Tales of a Babbling Spoon

Taiwan Tour 2018

2021-08-12T10:36:00.002+02:00

Ben’s Burger Bar, Bühl

2019-08-05T21:41:00.002+02:00

Oven baked Garlic Chicken and Shenanigans

2017-12-21T10:19:00.002+01:00

I feel so guilty, I am so caught up with ~~Netflix Series~~ my daily life routines and chores ( rolls eyes) that I completely forgot I have a blog to attend to! And when one has a blog, one has responsibilities. It has been 2 months since my last post. I know it's why shorter than the last time I confess my sins to a priest but believe me, I feel more guilty neglecting this blog than admitting my affinity to town gossip indulgence and stalking frenemies on social media to the man of cloth. I hope Santa will still visit me.

So long story short, here I am again; writing, sharing and hoping that 2018 will bring me the motivation I need to keep my almost- 6 year old blog up and running. My absence doesn't actually mean that I cook less. On the contrary I am quite busy stuffing myself silly with all things sugary , Christmasy and not so healthy that my weighing scale could probably break a spine if it has any for all the extra stone I pile on this past few months.

Anyway, I want to share a recipe that my good friend Nancy found on the Internet. She's also a passionate cook who loves to try anything she found interesting. She was gushing on how good this chicken recipe is, so I decided to give it a go. The original version has less sauce or gravy on it, it's actually a roast. Since I love delicious sauces , I make my version almost braised-like. Nevertheless, It was so yummy! I love one pot dishes, having a beautiful cast iron skillet allows me cook, bake and serve the this dish in no time. From the pan to the table!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

whole head ( large) garlic, peeled

about 1 kg of chicken thigh and leg skin on and

seasoned well with salt and pepper

2 tsp. herbes de Provence

1 and 1/2 tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken stock

juice of 1 large lemon

chopped parsley

Let's get cooking!

1. Put oven proof pan under low medium heat. Add oil and butter, once hot enough, pan fry garlic cloves until golden brown and aromatic. Take garlic out from the pan and set aside.

2. Turn heat to high, fry seasoned chicken 5 minutes on each side. The skin has to crisp up.

3. Add herbes de provence into the chicken. Put pan fried garlic back into the pan.

4. Put pan in a pre-heated oven 190° c and bake chicken for half and hour or until chicken is cooked. To test, prick the thickest part of the meat with tip of the knife, if the juice comes out clean the it's done.

5. Take chicken and garlic cloves out from the pan, put pan back on the stove, heat to medium high, sprinkle flour. Then deglaze pan using chicken stock and lemon juice. Test taste, season with salt and pepper as needed.

Put chicken and garlic back and bring to a short boil, garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pasta, crusty bread, potato or rice dishes and green salad. Enjoy!

Tortillitas de Camerones

2017-09-18T20:27:00.000+02:00

Among the tapas I devoured in Andalusia, Spain in these past years, this crunchy ,aromatic and

thin shrimp fritter is one of my favourites. It reminds me of Filipino ukoy, minus the vegetables. No complains here!

I first tried this addicting nibble about 3 years ago in Malaga, Spain. FF and I had a fantastic guided Tapa Tour on our first night in the city and among the array of fabulous foods we had that night, this shrimp pancake was by far, the one I liked the most. I liked everything I ate that time. I tell yah. Everything. So when we went back to Spain last year, I tried ordering this particular dish ,every chance I got. Some restaurants make good shrimp fritters, other even better but there are places that made it mediocre at best. How can I tell? Well, let's just say, I ate too much tortillitas de Camerones while in Spain that I might have cough out a shrimp or two without even knowing it.

I will be coming back to the south of Spain next week! This time, with some Filipina friends in tow. I intend to show them around the city, hit the beach, catch as much Vit. Sea as much as possible and of course, eat some mouth -watering Andalusian foods. So while counting the days , I am keeping my stubby fingers crossed that our flight won't get cancelled . Our budget airline is on strike and will be cancelling 50 flights, every freakin day til end of October!😓.

While waiting for our ~~holiday dooms~~ fate, I decided to cook some tapas this weekend to keep my spirits high and to remind me of the good things that yet to come. And it was pretty darn good! I could almost smell the sea and feel the Andalusian sunshine already !

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups of baby shrimps, shell, tails and all, use fresh ones if you can get it

1 egg, beaten

a medium sized red onion

2 stalk of green onion

a handful of parley, chopped

5 tbsp. all purpose flour

2 tbsp. chickpea flour

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika powder

200 ml water

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

Let's make some Tortillitas de Camerones

1. Put baby shrimps, onion, green onion and parsley in a big mixing bowl.

2. Add in flours , turmeric and paprika powder. Mix well.

3. Slowly stir in water, Mix until well combined. Batter must not be too thick nor too runny. If the mixture turns out dry, add more water, if it's too watery, add a spoonful of flour until you're happy with the consistency.

4. Stir in beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper. Cover bowl with cling foil and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan, scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture unto the hot oil, spread batter as flat as possible to make your tortillas extra crunchy. Fry to a crisp. Dry on a paper towel and serve with lemon wedges.

Cookies and Cream Polovoron

2017-09-06T13:10:00.002+02:00

I am still tinkering Polvoron recipes and don't see anyone complaining as they munch on this delightful grub. As a matter of fact , I don' think I will ran out of taste testers/ willing guinea pigs .😊

This particular version was a hit and the first to disappear from my polvoron basket. Crumbly, chocolatey with an extra cookie-y crunch. What's not to love?

The process of making it is the same the Classic Polvoron, I simply reduce the amount of sugar because of the cookie which is already sweet enough and add a whole pack of crushed Oreos.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup + few tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 cups of crushed Oreo cookie

Just toast the flour until aromatic . Then transfer toasted flour into a big mixing bowl, adding the rest of the dry ingredients. Lastly stir in melted butter. Follow the process of my previous polvoron recipe .

Wrap each polvoron individually and it's good to go . It's an addicting nibble and makes perfect gift too!

Classic Polvoron

2017-08-21T12:38:00.002+02:00

Filipino Polvoron are much -loved, flour and powdered milk -based, crumbly shortbread cookies. It comes in many different flavours , shapes and sizes. The most famous brand ,Goldilocks, sells it in these neat boxes and makes a perfect gift. Since stacks of these polvoron are readily available in many supermarkets, malls and even the airport, it became a convenient and very much welcome souvenir to bring back to family and friends.

I receive Polvoron from Filipina friends who came back home from the Philippines . I also bring boxes and boxes of it and give it to them whenever I get back from our country. We usually bring other knick knacks, chips, sweets and pieces of home to share it with our little Filipino community but Polvoron is always among these Pasalubong.

