February 2007

Five years ago I came to NY to meet the man I had met online and to whom I had been talking by phone for hours for four months . I was amazed by his voice and he soon became my friend. I told him all of my secrets, he told me  the story of  his life. We both were lonely and we craved for affection.

For him it was a love at first sight and soon he declared that  he will marry me. I was very confused at the beginning but when I had to come back to family home, I knew that I’m in love – madly and deeply. It took  us two years until we decided to  get married. Yes, I regret these month of parting but it made our relation stronger. Our live together hasn’t been  a bed of roses, but now we’re  sure that our love is for better or for worse. Being together at our home is the biggest happiness for us.

Tamarind Shiitake Mussels

5 tablespoons wet tamarind

3 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek

0.75 shitake mushrooms, sliced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

12  New Zealand Green Shell Mussels (on the half shell, frozen)

to garnish:

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Soak the tamarind in hot water for 1 hour. In a dutch oven, heat the coconut oil. Cook the onion until soft, add the garlic and the chili, ginger, fenugreek and crushed coriander seeds. Add sliced mushrooms and salt, cover with lid and cook for a few minutes. Season with  the black pepper. Mash the soaked tamarind  into a pulp and strain pressing the tamarind into the strainer so that all the pulp comes out.

Wet Tamarind

Add the frozen mussels and combine the ingredients ; cover the dutch oven with the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.  Removed the shells.  Serve over rice and garnish with the cilantro.

Pork Ribs

2.6 lb pork loin ribs, cut into serving portions

For broth:

16 oz sherry cooking wine

2 bay leaves

4 allspices berries

4 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 leak

celeriac , fit size piece

1 medium carrot

for glaze:

1 cup broth

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Make the  broth.

Broth ingredients

Simmer the ribs in wine with veggies and spices for 1 hour, covered. Remove the lid and cook for 1 hour to reduce the amount of  the borth to 1 cup.

Reduced broth

Remove the celeriac, carrot and leek.  Make the glaze. Blend the rest of the ingredients with a stick blender. Mix in  the maple syrup. Brush the cooked ribs with the glaze and brown in a broiler.

Sake Marinated Buffalo Steaks

2 buffalo steaks (4 oz each)

Sake Marinated Buffalo Steaks

Marinade:

2 tablespoons dried wakame

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 tablespoons warmed sake

to fry :

1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

to serve: black (forbidden) rice

spring onion curles

Make the marinade; add buffalo steaks and toss to cat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. In a large skillet heat  1 tablespoon of coconut oil and fry the meat to desired doneness ( an internal temperature of 145 F is recommended).

To prepare  spring onions curls:

Choose small,slim spring onions and trim most of their green leaves to leave a 3 in length. Shred the onions length-ways to within about 1/2 in of the root end. Take care not to cut through the root completely. Place the shredded spring onions in a small bowl of iced water and chill for 15-20 minutes or until shredded ends have curled.

Smoked Oysters

I’m  sure that I wouldn’t  like to handle, shuck or eat oysters. The only way to let my husband to enjoy them is to buy a can of smoked oysters. I remove them from a can, add 2-3 tablespoons of spring onions and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper (or and cayenne pepper). Voilà!

Upside-down Haddock Casserole

4 haddock fillets

black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt pepper to season the fish

4 spring onions chopped

Broiled Haddock Fillets

16 oz  chopped spinach leaved, frozen

2 garlic cloves

1 Meyer lemon, juice and zest

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 oz reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

6 oz low fat farmer cheese, crumbled

Spinach and Cheese

Cut the fillets in half, season , arrange in a baking dish and top with the chopped onions. Broil for a few minutes. Defrost the spinach leaves in a microwave, mix in both cheeses, garlic and spices. Mix until well blended. Arrange the spinach and cheese mixture over the haddock. Broil until nicely browned.

