I love simple food. So when I get the chance, I find it hard to look past a simple open sandwich of fresh crusty ciabatta, cacciatore sausage, plump roma tomatoes and baby basil. Some fresh cracked black pepper and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and you’re away.

For me, the perfect Sunday afternoon snack with a glass of wine or cold beer. Buon appetito!

FoodstuffMelb

Minnestrone
Pollo Alla Cacciatore
Patata Con Herbs Italia
Ciabatta
Tiramisu

Minnestrone

Ingredients:

Cabbage 30g
Tomato 150g
Onion 30g
Carrots 30g
Turnip 10g
Leeks 30g
Celery 20g
Tomato Puree 20ml
Parsley 15g
Salami 30g
Elbow Macaroni 30g
Cheese 30g
Parmesan Cheese 10g
Garlic 10 nos
Salt to taste
White pepper powder a pinch
White stock 1.2 L
Olive Oil 15 ml
Basil 10g
Lemon zest a pinch

Pre-Preparation:

1. Wash and cut the vegetables into brunoise.
2. Blanch and concasse tomatoes. Chop the salami.
3. Grate the cheeses. Combine with little garlic, chopped basil and lemon zest (GREMALTA). Keep it refrigerated.
Method:
1. Heat oil, sauté garlic, salami, onions, carrots and turnips. Add stock and salt, bring to a boil.
2. When vegetables are al dente, add macaroni and simmer till pasta is 3/4th done, add remaining veg. and simmer till ‘al dente stage’.
3. Add tomato / tomato puree, adjust seasoning.
4. Reheat soup, check seasoning, add gremalta and serve in a soup bowl. Serve hot.

NOTE:

PESTO: It is a sharp and pungent cheese paste, which may appear on any dishes in Genoa. It is popularly known in 3 forms:
1. as a floating, creamy green island on the surface of a thick minestrone.
2. As a flavoring for pasta.
3. on ‘Potato Gnocchi’.

Pollo Alla Cacciatore

Ingredients:

Chicken 1 kg
Seasoned flour 20g
Olive oil 20ml
Tomato 250g
Onion 60g
Carrots 30g
Red wine 20ml
Olives 6-8 no.
Red Capsicum 20g
Green Capsicum 20g
Yellow Capsicum 20g
Garlic 5g
Celery 20g
Tomato puree 20g

Pre-Preparation:

1. Clean and cut chicken into 8 pieces. Dust with seasoned flour.
2. peel and chop onions and carrots into dices.
3. Chop celery and cut olives into halves. Dice and blanch capsicum.

Method:

1. Heat oil and butter and sauté chicken to a light brown colour. Drain and keep aside. In a sauce pan, sauté garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Add concassed tomato, red wine and chicken. Simmer
2. remove the chicken, reduce the sauce to a coating consistency. Add the capsicum.

Presentation:

Place chicken in a dish, reheat sauce. Add olives and pour over chicken. Place capsicum for garnish.

Patata Con Herbes Italia

Ingredients:

Small Potatoes 200g
Salt a pinch
Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Butter 10g
Garlic 5g
Mixed herbs 5g

Pre-Preparation:

Wash and scrub potatoes. Boil in salted water till done. Drain and keep aside.

Preparation:

Heat oil and butter, add garlic flakes and the potatoes. Mix well and sprinkle herbs and serve hot.

Ciabatta

Ingredients

For sponge:
Ref. Flour 200g
Yeast 10g
Water 200ml
Olive oil 80ml

For dough:
Ref. flour 50g
Salt 5g
Egg 1no.

Ingredients:

1) Make a sponge using 200g of ref. flour, yeast, 200ml of water and olive oil. Allow this to rest for an hour.
2) Weigh 50g of ref. flour and mix the egg and salt into it and spread this mixture on top.
3) Demould the sponge over the flour and keep incorporating it into the sponge. Mould it into a rectangle and divide into 5 portions. Place it on a greased tray. Allow to prove for 40 min.
4) Bake it at 200 degree Celsius for half an hour.

Tiramisu

Ingredients:

Egg yolks 2 nos
Egg white 1 no
Grain sugar 90g
Gelatine 10g
Paneer 80g
Cheese spread 20g
Whipped cream 100ml
Coffee liqueur 20ml
Rum 20ml
Sugar syrup 20ml
Cocoa Powder a little
Chocolate sponge cake circles 2 nos.

Method:

1. Beat eggs and sugar to a stiff froth(sabayon).
2. Add dissolved gelatine and set aside.
3. Grate paneer and mix cheese to form a smooth paste.
4. Add this to this sabayon, add coffee liquid and fold in whipped cream. Mix well.
5. Line ring mould with a thin layer of fatless chocolate cake and sprinkle it with sugar syrup and coffee rum liquid.
6. Prove ½ tiramisu mix. Set in fridge. Repeat. Same procedure, i.e. by placing a thin layer of chocolate sponge over the set tiramisu and pour remaining mixture.
7. Set it in the fridge. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Using a stencil.