August is my birth month and like every year, I invite family and friends over and cook up a storm. I throw a dinner party two days in a row, cooking different dishes on each day. Classic dishes for FF's family and a more exotic ( shrimp paste, fish with eyeballs and all and lots of rice) for my Pinay friends. The only thing in common is serving Polvoron with tea . I had basketful of these sweet babies after the meal and it was well received and appreciated by all. So far, I made 4 different flavours, this is just the basic recipe . More recipes coming !😜

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups powdered milk

2/3 cup sugar + 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar

2/3 cup melted butter

Let's make some Polvoron!

1. Toast flour in a pan for 10-15 minutes or until light browned and aromatic.

2. Sift toasted flour and transfer into a big mixing bowl.

3. Add Powdered milk, sugar and vanilla sugar. Stir! Stir! Stir!

4. Pour melted butter over flour and milk mixture . Mix until butter is well incorporated.

5. Once the mixture resembles moist meal or wet sand, then it's ready! Use Polvoron molder if you got one . Simply fill each molder with poltroon mixture, press to make a compact cookie.

5. Transfer polvoron onto a tray

I refrigerate my polvoron for 30 minutes to harden it before wrapping each individually.

Tuna Canneloni, my way

2017-08-16T10:29:00.001+02:00

My better half, FF , eats warm meal once a day and that would be dinner when he gets back home from work. When my own work schedule permits, I love to tinker and tackle recipes in the kitchen to serve him something worth looking forward to. But sometimes, I am simply too tired or too lazy to cook something that required more than half an hour on the kitchen counter.

Today was one of those days. I am whipped from work that when I got back home I simply went straight to the couch, lied down and was dead to the world in no time. I woke up late in the afternoon to cold house and an even colder kitchen. So I checked whatever I had in the kitchen pantry and found a pack of cannelloni , a bottle of marinara sauce and some tins of tuna. My exhausted husband came back home to an aromatic dining table and to well rested wife. Praised me for uhurm, another tedious looking and delicious tasting meal. What do yah know, this pasta recipe became a keeper.

Ingredients of this recipe are things I found in my pantry, fridge and pots of herbs near my kitchen window.

Ingredients:

about 400 g Cannelloni shells
500 g marinara sauce
150 g grated cheese, more if you like it extra cheesy
( Emmantaler, Gouda, Mozzarella , Cheddar or your favourite melting cheese)

Tuna Filling:
2 cans of tuna in olive oil, drained
1 medium sized red onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
400 g Kräuterquark ( or your fave cottage cheese)
a handful of parsley, chopped
salt and pepper and pepper to taste

Let's get cooking!

1. Mix tuna filling mixture in a big bowl until well combined. Test taste as season according to your preference. You can naturally add other species or chilis if you like it hot.

2. Fill each uncooked canneloni shell with your prepared filling. Lay stuffed canneloni on a greased baking pan. I made just 1 layer.

3. Pour marinara sauce over the cannelloni.

4. Spread marina sauce evenly .

5. Top it with your favourite melting cheese.

6. Bake at 190° for about 30 minutes or until cannelloni is thoroughly cooked. Look at package's instruction.

Serve piping hot and with green salad. Yum!

Gnocchi in creamy garlic and spinach sauce

2017-08-01T21:47:00.000+02:00

Sometimes, a good recipe requires very little effort and even less time to prepare. Economical and easy dishes are my friends and the lick -smacking good ones became my BFFs. One of my all time favourite recipe is this gnocchi dish.

It's creamy, cheesy and garlicky .What's not to like?

Aside from the gnocchi, two of the important components are garlic and baby spinach which are cheap and readily available almost everywhere.

Although a friend of mine swears it's very easy to make your own gnocchi and how versatile this little knobs of carb could get once you master making them, I am simply too lazy to get my hand on the basic recipe. So I choose the most convenient way; the frozen section at our local supermarket. Fuzz and fail-free. Good enough for me . 😉

Ingredients:

500 g of gnocchi, cooked according to package instruction,

my frozen ones requires only few minutes in boiling salt water

2 tbsp. butter

4-5 cloves of garlic, less if you're not a big fan, minced

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup cream + 1/2 cup milk

about 2 cups of baby spinach

salt and pepper to taste

and as much Parmesan cheese as you like!

Let's get cooking!

1. Heat butter in a pan, saute garlic until aromatic. Stir in flour.

2. Make roux by add milk and cream into the pan. Stir until no lumps remain.

3. Add your gnocchi , then the spinach. Season with salt and pepper, cover pan for 2-3 minutes. Cook until spinach just wilted.

4. Turn off the heat, add your parmesan cheese and serve. And Viola! Instant meal in no time.

One can not have enough cheese , so put that block of Parmesan on the table and add as much cheese as your conscience will allow you!

Street Food Tour ,Germany

2017-06-24T20:57:00.001+02:00

Today, I envied a cow. For cows can spend their entire day grazing, chewing and eating without bursting their seams. Thanks to their four chambered- stomachs ! It makes me wonder how it feels to be a bottomless pit.

I put my only gut and its distention capability to a test today when we visited Schloss Rastatt, location of this week's Germany's Street Food Tour , featuring numerous food trucks.

FF and I came across the Website about this Street Food Fair few days ago. Each weekend, a handful of chefs and their mobile kitchen visit different cities , bringing with them their masterworks. These Foods on wheels enable many promising and creative culinarians to share their specialties and passion to the public.

Food trucks is a relatively new dining concept in this country , as far as I know. Although Germans love reasonably - priced and top- quality foods, they undeniably love to sit, savour and enjoy the comforts of food establishments. Restaurants, cafes, beer gardens where they can sit, eat and mingle. They however, do enjoy outdoor setting , soaking up as much Vitamin D as possible when the sun is up and shining. It did not came as a surprise that this project was a big hit especially to the younger generation.

This weekend's food tour location is starting to fill up at 4 PM when we arrived. The glossy eyed visitors like me and FF are looking happily lost and excited. Sweets and savouries stalls stood side by side. I feel like a kid in Candyland.

The sun was blazingly hot that afternoon. The heat seems to be a bit too much for many, I saw a lot of patrons grabbing their nosh and retreating back to the shadows , before braving the heat in search for edible treasures once again and again and again . FF and I watched , learned and followed suit . When the temperature finally mellowed down , we almost sign and relief as we to went out in the open without getting toasted by the scorching sun .

With icy Caipirinhas in our hands, we leisurely checked out each and every food truck and was pretty stoke with the smorgasbord of food choices. Aside from the usual Burgers, hot dogs, Barbecues, wraps, brownie , fudge and cup cakes , there are exotic food choices from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Africa and other countries.

FF and I had a food tour without paying a dime for plane tickets. I feel like I am on a holiday!

First Stop: Rib Eye Patty Burger for 6.50 EUR

The Bun was too thick for my liking, the patty thin and was honestly dry. Taste wise, it was ok, the veggies are fresh and crunchy, the sauce quite good, I can't complain for what I get, this burger is quite big and filling. Some people might get too full from eating this, luckily I am not some people.

2nd Stop. Barbecue Wrap. Almost a foot long, and brimming with pulled pork filling for only 6 EUR. This is worth every penny. Our favourite among the foods we tasted that day. This tortilla wrap from The Duke is highly recommended! Delicious and generously portioned.

