Wild green with pea and cheese

wild green

Mediterranean people have the habit of eating wild green leaves in spring, like radicchio, rocket and dandelion, all mildly bitter. This dish is a combination of the flavor of bitter wild green, sweet fresh pea and creamy fresh local cheese.

Simply cook wild green, pea, season with salt and pepper, and warm up cheese in butter or olive oil, mix together. 

wild green with pea and cheese

 

Fresh pea

Fresh pea quickly cooked in coconut oil

It was a surprise to see big harvest of super sweet, good size pea in a friend's garden in Rovinj, Croatia. I used to plant them in April, harvest for a very short while, and the plants died when the weather becomes too hot in early July. 

Broad bean and pea plants

 

Then I learn that they planted pea in October, at the same time with broad bean, both are hardy enough over winter. There is always something to learn everyday, everywhere.

Raw artichoke

arcichoke

In the warmer Mediterranean area like Croatia, artichoke already burst into flower buds. The local way to prepare them is to boil first, remove the edible base part, cut into slices, place in the bottom of baking tray, adds onion and meat, bake until artichoke becomes a paste! Find it hard to accept this long cooking method, a total loss of flavor and identity. 

raw artichoke in olive oil

 

I like the raw method learned in Sardinia, preserving a crunchy texture and mild nutty taste. 

artichoke

1. Remove all the outside bracts, cut into thin slices, place in lemon juice to stop turning brown, season with salt & pepper for half an hour to get the slightly green and bitter juice out. 

artichoke

2. Remove lemon juice and soak in olive oil for an hour before serving.

Baked fish fillet with herbs

Gilt-headed bream

Bought 2 good size Gilt-headed breams for dinner with friends, to be served as baked fillet with herbs, the remaining carcass becomes lunch, zero waste.

1. Fillet fish, sprinkle a little salt and olive oil on both sides, cover with paper and rest in the fridge for half a day.

2. Finely mince spring onion and a little ginger, season with salt, mix well and rest for couple of hours. 

baked fish fillet withe herb

3. On a piece of baking paper, place fillet, spread herb sauce on top, fold up paper and twists both ends. 

baked fish fillet

4. Bake at 200˚C for 10 minutes.

Langoustine spaghetti

Another way to use the langoustine bisque is to serve with hand made spaghetti.

langoustine spaghetti

 

Langoustine bisque

langoustines

Whenever I see live langoustines in the market, I will buy some to enjoy the sweet taste, the same sweetness as lobster but much more tender flesh.

I simply put them into a big pot of boiling water (with slices of ginger, spring onion, salt), then switch of heat and soak them for around 2-3 minutes depending on their size.

They are sweeter when eaten cold.  

I keep the shells in the freezer until there are a lot, enough to fill a soup pot, then I transform into a bisque. 

langoustine bisque

 

1. Place half the shell on a baking tray, bake at 200˚C until fragrant, dry and slightly brown, around 30 minutes.

baked langoutine shells

2. Put the baked shells and the un-bake ones in a soup pot, add slices of a few carrots, onions, ginger, bay leaf, leek, cover with water and bring to boil, simmer for 2-3 hours until reduced to deep brown and rich flavor. 

making langoustine bisque

3. Sieve the liquid out, season with salt. At this moment, can divide into portions in jars and freezer the extra amount for future use.

4. To serve, add sour cream to boiling liquid to round off the flavor, some parsley for colour, and a few pieces of langoustine tails.

Small place great scenery - Martin Brod, Bosnia 2

A small road lead to this amazing group of karst waterfalls, charging an entrance fee of just 1 euro, and what a view!

Martin Brod

Martin Brod

Martin Brod

Martin Brod

 

The green and blue of Bosnia 1 - Kulen Vakuf

Travel to Bosnia for a short stayt, a small first taste of this country that all I know was the civil wars 20 years ago. Indeed there are ruins scattered around, but they have such unspoiled landscape, not to mention the best fly-fishing rivers in Europe!

