Friday, December 23, 2011

Moved to new domain

Dear friends

We moved permanently to a new home: Pinch of Cinnamon. From now on the updates are only posted there.

Thank you for moving with us
Love you
Maria

Thursday, December 22, 2011

A very special red lentils soup


I would never think that a soup made of these simple ingredients can be that delicious. However once my mom threw it together and since then we are making it virtually every week. Everybody loves it including my little brother and when I eat it I think I do know why. It is just one of those dishes that are truly good for you. It always leaves you with a deep feeling of satisfaciton and comfort.
Read more...

Monday, December 19, 2011

Quince marmalade


That's the second autumn when my mom made quince marmalade. Last year the stocks lasted till late winter. It suddenly became so deeply imbedded in the family eating that we can't imagine our mornings without it any more. Sometimes we have it on toasted bread with fresh cheese, other times - on its own with tea. When I started inquiring it turned out that this marmalade comes from hispanic cooking and the particular recipe - from an amazing mama-fenix - Russian food blogger living in Barcelona.
Read more...

Friday, December 16, 2011

Florentine cookies


Last Monday was my mom's birthday. She went for a MacBook (yes, she does listen to me sometimes) but I still wanted to present something hand made. So on Sunday my little bro and I got together at the kitchen to make her favorite florentines. They are continuing the series on Christmas baking.
Read more...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cooking buckwheat


Buckwheat is one of my favorite grains and something I closely associate with home and Russia. It has a lot of character. When cooked properly it is absolutely delicious on its own. No adds or toppings are necessary. In this sense it is similar to rice. The right way to cook it is nothing complicated, but it really makes a difference.
Read more...

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Rice with green lentils (inspired by Kitchari)


I don't really have a name at hand for this dish, but the idea comes from Indian kitchari. Last weekend I tried kitchari for the first time at a vegetarian cooking class by beautiful Moscow food blogger Natasha at Sok cafe. Now if I think about feel-good-food kitchari comes to my head as the first idea. I just love the whole idea of combining rice with a legume in one dish. Vegetables add lightness and flavor to it and a touch of hot spices really makes it shine.
Read more...

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ukrainian granny's vareniki with mashed potatoes


It is hard to believe, but I made my first conscious vareniki (Ukrainian dumpling) just a couple of months ago. I pretty much grew up wondering around them being cooked at the family kitchen helping to make them here and there, but never really did the thing myself from start to the end. The tradition comes from my Ukrainian grand grandma. She cooked beautifully and she taught me a few things. The one I'm most proud of is this vareniki seal, which makes them look so pretty.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Italian cooking class with Artur Bagov at Del Corso (Moscow)


Last weekend I finally paid my first visit to Del Corso, a new Italian cooking school in Moscow led by inspiring and engaging Artur Bagov. Back to Moscow after studying and working in Piedmont, having worked with Isaac Correa at Correa's restaurant at its very start Artur is now developing his beautiful venture. Watching him working you can tell he's doing what he loves. He is sparkling with enthusiasm, so passionate about giving you his very best here and now. It was definitely not my last visit to the school.
Read more...

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Escribà pastry shop in Barcelona


Sweets in Barcelona often go unnoticed. If you don't get to spend much time there it easily overloads you with its amazing seafood, paella, wine and tapas. But this would never happen to such a sweets junky like me. Barcelona has its own beautiful culture of sweets and there is so much to try there! Escribà is one of the oldest and most famous pastry shops in the city, which I was lucky to visit during my last trip.
Read more...

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Lemon and caraway biscuits


Now when everybody is not as busy with halloween I can clearly see that it is not only me who is impatiently waiting for Christmas. My first Christmas cinnamon roll cookies this year were baked on October 1st and here comes the second batch. Every time I bake these lemon biscuits they surprise me once again with their depth and intensity. And almost everybody who tries them asks me for their recipe.
Read more...