3rd Stop: Spanish Churros. Freshly made , this little stall in the middle of the courtyard got a slow but steady costumers. The churros are made from scratch and fried as you order, served pipping hot. For 4 EUR, my churros was drizzled with generous Nutella cream. It tasted almost as good as I had in Spain. Fantastico!

4th Stop: Mr. Adobo's Pimped Lumpia. The reason why I dragged FF to this food fair. Filipino foods is rarely represented in Germany. While Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and even Malay restaurants are popping all over the country, Philippine cuisine is sadly absent in the culinary scene. So it's pretty exciting to see a food truck in Germany serving Filipino Foods. I am also happy to to see how Germans are showing curiosity and interest in our cuisine. For 4 EUR, this spring roll certainly is steep, considering how small it was. But it tasted good and brimming with flavours. The crunchy cucumber salad gives the whole dish a nice textural kick.

5th Stop: Mexican Taco. After a half an hour break, we went to a food truck manned by a sweaty and stressed looking German guy and a Mexican lady. They were whipping tacos one after the other, serving a rather long queue of hopeful diners. For 1 got a taco 3.50 EUR . It was rather a smallish taco shell with about a tablespoonful of meat and look suspiciously different from the posters gracing the food truck . I heard many dumfounded costumers complaining what they got from their money. I got the cheapest taco on the menu and I'm starting to be very full so I was not bothered. Taste wise, hmm beefy and spicy. I don't know how original tacos are supposed taste , maybe when I visit Mexico I will know. But in the meantime, I'm quite happy .

6th Stop: African Barbecue and Samosa. I was lured by the lively music and energy of the people behind this stall. They seemed to be really happy to be here , dancing ,cooking and serving curious Europeans. I asked for a Samosa, FF , meat on a stick, which came with aromanic rice, fried banana and tomato based sauce. It cost us 9.50 EUR and full , distended bellies.

Final Stop: Dessert. After having all those meats and savory treats, FF and I shared a 4 EUR frozen yogurt topped with berries and fruits. We went into a food coma soon after that.....😔

Shallow Poached Salmon, my way

2017-06-16T09:26:00.001+02:00

It's white asparagus season in our place! My family have been having it for lunch every Sunday since mid- May.This subtle -tasting, diuretic- inducing and smelly- pee causing delicacy have been many German's spring food tradition.

My family enjoys asparagus in it's simplest form. Simmered in salted water and served with white or hollandaise sauce. Not baked, not roasted, not grilled and certainly no overpowering seasoning. So to make our Sunday spread less monotonous, I have been serving these boiled goodness with all things imaginable . Grilled sausages, roasted chicken, Schnitzel, ham and cheese pancakes, you read it, we ate it.

I saw the a sexy looking salmon filet at the supermarket this weekend and I decided to serve it with this weekend's asparagus.

It took me few hours to decide how to cook the salmon . After coming to a decision, prep and cooking was surprisingly brisk. It took me a mere 15 minutes to prepare, cook and serve the fish .
It went very well with white asparagus and pasta. I guess, I still have a room for 1 weekend or two of this delicacy!

Shallow Poached Salmon

serves 3

about 700 g salmon, cut into 3 servings

salt and pepper

2 lemons

3 shallots, chopped

a handful of parley and dill

1/4 cup white whine

2/3- 1 cup water, depending on the side of your pan

Let's go poached some salmon!

In a wide pan, Put sliced lemons, sliced onion, and your herbs.

Carefully lay salmon filets/steaks over it. Season salmon with salt and pepper. I keep the skin of the salmon on, it holds the flesh together better but you can remove it if you will. Pour wine and and water on the side the salmon. There should be enough fluid to submerge at least the lemon slices and parts of the herbs but it should not soak the salmon.

Bring liquid to a boil, once boiling cover and lower the heat. Allow herb and wine infused steam to gently cook the fish. It will take 8-12 minutes of gentle poaching for the salmon to be cooked, a tad longer of the filets are thicker. Do not over cook the fish, nobody wants to eat dry fish.

Herb and Lemon White sauce

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup milk ( feel free to add more)

a handful of chopped parsley and dill

rind of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Now while the fish is cooking, heat butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour and cook until buttery aroma is prominent.

Stir the milk, stir until no lumps remain in the sauce.

Add the chopped herbs and lemon rind, season with salt and pepper. Done!

Serve salmon with the herb and lemon white sauce. Enjoy!

Honey- Butter- Garlic Korean Fried Chicken

2017-06-06T11:55:00.000+02:00

I noticed that many Koreans got this Honey-Butter and Garlic obsession during my spring holiday in South Korea this year. They have honey, butter and garlic- flavoured chips, breads, pastries, sweets, nuts, rice cakes, anchovies, lobsters, scallops, shrimps and or course in their staple guilty pleasure, their fried chicken. I might have missed out other delicious stuff which they drench in this sweet and tangy sauce but I will be very happy to give it a try.

This golden brown, twice fried, drenched in butter chicken is not the healthiest thing I put in my mouth, but my, it certainly is one of the yummiest! Sinfully delicious and irresistibly addicting.
I served it to colleagues at dinner and they loved it just as much.

Ingredients:

chicken drumstick, about 800

marinated in : 5 cloves of garlic,salt and pepper,2 tbsp. rice wine

1 egg, beaten

1 cup potato starch

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup glutinous rice flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup raw peanuts

oil for deep frying

Sauce:

1/2 cup softened butter

5 cloves of garlic

4 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp. honey

Marinate chicken in minced garlic,salt and pepper , rice wine for 15-20 minutes.
Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the egg. Coat chicken well.

Heat oil in a deep pan/deep fryer. Deep fry for about 12 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, fry the peanuts around 1-2 minutes. Take chicken and peanuts out of the hot oil , drain and set aside.

Turn the heat to high, fry the chicken again until golden brown or until the the skin crisps. Took me 12-15 more minutes. If you are using smaller pieces of chicken, adjust cooking time.

In a separate pan/wok, heat all the sauce ingredients and cook until bubbly/ foamy.

Put twice fried, crispy chicken along with the peanuts and toss until each chicken piece is well coated in Honey-Butter-Garlic sauce. Serve with Pickled daikon and enjoy with lots of beer, like Koreans do.

Lime -Honey-Garlic Roasted Butterfly Chicken

2017-05-14T11:30:00.003+02:00

Since coming back from Korea, I noticed that I used honey in many recipes, both sweets and savouries . Korean love for Honey somehow influences me that my honey jar end up empty 2 weeks after I started using it. I now put in in my teas, my salad dressings, basically in almost everything , even to my face! Don't ask.

This is just one of the many honey flavoured recipes I tried .

I purchase two fresh poussin from our local butcher last weekend. Each weighing between 400-500 g. 1 bird is enough one person, says our friendly butcher. But since we won't be having just the bird but side dishes as well, I cooked these spring chicken two ways and we enjoyed it two days in a row.

