Wild Garlic and Ginger Butter
Monday, April 04, 2022Wild Garlic in the Woods
Wild garlic, aka ramsons, or ramps, or bear’s garlic (Bärlauch), is expensive to buy (100 g=2 Euro) but free to forage. Just make sure you’re picking the right thing: the leaves of wild garlic are easily mistaken for lily of the valley (Maiglöckchen), and also autumn crocuses (Herbstzeitlose). They are both poisonous and neither of these two smell or taste like garlic or chives. The best way to identify wild garlic is by smell. Crush a leaf in your hand and the aroma should smell strongly of garlic.
Wild garlic is used traditionally throughout Europe as a spring tonic due to its blood-purifying properties, similarly to bulb garlic, it is also thought to lower cholesterol and blood-pressure, which in turn helps to reduce the risk of diseases such as heart attack or stroke.
Picked wild garlic leaves will keep for 3-4 days in dark and cook place (a plastic bag in the salad draw of your fridge is ideal), but the flowers are best used on the day they are picked. The whole plant of this punchy springtime herb is edible and can be used in pestos, garlic butter, soups, tarts, marinades and more. This wild garlic flavoured butter is extremely versatile – use to spread onto a sourdough bread, to make garlic pull-apart bread or gnocchi, to toss with pasta or melted over a griddled steak or baked potato.
Wild Garlic and Ginger Butter
inspired by this recipe on Küchengötter
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- Peel and finely chop the ginger, preferably press it through a garlic press. Wash the wild garlic thoroughly, then spin dry them using a salad spinner. Finely chop the dried wild garlic. Peel the garlic and press through a garlic press.
- Place the softened butter in a bowl with salt, then juice the lime and add to the butter. Add in ginger, wild garlic and garlic.
- Mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer until combined. The flavoured butter is now ready to use if you're cooking with it straight away.
- Or spoon out the soft butter into a log at the bottom quarter of a cling film and wrap very tightly round the butter, then roll up the rest of the cling film around it. Roll the wrapped butter across the table until you have a smooth log shape. Tie a knot at each end, ensuring you have squeezed out all the air. Chill for at least one hour or until needed. You can freeze the log for a month and cut off slices as needed.
Whole Baked Mackerel
Saturday, April 02, 2022Mackerel is an underrated fish that’s packed full of flavour, beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-12 and other important nutrients that can benefit your health while being a budget-friendly and sustainable option too. Buy at its freshest, when in season if you can. Good mackerel will have a shining eyes, colourful skin, blood-red gills and a firm, muscular feel. Their flesh is rich, dark and oily and must be eaten very fresh. Despite the simplicity of the recipe, roasted mackerel with fresh herb, potato, and tomatoes makes a perfect oven-to-table family meal!
Baby Dandelion Greens with Strawberries and Nuts
Thursday, March 31, 2022Dandelion is much more than just an annoying weed growing in the yard. According to webmd.com, it has been cultivated for its culinary and medicinal benefits for centuries. From root to flower, dandelions are highly nutritious plants loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The polysaccharides in dandelion are known to reduce stress on the liver and support its ability to produce bile. They also help your liver filter potentially harmful chemicals out of your food. Dandelion is also a good source of Vitamin C, one of the most helpful vitamins for the immune system. They are also noted for their ability to stabilize blood sugar, making them an excellent supplement for diabetics. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dandelion (pu gong ying in Chinese) has been used to treat stomach problems, heartburn, skin disorders, and high cholesterol. Dandelion greens have a slightly bitter, arugula-like taste. The earlier you pick them, the less bitter they will be. Harvest tender young leaves for best flavour. The sunny blossoms of dandelion can be used to garnish salad or to make fritters (dipped in tempura batter and fried until crisp). The root can be used to make tea, which will effectively treat digestive issues and fight inflammation. They can be found in deep woods, gardens, lawns or roadsides. Avoid high traffic areas when harvesting dandelion plants and any dandelions that have been sprayed with fertilizer or any other toxic sprays. To keep your dandelion harvest fresh, store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or in a lightly dampened towel.
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- Thoroughly wash the dandelion leaves. Use a salad spinner to dry them and cut in half crossways if necessary. If you don't have a salad spinner, then use clean dish towel or paper towels to thouroughly dry them. Set aside for an hour to air dry them. You don't want to use wet greens for the salads as they will dilute the flavour of your dressing.
- Cut the stems off the strawberries. Rinse and dry them, then slice the strawberries into half or quarters if they are too large.
- Put the pine nuts in a dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
- For the vinaigrette, mix together the olive oil, broth, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper until combined.
- Toss danelion leaves and strawberries with the dressing in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over and serve.
Keto Air-Fryer Fried Chicken
Monday, March 28, 2022Those air-fried chicken thighs come out golden and crispy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside, and needs only a light coat of of olive oil to become crisp. Spicing up the almond Parmesan mixture with garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper gave the coating a wonderful array of flavours, aromas, and colours.
