Fladen or, the best version of a Beigli / Fladen ou, a versão melhorada e mais sofisticada do Beigli.

Beigli! Its name comes from the German word beugen ("bend" in English).

Beigli originates from Germany and in Hungary it became a custom to bake Beigli for Christmas in the 19th century during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Beigli (or sometimes spelled bejgli) is a real Hungarian Christmas treat.
The beigli’s predecessor was probably the Silesian filled challach that was already known in the 16th century. Though it’s more likely that it emerged from the famous Bratislava horseshoe. The first Bratislava horseshoes filled with ground walnuts and poppy seeds were baked in 1559 and became very popular.
This pastry is ubiquitous around Christmas time and you can buy it in any shop or bakery. It is basically a rolled up crust with lots of filling. Walnut and poppy seed are traditional, but nowadays, you can find them filled with chestnut puree or even Nutella.
The two kinds of filling fit in the symbolism of Christmas perfectly because poppy seeds symbolize wealth and fertility, while walnuts protect against bewitching. Today there are many different fillings like chestnuts, marzipan, and even apple, coconut and hazelnut fillings can be found.
Beigli is the theme of the 23rd edition of the Sweet World and if there's something that really annoys me a lot, is the fact of having more than 600 cooking books and, when I need a recipe, that I'm pretty sure to have in one of them,... I can't find it!!
Anyway!! After flicking throughout a few books and not finding any recipe, I did some research on the Internet and I found Beigli recipes with yeasted dough, others with a kind of pastry dough. I found fillings of poppy seeds, walnuts and I also found fillings that called for applesauce and I couldn't decide between any of them.
As I know that Inês has a fantastic "photographic memory", I asked her if she could remember seeing a Beigli recipe in any of our books (yes! Inês is as mad as myself about cooking books and we have, pretty much, the same amount of books...).
Of course, Inês was able to remind me of a few books where I would find a Beigli recipe or something similar and!!! BINGO!!
I found two recipes that pleased me but, when I opened the "It's Always About the Food" book by the fabulous Monday Morning Cooking Club, I couldn't resist this recipe!!
It's not called Beigli! It's called Fladen and, it's made with a fabulous pastry, and it features not one, but three of the fillings that you'd find in the most traditional or more modern versions of the Beigli and I thought: Why making a rouldade filled only with one of the fillings, when I can have something much more interesting?
A Fladen filled with a poppy seed filling, a walnut filling and a fabulous apple compote filling!
It might not be the most traditional Beigli recipe but, let me tell you: It's for sure the most delicious Fladen you'll ever try!

Ossobuco with lentils / Ossobuco com lentilhas.

With the low temperatures outside we just want to eat comforting and delicious food and this "one pot" meal is one of the most comforting and delicious meals we had lately.

The smell that comes from the oven while it's cooking is absolutely incredible and it is such a tasteful dish that you really have to give it a go to believe.

ingredients (serves 4):

2 tbsp olive oil

1kg ossobuco

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped,

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 rosemary springs

1/2 bunch thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

3 whole cloves

250ml white wine

400g tin diced tomatoes

500ml chicken stock

225g green lentils (Puy)

chopped parsley, to finish

method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and fry the ossobuco pieces in batches until well browned. Put the ossobuco on a plate and set aside.

In the same oil, over medium heat, cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic for 10 minutes, or until soft.

Stir in the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and whole cloves.

Add the wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half.

Add the tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of the stock, stir, then put the ossobuco pieces into the sauce and bring to the boil.

Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Add the lentils and the remaining stock, return the casserole to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

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Com as baixas temperaturas que se fazem sentir lá fora, só apetecem comidinhas aconchegantes e as chamadas comidas de conforto e é isso mesmo que este prato é.

Comida de conforto ao mais alto nível e tão, mas tão boa que só experimentando constatarão o quanto tenho razão.

O cheirinho e perfume que emana do forno enquanto está a cozinhar é algo de sublime e o sabor..., bom, esse é fenomenal!!

ingredientes ( para 4 pessoas):

2 colheres sopa de azeite

1kg rodelas de ossobuco

1 cebola, finamente picada

1 cenoura, cortada em cubos muito pequeninos

2 talos de aipo, cortados em rodelas muito finas

3 dentes de alho, finamente picados

2 hastes de alecrim

1/2 ramo de tomilho

2 folhas de louro, de preferência frescas

3 cravinhos da Índia

250ml vinho branco

1 lata de 400g de tomate picado

500ml caldo de galinha

225g lentilhas verdes (lentilhas de Puy)

salsa picada, para decorar

preparação:

Aquecer o forno 180ºC.

Aquecer o azeite num tacho de ferro ou outro que possa ir ao forno e selar o ossobuco (em várias vezes) até estar douradinho de ambos os lados. Colocar a carne num prato e reservar.

No mesmo tacho e no mesmo azeite, sobre lume médio, cozinhar a cebola, a cenoura, o aipo e os alhos, por cerca de 10 minutos, ou até estarem macios.

Adicionar o alecrim, o tomilho e o cravinho e mexer.

Adicionar o vinho branco, deixar levantar fervura e reduzir para metade.

Adicionar os tomates e 1 1/2 chávenas do caldo, mexer tudo muito bem e colocar as rodelas de ossobuco de volta no tacho.

Deixar levantar fervura, tapar e levar o tacho ao forno por cerca de 1 hora.

Findo esse tempo, adicionar as lentilhas e o caldo restante e levar ao forno por mais 30 minutos, ou até a carne estar tenrinha e a separarar-se do osso.

Polvilhar com a salsa picada.

Recipe / Receita: