Sgroppino al Limone

This is what all the old ladies drink in Veneto on a hot summer day. But I think the perfect palate cleanser for a long, heavy meal in the middle of winter!

2 cups lemon gelato, softened

1/3 cup prosecco

2 tblsp vodka

zest of lemon

1. chill champagne flutes
2. get or make lemon gelato (juice of lemon and cream but no egg); make sure to discard the lemon peel to exclude the bitter pith
3. put ice cream into a pitcher, whisk until smooth
4. gradually whisk in vodka and prosecco (don't use blender or whisk too much as mixture will become to liquid)
5. serve immediately into flutes, sprinkle lemon zest on top

Munich Observations

Some of the best German food I've had on this recent trip. A rekindled fondness for sauerbraten! These are a couple of finds, by no means off the beaten path.

• Spatenhaus An Der Oper: two visits, each time equally good. Standout was the sauerbraten, served with potato balls, and a side of cucumber salad. I am now determined to make this dish part of my repertoire. Maybe with Mrs. Bornt's help?
• Nurnberger Bratwurst Glockl am Dom: the Nurnberger Rostbratwurste were the best I've ever had, grilled over a roaring fire. These were served with a classic potato salad and perfectly prepared sauerkraut. Their Augustiner Hell com Fass was the perfect accompaniment to wash it all down, hailing from a 500 year old barrel.
• Bar Centrale: cozy haunt for afternoon coffee and cake, or after dinner drink.
• Kranz: hipster hang for coffee and cake, in Glockenbachviertel.

Burrata & Onion Compote

An unexpected combination, surprisingly tasty! But this would never fly in Puglia.

burrata

red onion compote

toasted hazelnuts

EVOO

maldon sea salt

micro herbs (basil, watercress etc)

red onion compote

red onions, sliced with a mandolin

sugar

butter

red wine vinegar

S&P

1. make red onion compote using ingredients, let cool
2. break up burrata so that it is spread nicely over a plate
3. place a few tblsp of onion compote haphazardly on the burrata
4. break hazelnuts into relatively large chunks, sprinkle over burrata
5. drizzle a bit of EVOO, sprinkle salt over dish

Treviso & Assaggio Risotto

A lovely risotto to huddle over on a cold autumn day.

treviso

assaggio

red onion

Noilly Prat

risotto rice

butter

S&P

parmesan

1. make risotto with above ingredients
2. sprinkle a bit of parmesan at the end (optional)

Cotechino, Lentils & Mostarda

This is a better dish when you can avoid the vacuum packed, store shelf version and source a fresh sausage. Or make it yourself.

cotechino

lentils

home-made chicken stock

EVOO

mostarda

1. warm cotechino through
2. soak lentils over night; boil until al dente
3. saute garlic, onion, shallots, saute lentils adding stock to loosen up if necessary
4. cut a few slices of cotechino and put onto a plate with lentils and mostarda on the side; drizzle with EVOO

Salt Crust Sea Bream

Nothing novel here, but I loved the way the chef at Boca de Lupo made this look so easy, which it is. I especially like the use of a bog standard (not necessarily deep) stainless steel tray to bake the fish.

sea bream (or sea bass)

rock salt

rucola

EVOO

white balsamic vinegar

S&P

1. set oven at 250 c
2. in a relatively shallow stainless steel platter big enough to hold the fish, pour a layer of salt on which to place the fish; cover fish with more salt so that everything is covered except the head and tip of the tail
3. cook 13-15 minutes for a normal size fish
4. take out of oven, let sit 5-10 minutes
5. tap on salt crust with back of a big knife
6. remove salt, place fish on a cutting board
7. with a spoon, lift skin off the shoulder (just beneath the head where filet begins) and peel off; repeat for other side
8. very importantly, trim the back of the fish so that there are no little bones left, vertebrae is gone
9. serve with head and tail still on
10. dress rucola with EVOO, vinegar, S&P

London Italian Picks

We aren't that spoiled for choice in London. Here are my favorites, in order.

• River Cafe: simple but sublime and consistently good
• Bocca di Lupo: the menu is a great survey of Italy's best dishes, best to sit at the bar; pasta needs to be cooked to order
• Zucca: Bermondsey location makes it an exciting destination, high quality but reasonably-priced food
• Tinello: a Locatelli venture, more exciting than the mother ship
• La Famiglia: the food is fun, but the ambiance even better
• Anima: uncool crowd, cold ambiance but skilled kitchen and friendly service offset

Coffee Gelati & Licorice Zabaione

A three star dessert from London's Anima. I think the best dessert I've had in a few months. All of the key flavors (coffee, star anise and licorice) are bold in their own right, but mesh perfectly together in this recipe.

espresso

star anise

milk

cream

eggs

zabaione

licorice liquor (Calabria)

peanut brittle

1. make peanut brittle ahead of time
2. make ice cream using the espresso and star anise
3. make zabaione using liquor
4. put scoop of ice cream in a martini glass
5. put a couple of chips of peanut brittle alongside the ice cream
6. pour over zabaione while still warm (not hot as it will melt the ice cream too quickly)

Duck Breast & Ponzu

From Tokyo's Buchi.

