the fastest spread/dip in the world

this is a delicious spread i invented due to a lack of fresh groceries when i was about twenty and living on my own for the first time. since i am very busy right now i tend to relaps and use processed food rather than fresh ingredients. nevertheless this is a favourite of mine, it goes with breakfast, snacks or munchies.

strain a can of kidney beans (225 g), throw in a food processor, add a little salt and freshly cut herbs if you want. also add a dash of sour creme - this will soften the mixture (you can also use cream, yoghurt or even a little milk). blend until smooth. add more sour creme if you wish to liquefiy the spread

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe

a foodbloggers meme around the world

i have been tagged with a nice meme by chili & ciabatta! i am crazy about collecting foodblogs and this is just the perfect meme for this addiction! so here we go:

1. please list three recipes you have recently bookmarked from foodblogs to try: this would be alu paratha by "food, in the main", the espresso bars by "bakingfreak" and the red radish and arugula soup by "la tartine gourmande"
2. a foodblog in your vicinity: there are not many foodblogs in my area, i wish there was a foodblogging map or something ... angelika is from austria and my sister is not too far away either.
3. a foodblog located far from you: the foodies in australia are on the other side of the globe!
4. a foodblog (or several) you have discovered recently (where did you find it?): my most recent discoveries: i came across sailu's food a few weeks ago as i was looking for indian recipes. and i found saffron hut's link in another blog (but i can't remember where i found it)
5. any people or bloggers you want to tag with this meme: anyone who is inspired by this meme should feel free to answer the questions! happy meme-ing!

euro blogging by post 4 - a parcel has duly arrived

i received a nice parcel from christina today! how great!! it is filled with various delicious treats.

two cookie cutters - christina wrote that she collected dozens and hardly ever uses them - well, so do i! i collect them as well, but i use them at least 4 times a year (especially around xmas).

homemade parsley and walnut pesto - how nice to send something she made herself, how thoughtful! can't wait to feast on that!

almond crush - "this unique snack from japan has been loved throughout the world for many years". i have not heard of it before and the writing on the box is intirely in japanese. they look delicious and i will try them with a nice cup of english tea tonight.

scottish oatcakes - i love, love love all things remotely connected to great brittain. did you read my mind?

trout terrine with grilled almonds - sounds like a pretty luxurious ingredient. most surely a nice variation on my dull everyday menu!

thank you so much christina, i was so excited by your parcel and its content!

tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post

euro blogging by post 4 - fly away little parcel, fly away!

i finally got everthing together for euro blogging by post 4! i sent out my parcel yesterday.

tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post

euro blogging by post 4 - simmering with excitement

oh my god, i am blushing! it is the first time that i take part in euro blogging by post and yesterday i got the adress of the person i am about to surprise with my specific austrian parcel - gosh, the person is fairly famous in the blogoshpere!

honestly: i am a little intimidated by that! i have to send out my servants to fetch the finest of austrian cuisine!

tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post

anglophile

reading about your traditional dishes in other languages actually gives you a hole different point of view. at least for me it shifts perceptions. it transforms the usual, the not ecxiting and sometimes even dull everyday dishes into lucullan highlights and flavourful masterpieces. it also lets you discover new ways to prepare dishes since even when it comes to food a tiny country like austria has an astounding variety of possibilities to offer. it almost seems that even cooking is colored by the local dialect here ...

i was surprised to see that the big bookstore in my town is acutally going global with quite a variety of austrian cookbooks in other languages in stock.

this is nice for tourists and guests from other countries as well as for anglophile people like me :)

knoblauchcremesuppe (garlic soup)

i read a delicious entry over at tea and cookies about austrian garlic soup which inspired me a lot to make this delicious treat. so here we go. although there are probably a thousand different recipes for garlic soup i suppose my version is not that different from hers:

recipe # 10: knoblauchcremesuppe (garlic soup)

1 small onion
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 l milk
1/4 l vegetables stock
butter
3 cloves of garlic
parsley
white bread

01 chop onion and garlic and saute on low heat in butter
02 sprinkle with flour and add milk and vegetable stock
03 keep stiring and bring to a boil
04 add chopped parsley
05 make croutons of white bread and garnish soup

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

lentil soup with roasted bacon

recipe # 9: lentil soup with roasted bacon

50 g dried lentils
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
a dash of cream or creme freche
1/4 l water
1 bayleaf

01 rinse lentils
02 sautée finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil
03 add tomato paste and stir well
04 add water and lentils
05 cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes
06 when lentils are soft, remove bayleaf and serve with roasted bacon

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

pear-a-dise cupcakes

very much inspired by chockylit i made some cupcakes today.
i singled out the weakest one and ate it right up.

