way)

My ftira with all the ingredients except the potatoes

Whenever we go for a summer holiday to our sister island of Gozo we always make sure to order the scrumptious ftira (a round flat bread) from Tal-Maxokk Bakery. I know it's full of carbohydrates but I cannot help indulging in its exquisite flavours. This summer we had to give Gozo a miss since I'm reaching the end of my pregnancy. So to make up for it, last week, I decided to try making a 'gozitan' ftira of my own. I cheated a bit because I used a ready-made ftira but anyway the result was simply gorgeous. Here's my version:

First I divided the ftira in two halves and drizzled the bread with a good dollop of olive oil.

For the topping, I used:

Thinly sliced potatoes, as many as you need to cover the ftira base

Sliced red tomatoes, and / or sundried tomatoes

Sliced onion

sliced olives

capers

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Rough Sea Salt

freshly ground black pepper,

sliced Maltese sausage (or tuna if you prefer a fishy flavour)

fresh basil leaves

I started by boiling two small potatoes for just 10 mins. In the meantime I lay the tomato slices on the bread. I added the sliced onion, capers, sliced olives, sliced maltese sausage and some fresh basil. I thinly sliced the potatoes as if I was going to prepare crips and lay the almost semi-transparent slices on the bread. Season with salt and pepper.

I drizzled some more olive oil on the toppings and baked for about 15 minutes until the potatoes turned golden and crunchy!

The end result: my ftira covered with thinly sliced potatoes (not baked)

Side note: Gozo bakeries cook the Ftira dough either closed or open. The closed Gozo ftira enclosed a filling and was intended to serve as a workman's lunch. Toppings and fillings usually have potatoes and /or cheeselets for example: cheeselets, eggs and grated cheese; potatoes, tomato, anchovies and olive; or ricotta topped with slices of potato; or sliced potato, Maltese Sausage, cheeselets and rosemary. Among many others!

And for all my foreign bloggy friends who have asked me about the ftira recipe I'm including a recipe which I found on the internet. To be honest with you, I haven't yet tried it out but will do so soon.

Ftira recipe

For the dough, 400g of plain white flour

100ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt/Water, as required

To make the dough, sieve the flour and put it into a food processor with the salt and the olive oil. Blend the mixture, slowly adding water until the dough forms into a ball. Put the dough into a plastic bag or bowl and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 200 deg. C. Spread the dough as thinly as possible so that it is at least 5cm wider than the baking dish. Add the ingredients as above. Fold the edges of the dough inwards, drizzle some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Fold the edges of the dough inwards, drizzle some more oil over the top and bake the ftira for 15 minutes, or until the dough is just starting to turn golden.

Apart from that I found out about a Maltese club in Uk which promotes Maltese food. It's called Maltese Culture Movement. I got to know that they can take orders for and supply the following at reasonable prices: galletti, gbejniet, ftira, pastizzi, imqaret,Kinnie, Cisk, Hopleaf, Blue Label. Any body interested can contact them at the above link.

Banana and Chocolate Squares

With the onset of the rainy season, I usually start looking for some good baking recipes. This weekend, while I was browsing through some food blogs this recipe caught my attention. It was very easy to prepare - in fact, I think it only took me an hour from start to finish. And, mark my words, once you take these delicious chocolate and banana squares out of the oven, they won't last long - they're simply irresistible! One last thing..make sure you don't forget the chocolate chips - I completely forgot about them - I sprinkled them in the last minute and, as expected, they didn't melt properly!

Choosing Watermelons

Thinking back to when you I was a child, the pinnacle of summery suppers and family gatherings was always the cold juicy watermelon that was offered as dessert. Watermelons remind me of the childish embarrassment of having sticky, sweet juice trickling down all over my chin and my clothes. Then, there were the youthful seed-spitting contests with friends. Funnily enough, it was my husband who introduced me to this rude game! Choosing good watermelons can be a tricky task but once you learn the tricks you won't be bringing back home tasteless ones any more. Here, I've jotted down some hints which I gathered from my friends and from reliable vegetable sellers.

