Sabih - A Sandwich with Hummus, Egg and Grilled Aubergine
The last time I ate Hummus at a restaurant I decided that the time has come to make my own. It's one of my favourites from the Middle Eastern cuisine and you can be sure that I always order my own little bowl of this delicious spread when we go to a restaurant to make sure that I definitely have enough for myself.
I'm an expert when it comes to eating it but not preparing it and I didn't want to make a fool of myself so I decided to ask two experts, both very good friends of mine from Israel. They recommended using really good quality Tahini from Lebanon because this sesame paste has a big influence on the Hummus' taste. It's one of the main ingredients together with cooked chickpeas and this is actually where Hummus gets its name from, meaning chickpeas in Arabic. It's very easy to prepare if you use tinned chickpeas - that's what I did and the expert opinions didn't object - you just have to peel them which only takes 5 minutes. It's more like popping them out of their peel between two fingers, it's fun! Then you add the Tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, water, mix everything in a blender and your Hummus is done.
My friends also told me about a sandwich which is very popular in Israel - Sabih (meaning the handsome one!). You spread Hummus on some good white bread (I use my olive bread which fits really well with its juicy texture and flavours of green and black olives), then you put slices of grilled aubergine and boiled egg on the Hummus and sprinkle some Harissa on top. This is too good! I'm not normally the first one to put an egg on a sandwich, but here I make an exception. The creamy Hummus, the juicy bread, the aubergine, the egg, the whole combination is just divine, I'm not surprised this sandwich is so popular!
Sabih with Hummus, Grilled Aubergine and Boiled Egg
I made enough Hummus to fill a large bowl as you can keep it in the fridge for a few days. For the sandwich you can also use white flatbread but I must say that I really enjoyed it with my thick and juicy olive bread.
For the Hummus
canned chickpeas, cooked and peeled, 475g / 17 ounces
tahini 300g / 10.5 ounces
garlic, crushed, 2 big cloves
salt 1 1/4 teaspoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice 5 tablespoons
water 100-125ml
olive oil, for the topping
harissa, for the topping
Purée all the ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth paste, you can add a little more water and lemon juice if you want the Hummus less thick. Fill in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and Harissa.
For the grilled aubergine (eggplant)
one aubergine, cut into 7mm / 1/4" slices
olive oil to brush the aubergine slices (around 50ml)
salt and pepper
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill in the oven until golden brown and soft.
For the sandwich
white bread, 4-6 thick slices
boiled organic eggs, cut into slices, 2
Spread the Hummus on a slice of bread, put 1-2 slices of the grilled aubergine and some of the egg on top and sprinkle with a little Harissa to add more spiciness. Close with a second slice of bread to finish your sandwich.
Luscious Bread with Black and Green Olives
Baking bread is a very relaxing and satisfying ritual. You mix the dough and watch it rise slowly, then you shape it and bake it in the hot oven where it doubles in size again. It's such a simple yet wonderful food, one of my favourites! Nothing beats a slice of fresh warm bread spread with butter or sprinkled with olive oil. So many people from different cultures celebrate this ritual, with similar recipes even though they live on opposite sides of the world. It's one of our traditions that connects us and shows how much we have in common.
I have a good friend who lives in Sydney and whenever he comes to Berlin we all meet at our's together with a few of our friends. Sometimes it's a big dinner, sometimes we just have some wine and snacks. The only problem is that he never tells me in advance, it's a very spontaneous thing, he's just here at one point. Followed by another 10 - 15 people. This calls for some improvisation tricks in the kitchen, we just have to eat what my fridge offers!
Around two years ago he called to announce his arrival and I was lucky to have a few pumpkins in my kitchen, so a soup for 10 was quickly thrown together. For whatever reason I had lots of black olives as well. I like to have more than enough good bread on my table when it's a long night so I decided to bake 2 loaves of olive bread with lots of olives and olive oil, juicy enough to nibble on after finishing the soup. The texture is light but you taste and feel the olives and the olive oil, it makes the bread really smooth. Everybody loved it and couldn't stop eating it. This was a feast to me, it always is, sitting together with friends at my long wooden table, talking, laughing and enjoying some red wine and nice bread.
Tomorrow it's my Sandwich Wednesday again and I will make a special sandwich with this bread which is very popular in the Middle East!
A Juicy Bread with Black and Green Olives
For 1 loaf of bread you need
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces (I use spelt flour type 630 but you can use any other plain flour)
dry yeast 1 tablespoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
a pinch of sugar
water, lukewarm, 70ml
milk, lukewarm, 70ml
butter 1 tablespoon
olive oil 2 tablespoons
black and green olives, chopped, 60g / 2 ounces
Combine the dry ingredients and add the water, milk, butter and olive oil. Mix with your dough hooks till everything is combined. Add the olives and continue mixing for a few minutes. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, it will be a little sticky but that's fine. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel.
Option1:When I prepare the dough the day before I bake it, I put the bowl with the dough in the fridge (covered with cling film) and let it rise overnight. You will have to take it out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before you can continue with the next steps.
