A Feast of Leftovers
It is so satisfying to create meals with leftovers. Although it is exciting to cook a special meal for a special event, the next day when I see the food that is left I get inspired to combine it differently and create something new. When I enjoyed our Christmas duck and the tasty gravy on Christmas Eve I knew I would make a hearty, wintery pasta dish with the leftovers. This has become something of a tradition. Every year in the days after Christmas, when we need a break of our extensive meals, we eat the meat leftovers and gravy mixed with pasta.
I have Delverde's Conchiglioni in the shelf - they look absolutely beautiful, like big shells, and they are perfect to catch the rich gravy and duck. I chop up the duck meat into bite sized pieces and warm it up in the sauce. To offset the richness of the gravy I fry two carrots (cut into thin slices) in some oil and a bit of sugar and add a few thyme leaves. I don't want the carrots to be too soft, it just takes a couple minutes and they still have some bite. When the pasta is ready - al dente - I place the pasta shells on big plates and add the sauce with the meat and the vegetables. You can sprinkle them with crushed pepper if you like it more spicy. It's nothing short of a feast, just lighter and quicker than the first.
A Sicilian Salad with Oranges, Oregano and Olive Oil
My friends and family live all over the world. On the big festive days of the year, we spend quite a bit of time on Skype to share the special moments. We talk and laugh and - very often - show each other what we cook for our festive meals. Yesterday, my boyfriend's mother Jenny, presented a beautiful piece of ham that she had just pulled out of her oven. It looked so tempting! She also told me about the orange tree in her garden in Malta which is sagging with oranges and held a huge box of oranges for me to see. I knew what I would have for lunch today: my Sicilian salad with oranges, oregano and very good olive oil!
I know this combination sounds a bit extraordinary. It is another one of my Sicilian discoveries which I had for breakfast at a little farm in Noto two years ago. They used the oregano which grew on their farm and it was the best oregano I ever had in my life. It was unbelievably good! I never thought there could be such big differences in the taste of oregano.
This salad makes a perfect snack after the last Christmas days of culinary richness - refreshing, light and comfortable. All you need to do is to peel two oranges (including the softer inner skin) and cut them in thick slices. Drizzle some good olive oil on top and sprinkle with dried or fresh oregano and a bit of salt.
Slow Roast Duck and Yorkshire Pudding - our Christmas Dinner
Christmas is one of the special silent moments of the year, it feels like time stops for a few hours. The streets are empty and we share some precious time with the ones we love. It's a beautiful celebration of love and gratefulness - I wish you all a wonderful and joyful Christmas with the ones who are special to you!
At Christmas time, we share many traditions but each family also creates their own, especially regarding the festive meal. Some of my friends have sumptuous meals and cook for hours, some prefer it simple - like my aunt and uncle - they always celebrate Christmas night with Wiener sausages and potato salad. For me, it has to be duck - together with Yorkshire pudding on the side for the gravy and red cabbage, that's my tradition.
My duck takes its time and cooks very slowly. It stays in the oven for around 4 hours and cooks on very low temperature (85°C / 185°F) which guarantees the juiciest and most tender meat you can imagine. It never fails! I always make a rich filling with apples, mushrooms, minced meat, liver, bacon and lots of herbs. It's more like a terrine than a traditional filling - it could be a meal on its own. I prepare a bit more than I need for the duck and cook it in a little terrine dish in the oven (not as long as the duck, just for an 1 1/2 hours). It is similar to French Paté and I love it cold on bread the next day.
A duck that takes its time
For 4 people you need
whole duck, rinsed, dried, rubbed with salt and pepper, around 2kg / 4 pounds (with neck, liver and kidneys)
olive oil for frying
For the gravy
chicken, duck or goose broth 500ml
rind of 1/4 orange cut in strips
a sprig of fresh thyme
brandy for deglazing
balsamic vinegar
plum chutney or plum butter
salt and pepper
sugar for caramelizing
For the filling
minced beef 80g / 3 ounces
thin slices of white bacon, finely chopped, 2
organic chicken liver, finely chopped, 60g / 2.5 ounces
thin slices of ham, finely chopped, 2
mushrooms, finely chopped, 50g / 2 ounces
tart baking apple, peeled and finely chopped, 1
organic egg 1
dry breadcrumbs, soaked in cream or milk, 1/2 cup
a small onion, finely chopped
clove of garlic, crushed, 1
fresh parsley, chopped, 1 tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves of 1 medium sprig
lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon
bay leaf, ground in a mortar, 1
juniper, ground in a mortar, 1
nutmeg, grated
brandy for deglazing
butter for frying
salt and pepper
Heat some butter in a large pan and fry the bacon, mushrooms, apple, onion, garlic, juniper and bay leaf until golden and deglaze with brandy. Put in a large bowl and mix with all the other ingredients.
