Andalusian Shish Kebabs

Andalucia.

The most southern state in Spain, famous for it's beautiful coastline, culture and traditions, wine and its food, of course. It also is home to three of Spains larger cities, Sevilla, Cordoba and Malaga. And not to forget Gibraltar, although that's still British today.

Now that the BBQ season is almost winding down, I thought I'd post a quick and easy recipe for these delicious Andalusian shish kebabs, made with skirt steak. Lamb fillet is preferred but skirt steak is a great alternative. And it's a bit less expensive. You can either throw them on the BBQ or, as I did, sear them in a pan with a little bit of oil. Both methods will return stellar results.

The marinade is very simple, all we need for it are the following ingredients:

1.5 lbs of skirt steak, cut lengthwise into strips
5 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and minced
3 Tbsp of olive oil 1 medium-size red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp of dried Rosemary, fresh works fine, too
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of paprika powder
juice of half a lemon
freshly ground black pepper

Place the meat strips into a large bowl and add all the above ingredients. Combine everything and let the skewers marinade for at least 2 hours. An overnight rest will give them even more flavor and depth.

Get about 8 wooden skewers ready (soak them in water for 30 mins if they go on a BBQ) and slide the strips onto the skewers in a zig-zag pattern. Pan-sear (or grill) them for 3 minutes on each side. Make sure not to overcook them or they'll be dry and too chewy.

Serve them with some Pide flatbread (Turkish), a fresh salad and a cold beer. I also used a little Spanish Chili sauce and a Yoghurt-based garlic sauce.

Disfrute de este alimento!

Swabian Potato Salad

Potato salad. But not any potato salad. This one's the Mayo-free Swabian version, made with broth.

Swabia is a region in Southern Germany and is rich in culture and tradition. Its food is tightly anchored in the region's vast history and most recipes are handed down from generation to generation. The Swabs are very keen to anything pasta, fresh and preferably homemade, such as Maultaschen and Spätzle - two world-reknown dishes that are famous for their large number of variations within the regions of Swabia.

I personally was always very fond of their 'wet' potato salad, which can be eaten warm or cold. It goes great with some fresh German Franks, Bockwurst, Knockwurst, Bratwurst or anything 'Wurst', if you will. It is also a perfect side dish for fish, whether broiled, boiled or fried as you can see here. This potato salad is also amazingly versatile as an outdoor food (picnics, BBQ's, beach food, etc.) since it doesn't really require refrigeration in a cooler or ice box compared to its sister...the one made with Mayonnaise.

So, without any further ado, let's get to it. We'll need...

2.5 lbs of firm-cooking Yellow potatoes (not starchy, floury such as Russet)
1 can of low-sodium Veggie broth
1 shallot, quartered, sliced and chopped
3 slices of red onion, finely chopped
4 Cornichons or baby gherkin pickles, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp of each, fresh dill, parsley and chives
1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp of white vinegar
1 Tsp of organic sugar
4 slices of bacon, fried crispy and chopped into bits
Sea Salt & freshly ground Pepper

Now comes the prep part...

Boil the potatoes with the skin on, drain and let the cool down a bit and then peel them while still warm. Now let them cool down completely. In the mean time fry the bacon to a crunchy consistency and cut into bits. When the potatoes are cold, we'll cut them in half lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch thick slices and place into a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

Boiled, cooled, skinned and sliced

For the broth we'll need to do the following. Heat the broth in a small sauce pan and bring to a light simmer not a full blown boil. Add the chopped shallot, red onion, garlic, mustard, vinegar and sugar to the simmering broth. Turn heat down to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the broth's simmering, finely chop the cornichons or gherkins and add them to the potatoes. Now we'll add the hot broth and bacon bits to the potatoes and carefully fold everything under with a spatula. Let everything rest for at least an hour so that the flavors can disperse within the salad

Ingredients, broth, cornichons & bacon bits

Once the hour has passed, we'll add the fresh herbs to it and maybe add a splash of olive oil to the salad and carefully combine. Season again with some sea salt and freshly ground pepper, cover the boil with some plastic wrap and rest until use.

Chives, Dill, Parsely & Salad

The salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 days before the potatoes turn to mush, and we don't want that. But I doubt it'll survive even two days because it's so damn tasty. Serve with a medium-boiled egg (soft but not runny center), some pickles and tomatoes. Or whatever your heart desires.

Serving suggestion

Enjoy!

Tangy Remoulade for Fish, Meat & Poultry

Remoulade (pron. reh-mooh-lahd).

Sounds like a very fancy thing. Maybe it is but it's also a very cool and all-around great condiment. But what exactly is Remoulade? Mayonnaise with some herbs? Aioli? Tartar sauce? Here's a quick introduction...