I torsdags när vår avdelning skulle på avdelningsaktivitet fick jag i uppdrag att fixa några goda mackor innan vi skulle iväg. Vi skulle ju ut och äta efter aktiviteten, som var bowling, men behövde nog något i magen efter en dags arbete. Jag bestämde mig för att göra ciabatta med salami och brie och mackorna fick med beröm godkänt.

Jag använde mig av ciabattas från ICAs bake-offsortiment. Tyvärr tappade jag kollen av tiden så de fick vara inne i ugnen  några minuter för länge men de blev väldigt goda iaf.

Margarin breddes på de delade mackorna och jag började med sallad. Därefter ett par skivor salami (med vitlök), rejält med brieost, skivad tomat och tunnskivad rödlök. Strödde lite grovmald peppar över det hella och några stänk med olivolja. Tog även lite olivolja på insidan av locket innan jag la ihop mackorna.

Just kombinationen salami och brieost är så himla god och med tomaten och löken till så blir det perfekt!

Ann

Using the “no-knead” method, popularized by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, I went for a ciabatta this weekend.  There were a few adjustments I made to the recipe:

1. I used 2/3 bread flour and 1/3 whole wheat flour, instead of 100% bread Flour.
2. To develop the strength of the dough a bit, I used the “stretch-and-fold” technique several times throughout the 19-hour fermentation period.

Overall, I was pleased with the results.  The crumb had a nice open structure, with uneven holes throughout.  The crust was a bit thinner than I expected, and was hoping for a bit more oven spring.

For anyone looking to get into baking bread, this is a GREAT recipe to start with.  You can find the original no knead recipe here.

Ciabbata cooling down

The crumb

...and some more crumb

Smoked Salmon is now very cheap for what was once a delicacy

I eat a lot of bread – one of the reasons I’ve put on a fair bit of weight.  I weigh about 14st when really 12st would be nearer the mark.  If I’m going to have fat I try to make sure it’s of the very best quality.

SMOKED SALMON, EGG MAYONNAISE CIABATTA

We’re lucky enough to have a very good bread stall nearby, as well as a Gail’s so getting good bread is a cinch.

Take a piece of ciabatta bread about 10cm long, split lengthways.  Lightly coat the bottom piece with mayonnaise and then arrange the sliced egg.  On this add the sliced smoked salmon and sprinkle with black pepper and lemon juice.  There is no need for butter or mayo on the top slice.

E o novo espetáculo do Coletivo Religare, sob a direção de Wesley Vieira (Florca), que está sendo montado, já tem nome: A Noite dos Bardos (foto). Logo, Logo. Além da “Noite”, lembro, também, que o Coletivo está montando uma peça sobre o meio-ambiente: Os dias eram assim, em que também faço parte do elenco. Tudo bem logo.

E o show em Sacomã foi doido! Valew a nós, que estávamos lá, porque apesar de vazio, curtimos pra caraleo! Em breve mais relatos sobre a banda… E parece que já tem show pro final desse mês… a confirmar.

Logo, também, a última apresentação dos Monólogos da Escuridão da Ciabatta, no Religare, aguardando confirmação de data.

E ainda tá rolando, no Itaú Culural, na Paulista, a Ocupação Paulo Leminski! Exposição: Leminski: 20 Anos em Outras Esferas. Vou essa semana, me perder nessas letras…

E foi sábado passado – mesmo dia do primeiro show da órfãos em sampa – que rolou o lançamento do livreto de um grande das ruas: Ricardo Carlaccio, o meta-responsável por eu ter publicado meu primeiro livreto (O Palhaço). E eu já tinha o livreto – que tá mais parecendo livro que livreto – antes e lerei depois (fila grande). Adquiram pela internet : www.carlaccio.zip.net, entrem lá e peçam o e-mail dele.

Kosttilskud og medicin:

• 1 hvidløgspille (sammen med måltid, morgen)
• 1 multivitaminpille (sammen med måltid, morgen)
• 3 tabletter hørfrøolie (sammen med måltid, morgen)
• 1 tablet mælkesyrebakterier (20 min. før måltid, morgen)
• 1 spiseske drikkeklar aloe vera (20 min. før måltid, morgen)
• 2 tabletter HUSK (sammen med måltid, aften) + 2 glas vand

Morgen, kl. 6-8:

• ingenting

Formiddag, kl. 8-11:

• 70 g havregryn med mælk og lidt sukker
• vand

Middag, kl. 11-13:

• vand
• 1 skive kernerugbrød

Tidlig eftermiddag, kl. 13-15:

• 1 skive kernerugbrød + 2 skiver rullepølse
• 1 skive ciabattabrød + gravad laks
• vand

Sen eftermiddag, kl. 15-18:

• vand
• 1 bailey
• 10 mandler

Aften, kl. 18-21:

• vand
• laks med 5 kartofler og revet gulerod

Dagens vandindtag:

• Samlet mængde indtaget:  7 glas á 250 ml
• Fordeling:   Ca. hver time.

