saturday [food roundup]

last week's market haul

rabbit's livers

walnuts | celeriac | brussels sprouts | clementines + oranges | rabbit sülze | pears | lemons

parsley | rainbow chard | winter purslane | salsify | eggs | celeriac | walnuts

lamb fillet

baguette| walnuts | lemons | pears |

oranges + clementines | brussels sprouts | celeriac | garlic | salsify | goose fat | pecorino | goat's cheese

arctic char

my first attempt at shortbread.
i used my mum's recipe. her's are crazy good.
but i changed things up a bit and used whole wheat flour [it's what i had on hand] + a mixture of raw + refined sugars, as well as chopped almonds.
they were rougher, certainly not as pretty, but still okay. needs work.

salsa verde: parsley | cornichons | capers | shallots | and a vinigary vinaigrette

arctic char with celeriac + potato mash + salsa verde





the flavour makers: garlic + onion

the finishing touches: thyme + sage

here are the livers to refresh your memory. they were perfect little specimens

rabbit pâté.
as i remembered to season + add back the garlic + onion [not like last time], this really rocked.
although i did those things, i also think the rabbit livers are perhaps better than chicken anyway. more interesting. the flavours not bigger, but sort of sweeter, silkier, subtle + more complex.

an egg muffin: whole wheat muffin | poached egg | smoked sliced pork fillet [lachsschinken]

lamb salad.
winter purslane | mint | parsley | grilled lamb fillet | pomegranate.
the dressing was clementine | lime based with evoo, spiked with shallots.



a hearty wild boar bratwurst | curly kale | rainbow chard | and white bean soup with a chicken stock base + gratings of pecorino to serve.

here is the rabbit sülze.
sülze is like a terrine but is usually made with offal and head meat and was peasant food since the middle ages. most people don't, but i actually quite like the regular sülze.
this version i guess is more of a regular terrine, as it was normal rabbit meat [not offal or head] that was packed into a container. it's traditional to eat sülze with a kind of mayonnaise or remoulade + roasted | crispy potatoes. it's a kind of pub food.

so here was my kind of variation:
roasted potatoes + brussels sprouts, which had roasted in a little goose fat, with the rabbit sülze + my homemade mayonnaise blobbed on top. not pretty in the least. but rather comforting + tasty.

saturday [food roundup]

last week's market haul

lemons | fennel | pears | shallots

eggs | sage | garlic | pumpkin | clementines | sieglinde [mire] potatoes





wild salmon from the baltic sea

a salad of rucola | witlof + radicchio with spanish olives + serrano ham in a ricotta thickened vinaigrette + a poached egg

the pears' poaching liquid: water | honey | pepper | star anise | lemon | ginger | cinnamon

clementine + lime for the dressing





witlof | rucola | radicchio | pine nuts | raisins

grilled wild salmon with potato + olive oil mash + salad



the salad

grilled lamb chops with a fennel | pink grapefruit salad with freshly cracked walnuts | fennel fronds

the makings of a mulled cider [or german apple wine]
clementines | apple tea | ginger | cloves | cinnamon | bay | + the apple wine itself







softened onion + garlic | swede + sweet potato | bay | cinnamon | dried chilli | cardamon

swede + sweet potato soup

grilled duck breast with sauteed spinach spiked with lots of fresh nutmeg + a reduced wine pan sauce

saturday [food roundup]

last week's market haul

our farm fresh eggs

chicken legs + wings | rucola | pecorino | witlof | curly kale | garlic | clementines | pears

shallots + brown onions



walnuts | spinach | curly kale



fennel

curly kale | sweet potato | jerusalem artichoke | swede

the chicken

wild brown creek trout

this was perhaps my best poached egg. ever. if only i could standardise it's cooking method.
eaten with another lesser poached egg on brown sourdough with pumpkin chutney.



jerusalem artichokes

wild brown trout fillet

pan seared wild brown trout | roasted jerusalem artichoke + garlic | rucola salad with pickled shallots | balsamic soaked raisins | toasted pine nuts + clementines in a lemon + grain mustard vinaigrette.

