Healthy Spring Summer Rolls

Have you ever realised that you just go with the flow and you desperately need to stop and stare? This has been my condition for couple of weeks recently until I just couldn't neither sleep well, nor relax. And then I decided it was time to change. Maybe not fully change everything but at least my attitude. Because in the end work is just work and "life is what you miss when you are busy making your own plans", right?

Nowadays, we are victims of a speedy life when time is precious and everything is done on our ways. But the thing is, when we are trying to recall even what we ate yesterday we can hardly remember the menu... Hm... Of course! If a person eats, watches a movie, talks to a friend and checks an extremely interesting Instagram account she has bumped into by chance and all of it simultaneously, the brain does not really concentrate on a particular activity. Which means that our body is actually not really expecting the food we are consuming at such moments and we do not even notice how we eat our daily portion in a bite. 

And therefore another trend gets even more popular. SLOW FOOD. Slow living, slow time, slow food... Whatever you call it. We have to just go back to the basics. Eating and enjoying each bite. Because that is what brings us the most benefit. Add a good company to this, cook your food together and then enjoy it at the big table. That is what a slow life should be like... 

My input in the slow living today is a wonderful recipe of spring rolls. Made in the summer but that does not matter because they taste perfect during any season. Done very quickly. And suitable even for parties.

Ingredients:

yields 8 rolls

8 rice paper sheets (*easy to find in the Asian stores)

200 g fresh salmon

1/2 avocado

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 cucumber

10 cherry tomatoes (*my choice San Marzano)

2 cups salad leaves

1 cup precooked black rice

1 cup precooked quinoa

Philadelphia cheese 

fresh herbs

soy sauce

1 tsp Wasabi

The trick with the rice paper is that you need to soak it in a cold water in order to make it flexible and sticky. So prepare a bowl with cold water and set it aside. Wash the veggies and cut them into pieces (medium size, not turning into mush). Wash salmon loin and cut it into long pieces about 1 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. Put the first sheet of rice paper into the water and keep an eye on it. The water should just cover it. Wait until it gets flexible and take it out. Put it on a plate and start filling. So just put a salmon string into the middle, Then some rice beside it, add veggies alongside, Philadelphia and herbs. Then fold as shown below.

   

Do the same with the second sheet and continue until you wrap all of them. As you've already understood you can use any vegetables you like and be creative.The original recipe would contain sushi rice but using black rice or red rice, quinoa will be much healthier and more beneficial for you so the choice is up to you :)

Serve the rolls with say sauce mixed with wasabi. Just dip the roll into the sauce and enjoy the taste...

Fro home-made to gourmet. 

XoXo

Anastasiya

Wok Root Veggies with Seafood and Coconut Milk

Hello February! A magic month when you already hope that spring will come very soon, yet spend your time enjoying your favourite winter attractions like skating, skiing, drinking hot wine.

Some time ago we visited Italian supermarket and apart from ricotta, mascarpone and variety of italian cheese we discovered there a wide range of different pasta types, shapes, colours and forms. And when I saw black spaghetti I knew I can make a special dish out of it. In combination with some seafood that both of us love...mmm... 

And here I was in the kitchen... checking my veggie supply in the fridge. And I thought why not make it really simple yet very interesting flavour-combinationwise. And I chose root vegetables for it. Simple and easy. Yet veeeery special!

Ingredients:

yields 4 portions

1 big white onion

100 g red beets (1 big or 2 middle sized)

100 g carrots (2 middle sized)

100 g parsnips (2 middle sized)

250 g seafood mix (I had prawns and mussels)

100 ml coconut milk

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1 lemon

salt and pepper

oil

spaghetti al nero di seppia

First of all wash and peel the veggies. Then vut them into pieces. The size is up to you. But remember that for smaller ones the cooking time has to be cut down. I chose medium.