200 g pears
250 g flour
100 g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
a dash of salt
30 g vegetable oil
50 g honey
200 g plain yoghurt
1 egg
2 tablespoons rum

01 preheat oven to 200°c.
02 dice pears
03 mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. also add pears to the dry ingredients.
04 in a bowl combine yoghurt, oil, honey and egg
05 mi in flour mixture
06 spoon into paper liner cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes

coconut soup

recipe # 8: coconut soup

1/2 red pepper
1/2 eggplant
1/2 zucchini
100 g mushrooms
1/2 leek
125 ml coconut milk
500 ml vegetable stock
1 can of shrimp coctail (you can also use 125 g scampi)

dried lemongrass
curcuma
salt

01 clean and cut pepper, eggplant, leek, zucchini and slice mushrooms
02 bring vegetable stock and coconut milk to a boil
03 throw in vegetables
04 cook for 20 minutes
05 add shrimps (or scampi) and let simmer for 5 more minutes
06 season with dried lemongrass, curcuma and salt

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

efficiency and inspiration

i noticed that ever since i maintain a foodblog i am becoming really efficient and planed out (is that an english expression?) in the kitchen. i am a really organized person but growing up in a large family i am always cooking way to much. in the past i pobably threw out hundreds of euros worth of food because i did not finish off dishes or something was laying rotten in my fridge (yak!!). that is not only expensive, that is unnecessary and not very thoughtful (now i hear my mum in my head telling me about all the starving kids in africa!!!)

it is not really easy though to cook for one person. first of all smaller quantities are always rather expensive compared to family sized packaging. and the other thing is that if i buy a large pack of a perishable ingredient i usually have to use it up within a short period of time. usually being rather busy i am not used to plan ahead. i always go with my impulse to decide what i am going for. i don't want to eat stew for dinner 3 days in a row.

reading all your delicious foodblogs has inspired me a lot and changed my approach towards new tastes and recipes. as i run over your posts i memorize recipes, ingredients and quantities and when i am in the store i shop according to that. foodwise i am still on the spur of the moment, but your recipes are really broaden my horizon ...

cream cheese soup with minced meat

recipe # 7: cream cheese soup with minced meat

1/2 onion
1/2 leek
1 tbsp of butter
100 g minced meat (3-4 tbsp)
1 tbsp of flour
1/4 liter vegetable stock
75 g creme cheese (i used rama cremefine)
salt, pepper, chives

as i am going for less calories at the moment, i took rama cremefine). this product can be used everywhere you normally would use cream, whipped cream or creme freche. but only consisting of vegetable fat and milk. it has much less calories than those products and to me it actually tastes even better. it is not as heavy and rich, it is light and creamy and just delicious :)

01 dice onion and cut leek
02 heat butter in a pot and roast the onion for a while
03 add minced meat and keep roasting
04 the last thing you'll add is the leek
05 sprinkle with flour and pour in hot vegetable stock
06 let simmer vor 20 minutes
07 add the soft cheese and bring to the boil again
08 garnish with cut chives and serve with baguette

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

eggplantsoup with a twist

recipe # 6 : eggplantsoup with a twist

150 g aubergine
1/2 small onion
100 g zucchini
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
150 ml vegetable stock
salt, pepper, chives, cream

01 cut the vegetables and toss in a pan (don't forget to remove skin from the aubergine). drizzle with olive oil
02 put in the oven and roast at 200°C until browned and stirr occasionally
03 remove from oven and let cool for a while
04 puree roasted vegetables and put in a saucepan
05 add vegetable stock
06 simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes
07 season to taste and garnish with a dash of cream and some chives

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

go figure! i am a girl!

please stop me! i am turning into a housewife (just without a husband and a bunch of kids)!!

my mother got a new sewing-machine a few weeks ago and i said: "hey, wait, don't throw out the old one!! i want to have it!!" my mum was stunned. not only is she delighted by my desire to cook, cook and cook some more of our family recipes lately (and me calling her twice a week to ask her cooking questions), she is also embracing the fact that i am turning into a domestic girl.

