Salmorejo- Gazpacho's Creamier Cousin

While I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a lovely garden over looking the beautiful Danube region of Wachau in Lower Austria.

The last weeks have been so incredibly hot that even the Austrian country side known for its lovely landscape displaying all shades of green has slowly turned into  sad 50 shades of brown.
People try to escape the heat in the city travleing to the many lakes that surround Vienna and having a refreshing swim, even it's only after office hours.
We had literally tropical nights with temperatures far beyond any historical record.
But it's not all about heat, there are as well the joys of summer such as:
-Wonderful ice cream at our favorite Italian ice cream parlor.  Zanoni in Down Town Vienna seems quite addictive to all my family.  http://www.zanoni.co.at/

-A delicious Frapuccino at one of the many traditional Viennese Cafes.

 -A refreshing swim at the gorgeous "Krapfenwaldl" public swimminig pool
 -Summer nights at one of the typical Heurigen, where white wine from the latest harvest is served, together with fresh and delightful simple food and typical Viennese music.
Fuhrgasselhuber at the district of Neustift is one of our favorites.
www.fuhrgassl-huber.at/

-Enjoying my favorite book under the shadow of an old tree
And there are as well all the gastronomic pleasures of summer.
One of them is the simple, light and refreshing Salmorejo.
This wonderful iced tomatoe soup comes originally from the Spanish region of Cordoba.
Its simple elegance and perfect harmony of flavors and textures makes it an all time summer favorite.

I got this recipe from my friend Pepe, a Spanish diplomat and  foodie with a passion for the delicious plates of his home country.
When we tried the Salmorejo at his home, I got carried away by it-s fantastic taste and was astonished how simple it is to prepare.
This is why I want to share this gorgeous little summer secret with you.
Less known abroad than it's cousin Gazpacho, it is very popular in Spain and is starting to conquer the many foreign visitors to Spain as well.
This is what you need:

1 cup of day old white bread. crusts discard, cut into chunks
1 kg of ripe red tomatoes,  peeled.
1/2 a cup of excellent quality Spanish olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed ( for me, just one worked fine)
1/4 cup of Balsamico vinegar (or Sherry vinegar)
1 hard boild egg and Jamon Serrano to garnish
Coarse salt
Preparation:
Cut out the cores of the tomatoes and divide each tomato into four.

Blend tomatoes at high speed until creamy..
Add the bread soaked in a bit tomato juice or water, the  garlic and the vinegar. Pulse through.
Add olive oil and if necessary a bit more of water and blend just to reach a creamy texture. At the end add the vinegar and mix again.
Check the seasoning, add more oil if necessary and this wonderful summer dish is ready.
Garnish with chopped hard boiled egg and chopped Jamon Serrano,

Serves 4 larger or 6 small p.
Enjoy!

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From France With Love - Ratatouille

Do you remember the singular dialogue between the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey and her butler Carson when being presented with a new, strangely decorated dish at dinner:

"Carson, is this what I'm afraid it is?"

And after trying the dish: “I wish it would have been what I thought it was."

So far the irreparable Lady Violett Crawley on food styling and mental delusion at the table.

For me, a beautiful presentation of food is definitely important because eating is a multisensory experience and we all are "eating with our eyes" as well.

It's about creating expectation and not disappointing it, of course.

Reading the papers some days ago, I stumbled about an article discussing a new movement called

"We Want Plates".

The movement defines itself as "Crusading against food being served on bits of wood and roof tiles.

Chips in little buckets, peas in flowerpots and jam-jar drinks can do one too"

And dam right they are.

I was LOL looking at the incredible pictures frustrated foodies made of their meals presented in every imaginable accessory but not on a plate.

If you want to know more about it and join the fun go to:

https://twitter.com/WeWantPlates

or

facebook.com/WeWantPlates 

Of course there are certain plates that are difficult to present.

The one I'm going to post today, the wonderful French Ratatouille, is one of them.

Ratatouille is one of the typical plates of Provence, a region in the south of France that celebrates its fantastic veggies and herbs by elaborating stunning classics like Ratatouille.

The secret lies in its simplicity, no artificial flavors added, all natural and superb.

As a bonus it is really easy to prepare, suitable for health and fitness fans, vegetarians and vegans and the subtle flavors blend together perfectly.

It can be eaten on its own or as a side dish for grilled chicken,fish, meat and works great with pasta.

Here we go.

You need:

 

 1\2 cup of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red capsicum, seeds removed and cut into strips

1 yellow capsicum, seeds removed and cut into strips

1 large eggplant (about 250g), cut into small cubes

1 large zucchini ( about 250g), cut into small cubes

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 large ripe tomatoes ( about 400g), peeled and seeds removed, cut into large cubes

1 Bouquet garni ( 8 sprigs parsely,2 sprigs fresh thyme and one bay leaf, tied together with cooking twine)

2 spoonful of coarsely chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

In a large pot, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the capsicum.

 Remove from pot and drain over kitchen paper.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pot and sauté eggplant and zucchini.

Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is  translucent.

