Berlin is hot, hot, super hot at the moment. Having a toddler 24/7 and this heat makes me so unproductive and lazy. But as I need to get some things done, I decided to go pick up my new WMF pots in West Berlin with the help of a friend. (He is tall enough to carry the big boxes) But on our way back, we got a bit hungry, so I thought why not make a quick Gazpacho? It was pretty late so my kitchen was kind of dark but still wanted to share this with you. The main thing about Gazpacho is the ingredients. As they won't be cooked, you have to be sure that you have good quality veggies and your tomatoes should be as ripe as possible. Ingredients: 8 Ripe Tomatoes or 2 cans of 400 gr of shredded tomatoes a handful of cherry tomatoes 1/2 Cucumber 1/2 Paprika or 5 small ones (like in the picture) 2 garlic cloves 1 Shalott 50 ml white wine Vinegar 2 tbsp Olive oil Salt & Pepper Fresh Chives or any other herb Now it is chopping time. We will be cutting 2 different things: Soup and Topping. Start chopping 1/4 of your cucumber in thin slices and then cut the slices in 4. Do the same with your paprika, cut 1/4 of your paprika in thin stripes and last but not least, cut about the half of your cherry tomatoes in half. Put all these ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle some oil to it and let it rest.. Chop the rest of the ingredients in small dices and add vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes or more (if you have time). Make sure that you mix it well so all the flavours will combine. Put this mix in a blender until smooth. I like to strain my Gazpacho but not with a very fine sieve, so I actually use my potato press just to remove the seeds. You still feel the vegetables and it isn't that fine. But if you like to have a good old-fashioned Gazpacho, get the whole pure through a very fine sieve. Get your soup in a jar and put it back in the fridge until you will be serving it. For serving, add a spoon-full of the topping mix and serve the soup over it. I have this vintage hen jar that I had for many many years and I love how it looks when I serve soups from it. With a spoon serve some more topping in the middle and sprinkle olive oil over it. Do not spare on oil! It just makes your soup taste better! Cut and sprinkle some chives or fresh herbs over your Gazpacho, it gives it a great aroma. Toast some bread and enjoy with Cold Grüner Veltliner or a dry Rosé if you are a fan of Rosé. All Pictures were Made by Christian Mentzel... I tortured him as art director to see the picture outcome. It was really hard not to be the one making the pictures though ;)
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I try to reduce my dairy intake as much as i can, I love ice cream and that can be a problem. I thought vegan ice couldn't be as good as regular one until I went with Ailine to the new vegan ice cream place in Kollwitzkiez called Tribeca, and they convinced me. I had a lucuma quinoa ice cream and I loved it. I thought maybe I can recreate that at home and it wasnt so easy. After 4 batches, I finally got the perfect ingredients and amounts. I have no churn at home, so that was the tricky part. Be creamy without having that machine. (And don't taste like coconut) So at the end, I decided on Cashews for the base of it. Ingredients 150 gr raw cashews 500 ml Soy milk 3 tbsp Vegetable Shortening or fat 4 tbsp Lucuma powder 1/2 cup agave nectar 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch sea salt A hanfull of quinoa pops First of all, soak the cashews for a night or a day. Drain them and then you can start. Simmer the milk until it has reduced to the half and let it cool. Add cashews, milk, melted fat, agave syrup, vanilla, lucuma powder and sea salt to a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth, you want it to be completely creamy and blended. Lucuma is a peruvian super food. It is my favorite one. sadly I dont think you can eat it raw, so mostly it is use for desserts, smoothies, ice creams... you name it. It contains beta carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and protein. Its maple-like taste makes it a sweet addition without increasing your blood sugar levels, unlike many sweeteners that offer empty calories. Besides all that, it keeps you young, Ladies! Lucuma has an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and skin-repair effects on human skin! So just order a bag at amazon and lets start the lucuma eating bonanza. Returning to the recipe, put the creamy mixture into a bowl and cover it with plastic foil. Freeze it for one or 2 hours. Take it out of the freezer and mix it in a kitchen machine for 15 minutes on high speed. It will be hard but creamy. What we are trying to do here is to break the ice pieces so it stays creamy instead of hard and ice-y. Add a piece of parchment in a freezer friendly form. And like a lasagna, alternate ice cream mix and quinoa pops. If you can find them, here is how you can make them. Freeze for a couple of hours or until it is hard. As any ice cream, before eating, take it out of the freezer some minutes before eating. But with this ice cream, make it for longer time. about 15 to 20 minutes. That is the only "con" of my recipe.
