In the last few days I’ve been flipping through two cookbooks that couldn’t be more fundamentally different. The first is by Wolfram Siebeck. packed with recipes almost 500 pages heavy. All of the featured main dishes look very similar, and I’ve been thinking about why.
" Hierarchically structured, male-dominated industrial societies are reflected in the clear structure of classic main courses: a firm, masculine piece of meat is combined with a soft, feminine vegetable side dish and a liquid sauce."
"Risotto reflects our less structured, freer, more interconnected social contexts."
A good occasion to introduce my favorite risotto variation!
18.02.2008
Fish& Noodles, Japanese
According to the Michelin Guide, Tokyo is the world capital of gourmet cuisine, boasting an impressive 191 Michelin stars, far ahead of second-place Paris with 97 stars.
Japanese cuisine is much more than sushi& Co. The rustic dishes are quickly made and extraordinarily tasty.
Preparation
Marinate fish (depending on your mood, tuna is a classic) in a mixture of minced ginger, garlic, soy sauce, some rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, crushed coriander and peppercorns and sake (or Noilly Prat, for the un-crocky).
Toast sesame seeds, set aside.
Cook noodles: the thick udon noodles or the thin brown soba noodles made from buckwheat. Chinese Mie noodles also fit brilliantly – then it gets really rustic. As you can see in the picture, I varied things a bit today and replaced the udon noodles with macaroni, which was a total disaster.
Off to the pan
Fry sliced Jerusalem artichoke with sunflower oil and a little sesame oil, salt, pepper, season with a little cumin, set aside.
Chop the white stem of the spring onions and add them to the ginger and garlic (do not be sparing)!) Fry again in sunflower oil with a little sesame oil. Add fish, sear externally, pour marinade, add Jerusalem artichoke,
Noodles over it, with Mie noodles still another egg in addition, with Japanese noodles some tart salad or spinach. Mix in the green part of the spring onions, and leave on the stove for a little while longer.
Garnish
Into the plate, sprinkle roasted sesame seeds over it!
The whole thing can also be made a little sweeter with salmon, sweet potatoes instead of Jerusalem artichokes, and maybe even peanuts instead of sesame seeds.
09.02.2008
Curry
The word curry stands for both the spice, the paste or the dish, which comes in many different forms. Here is my variation! Goes well with poultry, i.e. chicken or turkey, or with fish, z.B. Tilapia.
1. Curry paste (Yellow)
Ginger, onions, garlic, chili must be in every curry paste. For the yellow paste also add turmeric, fresh or powdered, cumin (be careful not to add too much!) and pepper. Process manually or with a blender to a paste.
Coat fish/meat with the paste, set aside some for the sauce and refrigerate the rest for next week.
2. Rice
Cook basmati rice in salted water, add fresh bay leaves halay through cooking time. Once you’re done, pour off any remaining water, mix in some butter.
3. Garnish
Chop cashew nuts and onions, roast on low heat. Set aside.
4. Curry
Heat a little peanut oil in a pan with star anise and, if you like it spicy, chili. Saute meat or fish, remove from pan and set aside! (Only the turkey may stay inside, it can take more.)
Saute the paste with a little coconut milk until it turns nice and golden brown. peas (preferably directly from the freezer). Infuse with coconut milk and poultry or vegetable stock. add dried fruit (mango, apricot, raisins, according to taste – everything is allowed, just not too much). Dry mangos usually taste stronger than the fresh ones you get here. Possibly soak before.
Simmer for 5-10 minutes, season to taste with lime juice and Vietnamese fish sauce. Add fish/meat back in, cook on low heat for a few minutes as needed. Stir in fresh coriander leaves and yogurt.
Sprinkle with onion-nut garnish and serve with the rice. More about curry here.