The duck and the gravy
Set your oven to 85°C / 185°F. Our oven has a Rotitherm roasting setting which works perfectly for poultry.
Heat a splash of oil in a large pan and fry the duck on all its sides until golden brown. Take the duck out, place on an oven dish and fill with your prepared filling. If you have some filling left put it in a terrine dish and cook in the oven together with the duck (covered with a lid, for 1 1/2 hours). Leave the duck in the oven for around 4 hours. Check with a skewer after 3 1/2 hours to see if the duck is done, when only clear juices come out, the duck is ready. Brush the top of the duck with gravy (see below) and put under the grill for 3-5 minutes until the skin is golden brown.
My gravy isn't thick as I prefer it natural without thickening agents. After you put the duck in the oven, fry the duck's neck, liver and kidneys in the pan you used for the duck and deglaze with brandy. Take the giblets out, pour the broth into the pan and let it simmer down together with the other ingredients for the gravy, until it reached its right concentration and taste. Take out the orange rind and thyme sprig and season with salt, pepper, vinegar and chutney. Caramelize 1-2 tablespoons of sugar until brown and add to your gravy. You can also add some dark chocolate, honey or a tiny bit of orange juice. Play around with it but always use very small amounts of whatever you add and taste in between.
For the red cabbage
Chop a small red cabbage into very thin strips. Rinse the cabbage and fry it - still wet - in some oil or lard in a large pan with a closed lid for 5 minutes (on medium heat). Add 2 glasses of red wine, a chopped apple, some grated ginger, a bay leaf, 6 cloves, 4 juniper berries, 2 tablespoons of honey and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
For the Yorkshire pudding
Mix 200ml of milk together with 2 eggs, 200g / 7 ounces of plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Fill a bit of oil in little oven dishes (like the ones you use for crème brulée) or in the cups of a muffin pan and place the oven dishes in the hot oven (250°C / 480°F) for a few minutes or until the oil is hot. Pour the batter carefully into the hot oil in the dishes and bake for 12 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Don't open the oven door before the puddings are done as they will collapse.
Prepare your dinner table with all your festive food. Enjoy with loved ones!
Merry Christmas
I wish you a wonderful Christmas with your families and friends! Enjoy all the special moments of love and good food!
Merry Christmas!
Meike xx
Cheese Spaetzle, a Swabian Feast
This meal is a feast, one of my all time favourite foods! It's luscious, rich and simply stunning. I am talking about Cheese Spätzle - originally from Swabia in the South of Germany. Spätzle are little noodles made of flour, durum wheat semolina and egg. They are thick, with bite. You press the Spätzle dough through a potato ricer into boiling water and then you layer the cooked Spätzle noodles with lots of good mountain cheese and fried onions - just addictive! Whenever our family comes together for a few days Spätzle is one of our dinners.
I make Spätzle with a ricer. Originally they are "cut" into pieces by placing the thick dough on a little chopping board, letting it run into boiling water and cutting pieces off. I must admit that I never tried this. I prefer to stick to my ricer.
Yesterday I had a big dinner for ten at mine and Cheese Spätzle were my first choice. They are so easy to prepare, hearty and perfect for the cold season and - to me - there is nothing more beautiful than placing a big bowl of food in the middle of my long wooden table. It was a true feast, savoured by us all!
Cheese Spätzle
You need a potato ricer with large holes or a special Spätzle ricer.
I served the Cheese Spätzle with a wintery salad with beetroot on the side. As there were 10 of us yesterday I made the Spätzle dough with 27 eggs! Usually I calculate 5 eggs for 2 people.
For 2 people you need
plain flour (I use spelt flout type 630) 130g / 4.5 ounces plus more for mixing
durum wheat semolina 180g / 6.5 ounces plus more for mixing
organic eggs 5
salt 1 teaspoon
onions, medium sized, cut in thin slices, 5
olive oil for frying
aromatic cheese (like Appenzeller or Raclette), grated, 200g / 7 ounces
salt and pepper
Put the flour, semolina and the salt in a big bowl, add the eggs and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Whip the dough at bit harder until bubbles appear on its surface. Add more semolina if necessary until you have a smooth, thick dough that drips slowly off your spoon. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to the boil.
Place an ovenproof dish (big enough for all the Spätzle) in the the oven and set to 100°C / 210°F.
Fry the onions in some oil on medium heat for at least 20 minutes or until soft and golden brown. Grate the cheese.
Fill your Spätzle or potato ricer with some of the Spätzle dough, press into the boiling water and cut off the dripping ends with a long knife. Let the Spätzle cook for 30 seconds, drain and place them in the warm dish from your oven. Season gently with salt and pepper as you will season every Spätzle layer. Sprinkle the top with some of the grated cheese and fried onions. You have to divide the onions and the cheese depending on how many batches of Spätzle you make. Place the bowl with the Spätzle in the warm oven again and continue with the next batch, always seasoning each layer and topping with cheese and onions.
