The Tarot of Cocktails...and a Milky Moon

'As the bearer of this book, you are most fortunate - there are many fine cocktails in your future'.

Who doesn't want to see a fine cocktail in his or her future? Summer or winter, autumn or spring, to celebrate or to mourn, a cocktail is a challenge for the palate and a great way to put your culinary imagination at work. As someone so much in love with the spices, I couldn't stop using them outside the usual savory or sweet edible recipes, and trying my hand on cocktails is the next stage of personal achievement. 

'Like a spread of tarot cards, a cocktail combines different components - each with a unique role to play, a flavor or texture to contribute - and that purpose changes depending on the combination and quantities of ingredients. The ritual involves certain instruments, careful measurements, an alchemy of ingredients, and an order of operations. There's a science to that, but there is magic in the mix, too'. 

Inspired by tarot cards, the 45 'Divine Drink Recipes' by Katy Seibel offers a lot of great tips and invites to unique flavors. For instance, mixing scotch and camomille tea or adding a touch to bell pepper juice to an alcoholic drink. What about mixing red beet and vodka? For me, it was an unique lesson in cocktails basics, starting with the tools, the precise measurements but also the acknowledging of some unique products such as fig butter or Cynar - an Italian liqueur made of artichokes. 

Accompanied by lavish photos, the recipes are relatively simple, if you have the right ingredients and spices. A great recommendation to anyone looking to try something new this autumn.

There are a couple of recipes I have on my list for coming posts, but as for now, my first cocktail achievement was The Milky Moon. 

It is described in the book: 'Calming and familiar with an air of the afar, this take on a classic milk punch draws influence from masala chai'.

Ingredients

2 ounces - around 50 gr. - whole milk. An alternative version is also fine, although I personally thing that almond milk or rice milk or any other kind of substitutes may change completely the final taste.

3 ounches - chai tea concentrate

1 1/2 ounces gold rum. I used a German brand, Nordbrand Nordhausen Goldbrand - Mild. 

pinch of ground cardamom

small pinch of salt

small pinch of ground black pepper

Garnish 

2 star anise from Spice Kitchen UK, received part of their Brand Ambassador Program   

An ice cube or two is also more than welcomed, especially if you plan to sip it in a summer evening.

Technique (mine, as I did not follow fully the directions described in the book)

Add the milk, rum and spices and shake them well. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and serve it in a glass, with the garnish and ice cube.

The result: although the taste of rum stays strong and dominates the drink, the milk and the spices are bringing more nuances and elegance to the drink. It is an unique flavor, which reveals sip by sip.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Disclaimer: The book was offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My perfect pizza calzone

Hungry and with a lot of creative ideas about how to mix some ingredients? Coping with an overload fridge with a lot of stuff you have no idea how to match? This calzone recipe - I wanted first to call it a pizza, but I spontaneously decided to fold the entire composition in two - can be the answer for a cold winter day.

I used for my calzone a lot of ingredients, but the most important is the dough. From the REWE store I bought a Tante Fanny pizza dough - both vegan and veggie -, which is very flexible, tasty and crunchy after staying in the oven. While preparing the dough, I warmed the oven at 350C for around 10 minutes. I spread the dough in its full beauty on the table and started to add the ingredients:

350 ml. tomato sauce basis pomodoro Italiano - Barilla Basilico

3 hard boiled medium size eggs, cut into little piece

2 slides of butter cheese, finelly cut
150 gr. Parmesan cheese
150 gr. canned mushrooms
150 gr. green peas
200 gr. canned corn
2 scallions finelly chopped
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Fold it carefully and seal the ends, in order to be sure that the - too many - ingredients - are not spilling out. I spread a pinch or two of parmesan cheese one more time on new shape, plus by hand, spread olive oil.

The preparation time takes around 10-15 minutes. It is important to spread the ingredients on the entire surface of the dough. You can eventually reduce some of the ingredients, for instance some of the cheese. Butter can be also a good match. Tuna or slices of salmon are equally a good choice for the fish lovers. If you are interested in the meaty - kosher version - just eliminate all the cheese and spread some pre-cooked minced meat.

The baking takes around 20 minutes. If you want it more crunchy, you can keep it for another 5 minutes. To be served warm. It serves at least 5 hungry mouths. 

Bon Appetit!

In the back kitchen of the famous Poole's

Poole's and its chef Ashley Christensen are becoming one of the iconic successes of the new American cuisine. Often despised in Europe for its lack of sophistication, the chefs on the other side of the ponds worked hard and succeeded to change the stereotypes about the US food culture.