for your information: i was a tomboy as a child. though i had looong blond pigtails i used to climb trees and beat up the boys in my neighbourhood. i refused to wear dresses and skirts and i banished everyhing remotely girly from my life. i cried my heart out when i had to wear girl shoes to church when my first communion was celebrated.

my mother and my sister on the other hand are just ... perfect in all the handiwork. knitting, embroidery, sewing, cooking, home decorating ... you name it - they do it. my mother is almost like a devoted housewife from the 50ies, only with a good deal of emancipation *g*.

she never pressured me into all this woman-stuff though. when a friend asked her about my desires to settle down and start a family when i was about 25 she proudly said: "no, but she just bought her second computer, isn't that great?!" when i showed up at her house in a skirt - i was 27 then - she was delirious with joy. i think she even cried a little bit.


well. here i am. in front of MY sewing machine. trying to figure out how that thing works. it is an heirloom from my mom's cousin. her family emigrated to australia and this is a device from down under she got as a vintage present while i was still a child.

so here i am. in front of MY sewing machine. trying to figure out how that damn thing works.

i am a techie girl.
i can figure that out!
just give me a minute.

soup delay

i have been rather busy over the last few days so i have not been able to catch up with all the soup recipes i promised you. there are a few more to come but i suppose i will not be able to post before the weekend. look out for eggplantsoup with a twist, turkish noodle soup, cheese soup and lentil stew.

rindsuppe mit grießnockerl (semolina dumplings in broth)

recipe # 5: rindsuppe (broth) - made from scratch!

2 small beef soup bones
1 onion
1 carrot
1/2 liter of water
one small celery stalk
salt
1 clove garlic
some juniper berries
one bay leaf

01 blanch the bones in hot water to remove all fragments from the bones
02 chop onion, carrot and celery into chunks
03 place onions and bones in a pot and roast, uncovered, until the bones are browned. it does not matter if the onions are turning brown/black-ish, this adds a great taste to the soup
04 pour water into the pot and add vegetables, juniper berries, bay leaf and garlic
05 bring this mixture to the boil and reduce heat
06 let simmer for at least two hours
07 when the soup is done strain it through a cheesecloth to remove all solid parts
08 you can also skim off fat if you like

grießnockerl

4 tbsp semolina
2 tbsp soft butter
1 egg
salt, nutmeg

01 in a bowl combine smooth butter and egg
02 add semolina and season to taste
03 let the mixture rest for at least half an hour
04 form tiny "nockerl" with the aid of two spoons
05 throw them into slightly boiling broth and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes
06 take the pot away from the stove and let rest for another 5 minutes

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe















it was harder to translate this than to actually make the soup from scratch :)

creamy sweet corn soup

recipe # 4: creamy sweet corn soup

sweet pepper powder
2 tbsp olive oil
70 g potatos
200 ml vegetable stock
50 ml cream
200 g strained grains of corn
1 spring onion

01 mix sweet pepper powder and olive oil and put aside
02 dice potatos and cook with vegetable stock, cream and half of strained grains of corn for about 20 minutes
03 purée everything and put back in the pot. bring to the boil again.
04 cut spring onion into tiny rings, add them to the soup and also add the rest of the strained corn.
05 let cook for about 3 more minutes
06 season to taste
07 put in a dish and drizzle with the olive oil prepared earlier

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

apple curry soup

recipe # 3: apple curry soup

1 apple (sourly)
1/2 onion
0,25 l vegetable stock
1/2 tablespoon of curry powder
butter
salt
pepper
crème fraiche
croutons

01 dice onions and stew in some butter
02 (peel and) mince apple
03 add to the onions and stew a little more
04 add curry powder and vegetable stock
05 you might want to use a handblender if the bits are to junky. i like them that way!
06 season to taste
07 you also can add some crème fraiche if you like
08 some fresh croutons also go very well with the soup

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

krautsuppe

recipe # 2: krautsuppe

1/4 white cabbage
1 small onion
1/2 l vegetable stock
15 g flour
sweet pepper powder
caraway seeds
nutmeg
salt, pepper

01 chop cabbage finely
02 fry diced onion in butter and sprinkle over sweet pepper powder
03 stir a little more and add a little bit of water and sprinkle with flour
04 add cabbage
05 season to taste and add caraway seeds
06 finally add vegetable stock and let simmer for half an hour

