BLT Extravaganza

The BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomatoe). A classic amongst Sandwich lovers. You bite into delicious soft bread and immerse your tastebuds in the smokey and sultry (yes sultry) flavours of crisp bacon, ripe tomatoes and fresh lettuce. There are many different ways to make a blt. Many use Avocados or add some fancy cheese. The options are endless. I for one have always been a fan of the basics. I do however go a little hard on the bacon because let's be honest, we all need more bacon in our lives.

For one serving of complete oral satisfaction use the following:

1tbsp of light Mayo (Hellmanns is your best choice)
1 small hand full of lettuce. I used Mache or lambs lettuce, but any kind will do.
2-4 slices of a ripe tomatoe
4 slices of bacon
2 slices of whole wheat bread

Toast the Bread. Meanwhile fry up the bacon in a non-stick pan WITHOUT any butter or oil. The bacon is fatty enough that nothing will stick. Once the bacon is crisp place it on a paper towel to drain excess fat. Spread the mayo on both slices of bread and add the lettuce, and tomatoe. Add the Bacon. Season with salt and pepper and place the secons slice of Bread ontop of the other.

Eat and be merry.

Salmonfilet on a bed of spinach and tomatoes with cilantro and lime

The Summer has finally decided to show its face in Berlin, thus I have been inclined to cook something light and healthy. I very seldomly make any type of fish, mainly because I never quite know how to make it delicious. However! Finding out I had a tiny asian shop right around the corner from my apartment changed things. The store had fresh spinach AND cilantro! Two things you can hardly ever find in Berlin. So here it goes. A feast of iron and Omega-3 Acids!

Inredients for 1 serving:

1 Filet of salmon with skin (Roughly 125gr)
2 Cups of spinach
3 Small tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes but the ones inbetween)
1 spring onion
2tbsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic cloves
1 Lime
Fresh cilantro
Salt
Pepper

Slice the garlic in small slices and cut small slits in the salmon. Insert a couple of the garlic slices in the slits of the salmon and season the fish with salt and pepper, reserve some of the garlic for the spinach. Finally cut a slice of the lime and sprinkle the fish with the lime. Chop the tomatoes and spring onion

On medium heat, sauteé the Salmon skin side down in 1tbsp of olive oil. Meanwhile heat another tbsp of olive oil in a small pot and add the rest of the garlic, tomatoes and spring onion. Sauteé until soft. Add the spinach and flip the salmon. Let the spinach wilt and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the plate. Chop the cilantro finely and arrange the salmon on the spinach. Sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle some more lime on the fish. Season with a tad more salt and serve with a good glass of white wine.

Bon Appetite!

On medi

Peach Pie

Now, I mentioned before that I am not a good baker. It really is not my forte, however I am a huge fan of pies. Any type of pies really but this pie is my favourite. Granted I did make this in the summer when peaches were in season but considering the lousy weather in Berlin, I decided to bring some summer into my dreary evening.

Here is what you will need:

1 Pkg fresh pie crust. You can get great "ready to roll" crust in the supermarket. I do not bother making the crust myself. As said before...flour and I are not good friends.

6-8 Ripe peaches
8-10 Tbsp brown suger
flour for dusting

What to do:
Put the Pie crust into the fridge. The cooler the crust is, the easier it is to roll out and handle. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil and dip the peaches in it for no more than 10 seconds. Take them out and peel the peaches. Careful! This is going to be a mess! When the peaches are peeled, cut them into slices and place them into a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar and flour over them so that they are nicely coated.

Take the crust and roll it out on a floured surface. Throw it into a pie dish and if you want to be really nifty you can make a lattice top with the leftovers. Pour the peach slices into the piecrust and bake at about 180 Degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or  vanilla ice cream.

Creuset Bread

For Christmas I got this beautiful cast iron pot called a Creuset! I believe that next to a Kitchen Aid, this is really a must-have for everyone who likes to cook and loves hot things out of the oven. A couple of years back (2006 to be exact) the New York Times came out with an ariticle about a type of bread that is cooked in this creuset pot. They said it was so easy, even a six-year old child could do it. My Mom and sister have been baking this bread for years, so I decided to give it a go. Bearing in mind that I am a lousy baker (I always say cooking is an art and baking is a science...I failed bio chemistry and physics), I was very skeptical. Thus I was every so pleased when it turned out perfectly!

Here is how it goes!

You will need:
3 Cups (500gr) Flour
1/4 Tsp Dry Yeast
1 Tbsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups lukewarm water

Mix together the flour, yeast and salt. Then stir in the water until it is just combined. It should be very sticky. Cover it up and let it sit over night. This sucker really takes its time to rise, but it is worth it.
The next morning, dump the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a big glob of dough. Put it back into the bowl and just let the gluten relax a bit. Meanwhile put your cast iron pot into a 300 Degree Oven and let it get super hot. Put some oil or flower into the pot so that the dough won't stick. Plop the dough into the pot, cover it up and put it back into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Take off the lid and continue baking the bread for another 10-15 minutes. This will allow the crust to brown. Take the pot out of the oven and let the bread cool for a bit.

