If you have acquired the initial skills of basic stuffed veggies, you will be soon able to stuff almost any vegetable. 

The basic filling of Mediterranean-style stuffed vegetables contains half-cooked rice, lots of herbs, cooked black lentils, spices such as smoked paprika, cinnamon, white pepper, cumin, and chili.

The sauce is a velvety combination of tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, lots of garlic, onions, and water.

The best vegetables for stuffing are those that have a built-in “pocket”—like peppers, pumpkin, and squash. But almost any vegetable can be stuffed.

Try emptying ripe tomatoes, zucchini, or eggplant and filling them with the rice mixture. It is possible and recommended to also stuff cabbage leaves, vine leaves, and even white onions.

Each vegetable requires a different cooking time, but the vegetables can be cooked together in a large pot over low heat for many hours. Stuffed zucchini will be especially tasty after a short time in a hot oven.

The post Tips For Making Delicious Stuffed Vegetables appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Cherry tomatoes are delicious, sweet, rich in vitamins, and very healthy. Eating tomatoes can even help fight against infections.

To make a jar full of excellent roasted tomatoes, here is what you will need to do.

Ingredients

A big amount of cherry tomatoes
A pinch of salt
2 fresh thyme branches
Olive oil

Instructions

Rinse the tomatoes well in cold water and dry with a towel. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle over olive oil, salt, and thyme.

Bake the tomatoes on high temperature for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft, bubbling, and slightly golden-browned.

Remove from the oven and chill the tomatoes in the pan until lukewarm. Pour all the contents of the pan (the tomatoes, the remaining olive oil, and the juices of the tomatoes) to a clean jar. Add olive oil until the roasted tomatoes are completely covered.

Keep the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

The roasted tomatoes will be best on top of a slice bread, with pasta, or in a salad.

The post What To Do With Too Many Cherry Tomatoes? appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

So how do you make the perfect whole rice?

First, heat a saucepan over medium heat with some oil and add the rice, along with the spices of your choice. Salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, curry powder, or scallions—all go great with whole rice.

For each cup of rice, add 1 1/4 cups of boiling water. Close the lid, and cook over low heat until the rice is ready. Each type of rice needs a different cooking time, and over time you will understand how long the rice you use needs.

At the end of cooking, leave the lid closed for another 5-10 minutes, to allow the rice to absorb the remaining moisture in the pot. Only then remove the lid and crumble the rice gently with a fork so that the rice does not stick.

Whole rice is especially suitable in soups, with various sauces, as a side dish, in a hot or cold salad, and as a stew.

The post How To Cook Whole Rice Easily appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Here are 3 of the best quick and easy leek recipe ideas you can make today.

Leek and Potato Soup

This classic combination makes for a quick and easy delicious treat to warm you up this fall. Simply puree your potatoes and leaks in a food processor—adding chives and seasoning with salt and pepper—and simmer over a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes.

Leek, Cheese and Bacon Tart

Fry 3 thinly sliced leeks and 4 rashers of streaky bacon for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread soft cheese over 375g puff pastry and add the leek and bacon mix, sprinkling on 100g Emmental cheese. Flip the pastry edges over the filling and bake for 20 minutes.

Salmon and Leek Parcels

Fry 4 thinly sliced leeks for 10 minutes or until tender and season. Then spread butter over 3 layers of filo pastry and stick together. Place 1 skinless seasoned salmon fillet in the center and pour on half the leek mix. Fold pastry into parcels and bake in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes.

The post 3 Delicious Leek Recipes You Can Make Today appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

White Roux

You only need about 2-5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour flavor for this roux. Once it’s done, you can use it for gravy, cheese sauce, and more!

Blond Roux

5-10 minutes of cooking is all that it takes for this roux.  It should be a sightly caramel color when it’s done, and it’s used for things like veloute or bisques.

Dark Brown Roux

After cooking the fat for 30-45 minutes, this roux will turn out the color of dark chocolate.  Because you’ll be cooking it for so long, make sure you choose a fat that has a high smoking point as not to burn it. This is the typical roux for meaty gumbos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgewMPngdZ/?tagged=darkroux

The post Your Go-To Guide For All Things Roux! appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Cut of Beef

Different recipes will say to use different cuts of beef, but try to go for rump roast or topside of beef. These are both from the round section of the cow, and deliver the best results in the oven.

Twine

Make sure to tie the beef with kitchen twine every 3 inches. This is important not only to make sure the roast looks aesthetically the same throughout but to cook it evenly as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN_gbHADKaw/?tagged=kitchentwine

Roasting

When you roast the beef, you don’t need to do much to it. The only thing you should check is to see if it’s looking dry. In that case, use the juices from the beef to baste it, or to put it back onto the beef so it stays moist.