Using an ice crem scoop, or a tablespoon, serve it in a waffle cone, waffle, brownie... you name it! and enjoy! No, I am not turning Vegan. But Netflix is mean/good to my diet. I started watching all these documentaries about meat and milk lately and following the example of my Vegan besties Ailine and Sophia, I decided to become "4-days-a-week-vegan" to lower my meat intake. I stopped having cow milk, cheese and yoghurt in my fridge as well. Bolognese Pasta, is a recipe I repeat every month. But how to make it without beef or minced mixed meat? I talked to Ailine, searched the net, read some magazines and decided for a mix of Walnuts, Pecans & Mushrooms as meat substitute. After testing my recipe a couple of times, I found out the best way to make this sauce and you wont notice there is no meat in it! Ingredients: 3/4 cup Walnuts 1/4 cup Pecans 4 Mushrooms, diced 1 big Onion , diced 3 Garlic cloves, diced 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1 cup Carrots, peeled and grated 1 tbsp Tomato Paste 1 can (4oo gr) crushed Tomatoes 1/2 liter Vegetable Stock 1 tbsp Sugar 4 dried Bay Leaves Fresh Oregano Salt & Pepper 12 Cherry Tomatoes Dried Juniper Berries DELYSOY 100% Soya Bean Fettuccine Parmesan cheese (vegan or regular) First of all, turn your oven on. 200 degrees Celsius. Once you diced & grated, throw those nuts in the food processor until they are as small as minced meat. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onions & garlic until they are transparent. Stir the mushrooms & nuts in and let them fry for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Add the carrots, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, stock, sugar (to neutralize the acid of the tomato), bay leaves and oregano and stir well. When it boils, close the lid and set the heat to low and let it simmer for 2 hours. Set an alarm for every 30 minutes to check and stir. Dont forget to add salt and pepper at the end. I cook this sauce a day in advance. I love, LOVE, how bolognese or lasagna tastes the day after. But you can eat it right away. In an oven-proof sheet, bake the cherry tomatoes in halves, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and juniper berries, for 8 minutes and let them rest. Add half of them in the sauce and use the rest for decoration.
I used DELYSOY 100% soya bean fettuccine as I shouldnt eat gluten. I was surprised by how good these soya bean pasta tasted.. nice nice nice. I would definately will try the rest of their sortiment. Serve the pasta, cover with sauce, add some baked tomatoes on top and sprinkle with your favorite vegan parmesan or regular parmesan to add an extra oomph! Turmeric is plant from the family of ginger. We use it a lot in peruvian kitchens but we kinda give it for granted. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, the doctor told him about the amazing properties of turmeric or curcuma, so I decided to research more about it. Turmeric helps the liver and prostate, prevents different kinds of cancer (colon, pancreas, prostate, skin, liver and lung), IBS, Crohns Disease, colitis, joint pain, and some more. For me, Turmeric is the new matcha (you can find it from lattes to cookies and it is becoming very trendy). In my trips to Asia I noticed it was a main ingredient on countries with lowest cancer risk. So I started thinking how can we use more turmeric in our daily life? In Peru, when we have unused potatoes, we make turmeric potatoes. a delicious recipe that makes an amazing side dish. And as turmeric is almost like the best medicine ever. I had to share it with you. Ingredients: Boiled potatoes loads of neutral oil 1 onion turmeric Salt and Pepper Bacon (optional) Start frying onions with half spoon turmeric. Once they are soft add salt and pepper and bacon dices (if you are into it). Add the old boiled potatoes with or without skin. Remember that the skin keeps all the vitamins so I would recommend you not to peel them. Use a lot of oil! this makes the whole thing taste WAY better. This is my favorite side dish. It is so tasty and soft that it just melts in your mouth. Not to mention all the medicinal properties it has. Tasty can be medicinal! So just try it at home! Pair it with slow cooked pork or, if you dare, with some duck hearts like I did! If you are vegan, Add them to your favorite salad.