Option 2:In case I want to bake my bread the same day, I let the dough rise in a 35°C / 95°F warm oven for 45 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top / bottom heat and not to fan.
When the dough has doubled in size, take it out, punch it down and knead with your hands for 2 minutes. Form the dough in a long loaf shape and put it on an oiled baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 25 - 35 minutes in a warm place.
Set your oven to 200°C / 390°F top / bottom heat.
Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until cooked through. If you're not sure if it's done turn the bread around and knock on its underside, it should sound hollow. Let it cool for 5 - 10 minutes, cut a thick slice off it and drizzle some olive oil on top, just a bit, and sprinkle with salt.
A Salad with Beluga Lentils and Beetroot
I went a bit overboard on the weekend, two pies (sweet and savory) in two days, time for a change in my kitchen! Something lighter (that doesn't involve butter) is on my mind, a salad with black Beluga lentils and fried beetroot slices. Beluga lentils are perfect for salads. They are tiny little legumes, with a strong and nutty taste and they just have to cook for 30 minutes without having to soak in water. The beetroot becomes a bit sweet when you fry the raw slices, even sweeter than when boiled in water. When it comes to salads, I prefer fewer ingredients with strong flavours and quick preparation. I'm not too fond of salads which mix up lots of different vegetables and fruit as the single tastes tend to get blurred.
Today's salad is a dark beauty, the lentils are dark grey, nearly black with shades of blue and green and the beetroot slices deepen to a dark red when you fry them. All you need for a salad for 4 is 1 cup / 200g of Beluga lentils, rinsed and cooked in 3 cups of water (without salt!) for 20-30 minutes. While they are simmering, I slice 2 large uncooked beetroots with a slicer very thinly. I heat some oil in a large pan, sprinkle the beetroot slices with a pinch of sugar and fry them in batches for a few seconds on each side before I season them with salt and pepper. They burn quickly which gives them a bitter taste so you have to watch them.
My dressing is very simple and light, 3 generous tablespoons of olive oil mixed with 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of white Balsamico vinegar, seasoned with salt and black pepper. When the lentils are done I rinse them with cold water, drain them and pour the dressing on top. You may have to add more salt and pepper at this point to taste. I lay the beetroot slices on top and the salad is ready to be served!
Jenny's Awesome Lemon Meringue Pie
I had the first lemon meringue pie of my life in Malta, just a few years ago. It was one of those things I always wanted to try but always took second place. Whenever I went to a Patisserie and spotted a pretty meringue, my mood still took me somewhere else and chose something different. Now I know that was a mistake!I
t was summer and we stayed at Jenny's house in Malta. It was hot (as always) and everybody met in the kitchen, also as always. My Maltese Mama made a lemon meringue pie for a party and I followed her baking curiously but not overly excited. I must admit that its delicate beauty appealed to me and the fact that she had squeezed the juice of countless lemons - from her own lemon tree! - into the curd caught my attention. Maltese lemons taste amazing, they are spoiled with sunlight, juicy and strong. And Jenny's are simply the best! So, I tried the pie and it it was awesome. A crunchy base, buttery and crisp as I love it, the lemon curd perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, and the meringue was fluffy and slightly sweet. I had to get her recipe!
She gave it to me, and since then I made it, with little changes numerous times, mostly eating more of it than I want. It's the perfect dessert for a dinner party. It looks beautiful and you can prepare it in advance, it should actually sit for a few hours so that the curd can become firm. I skipped this point as you can see in the photos, the curd is still a bit soft. The smell of butter and lemon in my kitchen was too much of a teaser, I had to try it. I gave the pie 10 minutes to cool on my balcony (in arctic temperatures), impatiently, waiting for my first bite of Jenny's awesome Lemon Meringue Pie!
Lemon Meringue Pie
For one pie you need a round 27cm / 10.5″ baking dish or tart pan.
For the crust
plain flour 210g / 7.5 ounces
butter 120g / 4.5 ounces
granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
water (cold) 4 tablespoons
Combine the flour with the sugar and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and work the butter into the flour until combined (there shouldn’t be any lumps of butter left). Add the water and continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F top/ bottom heat. Roll out the dough between cling film and line your baking dish with the flat pastry. Prick it with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 18 minutes or until golden. Let it cool completely.
For the curd
granulated sugar 150g / 5 ounces
cornstarch 50g / 2 ounces
pinch of salt
water 450ml
egg yolks, beaten 2
butter 90g / 3 ounces
freshly squeezed lemon juice 150ml
zest of 1 lemon
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt and mix together with the water in a small sauce pan. Bring to the boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn down the heat, and cook for another 3 minutes, again, stirring constantly, it will become thick. Take the pan off the heat. Mix 1 tablespoon of this mixture into the egg yolks, stir and pour everything back into the remaining mixture in the sauce pan. Bring to the boil, stirring, let it bubble for a few seconds and take it off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the butter and let it cool.
For the meringue
egg whites 3
granulated sugar 80g
a pinch of salt
Beat the egg whites together with the salt, adding the sugar gradually while beating, until the white is stiff.