Casserole

Buttery Ostrich Patties with Fried Onions

10 oz ostrich ground meat (2 patties)

Marinade:

Ostrich patties marinade

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon Orange Muscat Champagne  vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

1/8 teaspoon salt

To serve:

1 medium onion, diced

cooked wild rice

Combine the butter, vinegar and seasonings.  Brush the patties with approx.  1/3 of the seasoned butter. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Heat the rest of the butter in a large skillet. Fry the patties for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the skillet and arrange over the cooked rice. Fry the onions until nicely browned. Top the patties and serve.

Valentine's Day

Marsala Wine Dried Cherries

1 cup marsala wine

6 OZ unsweetened unsulfured dark sweet cherries

In a jar combine the wine and cherries. Cover with lid and refrigerate for at least 1 week.

Heart Cupcakes

For cupcakes :

Recipe from :http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=4754&name=Black-Magic-Cake. Delicious cake and very easy to make. Simple and not expensive ingredients make  a moist chocolate cake.

Ingredients: (I have made only  few changes)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups whole whet pastry flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, jumbo
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black tea
1/2 cup grape-seed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

I heated  my oven to 350ƒF.  In a large mixing bowl, I stirred together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder . Then I added the eggs, buttermilk, tea, oil and vanilla; I combined the ingredients with a silicone spatula. I used a non-stick spray with flour on  2 cupcake pans.*I filled each cupcake pan with the thin butter until  2/3 full.(* The pans I used :http://www.amazon.com/Decorator-Silicone-Cake-Cupcake-Cavities/dp/B006QMYRCI/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329180148&sr=8-1-spell)

I baked  until wooden pick inserted in a center of  came out clean (about 40 minutes).  I let them cool for  10 minutes. Then I removed them  from the  pans to wire racks.  When the cupcake cooled completely, I topped them with the Marsala cherries.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Braised Sauerkraut and Pork Chops with Maple Butter

For the sauerkraut:

2 lb sauerkraut

1 bay leaf

3-4 allspice berries

1 tablespoon butter

10 bulbs of spring onions

1/4 black pepper

1/4 sweet paprika powder

8 oz baby bella mushrooms

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

water

(Extra:*

2 tablespoons melted butter + 2 tablespoons maple syrup )

For the meat:

4 pork  loin chops

marinade:

salt, black pepper to season the chops

4 garlic cloves, pressed

glaze:

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Start in the evening:

1)Drain and rinse the sauerkraut and set aside in a colander. In a dutch oven,  melt the butter and fry the chopped onions until browned. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they release their juice. Then mix in the spices and cook for 1 minute.

Onions and Mushrooms

2) Then add the sauerkraut, caraway seeds and enough water to cover it.  Reduce the heat to low and braise for 2-3 hours. Let cool overnight .

Sauerkraut and Mushrooms

3) In the meantime, season the meat with spices and spread the garlic over the chops. Put into non-metallic container with a lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Marinated Pork Loin Chops

4)Next morning, simmer for another 2- 3 hours. Let cool during the day.

5)Next evening,  remove the meat from refrigerator. Combine the butter and maple syrup. Brush the glaze over the chops, both sides. Brown the meat in broiler.

Broiled Chops

6) Add the meat to sauerkraut and braise for 2 hours. At the end of braising,  mix in the extra maple syrup and butter* into cooked sauerkraut.

7) Serve with fried/baked potatoes or sourdough bread.

Turkey Tenderloins with Wattle Seed Chevre

2 turkey tenderloins

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika powder

1 teaspoon mountain pepper *

220 g chevre -fresh goat cheese ( http://mycheesediary.blogspot.com/2012/02/goats-milk-cheese-chevre.html), at room temperature

1 tablespoon  ground wattle seed *

1 tablespoon honey

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Sprinkle the tenderloins with paprika and pepper. Bake the meat for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Combine the cheese, honey and wattle seed.  Top the meat with the chevre mixture and bake for another 15 minutes.

*Australian spices