rucola | pear | pecorino | serano ham | lemon + dijon vinaigrette | poached egg.

yolky

the spices: cinnamon | fennel seeds | cumin | black pepper | dried chilli

garlic | shallots | fennel

lebanese lemon chicken with bulgher wheat, crème fraîche + fennel fronds

parsnip + parsley root soup.
i wanted it to be as white + clean as possible.
i lightly cooked some brown onions + garlic in a little sunflower oil with sea salt + white pepper until soft, but not coloured. i then added the peeled + diced parsnip + parsley root, seasoning again + cooking on a very low heat for a few minutes with the lid on before adding some chicken stock + a splash of white wine vinegar. i tasted, added a little more seasoning once more before putting a lid on + allowing it to very gently come to a boil before simmering for 20 minutes or so, until the vegetable were very soft. i added a pinch of grated pecorino, tasted again for seasoning + added a little butter before blending it to a smooth puree. i served the soup with some grated pecorino on top, chopped parsley + a drizzle of nicolas olive estate evoo.

the beginnings of the paste: ginger chilli garlic shallots

a mild laksa with north sea shrimp + finely sliced raw salmon [to be cooked in the broth].
served with slices of chilli | bean shoots | fresh basil + coriander | lime | spring onions + crispy shallots.

pears poached with water | brown sugar | honey | cinnamon | black pepper | + a star anise until soft.
devoured with bitter sweet chocolate.

curly kale

smoked pork belly diced + browned.

sauteed kale + ricotta spaghetti with crispy pork belly + pecorino.

i will try to go into further detail with some of these preparations throughout the week.

friday [oyster mushroom + roast potato salad]

so simple. so good. this combination good. really good.

oyster mushrooms, our potatoes from the mire + radicchio.

i scrubbed + sliced the potatoes + roasted them in a teaspoon or so of duck fat from the fat rendered from the week before's duck breasts.

i sliced a shallot finely + pickled it in some plain vinegar.
i tore up some radicchio + dressed it lightly in a mayonnaise spiked dijon vinaigrette.

in a non stick pan i heated another teaspoon of duck fat a let it get really hot. then added some washed, sliced + well dried oyster mushrooms.

to plate i first put the pickled shallots + radicchio, then the roasted potatoes followed by the mushrooms + some chopped parsley.

...crispy mushroom goodness. ruhlman explains why it's important to cook them like this here.

i then topped it with a poached egg...

... poured a glass of wine...

...and enjoyed my supper followed by a dessert of mad men...

thursday [roasted carrot soup]

carrot soup. adapted from here.
which is pretty much what i did. roasted carrots. toasted cumin. crispy prosciutto.

look at these crazy little guys...

they went into a roasting pan with some onions + roasted for around 30-40 minutes unitl well cooked + starting to caramelize.

some garlic + shallots went into a large pot + softened in some olive oil with the addition of a little dried italien chilli.

in a not stick frying pan i toasted some cumin until aomatic.

the beat it up in my mortar + pestle until it was powder.

it comes together rather easily.
adding the carrots to the pot with the softened shallots + garlic.
i then put in the cumin + a dried italien chilli [chopped]. stirred.
then added some chicken stock, brought it to a bowl gently + reduce it to s simmer for 20 minutes or so. while that was going on i crisped up some prosciutto [it what i had] + sat it on some kitchen paper. then broke it up into smaller pieces.

to served i placed the prosciutto atop the soup with a scattering on parsley.

tuesday [acorn pumpkin curry]

with plenty of curry like ingredients sitting around after our calamari salad, and a lone little acorn pumpkin wondering when he was going to get used, i decided a curry was in order.
now this was totally from my head + was not trying to be authentic in the least. i'm not even going to try to locate its origins, because i just don't think it's necessary.

here is our acorn pumpkin we'd bought a week or so before from some local organic farmers. he was a tiny little guy. around 500g or so.

and our abundance of coriander + mint.

