Grilled corn Cafè Habana style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, we know this! you might say and of course you do. Everyone remotely familiar with Mexican, Cuban cuisine has had a combination of corn, crema, cheese, chile and lime. Blogs have waxed lyrically for years about classic Mexican street food staples like Elote en vaso (corn in a cup) is classic Mexican street food and the famous grilled corn of Café Habana in New York or it’s West Coast outlets. Understandably people don’t mind queueing for this delicious comfort food and tuck into these with abandon although there is no elegant way of eating the creamy-spicy-limey-salty-cheesy charred corn ears.

This heavenly combination is the reason for my constant return to these and since NY and the nearest Café Habana is not exactly round the corner one has to come up with an approximation of the original.

Suze & Tonic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you wish your days had roughly 40 hours to squeeze all the stuff in that you need to do, here’s how to survive until next week:

 

1/3 Suze
2/3 Tonic water
Serve on ice.

 

 

Lamb tagine with black garlic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black garlic is a real discovery for me. The cloves are slowly cooked or baked for ages until they have transformed into fudge-like black (garlic) truffels with just a faint hint of garlic (and no smell afterwards for those how might wonder). These mellow nuggets add an incredible depth of flavour to any dish and I am quite prepared to say that they are quintessential umami – albeit inflationary overuse of the term. If the gorgeous organic Spanish black garlic cloves (I am getting them at the Frankfurt Kleinmarkthalle) weren’t on the dear side, I’d eat them like bonbons. But, you’d better get some soon: the run might have already started since they feature as well in a few recipes in Ottolenghi’s new cookbook.

Still here: NYC

NYC, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

Enjoying the views, eating this (Thank God, I’ve got the recipe at home, traveled down to Brooklyn to get that super-duper dark gold dust = cocoa powder! & what a relief that the warehouse was right around the corner from this watering hole for the brownie addicts & cake afficionados – Baked) and this and this…. Doing a Lobster roll tour, yeah, all in the name of science… & Museum endurance test. Back soon.

Grünkohlsalat & Co.

curly kale – Grünkohl, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

Sunday supper: Za’atar roast chicken with sweet potato wedges, Piri Piri sauce & garlicky kale ‘Caesar’ salad – recipes in German / Rezepte in deutscher Sprache:

Za’atar Brathähnchen:
1 Huhn oder Hähnchen (ca. 1,5kg, Freilandhaltung oder Bio)
Olivenöl
2-3 TL Za’atar
Salz & Pfeffer

Das Hähnchen ungefähr eine Stunde oder 30 Minuten vor dem Braten aus dem Kühlschrank nehmen damit es nicht eiskalt in den Ofen kommt. Den Backofen auf 200°C vorheizen, das Hähnchen mit Olivenöl einreiben, mit Salz & Pfeffer würzen und mit der Za’atar Gewürzmischung bestreuen. In einen Bräter geben und ca. 1 Stunde backen: das Hähnchen ist durchgebraten wenn auf einen Schnitt zwischen Schenkel und Körper klarer Saft austritt. Entweder im Ganzen servieren und am Tisch tranchieren oder zuvor in Portionsstücke teilen.

Schnelle Piri Pirisauce:
1 EL Olivenöl
1 rote Paprikaschote, gewürfelt (wenn es noch schneller gehen soll geröstet Paparika in Öl aus dem Glas nehmen)
1 Zwiebel, fein gehackt
3 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
1 EL süßer geräucherter Paprika
2 EL Rotweinessig
1 EL Zitronensaft
¼ Tasse (60ml) Wasser
2 EL Harissa (nach Geschmack)
Salz & Pfeffer

Olivenöl in eine Pfanne geben und die Paprikawürfel, Zwiebel und Knoblauch darin bei schwacher bis mittlerer Hitze dünsten bis alles weich ist (ca. 12 Minuten). Zusammen mit den anderen Zutaten in einen Mixer oder die Küchenmaschine geben und pürieren. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und in eine Schüssel oder Glas füllen und mindestens eine Stunde ruhen lassen damit sich die Zutaten vermischen und der Geschmack entwickeln kann.

