Ginger, turmeric and lemongrass harvest

Last spring planted small pieces of ginger, turmeric, and a few sticks of lemongrass in the greenhouse, my first attempt to grow them. A lot of leaves shot up in summer and gradually ginger and turmeric started to grow fingers, and lemongrass multiflied. Snapped off a few pieces to use in cooking, quite strong taste.

ginger & turmeric in greenhouse

lemongrass

 

Hiking in the snow

It had been a very wet winter and ski resorts still open. For an entrance fee of only 5 Euro, snow-shoes hiking is a popular sport here, it is easy to understand, the environment is simply gorgeous.

Cauliflower cheese nut crumble

A meal on its own, and very delicious.

1. Cut cauliflower into florets, cook in an inch of water with a big pinch of salt until just cooked.  Drain liquid and place florets in baking dish.

2. Mix equal quantities of chopped nuts, flour, grated Gruyere, butter, season with salt, nutmeg, white pepper and brown sugar, then dilute with yogurt, or milk or sour cream to a thick paste.

3. Spoon crumble mix loosely on top of cauliflower, bake at 220˚C until golden, around 15 minutes.

Tongue with miso sauce

I used diluted miso as a dipping sauce instead of soya sauce, the flavor is richer and more complex.

1. Cut the tough white skin off tongue (pig or cow), place in a boiling pot of water with a few slices of ginger, a big pinch of salt, bay leaves and pepper.

2. Bring to boil for 10 minutes, either keep in a thermo cooker pot overnight, or keep simmering until soft.

3. Dilute dark miso paste with water (and Sherry, optional) to reduce saltiness, may need a spoonful of brown sugar for a balanced taste, add some olive oil for shine.

Blue honeysuckle

This is the flower of Blue Honeysuckle, a variety of honey suckle from Siberia, the fruit is blue, hence the name. It flowers early as it can withstand the cold, and is said to be the first edible berry of the season. This is the first time I grow this plant and I look forwards to harvest the berries in early May.

Fennel, cranberry and roasted coconut salad

Very colourful and flavourful salad.

1. Cut fennel into thin strips, marinate with salt, pepper and a spoonful of brown sugar for around half an hour, until soft.

2. Dry roast shredded coconut in a pan, stirring all the time until golden.

3. Mix fennel with a handful of cranberry (or raisin), sprinkle roasted coconut on top.

Smoked salmon in tomato sauce

1. Remove skin and sear smoked salmon until just cooked, cut into cubes.

2. Bring to boil equal quantity of water and tomato paste, add a handful of cranberry and almond flakes, season with coriander powder and black pepper.

3. When boiling, add salmon cubes and serve.

Germination

It is beautiful to see seeds germinate, delicate young shoots and roots growing out, and feel their strong wish to live. 

rice

quinoa

Peru purple corn

Peru white corn

 

Rack of lamb with coconut crust

Good roasted coconut fragrance that goes well with a meat dish.

1. Marinate rack of lamb with salt & white pepper overnight.

2. Mix equal quantity of shredded coconut, coconut oil or butter, flour, a big pinch of salt, black pepper and a tbsp of brown sugar.

3. Sear both sides of lamb very well, spread mustard on rack of lamb, then spoon coconut crust mixture loosely on top.

4. Bake at 200˚C until golden, around 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of lamb.

Grapefruit pine nut salad

A refreshing salad for a hot day or as a light starter.

1. Peel red grapefruit into segments without pith.

2. Dry roast pine nut in a pan, stirring all the time until golden.

3. Sprinkle cooled pine nut on grapefruit, season with salt, black pepper and a little sugar.

Honey glazed smoked salmon

1. Remove skin, sear both sides of salmon in a dry pan.

2. Add around 4 tbsp of honey and equal volume of white wine or water, a few slices of ginger, white pepper and parsley. Bring to boil and poach smoked salmon for around 5 minutes each side, until just warmed up and honey sauce thicken.

Duck breast in fermented rice sauce

1. Cut criss-cross pattern on skin side of duck breast, sear at low heat to render  fat out.

2. Cover a pot with half an inch of water, add slices of ginger, five spices powder, soya sauce, white pepper, 2 spoonful of fermented rice, and the duck breast. Cook at just simmering for 10 minutes each side. Serves sliced thin.

Fermented rice

A unique sweet taste and healthy to eat.

1. Soak 500gm white rice in water over night.

2. Cook 1 part soaked rice in 1 part water. Stir and cool to around 35˚C.

3. Pound a ball of rice yeast into powder with a tbsp of sugar.

4. Mix rice with yeast, cover with fling film.

5. Keep in a warm place around 30˚C, traditionally wrap up with duvet. I found the best is to keep in an oven with a bowl of hot water, for 36-48 hours, stir after 24 hours.

6. When it tastes sweet, keep in the fridge to slow down fermentation.

7. Eat as such, or with a poach egg in a little water.

Asparagus with cheese nut crumble

A savory crumble that complements the sweetness of white asparagus.

1. Plain grill white asparagus until just cooked.

2. Mix equal quantity of grated Gruyere cheese, chopped nut, flour and butter, season with salt, white pepper and a tbsp of brown sugar.

3. Spread crumble mixture loosely on top of white asparagus, bake at 220˚C until crumble turns golden, around 10 minutes.

Smoked mackerel, fennel and seaweed salad

A crunchy smoked fish salad, seaweed adds an extra flavor dimension.

1. Cut fennel into small pieces, marinate with salt, brown sugar, black pepper and mix seaweed flakes for half an hour.

2. Grill smoked mackerel, remove skin and break into bite size pieces, mix with fennel.

Tomato butternut squash soup

A complex taste with the sourness of tomato, the richness of nut butter and the exotic flavor of Sichuan pepper.

1. Cut butternut squash or pumpkin into small cubes, cook in water until soft.

2. Mix in 2 tbsp of almond or peanut butter, then half a cup of tomato puree.

3. Season with salt, black pepper and Sichuan pepper.

Short crust, chewy centre, cup cake 酥皮小蛋糕

Another interesting creation after Sticky, chewy nutty biscuit 笑口餅. The outside of this cup cake is like a short bread, really light and short, the inside is sticky and chewy, very big contrast in texture.

1. Preheat oven to 170˚C.

2. Ingredients:

180gm sticky/glutinous rice flour

50gm brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

150gm soft butter

3 eggs

~ 30gm milk

3. Mix flour, sugar and baking powder together, add in beaten egg and softened butter, mix well. Add milk until you get a thick paste.

4. Whisk by hand or use an electric whisk, work the cake mix until lighter in colour, about 2 minutes by electric whisk.

5. Spoon into cup cake moulds, bake until golden and firm, around 40 minutes.

Strawberry ginger jam

I used organic strawberry and old ginger to make this jam. Choose small strawberries if possible, small ones have more flavor than big ones. The ginger flavor gives this jam a twist, and the strawberry flavored ginger is nice to eat too.

1. Depending on size, cut strawberries into 4 to 8 pieces.

2. Marinate strawberry with around 1/5 by weight of brown sugar. Cut old ginger into thin slices.

3. After an hour, bring the mixture to boil, let it cool down without a lid, use a mesh to stop anything falling in.

4. When completely cooled down, repeat this process a few times, 5 times in this case, for excess liquid to evaporate and the jam becomes thick enough, adjust final sweetness.