Place the bowl with your Cheese Spätzle on the table - you can offer some freshly crushed pepper and more salt with it.
Enjoy your Spätzle feast!
A small but important note: Clean the cooking ware that was in touch with the Spätzle dough only with cold water. Don't use warm water as it will make the bits of dough as hard as concrete.
Trout al Cartoccio
Today I found some beautiful, fresh trout and they reminded me of the region where I grew up. Of the forest and its little streams meandering between trees, passing by the trout ponds which are close to my mother's house. I decided to get two of them and cook them al cartoccio - in parchment paper - together with Tyrolean prosciutto, olives, capers, garlic and bay leaves.
Trout has a strong, earthy taste which makes it perfect to combine with other stand out flavours. The closed parchment paper package makes this union of tastes even more intense. As extreme as this combination may sound, it is a perfect match. The trout can take the smoky prosciutto, the bay leaf, the olives and capers without loosing any of its own qualities.
The best part is opening the hot paper package on your plate and smelling the different aromas. Dip some bread in the juices and enjoy with a glass of white wine!
Trout al Cartoccio with Tyrolean Prosciutto, Olives and Capers
For 2 people you need
whole trout, cleaned, 2 (each around 300g / 10.5 ounces)
Tyrolean prosciutto, thin slices, 6 (or any other Italian prosciutto)
green olives 8
capers 2 tablespoons
garlic, quartered, 2
bay leaves 4
white wine 100ml
olive oil 4 tablespoons plus more to brush the parchment paper
salt and pepper
a small loaf of Ciabatta, for serving
parchment paper, to wrap the trout
Set your oven to 180°C / 355°F.
Rinse and dry the fish, season with salt and pepper (inside and out).
You need to prepare 2 parchment paper packages for 2 trout: for each package put 2 layers of parchment paper on top of each other, each around 20cm / 8" longer than the fish. Brush the top layer with oil.
Wrap each trout in 3 slices of prosciutto and place it in the middle of your oiled parchment paper. Put one bay leaf in the fish and one below. Fold up the sides of your package, twisting the ends without closing the top and fill with half of the olives, capers, garlic, olive oil and white wine. Close the top and fold twice. Repeat with the second trout.
Place both bags in a baking dish or pan and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes (depending on the size of the fish). You can tell the fish is done when its earthy smell starts to fill the air. Carefully open one of your packages, if you can lift the flesh off the bone with a fork it's done.
A Mountain Bun
When I was a child we used to go to the Italian Dolomite Alps. Every year, in December, we stayed in a beautiful village in the Alta Badia region called Corvara. I loved being there as it looked like a wintery fairy tale (I always had a weak spot for places like this). Old wooden houses, trees packed with thick snow and the most amazing Tyrolean food - my childhood heaven. Yesterday I thought about how much I would love to be in the mountains again, in a wooden hut with an open fire and lots of snow outside. I would sit at a rustic old wooden table and eat rustic food.
Although I will not be visiting Corvara this winter, at least I have the wooden table and the hearty food. Therefore, my Wednesday Sandwich has to be a mountain sandwich - kind of - rich, with ham and cheese, homemade plum chutney and ground pepper. This morning, I baked my own buns with coriander and aniseed and I got some nice ham and cheese. I made a plum chutney with lots of spices a couple months ago which is great together with cold cuts and mountain cheese. You could also use any other chutney or even plum butter, you just need something that adds a bit of fruity sweetness to this sandwich.
A Mountain Bun
For 2 sandwiches you need
2 buns, or 4 thick slices of bread
slices of ham, 6
thin slices of aromatic mountain cheese, like Swiss Appenzeller
plum chutney
a few leaves of lettuce (I used field salad as I had some left)
crushed peppercorns
Set your oven to grill (highest temperature).
Cut the bun in half, spread the chutney thinly on one half and put a slice of ham on top. Cover with 3 slices of cheese and put in the oven until the cheese starts to melt. Take the bun out, sprinkle with pepper, add some lettuce and put the other half of your bun on top.
I know it's a bit of work, but baking your own bread or buns is definitely worth the effort and I'm sure you will agree after your first bite of the warm and fluffy buns. I prepared mine last night and let the dough rise overnight. Then you just have to put the buns into shape the next morning, let them rise for 40 minutes and bake them. If you want them plain just leave out the coriander and aniseed, they are still delicious!
For the Mountain Buns
This recipe makes 12 fabulous buns or milk rolls
plain four 550g / 1.1 pound
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
milk, lukewarm, 300ml
butter, melted, 50g / 2 ounces
organic egg 1
sugar 1 teaspoon
salt 1 1/2 teaspoon
coriander, crushed, 1 teaspoon
aniseed, for the topping, 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast, coriander, sugar and salt. Mix the milk with the melted butter and the egg. Mind the temperature as the mixture should be lukewarm. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and start mixing with your dough hooks for around 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough ball. Put the dough on a floured working surface and continue kneading with your hands for a couple minutes.
