Winter jewels with some biscotti/ Ziemas dargakmeni kopa ar biscotti

The past week the real winter had finally arrived. The temperatures got down to -30 degrees Celsius at night and -20 during the day. Even though I couldn't say that one can enjoy this coldness when being outside, the view one gets when looking outside the window is so positive as most of the days are sunny and bright. And when you do go outside the snow is frizzling under your feet and it seems that the ground is covered in jewels as everything is sparkling. So I am always slightly confused when still in January people around are talking about the frightening effects of global warming, while now they are warning everyone of the sudden cold and counting days until it gets warmer again. Of course it is something unique that for example the Coliseum is coverd in snow, but here in a Nordic country where February is the coldest winter month - this is just the way it is supposed to be. And even though there are days when I dream of the beach and summer warmth, all the years that I have spent living abroad, I always miss the full 4 seasons that I get to experience here in Latvia.

Makes me think how many people walk the same road while going in completly different directions and leading entirely uninterwined lives....

 

How can one not enjoy these picturesome sunsets?

So this past week I decided that even though I had much too much work to do and then trying to squeeze in the trainings as best as I could, I would spend some time in the kitchen. This evening was called 3-in-1 as first I got my head a little break, second I finally made something for my dad to nibble on and third I made my mum happy as the apartment got warmer from me using the oven. Everyone happy.

As I didn't have too much time, I chose to make biscotti again but this time trying a different recipe. As I basis I used the recipe written in the Fork Spoon Knife blog and made some slight adjustments based on the ingredients I had at home.

Fig, apricot, cashew biscotti.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cup of flour
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cardamon
- 6 tbsp butter
- pinch of salt
- few drops of orange essence
- 1 cup toasted cashews
- 1 cup of dried figs and apricots (cut into small pieces)

(1) First crush the cashews in the blender and put them on a pan lined with a baking sheet and toast them at 200 degrees Celsius until lightly brown (~10 minutes)

(2) Meanwhile combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl mix the sugar, butter and eggs until well combined and then add the cardamon and orange essence.

(3) Fold in the flour mixture, followed by the figs, apricots and toasted nuts. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into 3 equally sized logs. Transfer them to a baking pan and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 25-30 minutes (until lightly brown). Cool the logs for about 10 minutes, then cut into slices of the thickness you prefer and put the pieces back on the baking pan - bake for 5-9 minutes on each side (depending on how crispy you would like them to be).

(I managed to save 2 pieces to be photographed in the morning light)

If you subtract the baking time, then this really took me just 20 minutes to make and attracted by the smell I even let myself into the temptation to eat a few pieces even though it was almost midnight. They were definetly worth it!

But with all the cold going around, the flu season is in full speed and I have managed to "get some" again in two months time. Thus I'm lying in bed with my nose red as the one of Rudolf dreaming about ice cream and considering that I should start doing something to improve my immune system as I have never been sick so often....
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Beidzot ir pienakusi ista ziema. Temperatura noslideja lidz -30 gradiem nakti un -20 gradiem diena. Lai gan es nevaretu apgalvot, ka so aukstumu ir pa istam iespejams izbaudit uzturoties ara, skats, kas paveras pa logu ir milzum liela pozitivisma deva, jo gandriz visas dienas ir pasakaini saulainas. Un brizos, kad tomer ir jadodas ara, sniegs curkst zem zabakiem un ir sajuta, ka zeme ir noklata ar dargakmeniem, jo visrinki mirgulo sniegs. Lidz ar to es vienmer esmu nesaprasana, kad vel tikai janvari cilveki apkart runaja par biedejosajiem globalas sasilsanas draudiem, jo ara bija netipiski silts, bet nu visi tiek bridinati no aukstuma ta it ka tas butu kas nepiedzivots, un skaita dienas lidz atkal klus siltaks. Protams, ka ir mazliet neierasti dizrdet, ka Kolizeju klaj sniega sega, bet seit ziemelu valstis, kur februaris ir aukstakais gada menesis - tas ir normali. Un lai gan ir dienas, kad es aizsapnojos par vasaras siltumu un pludmali, visus gadus, ko esmu nodzivojusi arzemes, man vienmer ir pietrukusi izteiktie 4 gadalaiki, ko var piedzivot seit Latvija.

Tad nu sonedel, lai gan daramo darbu bija vairak neka laika un tam vel pa virsu meginajums tikt gala ar visiem treniniem, es nolemu uz mirkli to visu aizmirst un uzcept kaut ko. Sis vakars tika nosaukts par tris viena, jo pirmkart, es devu atputu savai galvai, otrkart, es beidzot atkal uzcepu kaut ko, ar ko tetim naskoties un, treskart, mamma bija prieciga, jo dzivoklis kluva siltaks par cik izmantoju cepeskrasni. Visi laimigi.

Par cik man nebija loti daudz laika, es nolemu atkal uzcept biscotti, tacu soreizi izmeginatu citu recepti. Par pamatu izmantoju recepti, kas aprakstita Fork Spoon Knife bloga un veicu dazas korekcijas pielagojoties sastavdalam, kas bija pieejamas majas.

Vigu, aprikozu, Indijas riekstu biscotti. 
Sastavdalas:
- 2 1/2 glazes milti
- 2olas
- 2/3 glaze cukura
- 1 tejk. cepamais pulveris
- 1/2 tejk. kardamons
- 6 edamk. sviests
- skipsnina sals
- dazi pilieni apelsinu esence
- 1 glaze grauzdeti Indijas rieksti
- 1 glaze zavetas viges un aprikozes (sagriezti nelielos gabalinos)

(1) Vispirms Indijas riekstus sasmalcina blenderi (vai ari ar sagriez gabalinos ar nazi), izklaj uz pannas, kas izklata ar cepamo papiru un apgrauzde 200 grados lidz rieksti klust zeltaini bruni (apmeram 10 minutes)


(2) Tikmer viena bloda sajauc kopa visas sausas sastavdalas. Cita bloda ar mikseri samaisa kopa cukuru, sviestu un olas lidz veidojas viendabiga masa, pievieno kardamonu un apelsina esenci.

(3) Iemaisa miltu maisijumu, beigas pievienojot viges, aprikozes un apgrauzdetos riekstus. Kartigi samica miklu un tad izklaj uz virsmas, kas nedaudz nokaisita ar miltiem. No miklas veido 3 apmeram vienada izmera pagalites, kuras liek uz pannas un cep 160 grados apmeram 25-30 minutes (lidz gaisi brunas). Atdzese pagalites apmeram 10 minutes, tad sagriez vienada izmera skelites (biezums ka pasam labak garso), liek atpakal uz pannas un cep vel 5-9 minutes katru pusi (atkariba no ta cik krauksgus cepumus velas).

Ja neskaita laiku, kas nepieciesams cepsanai, tad pagatavosanas laiks ir tikai 20 minutes un nespejot tureties pretim smarzai, kas piepidija maju, es pat apedu paris gabalinus, lai gan jau bija gandriz pusnakts. Un tas noteikti bija ta verts!

Tacu ar visu ara esoso aukstumu, pilna spara rosas gripa un man jau atkal ir izdevies "sakert" kaut kadu virusu jau otro reizi divu menesu laika. Lidz ar to es gulu gulta ar degunu sarkanu ka Rudolfam, sapnoju par saldejumu un apsveru domu, ka ir jadara kaut kas lai uzlabotu imunitati, jo nekad agrak tik biezi neslimoju....