Stuffed sweet potatoes

The sweet potato has gained a lot of popularity in our family, in the last year, as it is a very versatile food. We equally like oven baked sweet potato wedges, with garlic and rosemary and sweet potato pancakes or brownies. Because I wanted to try something different this time, I made some stuffed sweet potatoes, very savory and tasty.

Ingredients:
-1 large sweet potato;
- 300g ground beef;
- 1/2 courgette, diced;
- 2 spring onions (or one small onion), finely chopped;
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed;
- 3 cherry tomatoes, chopped + 2 cherry tomatoes, sliced (to put on top of the stuffed potatoes);
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced;
- one small carrot, morcov mic, ras;
- optional: any other vegetables, mushrooms, apio, etc.
-  one tsp ground cumin;
- a few slices of yellow cheese or mozarella (to top);
* this recipe does not contain salt; if you don't have any restrictions, season with salt and pepper, by taste.

Method:
Half the sweet potato lengthwise, put the pieces in a pot with water and let it boil, over low fire.
Meanwhile, in a large non sticky pan add the vegetables (onion, courgette, tomatoes, pepper, carrot, garlic, etc.) and fry them a little bit, in their own juices, stirring continuously. After a few minutes, add 100 ml of water (you can also add a few Tbsp of oil) and let simmer over low fire until the vegetables soften. Add the ground beef and keep stirring so it doesn't stick together. Turn the meat on all sides, until completely cooked (it will change its color). Add the cumin, salt and pepper (if using). Remove from heat.
When the sweet potato is boiled, remove it from the water and scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just a small part next to the skin. Add the flesh to the meat and vegetable mixture and use this to fill each of the potato halves. Top with the cheese and tomato slices and bake in the oven for 10 minutes (at about 180 degrees C), until the cheese melts. Serve hot and enjoy!

Oven roast beef with Brussels sprouts and baked potatoes

For those days when you prefer to make a puzzle with your little ones or to watch the latest episode from "Grey's Anatomy" instead of  spending time in the kitchen, here's an idea for a healthy and tasty lunch that needs minimal intervention from the "cook".

For the roast beef I used:
- one piece of lean beef, about 600g;
- one cup of water;
- 4 Tbsp oil;
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme;
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- a pinch of Cayenne pepper;
- 1 tsp sweet paprika;
* if you don't cook for babies,add salt by taste.

Place the meat in a ceramic baking dish (or Pyrex), add the waterm drizzle the oil on top and sprinkle the spices all around and on top of the meat. Cover with the lid (or with baking paper) and place in the preheated oven (180-200 C) and let roast for 1,5-2h, until the meat is very tender (you should be able to break it with a fork). While roasting, make sure that it's plenty of water in the dish, otherwise the meat will get dry. After about 1h, you can turn the piece of meat so that the upper part won't get too dry.

Once the roast beef was ready, I made also the side dish.

- 500 g fresh Bruxelles sprouts;

- 4 small potatoes;
- 2 Tbsp oil.

Wash the Brussels sprouts and remove the yellow dry leaves/parts if any. Peel the potatoes and cut them in wedges. Place the vegetables in a tray lined with baking paper and, using a brush, cover them with a very thin layer of oil.
Place the tray in the oven (200 C) for about 30 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are golden brown. remove the sprouts and leave the potatoes for another 10-15 minutes, until golden (you can even increase the temeperature a bit to get a crunchy crust).
Enjoy!

Beef soup

I admit, I'm not a big fan of soups (nor of the other foods of the same range), therefore I only cook them on special request.  This time, my older daughter asked for "soup" and she actually offered to help me make it (which increased the preparing time, but it was fun).


So, after a quick stop at the green market, I got all the goodies necessary to make a fa-bu-lous beef soup (I know you're wondering, the fruits were only for the picture, I didn't add them to the broth).
I decided to cook a semi-creamy soup (I blended a part of the veggies, while I left others in pieces).
  


Ingredients:

- 300-500g beef (you can use virtually any piece, with or without bone)
- one large onion;
- 2 carrots;
- 1 parsley root;
- 1 piece celery root;
- 1/2 cauliflower;
- 1/2 courgette;
- one handful green beans;
- one handful yellow beans;
- one potato;
- 2 large tomatoes;
- 1 bell pepper;
- o Tbsp mix of green leaves (tarragon, parsley etc.).


