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Marinated Labneh

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Labneh (lob-nay), aka labne, lebna, or labaneh, is made from strained yoghurt and has a rich, creamy texture similar to whipped cream cheese and tangy like sour cream. The longer you let it strain, the thicker the labneh becomes. It's a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine and can be used as the base of a dip and spread, a swap for sour cream, stir-in ingredient or use it in place of the cream cheese to bake a cheesecake.
You can buy labnen in Middle Eastern food markets or stores, but it's actually quite easy and less expensive to make at home with just a couple of ingredients and a few common kitchen tools.

500 g Thick full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
1/2 tsp Sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
10 g Parsley, chopped, to coat
10 g Chives, chopped, to coat
2 tbsp Sumac, to coat (or za'atar)
2 tbsp Poppy seeds, to coat
2 tbsp Black seeds, to coat
2 tbsp Pink peppercorns, to coat
2 tbsp Pistachios, chopped, to coat
2 tbsp Hazelnuts, chopped, to coat
2 Garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, crushed
Salt and black pepper

Line a large sieve with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Combine yoghurt and sea salt in the sieve, then set sieve over a deep bowl. Place in refrigerator and let drain for 2-3 days.
Gently squeeze out any excess liquid and discard the whey in the bowl or use it to bake bread. Yoghurt will be very thick and resemble soft goat cheese.
Dip your fingers in oil and roll the strained yoghurt into balls about the size of a cherry tomato. Coat in desired seasoning.
Place them in a serving plate or a jar filled with some olive oil. Add in sliced garlic, crushed cumin, some pink peppercorns if desired. Season with a little bit salt and pepper.
Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 2 months. Bring back to room temperature before serving as you don’t want them to be fridge-cold.

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Tomato Salad with Kiwi and Crunchy Capers

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

The combination of tomatoes, kiwi and crisp fried capers might sound odd, but it worked like a charm. I use a mix of dark coloured heirloom tomato and regular grape and cherry tomatoes, but any quality tomatoes will work just as fine. Feel free to throw in some avocado for an extra boost of potassium. The salad is light, fresh and full of flavour. Serve it as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to meat.

50 g Capers, rinsed and patted dry
3 tbsp Avocado oil for frying
300 g Dark coloured tomatoes, sliced (or heirloom tomato of your choice)
100 g Grape tomatoes, halved
100 g Cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Kiwi, ripe yet firm, peeled and sliced
1 Fresh lime, zested and juiced
Celtic grey sea salt
Freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp Tarragon, chopped
2 tbsp Eextra virgin olive oil

Drain the brined capers, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat avocado oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add in capers and fry, swirling the pan gently, until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the capers to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside to cool briefly before using.
Place the sliced tomato, lime juice, sea salt and black pepper in a large bowl and gently toss to combine. Arrange tomatoes and kiwi on a large patter and divide into two plates.
Sprinkle crispy capers over the salad. Top with chopped tarragon and drizzle with olive oil to serve.

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Fruity Carrot Soup Spelt Bread

Monday, April 05, 2021

This healthy carrot soup spelt loaf is a super simple and easy quick bread recipe featuring leftover orange carrot soup, desiccated coconut flakes and cream nougat Baumstamm (a type of German Christmas candy with nougat and dark chocolate). It comes together in no time and the result is a perfectly tender, super moist and flavourful carrot bread. It is the perfect treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or as a a quick snack.

200 g White spelt flour (Dinkel #630)
50 g Desiccated coconut flakes, lightly toasted
7 g Baking powder
4 g Baking soda
1/2 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
A pinch of salt
480 g Leftover orange carrot soup
50 g Egg
100 g Cream Nougat Baumstamm (Nougat with dark chocolate coating)
Carrot tops for topping
1 tbsp Butter, softened

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 22x10x7cm loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together spelt flour, coconut flakes, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a bowl.
In another mixing bowl, stir together the carrot soup and egg until well combined. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan and place the cream nougat candy in the center. Cover with the remaining half batter. Smooth the surface and top with a few of carrot tops.
Bake in the middle of oven until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Remove and brush the top with softened butter. Let cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Roasted Leg of Venison

Friday, April 02, 2021

Venison is the meat of a deer. The meat is dark, lean and generally tender with a dense texture. The younger the animal, the more tender the meat. Choose your cut according to what you want to do with it. My favourite cut for roasting is the leg of venison, which is marinated with a mixture of melted tallow (duck fat would work beautifully here too), herbs, allspice, juniper berries and Hawaiian black lava salt. This recipe will give you a medium meat – roaste it for longer if you'd prefer it to be well done.

850 g-1kg Boneless leg of venison
5 tbsp Tallow, melted (butter, duck fat or olive oil)
1 tsp Dried thyme
1 tsp Savory, chopped
1 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Juniper berries , crushed
1 tsp Allspice, crushed
1 tsp Hawaiian black lava salt
1 Red onions, sliced
500 ml Homemade beef stock
100 ml Red wine (or beef stock)
Roasted carrots, to serve
Spelt pasta, to serve
Fresh herbs, to garnish

Rinse and pat dry the leg of venison. Stir together the melted tallow, dried herbs and black lava salt. Coat the leg of venison thoroughly with the mariande. Leave it in the fridge overnight.
Bring the venison to room temperature 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Heat an oven and flameproof skillet over a medium-high heat until very hot. Add in venison and brown it on all sides. Add in sliced onions around the meat. Add in half of beef stock and roast in the oven for 40 minutes for medium, 60-70 minutes for well done.
Remove from the oven, put onto a serving platter and keep warm by covering with a sheet of tin foil. Rest for a minimum of 10 minutes before carving, leaving the roasted onions in the skillet for the gravy.
For the gravy, deglaze roasting skillet with the remaining stock and red wine if using, stirring in all the caramelized juices from the skillet. Use a stick blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes to reduce the gravy slightly. If you prefer your gravy slightly thicker, whisk a teaspoon of cornstach mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of water to make a smooth paste and stir into the gravy.
Strain the gravy if you wish, season to taste. Serve slices of venison with spelt pasta, maple syrup roasted carrots and the gravy.

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Devilled Eggs with Parsley and Quark

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been peeled, halved, then stuffed with a mixture made from the yolks and other ingredients. Traditionally, the filling is made with yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne or paprika powder, salt and pepper. I left out the mayonnaise and used some German fresh cheese instead and some fresh herbs since it's Spring. You can also swap out mayo for creamy ripe avocado. They are protein rich, keto-friendly, and taste so good. Serve them as an appetizer or picnic food.

5 Large eggs
1 tbsp Shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp Flat parsley, finely chopped
150 g Full fat Quark (fresh German cheese)
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Pink salt and black pepper
100 g Plain yoghurt
25 g Parsley, finely chopped
Chilli flakes, optional

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there's 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 10-12 minutes.
Drain, rinse under cold water and crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels.
Halve eggs lengthwise, and carefully scoop out yolks. Place yolks in a bowl and set whites aside. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add in Quark, chopped parsley, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
Coat the bottom of egg white halves with yoghurt, then roll in chopped parsley. Arrange them on a serving platter.
Wet your hands and gently shape the egg yolk mixture into 10 small balls and fill each egg white half with one. Garnish with chilli flakes if using.