Going up in Smoke!

Insalata di Quinoa con la Paprika Affumicata Spagnola

Quinoa Salad with Spanish Smoked Paprika

So many new things for me to try out this week- and so little time! But you know what- I am doing my best- hehe! There is only so much a guy can eat too- even if these usually are just small portions that I prepare. But still- I love buying new ingredients and experimenting- it is the spice of my cooking life!

Sadly... I only ever get around to cooking after a full day of work though- sigh! And being as it was a little later than usual by the time I got home this evening, I decided it was as good a time as any for me to try my hand at preparing Quinoa for the first time ever... and to try out a new spice to go with it!

With he fact that 99% of people are pronouncing the name wrong, I decided to buy some "keen-wah" and try preparing it for myself, as I must say that the 2-3 occasions I have eaten it so far, it has sadly been rather bland and lacking in flavor. Which of course has a lot to do with the way it is prepared and seasoned.

I started off by rinsing the quinoa under running water, until the water ran clear- this helps remove the excess starch that would otherwise make the tiny grains all stick together in a slimy mess by the time they are cooked. I measured out 3 cups of quinoa and added 6 cups of water, added some relatively finely chopped celery and a couple of slices of ginger, seasoned with salt and pepper and started it boiling, then reduced it to a fine simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, I finely chopped parsley, just a little huacatay (optional- but I have it, so I used it!), just a little bit of garlic and a small yellow pepper. I then finely sliced a small red chili pepper and a spring onion, removed the seeds from one half of a cucumber, cut it into quarters length-wise and then cut those long strips into small slices. Absolutely quick to make and totally easy too!

After 15 minutes, the quinoa was tender and fluffy- but very steamy! But I decided that this would be the best time to season it, as it would take on any flavors and spices much better hot than cold. So I added all of the ingredients, plus salt, pepper, a little ground cumin and a half teaspoon of the dried and roasted red paprika powder. I added the juice of half a lemon as well as some very finely sliced lemon zest, a nice glug of olive oil and touch of green tabasco. The last thing I added was a nice handful of dill, plucked into small-ish pieces and a good handful of red radish sprouts, for some leafy and peppery goodness:-)

I tossed everything together gently and let it sit and cool-off / fluff-up for a further 5-6 minutes. After that time, everything was very, very fluffy and taste and delicious! The smokey flavor of the paprika went so well with the mild and sweet flavor of the veggies and quinoa- who knew? For a first attempt this wasn't bad- nice and light and summery! And the best is yet to come!

Fit for a King!

Frittata di Funghi Cardoncelli e Ricotta

King Oyster Mushroom & Ricotta Frittata

A simple dish, made from a wonderful product, with only the few necessary ingredients to bring out the best of its subtle flavor- sounded like a good idea to me this evening! Especially as I had bought these gorgeous king-oyster mushrooms at the weekend and knew that I could make them into something really special... if only I could figure out WHAT?

I decided to keep things pretty simple and classic and opted for a frittata, adding only egg, a little ricotta cheese, onion and parsley, with salt, pepper and nutmeg for seasoning. So it was maybe simple, but it wasn't bland and it was anything but boring! In fact, it was delicious!

To make it, I cut the mushrooms into slices and selected the 4 nicest, which I set to one side and then chopped up all the rest and popped them into my non-stick pan with just a tiny pat of butter, but a decent pinch of finely chopped parsley and 1 finely chopped Spring onion. I let them sizzle away at a high heat for 4-5 minutes at the most and then set them to one side to cool.

Next, I added the 4 slices and another little pat of butter, sautéed them for 2-3 minutes and then set them to one side too. Because I need them to cool off a little 
before they could be added to the eggs... speaking of which...

I cracked 2 eggs, added the chopped mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of fresh ricotta, 1 teaspoon of salted ricotta, pepper, a little nutmeg, a pinch of parsley, and stirred everything through. I then poured this mixture into a small frying pan and set the 4 large slices decoratively on top. I seasoned with another hint of nutmeg and some salt and pepper, a few extra blobs of fresh ricotta here and there, and popped the frying pan into the oven!