The Pie
Set the oven to 210°C / 410°F top/ bottom heat.
Pour the lemon curd over the short crust and spread the stiff egg whites on top. Bake for 6 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp. Let it sit for 2-3 hours in a cool place.
Buttery Crisp Fennel Tart
A tart, a quiche, a pie, call it whatever you like, anything that involves buttery short crust is heavenly food to me. I'm the happiest person in the world when I have one of these in my oven, filling the air with that buttery smell, teasing me as I can't wait to have the first bite in my mouth. Most of the time I use my all time favourite quiche crust recipe for any kind of savory tart or quiche. I wrote about that recipe in December. It has been with me for nearly twenty years and I never found a better one. It's crisp, it's buttery, yet still light. Just perfect!
If you follow eat in my kitchen you'll find that I tend to buy too much of this and that (I'm talking about food). This time it's fennel, three bulbs! I never throw any food away, I use everything I buy, but I become too excited when I see all the nice food at the market and a million things come into my mind that I'd like to cook with them. So I buy whatever arouses my appetite. Sometimes, my fridge just reaches its limits.
I haven't made a tart in a while so I will use the fennel for the filling, mixed with Parmesan, a few eggs, milk and cream, and the buttery smell can take over my flat!
Fennel Tart
For one tart you need a round (27cm / 10.5″) or oval baking dish or tart pan.
For the short crust base
flour 250g / 8.5 ounces (I use spelt flour type 630 but you can use any other plain flour)
butter, cold 125g / 4.5 ounces
organic egg 1
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and work the butter into the flour until combined (there shouldn’t be any lumps of butter left). Add the egg and continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
For the filling
fennel, cut in half and sliced thinly, 400g / 14 ounces
organic eggs 2
milk 100 ml
heavy cream 100 ml
Parmesan, grated, 2 heaped tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
black pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated
The tart
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F.
Sauté the fennel in a big pan in a little oil for 5 minutes until golden.
Mix the eggs with the milk, heavy cream, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Roll out the dough between cling film and line your baking dish with the flat pastry. Prick it with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take your baking dish out of the oven and set the temperature down to 180°C / 355°F.
Spread the fried fennel on top of the pre-baked pastry base and pour the liquid mixture over. Put the tart carefully on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden, the top should be firm. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
A juicy treat with orange, turmeric and ginger
Today's post is dedicated to all my friends who have a cold - unfortunately, quite a few at the moment. I would love to have them all over to nurse them, so I decided to come up with a tasty and healthy juice, full of vitamins and powerful roots to give them a recipe that will strengthen them again!
My current favourite, the blood orange, is as important to this juice as freshly grated turmeric and ginger roots. Turmeric is a great helper when your body suffers from inflammations, be it in the throat, the ears or your tummy. This root has an important role in the Ayurveda philosophy and is assumed to have a big effect on our cells like ginger which is an antiseptic boost to the immune system.
If you feel well and strong - which I hope you all are - then you can just enjoy this wonderful juice and its spicy, fruity taste. And anyways, prevention is better than cure.
For 1 big glass of this powerful drink, you will need around 350ml of freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 6 of my blood oranges), 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated turmeric root and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. I bought the turmeric in a small organic shop around the corner but you can find it in lots of Asian shops as well.
Drink it, enjoy, and get well soon!
Gravad Lax with Dill and Spices
Yesterday Saveur Magazine added eat in my kitchen to their "Sites We Love" and I'm so happy and excited to be a part of this special list! It's only been two months since I started sharing my personal kitchen moments here on my blog and I have been overwhelmed by the response and support, thank you!
Here is the link to the interview I did for Saveur Magazine: http://www.saveur.com/article/sites-we-love/sites-we-love-eat-in-my-kitchen
So, back to food, a special day deserves a special meal! Coincidentally, today I'm writing about a very special, luxurious if not festive recipe, Gravad Lax!
Gravad Lax is very literally slow food as the cured salmon needs a few days in the fridge, pressed down with weights, looked after and turned once a day. It can take between 2 - 4 days to reach the right consistency, so you must be patient, but you can be sure you will be rewarded.
I cure mine with a marinade of dill, juniper and black pepper and the obligatory salt/sugar mixture. This, to me, is the best way to savor salmon by far. It's an old family recipe made by many of my relatives, it's always one of the starters when my family comes together at table. I have tried different recipes, with more spices and orange zest for example, but I always come back to this one. The dill, black pepper and the juniper just bring out the best in the salmon.
After a few days, when the salmon is done, I cut very thin slices off the fillet. I serve mine pure, with no dressing, just some white bread. That's it, it doesn't need anything else. Apart from a glass of white wine maybe, or Champagne even. It's a luxurious meal so you might as well go all the way!
Gravad Lax
salmon, end or centre-cut, bones removed, skin on, cut into 2 pieces that fit on top of each other, around 700g / 24.5 ounces
granulated sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
coarse sea salt 80g / 3 ounces
black pepper, crushed roughly, 1 tablespoon (measured before crushing)
juniper, crushed, 6 berries
fresh dill, chopped roughly, 2 small bunches
Combine the sugar, salt and spices.