1 duck breast, boneless, skin-on

1 white part of leek, outer layer intact

1 tsp EVOO

ponzu sauce

S&P

Ponzu Sauce

120 ml citrus juice (daidai, yuzu, sudachi, lime or lemon)

20 ml soy sauce

2 2/3 tblsp mirin

1 tblsp sake

1 piece dried kombu pelp (3cm square)

2 tblsp bonito flakes

1 small dried shiitake mushroom

Yuzu-Kosho Pepper Paste

30 gr yuzu citrus skin

30 gr fresh hot green chili, i.e., serrano

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp shochu, sake or fresh yuzu juice

1. 10 days ahead, make pepper paste: chop the yuzu skin and green chili, blend with salt and shochu until a corse paste; transfer to airtight container and let mellow
2. 3 days ahead, mix all ingredients for ponzu sauce, refrigerate and strain through a fine mesh sieve
3. preheat oven 200 C
4. trim any excess duck skin off the flesh, pierce skin in several places
5. rub the breast with S&P
6. heat EVOO until hot over medium heat, add the duck skin-side down and sear until the fat is rendered and the skin golden crispy
7. soak up rendered fat with paper towels
8. flip the breast over, transfer the pan to the oven, roast duck 4-6 minutes until medium rare
9. while hot, marinate in ponzu sauce for 3 hours
10. grill the leek with medium flame until the outside is charred and inside is soft
11. when cooled enough to handle, discard the outer layer and cut the leek into bite-size pieces
12. cut the duck breast diagnally into 1/4 inch slices and fold over the leek
13. garnish with yuzu-kosho pepper paste, scallions, and/or sudachi citrus, grated daikon

Salsify, Shrooms & Chestnut

The best thing I've eaten in a couple weeks, from Arbutus. Key is to make a light and airy polenta and use trompettes de mort for that especially woody taste.

polenta (preferably Bramata)

parmesan

salsify

chestnuts

trompettes de mort

vegetable stock

butter

garlic

micro herbs

1. peel and clean salsify; cut into 6 inch batons
2. heat clarified butter until it darkens, add salsify
3. saute for a while, deglaze with sherry vinegar
4. add water, tarragon, garlic to pan and braise until it soften, liquid evaporates
5. make polenta with chicken stock, add parmesan prior to serving
6. clean trompettes extremely well; boil and drain; pat dry and saute with some butter, garlic, S&P
7. to serve, put a few tblsp of polenta on warmed plate, a couple stems of salsify, scatter mushrooms over the lot, followed by some chestnut shavings and a sprinkling of herbs

Courgettes & Black Olives

Should I include this one? Ok. Not particularly exciting but rather addictive once you begin to eat it. From Princi's lunch line-up.

courgettes

tinned black olives (stoned)

tomatoes

tiny capers

EVOO

red wine vinegar

S&P

1. slice courgettes but not too thin, boil until just right (not too firm, not too mushy); drain
2. peel and de-seed tomatoes, cut into small dice
3. chop up olives
4. dress with ingredients

Concombres Creme Fraiche

A staple in my family, a hand me down from mamie nona. Truly one of my favorites.

cucumber

fresh tarragon

fresh dill

fresh parsley

fresh chives

yoghurt

creme fraiche

maldon sea salt

ground pepper

red wine vinegar

1. peel cucumbers but leave strips of skin on; halve lengthwise, scoop out seeds
2. slice through a mandolin but not too thin
3. salt cucumbers and leave in a colander for a couple of hours
4. make dressing with 2/3 yoghurt, 1/3 creme fraiche, some red wine vinegar to taste
5. chop the herbs, use more tarragon than other herbs
6. gently squeeze excess water from cucumbers, tip them out of the colander onto a paper towel lined plate to dry them out a bit more
7. in a bowl, mix cucumbers, dressing and herbs together and cool in the fridge
8. let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before eating

Horseradish Fromage Blanc

This would go perfectly well with a pot-au-feu, but I think any beef really.

200 gr fromage blanc

horseradish

maldon sea salt

ground pepper

1. mix items in a bowl
2. let set for four hours so that flavors develop

Artichoke Heart & Trotter

From Le Ribouldingue in the 5th. I've not had this yet, but what an elegant dish.