The book is attractive not only for the interesting recipes and the story behind them - mostly happy childhood tasty memories - but also for the mouth-watering pictures, here to prove that, indeed, you should give a try to the recipes. 

This foodie version of the American dream, Poole's in Raleigh, means also a different philosophy when it comes to creating new dishes: 'For each and every dish, we start by breaking it down, piece by piece and examining it, from the ingredients on up through every single step. We pay meticulous attention to the details to make sure every thing is in balance and the final product is absolutely delicious while still respecting its identity and original story'. 

Labeled mostly as 'Southern kitchen', the cuisine tasted at Poole's go beyond any geographical attribution. It uses an eclectic mix of spices and ingredients, it creates new food habits and explore new tastes. What do you think, for instance, about 'popcorn with Dijon, olive oil, and Parmigiano Reggiano'? Or 'thuna tartare with Piment d'Esplete and cucumber'? Or cornmeal fried okra with tabasco mayo? I am particularly tempted by the watermelon with avocado, goat cheese, basil and sweet onion, featured on the cover. The recipes presented cover all the usual meals, from the entrees to the cocktails and sweets. I must confess that maybe there are too much liver-based recipes for my poor taste, but this is my one and only problem. As for now, I wish I have the strength to test the challah bread pudding with whiskey, apples and sour cream. Because it is never too late to try something completely new in your life.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the published in exchange of an honest review

Dates and apricots fruit salad

Definitely, today I am in the mood for sharing as many recipes as possible. This time, I am happy to tell a little foodie story for a very special combination I did find myself. 

Last year, I got a very special assignement, to prepare the catering for a small wedding here, in Berlin. The budget was tight and the time was also limited. Plus, I just got a new job, and was pregnant in the last trimestre and, well, all together it was a lot to do and cope with.

Somehow, I accepted the challenge of the catering, not only because I needed the money, but for the sake of the challenge as such. Me, who less than ten years ago was hardly able to differentiate between different tastes and foods, was now cooking for other - 50 - people too. 

Anyway, I took the assignment and started to do various testing for some fast and summer fit recipes. The clients were not sophisticated, but it was their unique wedding moment and thus, it was my duty to make it taste uniquely. 

Besides the special cake - which was millefeuilles, a nightmare for experienced cooks as well, but this is another story - they wanted some little finger foods, including tasty fruit salads. 

After many trials, my final choice was to mix fresh apricots with dates. No sugar needed, as the dates do have enough sweetness. The only condition was to keep them a couple of hours together in order to have a certain interaction between the two tastes. The ratio I used was of around 5 small apricots for 7 dates - the Mejoul ones are perfectly sweet. It is easy to prepare, convenient and healthy too. To be consumed either as an individual dessert or as a snake between meals, accompanied by a glass of champagne. 

A delicious pistachio sandwich

I am the biggest fan of breakfast and thus, I am trying to be as creative as possible, while keeping up with a busy schedule and a baby too cute to be left on his own any single second. The last week, as I was up early for preparing a very special recipe - details coming up soon - I had some pistachio leftover and decided to try something new for my black bread slice. 

The preparation takes around 5 minutes, which is good timing as you want to do it again and again. As long as you have enough pistachio, why not? You only live once...

Here are the ingredients and the basic directions:

10 pistachio - for the beginning - crushed in the blender

one slice of avocado cream

one drop of olive oil

one slice of yellow cheese

Everything spread on a big black bread slice

Enjoy your breakfast!

Salmon thyme pastry, easiest recipe on earth

I am so afraid of new failures of pastry experiences that I almost always prefer to buy the ready made frozen bourekas. From time to time, I have the chutzpe to try something on my own, but only to have the confirmation that the bourekas from the shop are always the best. Till today, when too busy with the Rosh Hashana menu I forgot the previous lack of success and simply proceeded to the preparation of some salmon pastry. The investment made was minimal: the thyme, 350 gr. natural salmon and some ready made dough. I cut the dough into medium sized squares, and added the salmon with the thyme in the middle.

I packed the four corners of the square and made a kind of kreplach-like size: small squares with the salmon in the middle carefully protected by the dough.

With the oven heated at 250C, the salmon pastry went ready very fast, in almost 20 minutes. A bit burned on the sides, but looking and smelling too good to be made in my own kitchen. Can't wait to taste the result, in only a couple of hours. 

Apparently, it seems that I start the New Year at least with a clear objective: baking and cooking at home as often as possible. It's time to try even more new recipes, forgetting about all the previous failures. Maybe this perspective matches other life achievements too...

