​So Easter morning usually starts with a coffee and then I make a dessert to take to my mums for Easter lunch. This year however I didn't need to make anything so I had the morning free. So instead of relaxing, I decided to make these as a table decoration for the Easter table. Little did I know that not only did I love how they looked, they tasted really good to.

Croatian Easter bread dolls or primorski uskrsne bebe (translates literally to "Easter babies from Primorje") are traditionally made in Primorje and Istra on the Adriatic Coast.

The dough is a slightly sweet yeast dough, it is then braided around a colored hard boiled egg, giving the appearance of a swaddled baby (or an easter wreath).

The bread is served in two shapes, dolls and wreaths, they are gifts that are placed at the table with Easter lunch. Traditionally the dolls are served to girls, whilst the wreaths are served to boys.

They are actually easy to make if you follow the recipe, and making them was quite fun, it was fun 'playing' with the dough and making the shapes.

Traditionally the colour of the dyed eggs were red, but feel free to make whatever coloured eggs you like. I used food colouring, if you prefer natural food colours, feel free to do so, great colours can be achieved using beetroot, red cabbage leaves, turmeric, onion skins.

Now I use my stand mixer to make these, it's far easier to get the mixer to knead the dough than doing it by hand, but if you don't have one, just do it by hand.

The hard boiled egg tastes just fine after being baked. The yolk might have a green sulfur ring around it, but that doesn't affect the taste.

This is something I will definitely be making every Easter, a new tradition has begun in my house.

​Recipe adapted from www.thespruceeats.com/

Makes 12 pieces

2 cups (500ml) milk
1 x 7g package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast 
3 large eggs (room-temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
114g (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups plain flour
12 large eggs (room-temperature, hard boiled, colored)
1 tablespoon water
​
Heat the milk in a medium sized saucepan until lukewarm. Add the yeast and 1/2 tablespoon of the caster sugar, set aside for 10 minutes.
​
Meanwhile, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine 2 eggs, the remainder of the sugar, butter and the salt, mix well, to combine.


Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the dough hook. Now add the yeast-milk mixture and 3 cups of flour, turn on to low speed and let the mixer start combining all of the ingredients. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour gradually, 1/2 cup at a time, until a smooth, soft dough forms. Note: you may not use all the flour or may require more, you stop adding the flour when the dough is no longer sticky and it doesn't look wet and stuck to the bottom of the bowl. You want the dough soft, but not too sticky. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can knead it by hand for 10 minutes if you don't have a mixer.
​
Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning to coat both sides, and let rise, covered with cling film and a tea towel, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
​
Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface (only add flour to your work surface if the dough is sticky, otherwise don't) and knead 2 minutes.
​
On a lightly floured surface (again only if your dough is sticky add flour), divide the dough into 36 equal pieces. An easy way to do this is to divide the dough into 3 pieces, then divide each into 3 pieces again, then divide each into 4 pieces. Cover and allow to rest 5 minutes.
​
Preheat your oven to 190C/170C fan forced.

Using 3 pieces per doll, roll each piece into a 30cm long rope. Begin by aligning the 3 pieces side by side. Press the three pieces together at the top and place an egg on top, pushing down slightly. Begin by wrapping the two side ropes around the egg as you would a scarf. 

Braid the three ropes, below the egg, and pinch the bottom ends together.

Place doll on a baking paper covered baking sheet. Continue with remainder of dough balls.

If you want to make a wreath shape, just make the plait, then join the two ends together, and place the egg in the centre. I try and gently join the dough together under the egg without disrupting the plait too much.

Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise slightly, about 30 minutes.

​Mix the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg mixture all over the dough.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool to room temperature.

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​This is what I cook when I don't feel like cooking. This is so quick and easy to make, and tastes so good, my family absolutely love this.

We all love duck breasts in our house and teamed with this red wine sauce and mashed potato and some green beans or asparagus or broccolini, it's all just delicious.

The red wine sauce adds a lovely sweet, but not too sweet sauce, it's not a traditional jus, but we call it a jus.

Let me explain when this gets cooked, most likely on a soccer training night when I don't get home until 7:30pm. So this is how I make this happen on a weeknight. Before training, I would have peeled the potatoes for the mash, diced them up into a rough 3cm cube. Placed them in cold water. Done, for now.

Before training, I would have cooked either the asparagus, beans or broccolini, seasoned them with salt and pepper and drizzled them with a little extra virgin olive oil. Done.