Hints to help you choose a ripe watermelon

When you go to the Green grocer to buy one you would want to try and find one that is ripe and ready to eat.

1. First of all look for shiny watermelons. Ripe watermelons will be more dull in colour, but have a shiny complexion. The watermelon should be evenly toned.

2. Look for the yellow or white spot on the watermelon. (This is where the watermelon was sitting on a ground.) Ripe watermelons will be yellow in colour, while white means it isn't yet ripe.

3. Hold the watermelon in your hands and squeeze it. Listen very closely for soft cracking inside. This means that the watermelon is ripe. Don't squeeze too hard or you'll end up squashing it for real. Another way is to knock on the outside of the rind. If you hear a hollow sound then the water melon is ready to eat, but if you hear a solid thud put it back. The fruit is over ripe and you won't be getting very good flavour from it.

3. A vegetable seller once told me that the best way to pick a watermelon is to look for all the brown veining on the rind. The more brown veins the more sweeter it is.

4. Did you know that there are female and male watermelons? I bet you didn't!Females tend to be larger, sweeter and have less seeds than males. To find out if a watermelon is male or female, look at the bottom side and check out if it's got a skirt..(joking) look for a ring that is going in the opposite direction of the other watermelons' circles. Smaller ring sizes, about 19mm, are male watermelons. Female watermelons may have larger circles.

5. Once you buy your water melon eat it within the first few days of getting it home. Everything about it is healthy, and in addition, it won't leave you feeling over stuffed if you eat too much.

And now here's a weird recipe which my mother tried out last summer. I was a little worried this would taste strange but let me tell you, we loved it! And as much as it seems a weird combination it's truly refreshing. The tartness of the blue cheese and the cool flavour of the mint just balance the sweetness of the watermelon perfectly. What's more it only has 3 ingredients!




Watermelon and Blue Cheese Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients
200g creamy blue cheese, crumbled
50g fresh mint, diced
1200g to 1600g watermelon, diced, (about half a large watermelon )

Method
Combine all ingredients in a very large bowl and mix. Refrigerate until cold before serving.

Last but not least,watermelons are not only refreshingly tasty they also have tremendous health benefits. Eating watermelon is almost like taking a multivitamin tablet every morning, but with a much better taste. So keep that in mind whenever you're out buying a watermelon.

Zesty Summer Pasta Dish

Although I'm not a pasta lover, sometimes there comes a day when I just feel like having some kind of pasta dish. Yesterday was one of those days. I concocted this recipe myself. And since it turned out to be very good I thought of sharing it with you. I couldn't think of a suitable name for this recipe. Maybe you bloggy friends could help me make up a good name for it.


Ingredients (serves 2)



1 can of artichoke hearts
about 15 cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 large can of tuna
50g sliced green olives
one large minced clove of garlic
olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Parmeggiano cheese, grated
a few rocket leaves to garnish
pinch of salt

Saute garlic in olive oil. Rinse off canned artichoke hearts. Add chopped artichoke hearts and saute 10 minutes on low heat. Add cherry tomatoes, tuna, salt and green olives. Cook for 35 minutes on low heat. Sprinkle parsley in the last couple of minutes. Prepare pasta as directed. Serve with sauce and toss with Parmeggiano cheese. Finally, garnish with rocket leaves. Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni - an authentic Maltese recipe

Traditional Maltese food is clearly marked with Mediterranean references. Italy, especially Sicily (called ‘the elder sister’), has left significant traces on Maltese food. Pasta dishes like 'ravjul' (ravioli), lasagna, 'imqarrun' (baked macaroni), with their hundreds of sauces, are all dishes of Italian influence. Since Malta is so close to Italy, pasta has always been one of the staple foods of the country.