Spread 1/4 of the dill on a flat dish big enough for the salmon. Place one half of the salmon on top (flesh-side up), rub the spice mixture gently into the flesh and cover with half of the dill. Place the other half of the fish on top (flesh-side down), press it down and cover with the rest of the dill. Cover with cling film, put a wooden board on top and place 2-3 (filled) tins on top, or anything else that is heavy enough to put some weight on the salmon. Place in the fridge and turn once a day. You might have to drain some liquid once in a while. Check after 2 days to see if the texture is already more firm. The salmon will start to look a big glassy. If so, slice it thinly (you must hold a large, sharp knife at a flat angle) - if not, be patient and check again tomorrow!
A Ladin Sandwich with Spices and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I used to eat this sandwich whenever I arrived in Corvara, I went straight to the bakery to get some local flatbread and then to the butcher for prosciutto. Outside the shop, I prepared my sandwich, sat on a bench in the snow and enjoyed the start of my holiday.
Last week I read about this bread, the bread of my mountain village of choice. It is a flatbread made with rye flour mixed with coriander, fennel and aniseed. It's a speciality in the Ladinia region around the Sella mountains in the Italian Dolomite Alps. In Italian this area is called Val Badia and the Ladin name (which is an autonomous language) is Alta Badia.
There are two ways to prepare this bread, one is more flat, it becomes dry, hard and brittle after baking. It's very thin and you "shake" the dough to loosen it up which gives it its name, "Schuettelbrot" (shaken bread). This method was used to preserve the bread for the long and lonely time in the mountain huts where the supply of fresh bread and food was an unfrequent and laborious task. It keeps for months, the texture is hard but it retains its strong taste of spices.
The second one is thicker and this is the one I choose to make, at it's best when fresh and warm. Although it's not as light and fluffy as a flatbread made with wheat flour, it's denser and more complex in taste. Traditionally you eat this bread together with Tyrolean Prosciutto at Vesper time, in the afternoon or evening when you feel like a little snack. My mother sent me a nice piece of prosciutto from San Cassiano, so I use this special occasion for this week's Sandwich Wednesday.
A Ladin Sandwich with Spice Flatbread and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I spread some cream cheese on the flatbread, traditionally it's made without, but I was in the mood for it.
For 8 little flatbreads you need
rye flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
spelt flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 125ml
milk, lukewarm, 50ml
coriander seeds, ground, 1 teaspoon
fennel seeds, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
aniseed, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
caraway seeds, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil to grease the baking sheet
For the sandwich
Tyrolean Prosciutto 3 slices for each flatbread
cream cheese (optional)
crushed black pepper
Combine the flour with the spices, yeast and salt, add the lukewarm water and the milk, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough should be more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not sticky at all. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 45 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Take the dough out and punch it down. Divide it into 8 pieces and roll them out into discs (on a floured working surface, between 1 - 1 1/2 cm / around 1/2" thick). Cover with a tea towel and let them rise for another 25 minutes.
Set your oven to 250°C / 480°F. My oven has a special pizza setting which I use for this recipe but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Grease your baking sheet with some olive oil.
Put your flatbreads on the baking sheet and bake them on the lowest level for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out and let them cool for 2 minutes. Cut a bread in half, spread with cream cheese and cover with a few slices of the prosciutto. You can sprinkle some crushed black pepper over it too.
Cipollata with Raclette Crostini, the perfect Soup for a January Day
I remember when I was a child people used to make onion soup with a slice of white bread and grilled cheese on top. I liked the soup, I liked the melted cheese but I would have prefered the bread if it hadn't been soaking in the soup getting soft and soggy. That was never my thing, I also don't dip my cookie in tea or croissant in my cappuccino. I don't like pastry pieces swimming about soaking up liquid, neither sweet nor savory. Each to their own but this is not for me.
However, the combination of onion soup, bread and cheese is great, especially in winter. It's warming, a treat to the body, and it's rich and feels like a real meal. I found peace with my bread very easily by just keeping it out of the soup, it stays crisp and crusty and I can still enjoy this hearty combination. My soup is bright red as I add tomatoes to the broth, a nice change to the snowy grey outside my window, and a little spicy because I cook dried chili with it. I mix the onions with thick strips of Tyrolean Prosciutto from Mr. Pizzinini in San Cassiano. The spices of the prosciutto fit perfectly to the soup as I also use clove, bay leaf and rosemary.
While the soup is bubbling in the pot for half an hour I put thick slices of white bread covered with Raclette cheese under the grill. This alone would have already put me in a very happy mood but together with the soup I must say I'm at peace with the world!
Cipollata - A Winter Soup with Onion, Tomatoes and Tyrolean Prosciutto and Raclette Crostini
For 4 people you need
For the crostini, cut a loaf of white bread into thick slices, cover with grated Raclette cheese (100g / 3.5 ounces of cheese should be enough for 4 people) and put under the grill until golden brown. Sprinkle with crushed pepper.