the base was ginger | brown onions | garlic + chilli, adding some ground up spices. the spring onions were to be scattered at the end. i'm a fan of deeply cooked aromatics + spices, but like to always have some fresh elements on top for the end as a contrast.

the sliced chillies

the diced little brown onions | smashed garlic | grated ginger

this all went in first with some german rape seed oil + butter

next up was to prepare the pumpkin.

i halved it, scooped out the soft flesh + seeds. sliced it, cut off the skin + + diced it.

next i ground up some coriander + cumin seeds

i added some brown mustard seeds + a star anise to the pan followed by the ground coriander + cumin. i let it cook gently for a while before adding the pumpkin.

once i added the pumpkin i put the lid on + let it braise a little, softening, gently catching on the bottom of the pan + getting a little colour. then i added some matsaman curry paste, mixing it through well, followed by the coconut cream. i let the coconut cream finish cook the pumpkin with the lid off, allowing it to cook down + thicken also.

i thought the scraps looked rather appealing...

to finish i took the curry of the heat + added a little spring onion + herbs before transferring it to a bowl to serve. i left some spring onions | mint | coriander | chilli + the herbal dressing from the day before for us to add as we wished, atop our curries.



well i added a bit of everything because i'm like that.

but it really brightened it up + gave a nice balance between the mellowness of the slow cooked pumpkin, spices + coconut + the sharpness + brightness of the herb sauce the fresh herbs, onions + chilli.

monday [calamari salad]

we saw these whole calamari at the market last week. the rest of the fish was looking a little sad but these looked so clean + fresh we had to have them. immediately i had a plan forming for some sort of salad with herbs + chilli

we also picked up some ginger | chilli | mint + coriander once i had consulted the internet briefly to get some clarification [the market is only a block from our apartment].

i took inspiration from a jamie oliver + a nigela lawson calamari salad. taking out the bits i didn't want, adding in elements from each + switching things up to my own mood.
the idea was to have a base of watercress mint + coriander, mixing some caramelised onion through at the end in place of jamie's lychees + nigela's raw onion. however i wanted to do both of their dressings/sauces. jamie's was a chilli jam + nigela's a tangy herbal dressing, both very different. both interesting. i also added some shrimp as we were a little light on in the calamari department.

the chilli jam. i blended some chillies | shallots | garlic | ginger | coriander | bonito flakes vegetable oil | brown sugar + fish sauce. i wasn't suppose to add the sugar + fish sauce you see until later, but i hadn't read up to that point in the recipe before proceeding. ahem. i don't think it was so much of a problem [although i suppose i should try both methods before asserting that] . i assumed that if i were to cook the mixture more gently so the sager couldn't caramelise, perhaps adding a little more fish sauce later if necessary, and not cooking twice which the cookbooks suggest, would still give a light but well amalgamated jam. thus i cook it very very gently for around 20 minutes. blended again. put it back on the heat, but then quickly changed my mind + took it off + set it aside until ready to serve. it actually tasted better to me earlier on in the cooking process so perhaps i would even cook it less next time.

the herbal sauce.
i used half mint + half coriander, reserving only the leaves. to that i added some fish sauce | a ½ teaspoon of sugar + a peeled lemon. i then blended + added the evoo to emulsify.

we rinsed thoroughly + dried the calamari. then with a sharp knife, cut open each length ways + scored the inside finely in a criss cross pattern + seasoned. then in a hot pan with olive oil i placed the calamari scored side down + let it cook around 2 minutes or so. adding a sprinkling of lemon zest. i removed it from the pan, cut it up, + returned it, along with the chilli jam + north sea shrimp, stirring to coat well. i also added a little lemon juice + evoo.

i dressed the salad leaves + caramelised onions lightly before scattering the squid + shrimp on top with a final spooning of the pan juices. i spooned some of the herbal sauce in various spots over the salad + gave it a final scattering of the rest of the lemon zest.

