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.

Salmon Ceviche on a bed of lettuce with orange miso dressing

About one month ago, I had a birthday. As per usual, I invited a couple of friends for dinner. For a starter I made a Salmon Ceviche, which, if I may say so myself was to die for and so easy tomake. I always like mixing food cultures, so this time I paired this latin American dish with a Japanese sea weed salad, lettuce and a fat free orange miso Dressing.

You will need for the ceviche:
About 1/2 lbs or 250g of raw salmon.
3 tblsp of lime juice
1/2 shallot
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco

Have the fishmonger give you a nice bone free piece of salmon and cut off the silver skin. thedice the salmon into nice small chunks. Not too small, but smaller than bite size and put into a bowl. Pour the lime juice over the salmon and cover with plastic. Put into the fridge for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. During this time the lime juice will start to "cook" the salmon, i.e. the protein will react with the acid and cook it slightly.

About 1/2 hour before serving, take the bowl out of the fridge and add the diced shallot andcilantro. Add Salt, Pepper and Tabasco for taste and let sit for 1/2 hours. Then serve!


For the Orange Miso dressing:
about 1/2 cups or 250 ml of fresh orange juice. Squeeze it or buy it.
2 tblsp of Miso Paste (keep the left over paste for soups etc)
couple of drops of sesame oil (optional)
1tblsp of Sushi ginger

In a bowl mix the orange juice and miso paste into a homogenous dressing. Add more orange juice if it is too thick or miso paste it is too thin. Add a couple of drops of the sesame oil, but nottoo much, as this can be very strong in flavor. Chop up the Sushi ginger and add to the dressing. Serve over some fresh lettuce such as Arugula or field greens and add some store bought Sea weed salad for some extra green.

Merguez Sausage with Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli

Friends of the Sun, words cannot describe how sorry I am for not posting something in six months. Things have been slightly crazy in my frenzy of finding a job and thus I am currently sitting in a little attic room in Ulm (Bavaria) with a glass of red wine and am writing again. Because I am now living on my own for a while, I am of course on a tighter budget, however here in Germania we have many discount grocery stores that sell brand names for half the price. Don't ask me how they do it, but I think it's genius. Last week, while I was traipsing through the isles, I found this strange looking sausage for 2 Euros for 500 grams. It was called Merguez. It is oddly reddish in color and is made from beef and lamb. The word lamb was what caught my attention. Along with it, I found some pre-packaged Pumpkin and Ricotta ravioli that looked so wonderfully delicious I could not resist. I went home with my newly bought posessions and got to work

You will need
2 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil
1 onion
2 plumb tomatoes
Arugula Lettuce
1 pgk of Ravioli (as said before, I used Pumpkin Ravioli but I think any vegetarian kind will do. Try Spinach)
2 Merguez Sausages
2 buillion cubes

In a pot bring water and bullion cubes to a boil. While the water is working itself to a boil, chop the onion, garlic and tomatoes into fine squares. Next heat some olive oil in a pan and brown the onion. Add the sausage and sauté until it is tender (about 5 minutes) then add the tomatoes. When the water is boiling, dump the Ravioli in it and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes. But these in a bowl and to the pan of tomatoes and sausage, add a handful of arugula lettuce. Season with Salt, Pepper and some italian herbs such as Oregano or Rosemary. Pour the Sausage etc onto the Ravioli, toss and serve while piping hot. If you want to, add some parmesan cheese on top, however this can be overpowering with the flavors of sausage and pumpkin.

P.S. I know the image is slightly odd, but if you are at a loss of a camera you just have to be creative.

Greek Salad with Ostrich Steak Tips

Ok, so I don't have a picture for this one. Shoot me, but my mumsie is in the States as I write and she took her camera along with her. Silly Mommy! Anywho, yesterday I had the seldom luxury of being home alone, and because my father decided that a 2 month old head of cauliflower would suffice as dinner, I went grocery shopping. There I stared in the meat isle because, if you haven't noticed, I love meat. There, while staring into the refrigerated section I saw it. Ostrich! I was intrigued, I was confused, I bought it. Ostrich meat is known to be extremly healthy for you, and although pricey (I paid about 5 Euro's or 8 Dollars for a decent sized steak) I do think that sometimes you need to indulge. When I was home, I paired this gem with some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onions and feta cheese and I was in culunary seventh heaven!
For this dish you will need:

1 Ostrich steak (I do not know where you would find it in the States, here in Germany it's in the meat isle)
1/2 Cucumber
2-3 Nice ripe Tomatoes
1 red onion
A couple of Olives (I prefer Kalamata, but any will do)
1/2 Cup of Feta cheese (try to get the lowfat kind. If we are going to be healthy, might as well go all the way)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Balsamico Vinegar
Cajun Spice
A dash of red wine.

Cut the steak into chuns or strips and season them with Salt, Pepper and the Cajun Spice mix. In a pan heat up some butter or olive oil and fry the meat until tender (about 5-10 minutes) on medium heat. When the pan and meat are very hot, throw some wine into the thing and let the juices of the meaet combine with the wine. You should have a delictable brown syrup (experts call this a "Demi Glace"). Put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.
Now cut the Onion, Tomatoes, Olives, Cucumber and Feta and place them in a bowl. Drizzle some Olive Oil and Balsamico onto it and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Finally add the Ostrich and serve this either on its own or with Baguette.

