Grilled goats cheese on peaches, pan fried risotto, roast pork on lettuce

I didn't know what to make for lunch today.  With a little bit of this and a piece of that.......
The following are the ingredients (leftovers) I found :

a piece of goats cheese
4 end-of- season peaches
risotto  from yesterday's lunch
a small piece of 2-day old pork roast (omit for vegetarians)
half head of lettuce
Herbs from garden - parsley, rocket salad and chives

Slice the goats cheese into four.
Half the peaches, remove stone.
Place a piece of goats cheese on each half and shove them under the grill.
Portion risotto rice into patties, dip into whipped egg and then into bread crumbs.
Pan fry until golden brown.
Cut roast pork into thin slices.
Wash and cut/shred lettuce and herbs.
Dressing : pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar

TA DA  !!

Pumpkin to Pumpkinchen

Autumn is near so Pumpkin craze is on !!

There will be more to come.

I have used Hokkaido because its texture is firm like potato and the colour is a rich orangey gold.kins

Ingredients for dough (10 pieces):

• 400 g Pumpkin (Hokkaido), cleaned and cut into cubes
• 50 g Rice Flour
• 100g cornflour 1tsp salt

Ingredients for filling:

• 200 g mixed mince meat (beef and pork)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 pcs dried tomato, fine cut with sissors
• 1 stick spring onions, cut into fine rings
• pieces of chives for decoration

Method:

1. Steam pumpkin until soft.
2. Mash it with a fork while still hot or press through a potato ricer.
3. Add salt and stir till well combined. Press through a sieve to make sure that there are no lumps.
4. Sieve riceflour and cornflour together.
5. Add into pumpkin puree in 2 portions.
6. Knead into a smooth dough.
7. Divide dough into 10 portions.
8. Flatten a piece of dough to a round disc.
9. Put a ball of mincemeat filling at the centre and wrap skin over the filling, making sure it is totally sealed.
10. Roll into a round shape then slightly flatten the top, using small finger to make a dent in the middle.
11. Using blunt side of knife, 'draw' or carve segments to resemble pumpkin.
12. Steam over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
13. Once cooled, place a piece of chives to resemble stalk.
14. Serve with or without sauce.
15. Note: It is important not to steam at high temperature. High heat will cause the pumpkins to crack.

Crepe filled with Kohlrab

This is a standard dish with us when kohlrab is plenty.  Usually, the pancakes/crepes are made with a crepe pan.  And when there are leftover pancakes, we would have them with jams, chocolate spread or peanut butter.

The following receipe makes 6-10 pancakes (in a Tamago pan of course).

Crepes Ingredients

• 150 gm allpurpose flour
• 1 tsp sugar + 2 eggs (L)
• 250 ml fresh milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• oil for pan

Method

1. Mix all (except oil) and let rest for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a crepe pan or any non-stick shallow pan.
3. Add enough oil to cover pan.
4. Turn heat down to medium and pour in enough of pancake dough to cover the whole pan thinly.
5. When the sides start to curl, flip pancake/crepe over and cook till desired 'tan'.
6. Note: I used a Tamago egg pan to make crepes in this receipe

Kohlrab in white sauce ingredients

• 2 kohlrab peeled, sliced into sticks with knife or mandoline
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp allpurpose flour
• 250 ml chicken/vegetable stock
• 250 ml milk + salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan.
2. Add chopped onions and stir-fry till aromatic.
3. Add flour, stir quickly for 6-8 seconds before adding chicken/vegetable stock and milk.
4. Add Kohlrab and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft.
5. Add salt and pepper (and wine) to taste.

Bauernschmaus Stall in Biberach

Calm before the storm. This stall is at the weekly fresh market (Wednesday) without fail, from 10am till 1pm if everything is not soldout before that.

You can takeaway or eat there as there are 2 tables with about 10 seats. By the way, they also serve fresh apple juice and cidre.

Apples

You know autumn is near when apples turn ruby red, vines hanging heavy with juicy grapes and hops being harvested for breweries.

Chicken & shredded ginger stewed in rice wine

Ginger and sesame oil are considered as 'warm' food. And as such, good for new mothers' diet in the first month after birth. A very common and much loved combination is ginger, sesame oil with chicken. Chicken because chicken meat is considered 'light' meat. This recipe is about chicken & schredded ginger stewed in rice wine (homemade) residue.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pcs chicken breast or thighs (wash and cut into bite size )
  
• 300 gm ginger, peel and slice or cut into sticks
  
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce or oyster sauce (optional)
  
• salt to taste
  
• 3 tbsp rice wine residue or 1 cup (dry) sherry
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup (roasted black) sesame oil

Method

1. Heat the sesame oil in a wok or pan.
   
2. When the oil is hot, add ginger slices/sticks
   
3. Stir-fry briefly until it is aromatic, then add the chicken.
   
4. Stir-fry briefly, then add wine residue/sherry.
   
5. Turn heat on low and simmer 20-30 mins.
   
6. Thicken sauce with a little cornflour if necessary.
   
7. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Note: For more goodness, I added goji beries and mu errh mushrooms.

