Lunch

I'm working. I really am. I have that deadline to complete &, oh, what's that? Did it just get closer? *sigh*

I'm working from home today, which is actually something I really like to do. I can log in while in my underwear, I can do everything I need to do, plus I can run errunds during my lunch break. It's not bad. The other advantage is: no cafeteria food! I managed to squeeze in a quick tuna salad before I had to run off to an appointment.

Working Girl Tuna Salad
1 can tuna in water
1 can tuna in olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped capers
3 cherry tomatoes, seeded & chopped
2 sundried tomatoes, chopped
zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Drain water from tuna, do not drain olive oil from other can of tuna. Mix everything in a bowl, garnish with some thyme & get back to work!

Out to Dinner - PML

I went out to dinner last night at the Print Media Lounge in Heidelberg & had some seriously good asparagus. Until June 24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, aspargus can and will be harvested in Germany. After this time, the plants rest before the next year when asparagus season (Spargelzeit) starts all over again.

Tonight, it was local asparagus, the kind that Obama was served at the last NATO summit in Strasbourg. The area I live in is well known for its asparagus - apparently the climate is good here.

Served with a light olive oil & parmasean on the side, the asparagus last night had a light lemony flavour. I think it was dipped in cold lemon water to stop the cooking. Ingenious! I'll be trying this strategy out before the 24th of June.For desert, it was a berry gratin with a vanilla buttermilk sorbet. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, even a few currants, covered in a custard & baked. Again, citrusy tones from dinner were repeated in the buttermilk sorbet.

I don't really feel like giving a verdict on dinner. I think it should suffice to say that I go to this place whenever I can.

Ham

Yesterday was kind of a sucky day. I'm not really sure what it was, but I was on the verge of tears all afternoon. I did what any rational human being with a deadline in 10 days for a project that's not going well would do: I went home early. I used the time well: I went to buy groceries. Balancing everything in my arms, I checked the mail. What's this?

It's from Spain. Why, it's my ham, of course!

A few weeks ago, I entered an omelet contest. Núria from Spanish Recipes held a contest on eggs. I entered my Weekend Fritatta. When I saw this post, I knew I had to enter. I'm a huge fan of the fritatta on the weekend, and I think that Jamon Iberico, the prize, is really what tipped me over the edge to being a foodie.

Let me explain. I convinced a dear friend to visit another dear friend in Barcelona with me. The 2 of them had never met before. I coaxed the one with promises of good sandwiches. The city has so much to offer other than sandwiches, this is just the first thing I thought of. Well, as it would turn out, we didn't really find mind-blowing sandwiches until we got to the airport. After a huge line in check-in, we ran downstairs to our gate, passing by the Pans & Co. (a chain of sandwich shops) along the way. There was a small bar at the gate, as well as the bus, waiting for us, to take us to the plane. Well, I didn't know when I'd be back in Barcelona, so here goes, I'm willing to risk my return flight for a ham sandwich. I anxiously waited my turn to buy the sandwiches - the bartender must have thought that I really needed to pee! He wrapped them up, I grabbed my bag & we ran to the bus. (The bus then continued to wait for other people, so I ran out & got some coke from the vending machine... if I had only known...)

The sandwiches were amazing & we were both happy. But I somehow knew that it wasn't as convincing as it could have been. So, when Christmas rolled around, I bought the friend an entire leg of ham, complete with a ham holder & a knife. I also planned a Christmas brunch of tapas with a Latin American friend and we made patatas bravas. It was good, we ate, drank, were merry. The ham was the centerpiece on the table for a few months, entertaining all kinds of guests with it's appearance & it's taste. A few months ago, I ordered a new ham. Again, a jamon iberico.