Fast gefillte mushrooms

Even though I do not have too much pressure lately to finish cooking while working hard, the writing and reading takes a lot of time and energy and once in a while I found myself looking for fast and delicious yet new recipes. For the Shavuos, I am very good at the cheesecake part of the menu, but I am not too inspired when it comes to the side and salty dishes in general. Thus, I asked around and I was recommended, without the recipe, the gefillte mushrooms (probably the reference was given in relation with my long love for gefillte fish, that I still need to learn how to prepare - one day). 

I don't know how I did not think about it before, but the preparation of the filling included: some simple cheese cream and a bit of salt. I added for each mushroom a drop of pumpkin oil and some walnuts. A leaf of coriander is welcomed, as I discovered one week later when I was asked to repeat the recipe for Shabbos. 

It takes around 10 minutes to prepare the mushrooms and another 20 minutes to bake them. In a matter of seconds, they will disappear from the table.

Failure in the kitchen

My multi-tasking abilities brought me a lot of success - and money. However, and this is not because I am getting tired, there are some tasks that need more attention that the others, and taking a break from the craziness of doing more than 2 times at a time is strongly recommended in certain situations.

Multi-tasking (mis)adventures in spring

I am not talking about talking on the phone, messaging on Skype and biding to a new project, or correcting a doc while listening to some inspirational webinars. Or writing a post for a blog and giving directions for the house management or setting up the cooking list for Friday while editing an article. I am talking about the situation when I should bake a cake and I better do nothing else than thinking about the cake. 

It is not a matter of time, as I was allowed to have a longer break as I was quite fast with the serious assignments in the morning. It was a matter of bad habits rather than anything else. Today revealed me the deep sadness when a moment prepared for such a long time was failed because while preparing a very simple lemon cake I was chatting on Skype even it was no emergency, only a basic conversation about my lemon cake that ended up as a failure. Basically, I forgot to add the eggs, even though the eggs were the ingredients that I was missing at home and I was looking for while shopping. 

I insisted, in denial, that my cake will be fine after all, without the eggs, but I was wrong. I neeed to admit that my cake adventure is a failure and I have the choice of: either buying new ingredients and giving one more chance, or simply giving up and accepting an evening without nothing sweet in the house. I rather want to go on the second variant, as the food budget is overdue already, and my time is limited as I am terribly late with writing and other assignments.

After a bad kugel this Shabbos, when no one really appreciated my combination between potatoes and zucchini and the whole product ended up in the bin, it seems that I am spending a quite bad time in the kitchen right now. However, I hope that tomorrow I will be able to try some interesting salads and go beyond that unpleasant situation. 

Gathering more lessons learned about how to accept failures, not only in the kitchen, but in the daily life as well. Blame it the spring!

Okra ideas

I am a late fan of okra, a vegetable that I discovered a couple of years ago only. At the beginning, I was not sure how I should cook it, but following some discussions with experienced chefs, I succeeded to find the perfect combination and to calculate correctly the cooking time.

I usually use okra for salads - always with olive oil - but especially together with pasta. But for me it is never enough, I gave a chance to a combination not included in any cookbook: peanuts - finelly chopped, with okra. You can fry them together in a pan for a couple of minutes, or eat it raw. I rather prefer the first possibility. Once you've found the right type of okra, fresh, without black traces, and the peanuts - the salted one - in less than 10 minutes your treat is ready. To be eated in the morning, at lunch or supper, as side dish or individual meal. 

Bon appetit!

Testing recipes is always fun!

Recently, I went involved in a very nice and pleasant project: I offered my availability to test a recipe and to send my feedback once I was done. I am used to do such editing and correction work as an academic editor, but never happened before to do such a professional work for cooking. First and foremost, because I consider my cooking experience at a very beginniner level. I learned a lot and still learning each day, but I have a long road ahead and each time I succeed to prepare a recipe I feel extremely happy.

For this testing recipe experience, I felt compelled to share my own opinions and modest contributions to get a better composition. I enjoyed so much the experience that I would offer myself to repeat it as often as possible, as I learned a lot about using and cooking some spices, as well as about how to organize and write a recipe correctly. As I still have in mind the idea to write my own cooking book, this will help me to be able to write my book at least in the next decade.

If anyone interested to use my disponibility for testing recipes, drop me an invitation at: boiledwords@gmail.com

Tip of the week: how to make vanilla sugar

Source:  hiphostess.blogspot.com

When I've read for the first time that even me, the humble chef with a problematic cooking background can have her own vanilla sugar, I was very skeptical. But after reading the recipe, I become fully aware that nothing could be easier.

