Espresso Style

Knife Sharpening And Care With Julia Child

2012-01-07T16:46:00.001+02:00

I find this video that I bumped into while looking for a French Onion Soup recipe on Youtube so great and charming. It's Julia Child speaking with such conviction about the knives she uses in the kitchen and the importance of using and mentaining a sharp knife. She is bothered by the kitchens she visits in wich she hardly ever finds a sharp knife. I'm so with her on that one!

Chicken Liver Pate

2012-01-05T18:27:00.000+02:00

The pate's are a spread for tartines or slices of bread made from liver. Almost any liver works but the most used are chicken, pork, rabbit. Of course, the higher end of pate is duck or goose pate. Nowadays you can buy pate of all kinds in cans but I've discovered (that what I should have remembered from my childhood) that you can easily can make your own pate in house.

INGREDIENTS (for a medium bowl):

500 gr. chicken lliver;
1 big onion;
1 clove garlic;
3-5 strips bacon;
200 gr. butter;
100 ml. white wine, dry (can use sherry, port, etc.);
2-3 bay leaves;
1 handful parsley;
salt, pepper, mustard seeds (optional).

HOW TO MAKE:

First dorp a little knob of butter into a frying pan and add the onion cut julien and the minced garlic. After the onion has softened add the bacon cut into 1-2 cm. bits and fry to render the fat from it a little bit. After 10 minutes of cooking you add the chicken livers and cook them all on medium heat for 15 minutes stiring occasionally. Middway through the cooking process add the glass of wine. Oh, the flavors!

Season well with salt, pepper, bay. Beware the salt in the bacon. After the livers are well cooked through, add the chopped parsley and turn off the heat and let cool for a wile. Remove the hard bay leaves and blend all the composition in a food processor until smooth. Fill a serving bowl with the paste and seal the top of it with the rest of the butter that you've liquefied beforehand. I've gone easy on the butter, but you must know that the base recipe calls for 1 cm. thick butter cap on top of the pate bowl.

Refrigerate it when it has cooled enough and serve in the next few days on toast! Try it with toast and dijon mustard!

Espresso Style Recommends: Irish Pub, Constanta, Romania

2011-11-21T20:38:00.001+02:00

I recently visited the Irish Pub in Constanta, Romania, my home town. It has long had a reputation for being one of the best places to eat in town. The relative notoriety and high standards are possible to uphold because of two reasons, in my opinion: one is that they are a franchise and therefor have to maintain a good joint and second because the notoriety of the brand is such that they attract a large number of people from out of town (note, the capital city, Bucharest) and, more important, expats and western business people.

That being said, let's get to the food and drink. We were a party of four, located in the non smoking area (not entirely separate, but good enough) for a semi festive lunch.

I arrived first and ordered an espresso.

First gold star they get for the attention of the waitress who asked me if i wanted my espresso normal or stretto (I already asked for a short one). So far, so good. The water was given as asked, not too cold, and served in nice tall glasses.

Then, when everybody was at the table we were served some fresh baked buns with Lupark (premium brand) butter. They were sooo good! We just ate them right away so I didn't have time for photos.

When it was time to eat, we ordered and the food was brought to us in reasonable time. We started with some salmon crostini, served with a generous helping of green salad, onions and tomato, dressed with a yogurt sauce. It was good, regarding both taste and presentation.

The others had some eggplant dip and a lovely looking pumpkin cream soup with croutons that I never tasted.

For the main course I ordered a leg of duck (comfit) with orange and blood orange sauce. It was good, the meat fell wright off the bone and the little slices of orange were cut professionally and served without the little skins. The sauce a little too sweet, but ... who am I to complain. On the side were gratinated potatoes, cut in thin slices.

The misses had some carbonara, made with penne as a special request (in the menu were spaghetti) which she said was a little salty from all the parmesan cheese, but very tasty otherwise.

The other couple had a roll of chicken meat with salmon in the middle (oddly tasting, strong fish taste, nice enough) with mashed potatoes and a serving of pasta with sea food and red sauce.

For desert we went for a chocolate and sour cherry roulade. That was good as long as you only had two teaspoons of it, otherwise it got too sweet.

Anyway, the place gets 4 (out of 5) stars for the food quality, and 4 as well for the service and atmosphere. The chairs were comfortable for eating and lounging (that tends to be a problem in some other places), the hall was populated enough not to feel lonely but not jam packed. The bar was well maned and worked fast and good. The waitress and helpers were also fast and polite and knew the menu. Smiles are important and we received them in proper moderation.
Not the least, the music was good (lounge style instrumental) and not too loud. I was told that it shifts towards a higher bpm and volume in the evening. They have their own DJ.

I recommend Irish Pub in Constanta with all confidence.

Tetsuya Ishida

2011-11-18T11:41:00.001+02:00

Signaling the great (and disturbing) work of painter Tetsuya Ishida.

Quantum Levitation

2011-11-10T21:43:00.001+02:00

Come the f...on! Quantum Levitation? Hell yeah!

Mushroom Soup

2011-11-04T20:54:00.000+02:00

This is another adaptation recipe from Jamie Oliver's Cookbook Jamie's Dinners. In the soup chapter he gives us a mix mushrooms cream soup with at least three different kinds of mushrooms in it. It's a cream soup with some whole bits in it, too. The idea to make it came to me from the great loaf of bread that I just baked the other day. I could just imagine sinking a torn bit of bread in the mushroomy broth/cream and biting out of it!

INGREDIENTS:

about 500 to 700 gr. mushrooms of as many types as you can find (wild ones are unbeatable in the taste dept. and porcini are the next best thing; I used two types of champignon - white and brown, and a third Chanterelle mushrooms);
one large onion;
few tablespoons olive oil;
2 cloves garlic;
1 inch cube butter;
1 liter water or chicken stock;
salt, pepper, time, fresh parsley.

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat up some olive oil and the butter in a pan and add the onion (chopped fine). Add salt and then throw in the mushrooms cut into medium pieces (about 1 inch). Stir them around and add the finely chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Stir and notice the mushrooms start to leak a lot of liquid. Add the time and cook on medium heat until the liquid has almost evaporated (about 10 minutes). Don't burn anything. Add water or stock to cover and boil another 20 minutes.

At this point use a hand blender to cream at least half the soup. The other half or quarter of the mushrooms you put aside and add them back into the pot after blending the rest. The proportions are up to you. I personally like to feel the whole bits of meaty mushrooms in the bowl.

Bring to a last boil, taste and adjust for condiments, then turn off the heat. Now add the fresh parsley, chopped. You can serve it in heated bowls with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil over it, and maybe some sour cream. Jamie Oliver's recipe calls for two tablespoons of mascarpone cheese mixed into the soup. I thought it would make it to rich and fatty so I didn't use it.

Good bread is a must. A little toasted slice of country bread makes the perfect addition to the hot bowl of mushroom soup. Enjoy!

Green Pea Chicken Stew

2011-10-29T10:35:00.000+03:00

In our kitchen it's a habit to make and eat this stew every month or two months just because we enjoy it, it's easy to make, it's made with available ingreds and both me and my wife have known it all our lives.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 to 1 kg. green peas (fresh, frozen or canned);
few tablespoons vegetable oil;
1 medium onion;
1/2 to 1 carrot;
any 4 or 5 pieces of chicken (works with pork, veal);
1/2 can crushed tomatoes;
salt, pepper, fresh dill, parsley, time, stock.

HOW TO MAKE:

Chop up the onion in a medium dice, and do the same with the carrot. Add the oil in a pot and sote the onion and carrot on a small heat untill tender and sweet. A little salt in the beginning helps the process. Stir often. After about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your patience, add the chicken pieces and cover with stock (I used tap water). Bring it to a simmer and skim off the eventual foam that may form on top. Let it simmer for about half an hour more and then add the peas. If the peas are fresh or frozen, boil the stew for another half hour. If you use canned peas, 15 minutes will do, as they are already boiled. Also add less salt in this case.

Season it with salt, pepper, a little time.At the end (last 5 minutes of cooking) add half a can crushed tomatoes. Wright at the end add the fresh dill, chopped.

If the consistency of the stew isn't thick enough just add a spoonful of white flour dissolved in a cup of liquid from the pot. Ad it in a slow poor and stir continuously. It will instantly thicken the stew.

Remember: dill wright at the end, as you turn off the heat. Enjoy!

Tomato Cheese Salad (Not Caprese)

2011-10-19T11:57:00.001+03:00

When you want to throw together a quick tomato salad as a side dish for meat or for eating just like that with a slice of good bread, then consider this version that uses a different kind of cheese than the well known mozzarella and spring onions.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 medium tomatoes (as ripe as you can find);
a few spring onions;
crumbly white cheese;
extra virgin olive oil;
salt and pepper to taste.

HOW TO MAKE:

Cut the tomatoes discarding the green part where they were attached to the stem. Cut the spring onions as a medium chop. I did it o a diagonal, for looks. Brake the cheese into bite size bits and top the salad with them. Add the olive oil (about a spoonful per tomato or less) and season with salt and pepper. If the cheese is already salty (which it should be) use more pepper then salt. Mix well to get a nice sauce of olive oil, tomato juice, black pepper and little bits of cheese.

Now, about the cheese, use what you like but it would be better if it was a crumbly kind, not a soft creamy kind. Usually, the crumbly cheeses are a little tangy and fermented as well as salty. I used a so called "kneaded cheese" or "barrel cheese" from the Romanian mountains in the Sibiu region (notorious for the sheep growing).

Design Bathroom in Tropical House

2011-10-07T09:20:00.001+03:00

Check out this magnificent tropical retreat. The design is great in my opinion, because it blends stylish furniture, paintings and other pieces with the classic feel of the old house creating the optimal balance of studied simplicity. I hope that whole sentence made sense! Anyway, great house. And what about that bathroom!

It's all in the current issue of the Lonny Magazine.

Anthony Bourdain Quote 05

2011-10-05T15:43:00.002+03:00

Basically, if there's no, like..., in-room porn at the hotel, I'm not getin' any exercise at all!

He said this in the second half of the Cleveland No Reservations Show wile dining with Marky Ramone at the Lola restaurant.

Cool & fun stuff!