You may have had Spanish ham already. You may be familiar with the term Jamon Serrano. Serrano is OK - I think it's better, more flavourful than Parma ham, but that's just personal preference. Jamon Iberico, on the other hand, is better than Jamon Serrrano. There are a few reasons for this:

1. Jamon Iberico is from a certain kind of pig (an Iberian pig!) and can be identified by it's black foot. It is also called "Pata Negra" - black foot. Jamon Iberico must come from pigs that are 75% Pata Negra
2. There are different grades of jamon iberico but the best quality is the Extra Belotta, which means, extra acorns. The pigs double their body weight in the last few months of their lives as the forage acorns in the forest
3. Because the ham is from pigs that have gotten fat on acorns, the fat is mainly oleic acid, which lowers bad cholesterol & increases good cholesterol
   
4. Jamon Iberico is cured much longer than Jamon Serrano. Serrano is cured for 8-10 months, Jamon Iberico for 12 - 36 months
   

This is what awaited me in the package from Núria:

I love the postcard of Barcelona! Reminded me of being in the park last summer! The postcard had instructions on how to eat the ham (at room temperature) and if I am not going to eat it right away, I should store it in the fridge.

The thing that excited me most about the thinly, professionally sliced ham however, was the sight of the white crystals, highlighted in this photo:

These are thyroxine, small white crystals that you get in aged meats & cheeses. I refer to them as flavour crystals, because, even though they are tasteless, they are indicators of products that have been well aged. They are perfectly safe to eat.

A while ago, I posted about the leg of ham on my kitchen table. I have ham. I do not need more ham. But, I know of many people who are not able to come to my apartment to eat my ham. It is these people who will be eating my package of ham , and I am looking forward to sharing this wonderful product with them. Thanks again, Núria!

Vitamin Boost for Meetings

I have a slew of meetings scheduled for today. I also have a hangover. Thankfully, I picked up a chunk of watermelon from the Turkish supermarket on the way home last night (perhaps my hangover was premeditated). The plan was to have watermelon juice.

The first time I had watermelon juice, I stole it from a friend in Kuala Lumpur. This friend had been living for a while in Kuala Lumpur and knew what to look for in watermelon juice. Apparently, you do not want them to add sugar syrup. He even makes it at home himself when he can, and gave me detailed instructions on the telephone how he does it; he uses a blender. That's it. Frankly, I've never been a watermelon person (bad memories of bubble gum) but I thought that the watermelon juice was pretty good. Watermelon is supposed to be full of antioxidants, vitamins & it's full of water. In short: it's made for a Tuesday morning hangover.

Watermelon Juice
Place cut chunks of watermelon in blender, discarding rind (I used about 1 Kilo, including rind). Blend. Add lime juice.

It's kind of frothy, most likely better for me than a cappucinno. My hangover was better within minutes and I think the meetings would have been less torerable had I not had the juice.

Shopping in Strasbourg - I

While on a whirlwind shopping tour in Strasbourg this weekend, I managed to swing by the supermarket, and in the 40 minutes before they closed, I got wine, cheese, meat, fish & some veggies. The freezer will be full.

I've eaten baby goat, I've eaten snails, I've had oysters, cockles, lamb, quail, pheasant, ostrich; I'm not afraid of eating animals. Normally the rule is: if I'm not allergic, I'll try it. I know that I'm not allergic to crab; I know that I really like crab meat. As I saw the 3 pre-cooked crabs in the fish section, I selected the one with the least amount of barnacles, with the best colour, in short, the cutest crab available. Tonight, I pulled that crab out of my fridge & prepared to turn him into a seafood quinoa-isotto.

After having done my research on the best way to open a common crab, I set to work. But he looked so darn cute. I like to dive and if I saw this guy underwater, I'd stop for a while and look at him, maybe even have a little chat - he's that cute.Now, I know it's a little silly to be remorseful over the same food I was so excited about while in the supermarket.

1. crab is dead
2. if I didn't buy it, someone else would have - on sale!
3. he's here now and it would be wasteful to not use it

Good. I'll take it apart, make that quinoa-isotto I was planning & be more careful of my purchases in the future.

I took the shell apart, breaking the top off allowing me to get into the inside to pull out the meat & buttery bits. At this point, I realized that I was dealing with a female crab. This is the result of my meticulous meat extraction:

This is the plan for seafood quinoa-isotto:

take 200 g squid & 100g shrimp out of the freezer
sautee 1 onion (chopped) & 2 cloves of garlic (minced) in olive oil over low heat.
Add 1 cup rinsed quinoa & stir around.
Add safron-infused chicken broth (I had some in the fridge) bit by bit, allowing liquid to soak. Maybe about 2 cups.
Throw in cut up squid & allow everything to cook for 30 minutes.
At the last minute add shrimp, & both crab meat & crab red stuff (I think it was roe, but I'm really not sure - I was just squeamish).

