First tulipsMy personal end of every X-Mas period has definitely come when two symbolic things happen in my appartment: the fir tree branch is replaced with the first fresh tulips of the year and all the X-Mas presents find their place in my daily life. The best thing this year: the presents were 99% eatable or connected with food, so they will inspire and delight me each of the following days.
X-Mas favourite dish 2009:
lamb filets with espresso and black pepper
Nevertheless X-mas is over, something remains every year. During my usual six-
day period of Christmas cooking for different friends a few new ideas - combinations or variations of recipes - just "happen" while being passionate about cooking all these dinners every evening.
The X-Mas favourite of 2009 was lamb filet with a dry marinade of black pepper and coffee. Similar to Vincent Klinks cold marinade for the salmon (please see the last böog entry), the marination of the lamb follows the same process. The filets were covered with a 50/50 mixture of espresso and black pepper - both powdered roughly - and kept in the fridge for 24 hours. Before you fry them slowly in olive oil the next day, you have to remove the marinade carefully with lukewarm water and dry the filets with kitchenpaper. The taste of coffee and the hot pepper goes excellently with the special taste of the meet. After having fried the filets put some good rough sea salt on them and let them rest at least 10 minutes in aluminium foil.
Together with these smooth lamb filets a sweet-hot tomato-carrot-chili-chutney was served.
For the chutney frie a sliced onion and a garlic glove with salt and 3 little hot chilis in olive oil. After the onions look glassy put in the carrots (about three big ones) in small pieces. Turn down the heat immediately and put on the lid.
After another 10 minutes add 6 fresh, tasteful, cut tomatoes and another 10 cut dried tomatoes. Add a big tablespoon of brown sugar, a dash of aceito and let the whole stuff boil very very slowly - lid on - for minimum 45 minutes.
Remove the chilis, the garlic and taste it again, if necessary add some sea salt and serve it with the fried lamb filets. This meal goes excellently together with good white bread, fresh high quality olive oil to dunk it in and a smooth strong tempranillo besides.
There was a very severe tester with me the evening I served the lamb:-) He immediately became a fan of this dish and on his scale from 1 to 10 (best) he gave this meal a 10, what decorated the face of the cook tomato-red around the cheeks:-)
2010: Chaos, sensuality and fine food:-)
The motto for 2010 I established according to one of my very favourite Christmas presents, a little tee candleholder with the inspiring slogan from a play about margravin wilhelmine (1709-1758).
"So it has to be: Chaos, sensuality and fine food." What a slogan! I totally agree with the last two points of the sentence but the chaos I hope to conquer in 2010 better than in 2009, even if I believe that someone needs a bit of slight chaos to be inspired anew and to stay creative.
dolce vita ahoi • monika ebert • mobile minds
