My Favorite Recipes From Our Family Cookbook

Around last summer, my mom and I had this idea to write a cookbook. Nothing super professional or fancy, but just something we could give to friends and family as a gift during the holidays. We spent the summer brainstorming which recipes would make the cut and nagging my dad to "borrow" his iPhone to take advantage of the portrait mode feature for some food photography. 

Fast forward to Christmas, and we have an adorable little cookbook to tuck under the tree! I have to give props to my mom though. While I did have some involvement in the creation of the book (i.e. photography and writing a little blurb here and there), my mom was really the one who took this on. She's probably more tech-savvy than most people her age, but I think we all know how difficult it can be to learn new software!

And while the cookbook is all done and dusted, we're both thinking of "updating" it with new recipes, better photos, and a more sophisticated design. I think the Christmas deadline was a bit tight, but I'm proud that we got it out there!

So before the re-release of our cookbook gets underway, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes from the book. I was actually going through it with my flatmates and they kept saying "You've never made that!" as they eyed up the dessert section (subtle hint, guys). But they were right- I hadn't made a lot of those recipes yet. A couple of weeks ago, I made the frittata recipe and the layered enchiladas and it was so nostalgic for me. Just the smell of those dishes reminded me of being at home.

Anyway, here are my top dishes from the book! (That are most accessible for students with limited budgets and small kitchens, of course!)



Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Frittata 
Recipe credit: Martha Stewart

As delicious for dinner as it is for breakfast or lunch, this frittata is my mom's go-to for an easy weeknight meal (paired with homemade bread and a salad of course!) Everytime I eat this dish, I'm taken back to my high school days when my mom would throw a back-to-school breakfast for all her friends (aka my friends' moms). The breakfast bash has since turned into an annual cocktail party (#typical) but this frittata is still a firm family favorite in the Olia household. When I made this a few weeks ago, I almost left out the tarragon because I was convinced I had never seen fresh tarragon in the shops before. But I was wrong, and the tarragon really is key to making this dish!

Ingredients: 

1 red bell pepper
12 large eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 bunch sliced scallions
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
5 ounces of goat cheese (1 small package)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small red potatoes (or white) cut about 1 cm thick

Method: 

Roast the pepper over a gas flame or in the oven (preheat to 450F/230C) on a baking sheet for 25 minutes. The pepper should be blistered and black. Put in a paper bag to sweat for 15 minutes before rubbing the skin off and cutting into strips.

Combine the peppers, eggs, milk, most of the scallions, tarragon and half of the goat cheese in a bowl. Heat the butter and oil in a large oven proof saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook on both sides for about 8 minutes (or until tender). Heat oven to 350 F (180C). Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and cook on the stove for 5 minutes. Sprinkle remaining goat cheese on top and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Garnish with the remaining scallions.

Layered Vegetable Enchiladas 
Recipe inspired by Whole Foods Market 

Anyone else low-key addicted to Mexican food? I probably make something Mexican-inspired at least one per week. But fajitas on repeat can get boring. Enter these layered vegetable enchiladas. I love how healthy they are while still satisfying my Mexican food cravings. With a mix of kale, corn, and red peppers paired with black beans, this will surely get you into the habit of eating healthy (then again, you could just put loads of cheese on top like I do). My mom's secret? Frozen veggies. It's cheap, easy, and you can't tell the difference.

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh or frozen corn
2 red peppers cut into strips
2 limes
2.5 tablespoons chilli powder
A bunch of cilantro
1 can chopped tomatoes
8 oz. (250 g) of kale
8 corn tortillas
Grated cheddar cheese
1 avocado

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 400F (200 C). In a large pot combine corn, bell peppers, 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of chilli powder, tomatoes, and kale. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Mash the beans with half of the cilantro and remaining 1.5 tablespoons of chilli powder and 1 lime.

Arrange four tortillas on a baking sheet and spread with bean mixture. Top with half of the vegetable mixture and half of the cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, vegetables, and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs 

Anyone that's been to one of my dinner parties in Edinburgh knows how much I love to make this appetizer. It's ridiculously easy but feels really fancy. Fresh figs can be hard to come by, but I find that this dish works just as well with dried figs. I've even done it with dates before in a pinch! It's all about the sweet 'n' salty vibes here so you can improvise as you wish.

Ingredients:

10-12 figs
1 package of prosciutto

Method: 

Preheat over to 425 F or 220C. Cut the stems of the figs. Cut the figs in half lengthwise and cut the prosciutto into strips. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around the centre of each fig half. Brush with olive oil and arrange cut side up on a sheet pan. Roast for 7-10 minutes and serve warm.

Bakery-style Chocolate Chip Muffins 
Adapted from The Little Sweet Baker 

Everyone knows muffins are just socially-acceptable breakfast cupcakes. But not many people know how to make muffins fluffy and delicious on the inside while having that crunchy top on the outside.  It's all about the oven temperature in this one. Start high to get that crunchy top and then turn down the heat to make sure these muffins are cooked through. And always always go with dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet ideally). As much as I love milk chocolate, I can't stand it in baking. Maybe it's just me, but you be the judge!

Ingredients: 

2.5 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (buttermilk ideally)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups chocolate chips

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C) and butter a 12-cup muffin tray. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until just combined. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and bake at 425 F (220 C) for 5 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 375 F (190 C) and bake for another 13-15 minutes.

These are just a few of the "highlights" from our cookbook, but let me know if you'd like to see more. I, for one, am going to be pulling out our little family cookbook more often now!