Eat and pretend you own a bakery!

You can also vary the recipe by adding yummie things such as herbs, olives etc. I read one version that used lemon peer and cheese. That shall be done next!

Sauteéd Talapia on mixed greens

Cheerio and happy new year to all! New Years resolutions have been made and now it is time to keep them! Mine was to write more, cook more and to actually continue the blog. Thus I have revamped the design and have been slaving at the stove. Now that the christmas season is over, it is time to get rid of the extra pounds and look after our health again. For me, that means tons of veggies and protein. Thus I am here to present you with this lovely bit of food porn.

You will need:
1 Filet of fresh Talapia
Salt
Pepper
1 Tsp Molasses
1 Tblsp low sodium soy sauce
3 Radishes
2 Cups of mixed leafy greens (I like swiss chard, arugula etc.)
1/2 Half of a medium sized Zucchini
2-3 Cherry Tomatoes
Balsamic Glaze or Crema di Balsamico

 Mix together the molasses and soy sauce, so you have a nice marinade going on. If you want to be daring, add some chili flakes for extra spice. Next salt and pepper the talapia and spoon the marinade on the fish. Let it sit for no more than 10 minutes, as the flavors are very strong and talapia does not have a lot of flavor on its own. Meanwhile slice the radishes, tomatoes and zucchini. Put the leafy greens onto a plate and arrange the sliced radishes and tomatoes on the plate.

On medium heat, fry up the zucchini with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. About two to three minutes. The zucchini should be warm but not soggy. Remove from the pan and arrange on the plate. Finally over medium to hot heat sauteé the talapia for about 5-7 minutes. Frying fish always goes very fast, and it should not be too well done. Drape the cooked talapia on the plate and finally sprinkle the whole thing with the balsamic glaze, salt and pepper.

Bon Appetite!

Corn Chowder...because my bones are cold

It's summer. It's July and it is 15 degrees Celsius and f***ing freezing frigid. There is rain, and grey skies and, well to be honest just plain gloomieness lurking through the Bourgois Streets of Berlin City. On this particular dreary and non-stop rainy Saturday, after a productive morning of IKEA and such, I decided to tackle somthing that would warm my body and soul after being outside in the wet wet rain. Corn Chowder. Granted, I have never done this before so this was a first for me, but I tried my best and I have to say it came out pretty damn well (My roommate had two huge portions. And she is a picky eater!) I did do some research just to see how other chowder affectionados prepare their chowder and they almost all call for celery. I think celery in soup or warm celery in general should be made illegal, because let's be honest, who likes the taste of old grandpa anyway?

Here is my celery free version of Corn Chowder.
1tbsp Butter
1 yellow onion
2/3tbsp of cubed bacon
2 Ears of fresh corn
3 Medium sized carrots
2 medium sized potatoes
2-2 1/2 cups of low fat milk
Instant chicken broth
curry powder
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Peel and chop the carrots, onion and potatoes into small cubed. In a bowl, cut the corn kernels off of the corn cobs (You could theoretically use corn from a can, but the fresh stuff is so much better. And cheaper!) Melt the butter in a pot and sautee the onion and bacon until the bacon is crisp and the onion translucent. Add all of the vegetables and stir until all the fat has covered the vegetables. Add the milk and just a bit of the chicken broth and bring it all to a boil over low heat. Once the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked, use a pureé stick to homogenise the soup to your liking. You can leave it as chunky or smooth as you wish. Add the curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper to taste and bring again to a boil. Serve with croutons or some fresh cut herbs on top. If you have, sprinkle some chipotle into the soup. The smokey flavour of the spice goes wonderfully with the corn and brings out the comforting flavor.

Salad with Strawberries and Feta Cheese

Spring has sprung all over the northern hemisphere and in Germany the strawberry season has begun. I like to believe that I am a strawberry connaisseur, which basically means that I only buy strawberries that come from Germany. The flavor is much more intense and it's local, so really it's the best of both worlds.
As much as I love eating strawberries with cream or shortcake, I really like pairing these sweet sweet berries with something savory such as shallots, cheese and pepper. I had this idea from my roommate who has been making this salad with Tunafish. But because Fokushima has basically killed the ocean and there are only about twenty Tunafish left in the sea, I opted for fruit.

Here it goes:

2 Cups of Lettuce (I use either Arugula or mixed greens)
1 small shallot
7 really big strawberries (I really encourage you to buy local ones)
1 tomato
1/2 cup of Feta Cheese (use the good crumbly kind here. The firm feta cheese makes it whole salad kind of funky...in a weird way)

Dressing
1 1/2 tbsp White Basamic Vinegar
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1tsp Mustard
Salt
Pepper


Wash the lettuce and dice the shallots very finely. Cut the Strawberries into big chunks and add to the lettuce and shallots. Dice the tomato finely and add to the lettuce.
Make a vinaigrette with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper and sprinkle over the salad. Add the feta cheese and toss quickly. Serve immediately.

P.S. This is a great starter if you are planning a nice spring dinner with asparagus, potatoes and ham.