Bon Appetite!

You say potato I say BAKED POTATO

It is round, it is gold, it is the German vegetable of choice (Or the vegetable that made Denise Austen what she is today). The Potato! Now, as a true hardcore German, I am required by instinct, law or just tradition, to worship this starchy filled edible diamond. There are thousands, and I mean thousands of recipe's that pay homage to the potato. I for one am a traditionalist and a purist. I like the potatoe without much jazzy stuff in or on it. Forget potato dauphinois, or latkas. I bring you the healthy, the wholesome, the one and only BAKED POTATO.
Boring you might say? Genius says I! It's easier to make than easy mac, and yes, although it might take longer than filling up a styrofoam cup filled with overprocessed fried noodles with boiling water, it is suprisingly low in calories and fat. Carbs? Well, you can't have it all. Pair a nice baked potatoe with some salad and greek yoghurt, and you have a perfect meal to really get rid of those winter blues and welcome the spring with all its new glory.

So this is how it goes:
For about 4 servings, you will need

8-10 Medium potatoes. (Use the ones that are slightly firm)
1 1/2-2 cups of Greek Yoghurt. (In Germany we have this dairy produkt called quark, which is basically a fat free version of sour cream and yoghurt mixed in one...Greek yoghurt should technically do the trick.)
2 tsp curry powder
3-4 dashes tabasco sauce
Salt
Pepper
chipotle
fresh chives
Herb de Provence

Wash the potatoes. Prick with a fork a couple of times and throw them into the oven at 350 degrees (180 celsius) for about 40-45 minutes.
Mix all the herbs and spices into the yhogurt, season to your liking (some like hot, some like it mild...you do what you gotta do) and let stand at room temperature, so the flavors can really develope. Once the potatoes are soft, cut them down the middle and add th yhogurt on top.

Eat this with lettuce, or a yummi lean peace of beef, or other veggies.
SPRINGTIME IS COMING PEOPLE!!!!

Senioritis Food or Chicken Breast in Mushroom Cream Sauce with Rice.

A while back, and with a while back I mean about two months ago, my Mumsie dear and I were home alone. As she was playing working girl, I decided to suprize her with a nice comforting warm meal once she arrived back home. This Chicken dish is the a-typical dish that is served for an "Early Bird" dinner Special for the not-so-young. And although it has great potential to taste bland and boring, my jazzed up Version had my mom go for THIRDS! So what is the recipe that has a diet crazy woman disregard her daily calorie dose? You just wait and see!

You will need:
500 grams of Chicken Breast (or 1 lbd) without skin and removed from the bone.
About 200 grams of mushrooms (I prefer the brown ones, but any type will do)
100ml of heavy cream
Milk
Salt
Pepper
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tblsp of Mushroom Pesto (get this at a delicatessen Store...most of them have it)
Sherry
Chili flakes
Thyme
Sage
Rosemary

Cut the chicken into thin strips and set aside. Chop the Onions, garlic. Cut the Mushrooms into fine slices and sauté in a pan with Olive oil, the onions and the garlic. Be sure not to crowd the Mushrooms, as this will hinder them to release their moisture. Now add the chicken and continue to sauté until the chicken is almost fully cooked. Add the cream to the chicken and stir. Should more liquid be needed, add milk and stir. Add the Pesto. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, sage, rosemary and chili flakes. Right before you serve, heat again and add a generous splash of cooking sherry.
Serve with Rice and Broccoli.

It'll have your granny screaming for more.

Seared Tuna with a soy miso sesame marinade

Shame on me for not writing a post in such a long time. Poor Form. But I am back and have brought you something very nifty and full of glee. Tuna. Now, I know that there are some of you out there that do not like to eat Tuna because of the over-fishing etc. And I think you are generally right. If I can, I tried to avoid eating Tuna as much as possible, as it really is a wild animal and there is no evidence of farming as of yet. However, sometimes you just have to let your morals slip away and treat your tastebuds to something as exquisite as this feisty fish.
This recipe yields enough for about 2 people. But you can stretch it to 3 if need be. You will need:

1 Tuna Steak, about 400 grams. (If your budget allows it, try to go for ahi Tuna or some other sushi grade tuna. It really makes a difference)
6 tbl spoons of soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbl spoons Miso paste
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
2 cm of ginger
Half of an orange.
Salt
Pepper

chop the garlic and ginger quite finely and place onto Tuna (Tuna should be in a dish). Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, Miso paste, vinegar and squeeze some juice from the lemon into it as well. Once all of the liquids have combined, pour onto Tuna and season with salt and pepper. Let sit for about an hour. Don't let it sit too long or else the acids will start the cooking process and you will have ceviche. Next heat a heavy pan with about 1 tblsp of olive oil. When the pan is REALLY hot, slide in the Tuna and cook for about 90 seconds on each side, so that the outside is nice and brown and the inside is dark dark pink. Take out of pan and cut into slices. Drizzle this with the leftover marinade, or make a wasabi sauce out of some wasabi paste, Joghurt and mayo. Whisk those together and use as dipping sauce.
A nice salad and other veggies go will with this meal, along with rice or potatoes.