Plum Dumplings

2011-09-27T22:23:00.000+03:00

It's autumn and about this time every year the plums ripen. In our little garden orchard we have two plum trees and nobody did any jam or jelly or anything with the extra sweet and flavorful plum harvest of 2011. So, I decided to make some plum dumplings or "silvas gombot". That is the Hungarian name, as they are a recipe brought in by the Hungarian side of my family, my mother! They could be, originally, a German recipe, but, who cares!?

INGREDIENTS (for 10 dumplings):

one ripe plum (or half) per dumpling;
1 kg potatoes, yellow, crumbly;
300 gr. white all purpose flour;
2 eggs;
250 grams fine bread crumbs;
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil;
5-7 tablespoons regular sugar;
2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

HOW TO MAKE:

First prepare your plums and your breadcrumbs, both you are going to use later. The plums you deseed and put in a bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar and some cinnamon to taste. Mix a little and let sit for half an hour.

In that time heat a pan with the oil and the breadcrumbs. Mix the oil and breadcrumbs well with a wooden spoon and keep string on medium heat until the content of the pan gets darker and smells a little roasted. Not too dark, just darker. You'll know not to burn it. Set aside to cool and later mix in about 5 tablespoons sugar.

The dough you make from about 1 kilogram of boiled potatoes and 300 grams of flour (it's enough for about 10 dumplings). Boil the potatoes well, about half an hour or however much necessary until soft (test by sticking with a fork). Peal them (if boiled with skin on, I do it like that) and than mash them well. Let them cool for 15 minutes and then you can stir in the 300 grams flour. Always add flour 1/3 the weight of the potatoes. Add 2 eggs and knead the dough a bit, 1 or 2 minutes. Make a sheet of dough about a finger thick and cut it into 5 to 7 cm squares.

In each square you put a plum or half a plum and make a round dumpling as best as you can manage. There are no rules. Just get the plums inside the dough patches.

You bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and get the pan with breadcrumbs close. Put some dumplings into the boiling water. Make sure they aren't to crowded so they don't stick together. Let them boil until they come to the surface all by themselves. That's the sign they are done. Let each dumpling boil 2 more minutes on the surface of the water and then scoop them out one by one and roll them on all sides into the breadcrumbs and sugar pan, as they are still wet and hot. They will get a delicious breadcrumby and sugary coating.

Serve hot or cold with more sugar on top!

Sri Lanka Tea Country

2011-09-25T21:38:00.000+03:00

In the last year or so I have developed a fondness for tea. Green Tea, that is! That will most certainly result in a series of posts regarding tea in all aspects.
For the moment, check out the great pictures of Sri Lankan High Country, where all the major tea producers of the world hold plantations, as seen by the Abstract Gourmet.

Pasta Peperonata

2011-09-20T21:20:00.000+03:00

Pasta Peperonata is Italian for pasta with peppers. It's an honest tasty dish featured in Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's Dinners" cookbook that I got for my birthday from my lovely wife this year. It's only my 3rd Jamie cookbook!

I want to cook more seasonal and take advantage of my fathers organic vegetable garden. This year it yielded some amazing sweet red long peppers. So, pasta peperonata it is.

INGREDIENTS:

short pasta like penne or tortiglioni;
1 and 1/2 or 2 big meaty peppers per person;
1 medium onion;
1 clove garlic;
3 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
3 to 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar;
Parmesan cheese, grated;
optional, Mascarpone cheese or sweet cream;
salt, pepper, oregano.

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat the oil in the pan and add the chopped garlic so as not to burn it. Cut the peppers into 1 or 2 inch bits and fry them in the pan on low heat for 10 or 15 minutes. Cut the onion julien and add to the pan. Stir constantly and fry on low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes. Both peppers and onions should get tender and very sweet. Condiment with salt and pepper. Add some balsamic vinegar and stir some more. Taste and season again if needed.

Pasta should be starting to boil in the last 10 minutes of this preparation. Feel free to add a ladle of the starchy pasta water to the pan and create a soft sauce. Optionally you can thicken the sauce by adding a tablespoon of mascarpone cheese or 200 ml of cooking cream. Try it without first, as I did. It is more authentic Italian and less sophisticated this way. Closer to the "cucina povera" idea. Also you get to taste the sweetness of the pepper onion sauce better.

Throw the "al dente" pasta into the pan with the peppers and toss around. Let it cook for about 3 to 5 minutes in there. Taste and season. Add the grated parmesan cheese to taste. If the sauce is too thick add some more pasta water.

Serve hot, preferably in heated plates, with extra parmesan and a drizzle of good quality "extra vregine". Mama, che buono!

Insult Generator

2011-09-19T13:51:00.001+03:00

If you've run out of clever (or idiotic) insults for enemies, friends, family or inanimate things, just consult this great source. You boner hugging pimple zoo!

Anthony Bourdain Quote 04

2011-09-11T23:15:00.001+03:00

If you were to cut Paris Hilton into four pieces (I'm not suggesting that you do that, by the way; that would be wrong!) you think the parts would move independently!?

He said this in the New Jersey No Reservations Show, while eating lobster and advocating cooking the lobster alive, because it's too dumb to know it's dead. When you cut the lobster into four pieces they all move independently, that's how dumb it is!

Espresso Style Recommends: Maeklong Market, Thailand

2011-09-11T12:55:00.000+03:00

The Maeklong Market in Thailand is amazing! The vendors lay their vegetables wright on the railroad tracks. An the tracks are used. Several times every day the train comes! And then the magic happens: people just move back the stands or the covers. The vedge that's just put on the ground stays in place if the pile is low enough for the train to pass wright over it! Cool.
It's kinda surreal, in a wonderful way. Check out the Anthony Bourdain No reservations Thailand show
Photo from here. I haven't been there, yet!

Quick Sandwich: Turkey Breast & Yogurt Pickles Sauce

2011-09-08T22:13:00.000+03:00

First you toast the bread slices in a toaster or in the oven. Then rub the surface of each slice with a garlic clove. You'll see that the bread acts as a grater. Now the garlic is infused in the bread surface. Put on it some thinly sliced boiled or grilled turkey breast and top with the sauce made of yogurt and very finely cubed pickled cucumbers. That will moisten the whole thing.
Add lots of freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Anthony Bourdain Quote 03

2011-09-04T22:17:00.000+03:00

It's like peeling the panties off a supermodel! about opening a paper bag with a pork chop in a bun in the last 5 minutes of the Macau episode.
The picture is from the Haiti episode, if you care about it that much ...

Espresso Style Recommends: Seb Jarnot

2011-08-24T17:35:00.002+03:00

A Cup Of Joe strikes home again with the excellent art recommendations. This time it's about some illustrators, some good and some very good. I particularly like Seb Jarnot. And from him I mostly like the portraits witch I think are amazing. Thumbs up Seb Jarnot and Joanna Goddard for pointing the stuff out to us.

Semifreddo al Caffe

2011-08-21T18:28:00.003+03:00

This is a kind of ice cream, meaning that it is a sweet frozen desert. It is easy and (I wish I could say light) quick to make. It tastes light and refreshing, anyway. It contains coffee but not a lot and you can feed it to the kids in small portions. It's an Italian desert recipe that I got from here.

INGREDIENTS:

200 gr. condensed milk (can use lower quality);
50 gr. (about half a cup) cold coffee (not to strong, not to weak, can use instant);
250 gr. whipped cream (I used base and whipped it with 3 tablespoons powder sugar);
some instant coffee or powder cocoa to ornate.

HOW TO MAKE:

First make the coffee and let it cool to room temperature. Use yesterdays coffee or make some instant with cold water. Do not sweeten, but if you got it already sweet, don't worry about it. Next mix together the coffee with the condensed milk using a hand whisk or hand mixer at low speed. It has to be about pancake batter consistency, no thicker. It drys fast. Next whip your cream with 3 tablespoons powder sugar (mine was vanilla flavored). Many cream bases come already sweetened, so read the package. You can put some vanilla extract into the coffee mix as well. Do not overmix the cream because it is easy to get butter. It has to be firm (stick to the spoon and not drop if you turn the bowl upside down).

Next incorporate the whipped cream into the coffee mix with overturning motions. Stir it in gently.

After that just put it into cups or whatever container you want and stick it into the freezer for a few hours. It is ready. I turned mine upside down and decorated it with some instant coffee on top.

Vanilla Ice Cream & Whipped Cream Sweet Glass

2011-08-08T23:13:00.000+03:00

It's summer and it's hot. Just buy yourself a big jug of good quality vanilla ice cream (preferably the kind that you can see the little vanilla seeds in) and proceed to assemble a nice glass like I did.

I cracked to pieces some digestive biscuits with cereal bis and dry fruit in them. I cracked open some pistachios and toasted almonds and I chopped them course with the knife. Then I whipped some real cream from heavy extra fat cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Be careful not to overwork it because it turns into butter and that is not what you want here. Lair the ingreds as you fancy on top of each other along with the nice ice cream that you bought (or made) and top with some dark chocolate shavings and chopped nuts. Delish (but also hyper caloric, so enjoy with moderation).

Anthony Bourdain Quote 02

2011-08-06T16:32:00.002+03:00

"So, the risotto will be a little less good, but we will be a lot happier!"

He said this in the final few minutes of the Rome No Reservations Show, when his friend, Cesare, said that he never cooks risotto on the grill. The moral is that they were on the beach and it was much more important to enjoy the location and the surf than to get the perfect risotto.

It's the same for me with terrace cafes: the view and atmosphere is much more important then the quality of the drinks. Usually I prefer the coast or a beautiful garden. Who cares if the espresso is a bit bitter. Let it go! Enjoy your time. Carpe Diem! Life is hard and then you die! Make your own f*in' espresso! I do!

Ozzy Osbourne Quote

2011-08-05T22:12:00.000+03:00

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be getting f*ing excited over a cup of tea. via

Guacamole

2011-08-03T22:56:00.002+03:00

I know that any self respecting food related site either has already given the guacamole recipe or doesn't regard it as important to repeat. Anyway, I live in Romania, Eastern Europe, so, for me, the fruit of avocado is a relatively recent addition to the diet as well as to the market shelves. The same goes for the tortilla chips, although I've eaten a lot of corn flour products (polenta, "mamaliga" in Romanian, for example).

