wake-up juice
oranges
pink grapefruits
lemon with the skin on
ginger
fresh twigs of mint
ice cubes
early morning muesli
oatflakes + hot water (or milk) to soften them
sweet raw apple, puréed
nuts, seeds and bee pollen
Tuscan chocolate cake
The popular Tuscan chocolate cake in a version for basic kitchen equipment: blender, cup and sense of proportion. If your measurements and blender velocity slightly differ from the below indicated, it’s not a big problem. The chocolate cake generously doesn’t mind it.
Tuscan chocolate cake
200g chocolate
200g butter
3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
5-6 eggs, depending on the size
Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter a 26cm baking form ( or 2 smaller baking forms). Cut butter and chocolate in small pieces and melt them in a sauce pan, constantly stirring until smooth. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
Fill sugar and eggs into your blender. Select slowest speed (Vitamix Variable 1), then quickly increase speed (Vitamix Variable 4 0r 5). Blend for 15 seconds, until the egg/sugar mixture is creamy. Add flour. Blend for 5-10 seconds until mixed in. Turn blender on slow and pour in the chocolate butter. Blend until the batter is evenly incorporated. (Vitamix: if necessary use the tamper to press ingredients into the blades.)
Pour into prepared baking form.and bake for about 20-30 minutes. The top should be slightly crackled and the center still creamy. Let the cake cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!
soba bowl with carrot and leek
soba bowl with carrot and leek
yields 3 servings
3 bundles of soba noodles
1 medium carrot, cut into fine strips
1 leek, cut into fine strips
for the sauce:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
Wash and peel the carrot, continue using the peeler until the whole carrot is finely sliced. Wash the leek, cut it in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Bring water to a boil, add soba, carrot and leek strips and cook for 4 minutes .
For the sauce mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Add the cooked soba, carrot and leek strips and toss to combine. Sprinkle with leaves of cilantro, mint or parsley.
2 tiramisu – Fabrizio’s original and a dairy-free version
For Easter I wanted to present you with our favourite Tiramisu recipes. The classic recipe comes directly from Rome, to be precise from Fabrizio, a good family friend. The other one is a dairy free version I came up with so that my oldest daughter could enjoy it too! We made half of each recipe in the same dish, and in the end we sprinkled dark chocolate dots on one side to tell them apart later.
Fabrizio’s original tiramisu
1 box of tiramisu biscuits (Fabrizio prefers Pavesini)
500g mascarpone
5 eggs , separated
5 Tsp sugar
strong home brewed coffee, cooled
Dairy free tiramisu
1 box of tiramisu biscuits (still Pavesini if available)
500ml Provamel soya dessert vanilla (like a vanilla custard but not overly sweet)
5 eggs , separated
2 Tsp sugar
strong home brewed coffee, cooled
Separate the eggs, add 1Tsp sugar to the egg whites and beat until solid.
Mix the remaining sugar with the egg yolks, and beat until creamy. Then add Mascarpone or soya vanilla dessert. Fold egg whites into the Mascarpone/soya dessert cream.
Dip the biscuits into the cool coffee and place them into your dish. Then spread the cream evenly, and you have your first layer. Repeat this until you run out of cream. Chill for a few hours to let it set and let the flavour unfold. Before serving dust with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Enjoy for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dessert.
no-knead bread
I never thought no-knead bread would turn out to be such a winner. It’s crust is simply divine. No kneading is requested, no machines, no fancy ingredients, very little effort – just a hot oven and a good planning, because there’s one essential ingredient – TIME.
no-knead bread
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add water and stir with your hands until blended. Dough will be moist and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 12 or 18 hours at room temperature.
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with little bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over itself once or twice.
Generously coat a cotton towel with flour and, put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour. Cover with cotton towel and let it rest for another 2 hours at room temperature.
At least half an hour before dough is ready , heat oven to 250°C. Put a heavy pot or pan (cast iron, enamel,
pyrex glass, ceramics) into the oven as it heats. When dough is ready carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hands under the towel and and turn dough over into the pot, seam side up.
Cover with lid and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes until the loaf is browned. Cool on a rack.
artichoke bottoms with garlic and mint
Soon spring will be here and with it the season of fresh artichokes. I’m early (and lucky) this year because I brought fresh artichokes from Rome in my suitcase. Besides being the most photogenic vegetable I know, they tasted delicious cooked with garlic and mint.
artichoke bottoms alla romana with garlic and mint
6 artichokes
1 lemon, halved
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
Leave artichoke stems attached. Cut off top with a serrated knife. Remove outer leaves until you reach pale yellow leaves with pale green tips.
