Can you believe it, until a few months ago I never had a proper green mango salad! A botched version once made from a fruit caught in limbo between unripe and tasteless was quite off-putting but let’s just forget the sad & sorry thing. This Thai classic is glorious, a revelation, it’s like a refreshing bath in a cold mountain pool or the ice-bucket challenge, it wakes all those slumbering taste buds and is an absolutely wonderful companion to seafood. Continue reading
If the phrase Lightning never strikes twice only would be true, then we might be safe for all eternity (unfortunately, that’s a myth). A few things got fried: phone & router & AirPort & the likes and it took a while to replace them as well as to get everything back up and running. But… I actually found being cut off quite a soothing state of (temporary) splendid isolation. Which brings me to this:
You can say about Gwyneth Paltrow’s cooking what you like but better try this dressing first: once you modify it and substitute a fresh goat yoghurt for the vegan mayonnaise, it is fabulous. A Mexican riff on the Green Goddess dressing takes the creamy (mayonnaise) green herb salad sauce to a bright & fresh Spa version, which is not only highly addictive, but even more beneficial than the original, it might need a CA zip code. Good bacteria (yoghurt) are all the rage…again & the green zingy freshness (lime! coriander! Spring onions!) a true Californian, if you ask me and I can’t get enough of it. Continue reading
Even before our container arrived at our new Sunnyvale house, I had bought an orange & a lemon tree for the terrace. Without even knowing that this was a special lemon variety I had chosen a Meyer lemon tree and went on experimenting. Easy in a place like California where ingredient choice is limitless and all my favourite things like artichokes, green asparagus & (the outside of Europe extremely rare) white asparagus, tiny potatoes, mesclun & the latest fashionable greens are at your fingertips. And so this risotto came about and it is still one of our most loved recipes & the top-of-the-heap of the lemon trials. Green asparagus is incorporated in the Meyer lemony (zest & juice) risotto and the tasty tips that would fall to pieces if they were in it are seared in a pan to add another texture and flavour to the dish. Upgrade the creamy-ness with grated Parmigiano (no need to add a ton of butter) and you have a wonderful (vegetarian) supper. Add extra shavings of cheese or a few slices of Parma ham for an impressive dinner version.
I might have lamented already the comparative cheapness of green asparagus in the States when faced with the gingerly harvested & accordingly priced bunches of the first local green asparagus but this risotto is sooo worth it.
What do I do if I don’t have a Meyer lemon? If you can’t get Meyer lemons where you live (not that easy outside the U.S. and even the trees are hard to find in Europe), just mix the juices and the zest (separately) of both an organic lemon & organic mandarin/tangerine/clementine to get to an approximation of the warm lemony taste without the extreme sourness as I have done here, too.
Deutsches Rezept unten.
Meyer lemon risotto with green asparagus risotto
for 2
1.5l good stock (chicken or vegetable), you may not need all of it
1lb or 500g green asparagus
olive oil
1 knob of butter
1 shallot, minced
1 small glass of white wine (about 100-150ml, preferably a crisp & slightly acidic Riesling)
170g risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
50g Parmigiano reggiano
salt
Bring the stock to a slow simmer and keep it this way next to the designated risotto pot. Prep the asparagus: peel the hard skin of the lower third of the asparagus spear, cut into 1.5 cm pieces until you reach the upper third with the tip and put those aside. If you have thin & thicker asparagus, cut up the thicker ones and leave the thin ones for frying. While you are cooking the risotto, slowly fry the asparagus tips or thin spears in medium hot pan with a little olive oil until browned.
For the risotto melt the butter over medium heat, sweat the minced shallot until translucent then add the risotto rice. Stir for about 3 minutes or so until the rice grains show a shiny shimmer, deglaze with a generous splash of white wine and when the rice has absorbed it add a ladle of stock. Stir from time to time and add more stock each time the previous ladle has been absorbed. You might not need to use all the stock but better safe than sorry.
Do not let the risotto get completely dry, always add the stock when the rice still seems to be quite moist. Try the rice a few times: it should still have some bite before you add the asparagus pieces (depending on your rice this might take about 15-20 minutes). Stir in the small asparagus pieces & Meyer lemon zest and cook for another 5-7 minutes not forgetting pouring in the stock at intervals. Finally round of the risotto with the parmesan, season with Meyer lemon juice to taste (I use the whole) and possibly a little salt right before the end. Serve with the pan-fried asparagus on top. If you have a little Parma ham on your hand, add a few slices for an equally good combination & even more luxurious plate.
Risotto mit Meyer Zitronen & grünem Spargel
für 2 Personen
1,5l gute Brühe (Hühner- oder Gemüsebrühe)
1 Pfund grüner Spargel
Oliveöl
ein Stückchen Butter
1 Schalotte, fein gewürfelt
1 kleines Glas Weißwein (100-150ml, Riesling oder ein anderer Wein mit angenehm frischer Säure)
170g Risottoreis (Carnaroli oder Arborio)
Saft und abgeriebene Schale einer Meyer Zitrone (alternativ Mischung aus Zitrone & Clementine)
50g Parmigiano Reggiano
Salz
Zuerst die Brühe zum Kochen bringen, neben dem designierten Risottotopf platzieren und auf kleiner Flamme leise weiter köcheln lassen. Dann den Spargel vorbereiten: die Enden schälen um die holzige dicke Haut zu entfernen und die Stangen bis zum obersten Drittel in 1,5 cm große Stückchen schneiden. Das Spitzenstück ganz lassen und beiseite legen. Sollte man dünne und dicke Stangen haben, dann die dünnsten ganz lassen und die dickeren aufschneiden. Während das Risotto kocht, ein wenig Olivenöl in einer Pfanne über mittlerer Hitze erwärmen und die Spargelspitzen darin rundherum langsam anbraten.