Long story short, I've decided to make guacamole for some chips because it's summer and the cooking should be light. And because I picked up a couple avocados from the supermarket and they had to be used.

Yes, it's the first time that I eat both guacamole and nachos. But they taste good just the same if made well from fresh ingreds.

INGREDIENTS:

1 or 2 ripe avocado fruits;
1 clove garlic;
1 medium onion;
the jiuce from 1 lime (I used half a lemon);
can use 1 tomato pealed and cubed (I didn't).

HOW TO MAKE:

Take out the big seed of the avocado fruit and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Chop finely the onion and garlic. Mash the avocado pulp with a fork (it should be easy, if the fruit is ripe). Mix well the avocado, onion, garlic and lemon juice. Now start dipping!

Chicken Drumsticks With Onion & Zucchini

2011-07-27T22:29:00.000+03:00

This recipe is easy to make and requires minimum effort. Just a bit of preparation, as it is best to first marinate the chicken drumsticks in a sauce. You can do this over night or just for an hour before you pop the whole thing in the oven. It's an all year round recipe. Everybody will like it What's not to like: baked glazed chicken drumsticks, delicious garlicky zucchini slices and sweet caramelized onion sections. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS (serves 3):

7 chicken drumsticks;
2 medium zucchini (or one large);
1 large yellow onion (or 2 small);

FOR THE SAUCE/MARINADE:

1 tbspoon soy sauce;
1 splash worcestershire sauce;
1 splash vinegar (regular or balsamic);
2-3 tbspoons olive oil;
(can use 1 cm finely chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon honey, dijon mustard, whiskey, hot chilly pepper)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or grated;
salt, pepper, dry time.

HOW TO MAKE:

First mix well together the ingredients for the marinade, and use depending on your preference, more or less of the sweet or spicy ingreds. Wash well the chicken drumsticks and coat well with the marinade. Save some of the marinade for the vegetables, later. Let the chicken sit for at least one hour, up to overnight in the fridge. When you are ready, cut the zucchini in one inch thick slices and the onions into bits about the same thickness. Mince one clove garlic and rub it on the vegetables along with some of the sauce that you have marinated the chicken in. Put them all in a baking tray lined with tin foil or with damp backing paper (for easy removal at the end). Bake in the preheated oven at 200 Celsius for 30-45 minutes covered with tin foil. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized onion bits. Enjoy with salad!

Cool Watermelon of Summer 2011

2011-07-22T21:03:00.003+03:00

EspressoStyle Recommends: Casa Cositorarilor, Sighisoara

2011-07-19T11:24:00.003+03:00

In june this year we went for a one day trip to the medieval town of Sighisoara, Romania. Among the many things to see and visit, I'd like to recommend the most beautiful terrace I ever sat at, in Romania. No joke, that's how it seemed to me at the time. Of course there is no such thing as the absolute best, because, as we say in Romanian "you cannot compare apples and pears", but lately, there are very few places that are unafectet of that dreadful virus of bad taste. And, in this context, for me, simply the lack of bad taste in a place is a strong point in favor. And Casa Cositorarilor was just this. Add to that the old and weathered aspect of the little garden terrace, the proximity of the medieval buildings, the cobble street, the out of the box immaculate uniforms of the girls serving at tables, the old stone walls, the amazing blossoming plants and last but not least, the excellent quality of the food and drink... that sums up to just about the best I've seen lately, if not ever.

So, we had an excellent espresso Kimbo (the only place in Romania where I've been served this Napoli origin brand of coffee), Borsec mineral water (premium brand) and two kinds of cake.

I had a rhubarb cake topped with a light white egg foam and she had an even more tasty wild strawberries slice of fresh cheeseake. We strongly recommend Casa Cositorarilor terrace cafe and sweet shop in Sighisoara, for the summer 2011.

Tagliatelle With Fresh Green Peas

2011-07-15T10:49:00.003+03:00

A must do recipe for the beginning of the summer is pasta with fresh green peas. And I mean fresh, because the dish simply isn't going to work with canned or even frozen ones. The recipe requires only that you pre boil the peas for 5 minutes in salted water. I was fortunate enough to receive the peas from a neighbor of my parents who was just picking them of the stem in the garden. She gave the peas to us in the pods, so my wife spent 15 minutes just taking the cute little green pearls of the stems. Pleasant 15 minutes, though!

INGREDIENTS (serves two):

150-200 gr. fresh green peas;
tagliatelle pasta (can use fettuccine or other ribbon like pasta);
3 tbs. olive oil;
3-5 strips bacon or pancetta;
1 clove garlic;
150 ml. cooking cream;
50 gr. parmesan cheese, grated;
salt, pepper, oregano (optional).

HOW TO MAKE:

First set up some salted water and boil the green peas for no more than 5 minutes.

Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the bacon cut up into thin bits. Brown the bacon for 5-7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic to flavor the oil. Do not brown the garlic (adjust the heat to low). Immediately add the cooking cream to form a sauce. Salt and pepper. Add some dry oregano. In a nearby pot the pasta should already be boiling according to the instructions on the pack. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle of the pasta water. When the pasta is al dente, strain and add it to the sauce in the pan. Stir well to coat the pasta with the creamy sauce. Add some more of the pasta water to thin the sauce, until it has a silky consistency. Add the strained fresh green peas, and the grated parmesan cheese. Stir well. Plate and enjoy hot, immediately!

Quick Meal: Potato Garlic Chicken Fry

2011-07-12T20:39:00.000+03:00

Sometimes you just do not have the time and the necessary stamina to cook yourself something great, but don't want to settle for something mediocre either. What a dilemma! What to do?

When in doubt, drink another glass, a friend of mine would say. But no, really, for this situation there are some ways out. One is always a dish of pasta. Pasta done well takes literally minutes and tastes excellent and gourmet. Another way is to just go with your instincts in the kitchen and improvise something that takes you to the older and simpler times of "antand", when you were younger, food was just food, and someone else payed for everything. Even if that means the dish you are about to make is not at all what you would call a recipe.

For me one of these improvised dishes is a pan fry of potatoes, chicken bits in vegetable oil with lots of garlic.

So, here goes:

INGREDS for 3 servings:

6 chicken bits, wings and dark meat, with skin on;
3-5 medium potatoes, depending on the size of the pan;
vegetable oil;
2-3 cloves garlic, pealed;
salt, pepper, a little time (optional).

HOW TO MAKE:

Start by cutting the chicken to bits or just use wings or legs or thighs. Season well with salt and pepper. Leave skin on. Peal the potatoes and cut them in finger thick chunks (I prefer larger). Heat the (3-5 tbs.) oil in a frying pan and fry the meat just for 2-3 minutes on all sides (or just one, if you're lazy), add the potatoes, add water (or stock, you snobs) just to cover. Let simmer for as long as it takes for the water to boil away almost completely, while you knock o beer or watch a favorite show. It usually takes about a half an hour or so. After 15 minutes you can turn the chicken bits on the other side and stir the potatoes a bit. Season again, if needed.

Just as you turn off the heat, chop the garlic cloves finely and add to the pan. You are done! Do not worry if it sticks to the pan and it breaks a little as you put it in a bowl. The messier, the better. Remember, you are starving. Enjoy!

About Social Networks

2011-07-11T17:59:00.001+03:00

It's totally not a food related subject, but I couldn't refrain myself from posting it! Via Zoso

Espresso Kimbo

2011-07-07T15:30:00.002+03:00

I had this cup in the city of Sighisoara, Romania, in the medieval center, at THE BEST LOOKING terrace I ever sat at, in my life: Pensiunea Casa Cositorarului (The Tin Smith's House). Review coming soon on EspressoStyle. Also the first time i've had Kimbo coffee in Romania.

EspressoStyle Recommends: La Turn, Sibiu

2011-07-04T17:38:00.006+03:00

La Turn is a restaurant terrace situated in Sibiu, Romania, in the historical center of the city. We are talking about the European Capital of Culture of 2007. It has excellent placement towards both main piazzas of the medieval city of Sibiu. We sat on the terrace in the Little Piazza. The food is good, not the absolute best, but definitely above average. It's Italian based cuisine, which in itself is a plus, especially if cooked well, but for the restaurant market in Romania that is over saturated with Italian oriented menus, it turns into a minus. Well, that being said, it's a good joint. Let's go to the food.

We started with a chicken salad for her and some salmon crostini for me. They were bot good, especially the crostini (although it could have been jut my raging hunger at the time). Anyway, they were baked just enough to melt and brown the cheese a bit. Lovely. Bread was not great, but not bad either.

Next came a dish of penne pasta al forno (baked in the oven) with chicken meat and mushrooms, a pink sauce and mozzarella on top. That was good, not too fat and totally eatable. The reason I save up on the praises is because the ingredients used were average, at best. The lean chicken breast strips, the sliced (maybe even canned) champignon mushrooms, cheap mozzarella. The pink sauce saved the dish by being light enough and smooth. Other than that, great.

The girl who served us was quick and communicative, with good knowledge of the menu. Smiles and everything.

For desert: a fried batter thing called "papanashi" (romanian classic) with cream and fruit jam for her and just espresso for me. Sadly, both of these were below average. The papanashi was too fat and over fried and the espresso a bit bitter. Considering though that by this time we were full bellied and more indulgent, I got past very well and made it a nice lunch out.

Scenery in the Little Piazza of Sibiu is just satisfying enough, anyway.

I give it 3 stars out of 5 for food quality, and also 3 for atmosphere. That means it was very nice. 4 stars means I was very impressed and 5 is reserved for the very best in the business.

That also means I warmly recommend La Turn, in Sibiu, Romania.

All Green Turnip & Courgette Salad

2011-06-30T11:42:00.000+03:00

This salad is an ode to green. It is fresh, it is crispy, it is stylish!

Just cut up some fresh medium sized courgette into long thin ribbon style slices, and for this you best use a "econom", a vegetable peeler.
The turnip, not too large, you peel clean, wash and slice thin slices with a sharp knife. Assemble and season with the best extra virgin olive oil you can find , salt, pepper (I used green) and maybe some bits of green chilly pepper and chopped parsley. You can stain the corner of the plate with a little lemony mayonnaise.
Enjoy!

