Roast sweet potatoes with feta cheese

I love sweet potatoes...in any form. They have a lovely texture and their sweetness goes incredibly well with meat dishes. In the winter I tend to serve them mashed, but in the summer I prefer this variety. The salty flavor of the feta cheese is in perfect balance with the rich sweetness of the potatoes. Add a bit of chili and you have a perfect side-dish for your barbecued meat.

Ingredients (serves 2): 

1 sweet potato (two if they are small)
100gr of Feta cheese
1/2 tablespoon of hot chili powder (optional)

Preparation: 

1. Peel the sweet potato and cut into 2cm cubes. Coat with a bit of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and the chili powder. Put the potatoes in a small baking tray and place it in the oven at 200°C (fan assisted). Roast for about 30 minutes until the potatoes start to turn brown around the edges. 

2. Remove from the oven and crumble the feta cheese over the potatoes. 


Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver "30-Minute Meals"

Lamb koftas in tikka marinade with tomato raita

During the past few summers minced lamb has been one of our favorite things to put on the barbecue. When I saw this recipe in Reuben Riffels amazing book, I just had to try it. While it uses pieces of leg of lamb rather than the minced variety (recipe to follow), the combination of flavors is amazing and now that the weather has finally turned and the BBQ season is officially open....

Ingredients (serves 4):

600gr leg of lamb (de-boned)

For the tikka marinade:
1/2 cup of plain yoghur
1/2 cup of tomato passata
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 crushed cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons of cayenne
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1 teaspoon of salt

For the tomato raita:
1 cup of plain yoghurt (again, use the thick variety)
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch of chopped fresh coriander 
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

In addition you should get some naan (you can make this yourself, but it's easier to buy it) and some mango chutney. In case you can't find naan and can't be bothered to make it yourself, just use some toasted pitta bread.

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the tikka marinade in a bowl and mix well. Cut the lamb into longish strips and mix with the marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge for 4 hours.

2. Take the meat out of the marinade, pad dry and thread 2 pieces of meat on one skewer each (I recommend allowing some time for the meat to reach approximately room temperature before proceeding). Place on the barbecue (medium heat) and cook for about 6 minutes on each side, occasionally brushing with the remaining marinade. Set aside.

3. For the raita, mix all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from: Reuben Riffel, "Reuben cooks: food is time travel"

Spaghetti Arrabiata

I can't really imagine that there are still people out there who have never cooked spaghetti arrabiata and I initially didn't plan to post this (after all VERY simple) recipe, but when I made this the other night I was reminded (once again) what a beautiful dish this is, so here we go. Spaghetti arrabiata is extremely simple to make, requires a very short list of ingredients and is a perfect blend of tastes. The sweetness of the tomatoes is nicely balanced by the chili, add a bit of parmesan and you have a perfect dinner.

Ingredients (serves 4): 

2 cans of peeled tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 red chili
1 handful of fresh cherry tomatoes

Preparation:

1. Peel the shallots and the garlic, chop finely. Cut the chili in rings (depending on how hot the chili is you might want to remove the seeds).

2. Fry the shallots in some olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and the chili and continue to fry for a few more minutes. Then add the tomato concentrate, canned tomatoes, an additional can-filling of water, the sugar and some salt and pepper.

3. Stir well and set to simmer for about 1 hour. I leave the lid on, but tilt it slightly so that some of the steam can escape. After about half an hour add the cherry tomatoes (cut in half).

4. When the hour is up the sauce should have a fairly thick consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar (as needed). The sauce should have a slightly sweet and at the same time spicy flavor.

Poussins with roast vegetables

Poussins are not an everyday dish, but they are a real treat. I love the fact that each person at the table will have their very own mini-chicken and their meat is wonderfully tender. I canvassed the web for interesting recipes, but found that there was really nothing much out there (I was also surprised to find that the recommended cooking times varied massively). In the end I decided that simplicity is best and went for an oven-baked version with grilled vegetables and some yoghurt dip on the side.

Ingrediens (serves 3): 

3 poussins (they usually weigh around 400gr each)
one red and one yellow pepper 
1 zucchini
2-4 shallots 
5 parsnips
3 medium sized carrots
5-6 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
3 mid-sized potatoes
2 teaspoons of rosemary 
salt and pepper
olive oil 

Preparation: 

1. Wash the peppers and the zucchini. Slice the zucchini (not too finely) and cut the peppers into rough chunks (you are not going for a fancy-haute-cuisine look here). Peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut the carrots into longish pieces and the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Quarter the parsnips lengthwise. Wash and dry off the poussins. 

