Conchiglie with Goat Cream Cheese and Spinach

Most days I come home from a long day at University totally famished.
Although, I alsways pack a ton of food to eat during the day, including nuts and fruits to nibble on when the hunger strikes me, I always end up craving a warm and satisfying meal by the time I walk through my door.
Besides being delicious and somewhat healthy, my dinners also have to be ready in less than 30 minutes flat. That’s the maximum amount of time I am willing/able to spend before I’d collapse (Being melodramatic here)!
Sice this dish fulfills both needs, it is one of my go-to dinners when I crave pasta with a light but creamy sauce.
To make it a little more filling, I always bulk it up with vegetables - spinach, kale or chard being my favorites.
Since the meal is so freaking simple I am almost hesitant to call it a recipe, but it is delicious and therefore worth sharing with you:
All you have to do is boil the pasta in plenty of salt water, chop up two challots and cook them in some oil together with the greens. Then you throw in the cooked pasta with a dollop of cream cheese, add a generous dash of  salt, pepper and Percorino, et viola! There you have a simple but tasty dinner steaming in front of you!

If you are cooking for only one person, don’t hesitate to make the whole batch, since the dish tastes great cold and makes a nice salad for lunch the next day.

Do you know what’s also great with this dish? I am almost ashamed to tell you but I drizzle Hot Chili Sauce over my noodles to add more spice. I am also the kind of person who eats ketchup with her pizza. I know, I know. I am very sorry.
But anyways. Try it with Hot Sauce!

Conchiglie with Goat Cream Cheese and Spinach
(Serves 2 hungry people)

250g Conchiglie pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil
500g fresh spinach, chopped
2 shallots, minced
100g goat’s cream cheese
¼ cup reserved noodle water
Salt, pepper

Pecorino cheese for serving

Cocktail tomatoes, olive oil

Cook pasta in salt water according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander but reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pot and sweat shallots until translucent. Add spinach leaves and cook covered on medium heat until spinach has wilted. Stir frequently. Drain spinach in a colander to remove excess water. Put back into the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add cream cheese and stir well to melt the cheese. Fold in the pasta and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

To make the tomatoes, place them on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes or until the peel cracks open.

Serve with shaved Pecorino.

Cheesecake Dessert with Rhubarb Compote

This weekend  it was time for a dessert because I just couldn’t stand walking past all this beautiful rhubarb anymore. I am weak guys, I am weak.
But whatever, there are worse things than rhubarb on this planet so I don’t give a damn.
Aaaand, I think it has been at least 1 year since the last time I enjoyed a piece of this tart wird looking fruit ( I think it actually is a vegetable?).

Today the sun was shining and the temperatures reached 24°C! Yikes! That called  for an indulgent, yet refreshing and somewhat healthy dessert to celebrate, don’t you think?
But since I really wanted to spend my time outside rather than in the kitchen I could not imagine myself baking a buttery cake . So please welcome the no-bake Cheesecake Dessert!
It is a very quick and simple recipe that comes together in 10 minutes flat, when you prepare the compote in advance as I did. That’s not too shabby for a dessert, I think.

I really love the flavor combinations of rhubarb, honey and vanilla, so I could not help myself and make a recipe out of it. For the cheesecake base I chose to use vanilla quark that is only slightly sweetend. The base is very sweet and brings together the tartness of the rhubarb and the slightly sour taste of the quark perfectly.
If you do not have quark were you live, just replace it with Greek yoghurt. It should work nicely.

Although desserts in glasses might be very old fashioned I like the idea of digging deep into the rhubarb compote and creamy vanilla yoghurt to reach the sweet, nutty crust layer. That is so exciting and such fun to eat. I don’t mind if it’s nothing cool kids do. At least I have delicious food. And a chair in the sun. Enough for a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Chessecake Dessert with Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb Compote:
(Makes a lot)

750g (9 stalk) rhubarb, ends cut off, peeled and chopped (it should then be about 560g)
approx. ¼ cup (65ml ) honey
approx.. ¼ cup apple syrup
¼ cup water
½- ¾  tsp ground vanilla
Little lemon juice

Cut peeld rhubarb into slices and add all ingredients except the vanilla in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and has fallen apart. Stir in the  vanilla and  let cool. Store in the fridge.