New Potatoes & Bacon Warm Salad

2011-06-20T20:17:00.005+03:00

It's the time that you find new potatoes in the market. They are so small and cute. I've seen some people teach us how to peel them, but in this recipe I've decided to eat them with skin on, because it was so thin and tender. Someone fried them in duck fat. Yummy! I just decided to make a salad. And it is a warm one, since it has fried bacon in it.

INGREDIENTS:

a handful of new potatoes, round and small;
3 to 5 strips of bacon;
1 or 2 spring onions, both white and green part;
1/2 red bell pepper;
fresh parsley (can't use dry for this one);
extra virgin olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar;
salt & pepper.

HOW TO MAKE:

First you boil the potatoes, skin on, in 2/3 more water then potatoes, lots of salt in. Boil them until they are soft to the penetrating fork, but not as soft to fall apart. Drain the water away and cut the potatoes in half or quarters depending on how small they are.
While the potatoes are boiling, in a nearby pan, fry some bacon, cut into thin little inch size bits. You can fry long strips and brake or cut them after they are crispy. Do not burn the bacon. It's just not nice.
Chop up the red bell pepper into small little bits like in the picture and the spring onion into small rings. Use both white and green parts of the onion. Chop the fresh parsley roughly, not too fine. The parsley leaves look nice in this one.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and (important) do it while the potatoes are still warm. They will soak up the aromas of the bacon and the onion. You can add a few drops of balsamic vinegar into the mixing bowl. Assemble on plate. Enjoy!

This Is Why I Know It's Summer 11

2011-06-08T15:12:00.000+03:00

Cause all my ingreds are ripe, new and beautiful. I guess they are "shun".

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-06-07T19:44:00.001+03:00

The healthier home made version of a munching sweet for the babies of the house, from 1 to 90 years old. My wife made this for our 15 month old, Diana. Oh, I enjoyed some, too, of course.

INGREDIENTS:

300 gr. oatmeal (I used rolled whole grains);
200 gr. plain wheat flour;
1 cup raisins;
6 tablespoons sugar;
1 pack baking powder (~10 gr.);
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (do not use very fragrant);
280 ml. milk

HOW TO MAKE:

You simply mix together all the ingredients very well in a bowl. Then, just let it sit for at leas half an hour. After this you can scoop some mixture from the bowl and form cookie shapes. Note: they will thicken in the oven. Arrange them on a oven tray lined with baking paper, keeping some distance between the individual cookies.

Bake in the preheated oven at medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until they look brown and done.

Chicken Yogurt Sauce Pita Wraps

2011-06-04T11:31:00.002+03:00

This is an excellent weekend breakfast, a Saturday evening party treat or even a "watching the game" food, depending on the occasion or your mood. It is easy to make and requires almost no time to prepare.

That is, if you use the store bought pita wraps (like I did). Don't worry, even the greatest chefs do it most often then you think.

Anyway, it is a delicious and most importantly, healthy meal.

INGREDIENTS:

pita wraps (use as fresh as you can find);
chicken breast;
green onions;
some grated yellow cheese (ca use cheddar or even a blue cheese);
salt, pepper, chilly flakes to taste;
red salsa or just plain ketchup.

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE:

1 cup plain yogurt;
2 springs finely chopped green onions;
1 minced garlic clove;
salt, pepper;
a tablespoon olive oil.

HOW TO MAKE:

Just mix together all the ingredients of the yogurt sauce in a bowl and give them a good stir.

Grill the chicken breast cut into finger thin slices that have been salted and peppered. Cut the grilled meat into finger style strips. Put a few strips of meat on an open pita wrap. Do not let the pita wraps out of their bag for longer then a few minutes or let the bag open for they will go all dry and stiff. Cut a few green onion springs into 1 inch long bits and sprinkle over the meat. Grate or brake the cheese and sprinkle over the other stuff.

Now use the garlic sauce to moisten the whole thing like in the picture. Last goes in the ketchup. Wrap and enjoy with care not to drip sauces on ones clothes.

Canon Glass Torture

2011-05-31T16:08:00.002+03:00

How's about this video of a bored dude ~~torturing~~ testing a canon lens. Pretty disturbing for photography aficionados like me and Canon fans in particular. Anyway, it didn't brake. As for what pictures can you take afterwords ...

Breakfast with Rain

2011-05-30T09:38:00.002+03:00

I had my breakfast listening to the rain today. By accident, no tv set or radio was on in my proximity. Just the half open window. I almost forgot how much i did love the rain. It brings back memories from the times i was little and I used to spend my summer holiday in the mountains near Sovata, where my grandparents had a little yard with bee hives. We lived outside almost all day long. We didn't have a TV and didn't really miss it. We cooked in the "summer kitchenette" and when it rained, we just sat and listened to it pound on the tin roof, while munching on home baked biscuits.

Pennette with Green Onion & Zucchini

2011-05-29T22:24:00.002+03:00

“Pennette” means little penne pasta in italian. For this recipe I used the “grano duro” (course grain) pennette pasta from Barilla.

The dish is inspired by spring and by the fact that I have got some fresh garden green onions from my father.

INGREDIENTS:

Pennette pasta (or use whatever shape you like);
3-5 tablespoons olive oil;
3-5 green onions;
1 clove garlic;
1 small or ½ big zucchini;
½ cup cooking heavy cream;
a cup of parmesan cheese;
salt, pepper, fresh parsley.

HOW TO MAKE:

Boil pasta in a lot of salted water (rolling boil). In the mean time prepare a pan with the olive oil on high heat. Slice the zucchini into finger thick slices and start frying them in the oil. After aprox. 5 minutes chop up the onions and throw them in, along with the sliced or crushed garlic clove. Turn the heat to medium or low. Sote the veggies for another few minutes, then poor in the cooking cream and bring to a boil.

Immediately throw in the pasta, after you’ve drained it (do not wash it, unless you absolutely don’t want the salt or you must stop the cooking process of the pasta). Stir well and let the pasta absorb the cream and scented oil sauce. If it gets too dry, feel free to add a few spoons of the pasta water. Season with the salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt (pasta is already salty). Chop the fresh parsley and add. Add the grated parmesan cheese. Stir and serve immediately.

For best results use heated plates and add some more parmesan cheese and parsley to each serving. Enjoy!

Potato Pleurotus Fritatta

2011-05-29T13:02:00.003+03:00

As you may already know, a fritatta is nothing else then a fancy omelet, but done thick and with a lot of ingredients in it (and eventually with a little cream and cheese). It's like a little tart or pie, but without the crust.

Anyway, this is a potato and pleurotus mushrooms fritatta. The pleurotus mushrooms are a thin and leafy kind. They are meaty-er and more moist and juicy then others. When cooked in a pan they turn a little rubbery and resemble meat. To me, anyway!

Notice in the picture, the different origin eggs: guess wich one is organic from my godparents chickens? Only the one in the middle. The yolk has a translucent and velvety kind of orange color. The others are from the store, different batches.

INGREDIENTS (for a pan):

1 medium or large potato;
1 pack (aprox. 300 gr. pleurotus mushrooms);
4-5 eggs;
3-5 tblsp. vegetable oil;
condiments to taste.

HOW TO MAKE:

First, peel and slice up the potato into bits the shape that you fancy, but not too thick. Heat up the oil in the pan and fry the potatoes for about 5 to 10 minutes, so they are about half done. Chop up the pleurotus mushrooms roughly and throw them over the potatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon (so as not to damage the non stick pan). They will leak some moisture, so wait for it to evaporate. It will create a delicious sauce in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, but not too much, for the eggs will have seasoning too.

Now break the eggs and beat them in a bowl with seasoning (salt, pepper, time, a bit of hot chilly flakes, parsley etc.) Poor the eggs over the potatoes and mushrooms in the hot pan and shake a little. You can put in some cheese of your choice, now, broken into 1 inch bits. Let the eggs set for about 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat. You can wait for everything to become solid or you can leave the top a little runny. I did.
Enjoy with green salad!

Coca Cola Aniversary

2011-05-28T17:13:00.002+03:00

This is my photo tribute to the 125th aniversary of the most popular soft drink of the world. On this ocasion they have issued a special set of three vintage shaped bottles. I think they are very nice. Happy Birthday, Coca Cola!

St. Constantin and Elena BBQ

2011-05-27T22:35:00.000+03:00

Last weekend we went to my fathers to celebrate St. Constantin and Elena (orthodox celebration of the people with the saints names). Of course, the usual BBQ was in order along with some other stuff. All and all, some quality time with friends and family.

Espresso Super Crema

2011-05-20T22:28:00.001+03:00

Light Show

2011-05-16T09:09:00.001+03:00

3D Mapping by a team of people working for Orange Telecommunications Company projected on the building of the architecture faculty of the University of Bucharest, Romania.

Via petreanu.ro

Stuffed Bell Peppers (No Meat Version)

2011-04-26T19:38:00.002+03:00

For the fasting Wednesdays and Fridays of fasting before this Easter of 2011, I've tried to treat my family to meals as good as I could, so they wouldn't miss animal products at all. So, I made a stuffed bell peppers recipe with no meat, only with a rice and mushroom based filling. They turned out very tasty.

INGREDIENTS (serves 5):

3-5 tablespoons olive oil;
1 1/2 to 2 cups of round grain rice;
5 medium to big bell peppers (any color, I used light green);
a can of sliced champignon mushrooms (~ 300 gr.);
one medium zucchini;
one large yellow onion (or two medium);
salt, pepper, fresh parsley;

FOR THE SAUCE:

a can of pealed whole or cubed tomatoes;
3-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
1 clove garlic;
time, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper (all or just the ones you like best).

HOW TO MAKE:

First it is best that you make the tomato sauce, to have it cool later when you put the peppers in the baking dish. It is pretty much the basic pasta or pizza sauce, with the spices that you like. I made mine in a pan with some olive oil, one minced garlic clove and a can of pealed tomatoes, that I crushed roughly with a wooden spoon directly in the pan. I let it simmer for about a quarter hour adding a little water so it wouldn't get too thick. I put in all of the herbs mentioned in the ingredients section, most of them dry, with the exception of the parsley.

Then you have to prepare your peppers. Just use a thin knife to cut off the tops and the seed veins while leaving them whole, like little jars of goodness. Put them aside and start on your filling.