River Una, with 15C castle at the back

hidden shelter, on the way to the castle

Kulen Vakuf - view from the castle

River Una

River Una

 

Lemon tart

Very satisfied latest creation! Based on the recipe of lemon curd, but whisk in air to transform the soft translucent curd to shiny opaque gel structure.

Lemon tart

1. For the tart base:

120gm coarse almond flour

30gm flour

100gm butter

2 eggs

60gm sugar

Cream butter and sugar, whisk in egg, fold in flour. Bake in spring form cake dish at 170˚C until golden, around 20 minutes.

2. Lemon gel:

3 lemons' juice

3 eggs

50gm butter

80gm sugar

Mix all ingredients together, cook in a bain-marie at 75˚C until thicken. In a cold bowl of water, use a hand held blender to whisk the mixture to add in air, as it cools down. When it turns opaque and very thick, pour onto cooled tart base.

Spring onion in Shanghai sauce

spring onion

The market is full of big bunches of bright green white spring onion, my favorite way is to cook in a strong sauce, the one used to make Shanghai ribs.

spring onion with figs

1. Simmer in a wide pan a part of water, with roughly 1/5  part of dark soy sauce, 3/5 part of vinegar, a few star anise, cloves, slices of ginger, and dry figs for sweetness (or brown sugar) for 15 minutes.

spring onion with fig

2. Add spring onion cut into 3 inches pieces, 2 tbsp of olive oil, simmer for half an hour, and let it cool down in the sauce. Bring to boil again before serving, and to thicken sauce. Can keep a few days in the fridge.

Baked bonito in ginger spring onion sauce

bonito

  
Start to see bonito  in the market, it has very tender flesh with mild taste. The best is to cook with a flavorful sauce. Baked in a parcel is a great way to serve at dinner party, very easy preparation, and let the guest open the parcel to enjoy the wonderful fragrance.

bonito

1. Filet the fish, season with soy sauce, smoked paprika (optional) for a 30 minutes. 

bonito

2. Finely mince spring onion and a little ginger, season with salt and olive oil.

bonito parcel

3. On a piece of baking paper, spread a little sauce, place filet on top, spread more sauce on top. Fold and twist paper to form a parcel.

bonito

4. Bake at 200˚C for 10 minutes, rest with oven door ajar for another 3 minutes.

Spaghetti alle vongole (with clam)

Spaghetti alle vongole (with clam)

A famous dish in Venice and one I like very much. Relatively easy to make at home if you have a leisurely moment.

1. Knead around 100gm pasta flour with 1 egg and a pinch of salt (2 persons portion) until shiny, wrap in cling film and rest for half an hour.

hand made pasta

2. On a well floured surface, roll the dough, in small portions, to very thin. Sprinkle flour on top, fold up and cut into thin strips. 

hand made pasta

3. Bring to boil a wide pan with a cm of water, a few slices of ginger, add well rinsed clams. Stir gently and take out clams one by one, that just opened up, throw away those that do not open. 

4. Reduce the liquid to a small bowl quantity, pour out of the pan and discard the bottom bit with sand.

5. Bring to boil a large pot of water with big pinch of salt, add spaghetti and cook until desired firmness. Move spaghetti to the pan with clam juice, lots of olive oil and clam, toss, add black pepper and serve.

Radish and kohl rabi salad

 

Root vegetables grown in winter months are more juicy and sweet, so are these kohl rabi and radish. It is said that the brassica family of vegetables have cancer fighting properties and better to eat them raw. However, these are the two in that family that I find tasty enough to enjoy eating raw.

Radish and khol rabi salad

1. Remove  skin of kohl rabi, cut into thin slices, remove top and bottom of radish and cut into thin slices, a few thins slices of ginger too.

2. Mix in 0.8% their weight of salt, some white pepper, lemon juice and zest, marinate for half a day before serving, very tasty and crunchy. Can keep in the fridge for a few days.