A hearty and nostalgic Tinolang Manok ( Chicken soup) on a particularly rainy day and this yummy roasted butterfly chicken the next.

I learned to butterfly a chicken by following tutorials on Youtube. God bless the Internet! Since a poussin don't have really thick and hard bones considering that it's a young chicken , butterflying it was quite easy. I was able to do it with my kitchen scissors. If you don't trust yourself with shiny and sharp kitchen utensils and know that you can't slice an onion without losing a digit, ask your butcher to do the butterflying for you. If poussin is not available , simply use chicken breast or thigh with skin on for this recipe.

Making this dish is also extremely easy.

Ingredients:

Good for 2 people or 1 extra hungry person.
Just double or triple the recipe if you're feeding more.

1 poussin about 500 g,

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

chopped parsley

Marinade:

juice of 1 lime

4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp. grated ginger

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. turmeric powder

Let's get cooking!

Mix marinade ingredients together.

Put your meat in the marinade. You can marinate the meat for few hours or even overnight .

Heat over to 190°c. Take chicken from marinade ( keep the marinade!) , put bird on a baking parchment lined baking tray, season with salt and pepper. Bake until fully cooked. My poussin took about 31 minutes to cook. To test, prick the thickest meaty part with tip of a knife, if juice coming out is clear and not bloody, then it's done. Do not overbake it, nobody wants a dry chicken.

While the bird is baking, put the marinade in a sauce pan. Cook it under low medium heat until reduce and thickens. You can use it as a sauce to drizzle the cooked bird. It's quite tasty!

Once the chicken is cooked, sprinkle it with toasted sesame seeds and chopped parsley.

You can enjoy it with rice . Today, we had some pan fried potatoes and green salad with this delicious chicken.

Dak Galbi, my way.

2017-05-09T10:53:00.001+02:00

Dak Galbi became my and hubby's favourite Korean dish during our holiday in South Korea last April. Don't get me wrong, we loved everything we ate during our 9 -day stay in Seoul and Busan. From the barbecues, the stews, the kimchi, the bread and pastries, the Fried Chickens and even the street foods. However, there's something about this cooked- on- the- table , spicy chicken dish that simply made crave us for more.

So when we landed back in Germany , I did what I do best, scourge the Internet for recipes of my newest food obsession and went online shopping for ingredients .

I was so obsessed that I even made korean rice cakes ( Gareatteok ) from scratch since I can't find it in my place.

Unfortunately Sesame/ Perilla leaves is also not available in our area, I even bought sesame seeds for planting out of sheer frustration of missing an important ingredient . However, I can not wait for months for these seeds to grow and give me a handful of its leaves.Patience is clearly NOT my virtue when it comes to food and cooking ,so I simply replace it with home grown herbs. I tried perilla leaves and it has its distinct taste. I used fresh sages, sweet thai basil and few mint leaves, it tasted pretty delish to me, FF and I had it twice since coming back home and we want to have it again next week!!

I also did not find Korean Curry powder so I ordered this Japanese Curry Roux from Amazon. I used my cheese grater to turn it into powder like consistency.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3 people

400 g chicken, cut into strips, bone and skin remove.

I used chicken breast

2 cups cabbage

1 small carrot

1 cup korean rice cake

1 cup sweet potato

1 medium sized potato

2 stalks spring onion

a handful of perilla leaves

( I replaced it with sage, sweet thai basil and 4 mint leaves)

1 cup mozzarella cheese

2 cups cooked korean rice

( short grain rice/sushi rice)

3 tbsp. korean dried seaweeds

1-2 tbsp. oil for frying

Marinade:

1 cube. Japanese curry roux or

if you got korean curry powder, the better

1 tsp. grated ginger

6 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 tbsp. Korean chili paste ,Gochujang

1 tbs. Korean chilis powder, Gochugaru

use more if you like it really spicy!

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. roasted sesame oil

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together . Take about 1/3 of it and use it to marinate chicken strips for at least 1 hour. Keep the rest.

2. Add oil in the pan.Add you cabbage, then put sweet potato, carrot , chopped spring onion, perilla leaves ( hope you got some).

Scatter sliced potato and rice cake over vegetables.

Put marinated chicken strips on top of the vegetable. Add the rest of the marinade. Turn on the heat.

Cook under medium high heat. The water from the vegetable will keep the dish from drying. Stir once in a while to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once the vegetables and chicken are cooked, add mozzarella cheese.

If you want to eat Dak Galbi like the Koreans do, start eating while it bubbling and straight from the pan. Enjoy it with lots of banchans /side dishes such as kimchi or lettuce leaves for wrapping. Eating is communal thing in Korea so sharing is the way to go. You can naturally scoop your portion into you plate/bowl if double dipping is not your thing but where's the fun in there?!😜

When there's almost nothing left on the pan but sauce and bits of pieces or veggies and meat. Dump the cold rice, add the seaweeds. Stir, stir, stir.

This is my favourite part of Dak Galbi. I especially enjoyed scrapping off crusty rice at the bottom of the pan!

Do try this dish and fall in love with Korean cuisine. If you're already at it , I wish you ', Bon Appetit! ''

Street Foods: Seoul

2017-05-01T21:59:00.000+02:00

''Let's grab a little something from the street as appetiser before going to dinner.'' . I told FF after waking up from a 3 hour '' nap''. It's our first day in Seoul and although my heart is all wired up, excited and almost skipping for some action , the rest of my anatomy refused to bulge and was not up to the challenge. Long haul flight is starting to take its toll on our far- from- fit bodies. So after arriving in our hotel in Myeongdong at noon, we score the neighbourhood for some noms and end up having some fried chicken;

Spicy , sticky and drenched in sauce for him.

Dry and garlicky for me.

Apparently, Koreans drink beer when they're having fried chicken, so FF did not need further excuse to gulp down some alcohol at midday . Like the old saying, When in Rome, do as the Romas do or in this case, Koreans. Lunch was Not bad but not as good as the very first Korean Fried chicken we tried in Korean Town in Sydney. Korean Fried Chicken is one of the many reasons why we decided to come to this country, after all.

We shared a big bowl of Bingsu topped with kinako powder from a famous Koread Dessert chain. You know, to err cleanse our palate. 😜

We went back to our hotel, took a refreshing shower then have some much needed rest. The sun was almost down when we woke up, decided to have authentic Korean Barbecue since we're in Korea. But first ,we decided to try a thing or two from the street food vendor.

The streets of Myeongdong is starting to fill up, food stalls are now blowing up steams , emitting delicious smells from all things fried and beautiful.

Noodles are being tossed.

Crepes being folded.

Meat being seared.

Seafoods are steaming.

There's a palpable energy in the air, with vendors were inviting, yelling and foods were briskly and expertly prepared right before my eyes, it's almost overwhelming.

I can't help but stop, look and listen.