Using a sharp knife cut remaining leaves flush with top of artichoke bottom. Pull out purple leaves and scoop out fuzzy choke with a melon ball cutter or a spoon.
Trim dark green fibrous parts of the base and sides of the artichoke with a sharp knife.
Rub cut surfaces with the lemon half. Cut the end of the stem and trim sides of stem down to pale inner core.
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt, then mix in the mint. Rub garlic paste into the cavities of the artichokes.
Combine water and oil in a heavy sauce pan. Stand artichokes upside down and sprinkle remaining salt over them. Simmer, covered, over low heat until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer artichokes to a serving dish and reduce cooking liquid to about 1/3 cup. Pour over artichokes and serve warm or at room temperature.
cheesecake topped with meringue
cheesecake topped with meringue
for the dough:
200g flour
75g sugar
65g cold butter, cut in small pieces
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
for the filling:
500g low fat curd (Magerquark)
125g sugar
2 sachets vanilla sugar
100g oil (or melted butter)
1 sachet custard powder
1 egg
3 egg yolks
1/2 l milk
for the topping:
3 egg whites
50g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
Mix the ingredients for the dough in a bowl and knead it with your hands until it forms a ball. Let it rest in the fridge until you finished preparing the filling – or longer.
For the filling start beating eggs and sugar, then slowly add the oil (or the melted butter). Add custard powder, Magerquark and finally the milk. Don’t panic if the filling is liquid instead of creamy. Everything is fine, it has to be like that.
Preheat the oven to 160-170°C.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to a 30 cm round. Transfer to a 25 cm tart pan, press into the base and up the sides and trim the edge. Pour the filling onto the bottom and bake for 1 hour.
In the meantime whisk the egg whites with sugar and vanilla sugar until stiff.
After one hour remove the cake from the oven and with a spatula spread the beaten egg whites onto it. Bake the cheesecake for another 1/4 hour until the surface has evenly browned.
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steamed broccoli with caper brown butter
Broccoli + brown butter + chopped capers = not expected, but true delight!
steamed broccoli with caper brown butter
(Ruth Reichl, The Gourmet Cookbook)
1 1/2 pounds broccoli
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Cut heads of broccoli into florets. You can also use the stems cut in slices. (I usually throw the stems into the juicer with apples and more green veggies.) Steam florets in a steamer for about 6 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in capers and cook until the butter turns golden brown and releases a heavenly smell. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper. Toss broccoli with the caper butter.
To complete my simple lunch I cooked some whole-grain spaghetti, tossed them in olive + black truffle paté and sprinkled grated parmesan on top.
how to make the best use of fruit pulp: vegan cookies
Sometimes I just can’t resist to use the leftover fruit pulp from juicing to make cookies. The beautiful colour and scent of squeezed oranges, apples and carrots – too good to discard! Courgette, pineapple and ginger are nice, as well. I never used the pulp of kale, broccoli or celery. Besides their strong flavour they tend to be stringy. Not really desirable in a sweet treat.
vegan fruit pulp cookies
4 generous tablespoons fruit pulp
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 ripe banana, mashed with a fork (instead of egg)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
optional: raisins, nuts, seeds, dried cherries or cranberries to be mixed into the dough and for topping
Mix all ingredients in a bowl using your hands. Finally fold in the dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line a baking tray with parchment. Then with your fingers roll the dough into little balls, place them onto the baking tray and flatten them into cookies.
Bake them for about 20 minutes until they turn golden brown.
potato, cauliflower and coconut bowl
Part bowl, part curry…. a quick and simple lunch inspiration.
potato, cauliflower and coconut bowl
2 -3 potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
1 small cauliflower, divided in florets
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1cup of coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
juice of 1 lemon (or of 2 limes)
red chili flakes
a few pinches of sea salt
1 cup cilantro leaves
Steam or blanch the cauliflower florets for 10 minutes maximum. Make sure the cauliflower stays crisp. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) .
Toss the potato cubes in coconut oil with a few pinches of sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes. Once the cauliflower and the potatoes are cooked toss them with the remaining ingredients. Season with as much salt, lemon/lime and chili as you like.