Lachs-Pfanne in Sommerlaune

Fish and cheese? Why not...

500 g cherry tomatoes, 8 shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 sprigs each of basil, parsley and thyme, 500 g salmon fillet (skinless), 2 tbsp olive oil, Salt, pepper, 200 g creme fraiche, juice of 1/2 lemon, 60g grated cheddar

Wash tomatoes and pat dry. Peel and dice or chop the shallots and garlic. Wash the herbs, pluck the leaves from the stalks and chop, except for a few basil leaves.
Pat the fish dry. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the fish in it for about 4 minutes on each side. Season with salt. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the hot oven. 

Braise the tomatoes in the hot fat for about 6 minutes over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic about halfway through. Then add crème légère and lemon juice and bring to the boil briefly. Stir in cheese and let melt. Stir in chopped herbs. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Put the fish back in the pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the basil.

Fennel & seafood linguine

 Good Foods strikes again: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/fennel-seafood-linguine

1 fresh dressed crab (or about 150g mixed white and brown crabmeat), 3 tbsp crème fraîche, ½ tsp cayenne pepper or ground white pepper, 1 small fennel bulb (about 120g), 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 shallot, finely chopped, 1 red chilli, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 large tomato, cut into wedges (or a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced), 125ml vermouth or white wine, 180g linguine, 1 tbsp mixed soft herbs, finely chopped (flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and dill or chervil work well), squeeze of lemon juice, to serve (optional)

Mix any brown crabmeat with the crème fraîche and cayenne pepper, and set aside. Pull away any tough outer leaves from the fennel bulb (you can keep these to use for stock). Trim the base, and remove the stem (again, reserve these for making stock, if you like). Finely chop the fronds and set aside. Slice the bulb in half along the core, then lay the pieces, cut-side down, on a chopping board. Cut each half into thick slices, then rotate by 90 degrees and chop.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat, add the fennel, shallot, chilli, garlic and a good pinch of sea salt and cook for 8-10 mins, or until the fennel and shallot are have softened. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more until they start to break down. Tip in the vermouth or white wine, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half, then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water, following pack instructions, until just al dente. Reheat the fennel sauce over a medium heat and transfer the pasta directly from its water to the sauce using tongs. Add a good ladleful of the pasta cooking water to loosen the mix, then spoon in the white crabmeat. Stir everything together well to agitate the mixture and emulsify the sauce. Add the crab and crème fraîche mixture, and stir for a few minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in the chopped herbs and taste for seasoning – the sauce should be thick, silky and not too runny, so continue to cook until it’s the right thickness, if needed. Season with a little lemon juice, then divide between warmed bowls.

 

 

Smoky pancetta cod with lentils, fresh rosemary & wilted spinach

Delicious Jamie Oliver recipe, like usual https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/smoky-pancetta-cod/

8 rashers of higher-welfare smoked pancetta, 2 x 150 g white fish fillets , such as cod, skin off, pin-boned, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 x 250 g sachet of cooked lentils, 200 g spinach

Lay out 4 rashers of pancetta, slightly overlapping them. Place a piece of cod on top, generously season with black pepper, then roll and wrap in the pancetta, and repeat.
Place in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, turning occasionally, adding the rosemary for the last 2 minutes.
Remove the fish to a plate. Toss the lentils into the pan with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and push to one side to reheat for 1 minute and pick up all that residual flavour, while you quickly wilt the spinach with a splash of water alongside.
Taste, season to perfection with sea salt and pepper, and divide both between your plates.
Sit the wrapped cod on top of the lentils with the rosemary, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Taietei cu varza reteta ardeleneasca traditionala

Vegetarian recipe easy to make, found at Savori Urbane

500 g cabbage, 500 g tagliatelle, 1 medium onion, salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons oil

Chop finely the cabbage, add some salt and mix it well.
Peel the onion and finely chop it, then fry it in a pan with 3 tablespoons of oil. 

Add the cabbage, mix it well. 

Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over medium to low heat. 

When is ready add the boiled pasta, mix it carefully and season it with salt and pepper.

