joi, 30 august 2012

Classic , elegant music …. Just screams out Let’s Cook !

          Dear bloggie readers , I did not mention this but I am a lover of classic  music , elegant  types , just brings out the passion of cooking in me :D …. Plus it’s fun and let me tell you this it trully works .


Just let yourself carried away by the sounds , and let your imagination do the job for you .

Try this one day … go to the market , buy yourself some herbs , some vegetables , any protein ( meat ) , turn on your music and let yourself embraced by the sound waves and the ingredients in front of you .

Ideeas in the kitchen in my opinnion come from the heart , what you feel is what you cook , that is why I consider that cooking Is the art of expressing yourself .

You should be having fun , and freedom of all bad thoughts is neccesary otherwise you will never be sattisfied with your work .

I’m gonna give you guys a few links of what I usually listen when I do ‘’ my thing ‘’ in the kitchen and I find it helpful and fun :D but you can select your own list of songs … this I repeat is  to my prefference and style!

So here are a few links to one of my favorite artists ... Kenny G : 

Maybe you guys will find yourselves in this style and will give an aid to your culinary imagination …

We do not lack ingredients my friends we just lack the spices of our imagination .

So infuse your heart and soul with wonderfull sounds and release them in your cooking .

Trust me you won’t regret doing so !

Have fun all , and untill my next post I hope you guys find your soundwaves for the little chef that resides in all of you :D … Feed him with elegance and style as you feed yourself with good and proper food and who knows maybe he will grow in you someday as it happened to me  !

Au revoir ! :D 

duminică, 26 august 2012

My mom’s amazing tomato soup with a little twist of my own


I don’t know where to start from…. In fact i kinda do !

I just love a good tomato soup on a sunny day . Vibrant colors , amazing earthy flavours , light and once you start making it the flavours will pop and the entire room will smell of fresh sunny days .

This recepy is so easy , fast and once you get the hang of it you will do it over and over again , it’s amazing and you don’t need fancy ingredients , expensive oils , herbs or spices .

You just need a bit of love , care , passion and just some few ingredients I’m about to write them down , after of course I run you guys through some lovely experiences I’ve had … YES , you are right …  , at the farm !

After the post about the barbeq I’ve had loads of new experiences here , besides cookin’ all day on a barbeq grill , I’ve had the blessing and luck to assist at the birth of a viel !

It was amazing , to pull life out of something , it felt weird but in a good way ! And of course after a hard day’s work I had to make something fast , light and of course appealing to the eye .

 And as I sat on a pile of straws and looked at the sun I got inspired and I thaught why not make a tomato soup …. And the best one there is , I can proudly say my mom’s !

It is so tasy and appealing to the eye … I can proudly say it looks romantic and it trully infuses you with a warmth in your hearth you’ve never felt before .

Ok so enough with the chit chat let’s get on with the recepy !
Here are the ingredients you need for this recepy : For 4 servings !

  • 1 and a half L of tomato juice ( and 1 L of water )
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 big yellow onion or 2 small ones
  • 1 bunch of lovage
  • 1 bunch of dill
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • Salt
  • A mix of green pepper and black pepper seeds
  • 4 eggs

So let’s get on with the preps for the soup . As I told you this recepy is fast and easy and should take 30 min max to make it .
Get a pot and pour the tomato juice with the water in it .
Wash the red pepper , peel the onion and wash it aswell … we don’t want dirt in our soup then cut them both in half and add them with the juice in the pot . Oh and by the way keep the seeds and all the bitts … that’s how my mom does and it truly makes a difference in it’s taste .

Add some salt not 2 much though … and the 2 tablespoons of sugar and in a pestle and mortar crush the pepper seeds and add them aswell . Bring the soup to the boil and leave it that way for 20 to 30 minutes max … depending how powerfull your stove flame is !

When it is almost finished crack 4 eggs and drop them in the soup while it  is boilling … leave them for about 5 minutes . Due to the acidity from the tomato juice the egg white wraps the egg yolk and its shape is kinda like a mozzarela ball , real appetizing and it looks elegant !

Finnaly season the soup with salt or sugar if it needs more … I repeat to your prefference , and taste of course … season only if neccesary … 2 much seasoning cuts the flavours and It will just taste of nothing !


And when it’s serving time I just add the special mix !
Chop some fresh lovage and dill mix them togheter while you chop them and they realease amazing earthy flavours , and 1 egg ( it is amazing , melts in your mouth ) it just crowds your mouth with romantism and lightness , warms your heart and it also get’s you out of depressive status .




A perfect soup fir for a romantic evening , with the person you care at your side enjoying the fruits of your labour and to give it that extra Kick hit it lightly with some extra virgin olive oil and you take the soup to a whole different level .

So take your loved one or any other person you love or care for and hit them hard with this amazing soup … I am telling you it trully gives you that extra kick you need in every aspect :D !

So good luck , and give it a go it’s so easy and light you just can’t believe !
Untill my next post guys , as the french proudly say !

Bon Appetit !



duminică, 12 august 2012

Barbeque day baby !