Gebackene Süßkartoffelspalten:
1 Süßkartoffel pro Person
Olivenöl
Salz

Ein Backblech im Ofen vorheizen. Die Süßkartoffeln waschen, trocknen und (mit Schale) in Spalten schneiden, eventuell zuerst halbieren. Dann in einer Schüssel in Olivenöl schwenken (so benutzt man etwas weniger), mit Meersalz würzen und auf das Backblech geben. Ca. 30-40 Minuten (je nach Größe der Spalten) bei 200°C im Ofen backen; das geht auch gleichzeitig mit dem Hähnchen. Zwischendurch wenden.

Roher Grünkohlsalat mit Knoblauch-Caesar dressing & Panko:
für 4 Personen; adaptiert von Tori Avey
Anmerkung: Das Dressing ist ein Hybrid aus einer Mayonnaise und einem klassichen Caesar Dressing, es wird aber kein frisches Eigelb verwendet so daß man es auch aufbewahren kann. Dies Rezept ergibt sehr viel Dressing, dennoch bereite ich auch für zwei Personen die gesamte Menge zu (da sonst das Pürieren schwerfällt), benutze ca. die Hälfte, bewahre den Rest für weitere Portionen auf oder gebe es an andere Salate.
Reste: Der Salat ist auch am nächsten Tag noch lecker, schmeckt auch sehr gut als Pasta: dazu einfach mit heißen Spaghetti mischen und servieren.

1 Bund Grünkohl (ca. 15 Blätter, Äste?)
6 Knoblauchzehen, geschält
80ml (1/3 Tasse) Olivenöl + 1 EL Olivenöl
35g (½ Tasse) Panko Brotkrumen (japanische Semmelbrösel)
2 ½ EL gute Mayonnaise
1 ½ TL Dijonsenf
1 EL geriebener Parmesan + 25g (¼ Tasse) geriebener Parmesan
2 EL Zitronensaft
1 EL Wasser
1 TL Worcestershire Sauce
½ TL Salz
schwarzer Pfeffer
Cayenne Pfeffer
roter Tabasco (nach Geschmack)

Vom Grünkohl die Blättchen von den harten Rippen abstreifen, mehrfach waschen, dann trocken schleudern und in mundgerechte Stückchen schneiden.
Währenddessen die Knoblauchzehen und 80ml Olivenöl in einen kleinen Topf geben und bei kleiner Hitze erwärmen, von Zeit zu Zeit den Knoblauch wenden so dass er auf allen Seiten goldgelb wird und nicht anbrennt. Nach ca. 15 Minuten vom Herd nehmen und abkühlen lassen, so daß das Öl weiter mit dem Geschmack von gebratenem Knoblauch durchzogen wird.
Den restlichen EL Olivenöl mit den Panko Brotkrumen vermischen und in einer Pfanne bei mittlerer Hitze für ein paar Minuten rösten bis sie ebenfalls goldbraun und kross sind. Zwischenzeitlich rühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Beiseite stellen.
Die abgekühlten Knoblauchzehen in einen Blender oder (wenn man einen Pürierstab benutzt) in ein hohes Gefäß geben, Mayonnaise, Dijonsenf, 1 EL Parmesan, Zitronensaft, Wasser, Worcestershire Sauce, Salz, Pfeffer, Cayenne und einige (oder auch mehr) Spritzer Tabasco hinzufügen und pürieren. Dann langsam, während der Blender läuft, das abgekühlte Knoblauchöl durch die kleine Öffnung hineinträufeln während der Blender läuft und eine homogene Sauce entsteht – Vorsicht, das könnte auch spritzen und am besten deckt man die Öffnung mit der anderen Hand etwas ab.

Das Dressing über die Grünkohl gießen und mit den Händen (ja, genau) vermischen und einmassieren, dabei den Grünkohl zusammendrücken und –quetschen. Durch die kurze Massage (1-2 Minuten) werden einige der harten Fasern weicher. Mit dem restlichen Parmesan & den krossen Panko Krumen bestreuen und umwenden.

Minestrone della nonna

Minestrone della nonna, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

Best in January (and February and March): warming & comforting, healthy & hearty, with a bite & soft, topped with guaranteed luck and wealth*. More stew than soup, made from a colourful mixture of pulses: green, brown & red lentils, borlotti, cannellini, kidney & soy beans, black-eyed peas, green split peas, orzo (barley) & pearl barley which is sold in Italian groceries (I used this one from Marabotto) and cooks to an interestingly textured thick soup of softer lentils & peas while the various beans and the occasional barley pearl retain a little bite. I am quite sure other shops might stock it, too. If not, they definitely should. Otherwise, I think this provides a great opportunity to use up all the rests in your larders & cupboards: the tiny rest in the box of puy lentils, just not enough split peas for a large pot but handy here, the few last beans in the bag & other odds and ends and I am quite sure that is how this dish came about. So, pick & mix and make your own mixture with greater quantities of the smaller pulses and only a few beans in between.