Crunch-layer:
(serves 2-3)

¼ cup (30g) rolled oats
¼ cup (35g) almonds
4 pitted dates
1 Tbsp apple syrup
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp coconut oil

Ina food processor combine all ingredients and pulse until a crumbly dough forms.

Vanilla-Quark:
(serves 2-3)

250g nonfat Quark or Greek yoghurt
150g creamy plain yoghurt (3,5% fat)
1 Tbsp apple syrup
½ tsp ground vanilla or more to taste

Into a bowl add all ingredients and stir until a smooth cream forms.

To assamble the cheesecake, add 1/3 or ¼ (depending on the size of the glasses) into a glass and smooth out. Cover with the desired amount of vanilla quark. Top with rhubarb compote. Enjoy with a long spoon to dig deep and eat the layers together.

Green Asparagus and Ramsons Tarte

Like I said in my last post, I am really craving eggs and cheese lately. The result of that fractious craving is presented here.


This tarte is actually more like a quiche, but I found tarte to be more appropriate for a dish containing “fancy” green asparagus and wild garlic. I really love spring and all the food that is brings. Especially asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables of all times. Although, we mainly eat white asparagus here in Germany, I also fell head over heels with its green brother. It goes very well with everything cheesy and hearty and that’s why I paired it with the wild garlic and some nutty goat’s cheese.
I am a great fan of quiches/tartes because my mum always used to make them for lunch when I was a kid. Back than we normally had a classic Quiche Lorainne or some vegetarian version with zucchini. But since I now mostly cook my own food, I started experimenting with some new (to me) combinations and to be honest: the variations are endless. I mean what’s not to taste great with eggs, cheese and a crunchy crust? Yeah, you got it.

You can either enjoy this tarte straight out of the oven or at room temperature. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It is also a great on-the-go-lunch. I love to take it to university and enjoy a delicious piece of tarte during lunch break.

Enjoy!

Green Asparagus and Ramsons Tarte
(serves 4-6)

Crust:
7g (1 package) active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
¼ tsp sugar

120g (1 cup) spelt flour
80g (1/4 cup+1 heaping Tbsp) wholegrain spelt flour
Pinch of salt
40g (4 Tbsp) (vegan) butter
2 Tbsp sour cream

Filling:
500g green asparagus, hard ends removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt, pepper

5 large organic eggs
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 bunch ramsons/wild garlic (approx.70g), stems removed and roughly chopped
60g hearty goat’s or sheep’s cheese (like Goat’s Tommeor an old Pecorino), grated
¾ tsp salt
Lots of pepper and nutmeg

Make the crust:
In a small bowl combine active dry yeast, warm water and sugar. Stir gently to combine and let sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast mixture looks bubbly.
Into a larger bowl add flour, salt, melted butter and sour cream. Add yeast and knead with a hand mixer to combine the dough. When the dough starts to come together keep on kneading with your hands. You do not have to knead  too long, 1 minute should be about right. Cover the dough with a towel and let sit in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Make the filling:
While the dough is rising wash the asparagus and remove any hard ends.
Heat 1 Tbp of olive oil in a large pan. Add asparagus and cook covered on high to medium heat for about 4 minutes until the asparagus becomes bright green. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a tarte pan (21x25cm) with parchment paper and set aside.

Into a bowl add the eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Use a fork to combine the egg yolk with the egg white. Fold in the ramps and about ¾ of the grated cheese.

Assemble the tarte:
When the dough is ready, spread it into the tarte pan with the palm of your hand. Use your fingers to press it up the sides. Try to form a nice even crust (the dough should not be too thick in the middle).
Add the egg-filling and top with the asparagus. If the asparagus is too long for your pan , just cut off the excess stems (and eat immediately-recommended).
Sprinkle tarte with the remaining cheese and bake at 175°C for 25 minutes or until golden brown.