Cook spaghetti as per instructions on the package al dente.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce: pour some oil and grated ginger into a big wok, in a minute add and fry onions until they soften a bit. Then put vegetables into the pan. You will notice how red beet colours the rest of the veggies. And that is absolutely fine. Adds some nice bright colour. Stir for about 5-7 minutes and then pour coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. In the end add curry powder and mix well. In another preheated pan in a little amount of oil lightly fry the seafood mix. Do not overcook because prawns might get chewy.

Before serving directly on a plate mix spaghetti with root veggies and seafood. Sprinkle of pepper on top will make it even more spicy. A fresh side salad goes along incredibly good.

Voila! Enjoy a nice evening or lunch in a good company with good food.

Because good food is always a good idea.

 

Christmas recipe: Baked Duck Breast with Fresh Salad

Again a little break in writing... I had a good reason for it: holidays time :) I have to admit that visiting my parents and friends in Ukraine was a full "Turn Off" for me. The feeling of time got lost somewhere between cozy evenings with my family and fun while going out with my friends. We were quite surprised to come back to Hamburg with +15C outside. Back in Ukraine it was freezing already, temperatures between -2C ... +2C. Now back to normal life I can again come back to my lovely blog and full of ideas am ready to color your everyday lives. 

As Christmas mood is all over I find it quite up to date to share a tasty Christmas recipe with you. Because we all want to make it special. Yet, having a bullet proof recipe. Which I guarantee :)

Duck breast is in today's menu for you, my dear. Get ready to rock this Christmas.

Ingredients:

(serves 2) 

2 duck breast halves with skin

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper

1 cup fresh arugula

1 fresh mushroom

6 cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar with honey (I used Mazzetti Bio Condimento - Honey)

Using a sharp knife, score the duck skin with diagonal parallel slashes. The pattern should remind diamond. Just be careful not to pierce through to the flesh. Salt the breast halves from both sides. As pepper burns while frying I add it before serving.

Preheat the oven to 160 C. Heat a non-stick pan. I took one that I can use in the oven afterwards for better convenience. No oil needed as duck fat will melt from heat. Put duck, turning with fat side down and fry until the skin turns crispy, about 5 minutes.

Then turn the duck breasts over and fry for about another 5 minutes. Place the pan into the oven and set the timer to 15 minutes. Mix honey and balsamic vinegar and spread this mixture over the duck skin every 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on the duck breasts so that they don't burn. It all depends on the size. Normally I use middle-sized duck breasts and they are ready within 15 minutes in the oven.

When you take them out from the oven they should already look very crispy and golden-brown. Pepper them before serving.

For the salad wash arugula, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Mix olive oil and white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Cut mushrooms into thin slices, tomatoes into halves or quarters. Mix well and season with oil-vinegar dressing.

Remember: duck should be served immediately. It has the best taste then. 

Enjoy your meal and have a wonderful Christmas time.

"Wild and noble vegetables" cooking course: the best tips and tricks for autumn recipes (Part 1)

With the first falling autumn leaves the concentration falls apart and the wish to stay in warm bed gets stronger with every day. On one of those weekends recently I would have really preferred warm home coziness rather than going for a walk. But not this time :) As I already mentioned before, I got a lovely present from my husband - a cooking class in one of the best restaurants of Hamburg. I was so anxious, excited and curious that I could not find a place the whole morning. I was thinking about the people, who will join the class, the whole process (how will it look like?), place (will that be a special kitchen or the real one?) and overall about the event. And finally the time was to leave. My husband joined me as a photographer and a big fan of gourmet recipes. Through rainy streets we walked to Apples restaurant calming down our expectations. The course started with a glass of champagne in Apples Bar. In a nice atmosphere we were getting acquainted to people who joined the group until finally we were welcomed in the real kitchen of the restaurant. Just to be there and feel the atmosphere was already a big chance. And here are the main ingredients we were using to prepare a 4-course dinner... Except of a bowl of patience,  2 cups of curiosity and 1 kg of love, of course ;)

Pumpkin, porcini mushrooms, beets, brussel sprouts, venison...All in all pure autumn surrounded us during the whole day. Chef de Cuisine of Apples Restaurant, young, energetic and full of enthusiasm lady -  Julia Eckerstorfer - was kindly guiding us through a big world of professional tips and tricks in the Big Kitchen. The main topic of the class was "Wild and noble vegetables". 