The filling you also make in a pan, starting with some oil, on top of witch you throw the finely chopped onions. Stir them for a minute or two with salt to sweat good then throw in the mushrooms. It you use canned mushrooms (like I did) make sure that you drain them well first. Immediately throw in the zucchini, cut into small, half inch cubes.Stir everything in for a 5 minutes, then add the rice. Coat the rice with the oil for a minute and then add some water (or vegetable stock, if you have some), just to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to a simmering boil and cook until the rice grains are almost tender, "al dente" (you can feel the center if the grain still hard to the tooth). Season well with salt and pepper and set aside. The water must be almost evaporated completely by now.

Next you take a narrow spoon and carefully stuff the peppers with the filling from the pan, nearly to the top. You can cap them off with a slice of tomato. I didn't. Place the stuffed peppers in a tall baking dish up straight. Put them next to each other to keep them standing. Then poor the tomato sauce on top of the peppers. It must be a little runny, and it must cover at least 3/4 of the height of the peppers in order to cook them well in the oven.

Put the dish in the oven and bake on medium heat until the peppers get nice and brown on top (half an hour to an hour, depending on the oven). Serve them hot with a lot of sauce and fresh chopped parsley on top.

Granpa's Baked Potatoes and Salad

2011-03-29T16:58:00.004+03:00

On Sunday we were invited to Grandma and Grandpa's at Negru Voda, Constanta. They enjoyed their granddaughter and we ... enjoyed a bbq with a tray of awesome potatoes, onions and carrots as well as a plate of tomato, cucumber and green onion salad with vinegar and dill.

Champignon Mushrooms With Rice & Cherry Tomatoes

2011-03-26T12:20:00.000+02:00

For reasons of laziness and lack of will, we decided to fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays for the coming Easter Holly days this year. Anyway, even so, we just couldn't eat only the easy to make boiled potatoes with some olive oil or plain rice or just bread with all kinds of nasty commercial spreads.

So I had to engage in a little cooking on fasting days. That's how we ended up eating even better (not necessarily healthier, but tastier altogether) on the days we fast. And everything in line with the restrictions of the christian orthodox faith, that means no products of animal origin.

Next I'll tell you about a meal so easy that you put it together in minutes.

INGREDIENTS (serves four):

FOR THE RICE

1 & 1/2 cups regular rice;
a handful green olives;
half a red bell pepper;
1 medium yellow onion;
2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
salt, pepper, ground cumin, time,
fresh parsley;
water or vegetable stock;
fresh chives to garnish.

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat up some vegetable oil in a thick bottomed pot and chop up the onion into fine bits. Sweat the onion with oil and salt until it becomes glassy (don't let it burn to a brown color, if possible), then add the red bell pepper sliced julien (thin long strips) and stir. Add the rice and stir some more (1, 2 minutes) then add the water or vegetable sock to cover well the rice. Let boil on low heat for as long as the rice needs to get soft. If necessary add more water. Add condiments: pepper, cumin, time. In the last 2 minutes add the green olives and as you turn off the heat add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. It's done when the rice is soft and the water is gone.

FOR THE MUSHROOMS:

5-6 medium to large champignon mushrooms;
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil;
1 clove garlic;
2-3 twigs with cherry tomatoes on;
salt & pepper.

HOW TO MAKE:

In a thick skillet, heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. While oil temperature isn't yet very high, crush a garlic clove, chop it fine and throw it into the skillet. Make sure it doesn't burn. Next chop the champignons into quarters (or thick slices, if you like them better that way) and throw them in. Sote for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper. They will absorb most of the garlic infused oil, but than they will leak water and make a very good sauce. When the mushroom bits are soft (not very soft) and browned a little, get them out of the skillet and into the plate next to the rice.

For maximum effect get the cherry tomatoes and let them fry in the same skillet on high heat for a few minutes, until they become soft and glossy and coated with the garlic and mushroom oil. Salt and pepper! Serve them on the side in each plate and I guarantee they're not only for decoration!

On top of the whole plate sprinkle some freshly chopped chives. Enjoy!

Fried Chicken Southern Style

2011-02-08T10:45:00.002+02:00

We all want to eat as healthy as we can, but, let's face it: we all crave some fried stuff now and then. So, here's a recipe of some fried chicken pieces coated in an egg and breadcrumbs mixture after it's been marinated in a combination of spices that I've made up myself.

INGREDIENTS (serves three):

the legs and thighs and breast of one chicken;

FOR THE MARINADE:

a splash of Worcestershire Sauce;
salt and pepper to taste;
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine;
a splash of soy sauce;
a pinch of cumin (ground);
a generous pinch of time;
a table spoon of regular mustard;

FOR THE COATING:

2 eggs, beaten well;
2 cups breadcrumbs.

HOW TO MAKE:

First separate the chicken legs from the thighs and cut the chicken breast in about 4 or 5 pieces (however you can manage around the bones). Take off all the skin from all the pieces of chicken. Make a few cuts with a sharp knife into the meat on all facets of it so the seasoning and the marinade gets into it better and later the coating will be more adherent and thick. No more then 3 or 4 cuts on each chicken piece will be enough.

Next make a marinade from all the ingredients shown above and coat the meat well with it. Let sit in the fridge for at least one hour (to a day).

Beat the eggs well and get the chicken pieces one by one, coat them well on all sides with the eggs and then coat them well with the breadcrumbs in a separate container. Work with only one handwhen coating with egg, otherwise you will make a mess everywhere. It's fun aether way.

Next fry the well coated pieces in a thick skillet with vegetable oil on medium high heat, just until they are brown on all sides. Do not overlay the pieces. Make in batches if the skillet is too small. This doesn't take more than 5 minutes for each batch.

Finally, put the browned chicken pieces into an oven tray, with a bit of space between them, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes covered, then for another 15-20 minutes uncovered on medium heat (170-200 C). If you can, turn the pieces at half the baking time. For best non stick results you can use an aluminum foil or a baking sheet underneath them.

It sounds like a lot of work but I promise you that you'll be done in under two hours (including the baking time) and the results are delicious.

Guest: Kevin Rose Interviews Dr. Andrew Weil

2011-01-13T20:29:00.000+02:00

Kevin Rose is a remarkable young IT guy and he is interested not only in the high tech geeky stuff like the internet and gadgets but also in good and healthy living in general. He is a tea drinking fella that (like me) wonders about how you can change your life and habits to live healthier, even though we spend maybe to much time in front of a computer. Well, ... he is also the founder of digg.
I got to him through another amazing guy, Tim Ferris, that I'm sure I'll be talking about some more on other occasions. Entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs...
So, Kevin Rose interviews d. Andrew Weil about some health issues that I think might interest you also. The video was posted on Kevin Rose's blog too.

Pork Steak (and other holiday treats)

2011-01-09T17:52:00.003+02:00

For the winter holidays in Romanian homes it is a given to have at least one or two pork products or dishes. Along side other starters, baked things and all kinds of desert, almost everyone has the simple pork steak on the Christmas and New Ears Eve table.

So, as a good family that we are, the nice pork raw steaks came from my father in law, already salted, peppered and seasoned with lots of dry time. I just took the pork cuts and roasted them slowly in a thick skillet with some sunflower oil and some water (just to cover). It took the water just about half an hour to steam away and leave the steaks browned and tender soft. We served it with some wonderful mashed potatoes made by mom with her special tool inharited from her own mom.

Next you have a little photo hint of some of the other things that were on our Christmas table in 2010.

Cheese, olives and mini meatballs platter.

A la Rouse Salad.

Turkey jelly with garlic.

Anthony Bourdain Quote 01

2011-01-09T12:27:00.000+02:00

The produce is as fresh as the garbage is old! about Coronation Road Market in Kingston, Jamaica.

Misiones de Rengo Sauvignon Blanc 2009

2011-01-06T21:10:00.000+02:00

This wine is normally a summer wine. Misiones de Rengo is a well known and well regarded wineyard from Chile and it produces exceptional wines. This particular one is not so exceptional (unlike the better positioned Riserva). Anyway, it's a good drinkable Sauvignon Blanc.

The color is light yellow, more like veeery light yellow. The taste is the same: very light, no hints of citrus fruit or grape or quince. More hints of hay and wild flowers. Nice aroma, goes with pasta, fish, ... maybe a Caesar Salad.

I drank it chilled and combined with some mineral water in a wonderful White Wine Spritzer. A Votre Sante!

Espresso Segafredo Homemade

2010-12-27T23:43:00.000+02:00

Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella 2009

2010-12-27T19:50:00.002+02:00

I bought a bottle of the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella 2009 for using it in my Osso Buco Milanese recipe (about half a bottle of it). Of course, the other half a bottle ended up in my glass.

It was just to be used strictly for cooking purposes, as it is priced under 10 dollars per bottle.

And indeed, it's not a great and noble wine, but I think I discovered the best value for money wine in Romanian supermarkets today.

It is soft, table wine by definition, with smells of wood, berries, leather. No nasty aftertaste. Totally drinkable. So, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Predella is my recommendation for under 10 dollar wines this winter.

Sweet Mac'n'Cheese

2010-12-27T17:50:00.004+02:00

It's one of our favorites in the evenings when one just gets the craving for "something good" but one doesn't have anything good (bought) in the house. It's a tasty and easy to make recipe that totally satisfies the whole family.

INGREDIENTS:

a pack of pasta (small cut shape: fusili, little macaroni, cavatappi etc. etc.);
3 eggs;
2 cups grated white cheese;
2-3 tablespoons vanilla flavored sugar;
1,1/2 cups sour cream or yogurt;
margarine and breadcrumbs for the baking dish.

HOW TO MAKE:

Boil the pasta in plenty of water with a lot of salt.

Mix together the eggs, grated cheese, sugar and one cup of sour cream or yogurt. Drain the soft boiled pasta and let cool for 10 minutes, then mix together with the cheese egg mixture. Take a baking dish and rub the interior good with a knob of margarine, then coat well with breadcrumbs. Poor the pasta cheese mixture into the baking dish and poor the leftover 1/2 cup of sour cream or yogurt on top. Spread it evenly. Bake on medium heat for 15-25 minutes, until the surface looks nice and golden brown. Serve hot or cold with cream, more sugar or better yet with some fruit jam.