First off, it's French. They invented it. Second, it can either be aioli-based or mayo-based. Either way, it is an emulsion. Remoulade can also contain many varying seasonings, spices and herbs such as curry, horseradish, mustard, pickles, paprika or Cajun seasonings. I always say that individual tastes vary so if you like Remoulade, experiment with different recipes. In many countries it is served as a condiment to fish, poultry and grilled meats. It serves also well as a sandwich spread. 

For this Remoulade, I stuck to the classic mayonnaise-based version. However, I took the classic Remoulade a step further and refined it with natural sour cream. Delicious. Now, if you are comfortable making your own Mayonnaise, a wonderful recipe can be found here. It's my go-to recipe when it comes to Dutch Mayo, which I think is the best on this planet in taste and texture. For this Remoulade, though, I cheated a bit and used a healthier low-fat version from Smart Balance and gave it my own personal touch or twist, if you will.

Here's what we'll need...

1.5 cups of low-fat Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp of Sour Cream
1 tsp of garlic powder 
1 shallot, finely minced
1 dill pickle, finely minced
2 Tsp each of, fresh Dill, fresh Chives, fresh Parsley & fresh Tarragon
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tsp of Dijon Mustard (optional)
Sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Ingredients

We'll start out by adding the sour cream, the juice of half a lemon, the mustard (optional) and the garlic powder to the low-fat Mayonnaise and whisk it thoroughly until it's all blended together. Then we'll chop up the fresh herbs and finely mince the shallot and pickle. Add them to the Remoulade. Season lightly with sea salt & pepper.

Herbs, shallot & pickle

Next, we'll fold the herbs, shallot and pickle into the Remoulade by using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Make sure everything's is combined well. Taste. If you think it needs more salt, pepper, maybe some lemon juice or perhaps more mustard, then by all means feel free to add any one or all of those items until your palate screams "Hoooray!" and you're satisfied with the taste. Just add one ingredient at a time, taste and then add another, etc. Like I said before, experiment.

Mixed

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's ready to be used. You can store the Remoulade in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezing it is not such a good idea. Done.

Serve it as a condiment to a great charcoal-grilled steak, fish & chips, pan-fried fish or as a dipping sauce for prawns and shrimps. It even goes exceptional well with spicy Buffalo wings and grilled or roasted chicken.

TIP: For an even tangier version, add a Tbsp of pickle juice to the Mayonnaise when adding the sour cream, etc. It's fantastic.

And remember to experiment. Enjoy!

Panko-crusted Alaskan Cod Fillets w/ Tangy Remoulade

Fish. Cod to be exact.

It's the same fish used mostly for Fish & Chips. Well, Haddock, Pollock and Hake also. They're all somewhat equal when it comes to texture. I chose fresh Cod this time since it was on sale at my local fish market. But before I go into the recipe I'd like to get a word in about rising mercury levels in fish and its health risks. Fish is usually a very healthy choice for anyone's diet because fish contain necessary proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, are low in saturated fats and carry other valuable nutrients.

However, mercury levels are on the rise. Therefore, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest limiting the individual's fish consumption to 3-6 servings a month, with three servings for high-mercury and up to six servings for medium-mercury fish and shellfish per month. Cod falls into the moderate category, for that matter, with Haddock, Hake and Pollock being even better choices since all three fall into the low-mercury category. Anyway, with this out of the way, let's move on to the fishy ingredients for our delicious Cod Fillet...

1 Cod Fillet (about 1.2 lbs)
1 cup of flour
2 cups of Panko breading
2 Eggs (beaten)
2 Tbsp of Cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp of unsalted Butter
Sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Cod Fillet

Since the fish is processed right on the boat immediately after being caught - skinned, gutted, cleaned and frozen - chances are high that you'll come across some leftover bones. If that's the case, just use a pair of tweezers to remove them. Now cut the fillet in 3-4 equal parts, depending on its size, rinse them under cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Moderately season the fillets with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Next, we'll have to bread the fillets. For that we use our two cups of flour, add the 2 Tbsp of Cajun seasoning to it and whisk it together. Pour the beaten eggs onto a separate plate and add the 2 cups of Panko crumbs to a shallow baking dish or casserole. Now we drench the fillets in the flour/Cajun combo and coat them evenly. Move them, one at a time, over to the eggs, dip them in to coat evenly, then dip them into the Panko. Again, make sure the fillets now sport a nice crust and are evenly covered with the crumbs.

Flour, Eggs & Panko - in that order

Heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until it starts to foam.

Place the fillets in the pan and fry them for 3-4 minutes each side or until both sides are golden brown. Use a large spatula when flipping the fillets over to prevent them from breaking apart. Once done, plate them and serve the Cod with Remoulade (recipe here) and homemade potato salad. Garnish with two lemon slices, some dill and chives. Pair the fish with a nice dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc...