The result was decent, my girlfriend came over & said it beat the pants off the salad she was about to make herself.

I still have a bunch of meat (& cheese & wine) from the shopping trip - I'll try to post about that as I slowly extract things from the freezer.

Black Bean Soup

I just got back from Amsterdam (more on that later), today is a holiday, and I think I need to clean my fridge. Sometime last week, before I left, I had the clever idea of soaking black beans. I think I wanted to cook them that night, or maybe even the next day. In spite of the fact that I have been trained to listen & speak in different languages simultaneously, I am not capable of cooking 1 dish & remembering what I want to do with black beans at the same time. I had a black-bean-out. Thankfully, they were packed in water & what appears to be the hermetic seal of a tupperware container and were still good when I got back. I promised to make lunch this afternoon, and this is what I made.

Coconut Black Bean Soup
olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 cup soaked black beans
600ml chicken stock
200 ml coconut milk
mint or coriander to garnish

Sautee garlic & spices in pot. Add soaked beans. Add liquid. Bring to boil, allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Blend. Put in bowl, garnish with coriander or mint, and any extra coconut milk, if you have it.

I used mint as a garnish. Later on in the day, I discovered that I had coriander in the fridge, that is remakably still good. If I had only known...

I will post on Amsterdam later, but frankly, I was a little disappointed. I love The Netherlands but I did not love Amsterdam. I will also get around to sharing more about ham & eggs.

Hamstering the Goat

Since I've moved to Germany, I have been made aware of the traits of animals. Raccoons, known to me as "nocturnal garbage eaters", are here viewed as hygienic because they wash their food. They are even literally called "wash bears" (I know - they aren't bears). Hamsters go out, find food and store it for later. The word "hamster" is even a verb in German, referring to the act of hoarding. Stores in North America normally buy a surplus of stock & sell the excess at reduced prices (think Boxing Day, or post-Christmas shopping specials). Stores here do not buy excess inventory - when they're sold out of Christmas decorations by Dec 6th, all the better for them, not extra stock to get rid of. Being the product of classical conditioning that I am, I have learned to buy things when I see them - I have learned to hamster.

I went to the goat farm a few weeks ago & scored huge with the goat ribs. Because baby goat is seasonal, I went back & got more. When it was time to actually cook my goat, I tried to call my mom to ask her how to make a curry. Somehow, whenever I actually need to talk to my mom, I get the machine. At least she's normally home when I just want to talk.

In spite of having watched my mom cook for decades, I haven't really learned all that much from her. I know how to wash meat in lemon, I know that spices should be toasted - I even learned how to grind cumin. I know, in theory, how to cook a curry. I just have no idea how to do it in practice. I do know that thyme is a mysterious part of Carribean cooking, just as cinnamon is a mysterious part of Greek cooking (did I just let the cat out of the bag?). With that knowledge & with a bit of backup spices from Thailand, I set to work.

Kid Goat Curry for the Pseudo- Carribean Kid
600 g kid goat
lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 Tbsp ghee (clarifed butter)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp corriander
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp Thai curry paste
1/4 red wine
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Wash goat in lemon water, rub with garlic, salt & pepper. Place in a Zip-loc bag & allow to marinate in the fridge for 2 - 8 hours.

In a large pot, melt ghee, & toast spices, add paste & stir. Add meat, wine, bay & thyme, allow to simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes.

I wanted to call my mom to ask her how to make Roti, but I've seen her do it - it involves a lot of rolling. The time she tried to teach me, I got bored & left. Of course, now I regret having let that lesson of my personal cultural heritage slip away. At the time, I was more concerned about how much my arms hurt. Next time I'm home, I guess. And I'll let my mom make her curry (chicken or shrimp - not beef!) and I'll try to take notes. But I know she cheats too. I saw a jar of Thai chili paste in the fridge last time.