Rabbit Legs in Juniper Cream

Easter and Bunnies are going so well together.

But many of my friends will hate me now, because I am going to eat the cuddly bunny.

Well, just the hindlegs. Rabbit is not very common as a roast here in Germany. I bought mine in France and put it in the freezer. I defrosted it over night in the fridge. Now it is ready to go.

Since rabbit is a very lean meat, and I am eating mostly lean meat in the moment, it is a very nice alternative to chicken breast.

Juniper berries are the flavouring for game meat. I crushed them a bit to release more flavour.

I had some sauce from my chicken wings recipe left over. It went in the pot together with the game stock. A bit more Umami is very welcome.

Recipe for 2:

2 rabbit hindlegs

50 g raw ham cubes, lean

3 tbsp juniper berries

1 tbsp Ghee

Game seasoning, 350 ml game stock/ chicken stock

1 large onion, 2 garlic cloves whole, 

2 bay leaves

100 g creme fraiche

Sauté the ham cubes in Ghee, take them out. In the same fat brown the seasoned rabbit legs all around. Add chopped onion and garlic and place the bay leaves in the pan. 2 tbsp of crushed juniper berries next.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 40 min.

Add the creme fraiche and the last juniper berries and cook for 10 more min.

I served mine with Air Fryer Kohlrabi fries.

Lamb cutlets deep fried

The frying oil was still hot from an other dish. Why not use it to fry some pieces of lamb?

To protect the meat from drying out, I used a batter. To give the batter more flavour, I opened a bottle of orange flavoured carbonated water. There was baking powder in the batter and these two agents helped with the frying. The edges around the cutlets had a crispy texture.

The lamb cutlets were marinated in some oriental seasoning salt and olive oil for 30 minutes. Then went through the batter directly in the 180 C hot oil. 3 to 4 min on each side. Just get rid of excess oil with some kitchen paper and the lamb cutlets are ready to enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 lamb cutlets

Oriental seasoning salt, olive oil

3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 150 ml orange flavoured carbonated water

Frying oil

Sudanese Dakwa - Eggplant with Peanutbutter

This is amazing! If you love chili and peanutbutter. It is super creamy, a bit sour from yogurt and lemon and has a nice kick.

There are many different recipes for this eggplant dish. Usually eggplant is bland. But this dish is the opposit. Not too many ingredients in this one. 

The only additional work in the kitchen is the deep frying of the eggplant. That makes this veggie more tasty and less watery.

The only kind of sauce is the addition of yogurt. The richness comes from the peanutbutter. A light smashing with a stick blender makes it creamy.

Recipe for 2:

1 eggplant

Salt, frying oil

1 green chili

1/2 red pepper, 125 g tomatoes, 5 garlic cloves

1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika

150 g yogurt, 1 tbsp peanutbutter

Salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley, 1/2 lemon

Peel the eggplant and cut 1 inch discs. Let them sit with salt on top for 10 min. Pat dry. Heat up the frying oil to 175 C and fry them for 15 min or until golden. Rest on paper towel.

Chop chili, red pepper and tomatoes and peel the garlic. Heat up olive oil in a pan and start with chili and garlic. Add tomatoes and peppers. Cook for 5 min more. Now add the eggplant cubes. Season.

After a couple of stirs is the time for yogurt and peanutbutter. Melt everything in a creamy sauce. Take a stick blender and roughly smash it. Finish with parsley and lemon juice.

Wet Wet Sauce

I optioned for some chili crisp and made the sauce to my own liking.

A treat that comes out of the fridge to brighten veggies, noodles or fish is something that should be in every household. I made a chili crisp sauce before, but that one is different.

If you are a fan of Gyoza or Chinese dumplings, that goes as a dumpling sauce as well.

I used a couple of spring onions, but cut off the dark green part to use up in the next meals. Only the white and light green went in the sauce.

Ingredients for a 250 ml jar:

5 green onions, 2 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 3 tbsp Gochugaru hot pepper flakes

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

3/4 cup neutral oil -grapeseed oil + 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns

3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar, 3 tbsp rice vinegar

Prepare the onions, garlic and ginger and put that in a heat proof bowl. Add sesame seeds and sesame oil, Gochugaru.

In a small pot heat up oil and peppercorn until nearly smoking hot. Pour the hot oil through a metal strainer over the contents on the bowl. Give it a good stir.

Now add the other ingredients and pour in a jar. When it is cold store in the fridge.

Chicken Wings in Beer

This method is new to me, but very tasty. This is a recipe is from Yum Yummy. I found it on FB.

Usually I use my Air Fryer to cook wings. They get crispy that way. But this method makes it saucy :-)

In 20 min cooking time it is done. But the wings need a starting time in water with baking soda for 15 min. So plan ahead.

Just a medium pan with a lid is needed. 

Recipe for 2:

600 g chicken wings

Water to cover + 1 tsp baking soda

275 ml beer

30 g butter

2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika

3 tsp chopped garlic

Finish:

1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp mustard, chives

Place the chicken wing parts around the pan. Pour the beer in the pan. Add butter, soy sauce, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic.

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat. Cook for 15 min. 

Stir well and add the other ingredients, cook 5 minutes more. Then serve.

Chicken Thighs in spicy and sour Marinate

Not much work to do, but do it!