Enjoy!

Beer-braised Sauerkraut w/ smoked Hamhocks

Sauerkraut. Very cool.

It has a long tradition and was made initially in ceramic stone jars, which were later replaced by wooden barrels for larger commercial productions. The 'Kraut is rich in lactobacilli, Vitamins A, B, C & D, several mineral compounds and is an important provider of Vitamin C during cold winter times. Today, many different versions of Sauerkraut exist, made from white cabbage, green cabbage and even red cabbage. In addition, there are even more recipes out there using Sauerkraut. For this recipe here I used Sauerkraut made from white cabbage.

Anyway, beer-braised 'Kraut is, just like the name says, braised with beer, usually a dark, hoppier beer such as a Doppelbock which is exactly what I used.

Besides beer, though, we'll need a bunch of other cool stuff which makes this dish so damn tasty and flavorful. Next to a bunch of bay leaves and cloves, we also need a few garlic cloves, fresh thyme, juniper berries and onions, among other things. Here's the entire list of ingredients...

6 lbs Sauerkraut, drained and rinsed in a large colander
5 smoked Hamhocks
2 smoked Turkey Kielbasas
5 Bratwursts, soaked in beer for 1 hour
3 large yellow onions, halved and sliced
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

...and for the spices we'll need...

8 whole cloves
5 bay leaves
20 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chopped
12 whole, dried juniper berries
2 Tbsp caraway seeds

Main Ingredients

The rest is pretty simple...and I'll outline this in a quick matter, just posting the stuff I scribbled down during the entire process. So, this is straight from my notes...

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the Sauerkraut in a large colander and give it a quick rinse under cold water to remove some of the saltiness. Don't rinse too long or you'll lose too much of the flavor. Transfer the 'Kraut to a large roasting pan (I used one of those deep, aluminum Turkey roasters) or a large enough dutch oven. Add the herbs and spices and stir them in. Set aside.

To soak the Brats, cut three small slits in them on two sides and place them in a rectangular container or bowl. Pour over a bottle of beer - I used Gordon Biersch's Czech-style Pilsener - and set aside until later. 

Peel and cut onions in half, then into slices. Heat 2 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet, add the onions and sauté until soft. Add half a cup of the Doppelbock beer, season with salt and pepper and bring the onions to a light simmer over medium heat for about 10 mins. Now we add them, beer and all, to the Sauerkraut and combine everything. Pour in the rest of the beer, but not before you took a quick swig to check if the beer's still good, and add the beef stock. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt (easy on the salt, though. The 'Kraut's already a bit on the salty side). Combine well.

Next we'll place the Hocks and Kielbasa on top of the 'Kraut and work them in so everything's evenly distributed throughout the roasting pan. Cover the entire roaster tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Position the roaster on the middle rack, set the timer for 90 minutes and kick back.

After the time's up, pull the roaster out of the oven and carefully! (hot steam) remove the foil. Using a pair of tongs, turn the 'Hocks over, flip the Kielbasa pieces and give the 'Kraut also a quick stir. Cover again and place back in the oven. Set timer for another 90 minutes. Now it's a good time to start browning our beer-soaked Brats. Add a bit of olive oil to a pan, heat over medium-high heat and pat the Brats dry. fry them until they're are nicely browned on both sides but not fully cooked. That happens during the last 30 minutes of the cooking. Cover the pan and set aside for later. Have a beer.

Save one of these tasty suckers for a "Brat Baguette", topped with braised 'Kraut and Dijon mustard!

After the second 90 minutes are gone by, we repeat the step from above and take out the roaster again and open the foil. You should see the meat from the 'Hocks almost falling off of the bone by now. That's when we take the 'Hocks and the Kielbasas out. Next we'll start removing the thick, fatty skin and the meat from the Hocks' bones, using a sharp knife. I usually save the bones to make stock out of it. Cut the meat into larger chunks and transfer it back into the roaster on top of the 'Kraut.

Sprinkle a bit of flour over the 'Kraut, add a Tbsp of organic sugar and a couple of Tbsp of Dijon Mustard for added flavor. The flour will thicken the juices and bind them, giving the 'Kraut a smooth, less watery consistency. Stir everything well, put the Kielbasa pieces back in, cover again and place everything back into the oven and set the timer for 60 minutes this time. At the 30-minute mark add the Brats to it and put back into the oven to finish cooking, uncovered for the last 30 minutes.

There are many ways to serve the braised Sauerkraut but my favorite one is to serve it along some simple, pan-fried potatoes and a cold beer. Even just a thick slice of fresh Rye or Country bread will do the trick.

Dann 'mal Prost!

German Street Food Greats: The Schaschlik

Schaschlik (pron. Shush-lick) is another favorite German street food item; although not as popular as the Currywurst but it is definitely just as good.