When I prepare the dough in the evening I place it in a clean, buttered and covered bowl in the fridge and let it rise overnight. You will have to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you can continue with the next steps.
In case I want to bake my buns the same day, I put the dough in a clean and buttered bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the 35°C / 95°F warm oven for 60 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Set your oven to 220°C / 430°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is bigger and puffy punch it down and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and roll them in your hands into a round shape. Place the buns on your baking sheet, sprinkle with anisseed and give them another 40 minutes in a warm place to rise again (covered with a tea towel).
Bake the buns for 6 minutes, take the temperature down to 200°C / 390°F and bake them for another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a couple minutes.
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Bittersweet Chocolate
It's cold outside and I see a bright orange pumpkin right in front of me telling me what I need - a warming pumpkin soup. I have played around with many pumpkin variations in the past, with bacon, curry mixtures, roasted onions and I also love my puristic version with pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds. Over the years my pumpkin soups became more spicy. I tend to feel cold all the time in Winter and nothing beats a hot and spicy soup to warm up your body from the inside.
Today I want my soup really hot and I also feel like adding some bittersweet chocolate on top (I love the combination of bitter, sweet and spicy!). I mix the soup in a blender which gives it a smooth and velvety texture. Together with the chili and bittersweet chocolate sprinkles on top, it makes quite a sensual meal!
This recipe has been featured on Food52 Halfway To Dinner!
Pumpkin Soup with Chili and Bittersweet Chocolate
For 4 people you need
For the soup
pumpkin (squash), without the seeds and fibres, cut into cubes, 600g / 1.5 pounds (I like to use Hokkaido squash with skin, or peeled butternut or Musquée de Provence)
medium sized potato, cut into cubes, 1
medium sized leek, sliced thinly, 1/3
medium sized carrots, cut into small cubes, 2
medium sized onion, chopped, 1
garlic, quartered, 1 clove
bay leaf 1
small dried chili peppers 2
a pinch of mace or nutmeg
salt and pepper
olive oil
water around 1l / 2 pints
For the topping
fresh red hot chili pepper, chopped finely, 1
bittersweet chocolate, grated, 4 heaped teaspoons plus more to taste
In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion for a few minutes until golden and soft. Add the garlic, leek and carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pumpkin and potato, cook for 2 minutes and cover with water. Add the bay leaf and the dried chili peppers and season with mace (or nutmeg), salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes (without a lid) or until the pumpkin is soft.
Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaf and dried chili peppers. Purée the soup with a stick mixer or in a blender until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the soup between the plates and sprinkle with the fresh chili pepper and chocolate.
A Wintery Salad with Beetroot and Walnuts
I must confess that I literally lived in my cookie boxes the past weekend but - at least for today - I will take a sweet break (as much as I love them). My body needs something light and healthy, a salad. In winter I love to get boxes of organic field salad, its nutty taste is great to combine with roots, fruit and nuts. You just need to throw a handful of these little leaves in a bowl, add whatever you feel like and drizzle some olive oil and balsamico on top. It makes a great lunch or dinner even with some cheese and bread on the side. As this salad is so easy to prepare and looks and tastes so good, it is also a very nice starter for a wintery dinner party.
Sometimes I arrange this lettuce with mango or apple slices but my favourite combination is cooked beetroot and walnuts. I cooked a few beetroots a couple days ago and still have some left. I chop up one medium sized beet in little cubes and mix it with two handful of field salad. My dressing is simple but matches the beetroot perfectly: 3 tablespoons of olive oil mixed with 2 tablespoons of balsamico vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, that's all it needs. I pour the thick dressing on top of the salad and drizzle 5 chopped walnuts on top. Today there are two of us enjoying this tasty and healthy treat!
We eat beetroot quite often, I buy 3 or 4 of them every week and cook them with 2 bay leaves in salted water for 45 minutes (more or less depending on their size). This way they keep their strong and unique taste. I love them sliced thinly as a carpaccio or cut into cubes in wintery salads.
Spaghetti with Baked Ricotta, Salsiccia and Sage
I love simple pasta recipes which allow you to create a great dinner in just a few minutes - no matter if it is a romantic dinner for two or a dinner party for eight. This is definitely one of them! You just need baked ricotta, Salsiccia, sage (I'm lucky, my sage plant still has a few leaves) and spaghetti. You can use any other coarse-cut sausage but the strong herbs of the Italian sausage fir perfectly to the milky ricotta. The mixture of garlic, fennel, coriander and nutmeg which is used for Salsiccia adds a nice variety of flavours.