I have bought this box a while ago (pretty food things in a nice package, the promise of approval by an Italian Grandmother really works for me) and it has been patiently waiting for the right day: It cannot get any greyer or more miserable outside than it is right here at the moment, so this was a real winner a few days (I might have told anybody who showed a slight interest in conversation how good it was and how much I liked it. Sorry about that, but it is good, really, really good).

The added bonus: there is hardly any work involved and everything could be prepared in the morning to be cooked when you come home. The pulses need to be soaked for a few hours (4 hours maybe and they do that on their own), then I started with a soffritto of the usual soup vegetables instead of the recommended onion, sweated them lightly in olive oil, thrown in the soaked lentils & Co. and added about ¾ litre of homemade chicken stock. Vegetable stock would be good, too, the chicken stock was a last minute decision (operation “Empty-the-freezer”) instead of the advised water, which is why mine went in as a solid block, no time to defrost. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 1 hour. Ready. How hard was that? Anyway, I am quite sure no grandmother would scold you for using bought stock or a cube or water (I can’t guarantee for my own actions though).

* I’d like to believe that the luck-thing will definitely work if you eat it on any day in the New Year, just in case you have missed out on your lucky lentil dish on New Year’s Day (Italians eat a lentil dish on New Year’s Day to secure luck and wealth for the coming year, same goes for black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana and in the American South – double ka-ching). Other folklore assures financial luck if you keep a lentil or a scale of the Christmas carp (carp is a traditional Christmas dish in European countries like Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic etc.) in your wallet, wait, while I add a Puy to the Euros.

Minestrone ‘della nonna’
this amount was good for 3 portions, double quantities for 6

250g (8.8 oz) Minestrone ‘della nonna’ or the same amount of any mixed pulses (see above for recommended mix & sizes)
2 carrots
1 leek
1-2 stems of celery
1 onion
olive oil
0.75 litre (25.4 fl.oz; 3 cups) good (homemade) chicken or vegetable stock
salt & pepper
parmigiano reggiano, coarsely grated

Soak the Minestrone mix in water for a few hours, I left them for 4 hours but I do not think more or less will do any harm. Chop the carrots, leek and celery stalks into pea-sized chunks, dice the onion for a soffritto. Heat a splash of olive oil in a cast-iron pot, add the chopped vegetables and fry them lightly until fragrant. Add the drained pulses and stock, stir and cover with a lid. Cook on low to medium heat for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Season with salt & pepper if needed and serve in bowls topped with a sprinkling of coarsely grated Parmesan and if you like: a drizzle of olive oil. Grazie nonna, buon appetito!

Seville oranges & citron

Seville oranges & citron, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

 
 

Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement’s.

You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.

When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.

When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,
Says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

(English nursery rhyme)

 

Apple, walnut & sausage stuffing

Apple, walnut & sausage stuffing, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

This is a great stuffing for a festive bird: the Thanksgiving/Christmas turkey, a Martinsgans (Saint Martins goose) or a duck. It’s apple, celery, pork and walnut combination is a winner. I have added garlic, bacon and some sage, which is an ingredient in (good) British sausages and if you are not able to get them you might be missing something. This appeared on our table the first time we had our own British-German Christmas turkey together with red cabbage, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and all the other trimmings.

Maybe you are American and will think this is an old hat or you might say, why is this American, never heard of this before what is going on about. Or, why should I make this with my British/German/French/insert country here bird/dish, do you think they will understand/balance each other? Well, in any case, and I am repeating myself here: this is a great stuffing. We cooked the rest of it in a separate dish along side the bird and it was even better, if I am allowed to say this.

If you are having a goose I would add some Artemisia vulgaris or mugwort (german: Beifuss), a herb which is traditionally used to counterbalance the richness & fatness of the goose. Look it up and you’ll find the most amazing names for this common European herb: felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor’s tobacco, naughty man, old man or St. John’s plant.