I also before training would have made the red wine sauce, as it is so fast and easy to make. Then just reheat before serving.

Now I have two teenagers at home, one of them at 7pm would have been told to turn on the stove top where the mashed potatoes are, so that by the time I come home, they are already boiling, they also would have seasoned the potato water. 

Now when I get home, all I have to do is cook the duck and mash the potatoes.

So there you go a quick and easy mid week meal idea, my family loves it, hopes yours does to.

​Serves 4-6

6 duck Breasts, skin scored in diamond pattern

Red Wine Sauce:
50g caster sugar
300ml red wine
50g butter, cold, cubed

Broccolini, asparagus or beans, boiled or steamed, to serve
Mashed Potato, to serve


​Place sugar in a cold frying pan, place over medium heat and allow the sugar to melt and caramelise. Once golden, add wine, it splatters a little, and the sugar hardens, but with gentle stirring, it melts again. Simmer until reduced by half. Add one cube of butter in at a time, stir in until melted, then add the next, until all the butter has been used and your sauce has thickened to your liking. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
​
Season your duck breasts, place skin side down in a clean cold frying pan, over medium heat pan fry for 6-7 minutes. Once the skin is crispy, turn over and fry for 5 minutes or until cooked to your liking, I like it pink.

Serve duck sliced with red wine sauce, green beans, broccolini or asparagus and mashed potato.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/duck-with-red-wine-sauce.html 
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​I love white wine more than red wine. I find it lighter, easier to drink.

Sangria for me was always the red variety, which I find okay, but once I discovered a white sangria, I was much happier. Again it is lighter than its red counterpart.

Around us there are a few Spanish tapas places where I like to eat with my friends, and a White Sangria is something that is always ordered first.

This version I found, is lovely. It's a stronger sangria, so I use the lemonade to not only sweeten it, but also to dilute it to the strength that I'm feeling on the day. So use the lemonade, to taste, add 2 cups, taste, then keep adding it until you are happy with the flavour. If your wine choice is a little dry, but you don't want to dilute it anymore, you can add some sugar for sweetness also.

The grapes and blueberries I love, and the apple just works beautifully. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, just know frozen blueberries as they defrost will change the colour of the sangria. Also you can slice or dice the apples.

I love to serve it with ice, as I love it to be really cold, just add ice cubes to your glass and top up with the sangria. You could add the ice to the punch bowl, but I find it will melt and weaken the flavour of the sangria.

Also have teaspoons around so your guests can get at all the infused fruits.

This is a great party drink as it makes 3 litres, just serve it up in a punch bowl or a few jugs, and let your friends enjoy it.

​Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook 'Spanish Tapas, Paella & More'

Makes 3 litres

2 large green apples (400g), unpeeled, quartered, core removed, sliced thinly
1/2 cup (125ml) lime juice
1.5 litres (6 cups) Riesling
1/2 cup (125ml) white rum
1/3 cup (80ml) apple schnapps
3 cups (525g) seedless green grapes, halved
2 cups (300g) fresh blueberries
4 cups (1 litre) lemonade
Ice cubes, for serving


Place the sliced apple in a medium bowl, add the lime juice, mix it through, allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Place the apple slices and all the lime juice in a large punchbowl. Add the wine, rum, apple schnapps, grapes, blueberries and lemonade.

Cover, refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Just before serving place ice in a glass, top with the sangria.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/white-sangria.html 
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​What to do with leftover fish. This was a problem in our house for quite some time, we would have leftover fish, I would refrigerate it for a day or two, no one would eat it and then it got thrown out.

So I went on a hunt for what I could make with the leftover fish, and I found this recipe. These fish cakes are so good, that we now intentionally cook extra fish so that we can make these fishcakes. I have been making the same recipe for quite a few years now, with no interest in looking for another recipe, I love this one.

The ingredients are so simple, yet when put together they make these great fishcakes. The mixture is quite soft, so you need to be a little careful with them, but they are really good. You can make them flat or roll them into balls, doesn't matter really. 

​I like it served with some homemade Tartare sauce.

It doesn't matter how the fish was initially cooked, whether it was BBQ, fried, baked or poached. What you do need to do though is when you first eat the fish, you need to remove the skin and take out the bones out of any leftovers after your meal, as trying to get skin and bones out of fridge cold fish is quite a challenge.

I am happy to say there is no longer thrown out leftover fish at our house.