Dagens motion:

• Motionscykling – 15 minutter

Status for mave-helbreddet:

• Lind afføring, kl. 11.00

 Status for det generelle helbred:

• hovedpine, kl. 19.00

Not always does a good night sleep and a hearty breakfast help you get your shit together and get on with your day.

OK, ok! Easy. I’ll just speak for myself then.

In my defense, it doesn’t help that my TASK BOARD still says it’s Saturday, while at the same time, I’ve  been convinced since last night that today is Friday (the day I’m taking Jason on a date to a secret location). Meanwhile, a strange man with a nice, deep voice says to me on the radio that today is Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Hmmm.

My reality today is convoluted to such an extent that I bounce from one place to another with a heavy chip on my shoulder. I know I should be writing now, but the very thought of it makes me spin 180 degrees on my bare heels and go sweep the neighbor’s stoop. Next, I focus on my hands as they scream for attention, and suddenly I find myself performing a home manicure – a task I normally dread like the chicken pox. Once the bright red polish is splashed all over my nails, it’s the silence in the room that gets me at last.

I fan my  froggy fingers out over the keyboard of my computer, open iTunes and break out the jams. It’s not until The Last Shadow Puppets begin to play that I decide it’s time to turn the volume UP,  prepare my stage,  move the chair out of the range of my high-kick, place Cosmo on the balcony of our bed and GET MY GROOVE ON. While the music blasts from the speakers, I jump and throw my hands in the air, stretch in all directions, bounce my shoulders, bend to the sides, thrash my hips back and forth, and give the “dance” MY ESSENCE. Gasping for air, I look at Cosmo, and a bright smile wraps it’s way around my glossy face like a red bow on a Christmas gift. He just yawns at me with mere disapproval: “Mother, REALLY??!”

After being scolded by my very own dog, I curl my tail under my own bottom, shut down the music box, and shuffle my feet to the kitchen hoping to get some LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING from an oozing, chocolate mini-cupcake. One thing leads to another, and within minutes, I’m prepping lunch. On the menu today… an Avocado Turkey Sandwich with a side of a Quinoa Salad. I’m confident after this meal I’ll have a work out that would make Michael Phelps crawl out of his pool humiliated and in tears.

Speaking of Sammies, they play an important role in our household, especially since Jason returned to work and I took on the temporary role of “little wifey”, which nota bene suits me shockingly well. The part I play entails my rising at dawn along with my beau and tending to his feeding needs. While Jason assures me he’s perfectly capable of getting a bowl of cereal in the morning, I won’t have such nonsense and proceed to fill his bowl with a cherry picked mix of breakfast grains topped with a rainbow of sliced fruit, all soaked in an ocean of almond milk.

While the boy crunches away, I move on to the next task at hand which consists of assembling his lunch and dexterously fitting the mountain of food into the 2 compartments of his teeny-weeny lunchbox.

If there are no leftovers from the previous night’s dinner (which is the case 3 out of 4 times), I grab from the refrigerator whatever I can hold in my arms and build a Mothership of all Sandwiches. I start with two slices of HEALTHY bread, which unfortunately in many cases tend to taste like old tennis shoes. Particularly the low sodium Ezekiel Bread which is as exciting as a chess match!

Let me pause here for a second. If it wasn’t for a pile of SPARKLING NEW jeans that are an entire two (2) sizes smaller than the last pants I bought, I would be slathering both sides of ciabatta bread with mayonnaise and topping it with 1-inch thick chunks of chicken, beefy slices of mozzarella, tomato and a basil leaf. I have wet dreams about  Italian breads, rustic French baguettes and country rolls. In fact, I’m drooling a little bit right now with nothing more than the mere image of them!

How do I turn that ugly ducking of Ezekiel Bread into Cinderella? I have a trick (or two) that (lucky for you) I’ve decided to no longer keep to myself.

My secret is to make the sandwich relatively MOIST, but not soggy. Second, you want to keep it versatile and exciting. The sky is the limit when it comes to building a sandwich! Think outside the box. Instead of always going for the good ‘ol mayo, use a low-fat version mixed into a coherent cream with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Or forget about mayo altogether and spread a little hummus on your bread topped with slices of heirloom tomato and pickles under an umbrella of a few spinach leaves. You can buy a flavored one, or just make your own Hummus. The EDAMAME DIP you just tried this week for the first time will go swimmingly with a few thin slices of low sodium turkey, maybe a little of Monterey Jack and a slice of Tomato, all sprinkled with finely chopped chives and packed between the slices of bread.