''Oh look, Gyeran-Bbang( Egg Bread) !''I point excitedly at my husband, ''I read tons about it on the internet . Let's try some!''. It was surprisingly savoury and sweet, like cornbread only it's topped with egg and seeds. I loved it, FF not so much. So he looked for something to please his palate.

Peeking between pillars of of twisted potatoes were cups of golden brown Shrimp Tempura. We love shrimp tempuras so we ask for a serving.

It was reheated in boiling oil and was served piping hot. Too much breading that we could barely taste any shrimp.

The smell wafting from this stall is just unbelievable. We were draw like moth to flame. One sniff is all it took.

A skewer of Honey Butter Garlic Shrimp cost a whooping 15 000 KW but it was a taste bomb. The shrimps were fresh and juicy , it was garlicky, buttery with a hint of honey. I'm loving this combo. My husband too!👍👍👍

''Oh Strawberry Mochi! How cute. Let's get one!", I exclaimed. ''That not an appetiser , that's dessert!'' he said.

We got one.

FF keep on scouring the street for more savouries,and he stumbles on a guy busy grilling and torching lobsters. "That's not an appetiser, that's a main dish!", I told him.

We got one, cost us 16 000 Won , it was filled with cheese , corn and sweetish teriyaki like sauce. It was delicious!👍👍👍

"Ah Fish-shape bread filled with red beans!" ( Bungeoppang), I point excitedly.

''But that's a...forget it'', he surrenders.

And so we spent the evening filling ourselves silly with whatever catches our face our fancy. We totally forgot the Korean Barbecue we were so excited about.

We nibbled on crispy crablets, which were sadly dry it actually scratches my throat. These sea creatures still fight back even when it's dead and fried.

Scorch our tongue eating Hotteok, deep fried Korean Pancakes filled with nuts and cinnamon syrup.

Snatch some Odeng, skewered fish cake swimming in savoury broth. The broth is served in a paper cup for free ! It became one of my favorite Korean street food and try having it everyday, fortunately , they're everywhere.

FF also got himself some food- in- a -stick.

He enjoyed Spicy Chicken Skewer ( Dakkochi)

While I nimble on grilled Rice Cake and Cheese, drizzled with sweetened Condense Milk. Not a big fan but many seems to enjoy it.

With grease on our mouth, sauces on our fingers, we decided to call it a night. I can almost feel my arteries clogging from all the fried foods we ate . On our way back to the hotel, we pass by a stall manned by a young guy , surrounded by curious onlooker. Like a Kpop idol flocked by adoring fans, I can't help it so I decided to join the fun.

Instead of an autograph , I got his signature dessert . Ice cream on a fish- shaped cone and topped with honeycomb.

Nothing send me to sleep faster than having 4 desserts in one night. Thank you, Seoul!

Pickled Radish Korean Style

2017-04-23T21:09:00.000+02:00

This pickled radish is a perfect condiment to anything fried or grilled, I've realised. Goes perfectly well with my KFC Recipe.

In a bowl, dissolve 200 g of white sugar, a tbsp. of salt in 1 cup or water and a cup of rice vinegar.

Stir until sugar and salt is completely dissolved.

Wash and peel about 600 g of radish. A Korean daikon will be perfect for this recipe but any radish will do. Cut into 1 cm cubes. You're eating it so it doesn't have to be perfect!

Transfer cubed radish into your pickling solution. Cover and let it set overnight.

Transfer into mason close jar and refrigerate for 2-3 days before serving. The Radish is super crunchy and the sour , sweetish sauce is just addicting.

Exploring Adelaide: Park 2

2017-04-13T14:12:00.000+02:00

We spent a week in Adelaide before travelling to the East of Australia, home to Great Barrier Reef. Our stay in the south of Australia was pretty laid back and relaxing. My aunt did considered our very long journey from Germany and ensured our total recovery from Jet lag so we are fit and running for the rest of our Australian holiday . She provided us sufficient rest each day, cook us delicious ,homemade meals before exploring the city.

Weather was getting crappy on our 7th day, it was pouring so we stay until lunch time at home. After a delicious spread of seafoods, we went off and look for some indoor places. We went to covered markets and old shops. We did not stay long since the guys look bored and almost unable to hold back their eyes from rolling at out over enthusiasm for kitchen wares, potteries and crystals . I still don't understand what up with men and shopping. Sigh.

When it finally stopped pouring, we went to the Botanic Garden to breath some fresh air . FF and Joe looked so relieved. Lol. Anyway, Adelaide has a number parks and gardens to visit and this is just one of them . I always check out for Botanical Gardens every time we visit a new place and generally love leisure walks in greeneries. The clean smell of grass and old trees simply make me forgot about petty things like taxes, bills , deepening wrinkles and tightening pants.

Just like the rest of the city, Adelaide Botanic Garden is immaculately clean and is well maintained.

We saw check out interesting architecture and sculptures .

Walk through topiary arches.

Lily ponds,

old, gigantic trees,

Bamboo forrest,

And simply feast our eyes on all things green and growing.

Then we came across this tranquil pond, with trees showing the touch of Autumn.

And I can't simply help it but play with the fallen leaves.

Finally, the sun is starting to set when we made of way to Glenelg.

Watch in astonishment as the darkening sky turned into pinkish- purplish hue.

We spent the rest of the evening watching the sky , mesmerised.

The sun finally set, slowing engulfing the sky into darkness. The city lights up and y is once again bursting with activities. Restaurants and pubs starts to get busy , inviting by passers.

Joe, brought us to his favourite steak house, Hogsbreath Cafe. We feasted on 18 hour slow- cooked, butter-tender prime rib steaks, delicious ribs, tasty sides and beautiful local wines. Although we are excited to explore other sides of Australia, FF and I were sad to leave.

Salmon Teriyaki

2017-03-24T09:19:00.001+01:00

Salmon is probably my favourite fish in the ocean or any water body in that matter. I like so much, I can not eat it often enough.

I like it raw and dipped in wasabi soy sauce

I like it flambeed ,

I liked it pouched , grilled

fried and served with rice

I like it in my sinigang soup, in my Pasta

even in my Curries!

Okey, I guess you already get the picture.

Considering how I love to stay in bed and hibernate during cold season , grow abundant leg hairs in my sleep, growl when angry, veering towards hostile when hungry, I could be a reincarnated bear for I know. One things for sure though, I definitely share their love for this fish.

So when I found another delicious looking Salmon dish on the Internet, I went off to buy my favourite sea creature and risk Poseidon's wrath for contributing to this fish's depletion.

Salmon Teriyaki

I made a lot of salmons in my life but THIS ends my favourite! It also happens to be one of the easiest salmon recipes I made.

Ingredients:

600-1000 g salmon,
depending on how much people you're feeding
For the Teriyaki marinade:
5 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
5 tbsp. light soy sauce
3 tbsp. rice vinegar , Mirin if you have some
5 cloves of garlic, ( cause I lurve garlic😍)
1 tbsp. ginger, diced or cut thinly
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
few drops of sesame oil
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Now, this is the concoction that suited me best, however you are free to add or use less any of the ingredients above to suit your palate. If it's to sweet for you, simply cut the sugar or honey. If too bland, add more teriyaki or soy sauce. You want it extra or less garlicky, again it's your choice.