If you prefer a vegetarian version you can just melt some butter in a pan and fry a few sage leaves for 1-2 minutes (they should become crisp but not dark otherwise they will taste bitter). Together with spaghetti and sprinkled with slices of baked ricotta, this makes a delicious dinner as well!
Spaghetti with Baked Ricotta, Salsiccia and Sage
For 2 people you need
pasta, around 200g / 7 ounces
baked ricotta, around 100g / 3.5 ounces
Salsiccia, or any other spiced and coarse sausage, 2
a few fresh sage leaves
olive oil for frying
butter for frying, 20g / 3/4 ounce
white wine for deglazing
garlic, one clove, cut in half
pasta water
salt and pepper
Slice the baked ricotta thinly with a cheese slicer.
Rinse and dry the sage leaves and fry them in a small pan in hot butter for 1-2 minutes until crisp but still light in colour.
Cook the pasta and take out a cup of the pasta water after it has been cooking for a few minutes as we need some of this liquid for the sauce.Heat some oil in a pan, add the garlic, and fry the sausages until golden brown. Deglaze with a dash of white wine and add a good splash of your pasta water. Leave the liquid in the pan but take the sausages out and cut them in pieces. Put them back into the pan together with the spaghetti and add the sage leaves with their butter. Mix and season with salt and pepper.
Divide everything between two big plates and sprinkle with the slices of baked ricotta. Buon Appetito!
Couscous with Orange, Ginger and 6 Spices
Two days ago I filmed a live session at a recording studio. As there were five of us and we had to work till late, I wanted to prepare something nice for us to eat, and to feed our energetic mood.
I didn't have much time to prepare, so a box of couscous caught my attention (5 minutes and it's done!). My mother had just sent it to me a couple days before because, I think, something that has to sit rather than cook for just a few minutes didn't quite satisfy her idea of cooking. I had half an hour to enhance it a bit so I decided to mix it with slices of leek and carrot and to add some strong exotic flavors - a homemade curry mixture with orange zest, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. I mixed in some raisins to add some sweetness to the fruity spiciness of the curry mixture. Quick and easy - perfect food to wake you up (exactly what we needed at 11pm)!
A Couscous with Orange, Ginger and 6 Spices
For 6 people you need
couscous 360g / 12.5 ounces
water 540ml (mixed with 1 teaspoon of salt)
1/2 a medium sized leek, thinly sliced
spring onion, thinly sliced, 2
carrots, cut in small cubes, 4
raisins, a handful
olive oil, 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
butter, 2 tablespoons
sour cream, 3 tablespoons
For the spice mixture
ginger, grated, 2 teaspoons
zest of an orange, 2 teaspoons
turmeric, ground, 1 teaspoon
black peppercorns, ground, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon, ground, 1 teaspoon
cardamom, ground, 1 teaspoon
cayenne pepper, ground, 1 teaspoon
cumin, ground, 1 teaspoon
Let the raisins soak in a cup of hot water.
Bring the salted water to the boil. Take the pot off the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the water, add the couscous and mix immediately, cover with a lid (but leave the pot off the heat). Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the butter, mix and separate the grains with a fork.
Mix all your spices for the spice mixture (including the ginger and orange zest) and grind in a mortar. Warm some olive oil in a large pan and add the leek, spring onions and the carrots. Push the vegetables to the side after a couple minutes, pour some more oil in the middle of the pan and fry 3 teaspoons of your curry mixture for a minute on medium heat. Mix everything together and fry for another 1o minutes (keep in mind that the carrots shouldn't become too soft). Season with salt.
Mix the couscous and the fried vegetables in a big bowl, add the sour cream and more of your curry mixture until you find the right balance of spiciness (I added another 3 teaspoons of the spices at that point, so 6 teaspoons in all). When you are happy with the result, take the raisins out of the water and sprinkle on top of your couscous.
My Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane Sandwich
It's Wednesday again, time for another sandwich!
At the moment I am really hooked on roots so my sandwich today can't do without them. My choice is a German turnip called "Teltower Rübchen". It tastes similar to horseradish, just a bit softer. I also have some winter purslane (sometimes known as miner's lettuce), its flavor is quite mild and sits well with the turnip. I must admit that I chose the winter purslane because it looks really cute. The centre piece of this sandwich is Pastrami but I wouldn't dare calling it a "Pastrami Sandwich" as, traditionally, this sandwich is literally piled up with slices of meat which is too much for me. This is lighter, on ciabatta bread, with a bit of olive oil, crushed pepper - delicious.
A Sandwich with Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane
For 2 people you need
a small loaf of ciabatta
Pastrami, 6-8 slices
Teltower Rübchen, thinly sliced (or horseradish, grated)
winter purslane, a handful (or rucola/ rocket, a few leaves)
olive oil
crushed peppercorns
Cut your bread and slice it in half. Drizzle some olive oil on the inside, line with the pastrami and put either the turnip slices or a bit of grated horseradish on top. Garnish with a few leaves of winter purslane or rucola and enjoy a big bite!
