Spicy drumsticks and fresh salad

Nice and light dinner with help of beloved Webber gas grill.

You need to marinate chicken for a couple of hours before grilling, 

for marinade use the following:

1 tbs of mayonnaise

1 tbs of cajun spice mix

2 tbs of Portuguese Piri Piri spice mix

1 tbs of vinegar

2 tbs of olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and rub into meat, use a big bowl - it makes life easier, cover with plastic wrap and live in the fridge for a couple of hours.

For the salad you need the following:

1/2 cucumber

2 tomatoes

pinch of salt

freshly grounded black pepper

4 tbs of olive oil

50 gr of Creamy fetta cheese

different fresh herbs from your garden (dill, parsley, spinach, basil)

 Cut cucumber and tomatoes to small pieces, chop herbs, mix together add salt, pepper, and oil. Put cheese on the top when ready to serve.

Bon Appetite!

PS: It was so good that I took another piece of chicken as dessert! :D

In honor of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova

I found a strange fruit growing in our backyard - like a big plum's. One day I stepped on one and it broke open and some seeds came out, that looked familiar, I thought. I sniffed the seeds and slimy content of the fruit and yes, it was passion fruit!

After finding passion fruit from the backyard, I had only one idea what to do with it - PAVLOVA. It's funny but here in New Zealand people are sure that it was made originally here, but some people from Australia certain that first time it was made in Australia. Who knows - as I am now living under the crown in NZ I have to say it was made here and Wiki is supporting that knowledge as well :) For sure it's originated from 1920'ies when Anna Pavlova was on her tour in NZ and AUS.

The cake is simple and actually easy to make. But it tastes like heaven!

You need for the cake base the following:

4 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp of white vinegar

For the top you need:

300 ml cream, whipped

125g raspberries

125g blueberries

2 passion fruits

Cooking:

Preheat the oven to 150C. Separate egg whites and beat with electric beaters in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition, at the end add salt and vinegar. beat for about 5 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Spread the meringue mixture on to the tray covered with baking paper. Make it in diameter about 20cm. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 120C and bake further 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside to cool, using a wooden spoon to keep the door ajar.

Top with the whipped cream and arrange the berries and passion fruit on the top. Pavlova is best eaten on the same day it is made. Serve immediately once the pavlova is topped with the cream and fruit. 

Bubble and Squeak

Haven't heard about the "Bubble and Squeak" before - but as we live now in former British imperium, we have to get familiar with Queen's favorites!

Usually, this dish is made from leftovers the next day after the party and used mash, cabbage, meat, sausages, bacon, onions, lard etc. BUT I didn't have them (party neither) so I had to go shopping in the New World. They have an unbelievably wide variety of  "Sauerkraut". Well known cabbage product from Germany and the surrounding region. I think every German person knows what is sauerkraut and most of them have it even in the fridge as a snack!

  

What you need for the Main (B&S):

Cast iron skillet

10 slices of bacon

4 large potatoes

2 large carrots

2 raw chorizo sausages (take meat out)

1 onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (chopped)
100g sauerkraut

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbs of butter

1/2 cup of milk

oil for frying

1 tsp of English mustard 

To make this dish juicier, I made also one side dish to it. 

You need for a side dish the following:

1/4 of beef heart 

1 onion (sliced)

1 garlic clove (chopped)

1 tomato (chopped)

1 slice of lemon

dry herbs for seasoning

salt

freshly ground black pepper

lard for frying

Cooking:
Peel potatoes and carrots and boil them in salty water until ready, then drain. Mash when still warm and add milk and butter. Season with salt, pepper, and mustard. Same time you can fry meat from chorizo sausages, chopped onion, and garlic - when ready add sauerkraur and mix in. Now you can mix them together. Cover cast iron skillet with thin slices of the bacon and put the mash in. Cook in middle of the oven at 200C at abt. 30 minutes. Take it out and let it cool down about one hour. After that, you can flip it on a wooden cutting board, cut and serve.

For side dish:

Slice and fry beef heart, add sliced onion and garlic, mix it all together. When ready add tomato, lemon, seasoning and simmer about 10 minutes until ready. Use as a side for B&S.

Bon Appetite

Soup of the week "Red October"

At least once a week I try to make soup - it's good to have something liquid between all this grilling and meat eating! To make soup is good also for your fridge - you can use different veggies and leftover meat from previous week grilling. If you see that you will not eat all the meat you grilled during a couple of days - I suggest to wrap it to foil or plastic bag and freeze it. Then you can re-use this meat (ribs, steak, lamb chops, sausages, burgers etc) same or next week and it will make the process of your soup cooking also faster (because meat is already cooked).

I call this soup "Red Soup" or why not to make it more interesting and call it "Red October" - because it reminds me of a soup "Seljanka" from Russian kitchen. 