American stuffing for Thanksgiving & Christmas
adapted from Delia Smith’s Christmas

55g (½ stick) butter
2-3 medium yellow onions, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped finely (optional)
4 sticks celery, cut into 1cm (½ inch) dice
450g (1lb) pork sausages (or sausage meat), cut into 1cm (½ inch) pieces
4 slices of thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into small cubes
1 clove garlic, chopped finely (optional)
175g (6 oz) rustic white bread without crust and cut into 1cm (½ inch) chunks
2 apples, chopped into chunks (1cm or ½ inch), add lemon juice to prevent browning
125g (1 cup) chopped walnut kernels
2 teaspoons dried thyme
a little dried sage (optional if you are using British sausages)
zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon ground mace
salt & pepper

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion dice until translucent, add the celery, sausage pieces and bacon and fry while stirring until they are golden brown. If you are using garlic, add it now and sauté only a little more so that the garlic does not burn and turn bitter. Meanwhile mix the bread cubes, apples chunks and walnuts in a large bowl. Add the onion-celery-sausage fry-up and season with thyme, the optional sage, lemon zest, mace, salt & pepper.

Use it to stuff your bird, you might have more than enough either to stuff the cavity or place the rest in an oven-proof dish and bake in the oven until golden brown. The baking time depends on the size of your dish and the amount of stuffing you have. If you are baking the whole amount in a shallow ceramic dish, I would estimate the time for about 30-40 minutes in a 180°C (350° F) oven.

Elderberry cordial

Elderberry cordial, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

Every year in late summer or autumn my cousin and I go on some sort of foraging excursion around the fields here. Well, we go for a walk and pick apples, blackberries and walnuts, sometimes we find plums or there are cherries. Last year we had a lot of elderberries and I used them to make elderberry syrup and we are still benefiting from the last bottles. Since my Mum had told me that elderberry cordial (syrup) has been used for centuries to treat flu and lower fever – and recent medical studies have supported her expertise – I pour a swig of it in our morning smoothie and levels are going down fast. The other day I read about an elderberry Cosmopolitan and this is what we’ll have this evening to start the weekend.

There might be still some black elderberries around or you have already stashed away some in the freezer for just a day like this. Important: do not eat any part of the elder and do not eat raw elderberries to be on the safe side. Even if the Sambucus nigra (European black elderberry) is considered to be the only non-toxic variety, you may not be able to distinguish the different varieties (like some people in California who had a rather unpleasant experience), so why risk it?

Elderberry cordial – Holunderbeersirup
makes about 1l (a little over 1 quart or 1 pint) of syrup.

1kg (2.2lbs) destalked elderberries (a quick freeze helps)
water
700g (3 ½ cups) caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
a piece of cinnamon bark (optional)

Place the berries into a large saucepan and add a little water (about one cup) and bring to the boil, cover and let the berries simmer for about 20 minutes until all berries have opened. Place a fine sieve over another saucepan and decant the berries into it, press lightly with a wooden spoon. Or you may want to use a muslin and let the juice drip slowly into the pan. Add the sugar, lemon juice and if using the cinnamon bark and bring the liquid slowly over medium heat to a boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Skim any foam. Decant the hot syrup into sterilized bottles or jars.

Artichokes

Artichokes, a photo by the james kitchen on Flickr.

Artichokes for lunch tomorrow!

These small artichokes are cooked for about 30 minutes in water with lemon juice to prevent them from discolouring. Sometimes I stuff generous amounts of chopped garlic, mint & parsley between the leaves before cooking, which adds another level of taste.
Leave to cool and then eat leave after leave, stripping the end bit of with your teeth. Dip into a simple mustard vinaigrette (see salad recipe), a herb vinaigrette or a basil-lemon mayonnaise. Either these small ones or big Globe artichokes, for a party or dinner I’ll serve them with a selection of sauces. Another favourite: jalapeño-buttermilk dressing.

Herb vinaigrette:

One big handful of herbs: tarragon, chervil, a little parsley, borage, sorrel, chives, burnet, basil, oregano – whatever you find or have got at home
½-1 small garlic clove
white wine vinegar
a light olive oil
salt & pepper

Chop the herbs (any combination you want) and garlic very finely, season with salt & pepper, stir in white wine vinegar and add olive oil to taste.

Basil-lemon-mayonnaise:
a good mayonnaise, homemade or if you are hangry: bought (Maille)
a handful of dark green Italian basil
lemon juice
salt & pepper

Chop the basil quite finely and mix with lemon juice and mayonnaise. If you like to lean more towards the aioli spectrum: add garlic.