The holidays are over and I promised myself never to eat again... I ate WAY too much of too good food. From norwegian Pinekjøtt, swedish xmas meatballs, pork, stuffed turkey... you name it. Chirtsmas food is great but is great for just one time in the year. Though since I am back home and on an 8-week-diet before Our big trip to Vietnam, I got nostalgic. Xmas nostalgic. Missing friends and family, and somehow the food. So I made this Soup containing ingredients of xmas love. It has very little calories and it is delicious. Ingredients: 1/2 Red cabbage 1 liter vegetable broth 1 apple 1 shalott 1tbsl oil salt and pepper Gingerbread powder Cinammon In a soup pot, add the diced shallot and apple and fry until soft. Cut the cabbage and add it to the pot with the broth. Cook in low temperature until the cabbage is soft. Turn off heat. take some cabbage out and cut into small pieces and add the rest in a food processor or blender and blend until it's creamy.
Pour back in the pot. Add salt Pepper and the gingerbread spices. Serve and sprinkle with some cinnamon. Enjoy Xmas in a soup! Lately I got from a friend a whole box of apples and pears from his parents place in Swabia. I have been thinking what to do with them besides compote or juice them all. I always buy spread at my near whole food store but I always wanted to make my own. It takes longer to make but is way cheaper and I can choose which ingredients to use. Mein thing, this spread is really easy to make and you can use rests of vegatables or fruits you have waiting for you in your fridge... Dare to try things like "Mango and yellow curry" or "Pineapple and red peppers" Ingredients: 2 shallots 1/3 of a zucchini 1 Apple 1/2 cup of neutral oil 1 spoon of green curry 1 or 2 garlic cloves Salt & Pepper Heat your oven to 180° C. Peel the apple and chop all ingredients. Put all ingredients in an oven safe form and cover with alu foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and take the alu lid off. Mix well and return to the oven for 30 minutes more. Let it cool down for 10 minutes and using a blender or a food processor, blend until is smooth. Let it cool completely and store it on your jars of your preference.
If you are planning to keep them for a long period in your fridge please sterilize your jars in advance (check video here) Sorry for my long absence. I was often in the hospital and My daughter, Pepa Carlota, was born this May. A newborn baby is loads of work, and even more for a single mom like myself. I was in the mood for peruvian and there is nothing easier to make than an Arroz Chaufa. That is my favorite chinese-peruvian fusion dish. We used to have this when we had rice leftovers at home. But I was browsing my facebook timeline and someone said that Aymara made a version with quinoa instead of rice, and I had to try that at home. Ingredients: 100 gr Quinoa 250 gr of pork meat (I used a very thick bacon) 1 tblsp neutral oil 2 eggs 1/2 paprika Scallions Soya sauce Cook the quinoa following pack instructions and leave to cool. I use fond instead of water cause this make the quinoa taste even better.