It included 4 course-menu preparation:

Course 1: Pigeon Breast, Colourful Beets, Pistachios, Wild Herbs, Elderberries

Course 2: Sarsnip Soup, Duck Ham, Porcini Mushrooms

Course 3: Roasted Venison steak, Hokkaido - Pumpkin, Brussel Sprouts, Grapes, Rosemary

Course 4: Dessertvariation - Family Style

I have to admit that it was my first time taking a cooking course. And this one was a long-expected as we had to make a reservation a year in advance. So once I entered the restaurant, I was so overwhelmed and wanted to find out every single secret they use to cook such exquisite dishes. Finally I was there, in a nice company of real gourmets and professional chef. We were granted professional aprons and had a very creative mood for the upcoming cooking. It was full of unexpected taste combinations, interesting tips and tricks, new flavors, ideas and recipes. The process itself was always interactive. Our 'teacher' helped each of us to learn how to cut a pigeon to get a nice breast part. This was especially useful for me as I never knew how the correct process should be step by step. And this one may be used for chickens and any other poultry. We were asking a lot of question while preparations and cooking, as it became more and more exciting. By the way, my vocabulary also improved and I got to know some 'kitchen vocabulary'. For example, did you know, that the whole process of preparations is usually called 'mise en place'? 

Preparing a perfect Goose breast

So many colors can happen only in the autumn season: red, orange, white, yellow.. and these are all beets. So cute and so tasty!

Sprinkle of salt and beets are almost ready to be placed in the oven...

I know you might be already very curious and will definitely share some tips and tricks with you in one of my next posts. Meanwhile you may have a look on the process itself. 

The course took about 3 hours and then was finished by a 4-course dinner with all the participants. This was apparently the most pleasant part of the day. As usually, very friendly and high-level service of restaurant Apples, was complemented by delicious dishes. And you know the feeling, when you eat something enormously tasty and you know that you cooked it?! By the way, pictures of the final courses will also follow a bit later. 

Overall, I enjoyed the course very much. 

New professinal apron, hand-made chocolate, CD with all the recipes and steps, precious tips and tricks from Chef of Apples restaurant, and happy full us after 4-course menu. Better idea for your Saturday?! No way ;)

See you in my next posts and enjoy the weekend.  

In combination with home-made honey, olive oil and some vinegar these tiny colorful beets became unbelievable.

Yes, this is me... Smelling, touchinh, tasting... Trying to feel with all my senses :)

Cutting a pigeon to get a perfect breast part...

Hokkaido pumpkin is perfect because it may be cooked not peeled.

Sarsnip soup was a totally news for me... Never tried, never cooked, never imagined that perfect creamy taste

Guess why brussels sprouts are right beside the grapes

Even dandelion leaves were in the herbs mixture... Who could ever think of  it?!

Asparagus: basic recipe

Spring is Asparagus season. That is a tradition in Germany.
April-May is a period of the year, when in every restaurant of Hamburg you will definitely find dishes with asparagus. Supermarkets offer different types of this beautiful spring vegetable: green, white, violet. Imported or German one :) Therefore asparagus is very popular in Germany, as it is grown here. Around Hamburg it is easy to find little farms with family business - Cultivating of asparagus. And real gourmets know that vegetables from region have the highest nutritional value.
So let us also start our own asparagus season with a simple, yet very tasty basic recipe.

Ingredients (2 portions):

2 eggs
8 cherry tomatoes
6 potatoes
300 g asparagus

For Hollandaise sauce:

3 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter (unsalted)

First thing we have to start with when cooking asparagus is peeling. Lower part of this cute stick is a bit woody and therefore we peel it a bit and cut about 1-2 cm of the bottom end. Peel potatoes as well. *No special tricks here :)
Boil a big (preferably high) pot with salty water and cook asparagus for about 2-3  minutes. Meanwhile prepare ice cold water. Directly from boiling water put asparagus into cold water. This little trick will ensure crunchy fresh taste. In the same water boil potatoes until you can easily stick a fork inside. Fry eggs on medium-low heat.