Most of our Maltese recipes have been passed on from mother to daughter for generations but were never committed to paper until two authors, namely, Anne and Helen Caruana Galizia undertook the hard task of collecting them in one book in the 1970s. The recipe that I am posting here is an authentic Maltese one which I have found in their lovely book entitled: The Food and Cookery of Malta. My mother, who has their first publication, often referred to this book for particular recipes. And while she cooked I used to sit next to her quietly leafing through its pages. I don't know what I found fascinating in it - after all it had no pictures. Anyway, I made it a point to buy the book once I grew up and had my own kitchen. This definitely could be one gift which all Maltese expats (or even foreigners who liked our traditional dishes) would appreciate. Here's the recipe...

2tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

50g bacon, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

400g minced beef and pork

salt and pepper

3tbsp tomato puree

400g tin of peeled tomatoes

125ml beef or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

grated fresh nutmeg

200g chicken livers

400g macaroni

4 large eggs , beaten

4 heaped tbsp grated Parmesan

Method

To make the sauce, heat the oil and fry the onions gently until golden, add bacon, garlic and minced meat, salt and pepper. Use little salt at this stage. Stir well and cook for 15 mins. Add the tomato puree, the tomatoes, stock and the bay leaf. Grate in some nutmeg. Simmer, covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 3o minutes.

If using chicken livers, remove any discoloured parts, chop into large pieces and fry lightly in oil. Cool and remove the stringy bits.

Boil the macaroni in plenty of salted water until 'al dente'. Pour a cup of cold water into the pan as soon as the pasta is cooked. It is important it remains underdone so that it will retain its shape and texture at the end. Drain. Mix the meat and tomato into the macaroni. Add the eggs, the cheese and season again if required with salt and pepper. Mix all well together in large bowl. Leave to cool.

In a large oven-proof dish put in a layer of macaroni and meat, then a layer of chicken livers and cover with the remaining macaroni. Bake at 220°C for 15 minutes. Reduce to 180 C and continue cooking for 30 minutes.

A perfectly baked 'imqarrun' is crunchy on the outside and moist inside. This dish improves with keeping. You will also find that it slices better if allowed to stand for 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven.

As you can see it's an authentic Maltese one what with the copious salt amounts and ingredients that are so high in cholesterol. No wonder many Maltese of the older generation are so plump! I usually use a healthier version of the recipe with less eggs, salt, and sometimes I omit the bacon and liver. It's definitely a less tasty macaroni but at least more healthy! If you feel like trying out this recipe it's up to you to choose whichever version you deem best.

The Irresistible Hobz Biz-Zejt

No bread compares to the traditional Maltese loaf and I’m sure that many out there agree with me. It’s so wholesome and tasty and yet so plain! As in many other places, what was poor man's fare is now rich man's favour. Not that one has to be rich to acquire such food. Many Maltese still eat it as a snack or as part of their supper. Both the stonecutter in the quarry and the farmer in the field, as well the family relaxing by the seaside on a delicious Summer evening, all love to dig their teeth into this tasty meal. It satisfies the taste buds and fills the stomach in the simplest and most complete way. It is inexpensive and easy to prepare, but it is true that richer foods and faster food have replaced most of what today can be considered as traditional food.

In the past, the manual workers used to take lunch which consisted of half a loaf of our excellent bread, hollowed out and filled with tomatoes, oil, olives, anchovies and accompanied by a glass of wine. They then wrapped it up in a cloth for freshness and then sliced it up with a penknife at the time of eating. It was very filling and practical especially for outdoor workers. This tradition is unfortunately giving way to the more regular sandwich.

When I sometimes pass in front of a bakery the heavenly smell of baking bread evokes memories of when dad used to come from work carrying with him a freshly baked bread still crackling hot. We kids used to make a feast with a simple loaf of bread. Mum sliced the bread and we siblings were left free to prepare our Hobz biz-Zejt the way we wanted. I was usually allowed to have the round crusty part (il-genba) from which I dug out the middle and filled it up with all the stuff that I could get hold of.