        And yes ... Barbeque day , the love of a chef's life , and my outmost challenge so far :D !
 
 Since most of my time was spent at the farm , i've basically did not have the luxury to cook on a stove , but had the privilege in learning a few tricks about barbecuing , and since everyday was a clear sunny day i've taken every opportunity to cook on a barbeque grill .

    It is trully divine , i mean from my point of view a chef's dream and relaxation point .
    The smell of the coal , wood ... it is pure gold !
 
   Barbecuing is quite tricky and you need a bit of time to learn how to barbeque properly and the most important aspect is ... Controlling the Fire !!
   I've had a lot of trouble at the beggining with that but thanks to Jamie and his book : '' At Home With Jamie '' , and also to the countless fails i've had :D , i've sort of captured a bit of the controlling part .

   Of course i still need to learn loads , but truthfully i felt this was a good start !
   
   So on the menu today ?

   Grilled musrooms with grilled chicken drumsticks and skewers of course .
 The ingredients for the skewers are :
- mushrooms
- chillis
- red peppers
- pork meat
- onions







And the ingredients for the drumsticks are  : - 12 drumsticks                   ( marinade )
                                                                   - pepperoncino
                                                                   - 2 table spoons of honey
                                                                   - 7 sprigs of fresh thyme
                                                                   - 4 to 5 cloves of garlic , depending on your prefference
                                                                   - 4 table spoons of paprika
                                                                   - 4 cloves
                                                                   - olive oil
                                                                   - salt
                                                                   - pepper
                                                                   - mushrooms
                                                                   - lemon
                                                                   - parsley

   
    So let us begin . The first thing you need to do is obviously start the fire and here comes the tricky part .
    In order to control , maintain a steady fire you need to first have a solid base and a well built fire that will heaten up the cole and also insure you that you will benefit from this fire untill your food is cooked and ready to serve ,
   
    The technique i've used to start the fire was arranging the wood as a piramid ( this will make sure the flames will go up and not sideways and also it will make it easier for you to distribute the fire ) .
    After that you place the coles on the fire and wait for them to heat up .

    Use a plank or a board , something flat to make a bit of wind so the coles heat up faster .
    If the heat seems a bit too high just sprinkle a bit of water ( not 2 much though ) . Also be sure to rub some pork fat over the grill so the meat won't stick  .

    I've marinated my drumsticks in paprika , olive oil aprox 6 table spoons  , garlic , thyme about 7 sprigs , 4 cloves , 2 table spoons of honey  , lemon zest , pepperoncino  for about 3 hours . Also i've used a bit of the marinade juices on the mushrooms .

    As for the skewers just place them on the stick : pork meat , mushrooms , chillis , red peppers , onions  and the only secret to it is to start on the stick with meat and end with meat .
     That way all the ingredients are secured and won't fall off the skewer stick . Add some salt and pepper and add it to the grill !!


    It is important to control the fire , for example if you see little sparks of flame rise up to the meat just splash some water over them otherwise your meat will burn .

    After you are done with the skewers add the marinated drumsticks and mushrooms .



When the meat is finally cooked just sprinkle some lemon juice on it and let it rest a bit so the natural juices travel thru it .
Plate it up and serve !
Here are the skewers plated and ready to be eaten :X
And as for the drumsticks just plate them up with a bit of mushrooms and sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley over them .



Spicy barbeque drumsticks , with muhrooms , parsley , lemon ... it's an amazing combination . And to be sure you finished the job properly you can always add a beer and will defenetly change your world ! 

Great summer flavours exploding in your mouth !

Well anyway i'm done , have fun and barbeque your summer while you can . See you guys in my next post !

                                                          Bon Appetit !

Life at the farm ! :D

           Dear readers , please pardon my absence throughout this month , since i've been away , busy helping my friend at the farm and had no internet service during this period .

    This weeks that i spent there were quite spectacular , with its ups and downs .
    I've learnt so much about cows , milking , and also the difference beetween cows that are raised specially for their meat and cows raised specially for producing milk . You can't imagine how diverse they are , it's kinda the same as cocoa beans or wine , or coffee !

    After what i've been thru , i've seen that leading a farm is challenging , nonetheless it requires all your available time . The fact that my friend at the age of 22 runs it with such passion , dignity and pride it only marked me as an aspiring chef to be the same as he is and one day run a restaurant and kitchen of my own as he runs his farm .

   Of course there were a lot of special moments . I've seen ill cows being treated and sometimes we were summoned at late hours to treat them .

  Just to make things clear to you the cows are being fed well , treated with respect and because of that theyr
reward is so priceless you just can't regret spending all of your time in treating them good .

So this is the farm

And down here is the milking room  :

    The place is well equipped with every neccesary tool you need , and everything is arranged according to E.U. standards .

   Honestly i've never seen such pure , warm , dense , white milk in all my life . It is trully divine , and the taste is out of this world .

  The next few days i want to use this milk in creating amazing desserts and all sorts of refreshing drinks for these hot summer days .


It's a lovely place to be and learn a thing or two about responsabillity !

So guys untill my next post which will be about Barbecuing !             Au revoir ! :D