The risotto secret

Risotto for guests is not possible. I always thought. You have to stir constantly, add liquid, it must not boil down, must be cooked to the point – that means “al dente”. Too stressful when the guests are already in the kitchen. But that’s not true. The well-known TV and cruiseship chef, Franz Schned, told me how to do it. Risotto, completely relaxed…

Red cabbage as a winter stock

Red cabbage is certainly one of the classics among the autumnal-wintery vegetables in our German cuisine and I can’t imagine roast goose, game or roulades without it. In this post, I’ll tell you my recipe and how to stock up for the whole winter. Cook once, serve red cabbage six times – and that’s easy.

BBQ potatoes

Finally, a side dish that also works on the grill: Salsa Verde Potatoes replace the classic grill companion, the French bread. Anchovies, capers and olives give great flavour, and fresh herbs add the ultimate kick. Whether the pan is on the stove or the grill in the end is irrelevant to the taste.

Eggplant Dip – Mediterranean flavour

This dip of eggplant, herbs and yoghurt is a great accompaniment to roast meat and fish. It goes perfectly well with my recipe of Greek mince steaks with grilled watermelon. But even as a starter it is unbeatable: simply serve as a spread on crispy roasted bread. Fits.

Really wild wild herbs salad

What they sell on the domestic German markets as “wild asparagus” botanically is no asparagus. Of course wild asparagus exists, and I know it from my time in northern Spain, where we collected the wild asparagus in nature. Here in Germany, however, the flower sprouts of the Pyrenean Star of Bethlehem are offered under this term, mostly grown in France. And it is really delicious. Raw or steamed, it tastes very intense. For a wild herb salad a “snappy” enrichment.

Madeira: Kebabs, Poncha and Bolo de CACO

We ate the best Bolo de Caco on the village square in Monte above Funchal on Madeira island. The atmosphere there was special. It was lunch time, we were – away from the hustle and bustle of basket sled tours and cableway – alone in the square, apart from some mangy dogs hanging around and taking sometimes a sluggish effort to chase a pigeon. And there we discovered BOLO DE CACO.

Dumplings like on the alp!

Not just because they are that delicious, no, also because they can be prepared with leftovers (you know: “too good for the bin” and all that.) We don’t throw away a single piece of stale bread. We cut it into small cubes, let it dry and use it to prepare dumplings. And who ever was hiking in the mountains knows how tasty dumplings are on a mountain lodge. Dumplings in broth or dumplings with bacon and cole slaw like on the mountain? Let’s go

Pasta a la Mamma

Home-made pasta, there is nothing better. Soft wheat semolina is the magic word. I was in a small shop for Italian food. At checkout the older grumbled something grouchy, (which must be resulting from living in Northern Germany…) owner: “Pasta? You don’t figure it out anyway.” On the question of whether he was this opinion because I’m not Italian, he replied unmoved: “My wife tried for 40 years, so you will not get out even there.” Allora! Per favore!