I let the frittata bake for 5 minutes and then turned on the grill to get it nice and golden and brown... mmm! A last sprinkle of fresh and finely chopped parsley and dinner was served! Which was a good thing, as I was feeling rather hungry at that point!

If they are in season, you should be eating those mushrooms folks! Get out there and grab yourselves a few- because I think you are going to like them! Enjoy!

Totally Corny!

Mais, Grigliata nella Buccia, con Sriracha, Limone & Huacatay

Corn, Grilled in the Husk, with Sriracha, Lime & Huacatay

It's that time of year, corn is in season and I decided I was not going to be the only one not enjoying it... even though I don't usually go crazy for it to be honest! Oh, corn is fine I suppose, but for my taste a little boring in its sweetness and a little bland in general. So this evening I decided to try a little experiment! 

I have a whole, big bunch of "huacatay" at home again at the moment- and I am not afraid to use it! I figured the rich, lemony flavor would go well with the corn, especially if I added some fresh lime juice so as to add a little tanginess and and some hot sriracha sauce for a little blast of fire!

This is was really, really easy to make. I started by peeling back the husk, to reveal the silk around the corn, which I removed and then I briefly dipped the corn into water to moisten the husk a little.  whilst that was going on, I plucked a handful of haucatay leaves and chopped them finely. And I am sorry to say that, THAT was all of the prep-work necessary!

I then smeared the corn with sriracha sauce- how much you use depends on your personal taste- but this hot Thai chili sauce really packs a punch! Once I had smeared the corn lightly with sauce, I sprinkled the corn with the finely-chopped huacatay, a little salt and the juice of half a lime. 

I folded the husk closed again and laid the corn onto my hot grill pan for at least 3-4 minutes without touching it- this gave it a chance to singe a little and to give the corn some good flavor. I added a little splash of water into the pan, which immediately became a cloud of steam and disappeared- but not before helping the corn to cook more easily!

I flipped the corn over and over until all sides were nice and brown, repeated the water thing another 1-2 times, but with only a tiny splash of water! You don#t want to boil the corn!

Once the corn is nicely browned-off all around, it is ready to be peeled open, sprinkled with salt and a little more lime juice and enjoyed! No butter here! No added fat! Just pure, corn goodness, fresh herb flavor and hot, chili excitement! Yow! And My Goodness, it was Good! 

Speedy Gonzalez Garbanzo's!

Zuppa di Ceci con Achiote, Epazote e Coriandolo

Chick-Pea Soup with Achiote, Epazote & Cilantro

Apparently, the weather may well change for the better and become warmer again from Wednesday onwards- but the week got off to a cold and rainy start this Monday morning! And it ended, rather unsurprisingly, in exactly the same way this evening- brrr!!!

To make things "worse", it was after 8pm by the time I got home- another loooong day! So once again, I got home cold, wet, tired and hungry- although not necessarily in that order! I needed something warm, something satisfying, something easy and something FAST! And that certain something ended up being this wonderful Mexican flavored soup! 

Garbanzo's, or chick peas, are wonderful, healthy, delicious and filling all at the same time- as well as being very versatile! And if you use the canned variety, they are super-convenient too! Of course, you can soak dried chick peas overnight, but seriously? - they are not going to be any better than the canned version! So, if you want my advice on this- use the canned ones!

The star of this dish is the aromatic and delicious achiote, which I used as a paste this time around- and the other great mexican flavor here is that of epazote, which goes so well with all beans and pulses... and does such a great job when it comes to digesting them- lol! Being as I had bought a bunch of it on Saturday, to use in my black bean recipe, I decided to experiment a little with it this evening- and the result was SO nice! All I can say is, YUM!

I started off by sautéing a dice of carrot and celery, along with a little crushed garlic, a good pinch of cumin seeds and a small handful of finely chopped bacon. As usual- no extra oil... the bacon has plenty :-) Soon, everything was sizzling away nicely and as soon as the bacon got to the point that it began to crisp-up and brown-off a little, I added 1 tablespoon of achiote paste and a good handful of finely chopped epazote (meaning 6-7 larger leaves worth).