Chicken thighs get a crispy, crunchy coating with a well-spiced blanched almond powder with Parmesan in this simple and easy chicken recipe. Everything comes together deliciously in the air fryer for a family-friendly meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. Serve with a seasonal salad or use them to make chicken sandwiches.
Breading | |
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- Half each chicken thigh, trimming off excess fat if desired. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs in a bowl until combined. Stir together all breading ingredients in another bowl until well-mixed. Prepare a large tray lined with parchment paper for the breaded chicken thighs. Working with one chicken piece at a time, coat chicken first in breading bowl, then in egg wash bowl, then again in breading bowl. Place breaded chicken pieces on prepared tray.
- Preheat your air fryer at 200C/400F. I usually switch it on about 3 minutes prior to cooking. Coat preheated fry basket with olive oil or cooking spray. Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket, making sure chicken pieces are not touching. Coat chicken breasts with olive oil. Depending on the size of air-fryer basket, you can make 2-3 pieces at once. I have a small air fryer so I could only fit in 2 pieces at once.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes. Open the air-fryer and flip chicken thighs over, and coat with olive oi. Air Fry for 6-8 more minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken breasts.
No Bake Chocolate Tart with Edible Gold and Rose
Thursday, March 24, 2022This decadent, luscious no-bake chocolate tart tastes as good as it looks, yet couldn't be easier to make. For the crust, I use a simple mixture of all-butter spiced cookies and butter- a combination that you can never go wrong with. You can even vary the type of cookie crust you make by changing out speculoos cookies for other types of cookies. Try shortbread cookies, Oreo cookies or simple sugar cookie.
The crust is filled with a lusciously rich chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnuts, then topped off with specks of edible gold leaf and dried rose petals. An easy yet sophisticated dessert! The chocolate tart will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Cookie Crust | Filling & Assembly |
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- Crush the biscuits by putting them in a large, strong, plastic food bag and bashing with a rolling pin. Melt the butter, then stir in the cookies. Press onto the base and up the sides of a 22cm-24cm tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure the edges and the bottom are compact and of even thickness. Chill for an hour to firm up before adding the filling. Or just make the crust a day or two before.
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a baking pan add hazelnuts in one layer and toast in middle of oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins and cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, add chopped dark and milk chocolate. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the heavy cream and butter to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and pour mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute and stir until melted and smooth.
- Add the toasted hazelnuts to the crust and pour mixture over chilled cookie crust and chill until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Beet Juice Pickled Eggs
Monday, March 21, 2022One of fun ways to pickle eggs is in beet juice so that the egg whites turn a pretty pink. The beet brine, which is guaranteed to add a little magic to your food, contains beet juice, apple cider vinegar, allspice, bay leaf, chilli pepper and salt. I didn't add extra sugar because the beet juice is sweet enough. You can use other spices like cloves, mustard seeds, onion, caraway seeds, and peppers to the brine. Allow to sit for 48 hours or more for maximum flavour. Serve with a salad for a light meal or enjoy them as a snack.
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- Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add eggs and simmer for 6 minutes for soft-boiled or 9 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop the egg from cooking any further.
- Combine the beet juice, ACV, cinnamon bark, allspice, bay leaf, chilli pepper, and salt in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside to cool.
- Peel the eggs and place in a jar or bowl. When the brine has cooled, carefully pour over the eggs, making sure all the eggs are fully submerged in the liquid.
- Cover the bowl or close the jar and refrigerate at least overnight for slightly pickled eggs. If you want them to fully seasoned to the yolks, leave it 3 days. They will keep for months if fully submerged in the brine.
- Slice the egg and serve with a salad as an appetizer or a light lunch.
Hazelnut and Clementine Frangipane Tart
Friday, March 18, 2022Made with gorgeous frangipane filling this clementine tart is a best served with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. With seedless, juicy and sweet clementines, this fruity bake is a perfectly tasteful treat to finish off your weekend dinner or a delightful afternoon treat with friends and family or for when you need an impressive dessert that's sure to please a crowd. You can use any kind of citrus fruit for this cake. Next time I'll change up the fruit and nuts for a different twist.
Tart | Hazelnut Frangipane |
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- Place the flour, hazelnut meal, icing sugar and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and water and process until dough just comes together. Shape into a log and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm-thick round. Line the base and sides of an 24cm / 8inch tart pan, with removable base, with the pastry. Trim the edges and place in the fridge for a further 30 minutes to rest.
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights or rice and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 180C/350F.
- To make the frangipane filling, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat to combine. Add the hazelnut meal and flour and stir until combined.
- Spread the frangipane evenly over the crust. Arrange the nectarines over the frangipane and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the frangipane filling is golden and firm to touch. Set aside to cool.
- Microwave the orange jam on highfor 30 seconds or until jam melts. Strain through a fine sieve. Brush the hot jam evenly over tart. Cut into slices to serve, with whipped cream or ice cream.