​Serves 4

130g cooked boiled potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
210g leftover fish, bones and skin removed, flaked
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I like Thomy mayonnaise)
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1 large egg yolk (from a 59g egg)
3 teaspoons grated or finely chopped onion (easiest is to blitz in food processor)
Salt and Pepper

For the coating:
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Sunflower Oil, for frying

Tartare Sauce:
250g mayonnaise (Thomy brand)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
45g capers, finely chopped
30g dill pickles (gherkins), finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill (optional)
​
Roughly mash cooked potato, cool.

Ensure skin and bones have been removed from the fish, flake the fish.

Tartare Sauce: In a small bowl add the mayonnaise, mustard, capers, gherkins and dill (if using). Mix until combined, and your done. Too easy

In a medium sized bowl add the potatoes, fish, mayonnaise, parsley, egg yolk, onion, salt and pepper. Mix to combine, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place egg and milk in a bowl, beat together with a fork. Place the flour in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.

Using wet hands shape the fish mixture into medium sized patties, gently press them together, or they will fall apart. Place on a plate, repeat with the remaining mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly coat a patty with the flour, place it into the egg mixture and coat it with the egg. Then carefully coat it in the breadcrumbs. You can refrigerate until needed, if making in advance.

Heat oil in a frying pan, you want the oil to be  1/2-1cm deep. Cook the patties over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown and heated through.

​Serve hot with tartare sauce and a green salad.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/fish-cakes.html 
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​This is a slow cooker meal for those that don't have a slow cooker, like me.

This is something I cook when I know making dinner in the evening will be difficult as I have a busy day ahead. So I put it to bake earlier in the day, go about my day, and dinner is ready when I need it with little effort.

This is a subtle flavoured curry dish, especially good for new people to curries as you don't get a huge spice hit.

The rice that accompanies it is lovely. 

The yoghurt and sauce that is made after it is baked looks a bit curdled, so what I do is i push it through a sieve to make it look nicer, but if you don't care, you can skip this step. 

My whole family loves this, it really is a family friendly dish.

​Adapted from Janelle Bloom's cookbook 'Family Food and Weekend Feasts'

Serves 4-6

1.5kg lamb leg or lamb shoulder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup curry paste (I use tikka masala)
2 cups chicken stock

Spiced Rice:
2 cups basmati long grain rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

 Fresh Coriander, to serve
​Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Green beans go well as a side with this dish
​
Using a sharp knife make 10 x 1cm deep cuts all over the lamb. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper.

Heat a large non stick frying pan over high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil, then the lamb. Cook for 10 minutes, turning, until browned all over. Remove from the frying pan, allow to cool on a plate for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 150C/130C fan forced.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt and the curry paste, mix well to combine. Once the lamb has cooled spread the yoghurt-curry mix thickly all over the lamb, push the mixture into the cuts you made.

Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting tin. Pour the stock into the base of the tin, not over the lamb. Place a sheet of baking paper over the lamb then cover the lamb tightly with two layers of aluminium foil and bake for 6-7 hours, until the meat falls off the bone.

For the spiced rice: I like to cook my rice in a rice cooker, but you can also do it by the absorption method, follow packet instructions. Heat the oil in a large non stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar, cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until golden. Add all the spices, cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the warm rice and toss until well combined.

Remove the lamb from the oven, rest for 30 minutes (if your pushed for time you don't have to). Use two forks to shred the meat, it will fall apart very easily. Place the meat on a platter. Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a jug, then pour over the juices onto the lamb. 

​​Sprinkle over some chopped coriander. 

Serve hot with the spiced rice, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and green beans if you like.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/slow-cooked-curry-crusted-lamb.html 
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Chicken Kiev: This classic dish was delicious, I mean who doesn't love a schnitzel, and what could make a humble schnitzel even better, add some flavoured butter in the middle. This was crisp, this was juicy, this was a great dish.

Ukrainian Potato and Beetroot Salad: Now this I made to go with the chicken kiev. Now I cannot remember where this recipe came from, but based on the photo I boiled red and golden beetroot until tender. I boiled potatoes, until tender. I hard boiled some eggs. Now I cut everything into similar sized pieces. I also used fresh cucumber instead of pickled, which I loved, I added spring onions, then mixed everything with some mayonnaise and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I have no idea regarding the quantities, but I will make this again and get a proper recipe up then.

Borshch: Ukainian Beetroot Broth: Soups are always well received in my house, my husband and kids love them. This one was really good we quite enjoyed it. You can use whole chicken instead of beef, both versions are delicious. The recipe says to serve it with Ukrainian Garlic Bread-Pampushky, so I did, it really was a lovely dinner.