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

mühlviertler fastensuppe

today is ash wednesday. i am not particularly religious but i do not eat meat on ash wednesday and good friday. and i usually try to abstain from some beloved habit during the days of lent. watching less tv or cut back smoking for example.

as a new tradition i don't really want to cut back on something, i take up the challenge of making a different soup every day for 40 days of lent. lets see how that works out.

recipe # 1: mühlviertler fastensuppe (lent soup from mühlviertel)

1 tablespoon butter
20 g flour
1/2 onion
1 small potato
1/4 kohlrabi (stem turnip)
20 g white cabbage
0,25 l vegetable stock
parsley
salt
pepper
nutmeg
a little lemon juice
1 slice of dark bread

01 dice vegetables and stew in salted water until tender
02 make roux from butter and flour
03 add vegetable stock and stir in the precooked vegetables
04 season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg
05 pour in a soup plate
06 dark bread is perfect with this dish

tagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe

20 eggyolks

there are six appartements in my building and three of them are occupied by me, my best friend franziska and her boyfriend markus, as well as my friends leo and his girlfriend tanja. you see, we are almost taking over the house by now ... it's great to have my best friends in the building. we meet in one of our flats quite regularly to eat, drink and chat and generally have a good time.

on saturday it was markus's birthday and we had a big big party with about 120 guest all over the place. every appartement served a different food and drinks so people where litteraly forced to tour our building in order to experience full culinary offerings. i served kidney bean dip, magic monday morning (pear juice and rum) and chips in my appartement. franziska and markus served potato spread, white russian and pretzel sticks. leo and tanja offered a herb dip, vodka-orange and snips (peanut snack)

on friday we also made a giant cake. a cake with layers, which turned out pretty fancy! we never thought we could even handle such a big project, but we did! with a littel help from our friend martina who knows her way around the kitchen very well too us four girls managed to accomplish this pretty difficult task. check it out:


cutting a long story short: i still have 20 eggyolks in my fridge and don't know what to do with them. some sort of desert would be nice. any suggestions for a recipe where i can make use of that ammount of yolks?!? please help!!!

tagged with: cooking + food

IMBB#23: le far breton

le far breton est une recette de bretagne. un gateau très facile à préparer.
bretonischer backpflaumenkuchen.
prune flan recipe from brittany.

i have never deliberately chosen a french recipe because i always found french cuisine way to hard to prepare. maybe i was wrong. the far breton is a delicious dish which is rather simple and yet very rich and opulent.

i also decided to drink a wine with the flan and though we have a great tradition of winegrowing here in austria i opened myself a bottle of chateau camp de la val.

all in all a divine combination!

ingrédients pour 6 personnes
500 g de pruneaux dénoyautés
125 g de farine
125 g de sucre semoule
1/2 sachet de levure chimique
2 sachets de sucre vanillé
4 œufs
3/4 l de lait entier
2 c à s de rhum
sel

recette
dans une terrine, mélanger la farine le demi-sachet de levure chimique, le sucre, le sucre vanillé et une petite pincée de sel. creuser un puits, y casser les œufs entiers. mélanger à l'aide d'une cuillère en bois. dans une casserole, faire chauffer le lait avec le rhum, ajouter les pruneaux et faire cuire le tout 2 min, puis verser doucement sur la pâte tout en remuant vivement. verser l'ensemble dans un moule et faire cuire à 240°C pendant 35 min dans le four préchauffé. servir tiède ou froid.

tagged with: imbb23 + french

imbb23

i am racking my brain to find a decent french recipe for imbb23 hosted by cucina testa rossa. i never really tried to cook something french because to me french cuisine always appeares to be difficult recipes and tiny portions.

argh! i guess i have to look at this as a challenge rather than an obstacle i can not overcome ...

green nockerl with mozzarella

75 g potatos, peeled and diced
50 g spinach leaves
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp olive oil
30 g grated mozzarella
20 g flour
salt, pepper