Last, but not least - the sauce.
Sauce Hollandaise during this time of the season you can, of course, find in every shop here. But if you want your food to be home-made and cooked with love here is one easy recipe of this magic suitable for asparagus sauce.

Melt butter. Blend egg yolks with salt and lemon juice using low speed in your blender. The yolks have to lighten in color before you add melted butter and blend again at low speed until the sauce is well mixed.

Serve asparagus with tomatoes and fried egg, sauce and potatoes.

And enjoy the season.

Baked dorado with rosemary

When living in a city like Hamburg you get used to eat more fish than in some little town far from sea... And you somehow get addicted to fish presence in your nutrition plan. As a big lover of sea food my husband learned how to cook it very well. So, I have to admit, I've learned some things from him. 

Premiere today - first recipe direct from my husband: baked dorado with rosemary.

Ingredients:
2 middle-sized dorados
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
lemon slices

As you might have already understood the recipe is quick and easy. These are the priority factors for all men, I guess. Therefore if you have no time to stand in the kitchen for hours, buy couple of doradoes on your way home.

Preheat the oven at 180° C. Put a sheet of foil onto the oven-tray and oil it evenly. Wash the fish thoroughly with cold water. Dry it with paper towel and oil a bit. Grease from all sides with a mixture of pepper, salt and rosemary. Especially inside. Peel onion and slice it. Put the slices inside the fish. From the upper side make three incisions and place thin lemon slices in them.






Tip!
Onion will take away slight bitterness if one occurs. And lemon slices make the taste absolutely fresh and complete. Do not hesitate to use this tip when cooking other fish types as well. Simple and clever ones.

Bake the fish for 30 minutes until golden crust. Last 5 minutes turn on the hot air mode for crispy result.

I use mainly salad as a side dish. A good example would be the one like here.

Quick, as promised.
Healthy, as usually.
Easy, as you love it.

Bacon rolled venison tenderloin under wine-cranberry sauce on a arugula pillow

Last days turned to be so windy in Hamburg that you sometimes feel yourself being literally blown away. But its just typically here, no reason to wonder. Hamburg is beautiful at any weather. At the other hand, last weeks were very special for food-lovers. Firstly, you can find a wide range of meat on the shelves of supermarkets: venison, wild boar, rabbit, goose, duck etc. Secondly, the Christmas markets are already opened. Everywhere!  A smell of freshly baked maroons mixed with sweet flavors of Stollen - a typical Christmas bread originally from Dresden, and the spicy aroma of a hot wine - Glühwein in German. Do you already feel Christmas knocking on your door?! Yeap, holidays are coming. Almost a week left. Let us go wild!

I was surprised and confused when my husband brought venison from the supermarket. I have never tried one, so I wondered: What would it taste like? What should be the best combination? Is it tastier with a sweet note or better salty? The next couple of hours I found myself at the laptop searching for the information, nutritional facts and the best combinations. I watched videos from the famous chefs, read articles and now I’m ready to share the “wild” facts and the best recipe choice with you.

And don’t be afraid. No special requirements from you. Just a strong desire and a little bit of your precious time.

By the way, deer meat is high in nutritional value. It contains iron, which is good for those, who have a lack of it, as well as vitamin B2 that will speed the metabolism. If you think that venison as wild meat has gamey smell I assure you – not at all. The taste is very juicy with a tender sour-sweet note if you cook it the way I advise.

Tip!

I’ve used a shoulder part of venison. If you are lucky to buy venison tenderloin, that is even better. The deer meat has a dark color, and that is explained with the following: deer are very active and the oxygen goes through their muscles in big amounts. Therefore they become darker. That explains why chicken meat (especially from those raised by big suppliers) is very bright.