The post Learn To Make Roast Beef With These Easy Tips! appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

If you have acquired the initial skills of basic stuffed veggies, you will be soon able to stuff almost any vegetable. 

The basic filling of Mediterranean-style stuffed vegetables contains half-cooked rice, lots of herbs, cooked black lentils, spices such as smoked paprika, cinnamon, white pepper, cumin, and chili.

The sauce is a velvety combination of tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, lots of garlic, onions, and water.

The best vegetables for stuffing are those that have a built-in “pocket”—like peppers, pumpkin, and squash. But almost any vegetable can be stuffed.

Try emptying ripe tomatoes, zucchini, or eggplant and filling them with the rice mixture. It is possible and recommended to also stuff cabbage leaves, vine leaves, and even white onions.

Each vegetable requires a different cooking time, but the vegetables can be cooked together in a large pot over low heat for many hours. Stuffed zucchini will be especially tasty after a short time in a hot oven.

The post Tips For Making Delicious Stuffed Vegetables appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Cherry tomatoes are delicious, sweet, rich in vitamins, and very healthy. Eating tomatoes can even help fight against infections.

To make a jar full of excellent roasted tomatoes, here is what you will need to do.

Ingredients

A big amount of cherry tomatoes
A pinch of salt
2 fresh thyme branches
Olive oil

Instructions

Rinse the tomatoes well in cold water and dry with a towel. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle over olive oil, salt, and thyme.

Bake the tomatoes on high temperature for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft, bubbling, and slightly golden-browned.

Remove from the oven and chill the tomatoes in the pan until lukewarm. Pour all the contents of the pan (the tomatoes, the remaining olive oil, and the juices of the tomatoes) to a clean jar. Add olive oil until the roasted tomatoes are completely covered.

Keep the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

The roasted tomatoes will be best on top of a slice bread, with pasta, or in a salad.

The post What To Do With Too Many Cherry Tomatoes? appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

So how do you make the perfect whole rice?

First, heat a saucepan over medium heat with some oil and add the rice, along with the spices of your choice. Salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, curry powder, or scallions—all go great with whole rice.

For each cup of rice, add 1 1/4 cups of boiling water. Close the lid, and cook over low heat until the rice is ready. Each type of rice needs a different cooking time, and over time you will understand how long the rice you use needs.

At the end of cooking, leave the lid closed for another 5-10 minutes, to allow the rice to absorb the remaining moisture in the pot. Only then remove the lid and crumble the rice gently with a fork so that the rice does not stick.

Whole rice is especially suitable in soups, with various sauces, as a side dish, in a hot or cold salad, and as a stew.

The post How To Cook Whole Rice Easily appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Here are 3 of the best quick and easy leek recipe ideas you can make today.

Leek and Potato Soup

This classic combination makes for a quick and easy delicious treat to warm you up this fall. Simply puree your potatoes and leaks in a food processor—adding chives and seasoning with salt and pepper—and simmer over a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes.

Leek, Cheese and Bacon Tart

Fry 3 thinly sliced leeks and 4 rashers of streaky bacon for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread soft cheese over 375g puff pastry and add the leek and bacon mix, sprinkling on 100g Emmental cheese. Flip the pastry edges over the filling and bake for 20 minutes.

Salmon and Leek Parcels

Fry 4 thinly sliced leeks for 10 minutes or until tender and season. Then spread butter over 3 layers of filo pastry and stick together. Place 1 skinless seasoned salmon fillet in the center and pour on half the leek mix. Fold pastry into parcels and bake in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes.

The post 3 Delicious Leek Recipes You Can Make Today appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

White Roux

You only need about 2-5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour flavor for this roux. Once it’s done, you can use it for gravy, cheese sauce, and more!

Blond Roux

5-10 minutes of cooking is all that it takes for this roux.  It should be a sightly caramel color when it’s done, and it’s used for things like veloute or bisques.

Dark Brown Roux

After cooking the fat for 30-45 minutes, this roux will turn out the color of dark chocolate.  Because you’ll be cooking it for so long, make sure you choose a fat that has a high smoking point as not to burn it. This is the typical roux for meaty gumbos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgewMPngdZ/?tagged=darkroux

The post Your Go-To Guide For All Things Roux! appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Cut of Beef

Different recipes will say to use different cuts of beef, but try to go for rump roast or topside of beef. These are both from the round section of the cow, and deliver the best results in the oven.

Twine

Make sure to tie the beef with kitchen twine every 3 inches. This is important not only to make sure the roast looks aesthetically the same throughout but to cook it evenly as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN_gbHADKaw/?tagged=kitchentwine

Roasting

When you roast the beef, you don’t need to do much to it. The only thing you should check is to see if it’s looking dry. In that case, use the juices from the beef to baste it, or to put it back onto the beef so it stays moist.

The post Learn To Make Roast Beef With These Easy Tips! appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.