Here is the recipe: Serves 4

200g beetroot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and roughly grated
1 red capsicum, cored, deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tomato (skin discarded), roughly grated
½ small white cabbage, shredded
400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Stock
500g oxtail or fatty beef short ribs
1 onion, peeled but kept whole
1 bay leaf
2.5 litres cold water

To serve
100ml soured cream
½ bunch of dill, chopped
pampushky (Ukrainian garlic bread, recipe below)

To make the stock, simply place the meat, whole onion, bay leaf and measurement of water in a large saucepan. Season the water lightly and cook over a low heat for 1 hour. Skim off the scum with a spoon from time to time.
Add the beetroot and potatoes to the stock, season well with salt and pepper and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and carrot and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for about 5–7 minutes until the carrot is soft and is about to start caramelising. This is a distinctively Ukrainian soffritto technique called smazhennya or zazharka.
Add the red capsicum and tomato paste to the onion and carrot and cook it out for 2 minutes, then add the grated fresh tomato, stir and reduce slightly before adding all of this to the broth.
Finally, add the shredded cabbage and beans to the broth and cook for about 7 minutes until cooked through.
Serve with a dollop of soured cream, chopped dill and pampushky.

Pampushky Ukrainian Garlic Bread: Now my daughter loves bread, she also really loves garlic bread, so I had to make these to accompany the borshch. We loved these and by adding the bread, the soup really is a complete meal, you don't need anything else.

Here is the recipe: Makes 8 rolls

15 grams fresh yeast or 7g dried active yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
225ml warm water
400 grams strong white flour , plus extra for dusting
8 grams fine sea salt
3 tablespoons sunflower oil , plus extra for oiling
20 grams wet (new) or regular garlic , crushed
½ bunch fresh parsley , finely chopped
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

First make a ‘sponge’, which is a type of yeasty starter. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the measurement water (make sure it’s blood temperature – hot water would kill the yeast!). Add 200g (7oz) of the flour and mix roughly. Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, add the rest of the flour and fine sea salt to the starter and knead on a well-floured work surface until the dough is smooth and comes away from your hands easily.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape into round buns. Put them side by side in an oiled round ovenproof dish or a 24cm round cake tin, cover and let them prove again, this time in a warm place, until doubled in size. They will join together just like hot cross buns do.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced. To make the basting oil, simply stir the crushed garlic through the oil with a small pinch of sea salt and the parsley, then let it infuse.

When the pampushky look plump and ready, brush them generously with some beaten egg to glaze and bake for 20–25 minutes or until they form a glistening golden crust. Take them out and baste them with the garlic oil. Serve immediately.
​

Galushki Ukrainian Dumplings: We love gnocchi so when I found the Ukrainian version I thought I would try it. They are made out of a dough though, not potatoes, like gnocchi are. I found them a little tough, but my kids liked it. My daughter who loves anything made from dough, enjoyed it. Would I make it again no, but what I will make again is the bacon sauce, it was delicious with the galushki. The sauce would go so well, as a quick sauce with gnocchi for instance, simple but satisfying. I've shared the link to the original recipe for you to see how these are made.

Cheese Galushki: After making the plain Galushki which I though were a little tough but okay, I thought I'd try a cheese version. I found the end result the same, they were okay, we ate it, but did I love it, no. It was great to try, but the recipe won't be repeated. I also served it with the mushroom and bacon sauce I made originally. In the Ukraine they would fry the galushki after boiling them and just serve it with sour cream. Now I like sour cream, but to serve it as a sauce just doesn't work for me. Again I've shared the link for you, in case you want to see how they are made.

Potato and Caramelised Onion Vareniki: Vareniki is stuffed Ukranian pasta. After trying these a few times I have finally made them how we love them. If you like dumplings, pierogi, vareniki, try these, they do take a little time, there is a bit of work involved, but my goodness they were good.
​

Vareniki Fried or Unfried with a Bacon, Butter and Onion Sauce. I preferred them fried, but loved them unfried also.

Vareniki with a meat sauce: Here I did not fry the vareniki but decided to serve it shaped like tortellini with a Short Rib Ragu.

Vareniki with a creamy mushroom sauce: Here I did not fry the vareniki but decided to serve it shaped like tortellini with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Cabbage Casserole Recipe: Here is a dish that I really liked. I do love cabbage and I do love quiche and this kind of combined the two. Now this is not the greatest thing I have ever eaten, but I would definitely make this again, especially on days when you are looking through your fridge and pantry and you have all the ingredients ready to go, as quite often I have these ingredients readily available.