saturday [food roundup]

last week's market haul

lemons | free range local eggs | pears | radicchio | watercress | grapefruit | fresh garlic | wild boar bratwurst

lamb's lettuce | fresh calamari | pears | spring onions | watercress | radicchio | the eggs again | local walnuts

shallots | sieglinde [mire] potatoes | parsley | oyster mushrooms | lamb's lettuce | pears | walnuts | untreated lemons | our local day fresh eggs.

mint | coriander | chillies | ginger

a herb sauce of mint | coriander | lemon | garlic | fish sauce | evoo | brown sugar

calamari + north sea shrimp salad with fresh watercress | mint | coriander | sweet chilli jam | mint + coriander sauce | caramelised shallots | lemon zest



soft poached eggs | organic brown rye with sunflower seeds | grilled wild boar [non thüringian] bratwurst

acorn pumpkin

the beginning of the aromatics: brown onions | garlic | ginger | chilli | rape seed oil + butter

acorn pumpkin coconut curry with mint + coriander | fresh spring onions + chilli | + the herbal sauce from the calamari salad

omelette with parmigiano reggiano | lightly warmed marinated mushrooms | + a smattering of chopped parsley.

organic local carrots

in a roasting pan with small brown onion halves | evoo | chunky sea salt

roasted carrot soup with toasted cumin | lightly crisped prosciutto | chopped parsley

reblochon + organic brown bread

grilled entrecôte | lamb's lettuce with a mayonnaise + pimenton spiked lemon vinaigrette | oven roasted potatoes

enjoyed with a chianti

oyster mushrooms | sieglinde potatoes | radicchio

the radicchio was very lightly dressed with a mayonnaise spiked lemon vinaigrette with a hint of curry. the potatoes were roasted in a hot oven in some duck fat reserved from last week's duck meal + the mushrooms were cooked in a very hot pan on the stove guided by ruhlman's suggestions. it worked very well.

a scattering of chopped parsley + a soft poached egg finished off this warm autumnal salad perfectly.

i will try to go into further detail with some of these preparations throughout the week.

friday [duck breasts + salad]

i don't really have words today.
we made duck.

with a spinach salad

they were very small breasts but rendered out a crazy amount of fat, which we spooned off + reserved.

the salad had red + yellow witlof + dill

toasted pine nuts

+ just wilted spinach

caramelised onion

+ a sherry dijon vinaigrette added at the last minute

we let the breasts rest before slicing + plating + placed some salad alongside. pretty simple.

i like that dinners like this can come together so quickly effortlessly...

...are still really special.

thursday [pork loin]

who would have thought...

that i would make some pork?
well i did + it was splendid. wow. it has really changed my mind. about pork that is.

i bought a pork tenderloin from our wild und geflügel butcher at the market. though of course the pork is neither [wild or flying] it certainly was of high quality. which is where i wanted to start.
this butcher provides us with our chicken | rabbit | duck | venison | liver + i'm sure much much more in the future.

i decided pork would go well with some celeriac + potato mash + a fennel salad with the additions of pear + parmigiano reggiano. i know apple is the tradition. but i wasn't really feeling it + i'm not really into warm apple of any kind. not that the pear was, it just made more sense to me is all.

i was again a bit stumped again as to how to cook the meat. it is a very lean cut, like rabbit or venison. so i went along that path somewhat + seared the whole loin in a hot pan [with some olive oil which some garlic had softened in before being taken out] on all sides. once browned, took it out, turned down the heat + sliced the tenderloin into smaller pieces. i then returned the now cut tenderloin back to the pan. i put the softened garlic back in + some white white, turned down the heat + put a lid on it + continued to cook it for around 6 more minutes, turning the meat half way through. once taking the meat out, i turned up the heat o reduce the pan juices a little. once it had sufficiently reduced i took the pan off the heat + added a little butter to emulsify the sauce before serving.

the potato + celeriac were poached in milk [as i've done before] + blended with some salt + white pepper.

the salad had a lemon dijon vinaigrette over it + smatterings of dill.

i was pleasantly surprised when the meat was cooked through, but somehow still pink + tender within.