4 artichokes

4 trotters

125 gr rucola

1 onion with clove

1 bouquet garni

fond de viande

maldon sea salt

ground pepper

1. boil artichokes in salted water for about a half hour; put in ice water when done; remove leaves, de-beard hearts
2. bring trotters to a boil, let simmer four hours; once cooked, remove meat from bone and cut into small pieces
3. spoon this meat into artichokes and cook in the oven for 15 minutes
4. serve with rucola, and drizzle with fond de viande

Chickpeas & Paleta

Wasn't much in the mood for shopping this morning, so I did the best I could with what I had in the fridge. I avoided using the Spanish paprika you tend to find in this kind of dish, opting instead to use fresh chile and smoked salt. You could replace the paleta with serrano.

ready-prepared chickpeas (El Navarrico in a jar works well)

paleta, chopped

garlic, chopped

white onion, halved

fresh red chile

fresh thyme

Noilly Prat vermouth

best quality cherry tomatoes, halved

EVOO

parsley, chopped

smoked sea salt

ground pepper

1. saute garlic, halved onions faced down, thyme and chile until garlic begins to color; add ham and let crisp up a bit
2. add vermouth and let alcohol burn off for about 30 seconds
3. add chickpeas to pan, stir periodically on very low heat for about 15 minutes (make sure doesn't get too dry); season with salt and pepper
4. once chickpeas are ready, add tomatoes and turn heat off immediately; stir so that tomatoes are warmed through but not cooked
5. serve on a platter, drizzle over some EVOO, with a bit of parsley

Manou's Apple Sauce

Thank you Manou for making this apple sauce. It was delicious. It was so good that we could have it with some pork chops.

12 bramley apples

250-300 gr brown sugar

juice and rind of one lemon

1-2 cinnamon sticks

70-80 ml water

1. peel and core apples, cut into small pieces
2. put apples, sugar, cinnamon and water in a saucepan and heat for 5-10 minutes until apples soften
3. add lemon juice and rind
4. cook and stir another 20-30 minutes until apples break down into a puree

Peas & Pecorino Toast

Noticed this on the menu at The Orange. Actually I think I've had it before. I've seen the combo many times before, but including mozzarella I think gives this recipe the edge.

peas

pecorino (or parmesan)

mint to taste

buffalo mozzarella

S&P

EVOO

lemon

best quality peasant bread

1. boil fresh peas until done, let cool
2. crush with EVOO, S&P, squeeze of lemon (may want to include just a bit of grated rind)
3. chop the mint, add into mixture
4. grate generous amounts of cheese, add into mixture
5. toast slice of peasant bread, not too thick
6. spread generous amounts of mixture on toast, some mozzarella on top, and drizzle with a bit more EVOO
7. season with S&P

Antipasti Explosion

Noticed this pre-packaged in the local gourmet store. I thought I'm going to make my own, and it's going to taste so much better. No biggie if you don't have every single ingredient. Once made, best to marinate a day or two. Hmmmm, got to do this soon.

mortadella

salami

spicy salami

provolone

scamorza

pitted green olives

tiny capers

oregano

basil

parsley

garlic

EVOO

dried chili

best quality sun-dried tomatoes

S&P

1. cut mortadella, salamis and cheese into cubes (about the size of a game dice)
2. chop herbs, mix with all the other ingredients, adding enough EVOO so that everything is coated and marinating

Bikini 24

Named after the pocket-size grilled ham & cheese sandwiches from Barcelona's Tapac 24. Basically a local version of a croque madame with truffle oil and lots of butter to grill.

white bread slices, trimmed of edges

mozzarella (not buffalo as is too soft)

iberico ham

white truffle oil

S&P

french butter

1. butter bread slices inside and out
2. place ham and cheese inside, drizzle a couple drops of truffle oil
3. grill on a "sandwich griller" until golden brown
4. with a large knife, cut sandwich into four squares

Nduja & Burrata Paccheri

A combo of contrasts from Tinello in Pimlico. The milky burrata cools the hot spicy sausage perfectly. My guess is that tinned marzano tomatoes could work in the absence of fresh tomatoes. A flattering phone call about last night's meal allowed me to snag this recipe!

paccheri

nduja sausage

garlic

best cherry tomatoes

sea salt

burrata

1. saute garlic until golden
2. add nduja to taste, saute 5-10 minutes until it melts
3. slice tomatoes in half, add to pan and saute a further 10 minutes
4. season with sea salt
5. boil paccheri two minutes short, mix into pan with a bit of pasta water
6. serve on heated plates, with a spoonful of burrata on top

Crisps & Honey

A unique combo discovered at the Mandarin Barcelona's Bankers Bar. I think probably best to use the oilier, saltier Spanish crisps as the honey will serve as an even starker contrast.

spanish potato crisps/chips

runny honey

1. put crisps in a bowl
2. drizzle with honey and serve

Salmon Grapefruit Ceviche

Had this at Plane Food in Terminal 5. Yes it's a Gordon establishment. Maybe because I was really hungry, but this was worth getting the chef's attention.

best quality sushi quality salmon filet

grapefruit, juice of

lemon, juice of

lime, rind of

tobasco

micro coriander shoots

1. slice salmon into very thing slices
2. mix all ingredients together, quantities depending on taste
3. poor citrus sauce over salmon in a shallow dish, let set for a couple minutes
4. serve on plate, sprinkle with coriander shoots