Bodensee (Lake Constance)

Many asian tour organisers  include this area in their chau lan (refugee) europe tour. Those who have made such a trip are probably not aware of the geographical locations of the places they toured. The Bodensee is an interesting place. It's a huge lake shared by 3 countries, namely, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

One may drive leisurely from Switzerland, take a ferry to cross the Lake of Constance into Germany and then into Austria and back to Switzerland (3 countries) all within a day. Meersburg is one of Ferry terminals and it is also a place where wine festivals are held each year. And you may catch the Zeppelin (the Blimp) hovering over you.

Tong Sui

Tong Sui: means sugar water in cantonese.

I have tried to explain to the europeans what TongSui means.  It's eaten between meals but sometimes served as a dessert but it's not cold.  It sometimes is quite heavy because it contains root vegetables but it is not part of main meal.
I've given up explaining now.  

More info you can find in Wikipedia.

Some people add rose essence, some just plain sugar and water. I prefer mine with coconut milk. And if that is not available, I would use cream.

From my freezer, I found 3 bananas and a piece of tapioca a.k.a. cassava/manioc.
The perfect thing for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
• 200 ml water
• 3 small bananas
• 250 gm sweet potato
• 250 gm tapioca
• 2 tbsp sago/tapioca pearls soaked in 1 cup of water
• sugar or palm sugar to taste

Method

1. Clean and cut sweet potato and tapioca into 3 cm cubes.
2. Place potato, tapioca and water, cook on medium heat till soft.
3. Add coconut milk and sago and simmer gently till sago is clear.
4. Add sugar/palm sugar to taste.

Late summer garden

Summer of 2010 is no great year for nature. Wacky temperature, extreme dry spring and/or week long torrential rain in summer. Guess mother nature is taking its revenge. Autumn is already near as days (if it's not raining) are around 20°C, nights are around 10°C. Let's hope thisa autumn will be kind.

To keep summer as long as possible, I took some shots of flowers which are still surviving in my garden.

Kumquat Preserve

The kumquat can be eaten whole with skin, cooked in honey or sugar, or preserved with salt. Steep a few of these golden gems in hot water and it will become a delicious drink hot or cold, summer or winter to sooth the throat. It is a wonderful refreshment enjoyed all year round. Ingredients

• 250 gm fresh kamquats
  
• 250 gm sugar or 100 ml honey

Method

1. Wash kumquats and remove stems.
   
2. Use a pin and prick 4 or 5 times on each kumquat.
   
3. Place kumquats in a pan with 250ml water. Boil 5 minutes at medium flame.
   
4. Discard water.
   
5. Add sugar/honey and add enough water to cover the fruits.
   
6. Cook/simmer at medium heat for about 15 minutes or until fruits are soft.
   
7. Fill into a sterilized jar with twist-off lid.

Swabian Bauernschmaus

Bauernschmaus means peasant food. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly if it originated from Austria, Bavaria or Swabia but it is clear that it is german speaking region. The ingredients are basically what you find in a farm. It can be potatoes, sausages, ham, sauerkraut, cheese, eggs. The list is endless. Varies from farm to farm, season to season. Here is one version which I find unusual as applesauce is included. At the weekly fresh market in upper swabian town Biberach, there is a stand which sells this piping hot at €3.50 per portion, €3.00 if without applesauce. And here is the crunch.....You may get a second helping if you are still hungry... and even a third, if you don't feel embarrassed.

Ingredients

• 500 gm tagliatella (cooked)
  
• Smoked ham - cubed
  
• Onions - chopped
  
• salt and pepper
  
• oil for frying
  
• handful of chopped chives
  
• Apple sauce

Method

1. Heat pan at high.
   
2. Add oil and fry onions till it starts to brown.
   
3. Add ham and stir for 30 seconds.
   
4. Add tagliatella, stir carefully to loosen up the noodles.
   
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
6. Serve with sprinkling of chives and a good drollop of applesauce.

Happiness in a cup

With 1 carrot, a fruit knife, mandolin slicer and 5 minutes of my time. Happiness in a cup. Like the meaning of the real Gerbera flower's name.