Baked Quinces With Mascarpone & Walnuts

2010-12-19T13:51:00.004+02:00

This Saturday we had some friends for lunch to sample my very good Osso Buco Milanese and my wife decided to make something nice for desert (as desert is really not my strong point in cooking, ... yet!) She came across this recipe of baked quinces and since we had some in the fridge, she made them. They were so tasty as the natural taste of the fruit cut off the fatty-ness of the cream mascarpone cheese on top. The toasted wallnuts complemented the baked soft quince very nice and the lemon zest was just the perfect touch.

INGREDIENTS:

quinces (half per serving);
20 gr. butter;
200 ml. orange juice;
80 gr. walnuts (a sprinkle per serving);
50 gr. raisins;
1 tablespoon honey;
150 gr. mascarpone cheese;
the grated zest from 1 lemon;
cinnamon on top.

HOW TO MAKE:

First you wash the quinces, cut them in half and scoop out the woody part with the seeds. They should look like little boats with a hole in the middle. You mix together the butter, honey and 3 tablespoons of orange juice and paint the halved quinces with this mixture. Them put the quinces in an oven tray (sliced side up) and poor the rest of the butter honey mixture into the tray. It is better to cover the tray with aluminum foil first. Bake at medium heat for approximately 45 minutes. The quinces should be tender, by now.

In the mean time, you toast the walnuts and then make a mixture with the mascarpone cheese, raisins, honey, lemon zest.

After you've taken out the quinces from the oven, let them cool by the window for 15 minutes. Then scoop a tablespoon of the cheese raisin mixture on top of each quince and top with the roughly ground walnuts and a bit of cinnamon. Pop them back into the oven for just 1 minute (the cheese composition melts fast). Take them out and let cool. Serve warm or cool.

People seemed to have enjoyed them.

Osso Buco Milanese

2010-12-14T20:42:00.004+02:00

INGREDIENTS:

3-5 tablespoons olive oil (can use lard or fat rendered from ham);
3 cross cut veal shanks (bone included);
2 medium onions;
2-3 cloves garlic;
1 can pealed tomatoes;
50 gr. tomato paste;
1-2 medium carrots;
1/2 celery root;
1 parsnip;
1/2 red bell pepper;
parsley, time, sage (preferably fresh);
500 ml red wine (drinkable, dry);
1-2 bay leaves;
salt & pepper.

FOR RISOTTO: 2 cups round grain rice, 1 onion, stock, Parmesan cheese, butter, olive oil, s & p.

HOW TO COOK:

First brown the (well seasoned with salt and pepper) veal shanks in olive oil or pork fat in a Dutch oven type pot, on both cross cut sections. Some people cover the meat in a layer of white flour first. It works just fine without.

Take out the meat and chop up the onions and garlic, then throw them in the same pot to sweat and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Stir well, and after 5 mins. put in the tomato paste and stir another 5 mins. Poor in 300 ml of wine. Drink a glass yourself. Put the shanks back into the pot and poor stock or water in until it just about covers the meat. Add the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour.

Add the carrots, celery root, parsnip, red pepper sliced, parsley, time, sage, bay leaves. Add another 200 ml wine. Add more water if the fluids in the pot have reduced under the level of the meat. Simmer for another 2 hours. After that extract from the pot the celery root, parsnip, bay leaves and throw them away.

If the stew has turned into a nice smelling thick sauce, the meat falls of the bone and tears easily when you try it with a fork, than it is ready.

Serve with any carbs you like (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta etc.) I served it on some milanese risotto, made with the ingredients shown above. It was sensational. Enjoy!

Emy Prize Confirmation

2010-11-28T23:29:00.000+02:00

As I was signaling a long time ago, this is an amazing artist and an amazing documentary. Now confirmed by the Emy Award for Arts Programming in 2010.

EspressoStyle Recommends: King Arthur Flour

2010-11-28T23:11:00.000+02:00

The amazing and passionate guys and girls at King Arthur Flour make dreamy loafs and tones of other good stuff. Check out one of the videos they posted on youtube that i just love to watch.

Soup a la Radauti

2010-11-27T12:15:00.003+02:00

Radauti (pronounced rah:dah:utzi) is a small town in Romania, Eastern Europe. This soup is actually the lighter and "tidy"er version of another soup: tripe soup, which is very popular all throughout Romania. The main difference is that in stead of cow tripe, you use plain lean chicken breast meat.

INGREDIENTS (for a medium pot):

1 onion;
1-2 carrots;
1/4 celery root;
1 parsnip root;
1 potato;
1 chicken breast, no skin;
1 cup sour cream;
2 egg yokes;
3-4 tablespoons vinegar;
salt, pepper, soup condiment.

HOW TO MAKE:

Peel clean all the vegetables and put them to boil in a medium pot filled 3/4 with water. When I say all the veggies, I do mean all, onion left whole, do not chop. You can chop up one carrot into round little slices, but not the other veggies. Put the chicken breast meat in too, at the same time, and let it all boil for 20 mins to half an hour, skimming the foam off the top. Don't forget to salt it a little. You will adjust it later. After half an hour boil, take out everything but the little slices of carrot (if you decided to make them). The broth that resulted should be rather clear.

Cut the meat into bite size chunks and throw it back into the boiling pot. Throw the rest of the vegetables away. Let boil for another 10 to 20 minutes. In the mean time, blend together in a cup the sour cream, and the egg yokes with a little water. Add it to the soup in the pot while mixing continuously with a spoon. At the end adjust for condiments and add 3 or 4 tablespoons vinegar. Enjoy with or without more cream, a little crushed garlic or a hot pepper on the side!

Gas Station Espresso

2010-11-23T09:30:00.000+02:00

Linguine With Broccoli & Two Cheeses

2010-11-21T20:55:00.003+02:00

INGREDIENTS:

linguine pasta for 2 (half a pack);
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
2 cloves garlic, minced;
half a broccoli, into flowrettes;
2 spoonfuls of kalamata olives;
100 gr. Grana Padano Italian cheese;
100 gr. Gorgonzola cheese;
salt, pepper, oregano to taste.

HOW TO COOK:

Heat olive oil in a pan and throw in the garlic. Turn heat to lowest and add the chopped broccoli to the pan. Stir and sote for 3 - 5 minutes, then add a ladle of water from the pasta pot. Add the olives and seasoning and reduce (boil to evaporation) the liquid for the next 5 minutes. Add the linguine pasta that you have boiled according to the indications on the package, strained. Mix everything together in the pan. If it is too dry feel free to add some more of the water in witch the pasta have boiled. Add half the Grana Padano grated cheese and turn off the heat Add theGorgonzola cheese cut into chunks. It will stick to everything (knife, hands) but that is part of it's charm. Give it a final stir. Watch as the cheese melts coating the pasta. Transfer servings to the plates and sprinkle the rest of the grated Grana Padano on top. Serve hot.

Plain Chicken Rice Pilaf

2010-11-19T19:41:00.004+02:00

This recipe is just a dish that you pop on relatively quickly when you (for example) have run out of ideas of what to cook for the family or when you just feel the need to have a good hardy rice meal.

"Pilaf" is a Turkish word for a rice dish with meat. It can be cooked on the top of the stove or with a finish in the oven. It can be cooked with some fatty bits of meat or with lean cuts, with just a little oil to start. Of course, the fat makes for a altogether more savory dish. Anyway, here it is:

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

2 tbspoons vegetable oil;
1 1/2 cups white round rice;
1 medium or large onion;
half a chicken cut into parts, include dark meat;
chicken stock to cover (can use plain water);
salt & pepper to taste;
a pinch ground cumin.

HOW TO COOK:

Chop up the onion into small bits and sweat it in the vegetable oil in a thick walled cooking pot (cast iron or aluminum work best). When the onion bits are glossy put in the chicken bits and let them fry for a few minutes in the oil too. After aprox 5 minutes poor in the stock (or water) to cover everything. Bring to a boil, skim of the meat foam that forms on the top. Let boil on low heat for aprox another 25 - 30 mins. Now add the rice and stir frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom for the first 3 mins. Boil the rice and chicken until the water reduces and the rice has cooked (is soft to the tooth), about 15 - 20 mins. Add salt, pepper, cumin, other spices to taste. Stir every 3 minutes. When the water is gone and the rice is soft you are done.

Some people like to put the pilaf in the oven, uncovered for the last 15 mins for a nice finish.

I served it with a side of red pepper pickles. Enjoy!

No Reservations Paris

2010-11-12T23:16:00.005+02:00

I simply cannot believe to what amazing heights of knowledge and epicurean artistry have some people arrived to.

Anthony Bourdain rounds up his 100 episode achievement of the show No Reservations with a trip to Paris. Be sure to check out episodes 2 and 3 also.

Jacob's Creek Shiraz Roze 2009

2010-11-10T14:14:00.001+02:00

Fruity! That is the defining word: fruity! It is a light and thin roze for lazy afternoons and warm summer evenings with friends over a very light dinner of sea food or even desert.

Light in color but not bland, with hints of strawberry, cherry, some spices. A slight note of sweetness, but just enough as not to get you discouraged after the first glass.

Strong recommendation for women. Goes well for men, too. Do not mach it with game or dishes with sausage or heavy sauces. Works with fruit and maybe a cheese platter. Also goes with fish and blue cheese dressing salads.

I personally had a glass with a plate of chicken rice pilaf garnished with lots of chilly pepper. Went very well.

Espresso Lavazza Eforie

2010-11-09T13:08:00.001+02:00

The Tulip

2010-11-08T13:54:00.000+02:00

How's about these single serve plastic glasses of wine!? Well, they are PET, to be correct. They serve them sealed, like a yogurt can. Well, ...I guess I don't mind that much as long as the content is decent and draws people toward drinking the right kind of alcohol. I mean, let's drink less beer and spirits and more wine. Ooops, let me hide the beer from my desk...It's been a hard day and all...!:-)

They call them "The Tulip". Well, let's just say that glass does it better for me.

Anyway, check them out! At least they are weird!

Painting People (Literaly)

2010-11-06T10:05:00.003+02:00

The artist Alexa Meade champions a different way of painting people. She actually paints the bodies of her subjects so they end up looking like three dimensional painted replicas of themselves. You'll be amazed by this radical new approach by Alexa Meade.
This is via A Cup Of Joe.