01 cook potatos and mash 'em up
02 blanch spinach leaves
03 sprinkle flour on the work space
04 place mashed potatos on work space and make a dent in the middle
05 add egg yolk, oil, spinach, mozzarella and flour
06 season the firm dough to taste
07 make tiny dumplings and throw into hot water untill they surface
08 place on a plate and garnish with some more mozzarella, spinach leaves, or salad

update:
this recipe was supposed to be for gnocchi but somehow my sleight of hand seems to be a little sloppy. what was supposed to be firm and tiny turned out to be rather fluffy and nockerlstyle. in order to adjust the title and erase the gnocchi-part i tried to look up the propper english word for the southern german and austrian delicacy - and guess what: the generally understandable word for nockerl IS gnocchi.

how funny.
you live and lern.
:)

tagged with: cooking + food + recipes

my sister is staying at my place

my sister does not come over very often. as long as i can remember we where like best friends. we went to the same schools, we had the same friends, we even lived together for several years. i always was the bossy, protective one and she always was the cute little sister. while we where roommates we also had to go through some pretty tough times. my sister was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 19. it was terrible. suddenly i was so completely helpless. as the oldest sibling i always took care of pretty much everything that could ever harm my "little ones". i could not make this problem go away though.

it was pretty tough for the whole family, but it was particularly hard for the both of us as we where living together. i have no idea why, but after like three years in the same appartement we somehow had a big fight. it did not come out of nowhere, i guess we both kind of saw that coming. my sister moved out and after a while i moved out too. we did not leave on good terms and we did not have contact for months.

honestly, this was a scaring and scary experience for me. we where very close ever since we where children and not having my sister around every day was like cutting an umbilical cord. everyone always asked us how we handle this: being sisters and being best friends too. we always wondered: "yeah, what's so strange about that?!"

well, to cut a long story short: after hardly speaking to eachother for two years we now have very very different lives. but we have forgiven eachother for that stupid fight we both picked.

now.

we sometimes visit eachother and then it is just like it used to be. yesterday karin spent the night at my place and she made a phenomenal interpretation of this chicken saag (murgh saag) giving it her own twist. i made an espresso gratina for desert. we had a great day, checking out herbs and spices the indian and asian corner shops.

i let my mother spoil me

after a big big presentation at university last week (which went very well, by the way) i decided to take a few days off and spend some time with my parents and recharge my engins :)

my mother is the best cook i know and of course she made some wonderful meals to spoil her eldest daughter. her "lungenbraten in semmelknödelhülle" was simply to die for - i have to look that up in my dictionary since i have no clue about the english word for "lungenbraten". and i'll post a picture as well.


update: there seems to be no propper translation for the austrian word "lungenbraten". my dictionary proposese "tenderloin" so i'll go with

tenderloin in bread dumpling crust with mushroom sauce and potatos

funny enough my mother usually makes stuff like this up. i have never ever seen her use a cookbook for a main course. now there's where i have all my fondness of experimenting from ... :)

the teeny cup

this was my lunch today. i usually eat at the mensa (cafeteria) when i am at university but the food there starts to bore me beyond belief. it always tastes the same, very little variation foodwise and practically no variation at all as far as seasoning is concerned.

so i thought i might give all the "fastfood"-stuff (not mcdonalds, i HATE mcdonalds!) that is available here in linz a try.

my first choice: a chinese takeaway that serves "teeny cups" with delicious and rich meals for as low as
€ 3,3.

one word: fantastic!

introducing my sisters foodblog

i am having my sister and my mother over for a quick lunch before we visit my dad in the hospital (surgery on the spinal disc). i figured that's a good opportunity to once again feature my sisters foodlog (though she is just starting to post).

meme!

i have been tagged by ostwestwind and i gladly respond:

four jobs you’ve had in your life

1. secretary
2. programmer
3. barkeeper
4. artist

four movies you could watch over and over

1. when harry met sally (gosh, i love this movie!!)
2. the big lebowski
3. my big fat greek wedding
4. the truth about cats and dogs

four places you’ve lived (apart from the town i was born and grew up in i only lived in four places)

1. one year in london, england right after i graduated from commercial college
2. two years in wels, upper austria because my first job was there
3. a month in vienna, austria because i did not know what to do with my life
4. and now for the last two years in linz, austria

four websites you visit daily

1. www.orf.at (federal broadcasting)
2. diestandard.at (female version of an austrian newspaper)
3. de.wikipedia.org (everyday i have to look something up)
4. ufg.ac.at (my university)

four tv shows you love to watch

1. friends
2. kind of queens
3. all kinds of cooking-shows
4. all kinds of diy-homeimprovement shows

four of your favorite foods

1. potatoes
2. pole beans
3. apples
4. chips

four albums you can’t live without

1. ten - pearl jam
2. nevermind - nirvana
3. reality bites soundtrack
4. singles soundtrack

four places you’d rather be

1. london, england
2. at a beach / in warm weather (freezing my ass off in austria right now!)
3.
4.