For the Soup
onions, cut in half and then into thin slices, 500g / 18 ounces
a piece of Tyrolean Prosciutto, cut into thick strips, 120g / 4 ounces
tinned tomatoes, chopped, 400g / 14 ounces
broth 1000ml
cloves 3
clove of garlic 1
bay leaf 1
rosemary, 1 sprig
sugar 1 tablespoon
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Heat a little oil in a large pot and fry the prosciutto until crisp. Take it out, add some more oil and fry the onions with the sugar for around 10 minutes until soft. Add the tomatoes, broth, spices and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve together with the grilled Raclette crostini.
White Pizza with Spinach and Ricotta
A few years ago curiosity got the better of me and I tried a "white pizza" at one of my favourite pizza restaurants. White pizza is made without tomatoes and I didn't quite know what to expect. I had my virgin white pizza moment with a spinach and ricotta topping and all my reservations melted away after the first bite. Lighter and with more space for the single ingredients, the absence of tomato sauce didn't lessen that feel good pizza pleasure.
I wrote about my Sunday pizza tradition a few weeks ago and yesterday was no exception. It has been ages since my last white pizza and, as it's been on my mind for a while, I bought some crisp winter spinach and ricotta. To finish it off I added some olive oil infused with garlic and some crushed black pepper. The dough was light and crisp, it soaked some oil, but not too much, a bit like a Focaccia. The spinach was crisp and had some bite as in winter it's a bit thicker while the ricotta brought a touch of velvety smoothness.
White Pizza with Winter Spinach, Ricotta and Olive Oil
I start to prepare the dough 2 hours before I bake it to give it enough time to rise.
For 1 big pizza (size of 1 baking sheet) you need
For the topping
fresh spinach, rinsed, 250g / 9 ounces
fresh ricotta 250g / 9 ounces
olive oil 4-6 tablespoons
garlic, cut in half, 1 clove
salt and crushed black pepper
Warm up the olive oil together with the garlic for 2-3 minutes.
For the dough
plain flour 350g / 12.5 ounces plus more for mixing
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 190ml
olive oil 3 tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast and salt, add the olive oil and the lukewarm water, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough shouldn’t be moist and sticky at all, more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not too hard, not sticky. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 40 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
When the dough is well risen, roll it out on a very well floured (this is very important!) working surface. It should be a bit smaller than the size of your baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 10-15 minutes.
The pizza
Set your oven to 260°C / 500°F. My oven has a special pizza setting but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Put the baking sheet on the bottom of your oven to heat it.
Take the hot baking sheet out of the oven, flip it over and place it carefully on two stable wooden boards or mats as it will be very hot. Place your risen dough carefully but quickly (best done by two people) on the baking sheet, push it gently into place if necessary. Sprinkle the olive oil and the ricotta in lumps on top. Put the baking sheet back into the oven, on the bottom again, and bake for a few minutes until the pizza is golden. Take it out and spread the spinach on top immediately. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle some more olive oil on top if you like and enjoy!
Wintery Sunday Morning Muffins with Blood Orange Marmalade
Sunday morning is made for muffins! They combine the spongy feeling of a cake with the handiness of a cookie and they don't take much longer to make than pancakes. You don't even need an electric mixer. You combine everything with a spoon, fill the lumpy batter into your muffin tray and within 12 minutes you'll have warm little muffins on your breakfast table. It can't get any better on a Sunday morning!
This recipe doesn't need many ingredients, you might already have them at home if you’re into baking. I mix some of my blood orange marmalade into the batter, which you can also replace with bitter orange marmalade (that's what I normally do) or with plum jam or any other jam that fits to cinnamon and nutmeg (as I add these two spices as well). These muffins are light and fluffy, I love them warm, tear them in half and let their wintery aroma fill the air - heaven!
Sunday Morning Muffins with Marmalade and Cinnamon
You need a muffin tray with 12 molds, lined with paper baking cups.
200g / 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
70g / 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for the topping
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the topping
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of salt
160ml / 2/3 cup whole milk
50g / 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons blood orange marmalade (or bitter orange marmalade or plum jam)
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg and marmalade. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and quickly stir with a wooden spoon until you have a lumpy batter. The more you mix it the more it will lose its light texture so don't mix it too long.
Fill the batter into the lined muffin tray. Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping, sprinkle on top of the batter and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden and spongy. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes and enjoy warm!
Mousse au Chocolat meets Olive Oil
My Mousse au Chocolat has all the finer qualities of a sumptuous mousse. Bittersweet chocolate rubs against an unexpected but perfect match, olive oil, thick and nutty with a little espresso. I know it sounds unusual but this combination is absolutely delicious! It's luscious, a special treat for the weekend, perfect after an opulent dinner. I don't make chocolate mousse all too often but sometimes I just need chocolate in its most concentrated and dense form and then it's time for this dessert.