For instance, you need the following ingredients: 

8 cups of white sugar

one vanilla bean

Pour the cups into a large container with the vanilla bean in the center, tight it and let it set for the next two weeks in a dry space. That's all. You can use the vanilla beam thereafter for other cooking purposes. It is cheap, easy and I can already feel the smell...

Potato and vegetable curry

This recipe is adapted - as usual - from a book I had in my library for a long time dedicated creatively cooking potatoes. As I am a lover of various Asian flavours, this recipe was the perfect test for a busy Thursday afternoon.

My choice of ingredients was the following:

1 medium onion chopped finely
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
10 Thai corn
600 gr. pumpkin peeled and chopped
1 kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk
200 g green beans trimmed
200 g baby spinach leaves

A lot of visitors in the pan. One hour before cooking all the ingredients together, I fried the potatoes in a pan with oil and garlic and I boiled the pumpkin and cooked the onion until was soft.
I add the spices and stirring until fragrant. I continued with the potato and pumpin, stirred to coat in the spice mixture.
The next step of the operation was to add the rest of the ingredients and the coconut milk and let all of them boil together. The entire work will last around 30-40 minutes, with a lot of intensive stirring.
The combination is delicious especially if you add a fresh beer or a lemonade. It is not very spicy and preferably to be eaten for lunch.

Bon Appetit!

Passion for pita bread

For each of the last two Shabbos, we had on the table a special basket with pita bread. As part of my project of doing something new each week - at least once - I wanted to try my skills by cooking a good pita and after a second try a succeeded to reach the level of 80% of the pita I used to eat when I was a child. 

I was very strict in following the ingredients and the main steps of the recipe and thus I did not have too many surprised. I would love to try pita in combination with garlic and cheese and to add some olive oil as well. My mother zt''l, used to add some fruits or jam and maybe I can make one a combination between pita and pancakes.

I decide to arrange by hand each pita and the outlook improved on my second try. You need to manage properly the time for the preparation of the dough and the cooking as such, but the result is always unforgettable delicious!

Bon Appetit

Where do you keep your recipes?

In general, as my life turns round around my computer, I have most of my interesting recipes bookmarked. I download regularly interesting cooking books on Kindle as well and I read at least once the week some interesting post and update from my cooking groups on Facebook. The rest of the treasure of recipes is kept in a couple of books I bought lately or carried with me from my wanderings.

When I have a recipe to share, I post it here, with pictures, with the hope that maybe one day the idea of a cooking book/cooking memoir will be included in the priority list. 

Shortly, my recipes are spared in various virtual spaces, but more or less easy to find. 

However, the world of my grandmother and mother was reliying on a different type of memory of recipes. They used to have an old classical cooking book, transmitted from a generation to another. In between the yellow pages, there were recipes written by hand, shared and copied on different occasions. Writing those recipes or cutting it from the section dedicated to recipes from various glossy reviews or newspapers was part of the tradition that even someone of my mother - of blessed memory - followed, despite the fact that she did not want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

When I saw this beautiful and elegant recipe keeper I had in mind shelf with yellow pages of recipes, out of which maybe less than 10% were ever made and less than 25% were ever reminded. What I liked the most at this recipe keeper is the design and illustrations of the talented Katie Vernon. You can organize your recipes in 12 pockets, up to your choice. It seems it fits very well the needs of busy people that still want to offer the best lunches to their family. 

For the moment, I will continue with my bookmarking, but one day, when I will grow up, will be happy to have such a recipe clutter in my pocket. 

Rice pudding for the summer

Although I grew up without paying too much attention to food (maybe will tell the full story one day, but it is too much literature for a humble foodies blog), I had around me in adulthood only opportunities to change my original life patterns. Just a couple of days ago I realized that I cooked for my family in the last 3-4 years more than I ever been cooked with in my entire 30 and something life. The beautiful part of the story is that I full enjoy it and thus, I can't wait to test almost every 2 days new recipes. 

For the hot summer, I want something fast and tasty and the most sought dishes are the desserts. After browsing for a couple of minutes some nice food blogs, I stumbled upon the Easy Rice Pudding Recipe by Kosher Foodies, that I followed almost 89%. For my own recipe. 

Meaning that, I used:

- 3/4 white rice - some Thai version from my favorite Asian shop

- 1 cup water

- a little bit more than 1/2 cup sugar

- no cinnamon stick

- cinnamon for garnish

I added some desiccated coconut and dates and was thinking to add some lemon too, but was thinking that it is too much. I used the lemon for the lemonade to be served with the rice pudding. 