To make this soup you need the following:

3 potatoes

3 carrots

3 branches of cellary

3 slices of bacon

3 tbs of olive oil

meat from the previous week grill

handful of olives

1 onion

1 garlic glove

1 bell pepper

1 jar of tomato sauce

4-5 pickled cucumbers

1 slice of lemon

1 bay leaf

salt

freshly ground black pepper

dry herbs

fresh herbs (dill, parsley, sage, spring onion, basil)

Cooking:

Put at least 5L pot on medium heat, add olive oil. Cut bacon and put into a pot, add chopped onion and garlic, stir. Now cut potatoes to about 1x1cm pieces and carrots to a little smaller pieces and add to pot. Stir the mix time to time. Boil about 1,5L of water and add it to pot (later you can add some more - just look for consistency). Chopp bell pepper, cellary, pickles and meat and add to pot. let it get boiling and then add tomato sauce, bay leaf, olives, a slice of lemon, dry herbs (Italian mix), salt and freshly ground pepper. When boiling, turn heat to low and cook about 45 minutes. Serve with fresh chopped herbs and some sour cream.

Bon Appetit!

Crete (Greek) salad

We have been traveling in different Greek islands (Crete, Rhodos, Corfu) and people living there, have one common issue - they like to EAT WELL! Once we rented the car and went up to the mountains, but as it was lunchtime we stopped in a local small family owned a tavern. We ordered Crete salad and fried calamari - that lunch I remember my whole life - the taste of tomatoes and cheese and this calamari - unbelievable... So, just a few days ago I decided to make this great salad again and write down the recipe for you.

The basic difference between classic Greek salad and Crete salad was, as I understand, that in Crete salad they added slices of boiled potatoes as a first layer and on a top, they added slices of boiled eggs. It will make this salad richer and you can have dinner just with this salad and protein of your choice, don't need to worry about some other carbs on the table.

Again, it's easy to make, it's quick and it's difficult to screw it up!

You need the following:

3 tomatoes

1 bell pepper

1 cucumber

3 boiled and chilled potatoes (boil with skin)

3 boiled and chilled eggs

1 small red onion

handful of olives

abt. 100gr Feta cheese

olive oil

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

dry herbs for seasoning if you wish (oregano)

How to make:

I made this salad as layers. At first peal potatoes, cut them to half and then to abt. 1cm slices. Make a layer on the bottom of the large bowl. Now make layers from tomatoes, onion (onion cut into thinner layers), cucumber, bell pepper. On the top put cubes of Feta cheese, olives, and eggs (cut them into 4 pieces). Pour over with olive oil and add salt and black pepper. 

Serve with the wine of your choice!

Bon Appetite!

Burger, HungerBurger...

I have been mastered my skills making burgers on the charcoal grill now already a couple of times. Yesterday I heard on a table at dinner only the sound of chewing and I understand - it's time!

Burgers are easy to make and anyone can handle this pressure - especially if you have few cold-ones in the fridge to help you out!

So you need the following:

abt 1,5 kg of minced beef

2 tbs of beef rub

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of fresh grounded black pepper

1/4 tsp of dry herbs (Italian mix)

1 tbs of grill sauce

2 tbs of tomato sauce

1 small onion or 1/2 of a medium onion (chopped nicely)

1 garlic glove (chopped nicely)

1 egg

a handful of fresh parsley (chopped nicely)

For the classical burger, you need as additionally: bred, bacon, red onion, pickled cucumber, fresh tomato, some salad, sauce.

Put all your spices and other ingredients into a large bowl and mix nicely - you can use your clean hands for this mixing job. I use one big plastic bowl for this type of mixing - better it is a little big than a little too small! After mixing it all well cover with plastic film and let it season a couple of hours. BTW - freshly chopped parsley gives a really nice touch to your burgers - try this for sure!

Prepare your grill and use direct and secondary heat as needed and cover your grill with a lid when burgers are on secondary heat - so that they can cook also from inside. If you like you can add some cheese now and make some slices of bacon. 

On the same grill, you can heat/grill your bread for burgers or if you want to go more healthy go with salad ONLY on a side. 

The last burger I had with Greek salad and some really nice Chipotle sauce from Barker's - that sauce you have to try - very nice job guys at Barker's! Plate on the last pick will say it all...

Easy going Bruschetta

One day shopping at "New World" I found myself standing in front of the shelf with all the different goodies and read on some jars "Bruschetta". I couldn't control myself and took on of them and next, I was putting nice thick Ciabatta loaf in my trolly.

Of course, this is not "The Real Deal" recipe of - how to make bruschetta topping but it was quite good for a quick snack.

You need:
1 Chiabbata
1 jar Bruschetta mix - you need abt 4 tbs of it.
1 garlic clove
4 tbs of cooking oil
2 tsp of butter
4 tbs of olive oil
salt
freshly grounded black pepper

Preparation and making ones:
Heat your pan to medium heat, add some cooking oil and butter and some thin slices of garlic, (for taste) cut ciabatta into 2cm thick slices and fry on the pan from both sides. Put slices to cool and add some little salt and fresh pepper. Same time mix in a bowl together olive oil and bruschetta mix. Now pure some of this mixed mix on each ciabatta slice and enjoy.