Yesterday (December 17th) was St Barbara, a very important celebration in Georgia. Lobiani is the staple dish.

What is lobiani? It is a pie filled with beans. (I loved it when I tried it in Tbilisi.)
Marcel had the idea to make our version at home, so here's the recipe—

For the dough (makes 2):

80ml water

2g fresh yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

125g flour

2g salt

Let the yeast and the sugar sit in the water for 5 minutes. Add the flour and the salt. Knead. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

For the filling (makes 2):

250g boiled beans

4 garlic cloves

salt

Mash the beans and garlic cloves. Add the salt.

Method:

Split the dough in two equal parts. Roll each half out. Spread the beans and garlic mixture over each of them. Make a crescent moon by sticking the ends of the dough. Bake in a pan on low heat until brown. Munch.

It was delicious and filling!

One year ago, right before Christmas, I discovered a recipe for some Italian almond cookies by Nonna Fina. They turned out so great that they became a popular treat in our family. I adapted my ricciarelli recipe; you could try it out these Holidays!

You need:

225g almond flour

150g sugar

2 egg whites (room temperature)

*Vegan ricciarelli are possible, with 6 tbsp of water + 2 tbsp of psyllium or flaxseeds.

a dash of salt

the lemon zest from half a lemon

3 drops of almond extract (optional)

How to bake them?

Beat the egg whites with the salt. Add the almond extract if you decide to use it.

In a separate dish, mix the almond flour, sugar, and lemon zest.

Add the foam to the mix; stir easily. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Split the dough into two parts; shape them into two rolls. Cut the dough slices with a knife. Shape them into diamonds. Then, place them into a baking pan lined with baking parchment. You will get 13-14 ricciarelli from a roll.

Bake them for 15-20 minutes at 180°C. After 10 minutes, supervise them so you don’t burn them. ;-)

Enjoy them! ♥

Upon our first trip to Scotland, our host in Edinburgh served us these treats at breakfast. When he saw how much we liked them, he gave us a bagful.

We munched them at the airport; we didn’t want to let them fall into the wrong hands.

Marcel made them once; it was my turn. I adapted the recipe considering my tastes and heart. In Scotland, they use golden syrup to make flapjacks; I preferred maple syrup.

Baking pan—

24 x 34 cm

Ingredients—

225g butter

100g coconut sugar

50g maple syrup

450g gluten-free oats

salt

Method—

Melt the butter; add the coconut sugar, the maple syrup, the gluten-free oats, and the salt.

Pour the batter into the baking pan lined with baking parchment.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven at 190°C.

Cut them immediately after removing the baking pan from the oven; then, let them cool entirely. Otherwise, they would crack.

Marcel and I got hooked on them.

I hope you like them, too!

• Spring version

Dough:

200g flour

5g fresh yeast

100ml buttermilk

salt

Filling:

2 orach bunches

salt

butter

1 green garlic

+1 small egg

Variant: Add ewe cheese on top of the filling if you wish.

• Fall version

Dough:

240g flour

5g fresh yeast

160g sour cream

salt

Filling:

300g orach

salt

butter

1 pestled garlic clove

+2 tbsp of milk

Baking pan: 20x20 cm

Orach was the ingredient of this year for me! I fell in love! I felt lucky to be able to bake this orach pie in spring and fall!

The recipes are almost similar. To make the dough, mix the yeast with the buttermilk or the sour cream, adding the required amount of flour. You’ll get a non-sticky dough, slightly hard. Let it rise for 1 hour. 

Then (a kind man named Marcel helped me), wash the orach leaves. Be careful, that pink liquid stains (I used red orach). Let the orach leaves simmer in butter; add the salt, the green garlic or the garlic clove, depending on the season.

Roll out half of the dough in a buttered and floured baking pan. Add the filling and the ewe cheese if you wish. Then, add the other half of the rolled-out dough and stick the two pieces together.

Brush the egg or milk on top of the pie, then bake it in the preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes. 

 

What to use for two portions?

2 small and ripe bananas

60ml milk

30g butter

60g flour

3g baking powder

a pinch of salt

a fistful of raisins

How to bake it?

Mash the bananas using a fork. Then, add the milk, melted butter, flour, baking powder, salt, and raisins.

Pour half of the batter into one ramekin and the rest into another.

Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes (depending on the fluffiness of the pudding).

makes 130 bezele

4 egg whites

200g sugar

1 tbsp of vinegar

a pinch of salt

When I have more egg whites than needed, my thought flies to my Mom’s bezele recipe.

Here it is!

Take the egg whites out of the fridge. When they sit at room temperature, their foam will be richer.

Mix them with the sugar, adding it bit by bit. Then, mix in the vinegar [it will make the foam ’sit’ and the bezele feel glossy] and the salt.

Fill a pastry bag with the foam and draw bezele. Make a circle, letting the foam flow, then lift the pastry bag.

I got 2 large baking pans and a small one.

Bake in the preheated oven at 110°C for 30 minutes.

They’ll be crunchy for 2-3 days in closed bowls or bags.

That is, if you don’t eat them in the meantime. 😊

I fell in love with this cake in Lebanon (I have a special relationship with ’ashta’, the cream used everywhere in Phoenicia, anyway). I baked it for the first time on my birthday in 2023, adapting it (it’s not easy to bake with semolina!); I kept preparing it. This is what happens when a result is tasty!