And...here it is: a good and delicious dessert for the long and busy days of the summer.

Bon Appetit!

Simple veggie recipes for the Nine Days

After the fast of Tisha B'Av, Sunday will end up the Nine Days at the end of which the consumption of meat is restricted. Thus, the need to find out healthy and tasty recipes that will make people enjoy Shabbat.

Even I am not a Vegetarian, especially during the summer I enjoy eating without meat because I do not need to work too much the recipes. Peeling some onions and carrots, plus some pepper and champignons, the olive oil and I have good food for a hungry gang. 

My bio chickpea flour, the beginning of a new relationship

As I wanted to try something more sophisticated, I tried my hand with a personal version of this wonderful recipe I've found a couple of weeks ago on Food Wanderings, an impressive professional blog. I replaced the eggplants from the original recipe with zucchini. It was my first encouter with the chckpea flour - yes, I know, I am a beginner in so many respects - and most probably I will continue to use it for more variations of the recipe. I only tried with one single slice of eggplant and maybe I should repeat the recipe once again, with eggplant, but probably later in autumn.

The final result, for zucchini: my works are not always worth an exhibition, but eatable though

Kokosmakronen for the summer

As in many other situations, when I am looking for fast inspiration, Elizabeth Wolf Cohen and her 100 authentic recipes of the Jewish kitchen save my day and my reputation. I can travel from an end to another of the world in a simple kosher way. 

A bit too burned but the same tasty makronen

For a long time, I wanted to try the Kokosmakronen which were recommended as a very simple and good looking recipe. Plus, it is adequate for any crisis budget, as you do not need to spend more than $10 for the ingredients. As in many other situations, I prepared it once and the feed-back was so impressive that almost every other 2 afternoons I am kindly requested to get ready for some fresh makronen. In less than one hour you can serve your impatient ones with a light dessert. 

The ingredients requested for this adventure are:

- 4 egg whites

- 1/4 spoon backing powder

- 250 g. sugar

- 1 table spoon lemon juice

- 1 table spoon vanilla - alternatively, I used almond syrup which is stronger but gives a very particular taste and smell

- 275 desiccated coconut

The step-by-step process includes:

1. The egg whites are beaten, while the sugar is added proportionally until you obtain a creamy combination.

2. Add the backing powder and the vanilla together with the desiccated coconut.

3. Prepare the oven at 150C.

4. Add with a spon the content in the special paper forms. I used the usual paper wrapping for muffins, due to the texture of the paper. The forms should be aprox. 1/4 full.

5. Wait until they grow for 40-45 minutes and get ready to taste the Makronen with a good Turkish coffee - as I do as often as possible.

Bon Appetit!

Quinoa obsession

I accepted very reluctantly quinoa into my life. First, I have the smell of boiling quinoa - of moistured earth - and second, I did not find anything interesting about the taste. The third consideration against eating it would be the way in which the fresh boiled quinoa looks like.  

Influenced about the sophisticated discourses about how important is this quinoa for our lives, I combined in various ways with vegetables but after 2 tries the badge of quinoa will be abandoned until nothing else to cook around and too late for a rapid shopping. 

But nothing lasts forever, not even my antipathy for quinoa.

Last week I tried a very fancy combination of quinoa with agave syrup, cinnamon and bananas and I switched rapidly at the other end of the scale of feelings for quinoa.

The magic potion is not only delicious, but cut my hunger for the first half of the day. Now, I have another reason for impatiently waiting for the morning.

Summer fruit treat

Summer means a lot of fruits and fresh ideas. And, of course, a lot of sweet obsessions.

My obsession no. 1 in the coming days is this sweet combination of: sugar, blueberries, desiccated coconut and strawberries. Usually, I do not like fruits that need sugar and particularly strawberries, but the entire mixture is so delicious that I can hardly survive two days without it. 

This fruit salad is already part of the story of my summer. 

Paprika stuffed with quinoa

Quinoa is relatively newly entered into my food universe. Openly speaking I don't like it too much, as I did not find (yet) its specific taste. From my point of view, it is like eating nothing. 

Last week, I wanted to diversify a bit our menu - but still keeping the main vegetarian line. After reading various posts and closing a bit my eyes in order to imagine some interesting combinations, it resulted the following wonder:

boiled quinoa - max. 15 minutes

finely chopped mushrooms fried together with equally finelly chopped garlic

quinoa+mushrooms+garlic are fried together with avocado oil

The fresh paprika is delicately stuffed with the fried mixture and put in oven for another 15 minutes.

To be served fresh and warm.