Für das Risotto die Butter in einem Topf mittlerer Größe bei leichter bis mittlerer Hitze schmelzen lassen und die Schalotten darin glasig andünsten, sie sollten keine Farbe annehmen. Den Risottoreis hinzugeben und für ein paar Minuten anschwitzen bis der Reis schimmert, dann mit dem Weißwein ablöschen. Wenn beinahe die gesamte Flüssigkeit verdampft ist, eine Kelle Brühe hinzugeben. Ab und zu umrühren und immer wieder die Brühe kellenweise hinzugeben – der Reis sollte niemals trocken werden. Gelegentlich probieren und wenn der Reis noch etwas Biß hat (das dauert ca. 15-20 Minuten, kommt auf den Reis etc. an) die Spargelstückchen & die Zitronenschale unterrühren und die letzten 5-7 Minuten mitgaren. Abschließend den Parmesan hinzugeben und mit Zitronensaft & Salz abschmecken. Mit den gebratenen Spargelspitzen servieren. Falls etwas Parmaschinken zur Hand ist, passt der auch ganz wunderbar dazu.
Back home. There is a smell of spring in the air, daffodils & tulips are out, magnolias are in bloom and it is cold but sunny with no icy winds (I love New York but the wind can be biting). The market stalls are filled with vernal vegetables (ups, no kale anymore) and I picked up a lovely bunch of green asparagus and some avocados to fit my most immediate need for some kind of a hangover cure. Long flights & jet lag always make me hanker for bright, savoury & tangy food with quite a bit of salt added. Where did they say, that astronauts need to have strongly seasoned food in space because the taste weakens considerably in space? Substitute high altitude for space, add a tiny bit of tiredness with a dash of hypochondria and that is me today.
Well, green & fresh food is what I am after now. Don’t think I haven’t eaten very well & very healthy in the past two weeks (ignore the giant Cuban Steak sandwich or the Sturgeon bagel right before take-off). Cooking in NYC is sometimes challenging: tiny kitchen, no dishwasher, extremely limited counter space, check, check, check. On the other hand it is fun & easy since you have all the great/my favourite shops & fantastic markets with their abundance of the choicest produce and beautiful displays (oh, I missed them so so much) at your doorstep or a short subway trip away. I have a myriad of new ideas and recipes that I can’t wait to try out & experiment with.
Tip: To make sure you do not get any tough asparagus pieces, I use this method of snapping the spears between my two hands until the hard fibrous bit breaks of naturally. There is a more economical method, too, which you might want to use if you had to sell a kidney to pay for the green gold (here, anyway): peel the skin of the asparagus ends if there is tough skin or you’ve got white/purple pieces to render them edible.
German version at the end / Deutsches Rezept am Ende.
Green asparagus, tomato & avocado salad
serves 2 as a main or 4 as a small starter or side dish
1lb or 500g (a German pound) green asparagus
1 avocado
250g vine or grape or cocktail tomatoes (= 20 small tomatoes)
2 green or spring onions (optional)
fresh coriander
2-3 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
juice of one lime (adjust to taste, sometimes half a lime is enough)
Wash & trim the asparagus: snap off the tough ends by bending the spear between your hands until it breaks naturally or peel the hard skin off the bottom quarter if they are tough or white/purple (see tip above). Cut the green asparagus in 4-5cm or 2 inch pieces and blanch them for 5-7 minutes in generously salted water, drain and refresh in ice water.
Peel the avocado and cut into chunks, halve the tomatoes & cut your spring onions on the bias into thin rhomboids. Mix the asparagus, avocado chunks and tomatoes in a bowl, sprinkle with the spring onion and coriander leaves and season with soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice to taste. Ideally the salad should rest for a while and you need to check & adjust the seasoning again.
Salat aus grünem Spargel, Tomaten & Avocado
Für 2 Personen als Hauptgericht oder 4 als kleine Vorspeise oder Beilage
1 Pfund grüner Spargel
1 reife Avocado
250g kleine Strauch- oder Cocktailtomaten (= 20 Tomaten)
2 Frühlingszwiebeln (optional)
frischer Koriander
2-3 TL Sojasauce oder Tamari
2 TL Sesamöl
Saft einer Limette (nach Geschmack, manchmal reicht auch eine halbe)
Den Spargel waschen und putzen: eine Stange zwischen zwei Händen halten bis das holzige Ende abbricht oder wenn man es ökonomischer möchte: die harten oder auch teilweise noch weiß-violetten Enden einfach schälen. Den grünen Spargel in 4-5cm große Stückchen schneiden und in großzügig gesalzenem Wasser 5-7 Minuten kochen, dann in Eiswasser abschrecken. Die Avocado schälen und in größere Stücke zerteilen, die Tomaten halbieren und die Frühlingszwiebeln schräg in dünne Rhomben schneiden. Alles in einer Schüssel mischen, den Koriander darauf streuen und mit Sojasauce, Sesamöl und Limettensaft nach Geschmack würzen. Idealerweise sollte der Salat eine Weile ruhen & muß dann natürlich noch einmal abgeschmeckt werden.
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