First , prepare the Teriyaki sauce by mixing the ingredients in a big mixing bowl.

Next, wash salmon , pat dry and cut it into serving pieces.
I'm cooking for three so I got about 600 g . Then marinate salmon in teriyaki sauce for 15-20 minutes, not longer, we don't want to pickle the fish.😋

Preheat oven ( 190 ° C) , line baking try with parchment paper . Take salmon out from the marinade, keep the marinade and transfer salmon onto the baking tray. I'm serving mine with asparagus. Bake for 14-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish filet.

While fish is baking, put marinade in a saucepan and cook until it thickens. Set aside.

Brush salmon halfway through baking with the cooked teriyaki sauce and bake until fully cooked.

Salmon Teriyaki

Transfer salmon unto the serving plate, drizzle with the rest of the cooked teriyaki sauce, garnish with green onion and sesame seed. Eat it with rice or mash potatoes and grilled veggies or green salad.

Exploring Adelaide Part 1

2017-03-18T12:38:00.005+01:00

I am slowly recovering from Jet lag and finally wrapped my head around the fact that it's actually Autumn in Australia, while Spring is in full bloom in Germany. I am literally on the opposite side of the world!

Today ,my aunt showed us her city. So what to do when visitors from Germany come to Adelaide? Bring them to a German village, of course! Hahndorf comes from the German words Hahn

(rooster/cock) and Dorf (Village) and is one of the oldest German settlements in Australia.

It's a major tourist spot and is a well visited place in Adelaide Hills. The tree lined main street is packed with restaurants, wineries, shops, cafes and souvenir stores. Volkslieder echoes in the air , while some dirndl- clad ladies carries plates of German foods and mass of bier to diners. It like being in a small German town, only people greets you with 'Howdy, mate!' instead of ''Guten Tag!''.

They got churches.

And some half- timber houses turned restaurants/shops.

We spent almost two hours checking quaint shops while FF and Joe made some small talks with the locals about wines. At lunch time, we search for food and end up in Hahndorf Inn.

My aunt throughly enjoyed her crackling Schweinehaxe/ pork knuckle served with Kartoffelknödel or Potato dumpling. Buried underneath is a generous heaping of Sauerkraut. It's like German's Sunday Roast spread .

The guys each had a plateful of Schnitzel and potato salad, served with some crunchy vegetables on the side. Naturally, tall glasses of German beer were ordered to chase it all down.

I did not cross the ocean and risk pressure ulcers from sitting for 30 hours in a economy seat just to eat something I could get back home. I choose pan fried Barramundi served on crispy potatoes instead. We also shared a basket of Brezel which looked and tasted quite legit!

After scoops of ice cream for dessert from an ice cream parlour , we had a scenic drive to the hills of Adelaide and went to Mount Lofty Summit.

We had the bird's eye view of the city from up there.

I have been asking my aunt to bring me somewhere when I could see Koala Bears and kangaroos since we step in Australia. So Cleland Wildpark was our last pitch stop that day.

There we finally got the chance to get up close and personal with the locals. I though Koalas are small but I got to pet one and it's like holding a 6 month old baby. Only quieter but hairier , got sharp claw and has monotonic appetite for eucalyptus leaves.

We also feed some kangaroos , which come in different colors and sizes, some almost as tall as I am! Oh Australia, I love you more and more each day. 😍😍

On the Road, Scenic and Coastal Ride from Adelaide

2017-03-17T18:56:00.001+01:00

When I thought that traveling to Asia from Europe is tiring, our journey from Germany to Australia put the world Jet Lag and exhaustion to a completely different level . FF and I were bone-weary , sleepless, disoriented the moment we landed in Sydney .

It took us 12 hours to travel from Frankfurt to Bangkok, Thailand, my choice of transit. We spent 7 hours there . To ease some discomforts from our complaining joints and muscles , we went to a spa for a soothing body massage, a warm Jacuzzi bath and to catch few hours of sleep. Then we flew yet again for another 11 hours to Sydney, went through immigration , transfer to the domestic airport and wait for 4 more hours for our flight to Adelaide, my aunt's place , in the south of Australia. It took literally 3 days for us to reach her doorstep! I was a wreck and did not remember much of our first day down under, only that it drizzled. We did not do much the next day either except flip our rotting carcasses in bed .

When FF and I felt remotely human again, we went on a road trip! I honestly did not know the places we visited. My aunt and her companion Joe, drove us around and show us some spectacular areas.

Road trips like this made me fully aware how vast Australia is. In between pit stops and towns , there are just wide spaces and expansive uninhabited areas. Except the patches of dry grass and bushes that stubbornly grow here and there, the dry soil made everything looked so empty , almost barren! But when I thought, we are in the middle of nowhere, a breathtaking view welcomes us on the next turn.

Just like this area, where the river meets the sea. Just beautiful .

Numerous jetties along the coast where you can watch and feel the waves .

Or endless expanse of fine sanded beaches. Australia has surprisingly nice beaches and everything is just so clean.

We have been on the road til noon and were pretty famish . Joe made a stop in one of the diners he visited when he's on a road . Menu is short, foods are simple yet so good. The guys enjoyed fish and chips and we ladies, opt for mix seafoods platter. The batter thin and crispy, the fish and sea creatures succulent and so fresh.

Joe brought us to one of his brother's holiday house after that. It's perch on a hill, overlooking the ocean. The area is so massive, just like the rest of Australia. It's so quiet and tranquil in here, a perfect place to unwind , but it could get really dry in summer so water supply could be an issue esp. if rain is scarce, I was told.

We then made our way to Deep Creek Conservation Park, access only by 4WD.

We navigate our way though the steep and narrow road leading to the Blowhole Beach. The rugged and untamed terrain offers a steeping coastal view.

We spent the rest of the afternoon there, sitting on the grass, feeling the sun shine into our faces, breath the salty blow of the ocean air .

Watch wild kangaroos grazing and lazing around.

Then walk to the narrow steps down to the beach.

Climb rocks,

and simply had a wonderful, wonderful time. A day to remember.

One Pot Garlic Shrimp Pasta

2017-03-16T10:19:00.000+01:00

I bought a pack of Pil Pil spice condiment in Malaga , Spain 2 months ago and have been using it quite often. I don't exactly know what's in it but it goes wonderfully well with seafoods and chicken. It's garlicky and a bit spicy . This pasta recipe is just one of the many dishes I've tried using this spice. It's very simple yet deeply satisfying pasta dish which doesn't require a lot of washing. Lastly, only a handful of ingredients is all you need. An absolute keeper!

Pil Pil spice is also available in Amazon.