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper and make an omelette. Cut it in 1 cm stripes. In a wok, pour in the oil and pork and fry until golden. Remove the pork and the paprika and scallions and fry on a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the moisture starts to evaporate, then add 3 tbsp soya sauce. Leave to fry for 1 min more. Add the quinoa and stir. You can add more soy sauce to the mix. incorporate the pork and omelette stripes. Serve in a big plate. You can use sausages or chicken instead of pork and if you feel wild, some shrimps and Enjoy! Last december we hosted a Xmas Brunch and some of the guest brought cakes. Julia, a colleague of mine, brought an AWESOME chocolate cherry cake... and it was glutenfree! I asked her if it was possible to get her recipe and share them with you, and she said YES! This recipe is so easy to do and it is delicious... and the longer you wait to eat it, the best it tastes... just like lasagna. Ingredients: 350 gr Sour Cherries from a Jar or 500 g Fresh Cherries without pits 150 g soft Butter 150 g Sugar 4 Eggs 100 g Dark Chocolate, grated 200 g ground Hazelnuts or Almonds Powdered sugar Wash the cherries and dry them. Mix the butter and sugar until is soft and homogeneous.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks, chocolate and nuts to the butter mix and then incorporate slowly the egg whites. A small trick from my grandma: Add 2 full spoons of egg whites and stir thoroughly, then add the rest and beat slowly to add some air to it. This will keep your mix fluffy. Warm the oven to 180 degrees. Add the cherries to the cake dough. Butter the cake form and fill with the cake dough. And bake for about 30 minutes. Let it cool and sprinkle with Powdered sugar. Cut, serve and enjoy!
As I have been feeling very sick lately, I haven't been cooking much nor going out. But when my awesome college Tobi gave me a big pack of whole buckwheat, I had to give it a try. I don't think i have ever seen buckwheat whole before and I was a bit skeptic at the beginning, but if you can't have rice, you have celiac disease or diabetes, this is an amazing way to have that risotto feeling. You can also try my Sunflower Risotto :)
Ingredients for 2 hungry people or 3 regular:
250 gr buckwheat whole (buchweizen in german or bokhvete in norwegian) 2 shallots 2 to 3 garlic cloves 500 ml broth, veggie or chicken 100 gr creme fraiche or if you are in germany Brunch ( a mix of cream cheese, cream and yoghurt) 50 gr of parmesan or a cheese that melts, I used a norwegian Gradost that my flatmate got there. a handful of lamb's lettuce (feldsalat in german) 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and Pepper
As the buckwheat has a brow color, I thought I better use a mixer for this recipe so there are no chunks of onion or garlic. Add the shallots, oil and garlic until their are homogeneous.
Warm a pot and add the onion mix to it until it looks a bit transparent. Throw in the buckwheat and fry all together for about 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat and cover with warm broth, but don't use all of it just until the buckwheat is covered. Stir and keep adding broth, just like a regular risotto.
Once you can see the floor of the pot, that means is ready, try a little bit and it should be soft. If you had a very hot pan and you used all the broth and your buckwheat is still hard, don't worry, you can add some hot water to it until is done.
Take the pot from the heat, incorporate the creme fraiche and salt and pepper to your taste. Serve in a bed of lamb's lettuce and grind cheese over. Enjoy!! If you want to keep it paleo, you don't need to add the cream nor the cheese and still tastes amazing!
Click on the box if you want to get the same buckwheat I used :)
When you are feeling a bit ill and outside is still cold, there is nothing better than chicken soup. But why make the same old chicken soup? I was in the mood for some ginger and aubergines and had some chicken in the fridge, and this is what I ended up eating.
Ingredients:
400 gr chicken breast 1 tablespoon of ginger grated 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil Half aubergine, dices 3 scallions + 1 in thin slices for serving 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce 0,5 liter (5dl) chicken broth Salt and Pepper Chilli flakes optional
I had some chicken breasts in the fridge, So I i grind it with the ginger and garlic. I used the biggest blade from my KitchenAid grinder. You can find it here if you use Amazon:
Once all the meat and ginger is done, add to the mix the soy sauce and chopped scallions in a bowl. Scoop out a tablespoonful and form with your hands about 3 cm meatballs.
Heat oil in a pan or wok, add meatballs and fry until they are golden brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat or transfer to a plate. Using the same wok, add some oil and fry the aubergine. Add 1 cup of broth, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the aubergine starts getting soft, about 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and the rest of the broth. Bring to boil and reduce heat, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Add some chilli flakes or more soy sauce if needed. Serve and sprinkle some more scallions on top! Enjoy! |
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June 2021
AuthorsI am Andrea, or as my friends call me, Jinx. I am a foodie living in Berlin, eating my way through life. Here are my recipes, cooking events, dining experiences and more... |