For the cream:

In a large baking pan, mix and boil (low heat)

530ml whipping cream

420ml milk

67g flour

5 tbsp of sugar + 135g sugar

Before removing it from the heat, add a drop of

orange blossom water

rose water

You’ve made ashta.

Continue with the dough. 

In a bowl, mix

330g semolina

100g coconut or date sugar

3g baking powder

a pinch of salt

4 tbsp of sour cream

150g (melted and slightly cooled) butter

Divide the (sticky) dough into two equal parts; place the first part on the baking parchment by pressing fragments of the dough into the 34x24cm baking pan. (Don’t worry; it will all get homogenous through baking.) 

Sprinkle as many crushed pistachios as you like. 

Pour the ashta. 

Add another layer of crushed pistachios. 

Then, spread pieces of the remaining layer on top of the cake.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven at 180°C.

Cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Savour it. It is a creamy and delicious cake, one of my favourite desserts ever! ♥

For a different pizza (but a filling one!), you’ll need—

100g quinoa (+500ml water)

a pinch of salt

1 tbsp of olive oil

60ml water

+tomato juice

+2 tomatoes

+salt

Optional: avocado

How can we bake a pizza from these?

Pour hot water over the quinoa.

Let it sit for half an hour. Drain the quinoa thoroughly. Then, add it into a blender with the salt, olive oil, and water.

Spread the batter onto a pizza baking pan over baking parchment. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes at 200°C.

Remove from the oven. Spread tomato juice over the crust, place the sliced tomatoes, add the salt, and bake for 15 minutes more at 200°C.

Add avocado slices over the pizza if you wish after removing it from the oven the second time.

Enjoy it! I have a hunch you will!

 

100g quinoa (+500ml apă)

sare

1 lingură de ulei de măsline

60ml apă

+suc de roşii

+2 roşii

+sare

Opţional: avocado

Cum ajung toate acestea pizza?

Peste quinoa se toarnă apa fierbinte.

După o jumătate de oră, quinoa se scurge bine, apoi se adaugă în blender, împreună cu sarea, uleiul de măsline şi apa.

După mărunţire, întindeţi pe o tavă de pizza, peste hârtie de copt. Coaceţi în cuptorul preîncălzit, la 200°C, 20 de minute.

Scoateţi din cuptor, întindeţi suc de roşii peste blat, aşezaţi roşiile tăiate felii, adăugaţi sare, apoi mai coaceţi încă 15 minute, tot la 200°C.

Puteţi adăuga felii de avocado peste pizza după ce o scoateţi a doua oară din cuptor.

Poftă bună! Vă va plăcea!

40g brown sugar

salt

3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tbsp cornstarch

420ml milk

80g sour cream

100g dark chocolate

Homemade puddings and pudding powder puddings are a million miles away. This one is the best version I’ve had. I hope that you agree!

Mix the brown sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and cornstarch in a deep pan. Then, add 120ml of milk and stir well until there are no more lumps. Pour the remaining milk and mix in the sour cream.

Start heating the mix on low heat. Stir from time to time. After boiling, add the chocolate (chips or cut into pieces); stir until it is incorporated.

Remove from heat and place the pudding into the serving dishes. Let the pudding cool; place the serving dishes into the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy it!

I have this recipe from my dear friend Paula. Thanks to her, I discovered hungryhappens.net; we tried several recipes from the blog, even together! ♥

I adapted the recipe. I baked it on our anniversary; Marcel loved it (when he immediately asks for a second slice, he likes a dessert a lot). J

Use

a large ripe banana

30ml flaxseed oil

a medium egg

85ml agave syrup

vanilla extract

a teaspoon of ground coffee

2g baking powder

90g almond flour

90g tapioca powder

salt

30g dark chocolate

How to bake it?

Mash the banana, add the flaxseed oil, the egg, the agave syrup, the vanilla extract, the ground coffee, the almond flour, the tapioca powder, the salt, and 15g of dark chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a round silicone baking pan, using the remaining 15g to decorate the cake.

Then, bake the cake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven at 180⁰C.

You’re going to enjoy this cake a lot!

I had some almond flour left (bought for this cake). I had forgotten how sticky the almond flour batter is!

The ingredients?

2 eggs

65g almond flour

30g tapioca powder

3g baking powder

salt

a banana

+1 teaspoon of coconut oil

+some honey, some ground walnuts

for 4 pancakes (Φ 14 cm)

Mix the eggs, the almond flour, the tapioca powder, the baking powder, and the salt. Add the banana that you mashed.

Fry them in a teaspoon of coconut oil. They are ready when you see bubbles form in the batter.

To end in glory, serve them with honey and ground walnuts.

Honestly, they were even tastier than I expected them to be! That’s why they’re on this blog! J

I’ve wanted to post this recipe since New Year’s Eve. It was inspired by a delicious carrot and ginger soup served in Kenya. Marcel prepared it, to give me something vegetarian to eat at the passing between the years.

He used:

150g butternut squash

salt

10g ginger

a clove of garlic

100ml water

Is it easy to make? Very easy! Clean the butternut squash, cut it into slices, and let it sit in the oven for one hour in a baking pan lined with baking parchment at 180-200⁰C.

Then, while they’re still hot, blend them with the salt, ginger, garlic, and water. Serve it after 1-2 minutes.

Mmm... This is how I entered 2024. J

P.S. If you let the butternut squash cool, pour hot water into the blender.