Have you ever took time to read the recipes that comes on the back of food packages? Well, to tell you the truth, I never did. I didn't think these recipes were any good. Olaf, on the other hand, reads it all. And he has actually found a couple of really good recipes along the way.
Over the weekend, we brought ourselves some Halluomi cheese. I had this halluomi cheese salad some time ago, and was craving for some ever since. Halloumi is a cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep's milk. It is naturally salty and has a distinctive layered texture, similar to that of mozarella. It is an excellent cheese for frying and grilling because it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point.
The following recipe comes from the back of the Halluomi package:
Ingredients: 250 g Halloumi cheese 1 Paprika 1 Onion 1 Bio-Lemon 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil 8 White Button Mushrooms 3 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped) Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Black Pepper
Mix oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and black pepper in a bowl. Add the thyme, oregano, rosemary and garlic to the mixture.
Chop the paprika, onion, cheese into 2cm slices Pour the marinade mixture into the chopped vegetables and mushrooms. Keep it aside for 4 hours. Arrange the vegetables in any order on a wooden stick. Fry the sticks for 2-3 mins on each side in a hot pan or 8 mins over a grill
Serve with rice and salad
So, the next time you see a recipe behind a box, take some time to read it. You might end up with something delicious.
Sambal (von Wikipedia) sind dickflüssige, ursprünglich aus Indonesien stammende Würzsaucen auf Chili-Basis
I came across this bottle of Sambal Oelek while doing our weekly grocery shopping. And this recipe came immediately to mind. My grandma's maid from Indonesia had prepared this for me as a snack (a really spicy heavy snack ), but it was really yummy. I stayed around in the kitchen to watch her prepare this dish and picked up the recipe along the way.
For those who LOVE spicy, this is the perfect side dish to go with rice and noodles. (Watching Olaf finish up the potatoes, i can safely claim, the Germans will like it - just be warned, the tummy might give u a little trouble the day after)
Ingredients (serves 2)
5 potatoes (speise kartoffeln) 3 teaspoons of Sambal Oelek (Can be adjusted to any level of spiciness) 3 teaspoons of Sugar 2 teaspoons of Salt 1 and a half cups of oil
1. Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes 2. Heat up the oil in a wok, put the potatoes into the oil once it is hot and deep fry them for approx 3-5 mins, or till they turn golden.
3. Remove the potatoes from the wok and place them on a paper towel to drain 4. In a hot pan, combine the potatoes, sambal, sugar and salt. 5. Stir fry for 2 mins and Serve.
And so we begin a new Chinese Year , the year of the Rat Mouse ( Mouse sounds cuter doesn't it?). This Friday marks the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations (info:- the chinese follow the moon calendar, and the chinese new year celebrations usually last for 15 days till the next full moon). Although I didn't get much of a chance to celebrate it this year (was in fact working ), I did ease my homesickness a little by baking myself a nice batch of pineapple tarts.
Pineapple tarts are a very Chinese New Yearsy snack. During the New Year period, almost everyone stocks up their homes with pineapple tarts. I really can't remember where I got this recipe from... , but the one who came up with this is definitely a Genius! I've seen it repeated in some other recipe blogs and it's no wonder as well, considering what a great hit it is with family and friends.
Pineapple filling
Pineapples (I used canned pineapples - couldn't get nice sweet fresh ones) 200g brown sugar 2cm piece cinnamon stick 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
Pastry dough
340g plain flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp icing sugar 225g butter, cubed 1 egg yolk 25ml iced-cold water 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 beaten egg, for glazing
To
make the jam, I chopped up the pineapple into fine bits. Then I combined the pineapple with the rest of the ingredients in a pot
and cooked over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is
almost dry. Set aside to cool.
1. Sift the flour, salt and icing sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat the egg yolk and add that, together with the ice cold water and essence to the flour mixture. Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Working with little balls of pastry at each time, add the pineapple jam to the middle of the pastry and close it up
4. Place tarts on a baking tray and glaze with beaten egg.
5. Bake in a preheated over at 180°C for 15 mins. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for another 10 mins or till it turns golden.
When it comes to tea consumption, I would think that Germany comes in second place after China . I don't think I've even seen so many different types of tea back home in Singapore.!
I was just browsing through the Bio-shop before my German classes today trying to get some tea to soothe my "numbed-out" mouth (Had a visit to the dentist after the tooth filling dropped out on Saturday ) and I couldn't make up my mind! They had "Comfort" tea, "Relaxing" tea, "Concentration" tea, "Fruit" tea, "Mind-enriching" tea... I ended up with a bag of grapes instead
Well, this one still tops my list: During the last trip to China with my German colleagues, we discovered "Blooming Flower Tea" and that is what exactly the tea does! It blooms in the water right before your eyes. What's pretty amazing is that you could leave it to stand the whole day and it doesn't get too thick, not like the chinese tea that comes in the dim sum restaurants. And you can add water to it over and over again. Haven't seen it around in the shops here, though I did read about it in a German magazine. Well, the next time I go to China, I'll take orders
The Blog-Trifft-Gastro 2008, Stuttgart came to an end for me yesterday (sadly since I had to "camp" at home to study for a German exam tomorrow ) It was a great experience meeting up with people who share my passion of Food and Gastronomie. Every event was pretty much a highlight for me, from visiting the MarktHalle (which is always a pleasure), to tasting olives and an amazing combination of Goat's cheese and caramelized onions.. and the definitely dinner at Zauberlehrling. Truthfully, this has got to be my very first experience at such a renowned restaurant. Well, I was not disappointed.. as the photos will tell later
It was a pleasure meeting everyone and I'm looking forward to the next event already! There is something about a "Genuss-Camp" idea which I really hope and would love to help make a reality.
I didn't think these recipes were any good. Olaf, on the other hand, reads it all. And he has actually found a couple of really good recipes along the way.
, the year of the 
Mouse sounds cuter doesn't it?).
), I did ease my homesickness a little by baking myself a nice batch of pineapple tarts. 
, but the one who came up with this is definitely a Genius! I've seen it repeated in some other recipe blogs and it's no wonder as well, considering what a great hit it is with family and friends. 
. I don't think I've even seen so many different types of tea back home in Singapore.! 
) and I couldn't make up my mind! They had "Comfort" tea, "Relaxing" tea, "Concentration" tea, "Fruit" tea, "Mind-enriching" tea... I ended up with a bag of grapes instead 
