Yumi Yumi

Ruth Van Waerebeek describes this famous Belgian dish in her book Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook as " a confusion of a soup with a stew, chock-full of herbs and vegetables ". Julia Child names this as ' the most interesting recipe she's clipped '. Originally made with fish (perch, preferrably), this dish from the Ghent area of Belgium is now more commonly made with chicken. The chicken is poached alongside julienne of vegetables in a mixture of stock and vermouth, and thickened at the end with heavy rcream and egg yolks. When researching the recipe, I did come across recipes for waterzooi using lemon juice instead of vermouth, but vermouth - as used by Julia Child - sounded so much better :) Eventually I settled for Julia Child's recipe (available here ), but adapting it slightly. We thought it was really delicious and rather elegant, and wouldn't look out of place on a slightly more special dinner party. Now, I wonder what the most famous Belgia...

Small buttermilk pancakes, made using eggs from these free-roaming chicken and served with the last of wild strawberry jam and a cup of milky coffee. All made by my dear K. One cannot ask for more...

Well, it's been a while since I posted a recipe using beetroot. But no worries, your Beetroot Princess is back and here's a recipe for a simple salad. I don't usually cook with shop-bought pickled beetroot, but I've tried (successfully) couple of recipes recently. There was this delicious pickled beetroot and blue cheese quiche , and then this simple salad I made just a few days ago. So if you've got a jar of pickled beets lurking somewhere in your fridge, here's your chance to use it! It's a great side dish, or perhaps a filling for a jacket potato? Beetroot, Cottage Cheese and Leek Salad ( Peedi-kodujuustusalat ) Serves 4 400 g pickled beets 1 leek, white part only 200 g cottage cheese freshly ground black pepper Drain the beets, and cut into matchsticks or small cubes, if necessary (I had ready-grated beets). Halve the leek lengthwise, rinse to get rid of any grit, and cut into fine slices. Mix beets, leek and cottage cheese in a bowl, season with black ...

Given that so many of you were interested in my recipe for Zucchini Rolls with Goat's Cheese aka "Makis" au Chèvre that I served on the Easter table, I wanted to share a recipe for another kind of Zucchini Rolls that I served on my Birthday table. This time the courgette slices are blanched first, and the goat cheese has been replaced by herb-marinated mini mozzarella balls. The ones available here are aboiut the size of a large cherry tomato, so I used medium-sized courgettes/zucchinis. If you get hold of really small mozzarella balls, you may want to use smaller courgettes to wrap them in.. Zucchini Rolls with Herb-Marinated Mozzarella Balls ( Suvikõrvitsasse mähitud ürdised mozzarellapallid ) Adapted from Finnish food magazine Glorian Ruoka & Viini Makes about 30 2 packets of mini mozzarella balls, drained 2 medium sized green courgettes/Zucchinis Herb marinade: 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar 3 Tbsp of finely chopped fres...

My minimalist banana bread, with a handful of dark chocolate chips thrown in. April 2011 Don't get me wrong. I still love Nigella Lawson-style lusciously rich full-of-rum-soaked-raisins banana bread . But sometimes I feel I don't deserve all that deliciousness. Or there's that feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, I don't need all that richness in a cake. Well, this minimalist banana bread is just the cake for those occasion. Still lovely, still tasty. But it won't spend a moment on your lips, followed by a lifetime on your hips , as a famous saying goes. Minimalist Banana Bread ( MInimalistlik banaanikeeks ) Serves 8 2 large eggs 100 g caster sugar (just under half a cup) 150 g plain/all-purpose flour (that's about 1 cup) 2 tsp baking powder 2 ripe medium-sized bananas (about 200 g peeled weight) 100 ml milk (about 7 Tbsp) Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and frothy in a large bowl. Mix flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In another bowl, mash the peeled bana...

Here's a recipe for a classic Swedish cake that I've been making for quite a few years. I'm sharing it with you, as I've got several Tosca-inspired recipes coming up, so I've got something to link to :) It's a simple sponge cake that's brought to another lever by a crispy and buttery almond topping. Here's a basic version that I love. But a friend of mine adds a large grated apple to the base, just to make it moister (though it's by no means a dry sponge cake to start with). A true keeper and a star on any coffee table. Have you tried a Tosca cake before? And which yummy variations on the theme can you think of? Swedish Tosca Cake ( Toska kook ) Serves 8-10 3 large eggs 200 ml sugar 400 ml plain/all-purpose flour 1.5 tsp baking powder 100 ml milk 125 g butter, melted and cooled Tosca topping: 75 g butter 100 g almond slices 150 ml sugar 4 Tbsp whipping/double cream 1 Tbsp plain flour First make the sponge cake: whisk eggs and sugar until thick, pale ...

Photo © Õhtuleht Almost two years ago, President of Estonia went on a State Visit to Spain, where they were treated to a festive Spanish meal . This week, the King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos I & Sofia, are on a return visit to Estonia. The festive state dinner took place last night atthe Estonia Concert Hall. Eighty local dignitaries were treated to a meal designed by Jevgeni Jermoshkin. Here's what they ate: Official dinner at Estonia Concert Hall on May 4, 2009 Tallinn sprats with rye bread, quail's egg and tomato vinaigrette Cream of beetroot soup with potato-barley ball and sour cream mousse Halibut with basil and cauliflower risotto and sparkling wine jus Warm rhubarb tart with chocolate-covered ice cream and Vana Tallinn liqueur sauce Sounds all rather delicious, IMHO. Too bad I wasn't invited :D PS Curious to know what the Queen of England or the Emperor of Japan and other foreign dignitaries were served on their official visits to Estonia? Click on the...

From the recipe archives, updated in May 2009, orignally posted in May 2008. Ground-elder , you may wonder? Well, I wrote more about that healthy wild green a while ago (check out my It's a Wild Thing: Hortapita or Greek Pie with Wild Greens post). Here's a recipe for delicious and unusual ground-elder muffins, adapted from a recipe seen in a local food magazine in early 2008. I must admit I first thought 'ground-elder muffins' are savoury ones, so seeing sugar and vanilla in the list of ingredients suprised me a little. However, I did follow the list of ingredients, changing the proportions and instructions as I went along, and was extremely pleased with the end result. The muffins were sweet, very slightly green-tasting, and very pleasant indeed. Should you come across young and bright green ground-elder leaves in your garden, you should really try this recipe. Ground-Elder and Vanilla Muffins ( Kevadised naadimuffinid vaniljega ) Ready in 30 minutes Makes 12 30 g yo...

Manhattan cheesecake with strawberry, mint and balsamic vinegar salsa I just realised that I haven't shared my favourite cheesecake recipe with you. This needs to be corrected a.s.a.p., as I've told some of my Edinburgh friends that they'll find the recipe on the blog. The recipe is originally from a decade-old issue of BBC Good Food, but I've tweaked and changed both the ingredients and timings over the years. Lovers of oh-so-sweet cheesecakes out there - beware - this is a rather unsweet cheesecake. Just how I like it. It's also not as high/tall as some of the cheesecakes I saw in the US last summer - but again, I've never been a huge fan of tower-high cakes myself.  What's your favourite cheesecake? Feel free to leave a link to the blog post/recipe in the comments. Manhattan Cheesecake ( Manhattani toorjuustukook ) Serves 8 Base: 8 Digestive biscuits, crushed (I use LU brand, each cookie weighs ca 14 g) 2 Tbsp sugar 50 g unsalted butter, melted Filling: 4...