The olive oil adds something to the chocolate that is hard to describe but so easy to enjoy. If you try to imagine it you won't even get close to it, you just have to feel and taste it in your mouth!
Mousse au Chocolat with Olive Oil
For 4 people you need
bittersweet chocolate, melted, 100g / 3.5 ounces
butter, melted, 60g / 2 ounces
organic eggs 3
granulated sugar 70 g / 2.5 ounces
good olive oil 6 tablespoons
espresso 1 teaspoon
a pinch of salt
Mix the melted butter, chocolate, olive oil and espresso. Beat the egg whites together with the salt. Beat the egg yolks and the sugar and mix together with the chocolate mixture. Stir 2 spoons of the stiff egg whites under the chocolate mixture. Stir the rest of the egg whites under the mixture as well, carefully, to preserve the light fluffiness. Fill into 4 forms and cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Sunset in a Jar - Blood Orange Marmalade
This red is just stunning. It's like the brightest red sunset caught in a jar! I'm hooked on blood oranges, I have them all the time, as a snack or as fresh juice. They are so sweet and juicy at the moment that I much prefer them to normal oranges or tangerines even. I buy huge bags of the Italian ones, now that they are in season, organic with thin skin, and I think I could live off them (for now).
All good but I want to bring some variety in, therefore I decide to put them in a jar and made some blood orange marmalade. I've never made it before but so far my marmalade recipe worked very well with Seville oranges and tangerines, so why not with blood oranges (I wrote about my tangerine marmalade in December)? It worked, and more than that, the result is amazing! This marmalade is so sweet, yet slightly bitter, it's just right! I spread it on a slice of white English bread, impatiently, it just finished cooking, and I couldn't stop smiling.
Blood Orange Marmalade
For 3-4 medium sized jam jars you need
organic blood oranges, rinsed, 1200g / 2 1/2 pounds
granulated 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. Cook the oranges for 25 minutes or until soft (mine needed 25 minutes but they were small with thin skin). Take them out and keep some of the water.
Quarter the cooked oranges (don’t peel them, you use the whole orange!), take out their seeds and put them aside (you will need them). Cut the lemons in half and keep their seeds as well. In a small pan, heat up some of the blood orange cooking water (it should come up to 2cm / 3/4"), add the lemon seeds and orange seeds and let them cook for 5 minutes.
Shred the quartered oranges 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 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 marmalade and close well immediately.
Red Lentils and Smoked Halibut
I don't know why but my kitchen shelves are always piled up with dried lentils in all sorts of different colours, red, yellow, green, black and a whole lot of shades in between. I stay stocked up as if there was a food shortage ahead of me - luckily they have a very long shelf life. It amazes me how different their tastes are. Each has its own characteristic aroma and there are endless delicious combinations with herbs, spices, meat and fish even. I guess that's the reason why I can't stop buying them. When I see a kind of lentil that is currently not in my kitchen shelf, I can't help it, I have to think of what I would cook with them. Then I buy them and here it is: another package of these little legumes in the house.
I neglected the red ones for quite a while, without any reason. I noticed while putting some order back into my dried food compartment, my typical January "getting back into gear" motivation. A bit of order helps me to get back into a rhythm after the more relaxed and hedonistic Christmas season. Back to the shelf, the orange lentils glowing right in front of me remind me of a glorious combination of lentils, smoked fish, lemon and freshly grated horseradish. The radish is so spicy that it crawls up my nose which is great to balance out the smoked fish, Halibut in this case, and the unshakeable red lentils, steady and strong, untouched by all these strong companions!
Red Lentils with smoked Halibut, Lemon and Horseradish
For 3-4 people you need
smoked Halibut 350 g / 12.5 ounces
red lentils, rinsed, 300g / 1.5 cups
broth 700ml / 3 cups
onion, chopped, 2
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
heavy cream 3-4 tablespoons
chives, chopped, 3 tablespoons
fresh horseradish, grated
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Heat a little oil in a large pot and fry the onions for a couple minutes. Add the lentils, the broth, lemon juice and zest and some ground pepper (but no salt!). Cook according to the cooking instructions on your package, mine need 7 minutes. When the lentils are done add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Separate the smoked fish into big chunks and arrange on plates together with the lentils. Sprinkle with horseradish and chives.
Pear and Stilton - the perfect Sandwich Combination
Ripe Stilton and crisp Abate pear are the perfect match for my sandwich. I layer thin slices of the juicy fruit and crumbs of the blue cheese on thick white bread and put it in under the grill (broiler), just until the cheese starts to bubble and the bread is slightly roasted. The spiciness of the creamy English cheese and the sweetness of the pear are a heavenly combination.
I once used this duo as a topping for my Quiche and everybody loved it but I must say, it's just as good on my sandwich and quicker to prepare. All you need is a loaf of white bread (I use fresh spelt Ciabatta), a crisp pear like Abate and around 100g / 3.5 ounces of ripe, spicy Stilton (or any other blue cheese). Prepare your sandwich, finish under the grill (broiler) and sprinkle with some walnuts and black pepper. You can treat 2-4 people to this wonderful snack, at lunch or as a starter at a dinner party and you can be sure you will make them very happy!