I was looking for a Saturday quick fix. There is often so much packed in a day like that. Spending less time in the kitchen is a great solution. 

This is a very easy way to cook chicken thighs in the oven. Add all of the ingredients to make the marinate, place the pieces in and let them sit for a while. Use the oven proof dish as the marinate container. Preheat the oven and stick it in.

As a side dish, I optioned for a Turkish medium grain rice. That is usually used for pilav, but I chucked it in my rice cooker with some salt and a teaspoon full of coriander seeds.

Recipe for 2:

500 g boneless chicken thighs

Chicken seasoning

1 rice cooker cup Turkish rice

1 tsp coriander seeds, salt

Marinate:

30 g fresh ginger in slices, 5 garlic cloves chopped, 1 red chili chopped

Juice 1 lime, 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp smoked salt, pepper

Preheat the oven 200 C and cook 25 - 30 min, depending on the thickness of the chicken thighs.

Beside the rice, I served pickled red shallots.

Ricepaper Flowers

This is fun!

Crispy and a little oily. But very fragile.

Today is crazy April weather, but we are still in March. It is lousy cold outside with sun, storm, hail and rain all in one hour. Best to stay inside an have some fun in the kitchen:

Making flowers.

I saw that and decided I have to give it a try. Yesterdays Turkish rice was left over and ricepaper is a staple in my household. But seldom used.

Before cutting it with sissors, make sure you have enough kitchen paper places over your counter top to pick up all offcuts. 

Cut out a 15 cm disc and give that 4 cuts a quarter in to the middle. Now cut a second disc about 12 cm. Do not do cuts here.

Use 3 small bowls and place the rice in. Mix 1/2 tsp of Matcha, red Beet powder and Tumeric with the rice. Add a tiny amount of warm water.

Heat up frying oil in a wok and bring it up to 175 C.

Use the 15 cm disc as the bottom, place the smaller disc on top and ball up a good teaspoon of rice and set it on top. One after the other fry them until white and bloomed. Spoon oil over the rice in the middle that it can cook too.

Carefully take the flower out with a slotted spoon and tip the oil out. Rest on kitchen paper. Season with salt and white pepper.

Caulflower Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing

I know that sounds weird!

But the whole salad on the first glance looks different from any other kind of cauliflower salad.

Steam the florets of the cauliflower, that makes them healthier and keeps the nutrients in. That takes between 7 to 10 min, depending on the size of the florets. Add cucumber strips and cubed red bell pepper.

The sauce is very special:

1 heaped tsp smooth peanut butter

2 tbsp glutenfree soy sauce

1 lemon juiced

1 tsp agave syrup

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp gochugaru hot pepper flakes

3 tsp Greek yogurt

Pepper

Mix the sauce and pour it over the salad.

1/2 head of cauliflower

1/2 red bell pepper

12 cm piece of cucumber

Spinach, Tunafish, Cottage Cheese Bake low carb

This is comfort food without sheets of pasta. Call it a lasagne and you will have beef with your Italian friends. Thats why I call it a bake.

Low carb is my go to in the moment and I try recipes that contain all kinds of ingredients that I like. Why should I eat stuff I don't like. That is not my way of doing it.

Cottage cheese and tuna from a can? That is a lot better than it sounds and goes very well together.

The cottage cheese mixed with the eggs is the "Royal cream" , usually heavy cream and eggs. That binds the bake. Season it well and it is good to go. Enough protein btw.

Use frozen spinach, defrost it and squeeze out most of the liquid. I used chopped ones and I had to drain some liquid.

Very important is a great amount of cheese!

Recipe for 2:

400 g defrosted spinach

150 g cottage cheese half fat

3 eggs

1 can of tunafish drained

1/2 yellow bell pepper

2 green onions, 1 tsp garlic paste

Arrabiata seasoning, salt and pepper

50 g grated pizza cheese

80 g slices of Gouda

Use a loaf tin and put a piece of baking paper in.

Mix spinach, tuna and chopped veggies together. Beat the eggs in the cottage cheese and add to the mix. Season and stir all together. Pour in the loaf tin. Cover with greated cheese and then with the slices.

Preheat the oven 200 C and bake for 40 -45 min, then turn the oven to broil/grill and let the cheese on top get more color.

Angelhair Pasta with Labneh and Za'atar

This is a very herby pasta dish that needs lots of pasta water. Do save the water in the pot!

Since I was on a trip through Jordan a couple of years ago, I am a huge fan of Za'atar seasoning. Labneh is available here in our Turkish supermarkets. I sometimes eat some Labneh covered with Za'atar and a little olive oil with some flatbread for lunch. Some olives on the side.

I saw a Reel where someone raved about this cheesy pasta and I thought why not. I would never used that combination otherwise.

Recipe for 1:

80 g Angelhair pasta or spaghetti

3 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper

3 balls or 60 g Labneh

2 tsp Za'atar

Slice the garlic and start the pasta in less water to get more starch. Do not forget to put salt in it.

In a wide pan sauté the garlic in oil on medium low heat. Drop in the pasta directly from the pot when it is 1 min short of al dente. Be careful, it splatters.

Add the labneh and more water and stir until the cheese is completely mixed in. Add water....

Finish with pepper and lots if Za'atar.