As soon as everything was nicely mixed, I added a can of chick peas, liquid and all, then filled the can with boiling water and added that too. Immediately the chick peas took on the rich, orange flavor of the achiote and once everything was nicely stirred, I seasoned with salt and pepper, turned the heat down to a low simmer and let them bubble away for 4-5 minutes.

5 minutes later, I added 1 finely chopped Spring onion and a handful of finely chopped cilantro, the juice of half a lime and a good splash of tabasco... yum-yum! This soup was really doing the business now! I let it boil away for a couple of minutes and then sit for a couple of minutes longer with the heat turned off... and then served it up with a blob of plain yogurt and a garnish of a little extra cilantro.

Sour cream may have been a little more Mexican... but I am not Mexican... this is not a Mexican dish... and yogurt was all I had at home! But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... I have to tell you that this was just a wonderful soup! One you will all love... if you just give it a go that is! So why don't you? ;-) After all... I did!

Chop-Chop, Snip-Snip

Cotolette di Mailale con Albicocca, Timo & Pastinacca e Carotta

Pork Cutlets with Apricot & Thyme, with Parsnip & Carrot

Indeed, there was a little chopping involved to get supper together this evening, but it was worth it! Of course I am joking... and of course, many of you would use some kind of kitchen gadget to chop up the carrots and parsnips to make this yummy side dish- but I actually enjoy the chopping! I wonder if the unknown cook who is now immortalized for having cut his vegetables in such thin strips used to enjoy it was well? In any case, this cut of vegetables, "Julienne" or "in the style of Julien" was what made it special... So Thank's Julien! You did a good thing!

And I did a good thing, by combining the tangy, rich parsnips with the sweet and light carrots- it was a treat to have both strong flavors blended together that way. Better still, the contrast to the sweet apricot and then the fresh thyme on top- it just took these simple little slices of pork up to a whole new level- oh yes indeed!

I started off by peeling the carrot and parsnips- just one regular carrot and 2 parsnips for this serving- parsnips tend to be rather small and I wanted an equal amount of each. To cut the julienne, I first cut the carrot into thirds lengthways- just to make the pieces easier to handle- and then trimmed the parsnips to the same length.

I took one slice off the vegetables- this flat surface would serve as my base, so that the carrots of parsnips did not slip and roll around whilst chopping. I then began to cut thin slices from the carrots and parsnips, which I then stacked up and laid out on the chopping board, nice and flat again, so there would be no danger of slipping- it's easy really. I then cut equally thin stripes from the flat slices... et voila! Julienne!

I fried the julienne in just a teaspoon of clarified butter at a high heat, tossing them constantly and making sure that all surfaces got nice and hot and had a chance to brown. I seasoned with pepper, a pinch of sugar and a light dusting of nutmeg- I wanted to season with salt last of all- right before serving. I added a very light squeeze of lime juice and tossed it in, flipping the julienne over and over to get it evenly mixed and evenly roasted... and after 9-10 minutes they were tangy from the lime, spicy from the pepper and nutmeg and sweet from Mother Nature :-) The salt would be added at the end... so for now- on with the show!

The pork went into a hot pan with a pat of clarified butter, a clove of garlic. I added a few sprigs of thyme, 1 apricot cut into slices, a Spring onion cut into 3 pieces and a good pinch of salt and pepper. I gave the pork 2-3 minutes from each side and then deglazed the pan with a splash of cider. 

Once the cider had evaporated away and the pork had begun to brown again, I was ready to plate up and almost ready to enjoy- but not before adding that all-important pinch of sea salt to the parsnips and carrots... and a drizzle of honey to the pork! Yum!

So this was a simple dish- but the individual elements go together so well! Trust me, try it- and you won't deny it! Have fun and enjoy!

Frying Pans and Umbrellas

Frittella Dolce in Padella, di Polenta, Fichi e Mandorle

Spiced Polenta, Fig & Almond Cake in the Pan

Sunday Morning in Frankfurt and I awoke to the sound of rain pounding against my window. Great. Today the stores were supposed to be opening, which is a rare occurrence in Germany on a Sunday, it was the big riverbank museum festival here in town... and of course the torrential rain obviously dashed all of those plans. There must have been a lot of very miserable and upset people in the city today!