I know, I know... 'Schaschlik' is a strange name for a meat skewer. It has its origins in the Balkans, parts of Russia & Turkey and is usually a marinated, then grilled, shish kebab. In Germany, however, it's a meat (pork) skewer simmered over a couple of hours in a tangy, tomato- and paprika-based sauce with hints of curry, honey, garlic, thyme, bacon and onions until the meat is so tender it's on the brink of falling apart.

Its rich, reddish-brown sauce is also occasionally used for above-mentioned Currywurst and/or served over Pommes Frites. Traditionally, Schaschlik is served with either rice, Pommes frites or fresh bread, such as French Baguette.

This variation of the Schaschlik I'm about to introduce you to is mostly found in the Rhineland/Ruhr region but also in parts of southern Germany. It is a bit more labor-intensive compared to the Currywurst, which is a breeze to make.

Let me make one thing clear though. This dish is not very calorie-friendly, so if you are watching your weight or are in the midst of a diet where those type of foods are off-limits to you, you might want to stay away from it, or...you still might indulge every now and then, in moderation. But this dish, just like the Currywurst, can be habit-forming so make it at your own risk and once every blue moon.

However, I'll show you how to make this street food dish a little healthier without losing its incredible flavor and expanding your waist line by a few inches. Everything in moderation, folks...keep that in mind!

With that said, let's start 'Schaschliken', shall we...?

For the Schaschlik skewers:

1.5 lbs of boneless Pork loin roast (Pork shoulder as an alternative)
2.5 lrg yellow onions, peeled, halved and quartered
1 packet of thick-sliced bacon (I used 40% less sodium bacon)
about 10-15 wooden shish kebab skewers

Start by cutting the pork loin in 1-2 inch squares. No need to trim the fat because pork loin is already on the leaner side. If you decide to use pork shoulder, don't trim all of the fat to keep the meat a bit more moist during cooking. But I advise to trim off the excess fat, such as the thick fatty skin. Cut the bacon strips into three equal parts, cut the onion into equally-sized chunks and start sliding those three items onto the skewers, beginning with a meat cube, a folded slice of bacon, lastly an onion slice and so on. Keep repeating this until you have about four or five pieces of meat on a skewer. Repeat for the remaining skewers...

Then, while working in batches, brown 3-4 skewers at a time in a large frying pan (depending on the size of the pan, of course) over medium-high heat before transferring the Schaschliks over to a large roasting pan. Once they're all in the roasting pan, dust them generously with paprika powder and season with salt and pepper.

TIP: You can also add some red and green bell peppers, zucchini or even yellow squash to the skewers. Experiment a little to see what your taste buds prefer.

The sauce is a medley of diced onions, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, curry, thyme, ketchup and beef stock. Here's the complete list of ingredients...

1 12oz can tomato paste
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 32oz carton beef stock
5oz of orange juice
1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
2 Tbsp of honey
3 Tbsp of paprika powder
2 Tbsp of curry powder
2 Tbsp of garlic powder (or two whole garlic cloves, finely chopped)
1 Tbsp of dried Thyme
1 Tbsp of cayenne pepper
2 good splashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start out by adding a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the same pan you used to brown the Schaschliks in, and sauté the onions for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste and 'sweat' it together with the onions for another minute or so. Deglaze everything by adding the OJ until the remnants or bits from browning the meat have been released. Now is a good time to add the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, 3/4 quarters of the beef stock (reserve the rest for later in case the sauce becomes too thick), the ketchup and the spices. Bring everything to a light simmer for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, peel and chop up a couple of large yellow onions, pull the layers of the onions apart and toss over the Schaschlik, which are already resting in the large roasting pan. When that's done the sauce will be poured over the Schaschlik. Make sure the sauce is distributed evenly and most of the skewers are covered.

Preheat your oven to 385°F, cover the roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty tin foil and set the timer for 1 hour. Once the time's up, take the pan out of the oven and carefully! remove the foil. Don't get burned by the hot steam coming out of it! You will see pools & puddles of hot oil floating on the surface.

Those puddles come from the bacon and meat releasing its fat. Take a spoon or a ladle and skim that fat off, you don't want this in your system. Once most of the fat is skimmed off and discarded, place the pan back into the oven, uncovered this time, for an additional hour to finish it off. If there are more pools of oil at the end, repeat above-mentioned step once more. This will significantly reduce the fat amount toward a healthier version.

After the second hour has passed and time's up again, check on the meat itself. It should be buttery-soft, very tender and easily picked apart with just a fork. The inside should look a little reddish, compliments of the sauce and its spices.

Done.

Like I said before, you can serve the Schaschlik with either Rice, Pommes Frites or a Baguette and, of course...a cold beer! It's excellent with all three of those options. I chose two of them...

German Street Food. Enjoy!