Tuscan Bread Salad (Panzanella)

This dish was a total leftovers result of our fabulous Fondue Feast from the First of August. The First of August is our National Day in Switzerland. Normal people stick to barbequing and salads. Being in the middle of summer and everything... But we have really enjoyed having either Raclette or Fondue (traditional heavy cheesy winter dishes) outside. This is marvelous as it is a very communal eating experience and you have the added bonus of not smelling the lingering odor for the next three days. Since we had Very Important Guests it was extra nice to share this very Swiss dish...

But as a result we were left with a large amount of already cubed bread that was going stale. I remembered seeing Jamie Oliver do something like this on one of his shows (Couldn't find out which one) and I had actually tasted one at my school cafeteria a few years back. Therefore I improvised.

The beautiful thing about this dish is that it can be adapted to whatever you have in your cupboard or whatever is in season... be  creative with it! It will be extra delicious in summer when the tomatoes are really at the height of their season.

My version went roughly like this:
Stale bread, cubed or torn to pieces
Fresh rosemary or other herbs, two sprigs finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tomatoes, three large ones cubed
Basil, torn
Vinegar of choice
Capers, a couple of teaspoons
Black olives, one big handful sliced
Anchovies, two or three finely chopped (optional)

1. Toss the bread with the oil, chopped herbs and salt. Then bake in a 180° oven until golden and crunchy.
2. Meanwhile prepare a classic tomato salad with your other ingredients and dress it with your usual vinaigrette (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 oil), making sure you have slightly more dressing than usual.
3. When your croutons have cooled down you can mix them into the salad and serve immediately.

You want the croutons to soak up the dressing, yet retain some crunch. Use whatever you have or like (artichokes, peppers, cucumbers...).

Fresh polenta

This is something I have been dying to try for quite some time now. The result is quite surprising. I love polenta as a quick, stodgy comfort food in the cooler seasons. Making it with fresh corn gives you something akin to a polenta soufflé. It is lighter, sweeter and creamier than its more well known cousin.
I don't think it would hold its own with a heavy meat stew... But I can't wait to try this matched up with fish or a lighter vegetable stew. You could substitute the feta for some other cheese but I think the sharp saltiness is perfect to counterbalance the sweetness of the dish.
The inspiration comes from the genius Yottam Ottolenghi.

Ingredients per person:
1-2 cobs of corn, the kernels cut off
A knob of butter
ca. 25 gr. of feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper

1. Put your corn into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring this to a boil and let it cook for 12 minutes.
2. Take the pan off the heat and pour off most of the water. Keep this, you might still need it. Blend your corn with a stick blender. Add back some cooking water if needed to get the polenta consistancy.
3. Add your butter and feta. Season to taste.

Light and creamy tomato soup

Even though it's supposed to be summer around here, the weather seems to have been otherwise inclined recently... This just leaves one course of action: unpack those spring or autumnal jackets and delve into warm comfort foods.

I myself adore soups and especially tomato soup.
It is delicious in cooler summer weather when the tomatoes are at their best but also wonderful in winter when the veggies can be derived from a jar or can... Very versatile indeed.

One thing I don't like is the soups that are drown in cream... you loose so much of the taste. My trick: lots of gently softened onions. The give the soup a savory yet sweet base and make a wonderful creamy soup when blended.

Ingredients for one big portion:
3 shallots, roughly chopped
A little olive oil or butter
1 big pinch of dried marjoram
2 big plum tomatoes (just go for the ones with the best flavour), roughly chopped
ca. 1/2 litre of stock
Salt and pepper

1. Fry your shallots with the herbs gently in the fat until they are soft and translucent.
2. Add your tomatoes and the stock and let it come to a boil.
3. After the mixture has boiled for ca. 10 minutes blend until desired consistancy.
4. Heat it up once more in the pan and season to taste.

Food (and life) lately

Please forgive my long silence and accept these impressions of the last month as a kind of peace offering.

Normal posts are on the way!

Prosciutti with grilled apricots

I love the combination of prosciutto with melon. But recently a picture on the internet got me thinking about combining it with apricots... This is what I came up with.

The one thing I really like in this combo is the sourness that the apricots also have. Give it a try.
I had them warm from the oven, but I think they would be really nice cooled down too.

Ingredients:
Apricots
Olive oil
Fleur de sel or plain salt
Thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped

Preheat your oven grill to maximum heat.
Halve, de-stone the apricots and place them in an oven proof dish. Sprinke or brush with a little of your finest olive oil, sprinkle with the fleur de sel and chopped thyme.
Place under the grill and wait until the tops are slightly broiled.

Serve with your prosciutto, some salad and I had a little mozzarella to go with it.

Slightly deconstructed insalata caprese

The concept is really nothing new. But recently I felt like assembling this classic a little differently...

So I:
Tore up the mozzarella.
Quartered the cherry tomatoes.
Took a handful of basil, bashed it up with the pestle and mortar and stirred in some olive oil and salt. This sauce was drizzled over the other two ingredients which had been arranged on a plate.

And I really liked the result and have made it a couple of times just like this since. I think you really get more out of the basil this way...

Omelette with asparagus and crème fraiche

I went to the farmer's market this morning for the first time since quite a while.
Wow! What can I say. You rue every single vegetable you bought at the grocery store in the last couple of months... It's definitely something I should do more often.

I came home and made this easy and light dish for lunch. I found the result so pleasing I just might have to repeat it tomorrow...

Ingredients:
Ca. four spears of asparagus, cut into half inch pieces
A couple of sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Two eggs, beaten with a fork and seasoned
Ca. two teaspoons crème fraiche
Salt and pepper
Optional: ca. two teaspoons of fish eggs

Start by cooking your asparagus (unless you are using leftovers and they are already cooked.) My favorite technique: Heat a frying pan to medium to high heat and fry the asparagus and the thyme in a little olive oil for four to five minutes turning occasionally. Add a splash of water and cover with a lid to let them steam for about two minutes. Take off the lid and let the rest of the water evaporate completely. Add some seasoning at this point.
Pour in the beaten egg and move the asparagus pieces around so that they are evenly spaced. Take your crème fraiche and add small dollops of it around the pan. Cook the omelette to your liking and season if necessary. If you are using the fish roe, add it after plating.
This makes a lovely lunch with a salad or even on its own... Enjoy!