Sicilian Memories with my Tangerine Jam
Last year I went to Sicily for the first time in my life. We stayed at a beautiful farm close to Noto located in soft hills between lemon, orange and tangerine trees. Every morning we got the most delicious breakfast served under pine trees with the old city of Noto in the distance. Freshly baked cakes, fruit, white bread fried in olive oil together with oregano (from the farm as well, the best oregano in the world!), it was heaven!
One of my many breakfast discoveries was a jam which looked like the golden sun and tasted so sweet and refreshing, with a hint of sourness and bitterness. Just divine! This jam was made of tangerines and I think I must have emptied jars of it during our holiday. As soon as I got home and tangerines were available I made my own! This year, I have to refill my pantry with my Sicilian jam.
Sicilian Tangerine Jam
For 4 medium sized jam jars you need
organic tangerines, rinsed, 1200g / 2 1/2 pounds
sugar 600g / 1 1/4 pounds
juice and seeds of 2 lemons
spirit to sterilise the rims of the jars
Sterilise the 4 jam jars in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Put the tangerines in the water and let them boil for 20 minutes. Take the tangerines out and keep some of the water.
Quarter the cooked tangerines (don't peel them, you use the whole tangerine!), take out their seeds and put them aside. Cut the lemons in half and keep their seeds as well. Heat up some of the tangerine cooking water in a small pan (it should come up to 2cm / 3/4"), add the lemon and tangerine seeds and let them cook for 5 minutes.
Shred the quartered tangerines in a food processor for a few seconds. Put them in a large pan, add the sugar, the lemon juice and the water used to boil the seeds. Bring to the boil gently (the sugar has to dissolve first) and boil everything for 18-20 minutes.
Dip the rim of your jars in the spirit and wash out the lids of the jars with the alcohol as well. Fill your jars with the jam and close well immediately.
Let the jars cool off and enjoy their amazing color - and the taste after a day or two as the jam has to sit a bit!
A Celebration of Roots, Garlicky Potatoes and Gingery Rutabaga
This meal celebrates roots in all their variety. On one side, mashed potatoes which are absolutely addictive, combined with garlic and lemon. The mash is fluffy, it is tasty and it is so good that you don't really need anything else with it but I want another root on the plate: rutabaga (also known as swede). This root gets spiced up with ginger as the two flavors combine perfectly.
Winter is the time for roots and I love to try out different variations otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat it for so many months. But there is so much you can do with it! You just have to be a bit brave and play around with it. The potato-garlic-lemon idea came up because we love mash potatoes (also in the very basic version) but I thought it would be nice to add some favors to make it more suitable for other, more extreme combinations like the gingery rutabaga for example. Together with garlic and lemon we can still have our mash on the plate even when there are more exotic roots involved!
Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Lemon and Gingery Rutabaga
For two people you need
For the mash (the amounts are a rough guideline)
medium potatoes, cooked, 6
clove of garlic, crushed, 1
juice of half a lemon
olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons
butter, 30g / 1 ounce
milk, around 150-200ml
salt and pepper
Heat up all the ingredients in a pot on medium heat and mash. If the mixture becomes too dry add more milk, if it is too liquid let it cook a bit more. Season with salt and pepper.
For the rutabaga
small rutabaga, peeled, 1
ginger, grated, a thumbnail sized piece
olive oil for frying
white wine for deglazing
salt and pepper
Cut the rutabaga in very thin slices (about 2mm). Cut these slices in strips (1cm / 1/2") and cut these strips in 2-3cm / 1" pieces (see my first picture for the shape).
Heat up the oil in a pan, add the rutabaga and let it become golden. Add the ginger, fry for a minute and deglaze with the wine. Add salt and pepper and a splash of water if necessary (the liquid should come up to 2cm / 1"), close with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Check the rutabaga in between as it shouldn't get too soft and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
A Salad with White Beans, Orange and Thyme
This salad is quite extraordinary in its combination but quick and easy to prepare. The first time I made it, I used dry beans which involved pre-soaking and cooking but I use tinned beans when I need a quick lunch like today. White beans are great to combine with other strong flavours and in this salad they still manage to stand out next to the strong tastes of orange peel, thyme and spring onions. They create a perfect match.
For a lunch for two people you just need a big tin of white beans (rinsed), 1 orange, 4 spring onions, a sprig of thyme and salt and pepper. Maybe a few slices of bread to go with it and your lunch will be ready in a few minutes.
Cut fine strips of orange peel (I chop up four strips of peel, each 1x6cm / 1/2"x2 1/4") and cut the spring onions thinly. Mix the beans with the leaves of the thyme sprig. For your sauce mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil together with 5 tablespoons of orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together and you will have a beautiful lunch.
