Beer beef stew with corn noodles – 3 countries in 1 dish

The idea comes from the Italian pici con ragú (this recipe is based on Jamie Oliver’s version). But I make it a little bit English by adding some beer, a little Hungarian by making it with noodles, and a little American by adding salted peanuts. I think we must sprinkle it with parmesan on the top, but make your own version!

Beer beef stew with corn noodles

For the corn noodles:

-          500 g corn flour

-          400 ml water (as much as necessary)

-          2 egg yolks

-          1,5 tsp salt

For the tomato beef stew:

-          olive oil

-          1 onion (chopped)

-          2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

-          500 g minced beef

-          1 bunch of fresh rosemary

-          4 bay-leaves

-          1600 g peeled, chopped tomato (tinned)

-          150 ml brown beer

-          salt, pepper

-          100 g salted, roasted peanuts (ground)

For the top:

-          parmesan (grated)

1. Fry the onion on the oil (salt it), then add the minced meat (salt and pepper it) and the spices. Fry the meet, and then pour the tomatoes and the beer to it. Salt and pepper it, and cook it for 2 hours under cover at low fire. At the end add the peanuts too.
2. Knead all the ingredients for the noodles, then put the dough on a cutting board, and cut noodles with a knife. Drop them in hot, salted water and cook them.
3. Mix the noodles with the stew, and sprinkle the dish with cheese.

Lemon crème brulée tartlets – My three favourites in one dessert

In this recipe I have combined my three favourites: the shortbread, the crème brulée and the lemon curd.

Lemon crème brulée tartlets

For the Tartlets:

-          500 g flour

-          300 g butter (cold; cut in cubes)

-          1 tsp. salt

-          200 g sugar

-          1 egg white (to glaze the tartlets)

For the lemon crème:

-          5 eggs

-          275 g sugar

-          170 g lemon juice

-          juice of 1/2 lime

For the top:

-          Brown sugar/sugar

1. Mix the flour with the salt, then crumble it with the butter cubes. Mix with the sugar, and then knead the dough (add some water if it is needed to assemble the dough). Wrap it and put it in the fridge for half an hour. Butter the tartlet pans, then roll out the dough, and line the pans with it. Put the pans with the dough in the fridge again for half an hour. Cover the top of the dough in each of the pans with baking parchment and spread dry beans on it. Bake it on 160°C, while its sides turn golden. Remove the beans, glaze it with the egg white, and put it back to the oven for two more minutes.
2. For the crème: Beat the eggs with the sugar with an electric mixer. Pour the lemon juice gradually, while stirring it continuously. Cook the mixture above steam until it thickens. Fill the crème into the tartlets. Put them in the fridge for an hour, then sprinkle them with sugar and caramelize it with a blowtorch.

Pumpkin tagliatelle with pumpkin seed pesto – bye-bye until autumn

I think this is the last pumpkin recipe in this season. Because here comes spring! Yeah! I think that lots of people are in love with this vegetable. If you ask me, I have to say I like it, but I won’t kill myself just because I won’t eat it until autumn.

Pumpkin tagliatelle with pumpkin seed pesto

Ingredients:

For the pumpkin pasta:

-          250 g flour

-          100 g pumpkin purée (baked pumpkin, puréed)

-          1 egg

-          1 bunch sage

-          salt

For the pumpkin seed pesto:

-          100 g pumpkin seed + a little for the top, toasted

-          50 g olive oil

-          60 g parmesan (grated)

-          1 clove garlic (mashed)

-          juice of ¼ orange

-          Salt, pepper

1. Knead the dough for the pasta. Using a pasta maker, form and cut the tagliatelle. Cook them in hot, salted water.
2. Purée everything for the pesto with an immersion blender.
3. Mix the pasta with the pesto, and sprinkle it with toasted pumpkin seed.