Here is the recipe: Serves 6

4 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cornflour
6 cups (1/2 of a medium head) regular green cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dill (fresh or frozen), chopped
2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
115g (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese 

Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan forced and butter a 22cm round pie dish.

In a medium mixing bowl, add eggs, sour cream and mayonnaise and whisk until blended.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and cornflour. Whisk flour mixture into batter until smooth. 

Place thinly sliced cabbage into second medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Scrunch cabbage for 30 seconds to soften then stir in green onion and dill. 
​
Spread cabbage mixture over bottom of greased  pie dish and pour batter evenly over the top. 

Sprinkle top with shredded mozzarella and bake on the center rack for about 35 min or until top is golden.
 

Chicken and Cabbage Savoury Pirog: Now I really liked this, as did my family. A pirog is a baked dough with a sweet or savory filling. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This recipe has a nice soft dough with a savory chicken, cabbage and vegetable filling. It won't be the greatest thing you have ever eaten, but it is really nice when you feel like some dough, but you don't feel like pizza, it's like a pizza sandwich with a really nice savoury filling. This is one of those meals you make when you need to clean out the fridge a bit.

Here is the recipe:

Serves 6

For the Dough:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup warm milk
1/3 cup warm water
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

For the Savory Filling:
350g chicken thighs, cubed finely
1 teaspoon oil
½ large onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (42g) butter, divided
3 cups cabbage, shredded finely
2 small carrots, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1 ½ teaspoons ketchup
1 ½ teaspoons sour cream
3 tablespoons of your favorite herbs
1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, beaten for egg wash
½ teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

Prepare dough: In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise, oil, salt, water and milk. Sprinkle yeast over top of the mixture and sprinkle sugar over yeast. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, let sit 5 minutes for the yeast to activate and become foamy.

Gradually add flour, mix until flour is well incorporated. Set dough aside to rise at room temperature, covered, 1 ½ to 2 hours (until the dough doubles, almost triples in size).

Prepare filling: In a large frying pan, over med/high heat, cook chicken in 1 teaspoon of oil until fully cooked (about 2-3 minutes), stirring as needed. Remove from the pan.

Sauté onion in 1 tablespoon butter until tender, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons butter, cabbage, carrots, garlic and water. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until cabbage is desired tenderness.

Add the ketchup, sour cream, herbs and the chicken that was set aside. Cook another minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat to cool.

Assemble the pirog: On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 2 equal parts (cover second dough). Roll out until about 30cm round.

Take half of the cabbage filling and place it into the center of the dough, spread evenly (leaving about 7cm of dough uncovered around the edges).

Gently start pulling the edges of the dough over the filling into the center to close the pirog. Continue going around until cabbage is completely covered. Pinch seams together.
Gently, flip the pirog over. Flatten the pirog as needed so it’s even in size and so the filling is evenly distributed. Repeat with second pirog.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and let rise 30-45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven to 205C/185C fan forced for 18-22 minutes, until golden in color.

Chocolate Babka: This is probably my greatest find on this journey to the Ukraine. This is the chocolate version of a cinnamon bun. The dough is so soft, it's perfect. The ganache is delicious. Make this on a lazy Sunday as you do need time to allow the dough to rise, but it is well worth the time.

Braided Easter Bread: Although the chocolate version above is better and I would make it more often, I really enjoyed this version also. I love the surprise inside this Easter Bread, it reminds me of a danish. The lovely bites of apricot and the ribbons of cheese give it a tang that I loved. I think this is something I will make every year for Easter myself from now on, it will become an Easter tradition for me and my family. If you can't find farmers cheese, I use quark, an easy google search will lead you to other farmers cheese alternatives.

Here is the recipe:

Serves 8

For the Paska Easter Bread Dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (4 grams)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (plus 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly

For the Farmer Cheese (Tvorog) Filling:
240g farmers cheese (1 3/4 cups packed)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 teaspoons orange zest, from 1 medium orange