four people who are now obligated to do this to their blog

i would like to invite (update: seems like many people have already done this one! like kalyn, who i originally wanted to invite too). i pass it on to two of my favorite foodblogs though:

apartment food hobos
tea time

kaiserschmarrn with apple and raisins

0,2 l milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 p vanilla sugar
80 g flour
1 egg
a dash of salt
1 apple
some raisins

01 mix it all up
02 cut the apples and add them to the batter. throw in the raisins as well (preferably over your left shoulder - for luck!)
03 heat a little butter in a pan
04 pour the mix in the pan and bake on one side. it should look like a thick pancake
05 when turning slightly brown underneath rip the omlet with a spatula and roast a little longer
06 sprinkle with icing sugar

creamed spinach, fried eggs and fried potatoes

spinach is my comforting food. as long as i can remember i was crazy about this vegetable, even though as a child i did not even know how the actual vegetable really looks like. i was simply obsessed with creamed spinach and could not imagine how anyone would NOT like it. today i hardly ever prepare it the old fashioned way (just like my mum makes it), in fact i think i haven't eaten spinach in like two years.

as i was looking for frozen goods yesterday i actually shrieked in front of the ice box in the supermarket as i discovered the spinach. suddenly i got the munchies! and as i prepared it with fried eggs and fried potatoes today it truely tasted like a little piece of heaven :)

spaghetti tart and home made tomato sauce

spaghetti tart

160g spaghetti
1 liter salted water
1 tablespoon oil
50 g grated cheese (gouda is fine)
70 g tomatos (from a can)
70 g olives (they used peas in the original recipe)
100 g sour cream
2 eggs
salt, peper, parsley

01 cook spaghetti al dente and pour off the excess water
02 clean and cut tomatos or use tomatos from a can and add to pasta
03 add cut up olives and grated cheese as well
04 mix eggs, sour cream and season to taste
05 pour the spaghettimix in a cake pan and pour egg/creamsauce on top
06 heat oven to 200°C and bake for 60 minutes
07 serve spaghetti tart with home made tomato sauce

tomato sauce

375 g tomatos
1/2 onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, pepper, basil
10 g parmesan
10 g fine chopped pine nuts

01 mince tomatos with hand blender and strain through a tight sieve to produce some kind of tomato puree
02 chop onion and sauté in olive oil
03 add tomato puree and season to taste
04 once the sauce is thickened add basil, parmesan and pine nuts

if you use the quantities for 4 persons you really get a big cake! since i come from an austrian/bohemian background i always expect tarts to be sweet. having a recipe transfer that given image into an italian dish is quite experimental for me ... i also did not use a big pan, i used some tiny childrens cookware and adjusted the time in the oven. after all i devide all my recipies to match my needs as a single gal. i don't need to eat eight servings ...

tagged with: imbb # 22 + noodle

for my first imbb i also decided to add two more pictures of the tart ...

salmon filet with potato crust plus cauliflower, broccoli and romanesco in honey and ginger

salmon filet with potato crust

200 g salmon filet
2 potatos
mustard
salt
pepper

01 peel and grate potato and squeeze out well
02 season with salt and pepper
03 spread mustard on one side of the salmon and press on grated potato
04 roast gently in a little olive oil (potato side first)

cauliflower, broccoli and romanesco with honey and ginger

200g cauliflower, broccoli and romanesco
½ red onion
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon honey
50 ml vegetable stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt

01 sauté cut up cauliflower, brocolli, romanesco as well as onion
02 add minced ginger and continue stirfrying
03 add honey after about 10 minutes
04 add vegetable stock
05 season to taste

this is quite a smart recipe! the ingredients are rather traditional, yet the seasoning and the combination itself is quite sensational! it tastes amazing!!!

thinking about cooking

having my foodblog back on track makes me think about my dinnerplans all day :) what am i going to cook today? i feel like i need to cook fancy and delicious things to rise to the occasion and be an exemplary foodblogger. of course i always like to experiment with new spices and flavours, dishes and ingredients, in addidtion to a tasty meal for myself i'd like to create good looking stuff for you to look at.