A Bavarian Salad with Cabbage, Crispy Bacon and White Balsamico
I feel like a crisp, nourishing winter salad and find my inspiration in Bavarian cooking. White cabbage - the German Kraut - is the answer to my needs. A big head of cabbage has been waiting in the fridge for a few days and its time has come! A few years ago, my mother told me about a Bavarian salad made of raw white cabbage and fried bacon deglazed with white Balsamico vinegar. I made it just a few days after she told me about it, impressed by its simplicity but mainly by the taste, and it became one of my favourite winter salads, an absolute classic. The fried bacon juices and the white Balsamico create a great dressing, not too heavy but rich enough for the kraut. Good and solid Bavarian food!
I chop 500g / 1 pound of cabbage very thinly and mix it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. I rub the salt into it with my fingers which softens the cabbage's texture. It needs to sit for 15 minutes, so I fry some bacon next (around 100g / 3.5 ounces). I cut the bacon into very small cubes and fry them in a small amount of oil. When they are golden brown and crisp, I deglaze them with some white Balsamico vinegar, enough to have some liquid left to pour over my cabbage together with the bacon. I add some olive oil (2-3 tablespoons), more vinegar if necessary and season with salt and pepper. I have my salad with some bread and cheese, an easy but tasty lunch - stuffed with vitamins!
Lasagna with Sauce Bolognese and Parsnip
Rich, with a fruity sauce Bolognese with lots of tomatoes and herbs, parsnip, Parmesan and a bit of chicken liver - that's my lasagna and I enjoy every hearty bite of it! I take the casserole dish with the steaming lasagna out of my oven and by the time I put it on the table it has already filled our entire apartment with the sweetest, mouth-watering smell of herbs, baked cheese and tomatoes. It's a real teaser!
It's only my second time using wavy lasagna pasta and I'm impressed with the result. They are done within just 25 minutes (still al dente), the lasagna keeps its shape on the plate and - most importantly - it gets a crispy crust on top, neither too hard nor too dry. I make my sauce Bolognese with pure minced beef and a bit of chicken liver. You don't really taste the liver but it makes the beef taste more intense. I add carrots and parsnip as I prefer a balanced mixture of meat and vegetables in a sauce Bolognese in general. I cook the sauce for about an hour with red wine, tomato paste, thyme and rosemary - it is very concentrated and strong. And finally the cheese! Parmesan is the perfect choice as it's so tasty that you don't need to use much, which would just make the meal cheesy and heavy.
Lasagna with Sauce Bolognese and Parsnip
I use a 27cm x 20cm / 10.5" x 8" baking dish, definitely big enough for 4 people.
For the Sauce Bolognese
minced beef 300g / 10.5 ounces
organic chicken liver, chopped, around 100g / 3.5 ounces
carrot, sliced, 1
parsnip, sliced, 2
onion, chopped, 1
tinned tomatoes, chopped, 400g / 14 ounces
red wine around 500ml (you could also use 250ml red wine and 250ml broth)
tomato paste 2 tablespoons
a sprig of thyme
a sprig of rosemary
garlic, crushed, 1 clove
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the vegetables for a couple minutes on medium heat. Add the meat (beef and liver) and fry until all the liquid dissolves. Add the tomato paste, mix and fry for a minute. Deglaze with a little red wine, mix, cook for a minute and repeat two more times. Add the tinned tomatoes and the rest of the wine (you might not need all of it at once). Add herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and simmer on low temperature for about an hour. Stir in between and add more wine if the sauce becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Sauce Béchamel
milk 600ml
butter, melted, 30g / 1 ounce
plain flour 30g / 1 ounce
bay leaf 1
a pinch of nutmeg, grated
salt and pepper
Mix the milk with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Whisk the flour into the hot butter. Bring the milk to the boil and whisk into the roux. Continue mixing until smooth. Add the bay leaf and cook for around 5 minutes on low heat until the texture is thick and smooth. Take the bay leaf out and season with salt and pepper.
For the Lasagna
lasagna pasta around 250g / 9 ounces
Parmesan, grated, around 100g / 3.5 ounces
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F.
Butter your baking dish. Put down a layer of pasta, 1/3 of the sauce Bolognese, 1/4 sauce Béchamel and some Parmesan. Repeat twice, cover with a final layer of pasta (you should have 4 layers of pasta) and cover with sauce Béchamel and Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pasta is done, switch on the grill for 2 minutes or until the pasta becomes golden brown and partially crisp. Take the lasagna out and let it sit for 10 minutes.
The Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
Berlin, January 2014:
I got this recipe from a true cookie specialist - Granny Doris from Florida. Years ago, at Christmas time, she sent two huge boxes full of her peanut butter cookies and I fell in love with them. I ate so many I thought I would never be able to eat them again. That didn't last long. Before this experience, I never really liked peanut butter but these cookies changed everything. They are crunchy yet soft in the center and so delicious that you can't stop eating them.