For the Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

In a measuring cup, combine warm milk (not hot), 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit 10 minutes to proof.
In a small bowl, add egg, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and whisk together. Whisk in warm melted butter (NOT HOT). Lastly whisk in proofed yeast mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour then add wet ingredients. Combine dough with a spatula then knead by hand 10 minutes, you can use a mixer with hook attachment. Dough will be soft and not sticking to your hands. Form dough into a ball then cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make cheese filling: In a medium bowl crumble farmers cheese with a fork. Add sugar and egg yolk. Use spatula to blend until combined and somewhat creamy. Add diced apricots and orange zest.
Once dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 30cm x 22cm rectangle, between 0.3cm and  0.6 thick. Add cheese filling and spread evenly leaving a 1cm border at the edges.
Roll dough into a log starting from the long end and pinch edges to seal. Cut the roll in half to split into 2 strands, keeping them attached at one end. Overlap the 2 strands starting at the connected end and weaving them together towards the ends. Pinch the ends to seal. Carefully transfer braid cut-side up to a greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise/puff up at room temperature 30-45 min. Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water and generously brush egg wash over risen loaf.

Bake in center of oven at 175C/155C fan forced for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes in pan then transfer to wire rack. Dust warm bread with powdered sugar. Once cooled to room temperature, slice and serve.

Apple Sharlotka: This cake, I did not like much, it was eggy, which means with every bite I could taste egg, not pleasant. I'm sure there is many great recipes out there that are lovely, but this was not it.

Next stop Guatemala.

With Easter only a few days away, here is some food ideas you could serve for Easter lunch. This is just food I really love to eat and serve family and friends.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta: One of my favourite things to eat. Simple, fresh and tasty.

Spinach and Ricotta Rolls: I love these, they can be made in advance and frozen until needed.

Prawn and Corn Cakes: I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love these. One of my favourite things to serve and eat.

Guacamole: Could eat this every day. 

Smoked Salmon Pancake Rolls: I have been making these for years, and they are always well received by guests.

Tagliata for Two: a simple recipe that is easily doubled. Recently my husband cooked the steaks on the barbecue instead of pan-frying them which made it easier for me, all I had to do was make the marinade. For a party, I would scatter the sliced steak on a platter, then drizzle over the dressing and scatter over the tomatoes.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder: Probably my favourite roast lamb recipe. It is so easy to make and I love it served with some Tzatziki, a Greek Salad, and an Eggplant Relish.

Lasagne: the ultimate party dish. It feeds many and you can make it weeks in advance and freeze it. Then defrost and cook when needed.

Green Salad: We love a green salad in our house. Serve this at your next barbecue, it's delicious.

Potato Gratin: Always a crowd pleaser, I love that you can assemble it earlier, then bake it when needed. 

Greek Salad: Simple and goes with so many things.

Almond Bread: my favourite biscuit, just try stopping at one.

Tiramisu Torte: Here is something a little bit fancy. Great as you make it the day before.

Chocolate Cheesecake: I love chocolate and I love a good cheesecake.

Baked Ricotta Cheesecake: My all time favourite cheesecake. I love this.

Vanilla Pannacotta with a Berry Compote: The easiest dessert you will ever make.

Fresh Fruit Salad with a Vanilla Lime Syrup: Simple, fresh and tasty.

Chocolate Mud Cake: It's Easter, you have to indulge in chocolate.

Madarica: This is amazing. It takes a bit of work to make, but you need to do it at least 4 days in advance. So great for parties. Freezes well to.

Choc Vanilla Slice: The easiest slice you could ever make.

Sparkling Wine: At any party I have, there has to be spaarkling wine. Prosecco is a favourite.

Triple Berry Margarita: I do love a Margarita and this triple berry version is beautiful and delicious.

Sparkling Fruit Punch: My favourite non alcoholic drink to serve at parties. My kids love this

So there you have it, a few ideas to serve for Easter or any party for that matter.

​So off I went with my gorgeous friend Pat to see Manu Feildel cook at Peters of Kensington today. I don't get star struck by celebrities, but a chef, I just love watching someone cook, really is what I enjoy (throw in a small bottle of sparkling wine at 11am, and it is brilliant). Manu was funny, entertaining, quite witty, if you get a chance to watch him cook, he is great.

The food, he cooked three dishes for us, Potato and Parsnip Gratin already on my website, the one I posted was from his cookbook which was with potatoes only, if you want to add parsnips just add half potatoes, half parsnips. He also cooked his Pearl Barley Risotto with Wild Mushrooms which happens to be my husband's favourite risotto, and is also already posted on my website. So I was very excited that 2 out of the 3 recipes he made are my families favourites.

Then the third dish was this Tian Provencal, now I love eggplant, zucchini, tomato and onions. I love rosemary and thyme, so when he made this I knew it was going to be cooked for dinner that night.