as i was cleaning my fridge yesterday i found a rather old piece of a ginger root. now i have such a craving for a ginger dish, it's unbelievable!

i am looking through www.chefkoch.de to find a delicious gingerdish i can cook, eat and post this evening. on my way home i might also check out that new health food store that opened last week right by my workplace for some fancy & healthy ideas ...

by the way:

the ginger root from my fridge also has a sprout on it.
can i plant this little thing?
will it start to grow?

sweethearts, i am back!

i finally got internet at home again! it felt like i was thrown back in medieval times over the last weeks ...
so ... what happened kitchenwise lately?

of course i cooked a lot. i even tried some christmas cookies (which turned out to be quite ... not so good).

my mother bought me my first real kitchenappliance: a hand blender with many different tools. i tell you - THIS thing is a godsend! how could i ever live without it?

and as i was bored out of my mind without internet i started to redo my boring kitchen. i am not finished yet so i will post the results later on. i am painting everthing white and some of the cupboards and shelves will get a black finish just like a school blackboard. i can write my shopping lists directly on my kitchen then :)

... for now i wish you and your loved ones all the best for the new year!

can't wait!

my new provider is installing internet at my place next week.
i can't wait, i really miss foodblogging!

karottenbrot

i am a big fan of bread. traditional schwarzbrot, soft english bread, scandinavian knäckebrot or french toast - i need to have bread at least 2x a day.

i discovered the best bread i tasted in months last week at my local supermarket: superdelicious carrot-bread!

one thing i did shy away from in my cooking adventures is making bread. i always fear that i get a hard lump of dough instead of a tasty loaf of bread.

cooking with yeast scares me.

coconut milk / turkey / curry - freestyle

300 g turkey breast
300 ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon of curry powder
olive oil
salt, pepper
ground chili
parsley

01 cut turkey breast
02 fry in a pan
03 add 1 teaspoon of curry powder
04 stir until the meat is slightly roasted
05 add coconut milk
06 let simmer till the meat is roasted thoroughly
07 season to taste

since i had no salad at home i figured i could try to marinate an orange. this would go well with the curry thing.

1 orange
olive oil
herbs, salt, ground chili

01 peel and cut the orange
02 sprinkle witz salt, herbs and ground chili
03 drizzle with olive oil

any kind of flat bread goes well with this asian-inspired dish

you should never be too busy to maintain your foodblog

shame on me. but since i no longer have internet at home it's become quite a challenge to post my treats ... i am currently changing providers and i'll be online again soon ...

i'm gonna cook some coconut milk / turkey / curry - freestyle-thing combined with "tiroler schüttelbrot", which is a tyrolean speciality similar to pita or flat bread. it is made of rye flour, water and yeast. i bet it will fit perfectly to an indian style curry.

i'll be posting about it on monday.

a little off topic - i am planning a trip to london

yesterday my baby sister (she's working on a foodblog too!) paid me a visit.

we where in a pretty reminiscent mood, talking about our time in london and how we both loved it there. she was the only one of my family who paid me a visit when i lived there and i in return visited her when she was working at the austrian centre a few month later.

london really is our big big thing. so yesterday - out of nowhere - suddenly the question popped up:

why not go?

we are both finally (after like 8 years!) in a position where we just could book a flight and spend a few days in our beloved city. whenever we where dreaming about another londontrip before one of us was either broke, too busy or most of the time both.

so now we are seriously shifting commitments to spend some days in london. maybe around new years? however, we are very excited.

where will we stay?
will we have enough time to go all the places we planned?
should we leave our creditcards at home or shop till we drop?

so many questions, so much more to figure out ...

can't wait!
can't wait!!

