Cooking: Fast Spaghetti with Salsiccia and Tomato-Lemon Sauce

One of my new favorite after working meals, because it's easy and fast to do and really tasty. 

You will need for 2 persons:

200g spaghetti or linguine

2 italian salsiccia sausages (with fennel seeds)

1 unwaxed lemon

2 tablespoons of capers

1 can of chopped tomatos

2 fresh tomatos

1 garlic clove

some parmigiano reggiano

olive oil

salt & pepper

1.) Preheat the pan while you drag out the filling out of the sausage casing and from little balls.

2.) Fry the chopped garlic in oliveoil for 30 seconds, then add the sausage balls and the capers.

3.) After 3 Minutes add the canned and fresh tomatos and start to cook the pasta in 

boiling & salted water for 8-9 minutes. No oliveoil in the pastawater! 

No real italian does that, and the oil film prevents the pasta to soak up the sauce.

4.) Rasp lemonzest and add to sauce together with two tablespoons of lemon juice. 

If you happen to have some lemon chutney or pickles, add a teaspoon.

5. Season with salt and freshly grounded pepper and continue cooking the sauce until the pasta is ready.

6. Mix together, add some grated parmigiano. 

7. Enjoy! (with red or rose whine)

Inspiration: Chocolate Granita

A short post from my vacations in Sicily (Italy) for you, as I was so excited 

when I tried my first chocolate granita in a small Gelateria in Taormina 

(just 15m straight from Porta Messina to Corso Umberto). I LOVE chocolate in 

all its ways, like every normal human being - but I tend to prefer something 

fresher or fruity on the hot summer days. Now I found the perfect chocoholic treat 

for plus 30-degree-days. Granita is some kind of sorbet, so ice made out of water, 

sugar and natural flavor. This granita was made with super intense dark chocolate. 

It is of course less creamy than any ice cream, instead it's the light version. 

Refreshing like ice-cold lemonade but chocolatey like heaven. TRY IT if you can!!!

Location: Tim Raue

A great birthday present - thank you all again!

As promised I will report you now about the 4-course lunch at Tim Raue in Berlin Kreuzberg. 

Entering the clean and welcoming interior, 

we were ushered to a table by a very friendly waitress. 

The lunch began with a variety of appetizers: 

reddish with asian mustard, steamed pork-belly with szechuan pepper, 

asparagus-melon salad and curry seasoned cashews - all of them great and mouthwatering!

You could choose four different courses from a menu, 

means you combine main dishes, entrees and desserts how you like it best. 

I started with ikarimi salmon (Cold fish slaughtering system) on vanilla-grafruit sauce. Try this fantastic quality fish! 

Then continued with extraordinary fried dim-sam, filled with sobrasada (spanish sausage) 

on fresh pear and topped with some acacia honey. 

It was one of my favorites: crispy, hearty, combining so many flavors to a culinary experience.

The third course were tender zander cheekies with melon and peas.

Followed by lobster with tamarind and tomatoes. Soft and absolutely delicious!

My companion had: 

Steamed dim-sam with duck filling

Pigling with szechuan pepper and tangerine sauce

Beef steak with watermelon and  pomegranate

As I choose no desert, I was very happy to finish the lunch with a sweet amuse-gueule: 

a little ice lolly with strawberry sorbet covered with white chocolate and matcha green 

tea powder and and woodland strawberrys.

Resume: A wonderful lunch near historic Checkpoint Charlie with great food, 

great service in a relaxing asian-inspired atmosphere.

For more information: 

http://www.tim-raue.com/index.php?task=restaurant&section=aktuelles&lang=en

Coming soon: 4-course lunch at Tim Raue

2-Star Guide Michelin restaurant in Berlin...

Cooking: Halloumi with spiced Spinach & Apricots

Once in a while, not very often, I don't have appetite for meat at all, 

especially when it is warm outside and we don't do a BBQ. 

So I found a pack of chili-seasoned halloumi cheese and some frozen leaf-spinach. 

I started to roast some onions and garlic in olive oil, added some fresh 

chili peppers, eights of fresh apricots and the spinach.  After cooking it for 10 minutes 

I seasoned it with salt & pepper, a dash of fresh lemon juice I left it aside. 

Then I fried the cheese in a pan, and topped it over the spinach - easy peasy! 

What you need for 2 persons:

200-300g Halloumi Cheese (if it is pure, season it yourself with 

chilies, bell pepper powder and some olive oil)

350g frozen leaf spinach

8 fresh apricots

1/2 chili pepper

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

olive oil, salt&pepper, 1 dash of lemon juice

Cooking: chocolate maccarons with lemon zest and olive oil

Ok, first of all I must admit that I used a baking mix - but only because 

- I never made maccarons before

- It was 11pm 

- And it was a souvenir from France

So I made these for my Mom as a little birthday surprise.

I just wondered what I could add to make them more special and because it is summertime

 I tried extra virgin olive oil and organic lemon zest, that I put into the dough and into the cream.

Conclusion: Olive Oil remains subtle and intesifies the dark chocolate 

while the lemon zest gives a mediterranean perfumed flavor. 

Next time I will use a forcing bag to get them rounder and make the dough and cream all by myself! 

I promise...

Inspiration: Art with Food at La milkfactory Paris

If you are or going to be in Paris up to 18th May you should visit this exposition!

Talented food artists made wonderful landscapes out of diary products and 

little human figures. Observe mini-cows grazing under a yoghurt-reservoir and be 

part of the butter-village flea market or visit the funfair made of cheese. 

I love to see what beautiful and fun things can be made out of food, 

concerning this thought, I recently made a little project designing fine jewelry out of 

colorful fruits and vegetables. I will share this with you soon ;)

If you don't have the possibility to visit the exposition, 

grab a piece of good cheese and a glass of wine and be inspired:  

http://www.lamilkfactory.com/galerie/expos-en-cours/