Tomato, Leek and Cream Cheese Bagel
Today has been a busy day so we are going to keep it simple and make some sandwiches. I love trying out new variations as there are so many great things one can place between two slices of bread - or, in our case today, in a bagel.
Even though my bagels are really good (my recipe will follow soon), I must admit the true star of this snack is the filling of sour cream cheese together with spicy chilli, fried leek rings and fresh slices of tomato. Some salt and pepper on top and you have a most satisfying meal.
When I make bagels I bake them in bigger batches because it is very convenient to have a few of them in the freezer and you just have to warm them up in the oven for a few minutes whenever you feel like. For our sandwiches today I prepare two bagels which I had baked with spelt flour (my favorite flour). But four thick slices of any other nice, fresh white bread will work as well. While the bagels are defrosting in the oven, I gently fry thinly sliced leek (a thumb length piece) in some butter and cut a fresh chili pepper (4 cm) in very thin slices as well. Then I spread the cold cream cheese on the warm bagels, layer this with thinly sliced tomatoes (I use four cherry tomatoes) and scatter the leek and chili on top. Seasoned with some sea salt and pepper, this makes you feel like you never want to eat anything else ever again!
Bitter Radicchio and Spicy Mustard Butter Pasta
Pasta dishes are one of my favorite dinners as they are very easy to prepare but they always give me the feeling that I have created something special. It's always a little feast. My friend Judith told me about this wonderful combination of spaghetti, radicchio, dijon mustard butter and chicken liver (for those who don't fancy liver this recipe also works very well without). I fell in love with the combination of spicy mustard butter and bitter radicchio which makes a very nice, velvety sauce for the pasta. Together with a glass of red wine this puts me in a cozy, relaxed mood, a perfect December evening dinner.
Once in a while I feel a strong appetite for liver so I bought some organic chicken liver today. When I was a child, my mother used to fry liver together with onion rings and thick apple slices and I loved it. I have a real weak spot for traditional comfort food. The recipe today will be lighter but still comfortable. I choose Linguine made by Delverde for our dinner, the most delicious pasta made with water from the Verde river in the Abruzzi region in Italy. Another family recommendation. Linguine fits very well when you want to mix your pasta with vegetables or meat and not only with a sauce as they have more bite than spaghetti.
Linguine with Radicchio, Mustard Butter and Chicken Liver
For a generous dinner for 2 people you need
pasta for 2, around 200g / 7 ounces
radicchio, quartered and cut into 1cm slices, 300g / 10.5 ounces
butter 30g / 1 ounce plus for frying
smooth Dijon mustard 4-6 teaspoons
organic chicken liver, rinsed, dried and cleaned of their thicker skins, 150g / 5 ounces
brandy or red wine for deglazing
oil for frying
flour for dusting the liver
pasta water
salt and pepper
It doesn't take long to prepare this meal but you will have to coordinate everything within 10 minutes. It is easiest to prepare as much as possible in advance before you start cooking.
Cook the pasta and take out a cup of the pasta water after it has been cooking for a few minutes as we need some of this liquid for the sauce.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan on low heat and mix in the mustard, it might curdle a bit, don't worry. Add a good splash of the pasta water to get a more liquid sauce. Taste to see if the mustard comes through strong enough, you can make it quite tasty as it will get mixed with lots of pasta.
At the same time heat up some butter with a dash of oil in a frying pan. Mix a few tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper on a plate to turn the liver in. Fry the liver for a few minutes on medium heat but watch them as they don't need long and dry out quickly. Deglaze with a tiny dash of brandy or wine, it should cook down straight away. Take the liver out and keep warm under a plate.
Pour some oil in the used but dry pan (wipe it with kitchen roll if necessary) and fry the sliced radicchio for a few minutes, turn and watch, it won't need long either. Mix the cooked pasta in the pan together with the radiocchio and your mustard butter sauce. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on plates with the liver on top. Have a sip of your wine and relax!
Mulled Wine to celebrate the start of Advent season
The Christmas markets are back and so is mulled wine!
Today we got our Christmas tree for the start of the Advent season. The tree is up and we clink our mugs filled with steaming mulled wine and enjoy the sweet smell of orange, cinnamon, cloves and wine. Now it's time to decorate our beautiful fir tree, listen to some music and enjoy the warm drink together with some mince pies. I love December!
Mulled Wine
My recipe is a rough guideline, play with it, which is what I do. Sometimes I add some orange or lemon juice or put a few ginger slices into the steaming wine, or refine it with some cardamom and aniseed.
red wine 1 bottle (750ml)
black tea, preferably Earl Grey, 300ml / 1 1/4 cups
brandy or rum 30ml / 1 ounce
honey 2 tablespoons
maple sirup 3-4 tablespoons
organic orange, scrubbed and rinsed, 1
cinnamon stick, broken, 1
cinnamon, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
star-anis, single pieces broken from one star, 3
cloves 10
optionally:
cardamom pods, cracked, 3
aniseed 1 teaspoon
orange juice 300ml / 1 1/4 cups
Slice the orange thickly and stud with cloves.