My favorite recipe combines medium rare bacon rolled lean meat under the wine-cranberry sauce on the arugula pillow.

Get some patience and prepare the following ingredients:

300 g venison loin or shoulder
4 thin stripes of lean bacon
100 ml dry red wine
100 g dried cranberries
1 tsp sour cherry jam or wind berries jam* (optional)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
handful of arugula
salt, pepper

Let us prepare everything step by step:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the meat and cut the needed piece so that you can roll it into the bacon stripes afterwards (see picture below).

Salt and pepper the piece of venison from all sides. Roll it as shown on the picture. The bacon dress protects the lean meat and keeps it juicy and tender.

*I cooked one piece of venison. The other is just for comparison. 

Step 2

Put olive oil and butter into a frying pan. The best choice is a pan that can be put into the oven afterwards. Otherwise prepare a baking form or a piece of foil. Heat the pan and fry the rolled piece from all sides for about 10 minutes in total. The sign of perfection is the crispy golden-brown bacon crust.

Step 3

Put the meat into the oven for 7 minutes sharp. And now ATTENTION, please!
Take venison out of the oven and put it aside. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. It enables the juices to get back from the center, where they concentrated because of the heat, all over the piece. As a result you get a perfect juicy and tender, yet medium rare venison with a bacon crust full of flavors.

Step 4

Meanwhile we can prepare a wine-cranberry sauce that will complement the taste of the meat with some sour-sweet notes. So, finely chop the onion. Fry it in a saucepan with some olive oil mixed with butter (1 tsp of each). Add a pinch of salt. When the onion is brown add cranberries and jam*.  In a minute pour 100 ml of wine and let it boil for a while. Wine should evaporate so that the sauce gets a bit thicker. Afterwards blend the sauce using a stick mixer.

Serve sliced venison on a arugula pillow with a sauce topping.

Let you enjoy the fullness of the taste. Every single piece brings a magic combination of smoky flavor, sour and sweet notes of the sauce, as well as a tender juicy meat.

All in all, enjoy.

Because good food is always a good idea. Especially, when it is "wild" :)

King prawns with mango-avocado salsa on a carrot pillow

Once upon a time we were looking for a special occasion restaurant. Of course, when you have a really special occasion you would prefer to find a place with a perfect combination of atmosphere, food, interior and service. Once you love the interior and feel yourself free, two things like food and service still have to be tested and tasted. On one of those testing-tasting evenings I was lucky to try a dish I couldn't wait to cook at home. A little bit changed...My own interpretation :) Imagine: sweet-creamy mango-avocado salsa on a juicy pillow from fresh carrots with spicy prawns on top. I think you shouldn't be a crazy seafood-lover to have a try. Such an attractive offer comes very rarely. So don't miss it.

Tip!
If you want to reach the best taste of this dish make sure the prawns are fresh. It's better when they are with heads, perfectly when fresh cooled. Mango and avocado should be very ripe as well. The ripeness of avocado can be checked by pressing a little bit. A ripe fruit is firm, yet a bit soft when pressing on it. When we're talking about mango try to smell it first. You will understand at once. Then use your experience with avocados, mangoes also become softer as they ripen.

Ingredients:
500g king prawns
2 carrots
3/4 avocado
1/2 mango
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1tsp lemon juice
salt, pepper, herbs

First of all, prepare salsa. Wash mango and avocado, peel them and cut into little cute-form pieces. Mix the needed amounts together and add a sprinkle of salt, lemon juice, some pepper and dried herbs. Put aside, allow the flavors become friends.

Wash the prawns, de-shell them when needed. Heat the pan with some vegetable oil of your choice. Fry the prawns for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and let them soak it. Spice them with some pepper and dried herbs. Take them out of the hot pan to prevent rubber-texture.

Now let us put it all together. Wash the carrots, peel them and grate. Place them as the bottom layer. Put avocado-mango salsa as a middle layer. And finally add the prawns. A tiny sprinkle of dried herbs can be a finishing touch.

Enjoy! A taste of summer is here. Even though it's getting far-far-far away...