But no- not I! I decided to defy the weather and to make something yummy and delicious for breakfast, using a couple of wonderful plump and juicy figs that had ripened under the Sicilian sun, some rich, golden polenta and some aromatic spices, to keep the blues at bay... and you can bet that I was smiling as I ate it!

This was another of my amazing "nothing goes in- plenty comes out" recipes... where out of just 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of regular flour, 2 tablespoons of polenta, 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt and a couple of figs, this yummy little cake appeared from nowhere! A good pinch of spice and a handful of almonds added the rich flavor and the yummy crunch that made this simple little pancake so special!

So, let's take it from the top- to make this I cracked an egg into my bowl and added 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of polenta, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and teaspoon of brown sugar. I whisked these all together. thoroughly for 2-3 minutes and then set the batter to one side to allow it to rest and expand a little.

In the meantime, I turned on the oven, sliced up my 2 figs and got busy grinding up some spice! Into my mortar went 1 clove, the seeds of 1 cardamom pod, a small piece of cinnamon, a small piece of star anise and a pinch of coriander seeds. I then ground these up using the mortar, into a very fine powder, which I added to the batter and whisked in again to get it well distributed.

The pan went on the stove top, lightly buttered, as one would butter a baking tin- meaning very little butter at all- and in this case, I used clarified butter, as I didn't want regular butter to get too brown or burn. Once the pan was hot, in went the batter- and once the batter began to set- on went the fig slices! As soon as the pancake seemed firm around the outside edges, I transferred it from the stove top to the top of the oven, where it baked at 300°F for 5-6 minutes. After that time, I took it out of the oven, gave it a drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of almond splinters and then popped it back inside, under the broiler for another 2-3 minutes until everything was golden brown and delicious... oh- and it WAS delicious!

Claret and Gold

Albicocca, Mora, Biscotti & Fiocchi d'Avena al Forno con Huacatay & Ricotta

Baked Apricot, Blackberry, Cookies & Oatmeal, with Huacatay & Ricotta

2 pretty colors of 2 tasty fruits- delicious, ripe apricots and tangy fresh blackberries- yummy and beautiful at the same time! This could have been breakfast... but I felt like a treat after supper! So it became a rather elegant dessert instead... then again- it would have been one of the most gorgeous breakfast's ever otherwise!

The other main star in this tale of fruity decadence, is my new favorite herb Huacatay again- what can I do? I love it! It's wonderfully refreshing lemon flavor is just so different and so exciting, I buy it every time that Mrs. Wong has it on sale.
After all- why should only the Peruvians enjoy it, just because that's where this comes from :-)

To make this, I snapped a few cookies into quarters and spread them around on an oven-proof dish, along with the blueberries and the apricot and then I scattered large and coarsely-ground oatmeal flakes in-between. I drizzled everything lightly with milk, added a sprinkle of cinnamon and popped it into the oven for 4-5 minutes at 300°

It only takes 4-5 minutes for the berries to change from deep black to a more subtle red color and by now the apricot was starting to go brown around the edges- yum-yum! To make things more yummy still, I added a nice drizzle of honey, then popped it back inside for 2-3 minutes underneath the broiler.

The apricots, cookies, oatmeal and berries were lovely and toasty by now and only in need of a little help from the yummy huacatay and some creamy ricotta. So of course I needed to make the ricotta nice and creamy- lol! I added a little honey to it and whisked it through until it became much smoother in texture- this does take 5-6 minutes, but it is well worth it!

I used 2 teaspoons to scoop up and serve the ricotta and then added a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon before serving. But of course not before I had a chance to add a generous sprinkle of the lemony and delicious huacatay- the tiniest and most tender leaves made this a real treat to enjoy- and I do hope that you can find this where you all live!

Another idea would be to serve this up with fresh yogurt or milk for breakfast... but you KNOW I will do something completely different tomorrow now, dont'ya? So keep your eyes peeled! And let me see what I can think of over night ;-) Enjoy!