Ingredients:

250 g pasta , cooked according to packages instruction

400 g shrimps

1 tbsp. Pil Pil spice

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

250 g cherry tomatoes, washed and keep whole

1 tsp. dried sage

Parmesan cheese, as much as you want!

a handful of parley

salt and pepper to taste

Got 15 minutes ? Get a wide pot, pan or even a wok and try this out!

Cook your spaghetti in salt water. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Put you pan, pot or wok back in the stove. Pat dry using a paper towel, heat olive oil in it and add the Pil Pil spice. If you can not find this condiment anywhere, just use mix smoked paprika powder and some chili powder.

Add the minced garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes.

Dump peeled, cleaned, deveined shrimps into the pot. Stir, stir and stir until each piece is slathered in the flavourful oil.

Next add the tomatoes. Please keep it whole. These are small bombs of flavour that burst in your palate in every mouthful. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add your cooked spaghetti into the pot. Carefully mix everything until .

Add your Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and well, that's about it! Quick and easy, like I said!

Stuffed Bell Pepper with Red Wine Sauce

2017-03-10T09:38:00.002+01:00

A colleague brought this at work last week. We had it during our not- so- rushed ( hurrah!) dinner break and it tasted marvellous!

The meat filling was succulent and tasty, the paprika sweet and tender and the sauce was really flavourful. Recipe was included in the endorsement that day, implementation followed soon after that. Evaluation at home was quite positive, follow up request ensued. Now, I'm sharing the love. 😍

The recipe is quite easy, so do give it a try.

Ingredients:

3-4 red bell peppers
400 g of minced meat ( you can take pork or beef or mix both)
1 large onion, finely minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Brötchen or white bun or 2 slices of white bread soaked in 100 ml milk
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
about 300 ml red wine
400 ml chicken stock
Suppengemuse / soup vegetable which is available in Germany groceries
50 g bacon cubes
1 medium sized onion
2 tbsp. tomato puree
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
a pinch of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for frying

° Wash paprika well and pat dry. Cut into half and take seeds out. Set aside.

° Mix all filling ingredients together until well combined.

° Now fill the paprika with the minced meat filling.

° Heat olive oil in a pan, fry paprika with meat side first until brown. Flip and fry for few more minutes. Take paprika from the pan. Add a bit of olive oil in the same pan, saute onion and bacon for about 3 minutes.

° In most grocery stores in Germany, a bundle of what Germans call Suppengemuse is widely available. It consist of 2-3 medium- size carrots, a slice of celery root, leek and a parsley . It is used many soup or sauce based dishes. In this recipe, I simply chopped the veggies ( save the parley) into pieces and add into the pan.

° Deglaze pan with the red wine, Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Stir in tomato puree.

° Put the stuff paprika back in the pan. Add chicken stock. Then, put bay leaves, sweet paprika, oregano, sugar, cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes .

° Transfer paprika in your serving dish. You can serve the sauce with the chopped vegetables in it or you can strain the vegetable using a colander and just serve the sauce .

Serve with chopped parley and best eaten with rice of pasta. Simple and delicious!

Cast-Iron Apple Crumble Pie

2017-02-23T09:59:00.000+01:00

Every year on Valentine's day, I bake my ex-boyfriend and now husband, a cake. Most of the time, I use my heart-shape pan to mark the day of love and decorate it as romantic as humanely possible. You know with hearts, flowers, glitters , ribbons and all. I know he ~~tolerates~~ appreciates my efforts, despite of my non- existent talent when it comes to cake decorating and baking.

This year, I barely got the time to bake, least decorate a cake for Valentine's day . My heart- shaped cake pan was left untouched since I honestly got not clue what cake to bake in it and how to garnish it. But I still want surprise my better-half with something sweet and sugary. So I though, why not bake his favourite cake instead?

FF's favourite cake is actually a pie. An apple pie to be exact. With its thin and crispy crust, generous sweet filling and a mountain of crumbly goodness, I understand why.

Sometimes, the simplest of things made us the happiest. This year, FF was extremely happy with the warm apple pie waiting for him this Valentine's cake. Not only did it tasted good, there's no need to decorate it whatsoever since it looked good as it is.

Pie Crust:

1 and 1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp. salt

1/2 cup chilled butter

1 tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup ice water

1 tbsp. cider vinegar

Using a food processor, put all ingredients except for the liquids. With a metal blade attached, pulse for about 10 seconds until mixture will look like course meal.

Mix vinegar and ice water. Pour liquid on the flour and butter mixture, 3-4 tbsp at a time.

Pulse until the batter holds together.

Drop pie dough on a floured working surface and knead for about 1-2 minutes .

Form into a ball and wrap dough in a cling foil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare crumble and filling.

Crumble :

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 stick chilled butter
3-5 tbsp.melted butter

Put all crumble ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Refrigerate. Now work on your filling.

Apple Filling:

6-7 apples

5 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon powder
2 tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

Peel the apples.

Dice or thinly slice your apples.

Add the rest to the ingredients. Toss everything until each apple piece is coated in cinnamon sugar.

Assemble cake!

Grease the cast iron pan. You can use a regular pie dish or cake pan, of course.

On a floured working surface, roll pie dough into a flat disk which is wide enough to cover the bottom and the sides of your pan .

Transfer pie dough into your pan .

Put apple pie filling in it and spread .

Spoon crumble over filling.

Bake at 180°c for about an hour.

The warm apple crumble makes an excellent dessert. Just serve it with your favourite ice cream and some caramel sauce and it will please anyone's palate.

Beetroot Carpaccio with Toasted Pine Nuts, Parmesan and crispy Rocket

2017-02-09T08:59:00.001+01:00

I finally found a vegetable dish that I could proudly serve to my visitors or bring to a party without feeling inadequate and also hopeful. Will they like? Does it taste at least, okey? I don't do salads, blame that to my humble upbringing where the only vegetables that I know are cooked to death or killed twice. That's carrots and peas, paprika and potatoes drowned in a greasy sauce or at least randomly swimming in a pot full of animal carcasses.

Last month I was watching my favourite cook show on TV when this thinly sliced vegetable carpaccio made a quick appearance. Among the good number of dishes showcased that evening, this beetroot Carpaccio made a lasting impression. It looked so appetising so I decided to make it at home. I was feeling all housewife-y and kind of miss the foods we had in Spain so I made few tapas for dinner. This was clearly my and FF's favourite. So I served it again once day ,when the family came over for lunch. Just as expected, it was the first dish to be wiped out. Everyone who tried it, just loved it!

I did not measure the ingredients. If decided to give this salad a go, just eyeball everything and it will be just as good, I promise!

Cook beetroot and peel. You can boil it or wrap in foil and bake until it's cooked. Peeling it was quite messy though, fortunately , there are cooked and vacuumed sealed beetroot sold in our local supermarket .

Thinly slice beetroot and lay on your serving plater. Spread shaved parmesan over it. How much? Depends on how much you love cheese, I would day!

Heat a small skillet and toast a handful of pine nuts in it until aromatic. Spread over carpaccio.