Combine everything in a pan, close with a lid and warm up slowly on medium heat. The spices need time to spread their flavors! But watch it as it shouldn't start boiling. Sweeten to taste, fill the steaming wine in mugs and get cosy!
A hearty Potato and Parsnip Gratin
I feel really excited when I see food bubbling in the oven. I can sit in front of the glass oven door and watch it become golden, rising up and down and filling the kitchen with the kind of smell that you just achieve with oven dishes. Especially with a gratin! For tonight we will have a very hearty gratin with potatoes, parsnip, onions and bacon and enhanced with nutmeg, cloves and brandy. This creates an addictive combination of hearty and sweet through the parsnip and brandy. We always plan to make bigger portions to have some leftovers for the next day but with gratin we never manage. Today is the same - it is all gone already.
Potato and Parsnip Gratin
For 3 as a main, or 4 as a side dish, you need
large potatoes, peeled or rinsed and sliced, 4-5
large parsnips, peeled or rinsed and sliced, 4
small onion, cut into thin rings, 1
bacon, cut into small cubes, 40g / 1.5 ounces
butter 30g / 1 ounce
heavy cream 75ml
milk 200ml
water
garlic, crushed, 1 clove
nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
brandy for deglazing
sea salt and pepper
Set the oven to 220°C / 430°F. Our oven has a Rotitherm roasting setting which works perfectly for gratin, it combines the grill setting with fan circulation, but the top / bottom oven setting works as well.
Heat the butter in a large pan, fry the bacon and onions on medium heat until golden and add the garlic. Add the potato and parsnip slices to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with brandy and pour the cream and milk on top, add a little water until everything is covered. Now add the spices and season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer until the potatoes and parsnip are almost done. Arrange the potato and parsnip slices in a baking dish or roasting tin and pour the bacon/ milk/ cream mixture over the vegetables. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven until golden brown.
Winter Lentils with Chestnuts and Star-anis
My mother loves lentils – and so do I – and she also loves to share her new lentil creations with me like her all time favorite lentils with chard (a variation which I will post another time). So for many, many years she has sent me her recipes by fax, written on a type writer, as she doesn't like emails and computers. I have a folder full of faxes from her with wonderful recipes and always signed with a sweet motherly note.
Today's lentil creation is something new, I need a soul warmer, with typical winter spices. I bought some French chestnuts and brought out the star-anis and cloves inspired by my last baking sessions. I will use very aromatic lentils from Swabia in the South of Germany sent to me - of course - by my mother. They are cultivated by an organic producer group called Alb-Leisa which recovered this treasure from oblivion. These re-cultivated lentil types had disappeared abruptly in the 1950s due to costs and extensive work. Luckily the Alb-Leisa work is well appreciated, their production has expanded and we can now buy aromatic lentils with old-fashioned names like "Späth's Alblinse I and II".
Lentils with Chestnuts and Star-anis
Here comes the soul-warming recipe, enough for 4 people. I use small lentils which don't need pre-soaking.
lentils 300g / 10.5 ounces
small leek, cut in thin slices, 1
carrots, sliced in half and chopped, 3
small onion, chopped, 1
garlic clove, cut in half, 1
olive oil
broth or water 1l
thyme, a bunch
star-anis 1 (single, not a whole star)
bay leaves 2
cloves 2
allspice, whole not ground, 2
chestnuts, a hand full
salt and pepper
I prepared the chestnuts earlier as they don't need to be warm. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F and place an ovenproof bowl filled with water on the bottom of the oven. Cut a cross on the curved side of the chestnuts and put them in the oven on a baking sheet 10 minutes or until they get dark and their crosses start curling up. Take them out of the oven and cover them with a wet tea towel immediately. This makes it much easier to peel them. Take them out of their outer hard and soft, inner skin while they are still warm. Mind your fingers as they can still be hot.
Warm olive oil in a pan and fry the leek, onion, carrots and garlic on medium heat. Add the lentils and pour the broth on top. Add the thyme and the spices (star-anis, bay leaves, cloves, allspice) but don't season with salt yet or the lentils won't cook and stay hard. Some people put the spices in a disposable tea filter which makes it easier to get them out later. I don't mind them, I prefer to add them unwrapped. Cover with a lid and let it simmer. The cooking time depends on the lentil type. Mine need 20 minutes. After 10 minutes check if there is still enough liquid. When the lentils are soft, season with salt and pepper. Take out the thyme, bay leaves and the spices you can find.
Serve the lentils in deep bowls with broken chestnuts on top and enjoy this soul warming treat.