First I had to stop and get the ingredients, with a slight detour into wheel and barrow to buy myself a new dish to cook it in. I love homewares stores, I love looking in them, seeing what's new.

Anyway ingredients purchased, what to serve with it. As I had spent the morning watching a man cook for me, I thought it fit that when I got home I got my husband to cook for me to, make it the perfect day. So I thought I'll cook the side dish while my husband can barbecue some T-bones steaks for us.

Dinner was delicious. The aromas coming from the oven whilst the Tian Provenal was cooking made me know I was going to enjoy it. Teamed with barbecue T-bone, dinner was amazing.

The amount of vegetables will depend on the size of your baking dish, mine was a base measurement of 28cm x 20cm rectangle, but as it is so simple you can add extra vegetables and make it bigger, or reduce the amount of vegetables to make a smaller portion. Manu's recipe stated 1kg of eggplant, 1kg zucchini, 1kg tomatoes. I found that was too much, so just think about your baking dish and think equal quantities of those three vegetables. Now you also want to have your vegetables similar in size, so to match the size of a zucchini, you want to slice the tomatoes and eggplants in half, then slice them.

So here is a great barbecue/party dish, as it serves 6-8 people. Simple and yet so tasty.

​A recipe adapted from Manu Feildel

Serves 6-8

2 eggplants
4 zucchini
4 tomatoes
2 onions, peeled, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
Rosemary
Thyme
Extra virgin olive oil


Preheat oven to 220C/200 fan forced.

You want your vegetables similar in size, so match your tomatoes and eggplant to your zucchini.

Eggplant, cut in half lengthways (from stem to top), then slice in to 1/2-1 cm thick slices.

Tomatoes, cut in half lengthways (from stem to top, if the tomato is large), then slice in to 1/2-1 cm thick slices.

Zucchini slice in to 1/2-1 cm thick slices.

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil into a frying pan over medium heat, add the onions, sauté the onions until lightly golden. Add the garlic and sauté a further 2 minutes, season with some salt and pepper.

Drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil into the base of your baking dish, spread your onion and garlic evenly over the base.

Now vertically layer the tomatoes in one row, then the eggplant, zucchini, eggplant, tomato then zucchini, until you get to the other side of the dish. 

Drizzle a good amount of extra virgin olive oil over the vegetables. It needs to be a generous amount (approx. 1/2 cup, I really didn't measure) as this will be part of the sauce at the bottom, and will ensure your vegetables won't be dry. Sprinkle over some rosemary and thyme (to taste) and season well with salt and pepper.

​Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until the vegetables are just soft.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to ​www.whatscookingella.com/tian-provencal.html 
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​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​Today I am posting a recipe I really don't like, I never have. I am posting it as it is something my mum has made for as long as I can remember, it is something I grew up on.  Now I grew up on it, but never liked it, you may wonder why then post it, I'm posting it as my parents love it, my husband loves it and my kids love it.

This soup is something my mum taught me, I have been making it myself for 19 years now (since I got married) and it really is something my family loves.

Now I have to say I do love the fish that is cooked to make the fish soup, I find it absolutely delicious. This meal is a dieters dream as it is low in fat and so good for you.

Now for the fish, I like using whatever my husband catches, but if I bought it, you should try adding a few different varieties of fish instead of just one type of fish. I like red rock cod, red emperor, leatherjacket, long fin perch. You can even make this soup from fish bones and heads once you have filleted fish for another use. It cooks the same way and you will have a lovely flavoursome soup.

This recipe is also what many call a Fish Stock, so if you need to make a fish stock, use this recipe.

So if you love fish, try this, it really is good for you, my kids were raised on soups like these, and apart from me, everyone loves it.

​Serves 4-6

2 carrots, peeled, cut in half
1 small onion, peeled, cut in half
1/2 celery stick
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 ripe tomato, cut in half
Rind of 1/4 lemon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 teaspoons vegeta, to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 litres water

2 potatoes, cut into 1cm thick slices
3 medium sized fish or 1 red emperor fish head
2 tablespoons parsley, extra, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, extra
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle over the fish

1/2 cup rice
​

Place carrots, onion, celery, garlic, tomato, lemon rind, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, vegeta, parsley and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Increase heat to high, add the fish and potato slices, bring to the boil, once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The fish is cooked when you see it has just come off the bone. (If you are using fish bones only, keep them in the soup and cook a further 30 minutes).

If you are eating the fish, remove the fish, potatoes, 1 carrot from the soup and arrange on a large platter. Sprinkle with the extra parsley and garlic, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. I also like to add 1/2 a ladle of soup. Serve the fish with some crusty Italian bread (dip the bread into the olive oil, garlic infused soup, it is delicious).