Park Break Espresso

2010-11-06T09:48:00.000+02:00

In between my errands the other day I took the time to sit on a park bench with a nice cup of vending machine espresso. Sometimes that's all it takes to cool down and enjoy life. The warm november sun was shining and the trees are a poem of colours this autumn.

Linguine Grano Duro With Tomato Sauce & Broccoli

2010-11-05T18:44:00.004+02:00

It's a spur of the moment dish, free cooking Italian recipe.

Heat olive oil in a pan and put in garlic and anchovies. Be careful not to brown the garlic! It will turn sour and ruin the dish. Go as far as to shut off the stove underneath the pan if it gets to hot. Also don't worry about the anchovies; they will simply melt into the oil and disappear. As soon as the garlic and anchovies start bubbling and release all that amazing flavor, poor in the tomato sauce (that you've made earlier and have ready made). If you don't have the sauce ready made, use a can of crushed tomatoes (good quality) or peeled ones that you will crush in the pan. Turn the heat up and start stirring. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, (basil, for the traditional version), hot pepper finely chopped or dry flakes.

Stir about 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes don't smell any more as a raw vegetable and the flavor infused olive oil has blended well into the (now reduced) sauce. If it gets too thick, just add some water from the pasta pot that you've set to boil with salt (a good handful). Pasta should boil in a lot of extra water for as long as the package says. Personally, I don't like the "al dente" (to the tooth) feel, although it's the Italian way. I like mine nice and soft.

Chop up some broccoli and ad it to the pan in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Now add the chopped parsley, too.

When the pasta is done, drain it and add the lot to the pan. The sauce in the pan should be a little runny, as the pasta will absorb some extra moisture and "fatten up" with some flavor. Turn on the heat and let rest for no more than 5 minutes after all the pasta is coated well with red sauce.

Serve hot.

"Grano duro" means whole wheat in Italian. I added to the serving in the plate a lot of grated salty white cheese. The standard tradition is Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil;
2 cloves garlic, crushed;
2-3 anchovy fillets;
linguine for two (half a pack);
2-3 cups tomato pasta sauce;
half a broccoli;
salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, chilly pepper to taste.

Quick Sandwich: Canned Mackerel & Pickles

2010-10-31T16:34:00.002+02:00

Quick sandwich of canned mackerel with pickled cucumbers, dressed with black pepper and some chilly powder

Potato & White Fish Salad

2010-10-30T11:35:00.003+03:00

This is a favorite of mine ever since I don't remember when, from my mother's home entertaining at special occasions or holidays. The other day I just got a craving for the garlicky stuff and I bought 2 fillets of pangasius fish (it works with any white fish). Then, all you have to do is boil some potatoes (skin on), and whisk a good bowl of mayonnaise from two eggs and some vegetable oil. Do not use extra virgin olive oil that has too strong a flavor, unless you absolutely love it. I used sunflower. Into the mayo throw a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. I didn't use any lemon. I like it better without lemon in this particular salad.

After the (2-3 big) potatoes are boiled well to the core, extract them from the pot, let them rest for 10 mins and then peel off the skin. Chop the yellow things into smallish cubes (dimension to taste).

The fish fillets are also boiled by now; you get rid of the skin and all the leftover bones as much as possible, then mash up the boiled fish meat into smallish chunks (about the size that you've cut the potato cubes).

That's it: now just mix well together the potato, fish bits and mayonnaise. Season to taste (I lke mine a bit peppery) and add the last and most important ingredient/condiment: garlic. About 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed, for the whole salad.

If it is still a bit warm, it is best served later, chilled, so the garlic has time to infuse the bulk of it. Enjoy!

Cheers!

2010-10-06T22:04:00.000+03:00

Anthony Bourdain Google Interview

2010-09-12T23:48:00.001+03:00

Although I don't want to post youtube links that much any more (it's too easy and too many people do it in a stupid way), this is just too great to miss!"I have the greatest job in the world!", he says. Really!?
Just enjoy!

Lavazza Espresso Cups

2010-09-06T21:56:00.003+03:00

Espresso Style has received no less then 12 "demitasse" espresso Lavazza cups. They exhibit the sleek classic Lavazza Italian design with the vertical thick blue stripe on the white porcelain. I love many things Italian, and Lavazza espresso is quintessential Italian. The design and lifestyle culture of Lavazza is very cool and to my taste, not to mention that they roast a damn good coffee blend.

I enjoy my espresso once every few days in one of these cups.

Shooting Food

2010-09-03T15:00:00.002+03:00

I never planed to be this thorough with my food photography, but ... talking about profesionals! This is Stephen Hamilton.

Dressed Broccoli

2010-09-01T22:39:00.001+03:00

One of the simplest most delicious side dishes to meat is this garlic oil dressed broccoli salad. It is nothing more than blanched (boiled briefly) broccoli cut into florettes. It is important to bring the water to a boil before you submerge the broccoli into it, because if you subject the vegetable to heat more than a minute or two it will turn all soft and not nice. I think it is best served while it holds a little firmness to its structure.

Then it is also important to put a fair amount of salt into the boiling water (i suggest course). It's like when you boil potatoes whit skin on or pasta.

If you want to be thorough to the end, you should extract the broccoli from the water after a minute boil and immediately put it into a bowl with ice water. This is so the bright green color doesn't turn darker if left to cool in open air.

The dressing should also be put over the broccoli when it is still hot. It's simple. Almost always good food is simple! Good quality extra virgin olive oil, pepper (freshly ground) and crushed and finely chopped garlic. It's a delight anytime for me, as I discover more and more how great vegetables are.

Toamto Olive Oil Cheese Mush

2010-08-22T10:07:00.003+03:00

Summer is now in full swing and the fresh tomatoes in my father's organic garden are ripe. Now I eat almost a kilo a day as they are my favorite vedge in the summer and the combination with olive oil and salty cheese are irresistible.

How many of you have shoved a piece of bred directly into the salad bowl after the tomato pieces are gone, just to gather the delicious olive oil tomato juice and spice sauce that formed on the bottom!? Well, however impolite, I do it too, when I eat at home, of course. And this time I decided to make it into a dish of itself.

So when I finished a plate of delicious fresh ripe tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and cheese, I decided to cut another small tomato into thin and irregular slices and put it into the plate, then cut it some more with the side of the fork, making it into a rough mush. Then I threw in some more salty white cheese shavings and seasoning. Poor some more of the flavorful e.v. olive oil and you are done. Enjoy as a bread spread and taste the summer.

As a personal thing, I chop some hot red chilly pepper and throw it in also.

Chicken Potato Stew with Laurel & Dill

2010-08-05T18:45:00.003+03:00

Man, it is hot, hot hot! Al throughout July and now in august there has been almost no cooking in our household beyond a simple omelet or salad.
But I craved some cooked meat. Guilty!

So I did buy some chicken wings and ribs and got into the kitchen.It was going to be something else then simple grilled meat. You probably guessed it by the specific cuts that I said I bought. So, I made a stew. The simplest kind: potato stew. As it is so hot in the kitchen, I did it all as quickly as I could, without compromising on taste. Therefor I made a more runny and soupy stew, the kind that you eat with bred in one hand and the spoon or fork in the other. I used a good pinch of dill (fresh) and dried laurel leaves, both being essential for the proper outcome. It came out delicious.

I used sunflower oil, as the extra virgin olive oil is too bitter and changes the taste of the dish. You can use a more mild tasting olive oil. It is important to put in the garlic and dill wright at the end, after the heat is turned off, otherwise the added flavor will cook away.

I like to eat it with a hot chilly pepper on the side, especially in the summer. In the winter goes very good with pickles. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 chicken wings, 1 ribs, 1 neck etc.
4-5 medium potatoes;
2 medium yellow onions;
2 tablespoons tomato paste or 1/2 can crushed tomatoes;
salt, pepper, 1-2 dry laurel leaves, 2 garlic cloves (chopped), dill to taste, parsley.

How to make:

Chop up the onions (not too fine) and sote in the pot with a spoonful of sunflower oil and salt. When the onion is glossy and transparent, throw in the chicken parts and cover with water completely. Let simmer for 15 mins and skim off the foam that formates on top because of the meat. Chop up the potatoes into large slices and throw them in the pot. Season well with salt, pepper, 2 dry laurel leaves, herbs to taste.

After another 25 minutes on medium heat, check for the chicken to be tender. If it is, dissolve into the stew 1 or two tablespoons of tomato paste or half a tin of crushed tomatoes. After 10 mins turn off the heat and season with the chopped dill and garlic. Give it a final stir and smell the nice flavor.

Speaking English Will Kill You

2010-07-29T23:16:00.000+03:00

That is: being American will giv eyou a heart attack..., apparently!!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

2010-07-12T17:52:00.003+03:00

My (retired professional cook) father in law threw on this amazing fresh tomato cucumber salad with onions and lots of dill, as a side dish for some grilled organic raised chicken. Check out the baby grapes from the garden after the rain.

Caprese Salad With Home Grown Basil

2010-07-04T13:42:00.004+03:00

Made with the basil leaves from my balcony, that I planted from seeds.
"Caprese" means "from (the island of) Capri" in Italian. It consists of ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leafs, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper. Some people do variations (adding pesto sauce, for example). Like most italian recipes, it has few ingreds and therefor you must use the most fresh and quality ingreds you can find. If you like the tomato zest olive oil cheese combo, take a look at this.

Sote Veggies & Cucumber Salad

2010-07-04T13:27:00.004+03:00

My interest in broad beans (fresh from the outdoor market) has materialized in yet another fine meal. For a summer lunch we had some chicken meat to grill and in my late trip to the local market I picked up some half kilo broad beans (the yellow with violet spots kind) along with some cauliflower. As I decided to bring more and more fresh vegetables into our family's diet, I went for the sote version of the veggies, with oil, lots of chopped new garlic and fresh parsley.

Because the meal asked for a side salad, I made a nice summer cucumber salad with a white onion cut julien topped with lots of fragrant dill. The dressing is made of oil, salt & pepper and vinegar to taste.