These cookies are big enough for a small breakfast or midday snack together with a cup of coffee, they go very well with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and if you don't feel like a big dessert after dinner but still like something sweet to go with your espresso, just grab a peanut butter cookie. I bake them in very big batches exactly for this reason!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Update September 2024: For 28 bigger and thicker cookies, bake for about 11-13 minutes.
For 50 cookies you need
280g / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
350g / 1 1/3 cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
250g / 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
280g / 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the egg before adding the next one, and continue beating for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
For the first batch of cookies, shape the dough into walnut sized balls and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between each dough ball. Flatten with a fork just a bit and bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden; soft but with subtle restistance when you gently touch them with your finger. It will seem as though they are a bit under baked when they first come out but that's a good thing. Leave them to cool on the baking sheet (!) for a few minutes until they are stable enough to transfer them to a wire rack to let them cool completely. Continue shaping the remaining dough and bake one sheet at a time.
Once the cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Crispy Latke with Orange Cream
It's been a beautiful January morning. Blue sky, the air is crisp and clean and much to my surprise glowing with sunshine! I went to the park to enjoy the first sunny morning in 2014 and it felt like spring. This calls for a celebration, something equally warming and shiny on my plate: fried golden latke. I make mine with Hokkaido pumpkin and potatoes, a home made curry mixture and an orange, cinnamon flavoured cream.
At this time of the year, I often cook with my own curry mixtures. I guess it's the cold, my body appreciates warming spices like cayenne and turmeric. For my pumpkin - potato mixture, I prepare a curry mixture that is not too hot, despite the inclusion of cayenne. I want strong flavours, but more on the sweet side, like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. The cream gives a lighter feel to this meal, its milky sourness is a refreshing counterpoint to the fried latkes, the orange zest and spices reinforce it.
Spicy Pumpkin and Potato Latke with an Orange Cream
I use around 600g / 21 ounces peeled potatoes and 400g / 14 ounces pumpkin for my latke mixture which is enough for 3 - 4 people:
For the latke
Hokkaido pumpkin (or any other pumpkin / squash), grated, 400g / 14 ounces (with peel, just scoop out the seeds and fibre)
potatoes, peeled, grated, 600g / 21 ounces
onion, peeled, grated, 2
plain flour 12 tablespoons plus more for mixing
organic eggs 3
salt 3 teaspoons
vegetable oil for frying
For the curry mixture (for the latke)
cayenne pepper, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
coriander seeds, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
black pepper, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
turmeric, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
cumin, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
cardamom, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
cinnamon, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
3 cloves, ground in a mortar
For the cream
cream cheese 150g / 5 ounces
heavy cream 4 tablespoons
plain yoghurt 4 tablespoons
orange zest 3 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cayenne pepper (ground)
a pinch of cinnamon (ground)
a pinch of cardamom (ground)
Mix all the ingredients for the cream and season to taste.
Squeeze out the grated potatoes, pumpkin and onions and dry between kitchen paper (in batches) until you get most of the liquid out. Mix all the ingredients for the latke, add more flour if the mixture is too moist.
Heat a good amount of oil in a large cast iron pan. Form pancake shaped latkes and fry them in the hot oil, 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Take down the heat if they get too dark. When the latke is done, remove excess oil with kitchen paper and keep in a warm oven until you finish your last batch. Serve together with the cream.
Red Wine Cake with Cinnamon and Chocolate
This is the cake of my late teenage years, made with red wine, bittersweet chocolate chunks and cinnamon. It's spongy, juicy and so rich in taste! My friends and I were obsessed with it, we baked it for every possible occasion. That's a while ago now and I've since moved on to other great cakes but today I thought it's time again: pink cake for the weekend!
I must say it was yesterday that this idea came to mind. I baked it and was surprised by the cakes texture until I noticed that I didn't put in the right amount of wine - I mixed up milliliters and cups on my measuring cup and put in far too little red wine. The cake turned out much too dry and hard on the outside. I was confused at first, wondering if the memory was sweetened by time but I remembered this cake so soft and juicy that I knew I must have mixed up the recipe (I even questioned my oven's reliability for a second). Today I got my second chance and my pink cake turned out as pretty and delicious as I remembered it!
Red Wine Cake with Chocolate and Cinnamon
For 1 loaf tin, about 23cm x 10cm / 9" x 4", you need
For the dough
butter 250g / 9 ounces
granulated sugar 250g / 9 ounces
organic eggs 4
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 3 teaspoons
cocoa powder 3 teaspoons
cinnamon, ground, 2 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
red wine 125ml
bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 100g / 3.5 ounces
For the icing
icing sugar (100g / 3.5 ounces) mixed with red wine or water (3-4 tablespoons)
Set your oven to 165°C / 330°F (fan-assisted oven). Butter your loaf tin and dust with flour.
Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). Mix the butter together with the sugar till fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing for a couple minutes. Add the dry ingredients and the red wine and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate and scoop into your prepared tin. Bake for 65 minutes or until golden. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean, and let it cool. Spread the icing sugar on top of the cake to finish its pink glory.