​If you don't eat all of the fish, just remove the bones from what is left, and place the fish and any oil infused soup left on the platter into a bowl, you can add it to the soup in the last 5 minutes of cooking once the rice has been added.
​
Now back to the soup. Once cooked, strain through a fine sieve into another saucepan, you want a clear broth. Bring the soup back to the boil. Wash the rice through a fine sieve until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the soup, simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked, it takes about 12 minutes. In the final 5 minutes of the rice cooking time, if you have leftover fish to add, do it then.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra parsley, if you like.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/fish-soup.html 
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​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​Here is a recipe that I had heard about for a really long time, I mean who hasn't heard of chicken kiev. Well I finally got around to making it when our Eating Around the World Adventure took us to Ukraine.

This was delicious, I mean who doesn't love a schnitzel, and what could make a humble schnitzel even better, add some flavoured butter in the middle. This was crisp, this was juicy, this was a great dish.

Now the chicken breast. I am not a true lover of the chicken breast, I much prefer the thigh and leg. But I am a convert, I now know how I like to cook a chicken breast. Let me explain. Think Cordon Bleu, chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese, I tried it a few times and I always found the end result ordinary, the chicken would be dry as it's rolled, so it's thick, the outside overcooks to ensure the middle gets cooked. The filling would be nice, but it was also always such a huge portion, I mean a whole chicken breast is a lot. Well with the recipe I found for chicken Kiev, Natasha would "Using a sharp slim knife, cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, keeping both halves about equal in size and thickness". Now that may seem like I should have known that, but I didn't. So now my Chicken Breast is half the size, my kind of portion, makes for faster cooking, no dry breasts anymore, no pounding meat to flatten it. I can't wait to make cordon bleu this way to. 

​Now there was one problem, I can't cut with such precision, so I would get one great breast and one not so great breast. But that was okay, so if you are like me, and your knife skills are not perfect, I just bought five breasts (as there are five of us), I used my five good halves for the chicken kiev and my not so good halves, I cut into strips or nugget shapes and froze them for when I need a simple dinner of chicken schnitzel fingers or preztel crusted chicken fingers. If you freeze them flat, they defrost quickly and you have a dinner in the freezer for when you can't get to a shop. You could even freeze them crumbed, not with pretzels though, normal crumb and you have prepped another meal for another day. You have no idea how great this is, until you have a houseful of your kids friends over and you have this ready to go in the freezer. Another thought if you have kids that don't like garlic butter, just make the not so perfect halves plain schnitzels for them.

Here is a video you should watch, it is where I got the recipe from www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX1fq-XcNMQ. Watch it especially if you are new to cooking, this shows you how it's done.

So here is a delicious simple dinner idea that my family loved. Hope your family loves it to.

​Recipe adapted from natashaskitchen.com/

Serves 6

3 large chicken breasts (350g each breast)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra light olive oil or Canola oil to fry

Lemon-Herb Garlic Butter: 
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt (we use sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

To serve, lemon wedges and a green salad


Make the Lemon Herb Garlic Butter: In a medium bowl, mash together all Kiev butter ingredients with a fork, just until lemon juice is incorporated into the butter. It takes a couple minutes but it does come together.
​
Using a sharp slim knife, cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, keeping both halves equal in size and thickness. Carefully cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast as deep and wide as you can go without cutting through the chicken breast (about a 5 x 7cm pocket). Stuff each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of the lemon herb garlic butter butter then close the pocket and push over the top of chicken breast to disperse butter. Pinch the opening to seal. Season both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper.
​
Get three bowls large enough to fit a chicken breast. In one bowl ad the flour, in the second bowl add the eggs, beat until well combined, in the third bowl add the breadcrumbs.
​
Dust chicken in flour, dusting off excess, then dip in eggs making sure to get a good egg coating all around and letting any excess egg drip off. Finally dip into the bread crumbs, crumb it well. Transfer to a plate while crumbing the remaining chicken breasts.
​
Add about 1cm of oil to a large deep frying pan and place over medium heat. Once the oil is hot (a bread crumb should sizzle when you add it to the pan), add the chicken in a single layer and fry until golden brown (4 min per side). Repeat with second batch. Season hot fried chicken with a sprinkle of salt.

​Serve hot with some extra lemon wedges and a green salad.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/chicken-kiev.html 
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