INGREDIENTS:

SOTE VEGGIES

chicken meat for the grilling;
1/2 kilo broad beans;
300 gr. cauliflower into flowerttes;
3-5 cloves garlic chopped;
1 handfull chopped parsley;
2 tbsp. olive oil;
salt & pepper.

CUCUMBER SALAD

1/2 kilo cucumbers, sliced;
1 medium white onion, cut julien;
chopped dill to taste;
vegetable oil, vinegar, salt& pepper.

Canon 50mm f1.8 II & Tripod

2010-06-28T15:24:00.001+03:00

I got myself new photo gear! And I'm so happy. Now, my food styling pics (hopefully) will look better and better.
So, I got the "cheapo" Canon 50mm f1.8 lens and the Fancier WT-3560 photo tripod.

I know, the Canon photo gear fans will say that I only got the cheapest and worst 50mm lens. It's true, but it's a beginning and it will make my hand better. It's good for me wright now, considering that all other 50mm lenses from Canon cost at least 3 times the money.

As for the tripod, it's a delight to work with it, as opposed to shooting from the hand, especially as the 50mm has no built in image stabilization.

The gear was bought online from here and I'd like to congratulate them for the excellent quick service.

Further info about the lenses can be read here.

Home Grown Basil 02

2010-06-27T15:13:00.003+03:00

As I've told you before, I planted some basil seeds from the supermaket in my balcony.

I am glad to say that today the fresh basil leaves are ready for picking and i've already eaten some caprese salad made with them.

Chicken & Yellow String Beans

2010-06-25T11:41:00.004+03:00

I've noticed lately that fresh yellow beans are a fashionable side dish for (grilled) meats. I stumbled upon the yellow things in the local vegetable market. It seems that they are in season and they sold them from whole sacks full, by the kilo.

So, I got a half kilo and got into the kitchen. I portioned up a chicken and shoved it into the oven with some potatoes and zucchini slices, one sliced onion, salt and pepper.

Separately, I washed the yellow beans and snapped off the little ends (with the stem). Then I heated up some extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet and chopped up two cloves of garlic. Oh, how adding a little bit of garlic makes any food much nicer, at least the smell. Stir and take care not to burn the garlic. It literally takes seconds. Then throw in the beans and stir some more. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep steering for another few minutes as the veggies release some moisture. Then, if needed, add some water. It also helps to cover the skillet and steem for a few minutes. Try not to overcook, as they turn limp quickly. They still taste good, but it's better if they stay a little crunchy (like the asparagus, for example).
Note that there are more types of yellow beans (mainly the flat ones and the round ones). Some types take a bit longer to get tender (the round ones). I somehow managed to get them just wright: tender enough to eat but just a little firm "al dente" (to the tooth). It took three tablespoons of water and about ten minutes of cooking in the skillet.

After I threw a serving of chicken, potatoes, zucchini and yellow beans into the plate, I couldn't help but add some more garlic, crushed in some olive oil and salted. Delish!

In the oven:

1 chicken (portioned into 8 pieces);
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cut to cubes);
1 meium zucchini (sliced into 2 cm thick slices);
1 sliced onion;
2-3 tbspoons e.v. olive oil;
salt & pepper to taste, herbs.

On the cooker:

1/2 kilo fresh market yellow beans;
2 tbspoons e.v. olive oil;
3-4 cloves of garlic;
salt and pepper to taste.

Pinot Noir Halewood

2010-04-29T22:38:00.003+03:00

Plain nose, kinda medicinal smell, but not to pregnant. Strong, good color, ruby red, even a bit darker than that. Excellent taste...for my taste! I made a word joke! It isn't pregnant in any sense. It is well balanced, just half way between sweet and half dry. Aftertaste doesn't bother me at all, which is a great thing, because even in some of the best regarded wines I don't like the aftertaste. Oh,... well, in some of them.

Not one of the greats, but totally drinkable. Absolute GREAT price to quality ratio. Espresso Style recommends Pinot Noir from Cramele Halewood.

This will freak you out!

2010-04-27T20:33:00.001+03:00

It sure freaked me out good!

Je Ramasse!! They pick up!

2010-04-18T21:48:00.000+03:00

The residents of a Paris neighborhood are concerned about the state of their streets. They pick it up! Would you? I know I wouldn't do it!

The Proper Way To Coil A Cable Lesson

2010-04-14T16:49:00.001+03:00

I bet you didn't know that!

Pizza Napoletana under 3 minutes

2010-04-09T11:06:00.002+03:00

Damnit! Now, that's how you're supposed to make real pizza, in just under 3 minutes, bake and all. Notice the wood burning oven. My God, that is italian pizza at it's best!

Simple Roast Chicken

2010-04-08T20:30:00.002+03:00

The simplest roast chicken recipe: you take a pare of chicken legs and any other chicken parts you like, cut into pieces not too big (for example, breast cut into 3 or 4 chunks) and season them with salt, pepper (fresh ground, black, because I like the little pepper dots on the product), italian herbs like rosemary and oregano (just a pinch) and a pew sprinkles of cayenne and/or paprika. Let it sit for a while in the fridge. Like minimum a half an hour.

Then chop up a few potatoes into not too small pieces, a yellow onion cut in length but not too small either, and 3 or four cloves of garlic (you guessed it) chopped not too small.

throw the vegetables into the cooking pot or tray and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons full of extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix until they are all shiny from the oil. Get the chicken parts and just put them on top of the potatoes, making sure that a few onion bits are left on top (for a wonderful charred finish).
For the maximum effect and taste I added a few strips of bacon on top of the chicken.

Cover the pot and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes at medium, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

Get everything outta the oven and let sit for 10 minutes until serving. It's hot! Enjoy!

Surprise Birthday Cake

2010-04-08T12:10:00.004+03:00

Today was my 33rd birthday and my dear wife and 1 month old daughter surprised me with this wonderful cake. The cake is not baked by us, it is store bought.

Tagliatelle with Tomato, Olives & Fresh Spinach

2010-04-06T16:51:00.001+03:00

I just made a quick pasta dish because I had bought all this fresh spinach from the market in a spring time frenzy. I was too lazy to cook something else more elaborate and I resorted to the simple and delightful italian cuisine. The whole recipe is a variation of the pasta with tomato sauce, so you start by making the basic tomato sauce.

In a pan, poor some extra virgin olive oil, then chop up 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and gently stir them over the smallest fire you've got. The garlic must absolutely not brown or burn, because it turns sour and you wouldn't get the good flavor in the sauce.

Ok, after a minute, poor in a can of "pelati", peeled plum tomatos that you've raughly chopped up. bring to a simmer steering constantly (preferably with a wooden spoon, better for the flavor, pan surface protection and style) and season with salt&pepper to taste, basil (fresh or dried). You can also use whatever italian herbs you facy, like rosemary, oregano, parsley. I used oregano, no parsley.

Towards the end of 15 minutes throw in the roughly chopped spinach and some kalamata greek olives (it's the best kind for flavoring food). Simmer another few minutes until spinach is soft and it's done. If it seems to you like too dry, feel free to add some water.

Simply poor the tomato spinach sauce over the hot tagliatelle and enjoy!

DeLonghi EC750 Espresso Machine

2010-04-03T09:14:00.004+03:00

I finally bought my first home espresso machine. I got the DeLonghi EC 750 home machine. It is the top of the home line non automated from DeLonghi. I chose this one because it is a machine that works both with ground coffee and pods (in the E.S.E. system). There are very good pod making brands like Illy and Julius Meinl.

I've had it for three days now and I've brewed about 10 cups, both from ground coffee and pods. It's not instant, that I can tell you! But it's absolutely great fun. I really like tweaking the stuff, screwing in the porter filter and turning it on. Then the golden brown liquid streams down into the lovely (also new) coffee cups that I bought. I simply love it. It's the essence of all that I love about coffe and Italia.
It has a proprietary IFD system for frothing milk automatically.

Later edit: the milk frothing system broke after about 6 months of use. It was impractical anyway as it required immediate washing after use an for this you had to take it apart. I rarely drank cappuccinos during this period. Maybe once a month. My next machine will be one with a steam wand, for sure. I'd like to try my hand in a little late art. Other than that, everything peachy!

Home Grown Basil

2010-03-30T16:37:00.002+03:00

My seeds have started to grow into tiny little plants. The basil plants were the fastest to emerge from the earth and I'm still waiting for the two kinds of parsley that I've planted at the same time. I love the basil and I just cant wait to have a Caprese Salad with the fresh basil leaves.

I Know it's Spring: Spinach.

2010-03-28T16:26:00.002+03:00

This is why I know for sure it's spring: my kitchen sink is full of crispy green spinach!

Esspresso Style Recommends: Bread & Roses, Paris

2010-03-27T14:10:00.001+02:00

The Bread & Roses cafe and bakery in Paris is simply excellent! I recommend it with all my heart. On the 62 Rue Madame, 75006 Paris, France, that is right next to the Luxembourg Gardens, you can find on a little corner hidden away this little cafe, resto, bakery and tea place. When I was there with my wife we had two cups of specialty tea (don't remember the blends), and they gave us the tea pots that allowed up to three consecutive refills and kept the brew hot for half an hour. We also had a nice little rhubarb muffin. The muffin was done just wright, more sweet then bitter, but you could still feel the rhubarb distinct flavor in it.

The space isn't that big, but what does big mean in Paris?

The service was good, for Paris standards.

Anyway, it's a very good place, true Paris style, good food and drink and chic ambiance. After a long walk through the Luxembourg, it's just the place you would want to encounter.

Wake Up, America!

2010-03-25T23:18:00.005+02:00

We lived to watch this too: Jaime Oliver, the strong willed and resilient Jamie Oliver brought to tears by the idiots of this world. And I can understand how it happened exactly in America. The land of the free is lately also the land of the lamest ignorant idiots on this earth.

As easily as they could be misled and lied to for agreeing to go to war for oil or to vote the idiotic Bush into a second office, they can also be lied to by the food producing giants that they lead a good and healthy life. And so they go on eating crap. And by that I mean fatty pizza, burgers, salty fries and all the sweetened carbonated drinks.

America, wake up and think for yourself. Get educated and do not dismiss others just for being critical of your ways. That is what drove europeans into two world wars. You got us out of that mess. I think that nowadays nobody is threatening America worse than its own ignorance.