Being Polish, I bring my Polish twist to the table, and when the sandwich is for here and not to go I like to keep it open. It’s an ideal surface for a tablespoon of cottage cheese, green onions and crunchy Persian cucumbers. That’s today. Tomorrow, get yourself a ripe avocado, slice the meat and spread it generously over your bread. Cover with turkey/chicken/ham, and top with thick slices of hard-boiled egg – don’t forget to sprinkle it with a dust of salt and pepper. The next day, make a Tuna Salad and use it as filling in your sammy. And if you grew up convinced radishes taste like dirt, here’s your chance to bring back the magic and believe in Santa  all over again – slice one radish and hide it between the layers of your tuna sandwich. Not only will you have that extra crunch, but also vitamins and minerals you’ve deprived yourself all your life.

Have you ever tried Mascarpone cheese? It’s good not only in a Tomato Sauce for your pasta, or in cakes, but can also serve as a foundation for your – exactly! – next day sandwich. You can cover it with slices of meat, cheese, roasted peppers, onion, cucumber, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and fresh herbs (basil, dill, mint, tarragon, etc.) Same thing goes for Pesto. You can have an exciting, delicious sandwich every day at work, and it will never taste the same. Bring a smile back to your SAMMY.

One last thing to keep in mind - do NOT overcrowd the guy. Don’t pile up everything under the sun onto your slice of bread.   After all, you want to be able to wrap your mouth around that bad boy, don’t you?

I could go on, and I’m positive there will be more opportunities to talk sandwiches. Hell, I’ll make sure of it. Today’s article will at least get you started. It’s like opening Pandora’s Box of Sandwiches. From now on the ideas will never stop coming. They will flood your mind, your lunchbox, and your kitchen. You’ll feel overwhelmed with the creative powers that will suddenly take over and you’ll start feeding your coworkers, your neighbors, and even your dog. Each Sammy will be a Gourmet Concert of Wild and Exotic Flavors clasped within the crunchy arms of two slices of toasted bread waiting to be domesticated in your mouth.

Now go and unleash your inner Sandwich Snob. Then tame the beast with your creations. Have fun with it!

Eigentlich ist ja dienstags Brottag. Das passt immer ganz gut, weil wir da beide Sport haben. Aber da wir noch ein paar Pilze & Co. von Montag übrig hatten, gab es Reste.
Um die Reste etwas aufzupeppen, habe ich noch ein Ciabatta, etwas Kräuterbutter, kleine Tomaten, Mozzarella, einen Topf frischen Basilikum und Ofenmozzarella gekauft.
Zu Hause hatte ich noch die restlichen Pilze, ein paar Datteln, Frühstückspeck, eine halbe Gemüsezwiebel und Petersilie.
Also habe ich zuerst das Brot in den Ofen gepackt und schon mal die Datteln wie gestern prepaiert (es waren ca. 10-15 Stck.). Die Datteln haben ich zu dem Brot in den Ofen gepackt.
Die restlichen Champignons (eine halbe Schale) habe ich geviertelt und mit halben Ringen der Gemüsezwiebel zusammen in der Pfanne angebraten.
Den Ofenmozzarella habe ich neben die Datteln aufs Blech gelegt und den Ofen schon mal angeschmissen (200°C, Ober- und Unterhitze).
In der Zwischenzeit habe ich die kleinen Tomaten in Scheiben geschnitten und den Mozzarella gewürfelt. Alles zusammen in eine kleine Kumme (Schüssel) und mit reichlich Olivenöl und etwas Balsamicocreme vermischt. Dann noch eine große Hand voll gehacktes Basilikum und Salz dazu.
Die Datteln habe ich zwischendurch mal gedreht und den Ofen auf die Grillstufe eingestellt. Das geht dann schneller.
Zu den Pilzen mit Zwiebeln hab ich noch eine handvoll gehackte Petersilie zu getan und das Ganze mit Salz und Pfeffer gewürzt.
Das Brot und der Ofenmozzarella waren inzwischen auch fertig und alles konnte zusammen serviert werden.
Es blieb auch nichts übrig! Halt ein Resteverwertetag, anstatt ein Brottag.

Ciabatta is a great choice for garlic bread. It holds up to a lot of oil, butter, and will toast nicely.

Equipment:

• Mixing bowl

Ingredients:

• Blood orange zest with a little juice
• Unsalted soft butter
• Pink Peppercorn
• Murray River Pink Salt
• Fresh Tarragon
• Parmesan Cheese
• Ciabatta bread

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl then place in refrigerator
2. Spread butter over bread then toast in oven under broiler for a few minutes

Enjoy,

Eric