Peanut butter and jam brownie

I just found the perfect brownie recipe here: La Prajiturela

200 g butter, 300 g dark chocolate, 150 g brown sugar, 150 g caster sugar (white), 3 eggs, 90 g flour, 90 g cocoa, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 150 g peanut butter, 5-6 teaspoons of jam

Melt the chocolate together with the sugar and butter on a steam bath or in the microwave. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter melt. Transfer the composition to a larger bowl, mix with a whisk to cool slightly, then add, in turn, the 3 eggs - do not add the next egg until the previous one is incorporated. After incorporating the eggs, sift the cocoa into the bowl, then the flour Stir until smooth, then add vanilla and stir a little.
Transfer the composition to a 20/30 cm tray, lined with baking paper. Using a teaspoon, place the peanut butter and jam in place and make spirals to incorporate them into the composition. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 30 minutes (ventilation function).
Let it cool in the pan, then cut it into cubes. Keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

Knusperzarte Spareribs

 Yummy!

1.5 kg spare ribs, 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 piece (approx. 20 g) ginger, 2 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp brown sugar, 100 ml apple cider vinegar, 150 g tomato ketchup, 100 ml Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper

Boil 2-3 liters of water in a large, wide saucepan. Wash the ribs, pat dry and cut between the rib bones into 5-6 rib pieces. Put in the boiling water. The meat should be completely covered with water. Simmer for about 1 hour over low heat. Meanwhile, for the BBQ sauce, peel and finely dice the onions, garlic and ginger. Heat butter in a saucepan. Sauté onions, garlic and ginger in it. Sprinkle with sugar and briefly caramelize while stirring. Deglaze with vinegar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil. Cook until thick at medium heat for about 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
Preheat the oven. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Lift out the meat and place on the baking sheet. Brush top with half of the BBQ sauce. Roast in the hot oven for about 15 minutes. Brush repeatedly with remaining BBQ sauce. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Pfeffer-Rahm-Geschnetzeltes mit Pflaumen

A meal with prunes? And pork? Why not...

60g shallots, 24g Prunes, dried and pitted, 1 tbsp Sunflower Oil, 300g pork chops, 50g Bacon strips, smoked, 300ml water, 100ml cream, 1 bag MAGGI Fix for Pfeffer Rahm Geschnetzeltes

Peel the shallots and chop them. Dice the plums. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the pork chops in it. Add the bacon strips and the shallots and fry for approx. 3 minutes. Pour in the water and cream. Stir in MAGGI Fix and bring to the boil. Cook on low heat for approx. 3 minutes. Add plums and let warm. Serve them with spatzle.

Borani Banjan

4 small eggplants, 1¼ cups (300 mL) vegetable oil, 4 cloves garlic, crushed, 2 green chili peppers, sliced lengthwise, 3 medium tomatoes, chopped, 2 Tbsp (30 mL) canned tomato paste, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp salt, 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into ½ cm thick rounds, 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 cm thick rounds

Garlic yogurt sauce: 1 cup (240 mL) unsweetened yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, crushed, ½ tsp salt

Peel the eggplants. Cut them through the middle horizontally and then slice them into 1 cm thick planks.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over high heat.
When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully add a few eggplant slices so that a single layer of eggplant is cooking in the oil. Allow them to cook until golden on both sides, about 2 - 3 min. Flip the pieces as needed to ensure even browning. Transfer the fried eggplant to a strainer set over a bowl to allow any excess oil to drain. Repeat until all the eggplant is cooked.
There should be leftover oil after frying the eggplant. For the following steps, we will need ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil. If there is more than that in the pan, carefully scoop some oil out. If there is less than that, add a bit more oil to the pan.
Reduce the pan temperature to medium. Add the garlic, and be careful as it may cause some of the hot oil to splatter. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Stir throughout.
Add the green pepper, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.
Drop the heat to medium-low, and then place the sliced onion over the sauce in a single layer. Then lay half the eggplant over the onions, layer the tomato slices over that, and finish with the remaining half of eggplant slices in a single layer.
Cover the pan and allow to cook until the onions are soft, about 20 minutes. Try not to stir, if possible, so that the onion and tomatoes retain some of their shape, otherwise they get "mushy".
While the dish is cooking, make the sauce by combining the yogurt, garlic, and salt in a small bowl.
You can serve this straight from the pan with a some of the yogurt dressing drizzled on top. Alternatively, you could transfer some fo the yogurt sauce to the base of a serving dish. Then scoop up the eggplant, tomato, and onions mixture and transfer it to the dish. Remove the peppers from the bottom of the pan and place them decoratively on top of the dish. Scoop any remaining sauce and drizzle over the dish.
Finish with another drizzle of yogurt sauce, dried mint, and paprika powder for garnish. Serve with bread and enjoy!