Butternut squash curry and Christmas cookies

Some days are short of hours, with almost empty refrigerator and very little desire to go out for grocery shopping. All good reasons to get creative using all what´s left home to create something nice for dinner. Recently I had such a day. The outcome was great success and according to my husband definitely something to be shared on the blog. So here we go... butternut squash & chickpeas curry for main course and Christmas cookies for dessert...

Speaking about Christmas cookies...Christmas cookies have a big tradition in our family, I will bake tons of them over the Christmas period, usually with some friends and our kids. Over the next couple of days I am going to share some of my favourite Christmas cookies recipes with you. Most of them are very easy to make and are just perfect to be brought as a present. People would always appriciate that nice gesture, let´s face it...what is better than homemade cookies. 

Butternut squash & Chickpeas curry

• 1/2 butternut squash
• 1 glass chickpeas (precooked)
• 1 onion
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1-2 teaspoon red curry paste
• salt, oil (neutral)

Skin the pumpkin and cut it in cubes. Cut the onion in small cubes too. Put some neutral oil into the wok pan and add the onions, saute them for a minute, then add pumpkin and season with some salt. Reduce the heat to medium / high and let is cook for 6-7 minute, make sure pumpkin is not getting burned. Add coconut milk and red curry paste (if you want to have it a bit more spicy add more) and let the curry bubble away for additional 6-7 minutes. Check the pumpkin, if it is almost cooked trough, add the chickpeas (strain it before) and let is cook for additional couple of minutes. Serve the curry with some fresh coriander on top and basmati rice.

Cranberry shortbread cookies

• 100 g butter
• 50 sugar
• vanilla sugar
• 150 g flour
• 100 g dried cranberries
• 1 small egg

Blitz dried cranberries in the food processor for couple of seconds. Take them out and put them aside. Put all the remaining ingredients into the food processor and blitz till you will get a firm ball of dough (put more flour if dough appears to wet). The dough shall not stick to you hands. Take it out, add the cranberries and knead till all well combined. Roll out a dough role, wrap it in a wrapping foil and put it in to the freezer for about 20 min. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Take the dough out and cut the cookies. Bake for about 10-12 min, til edges starts to brown. Let the cookies cool on the cooling rack. This cookies can be stored in a airtight container for several weeks.

Cardamom cookies

• 80 g butter
• 40 sugar
• vanilla sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon brown rum
• 1/2 teaspoon grounded cardamom
• pinch of salt
• 125 g flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blitz till a dough ball will form. Take the dough out and pop it into the refrigiator for couple of hours. Preahet the oven to 180C. Roll a finger-think dough role and cut it in 2-3 cm long pieces. Flatt each dough piece with a forge and bake it for 10-12 min. Let the cookies cool before serving. This cookies can be stored in a airtight container for several weeks.

 Enjoy!