Place the meat (whole piece or cut in 2-3 pieces) in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, Discard the foam that will form in the first minutes, add the onion, cut in halves, the piece of celery and the potato, cut in quarters. Then cover with a lid and let it simmer over low/medium heat.
In the meantime, place the tomatoes and bell-pepper in a tray and bake in the oven, for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. (You can also boil them directly next to the meat, but you should peel them first, since it's unpleasant to find the skin later, floating in the soup.) When they have softened, take them out, peel them, cut them in cubes and add them to the boiling meat and vegetables.

Cut the courgette and the cauliflower in small pieces and add them as well to the soup. Let it boil 10-15 more minutes (until all veggies are soft).
Take the meat out of the soup and cut it into pieces (as large as you prefer). Place the soup in a food processor and blend until smooth. Put it back into the pot and add the pieces of meat.

Discard the ends of the bean pods, then cut every pod in 2-3 pieces. Grate the carrot and the parsley root. Add the beans, the carrot and the parsley over the boiling soup and let it simmer 10-15 minutes more. In the end, add the green leaves mix and turn off the heat,
Serve with sour cream and, if you have the courage, with a pickled hot pepper.
Enjoy!

Beef burger

This 100% home made beef burger (inspired by Jamie Oliver's Insanity Burger) is a healthy alternative to a fast food meal or it could impress the kids at a cool birthday party. 

The burger can be adapted to match any tastes and preferences. I made the buns myself, but your local bakery might provide nice alternatives. The baby potatoes on the side can be replaced with oven baked "French fries" or with some vegetables. The layers of the burger can vary, according to your taste, as virtually any combination of fresh veggies and salad would go perfectly.

So, for the buns I used:
- 600 g mix of white, integral and rye flour (app. equal amounts);
- 40 g fresh yeast;
- 350 ml warm milk;
- salt by taste (I didn't use any, because of the kids);
- one egg, lightly beaten (to brush them at the end).

Dissolve the yeast in milk, then pour the mix on top of the flour. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes and let it rise in a warm place for about one and a half hours. Form the buns, place them on a tray lined with baking paper and let them rise for another 20-30 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 C for about 20 minutes. Take the buns out, brush them with egg and place them back in the oven until the crust becomes golden brown (about 10 more minutes, depending on the oven).

For the burgers:
- 600 g lean beef, minced;
- a drizzle of olive oil;
- 1 tsp mustard;
- 4 slices of yellow cheese of your choice;
- one red onion;
- a drizzle of balsamic vinegar;
- a few pickled cucumbers (if they are salty, keep them for the adults' portion);
- one handful rucola:
- one handful baby spinach;
- 2  Tbsp sour cream or full fat yogurt (or any combination of the two)
- 1 Tbsp tomato puree;
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Divide the minced beef in 4 pieces and form them into flat patties. Place them on a plate slightly greased with olive oil  and let them rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the other "layers" of the burger:
     -- slice the onion and dress with balsamic vinegar;
     -- slice the pickled cucumbers;
     -- "salad": mix the rucola and baby spinach with the sour cream, yogurt, tomato puree and Worchestershire sauce.

Place the burgers in a non sticking pan, without oil, over medium to high heat. After a few minutes, flip them and brush the cooked sides with mustard. After a few more minutes, flip them again and brush the other side with mustard as well. Add a splash of water to the pan (about 50 ml), cover with a lid and let the burgers fry over medium heat. After 5 minutes flip them over and let them cook some more under the lid. The cooking time depends on the heat and on the thickness of the burger, but it's important to make sure the meat is properly cooked (especially for the kids). You can add a little bit more water if necessary.
When the patties are completely cooked, remove from the fire and place a slice of yellow cheese on top of each burger, Put the lid back and let them covered for 30 seconds, until the cheese slightly melts.

In the end, build the burgers: 1/2 bun + "salad" + burger + pickled cucumbers + onion + 1/2 bun.

As a side dish, I made some baby potatoes boiled in water with a bit of duck fat (but you can use a drizzle of olive oil instead). I added some garlic and dill, for some extra tastiness and some chives as a salad.

Enjoy!