"gebrannte mandeln" with vanilla flavour

every year around christmas i am really really into vanilla.
german speaking girls, help me out on this one: is there an english word for "gebrannte mandeln"?

you only get this sort of candy/pastry this time of year on the christkindlmarkets.
the scent of the almonds enwrap all of the marketplace and it already feels like christmas.
they smell so incredibly delicious and they taste like little pieces of heaven.

simple vanilla noodles

0,25 l milk
10 g butter
1/2 vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
75 g noodles (ribbon noodles or any pasta you like)
salt
cinnamon

01 bring milk to boil and add vanilla, sugar and lemon zest.
02 cook till noodles are tender and the liquid is nearly absorbed
03 serve with stewed fruit or sprinkle with cinnamon

my ascetic drive hasn't lasted very long ... i decided not smoke for a while instead of not eating. this makes me feel better too, to be honest ...

roasted duck with bread dumplings and red cabbage

are you kidding me, mister butcher?! i am not buying a goose for 20 euros! a goose which can feed at least 7 people. i am single, i live alone. and i don't want to eat roasted goose for the rest of the year.

so what am i going to do now? according to the butcher i have no alternative. he would not just cut off a piece of the damn bird for tiny little single gal. what the hell. i still want to have a nice piece of extravagant poultry today!

so i went to the supermarket and bought a haunch of a duck instead. not a good start to my adventures in traditinally inspired dishes.

main dish: roasted duck
haunch of a duck
half an apple - peeled, cored and chopped
some small potatos
water
salt
pepper

01 wash, dry and salt the meat
02 place in a pan
03 add peeled, cored and chopped apple and the small potatos
04 add two cups of water to the roasting pan
05 let roast gently at 200°C and baste every now and then

side dish: red cabbage
3/4 cup water
1 small head red cabbage, finely shredded
1 apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
spices, herbs, salt

01 place all ingredients in a large saucepan
02 bring to boil
03 reduce heat and cover
04 simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender

side dish: bread dumplings
2 white dinner rolls
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 egg lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg

01 dice rolls and soak in milk, until moist but not soggy
02 melt butter in a small skillet and saute onion and parsley
03 add eggs, onion saute, salt, pepper and nutmeg to bread/milk mixture
04 mix well and shape into dumplings.
06 cook in salted water for 20 minutes and serve immediately.

angelika posted a very detailled description of this rather special day in austria too ... go check it out!

i have to lay down and open my pants now because i am really stuffed.
the martiniduck was delicious!

martinigansl*

tomorrow is st. martin's day. this is a big big thing here in austria - if you are 5 years old or if you have a child in your family. kids tinker paper lanterns in kindergarten, walk around in the streets and sing songs about st. martin. the food traditionally eaten on this day is goose. according to the legend, martin did not want to become bishop so he hid in a stable filled with geese. the noise made by the geese finally gave his hideout away and he was discovered.

i am actually not very religious, i am not five years old anymore and there has not been a tradition of eating goose on this day in my family.

i want to make a tradition of my own and make my very first goose tomorrow. i have been looking for a recipe on the internet, but i guess i will buy myself this bavarian cookbook tomorrow which i have been keen on for a while! or maybe i'll buy a traditional austrian cookbook instead. this time there will be no freestyle cooking, if you buy a 5 kg bird you don't want to be in for a culinary surprise!

*martinigansl is the well known austrian dialect word for "st. martin's goose"

getting old and disappearing ...

i did not forget to foodblog, but i spent some time in the rolling hills of upper austria at my partent's. they don't have an internet connection and so i vanished off the face of the earth for a while.

why did i stay at my parent's?

acutally, i am hiding. i have my 30th birthday tomorrow.

i never really got expensive presents on my birthdays and having a birthday was never a really really exciting thing. though i am outgoing and selfconfident, i don't like it if people make a fuzz about me.

and my friends have been talking about this for weeks ... thirty, thirty, thirty! most of my homies are way younger, my best friend is 21. she has been laughing all year about the fact that i'm gonna be an old lady tomorrow. so i decided to avoid embarassing "hey-you-old-maid!"-scenes, turn of my cellphone for a few days and spend my birthday with my family back home. so my folks took me out to a nice rural gasthaus today, we had a traditional austrian meal with lots of meat, various kinds of dumplings, heavy gravy, potatos and afterwards: a schnaps for digestion.


i had a wonderful time with my my parents, my sister, my brother and his girlfriend, my grandfather, my godfather and godmother. spending time in the town where i was born is a rare treat these days so i really enjoyed these hours amongst my loved ones.

my two younger siblings gave me a delicious cake - and where also making fun of their "old, old, oh so old" older sister ... well, i decided to take it with grace and dignity!


t-h-i-r-t-y. quite a number, isn't it?

but to be honest - i don't really mind! i am quite happy about what i do and where i am.
i can't wait to see what life has in store for me!

bring it on!
i am a grownup now!