Drizzle carpaccio with good quality olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Up next, balsamic vinegar or acetano balsamico.

Lastly, heat a cup of vegetable oil in a pan/wok. Fry a handful of rocket leaves/arugula for 30-40 seconds or until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and scatter crispy rockets on top of your Carpaccio. Done!

So simple yet so , so goooood. The earthy beetroot, the salty parmesan, the nutty pine nuts, the sweet Balsamic vinegar and the crunchy Arugula played harmoniously in my palate like an orchestra.I know somebody who don't like beetroot who tried it and end up liking it! I got a lot of recipe request for this simple salad, so I'm sharing the love. (^_^)

Vineria San Telmo, Seville

2017-01-19T11:07:00.000+01:00

I love Spain! The weather, the country, the people and of course the foods! I share the love for the country with my better half, FF. Although we do try to visit places and countries we haven't been to before, we don't really mind coming back to this country again and again.

Last December, when weather in Germany drastically drops below zero, we found ourselves boarding the plane to Andalusia, the south of Spain, with the bitter cold of Germany hot on our heels. We fled hoping for a warm, sunny welcome.

Alas, we were met by strong gush of wind and pouring rain. For 3 days, the sun was swallowed by thick clouds, only to sneak quick peek before hiding and getting us all drench up again in the unforgiving rain. It was depressing.

So we stayed indoors, most of the time. Literally going in one tapas bar and restaurant to the other. Eating our way through the streets of Seville certainly lifted our drowning spirits.

This particular restaurant made our stay in Seville enjoyable and forgot the sloppy weather . With thousands of competition in the city, this relatively new establishment was able to garner a place among the solid rank of well visited places in Seville. The delicious foods, fabulous wines, cool ambiance and friendly staff made us come back here 4 nights in a row.

Vineria San Telmo gives classic Andalusian dishes a modern and innovative twist. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals in this place. Here are just few of the treats they offer.

Housemade Chicken Liver Pate with Tomatoe Jam and Melted Castuera Cheese with Caramelised Onions.

Homemade Foie Gras M Cuit with Vanilla Oil and Caramelised Peanuts.

Squid Ink Spagetti with Garlic, Pesto and Grilled Scallops

Grilled Beef Carpacio Rolls filled with Brie and served with Mango Chutney and Candied Angel Hair squash

Argentinian Beef Fillet with Sweet Mustard Sauce

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Basil and Tarragon, served with Couscous

Grilled Foie Gras with Apple Compote

Crispy Prawn in Panco with Soy Mayonnaise served with Zucchini

Stewed Oxtail in Crispy Filo Pastry. My favourite dish!

Pan Fried Octopus with Garlic and Onion

Salmon Tatami with Leeks

The wife of the owner of Vineria San Telmo is a pastry chef and owns her own bakeshop, so we were told. Her creations are displayed in a cart beside the door for everyone to ogle . We were blown away the each of the sweet treat we've tried.

The cloud of Meringues on top of the tangy Lemon Pie is a delight to the palate.

Seriously addictive !

FF on the other hand, loved this apple pie served with ice cream.

The Cheesecake is not overly sweet and was served with berry sauce. So yummy!

Finally, one of the best flans I had. So silky, no eggy after taste and simply delicious!

If you happen to be in Seville and wants to try some delicious, modern day tapas, check this place out! You won't regret it.

Address: Paseo de Catalina de Ribera, 4, 41004 Sevilla, Spain

Phone: +34 954 41 06 00

Menu: vineriasantelmo.com

Hours:

Wednesday	1PM–12AM
Thursday	1PM–12AM
Friday	1PM–12AM
Saturday	1PM–12AM
Sunday	1PM–12AM
Monday	1PM–12AM
Tuesday	1PM–12AM

Oven baked Lechon Belly

2016-12-13T13:04:00.001+01:00

Nothing excites a Filipino party goer more than seeing a lechon on the table. The king of a buffet throne, the crowned jewel and the Belle of the ball . It's the epitome of the Philippines' festivities .

The whole roasted pig, glistering in its own fat with the aromatic steam seeping between the crackling skin , watering mouths, wowing eyes and promising heart -clogging goodness .

Now that Christmas is at our doorstep and everyone feeling all jovial and festive, pictures of it is all over the Internet , ever present in many ,many celebrations and parties. As a matter of fact, every December , my hometown even celebrates a food Festival dedicated to this Filipino specialty.

Behold! The Lechon Festival!

I feel home sick and left out just by looking at it and grease- stained smiles of those who had it. Since I can't possibly order a whole pig and my oven in nowhere near big enough to accommodate a whole swine, I decided to make a smaller but never the less just as delicious version using just the pork's belly.

It was my first time making Lechon at home and I was pleasantly surprise that it turned out so good. The skin was so crispy , it stayed crunchy the next day! The best part is, it tasted of home. This is going to be a very merry Christmas after all.

Just listen to this crackling sound. It's almost as good as listening to Christmas carols.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Brining solution:

1/3 cup salt

2 medium sized onion, peeled and cut into half

6 cloves of garlic, smashed

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp. whole pepper corns

2-3 stalks of lemongrass , smashed

about 1.5 l water

Others:

about 1.5 kg pork belly

a handful of spring onion

stalks of lemongrass

3 tbsp. sugar cane vinegar

4 cloves of garlic

1 small sized onion

salt and pepper

about 1 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. coconut oil

Cooking direction:

Put ingredients of brining solution in a pot and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil until salt dissolves.

Transfer into a big container/bowl big enough to hold the pork belly . Add the rest of water . Refrigerate . Once the solution is cold, submerge meat. ( Do not put meat when solution is still warm!) Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Take meat out from the salty solution. Rinse under cold water. Pat all sides dry.

Season pork belly with salt and pepper.

Using mortar and pestle, pound onion and garlic . Add vinegar. Mix until well incorporated. Spread vinegar mixture on the pork belly.

Put spring onion and smash lemongrass .

Roll pork belly tightly and secure pork roll using a kitchen twine. Since we're having the lechon for dinner and I prep the meat in the morning, I put it back in the fridge, loosely covered to air dry . The skin of the belly must very dry. It's essential to the crunchiness of the skin.

Heat oven to 175°c. Pat the pork skin with paper tower to get rid of any moisture. Brush lightly with light soy sauce.

Place a baking pan in the oven. Fill it with about 2 cups of water. Lay Pork Roll, seams side down on a baking rack. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 2 hours, depending on the thickness and size of your pork belly.

Once the pork is almost cooked, take foil out and crack up the heat to 185-190°c .

Brush pork roll with coconut oil. Bake until the skin crisps and turns mahogany brown. Each oven is different so just keep an eye in your lechon roll. It took more almost 35 minutes in my oven. I put the oven to ''broil'' in the last 10 minutes of cooking to make the skin really crunchy.

Let the roll sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Just look, inhale the heavenly aroma coming from it and yeah, wipe that drool off your maw. Serve with your favourite vinegar dip!

Now, for the crunch test!