The term ‘Hobz tal-Malti’ makes me conjure up images of this delicious snack eaten on the sand, watching the sun set, with the salty sea smell lingering on one’s skin. Hobz biz-zejt somehow always tastes better eaten at the beach – did you ever realise that? So what exactly is this hobz biz-zejt? If I had to translate this term it would literally mean "Bread with oil” which up to a certain extent is true because drizzled oil is one of the basic ingredients but it has more than just that. And what goes on in this Hobz biz-Zejt??

The first thing you have to do is to get hold of a fresh Maltese loaf (hobza). The crust should be cracked and crunchy and the middle soft and white. Cut thick slices of bread. Halve a couple of ripe summer tomatoes and rub the cut side over the bread until it gets a reddish hue. If using tomato paste, (kunserva) just spread over the bread. Next dip one side of the bread into a plate of good olive oil. Or else you can drizzle the oil onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. That’s the basic recipe. What follows is up to you. You can either have it as it is or else add some of the following ingredients. The other ingredients vary widely, although capers and olives are almost universally included. Here is the list of ingredients I compiled:

Butter beans marinated in garlic and oil, olives, marinated vegetables, lettuce, anchovies, tuna, onion slices, peppered cheeselets (gbejniet), capers, marjoram, mint, basil, pickled onions, bigilla, sundried tomatoes, cucumber slices, artichoke hearts and even ham. Yes!! I was told that the Qormi people like having their hobz biz-zejt with ham! My dad who hails from that town often puts ham in it and I can vouch that it is very tasty.

Home-Made Chocolate Ice-Cream

Four years ago my sister gave me an ice-cream maker. It took me almost 3 years to try the machine out. The reason was that I hadn't enough space in my first freezer to put the ice-bowl inside. So my poor machine had to wait until I got my long awaited large freezer to see the light of day.

To be honest, the first ice-cream (which happened to be a strawberry one) was in my opinion a flop. It tasted really good but it was very runny. I had not refrigerated the ice-bowl and milk long enough for the ice-cream to achieve the desired texture.

The second time round I tried a vanilla recipe. This time I made sure that the milk and cream were really cold before using them for the recipe. And yes the vanilla ice-cream was really delicious. One day I would like to get my hands on a vanilla pod and make a real vanilla ice-cream. So far I have not set my eyes on any vanilla pods in any Southern supermarket.

My third attempt was a chocolate one - the best one so far. I just couldn't resist having spoonfuls of it while it was churning in my ice-cream maker. So creamy and irresistible!! And it turned out so good that I thought of sharing this easy recipe with you.

What you need:

200g fresh cream (refrigerated and whipped)

250ml milk (refrigerated)

100g sugar

50g cocoa powder

and ice-cream maker of course!

Yes, that's all you need! Just mix the ingredients, put the mixture in the fridge for about an hour and a half then pour it in the ice-cream maker and hey presto in twenty minutes you'll be indulging in a home-made ice-cream with a deep and rich chocolate flavour.

Strawberry and Coconut Cheesecake

And here's another tried and tested recipe that has strawberries in it.

Ingredients

200g coconut biscuits (e.g Nice biscuits)
25g desiccated coconut
75g melted butter
405g light condensed milk
500g low fat cream cheese (e.g Philadelphia)
juice of 1 small lemon
450g strawberries
2tbsp strawberry jam

Method

Grease and line a 20cm tin with baking paper.

Mix together the crushed biscuits, coconut and melted butter. Then lightly press into the base of the tin. Chill.

Beat together the condensed milk and philadelphia cheese until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the lemon juice and combine thoroughly.

In a blender or food processor, pulse half the strawberries with the jam until lightly crushed, leaving small pieces.

Spread half the cream mixture on to the biscuit base. Spoon over all the crushed strawberries, then top with the remaining cream mixture. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Halve the remaining strawberries and arrange on top of the cheesecake.

Lemon Meringue

And here's my lemon meringue recipe. In the photo my pie looks a bit messed up. The humid weather didn't help much but I assure you that it was gorgeous.

Ingredients

CASE:1 x 23cm pastry case, made from short crust pastry, baked blind and cooled.