Then add the bouquet garni and tomatoes, bring to a boil,  cover the pan with a tight lid and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

 Just looking at the gorgeous colors is a pleasure.

Serve sprinkled with fresh basil.

(Ratatouille can be served as well cold, delicious on a hot summer day with grilled meat or fish.) 

Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as a light dinner or main course.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Spring Preview: Oven Baked Asparagus with Parmesan and Prosciutto

Winter has been long and chilly and everybody is longing for the first signs of spring.
We were lucky to escape the cold weather by the end of January when we travelled back to Peru and are now enjoying summer at it's best.

Here it's Asparagus season - a veggie we all love.
Back in our Austrian country home, my grandfather used to grow his own Asparagus in the vegetable garden.
Harvest time was from the end of April until the end of June (usual finishing at St Johns Day, the 24th of June)
I still remember the excitement when watching him cutting this delicacy so that our cook ( as most of the outstanding Central European cooks coming originally from  the Czech Republic) could prepare it as fresh as possible.
Nobody ever dared to come late for dinner because my grandfather took punctuality for this special dinner as serious as you can possibly imagine.
It was served after delicately cooking in slightly buttered salt water with a bit sugar added to enhance the flavor.
Served with a wonderful Sauce Hollandaise that literally melted in your mouth and matched the delicate asparagus flavor perfectly, this meal was as close as one could possibly be to culinary heaven.
One of the great qualities of asparagus is it's versatility.
The key to great taste is freshness and not to overcook this delicate veggie.
Todays preparation is quick and tastes fantastic.
You need only a few ingredients and the flavors and textures pair very well.
A great sneak or appetizer as well as a light meal, it will bring a bit of spring time feeling to your table.
I wanted to apologies for the poor quality of some of the pictures but I had some problems with  my camera.

You need:

1 bunch (about 1/2kg) green asparagus
1/4  cup melted butter
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
100g thinly sliced Prosciutto or Serrano ham, halved
1teaspoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly grated pepper (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 220 C ( 425F)
cut the ends of the asparagus off (don't throw them away, they make a great cream soup!), leaving you with about 9 cm spears from the tip to the middle of the spear.

Blanch the asparagus for just 1 to 2 minutes in boiling water with a bit of salt.

Drain and pat dry with paper towel.
Brush with melted butter.

Coat in grated parmesan cheese

Wrap each asparagus with a 1/2 a slice of prosciutto.

season with salt and freshly ground pepper (I recommend very little salt as the parmesan and prosciutto are already salty)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place asparagus onto  the baking sheet

and bake for about 7 minutes or until parmesan is golden brown.

Sprinkle with a bit of Olive oil and lemon juice (optional)

Enjoy!

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From Rome With Love: Delectable Pumpkin Crostinis

Do you enjoy traveling?

Most people would affirm, I suppose.

The issue is when it comes to unpacking. There are those who let their suitcase "rest" for a few days before they empty their luggage and there are those who have to unpack immediately as soon as they walk over their own doorstep. 

I'm rather a member of the frenetically unpack ASAP club - even when coming home after midnight.

We just returned from a short trip to Rome where we used to live for two years and... we came home after midnight. Guess what I did?

Anyhow, it was a wonderful trip and the memories will stay on.

It was so beautiful to come back, see our friends there and enjoy the charm of La Bella Roma. 

It felt as if we would have never left, walking the narrow streets of the city center, visiting our favorite restaurants and bars (Just want to clarify before you might think that we are totally devoted to alcohol that a bar in Italy is actually a cafe) :)

We also visited an exceptional exhibition about Cleopatra in a lovely old monastery called the Chiostro del Bramante. http://chiostrodelbramante.it/

The queen conquered the eternal city by storm.

Visitors are streaming to the Chiostro to pay tribute to Cleopatra much the same as the Roman emperors Julius Cesar and Marcus Antonius did at the time of the Roman Empire.   

Here are a few of our Roman Impressions I would like to share with you.

Evening light at the Ponte Milvio. Couples in Rome have long been attaching padlocks to the bridge as symbols of love.

A sculpture watching over the bridge

A delicious treat with fresh Carpaccio di Manzo , Ruccola and shaved Parmesan at a restaurant at the Campo di Fiori. http://www.primocafe.it/

Strolling Piazza del Popolo on Sunday afternoon

Any idea how he does this"meditation" trick?

Would H.M. be amused?

And finally a delectable Italian treat, presto and with only 5 ingredients for a surprising, easy holiday appetizer.

For the Pumpkin Crostini you need:

1 small baguette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups coarsly shredded pumpkin

1 cup coarsly shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt, freshly ground pepper

basil leaves for decoration

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add chopped onions,cook until traslucent.

Add shredded Pumpkin and cook for only 2 minutes or until al dente (do not overcook) 

Season with salt and pepper.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the baguette into 1/2 inch slices.

Cover generously with the pumpkin mixture.

Spread with shredded Parmesan. 

Bake until cheese has melted (7 to 10 minutes) and turned into a golden brown color. 

Garnish with fresh Basil leaves and serve immediately

Enjoy!

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