2. Boil the carrots, potatoes and garlic cloves (still unpeeled!) in a bit of salt water for about 5 mins, drain and allow to cool off briefly (it's best to do this in order to ensure that they are going to be done at the same time as the poussins and the softer vegetables). Now throw together all of the vegetables in a large bowl and dress with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plenty of course sea salt, black pepper and the rosemary. Spread the vegetables evenly on a baking tray. 

3. The poussins only need to be rubbed with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. 

4. Heat the oven to 180°C (fan-assisted, otherwise aim for 200°C). Put in the tray with the vegetables and place the poussins on a rack just above. The poussins need 45 mins.

I served this with some yoghurt mixed with a handful of finely chopped herbs and some salt and pepper.

Green asparagus soup with curry

In Germany we tend to eat mainly the white asparagus, but since it's been so unseasonably cold the harvest is likely to be delayed somewhat. In the meantime we have to make do with green asparagus, which is fine with me. While I usually prepare it cooked al dente and dressed with some olive oil and lemon juice, it's great for soups too. Here I have added a bit of curry power, which gives the whole thing a slightly exotic touch.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 bunch of green asparagus

500ml vegetable stock

2-3 tablespoons of cream

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Preparation: 

1. Peel the lower part of the asparagus and remove any hard ends. Cut each asparagus in 2-3cm pieces and cook them in the broth until soft (around 10mins). 

2. Puree everything until you have a smooth liquid and add the cream. Season generously with salt and some black pepper and add the curry powder and the cayenne. The soup should have a slightly spicy note.  

Malfatti with Sage-Butter

Spring is proving to be a bit reluctant this year, but the few sunny days that we've had have definitely given me a yearning for a culinary change. No more chestnut soups or thick winter stews for me! Instead, we are going to start focussing on the new seasonal products, the first one being: SPINACH! I love spinach in all varieties and you can be sure to see a few more recipes using spinach in the coming week.

This time, I have decided to present an Italian recipe: Malfatti. They are similar to Gnocchi but instead of using potatoes as a base, these are a lovely mixture of ricotta, parmesan and (of course) spinach. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6):


500gr fresh spinach
1 small onion, finely chopped
100gr of butter
90gr of parmesan, grated
250gr ricotta
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
230gr of flour
Nutmeg
12 sage leaves

Preparation:
 

1. In a large pan, fry the onion in a bit of butter or olive oil until transluscent. Add the spinach and sautee until soft (this takes just a few minutes). Season generously with salt and black pepper. Set aside in a colander to drain. Once most of the liquid is gone (you might want to squeeze the spinach a bit to get rid of any excess moisture) and the spinach has cooled off, chop finely using a large knife.

2. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, 70gr of finely grated parmesan and the eggs (including the egg yolks). Add the spinach, then the flour before seasoning one final time with salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg.

3. Bring plenty of salted water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Cover your worksurface with a generous quantity of flour. Using roughly one tablespoon of dough at a time, form longish shapes (see picture above), roll them lightly in the flour and set aside. Once they are all done, place them in the water. The Malfatti will sink to the bottom of the saucepan first, but resurface when they are done (this takes around 5 minutes). 

4. In a large pan, heat the butter until it starts to brown slighly. Add the sage leaves and allow them to infuse the butter. Once the Malfatti are cooked, remove them from the water using a slotted spoon and add them to the sage-butter for a few minutes. 

Serve with grated parmesan.

Crispy Harissa-Fish

Spring may be reluctant to make an appearance but this doesn't change the fact that the summer is fast approaching - time to start thinking about the benefits of the "light cuisine".  And if you want to eat more health consciously then it's easiest to stick to meals that were always meant to have a low fat content. Asian cooking comes to mind of course, but the principle is a more general one: instead of achieving taste using butter and cream, try to achieve taste using strong spices instead.

On the menu today: Donna Hay's crispy Harissa-Fish. It's easy to make, takes almost no time to cook and it's pretty healthy on top. Donna Hay serves the fish with lemon couscous, but since I am no big fan of couscous in any form, I have replaced it instead with my chili-ginger carrots and some green asparagus.

Ingredients (serves 2): 

400gr filets of white fish (skin on)

2 tablespoons Harissa paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch of green asparagus 

1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation: 

1. Wash the fish and dry off. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper and smear the flesh side of the fish with the harissa paste. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and fry the fish: 4-5 minutes on the skin-side, 1 minute on the other side. 

3. For the asparagus, cut off the hard ends and chop each asparagus in 3 pieces. Boil in some salt water for a few minutes until they are al dente. Drain and dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with some course sea salt and pepper. 

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay "Fresh, Fast, Simple"