LEMON CURD:

Juice and grated rind of two lemons

300ml water

110g sugar

4 tablespoons cornflour, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

MERINGUE:

4 egg whites at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

TIPS: When making meringue, your utensils must be squeaky clean and bone dry.

Method

1. Combine the lemon juice, rind, water and sugar.
2. Heat, stirring till the sugar is dissolved.
3. Stir in the dissolved corn flour and egg yolks, and continue cooking till the mixture is thick (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for a few minutes..
5. Spoon into the pastry case.
6. Beat the egg whites till stiff. Gradually beat in the sugar. The mixture should form stiff, dry peaks.
7. Pile the meringue on top of the lemon filling, taking care to cover it completely.
8. Bake at 150ºC for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the meringue has set and is golden brown.
9. Leave to stand till cool.

Let me know if you try this..

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Last Wednesday I had only one and a half hour to spare before going out and as I looked at my bowl full of lemons one thought came to mind...a lemon cake..!! The result was a tangy and gorgeous cake.

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter,
50ml oil
Finely grated zest 2 lemons
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
50g ground almonds
150g plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
2½ tsp baking powder
90ml lemon juice
75g icing sugar

Method

Line a small, 17cm-long loaf tin, or similar, with nonstick baking paper, and preheat the oven to 180C (fan-assisted 160C)/350F/gas mark 4. Melt the butter, then pour into a mixing bowl along with the oil. Add the lemon zest, sugar and eggs, whisk for a minute until smooth and slightly bubbly, then stir in the almonds.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornflour and baking powder, then sift half of this into the butter/egg bowl. Beat in 75ml of the lemon juice, then sift in the remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool for five minutes. Beat the remaining 15ml of lemon juice with the icing sugar, and spread this mix over the top of the cake while it's still in the tin. The icing is spooned on while the cake is hot, and this helps it turn into that beautiful, crisp lemon glaze as it cools. Leave until barely warm before serving.

Lemons: Sorbetto Sicilia

Last weekend, my mother in law gave me a bag full of lemons! So last week was strawberry week. Now it seems it's gonna be a lemon week. First thing I thought of making, was a lemon sorbet. I served it yesterday for dessert. To be honest with you when I first tasted the cold mixture it was so good that I didn't give it ample time to form into sorbet. I served it as it was.

Here's the recipe.

150 ml fresh lemon juice

150 ml fresh orange juice

150g sugar

250 ml water

grated orange peel (1/2 an orange)

grated lemon peel (1/2 a lemon)

In a mixing bowl, put the sugar, water and fruit juices and stir well. Add grated peel. Pour in Ice-Cream bowl and let the ice-cream machine stir the mixture for around 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Cocktail

Here's another way of using some more strawberries.

Ingredients for 2 martini glasses :

6 ice cubes

8 strawberries

a little lemonade

100ml vodka

Blitz the strawberries and ice-cubes and divide the mixture between the two glasses. Then add 50ml of vodka to each glass. Add some lemonade to mellow the vodka's powerful taste. Decorate with a couple of strawberries. Enjoy!

A Super Easy Strawberry Flan

Yesterday I prepared this super easy strawberry flan (and which was a great success) and thought of sharing it with you. I know it looks very amateurish but when you've got loads of strawberries you need to think up a few ways of making use of them.



What you need is :

• A ready made flan


• a pack of strawberry jelly


• around 300ml of tepid water


• a box of fresh strawberries


• a pack of whipped cream (such as Dolceneve)


• around 500ml of cold milk

First I prepared the jelly mixture. The trick here is to use half the amount of water shown on the pack. That way you avoid having a soggy flan.


Then I added the amount of milk required with the Dolceneve mixture and whipped it for around 5 minutes.


Next, I cut the flan in two and poured the jelly on the bottom half. Then I spread some of the whipped cream on top of the jelly.


I replaced the top part of the flan and continued spreading the cream on the top part. Finally I cut each of the fresh strawberries in halves and decorated the flan with them. Super easy and really yummy!


Here's a photo of half of my flan. I'll leave it to your imagination to guess where the other part of the flan has gone!